Heyho =] Had trouble uploading this chapter, it kept shutting down everytime I went to upload it =/ anyone else have that problem? Anyway, another chapter is coming your way… and don't worry, I know its been a long wait, but not long to go now until the magic really happens ;) Theres a reason this fic's rated M you know =P

Chapter 25:

A week later… Forks High School's very first Music Concert

I handed over my ticket upon my arrival, stepping inside the main school hall which was overloaded with a bundle of people; I'd never seen it so packed. Everyone cramming inside like sardines in a tin, just to get to a seat. I sat several rows back from the front, as far to the edge as I could go. I hated being trapped in the middle of a crowd of sweaty people.

The bell rang and the music teacher whom I'd recently become accustomed to, yelled out "Five Minutes to go!" as loud as her lungs and vocal cords could possibly muster. It was strange seeing her so animated, as she hurried around the room ushering the students to their correct position, or ensuring the equipment was all set up. From what I'd known of her, she'd always seemed so calm and gentle. Not tonight though.

I grew nervous at the sound of the bell ringing, the butterflies in my stomach flapping like never before; I bit on my lip out of habit. I was nervous and I wasn't even playing, I couldn't imagine how Edward must have felt.

"Bella Swan?" I jumped at the sound of my name amongst all that chatter, my heart skipping several beats as the voice caught me off guard. I looked up, completely taken aback to see none other than Esme' Cullen standing before me.

She stared at me in question, like she wasn't entirely sure if she'd asked the right person. She looked awfully out of place, even though she'd probably dressed down for this, but I gave a small nod at my name, putting her out of her misery, and as she sat beside me, clutch bag in her lap, I found myself growing rigid with apprehension. I'd never expected Esme' Cullen to show up! Least of all to take a seat beside me.

"I'm surprised you came," I said as I turned my attention onto the stage ahead of me. Sinking back into the chair a little more to try and settle my erratic heartbeat.

"Well, Rose was the one that mentioned it. Edward hasn't said a thing".

I found that awfully amusing, in the non-laughable sense anyway. "And you're surprised by that?" I internally rolled my eyes.

When she didn't answer, I guessed the answer was yes.

"Seems pretty clear to me," I felt the need to go on as I folded my arms defensively across my chest. "He probably didn't want to raise the likelihood of being let down again. You know, since only Rose attended his last concert". It was after I'd said it that I froze up even more, surprised in myself for being so blunt; particularly because it was Edwards mother I was talking to, her son being the very guy I so desperately wanted to be with. Not to mention we'd never actually spoken to each other until now. I guess I couldn't hold back my emotions, having already developed a dislike for her.

I probably hadn't earned myself many brownie points in being so blatantly honest, but I was growing tired of avoiding the issue. But as she sighed, responding with a disheartened "You're probably right", I felt maybe I'd been a little too harsh with that one.

I relaxed out of my stiff and guarded persona. "So where's Rose anyway?"

"She's talking to your friends, the girl with the spiky black hair?" Esme' informed me, and I nodded back, realising Alice and Jasper must have not long arrived. I would've gone to meet them, but I didn't want to lose my seat now I'd gotten it. "How is she?"

"Rose?" her voice went up at the end, surprised that I'd asked. "Oh she's fine".

"Good" I uttered back.

Esme' turned to me then, and I felt like she was scrutinizing my profile. "I know that something went down with her and Edward," the lady spoke to me carefully, "they've not said anything to me about it. I can just sense it. I don't suppose, you know what happened?"

I felt myself twitch, not knowing whether or not to say anything. When I didn't respond I noticed her smile from the corner of my eye. "Of course you do. It's ok that you don't want to tell me. It's probably none of my business anyway… I'm glad that Edward has someone to talk to now. He's… very fond of you".

She seemed thoughtful as I turned my head to look at her. "I'm fond of him". And she nodded back at me, a smile and a strange twinkle in her eye as she stared at me.

The lights went down after that. And my body took another beating from those strenuous and pesky nerves. The stage area was black as shadows in the darkness took to their position, silence filled the room, with only the occasional whisper of excitement from those behind me, and I couldn't help but hold my breath in anticipation.

A rich, deep but equally soft tone came out of the darkness, as a dimmed light shone down on the piano which sat centre stage, lighting up its large and shiny black structure, and presenting the profile of a young musician who sat before it, wearing a white shirt, black tie and smart black trousers, while that distinct artistically dishevelled hair stuck up at all angles.

I felt my heart flutter, emotions I'd never experienced caused my throat to almost close at the sight of Edward playing to such a large audience; the entire seven piece band in waiting behind him.

The music was soft like velvet, I felt I could lose myself at any moment, be completely swept away by its beauty. It commenced similarly to that of 'A whole new world', the song from Aladdin. But this took a completely different turn, taking the song to a new level; with strings and drums and trumpets joining in to reach its ultimate crescendo.

Mid-way through, I took note of his mothers expression, she was sat forward in her seat, as if compelled by the song itself, and I could tell by the look in her eyes she was proud of him. How could she not be after that? Edward was beyond talented. Maybe he hadn't taken the path she'd wished he would have, but with Edward's heart and talent, it was clear he could make it big on his own.

The set consisted of 10 songs, lasting about an hour in total. Edward took to the stage several times, playing solo at one point, while he sat back for the rest, as the other band members' talent briefly shone.

The night was a total success. And as the lights came on and they all took a bow, the hall erupted, everyone rose to their feet, cheering, whistling and clapping. And as I observed that Cheshire cat grin spreading across Edwards face, I couldn't have been more delighted for him.

Over the moon in fact, particularly as his eyes fell on me, lingering for longer than I could've hoped for; there was an intensity and determination in his focus that I found so thrilling, I couldn't help but blush...

"Edward, you were wonderful" declared Esme' as we approached him (now accompanied by Rose, Alice and Jasper) some 10 minutes later.

"Mom?" his expression was ambivalent at the knowledge that his mother had attended, but beyond his bewilderment and surprise, I could tell he was grateful she'd showed. "What are you doing here? How did you even know I was playing?" his eyes shifted awkwardly; knowing very well that he hadn't exactly broadcasted the concert… to anyone. It was only by chance, well, that and my stalker tendencies, that I'd even found out.

"Well Rose told me" she told him gently, but as Edward looked across at his sister, still confused, I felt I best own up now rather than later.

"I… told Rose" I informed him sheepishly, hoping I hadn't stepped on too many toes like I'd done before, but a soft smile warmed his face as he looked at me. There was a look in his eye though, amused almost, like he should've guessed it was my doing.

"I wish your father had been here to see you Edward" his mother added, as she straightened his tie. "But you know he's working tonight".

"I know, I didn't expect him to come. I'm glad you came though".

"I wouldn't have missed it" she told him directly, and I felt like in that moment, they're words spoke volumes, I felt they'd made a step forward and away from their previously shaky relationship. And although it was slightly intrusive, I was glad to be a witness to it.

"More than just a pretty face. Aren't you Edward" Rosalie spoke up for the first time. And I was thankful when Edward didn't ignore her. Maybe since I'd last seen them together, they'd patched things up?

"Good genes I guess" he smiled back lazily, and his mothers grin grew wide at that.

"Now," Esme' immediately turned business-like, as she dug into her bag, pulling out a wad of square cards. "Hand these out" she plonked half into my hand, and I momentarily struggled to avoid dropping them. Rose held eagerly onto the other half, but I frowned as I silently read the description.

"Open House?" Edward questioned as he grabbed one of the cards from my pile; his face scrunched up in confusion. It was an open invitation to the Cullen's family home, offering food, drinks and music to the school's students, their friends and their parents.

"Has she been drinking?" he turned to his sister; and by the looks on their faces, I figured only once in a blue moon would Esme' Cullen let outsiders into her beloved mansion. Apparently this was one of those times. And I suddenly had a new found respect for his usually high and mighty mother.

Maybe I'd gotten her wrong?

Esme' rolled her eyes at her sons banter. "Well I thought since it's such a big night for you, it shouldn't end here," said his mother. "You will all come, wont you?" she looked from me to my friends; I was a little struck to verbally respond, but my friends nodded back at her excitedly. "Great! See you there then!"

We spent almost 10 minutes mingling between the crowd, handing out the invitations to our fellow classmates, the majority were equally as baffled as we'd been, some either turned it down thinking it was a joke, whereas others could hardly contain their excitement, having never even stepped foot in a neighbourhood of that level of class before. And as the final card was handed out, we promptly made our way towards the Cullen's…

…

It was heaving as soon as we arrived (which made very little sense considering we'd left long before everyone else did), with people still half way down the drive, all waiting to shuffle their way inside. By the time we made it into the entrance I noticed how remarkably different the house looked, from what I could remember anyway.

I guess you could say when I'd first stepped foot in the house, it had been somewhat dressed down, now it was decorated like a Christmas castle. With streamers, tinsel and mistletoe lining the walls and ceiling. And who could miss that enormous sparkling Christmas tree, which was planted at centre view upon entry, beside the grand staircase that led up to their rooms. Oddly enough it all seemed so much smaller and compact now, but that was probably because it was currently jam packed with so many people.

"Is this even my house?" a gobsmacked Edward questioned above the music, his tie no longer knotted, but lying open as it hung casually across his shoulders, and with his two top buttons now open, he looked that much more sexy.

We all huddled up together in the centre of the living room, and I was suddenly getting the impression that people hadn't necessarily come for the party, but mostly to have a nosey look around.

"Dad?" Edward called over to the middle-aged blonde haired male who struggled to clamber his way inside, he had his brief case in his hand, as if he'd just come straight from work.

"Oh, hi Edward!" his father made his way towards us. "I'm so sorry I missed your concert. I managed to get the rest of the night covered though; I heard we were having a party to celebrate!"

"Yeah, looks that way doesn't it…" Edward pulled an uneasy face. "There's a lot of people, huh" he flashed an awkward look across to his father, who simply nodded back with eyes of intrigue, apparently finding it more fascinating than much of a concern. "I don't even think I know half of these people".

"Well, some are your mother's associates" his dad revealed, and I could sense he was almost about to roll his eyes. "Others are either neighbours or just…" he shrugged. "Well, who knows. Anyway, enjoy it. This is in your honour don't forget!" he threw his hands out to present the crowd to him, before he squeezed his way through to a room in the back.

"In my honour huh? Couldn't we have just gone out to dinner like a normal family" I heard Edward mutter to himself.

"Come on, let's head for the kitchen and get a drink" Edward encouraged us along, and Alice and Jasper followed in suit. I attempted to follow, but found myself bumping straight into a hard brick wall… or at least what I thought was a wall.

"Emmett?"

"Hey girlie!" his huge arms enveloped me into his chest, and I struggled to escape from becoming suffocated.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he released me, setting me back onto my feet.

"It's an open house, right?" he shrugged.

"Yes, but, you can't just invite yourself" I tried to keep my voice down and remain as subtle as possible, even though I was like a needle amongst a haystack. No one was likely paying attention to me.

"I didn't, I got an invite. Your boyfriend's sister knows one of my friends, I was invited through her" he pondered as he spoke.

I turned shy at that, sad almost about having to correct him. "He's not my boyfriend" my voice softened.

"Huh?" he shouted, unable to hear me, one due to my shortness compared to him, and two because of the noise.

"It doesn't matter" I called back.

"Right, well I'm going to get a drink". But I pulled at his arm before he went.

"Don't do anything stupid Emmett, like get drunk and throw up everywhere. This is my friends home remember."

"Will you chill out already" he smiled, thinking it was nonsense. "Do you think I'm going to embarrass you or something?"

"Yes, very much so. Don't make me strangle you in your sleep big brother" I warned him.

He shrugged back, blasé about having me threaten him to a grisly death, but he complied either way. "Point taken".

We both went our separate ways after that, and I headed towards what I hoped was the kitchen. It was, thankfully, and a lot less busy in here. I found my friends right away, they were stood near the 'bar' area, drinks in hand.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Edward asked as I padded my way over to him.

"Oh, I … got swept away" I tried to joke.

He snickered back at me amused; that wasn't so hard to believe coming from me. "Well do you want a drink?"

I stared at the line of multi coloured drinks, a few punch bowls on the end there, peach in colour. I had an idea what that was, so I went for the peach one. "Good choice," Edward remarked delightedly as I poured myself a glass.

Before I took a sip however, I pulled back with hesitance, "There's no alcohol in this, is there?" I asked timidly, and he found that very entertaining. I had to check though; I couldn't bear a repeat performance of the previous weekend.

"Sadly not" he smiled. "I hope you're not too disappointed?" he smirked. And I glared back at him, mocking a smile.

"Edward your house is wild, your moms done an amazing job with it!" Alice spoke up for the first time since we'd arrived; her wide eyes had been far too busy taking everything in to rustle up a conversation, until now.

"Yeah, thanks. It's actually the first time I've ever seen it like this. We don't usually have many visitors, of the… non, business-variety" he spoke with awkwardness, and I could tell he hoped he didn't offend.

"Well, I guess she had a change of heart tonight, huh," mused Alice, who was just happy to be there. "Aww, look! Mistletoe!" she beamed as she observed the decorative ceiling. Her eyes of intrigue failed to miss a thing.

She pulled Jasper close, kissing him tenderly on the mouth. "Aw, I love Christmas" she said gleefully as she licked her lips. I noticed then as her focus flicked above my head, a smile creeping onto her face as her eyes grew even wider and more rounded.

I took a chance and looked up, not entirely sure whether I was happy or not to find I was also standing beneath the mistletoe, with Edward stood beside me.

"Come on guys, where's your holiday spirit?" Alice urged us, and I felt the colour in my face fade away; I felt a little sick actually. Edward fidgeted on the spot, and as I glanced a look across to him, I could sense he felt just as uncomfortable as I did. How dare Alice put us on the spot like this! I would see to her later on.

"Guys, its Christmas" she emphasised like we were party poopers, as her head tilted to one side; as if we could forget it was Christmas, Alice, I thought between gritted teeth. "And you know you'll get 10 years bad luck if you don't," she warned us teasingly, and I knew that was merely Alice-logic just to get us to kiss. And hey, even if it was true, I was prone to bad luck anyway; it made no difference to me.

I tried my best to laugh it off, but only proceeded to make myself look and feel like a total dork. And as I angled my body to one side, holding onto my drink with a shaky hand, I bit the bullet and looked into his eyes.

Edward looked reticent, like he wasn't sure this was such a good idea. And I was completely with him on that one, given our last kiss was a total disaster, and we'd been alone then. But after a moment or two, he seemed he was willing to give it a go, shifting himself to my side.

Sirens went off in my head as he approached me; his hand gripping at my waist as a surge of heat travelled up my neck and cheek. He was cautious at first, which I presumed meant he would take things slowly, which I was all for, but no such luck. He totally floored me as he briskly caught my lips; planting a hasty but passionate kiss onto my mouth. I was lucky I didnt spill my drink all over us.

Thinking back, I can't remember how many times we kissed in that moment. Was it one fast passionate kiss he gave me? Or several? I went with two in the end, I distinctly remember his lips cupping mine twice.

Truthfully though, the entire moment was a blur, it had all happened so fast, that by the time he'd pulled away (far too soon for my liking, even with an audience!) my head was still spinning. I felt like I was swaying from side to side as I slowly opened my eyes and reality sunk in, only vaguely aware of the commotion around me, as a few people in close proximity whistled and cheered us on, while Edward muttered something about how he had a headache and needed to get some air.

I myself, was on cloud nine. I felt like a ditz, woozy almost, like I'd had one too many champagne's. It was a warm and fuzzy feeling that swirled in my stomach, but similarly to champagne, the after affects threatened to be ghastly.

I excused myself from my friends some time later, they didn't seem overly bothered by it, and I left them giggling at being front row to what they'd just witnessed, before I made my way towards the back garden, where Edward had previously wandered.

Stepping outside onto the raised wooden platform, which was half-way sheltered beneath a canopy, the cool air hit me hard. It slapped me across the face, like a bitch with sharp long nails; no mercy at all. And I wrapped my arms around me to conceal some warmth; leaving the house without a jacket had clearly been a big mistake, if only I'd realised sooner.

I'd never seen the Cullen's back garden before, and it seemed to go on for miles. From the French doors it spread out onto a raised platform, there were steps down from there to lower grassy ground, and in the far distance my eyes located a hut, or what looked like a hut. It was about the size of the Cullen's living room, and I guessed it was probably a guest house or storage room of some kind.

It didn't take long for me to notice him, stood at the far corners edge of the platform, leaning on the white fencing looking out onto the garden below. God knows what I planned on saying to him, but I felt I couldn't leave it. Straightening my hair and hoping my cheeks were no longer a blaze, I came up beside him.

Edward's head twitched upon my arrival, and I sensed he already knew it wouldn't take me long before I came crawling. I was so predictable. And yet, I didn't know what to do or say to him, I could barely look into his eyes, fearful of what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry about that," his voice at last spoke out into the night sky, and a shiver, lightening-bolted down my spine at what to expect.

"Sorry?" I mimicked his choice of words, "You're … You're apologising for kissing me?" I checked, my feelings a little hurt as I pondered his need to apologise.

"Yes".

I stared at the ground with baffled eyes. "Well, don't".

He tensed, turning to me then, almost as if he hadn't expected me to say that, before he visibly relaxed, his head flicking back to face the garden. "It can't happen again Bella," he said after another wave of silence, and I don't think my forehead had ever felt so tense, as I desperately tried to make sense of him. "If we care at all about what we have. If we want to savour our friendship, it can't happen again," he was talking, yet I only made out the odd bits here and there, mostly I was just grief-stricken by his looming rejection. Twice, both times after we'd kissed. Boy, I must be the worst kisser in the world. "You're my best friend Bella; I won't lose you because of…" he paused, his jaw tensing below his cheek.

I shook my head, battling with my emotions whilst I tried to understand. "Because, of what?"

"Foolishness… weakness", he spoke in a deep and concentrated hushed tone; not sounding at all like the Edward I knew and loved. He was so controlled, it scared me almost.

I half laughed, half on the verge of crying. "So what? You were foolish to kiss me?" my voice whined, and I felt the tears in my eyes well up.

"No" he immediately turned to face me, appearing to regret having said it, but I continued to stare at the ground, I couldn't have him seeing my tears or shaky bottom lip. "I… I didn't mean that. I shouldn't have used those words. I'm sorry". I felt his eyes on me, analyzing my expression.

"Don't be sorry Edward," I hushed, swallowing hard, "You know what they say. Honesty's always the best policy," I said, before solemnly walking away, doing all I could to conceal my brimming sobs.

I bashed my way past the crowd as I submerged myself into the house. I took no prisoners, my only mission now was to escape, I had to get home. Only my bed could comfort me now.

As soon as I stepped out of the front door, I hurried down the driveway; I had to get away before anyone saw me. Away from the house, from my friends, and especially away from Edward. It didn't take me long to exit the neighbourhood, and as I found myself on the main road following the directions to my street, I slowed my speed right down, my tears letting rip as I allowed myself to become a lost and lonely shadow of the night...