Bronzehairedgirl620: Happy New Year! Daddy's Little Cannibal and I decided to team up once again and create this totally awesome one-shot for you all. She rocks, and is such an amazing author to work with. I'm glad we wrote something else together.

Daddy's Little Cannibal: I hope you like this story. Bronze and I thought it would be easier to just write a story together than to write two separate stories. Besides, it was fun to work with her again.

Summary: All human. Emmett's hosting a New Year's Eve party. B/E Really bad summary.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Happy New Year

I hated New Year's Eve. It was worse than Valentine's Day. Okay, maybe not worse than Valentine's Day. Nothing was worse than hearing your co-workers talk about how the love of their lives got them flowers or how they were planning on going out to dinner with their boyfriends. But New Year's Eve was pretty darn close.

Everyone at the party had somehow managed to pair up. Jake, one of my best friends, was with Leah (how that happened, I have no idea), Jessica had found Mike, Alice was with Jasper, and of course Emmett was with Rosalie.

I, on the other hand, was alone. Again.

I knew I shouldn't have come to this party. I was content with watching the ball drop on my small screen TV in my room with my two favorite people in the world, Ben and Jerry. I had a pint of Chunky Monkey waiting for me at home in my freezer.

"Are you having fun, Bella?" Edward asked, handing me a glass of champagne. I grabbed it from him and took a really big sip.

"I'm having a great time." I put on my best sarcastic smile I could muster.

"I'm really glad you came." He leaned against the wall next to me. "I know how much you hate parties."

I shrugged. "It was either this or spend the night in my pajamas watching the ball drop on the TV." I left out the part where I was going to devour my pint of Chunky Monkey. "Besides, Emmett knows how to throw an interesting party."

Edward let out a loud snort. I smiled at him. Nothing needed to be said. We both remembered last year's Fourth of July. I had never seen so many firemen before in my life. It would have been exciting if everyone wasn't being evacuated from the building.

"Have you danced, yet?"

"No." I shook my head. "Have you?" I asked.

"Could you hold on a second? I need to talk to someone about something." He handed me his glass of champagne and started to walk off.

"Okay." I mumbled, kicking myself in the side. I shouldn't have asked if he's danced yet. That could've easily be implied that I wanted to dance with him, which meant that I liked him, which would mean that he would feel awkward because it was obvious that he didn't like me.

"I'm such a loser." I groaned, drinking the rest of the champagne in my glass and a little in Edward's.

I walked over to the refreshment table, with my empty glass in hand. I set the glasses on the table and grabbed a full one. I binge when I'm depressed. Today's lucky substance just happens to be alcohol.

I was the definition of lame – standing alone and depressed by the snacks with a completely pathetic expression on my face.

"Having fun?" Two arms wrapped around my waist from behind, his voice low and husky in my ear.

"You scared me!" I grabbed onto my heart and took long, even breaths.

He slowly released me, crossing both arms across his chest and grinning smugly. I held out his glass for him to take. He shook his head. So I finished off the rest of the champagne for him.

"What are you doing here all alone?" He asked, observing my situation. I scowled, narrowing my eyes at his perfect grin.

"You left me." I accused. "So I came to find solace in something else."

"Poor Bella," he crooned mockingly, leaning in a bit closer. Teasing me. "I'm sorry, but I'm back now, aren't I?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. You are. And annoying the hell out of me." I was impressed with my ability to act like I was no longer interested in him.

He laughed, the Edward I knew returning. His eyes sparkled with interest and he smiled softly, holding out his hand for me to take.

"Dance with me?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for the catch. Although I sincerely hoped there wasn't one. My palms instantly started to sweat and butterflies flocked to my stomach as I took in his words, his expression falling with each second I didn't answer. I just spent the last three minutes convincing myself that the he was angry at me for implying that I wanted to dance with him. I needed time to let all of this process in my head.

"I mean," he retracted, flustered. "As friends. What would New Years Eve be if I didn't dance with one of my best friends?"

I pursed my lips, nodding reluctantly. "Yeah. What would it be?" I asked rhetorically, putting my hand in his as he led me to the dance floor. I was excited to finally dance with him, but the thought of us only dancing at friends lingered in the back of my mind.

"You know I could inadvertently put you in the hospital with this, right?" I clarified as he rested his hands on my hips.

Edward smirked. "I'm willing to take that risk."

I blew out a breath as he helped me lock my arms around his neck, the top of my head resting perfectly under his chin. His arms tightened around me as another song came on, courtesy of Alice, and he hummed the melody under his breath. I tried to shuffle my feet along with him, eternally grateful he wasn't pulling any fancy moves on me.

"You aren't doing too badly." He murmured, laughing at the blush that had covered my cheeks. "You're more coordinated than you think."

"It's because we're barely moving." I pointed out. "If we tried to move any farther, I'm afraid of what would happen."

"I'm fine like this." He whispered, resting his chin on top of my head. I leaned in slowly, hoping it would come off as a completely friend-based gesture and inhaled deeply, wishing all of the noises around us would disappear. The music, the chattering of everyone else around us, the fireworks people were shooting off much too early, all of it. Fade into the background, leaving us in peace.

I knew it wouldn't last long, but when the last few chords rang out and the clapping resumed, my eyes shot open in surprise. Edward sighed, squeezing one of my hands before stepping away from me, his eyes narrowing into slits as he looked somewhere behind me.

"Here we go…" he groaned, stepping back next to me. I turned around, suppressing a grimace as Mike came back up to me, looking hopeful.

"Hey, Bella." He said somewhat smoothly. "Do you want to dance?"

I snickered at his attempt at being suave but bit my lip, taking a step towards him. "Yeah. Okay."

His grin widened ten-fold as I began to sway around with him, doing my best to ignore Edward's glare. He didn't have any reason for it, besides the fact that he's hated Mike Newton since grade school.

"He looks at you like you're a piece of meat," Edward sneered after the song had ended. I shrugged, taking one of the flutes being passed around on trays. I briefly wondered why he cared so much, but was interrupted by Emmett, who had decided to take a break from his host duties and pop up in front of me, holding a half empty glass of champagne in his hand.

"Hey! My two favorite people!" He said, already a little tipsy.

"Em," I said, taking the drink he had in his hand and set it down on the table. "Doing okay?"

"Peachy!" He said before eyeing the two of us. "How about you. Are you doing okay?"

I sincerely regretted the day Alice told him about my extremely minor crush.

"Just great." I forced an extra-wide smile.

"Ready for the fireworks?" He asked again, something he had been looking forward to for a week now.

"I am." Edward smiled brightly next to me.

"Hey, Edward, have you and Bella-"

"Emmett." Edward interrupted him. "I think that you've had way too much to drink. Maybe you should sit down."

"No," he waved his hand in the air. "I'm fine. But you came to me earlier asking about-"

"Emmett, don't you want to see the fireworks." Edward interrupted him again.

"What is it with you two and the fireworks?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duh, fireworks!" They both said at once.

I rolled my eyes. "Boys."

"Don't forget what I told you, Edward." Emmett patted his shoulder before walking away. A huge grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

I looked at Edward. I had no idea what was going on.

"Come on," he urged, looking like an over-eager puppy. "We're going to miss the fireworks!

"Excited, are we?" I teased as he grabbed me by the hand, pulling me out onto the balcony. He shot me a sour look before pushing me right up to the edge, his chest pressed against my back as we stared at the dark, blank sky.

"Don't mock it. It only comes once a year and I happen to enjoy it."

"It comes twice a year. Are we forgetting about the fourth of July?" I asked.

"Yeah, except this time, I don't think that we'll need to call the fire department."

I laughed. Another memory of a drunken Emmett standing in front of an open flame with a hot dog on one stick and a marshmallow on another, singing camping songs, as the rest of the family and guests ran around screaming about the fire that was destroying the furniture.

"Bella?" He said quietly, almost too low for me to hear. I craned my head around, waiting for the rest of his statement. He opened his mouth but shut it quickly, scowling before looking back at me. "Thanks for putting up with me tonight."

I furrowed my brow, confused, but was interrupted by a firework erupting. He sighed, motioning for me to turn back around and rested his chin on my shoulder like we used to do when we were little. I leaned back, waiting until someone from inside started to count down from fifteen, the rest of the crowd joining in by the time he hit ten.

"10!"

"Bella?" Edward asked, his voice shaking. I looked over at his face, surprised to see he looked nervous.

"9!"

I could feel his breath on my face, the musky scent of his cologne enclosing me. "Yeah?" I tried to sound nonchalant, but failed miserably.

"8!"

"I…" he stuttered, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. I waited impatiently, wanting to ask what he wanted but not sure how.

"7!"

I let him be for now, turning my head forward, grinning as Alice and Jasper came to stand next to us. She gave me an extremely wide smile, holding up her hand to display a small, diamond ring, the very same one Jasper had been stressing about for a month now. I winked at her, still bothered by Edward's uneven breathing near my ear. I gulped as I felt his lips brush my shoulder as he rested his chin there once more, chanting quietly with the rest of them.

"6!"

"5!"

He draped my hair over my left shoulder, running a hand through it before returning it to my waist. I bit my lip. He's done this before, I rationed. You've been friends for years. It's not weird that he touches you.

"4!"

"Bella," he whispered again, although this time it didn't sound like he had something to say.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Fireworks exploded in front of us, a rainbow of color blinding my vision. I blinked, trying to see what was in front of me when I felt a hand cup the back of my neck. Instantly knowing it was Edward, I turned towards him, able to make out his bronze hair and vibrant green eyes. I leaned forward instinctively, my face heating up as I saw him do the same, his other hand coming up to cup my cheek.

"Edward?" I squeaked, but was met with his lips crashing against mine. I gasped in surprise, one hand gripping his arm while the other hung limp, unsure of what to do. I felt him grin, picking me up off the ground so I was closer to his height and both of my arms held me closer to him, his fingers tangling in my hair.

"Happy New Year," he murmured when we pulled away to breath, his thumb tracing my bottom lip. I shivered, the wind picking up and he slipped off his suit jacket, draping it over my shoulders while leading me inside. I went to slide the glass door but he stopped me, pulling me back towards him, kissing me once again.

"What…" I trailed off. "What was that?"

His expression hardened and I was surprised to see him blush. "I'm sorry." He blurted out, turning away from me. "Emmett told me and I just got-"

I nudged him with my elbow, cutting him off. "Thank you." I said slowly, grinning. I wasn't sure how else to convey my emotions, but he seemed to understand the general idea. He took my hand in his simply, rubbing circles in my palm.

"Seems like we aren't the only ones." He chuckled, ducking his head. I followed his gaze, surprised to see Mike and Jess together, both looking happier than they had all night.

"It's for the better," he continued. "I don't have to kill him. He gets to see another year."

I rolled my eyes, standing up on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek softly. "Happy New Year." I said back shyly.

"Happy New Year, Bella." He smiled at me before kissing my cheek.

"I told you it would work, Edward!" Emmett called at us from the bottom of the balcony.

I looked at him and frowned. "Told you what?" I asked, looking back at Edward.

He was blushing. His cheeks a bright red. "Emmett kind of told me too, when I left you to go, Emmett told me to kiss you." He finally blurted out.

I bit my lip and giggled. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Happy New Year, Emmett!" I called at him from the balcony.

"Make sure to wear a condom!" He yelled back at us, making us both blush in embarrassment and excitement.

End.

Daddy's Little Cannibal: Well, Bronze is gone. She's on her way to Corpus Christi. But I'm really happy with how this turned out and I hope she will be too when she returns. Thanks for reading and please, don't hesitate to review. A few announcements. Bronze's story, Stop Drop and Roll, has been nominated at the Twilight Awards (congrads to her)! And I updated Till Death Do Us Part. Make sure to check out both of the stories, and thanks for all the encouraging words!

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Daddy's Little Cannibal