I rushed down the street carrying my dresses in their bags over my shoulder. This was ridiculous. I had spent all day 'relaxing' with Rosalie and Alice at the spa only to become stressed instantly at what time they had released me. Traffic hadn't helped either. There had been a car accident so the bus was a half hour late to bring me home. Now I had only twenty minutes to make it to the rehearsal dinner.

My shoes slapped against the pavement as I rounded the block. I had to make a quick side step to avoid an older women walking. I started to stumble and had to grab a cross light pole to steady myself before running again. I had to shower; shave, and dress, not to mention make it across town through atrocious traffic. This was turning out to be a day from hell.

When Alice kidnapped me this morning talking about facials and massages I figured everything would be a breeze today. Not only was I stressed now, but the massage had been other worldly.

My masseur had magical hands. He worked my muscles until they felt like they were made from putty. It was blissful. But it kept reminding me of Edward. The only difference had been that Edward's hands are callused. I had to check myself from sighing his name every time my body came back into line.

I reached my building and flew up the stairs. I ran inside and tossed my dresses in the general direction of my bed as I de-troued. I was naked by the time I reached the bathroom. As I shut the door I heard a faint 'meow' from Maurice who might have been consumed by a dress bag, but he was far from my thoughts.

I took a scalding shower scrubbing my skin clean before rushing back out. I pulled my dress for tonight out of its bag and hung it up to let any wrinkles settle from the fabric as I applied makeup and dried my hair. Once I had my face on next came the dress. I barely had the zipper up as I hopped around pulling on my shoes.

Grabbing my purse I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes. I couldn't run now. Not only would my dress and shoes not allow it, but I didn't want to sweat and ruin any effort I had put in. I walked down the stairs suppressing the need to run barely. I contemplated my options. I could walk and be horribly late and possibly sweaty. I could take the bus, be late, and most definitely will be sweaty, or I could drive my car, be beyond late but perfect. This was tricky.

I pulled my keys from my purse and walked to my car. I would be late anyway so why not travel in style? I slid into my leather seat and felt myself relax slightly. I had accepted my fate. The drive to the restaurant wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The accident had been mostly cleared so traffic was moving.

I stopped at a stop light and inspected myself in my rearview mirror. My hair was down and wavy and I had applied minimal makeup so I felt fresh and clean. I knew the dress looked amazing. Nothing like the dress I was wearing to the wedding, but still fantastic. It was black v-neck that went down to the very top of my bra. It hugged my body but still allowed me to move.

Tonight was going to be fun. It was Rosalie's bachelorette party. I had helped plan it with Alice but I was still unclear about what we were doing. I knew that we were having a sexy scavenger hunt, but I didn't know what we had to find. The possibilities were endless.

The light changed and I finally reached the restaurant. I was only about ten minutes late. I climbed out and handed my keys to the valet. His eyes roamed up and down my body but I ignored him as I walked inside. The host also eyed me. I smiled at him politely.

"Cullen party?" I nodded. He led me to the private dining room. I was the last one to arrive so conversation stopped as I neared the table. I scanned the faces. Some I knew but others I didn't. Rosalie and Emmett sat at the middle of the table with everyone situated around them. My eyes searched for the only empty seat when I noticed him.

Edward was staring at me intently and smiling. I would be sitting between him and a lady I didn't know. I took a deep breath to stop hyperventilation. I hadn't seen Edward, or spoken to him since he left my apartment the other morning. I didn't know if I was angry or not, but by the way I felt myself reacting to him right now I would guess not.

"Bella!" Rose jumped up and came around the table to hug me. She was glowing with happiness. I smiled warmly back at her.

"Hi everybody, I'm sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it Bells, at least you didn't take down the wait staff with you on this late entry," Emmett chuckled reminding me of the Sports Benefit. I felt myself blush. Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie laughed to. There were a few other people sitting with us that I assumed were parents and friends. I smiled at the new people and went to sit down.

Edward stood and pulled my chair out for me. Alice cocked a brow at his behavior, but I doubt he noticed since his eyes never left mine. I felt my face blush brighter.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet my parents and a few other members of the procession." Emmett began the introductions. "The lovely lady sitting to your left is my mother, Esme, next to her is my father, Carlisle, next to him is Chuck, one of my friends from college, and Victoria, one of Rosie's friends from school." I gave and awkward wave before Esme turned towards me and took my hand to shake it. Her hands were soft and small. Her face was heart shaped with beautiful caramel hair falling in soft waves around her face. She smiled a maternal smile at me. I left myself return it.

"Hello Bella, it's nice to finally meet you. I have heard about you from all of my children so I'm glad to make your acquaintance." She smiled again. Carlisle next to her smiled as well.

"Yes Bella, it is good to finally meet you. We have heard many great things." I felt myself blush again.

"I'm not entirely sure that is a good thing." I murmured but everyone heard me. Emmett grinned letting me know that he told they all the embarrassing stories. I rolled my eyes at him but kept my mouth shut. It didn't take long for the conversations to pick up again. Alice decided it was a good time to tell stories about Emmett, Edward, and her childhoods.

"So there I was at the tender age of four sitting in the driveway minding my own business playing with my dolls when I heard yelling coming from the backyard. I get up and run to see what's happening. I figured it was a fight to the death over a Tonka truck between Edward who was 5 and 6 year-old Emmett, but I couldn't have been more wrong. I made it through the hedge and saw Emmett yelling at Edward, 'No! I want to be Ginger; YOU have to be Sporty Spice!' Apparently they wanted to put on a show for when our parents came home that night and our babysitter was an avid Spice Girls fan. It was the only CD she had so they each had to choose which spice girl they wanted to be. Of course I got to my Posh Spice, but I definitely think Emmett would have been a better Scary Spice. I still have nightmares about the baby doll dress he tried to wear and I don't think Edward has ever forgiven him. The sport bra and sneakers look worked better for Edward than we were expecting, but I am very glad neither of my brothers became transvestites." She let out an involuntary shudder at the image. We were all laughing when she finished. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes and I gasped for breath.

"That's not true Alice. I wanted to be Baby Spice." Emmett pouted once we had calmed down. Rose snickered next to him.

"Does this mean I should bring things for role playing on the honeymoon?" She asked seductively but trying to hold in her laughter. It was Emmett's turn to blush slightly with a grin. The waiters arrived with our food and distributed it so we sank into small private conversations.

"So," Edward began next to me. I took a bit of grilled salmon before looking at him. It practically melted in my mouth and I had a mouth-gasm. I moaned slightly as I swallowed. I opened my eyes again and Edward's gaze had gotten very dark. I blushed immediately. "It's that good huh?" I nodded.

"I'm sorry. You were saying something?" I peeked at him from the corner of my eye after turning back to my plate.

"How are you?" He was still acting concerned for my emotional well being. It was sweet in a way.

"I'm fine. Really. I'm resilient and I'll make it through." He looked like he wanted to respond but Alice stood and clicked her glass with her fork before he could.

"I think it's about time that the Maid of Honor gave a toast." Everyone quieted down waiting for her to continue. "This wedding is more than just a joining of two people madly in love. This union is the joining of a family. For years Rosalie has been like a sister to me and I think it is about time that the state of Washington recognizes her as such. To Emmett and Rose, may their years be filled with happiness, love, and family."

"To Emmett and Rose." Everyone chorused clinking glasses together. It made my heart ache just a little to see their happy faces. They were all a family. These were closely knit people. They would always have each other to lean on. I thought about Charlie. I love him, but our relationship was entirely different. It had its strength from silence. We loved despite knowing very little about each other while the Cullens loved every little aspect and quirk.

I ate in silence for a while thinking back on holidays. It usually was just Charlie and I. I would cook a turkey for Thanksgiving or a ham on Christmas but we ate in silence and eventually Charlie would retire to the family room to watch television. I would retire to my room to read. Past loneliness throbbed in my chest but I stopped it. This was a happy occasion I had no reason to be sad.

I forced a smile at Chuck, Emmett's college friend, since he was sitting directly across from me. He smiled back but we didn't speak. Victoria had vibrant red hair and barely touched her food. She just moved it around her plate. Occasionally she would look up and straighten her shirt and smile at Edward. I tried to zone out her flirting but it was making me territorial over something that wasn't technically mine. I still needed to have a conversation with Edward about that night.

The rest of the meal moved by quickly. There were more stories and laughing and at the end there were even a few tears. Esme kissed both of Rosalie's cheeks before we left. She came over and gave me a hug as well. Now it was time for the fun and festivities to begin.

Edward hesitated by the door like he wanted to speak to me but Alice had me by the wrist and there was no stopping. I threw him an apologetic smile as I was dragged away. I saw Emmett call him to their car waiting behind us. I got in my car and drove back to my apartment to park before leaving again.

OOOOOOOOo

Our first stop was a bar called Mavericks. It was also where we had to meet back after a certain amount of time. We gathered around in a circle waiting for Alice instructions. There were six of us playing. Rose, Alice, Victoria, a girl names Hannah, a girl named Beth, and I. Hannah and Beth had not been able to make it to the dinner but they could make it to the bachelorette party. To my untrained eyes I would say they were models just like I thought Victoria was. They were both harshly thin but stunning.

"Alright ladies gather around. We are doing a sexy scavenger hunt. We must get all the things on our list. We will be going to countless bars tonight. At each bar we must have at least two shots, also if anyone offers to buy you another you must comply. We will meet back at this bar at 2 am if we get separated. Each list is slightly different, but they all have the base items. The base items are: 1) three separate body shots off three separate guys. 2) One lap dance. 3) One karaoke performance. 4) One girl kiss (tongue optional). And finally 5) one guy's phone number. Does everyone understand? To prove you have done these things the people around you must take a picture of you completing each task. Alright? Let's go," Alice cheered grabbed her first two shot of the evening off the bar. We all followed suit and downed our Jose Quervo. This was going to be a long night.