A/N: Again, I've combined two chapters here. Chapter 18 is one of my favorites in Pride and Prejudice…
All characters belong to S. Meyer, major story line belongs to J. Austen. I'm just moving them to modern day Forks.
"Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends—whether he may be equally capable of retaining them, is less certain."
"He has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship," replied Elizabeth with emphasis, "and in a manner which he is likely to suffer from all his life." – Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 18
A&A Chapters 17 & 18
The next day during their morning jog, Bella told Alice all about what Mike had told her. Alice listened to the story with wide-eyed disbelief – she just couldn't believe that Edward could be so cold; so different from his good friend Jasper. But at the same time she found it hard to question the honesty of someone as pleasant and nice as Mike. She couldn't but help feel extremely sorry for him at the possibility that he could have really been the victim of such horrible treatment. Therefore, all she could do was give them both the benefit of the doubt, and believe that there had to be a logical explanation for the situation.
"There was definitely some miscommunication there," Alice told Bella thoughtfully. "Or some other factor is at play which we know nothing about. Maybe there was an interested third party involved that turned them against each other?" she thought aloud, staring ahead blindly. She sighed and turned to Bella. "Either way, without all the information it's impossible for us to form any judgment without condemning one or the other."
Bella stared at her sister. "You're right, of course." She turned her eyes straight ahead. The early morning Forks fog blanketed the outdoors with grey smoke, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead of them.
"And how about the interested third party that may have turned them against each other? Do find a way to clear them too, or else we may be forced to think badly of somebody!" she deadpanned.
Alice rolled her eyes and looked straight ahead. "Make fun of me all you want Bella, but you're not going to change my opinion. Think of it logically," she pleaded softly. Bella sighed impatiently. "The Pemberley Vineyards are well known for their generous donations to philanthropic organizations. Would it make sense for the owner of such a highly-esteemed company to do something so indisputably ungenerous to his own god-brother? To his late father's godson? It makes no sense! No man with half a heart could do something like that! And then to be able to fool his closest friends too? No, I just can't accept it!" she cried, speeding up.
Bella exhaled and picked up her pace too. "I can more accept the possibility that Jasper has no idea what kind of man Edward really is, than that Mike is completely making up the story! He gave me names yesterday, facts, everything mentioned without pause. If it's not true, then let Edward contradict it. Besides, Mike looked completely honest when he told me the story."
Alice stopped suddenly, bending at the waist and placing both palms on her knees while she caught her breath. Bella imitated her actions.
"It's a crazy situation, that's for sure. It's hard to know what to believe," Alice breathed.
Bella's head snapped up. "Excuse me," she snorted, "but I find it really easy to know what to believe."
But Alice's mind was unpleasantly involved in a different point – that poor Jasper would be guilty of being an asshole by association if this situation ever became public.
The conversation was curtailed by the arrival of some of the very people of whom they'd been speaking. Jasper and his cousins Tanya and Irina drove up in his car, to personally deliver their invitations to the long-awaited party at Netherfield Estate on the following Friday. Jasper alone stepped out of the car, while his cousins waited inside, waving happily at Alice, and completely ignoring Bella.
Alice was extremely embarrassed to be caught all sweaty and red by Jasper, but from the looks that he gave her, Bella could tell she could've been dripping puke and Jasper wouldn't have minded. Bella walked a few feet away to give the two a few minutes of privacy.
"Oh my God Bella," Tanya suddenly called out from the car. "I've never seen someone so sweaty in my whole life! Are you sure that's not a medical condition?" Bella could hear Irina snickering in the seat next to her.
Bella smiled and walked slowly towards the car, bending down to stick her head through the lowered window and resting her forearms on the sill. Tanya and Irina glared at her, unsure of her motives. With purposeful motions, Bella removed the black rubber band that was holding her admittedly drenched hair up, and proceeded to shake her head quickly back and forth, her sweaty hair flying in all directions and dripping over the car and against Tanya.
"Well, if it is a medical condition," Bella laughed while Tanya screamed in disgust and put her hands up to cover her face, "let's hope it's not catchy."
Tanya huffed angrily, wiping herself off. "That's disgusting!"
Bella stood back up and smiled at Tanya again. "Well, when you get back home, maybe you can have Edward give you a good physical or something." Then she sauntered back towards Alice and Jasper, chuckling to herself.
Every female in the Swan family was extremely excited at the prospect of the Netherfield Party. Renee was convinced that the party was being specifically thrown in honor of Alice, especially since Jasper hand delivered the invitation himself. Alice pictured a fun evening in the company of her friends and of course…Jasper, and Bella could think only of dancing all night with Mike, and of seeing a confirmation in Edward's eyes and actions of everything Mike had told her. As for Jessica and Lauren, their thoughts for the evening revolved less around one particular person – though they were both also looking forward to dancing with Mike. But Mike was by no means the only guy that would satisfy them for the evening, and after all, a party was a party.
Bella was so excited that, although she usually tried to stay away from Jake, she couldn't help asking him whether he intended to go to the party or not. She was pretty surprised to find out that he did intend to attend, considering his highly conservative views, and that he was furthermore pretty sure that Senator DeVolturi would have no problem with him letting loose once in a while.
"I assure you Bella, I'm not that much of a prude," he laughed, sitting at the dinner table while Bella and the rest of the woman cleaned up. "And besides, Jasper seems to be a pretty upstanding sort of guy; I'm pretty sure there won't be any funny business going on there. In fact," he added, leaning closer to Bella as she bent down begrudgingly to pick his dirty dish off the table, "I'd be honored if you reserved the first couple of dances of the evening for me," he grinned.
Bella was horrified. She'd actually just been picturing herself walking into Jasper's large living room and being immediately swept away to the dance floor by Mike. And to have to dance with Jake instead! She cursed herself for having brought up the dance at all! But Bella couldn't say no to the puppy dog eyes Jake was giving her, and so she accepted as gracefully as possible. His eyes grew wide in appreciation and a smug grin graced his lips. And Bella was suddenly struck with a horrible thought: that Jake could possibly picture some sort of future for himself and her. All of a sudden, Bella became increasingly aware of Jake's growing attentions towards her, and his frequent compliments in her direction. Yet while she was more shocked than pleased by these attentions, Renee soon made it clear to her that the probability of a long-term relationship between Jake and herself sounded like a great idea to her. For the moment though, Bella chose to ignore her mother's crazy hints; though she was sure there would be an epic fight on the subject in the near future. Either way, for now, Jake's attention was more covert than not, so there really was no reason to worry about a confession that may never come.
If there hadn't been a Netherfield party to talk about and prepare for, the young Swan woman would have been in a horrible state indeed, since from the day the party was announced to the actual night it would take place, the rain fell like a monsoon over Forks, making any sort of outdoor activities out of the question, and trapping them all inside the house for the better part of the week. Even Bella would have been out of sorts in this weather – which totally put a dent in her plans to get to know Mike better – if it weren't for the anticipation of Friday to calm her.
OOOOOOOOOO
Until the moment that Bella walked into the large living room at Netherfield Estate and looked in vain for Mike among the crowd of young girls and guys, the idea that he wouldn't be at the party had never even crossed her mind. She'd prepared herself for the evening with more than the usual care; her hair was ironed as straight as a stick, the pretty dark blue blouse she wore complimented her figure perfectly, hugging her without being overly tight, her denim skirt was shorter than what she'd usually wear, but not skanky, and her cute sandals showed off her freshly pedicured toes. In short, she was completely prepared to conquer whatever part of Mike's heart remained to be conquered, sure that the long night would give her sufficient time to do so. But abruptly, a thought she'd never even considered hit her: that Mike would be omitted from the evening's festivities at Edward's request. And though this wasn't exactly the case, the confirmation of his absence was announced by Tyler, after Jessica asked about him. The story was that Mike was out of town on some sort of business. Then Tyler added with a loaded smile,
"I'm pretty sure that his business wouldn't have called him out of town just now, if it wasn't for his desire to avoid a certain other gentleman here tonight."
Jessica herself missed this bit of information, but Bella caught it all. And it reinforced her belief that Edward was as responsible for Mike's absence as if her initial suspicions had been correct. Suddenly, every feeling of dislike for Edward was sharpened even more by her disappointment, and as luck would have it, the object of her fury chose that moment to make his presence known.
"Hello Bella," a velvety voice murmured from behind her.
Bella turned around quickly and was met by Edward's deep green eyes, gazing at her with a crooked grin in place. And even through her ire, every bit of her that was a woman found it impossible to deny how unbelievably perfect Edward looked in his casual blazer and white crisp button down shirt underneath, with just the tiniest bit of bronze chest hair poking through, and dark slacks that were definitely custom made for him. And try as she might, she also couldn't deny the electric shock that coursed through her at soon as she laid eyes on him.
Whatever her physical response may have been, her verbal response to him was cool and formal.
"Edward," she answered quietly.
His emerald eyes sparkled in the low light of the room. "How have you been?"
"Okay, thanks," she said shortly, and then begrudgingly she added, "And you?"
"The evening's looking up actually," he responded.
Bella thought she saw him trail his eyes up and down her form appreciatively, but her irritation was too great, and she turned her eyes away from him. Every moment she spent talking to him was an insult to poor Mike, and so she decided against any sort of conversation with Edward.
"I'll see you around," she mumbled, turning away from him with barely controlled acrimony which even tainted her greeting to Jasper, whom she couldn't help but blaming for his obvious partiality towards Edward.
But Bella wasn't an ill-humored person at heart. Though her own evening had been completely ruined, her spirits couldn't be kept down, and having found Leah and told her all her stories, she was soon able to enjoy herself again. That is, until it was time for her dances with Jake.
As vivacious and easygoing as Jake was, he turned out to be a horrible dancer! He spent half the time stepping on Bella's toes, and the other half moving in a totally disjointed rhythm against Bella. She was sure she'd never been as relieved as when those two dances were finally over.
She danced next with another friend of Tyler's, and had the pleasure of talking to him about Mike, and of hearing that he was universally liked by all who knew him. When the dance was over, she went back to her friend Leah. In the middle of an easy conversation with her, she felt a strangely familiar tingle up her spine again.
"You look beautiful tonight Bella," the familiar voice complimented her, and Bella turned around to find herself looking into those hauntingly green eyes once more.
"Thank you," she responded instinctively, startled by the compliment.
He smiled at her again, a crooked grin that made something inside her jump. "I have to go help Jasper bring out a few more cases of beer but…I was wondering if I you'd give me the honor of saving a couple of dances for me later on?"
Once again, Bella was so shocked by the unexpected request that she found herself nodding her agreement without any thought.
His grin widened, once again doing strange and inexplicable things to her insides, and then he walked away immediately.
"What. The hell. Did I just do?" she squeaked quietly to her friend once Edward was out of hearing range.
Leah chuckled and patted her friend on the back. "Relax. I dare say you might even enjoy it if you let yourself."
"Heck. No!" Bella argued, bringing her palm against her forehead. "Bite your tongue Leah! You expect me to let myself enjoy dancing with a man I'm determined to hate? What kind of a friend are you?"
Leah shook her head and smiled amusedly at her friend, staring at her thoughtfully.
"What?" Bella asked impatiently.
But Leah just snorted. "Nothing."
In less time than Bella would have liked, Jasper and Edward were back from there errand, and then he was approaching her, and when she felt his hand wrap around hers, pulling her gently towards the dance floor, Bella felt an army of wild butterflies attack her stomach. Her heart racing inexplicably like a horse, she forced her legs to move and follow him on the dance floor.
But before she could walk away, Leah firmly grabbed her other hand and quickly whispered in her friend's ear,
"Don't be an idiot Bella and let your crush on Mike blind you to a man ten times his worth!"
Bella made no answer and moved on to the dance floor with Edward. When she recognized the song they'd be dancing to, she felt like laughing and crying all at once. Laughing, because of the opening lyrics, and crying because it was a song that required her to drape her arms around his neck, and his arms around her waist. But the searing heat that enveloped her body when they put their arms around each other for the dance left her too dumb and dazed for any sound to escape her mouth.
'I've been running around, always looking down at all I see,'
With Bella's head at chest level with Edward, she could hear him singing along with the song.
'Painted faces fill the spaces I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you and all you know and all you see…
He was still singing along, and Bella could've sworn she felt his lips against her hair. She fought an involuntary shudder. But his hands on her waist felt so warm, so soothing. She had an inexplicable sudden desire to move her hands from his shoulders and run them through his hair, but she controlled herself, well aware that almost all eyes in the room were on her and Edward. Everyone was probably as shocked as she was that Edward had lowered himself to actually dance with someone.
When the song was over, Bella let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, and mumbling a quick "thanks for the dance," made to move back to Leah, when Edward's strong arm gripped her by the waist again, pulling her back towards him.
"You promised me two dances," he said intently, his eyes boring into hers in a strange way she didn't understand. And once again struck mute, she let him bring her arms around his neck again, before wrapping his arms around her waist once more.
With her eyes on the floor, she heard the music begin. But this time, Edward pulled her into him much closer, with an intensity that almost knocked the wind out of her. Every inch of her torso was now held tightly to him, and the shock of feeling his hard body against hers sent a thousand prickly needles through every bit of her heated skin. She raised her startled eyes to his, only to be met by that strange intensity again. And once again, when the lyrics began, he sang along in his smooth, velvet voice. But this time, he locked his eyes with hers, and something about the way he gazed at her made it impossible for her to look away.
'I've been meaning to tell you
I've got this feeling that won't subside.
I look at you and I fantasize
You're mine tonight.
Now I've got you in my sights with these
Hungry eyes.
One look at you and I can't disguise I've got
Hungry Eyes.
I feel the magic between you and I.'
Bella felt as if she were drowning in some strange, confusing ocean. Trying to clear her mind, she forced herself to break their gaze at looked down at her feet again.
'I wanna hold you so hear me out,'
She felt the vibration of his soft singing against her scalp.
'I wanna show you what love's all about, darling tonight.
Now I've got you in my sights with these
Hungry Eyes…'
Her body tingled from his voice, from his proximity, from his hands on her waist and his chest against hers, from his scent, clean and musky and something she couldn't quite place.
She had to clear her mind, because frankly, her brain was getting confused here. Shaking her head quickly to force herself to focus, she lifted teasing eyes to him.
"These slow songs must seem torturous to you right now," she said in a mocking tone.
He tilted his head to the side. "No, I wouldn't say that."
They were silent.
"It's your turn now to say something Edward. I made a comment on the music, now you should make some kind of comment on the size of the room, or on the number of people on the dance floor."
He smiled. "Just tell me what you want me to say Bella, and I'll say it."
She huffed, unsatisfied with his vague answer. "Okay. That response'll do for now. Maybe in a few I'll say something about how private parties are much more pleasant than public ones, but for now, we may be silent."
"Do you find it necessary to talk while you're dancing then?" he teased.
"Sometimes. You've got to at least make some sort of an effort at conversation, you know. It would look pretty weird to be completely silent, especially if you're dancing more than one dance. Although I guess for some people, conversation needs to be arranged so that they can say as little as humanly possible."
"Are you speaking for yourself, or do you believe you're speaking for me?"
"Both," replied Bella mischievously. "You see, I've always thought you and I are very similar in that way. We are both of a sort of anti-social, brooding nature. Unwilling to speak unless we can say something that'll amaze the whole room and be handed down through generations like a great proverb."
"That description doesn't do much merit to your character Bella," he said quietly. "How near it may be to mine isn't in my power to say, though I'm sure you believe it to be a faithful characterization."
"Well, I can't decide on my opinion alone."
He didn't answer. They were silent again for a few seconds.
"Do you and your sister and cousins hang out in Port Angeles very often?" Edward asked.
"Yes," Bella answered, and then unable to resist, added, "When you met us there the other day, we were just making a new acquaintance."
Edward stiffened immediately and his features darkened. But he didn't say a word. For a brief moment, Bella felt horrible, and lowered her head in shame.
Finally Edward answered in a constrained voice, "Mike Newton has been blessed with such a pleasant personality that he's sure to make friends wherever he goes. Whether he's equally capable of keeping them is less certain."
Her eyes shot up to meet his tight ones. "Well he's been unlucky enough to lose your friendship," she shot out, "and in a way that he's assured to suffer from for the rest of his life."
Edward sighed heavily, but made no answer. At that moment, Seth appeared close to them, dancing his way around the room, but upon spotting Edward dancing with Bella, he stopped in front of them immediately.
"See? I told you that you two would look great together cuttin' the rug! You look like Brit Brit and Justin out here! It's like you're the ying to Bella's yang and shit! And now that Alice and Jasper'll probably be tying the knot sometime in the near future, you two can meet up for dances all the time! But let me leave you two alone to continue your dancing and conversing. I know I'd hate to be interrupted if I had someone as hot as Bella in my arms!"
The second part of the speech was hardly heard by Edward; Seth's comment about Alice and Jasper tying the knot had knocked the wind out of him, and his eyes moved seriously towards where Alice and Jasper were dancing together. His eyes narrowed perceptibly before turning back to Bella.
"Seth's interruption has made me forget what we were talking about."
"I don't think we were talking at all," answered Bella dryly. "Seth couldn't have interrupted two people in the room who had less to say for themselves. We've tried two or three subjects already without success, and what we can possibly try to talk about next I have no idea."
"What do you think of books?" Edward smiled crookedly.
"Books? No, I highly doubt you and I read the same sort of books, and if we do, I'm positive we don't get the same thing out of them."
"It's a shame you feel that way," Edward answered. "But if that's the case, then at least we can compare our different opinions."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Not a good idea. I can't concentrate on something so complex while dancing."
"The present always occupies your mind in such scenes, does it?" he smirked.
"Yes, always," Bella replied, without listening to herself. Her mind had wandered far from the subject of books. She exclaimed suddenly,
"Edward, I remember hearing you say once that you hardly ever forgave. That your resentment once created was hard to overcome. You're very careful then, I would assume, as to its being created."
"I am," Edward answered firmly.
"And you never allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice?"
"I hope not."
"It's very important that those who never change their opinion are careful to judge carefully in the first place."
"May I ask what these questions are about?" Edward asked.
"I'm just trying to figure you out," answered Bella, trying to instill her voice with some levity.
"And what have you found so far?" he asked curiously.
Bella stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm not doing very well. I hear such different accounts of you that they leave me totally confused."
"I'm pretty sure" - Edward said, his eyes serious - "that rumors vary greatly in respect to me." His expression suddenly softened, almost pleading, "Bella, I wish you wouldn't try to figure me out, not just yet, as I have reason to believe your attempt would satisfy neither one of us at the moment."
"But if I don't figure you out now, I may never get another chance."
Edward's face hardened. "Then by all means, go ahead. I wouldn't dare deny you the pleasure," he said coldly.
Neither one said anything else for the rest of the dance. And when the song was over, they parted in silence, both dissatisfied with how things had gone, though not to an equal degree. Edward's chest ached from the feelings she brought out in him, both positive and negative, but his undeniable feelings for her soon made it impossible for him to be upset with her, and he directed all his anger towards someone else.
They hadn't long been separated when Tanya approached Bella. With a wry expression, she said,
"Bella, I hear tell you and Mike have become rather close…acquaintances in the past few days. Alice has been asking me a million questions about him. It looks like Mikey was so busy filling you in on other interesting facts that he forgot to tell you that his father was the late Edward Senior's attorney."
Bella stared at her blankly. Tanya took this as an indication to continue.
"Let me give you some friendly advice," Tanya said with an air of superiority. "If I were you, I wouldn't believe everything Mike says. His rants and raves against Edward are total bullshit. If anything, Edward's never been anything but kind to him; Mike was the one who tried to screw Edward over."
Bella glared at Tanya, but Tanya was too engrossed in her speech to notice. She drew in closer to whisper conspiratorially,
"I'm not exactly clear on all the facts, but I do know for a fact that Edward was not to blame at all, and that he can't even stand to hear Mike's name mentioned, and that although Jasper thought he'd have to invite Mike to the party tonight just out of politeness, he was glad to hear that Mike would be taking himself out of the way. He's got some damn nerve showing up in this part of the country to begin with!"
Then she straightened up and looked at Bella with pity.
"Aw, I'm sorry to be the deliverer of bad news Bella! I know how much you liked Mike. But really, what can you expect from a guy with such a classless background?"
Bella glowered at Tanya, and had to take a moment to calm herself before answering.
"His guilt and his background appear to be one and the same to you Tanya," Bella hissed angrily, "since I haven't heard you actually accuse him of anything more than being the son of one of the late Edward Senior's employees. And of that fact, I assure you, he informed me himself!"
"Well excuse the heck out of me!" Tanya replied indignantly. "I was only trying to help!" she said, and then turned away with a sneer.
'Nervy witch!' Bella thought to herself. 'You're out of your mind if you think I'll listen to anything you of all people have to say. All I saw in that speech is how ignorant you are to anything related to Edward!'
Bella stalked away in search of Alice, to see what she had learned regarding the Mike issue. When she found her, Alice was glowing with excitement, but Bella could tell that it was excitement for how well the party was going, how much closer she and Jasper were growing. At that moment, Bella's curiousity regarding Mike, her irritation with his enemies, and everything else took a back seat to Alice's happy face.
"I want to know if you've learned anything else about Mike," Bella smiled impishly at her sister, "but I understand perfectly if you've been too pleasantly engaged to think of him, or anyone else other than a certain tall, blond blue-eyed southern gentleman," she teased.
Alice chuckled guiltily. "No, I haven't forgotten Mike," she reassured her sister. "But I don't have anything new to tell you." Her expression turned apologetic. "Jasper doesn't know the whole story, and even less about what exactly Mike did to piss Edward off, but he completely stands by Edward, and is sure that whatever it was, Mike deserved exactly what he got." Alice sighed. "I'm sorry Bella, but by Jasper's account, as well as by Tanya's, Mike is an asshole. He acted recklessly and as a result, deserved whatever Edward did to him."
"Jasper doesn't know Mike personally?" Bella asked.
"No. He never saw him till the other day at Port Angeles."
"So what you've just told me is information Jasper got from Edward. Fine then. But what does he have to say about the will?"
"Jasper doesn't exactly recall all the particulars, though Edward has mentioned it on a few occasions. But from what he does remember, he's pretty sure that the will specifically stated that the inheritance was conditional."
Bella pursed her lips, but then looked at her sister kindly. "Alice, I'm sure Jasper completely believes what he told you, but I've got to apologize if I can't completely buy that story. Jasper coming to the defense of his friend is only natural, but since he seems to be totally unaware of so many of the circumstances, and what he does know he's gotten from Edward, my opinion on both men remains exactly the same as it was before."
Both women then changed the subject to something less aggravating. Bella listened intently to Alice's happy tales about her and Jasper. And when Jasper himself joined them, Bella discreetly walked away and left them both alone. She met up with Leah again.
"So Bella," Leah asked with a wide grin, "how did you enjoy your long-ass dance with-"
"Hey Bella, guess what I just found out?" Jake suddenly appeared before them, looking excited.
"I just overheard someone mention that Edward Cullen is here tonight?"
"Yes," Bella confirmed warily.
"Well he's Senator DeVolturi's nephew!" Jake exclaimed. "Damn, it's a small world!" His eyes scanned the room. "Where is he? I want to go introduce myself. There is no wrong place or time to increase your circle of connections and discuss politics."
Bella's eyes widened. "Jake, I don't think a party is the right-"
But Jake had zeroed in on Edward, and was now quickly scurrying towards him.
Bella watched the exchange curiously.
Jake tapped Edward on the shoulder, and Edward turned around. From where she stood, Bella could just barely make out Jake mouthing the words, 'Seattle,' and 'Senator DeVolturi's assistant.' Edward just watched him blankly, and it annoyed Bella to see Jake so excited when Edward was obviously extremely bored. Then Edward turned around again, only to have Jake tap him on the shoulder once more. This time, when Edward turned to face the other young man, he was obviously irritated. Finally, both men seemed to say their goodbyes, and Edward turned around once again with obvious relief.
Jake quickly made his way back to Bella with a huge grin on his face.
"That was so freakin' unbelievable! He is such a cool guy. See? I told you there was no wrong place or time to increase your connections. He even told me he was sure I was the best assistant his aunt could've ever hired. Jeez, he is really cool!"
Bella rolled her eyes and walked away.
With no other interests of her own to pursue for the night, Bella turned her attention almost completely to Jasper and Alice. It warmed her to see how well those two got along, how over the moon they appeared with each other. And although she knew Alice would be leaving for graduate school at the end of the summer, Jasper would be headed in the same direction, to New York City. Bella could easily see them continuing their relationship on that coast, and could even believe that maybe, he was the one for Alice. She passed the next half hour or so picturing her sister and Jasper living happily in some trendy little loft in New York, she herself visiting them at times, and even bumping into Jasper's cousins there once in a while with no hostility, under those circumstances.
When Bella's gaze happened to land on her mother Renee, she could plainly see that Renee's thoughts were more or less on the same wavelength as hers, and she decided to try and stay away from her for the rest of the night and avoid her mother's less than subtle remarks on the subject.
Therefore, it was just plain old bad luck that they ended up next to each other on the buffet line, with Bella in front while her mother and Sue Clearwater talked pretty loudly behind her.
"You just watch Sue," Renee gushed in a high voice, "my Alice is gonna be Mrs. Jasper Whitlock before the year's over, and she'll be living the high life up there in New York City. Living in a multi-million dollar house, driving the most expensive cars, looking down at everyone else."
Both women laughed and Bella felt her cheeks flame bright red.
"Of course, I'll send the rest of the girls to stay with them as much as possible. I mean, Jasper's gotta have loads of rich, handsome friends, right?"
"Mom, can you please lower your voice?" Bella hissed desperately. She could see more than one pair of eyes on her mother, and unfortunately, one of those pairs belonged to Edward, who stood on the line only a couple of people in front of them. "Everyone can hear you, and Edward is just a few feet away!"
Renee just smirked at her.
"Oh please Bella. What the hell do I care what Edward Cullen thinks? Who does he think he is? Why should I watch what I say in front of him?"
"For the love of God mom! What good does it do you to insult him? It won't earn you any brownie points with Jasper, that's for sure!"
But Bella could say nothing to convince Renee to lower her voice, or to watch what she said. Renee kept going and going, and Bella's face grew redder and redder. She couldn't help glancing towards Edward, and every glance convinced her that although he never looked directly at Renee, he could very plainly hear every word she said. The expression on his face changed gradually from indignant contempt to a composed and steady severity.
Finally, Renee stuck a piece of food in her mouth and shut up. Bella drew in a sigh of relief.
But her relief didn't last long. No sooner had everyone finished eating, that it became obvious that her underage cousins had been drinking more than just punch for the past couple of hours. And while Jessica flirted shamelessly with every man under thirty in attendance, Lauren decided it would be fun to pretend that the elegant marble column in the middle of Jasper's large living room was a dancing pole, and proceeded to put on a very titillating performance for everyone in attendance.
Everyone stared at her in shock, more than a few mouths hanging open, while Bella looked on in horror. She turned her eyes to Alice and saw her trying to ignore the spectacle while she spoke to Jasper. Then Bella looked at Jasper's cousins and caught them both giving each other loaded grins. Edward was looking away from Lauren, but the tight set of his square jaw and the seriousness of his expression made it obvious that he greatly disapproved of the embarrassing performance.
Bella walked quickly towards Charlie.
"For heaven's sake dad, will you get Lauren off of that column? She'll be stripping her clothes off next!"
Charlie walked solemnly over to Lauren.
"That'll be enough Lauren," he said in a steady voice. "Everyone is thoroughly entertained. Why don't you let one of the other girls see if they'd like a turn?" he added dryly.
Bella blushed even more at her father's speech, but Lauren finally stumbled away from the pole. To Bella, it seemed that, had everyone in her family made an agreement to thoroughly embarrass themselves, they could not have done a better job than they had tonight. It only partially mollified her to think that Jasper seemed to have missed most of the show, and that his feelings for Alice seemed more genuine than to be affected by such things anyway. It was bad enough that his cousins and Edward had all bared witness to the events, and she couldn't decide whether she was more upset by his silent contempt or by their mocking smiles.
The rest of the evening did little to make her feel better. Jake flirted with her non-stop, and stuck to her like a leach, and though he was unable to convince her to dance with him again, his behavior made it impossible for her to dance with anyone else. It did no use to try to talk him into dancing with someone else, or to promise to introduce him to any of the young girls present at the party. He reassured her that he didn't mind not dancing, that his only goal for the evening was to be at her beck and call, and that he would therefore make it a point to stay close to her for the rest of the evening. And no amount of arguing could change his mind. She was therefore more than grateful to Leah, who often joined them, and who seemed ready and willing to engage Jake in pleasant conversation.
Bella was at least free from any further attention from Edward. Though he was often standing within just a few short feet of her, alone and idle, he didn't try to speak to her again. She was sure it was due to her remarks regarding Mike, but she told herself she was glad he was ignoring her.
The Swan Family was the last to leave the party, due to some sort of sneaky move on Renee's part, which resulted in Charlie, Alice and Bella searching for over forty-five minutes for the keys to the police cruiser before they 'miraculously' appeared in Renee's purse, and which also resulted in giving them a chance to see how badly they were wished away by some of the members of the household.
Tanya and Irina barely opened their mouths during the whole time, except to yawn loudly and complain about how tired they were. They thwarted any attempt on Renee's part to engage them in conversation, while Jake spent the time needlessly complimenting Jasper and his cousins on the elegance of their home.
Edward said nothing at all.
Charlie, equally as silent, merely stood off to the side enjoying the scene.
And Jasper and Alice stood off alone in a corner whispering quietly to themselves.
"Well," Renee exclaimed once the whole 'Where are the car keys?' charade was done with, "Jasper, I really hope you'll come join us for dinner soon!"
"I would be honored Mrs. Swan," Jasper responded politely, "as soon as I return from Seattle. I've got some business I've got to take care of there tomorrow, but I should be back within the next couple of days."
Renee was perfectly satisfied with this, and left the house delighted and perfectly assured that within the next few months, she'd be shopping for a wedding dress for Alice and bridesmaid dresses for her other girls. As a matter of fact – she thought happily to herself – if things went just right, she'd be shopping for another wedding dress at right about the same time – for Bella. And although Bella was by no means her favorite child, she figured Jake was a good enough husband for her, though he was nowhere near as rich or as important as Jasper.
A/N: Reviews are almost as good as a slow dance with Edward...
Next couple of chapters will also be combined...