Hey guys, sorry it's been so long since the last chapter! I've just been so busy that I haven't had nearly as much time to write as I would have liked. Anyway, it shouldn't happen again, and the chapter's here now. I hope you like it.

I haven't had much time to reply to reviews either, but I can do that later. Thanks for everyone who left a review, they really make my day.

Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 6

"Are you sure you want to come to this?" Edward sat nervously in the passenger seat of Alice's car, thumbing the corner of his leather jacket. "This isn't the kind of thing you usually like, and I don't need a babysitter."

He turned his head quickly to read her profile. An eyebrow was raised in skepticism, and Alice's voice was laden with sarcasm when it filled the silence.

"Really, Edward? You don't need to be looked after?" She took a quick left and pulled to a halt in a street Edward did not recognize. It was too quiet to be the place of the party, and Edward knew instinctively that he should have kept his mouth shut. Alice twisted in her seat to stare him down properly. "Then tell me again how we landed ourselves in this situation? If I can recall correctly, which I know I can, it was you. You, and your reckless behavior. What part of 'be careful' do you not understand?"

"I am being careful," Edward argued quite pathetically. Alice narrowed her eyes at him. "I told her to meet me there; it's not a formal date. I just thought we needed to pick up the pace a little bit. Besides, I thought you wanted her to go to this party."

They had had this same fight numerous times since the day Edward had invited Bella. No matter what Alice told him, he still felt that his actions were justified. From what he understood of women, particularly young women, they were fickle. If he waited around too long, he would, they would, miss their chance with Bella. Then they'd be forced to sit and watch while the Hales swooped in like vultures and claimed their victim.

Edward had used this as his main battle point, but Alice refused to accept it. She was not angry with him, just frustrated, and it showed in how she treated him. Every time he brought the party up, or asked for her advice on how to handle it, she would just shake her head and sigh loudly. However, she never failed to answer his questions.

"So, you are not only being idiotic, but unchivalrous too. My, Edward, you really have outdone yourself."

Choosing to ignore her comment and save his energy for later that night, Edward turned to look out the window and squinted down the street.

"This can't be where the party is," he said. Alice shifted the car into gear and fired up the engine again. "Do you know where Ben's house is?"

"Of course," she said curtly. Still convinced they were going in the wrong direction, Edward decided to stay silent as they rolled along the street, towards the darkness.

Eventually, the low thumping of music travelled through the ground as they drove closer to a lit-up house. From a distance away, Edward could see indistinct figures covering the front lawn. Some were walking towards the door, while others huddled in groups.

Slowing the speed of the car, Alice drove past the house and parked a little further down the street. She was quiet, and Edward knew she was silently gloating. So he didn't know where Ben Cheney lived and she did? He wasn't a stalker.

"Ready?" Alice asked, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"What's there to be ready for?" Edward said with a forced confidence. The nervousness that had been noticeably present for the last 10 hours in his stomach was stirring. He was thankful that he'd only had a light dinner. Alice gave him a once over and raised her eyebrow. "It's just a party, right?"

"Okay, then. Let's go."

Alice's heels kept a steady rhythm on the pavement, which Edward could feel pounding beneath his feet. The noise from the house was much louder now that they were outside the shield of their car. The other houses around him looked relatively quiet; obviously they were unperturbed by the party.

They soon stepped out of the protective darkness and into the seemingly obtrusive light that was being cast from the windows and doors of the house. Upon closer inspection, Edward saw that the building was much more populated that he had imagined. Many of the crowds on the lawn consisted of faces Edward recognized, but did not know. In the hands of these people were the stereotypical red cups that Edward had never believed actually accompanied these types of parties. A few of these same cups were strewn across the lawn. It then dawned on Edward how completely out of his element he was.

Alice, on the other hand, looked unfazed as she strolled towards the front door, stepping casually over the plastic litter and ignoring the quizzical stares and cat calls. Doing his best to keep up with her, Edward lengthened his strides. He could feel the beginnings of a cool sweat on his forehead, and he wasn't entirely sure that this had anything to do with the increase in pace.

"Can you see her?" Alice said once they reached what Edward assumed was the main party room. A huge, black speaker sat in the corner, visibly shaking as a song Edward vaguely recognized played. Some people in the room were dancing, others spectating and more holding shouting matches of conversations. Edward scanned the crowd, but he could not see Bella anywhere. He began to doubt whether or not she'd show up.

"Alice, Edward!" someone shouted from behind them. Ben was walking towards them, cup in hand. "Glad you guys could come. Here, come with me and we'll get you some drinks."

Whatever Ben would offer them, Edward was sure it was the same thing that was giving the host his extra confidence as he lead them through the crowds. Ben had always been friendly. Friendly and shy. Now, he was making loud small talk with Alice as he navigated them. Edward tired listening to their conversation, but his mind, and eyes, were focussed on other things.

No matter where he looked, he could not locate that familiar brown hair. Edward was beginning to get seriously worried. What if she didn't come? What if she couldn't? What if something had happened to her on the way over?

"So, yeah, a much bigger turnout than I expected. As long as the house isn't trashed, I don't care-"

"Sorry, Ben," Edward interrupted him, "but has Bella Swan arrived yet?"

"Oh, Bella?" Ben winked at Edward and nudged Alice. Definitely under the influence of some sort of alcohol, and too much of it. "I heard you were meeting her here. She's, eh, I think-" his hesitation was not helping the nausea Edward was feeling- "Oh, the last time I saw her she was in the kitchen with Angela. She's probably still there."

He kept talking, but Edward had tuned out again. She'd come. She was talking to Angela... . For the first time Edward realized that he was the only person Bella knew who was coming to the party. He wished he had thought of this before, and planned his arrival earlier.

The crowd thinned slightly, as Ben took them through a doorway into the brightly lit kitchen. On a counter in the middle sat all of the drinks, and this was where Ben brought them first. He mixed Alice her drink and handed Edward his preferred beer.

It only took one scan of the room to spot Bella. She was leaning against a counter, holding a cup of her own which she was tracing along the top of with her free hand. Her hair fell straight past her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. Even from quite far away, Edward noticed that she was wearing make-up, and until he observed the difference, he hadn't realized that she didn't wear any in school. Her brown eyes were framed by even darker lashes than usual, and her cheeks were slightly more pink.

Ben has been right in his guess, as Angela stood beside Bella. With an internal sigh of relief, Edward could easily see that the conversation between them was flowing easily.

"Hurry up and introduce me," Alice muttered from beside him, beaming. With a small hand, she pushed him forwards. Ben was already at his girlfriend's side.

"Hello, Angela, Bella," Edward said, smiling at them. Angela giggled and Ben drew her closer to him.

"Hey," Angela said to both Edward and Alice. "Did you just get here?"

"Yep, we just arrived," Alice answered. "You look lovely, Angela. So do you, Bella." Alice extended her hand to her and Edward inwardly groaned. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced." Bella accepted Alice's hand somewhat tentatively and simply smiled. "I've heard so much about the new girl in town."

"Thanks, I think," Bella said in return. "Everyone here's been so welcoming. I was pretty surprised. I thought people usually didn't like the new kids."

Alice raised her eyebrows slightly and her smile thinned. "You must be the exception," she said, somewhat coldly.

She took a big swig from her cup and looked at Edward from the corner of her eyes. This did not go unnoticed by Bella. Both Ben and Angela were oblivious to any conversation going on around them, focussed only on each other.

"Yes, she must be," Edward said quickly, if only to avoid the awkward silence which threatened to envelop them. "Bella," he said, turning his attention to her, "I hope you haven't been here too long."

"Just a while. Don't worry about it, though, Angela and Ben have been really sweet." The genuine smile on Bella's face appeared to be of some consolation to Alice, for her shoulder's relaxed and her grip on her cup loosened.

Once Alice began to talk again, they slipped into easy conversation. It pleased and surprised Edward to see how well Alice and Bella got on. However, at the same time, it troubled him. Alice could be charming when she wanted to be, and Edward knew this was exactly what she was doing right now; charming Bella. Another reminder that this was little more than a game to Alice, and that it should be the same way for him.

For the past few nights, Edward had been unable to keep his thoughts from Bella. He had envisioned how this party would go. The worst case scenario, right up to the best. However, he was not sure what he wanted from this.

Every time Alice met his eye, a surge of guilt would pass through him. She was a constant and physical reminder of the root of Edward's motives. When he thought of that, Edward almost wished that Bella decide herself to walk away from him, he wished that she would find him so utterly boring and stiff that she simply didn't want to spend any more time with him.

Because he couldn't stand the thought of getting closer to her, knowing her, becoming involved with her, only for someone to reveal to her the true ugliness of his thoughts. Or worse, for Bella to discover it herself. Edward didn't think he could handle watching her shrink away from him in disgust.

In theory, pulling away from her shouldn't have been hard. Edward barely knew Bella, and they never associated with each other outside the protective confines of the Biology lab. Until now, when she stood in front of him. It was now Edward found himself laughing along with her, engaging her in conversation, allowing himself to be totally captivated by her. He watched as she joked with Alice, her eyes dancing, her straight hair falling to her shoulders, her pale skin luminous against the green sweater she wore, and all thoughts of him walking away were abolished.

"Oh, I love this song!" Alice suddenly exclaimed. "Please, come dance." She looked imploringly at Bella. It was a side of Alice Edward rarely saw; social Alice. She was jumping up and down slightly, a possible side effect of her drink, to the music. "Please."

"Alice, I don't think that's the best idea," Bella said, but it was too late. Alice had already grabbed her by the hand and was pulling her towards the music before her protests could have any effect. When she quickly turned to look at Edward, her eyes were wide and full of an unreasonable fear. In a surprise move, she reached out and grabbed Edward's hand, dragging him along with them.

Momentarily stunned, Edward had no opportunity to fight against her pull. He instinctively took her hand tighter in his.

As Alice fought her way through the dancing crowds, trying to find enough room to move, Edward moved closer to Bella, shielding her from the drunken, groping hands of the boys surrounding them. With one final lurch into through the wall of bodies, Alice miraculously found an air pocket. She released Bella from her grasp and started moving to the beat.

Belle stared in what looked like a mixture of awe and horror, her body frozen.

"What's the matter?" Edward said, leaning close to her ear so she could hear him. It was the closest her had been to her all night, and he caught the scent of her hair as it tickled his nose. He then remembered that they were still holding hands. Without thinking about it, he moved his thumb in slow circles against her skin, as though gently trying to bring her out of her daze.

This seemed to work, and Bella blinked a few times before tilting her head towards Edward to answer his question.

"I don't dance." She said those three words and Edward was lost to her. When she'd spoken, her lips were so close to his own that he could practically taste her breath. It was impossible that she had not felt it too; the spark, of raw, dangerous electricity that shot through the small distance between them.

Edward tried to subdue his heavy breathing as he followed her eyes as they moved from his shoulder, to his lips, then eventually, to his eyes. They were wide and expressive, but Edward was too far gone to have any hope of reading them. His focus moved to her lips, slightly open, inviting; her exposed collarbone, rising and falling with her breath; her hips, which inched closer to him.

In that one, fleeting moment, Edward knew for certain Bella was as hopeless as he was. He moved slowly, taking her other hand in his. When she laced her fingers through his without protest, his heart rate doubled and he rejoiced inside. He pulled her closer.

"Edward," a voice someone close to him spoke. He refused to answer it, to give it the satisfaction of a reply. He was too wrapped up in Bella.

But Bella had heard it. She registered the urgency in the voice. She responded by pulling away from him, releasing his hands.

Then, just as quickly it had come on, the magic that had held them so close in the last few seconds dissipated, and Edward found himself looking into Bella's eyes from a much greater distance.

"Edward?" The voice Edward had heard called for his attention again, and he realized that it was Alice. He felt her hand on his arm, shaking him.

"What?" he said, doing his best to mask the vicious and unreasonable anger he felt her towards her right then. He doubted it would impress Bella. Alice, who had first been staring at him with apologetic eyes, marked the ire in his voice and glared at him, dropping his arm.

"Ben needs your help, we have some crashers," she told him. As if she had slapped him across the face and woken him up, Edward suddenly understood what was going on. In fact, he was willing to bet his right arm that it wasn't just a random crowd of juniors who decided to try their luck. No, he knew that the Hales were behind this.

Alice had not waited for him to react, but was now storming ahead, forging a path through which Edward could follow. Had he still be living in the moment less than a minute ago, Edward would have taken Bella by the hand so that she stayed close to him. However, he was now firmly in the present, and so, he just silently gestured for her to follow.

Before they even reached the door, signs of the crashers were evident. A keg was being carried towards the kitchen and a fresh influx of people Edward didn't recognize were flooding through the door. Many of them looked too old to still be in high school. Edward knew he was about to meet Emmett McCartey's infamous college friends.

Alice was trying to spur a bewildered looking Ben into action, while Angela stood by, looking terrified, watching as the hoards of people push past her.

"Edward, help!" Alice said when she saw that he was behind her. Edward barely had time to think when an unwelcome voice met his ears.

"Well, well, this is quite the party." Rosalie Hale stood by the door, flanked by Emmett and Jasper.

"What the hell are you doing here." Alice left Ben's side and shoved past Edward.

Before Rosalie could reply, another set of voices Edward recognized came into earshot.

"Oh my god, Bella!" Jessica Stanley squealed. "What are you doing here?" She ran through the door, stumbling on the carpet. It was clear she was already intoxicated, and the sight was repulsive. As she moved towards Bella, Edward quickly took a step to his right, placing himself in between the two bodies.

He had not even thought of his action until it was already executed. Alice narrowed her eyes at him, as did Jasper, but playing across Rosalie's face was that familiar, evil smirk. Jasper's soon matched hers. Jessica, on the other hand, seemed unperturbed.

"Oh! Hello, Edward," she said, placing heavy emphasis on his name. He assumed that drop her in voice was her attempt at playing seductress. "I didn't know you would be here." His previous assessment seemed to be confirmed, as she batted her heavily coated eyelashes at him in such an obvious manner that Edward could not imagine any man on earth finding it attractive.

"Jessica," Lauren Mallory sang as she sauntered through the door, Mike Newton in tow, "leave some of him for the rest of us." She glided past them both, winking at Edward as she went. Mike gripped onto her hand like it was his ticket to the moon. From the way she swayed her hips, and the way he was mesmerized by them, Edward guessed that it would be his ticket to something tonight.

With Jessica's focus broken, Edward pushed the hand she'd laid on his chest away, and she walked blindly in the direction her friends has just gone.

"I hope you don't mind," Jasper said, lifting a cocky eyebrow, "but we brought a few friends."

"You have no fucking right-" Alice began, but Jasper cut her off.

"Hey, we just came here to have a little fun." He raised his hands up in mock surrender. "We're just looking for a good time," he said, looking through Edward and in Bella's direction. He began to move towards her, and Edward immediately squared up to him. Folding his arms across his chest, Edward was determined to keep this creep away from Bella.

"Get the fuck out, Hale," Edward seethed. His anger had increased by a hundredfold in the last couple of seconds.

"What's with all the hostility?" Jasper again adopted his false innocence. Instead of looking past Edward, he moved, so he stood right in front of Bella. "I hope this isn't the same welcome they've shown you. If so, then I'm sure we can offer you something different."

Edward clenched his fists, ready to strike, but Bella did not look frightened. This only made Edward more angry.

"Hale, I swear, if you don't pack up your little cronies right now and-"

Jasper turned himself slowly, a smug smile on his face. "What are you going to do, Cullen? Force us to leave?"

Edward felt rather than saw Emmett move behind him. No matter what he did, he was outnumbered. Ben, obviously unwilling for a fight to a break out in his house, stepped forward for the first time.

"Look, you can stay, but only if you don't... wreck the place," he said, grimacing, no doubt, at the thought of his house being trashed.

"Works for us," Rosalie said, breezing past Alice's shoulder. "Come on, Emmet, we have a keg to empty."

Both Jasper and Emmett joined her and they disappeared from their sight. Edward got a full glance of Bella for the first time since he'd been forced away from her so many minutes ago. It felt like much longer. She didn't look as shocked as he expected her to be, and his idea of offering to drive her home seemed redundant.

"Ben, if you want, we can call the cops or something," Alice suggested. "They shouldn't be here."

"Alice, nobody should be here," Edward said. "Even without the keg they brought, there was still enough drink her to supply the whole student body. The cops would not be a good idea."

"Definitely not," Bella added, moving beside Angela. "Look, maybe it won't be so bad. I know some of these people, and they're decent." She looked so hopeful and genuine that Edward really wanted to believe her, but he just could not trust anything that involved the Hales. This could not end well. "Let's just relax."

Alice seemed to read his train of thought and gave him a stern look, as if she was mentally willing him to keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah, you're right, Bella," she said. "Let's not get worked up about this when nothing bad has happened."

Yet, Edward added to himself. As he scanned the now packed house, a sense of dread began to stir in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Bella pulled Angela towards the dance floor, laughing and trying to lighten the mood. Ben was close behind them. Before she disappeared from view, she threw a reassuring smile in Edward's direction.

"Edward, can you come upstairs for a moment?" Alice said to him. He walked up after her without a word and went with her as she entered a dark room. Flicking on the light, she turned to face him, the anger Edward had expected dancing in her eyes. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," he answered, "maybe we should just let them be. Ben didn't seem to mind."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Edward stared at her, confused. "The Hales? What else-"

"Bella." Shocked, Edward could not even bring himself to respond. "What is going on between you two?" Alice continued.

"I've told you before. Nothing," he said.

"Don't try and feed me that shit, Edward. I saw what I interrupted down there." She placed her hands on her hips and stared him down. "Look, I don't care if you like her. Hell, I like her! But you'd better fucking grow a pair and admit it to yourself, because Jasper Hale knows it too, and he will use it against you." With that, she stormed past him and out the door.

The muffled sounds of cheering floated up from down stairs, and, remembering the look on Jasper's face as he stared at Bella, Edward forced himself to return to the chaos with only one motive in mind; to keep Jasper Hale as far away from Bella as possible.

End of Chapter 6.