CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

Bella's POV:

With graduation just a mere handful of days away, Alice decided it was time to go shopping in order to purchase outfits for the post-graduation party she was throwing, and she was determinedly taking both Hermione and I with her. She'd wanted us to go to Seattle shopping, but Edward refused to let her take me there. In fact, he didn't even want me to go without him, but Alice insisted, reminding him that Hermione could have me back to Forks in seconds, should it prove necessary. And then Alice realized the potential of Hermione's apparation, and went all out.

So that's how I found myself in London, at some kind of high-end boutique, browsing through clothes that cost more then my car. Though if I was being truthful, my beloved truck wouldn't have truly cost enough to be the sort of comparison I was looking for- more then Charlie earned in a month was a better explanation of the outrageous costs the garments I was staring hopelessly at would be more sufficient.

"Ooh, what about this one?" Alice asked excitedly, her eyes glued to one of the mannequins. I feel myself shudder, as Hermione looked it over with a critical eye.

"Sweetheart, I'm not sure if that's even legal to wear. There are laws about indecent exposure, you know. And Charlie's a cop. He'd had to have to arrest you." She informed her girlfriend. Alice shot her a cheeky grin.

"If I wore it in public, sure, but at the graduation party I'm throwing, it'll fit right in." she said, confidently. "And besides, it's not for me, it's for you."

I tried not to laugh as Hermione blushed fiercely. The top in question was a light, glittery gray that ended just below one's breasts. It was backless, with just two strings that crisscrossed to hold it on.

"There is no world that exists in which I am wearing that, Alice. In case you've forgotten, I do not wear clothing like that- you don't even wear clothing like that!" She then turned and gave me a glowering look. "And if you think this is so hilarious, just you wait to see what she has planned for you!" She threatened. I instantly stopped laughing and gave Alice a frightened look which she completely ignored, instead giving Hermione the saddest most adorable puppy dog eyes I've ever seen.

"Please? You love me! And you owe me!" She begged, "I'm not beneath pulling that card."

"Owe you? Owe you for what?" Hermione asked, eyeing the top... well, strip of material that covered the globes of your breasts and not much else would be a better way to describe that particular 'top'.

"For the biggest fright of my unlife- you were in a coma." She reminded my sister, and Hermione instantly looked guilty.

"Alice-" she started, but Alice held up a hand.

"Ah, ah, ah!" She interrupted, "no apologizing. Just tell me you'll wear it- I have a fabulous pair of leather pants that will go with it perfectly that you can use some hocus pocus to make fit you or something, and a pair of designer boots. Please, please, please!"

Pulling the top off the mannequin just a touch too roughly, Hermione huffed and marched up to the counter. I could hear Alice clapping for joy and then she turned to me, an evil smirk on her pixie face, and my stomach sunk. "I've picked out the perfect thing for you." She announced. My stomach flipping over in fear, I followed her line of sight and audibly whimpered.

-

On the night of graduation, every item of clothing I owned was strewn across my bed; my drawers and closets were bare. The outfit Alice had bought me for the graduation party was the only exception, looking outrageous even on the shapeless hanger.

My khaki skirt lay over the back of the rocking chair, waiting for me to discover something that went with it just exactly right. Something that would make me look beautiful and grown up. Something that said special occasion.

It was almost time to go, and I was still wearing my favorite old sweats. Unless I could find something better here- and I had to admit the odds weren't looking good at this point in time- I was going to graduate in them.

"How about this?" A familiar voice spoke up from the doorway. I give a surprised shriek and spun around to see Hermione standing there, eyebrow raised, my red blouse held up in her hand.

"It's perfect! You're a lifesaver!" I told her, gratefully, rushing over and grabbing it. She laughed and pulled her wand out of her sleeve, swishing it through the air in a practiced move that had all my clothes soaring through the air and back to their proper places in my draws and wardrobe. "And you're also a neat freak." I add, yanking off my sweats and pulling on the skirt and blouse.

Hermione didn't even try to argue, just laughed again. She looked beautiful, dressed in a black skirt, ballet flats and a pale blue shirt. Her hair was straightened specially for the occasion, and twisted into a half bun, tendrils framing her face. "You look beautiful." I tell her.

"That's my line, Bella." Another familiar voice says. I spin around, this time swallowing my shriek, to see Alice leaning casually beside my now-open window. "Knock, knock." She added with a grin.

"Is it really so hard to wait for me to get the door?" I complain.

"I'm just passing through." She grinned, "nice outfit, by the way."

"Thanks." I smile, surprised by her actually complimenting of my fashion sense.

"I'm guessing Hermione choose it?" she continued, and I scowled.

"Maybe."

"Nice choice, baby." Alice grinned, turning to my sister and blurring across the room so she could pull Hermione into a searing hot kiss that had me looking away in embarrassment.

Thud, thud- a fist hammered against my door. I jumped, but Hermione and Alice were too wrapped up in, well, each other to really care that my father was waiting outside. "Don't come in!" I just about squeaked, not wanting Hermione's secret to be outed by Charlie walking in on her and Alice with their tongues down each other's throats.

Hermione had yet to tell him she was gay and seeing Alice. She wouldn't admit it, but I knew she was nervous that he was going to react badly. After all, Charlie had been born and raised in a small town, and typically those sorts of communities weren't well-known for their acceptance.

"Aren't you ready yet? We're going to be late!" Charlie complained, sounding edgy. Charlie hated occasions just about as much as I did. Something that he hadn't passed on to Hermione, who honestly didn't seem to mind them.

"A-almost! Give me a minute!" My voice is actually shaking, and Charlie was quiet for a moment.

"Is Hermione in there with you? Are you... okay?" He asks, hesitantly.

"Yes, she's in here. And yes, I'm fine. Just nervous." I tell him.

"Okay..." his voice trailed off, and I listened to him clump back to the living room area. Hermione and Alice were still wrapped around each other as I pulled a brush through my hair. I'd been planning on asking Hermione to help me do something a bit more sophisticated with it, but time was up, so it hung straight and boring like any other day.

"These gowns are hideous." Alice grumbled, as I fished the yellow polyester graduation robes out from the bag they'd been kept in and passed one to Hermione. She made a face too, as she pulled it over her head, and I copied her actions.

"I never had a graduation at Hogwarts." Hermione noted, suddenly. "We were all given the option whether or not to go back for another year. I chose not to, though I did sit my NEWT's."

"NEWTs?" Alice asked.

"Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests." Hermione explained, with a wistful smile, "they're the Wizarding equivalent of finals." Alice giggles, softly, even as she squeezes Hermione's hand gently.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come here instead of going back to Hogwarts." She said, warmly.

"Me too." Hermione murmurs, and the way she and Alice look each other in the eye is so intimate, I find myself swallowing and looking away.

Hermione kisses Alice goodbye, and then we both make our way down the stairs to meet Charlie by the front door. "You look nice, both of you." He said, voice already gruff with emotion.

"Thanks dad." I said, smiling at him.

"Thank you Charlie." Hermione said, too.

Edward arrived just a few minutes later with Alice by his side, and she greeted us with an enthusiasm that seemed almost out of place, considering she'd been with us less then five minutes ago.

Charlie had gotten stubborn last week when he'd learned that I was intending to ride with Edward to the graduation ceremony. And I could see his point- parents should have some rights come graduation day. I'd conceded with good grace and Alice, who had been sitting next to Hermione at the time, cheerfully suggested that we all go together.

Since Carlisle and Esme had no problem with this, and because Charlie actually liked Alice and didn't want to offend her, he couldn't come up with a compelling objection. He'd agreed with poor grace, and now I was sandwiched between Edward and Hermione in the back seat, while Alice sat up the front, chatting away a mile a minute with Charlie.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, softly, as he helped me from my seat in the school parking lot.

"Nervous." I answered, truthfully, squeezing his hand tight.

"You are so beautiful." He said, and I blushed bright red, thinking about what he was going to say when he saw what I was going to wear to the party afterwards. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Charlie, in an obvious maneuver that he meant to be subtle, shrugged in between us and put his arm around my shoulders. I scowled at Hermione out of his line of sight as she smirked and put an arm around her girlfriend's waist.

"Are you excited, Bells?" Charlie asked me.

"Not really." I admitted.

"Bella, this is a big deal! You're graduating from high school! It's the real world for you now- college, living on your own... you're not my little girl anymore." Charlie choked up a bit at the end.

"Dad," I said, alarmed, "please don't get all weepy on me!"

"Who's weepy?" he growled, "now why aren't you excited?"

"I don't know," I admit, "I guess it hasn't really hit yet."

"It's a good thing that Alice is throwing this party then," he grumbled, good-naturedly, "you need something to perk you up."

"Sure- a party's exactly what I need." I shudder, and Charlie laughed at my tone, squeezing my shoulders, before turning to Hermione. If he thought there was something odd about the way Hermione and Alice's arms were wrapped around each other's waists, he didn't mention it, instead smiling at my sister.

"What about you, Hermione? Excited?" he asked. Hermione smiled at him, her eyes shining.

"Merlin, yes! I missed my last graduation." She tells him.

"Well, I hope you pass some of that enthusiasm on to your sister." He chuckles. I roll my eyes.

Charlie had to leave us at the back door of the gym and go around to the main entrance with the rest of the parents. It was pandemonium as Ms. Cope from the front office and Mr. Varner the maths teacher tried to line everyone up alphabetically.

"Up the front, Mr. Cullen, Ms. Cullen!" he barked, and Edward pressed a quick kiss to my temples before gliding over to his spot, Alice joining him.

"Hey Bella!" I looked up to see Jessica Stanley waving at me from near the back of the line with a smile on her face. When I didn't move straight away, Hermione gave me a gentle push between my shoulders, and I stumbled forwards a few steps, turned to glare at her, and then made my way down to take my place behind Jessica. Hermione ignored my glare, just winking at me, before she went to find her place among the 'G's.

Jess was babbling to me before I was even in earshot. "...so amazing! I mean, it seems like we just met, and now we're graduating together!" she gushed. "Can you believe it's over? I feel like screaming!"

"So do I." I muttered.

"This is all just so incredible! Do you remember your first day here? We were friends, like, right away! And now I'm off to California and you'll be in Alaska and I'm going to miss you so much!" She droned on and on, and I was pretty sure the sudden return of our friendship was due to graduation nostalgia and gratitude for the party invite, not that I'd had anything to do with that.

But I found myself actually glad that things could end on a good note with Jess. Because it was an ending, no matter what Angela, the valedictorian, had to say about commencement meaning 'beginning' and all the rest of that trite nonsense. Maybe more for me than for the rest, but we were all leaving something behind us today.

It went so quickly that I felt like I'd hit the fast forward button. Were we supposed to march quite that fast? And then Angela was speed talking in her nervousness, the words and phrases swimming together so they didn't make sense anymore... or was that just in my head? Principal Greene started calling names, one after the other without a long enough pause between; the front row of the gymnasium was rushing to catch up. Poor Ms. Cope was all thumbs as she tried to give the principal the right diploma for the right student.

I watched as Alice danced across the stage to take hers, Edward following behind. Only the two of them could carry off the hideous yellow and still look the way they did. They stood out from the rest of the crowd, their beauty and grace otherworldly. When Mr. Greene called Hermione's name, she strode confidently across the stage to accept her diploma. I could feel my palms sweating as I clapped, and I could hear familiar voices hollering her name from the audience, though I couldn't place them in my distracted fretting.

I finally heard Mr. Greene call Jess' name then my name, and I rose from my chairs, waiting for the line in front of me to move. I heard cheering from the back of the gym and looked around to see Jacob pulling Charlie to his feet, both of them hooting in encouragement. On Charlie's other side, Sue was standing, Leah and Seth to her right, and I could just make out the top of Billy's head beside Jake's elbow.

Mr. Greene finished with the list of names and then continued to hand out diplomas with a sheepish grin as we filed past. "Congratulations, Miss Stanley." He mumbled as Jess took hers, "congratulations Miss Swan," he mumbled to me, pressing the diploma into the hand I no longer bothered to try and fake was still injured with the brace- after Hermione healed it and the Cullens found out about her being a witch, Charlie was the only one who wasn't in the know, so I just told him it had turned out to be dislocated, nothing more, and I could take the brace off now.

And that was it.

I went to stand next to Jess with the assembled graduates. Jess was all red around the eyes and she kept blotting her face with the sleeve of her robe. It took me a second to understand she was crying. Hermione managed to squeeze her way over so she was standing next to me, and she was making suspicious sniffing sounds too.

Mr. Greene said something I didn't hear, and then everyone around me was screaming and shouting, and yellow hats were raining everywhere. Hermione elbowed me, and I managed to throw mine just in time, so that it fell to the ground along with the rest.

Hermione then tugged me through the massed yellow gowns as families began to converge, pressing us all tighter together. And then Edward was in front of me, his arms winding around my waist, whispering his congratulations into my ear. I hugged him back, noting the slight subdued note in his voice. He hadn't exactly been in a hurry for me to reach this particular milestone.

"Bella! Hermione! Congratulations my babies!" Charlie crowed, pushing his way past the close-packed families around us. He wrapped his arms around us both, ever so slyly shuffling Edward off to the side as he did so.

Hermione hugged him back, and I tentatively patted his back, surprised by his outward show of affection. "Jacob, Billy, Sue and her kids had to take off- did you see that they were here?" Charlie asked, taking a step back, but keeping a hand on both of our shoulders.

"Yes." I smiled.

"Heard them too." Hermione added, with a laugh.

"It was nice of them to show." Charlie smiled, "so where do you want to go for dinner? Sky's the limit!"

"I can cook!" I protested, but Charlie shook his heard firmly.

"Don't be silly! Do you want to go to the Lodge?" he asked, with an eager smile. I did not particularly- or at all, if I was being honest- enjoy Charlie's favorite restaurant, but I plastered a fake smile on my face and nodded.

"Sure, the Lodge sounds cool." Charlie smiled even wider, and then sighed. He turned his head halfway towards Edward, without really looking at him, but smiling at Alice who was standing next to her brother, a wide smile on her face.

"You coming too Alice? ...Edward?"

"Of course!" Alice beamed, skipping over to Hermione's side and linking her arm through my sister's. "Carlisle and Esme will join us there!"

-

The Lodge was crowded. The place was, in my opinion, overpriced and tacky, but it was the closest thing Forks had to a formal restaurant, so it was always popular for events.

Edward's presence beside me made it a touch more appealing, though, and I think he and the other Cullen's appreciated that in the bedlam it was easier for them to slip the food off their plates and into various purses and pockets, in order to maintain the façade they were 'eating'.

Charlie, Esme and Carlisle were sitting on one side of the table, while us 'teenagers' sat opposite them. Charlie ate way too slowly, in my opinion, he was so busy chatting with both us, and to everyone else across the aisles.

"Charlie, Esme, Carlisle," Hermione spoke up, after Charlie had finished his prime ribs, "Alice and I have something we'd like to tell you." I look over at her, surprised, and she smiles at our dad. "We're dating."

Charlie snorts. "That was supposed to surprise me?" he asked her. Hermione laughs, as Alice wraps an arm over her shoulders.

"Not really, I guess, but I thought I should probably formally announce it." Charlie gives her a fond smile.

"I'm happy for you, hun."

"We are too." Esme speaks up, giving my sister a warm smile, "both of you." This is for Charlie's sake, as both Carlisle and Esme were already quite aware, but the official stamp of approval is still... well, sweet.

"We should head off soon," this is Alice, a bright smile on her face, "Hermione promised to help me finish setting up for the party, and we'll need to duck back to your house to pick up her and Bella's outfit."

"Okay." Charlie smiles, and we all get to our feet. "I'll drive my girls home then around to your place."

"Thank you Charlie." Alice beams.

We make our way out to the car, and I have no doubt that at least one vampire is tailing us on our way home.

When we reach the house, Hermione vanishes up to her room and I gulp. "Worried about the party?" Charlie asks me, with a grin.

"Yeah." I mutter, chewing nervously on my lip. He laughs.

"You were never one for parties."

"Wonder who I got that from?" I grumble, and he reaches over and ruffles my hair.

"Well you look really nice. I'm proud of you, baby. You and your sister both."

"I love you dad." I told him, softly, and he blushed.

"Love you too, Bells. Now go get ready."

"Traitor." I mumble, before making my way up to my bedroom, stripping out of my blouse and skirt, and pulling the dreaded outfit off the hanger in my wardrobe. I grit my teeth, steel my nerves, and then put it on.

The outfit Alice had picked out was nothing like anything I'd usually wear, but it looked amazing on me, I had to reluctantly admit. Alice really was the queen of fashion. The dress was black and skintight, with a red leather belt. Under the dress I wore long red leggings that ended in cuff style black boots, which Alice had the sense to choose flat-soled- with me, any sort of heels were just asking for me to fall.

I applied red lipstick with a hand that shook slightly, as well as a touch of mascara, and put on some fake-diamond earrings. Someone knocked at the door and I yelled for them to come in, hoping it was Hermione.

It was, and the second I saw her my jaw dropped open.

She looked... well, she looked sexy. The glittery grey top clung to her the swells of her breasts, while exposing her smooth stomach and the glittery jewel piercing on her navel. Her pants were tight and black and made out of something that looked suspiciously like leather, matched with knee-high black boots, with four inch heels. Her hair was out, the chestnut curls streaming freely around her face, tumbling over her shoulders, and she had a light, cream-colored bandage covering the scar on her forearm. She was holding, in her hand, a small clutch.

I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"When did you get your belly-button pierced?" Hermione laughed and looked down at her stomach.

"I did it magically a few minutes ago." She answered, "So what do you think? I feel absolutely ridiculous."

"Well, you look amazing." I tell her, and her cheeks go pink.

"You do too, Bella. Are you ready to go?" I look down at myself and cringe.

"Charlie's going to freak out." I tell her, and Hermione gives me a wicked grin, pulling her wand from her clutch. I looked at her, surprised- the bag didn't look big enough to hold a wand. "Undetectable extension charm," she explained, vaguely, before flicking her wand in my direction. A warmth flared over my skin for a second, and then Hermione pocketed her wand.

"Um... mind explaining?" I asked, dryly, when she didn't say anything.

"It's a glamour charm- I already applied one to myself. When Charlie looks at us he'll see that we're wearing nice jeans and halter tops." She shrugs. I nod seriously at her.

"Evil genius." I confirm. She just laughs at me.

"Let's go, Bella."

-

Charlie grumbled as he tried to navigate his way to the Cullens place in the dark, muttering obscenities under his breath that I was pretty sure Hermione and I weren't supposed to hear. "Where's the turnoff, again? Jesus, they ought to clear out their drive- it's damn impossible to find!"

"Just around the next bend, I think." I relay instructions, for the hundredth time, "Alice said she put a map in the invitation, but even so, maybe everyone will get lost." I cheered up slightly at the idea.

"I don't think so," Hermione interjected, amused, "wait till you turn the bend."

As the road curved to the east, the black velvet darkness was interrupted- just where the Cullens' drive should be. Someone had wrapped the trees on either side in thousands of twinkle lights, impossible to miss. "Alice." I said sourly.

"Damn." Charlie said, as we turned onto the drive. The two trees at the entry weren't the only ones lit- every twenty feet or so, another shining beacon guided us toward the big white house. All the way- all three miles of the way.

"She doesn't do things halfway, does she?" Charlie mumbled in awe. "Have fun girls. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Don't do anything..." He trails off, blushing somewhat, and I blush to as I catch on to what he's inferring.

"Dad!" I squeak, shaking my head rapidly. "No! No way!"

"Okay." He coughs, embarrassed.

We stepped out of the car, and I watched my last way of escape drive away. With a sigh, I let Hermione grab my arm and basically drag me up the stairs to endure the party.