Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight – I just like playing with the characters. All movie and song references belong to their respective performers and creators. They just add depth to the story, and for that I am grateful to them. J

On with the show…

Chapter 7

BPOV

We stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only an intense few minutes. It was him! But I didn't understand how it could be. I mean, he knew about the dream, he knew about the question that only he asked me. How? Edward reached his hand out to me, but I took a step back. The look of rejection showed on his face and it made me frown. I wasn't trying to reject him, but I was so confused, there were so many questions I needed to ask.

"Bella," Edward started, but I held my hand up to stop him. I turned around and walked to a tree stump, if I looked at him I would not be able to keep a clear head. He was mystical, beautiful, and there was the pull between us that said I needed to be closer. But if I went to him, I would not be able to concentrate, and right now I needed to concentrate.

As I sat down I heard him growl, "Not now!" The intensity made me look up at him to see the anger in his face. My brows furrowed in confusion, not now what? So I asked, "Not now what?"

He looked at me, his pupils had turned entirely black and were intense in their hold on me, "There are a lot of things I need to explain, I know you have a lot of questions, but that comment was not directed towards you." He took a few steps towards me and I stiffened, he noticed this and stopped in his tracks. His right hand went to his hair and pulled lightly on the locks as he closed his eyes and exhaled, "We have two more classes before the day is over, how would you feel about skipping?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, not because I was angry, but I was trying to read him, "Where would we go?"

I saw him relax a little, thankful I was being slightly compliant, "Bella, I promise I will not hurt you. You have questions, lots of them I am sure. There is a little club on the out skirts of the Port. It is a predominately Goth club." He smiled and held his hand out to me, "I figured public but intimate would be ok for our discussion?"

Still not moving from my spot, but not leaving the hold of his stare, "How would we get there?"

Edward smirked, God there went my panties, and knelt down in front of me, I didn't realize he had gotten so close, "If you are not scared of speed, and promise to let me explain everything, I will let you in on a little secret now. Deal?"

I eyed him carefully, tentatively I stood up with him, "Ok, deal." He held out his hand to me and turned around. In a dark, but velvety tone he said, "Climb on."

"Seriously? You want me to get on your back? What are we, 12?" I snarled, but in what seemed like a blink of an eye, Edward had pulled me onto his back and smiled darkly, "Hold on, Spider monkey."

And then we were off! Edward was going through trees and across water so fast that I was surprised that we weren't hit with branches or splashed with water. I closed my eyes, afraid that he would suddenly trip and we would be sent flying, hitting something hard and ending this dream I seemed to be in. But it never happened. I felt his body shake as I clung on for dear life, "Relax, my love, you will be fine. Your heart is beating so fast it is going to come out of your chest." He lifted kissed my wrist that was against his chest, "I have got you, you need not worry. I promised nothing will happen to you."
I don't know why, but I did relax. And I may be naïve about some things, but I did realize that there was something other worldly about Edward. I had to trust that he would keep his word. If Edward was really him then I really didn't have anything to worry about, right? But then again, all I knew about him was from my dreams, and that wasn't really a lot to go on. We reached a club called "La Tua Cantante". The front of the club is awesome! It actually looks like an old brick firehouse that was painted all black. The windows all look like they had been replaced by stain glass. The sign for the building was like an old wooden inn sign hanging from a shepherds crook. A man stood outside in a long black leather duster, black dreads, and more piercings then a man should ever have, not to mention he scared the holy crow out of me!

"What does it mean," I whispered in Edward's ear, terrified that Mr. Piercings would hear me. Who knew what that man would do!

"It means, 'your singer'," Edward explains and she slowly lets slide down his back to the ground. I am wobbly for a few minutes, unaccustomed to riding piggy back on someone at break neck speeds. I know, silly me, right?

"Did you bring me to an Italian jazz club to explain things?" I looked at him, brows furrowed in confusion, "Cause I don't think that man there looks like he is enjoying it."

He laughed at me and held his hand out, "I thought a gothic princess such as yourself, and being new in town, would like to see at least one Goth club. Someplace you can relax, enjoy the atmosphere."

I huffed, this man needed to know now, regardless of who he is that I am a "QUEEN" not some backwards princess, "You better slow your roll, Goth boy! I am higher up in the food chain than you think."

He gave me a dark smoldering gaze that…wait let me check…yep, panties totally disintegrated! He leaned into my ear, running his nose around the rim, breathing warm and heavy as he spoke, "Forgive me, but until you know how the court is ran here, you are but the princess. If you wish to be queen," his lips ran down my neck slowly, and then back up where he kissed behind my ear before continuing, "Then let us go in here, poppet. We will sit. (kiss) We will talk. (kiss) And then the ball is in your court."

I was too fuzzy with feeling to move. Note to self: no more kisses or touching till after discussion! Yeah, that's going to work! But I have to at least try…right?

EPOV

It was simple, I take her to a Gothic club, I explain everything to her so there is no confusion, THEN she falls into my arms and we live happily ever after. We rule, I change her on her 18th birthday, and my family is complete!

No, no that would be too easy. As we walked up to the club I noticed Laurant is the bouncer for the night. We nodded to each other and I escort my Bella into the club. The brick walls are light by rot iron torches that have bulbs in them that flicker like flames. There are round tables with red tops and black rot iron chairs around them on one side of the bar, close to the dimly lit bar. On the other side of the room are various pieces of furniture (couches, chairs, ottomans and coffee tables) for those who want to work that scene. They are either red or black leather, and very comfortable. At the back of the building is the stage and dance floor. Once in a while Aro gets live bands from around the scene to come in, but mostly it is for young talent trying to break into the Goth music scene. Behind the stage is the only solid wall not made of brick, it is a large wall painted white with "La Tua Cantante" in deep burgundy and black scroll work behind it.

I chose a black love seat and asked the waiter for my usual and Bella asked for tea. We turn towards one another and get comfortable. She starts fiddling with her hands, the softly she asks, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," I sighed heavily, still looking at her. Bella still doesn't look up; she takes a very shaky breath.

"How long have you been 18?"

I smirk and reach out a finger, running it along her hands, stopping her shaking. She looks up at me and I answer, "A very long time."

Her eyes widen and she grasps my hand, then she looks down at them, "Edward, I don't understand. How are you my dark lord? How are you the same person that I have only seen in my dreams?"

I try to remove my hand, but she holds it firmly. I know I could break the grasp she has if I wanted to, but it seems to be like a life line for her right now, so I continue to let her hold it, "Bella, our culture, the Goth culture, believes in all thing mystic, dark, unearthly if you will," she nodded like it was more of a question she was answering then a statement I had made, "so I am asking you, one who believes in this lifestyle, to keep an open mind of what I am going to tell you."

Bella took a deep breath and then shook her head in understanding. Smiling as the waiter brought us our beverages, I took a quick sip. Demetri was the bar tender tonight, he kept a well –stocked bar of imported animal blood. I felt we were going to go into a territory that I needed to keep my wits about me, but Bella wasn't making that easy. Everything about her called to me: Her blood, her dark accentuations of her pale beauty, her trembling with confusion and fear, her racing heart, her kitten-tiger rebellion at wanting to be in control though she had none…yes, a little blood courage could go a long way!

Setting my glass down, I took one of her hands in mine and ran my thumb over her knuckles, "Bella, what I am about to tell you is very dangerous for you and for myself. If people knew that I was telling you this, the wrong people that is, we could both loose our lives," Her eyes got wide and her heart began to race. I know she was afraid, but I might have to risk that for her to understand, "Bella, Alice is a seer, a mystic or psychic if you will. She is also a wiccan priestess, able to conjure what she needs to."

I took a deep breath, though I didn't need to, and continued, "One night I was bored and she found a way for me to do the one thing that I have wanted for a long time: to find my mate. There is a spell in one of her books and herbs that must be combined in order to allow a person to look for their soul mate through their dreams," I looked at Bella and held her gaze and willed her to understand what I was trying to tell her. She swallowed nervously, but never broke my heated stare, "My first night I was standing by a lake in the middle of a clearing. Trees were standing all around, giving it a hidden mystic garden look. The moon was high and shining brightly and there was a small mist on the ground, just enough to cover but you could still see through."

Her eyes got bigger and she mouth opened gently in shock, I continued, "I saw a young woman on a log, her black and red hair done up in a genie type pony tail. I approached her slowly as not to scare her off. There was a pull to this beauty, though I did not see her face, I wanted to talk to her. I laid my hand on her shoulder and she said…"

"You kept me waiting!" Bella finished. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever, but were really only a few minutes. She knew, the wide eyed expression she had told me, Bella knew who I was.

A/N: hmmm, poor Bella. SO much for a Goth Queen in such a short time…what is she to do?