Twilight OC Rewrite

Epilogue: An Occasion

Christian and Edward helped my sister and I into the silver Volvo, being careful not to crumple the delicate fabric of the dresses we were wearing, and not to bump into Bella's bulky walking cast. Edward ignored the angry set of her mouth.

When Christian had me settled, he got in the backseat with me and Edward headed back out the long, narrow drive.

"At what point exactly are you going to tell us what's going on?" My twin asked grumpily. She and I really hated surprises. And they knew that.

"I'm shocked that you haven't figured it out yet." He threw a mocking smile in her direction.

"I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" I verified, hoping I could butter him up to spill his secrets.

"Yes." He grinned at me. I'd never seen him dress in black before, and, with the contrast against his pale skin, his beauty was absolutely surreal. That much I couldn't deny, even if the fact that he was wearing a tuxedo made me very nervous.

Not quite as nervous as the dress. Or the shoes. In Bella's case, only one shoe, as her other foot was still securely encased in plaster. But the stiletto heels, held on only by satin ribbons, certainly wasn't going to help me as I tried to get around.

"I'm not coming over anymore if Alice is going to treat us like Guinea Pig Barbie when we do," I griped. We'd spent the better part of the day in Alice's staggeringly vast bathroom, a helpless victim as she played hairdresser and cosmetician. Whenever I fidgeted or complained, she reminded me that she didn't have any memories of being human, and asked me not to ruin her vicarious fun. Then she'd dressed me in the most of anything dress - deep green, lacey and off the shoulders, with French tags I couldn't read - a dress more suitable for a runway than Forks. Nothing good could come of our formal attire, of that I was sure. Unless... but I was afraid to put my suspicions into words, even in my own head. Don't get me wrong, I'm more of a dressy girl than my sister, but I hate the anxious feeling of not knowing what's coming next.

I was distracted then by the sound of a phone ringing. Christian pulled his cell phone from a pocket inside his jacket, looking briefly at the caller ID before answering.

"Hello, Charlie," he said warily.

"Charlie?" Bella frowned.

Charlie had been... difficult since our return to Forks. He had compartmentalized Bella's bad experience into two defined reactions. Toward Carlisle he was almost worshipfully grateful. On the other hand, he was stubbornly convinced that Edward was at fault - because, if not for him, she wouldn't have left home in the first place. And Edward was far from disagreeing with him. These days we both had rules that hadn't existed before: curfews... visiting hours. At least Dad seemed more warmed up to Christian, being that he stayed behind to keep us updated when my sister ran off.

Something Charlie was saying made Christian's eyes widen in disbelief, and then a grin spread across his face.

"You're kidding!" He laughed.

"What is it?" I demanded.

He ignored me. "Why don't you let me talk to him?" Edward suggested with evident pleasure. He waited for a few seconds and Christian handed the phone to him, apparently communicating in a way Bella and I would never understand.

"Hello, Tyler, this is Edward Cullen." His voice was very friendly, on the surface. I knew it well enough to catch the soft edge of menace. What was Tyler doing at our house? The truth began to dawn on me. I looked again at the inappropriate dress Alice had forced me into and then looked to my sister, who was staring at me wide-eyed almost with disbelief. She knew, too.

"I'm sorry if there's been some kind of miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight." Edward's tone changed, and the threat in his voice was suddenly much more evident as he continued. "To be perfectly honest, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening." He didn't sound sorry at all. And then he snapped the phone shut, a huge smirk on his face, before handing it back to Christian.