The rest of September proved to be a very uneventful time indeed, although Bella did celebrate her own eighteenth birthday. Exams were taken, tears were shed—naturally, of course, considering that you had a dorm room full of girls and a homosexual guy pretending to be a girl—and groans were uttered. The Olympic National/Tillicum Park Halloween Ball was just around the corner, and everyone would not stop talking about it. It was especially a big deal, because you were not allowed to be in attendance unless you were a senior, or invited by a senior.

A week before Halloween, everyone had to have a costume for the ball. Edward had agreed to take everyone, including Mike, Ben, Jacob, and Jasper costume shopping at a funky boutique called X-Treme Costumes. At the last minute, a wonderful senior—and other best friend to Edward and Jacob—called Alistair, who came originally from England, took an immediate shine to Jessica.

They all trooped in, and everyone paired off into their respective couples and scattered away. It was nice that James had brought a change of clothes with him, so as he could appear in his own skin here. Edward and Bella headed over to the girls' costumes first—because Edward was such a love—and they looked and looked.

"It all comes down to what you want to be seen with," Bella told him. "We could go as a combo thing, or just two random things."

"Well, what do you want to be?" Edward asked.

"Well...I only have a hundred with me, so something cheap..."

"I'll buy you whatever you want," he said quietly.

Bella turned around and smiled at him. "You know I can't let you do that."

Edward took Bella's wrists and gently pulled her towards him. He leaned down and he kissed her. "Now can I buy you whatever you want?"

Bella sighed. "Oh, I suppose so," she said, rolling her eyes playfully at him. "If you must, I suppose you can."

"I know!" he cried.

"What?"

"Romeo and Juliet!" he cried.

Bella laughed. "Okay, okay, that's fine," she said.

When everyone finally left, the costumes were as follows:

Romeo and Juliet—Edward and BellaA quarterback and a cheerleader—Jasper and AliceThe Phantom and Christine—Alistair and JessicaTsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra—Ben and AngelaNeil Patrick Harris and David Burtka—Mike and JamesPrince William and Kate Middleton—Jacob and Lauren

They all piled back into the car and managed to get back to the clearing in less than twenty minutes. Everyone was quite pleased indeed at their purchases, and coordinated to meet at Olympic National, where the boys would pick up the girls in a limo. The limo would then transport them to the Hunter's Gate Farm—a high-end place, obviously, located in Port Angeles, Washington. Although the drive would be over an hour, the limo would be fully equipped with a television and a mini-bar—only containing non-alcoholic beverages, of course. Once there, they would eat dinner together at the Dupuis Restaurant, and then take the shuttle bus back to the event venue.

But, since it was a week before the ball, everyone was becoming more and more excited. Bella, who was as excited as all her peers, promised herself not to become easily distracted over the next few days. She still had essays to write and numerous other things to do. Everyone did, of course, but she knew she had to make a halfway decent effort.

In the one class that they all had together—government, which everyone had switched into for moral support for Bella—they were doing a group project on the presidents. Everyone had to pick a president and write a three-page essay about them, bring in some food from that period—thankfully the culinary kitchen was available to them—and create a PowerPoint.

Mrs. Grayson had passed around a hat with every one of the presidents names inside it—Washington to Obama. Everyone, it seemed, wanted one of those. It didn't matter to Bella which one she'd get. She drew a name and unfolded the piece of paper, the name George Washington stared back up at her. "Right," she said quietly.

Angela had gotten Lincoln; Jessica had gotten Cleveland; Alice got Obama; Katie was bestowed Jefferson; Lauren had gotten Adams; and James had gotten Clinton. Thankfully the project wasn't due until the day before the Thanksgiving holiday.

"I don't like it," Bella confided in Edward later that evening. It was Friday, a full week before the ball. They were both riding on Ruby Silk, and Bella enjoyed the sensation of Edward's arms around her.

"You don't like what?" Edward asked.

Bella leaned back against him. "Being separated from you for the next several holidays," she said. "I love Alice's family, I really do, but they must be tired of seeing me by now..."

Edward pressed his lips to her temple. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Really?" she asked. "Why not?"

"We're going to have Thanksgiving here, because I asked," Edward said, pulling her close. "And you're to come along as our guest—and as my girlfriend, of course."

Bella gasped, turning around slightly. "Oh, seriously?!" she cried.

Edward laughed, pleased at her reaction. "Yes," he replied, wrapping his arms around her. "And for Christmas, we're all going to New York. We have a lovely brownstone there and we'll go to all of the best restaurants and all of the best shows..."

Bella turned around completely and smiled at him. "Do you want to go to college together as well, then?" she asked.

"Yes, I would like to. Do you know where you want to go yet?"

Bella sighed. "No," she replied, leaning back into him. "But we have all the time in the world to decide, now don't we?"

"About six months," Edward said quietly.

Bella shrugged, putting Ruby Silk into a trot. "What's the difference?"

~*~

The day of the ball finally arrived, and everyone needed to spend an untimed time in the bathroom. James and Alice, thank goodness, were in charge of makeup, so everyone would be fabulous that evening. Bella grinned at Alice, who had a white sweater with a bright red 'A' on it, and a short red skirt. She also wore white and red tennis shoes and her hair down.

"Can you tie me?" Bella asked. Her white dress had a full skirt that reached her knee, and she wore white dancing slippers under it. It had long sleeves and a plunging neckline—it was very period. Her hair—expertly styled by James, of course—was piled on the top of her head in braids that wove round and around one another into a ball.

"Of course I can," said Alice, putting down her red and white pom-poms. It was amusing to see her bounce across the room and tie Bella's dress. "What necklace do you want to wear? Your pearls or the silver heart?"

"Pearls are more period, but the heart is from him," Bella replied. "I guess I'll go with the heart Edward gave me."

Alice nodded and clasped the necklace on. James quickly and dramatically danced across the room and grabbed Bella by the hand. He all put pulled her into the bathroom and pushed her onto the chair. Following that, he slammed the door and velcroed the smock onto her.

"I don't see how this is necessary," Bella said quietly.

"Do you really want powder on your dress?!" James demanded.

Bella blinked. "Well, no..."

"Good," he said. He climbed onto Bella's lap and began applying.

"Um...James?" she asked.

"You're right, you're right," he said, standing up. "I'm sorry."

Bella shrugged. "It's cool."

James completed the task quickly and effortlessly. "So...the Hunter's Gate or whatever is a pretty nice hotel."

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"So...any plans to lose your virginity?"

"James!" cried Bella, smacking him gently. "You know full well that was a done deal almost two years ago!" she said.

James laughed. "But have you and Edward...?"

"No," Bella said firmly.

"Are you going to change that tonight?"

"That is none of your business."

"As future stepfather to your son, yes, it is."

"Funny, if Mike marries you and I marry Edward, then Geoffrey will have two stepfathers as a result..."

"Don't change the subject."

"Sorry."

"I'm done with you, anyway," he said. Bella stood up, removed the smock and put it onto the chair. As she crossed the room and was about to open the door, James said softly to her, "You may want to think about it, though."

"What?" she asked.

James cocked his head to one side. "Do you think that it'll turn him gay? Because you're born gay. I hope you know that, Bella."

"I do know that."

"Then what are you afraid of?" he asked.

Bella turned and looked at him. "Nothing," she assured him. "Can you say the same?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you afraid of losing Mike?"

"No."

"Good," she replied. "And I'm not afraid of losing Edward. He loves me, and I love him. I...we want to be together for a long time."

"Forever?" he asked.

Bella smiled to herself. "Time will tell," she replied, walking out of the bathroom and from that conversation.

~*~

Edward and the rest of the boys picked them up in the lobby. They were more than willing to come to their rooms, but the girls wanted to use the grand staircase to their advantage. They came down alphabetically by last name—first Alice, then Lauren, Jessica, Bella, Angela, and finally James, into their dates waiting arms. There were roses for all of them—and Bella was pleased to get a red one. She was surprised when Edward asked her to put it in his button hole, and he didn't have a flower for her.

"Oh, yes," he said, reaching into his pocket, revealing a black box.

"Um, no, no, no," Bella said quickly.

Edward laughed. "Not a wedding ring," he said.

Bella sighed a sigh of relief at that. "Not that I don't want to marry you, but...not today, or anything..."

Edward smiled. "I know," he said. He opened the box to reveal a ring made of chocolate—well, the jewel part, anyway. The other part was some sort of metal of some kind. He removed it carefully from the box and asked, "Do you want to wear it?"

Bella tried to smile. "Sure," she said. She loved chocolate, but the fact that she was getting it without flowers made her uneasy. She nevertheless allowed Edward to put it on her and escort her to the limo.

Once they were all inside, however, it was a free-for-all.

"So, dinner first, then dancing!" gushed Angela, leaning in close to Ben. "Does that sound all right?" she asked him.

"Anything you want, sweetheart," he replied.

"What do you see in her?" whispered Alistair to Ben.

Ben gave him a look and a mock shove. "What can I say? She's hot," he said. "What about her?" he asked.

Alistair returned the shove with a laugh. "I don't know. She's a great kisser?" he said, almost as if it was a question.

Jessica gave Alistair a push. "Come on!" she said.

"I know why I'm with Alice," Jasper offered.

"Why?" everyone asked.

"Because...she's for me," he replied.

"Aw, you're so sweet!" cried Alice.

"Why are you two together?" Edward asked Mike and James mockingly.

"Well, because we're madly in love," said James.

"And I can do things with him that I can't do with anything else," Mike went on, giving James a smile.

"And I can tell him anything!" James cried.

"Oh, baby," said Mike.

"What about Lauren and Jacob?" asked James.

"What about us?" asked Lauren.

"Why are you together?" asked Mike.

"Because we love each other," Lauren replied. "But the real question here is about Bella and Edward."

"Is it?" asked Bella.

"Totally," replied Lauren, nodding. "I mean...you constantly want to make it about you, so why not now."

Bella blinked. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Edward sighed. "Lauren, stop," he said warningly. "Come on, it's our Halloween Ball. Just...be nice to her."

Bella blinked a second time. She said nothing all through the rest of the drive. It became more of a challenge during dinner, of course, so she decided to simply pointed to the things she wanted on the menu. It delighted James further, because he loved the concept of rudeness. And this particular evening, the wait staff was not one to be screwed with.

When dinner and dessert was over, Bella and Edward and the rest of the gang went into the ballroom to dance. Several familiar songs played—Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, Disturbia by Rhianna, Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction, to name a few. When Nevermind by Sofia J was programmed by the D.J., Edward looked worried.

"Are you okay?"

Bella slowly looked up at him, clutching at him slightly; she really didn't do well in heels. "What do you mean?" she asked, breaking her vow of silence.

"You haven't said a word since the drive here," Edward said, spinning her in the dance and then pulling her back to him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Do you think Lauren's pretty?" she asked.

Edward blinked. "Do I what?"

"You heard me," Bella replied, clapping her hands in the dance. "Do you think that Lauren's pretty?"

Edward sighed. "Sure...if you like blondes," he said.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't really like blondes," he said quietly.

Bella nibbled at her bottom lip. "And what does that mean?"

Edward reached under her chin. "It means I love you, that's what it means," he said quietly. He leaned down and quickly kissed her. "Reach into my pocket," he said softly in her ear.

Bella made a face and did as she was told. She felt something cold and hard and, as she withdrew her hand, she saw a key illuminated in the disco lights. She slowly raised her eyes upward to Edward. "I..." She whispered.

He smiled. "We are in a hotel..."

Bella nodded. "I know," she whispered.

"And it's a Friday, and we're both eighteen...they don't expect us back until Monday morning for classes..."

Bella nodded. "Yes..."

"Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked.

Bella sighed, and kept moving in the dance and keeping her head lowered so as not to arise suspicion of others around them. Her parents had made her get on the pill as soon as Geoffrey was born, but she didn't want to get an STD or something gross like that. She'd taken her pill that day, just in case, as she had in the months since Geoffrey was first born.

"Do you have...you know...a condom?" she whispered.

"Yes."

Bella nodded. "Then, okay," she said.

"I'm not forcing you?" Edward asked quickly.

Bella looked up at him. "No. I love you. Of course I want to."

~*~

Bella took her phone out of her beaded bag the next morning. She'd shut it off before the dance so as it wouldn't die on her or something. It was still in the eighty-five or so zone, so she had nothing to worry about. She quickly texted Alice, who was in the next room with Jasper. She quickly looked behind her and saw that Edward was still asleep next to her.

Bella got out of bed and put on the lodge robe, which fit surprisingly well around her wide and curvaceous hips. Are you awake?

A moment later, Alice texted, Yes.

Can we meet in the adjoining room?

Yes.

A moment after that, they were both in there. They'd each locked both doors to assure maximum privacy from each respective boyfriend.

"So, what happened?" asked Alice, who too was wearing a lodge robe. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Bella nodded. "All right..."

"So...what...?"

Bella sighed, sinking onto a chair. "Well...we did it..."

"Did you?!" cried Alice, hopping around the room. "Oh, yes, yes, yes!" she cried, beginning to punch the air in a moment of pure frenzy in her happiness. She grabbed Bella by the hands and pulled her up, proceeding to dance with her around the room, her voice mingling with her wonderful laugh. "Well done you!"

"I don't think he liked it..."

At once, Alice stopped dancing. "What?" she asked.

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. I lack experience, I guess..."

Alice took her firmly by the shoulders. "A good relationship requires a certain amount of spontaneity."

Bella blinked. "Not following..."

Alice grinned at Bella. "Remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding?"

Bella nodded at her. "All too well," she replied.

"Maria said that the women were lambs in the kitchen but tigers in the bedroom, remember that?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" asked Alice.

"But I'm not Greek..."

"So...?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know what to do here..."

"You freaking get in there and wake him up and attack him!" Alice hissed at her, grinning from ear to ear. "He'll be sorry if he ever doubted you."

Bella felt uncomfortable. She loved Alice, but this level of conversation—at this hour of the morning—was weird. "Um..."

"What? Do it!"

Bella sighed. "Okay, I'm going, I'm going..." She exited the room and returned to the room, where Edward was just waking up.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

Bella nibbled at her lip. "Just saying hi to Alice..."

"How's she?"

"Tired," Bella said with a smile.

"Me, too," Edward said. "Come, here, we'll sleep."

Bella shook her head at him; she had this gut feeling that the opportunity to do this was now or never. "No."

"What?"

"I don't want to sleep right now." She quickly got into bed and slowly removed her robe. "Come on, Edward. Let's have a little fun, okay? Like you said, we don't have to be at school until Monday morning anyway." She pushed his part of the comforter away from him and climbed on board.

Edward got a smile onto his perfectly sexy lips, taking ahold of her hips. "What are you going to do, my little vixen?" he asked.

"Well, I know what I'm going to do," Bella said softly as she leaned down and kissed him, gently clutching onto him again. "Edward Cullen, I'm going to rock your world!"

~*~

Later that afternoon, the limo picked up the now-disheveled couples to return them to their respective schools. Edward handed Bella a folded piece of paper, and told her not to unfold it until she was back at Olympic National. She put it into her beaded bag and practically forgot about it. There was a fight for the shower when everyone got back, and they settled it by flipping a coin. Alice won, and you were allowed to pick the next person to bathe. Alice picked Bella, and Bella picked Lauren, Lauren picked James, James picked Angela, and Angela picked Jessica.

When Bella got out of the shower, she got her phone out of her beaded bag to charge it. The folded piece of paper fell out, and Bella picked it up. It said: Would you please join me for a ride at 3:00 p.m.? —Edward

Bella smiled. It was almost one, and so she decided to take a nap. She set her alarm for two-thirty, and soon she was asleep. When she woke up, she put on some random street clothes and went down to the stables. Coach Clapp asked her about her evening, and Bella told her it was lovely. Bella went to the changing room and put on her riding outfit while Coach Clapp got Ruby Silk all ready for the riding excursion.

Bella was soon mounted and had made it all the way to the clearing. Edward was there with his new horse, Alabaster Alexander, and he proposed a race along the beach. It was bitterly cold, but Edward had thankfully brought along two much-needed ponchos.

"Why did you attack me?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...earlier," Edward said with a grin.

Bella sighed. "I thought you thought I was bad..."

"Bad?!" demanded Edward. "You were brilliant!"

Bella nearly lost control of Ruby Silk. "Seriously?!"

"Yes!" cried Edward.

"Well," Bella chuckled, "you were better than Mike!"

Edward laughed. "I just might marry you yet, Bella..."

Bella returned to the room with sore lips and other parts. Alice was sitting there, the only person around.

"Hey," said Bella.

Alice grinned. "I know that look."

"Really?" asked Bella.

"Totally," she replied. "Sit, tell Alice all about it."

Bella laughed. "Why are you referring to yourself in the third person?"

"Because I want to?" she asked.

"Cool, cool..." Bella sat down on Alice's bed and sighed, deliciously feeling how completely sore she was. "Today, in the barn... much more fun than a lodge..."

Alice reached out. "Hay," she said, pulling two or three pieces out of Bella's thick hair.

"Thanks," Bella said, rolling her eyes.

"What's the plan?"

Bella blinked, utterly confused by the question. Plan had many different meanings, of course. Summer plans, general plans, overall plans... "Plan?" she asked, pulling out some more hay from her hair and not caring that she smelled like horses and sweat—almost. "What kind of plan do you mean?"

"College?" she asked. "Marriage...?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Same college...and he may want to marry me..."

Alice smiled. "May?" she asked.

Bella shrugged. "We're just eighteen," she replied.

"Legally..."

"No, no," said Bella. "I want...I don't know..."

Alice nodded. "That's the telltale sign..."

"There's a sign now?"

"Do you love him?"

"So much..."

Alice reached out then and took her by the hand. "Then do something about it, Bella. I know I would."

"Do what?" she asked.

Alice shrugged. "That's for you to decide."