Epilogue: An Occasion

The sun was just beginning to set as I helped Bella into my recently washed and waxed Aston Martin. It was a special occasion that called for my favorite car.

Bella looked ravishing, more than beautiful. Alice had spent hours styling her long dark hair into elaborate curls. She and Rosalie had spent hours on the Internet picking out the perfect dress and shoes.

It was their gift to me. The blue silk and chiffon dress, the delicate stiletto shoes- well, shoe; Bella's leg was still encased in a bulky walking cast – held on by wide satin ribbons, the expertly applied makeup, all of the things the three us knew that Bella would not do for herself, especially if she knew my plans for the evening.

We waved goodbye to Charlie standing on the porch. After I had Bella settled comfortably in the leather seat, we headed down the narrow street.

"At what point exactly are you going to tell me what's going on?" Bella asked grumpily. I had been trying to ignore the angry set of her mouth. I did not want her to ruin my moment.

"I'm shocked that you haven't figured it out yet," I smiled mockingly at her. Bella hates surprises.

"I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" Bella asked. I remembered the awed expression she wore when I showed up at her doorstep in my black tuxedo. I've always had a fondness for black, especially on my sisters and Esme. The color contrasted extremely well with our pale skin. I experienced a rare bit of conceit when I wore black. It did make me look like a male model.

"Yes," I grinned.

Bella blushed brightly and stared uncomfortably at her shoe. Alice had told me all about Bella's makeover. I was proud of Alice, drawing on her own misfortune of not having any human memories and having to live vicariously through Bella, in order to get Bella to cooperate. There wasn't anything Bella wouldn't do for Alice.

"I'm not coming over anymore if Alice is going to treat me like Guinea Pig Barbie when I do," Bella griped.

Before I could respond, my cell phone range. I pulled the small phone out of my jacket pocket and checked the caller ID.

"Hello, Charlie," I said into the phone.

"Charlie?" Bella frowned.

Since our return from Phoenix, Charlie had been somewhat difficult. He had compartmentalized Bella's experience into two very definite reactions. He was grateful towards Carlisle for being there and helping Bella through her emergency. I was a different story. He wasn't entirely convinced – neither was I – that I wasn't at fault. If not for me, Bella would have never left and would not have gotten injured. I fully agreed with him. However, upon her return, Charlie had put new rules in place for his only child: curfews…visiting hours.

"Edward," Charlie said. "I believe there has been a miscommunication. Tyler Crowley is here. He said he was supposed to take Bella to prom."

"You're kidding!" I howled in amusement.

"What is it?" Bella demanded but I didn't answer.

"Why don't you let me talk to him?" I said to Charlie instead.

"Sure," Charlie said slowly. A few seconds later Tyler was on the line.

"Hello, Tyler," I said, in a very friendly tone. But I'm sure he could hear the edge to my words. "This is Edward Cullen. I'm sorry if there's been some kind of miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight."

"What do you mean 'unavailable'?" Tyler asked. "We're supposed to be going to prom. What are you up to, Cullen?"

He was angry and had no right to be. I remembered the conversation he had with Bella. No, she had not outright turned him down, but what type of person waits until the day of prom to confirm his date?

"To be perfectly honest, Tyler, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening." I snapped the phone shut with a huge smirk on my face. Kids.

I glanced at Bella. She was no longer sitting in her seat quietly…comfortably. Her face and neck flushed crimson with anger. I was afraid that my response to Tyler had infuriated her. Was I wrong?

"Was that last part a bit too much? I didn't mean to offend you," I told her.

"You're taking me to the prom!" she yelled.

I was unsure about her reaction. Surely, it wasn't that difficult to guess what the occasion was. The formal attire and the posters that decorated every inch of the walls at school were obvious clues. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. We were halfway at the high school.

"Don't be difficult Bella."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she demanded in horror.

"Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?"

"I'd guessed there was some kind of special occasion brewing. But prom!" she cried.

Angry tears rolled down Bella's cheeks. I was tempted to stop the car and turn around. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. But then again, it was just a little dance. And every teenager should experience their prom.

"This is complety ridiculous. Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm mad!"

"Bella," I turned my face towards here, using my dazzling powers to calm her.

"What?" she muttered obviously distracted.

"Humor me."

"Fine," she gave in, though she pouted like a child. "I'll go quietly. But you'll see. I'm way overdue for more bad luck. I'll probably break my other leg. Look at this shoe! It's a death trap!" She held out her good leg as evidence.

But I wasn't paying attention to her rant. I stared at her milky white leg, toned and shapely from holding the bulk of her weight for weeks.

"Hmmm…remind me to thank Alice for that tonight."

"Alice is going to be there?" That seemed to comfort her slightly.

"With Jasper, and Emmett…and Rosalie," I admitted.

Though Rosalie had been cordial in the hospital while we were in Phoenix and was not evil or rude to Bella, there really had been no progress in their relationship. Actually, they didn't have a relationship because the way Rosalie chose to cope with Bella was to pretend as if she didn't exist.

"Is Charlie in on this?" Bella asked, suddenly suspicious.

I grinned. "Of course. Apparently Tyler wasn't though."

We were at the school now. I pulled my car next to Rosalie's BMW. I got out first, hoping that Bella would stay put until I got there. The clouds in the sky were thinning, a few streaks of sunlight escaped but not enough to cause any trouble. I opened Bella's door and held out my hand. She remained stubbornly in her seat with her arms folded across her chest.

I looked around the crowed parking lot. There were too many people around for me to just lift Bella out of the car; she would definitely put up a fight, just to draw attention.

"When someone wants to kill you," I sighed, "you're brave as a lion. And then when someone mentions dancing…" I shook my head.

"Dancing…" Bella gulped.

"Bella, I won't let anything hurt you – not even yourself. I won't let go of you once, I promise."

She looked up at me, for the first time, she actually looked happy.

"There now…it won't be so bad." I leaned down and wrapped one arm around her waist. She took my other hand and I lifted her willingly from the car. I kept my arm tightly around her waist, supporting her as she limped.

I've been to plenty of proms before. Rosalie and Alice insist on attending them at every high school we attended. Usually they were held in huge, beautifully decorated ballrooms. However, Forks High School, held it's prom in the school gymnasium. It was the only room in town big enough for a dance.

I was pleased to hear Bella's bell like giggle when we stepped inside.

"What's so funny?" I asked. She was looking around at the balloon arches and twisted garlands of pastel crepe paper. I had to admit, the décor was not tasteful but then again, this was Forks, not Seattle.

"This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen," Bella snickered.

"Well," I muttered as we approached the ticket table, "there are more than enough vampires present."

I followed Bella's gaze to the dance floor where two couples – Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rosalie – whirled around gracefully. The other dancers had moved to the side to give them space.

Emmett and Jasper looked quite dapper in their classic tuxedos, though Rosalie had almost a hard enough time convincing Emmett to wear his, as Alice had with Bella. Alice was quite striking in her black satin dress with geometric cutouts that bared large triangles of her snowy white skin. I overheard her telling Esme that she and Rosalie's dresses were being specially made; an unknown French designer was dressing them for this special event. And Rosalie, well, she was usually the prettiest girl in any room. Her scarlet dress was backless, tight to her calves and then flared into ruffled train. She and Esme argued about her plunging neckline. It was a useless argument.

"Do you want me to bolt the doors so that you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" Bella whispered.

I glared at her. "And where do you fit into that scheme?"

"Oh, I'm with the vampires."

I smiled. "Anything to get out of dancing."

"Anything."

I paid for the tickets and turned my date towards the dance floor. She cringed against my arm and dragged her feet.

"I've got all night," I warned.

Slowly we made our way to the dance floor, close to my family.

"Edward," Bella whispered a hint of horror in her voice. "I honestly can't dance!"

"Don't worry, silly," I whispered back. "I can." I placed her arms around my neck and lifted her slightly. When I set her down, she was standing, weightlessly, on my feet.

"Shall we?" I said. Without waiting for an answer I began to dance across the dance floor.

I've been told that I'm an excellent dancer. Moving across the floor, I felt like we were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We waltzed effortlessly on the dance floor. Bella giggled and enjoyed herself.

"I feel like I'm five years old," she laughed.

"You don't look five," I murmured. She looked amazing and for a second I could not help pulling her as close to me as possible. A fire burned within me, desire, not for her blood – I'd already had that – but a yearning for a certain closeness that I could not seem to capture. Still, it felt wonderful, holding her in my arms.

"Okay, this isn't half bad," Bella admitted. Smiling, I brushed my lips gently over the web of curls, the softness of her hair burning my lips.

There she is, a familiar voice sounded in my head. I looked towards the gymnasium doors. Anger flowed through me. We couldn't massacre the student body, but one treaty breaking Quileute wouldn't be that bad, would it?

"What is it?" Bella asked. I hadn't noticed that she was aware of the angry set of my jaw. She followed my gaze.

Jacob Black was standing by the door, in his off-beat version of formal attire: a long sleeved white shirt and tie. He was crossing the floor towards us.

This is awkward, Jacob thought as he approached us. Why is he staring at me like that? He doesn't even know why I'm here. If he knew, he'd be really upset.

A low snarl escaped. Bella glared at me.

"Behave," she hissed. I had to remember that Jacob was her friend.

Jacob reached us then. Embarrassment was even more evident on his face.

"Hey, Bella, I was hoping you would be here," he said, unconvincingly.

"Hi, Jacob," Bella smiled back. "What's up?"

"Can I cut in?" he asked tentatively.

NO! I wanted to yell but didn't. I felt Jasper and Emmett watching, ready to take action if necessary. I did not answer the boy's question, opting to just set Bella back on her feet and step back.

"Thanks," Jacob said amiably. In a way, I felt sorry for the boy. His recent growth spurt had made him just as uncoordinated as Bella. It was painful to watch them dance. I walked away, towards my family.

"What's going on Edward?" Rosalie asked. "Why is he here?"

"I don't know yet," I answered, taking Rosalie's hand. "Come on. Let's go find out."

We waltzed out to the dance floor, close enough to Bella and Jacob to hear but not close enough for her to be suspicious.

"Can you believe my dad paid me twenty bucks to come to your prom?" Jacob asked, slightly ashamed.

"Yes, I can," Bella muttered. "Well, I hope you're enjoying yourself, at least. Seen anything you like?" she teased, nodding towards a group of formally dressed girls lined up against the wall.

"Yeah," he sighed. "But she's taken."

"Ow, Edward," Rosalie shrieked. "Why are squeezing my hand like that?"

"Sorry," I mumbled, loosening my grip on Rosalie's hand. But her outburst had caused me to miss something.

"He's not here to cause any trouble," Rosalie insisted. She'd been listening too. "His father sent him. Be mad at him, not the kid."

I ignored her and concentrated on Jacob.

"Anyway, he said that if I told you something, he would get me that master cylinder I need…"

"If he hurries and tells her," Rosalie griped, "I'll build his car for him. Geez kid, can you be anymore of a klutz at this?"

"Tell me, then," Bella grinned at her friend. "I want you to get your car finished."

"Don't get mad, okay?"

"There's no way I'll be mad at you, Jacob," she assured him. "I won't even be mad at Billy. Just say what you have to."

Ha. Even Bella knew that Billy was the culprit.

"Edward," Rosalie said, interrupting my concentration. "Have you noticed that we're just standing in the middle of the dance floor? Now this does look suspicious."

"Sorry, but this makes me mad. Billy Black is starting trouble when he has no right to."

"Well, imagine how he feels, Edward. Put yourself in the Quileute's shoes. Bella leaves town with a bunch of vampires and comes back broken up. What would you think?"

It wasn't like Rosalie to be so rational, especially when there were other people's feelings to consider.

"Since when are you on their side?" I asked as we started to dance again.

"I'm not. I'm just stating the obvious."

"Just spit it out, Jacob," I heard Bella say.

"It's so bad," Jacob moaned.

"I don't care. Tell me," Bella insisted.

"Okay…but geez, this sounds bad." He shook his head. "He said to tell you, no, to warn you, that – and this is his plural, not mine" – he lifted his hands and made air quotes – "we'll be watching."

Bella laughed. So did Rose and I.

"Poor Jacob Black," she said. "That really is awkward."

"Yeah, I can't be so hard on the kid. He really didn't want to do this."

The song ended and Rosalie floated back to Emmett. I walked towards my date and her intruding friend.

Jacob's hands hesitated at Bella's waist as he glanced down at her cast. "Do you want to dance again? Or can I help you get somewhere?"

I answered for Bella. "That's alright, Jacob. I'll take it from here."

Jacob flinched and stared wide-eyed at me.

Where'd he come from?

"Hey, I didn't see you there," he mumbled. "I guess I'll see you around Bella." He stepped back and waved halfheartedly.

Bella smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Sorry," Jacob said again before he turned for the door.

I watched him exit then wrapped my arms around Bella as the next song started. She leaned her head against my chest.

"Feeling better?" she teased.

"Not really."

"Don't be mad at Billy," Bella said. She knew I was listening. "He just worries about me for Charlie's sake. It's nothing personal."

"I'm not mad at Billy," I corrected her. "But his son is irritating me."

She pulled back, noticing the seriousness of my face.

"Why?"

"First of all, he made me break my promise."

She stared at me in confusion.

"I promised I wouldn't let go of you tonight," I explained.

"Oh. Well, I forgive you."

I frowned. "Thanks. But there is something else."

"What is that?" she asked.

"He called you pretty. That's practically an insult, the way you look right now. You're much more than beautiful."

She laughed. "You might be a little biased."

"I don't think that's it. Besides, I have excellent eyesight."

We danced across the floor, me holding Bella close as possible. I would not let her go for the rest of the night. I don't care if the entire Quileute tribe walked through the doors.

"So are you going to explain the reason for all of this?" she asked.

I was baffled for a minute until I caught her looking at the crepe paper. Ah yes, prom.

I considered her question for a moment. This was not the place for the answer I had in mind. So I changed our direction and we spun through the crowd, to the back door of the gymnasium. I saw her real friends staring at us. Jessica…Mike Newton. Angela was there too, looking blissfully happy in the arms of little Ben Cheney. And then we were outdoors, in the cool, dim light of a fading sunset.

As soon as we were alone, I swung her into my arms and carried her across the dark grounds to a bench, shadowed by the madrone trees. I cradled her in my arms, wishing the night would never end. This was almost perfect.

"The point?" Bella asked softly, gazing up towards the pale moon.

"Twilight, again," I uttered. "Another ending. No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end." The story of my life.

"Some things don't have to end," Bella stated. I felt her body go tense and I wondered why.

I exhaled a deep breath.

"I brought you to the prom," I said slowly, "because I don't want you to miss anything. I don't want my presence to take anything away from you, if I can help it. I want you to be human. I want your file to continue as it would have if I'd died in 1918 like I should have."

Bella shuddered in my arms, then shook her head angrily.

"In what strange parallel dimension would I ever have gone to prom of my own free will? If you weren't a thousand times stronger than me, I would never have let you get away with this."

A brief smile washed over my face. "It wasn't so bad, you said so yourself."

"That's because I was with you."

I stared at the moon. I didn't want to ruin this remarkable night. I didn't want to fight.

"Will you tell me something?" I asked.

"Don't I always?"

"Just promise you'll tell me," I insisted.

"Fine."

"You seemed honestly surprised when you figured out that I was taking you here," I began.

"I was," she interjected.

"Exactly. But you must have had some other theory. I'm curious – what did you think I was dressing you up for?"

Bella pursed her lips. She didn't want to answer. I knew I shouldn't have asked.

"I don't want to tell you."

"But you promised."

"I know."

"What's the problem? Is it really that bad, Bella?"

"I think it will make you mad…or sad," she answered.

Hmmm, now I had a hint of what it was. "I still want to know. Please?"

She sighed. I waited.

"Well…I assumed it was some kind of…occasion. But I didn't think it would some trite human thing…prom!" she scoffed

"Human?" That was the key word.

She stared bashfully down at her dress, fiddling with a stray piece of chiffon.

"Okay," she confessed, rushing to get her explanation out. "So I was hoping that you might have changed your mind…that you were going to change me, after all."

Anger, pain, confusion…then amusement is what I felt as she spoke.

"You thought that would be a black tie occasion, did you?" I teased.

She scowled, unsuccessfully trying to hide her embarrassment. The idea was rather ludicrous.

"I don't know how these things work. To me, at least, it seems more rational than prom does."

I was still grinning, unable able to contain my amusement.

"It's not funny," she scolded me.

"You're right," I said seriously. "But I'd rather treat it like a joke, than to believe that you're serious.

"But I am serious."

I knew that this conversation hadn't ended in the hospital room. I anticipated having to have it again. But not tonight. I refused to let my anger get the best of me. This would be a night to remember and it would not be because of a ridiculous fight.

"I know," I exhaled deeply. "And you're that willing?"

Bella bit her lip and nodded.

"So ready for this to be the end," I said, almost to myself. Couldn't she see how clearly this pained me? "So ready for this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely started. You're ready to give up everything."

"It's not the end, it's the beginning," she said under her breath.

"I'm not worth it." Sad to say but it was true.

Bella sat up and stared into my eyes.

"Do you remember when you told me that I didn't see myself very clearly? You obviously have the same blindness."

"I know what I am."

Bella sighed and I saw that my words were not registering with her. It was what she wanted. I was what she wanted and nothing would change that. I examined the sullen expression on her face for a moment.

"You're ready now, then?" I asked.

"Um…yes?"

Slowly I leaned my head towards her, feeling the warmth radiating off her skin. My lips brushed the corner of her jaw. Her heart began to race.

"Right now?" I whispered.

"Yes." She wasn't. Her body was rigid, her hands balled into fists, bracing herself for my kiss of death.

I leaned away. "You can't really believe that I would give in so easily."

"A girl can dream," she said but her body relaxed.

"Is that what you dream about," I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Being a monster?"

"Not exactly. Mostly I dream about being with you forever."

The subtle ache in her voice broke my heart. We shared the same dream. But I refused to believe that this was the only way.

"Bella," I traced the outline of her lips with my fingers. "I will stay with you. Isn't that enough?"

She smiled. "Enough for now."

I frowned at her. We were at that same place; no one was going to surrender tonight. I exhaled but it came out a growl.

Bella straightened up and touched my face. Her fingertips left a warm trail on my cool face.

"Look," she said, "I love you more than everything else in the world combined. Isn't that enough?"

"Yes, it is enough," I smiled. "Enough for forever."

She moved closer, her eyes penetrating my heart. No decision was made, not tonight, not ever, if I could help it. Tonight would end perfectly, the way I'd always planned.

The joy of first love. The promise of love forever.

"I love you," I told her and pressed my lips against her throat.