diff -u b/js/misc/dialog.ajax.js b/js/misc/dialog.ajax.js
--- b/js/misc/dialog.ajax.js
+++ b/js/misc/dialog.ajax.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
       // dialogs. Non-modal dialogs are responsible for creating their own
       // elements, since there can be multiple non-modal dialogs at a time.
       if (!$('#drupal-modal').length) {
-        $(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModal()).appendTo('body');
+        $('<div id="drupal-modal">').appendTo('body');
       }
 
       // Special behaviors specific when attaching content within a dialog.
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@
      */
     prepareDialogButtons: function ($dialog) {
       var buttons = [];
+      $dialog.find('.form-actions').css({'height' : '0 !important', 'overflow':'hidden'});
       var $buttons = $dialog.find('.form-actions :input[type=submit]');
       $buttons.each(function () {
         // Hidden form buttons need special attention. For browser consistency,
@@ -107,19 +108,14 @@
     if (!response.selector) {
       return false;
     }
-
     var $dialog = $(response.selector);
     if (!$dialog.length) {
       // Create the element if needed.
-      $dialog = $(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModal({ id: response.selector.replace(/^#/, '') })).appendTo('body');
+      $dialog = $('<div id="' + response.selector.replace(/^#/, '') + '"/>').appendTo('body');
     }
     // Set up the wrapper, if there isn't one.
-    var id = $dialog.attr('id');
-    if (response.selector === '#' + id) {
-      response.selector = '#' + id + '--body';
-    }
-    else if (!ajax.wrapper) {
-      ajax.wrapper = id + '--body';
+    if (!ajax.wrapper) {
+      ajax.wrapper = $dialog.attr('id');
     }
 
     // Use the ajax.js insert command to populate the dialog contents.
@@ -133,19 +129,10 @@
       response.dialogOptions.buttons = Drupal.behaviors.dialog.prepareDialogButtons($dialog);
     }
 
-    response.dialogOptions = response.dialogOptions || {};
-
-    // Create the dialog object
-    var dialog = Drupal.dialog($dialog.get(0), response.dialogOptions);
-
-    // Bind dialogButtonsChange.
-    $dialog.on('dialogButtonsChange', function () {
-      var buttons = Drupal.behaviors.dialog.prepareDialogButtons($dialog);
-      $dialog.modal('option', 'buttons', buttons);
-      dialog.createButtons($dialog, buttons);
-    });
 
     // Open the dialog itself.
+    response.dialogOptions = response.dialogOptions || {};
+    var dialog = Drupal.dialog($dialog.get(0), response.dialogOptions);
     if (response.dialogOptions.modal) {
       dialog.showModal();
     }
@@ -153,8 +140,14 @@
       dialog.show();
     }
 
+    // Bind dialogButtonsChange.
+    $dialog.closest('.modal').once('openDialog').on('dialogButtonsChange', function (e, $context) {
+
+      var buttons = Drupal.behaviors.dialog.prepareDialogButtons($dialog);
+      Drupal.dialog($dialog).createButtons($dialog, buttons);
+    });
     // Add the standard Drupal class for buttons for style consistency.
-    $dialog.parent().find('.ui-dialog-buttonset').addClass('form-actions');
+    // $dialog.parent().find('.ui-dialog-buttonset').addClass('form-actions');
   };
 
   /**
@@ -172,12 +165,6 @@
     var $dialog = $(response.selector);
     if ($dialog.length) {
       Drupal.dialog($dialog.get(0)).close();
-      if (!response.persist) {
-        // Wrap this in a timer so animations can finish.
-        setTimeout(function() {
-          $dialog.remove();
-        }, 1000);
-      }
     }
 
     // Unbind dialogButtonsChange.
@@ -203,6 +190,7 @@
     }
   };
 
+
   /**
    * Binds a listener on dialog before creation to setup title and buttons.
    *
@@ -223,11 +211,6 @@
 
     // Remove any existing buttons.
     $element.find('.modal-footer').remove();
-
-    // Add new buttons.
-    if (settings.buttons && settings.buttons.length) {
-      dialog.createButtons($element, settings.buttons);
-    }
   });
 
   /**
diff -u b/js/misc/dialog.js b/js/misc/dialog.js
--- b/js/misc/dialog.js
+++ b/js/misc/dialog.js
@@ -60,91 +60,111 @@
    * @return {Drupal.dialog~dialogDefinition}
    */
   Drupal.dialog = function (element, options) {
-    var elementIsString = typeof element == 'string';
     var $element = $(element);
-    if (elementIsString) {
-      $('body').append(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModal({'title': options.title || ''}));
-    }
+    var dialog = $element.data('drupalDialog') || {
+      open: false,
+      returnValue: void(0),
+      options: options,
+      show: function () {
+        alert('non-modal/movable dialog not yet supported.');
+      },
+      showModal: function () {
+        openDialog({show: true});
+      },
+      close: closeDialog,
+      createButtons: function($element, buttons) {
+        createButtons($element, buttons);
+      }
+    };
+    options = $.extend(dialog.options, options);
 
     function openDialog(settings) {
       settings = $.extend({}, drupalSettings.dialog, options, settings);
+
+      // Get the modal and add the content
+      var $modal = getModal();
+      $modal.find('.modal-body').html($element);
+
+      // Add new buttons. jQuery UI dialog widget handles this in core.
+      if (settings.buttons && settings.buttons.length) {
+        dialog.createButtons($element, settings.buttons);
+      }
       // Trigger a global event to allow scripts to bind events to the dialog.
       $(window).trigger('dialog:beforecreate', [dialog, $element, settings]);
-      $element
-        .modal(settings)
-        .on('shown.bs.modal.drupal', function () {
+      $modal
+        .modal(settings).once('bootstrapModal')
+        .on('shown.bs.modal.drupal', function (e) {
           dialog.open = true;
           $(window).trigger('dialog:aftercreate', [dialog, $element, settings]);
         })
-      ;
-    }
-
-    function closeDialog(value) {
-      $(window).trigger('dialog:beforeclose', [dialog, $element]);
-      $element
-        .on('hidden.bs.modal.drupal', function () {
-          dialog.returnValue = value;
+        .on('hide.bs.modal.drupal', function(e) {
+          $(window).trigger('dialog:beforeclose', [dialog, $element]);
+        })
+        .on('hidden.bs.modal.drupal', function (e) {
           dialog.open = false;
+          settings.close(e);
+          $modal.find('.modal-body, .modal-footer-buttons').empty();
           $(window).trigger('dialog:afterclose', [dialog, $element]);
+          $element.remove();
         })
-        .modal('hide');
+      ;
+    }
 
-      if (elementIsString) {
-        window.setTimeout(function() {
-          $element.remove();
-        }, 2000);
-      }
+    function closeDialog(value) {
+      getModal().on('hidden.bs.modal.drupal', function () {
+        dialog.returnValue = value;
+      }).modal('hide');
     }
 
     function createButtons($element, buttons) {
+      console.log('create buttons');
       buttons = buttons || options.buttons;
+      var $modal = getModal();
 
       if (!buttons) {
-        $element.find('.modal-footer-buttons').remove();
-        if ($el = $element.find('.modal-footer').is(':empty')) {
+        $modal.find('.modal-footer-buttons').remove();
+        if ($el = $modal.find('.modal-footer').is(':empty')) {
           $el.remove();
         }
         return;
       }
 
-      var $footer = $element.find('.modal-footer');
+      var $footer = $modal.find('.modal-footer');
       if (!$footer.length) {
-        $footer = $('<div class="modal-footer-buttons">');
-        $(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalFooter('', true)).append($footer).appendTo($element.find('.modal-content'));
+        $footer = $(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalFooter('', true)).appendTo($modal.find('.modal-content'));
+      }
+
+      var $buttons = $footer.find('.modal-footer-buttons');
+      if (!$buttons.length) {
+        $buttons = $('<div class="modal-footer-buttons">').appendTo($footer);
       }
       else {
         // Remove any existing buttons
-        $footer = $footer.find('.modal-footer-buttons').empty();
-      }
-
-      if ( $.isEmptyObject( buttons ) || ( $.isArray( buttons ) && !buttons.length ) ) {
-        this._removeClass( this.uiDialog, "ui-dialog-buttons" );
-        return;
+        $buttons.empty();
       }
 
       for (var i in buttons) {
         if (!buttons.hasOwnProperty(i)) continue;
         var button = buttons[i];
         $('<button class="' + button.class + '">' + button.text + '</button>')
-          .appendTo($footer)
+          .appendTo($buttons)
           .on('click', button.click);
       }
     }
 
-    var dialog = {
-      open: false,
-      returnValue: void(0),
-      show: function () {
-        openDialog({show: false});
-      },
-      showModal: function () {
-        openDialog({show: true});
-      },
-      close: closeDialog,
-      createButtons: function($element, buttons) {
-        createButtons($element, buttons);
+    function getModal() {
+      var $modal = $('#drupal-bootstrap-modal');
+      if (!$modal.length) {
+        // Create the modal wrapper
+        $modal = $(Drupal.theme.bootstrapModal({'title': options.title || ''}));
+        $modal.attr({id: 'drupal-bootstrap-modal'});
+        $('body').append($modal);
       }
-    };
+      return $modal;
+    }
+
+    $element.data('drupalDialog', dialog);
+
     return dialog;
   };
 
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/js/modal.js
+++ b/js/modal.js
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@
     var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1);
 
     // Modal jQuery Plugin Definition.
-    return function (option, _relatedTarget) {
+    return function () {
+      var args = [].slice.call(arguments);
+      var option = args[0] ? args[0] : false;
       var ret = void(0);
       this.each(function () {
         var $this   = $(this);
@@ -40,8 +42,10 @@
         var options = $.extend({}, Modal.DEFAULTS, $this.data(), typeof option == 'object' && option);
 
         if (!data) $this.data('bs.modal', (data = new Modal(this, options)));
-        if (typeof option == 'string') ret = data[option].apply(data, args);
-        else if (options.show) data.show(_relatedTarget);
+        if (typeof option == 'string') ret = data[option].apply(data, args.slice(1));
+        else if (options.show) {
+          data.show(args[1] ? args[1] : undefined);
+        }
       });
 
       // If just one element and there was a result returned for the option passed,
@@ -86,7 +90,7 @@
       if (settings.modal_animation) {
         classes.push('fade');
       }
-      output += '<div id="' + variables.id + '" class="' + classes.join(' ') + '" tabindex="-1" role="dialog">';
+      output += '<div class="' + classes.join(' ') + '" tabindex="-1" role="dialog">';
 
       // Build the modal-dialog wrapper.
       var dialogClasses = ['modal-dialog'];
@@ -103,7 +107,7 @@
       output += Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalHeader(variables.title, variables.closeButton);
 
       // Build the body.
-      output += Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalBody(variables.id + '--body', variables.body, variables.description);
+      output += Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalBody(variables.body, variables.description);
 
       // Build the footer.
       output += Drupal.theme.bootstrapModalFooter(variables.footer);
@@ -142,9 +146,9 @@
      * @return {string}
      *   The HTML for the modal close button.
      */
-    bootstrapModalBody: function (id, body, description) {
+    bootstrapModalBody: function (body, description) {
       var output = '';
-      output += '<div id="' + id + '" class="modal-body">';
+      output += '<div class="modal-body">';
       if (!description || !$.isPlainObject(description)) {
         description = { content: description};
       }