I do not own Twilight or any of its' characters

Thank you everyone for all the great comments and support, I'm so glad that you liked this story. I absolutely loved every obsessive minute of writing it and am so glad I decided to share it with you all. I wish I could have written more, but all good things must come to an end I suppose, so here's the final chapter.

BPOV

Chapter 50

Paso' Doble'

"I can't believe you are all making me do this." I grumbled as I sat in front of the giant square mirror in Alice's bedroom. "Rosalie doesn't even like me." I said nervously crossing my arms over my chest.

"Bella, it's going to be fine, you look fantastic and by the time I'm done with you, you'll be ready to be featured on the cover of some kind of ballroom dancing magazine." Alice purred as she gathered my hair tightly with yet another bobby pin.

It was Emmett and Rosalie's wedding day, again, and this time they had a Spanish theme going. According to Edward, one time they had a renaissance theme, another time, to Rosalie's dismay, they had a sports theme and this time, they had come to a compromise and today's ceremony had a Spanish theme in honor of their pending honeymoon to Pamplona. The food, the music, the ceremony; all Spanish and the colors for the wedding were black, red and gold. Rosalie planned to wear some kind of dark lacey gown and Alice, Esme and I had to wear red gowns. To this day I didn't understand why I was being included in the wedding at all because I had always felt that Rosalie didn't hate me, but certainly disliked me. I assumed Emmett had something to do with it, being that Edward was his best man and all.

"Of course Rosalie likes you." Alice chirped as she applied more hair spray to my curls.

"Alice, please don't patronize me. Why couldn't I have just come as a guest? I could have found something nice to wear, as opposed to, this." I said gesturing at the long slit up the side of my dress.

"Bella, you're family, whether you like it or not, when you and Edward get married someday…"

"Hey now, don't start with any of that," I said holding up a hand, "I'm just a freshman in college, I'm not getting married for a long time if I can avoid it."

"We'll just see about that." Alice sung with a smirk, tightening another hair pin against my sore scalp. I swore I had to be bleeding somewhere. "There!" She said in a satisfied tone, "No, wait, I forgot the mascara!"

"Ugh Alice come on! We're going to be late." I said irritated as she whipped out the mascara wand from a Maybelline bottle.

"We're going to be right on time." She assured me as she tapped on her forehead with a garishly red painted fingernail.

"Okay, now we're ready, honestly Bella, you act like this is no fun at all!"

"It's not Alice, okay? I want my jeans and my pumas."

"Bella, come on, you're telling me that it's not fun to look like this sometimes?" She said helping me out of the chair and standing me in front of the full length mirror.

When I saw my reflection, I was astonished. The dress was tailored perfectly to my figure. Alice had perfected it in some way that I looked like I actually had hips and boobs, I looked, sexy. Each of us had to wear red gowns that were designed for our body type and Alice had done some serious work with mine. Esme's was very elegant and classy with ¾ length chiffon sleeves and a flowing train. Alice's gown was tea cup length for her short stature with a halter type top and she had a huge flower pinned behind her ear with her spiky hair slicked back. Because I had long legs, my dress was floor length. The top was almost like a bustier with spaghetti straps and there was a long slit down the left side of the dress. I kicked my leg out to the side and looked at it in the mirror with the high black strappy pumps that matched it. I didn't even recognize the leg or the foot at the end of it with the perfectly pedicured nails painted black.

"Do you like?" Alice asked grinning.

I turned around in disbelief in the mirror; my hair was still down but pinned and curled softly in places that made it look different and more manicured. "Okay, so this isn't too shabby." I admitted, excited to be looking more like a Bond girl than a band girl for once.

"Edward's going to go nuts," she giggled with excitement clapping her hands together. Everything was a game and a production for Alice, she loved the big reveal, probably more than I did and I was the one being revealed. She spent most of her free time trying to think of ways to push the boundaries with Edward and me physically. If she only knew what had gone down in Alaska, oh wait, she probably did. I felt my cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment.

"Okay! Now we need to get going or else we are going to be late." Alice instructed, taking my hand and leading me out of her room, grabbing our bouquets on the way. Jasper was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Esme.

"Where are Edward and Emmet?" Alice asked, descending the steps as elegantly as a movie star.

"They're already outside, Emmet was nervous, he needed some air." Jasper replied calmly.

"Hasn't he done this like twenty times before?" I asked making my way very carefully down the steps, waiting for my dress to snag on my enormous shoes and send me flying down the staircase into Jasper's toned arms.

Jasper, being the southern gentleman he was, hurried up the stairs and gave me his arm. "He tends to get nervous and forget his vows, this is why they've gotten married so many times, Rosalie is insistent on having the perfect wedding someday." He explained.

"Where's Rose?" I asked.

"She's out there with him, trying to calm him down."

"Maybe that's the problem, maybe her being there makes him nervous, isn't it a tradition that the bride and groom aren't allowed to see one another before the wedding?" I asked trying to distract my mind from the fact that I would have to publicly walk in these atrocious shoes.

"We're not exactly traditional." Jasper said helping me down the last step.

"Clearly," I whispered as we entered the garden behind the back of the house. The whole yard had been transformed into a beautiful scene of color. Everywhere you turned there were exotic red and orange flowers. There was a dance floor set up in the middle of the yard surrounded by scores of round tables and chairs with lavish linens and center pieces. The alter was beautiful and the aisle had a thick black satin walkway lined with red roses, it was all so extravagant, but never lacking in taste or elegance.

Emmett suddenly appeared next to Jasper and Alice, looking like he was in a state.

"Rose is really mad at me," he explained.

"Why?" I asked, suddenly feeling very bad for him.

"I don't know, she just is, something about the centerpieces and the music, there really is no pleasing her." He babbled, wringing his hands together. He looked so handsome, in his flat black suit with a crisp red shirt and black tie. It was a nice change from the regular jock type clothing he always wore. The expression on his face was priceless as Jasper spoke kind words to him and tried to settle his mood. Alice patted him gently on the back and Esme took off somewhere to look for Rose.

I stood back and watched the three of them together with so much affection for one another; I loved all of them so very much. I hoped that someday I could expect the same from them on my wedding day however far away that may be. I knew I could. I smiled warmly at them at the thought of it, when my thought was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. My smile grew wider as I slowly turned around.

If I thought Emmet looked handsome, then Edward must have looked like a God. He stood behind me, his six foot something stature towering over mine in the same suit as Emmet and Jasper, red shirt, black tie, and sunglasses. Even after months, the red still hadn't cleared from his eyes; he was starting to feel self conscious.

"Hello Edward." I said smiling.

"Hello love." He replied, trying to control the wide grin that was spreading across his face.

"What?" I asked in a throatier voice than I had planned.

"That is, that dress is something else. You look like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked.

"It's a very, very good thing." He said raising an eyebrow and cocking his head toward the slit in the dress that the breeze in the air was blowing open.

I tilted my head up to for him to kiss me; the only advantage of these heels was that I could almost reach his face, but not quite. He leaned over and kissed me sweetly on the lips. I touched the side of his sunglasses and tried to cheer him up, "just think, at least your eyes match your suit now."

"Very funny," he retorted sarcastically. "But actually, they don't," he said taking off the sunglasses and folding them in his pocket. His eyes were a brilliant topaz color, filled with light and warmth.

"Hey you're back," I said happily staring deep into his face.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He asked.

"It's a very, very good thing." I whispered kissing his cheek.

The actual ceremony went quite well actually, Emmett only stumbled on his vows once, which meant that he and Rosalie would be getting married again sometime, but as far as today went, good enough was good enough. She agreed to marry him again, so I suppose that was a positive thing. During the vows I looked up to watch them. Naturally, everyone's eyes were locked on Rosalie and Emmett, with the exception of one person; Edward, his eyes were set on me the entire time. I shyly glanced up at him behind my flowers and he smiled at me. I wondered what would lie ahead for us. I wondered if he would keep his major at school or if I would keep mine, I wondered if it would ever be possible for us to have children or be with one another ever again. I wished I could have it all with him, of course now this put the option of me becoming a vampire on the table again, but as it had once been my primary motivation in keeping my life with Edward, it wasn't as urgent now. I didn't know why, but things were just different between us now, in a good way. I felt closer to him, I felt like his equal, and I felt like boundaries that had been set between us at one point, physically, emotionally, mentally, weren't as oppressive. I hoped he felt the same way. He was still watching me when the justice asked for Emmett and Rosalie's rings, Edward didn't seem to notice anyone was speaking to him, at least not until Emmett reached over and punched him. Then he gave up the rings quite quickly, glaring at Emmett like he planned to get him back later.

It wasn't the dress, the shoes or the excessive makeup and increase in my carbon footprint that the hair products caused that bothered me. No, it was none of those things. What bothered me was the fact that I had to do the Paso' Doble' with Edward as part of Emmett and Rose's wedding gift. As soon as we had returned to Forks and heard about the wedding, Edward immediately signed us up for dance lessons at the local studio, more for my benefit than his. If ever I wanted to kill a vampire, it would have been at the very moment I found that out. I thought Jacob and Charlie would bust a gut laughing at me when they found out that I would be spending the summer taking ballroom dancing lessons. But, it meant so much to Edward and his family that I participate in the wedding, and I knew that he would have done it for me if I had asked. So, therefore, I obliged; begrudgingly. To my surprise, I was a mediocre ballroom dancer, which is much more than I had expected, given my track record with balance and coordination.

We had come back to Forks in the middle of June. Alice had seen what happened between Edward and Gordon Scott beforehand and she had tried to call and warn us that night. Clearly, we didn't get the message in time. Alice told everyone else what was going to happen and that when Edward and I came home he would be changed again.

When our flight arrived, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle and Esme were waiting. Charlie had to work, which was just as well, because I felt as if Edward needed to be alone with his family. Alice was the first to see him and as soon as his feet touched the ground, she ran into his arms drowning him with embraces and kisses. Jasper followed behind, trying to feel out the emotion that was rolling off Edward in waves; he was disappointed and Jasper did what he could with it. Carlisle was supportive and stoic as always, trying to look on the bright side of things and Esme was a wreck, if she could have wept for him she would have. She told him how sorry she was about what had happened, and Edward put on his bravest face and acted like it didn't bother him.

It did bother him though. For weeks he moped around, spending more time away from me than usual, which made me very concerned. He became increasingly withdrawn, to the point where I almost said something to him about it. I remember, it was the last few days of June, I hadn't seen or heard from Edward for days and I had planned on calling him that night. I worked all day, came home and had dinner with Charlie and followed my usual bedtime routine with the showering and the pajamas and the brushing of the teeth. I walked into my bedroom ready to call him, and gasped out loud. Edward was lounging carelessly in my bed, waiting for me. He smiled crookedly at me and didn't say anything significant, he just said hello and gestured for me to sit with him. I had expected him to go into some long explanation on how he was feeling and why he had been acting so strangely, but it never came. Instead he announced that Emmett and Rose were getting married again and we were starting dancing lessons the next day because they wanted me to be in the wedding.

And so, here we were, one slow song away from the Paso' Doble' and I felt like I was going to vomit. I nervously paced along the edge of the dance floor that was positioned in the middle of the Cullen's sprawling property, waiting for Edward to come back from some stupid errand that Rose had sent him on inside the house. Carlisle and Esme were together, dancing smoothly and beautifully in the center of the floor and Emmett and Rose were on their way in to join them. I continued to pace, my heels clicking against the floor and my heartbeat getting faster as the anticipation of the next dance began to get the best of me. I turned and started toward the house, I needed a minute to compose myself. I reached the edge of the patio closest to the back door, when Edward stepped out of the house carrying something, it looked like a shawl.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" He asked stepping in front of the door, blocking my only entry into the house.

"To the bathroom," I said unconvincingly; as my statement sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Really?" He prodded, widening his stance as I tried to get around him.

"Yes." I said boldly, sticking my chin out obstinately.

"Bella," he teased disapprovingly.

"I don't understand why I need to participate in this." I argued trying not to become hypnotized by his golden stare.

"Are you really that nervous?" He chuckled.

"Um, yeah." I replied in a very obvious tone, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You don't need to be." He said softly, running his thumb over the edge of my face. I continued to stare at him meaningfully, and he very slowly, very carefully put his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him. The slow song that was playing on the other side of the house quietly echoed around us. He kept one arm around my waist and took my hand in his other hand and swayed slowly to the sound of the music. He leaned the side of his face against mine and kissed me gently on the earlobe. I kept my face close to his shoulder and breathed in his hauntingly sweet scent that always eased my tension.

"Edward,"

"Yes Bella?"

"What's going to happen now?" I asked softly into his ear swaying against him.

"What do you mean?" He asked quietly.

"I don't want things to go back to the way they were before we left for Alaska." I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. I had no idea if he would understand my meaning; I figured he probably wouldn't because Edward did not usually think the same way I did.

"I don't either." He murmured. So he did understand my meaning, were his fears the same as mine? I had to know.

I had never had so much difficulty putting my thoughts into words for him as I had at that moment. "I feel very close to you, closer than before. I feel as if in the past year, we reached some kind of…" my voice trailed off.

"Equilibrium" he breathed against me.

"Yes." I whispered in agreement.

He pulled back from me a little and stared into my eyes, he looked like he was trying to figure something out. "Nothing will change between you and me, Bella."

"I really liked doing human stuff with you." I said my eyes still locked on his.

"I did too love. It was my favorite part, doing the little things."

"I suppose you don't need to go to the gym anymore." I said rolling my eyes.

"No, I suppose not." He chuckled, "but I still will if you want me to."

"Really?" I asked.

"Of course." He said pulling me back against the front of him. I breathed in and leaned my cheek against his chest. I heard no heartbeat and I suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness. He kissed the top of my head sweetly and became very still. He sighed loudly, and I felt a strand of my hair blow around in response to his exasperation. "I'll go to the gym with you and run. Even if it means I have to keep at a human's pace. How dull." He grumbled, trying to keep the mood light. "Only on the condition that you climb a few trees with me and let me stay in your room at night."

"I suppose I'd be alright with that." I replied.

"Good," he said smiling crookedly at me, "I really wasn't going to give you much choice in the matter anyhow."

"I figured you wouldn't."

"Speaking of choices, you owe me a dance, a real dance."

I sighed wearily, "Fine, we might as well get this over with." I started toward the back yard, leaving Edward several strides behind me.

"Please try to curb your enthusiasm Bella." He called behind me, within a nanosecond he was by my side tugging on my arm. I whirled around and stared at him, "you look absolutely beautiful by the way." He said looking me over one last time before walking me to the dance floor. "Good enough to eat actually," he added, quirking an eyebrow suggestively.

I raised an eyebrow back at him and tousled my hair roughly with my free hand, "you can save comments like that for later, Mr. Cullen." I teased in my huskiest tone.

"Yes ma'am," he answered with a smirk.

Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme were already all situated around the dance floor; Rose and Emmett were in the middle. Edward and I took our spot at the bottom right hand corner of the floor. It was too bad that I had to spend most of my energy concentrating, I would have loved to see if Emmett had any rhythm, being as big and athletic as he was. But who was I kidding? He was a vampire, of course he was probably good at everything, just like the rest of his family, but I still thought I would get a kick out of watching him.

The music was about to begin and I felt Edward's arm tighten around my waist, almost to the point of being too snug. I quickly went over everything in my brain that the dance teacher had taught us, or rather, me. Posture was very important, I straightened my back as best as I could and stuck my chest out. Control, control was important too, no flippant movements, that was more the job of the lead, and as we all knew, Edward had plenty of control. I couldn't remember the last rule, and the music had begun, I quickly shifted gears in my head and started to move my feet.

The story that is being told with the Paso' Doble' is that of a matador and his cape, from what the teacher told me, and I was the cape. It was supposed to be a very angry, passionate, emotionally charged dance, and that was made very clear as Edward snapped me back and forth to the point where I was starting to feel a little feisty.

When I was close enough to his face for him to hear me and not everyone else, I tested my limits. "So, does this mean your previous offer is on the table again?"

"And what offer was that?" He whispered harshly, pulling me hard against him.

"The one where I get to become like you." I said throwing one of my legs against his hip.

His face remained hard and composed as he caught my leg and ran his hand slowly down the back of my thigh. "I don't recall that offer ever being on the table." He said with a seductive smirk.

"Really?" I asked in a throaty voice as I pressed my chest against his. "I could have sworn."

Now came a very tense face off in the piece, Edward's face remained very serious and poised, but his eyes were fiery and open and nearly boring a hole through me, I refused to back down and held his stare.

"No." he said sternly as I swiveled my hips and landed on his right side.

"Yes." I said as he swiveled his hips and landed on my left side.

"No."

"Yes."

Before he could say no again the song hit a point where I had to spin away from him. The end of the song was coming, and I felt as if I were winning this friendly argument, simply because for now, I had gotten the last word in. But at the end of the dance, the matador always wins and I knew Edward was just biding his time, like he always did. He pulled me into him one last time; a triumphant and sultry look had overtaken not only his beautiful face, but his fantastic body as well. He pressed me against him and then with more grace and swiftness than I could comprehend, he pulled me back and down, dipping me almost to the floor, his strong arms cradling me like the most fragile of things the whole time.

He lowered his face close to my neck and with a dark smile said quietly, "Ole'." The music stopped and I felt his smooth, cool lips against my skin as he kissed me.

"You know," I alluded, trying to remain competent as he moved his mouth down my neck, "in the end, I always get what I want. I just go about it in a very quiet way." I stated running my fingers through his hair.

"What makes you think so this time?" He purred, his scent thick and swoon inducing.

I knotted my fingers around his hair and lifted his head away from me for a moment and staring deeply into his topaz eyes murmured, "Equilibrium."

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