"I can't believe you and Alice roped me into this."

Evelyn grinned, zipping up the back of Bella's flowy blue dress for her as the pair stood in front of a mirror. "Actually, it was Edward's idea. He seemed really excited to go for some reason."

Bella scowled as she scanned herself up and down. "Of course he was. He's on this kick about me having every human experience known to man, even if I don't want it. It's so frustrating, he's being so impossible."

"Well, now you know how I feel when I talk to him."

"Oh shut up," Bella chided, turning around and slapping her shoulder playfully. "You two are as close as actual siblings, don't act like you don't like him at least a little bit."

Evelyn turned her back to her friend, stifling her smile as she adjusted her own dress. "I don't have to act, Bells." At Bella's exasperated sigh, she laughed, and narrowly avoided being hit by one of Bella's makeup brushes.

Once she made sure Bella's hair and makeup were perfectly in place, Evelyn made her way to the full length mirror on her bedroom door to fix any last minute imperfections of her own. She had carefully arranged her hair into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, leaving a few curled pieces out to frame her face. Small sparkly pins stuck out from the bun to add a bit of glamour, and she had kept her makeup simple since she didn't like wearing it normally, anyway.

Her favorite part was her dress. Jasper had come over to her house a week before with a dark garment bag, and when she opened it she had found the dress she had tried on in Port Angeles just a few months prior. At first, she had argued with him about it because she knew how much it had cost, but in the end Alice and Jasper had both managed to convince her to wear it. If she was honest with herself, she was secretly giddy that they had thought of her; this was her first prom, and the dress would make it absolutely perfect.

The navy dress looked just as nice on her as it had when she first tried it on. The sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves showed just enough skin, and the skirt clung to the rest of her body in just the right places. Even her black arm cast didn't ruin the look, and she smiled to herself as turned back and forth, tugging at the dress now and then to make sure it looked just right.

Evelyn's eyes fell to the faint outline of teeth on her right shoulder. It was just barely visible to the human eye in normal light, but she had discovered that when the sun shone directly on it it sparkled in iridescent colors as if she were a vampire. She absentmindedly lifted her fingers to the raised skin, gently tracing over the soft ridges that James had permanently etched onto her body. It was oddly always just a few degrees colder than the rest of her body, and she often found herself touching it when she was lost in thought.

More than once in the month since she got her scar had she wondered what would have happened had Rosalie not intervened. She would have had to leave everyone behind; Marie, Charlie, and her friends from school would have become distant memories as she distanced herself from them to protect her secret. She knew that Jasper and the Cullens would have been there for her, but nothing could have eased the pain of leaving her human life for good; of that, she was sure. And she knew that if she had changed, her desire for human blood would have made her do unthinkable things. Truthfully, Evelyn did not have the slightest desire to become a vampire. She loved her life and family too much to just let it slip away, especially when she had a choice.

"Evelyn, are you even listening to me?"

"Hmm?" She hummed in response, her friend's voice drawing her out of the far corners of her mind. She dropped her hand to her side, turning to Bella.

"I said, we should probably get going. I can hear Marie getting impatient downstairs."

Evelyn grinned, grabbing her clutch off the bed. "Well then we shouldn't keep them waiting. Shall we?"

The two girls went slowly down the stairs, Evelyn hovering by Bella like a nervous mother because of her enormous leg boot. When they came into view of the living room, Evelyn couldn't help the smile on her face when she saw her aunt adjusting Jasper's tie and brushing imaginary dust from his shoulders. He looked slightly uncomfortable at the attention, but he had a polite smile on his face as he spoke quietly to her. Ever since Marie had finally met Jasper, it was as if he was all her aunt could talk about. Evelyn had been right when she told him that Marie would adore him, and she was not surprised to see her fussing over him as if he were her own son.

Jasper was the first to look up at them as they descended the stairs. As his eyes met hers she could visibly see him relax and his eyes soften, and she felt her cheeks flush pink.

The loud thunk of Bella's boot on the wood floor drew the attention of Marie, Edward, and Charlie, and suddenly Evelyn's aunt was throwing her arms around her and pulling her in for a bone-crushing hug.

"Evvy, you look so beautiful! And so do you, Bella!Charlie, don't they look so pretty?" her aunt gushed, pulling away and wrapping her arms around Bella. Evelyn bit back a laugh as Bella froze under Marie's touch, unsure of what to do with the physical affection.

Marie suddenly jumped, releasing Bella and turning towards the kitchen. "Oh shoot, I forgot about the camera. I'll be right back!" She hurried out of the living room and into the kitchen, and the sound of her rummaging through the cabinets echoed through the entire house.

Cold fingers on her wrist pulled Evelyn's attention from Bella, and she felt her heartrate quicken as she met Jasper's intense gaze. He brought her hand slowly to his mouth, gently brushing his cool lips across the sensitive skin on the back of her hand. She knew her face must be bright red by now, and she had the sneaking suspicion that he was doing this on purpose. She knew that he knew the effect that he had on her, but still she couldn't be mad when he did things like this.

"You look radiant, darlin'" he complimented, pulling her closer. She smiled, reaching up to brush a strand of blond hair from his eyes.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Evelyn answered, stretching up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for being my prom date."

Jasper grinned, his dimples flashing. "I wouldn't miss this for the world." He held her gaze for a moment, enjoying the flurry of warmth and love emanating from her as he listened to the flutter of her heart. He lowered his eyes, breaking the spell before he spoke. "I have something for you."

He moved his other arm from behind his back, revealing a clear plastic box. When he held it up to Evelyn, she saw that it contained a corsage and boutonniere, both made of white roses and navy blue ribbon.

"Jasper, they're beautiful," she whispered as he effortlessly slid the corsage onto the wrist that was not covered by a cast. She marveled at how careful he was with her now as his fingers gently brushed over her skin, and she couldn't help but beam with pride at how far his self-control had come.

He handed her the boutonniere, and with slightly shaky hands she tried to attach it to his lapel. She fumbled awkwardly with the delicate accessory, her cast making it unnecessarily difficult to pin it on.

"I can help you, if --"

"No, I can do it," Evelyn retorted, narrowing her eyes as she focused.

"So stubborn," he teased, tracing circles on her waist with his thumb as he watched her struggle with the boutonniere.

After a few more seconds, she leaned back to admire her handiwork. "And... done!" She said cheerfully, choosing to ignore Jasper's previous comment. The pair grinned at each other, and in this moment with Jasper's arms around her surrounded by her family, her heart swelled with pure joy.

A sudden click and flash from beside them made her jump in surprise. Evelyn frowned, turning to see Marie holding her camera with a knowing grin on her face.

"Don't look so annoyed, Ev. You'll thank me for the memories, later," Marie teased, raising her eyebrows. She turned to Edward and Bella, who were engrossed in conversation on the other side of the room. "Come on, you two, we need pictures! Bella, don't look at me like that. Your mother would kill me if I let you leave here without taking any."

They spent a few minutes posing for the camera to appease Marie, and then it was time to go.

"I'll take good care of her, Chief Swan," Edward said, nodding respectfully at Charlie.

Charlie's eyes narrowed as he glanced between both of the Cullens. "I've heard that before," he muttered, not bothering to hide his dislike for the two boys in front of him.

Marie scoffed, swatting Charlie's shoulder with her hand. "Don't be such a grump, it's just prom."

"It was just a date, last time," he grumbled in response, clearly not convinced.

Marie rolled her eyes, and began ushering the group outside. Just as they were heading out the door, Charlie motioned for the girls to hang back for a moment. Evelyn exchanged an amused look with Edward before he and Jasper went outside to start their cars.

Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly, and Evelyn eyed him curiously. "I just wanted you to know that I put new cans of pepper spray in your bags."

"Dad," Bella groaned, and Evelyn looked in her clutch to check. Sure enough, a brand new can was nestled neatly at the bottom. How had she not noticed it? She didn't know how Charlie could have been so sneaky, but she wasn't annoyed like Bella. Evelyn missed having a father to be overprotective of her, and she couldn't help but appreciate Charlie's efforts, even though pepper spray can't do much against a vampire.

"And," he started, looking between them sheepishly, "— you look beautiful. You both do."

Evelyn smiled, stepping around Bella to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Charlie. We'll see you later."

Charlie had stiffened under her touch, but as she and Bella walked away, out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw him smile.

***

It didn't take long to get to the venue and it wasn't too crowded yet, so Jasper and Edward dropped off the girls at a bench just outside of the building while they went to find decent parking spots for their cars. Evelyn helped Bella limp over to the stone bench and together they sat down to wait. They chatted about the people arriving, giggling when they saw Jessica practically drag an uncomfortable-looking Mike through the doors with Angela and Eric following close behind.

A sudden snapping of twigs from behind them made them jump, but they both relaxed when they saw Jacob Black, dressed in an untucked white dress shirt and messily tied tie, emerge from the trees. "Bella, Evelyn," He greeted, an easy-going smile on his lips.

"Jake, hey!" Bella said, though it was clear that she was surprised that he was here. Evelyn didn't say anything, and she exchanged a confused look with Bella.

Jacob gestured to them awakwrdly. "You guys look.. nice," he complimented, but it was obvious that he was more looking at Bella than Evelyn. Evelyn grinned to herself; somehow, Bella always seemed to attract unwanted male attetnion. First Mike, and now Jacob. She almost felt bad for Edward having to listen to their thoughts. Almost.

Bella smiled back kindly, clearly oblivious to Jacob's little crush. "You too. Are you, like, crashing the prom or something? Did you come with a date?"

Jacob looked between them sheepishly as he walked towards them. "Not exactly." He sat down on the edge of the bench on the other side of Bella. "My dad paid me to come and talk to you guys. Twenty bucks."

"Let's hear it," Evelyn encouraged, wondering what Jacob's father could possibly want from them. She didn't think she had ever even met him.

"Just... don't get mad, okay?" His eyes shifted from Bella to Evelyn, then back to Bella. "My dad wants you guys to break up with your boyfriends. He said... um, quote, 'We'll be watching you.'"

"Hmm," Evelyn said, scrunching up her face. "That's not at all weird."

Bella frowned, clearly unhappy. "Well, tell him thanks. And to pay up."

Jacob laughed, and then the girls joined in. "I'll be sure to do that." When he saw Bella trying to stand up, he jumped up immediately and reached for her. "Here, let me help you -- "

But Edward was already there sliding his arm protectively around Bella's waist and pulling her away from the boy. "Jacob," he greeted, though he did not sound excited to see him. "I'll take it from here."

Evelyn rolled her eyes at Edward's jealousy and smiled in relief when Jasper walked up to them, extending his hand to her to help her stand. She slid easily against his side, but she noticed immediately that he was tense as he and Edward stared at Jacob. She frowned when Jasper also slid a protective arm around her waist, positioning himself slightly in between her and the boy in front of them. It was almost unnoticeable, but this was definitely not normal. Why would Jasper have a problem with Jacob?

"We'll see you later, Jacob," Evelyn said, offering him a kind smile. He nodded once, staring after Edward and Bella who had already started walking away, before disappearing back into the trees.

They caught up to Edward and Bella easily due to her slow pace, and Edward smirked as he and Jasper shared a look. "We leave you alone for two minutes, and the wolves descend." They grinned as if they had shared some sort of inside joke. Evelyn pursed her lips, hating when Edward purposely left them out of the loop. She would ask him or Jasper about it later.

The first hour of the dance went by in a blur. They greeted their friends, spent time taking more pictures with everyone, and Evelyn had even managed to get Jasper to dance with her on the edges of the circle so as not to overstimulate his senses.

Towards the end of the night, Jasper led her outside towards a gazebo glowing with hundreds of string lights. Edward and Bella were the only ones outside, and they seemed to be lost in their own world as they danced in the warm light.

Evelyn blushed as he pulled her close, careful not to disturb her broken arm, and slowly began swaying to the soft rhythm of the music emanating from inside.

"I never thought you'd be such a fan of dancing," She teased lightly, staring up into his beautiful golden eyes.

He smiled, taking the moment to twirl her under his arm before pulling her close again. "I'm not usually, but I had a feeling that you would like it."

She nodded, her smile growing. "Well you were right." She paused, and he took the opportunity to gently brush his lips against hers. It was a ghost of a kiss, but to her it had just as much meaning as anything she had ever felt.

"I love you," she breathed, her eyes fluttering shut as she rested her head on his shoulder. She felt herself being lulled by their soft swaying, the gentle music, and the chill she felt through his tuxedo jacket.

Though she couldn't see him, he smiled, resting his cheek on the top of her head. As he held her so delicately in his arms, felt her heart beating against his chest, and listened to the sound of her soft breaths, he was overwhelmed with the love he had grown for her over the past few months. He knew that he had never loved anything or anyone more than her in his entire existence, and everyday he was shocked that she loved him too. To feel his feelings as well as her own when she was near him was unlike anything he had experienced before. It was like a drug to him, and he felt like there was never enough time in the day to spend with her.

He knew that as long as he lived, he would do anything for her. And as he held her in his arms listening to the quiet beating of her heart, he vowed that he would do anything in his power to protect her.

Even if, when the time came or how much it would hurt him, that meant letting her go.

***
just a reminder to keep reading!! there's an epilogue :)