A/N: I have to say, this was one of my favorite chapters to write. And not in a 'let's see how much I can torment Edward' way (which we all know I enjoy, lol) but just allowing the Whitlocks and company to have some fun, even when wedding crashers try to stop the celebration.

Thanks for reading and reviewing:)


Two-Stepping


A too-tall person swaying with a too-short, too-pregnant person wasn't easy, so Rosalie kindly ran up to the house and brought back a step stool.

"Thanks, Rose," Bella laughed as Jasper picked her up and set her on it. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck with a beaming smile. "Much better."

Jasper pulled her a little bit closer, then laughed and held her a little less close when he felt Lilly give her mama a swift kick. Jasper had been determined to show his new wife how good he was at swaying, but the newlyweds ended up doing more kissing and holding and laughing than they did swaying. Within a few minutes, most of their friends and family were on the dance floor also, and Jasper was quite literally surrounded by just about every positive emotion on the spectrum, and was practically purring with contentment.

Which, of course, made the approaching negative emotions stand out that much more starkly. And it was the addition of one particular emotion that had him sucking in a sharp breath and quickly looking around the tent.

"What's wrong? Is he close?" Bella whispered.

Jasper reached out with his gift and swore under his breath. "Where are Seth, Collin, and Brady?" he asked quickly. Also pointlessly, because if the boys had said goodbye to anyone he would've heard it.

Bella looked around and shrugged. "I haven't seen them for a while. What's wrong, Jas?"

"I don't think Edward's alone."

That pretty much brought the celebration to a halt.

"Who's with him?" Leah asked.

"Irina," Jasper answered. "At least I think it's Irina. There's a flare of vengeance in someone and she's the most likely. If Edward told her about the wolves killing Laurent, she'd be out for blood. I can feel Seth and the others so they're relatively close, but I don't want to risk Edward and Irina accidentally stumbling on them."

Leah told Angela to stay close to Jasper or Peter and ran out of the tent. An instant later they heard the sound of fabric tearing.

"Where'd she go?" Bella asked. Being human, she hadn't heard the ripping.

"To phase so she can see if Seth is a wolf. If he is, she'll tell him to haul ass back here," Jasper answered as he set his wife's feet back on the ground. "Come on, let's go inside. The tent's too open. Better to be in the house where there are limited ways for them to get inside."

Bella nodded and grabbed Angela's hand.

"I'm not stupid enough to ask you or Angela to go upstairs, but I think the other humans should," Jasper said as the whole huge group walked in the living room. "Connie, Kevin, Jane, Esteban, could you guys go upstairs? The less humans we have down here the better. When Collin and Brady come in, we'll send them up."

"I'll go up and guard them," Jeremiah offered. "I can shield everyone perfectly well from up there."

"What about Gianna and Emily?" Bella asked.

"I think that's probably up to them and their partners," Jasper said, not liking it but knowing he couldn't force either woman upstairs if Paul and Marcus wanted them to stay.

"I don't suppose we can convince you to go up also?" Peter asked Emily and the kings. "You're four of the six members of the royal family, and one of you is human. Keeping you safe is—"

"No," Caius cut him off. "The Volturi don't hide."

Peter gave him a resigned nod. "Thought not."

Leah came running in pulling a sweatshirt over her head. "They're on their way back. They were on the other side of the property from the direction Edward's coming from so they should be safe."

"Did you not see Irina with him?" Bella asked Demetri curiously. "Or feel her or whatever? I'm not sure exactly how your gift works."

Demetri smiled at her. "I've never met Irina. I wasn't there when Sasha was dealt with, and I can't track someone I've never met."

"It just occurred to me that they're going to know the kings are here," Charlotte said. "I'm not sure if they know today specifically was the wedding, but they know it was around now. Kate told Tanya and Irina about the Volturi being here because she wanted them to have a heads-up if Aro came to Denali."

"Right," Jasper sighed. "Okay, so the Fullers and Littleseas upstairs with Jeremiah, the rest of us hang out down here."

"And scoot," Charlotte added. "They just entered my hearing range, so they'll be in normal range in about a minute."

Jeremiah was ushering the four humans upstairs to the library just as Seth and the other two wolves came into the house, all three hopping a little as they tried to walk and pull on sweatpants at the same time. When Jane and Connie told them to come up with them, Brady and Collin did a little whining and looked at Jasper.

"It's not my call," Jasper shook his head. "You may be wolves but you're still fifteen-years old. Your parents make the decisions for you, not me."

Both boys did a whole lot of grumbling, but they followed their parents upstairs with only a little stomping.

Bella still had a hold of Angela's hand, so she started pulling her over to the couch to sit down. She hadn't taken three steps when she noticed both Chelsea and Jane were only a step behind them. Bella bit back a smile and changed course, and Chelsea and Jane did also. She took a few steps to the side, and so did Chelsea and Jane.

Jasper watched his wife clock her shadows with a smile. Just as Bella spun around, he started laughing. "That might be the closest to dancing I've ever seen you, sweetheart. A few steps this way, a few steps that way, a little bit of a spin. We'll have you two-steppin' in no time."

Chelsea laughed and picked Bella up, then set her down so she was standing on Chelsea's feet. "I don't know what the two-step is, but I can waltz," she said and started slowly waltzing Bella around the room.

Bella threw her head back and laughed, holding on to Chelsea's shoulders.

Not to be outdone, Peter swept Charlotte into his arms and starting two-stepping. And because vamps are competitive as fuck, Emmett grabbed Rose, Demetri grabbed Jane, Marcus grabbed Emily, and Jasper grabbed Esme.

Aro looked at Caius and raised an eyebrow. "Fine," Caius huffed, trying not to laugh. "But this time I lead."

Jasper could feel Edward and Irina getting closer, but in that moment, keeping his wife happy on her wedding day was more important than two bitter vamps showing up at their door. He was alert and ready, as they all were, but he was also laughing and two-stepping Esme around the room while Bella laughed her head off on Chelsea's feet.

And that was how the two bitter vamps found the Whitlocks and their friends - spinning around the room and all laughing happily, and the non-dancers cheering the rest of them on. They went from bitter to confused in the blink of an eye.

"Do they not know we're here?" Irina asked Edward from the edge of the living room.

"I… They must," Edward murmured, just as confused as Irina. He couldn't hear a single thought so he didn't honestly know who knew what.

Jasper rolled his eyes as he spun Esme so he was facing the two wedding crashers. "Of course we know you're here. So hurry up and tell us why you're here so we can get back to celebrating."

No one stopped dancing or laughing, but Peter and Charlotte, Rose and Emmett, and Demetri and Jane all moved around the room in a way that they always kept themselves between Edward and Irina, and the humans and wolves.

Feeling Irina's rage as she locked her eyes on Leah, Paul, and Seth, Jasper let out a low growl. "Just try it, Irina. You'll be headless before you take two steps," he warned as he spun Esme under his arm.

"They killed my Laurent," Irina snarled.

"Okay, first of all, Laurent wasn't your anything. He came up to Denali because he was too much of a pussy to go up against the Cullens and he found a willing fuck in you. I'd even go so far as to say he probably found a good fuck, considering the amount of time you've spent on your back. Personally, you're not my type, but hey, everyone's taste is different," Jasper said casually as he continued dancing. "Laurent came to Forks to get to Bella, and his eyes were red when the wolves caught him. So whatever you think, however much you convinced yourself he'd changed, you were mistaken. Laurent was still the exact same asshole who ran with James and Victoria. Spending a few months between your thighs isn't quite the miracle you think it is."

"Jasper," Bella said disapprovingly as Chelsea waltzed them in a slow circle. "She may be delusional, and possibly a little stupid, but is slut shaming really ever appropriate?"

"You're right, sweetheart, thank you for correcting me," Jasper laughed. "Excuse my poor manners, Irina."

Irina shrieked and took a single step forward, and Jasper dropped her at the same moment as Felix lunged for her. True to his word, Irina was headless before she took a second step.

"How about you, Edward? Wanna tell us why you've come to crash my wedding?" Jasper asked, spinning Esme under his arm again, then quick as a wink spinning her around the opposite way so she burst out laughing.

"Did you come to congratulate us?" Bella asked with a bright smile. "That was kind of you. Bringing Irina along kinda makes the sentiment a little eh, but still, it's the thought that counts."

If Jasper wasn't already laughing because Esme kept trying to take the lead and turn their two-step into a three-step, Edward's emotions would've been enough to make him laugh. He couldn't seem to decide which emotion to land on - he was confused, pissed, outraged, and shocked.

"Why is Marcus Volturi dancing with Emily?"

"Is that why you've crashed my wedding?" Jasper asked. "To see whose name was on everyone's dance card? If you wanna dance with Marcus, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Jasper, this isn't funny," Edward growled.

"What's not funny, Edward?" Jasper asked as he finally gave in graciously and ducked down so Esme could spin him under her arm. "The dancing? The wedding? What is it you take exception to this time?"

"That's none of your business," Edward snapped. "I came to speak to Bella, not you."

Jasper spun Esme right into Felix's arms and started stalking towards the telepath. "You just walked into my house uninvited with a woman who has an unjustified vendetta against some of the members of my family," he growled, every step of his making Edward take one step back. "How exactly is that not my business, Edward?"

Edward scrambled backwards until his back was to the wall, but Jasper just kept on coming until he was only an inch away.

"We agreed to let you go last time because there'd already been too much blood spilled," Jasper continued, the soft voice he spoke in only unnerving Edward more.

"We were tryin' to shift our focus from death to life," Charlotte added as she and Peter two-stepped past them.

"Exactly," Jasper nodded. "Yet here you are again, showin' up on my doorstep with someone else you think is gonna commit violence against us. Didn't work so well for the wolves, but you thought you and Irina had a chance? I gave you the benefit of the doubt once already, Edward. Do you not know me at all? You think I'm just gonna let you waltz on out of here just so we can all wait for the next time you try to make a move against my family?"

"I'm the one waltzing, Edward, not you," Bella laughed as Chelsea spun them around.

Caius deftly danced himself and Aro over and Aro smiled at the telepath. "Did you forget my warning in Volterra, Edward?"

"I think he must have," Caius smirked.

"Then I shall have to remind him," Aro laughed. "I believe I told you, Edward, that if I discovered you had some kind of revenge planned, or if you stepped a single toe on the wrong side of the law, that you would be executed. I believe my exact words were 'No additional trial, no witnesses, just you dying a lonely death with no one to mourn your exit from this world'. End quote. Does that not sound familiar to you?"

"I…" Edward swallowed hard. This was not going at all the way he'd planned.

Feeling the change in emotions behind him, Jasper took two steps to the side just as Demetri and Felix lunged for Edward. Between one breath and the next, they were gone, kindly taking Irina with them.

Without missing a beat, Jasper swept Esme back into his arms and started spinning her until they were beside Chelsea and his mate. "Feel like a trade?" he asked Chelsea.

Chelsea laughed and the two swapped, so Esme and Chelsea were waltzing, and Bella was dancing on Jasper's feet.

"We can't really two-step properly with only two feet, but I'm almost as good at waltzing as I am at swaying. Wanna take a chance on me?" Jasper asked his wife, shooting her a wink to try and seal the deal.

Bella eyed him for a minute, then heaved a deep, heavy, and very dramatic sigh. "If I must."

Jasper just laughed and started slowly moving them around the room. Very slowly. "So, just how far apart are those contractions?" he asked, rolling his eyes with a smile when he felt Bella's surprise. "I'm always aware of you, sweetheart. Doesn't matter what else I'm doing, I'm always aware of you."

Bella laughed and nodded. "Still really far apart, and not regular. Sometimes eight minutes, sometimes twenty-two, then sixteen. There's no pattern yet."

"Strong?" Jasper asked, still slowly waltzing them around the room, though most of the others had paused mid-step.

"No," Bella shook her head. "And we're still a very long way from 5-1-1."

"What's 5-1-1?" Emmett asked.

"General rule of thumb for when to go to the hospital. When the contractions are regularly coming five minutes apart, each one lasts at least one minute, and it's been in that pattern for at least an hour," Jasper explained. "Typically for first pregnancies, they say to follow 4-1-1, but since we're so far from a hospital the doctor suggested 5-1-1."

"How long have you been having contractions?" Chelsea asked disapprovingly with her hands on her hips.

Bella peeked up at Jasper with a sheepish smile, making him roll his eyes and laugh. "Bella, did you really think you had me fooled? Braxton Hicks don't usually cause back pain. I may have been a little… worried when we got to the hospital, but once Esme pulled out the mom voice and I sat my ass down, I did listen to that mean nurse."

"A little worried?" Esme scoffed. "Jasper, they were threatening to call the police. That's not a little worried, that's a little unhinged."

"Worried, unhinged, it's basically the same thing," Jasper laughed. "Anyway, my previous poor behavior isn't important right now," he said, pointedly looking at his wife.

"Only a few hours!" Bella defended herself with a laugh. "And I wasn't even sure they were real contractions until an hour ago. Maybe an hour and a half."

"You're still a few days away from thirty-seven weeks," Esme pointed out. "That's technically preterm labor."

"That is true," Bella nodded. "But the doctor told us that going into preterm labor doesn't necessarily mean the baby's coming. Some women are in preterm labor for days. My water hasn't broken and my contractions aren't regular."

"Well, now that our wedding crashers are taken care of, should we call the doctor?" Jasper asked. "Only a cervical exam will tell us if you're in active labor or not."

"Maybe wait until the lavender smoke has disappeared," Bella said with a smile. "We don't need her to tell us she happens to be three minutes away and pull in our driveway to see roasting bodies on the lawn. That's no way to make guests feel welcome."

"Uh, not to insert myself into something that's none of my business, but why don't you just ask Jane?" Angela asked. "Fuller, not Volturi," she added quickly after seeing everyone's confused expressions.

Jasper and Bella both turned to look at her. "Why Jane?"

Angela looked at them for a moment to see if they were joking, but they weren't smiling. "Because she's an OB nurse?" she said, though her uncertainty about why they didn't know that made it come out as a question, rather than a statement.

"I thought she didn't work," Bella said in surprise.

"She doesn't. But only because her position at the hospital was cut last year. Do you really not know this?" Angela asked with some surprise of her own.

Everyone turned as Jane came downstairs. "Jeremiah has been kindly telling us what's happening, so I figured I better explain," she said to Jasper and Bella with a smile. "I am an OB nurse, Angela's correct about that. I actually thought you already knew that, so I didn't offer the information. I figured you didn't need one more person poking and prodding their way into what is a very personal situation. Having said that, you're both correct about your current situation. Contractions at this stage don't mean you're in active labor, and a cervical exam is the only way to know for sure if you are. If you'd like me to do that for you, I'm happy to."

"Yes," Bella answered immediately, then looked up at Jasper. "Sorry. We just got married so we should probably make that decision together, huh?"

Jasper gave her an amused smile. "As a general rule of thumb, sure. In this particular instance? No, sweetheart, I'm pretty sure only you get a say in who sees your magical va—"

Bella laughed and slapped her hand over his mouth. "You said you'd stop calling it that, Whitlock."

"Y'all are completely ridiculous," Charlotte laughed. "Bella, let go of his mouth and let Jane have a look at that magical vagina of yours. Let's find out if we need to worry or if we can get back to celebrating."


Half an hour later, they were all back under the wedding tent.

Jane had confirmed Bella was not in active labor, and seeing the worried faces when the three of them came downstairs, she reminded them that preterm labor can last for days. She also told them about prodromal labor, where Bella's contractions could stop altogether for a period of time.

"Do y'all not remember your pregnancy reading?" Jasper asked in confusion.

"Look, asshole, it's hard to keep a clear head when I'm worried about Lilly droppin' in on us unexpectedly," Peter snarked.

"I don't think you have to worry about Lilly 'dropping' anywhere, Peter," Bella laughed. "And I'm a hundred percent certain it won't be unexpected. I'd bet every penny I have that I'll know she's on her way at least a few minutes ahead of time."

"Now, I owe my bride some wedding cake that I promised to let her smush on my face. Y'all coming?" Jasper asked.

And so they'd all trooped back outside so Bella could cut her wedding cake.

"Oh my god, that was so good," she sighed happily as she pushed her plate away. "Did you like it?" she asked with a grin, then wiped a bit of frosting off Jasper's bottom lip. She'd gotten a little too enthusiastic with her cake smushing and a good portion went in her husband's mouth. And like the sweetheart he was, he'd just swallowed it without making a fuss.

"Easily the best cake I've ever had," Jasper laughed.

Bella rested her head on his shoulder. "You're a good man, Jasper Whitlock."

"Because I let you shove cake in my face?"

"Yes," Bella nodded with a smile. "And because you swallowed it without being a dramatic dick about it."

"Are you complimenting me while also throwing shade at Edward?" Jasper laughed.

"Maybe," she admitted. "But mostly just complimenting you. You do all kinds of things for me that he refused to do, or that I never even bothered to ask him to do because I knew he'd say no."

"Like eating cake? Because I have to tell you, Bella, I don't recall agreeing to—"

"No," Bella cut him off with a laugh. "I know you didn't, but when I got too aggressive and you ended up with a mouthful of food you'll have to vomit up before the end of the night, you didn't push me away or make faces or spit on the ground or scold me or any of the things I imagine Edward would've done had he been in your shoes."

Jasper smiled and wrapped an arm around her to pull her a little closer. "I got to marry you today, Bella," he said quietly. "I'd eat and vomit cake every day for the rest of my existence if it meant I got to be with you."

"That's both really fucking sweet and really fucking gross, Jas," Bella giggled.

"I know," Jasper laughed. "But why would I make a whole dramatic production out of it? It's not like you shoved cake in my mouth 'cause you were pissed. You were laughing and happy, so why would I make you feel bad about it? And doing any of those things - the pushing or faces or spitting or scolding - all of those would've made you feel bad."

Bella blamed pregnancy hormones for making her get all teary-eyed. "You've been quietly doing things with food since the very beginning so I don't feel bad," she sniffled. "You ordered toast and coffee in the cafe in Italy so I wasn't the only one with food in front of me, and you tasted Gianna's gingersnaps when I held one out to you. You learned what foods were best for me when I was newly pregnant, taught yourself how to make omelettes, and even gave pancakes another try. You go grocery shopping and chop vegetables and wash dishes and—"

When Bella hiccuped and choked on a sob a little bit, Jasper pulled her into his lap and tucked her face against his neck, then quietly started purring as he ran his fingers through her hair. Bella always tried to get through emotional moments without Jasper's gift, afraid she'd get dependent on it, so purring had become more regular the farther along in the pregnancy she was.

"You do the same things for me, sweetheart," Jasper whispered once she'd calmed down a bit. "You never make me feel bad about the fact that I have to drink blood to survive, you never make me feel like you're worried about my control. The only reason you ever ask if I need to hunt is because you don't want my throat to hurt."

Bella laughed a little. "Sore throats are the worst."

Jasper kissed her temple with a smile. "And you do that for all of us. You never judge Peter or Charlotte or our Italian friends for hunting humans, or make any of the wolves feel awkward if they hunt in their wolf forms. So see? It's a two-way street. Or with the size of our family, maybe it's like a ten-lane highway or something, I don't know. You know what I'm trying to say. There's nothing special about me making you comfortable where food is concerned. When someone loves you, typically they won't do things to make you feel bad. And they certainly won't make you feel bad about something you need to do in order to survive."

"Good point. I guess Edward making faces at me and my food while I ate should've been a pretty clear indicator that he wasn't the guy for me," Bella laughed.

"One of them," Jasper nodded.

They sat quietly and watched their friends and family dancing for a few minutes. "So it's really over?" Bella eventually asked.

"Yeah, it's over, sweetheart," he whispered.

"And Tanya? Are we going to have to worry about her coming after us now because Edward and Irina are dead?

"No," Jasper answered. "Tanya's not stupid. I'd be incredibly shocked if she knew they were coming here. As the coven leader, she would've told them to stay away from us, and Carmen and Eleazar would've backed her up. The Volturi told Edward exactly what the consequence would be if he tried to come after us, and he failed to take that seriously. Irina came here to kill members of our family. Tanya won't make excuses for them."

"So we're free? No looking over our shoulder?"

Jasper smiled. "We're free."

Hearing a loud whistle, Bella lifted her head and looked to the dance floor to see Peter beckoning the two of them over. "Time to get off your ass, girl. You can't be a Whitlock and not know how to two-step."

"I can't—"

"Sure you can," Peter said with a smile. "We'll take it slow."

If there was one thing Bella had learned about the Whitlocks as a whole, and Jasper in particular, it's that they'd never let her fall.

So, she returned Peter's smile with one of her own and looked up at the handsome face of her new husband. "Feel like teaching me some new tricks?"

Jasper laughed and set her on her feet. "Like you even have to ask," he said as he took her hand and led her out to join their friends and family on the dance floor.

It took a while, though not as long as Bella thought it would, but they started slow and were patient and careful. An hour later, Peter shot Bella a wink and her laughter bubbled out of her when she realized she was really doing it. Bella was properly and successfully two-stepping with her husband, their family dancing right alongside them.

And what do you know, they didn't let her fall once.