BPOV

It was strange to be living another Bella's life – a Bella who was obviously more chipper than I. There were family photos all over the house, each featuring an excited girl who always had her arms around both parents. It was creepy to have Renee cooking family meals and Charlie being home every night. In one week we'd managed to watch two movies together and have a family game night. There was something more eccentric about that than knowing that this was a world full of vampires, werewolves, and apparently magic.

It was also strange to go to school every day and see Edward, Alice and Cindy sequestered at their own little lunch table like some snobby brats. From time to time I would catch Edward glaring at me. He was probably worried that I would let their secret slip.

It was especially foreign to go dress shopping with Renee. She was making such a huge fuss over every little bead and stretch of lace.

"I just need a simple dress," I insisted. "Not a fairy godmother."

"Nonsense," she snapped, a little annoyed. "You love going shopping, Bella. What's the matter?" She pressed the back of her hand to my head to see if I had a fever. "Are you cramping," she whispered. "Is it that time of the month?"

"Mom!"

"Something has been off about you lately, honey, so do forgive me if I as your mother am trying to figure out what that is."

I had a feeling that she could try for a million years to guess what was going on with me and she never, ever would. Not unless she believed in vampires and alternate realities.

"Nothing is wrong," I lied, hoping to get her off my back. "I just don't want to make such a big deal over a stupid little dance."

"Since when has a school dance ever been a 'stupid, little' thing in your life, Bella?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry, mom." This was obviously a big deal to her, and it supposedly would be a big deal to whoever her daughter really was. But I wasn't that girl. This wasn't my life.

"There, there," she said. "Let's just go out and get a little something to eat and we can try again tomorrow. The dance isn't until six o'clock. Maybe you can cut school a little early?" She gave me a little wink and a smile.

"It's okay," I said, wanting to get this over with now. "Which one do you like best?"

She handed me the most extravagant one.

"I like it, too." It didn't matter. Any of them would have been fine. They were all dresses.

"So," she said after we paid for my things, trying to get me in the mood to gab. "Are you excited for Jake to be taking you to the dance?"

"Sure."

"He seems like a really nice boy."

"He does."

"I'm not surprised the two of you found each other right away."

"How do you mean?"

"Oh," she said, kind of biting her lip. "It's just that it seems to me like the two of you were made for each other."

"I'm not exactly sure that's true," I laughed. She obviously hadn't met Edward.

"No, really, Bella. I mean, why not? Your fathers have been best friends since childhood. You'd hardly meet a family better than Jacob's."

It sounded as though she were advocating marriage!

"Just slow down there for a minute," I said, unwilling to relent. "We're just going to one dance. That's all."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into more than that, is all." She smiled and looked away as if she had become distracted. "Let's get home so daddy can see your new dress."

***…***

I had half wondered if Jake would be picking me up on a motorcycle. I was surprised when he showed up in a normal car.

He came to the door and played the part of the good date to appease Charlie and Renee.

"Have fun, both of you," Charlie called behind us as Jake opened the passenger door of the car.

"So, how has this strange land been for you," I scoffed as he got in the car, closing the door behind him so that we could finally be our real selves instead of these puppets that we had pretended to be all week.

"It hasn't been that bad," he said, almost defensively.

With everything I had endured throughout the week, I had forgotten that Jake was living in a world where he had both of his parents alive and whole. I knew that if there was something that he could go back and change, having a united family would no doubt be his greatest desire.

"Sorry," I said. I was saddened a little to realize that this personal hell was probably his best dream come true.

"Nah," he said, gesturing that he'd deflected any offense that a normal person might have taken. "I forgot that your parents here are like June and Ward Cleaver. Tell me, does Renee vacuum in her finest pearls?"

It felt nice to have someone around who knew my Renee.

"I would take borderline child neglect over this any day," I snorted. "The Renee here doesn't even own a tie-dyed shirt!"

"Not possible!"

"No, it's true! And she straightens her hair, has fake nails, and can't leave a dirty dish in the sink!"

"Poor Bella," he said, laughing again. "Sounds like torture, having parents taking care of you for a change!"

I felt weary as I asked about how his time here had been.

"What's it like on the Res?" I didn't want to ask specifically about his family. I already knew that he loved having them all together.

He nodded his head. "It's good."

"Good? Is that all you have to report?"

"Well, my mom is no June Cleaver, I'll admit, but it is nice having her around. I pretended to be sick for two days so I could stay home from school to have more time with her."

I felt sad for him as I wished with all my heart that this would hopefully all be over soon. I had explained to him that we were going to go through a trial – not that this seemed like a terrible thing for him to go through. I was glad for that.

"So," he announced, clearing his throat. "Here's the plan: tonight Edward falls in love with you and the spell will be broken before midnight. Or however this weird, hippy magic stuff works."

"Jake…" I didn't want to hurt him by bringing up his happy family life here, but I had to be sure he would be okay. Maybe his trial was going to be harder than I'd imagined. Maybe his trial wasn't in having to live with his perfect family, but rather having to leave them. "Did you say goodbye?"

"No," he muttered. "I know it's not really real. It was all just a pleasant fantasy."

"You're a good friend," I said as I held on to his arm, squeezing it. "I'm so glad that I'm not all alone here. It feels like I am sometimes, though."

"You mean when Edward doesn't give you the time of day at school?"

"Yes! And whenever I see Cindy." The way she always clung onto Edward and made kissy faces in his direction drove me nuts. I didn't know how much more I could stand before I would rip my hair out of my head. "And then there's Alice, who ignores me like I'm the plague. She isn't even polite here. She's stuck up and mean to everyone."

"He will love you, Bella," he promised me gently. "Who could resist? Besides, look at that dress!"

I punched his arm when he started snickering.

"It's just a bit much," he chortled. "You really want to get your man, huh?"

"Renee picked it out," I asserted. "Believe me, I had nothing to do with this!"

"Good, because it makes you look like a lacey cake!"

I punched his arm again.

"Come on," he said as he parked the car. "Let's go give Forks High a run for their money."

I felt nervous as we entered the school. I looked around, hoping to see Edward, and was disappointed when Alice and Cindy approached us.

"Bella," Alice chirped. "That sure is a nice dress." I didn't think that I would ever be able to get used to her new accent.

"Thanks, Alice."

"Yeah. Not as pretty as my sister's, of course, but it'll do for the occasion, I suppose." With that, they both walked off with their noses high in the air.

"What was that," Jake asked.

"I told you they were snooty. This Alice doesn't like me at all."

"I can see that. Gee, one might think you'd run over their cat or something!" We both laughed, knowing that there was nothing else we could do but let their insults roll off of us. "So, can I twirl you around the dance floor in your layered cake dress for a few songs?"

"That's what we're here to do, isn't it?" I curtsied in the lavish gown as he bowed in an exaggerated way. We didn't care what anyone thought of us.

"High school," he snickered. "I forgot how uptight and nervous everyone is. I don't detect a single ounce of self esteem from anyone around us."

I giggled at that. We had fun dancing to all of the upbeat songs, overdoing our dance moves in embarrassing ways. We were enjoying our third dance together when Wild Horses started to play and the lights dimmed.

"Remember this one," he asked as he pulled me toward him.

"Our song," I said sarcastically. "How could I ever forget?"

"I used to play this song over and over again after we danced together that night."

I laughed teasingly.

"No, really," he insisted. "I once truly believed that we were meant to be together. Of course, I didn't take into account what you wanted back then. I'm sorry for that."

"No, it's okay. I'm glad that everything turned out how it did, Jake."

"It's just that I caught myself thinking a few times this week about what if all of this could be how it really was instead? What if I could have my mom back and my sisters could be happy, and what if you and I…"

Just then, Edward approached us.

"Mind if I cut in," he asked.

Jake handed me over.

"Bella," he said cordially, not making eye contact.

"Edward."

The song ended and a strange sort of waltz started to play.

"You look very lovely tonight," he said. I scoffed, not sure that he really meant that. "You don't believe me?"

"I don't know what to believe," I replied. Why did he want to dance with me all of a sudden after spending an entire week either shooting me dirty glances or ignoring me?

"I don't know if the fellow who brought you here is really your type."

"Not my type?" I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at his cold statement. He didn't even know Jake. "And what about your type?!"

"You are referring to Cindy, of course." His remaining calm as he spoke made me feel even more hysterical.

"Of course! How did you even meet her? How long have you been married?"

"Cindy and I are not married."

"But you are together…"

"She is a very good sort of girl."

"What has stopped you from marrying her?"

He twirled me around all of a sudden, not keeping in time with the rhythm of the song that played.

"She would prefer we get married," he replied. "I've known that for quite some time, really."

"Is there something holding the two of you back?"

"You certainly do ask a lot of questions, Miss Swan." He shot me a cold glance.

"And you certainly don't like to hand out answers, Edward Cullen." I gave him a mean look in return.

"Masen."

"What?"

"It's Edward Masen."

"But isn't Carlisle your father figure?"

"I have a mother for a parent, Bella. Carlisle plays the part of her crazy, drunk brother."

"You mean he's not a doctor here in town?"

He chuckled at the thought of it. "Why, no. Carlisle would never have the restraint… I mean, for heaven's sake, Bella, we are vampires, after all."

"But you are vegetarians."He looked at me like he had no idea what I could be talking about. "Vegetarians," I said again, as if repeating the word could reveal its definition. "You don't drink human blood," I whispered sharply.

Again, he chuckled. "You and your strange ideas!"

"Edward," I said, stopping in the middle of the dance. "You do abstain from human blood, don't you? Your eyes, after all, are brown."

"My eyes were once green, and now they're red. Brown is the color of the contact lenses that we selected because they hide that fact best."

"Edward, please, tell me what has happened."

He told me all about this world. It was a place where Carlisle never became the good, temperate vampire that he had been in my world. Edward and his mother happened to run into him, though he could hardly remember where. Alice and Cindy showed up one day out of the blue. There was no Esme at all here.

"What about the Denali's?" He looked at me like he was waiting for me to explain who they were. "Or the Volturi?"

"Ah," he smiled. "Alas, something I know. Yes, Aro and Marcus have reigned on that old throne for over a thousand years."

"And Caius?"

"Caius?" Again, he looked puzzled.

"Yes. The third member of the Volturi."

"I'm sorry, you have it wrong. There isn't a third. The Volturi are a pair of kings sitting on what they think is the Vampire Throne. They like to think they're in charge of everything, not that very many of us pay them any attention."

"Can you read minds?"

"Bella," he laughed. "Of course I can't read minds! What a strange question!" He continued to laugh. "It's a real hit and miss with you, isn't it? You're right about half the things insofar as I and my family are concerned, but you do have some outrageous notions, if I may speak plainly. How is it that you know the things you do know, anyway?"

"Does Alice have visions of the future?"

"Visions…" He held on to the idea of it for a moment, as if considering what to say on the matter. "She used to have quite a few visions, but they were very random. The things that she saw would sometimes pan out, and sometimes not. These days she has strong inclinations, but she hasn't seen anything by way of vision for a very long time."

"What's holding you back with Cindy," I asked suddenly. "Why not marry her if you love her?"

He was caught off guard. "I…"

"Is it that you know, deep inside of you, that she isn't the one?"

The lights came up and the music got louder and faster. We stood there in the middle of the dance floor, both unsure of what to do next, as everyone danced around us.

Then I caught a glance of a strawberry blonde out of the corner of my eye.

"Tanya," I shuddered. What could she be doing here if Edward had never known the Denali's in this strange land? I turned to go find her. She had woven her way through the crowd of dancers.

"Who's Tanya," Edward asked, pulling my arm to make me stay with him.

"Tanya Denali," I explained. "She's from another world where you and I are husband and wife. She is out to destroy our entire family!"

I turned to go again, but he pulled me back once more. This time our lips were very close together. His eyes were fixed on mine and somehow tender all of a sudden.

"I've always known deep inside that Cindy wasn't the one," he said quickly.

"Edward…"

I saw Jake in the distance. Tanya was headed right for him, and my body startled as I realized that she was not a random Tanya from this different world. I rushed over to Jake to warn him about her being here.

"Jake," I said, pushing through the crowd to make my way between the two of them. "Tanya!"

"I know," he said. "She's here."

"Have you considered my offer," she asked him. She played with a lock of his hair in a flirtatious way as she locked eyes with me, obviously pleased by my confusion.

"Her offer," I asked Jake. "What does she mean?"

"Deep down," Tanya explained, "Jacob resents that supernatural things ever played a part in his world. He feels that the two of you might have been together if Edward hadn't existed at all. And it would be hard for him to put his father back into a wheelchair and his mother back into the ground where he left her if he returned to your world. Fact is, Bella, he likes it here better."

"Is this true," I asked him. Why did I even bother? Of course he preferred this false fantasy land compared to the life he had as a young man in our real world.

He looked ashamed. "Bella…"

"None of this is really real," I cautioned him. He didn't answer. He just looked down at his feet. "You admitted that they're not real. You don't really have your mother, Jake. She isn't really here. Somehow, she seems to be here, but..."

"They feel real," he countered. "It feels like home here."

"You have a home, Jake! You have a wife! What about Jen? And what about the baby boy you have on the way?"

"He doesn't need them," Tanya interjected. "Not when he could have all this! Jen will find happiness in this world, too, Jacob. You have my guarantee. And Bella will be the girl she was designed to be here. She'll be a cheerful girl who had a lovely childhood with both of her adoring parents. And I'll remove Edward and any trace he might have ever left in Forks so that nothing and no one will ever stand in the way of your being together. Bella will be happy, you will be happy. Why, the pair of you will have been designed for one another! You'll have your whole life to look forward to with all of your family alive and well! Don't try to tell me that you're willing to let all of that go, Jacob?"

"Jake?!" He couldn't seriously be considering this! "What do you want to do?"

He stood there a moment, thinking. Then he hugged me. "I want to find Jen. I want to marry her all over again. And then I want to kick Tanya's ass."

He turned toward her and sharply declined her offer. She started screaming as the skin on her face peeled back and her hair turned wild and rough. Her fluid movements transitioned into abnormal, strobe light motions. She stepped toward us, pointing her crooked, broken finger at him.

"You'll regret this, Jacob Black," she warned. All of the silky beauty in her voice was now gone. "I'll make sure of it! I'll ruin you all, yet! Don't think you've escaped!"

The school dance faded away and everything turned dark.