Hello, my darling fans. I've decided to be nice to you all, and post the third chapter, even though I haven't been getting a lot of reviews. But I've decided it's okay. I just want to insure that my fans are happy. So enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: They're not my characters. Only Marie and Jonathan are mine.
Chapter 3 – Dancing Through Life(Bella's POV)
The three gentlemen turned to face us and collectively, Alice, Rosalie, and I gasped. Standing before us were three utterly handsome men. The one facing me was by far the largest of the three. He was very burly and muscular and tall with dark, slightly curly hair. The gentleman next to him was a few inches shorter, with honey blond hair and a muscular but lean figure. But it was the third gentleman that took my breath away. He was an inch shorter than the blond, with bronze hair in a state of casual disarray. Like his friends, he was muscular, but at the same time, he was slender. He was gorgeous.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, I spoke. "It's wonderful to meet you three," I said politely.
The man with the dark, curly hair smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Miss…"
"Swan," I answered. "Isabella Swan. And you are…?"
"Emmett McCarty." He extended his hand and I shook it.
Rosalie was next. She turned to the man opposite her, the blond, and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. …?" Rosalie trailed off, waiting for him to say his name.
"Whitlock," the blond answered. "Jasper Whitlock."
"A pleasure, Mr. Whitlock."
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss…."
"Hale. Rosalie Hale."
Alice turned to the bronze haired gentleman. "Hello, I'm Alice Brandon. You must be Mr. Masen, yes?" She extended her hand to shake his.
Mr. Masen reached out and shook Alice's hand. "Yes, I am Mr. Edward Masen, at your service, Miss Brandon." Alice giggled. Silence fell over our small grouping. After a minute or two of silence, Jasper spoke up.
"Would any of you ladies care to dance?" he asked. Rosalie, Alice, and I exchanged glances before nodding. The three men smiled. Before any of us could move towards the dance floor, Alice spoke up.
"Just a warning to whoever is dancing with Isabella," Alice said, calling me by my full name as we did in society. "She is a bit clumsy and might trip." The boys laughed. I glared at Alice and she smiled back.
Each of us paired off with the man directly in front of us: Rosalie with Jasper, Alice with Edward, me with Emmett. The six of us made our way to the dance floor as the music began; the dance was a slow sarabande. (A/N: I have no idea what a sarabande is, I found it in Ella Enchanted, figured out that it was a type of dance, and stuck it in my story.) Emmett and I assumed the position and began to dance, only to have me trip over my own feet. Emmett laughed lightly, but made no other comment. We continued dancing. As we spun again, I got a glimpse of Edward, dancing with Alice. Oh, he's just so handsome and gorgeous and …
I stumbled again. Emmett laughed. "I see Miss Brandon was telling the truth when she said you were somewhat clumsy, Miss Swan," he said.
"That's me," I answered. "Isabella Swan, the clumsy one." Emmett laughed again. He proceeded to spend the rest of our dance teasing me about me clumsiness. Surprisingly, it didn't bother me. We continued to dance, talking all the while. Then Emmett spun me one last time and the dance ended.
"Thank you for that dance, Miss Swan," he said, lifting my left hand to his mouth and kissing my fingertips.
"You're welcome, Mr. McCarty," I answered. Emmett let go of my hand, and disappeared into the crowd.
"Excuse me, Miss Swan," said a man's voice with a faint Southern accent. I turned to find Jasper standing next to me. "Would you care to dance?"
"Yes, Mr. Whitlock, I would be delighted," I answered. Taking his hand, Jasper and I proceeded to the dance floor as the band struck up a lively foxtrot. We assumed the position and began to dance.
A little ways into the dance, I asked Jasper about his accent. "I noticed you have a slight Southern accent, Mr. Whitlock."
"That I do, Miss Swan," Jasper replied. "You see, I'm originally from Texas, but my family left about a month ago." He didn't seem eager to say more, so I let the topic drop. We continued to dance in silence. After a few more minutes, the dance came to an end.
Jasper raised my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you, Miss Swan," he said.
"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock," I answered. Jasper smiled, then disappeared into the crowd. Almost instantaneously, Mike appeared in front of me.
"Would you like to dance, Miss Swan?" asked Mike. I groaned internally, and looked around to see if Alice or Rosalie was able to come to my rescue. I saw with dismay that they were in no better position than I was. Tyler was holding out his hand to Rosalie, and Eric had Alice cornered; he too extended his hand to her in an offer to dance. As I watched, Jasper appeared by Eric's side; he said something to Eric, who dropped his hand. Alice drifted over to Jasper's side, and the two floated onto the dance floor. I turned to watch Rosalie and saw the same thing. Emmett had appeared by Tyler's side; whatever he had said to him was enough to get him to back away from Rosalie, who Emmett was now leading onto the dance floor. Wonderful. Leave it to my friends to get rescued while I was going to get stuck dancing with Mike. This was just….
"Miss Swan?" a velvety male voice called my name from not far away. I turned to find Edward standing beside Mike, his hand held out towards me. "I believe you promised me the next dance," Edward said. His green eyes locked on to my chocolate brown ones and it appeared as if he was trying to silently convey the message to me to trust him. So I did.
I took his hand. "I do believe I did, Mr. Masen," I said to Edward with a smile. "Excuse me, Mr. Newton." Edward and I drifted to the dance floor and began to dance a Viennese waltz. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke. "Thank you for rescuing me from Mr. Newton, Mr. Masen," I said.
"You're welcome, Miss Swan," Edward said, his green eyes locking onto my brown ones. "A man of his type does not deserve to been seen dancing with a lady such as yourself." He smiled a gorgeous, crooked smile, and I felt faint. "Now, a gentleman like me, on the other hand, does."
"Oh?" I questioned. "And what makes you so much better than Mr. Newton?"
"Would you rather be dancing with him right now?" Edward smiled the same smile.
"No," I said firmly.
"Well, there's your answer." Edward chuckled, then fell silent, as did I. We continued to dance in silence. After a minute, I looked up to see Edward watching me, his green eyes smoldering. I blushed, then stumbled over my own feet. Luckily, Edward's tight grip around my waist kept me from falling. Edward chuckled, and I blushed again. The dance ended. Edward lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. As his lips made contact, I gasped. What felt like a tiny electric shock had ran up my arm. I looked at him to see his eyes widen for a second, before he recomposed himself. I could tell that he had felt it too.
"Thank you for a wonderful dance, Miss Swan," Edward said, still holding my hand in his.
"You're quite welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied.
"Is there a chance that I might see you again?" he asked softly.
"I'm sure my parents would not object," I answered, my voice just as soft.
He kissed my fingertips again. "Then I hope to see you soon, Miss Swan," he said, still speaking softly. He released my hand and disappeared. I felt dizzy. How was it that this man that I had just met was having such an affect on me? I shook my head and went to go find Alice and Rosalie.
Rosalie's POV
Jasper extended his hand to me, and I took it. We swept out onto the dance floor and began to dance a slow sarabande. I looked at Jasper's face as we danced. It seemed so familiar, yet I was having trouble placing it. Suddenly, I remembered where I knew Jasper from.
"So, how long have you been living in Forks, Mr. Whitlock?" I asked, trying to keep myself composed.
"Not very long, Miss Hale," Jasper answered politely. We continued to dance in silence until I could no longer keep up the charade.
"What's wrong, Jasper?" I asked sweetly. "You don't recognize me?"
Jasper stared at my face for a few seconds, before comprehension dawned on his face. He smiled broadly. "Cousin Rosalie?" he said, shocked.
"And here I thought you were never going to figure out who I was," I teased my favorite cousin.
"Well, it's been so long since I last saw you, and you've grown so much," Jasper said.
"You've changed too. It took me a little while to recognize you." I laughed, and so did Jasper. "So what brings you and your family to Forks?"
Jasper hesitated. "The Civil War," he answered finally. Instantly, though he had spoken but three words, I understood. I wanted to say more, but the look on Jasper's face silenced me. I changed the subject.
"How long have you been in Forks for?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light and friendly.
"A month," Jasper replied, looking relieved that I had changed the subject.
"And you never came to say hello or tell us that you were here? I'm hurt."
"We've been trying to start over. Erase the old image of the Whitlock family. That's why I've become so close to Edward and Emmett. Their families have really helped us begin anew. So have the Cullens." Jasper had a pained expression on his face. I could tell that this was hard for him.
"I'm sorry," I said softly.
Jasper smiled. "Thank you, Rose," he said, using his childhood nickname for me.
I smiled too. "You're welcome, Jazz," I said, following suit. The dance ended and Jasper brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingertips.
"Thank you for a lovely dance, Miss Hale," he said.
"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock." It felt strange to address my cousin so formally.
Jasper leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Please don't tell anybody, particularly your friends, about what we discussed," he said.
"I swear not tell," I whispered back. Jasper smiled, straightened up, and left. A minute later, Edward appeared by my side.
"Miss Hale, would you care to dance?" he asked politely.
"I would, Mr. Masen," I answered, every bit as polite. We swept out onto the dance floor and were immediately engaged in a foxtrot. After my lengthy conversation with Jasper, the silence between Edward and I was odd. I made one or two attempts to engage him in conversation, but to no avail. Eventually, I decided just to dance and made no more attempts at conversation. Finally, the dance ended.
"Thank you, Miss Hale," Edward said as he kissed my fingertips.
"You're welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied. Edward let go of my hand and disappeared into the crowd. As soon as Edward left, Tyler appeared in front of me and held out his hand.
"Would you care to dance, Miss Hale?" Tyler asked. I felt my lips purse of their own accord as I scanned the room for someone who could save me. No such luck. Mike had his hand out to Bella and Eric had Alice cornered. As I watched, Jasper appeared by Alice's side and saved her from Eric. A second familiar face caught my eye, and I watched as Edward made his way towards Mike, no doubt to rescue Bella. I sighed.
"Miss Hale?" a deep voice said from behind me. I turned to find Tyler glaring at Emmett, who stood a few feet away. "I believe you promised you would dance with me."
"You're going to have to wait, Sir," Tyler said. "I asked her for this dance first."
"Actually, Mr. Crowley, since I promised Mr. McCarty I would dance with him before you asked me, that makes this dance his," I said. "If you'll excuse me…"
"Thank you Miss Hale," Emmett said to me. He turned to Tyler and his voice turned menacing. "And by the way, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from asking my fiancée to dance, Mr. Crowley." The color drained from Tyler's face and Emmett smiled.
Emmett offered his arm and I took it. Without another word, we walked onto the dance floor. As we walked, I spotted Edward rescuing Bella from Mike and leading her on the dance floor. Then the Viennese waltz began and I returned my focus to my partner and the dance.
"So I'm your fiancée, am I, Mr. McCarty?" I asked.
Emmett smiled. "I just said that to keep him from bothering you again," he admitted sheepishly.
"You could not think of any other way to keep him from bothering me?"
"Do you want him to leave you alone or not?" I sighed. He had beaten me, and he knew it. Emmett chuckled and pulled me closer to him as we danced. It was strange, but somehow I felt… safe in Emmett's arms. Suddenly, an alarming thought crossed my mind, and I gasped.
"What's wrong?" Emmett asked.
"What if Mr. Crowley tells everyone we're engaged?" I asked, worried.
"It will be obvious that he's lying," Emmett chuckled. "After all, you're not wearing a ring." I hadn't thought of that. We danced for another minute, and then the song ended. Slowly, Emmett brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you for a wonderful dance, Miss Hale," Emmett said.
"It was my pleasure, Mr. McCarty," I replied. "You are a much better companion that Mr. Masen."
Emmett laughed. "What about Jasper?" he asked, still chuckling. "Am I a better companion than him as well?"
"Mr. Whitlock is a special circumstance," I answered. He still looked confused. I sighed. "Jasper is my cousin," I explained. "He is a wonderful companion, and I love to spend time with him, but he's family."
Emmett nodded. "Well, thank you again, Miss Hale. I hope to see you again," he said, and he departed. I watched him retreat through the crowd. I'd just met Emmett, and yet he had a hold on me. Smiling, I began to make my way through the crowd to find Bella and Alice.
Alice's POV
Edward and I made our way onto the dance floor and began to dance a slow sarabande. We kept in time to the music as we danced, but I could sense that he was a little distracted.
"Is everything all right, Mr. Masen?" I asked, concerned. "You seem a little distracted."
"Everything is quite alright, Miss Brandon," Edward replied. I sensed that he did not want to discuss matters further, so I did not push him. After a few more minutes, the dance came to an end. Edward brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you, Miss Brandon," he said.
"You're welcome, Mr. Masen," I replied. Edward disappeared as Emmett approached me.
"Would you like to dance, Miss Brandon?" Emmett asked me.
"I would like to dance, Mr. McCarty," I answered. Emmett smiled and offered me his hand. I took it and we swept out onto the dance floor as a foxtrot began.
Dancing with Emmett was hard. Since he was so big and I was so petite, it made thing complicated. I'm normally graceful, but tonight I seemed to be channeling Bella. I tripped at least half a dozen times before we were even half way through the dance. Finally, I mentioned this to Emmett.
"I don't mean to be rude, Mr. McCarty, but I don't think us dancing together is working," I said.
Emmett laughed. "I think you're right, Miss Brandon." He let go of my waist, brought my hand to his lips, and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you for trying to dance with me, though," he said.
"You're welcome." I smiled. Emmett released my hand and disappeared into the crowd. I situated myself in a corner so I could watch the dancing without being disturbed. As the dance ended, I saw a man making his way towards me. When he got close enough that I could clearly see who it was, I groaned. It was one of Mike's friends, Eric. Like the genius I was, I was standing in the corner, meaning that once he reached me, I was trapped. I groaned again.
"Would you care to dance, Miss Brandon?" Eric asked, holding out his hand. I scanned the room as inconspicuously as I could, hoping to spot one of my friends coming to my rescue. Unfortunately, Lady Luck seemed to be against all three of us. Mike was standing barely three feet from Bella and Tyler was holding his hand out to Rosalie. I watched as Emmett made his way towards Rosalie and Edward towards Bella. I turned my attention back to Eric, only to catch sight of another man a few feet behind him, watching me. It was Jasper. Our eyes met. I widened mine in a silent plea, hoping he'd come help me. Without hesitating, Jasper made his way towards me and Eric.
"Excuse me, sir." Jasper said, a southern accent faintly pronounced. "Is there a reason why you are antagonizing this young lady here?"
"On the contrary, sir," Eric said. "I was simply asking her to dance. I am not antagonizing her in any way."
"Really?" Jasper said. "She looks antagonized to me."
"I beg your pardon, sir, but this is none of your business."
"Sir," Jasper said, his voice lower and his accent more pronounced, "I would advice you to leave this young lady alone before I report you to the authorities for harassment." Eric dropped his hand and backed away slightly. Jasper gave him one last, long glare before turning to me. "My apologies, Miss Brandon."
"It's not your fault, Mr. Whitlock," I replied. "I don't hold you accountable."
"At least let me have one dance to make it up to you." Jasper held out his hand.
"I'd be happy to comply." I floated to his side and, hand in hand, we made our way to the dance floor as the Viennese waltz began. We began to dance. "Mr. Whitlock, if you don't mind my asking, why did you come save me from Mr. Yorkie?"
"The way he was acting was no way to treat a lady such as yourself," Jasper answered, his voice hard.
I could tell Jasper didn't want to talk about this, so I changed the subject. "I noticed you have a slight southern accent, Mr. Whitlock," I said. "Where exactly in the South are you from?"
"I'm from Texas, Miss Brandon," he replied.
"Why did your family leave?"
"Complications." Jasper looked upset, like there was more to the story than he wanted to share.
"I understand if you don't want to tell me," I said softly. "I can empathize. It's the same thing for me." Jasper looked at me questioningly. I lowered my head. "I'm not originally from Forks either. I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. My family moved to Forks when I was only three years old to…" my voice broke. "To escape the rising tensions between the North and the South. My father was deadly afraid that war would break out and one or both of my brothers would be drafted to fight for the South. It would have killed him. My grandfather was a veteran of the War of 1812. He was never the same after that war. It haunted him until his dying day. My great-grandfather died during the Revolutionary War. My father was afraid that my brothers would suffer one of these two fates. So we left." A tear slipped down my cheek. I felt Jasper let go of my waist and reach up to wipe the tear away. I looked up at him to find him looking down at me, an odd look on his face.
"I never thought I'd meet someone who could understand," he murmured finally. In a louder voice, he began to explain. "My story is similar to yours, Miss Brandon. I was born in Houston, Texas. A month ago, my family relocated from Houston to here. My father was afraid that I would be drafted to the Confederate army and suffer a fate like that of my grandfather or my great-grandfather. My grandfather is still haunted with memories of the War of 1812 to this day. My great-grandfather never survived to see my grandfather get married. My father didn't want any of this to happen to me. We came here in the hopes of starting anew, away from the conflict. We wanted to put this behind us. Edward's family, Emmett's family, and the Cullens have helped us immensely with putting this behind us. I owe them a debt of gratitude. I owe you a debt of gratitude. You've helped me too, Miss Brandon. I've finally found someone who I know will understand. Thank you." Jasper smiled at me and I smiled back. We danced for about another minute before the dance ended.
Jasper and I moved apart, but he kept a firm grip on my hand. We stood, staring into each other eyes for a few seconds before Jasper lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my fingertips. "Thank you Miss Brandon," he said simply, and I knew he was thanking me for much more than just the dance.
"You're welcome, Mr. Whitlock," I said quietly.
"Is there a chance that I may see you again?" he asked.
"I'm sure that can be arranged," I answered. "I think both of our families would benefit greatly from meeting the others." Jasper smiled before dropping my hand and making his way through the crowd. I remained where I stood, hypnotized. There was just something about Jasper that made him different from every other man I had ever met. I had never felt such a close bond to someone upon meeting them for the first time. I came out of my trance and set off to find Rosalie and Bella.
Kinda long, I know, but I really wanted you guys to see it from each girl's perspective while not wasting three chapters on what was probably an hour all together. As per my new policy (see note at beginning), reviews are not needed, but welcomed. Constructive critism is welcome too, key word being constructive. Chapter four will be up as soon as I finish it.
xoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212