68.Prom at Last

BPOV

Alice and Rose had been getting me ready for this stupid dance for hours. I'd been poked and prodded longer than the dance would actually last. What's up with that? I suppose when one had eternity to fill, time wasn't much of a priority like it was to those whose minutes on earth were limited.

I was glad Edward was finally speaking to me again. He had given us all the silent treatment, including the wolves, especially when he found out they had been in on the joke from the very beginning, having received a phone call from us before they even went over to the Cullen house. Esme had taken the silent treatment the hardest, even harder than me. I simply took it in stride, knowing Edward had to react in some way to save face, and also knowing he needed time to think about the issues the little exercise had brought to light.

Those issues were serious ones. I had known of his weaknesses from reading the Twilight books, but it was different to see those weaknesses in action with my own eyes. It hurt far more than I thought it would. The first major issue was Edward's tendency to jump to conclusions where I was concerned, since he couldn't read my mind. He became easily emotional and always assumed the worst, to the point of even ignoring the obvious, instead of talking to me about the issues and trusting me to make my own decisions. This was the very weakness that lead to him leaving me in New Moon, which I definitely didn't want to experience in real life. It was painful enough to live it on paper. The second major weakness was his tendency to run from his problems with me and underestimate the ability of both of us to face those issues together. This was seen in the way he ran to Alaska on my first day of school and avoided me after the van incident in Twilight, left me in New Moon, avoided all but minimal intimacy with me in Eclipse, and tried to get me to have an abortion and have puppies instead in Breaking Dawn. Ewww. This weakness of his was very unhealthy for our relationship.

I certainly had plenty of weaknesses of my own that needed to be worked through for the good of our relationship, but I was more aware of them. Edward tended to be blind to his own faults, thinking he knew so much because of reading other's thoughts. There is a big difference to watching a surgery being performed on TV or even through virtual reality and performing that same surgery on a real living person. While one can learn a lot by watching, there is no substitute for real life experience. There is a measure of maturity that comes with doing that cannot be gained by simply watching. That was a concept Edward had not fully grasped yet.

The fact that Edward ran off to the meadow to deal with his emotional turmoil surrounding the idea of my early change was an example of both his weaknesses working together. He jumped to a conclusion without considering all the facts. Each of the other men figured out the ruse in seconds, simply by noticing the contrasts between the initial impression and the actual presentation. In giving in to his own emotional angst, he failed to consider the consequences of his choice on me and the rest of his family. He did not consult any of us on the wisdom of his conclusion or the wisdom of his reaction to that conclusion. The same thing happened in New Moon. He jumped to the faulty conclusion that I was better off without him and his family, without accepting the counsel of me or his family. He made the choice to leave 'for my own good', which led to much pain and suffering for me and his family. He thought only of his own suffering, underestimating my suffering and the suffering of his family, just as he underestimated my love for him and them, and their love for me. He also underestimated our ability to face the dangers together and come out on top.

These were issues we needed to discuss before they could cause him to do something else stupid 'for my own good'. The third weakness we needed to discuss was his self-loathing. He still considered himself a soulless monster, damned for eternity. I needed to help him see himself more clearly. I had a few points to make that I figured would knock his socks off.

I felt a tug on my hair. "Wake up, Daydreamer, it's time to put on your dress," Rose teased. I smiled, focusing my attention back on the world around me.

"Finally!" I muttered playfully. "I was beginning to wonder if you guys would finish primping me before the prom was even over. Then again, I wouldn't mind too terribly much skipping straight to the after-prom party."

Alice squealed. "This is going to be the best party ever! I loved your riverboat gambling theme and, judging by the response, everyone else does too! They're really going to love our special surprise."

I groaned. "Surprise? We never agreed on a surprise!"

Alice grinned. "Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if you already knew it, would it?"

"Alice! What have you done? You don't think it was extravagant enough to bring a real riverboat gambling ship all the way from Biloxi, Mississippi?"

"Silly Bella! That wasn't completely impractical, you know. Remember, you told me my niece lives in Biloxi? Well, Jazzy and I are just going to take the boat back to Biloxi ourselves over summer break and look her up while we are there."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I hadn't made the connection before, simply figuring Alice was going overboard as usual.

"I suppose there was some rhyme to your reason after all," I teased.

"There's always a rhyme to my reason, my dear, and the sooner you figure that out the better," Alice retorted cockily.

"Never underestimate the manipulation abilities of the devious future seer. You do know she manipulates life to produce the results she wants, don't you? She just wishes she was omniscient so she could make all our choices for us all the time, to make everything perfect in her own eyes. There's just enough she can't see to still keep things interesting," Rose remarked.

"Personally, I try not to think about it too much. If I consider her abilities too much I just get freaked out, so I tend to pretend she just has good intuition," I replied truthfully.

Alice snorted. "Yeah, ignorance is bliss for all you little people, mere pawns in the game of life. Just remember I already know what's going to happen tonight, and I know just how to set you up to live through your most embarrassing moments ever. So don't mess with me."

Rose actually looked a bit frightened before she recovered her poker face. I just smiled my best smile at Alice and widened my eyes, doing my best to copy her 'innocent' look. "Oh, Alice! I love you so much. You're my best friend and my sister. You know I would never hurt you."

To my surprise it actually worked. She smiled back at me and patted my hand gently. Then she shook her head, mumbling, "Only human in the world who can dazzle vampires. She's downright dangerous."

"I've been taking lessons from the best!" I quipped. Rose and Alice both grinned at me. They helped me with my dress and the finishing touches. Alice warned me not to move a muscle, and they raced off to get themselves ready.

The three of us went downstairs to our gentlemen, making a regal entrance. They awaited us at the bottom of the steps. My breath caught as I got a glimpse of Edward, dressed in his tuxedo, his bow tie and cummerbund matching the royal blue of my dress. He bowed and kissed my hand before attaching my corsage of freesia and bluebells. He had a matching boutonniere for me to pin to his left lapel. Esme took pictures of each of the couples and hugged us goodbye. Her eyes were shiny when she let go of Edward and me, so I kissed her cheek. She beamed at me and encouraged us to enjoy ourselves.

This was certainly going to be an interesting night and hopefully not too embarrassing. Charlie had been roped into chaperone duty, which I knew he would absolutely hate. He was to patrol and make sure none of the students were engaged in illicit or illegal activity. Prom had become well know over the years as a strange rite of passage with society's youth, involving mainly getting drunk and having sex. Charlie had the dubious duty of trying to prevent both of those from occurring. The prevention of those two things was also the reason the town of Forks was helping to sponsor the after-Prom party. The party would also be monitored for alcohol, drugs, and sex, so the town citizens hoped the teenagers would choose to go there to celebrate rather than going off to celebrate in 'private parties'.

I was glad Charlie was going to get to see me in my dress, but I was nervous for his sake at having to endure a gym full of hormonal teenagers for hours on end. It wasn't exactly his strong suit. At the same time, I was hoping that with exposure to such a large number of teenagers, Charlie would be able to see how much better behaved and more responsible Edward and I were compared to normal teenagers. I was also looking forward to spending hours in Edward's embrace for legitimate reasons in front of Charlie. I was hoping it would help desensitize him to the view of me in Edward's arms. Now that I had so much practice dancing, thanks to another of the Cullens' little training programs, I wasn't terrified of tripping over my feet all night or bumping into all the other couples.

We arrived at the gym, and Edward held out his hand for me.

"Ready, love?"

I took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. "As I'll ever be."

We strolled inside to see a beautifully decorated gym, with sheer blue and green gauze covering the walls and hanging down from the ceiling. The lights were all blue, green, and purple. Several fog machines were set up around the dance floor, creating an ethereal atmosphere hovering about a foot off the ground. The stage had been decorated with "under the sea" scenery, including shells and coral. There was a treasure chest off to one side, which contained the props for the Prom King and Queen.

I heard Lauren complaining about paying so much money for her shoes when nobody could see them under the fog. Whatever.

EsmePOV

I watched all my children walk out to their cars, dressed in their finery, and my heart was bursting full of pride and love. Alice and Jasper both turned around to wink at me.

"Oh, Carlisle," I murmured to the gorgeous man beside me, "our oldest son and newest daughter are off to their first prom together. Isn't that so sweet? My babies are all grown up now."

I felt his chest rumble as he chuckled. "Hmmm, well 'grown up' is a matter of opinion, I believe, my dear," he teased. "At least you won't ever have to experience empty nest syndrome, as we'll never be able to get rid of all these guys."

"Shame on you, Carlisle," I scolded. "You know I'm never happy when they leave. I don't ever want to get rid of them."

He smiled. "I know, dear. You are happiest with a full house and, now that we have Bella, we are even going to have a grandchild. When that happens, I expect you'll be over the moon."

I felt an explosion of love inside of me. A grandchild! A real baby of my own to coddle and spoil! A baby that's actually safer with vampires than humans! Carlisle gave me a knowing look. I figured I probably looked a lot like an excited Alice at the thought.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and poured my love and happiness into my kiss. His arms were quick to come around me as he responded.

I pulled away, looking up at his honey gold eyes. "Speaking of empty houses, I believe we are in one now. I thought we could enjoy a little dancing tonight in the privacy of our own living room. What do you think, honey?"

He smiled. "Anything for you, my love."

"Why don't you clear us a space while I go change into something more appropriate?"

He nodded, his eyes darkening slightly. I raced upstairs and changed into my little black dress. When I came back downstairs, he was waiting for me, the furniture pushed aside to make room for our maneuvers. When he saw me, he stopped breathing and his eyes immediately turned black. I licked my lip and smiled at him. His fingers started to tremble and he swallowed loudly.

CarlislePOV

My beautiful wife wanted to dance, and so we shall. I pushed the furniture aside, clearing a good space for some fancy turns and spins. She and I loved dancing together. Besides, dancing here alone could easily lead to other intimate activities. After all, the kids will be gone for hours and hours. We had a rare opportunity to simply relax and enjoy having the house all to ourselves. We could make as much noise as we wanted, say anything we wanted, without anybody hearing us. Mmmm.

I turned around and waited for my soul mate to make her appearance. When she did though, I was struck dumb. The dress she was wearing was so hot I felt like I was on fire. I couldn't wait to have her in my arms. For a minute or two, I had to concentrate on controlling my inner beast that wanted to throw her over my shoulder, race upstairs, and lock us into our room together for the next week or two, keeping her confined to our bed the entire time. If only I could think of a reason we should be quarantined. Unfortunately, even my super vampire brain was having a hard time thinking at the moment. Well, if I was going to burn, then so was she. Two could play this game.

"Why don't put on some music while I change, my sweet?" I purred seductively. She inhaled deeply and nodded, walking over to our iPod station to make a playlist. I ran to my room to change into my tux, only without the shirt or jacket. I came back downstairs, eager to see Esme's reaction to my 'outfit'.

I was gratified to see her jaw drop, her eyes turn black, and her gaze become hungry. She stalked over to me and ran her hand down my bare chest.

"Shall we dance, ma cherie?" I murmured softly.

EsmePOV

I arranged a playlist of some of our favorite dance tunes as I waited for Carlisle to change. I wondered what he would wear. Did he have something new up his sleeve?

I turned and saw him waiting there for me. My jaw dropped at the sight of him, and I suddenly felt flushed with heat. No, he didn't have anything up his sleeve, because he didn't have any. He had come down wearing his pants, cummerbund, and bow tie, but no shirt. I was ready to jump him right here and now, but I carefully restrained myself. I stalked over to him, like a predator circling her prey. I couldn't resist reaching out a hand to run down his glorious muscular chest.

"Shall we dance, ma cherie?" he asked me softly. I took his outstretched hand and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. I would let this man lead me anywhere.

BPOV

After an hour of dancing with Edward, I was actually getting a little bored. I wasn't bored of Edward's company, of course, merely everybody else's. I found myself desperately wishing we could be dancing somewhere private instead, preferably wearing fewer clothes. Besides, my feet were getting tired, and I was starting to sweat from all the body heat being generated around me.

"Can we take a break now?" I asked Edward pleadingly.

He grinned. "Of course, love. Would you like some punch?"

I nodded and we strolled over to the punch table. He took a sniff, and then grabbed an empty cup, pulling me away from the punch bowl. He led me over to the water fountain instead, filling the cup and handing it to me. I sipped the cold water, which did go a long way to restoring me.

"What's wrong with the punch?" I inquired, my lips twitching in amusement.

"It's been spiked already," he complained with disgust. "It has a high quantity of alcohol in it."

"Who did it?" I asked.

He started searching minds, until he found it. "Mike Newton, disgusting pervert. He's hoping at least one girl will get so drunk he can have his wicked way with her." He paused, searching again. "Eric and Tyler, on the other hand, brought alcohol, but haven't shared it with anyone but each other yet. They're pretty drunk." Our siblings had made their way over to us at this point, and Emmett picked up on that last statement.

"Oy, an inspiration!" he shouted over the music so I could hear. I looked at him with both curiosity and fear. Emmett had the rare ability to cause mass destruction unintentionally. I wondered if that could possibly be a vampire gift and nobody realized it yet.

"Jasper, can you feel what Eric and Tyler are feeling?" he asked excitedly. Jasper nodded. "Can you broadcast it to everyone here? I mean everyone, teachers, students, parent chaperones, everyone."

Jasper grinned. "I've never tried making others feel drunk before, but it's worth a try right?" He concentrated on the two boys, sucking up their emotions. He then sent out massive waves of the feeling throughout the entire room. In seconds, every single person was stumbling drunkenly wherever they were. The ones on the dance floor invariably toppled over. The band fell silent as they started dropping notes left and right.

"Yee, haw!" Emmett hollered. "I remember this feeling! Hot diggity dog! Where's that bear? I'll give him a lickin' he won't soon forget. Lead the way, honey, shake a leg."

"Don' wanna," Rose whined. "Go 'way, need sleep." She sat down, laid her head on the table, closed her eyes, and started to drool.

Alice was standing there, swaying, holding her hands together and singing. "What's better than one Jasper? Three Jaspers! All for me! What should we do, Jasper Two? Come play with me, Jasper Three! Isn't this fun, Jasper One?" She was staring dreamily at Jasper the whole time.

Edward was hovering over me, holding his jacket out like a cape and repeatedly saying "I don't drink…wine. I vant to suck your blooood! Fang you very much!" He kept giggling each time he said it, like it was the funniest thing in the world. I just sat down, leaned my head against the wall, and thought irritable thoughts about how everyone had gone crazy.

Jasper was pacing, sneering at the humans stumbling all over each other, and growling, "Damn Yankees! Can't hold their liquor worth a damn. I bet they couldn't find their way out of a cornfield! Can't fight a war with a bunch of lily-livered, yellow-bellied, horn-swogglers! These troops are still wet behind the ears! They should go back home and hide behind their mamas' apron strings, like good little boys, and leave the fighting to the men! This lazy bunch of ragtags is busy cavorting with the womenfolk when there's work to be done! Get up, you sniveling scumbags. Defend your homes and your families!" Then he started whistling 'Dixie'.

In the background chaos, I could hear Charlie shouting, "Hush! You're scarin' the fishies!"

Mrs. Cope had made her way over to stand behind Edward, watching his backside with absorbed fascination, muttering. "Sexy student shake that thing. No, no. Bad girl. Too young. So sexy. Super sexy student. No, no. Bad girl. Too young. Why's he sooo sexy?"

The nonsense only lasted a few minutes before Alice cried, "Jazzies! Save me!"

He whirled around to see Alice and Rose surrounded by slobbering, drunken idiots on their knees, kissing the girls' shoes, clutching their legs, and pledging their undying love. Seeing them putting their grubby paws all over his precious wife sobered him up right quick. He sent out waves of calm confusion, without letting himself get affected. He commanded all the students to go stand on the dance floor, the band to start playing, and the chaperones to go back to their stations. When everyone was in place, he pushed out waves of calm happiness, mixed with apathy. Everyone went back to normal, and any who were initially curious how they got where they were found they just didn't care anymore.

"Let's never do that again," Rose insisted firmly. "It was far from pleasant."

"Where did the other two Jaspers go?" Alice sadly mused.

Emmett laughed. "We so gotta do that next time we go hunting. Makes me hungry for bear!"

"You saw three Jaspers, Alice?" Edward teased. "And just what were you planning to do with the other two?"

Alice stuck her tongue out at him and sent him an image that made him wince.

"Sorry I asked," he griped.

"Well, you were the one playing Dracula and giggling while shaking your booty for Mrs. Cope," I mentioned grumpily. Note to self: I am an irritable drunk. Don't drink…alcohol. Oh, great. Now I was doing it.

Edward looked at me in horror. "I would never shake my booty for Mrs. Cope, and I don't giggle."

"Whatever, Vlad."

"No really, you were, Eddie," Emmett agreed. He showed Edward his memory. Edward dropped his face into his hands with a moan.

"Just kill me now," he grumbled melodramatically. "I'm with Rose on this. Let's never do this again."

Jasper started whistling 'Dixie' again under his breath.

Alice looked at Jasper speculatively. "Jazz, have you ever thought about cloning yourself?"

He started laughing. "Can't say that I have, darlin', though then I suppose I could have a whole army of Jasper Whitlocks like in Star Wars."

"Hey, Jasper?" I asked. Something had been bothering me ever since we got here.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Could you send a big burst of confidence to all the shy wallflowers and a hefty dose of self-doubt and insecurity to all the popular kids? Just once I want to see the wallflowers bloom," I explained. My family all smiled at me.

"What a great idea, Bella!" Rose exclaimed, smiling. They all looked to Jasper for his answer.

"I can try!" he offered. We watched as all the normally shy kids took center stage, some asking newly shy popular kids to dance with them. All the popular kids who were asked accepted. None of the shy kids were turned down. They got to dance to two songs, enjoying their 'fifteen minutes of fame'. Then Jasper stopped his mojo. Surprisingly enough, some of the couples who formed during that time stayed together for the rest of the evening.

Alice clapped her hands excitedly. "Way to go, Bella! You really made some people very happy. A few have even changed their future for the better."

Whoa! That was a scary thought. A whim of mine fulfilled by Jasper and somebody's whole future changed? I didn't want to go around changing people's futures. I was having a hard enough time tryingto change my own.

Our group went back to dancing. I rested my head on Edward's chest, one arm around his waist, the other hand entwined with his. I listened to the music, letting my body move however it wanted, and followed Edward's lead. I nearly went into a trance; it felt so good to move with him this way. He kissed the top of my head, whispering words of love and affection as we moved around the floor. I was completely lost in my happy place—Edward's embrace—and unaware of the passage of time until the resident pixie arrived to announce it was time for us to make sure everything was ready at the riverboat.

We left quickly and I actually started bouncing in the seat of the Vanquish on the way there.

"Are you channeling Alice?" Edward teased.

"Yes, and I just had a vision of my window being nailed shut for a week if you made me mad," I threatened.

He laughed. "Calm down, honey! I'm thrilled to see you so happy to be attending a party, instead of shuddering in horror."

I grinned and then squealed. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"Yep, definitely channeling Alice," he murmured. I stuck my tongue out at him, much as Alice had done earlier, and he burst out laughing.

We arrived in the parking lot by the marina, and walked over to the boat together.

"Your mate has been corrupting my mate," Edward complained playfully to Jasper. Jasper stared him down.

"Were you expecting me to be able to do something about that?" Jasper asked, as if Edward must be losing his marbles.

"Well, yeah, you are the man in the relationship, right?" Edward prodded. "And we guys need to stick together."

Jasper sighed dramatically. "Okay, I'll do my best."

Edward looked surprised and amused, "Really? Thanks, bro."

Jasper walked determinedly over to Alice and gave her a passionate kiss. He drew back and purred, "You're so wonderful, darlin'. You just do whatever makes you happy, okay?"

Alice giggled and kissed him again. "Sure thing, Jazz. Anything for you."

Jasper walked back over to Edward and shrugged.

"That was your best?" Edward asked skeptically.

Alice winked at Jasper and blew him a kiss. He grinned and shrugged again. "Works for me!"

We all chuckled happily and made our way up the gangplank, ready to start the next part of our evening.

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Happy? I've tried.. I hope its good.

Sorry for the super long wait. I just dint have the time. I'm gonna upload other fanfics soon too. I hope ya'll have more patience. 

Thanks much. 

-Vi