I wrote this chapter listening to the Veronicas even though I didn't actually use any of their music. Hope everyone's having a great day. Now onto the dancing.

Chapter 36- Another two bite the dust

Pov-Bella

Here we were again. I stepped forward on the stage as the lights around us swelled and the audience screamed. If you've never stepped out in front of hundreds of people screaming for you, you wouldn't understand. It's not a feeling I can describe in words. Only in shear panic and the funny way your heart speeds up and yet, at the same time it feels like it skips a few beats.

Adrenalin pulsed through my veins so hard I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears. My palms were sweating as Cat talked to America and I clutched Edward's hand at my side. My stomach flipped uneasily and I tapped my foot softly against the stage below me, unable to stand completely still.

It was absolutly amazing and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

Thursday night, and we were about to find out which three couples would fall into the bottom and have to dance for their lives. Edward adjusted his hand so our fingers were interwoven and I knew if I looked down my knuckles would be white. He didn't complain and I couldn't figure out how to loosen my grip on him.

I'd spotted Charlie sitting with Billy, Carlisle, and Esme during the opener when we each got to do solo's. They'd moved to the very front row and now Charlie was holding the sign Esme had made for me and Edward.

Alice and Mike were standing to our left. Alice had her hands folded behind her back and Mike was tapping his foot the same as me. To our right Angela and Erik held hands both looking as nervous as I felt and next to them was Rosalie and Ben. I caught Angela's eye and she smiled tentatively at me.

Cat had her mic to her mouth and was looking at her note cards as she addressed them. She showed a clip of their dance yesterday and I was impressed at the control of the slow flip. Erik had grown so much since the start of this season. If there had been an underdog it was him and he was showing us all that he could rise to a challenge.

America saw it to and Cat dismissed them with a gentle smile. Erik pulled Angela into a hug and gave the rest of us a thumbs up before they both shot off the stage as if they were afraid Cat would call them back and say April fools you're really in the bottom.

I was oddly envious.

Rose and Ben went next and it felt like only seconds had passed before she asked them to get off the stage too, they were also safe for the night and would get a chance to dance next week. Fourteen spots were open for next week and four of them had already been filled.

Alice shot me a sad look and I knew it was mirrored on my face almost exactly. Sixteen dancers, meant there were only eight pairs. We were coming on the stage in groups of four pairs to stand with Cat and hear the results of last night's voting. There was no way the show would put all three bottom pairs in the second set which meant one of us was going to fall into the bottom right now. One or both.

It was going to be me and I knew it. I had thought our dance yesterday would keep us safe from elimination but, no way I could match Alice as a crowd pleaser and it was the crowd who voted to keep their favorites safe. The judges all loved Alice and she was Mary's favorite. I couldn't remember if any of the other dancer had ever gotten on Mary's train week one but Alice had.

I listened carefully as Cat talked and showed clips of both our dances yesterday. The clip for us was one of the synchronized pirouettes into the drop role. I smiled to myself as the clip move to Alice and Mikes dance, the pirouettes had been perfectly timed and looked awesome. I glanced up at Edward and my smile faltered when I saw the grimace on his face. He glanced at Alice and Mike and then looked down at me. He'd done the math too and knew we were going to fall.

My solo was ready. Every week I got to work on it, it changed a little bit but I was confident it would pass the judges expectations. My Latin background wasn't the best for solo work. Ballroom couldn't really be Ballroom unless there were two people on stage but, the hip-hop influence I used in my dancing gave me a wider range of movements and made the Ballroom parts of my solo not look as awkward.

"Bella, Edward you are safe."

I was so focused on how I was going to handle having to do my solo that it took a moment for Cat's words to sink in. She was talking to me and Edward, she had just said our names. We were safe? We'd gotten more votes then Alice and Mike? That meant Alice had fallen into the bottom. I glanced over at my friend and saw the shock on her face. She glanced at me and smiled softly as I pulled her into a quick hug. She squeezed me lightly but I saw the flash of irritation on her face and understood it immediately.

We were friends, I loved Alice and I hoped we could friends for a long time even after the show was over. But we were also competitors going for the same prize. If I wanted to win, eventually Alice had to go home and Alice was good. She was going to be hard to beat and her going home now would give me a better chance later in the competition. I felt guilty for thinking it almost immediately, but another part of me was reminding me that it was still true. They all had to go home eventually. I knew it, Alice knew it. It was something all of the dancers had to except… It still sucked having to watch your friends leave.

"Good luck Alice." I whispered quickly as Edward took my arm. Cat was waving for us to get off the stage while she explained to America how the process of the solos would work. Mike and Alice went backstage during the commercial break and I took some time to congratulate the others.

Rosalie and Ben both gave me a hug and then Erik grabbed me around the middle and spun me in a circle cheering.

"Top fourteen Bella, We're in! We made it, can you belive this?"

"Not at all."

I smiled and hopped around with him for a few seconds before grabbing Angela into a big hug. Angela was another dancer who kept surprising me. When I'd first meet her she'd been a little Broadway dancer with next to no experience in other styles. She still struggled and Erik was able to help her grow and she pushed him to be better in return.

"Congratulations Angela."

She hugged me back and I noticed that she was crying. "You too Bella, I was so worried about this week. I was sure we would fall into the bottom. I'm so happy we get to go to next week."

"What are you talking about?" Erik asked poping over to our sides. "We killed that dance last night. There was no way America was sending us home after that rutien."

She nodded slowly and all of our heads turned back to the stage as the next four groups were lead out to face the music. Leah and Emmett stood right next to Cat and the others lined up next to them all looking like they couldn't decide weather to be sick or start happy dancing.

When the cameras turned back on Cat got her cue and started with Heidi and Jake. She showed a short clip of their quickstep and my face fell as they were sent into the bottom three. Now not only did I have to worry about Alice I had to hope Jake would be ok too.

Cat turned to talk with Tanya and James and I had the odd urge to growl as they passed into the next round. I didn't have anything against James, I didn't know him to well. He'd auditioned in Washington and liked heaver style contemporary dancing. He could play guitar and there was almost always rock and role music coming from his room. He was also, unluckily, partnered with the world's biggest witch.

Tanya and James hurried down the front steps to join the rest of us standing in front of the judges and Cat turned to talk to Victoria and Jasper. Victoria and Jasper had done a disco routine and I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the clip they showed. Jasper had thrown Victoria into a very impressive lift but it wasn't the moves that caught my attention. Whoever their choreographer had been had talked Jasper into a pair of white, sparkly, flair pants and the matching white, sequence top, sparkled almost as much as the disco ball. Jasper was a good looking guy with waved of blond hair and hard blue eyes but he couldn't pull off the retro disco look. ha ha ha

The clip of Emmett and Leah's dance showed them both shaking their hips to a drum as Hawaiian roller coaster ride played in the background and the lights flashed bright island colors. Emmett pulled off a very impressive spilt kick and the low-cut grass skirt on Leah showed off her great hips. There were both great dancers and the faster speeds made both of the dances crowd pleasers.

"I'll bet Emmett and Leah fall." Erik said. "The disco had some really great lifts in it."

He was talking to Rosalie and I caught her shake her head. "Emmett and Leah are audience favorites so far. They almost always pull in the biggest number. The disco was flashy but the Hawaiian once was fun."

I moved to her side and took her hand in my own as we watched Cat turn back to face the two groups. Emmett and Leah or Jasper and Victoria? America had voted and only Cat knew the answer. She kept talking, trying to raise the tension in the room. It was working, suspense hung thick in the air around the dancers who were already safe and I could almost taste the stress on stage.

"Emmett and Leah, you are safe."

I heard Esme whoop from her seat and then the rest of the room was cheering as Emmett and Leah hurried down the stairs to stand with the rest of us. Rose's fingers locked on my hand in a grip that turned her knuckles white.

"He'll be ok." I said softly trying to bring her some form of comfort as her brother walked backstage. I'd seen Jasper work on his solos, he was stronger in partner work but, he had a strong technical foundation and the mussel for solo flips. He could pull it off.

She nodded once and her grip on my hand relaxed marginally as we took our turn congratulating Emmett and Leah. Cat announced that after the break, The Veronicas would be guest appearing to sing their song "I can't stay away". I cocked an eye brown and looked at the others.

"Did you know we were having guest singers?"

Everyone kind of shook their heads or shrugged and Angela clapped her hands.

"I love these girls, there music is fantastic."

"I've never heard of them." James said and we watched as a drum set was rolled on stage along with crew men in black who were setting up microphones. Rose only let go of my hand when she gave Emmett a hug and congratulated him on making it to the next round. Once Emmett put her down she retreated to the back of our group and leaned against the booth where the judges were sitting.

I was momentarily deaf as the live audience roared to life when the Veronicas came on stage but they quieted down as soon as the music started. The roar of people replaced by the shrill cords of an electric guitar and the thump of a base drum.

Erik started dancing in the open space in front of where the safe dancers were standing and he was soon joined by others. Rose never looked up, she had her arm's crossed over her chest and had taken a sudden interest in her shoes. I wasn't sure if anything I could say would make her feel better right now, but I had to try something.

I moved to go talk to Rose when I got a very Alice's like idea. Emmett was standing just a few feet away from me turned towards the stage but when I glanced over at him I caught him sneak a glance back at Rose. So, I wasn't the only one who'd noticed her distress. I changed course and instead of stopping next to Rose I tapped Emmett on the shoulder. He jumped, not having seen my approach and smile down at me.

He couldn't fool me. His arms were crossed over his chest like Rose's and his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" I suggested, doing my best to keep the smirk off my face when his eyes got big.

"Who?" He asked, playing stupid.

I put my hands on my hips and stared at him. He knew very well who I was referring to. Emmett hesitated and glanced over my shoulder where I knew Rose would still be standing, fighting with the knowledge that her brother might be going home tonight.

"I don't think she wants to talk to anyone." He said, not bothering to hide the fact that he had been watching her anymore.

"I think you might be right about that." I agreed. "But I think she needs to talk to someone and I think that someone should be you."

"Why?" He asked returning his gaze to me. Emmett was a big guy, probably close to 6'1 or 6'2 and with how close we were squished together I had to lean my head back to look up him in the eye. He wasn't trying to smile anymore and I'd never seen him look any less than exuberant, innless he was hungry, and the expression broke my heart.

"Because I said so."

I grabbed his arm and pushed him in Rose's direction before he could argue with me. Had he wanted to I'm sure he could have held me back but, he let me push him forward so I knew he wanted to talk to her too. I watched until he broke past the people nearest Rose and stopped at her side before returning my attention to the others. I didn't want to pry.

"What was that about?" Edward asked as quietly as he could with me still being able to hear him over the act on stage. When I looked up at him he nodded in Emmett and Rosalie's direction. I shrugged and returned my attention to the stage.

"Rosalie is worried about Jasper. She needed someone to talk to."

"And you chose my brother to empathies with her?" He asked still looking at me, though I didn't return my gaze on him.

"Yes."

He didn't say anything for a moment and I risked taking a peek up at him. He had returned his attention to the stage but his eyes weren't focusing on the Veronicas. He glanced down and caught my eye.

"He likes her you know."

It was a rhetorical question but I nodded anyway.

"Yes."

"That's why you told him to go talk to her?"

I nodded, Rose liked Emmett too she just wouldn't' admit it out loud yet. I'd seen her watch him in the lounge. She laughed more when he was around and next to Alice and me he was one of the few people I'd seen her actually sit down and talk with.

"Yep."

He smiled. "You're almost as sneaky as Alice, you did that on purpose."

I smirked and turned my attention back to the stage. The Veronicas had finished their song and I clapped with the others as they bowed and Cat went into a commercial. After the break it was time for the solo's to start and I watched silently with the others as first Mike and then Jake did their solos. I cheered as loud as I could when Jake bowed at the end of his dance and paced along the dancers spot during the commercial break.

"Bella calm down."Edward pleaded with me as I passed by him for a fifth time.

"What if Jake goes home this week?" I asked him. "Or Jasper, it would mess Rosalie up if Jasper went home."

"Alice is up for elimination too." He reminded me and my stomach flopped uneasily. Chances were good we would lose a friend tonight.

I clapped with the audience as the lights flared and Cat introduced Victoria for her solo. Victoria was dancing to a song with no words. It was a light flute piece with electric violins and a base drum and it sort of reminded me of something Transiberian Orchestra would do. I liked it and the judges clapped when she was done.

Alice was up next and she charmed the audience easily with a fast passed jazz number. She was small and energetic and after a neat looking back flip she had them eating out of her hands. Heidi's solo was slower then she usually danced and she missed the ending forcing her to stop awkwardly halfway through a move.

The last dancer to do his solo was Jasper. He'd changed since the opening segment coming on stage wearing a pair of loose black dress pants and a gray button up shirt. His shirt was buttoned to hide the scar across his chest and his shaggy blond hair hung in his face as he took an opening pose.

"The secret side of me, I never let you see.
I keep it caged but, I can't control it.
So stay away from me, the beast is ugly.
I feel the rage and I just can't hold it."

As the song started Jasper kept his movements slow, rising and falling with the speed and intensity of the base guitar and I smiled at his music of choice. I knew the song well and I was a fan of the band. "Monster" by: Skillet.

"He loves this song."

I jumped at the unexpected voice and tore my eyes off the stage to look at my side. Rose had moved forward so she could watch Jasper and I was glad to see Emmett was still with her. Rose took my hand and smiled at me before returning her attention to the stage.

"It's scratching on the walls, in the closet in the halls.
It comes awake and I can't control it.
Hiding under the bed. In my body, in my head.
Why won't somebody come and save me from this make it end?"

Jasper made little connection with the audience as he danced, his moves turned inward and harsh. I knew Jaspers dancing background was contemporary but I hadn't known how good he was. He's dance drew you in and you could almost feel the internal struggle the lyrics described.

"I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin.
I must confess that I feel like a monster.
I hate what I've become, the nightmares just begun,
I must confess that I feel like a monster."

I knew that some of the emotions coming off the stage were fake. Dancers truly were the worlds best actors, since every song had a different emotion. Every time you learned a new dance you needed to learn a new character, you needed to become someone other then who you were and convince all of the people watching you that it was easy, but I also had a feeling that this really was how Jasper felt. Conflicted.

"My secret side I keep, hid under lock and key.
I keep it caged but I can't control it.
'Cause if I let him out, he'll tear me up, bring me down."
Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?"

Jasper moved back and forth across the stage utilizing all of its open space and showing off his technical abilities to the fullest. He pulled off two impressive back flips one after another and showed of his balance with a set of hopping Pirouettes.

"It's hiding in the dark, its teeth are razor sharp.
There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart.
No one can hear my scream, maybe it's just a dream
Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster."

"I must confess that I feel like a monster."

As the song came to an end Jasper moved over to Cat's side and let her hook an arm around his waist as she talked to the audience. After the break the judges would announce which boy and which girl would be going home.

I squeezed Rose's hand as the other soloist came out and stood with Jasper and Cat center stage. "He did so good Rose."

She nodded slowly a small smile on her face. "It's not over yet."

"I bet it's Jake." Emmett commented joining our conversation.

I paled; I thought Jake did a great job. Jasper had easily been one of my favorites tonight, I thought he'd blown Mike out of the water. "Why?"

Emmett shrugged. "He's better then Mike in the solos but his partner dance last night was a big flop. I think the judges forgive bad solos easier then they do bad partner dances."

"But they know the quick step's too hard to master in a week." I argued.

He shrugged. "Couples have done it before and come out great. I think their standers for it are high then they ever have been before."

"Were about to find out." Rose said nodding at the stage.

I looked up in time to see the lights flair and Cat smile as she got her cue to talk. Alice and the other girls had moved off to the side and Cat was standing center stage with the three bottom boy's. Jake looked like he was ready to pass out, Mike looked like he was trying to find the best place to get sick on stage and Jasper's face was a blank mask hiding all emotion.

"Welcome back America." Cat said in her annoyingly happy voice. "Now is the time that you have all been waiting for. We are about to lose one more guy and one more girl from this competition so lets turn to our judges and see what they've decided

Rosalie was put out of her misery first. The first thing Nigel did was ask Jasper to step forward, comment him on his solo and his disco routine from last night. Nigel wasn't sure why he'd wound up in the bottom in the first place and he was asked to get of stage.

"Oh, thank God."

Rose whispered as Jasper exchanged a few short words with Mike and clapped Jake on the back. He jogged off stage, skipping the stairs in favor of simply hopping off right in front of Rosalie. Rose jumped at him and locked her arms around his neck as he pulled her into a hug.

Nigel turned the microphone over to Mary and she talked briefly to both Mike and Jake. Small fingers wove threw mine and I turned to find Rose holding my hand again. Jasper and Emmett were both standing on her other side. She gave me a small smile.

"I hope he makes it." She said softly nodding back up at the stage. "Jakes a good dancer, I don't think they'll send him home for one bad routine. From what I saw it was Heidi that really messed it up for them."

I smiled and squeezed her hand back finding comfort in the small gesture. Mary called Mike forward and after a little banter between her and Nigel, which I bet was supposed to be funny, they dismissed him and Jake passed into the next round.

"Yes!"

I clapped my hands and did a little dance giving Rose a big hug and then turning on Edward who had been standing on my other side during the whole exchange. "He made it." I cheered giving him a hug too, keeping his hand in mine when I let go.

Jake paled as far as I'd ever seen a Native American pale and then he shot off the stage, jumping down to join the rest of us. Charlie and Billy went wild and Billy yelled something in Quileutes that made Jake laugh. I gave him a one armed hug before he was pulled away to be congratulated by Erik and some of the other boys.

Cat called the girls forward and Rose and I made funny faces at Alice while we waited for the commercial break to be over. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and went cross-eyed at us just as the camera's turned back on and Rose and I broke into a fit of laughter hoping the cameras had caught her makeing faces.

The girls went faster then the boys had because the judges were unanimous in their decision. Mary practically yelled at Alice and told her to get off the stage and she was followed shortly by Victoria. Heidi joined Mike by Cat and she asked them what they were going to take from the competition. I missed their answers as Alice ran down the stairs and threw herself at us.

Rose and I intercepted her before she could get to Jasper in order to claim our hug time and then we let her go so Jasper could have his turn. Alice was all smiles as she wrapped her arms around his neck and Jasper swept all five foot nothing of Alice off her feet and spun her in a circle.

We all took our turns congratulating Victoria and then as Cat dismissed the show we raced on stage to dance to the ending them song and say goodbye to the evicted dancers. Heidi cried and thanked everyone for the awesome time she'd had and Alice secretly celebrated that Mike was going home. Now that her partner was getting sent home she would end up teaming up with Jake for next week.

"He's about six inches taller then Mike." I reminded her as the lights dimed and the cameras shut down at the end of our scheduled hour.

She shrugged. "I think we'll be ok."

I had just enough time after the show to give Charlie, Billy and Esme all a big hug and thank them again for coming when a crew man came around and herded all of the dancers out the back door and onto our bus. I fell into the seat next to Edward and yawned.

"Sleepy?" He asked

I nodded. "Most definitely."

The dark lighting in the bus as well as the soft hum of the motor would have put me to sleep if Alice had stopped talking, but she kept up an even flow of chatter all the way home and forced me to participate in most of the conversation. I held onto Edward's arm as we filled into the building and was grateful for its support on the stairs or I would have fallen over.

"Um…Bella where are you going?"

"Hum?"

I yawned again and turned to look at Emmett who was pointing over his shoulder. We'd all been heading upstairs and I'd missed the door to the sixth floor. The rest of the girls were all heading to our floor and I'd kept walking with Edward.

I looked up at Edward and blushed. Emmett laughed a stupid sugestive grin on his face.

"I mean if you want to come up stairs with Edward I'm all game He needs to get laid bad-"

*Wack*

"...hay! What the hell man?"

I was beat red, Edward looked like he might be going into shock and Jake had smacked Emmett in the back of the head with a scowl on his face.

"Watch your mouth Cullen." Jake threatened.

"Damn it." Emmett cursed rubbing at the back of his head. "It was a joke."

"Guys stop it." I said dropping Edward's arms. I shot him an embarrassed look and climbed back down the stairs to my floor, purposely walking so I had to step between Jake and Emmett. I pushed them both back a step.

"I just missed the door, its late." I blew them all a kiss and waved good night slipping behind the door to my floor before anyone could say anything.

Alice wanted to celebrate so Rose, Leah and I joined her in her room for movie marathon. I made it threw Tango and Cash and five minutes into the new Startrek movie before I passed out on the floor near the end of Alice's bed.

~Darkrose

Leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll try to get the next cupple of chapers up quick but no telling what kind of time I'll have. School starts up again on Monday :(