Chapter 8

Title: Only Human (8/27)

Author: Amethyst Jackson

Rating: M/NC-17

Category: Drama, Angst, Romance

Pairing: Edward/Bella
Summary: A wish sends Bella back in time to Chicago, 1918, and to a human Edward.

Disclaimer: All this genius belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I’m just having a little fun.

A/N: In this chapter, Edward’s mother magically turns into Alice.

Edward was still asleep when I woke.

I lay watching him for longer than I should, but I was captivated by the little things I’d never been
able to witness before. The way his lashes fell against his cheeks, the same shade as his hair…the
way his breath came out in soft puffs, almost a snore but not quite…the way his eyelids fluttered as
he dreamed.

I wanted to kiss him, to find out what sounds he would make waking up, if he would hold me
tighter as he tried to go back to sleep. But that was a line I wasn’t ready to cross, so I pulled myself
from his grasp and crept out of the room.

I forgot to check if the hallway was clear first.

Elizabeth Masen stood there, arranging flowers in a vase on a small table against the wall. I froze as
she turned to look at me.

“Um…I…this isn’t –“ I stammered, meeting her calm eyes with desperation.

She finally smiled, chuckling. “This may sound very strange to you, Bella, but I trust my son. I
know I raised a gentleman who wouldn’t dare do anything inappropriate with a young lady before
marriage. Besides, I have a very strong feeling about his intentions toward you. I also know that he
wouldn’t choose anyone that wasn’t absolutely worthy, so I trust you, too, Bella.”

I blushed. My significantly more modern parents would not react nearly as well as she had – but
then, there were always double standards when it came to sons and daughters – and I didn’t know
what to say. Elizabeth was so perceptive; too…did she know more about Edward and I than she
was letting on? “Th-thank you.”

“Not at all,” she said, returning to her flowers. “Edward tells me he’s taking you out tonight. I’ve
laid out something on your bed that I think will do. Why don’t you try it on and come show me?
We can make a few alterations if necessary.”

“All right,” I agreed, still trembling a little with relief. I’d felt sure she would call me a harlot and
throw me out of the house.

The dress I found lying on the unmade bed was lovely, a vintage classic – except it wasn’t vintage in
this time. It was a rich, cream-colored, ankle-length gown, loosely draped like the dresses in the
movies… The elbow-length sleeves were trimmed in delicate lace, the same lace with which the
bodice was decorated. The soft satin fabric was bunched on either side, as if holding the dress up
from the floor. It was…absolutely beautiful.

I pulled off my nightgown and slipped the dress over my head. It fell smoothly over my body, and
it was so comfortable. I would have to tell Alice that I wanted to dress 1918-style all the time…

I turned to look at myself in the full-length mirror in the room. The dress showed just a subtle hint
of my body’s shape, just tight enough to reveal that I had hips and a chest. It was sexy, not in the
modern way, but in a way that I knew my Edward would find appealing…and this Edward probably
would, too.

I tentatively reopened my bedroom door and peeked in the hallway. Mrs. Masen had disappeared,
so I crept over to her bedroom door, worried Edward would see. It was open, and she sat at the
vanity table inside.

“Oh, Bella, it’s lovely on you,” she said, turning to face me. She stood abruptly and circled me,
frowning thoughtfully. “We’ll need to raise the hemline just a little bit, but it fits you well.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I stammered. “I mean, isn’t this your dress? If you raise the
hemline –“

“Don’t worry; I wasn’t planning to wear it again, anyway.”

I bit my lip. “You’ve already done so much for me. I don’t want you going to more trouble.”

Elizabeth shook her head, returning to the vanity table to rummage around in the top drawer. “If it
makes you feel better, don’t think about it as me doing this for you. Think of it as something for
Edward.”

For Edward…wasn’t that exactly why I’d come here in the first place?

“Okay,” I smiled tentatively.

“There now,” she said, and I realized she’d retrieved a box of straight pins. I winced. With my
luck, the box would fall and half of them would end up embedded in my skin. “Let’s get this
pinned so I can get to work.”

After lunch, a mere three hours later, she returned the dress to me. I marveled at the neat stitching
along the hem, better than anything I ever could have done.

“Thank you so much,” I enthused.

Elizabeth grinned. “Don’t thank me yet. We still have your hair to do.”
In the end, I let her tend to my hair without a fuss. In less time than I would have thought possible,
she had it pinned up into an elegant formation – I didn’t know what to call it, but it was perfect.

“Are you excited for this evening?” Mrs. Masen asked as she prepared to put make-up on my face.

“I suppose,” I replied. “I don’t really know what to expect.”

“What did Edward tell you?” she asked. She seemed surprised.

“Nothing,” I shrugged. “He said there was a dance and asked me to go…”

This time her eyebrows shot up. Her green eyes glinted with speculation. “It’s more than a simple
dance, I’m afraid. It’s one of the biggest events in the city. One of our acquaintances holds the
party annually. Mr. Masen and I usually attend, but we have another obligation tonight with his
work associates. I can’t tell you how surprised I was when Edward said he planned to
attend…usually he’ll do everything he can to avoid going.”

“Really?” The thread of apprehension wound tight around me, making it a little harder to breathe.
I didn’t mind being with Edward…I didn’t care that he hadn’t told me what a big deal this was.
That was typical Edward, really. But I wasn’t ready to be paraded around high society. I would
make a fool out of myself, and embarrass Edward and his family…I would most certainly fall down
or knock something over and I definitely didn’t know correct manners for this time period…

She knelt before me with what appeared to be lip paint – it couldn’t be called lipstick, because
there was no stick – and then she caught sight of my expression.

“Oh, don’t worry, Bella. It’s just a bunch of society’s elite who have nothing better to do that dress
up and throw parties. They’re not worth impressing – it’s just easier to deal with them if you do.
Just have fun tonight.”

I smiled grimly as she came at me with a brush dabbed in the lip coloring. “I’ll try.”

After shoving my feet into shoes that were too small – and heeled, no less – and putting on the
cream-colored, wrist-length gloves that matched the dress, I let Elizabeth help me down the stairs
to meet Edward.

I saw him before he heard us approach. He was dressed to the nines, sitting at his piano but not
playing. Instead, he fidgeted like any schoolboy. My heart ached a little at the sight.

When he turned to see me, I received the full effect of his attire – a full tuxedo; almost identical to
the one Edward had worn when he’d taken me to prom. His hair was combed neatly and plastered
to his head with…some kind of substance. Pomade? I didn’t know how to tell. But he looked like a
proper gentleman out of the early 1900s. Just like he was.
I met his eager eyes as he took me in and a smile spread across his face. “Very well done,
Mother,” he said without looking away from me. Even I had to admit, the finished effect was
intriguing. With my lips painted red and rouge on my cheeks, I actually felt like I belonged in this
time.

“You’re like something from a dream,” he said, approaching. “I wish I could stop time and keep
you like this forever.”

I almost laughed, it was so ironic. If only he knew that his future self could do just that – or that he
would one day try anything to prevent it.

But I managed to keep a smile plastered on my face and thank him. “You look pretty handsome
yourself.”

He grinned and took my hand. “Shall we?”

I swallowed down my trepidation. “I guess so.”

He led me outside to the black car parked against the curb. I looked it over uneasily. I’d never
ridden in it, and I didn’t really want to – it didn’t look like the cars I knew. Edward just smiled at
my hesitation.

“Are you that afraid of my driving?” he asked, opening the passenger door.

“No. Well, I do hope you keep the speed reasonable,” I said, wondering if Edward’s penchant for
speed had been present in his human life. “But won’t your parents need it tonight?”

He shook his head as he lifted me carefully onto the seat. “No, my parents are hosting dinner at
home.”

I watched him walk around the car and climb in the driver’s side. As he turned the ignition, the
image of him struck me, hard – in his old-fashioned suit, driving his old-fashioned car…Edward
had never looked so much the epitome of 1918. I liked it, I realized. All that time spent arguing
that I wasn’t that girl…but maybe I would have been, in this time and place. Maybe I was more old-
fashioned than I thought.

“So…who are these people?” I asked as the silence wore on. “The ones throwing this party, I
mean.”

“The Benedicts,” Edward replied. Something in his tone triggered a response.

“You don’t like them,” I guessed. I wondered why we were going to this party, then.

“No, no, they’re fine,” Edward sighed, glancing at me out the corner of his eye. “But...well, you
may as well be warned now. They have an…overzealous daughter. I tend to do whatever I can to
avoid her.”
My reflex was to roll my eyes, but I fought it. Of course, girls in every time period were drawn to
my Edward…I shouldn’t be surprised. And I shouldn’t be jealous or insecure, either, I reminded
myself as the old feelings tried to resurface. How many times had Edward told me that he’d never
loved anyone before me? Never even felt a spark of interest. And surely he wouldn’t care for some
girl that continually threw herself at him. That wasn’t at all Edward’s type.

I decided to tease him about it. “So, you decided to take me with you this time as a human shield.”

“No!” Edward cried, quickly defensive. “Until yesterday I had every intention of staying home, as
usual, but I thought it might be pleasant to attend for once with someone whose company I truly
enjoy.”

I couldn’t deny the rush of happiness that followed his words. “Well, still, I’ll be prepared to beat
the other girls away. Can’t leave your virtue unprotected.”

He laughed freely, loudly. “As much as I appreciate that, you, Miss Swan, are the last person who
should be guarding my virtue.” The suggestive hint to his voice made my legs tremble.

“And why is that?” I asked, watching the corner of his mouth inch up in an irresistible smirk.

“Because, Bella, you’re the one woman I would be very much tempted to throw my virtue away
for.”

I gaped at him. The statement was hardly shocking to my sensibilities – I’d been more than happy
to steal my Edward’s virtue, numerous times – but I’d never expected to hear it from this Edward.
Evidently, I’d underestimated the power of his human hormones.

He glanced at me and his smile fell. “I’m sorry; I’ve offended you, haven’t I? I shouldn’t have said
that. It was inappropriate.”

And there he was again, the gentleman. My grin was unstoppable. “No, you haven’t offended me.
Just surprised me, that’s all. Maybe your virtue doesn’t need as much protecting as I thought.”

He laughed and pulled onto a long driveway – I realized we were heading for a massive house, one
that definitely wouldn’t be found in modern Chicago today. A line of cars pulled up to the
entrance where exquisitely dressed couples stepped out in flashes of color.

“No, Bella, I think you’d better get out the sword and shield. My virtue is in definite need of your
assistance.”

He grinned at me, idling in the line of cars, but I felt suddenly nervous. “I think you’d better
remember your promise. Don’t let anyone else dance with me.”

Edward shook his head, smiling faintly as he leaned closer to speak softly in my ear, his tone
delightfully possessive. “Of course I won’t, Bella. It’s in my best interests to guard your virtue, you
know.”
The blood pooled immediately in my cheeks as he moved away again, eying me slyly. I laughed
shakily, trying to give him a stern look, but I knew immediately that I failed. “You will be the death
of me, Edward Masen.”

He merely grinned.