Hey guys! I'm not dead! It's a miracle. I know; it's been six months. I feel awful, but I've been putting a lot of focus into my other story, but now my babies are equally matched in chapter numbers, so I'll be updating them equally. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

A special thanks to my amazing and wonderful Omega, Jaymili. She has helped me to make my stories so much better. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Chapter 11: Seduction

"Uncle Edward, I'm back!" called a delighted Hestia, throwing herself at her equally delighted uncle. She had bounded out of the tree line, her parents gazing fondly all the while as they made their way to the house at a slower pace.

"Hello to you too," Edward responded, his usual crooked grin on his face; the same grin that made me and every other woman on the planet swoon.

"Good morning, everyone," Stella greeted with her husband.

"Good morning. Was the hotel alright? Did you enjoy your night?" Esme asked, being her usual charming self. Carlisle had been unexpectedly called to the hospital due to a car accident.

Aiden chuckled, "Hestia wanted to have an indoor picnic, so we took the sheets off the bed, crowded in front of the television, and gorged ourselves with sugary food from room service. We then fell into food comas and fell asleep."

Stella rolled her eyes playfully at her mate, "All in all, it was a fun evening."

"Did you have nice dreams, my little star?" inquired Edward, completely captivated by his starry-eyed niece. Despite the cloudy weather of Forks, their cheerful aura seemed to brighten everyone's mood. They were so adorable together.

"I had the strangest dream last night, Uncle E," Star began excitedly, her eyes wide and animated.

"Oh no! He's awoken the beast," Aiden spoke dramatically.

"She's been talking about her dream nonstop since she woke up. Apparently we were in-" Star cut her mother off.

"I want to tell them what happened," Star silenced her mother. "It was my dream."

"Alright, dear. I'm sorry. Please continue," Stella graciously accepted her daughter's scolding.

"Uncle Edward, I dreamed that we were," Star chatted animatedly with Edward who was listening attentively to his excited niece. Aiden was eagerly met by my brothers, and I decided now was my chance to approach Stella before my mother and sisters flocked her.

"They're adorable together," I began, referring to Edward and Hestia.

"They are. He spoils her so much, but it's so difficult to be angry with him about it because he's so loving!" She gestured to him spinning Hestia. "Even when we were little, Edward never did anything with bad intentions, so when an accident did happen, no one could be angry with him," she snickered.

"What?" I asked eager to hear childhood stories about my Edward.

"When we were fledglings, my mother had this lovely crystal bird. It was a wedding present, so stunning and well-craft, and one day, she decided to move it from her bedroom to the living room. Edward saw the bird and thought that someone had frozen it, so he heated the crystal thinking he was saving the bird," she chuckled, not even having to finish the story.

"Oh no! He melted it?" A huge smile crept its way onto my face.

Stella nodded, "He melted it, but you remember what I said about bad intentions? At the time, he thought that he had just used too much heat and had melted an actual bird. He was so distraught. He ran to Mom with the melted crystal in his hand screaming 'Mommy, I killed it! I killed the little bird!'" Stella looked close to tears at this point.

"Aw!" Poor little Edward. I tried to imagine it; a tiny Edward with tears in his emerald eyes, so adorable and heartbreaking.

"Mom wanted to be upset with him about the crystal, but she had to focus on consoling Edward who had believed that he was a murderer. By the time Mom explained that the bird wasn't real, she had been too touched by his feelings to be angry," Stella shook her head in exasperation. "He was cuddled and comforted and told that it was very kind of him to try and save the little bird."

"Well, it was a sweet thought," I said, of course taking Edward's side. Stella giggled and ran her fingers through her silky locks. The resemblance between her and Edward was obvious, though their features were so different. Stella was small and soft; Edward was massive and hard as stone. Stella's hair was a soft sunset; Edward's was a blazing flame. Her eyes were a soft green; his eyes were bright emeralds, but they looked so alike.

"Edward has always been a gentle person, but he's also very protective of his loved ones. I think that's what would make him such a wonderful mate. It was distressing to see him give up hope of ever finding the one for him. I'm really glad he found you, Bella. I don't think I've ever seen him happier," Stella gazed at her brother. He and Hestia were being cooed at by the other Cullen women.

"You don't mind then, that I'm a vampire; that I can't give him children?" I asked hesitantly. Stella was shaking her head before I could even finish.

"You could be three feet tall and have one eye, Bella. My brother looks as if he could burst with happiness; that's all I could ever ask for, and I'm so glad to have you as my sister. I don't know I would have done had he mated with Vivian," Stella shuddered.

"Who's Vivian?" My voice was sharp. And why would she mate with my Edward?

"Calm down. She and Edward don't have romantic feelings for one another; they've never been in a relationship, so slow your horses," Stella said trying to soothe my flaring jealousy. "Vivian is a pureblood like us, and neither of them had found their mate at the time, so the idea was proposed that they could mate purely for the reason of strengthening and lengthening our bloodline," Stella explained calmly. I wanted to slap who ever had proposed the ridiculous idea. Stella rushed to calm me some more.

"Don't worry. Edward turned her down immediately. He doesn't believe that mating should happen unless the couple is bonded; true soul mates that love each other more than anything else," Stella continued proudly, looking over at her brother. "That's the way it should be," I felt so much love for my mate. He was such a romantic.

"Hey! What are you two gossiping about over there?" Emmett called to us.

"The time I pushed you off that waterfall in Maine," I retaliated. The Cullens exploded into a roar of laughter, except for Emmett of course.

"I remember that. Moxie Falls. That was a ninety foot drop," Jasper chuckled.

Alice explained to Edward and his family, "When Bella was still a new born, we took her hunting in Maine, and we passed by this hiking trail. Well Emmett, being the idiot that he is, decided to surprise Bella."

"He jumped out of the bushes screaming like a God damn howler monkey and scared the crap put of Bella," Rosalie continued.

Jasper finished, "She kicked him and sent him flying eight feet and over the edge. He came sputtering like a fish." Jasper was getting a kick out of this.

"Too bad you're not a phoenix, my friend," Aiden sympathetically patted Emmett's shoulder.

"Please. Phoenix or not, I still managed to knock you out of the sky plenty of times, Aiden," Edward jeered playfully, Stella chuckled next to me, and Hestia snickered in Edward's arms. Obviously they had witnessed such an event.

"How do you knock someone out of the sky?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah, don't you just flap your wings before you hit the ground?" Jasper pointed out.

"You should tell that to him," Edward nodded in the direction of his brother-in-law. Aiden just glared at him evilly who just chuckled.

"Daddy, don't look at Uncle E like that," Hestia shook a finger at her father. "It's bad manners. I'll tell, Grammy." Hestia threatened from her perch on Edward's broad shoulders.

"You would pick your uncle over your father?" Aiden asked, pretending to be offended.

"Only if you're being bad. Uncle Edward is never bad," Star stated proudly patting her uncle's head.

"Yeah, Edward's a little peach," Emmett tried to pinch my mate's cheek. Aiden laughed at their display. Star tried to bat Emmett's hands away as they got closer to Edward's face. Edward eventually escaped and came over to us with Star still securely seated on his shoulders. They were quite a picture. Edward was all muscles and height while Hestia was just an adorable little girl.

"Aiden and Emmett are a match made in hell," he chortled. He gave me a soft kiss before inquiring, "Stella, how is Luca?"

"He's fine. I spoke to his parents. They're so eternally grateful that Guardian Edward has saved their precious son," she rolled her eyes. "I tell you, Edward, it's a good thing you're mated. You can't just go running head first into danger like that anymore. I'll help Bella beat you to death if you scare me like that one more time." I shuddered remembering finding him bleeding and crumpled in the meadow. Edward sensed my unease and wrapped his arm around my waist. His warmth comforted me. I relaxed against his broad chest.

"I know. I wouldn't worry Bella like that," he reassured his sister, squeezing my waist.

"You better not," I muttered without any real fire. He felt so soothing; I just wanted to curl into him and purr like a cat. He just kissed my head.

"Are you ever going to give me back my daughter?" Stella smirked up at her daughter who was happily perched on my mate's shoulders.

"Nope, I'm going to stay with Uncle E forever and ever. Right, Uncle E?" Star looked down at Edward with love-struck eyes. It seemed we had a little crush going on.

"I would love to have you with me forever, my little star, but Mommy would cry if you left her," Edward lifted his niece of his shoulders and held her to his chest instead. "Right, Mommy?"

Stella pouted and made sad puppy dog eyes at her daughter, "Are you going to leave me, Sweetie?" She asked in a heartbroken voice. I kind of wanted to hug her.

"No! No, Mommy, don't cry," Star leaped off Edward and into her mother's arms. "I'll never leave you; I promise!" She nuzzled her head against her mom's neck. This was manipulation in its purest form.

"You promise, really?" Stella continued to pout at poor little Star who completely unaware of her mother's scheming ways.

Stella nodded her head vigorously, "Yep! I promise." She returned her attention to her uncle. "Sorry, Uncle E. I can't leave Mommy, or she'll cry." She was so ridiculously adorable with her big, sparkling green eyes. I want one. I gasped at my thoughts. I wanted one.

"Bella?" Edward asked concerned when he noticed the shift in my mood. I looked up to see his emerald filled with worry. I wanted a child. I wanted his child. The revelation was like a punch in the face. I tried to calm myself. We had discussed this. We couldn't have children. He had been fine with that. I had been fine with that. Hadn't I?

"Um," I felt tongue tied. What could I say when my mind was so fogged up?

Love? Edward had both arms around my waist now. What's wrong? The anxiety was coming off him in waves. Jasper looked over at us, noting both of our jumbled emotions.

"I-" Thunder boomed above us and lightening crackled. Saved by the thunder. That was a new one.

"We should all head inside. The clouds look like they'll break any moment," Esme warned.

"Oh geez. Yeah, we need to leave. Edward, you need to go inside before we all blow up," Aiden hurried over to us.

"Why? What's going on?" Alice asked perplexed.

"Having a group of phoenixes together during a storm is like putting up a giant sign saying 'Lightning, please strike us'. Because we control fire, lightning included, it's drawn to us naturally," Stella explained.

"Ooh, Mommy, can I go play in it?" Star pointed eagerly to the white-hot flash, followed by a large clap of thunder.

"Play in it?" Rosalie asked horrified. Her love for children had her cooing over Hestia. It was easy to imagine how terrified she was to see the little cherub play with lightning. Hell, I thought it was pretty terrifying.

"It can't hurt her, Rose," Edward reassured her and me as he stroked up and down my arm. "Our bodies absorb heat. A fledgling playing in lightning is the equivalent to a human child playing in water."

"Mommy, please, please, please can I play in it?" Star asked tugging on Stella's clothes.

"Yes, Star. We have to leave now anyway, so we'll fly through it," Stella hoisted Star onto her hip.

"It's been a while since I've deflected," Aiden stated staring up the flashing clouds.

"Deflected?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, it's what we refer controlling lightning as because the energy level is so high that either we absorb it and expel it, or we simply redirect the flow of the energy. You know 'energy can't be created or destroyed, only transferred from one form to another' blah, blah, blah," Aiden explained.

"That is wicked," Emmett nodded appreciatively. Aiden only chuckled at his comment.

"You really need to leave, Stella. Those bolts are coming towards us, and it's not a good idea to have the vampires close if we're struck," Edward warned looking anxiously at the sky.

"Okay, okay; I know when I'm not wanted," Stella teased. We all quickly hugged and kissed goodbye. The clouds eventually broke and showered rain onto us. We all migrated to the living room after seeing Edward's family off. Of course, we all cuddled against our mates as we sat down on the multiple velvet couches. Emmett made a big show of shaking his wet hair on Rosalie. Needless to say, the resonating slap was not unexpected.

I took my usual spot on Edward's lap and purred against him when his fingers began playing with my hair. I was so lost in Edward-induced fog that I didn't notice that my spiky haired sister had been trying to get my attention.

"Ahem," Jasper obnoxiously cleared his throat as he tried to bring me back to the present, shooting me a knowing look. Being the mature woman that I am, I stuck my tongue out at him before turning my focus to the exuberant pixie. I enjoyed the vibrations coming from Edward's chest as he chuckled at our display.

"So, I was thinking…" Alice began, getting everyone's attention. "Why don't we all go clubbing in Port Angeles? It's been a while since we've all just gone out and had fun." Alice urged.

"It would be nice to get out of the house," Rosalie agreed.

"I get to beat your ass at pool, Jazz," Emmett jeered with a smirk.

"Good luck with that, meat head. Need I remind you who won last time?" Jasper taunted right back. Boys.

"Edward, here you are, dear," Esme set down a sandwich in front of where Edward and I sat.

"Oh, thank you, Esme. I'm sorry for always making you do this," Edward was being his usual modest self.

"Hush. Now you stop that; you and I both know that enjoy cooking for you. As for the rest of you, please be safe while you're out tonight," Esme cautioned us.

"Yes, Mom," we all replied in unison. Esme nodded, satisfied, and went upstairs.

"So you two are also coming, right?" Alice asked Edward and me.

I bit my lip. Clubbing wasn't really my scene. I turned to Edward, "Do you want to?"

He shrugged, "I've never really been a clubbing sort of person, but I'll go if you want to, love. It seems like it could fun with such a large group." He did have a point. Besides, we could always leave if we weren't enjoying ourselves. Maybe spend the night together in a nice hotel. That sounded much more inviting.

"Alright, I guess we're in too," I conceded. Alice squealed, bouncing up and down.

"This is going to be so much fun! We'll take the jeep and the Volvo. Girls meet upstairs in my room in ten minutes. We'll all get ready together," Alice continue to chatter. I honestly had stopped listening a long time ago. I had no interest what so ever in the event. Edward finished eating, and I joined him in the kitchen when he went to get a glass of water.

"Stella told me about someone named Vivian," I ventured. Edward choked on his water, coughing slightly. I rubbed his back while he got himself back under control. I obviously hadn't timed that well.

"What about her?" Edward asked slowly, setting the glass down.

"She wanted to mate with you. Your people wanted you to mate. Why?" I asked. Phoenixes seemed to find the concept of mating to be very romantic from what Edward had told me, so why would they want to make a mated couple? The mere thought of someone else being with Edward made me shudder. I tried not to imagine what she would look like. Phoenixes seemed to be even more beautiful than vampires.

"We both held high positions in the clan because we have some of the purest bloodlines. We are amongst the strongest of my species. Phoenixes can only be born from phoenix parents. It's not rare for us to mate with someone other than our species, but if children were to be born, they wouldn't be phoenixes. They might be able to have wings or some might control fire, but they wouldn't a phoenix form. The longer the ancestry chain is, the more powerful the next generation is. I have twenty-eight mated phoenix couples in my ancestry. Vivien has twenty-one. If we were to have children, they would be exceptionally strong because the next generation is added to the father's amount. Our children would have twenty-nine couples in their ancestry. That's more than there has ever been in our history," Edward explained to me. "The elders thought it would be beneficial to our species if I were to mate with her."

"So this Vivian…does she have feelings for you?" I asked though I was pretty confident I already knew the answer. Edward was every woman's dream.

"She was…attracted to me," Of course, I resisted the urge to snort, "but I don't think she had romantic feelings for me." I nodded my head. I hadn't been looking at him, so it surprised me a bit when I felt his warm hand tilting my chin up, so my eyes met his.

"You're upset," he concluded. It was a statement, an observation, but not a question.

"I am," I admitted trying to keep my expression calm.

"With me?" It was a question this time. His emerald eyes swirled with worry and concern.

"No," I shook my head and raised a hand to stroke his cheek. "I have major self-esteem issues in case you haven't already notice," I teased him. He had without a doubt witnessed how messed up my head was. "I guess when you told me you had never been with anyone, I hadn't exactly thought that about the fact that it wasn't because of lack of options. If anything, I would say I'm upset at myself for reacting so intensely to something that should have been obvious."

"Isabella," his arms were immediately around my waist. "I didn't have any other options except for you or nothing. You know that."

"I do," I nodded. "I'm not doubting you, Edward. I honestly don't understand my own reaction very well either, but I know that you wouldn't lie to me."

"Also, Bella-" Edward began to say before he was cut off by a high-pitched shriek.

"Isabella Marie! It's time to get ready," Alice called for me with her over enthusiastic voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, sweetie. We'll talk later, okay?" I asked him, having no real desire to leave him, but Alice was relentless.

"Alright, love," I pecked his cheek before reluctantly trudging up the stairs and into Alice's room. Clothes, make up, and hair products were all I could see. I could practically feel my stomach drop. I turned to walk out of the room, but someone grabbed me by the back of my shirt and dragged me into the room.

"Not so fast, little missy," she warned. Really? Alice was calling me little? Rosalie snickered from where she sat on the bed. "This is an important night for you." For me?

"And how, pray tell, does tonight hold any significance for me, oh all seeing Alice?" I plopped down next to Rosalie.

"It's important because we're going to help you embrace your inner woman?" Alice exclaimed dramatically.

"Are you implying that I wasn't a woman before?" I asked skeptically, still not understanding her madness.

"What she's saying is, we're planning on helping you unleash your sexuality. You and Edward plan to go off somewhere tonight, right? Be alone?" Rose raised one perfectly formed, blonde eyebrow.

I would have blushed had I been human, "Well…yes."

Rose nodded, "Well, we need to teach you the art of seduction." I did not like the sound of that.

"Look, girls, I don't think there needs to be any 'seduction' tonight. Edward and my sex life is just fine and private," my mate was obviously attracted to me. Just seeing the way he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, and I told them so.

"Belllaa," Alice whined. "There is a difference between feeling beautiful and feeling sexy. You can't honestly tell me you don't feel a little insecure when you think about Edward being around other women." Well, that was true.

"It's all about confidence, Bells. When you feel sexy and confident, no one can get you down, and men never like women better than when they're in power," Rose explained. "When Edward looks at you tonight, you're not going to feel 'beautiful'. You're going to feel sexy."

"And we're going to help," Alice bounced over to a chair in front of the vanity. "Now come over, and let's get started!"

The idea was more than a little intriguing. I had never felt sexy before because one, I'd never needed to be and two, I'd never tried to be, and the idea of seducing Edward was more than a little tempting. I tried to picture it, his eyes dark with lust for me. I had to admit, I really liked the idea. I finally conceded and sat on the chair, trying not to think too hard on what I was about to do.

"Okay, go for it," I hoped I wouldn't regret those words. Alice squealed.

"Don't worry, Bells. You're going to be to die for," she plugged in a curling iron.

"Edward won't know what hit him," Rose came over and started to arrange the make up in piles. I groaned internally at all the beauty products that were laid out in front of me. This was going to be fun.

It's for Edward, was my mantra as I was tweaked and brushed and spritzed. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, afraid that I would run away if I saw my reflection. Mascara and eye shadow were applied to my eyes, and Rosalie was curling my hair.

"Voilà!" my sisters exclaimed. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Wow.

I hardly looked like myself. My eyes looked bigger, brighter, and darker thanks to the smoky eye shadow. My eyelashes were impossibly long. Ruby red lipstick and gloss covered my lips, and a light smear of pink blush was on my cheeks. My hair curled wildly around my face. I looked…sexy.

"So, what do we think?" Alice prodded giddily.

"I have to hand it to you guys. I can't believe this is me," I betted my eyelashes and watched in awe as my reflection did the same. It was really me.

"Now, for the lingerie!" Rosalie announced. She plopped to a bright red strip of fabric into my lap. Closer inspection revealed it to be a pair of panties, I think. I held up the tiny scrap of silk with my index finger, holding it away from me as if it would bite any second.

"You want me to wear this?" I stared at the frilly thing. It was nothing but a skimpy thong.

"Yep," Rose smirked.

"What about a bra?" I asked, still inspecting the string.

"You don't need one," she replied airily.

"Don't look so scared, Bella. Edward will lose his mind when he sees you in this," Alice patted my shoulder. "Now for the main event." She went into the closet once again. "This will really make him go wild."

Alice returned with a short red assemble that wrapped around the shoulders and had numerous lashes strategically placed on the arms and a small portion that I assumed would cover my thigh, if it reached that far.

"That's the shirt, right?" I asked, knowing I was wrong.

"Nope," Alice shoved it at me. "Now get dressed."

I stared at myself in the mirror after I had placed on the thong and the tight "dress". Also, a pair of strappy red heels were wrapped around my ankles. It felt like they were trying to crawl up my legs. I didn't feel sexy. I felt exposed, uncomfortable, and trampy. I had pretty much turned into one of the Denali sisters. Alice and Rose had dressed in equally short dresses, but while they looked sexy and confident, I looked like a trollop. For the first time since I had become immortal, I felt nauseous.

Alice's hair spiked in all directions and she wore a short purple dress with black heels. Rosalie's blonde locks cascaded down her back, and she wore a red halter dress. We all walked down the stairs, and I was so grateful that vampires couldn't trip because I surely would have fallen to my death in these shoes had I been human. I was really beginning to regret this.

Emmett's whistle did nothing to help my chaotic emotions. Jasper sent me a concerned look, but Alice quickly diverted his attention. Edward stared at me with an expression I could only name as shock. He looked gorgeous as always. His hair was tied back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore a dark blue button down with the first few buttons left undone and dark wash low-riding jeans that hung low on his hips. He was every woman's desire.

"Whoa! Who are you, and what have you done with Bella?" Emmett's voice boomed. His arms came around my shoulder.

"Lookin' good, Bells," Jasper agreed. Edward still hadn't said anything. I wasn't sure how to take that.

"You look…amazing," he finally said. That should have made me happy, but for some reason, it didn't. He was barely looking at me.

"Hands off, Emmett. You're going to ruin my masterpiece," Alice shoved him away. "Now, girls in Rose's BMW, and guys in Emmett's Jeep. Let's go people!" Alice ushered us into the garage before I got the chance to speak to Edward. We were soon cruising down the high way. Rosalie was having a bit too much fun with the gas petal.

"Okay, so pointers. It's not enough to look sexy; you have to act it too," Rose began. "You have to dance and flirt. Never let the guy feel as if he has control over what you're doing."

"Yeah, it's probably best that we start off dancing together first before we let the guys join in," Alice suggested. She was seated in the passenger seat next to Rose. I was hardly paying any attention to them. I was more concerned with the way Edward had looked at me back at the house. That hadn't been a look of desire. I'm not sure what it what it was.

"Bella. Bella!" Alice snapped at me trying to get my attention.

"Hm?" I looked up as I broke out of my fog.

"We're almost at the club. Now is not the time to be spacing out," she scolded me.

"Right. Be sexy; I got it," I nodded. I hadn't suffered through all that primping for nothing. I'm sure I was just imagining things. Tonight was going to be fun. Edward and I would have a great time with my siblings. At least, that's what I told myself.

We pulled up to a place called Eclipse. The music was booming, and the scent of alcohol and sweat was quite over powering. The boys came over and eagerly escorted us inside. Edward took my hand in his and gave me a small smile before walking inside with me. The place was packed. Humans were grinding against each other and being quite rowdy. It definitely wasn't my kind of place, but Edward's hand was warm and comforting around mine, and it was hard not to feel relaxed.

"You guys can head over to the pool tables. We're going to dance for a little bit," Rosalie told them as she led us away from them. My hand reluctantly left Edward's as Alice tugged me away. We were attracting more than our fair share of attention. I could feel male eyes romancing over every inch of my exposed skin, and I felt violated. The music blared through the speakers.

Alice and Rose were swinging their hips and trying to get me to move with them. Alice whispered in my ear, "Come on, Bells. The boys are watching." I turned to see that Edward was indeed looking at me. I mimicked Alice and Rose as we all spun and grinded against each other provocatively. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I began to loosen up after a while.

Bodies bumped against bodies, and when some guy tried to grab my hip, I had decided enough was enough. I could seduce Edward in private and not go through all this humiliation. I broke away from the crammed, gyrating bodies and went over to the pool table. I immediately spotted Jasper and Emmett.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Jasper cheered.

"You cheated," Emmett rebuffed.

"Please, don't be a sore loser, Em," Jasper rolled his eyes. I couldn't see Edward with them.

"Guys, where's Edward?" I asked, my eyes still scanning around for him.

"He went outside; said he needed some fresh air. He didn't look too hot," responded Emmett, still focused intensely on the pool table.

"His emotions were all over the place, Bells," Jasper told me, sounding concerned. "I think you should go talk to him."

"Yeah," I said half-heartedly. "Thanks." I was practically out the door already. I searched all around trying to find him.

"You need some help, baby?" A very drunk man approached me. He was stumbling over his own feet, and his eyes looked foggy.

"No thanks," I breezed past him trying not to gag. He smelled awful. I kept walking around the club searching for Edward, and I was really starting to get worried. Finally, after I was about a mile away from the club, I felt my mark warm a bit on my ice cold chest. My steps sped up eagerly, and I had to remind myself not to use my speed in front of the humans.

I had come to a little park with a toddler lot surrounded by a punch of trees. The only light was a faint, yellow glow from the street lamps. I breathed a sigh of relief when I made out the silhouette of a tall figure leaning against a tree.

"Edward!" I ran up to him feeling a smile make its way onto my face. He looked up to see me; his expression was a bit surprised.

"Hey, love. What's wrong?" he now stood tall in front of me. His green eyes looked murky with an emotion I couldn't define. I felt my smile begin to slip.

"I should be asking you that. Why are you out here all by yourself?" A part of me was a little worried about the answer. Edward was a happy, cheerful person. He didn't enjoy sitting alone in a dark park.

"Sorry, I just…I couldn't stay in there. They boys were great and all, and we had fun playing pool, but…it's just not the type of place I enjoy going to, and you were well…dressed like that and dancing with your sisters. You were all obviously having a good time, and I didn't want to bother you, so I went for a walk. I hadn't realized how far I had gone," he mumbled the last part.

"I wouldn't have minded…leaving I mean. It wasn't exactly my scene either," I told him feeling a bit awkward. I was dressed like a shower girl, but I was telling him that I didn't like going clubbing. He didn't say anything. "What?"

"It's nothing," he shook his head, still not looking at me. That made me feel a bit angry.

"Then why won't you look at me?" I couldn't help but shout. He tensed when he heard the pain in my voice.

"We should head back. I'm sure the others are worried," he started to walk but I stopped him.

"No! Edward, talk to me, please. I'm really trying, you know? The whole talk about our problems thing, but it works both ways. I want to know what you're feeling too," I tried to persuade him. "Are you mad at me? Did I do something to-"

"No, Bella, no. I'm not angry with you," he immediately shook his head. "I'm just a bit…ruffled." He seemed to be struggling with his words.

"Why?" I moved closer to him. The terribly lighting cast several shadows on his facing. Edward didn't belong in darkness. He exhaled through his nose but still didn't answer my question. "Edward, please?"

"I didn't like it," he said after what seemed like hours. The words were a quiet whisper in the night. "Seeing you dancing with those men and in that dress, it made me feel jealous and angry, and I knew I had no right to be. You were just enjoying yourself. It wasn't as if you were doing anything wrong, but I had to leave, or I think I might have just gone over and grabbed you." He finished his confession with what could only be described as a look of pain on his face. He had been jealous. Seeing me dance with other people in this skimpy dress had made Edward feel jealous.

Emotions warred inside me. In my pursuit to try and seduce Edward tonight, I had been torturing him the whole night. Guilt ensnared me, and my inner vampire was screaming what a terrible mate I had been, but another part…another part was happy. Edward had felt jealousy when he had seen me with other men, even if it had only been dancing, in a large group no less.

"Edward," you stupid, stupid, beautiful man. "I didn't like it either, you know." I said after a while. "Having them touch me. I didn't like it," I finally closed the cruel distance between us and rested my head on his chest. "And I wouldn't have minded at all if you had grabbed me."

It was true. In fact, the idea of Edward getting all possessive sounded incredibly sexy. He arms wrapped around my waist and held me to him.

"I didn't want you to see me as a brute," he whispered into my hair. His warmth felt incredible, and his scent was intoxicating. This was way better than any congested club.

"Edward," I giggled. "A brute is the last thing you could ever be," the idea was laughable. Edward was the personification of gentleman. "Besides, I've already told you that I won't let any other woman lay their hands on you." I kissed his chest before tilting my head back, so I could see his gorgeous eyes. "Do you think I'm a jealous witch because of that?"

"Of course not, Bella," he leaned his forehead against mine. "Besides, no woman could ever compare to you," that so earned him a kiss, and what a delicious kiss it was.

"Well, you're entitled too. I also think it would kind of hot to see you go all cave man on me," I teased against his lips.

"You're playing with fire, love," he growled, nipping at my bottom lip. I moaned, pressing myself even closer against him.

"It would seem so," I felt myself succumbing to him. Before I knew it, I was pressed up against the tree he had been leaning on with my legs wrapped around his waist. His hands felt delicious as they stroked the bare skin of my thighs. Apparently this dress did have some benefits after all.

When we finally broke away, gasping for unneeded air, I couldn't help the giggling that escaped me, "What's so amusing?" Edward tantalizingly nuzzled my neck, his arms holding me up against him.

"I feel stupid," I tilted my head, so he could get better access to my neck. "You know, the only reason I agreed to come to this stupid club and wear this short dress was because I wanted to seduce you."

"What!" I resisted the urge to groan in disappointment when his lips left my neck. It was embarrassing to see the look of disbelief on his face.

I ducked my head shyly, "I wanted you to think I was sexy, and Rose and Alice came up with this crazy idea…" I trailed off with a shrug. It really did seem stupid now.

"Isabella, if some impossible event were to occur that would make me want you even more than I already do, you would be bare and screaming for me every second of every day," he practically growled into my ear. That sounded positively divine. Wetness pooled between my legs as he moved against me. "Do you feel how much I want you, already?" Oh, I did. He felt impossibly hard pressed against me. It felt as if I was somehow wearing too much clothing, and Edward was too. If Edward wasn't naked, then he would always be viewed as over-dressed in my eyes.

I whimpered when his lips once again returned to my neck.

"Edward!" I cried out as his hips ground against mine. Yep, definitely way too many clothes. I wanted to rip his jeans right off him. "I want you," I couldn't find it in me to be embarrassed by how wanton I sounded. I wanted my mate. Now.

"Here, love?" he whispered. His voice alone made me feel like I was on fire, in a good way.

"Yes, please," my fingers tangled in his flaming tendrils and tugged so his lips were once again locked with mine. "Don't make me wait." I gasped in surprise and delight when I felt him tear my thong right off me. Damn that was hot.

"If I take you here, love, I won't be gentle," his voice was husky and dark. Oh my!

"I don't care, Edward. Just take me, please," my body was aching to have him inside me, and I could feel my mark flare on my chest.

Next thing I knew, my dress was being ripped off my body, and my last thought before I succumbed to my mate was that this seduction thing seemed to have worked after all.

So…did you love it; did you hate it? Leave me a review and let me know. Thanks to all who have stuck with this story. It means a lot. Love you guys! See you soon.

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The Lie by bexie25

It's a lie that he started… and a lie that I have to set right. It's his lie, and I hate that I am left with the repercussions. Eclipse AU. One-shot. Rated M for a lime (no real lemons)! Jacob kissed Bella before the newborn fight, but it was against her will. However, Edward doesn't know that. Bella enlists Alice's help to set things right… and learns a thing or two along the way.
Twilight - Fiction Rated: M - English - Romance/Supernatural - Chapters: 1 - Words: 20,742 - Reviews: 26 - Updated: 1-20-13 - Published: 1-20-13 - - Bella/Edward – Complete

It's so good! You'll definitely love it!