Please read this:

Hello chickadees! I feel like we all need to get reacquainted...it's been so long! I know, you have rights to hate me (is it in the constitution?). Anyways, I was actually delayed in posting because I wanted to get caught up on Twilighted...this however, has taken a lot more time than I originally had hoped. And I prefer to update on the weekends...

I have a huge Chem Exam tomorrow and I will be busy this week so I figured update this weekend or next? This weekend it is. I am still waiting for Chapter 8 to be validated on Twilighted. I will post this chapter as soon as possible on there.

Please note: this chapter has not yet been sent back by my Beta. She still has it, but thanks Shawna for all the other chapters! I will just jump on here and add the fixed errors and mistakes when she sends it back to me. That's not a problem, eh?

Okay, I'm gonna shut up now. I am kinda nervous about this chapter...of all chapters....because I'm not sure if it flows well or if people don't get the idea that these cuties fell in "Love at first sight"....they just don't know it yet :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or The Bachelorette. However, I do own a Chapter 8 Part 2 that is the longest chapter yet :)

A Night Out on the Town
Part 2

Edward POV

Los Angeles, California

May 2009

We drove through LA laughing, joking, and teasing.

Bella's brown sparkling eyes shot a glance at me every so often, and I swear to all that is Holy, I could see her soul. She looked at me with such adoration; so badly did I want to know if she was feeling what I was feeling too. That connection, the chemistry, the natural electricity between us. That, was something I had never felt before in my entire life, it was all new to me. I loved every minute of it.

Although, being with Bella was such a bittersweet feeling.

One moment, we were laughing at some shitty joke about SpongeBob Square Pants that Emmett was so kindly telling…to snuggling and watching the LA lights pass by. That was the moment I thought, this is too perfect.

Snuggling. I am becoming a softie.

It was too perfect. It was too easy. Something was off.

Then, at that moment, I realized it wasn't perfect. It wasn't going to be easy. Bella lived on the other side of the United States; thousands of miles away.

Yes, I knew we had just met. I knew all of that. I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander. Does she feel this too? Throughout dinner, I had liked to think so. But she was so on and off. One minute, she was cuddling close to me and acting amazingly sly. The next she's timid, closed off, and reserved with a nice blush thrown on top.

I decided that night I would tell her that what we had was different. Good different. That it wasn't just any date. I had an undeniable attraction to her that I had never had for any other woman. However, if she didn't have those same feelings for me, I didn't want to fall for her, only to have to be rejected in the end. That wasn't how I wanted things to go.

If she thought it was just some fun time—a fling—then I would have to end it before it started. I had only known Bella for a day, and already I found her astonishing. What would have happened if I got to know her and I fell for her? That seemed like where I was headed at that point.

I hoped I wouldn't scare her. I had known her for less than a day, which meant I had to be careful with what I said.

What the hell was wrong with me? Here I was thinking about professing my undeniable attraction and chemistry to this woman, whom I had only known for 12 hours. I was starting to think that maybe I was the one that hit my head in that pool this morning.

~*~

We arrived at the club twenty minutes after leaving the restaurant. I escorted Bella out of the car via the courteous nature my parents raised me upon. She smiled at me appreciatively.

Thanks for the wonderful life lessons, Mom.

The long line to get into the club stretched far down the road. People stood angrily in their short tight dresses, a perfume cloud hanging above them. Alice and Rosalie walked straight up to the big, burly, bouncer followed by Emmett and Jasper. I looked at Bella for confirmation of what they were doing.

She looked back at me sheepishly, I wasn't surprised—quite the contrary actually. These girls were beautiful, so I wouldn't expect them to stand outside a club in line for hours when I was sure they could get in with ease.

As we neared the bouncer, grunts and complaints were heard throughout the line, while Alice just giggled and looked up at the man in black. One quick glance at all of us and we were in.

The club was dark and loud. On the first level there was a long bar and dance area with tables surrounding the perimeter. The second level was only a circumference of the first with a railing surrounding the inside. Small private booths sat in each corner with normal tables on the sides.

Alice and Rose started to drag Bella away and I reluctantly let go of her hand, not even realizing I was even holding it. A couple feet away she turned back towards us.

"You guys get the drinks. We'll find a table," Bella yelled over the music gesturing at the set of tables.

While Emmett and Jasper both took the girl's orders, I picked Bella out from their clutches for a moment. "What would you like to drink?" My mouth nearly pressed against her ear for her to hear what I was saying.

She paused for a moment, and it felt for a second like she wasn't breathing. "A Long Island Iced Tea, please."

"Nice choice." I backed away a few inches from her so I could see her face. "I'll be back in a minute," I murmured while brushing back a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes.

She looked up at me, shocked, as I probably looked the same. I did it without even realizing what I was doing. Then, a slow smile spread across her face. "Okay."

I smiled in return before backing away towards Emmett and Jasper. We squeezed through a bunch of tipsy people to get to the bar. As we finally got through the crowd of people, we ordered our drinks—Rose wanted an apple martini, Alice—a Sex on the Beach, and Emmett, Jasper and I with a beer. I think we all had the same thought on our mind. Getting drunk on our first night out with the girls would not look good. I'd like to think my mother raised me better than that.

After waiting for about ten minutes to get our drinks, we finally made it back to the area of the club with the tables. Each of us holding two drinks and pushing past half naked drunk people seemed to be quite the task.

"Do you see them?" Jasper asked while searching the crowd. There was a small pause while we looked before he spoke again, "…Oh, mother of pearl."

Always the gentleman, Jasper.

"Jesus, hot buns Christ," Emmett breathed.

"What?" I asked while turning to see what their eyes were trained on.

There they were. Nope, not by any damn tables, that's for sure. Dancing in their own bubble were Alice, Rosalie, and…Holy Mother of God…Bella. The three of them were lined up back to front, grinding against each other to whatever song was playing.

I honestly couldn't tell you anything that was happening around me at that moment. An atomic bomb could have gone off and I wouldn't have noticed. With Bella in the middle, Alice and Rosalie in front and behind her, together, the three of them moved with the music. Christ, Bella looked so damned sexy, dancing in that dress. I chanced a brief look next to me at Jasper and Emmett and they both were looked the same way I probably did—wide eyes, open mouth, and heavy breathing.

As the song ended, I realized we were still standing in the same spot we were moments ago. The girls headed back towards a table that had a reserve sign on it and we silently followed.

Emmett seemed to come around from his stupor first. "Well, ladies, what a fucking awesome way to start out our night."

Bella blushed, while Alice and Rose smirked knowingly, then they walked over to Jasper and Emmett. I headed over to Bella and leant down so I could whisper in her ear.

"You looked absolutely incredible dancing, Bella…"

"I'd like to be able to say the same to you," she replied while taking her drink out of my hand, sipping it for a second before setting it down on the table, she then grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the dance floor. I set my drink down on the table before conceding and letting her take me along.

Before reaching the dance floor I turned around to spot Alice and Jasper sitting at our table, Alice on Jasper's lap. Rosalie was sitting at the table with Emmett flexing his muscles while she squeezed them.

I laughed, causing Bella to turn around curiously. Shaking my head, I followed the rest of the way.

We found a spot on the floor that was less crowded and she turned to face me, suddenly looking a little bashful.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered so quietly, I wouldn't have known what she said had I not read her lips.

Just then, Flo Rida's remix of Low flowed over the speakers. I smirked at Bella while grabbing her hips to start dancing. Before we started, something flashed in her eyes; I couldn't recognize the expression on her face, but the next thing I knew she turned around placing her hips right into mine and started swinging them when the main beat of the song. Her arms came up above her head and hooked around my neck.

When the chorus came on, she looked over near our table for a second before slowly swaying down to the floor then dragging her body back up mine. Her hands followed her body all the way down and back up. The look in her eyes told me she knew exactly what she was doing.

Holy—!

I was glad I wore my tighter pair of dark jeans. Even though it only slightly helped hide my growing problem, I was thankful for anything I could get. What the hell would she have thought of me if she noticed that on our first date? Something was obviously wrong with me if I couldn't hold my shit together for one dance with a woman.

Or maybe it's her? At that moment, Bella decided to turn around and face me, placing her hands on my chest while she dropped down again during the chorus. She swiveled back up and tangled her hands in the hair at the base of my scalp.

Shit. Definitely her.

With her heavy breathing right in my ear and her body so close, I could smell her natural scent. She smelt like the sweetest fresh strawberries and a little freesia; her breath was sweet from her drink.

After dancing for a few more songs, we headed back to our empty table. The others must have already gone to the dance floor. I didn't notice—you could say I had been a little preoccupied.

I sat down with Bella to my right and put my arm around her chair. I knew I was acting a little like a caveman, but Bella brought out all these qualities in me. I don't think I had cursed as much as I had in the last 24 hours than I had in my lifetime.

After a moment of catching our breath and relaxing, I finally spoke.

"Bella, I…" I shook my head at a loss for words for a moment before I spoke again, "I can't even begin to describe what you do to me. You…you make me want to live. I mean really, live. I haven't felt like this…ever before. I just wanted…I just wanted you to know that this isn't normal for me. It's never—I don't do this. At least, I haven't felt like this in a long time, if at all."

Although I couldn't explain what "this" was at that moment, she understood exactly what I meant.

She looked at me with softness in her features and nuzzled herself closer into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and stroked her hair. I laughed softly at how we could go from grinding against each other on the dance floor to that.

She looked up and while she didn't respond, I knew exactly what she was feeling. Her face was an open book. And although we had only known each other for less than 24 hours, I knew that she had to feel that too. I knew because the look in her eyes told me she understood. Whatever that connection we shared was rare and abrupt, but also stirred the most amazing feelings inside of me. Feelings I never felt before. It wasn't love, at least, not yet it wasn't. Although, I knew I could fall for her, and I would fall hard.

We fit together so easily—so perfectly—she was everything I ever wanted and it scared me a little because the situation was less than ideal. She lived in Seattle. I lived in Chicago. I had a feeling that there was something that she wasn't sharing with me. I made a mental note to ask her about it later that night, away from the club. I wanted to learn more about her. I wanted to know her favorite foods, her biggest pet peeves, guilty pleasures, whether she ironed her clothes, what shampoo she used, whether she was a cat or dog person, what her family was like; I wanted to know everything.

While still holding her gaze, I softly asked, "Do you want to go? We can go somewhere quiet…"

"I'd like that," she murmured.

Reluctantly, I stood up, pulling her up with me. We took one last gulp of our drinks before we walked towards the door.

"I'll go get the tab; can you go tell the others we're leaving? We can take a cab back to the hotel."

She nodded and headed towards the dance floor where our friends were dancing. After I paid the tab at the bar, I looked around, trying to find Bella in a sea of crazy drunken people.

As I was scanning the area, I heard a nasally voice in my ear. "Looking for something?"

I turned around to see a tall, curvy girl with the smallest article of clothing I had ever seen someone wear in public. Her makeup was caked on including dark lines around her eyes. Her bleach blonde hair and brown highlights only accented her dry, straightened hair. She was the complete and utter opposite of Bella.

"Yeah, actually I am," I responded stoically, wanting her to understand I wasn't interested.

"Oh, well no need to worry any longer. You've found me." Her cinched eyes and sly smile were, to most other men, seductive. But now, comparing it to Bella's wide gleaming smile…it didn't even compare.

"Um, sorry no, actually—," I started to say before I was cut off by arms slipping around my waist, a cheek resting on my arm.

"Hey baby, who's your friend?" Bella's soft voice asked with pseudo politeness.

Bella just called me baby. My heart rate accelerated. I needed to get a grip before she felt it beating out of my chest.

She called you baby, Cullen. Get over it. She's only helping you get away from the Barbie doll.

The look on Blondie's face was priceless. She glared at Bella for a second before looking up at me with a wicked grin. "Oh, I never caught your name?" I asked with faux interest.

"Jessica," she replied with a smirk and a wink before grabbing a napkin off the bar and writing her phone number down. She handed it to me, "Call me."

"Bitch," Bella muttered under her breath and I laughed softly.

"Uh huh," I replied with a non committal shrug. I wasn't a total jackass.

I broke free from Bella's grasp on my waist, grabbed her hand in mine and wrapped my other arm around her shoulders before walking off, leaving a stunned looking Jessica behind. I tossed the napkin in the nearest trash can.

As we neared the door, the loud music and buzz of chatter lowered in volume. My arm was still around her waist; her body inclined towards mine instinctively. She stiffened suddenly and then spoke.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly as we exited the club. Her body strained to stand up straight with my arm holding her waist to me. I looked at her questioningly. She then blushed and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. As I walked with my arm slung partially around her waist, I realized she wanted out of my embrace.

"What—?" I questioned, confusion laced in my voice, as I dropped my arm. She spoke again before I could finish.

"I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't my place," she answered quietly, her eyes still looking at the ground.

"Shouldn't have done what? Saved me from…Jessica?" Her name fell from my lips with disgust. I had no interest in her whatsoever. An incredulous bark of laughter escaped my throat. Did Bella really believe that I had?

"It's just," she hesitated, "you looked a little uncomfortable and I thought I would pretend to be your girlfriend or something…I don't know—it was a stupid idea." Her voice grew quieter as she spoke and I struggled to realize why she thought I hadn't been happy she came over when she did.

"Bella, I am glad you came over. And this…," I whispered while pulling her to me again with my arm around her waist, "is this okay? Because it is for me….more than okay."

She looked up at me through her lashes and her eyes sparkled. "Yeah, it's more than okay for me, too." Her face was full of fascination.

"Good," I whispered as we reached the street. I hailed a cab quite easily in the busy LA night. We drove in comfortable silence back to the hotel and I thought about where we could talk or take a quiet walk; I wasn't ready to leave her.

When we reached the hotel I had an idea. I helped Bella out of the car, paid the cab driver, and walked around the stone path leading to the back of the hotel past the terrace.

"Where are we going?" she asked as I pulled her along towards my destination.

"You'll see." I sneaked a quick peek at her face from the corner of eye. She had a small smile forming on her lips.

"You're not going to kidnap me are you?" she asked almost seriously, but I saw her lips twitch the slightest bit. "That would truly be a shame. I really like you."

I stopped suddenly, ignoring her joke, and turned to face her.

"I'm glad." I smiled as she stared at me curiously, as one would stare at an insane math problem trying to figure out the answer. That's just what our situation felt like.

"You're glad it would be a shame to kidnap me? I was kidding, Edward," she replied hesitantly, still looking at me as though I was crazy.

I chuckled. "No, I really like you too," I said as I brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hair was so soft and silky and I had to touch it. After standing there for a moment I realized what we had said and starting laughing again.

"What is it?" she asked with a smile. Her brown eyes searched mine as my laughter died down.

"I feel a little bit like I have gone back in time. 'I like you, do you like me too? Check yes or no'."

She burst out laughing. Her laughter. I would never tire from hearing it.

"Did you do that in grade school?"

"Yes, her name was Marissa and she was dreamy," I sighed dramatically and put a faux wistful look on my face.

She laughed some more and I thought, I did that. I made her laugh.

We reached the beach and I started to take off my shoes before she spoke up.

"What are you doing?" Her heart shaped face scrunched up in confusion as she eyed my wearily.

"Bella, you have to walk barefoot in California beach sand. It's an unwritten rule." I said with faux incredulousness.

She laughed with gusto. "Oh, it is...Is it? The beaches in my home town are wet and cold 24/7—I guess I forgot we were in Los Angeles," she laughed playfully. "Oops," she said as she shrugged. Her bright smile told me she was enjoying our semi-banter.

"So, where exactly is your hometown?"

She slipped off her heals as she answered. I was slightly disappointed to see them go. The muscles in her calves flexed when she wore them and I found it quite sexy. Plus, they made her legs look miles long. What can I say? I'm a legs man. Well, strictly only a "Bella's legs" man, actually. But that counts for something, right?

"Well, I grew up in Phoenix most of my life, but then I moved to Forks to live with my dad after my mom got remarried my junior year of high school. That's actually where I met Alice and Rosalie."

We started walking towards the water; the only light coming from the LA lights and the crescent moon. Our arms brushed slightly, yet, I felt that same electrical charge I had the first time I touched her in the pool room. Decidedly, I ignored it for that moment, opting instead to ask more questions about her—I would wrack my brain with thoughts at the end of the night.

We talked for what seemed like hours while walking down the stretch of beach. I told her about the hospital and why I wanted to become a doctor—a pediatrician specifically. "My father, Carlisle, is a doctor, so that initially started the interest. I made it a point to visit my dad at the hospital once a week; I loved seeing him in his environment. One day, when I was about 17, I met an eight year old boy—Josh. He was sitting in his wheelchair on the elevator. It was obvious he was sick, his blonde hair so thin from chemo…I later found out it was cancer. I made it a point to visit him every time I went back to the hospital. We played cards in his room or pulled pranks on the nurses…," I looked down, remembering. The charge nurse had to tell me the news. "I went in one day and the Josh's room was empty. He had passed away during the night. That's when I decided I wanted to help children. Sick children barely get a start on life before they get near the end. I wanted to fix change that as much as I could."

I looked up to see silent tears streaming down her red cheeks. She was so beautiful. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to make you cry…" The pads of my thumbs brought themselves up to her face to swipe away the offending tears.

She started shaking her head before I even finished my sentence. "No, no. It's a very inspiring story, Edward. It's great to know you care so much about children. I'm sorry you had to go through that…"

We started walking and talking again.

I asked her about her writing and her family. She asked me about Carlisle and Esme, my childhood, how I met Emmett and Jasper, what I liked to do in my spare time, what my favorite food was, and more. When she questioned my guilty pleasure I thought about lying, but then thought against it. "Well, promise you won't laugh?"

We turned around to head back into the direction of the hotel; it was getting late.

"Why would I laugh, Edward? I'm sure it's not that bad. Tell me!"

"…I like to watch Rachel Ray," I mumbled.

"What was that?" she teased. "I didn't quite hear what you said."

"I said," I looked at her with a teasing glare and avoided her eyes again; "I enjoy watching Rachel Ray's show…you know, on the Food Network." Completely mortified, I thought about why I decided I should tell her in the first place. I groaned when I heard giggling and looked up to find her laughing at me.

"You're laughing…great. You promised," I pouted shamelessly. I mean, she already knew my guilty pleasure at that point, might as well go all in.

Her laughing died down to small giggles before she spoke. "No, no. I'm not laughing at you, I swear. It's just...Alice tries really hard when I ask her to help me in the kitchen, even though she really sucks at cooking, and we tease her about becoming the next Rachel Ray…I thought it was a funny coincidence."

Jesus. Bella cooked? I found a woman who could cook, completely sensual. I would never admit that aloud, though.

"You…cook?"

"Yes…is that a problem?" She eyed me hesitantly.

I answered all too quickly. "No!—I mean…It's not a problem…I'm glad…That you can cook, that is. Is it obvious?" My lame answer sounded dull even to my ears. I really hoped she wouldn't catch on.

She looked at my slyly. "Well, maybe I should cook for you sometime…you know, help you figure out how you feel about it?"

A slow smile spread across my lips. "Yes, please."

She laughed before we resumed our question and answer game.

We kept talking for a while, about anything and everything. Back and forth, we never ran out of things to say.

As we neared the hotel, I grabbed her hand to help her when she stepped over a rock.

Rather than responding to her question she had asked me about my favorite season of the year, my mind filter decided to go on a nice little vacation. I hastily blurted out, "Do you feel that?"

She stopped walking and looked up at me, surprised. "What?" For a moment she frowned at me in confusion. Then, suddenly, her expression changed into an emotion I couldn't identify. She abruptly turned her eyes to the dry sand, suddenly seeming interested in the small circles she was tracing with her toes.

I lifted her face to look up at me. "That—I don't know…I didn't even mean to say that out loud, really. I—you don't feel that too, do you? When I touch you?" Delicately, I brushed the pads of my thumbs across each cheek.

She blushed a brilliant shade of red as her lips twitched into a smile. "…Yes, I do. I—I've never felt this before…"

I knew Bella and I had a natural chemistry, only I didn't know if she knew it. It was nice to know that she shared at least some of the feelings I had. I sighed largely in relief that she wasn't just messing around with me for fun while on vacation. But, part of me had a feeling all along that Bella wasn't like that. She was different.

We walked over and sat down on a piece of dry drift wood, facing the ocean. The open run of sand spread out miles to the north and south. The beach seemed to be deserted at this time of the night. We were far out enough to not hear the hustle and bustle of LA life. For a second—just a second—it felt as if it could have only been the two of us in the world.

Instead of sitting next to her, I knelt in front of her, wanting to see her face and get her full attention as I spoke to her.

"Bella, I wanted you to know this is different for me. Good different. I understand I don't know you that well, but I feel like I've known you for a lot longer than 24 hours," I laughed nervously. "All I am saying is…your absolutely perfect—stunningly beautiful, smart, witty, funny…a little clumsy…" I winked at her to let her know I was joking.

She laughed a small laugh then, suddenly, her face grew serious. She stared at me with intensity for a moment before responding. "I feel the same exact way," she said in a whisper.

I smiled in relief. "Thank God…I was about to have a heart attack. I see enough of those at the hospital…," I laughed. "You might have had to step in there, angel," I joked. A beat passed and I realized I called her angel.

Shit.

She smiled at my joke, looking a little shocked, yet happy. I couldn't help but sigh in relief; she didn't hate that I called her angel. By her expression, in fact, she seemed to like it.

Her smile faded and turn into a deep, intense stare full of emotion. I realized then that we had inched closer together during our admissions. Her face was so close to mine that I could smell the sweetness of her drink from the club on her breath.

"Bella?"

"Mhmm?" She answered—noncommittal—while still staring intently at my face.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked breathlessly as I stared back into her eyes.

Her deep brown eyes glistened in the moon light holding an unreadable emotion—was that…confliction?—as I swept in closer.

"…Please," she whispered so softly that I wouldn't have heard her was I not so close to her soft red ruby lips.

Slowly, but surely, I pressed my lips to hers; wanting to show her everything I couldn't say in words. She responded vigorously, molding and moving her soft lips with mine. The tension created between us throughout the day had finally found an outlet.

Still on my knees, I inched forward between her legs until mine hit the log. Without breaking the kiss I brought my hands up to her silky long hair and cradled her head. She responded with as much fervor, threading her hands past my shoulders, slowly moving them to my back and then latching them onto the hair at the nape of my neck. She pulled my hair slightly in her small hands to get closer. A groan escaped my mouth before I could stop myself.

…Absolutely amazing.

She shuddered somewhat when I brought my tongue to her bottom lip—massaging it in question of entrance to her mouth. She whimpered quietly.

Suddenly, a loud voice bellowed from a few yards away, "Whoa…dude! Look who it is!"

I know, I know. So cliche to end it right there. I just thought it would be funny to keep you guessing as to who it would be.

So, thoughts? concerns? no angry tyrants and screaming sentences? (did that make any sense?)

Next chapter WILL NOT be as long of a wait, I promise you will never wait that long again. However, it may be longer than a week...Chemistry is beating me up :(

PS- The show is coming soon, the next few chapters! Promise! Edward and Bella still have to get to know eachother really well first for my ideas on the show to work. cough*jealousy*cough. It's gonna be a funny and bumpy ride :)