So I completely apologize for my absence lately. But the FF app and site glitched on my end, causing me to lose everything. Every. Single. Chapter. That I had been waiting to post. So, needless to say, I got pissed, took some time off to recover my sanity, and now I'm back.

Here is a new one that I'm playing around with while I try my damndest to recreate my lost chapters.

Enjoy, and as always, review to let me know what you think!

xxxx

Knock, knock, knock.

A groan left her lips and she pulled the covers over her head to block out the obtrusive sound.

Knock, knock, knock.

Her bottom lip jutted out, "Go away..." she pouted quietly.

"Wake up, Birthday Girl.." a voice responded cheerfully. He's smiling. She could tell. Jerk.

"Come back tomorrow. No Birthday this year..."

Knock, knock, knock.

"I'm not leaving."

A drawn out groan left her lips and she threw the covers off of her, swinging the door open and giving him a glare. His smiling face and perfectly messy hair finally softened her and she sighed, "I'm not turning 30. Do you hear me? I'm 29. Again." She threw her body back onto her bed, dramatically.

He raised his hands in surrender, "Forever 29. Got it." He sat on the edge of her bed, "Come on, sleepy head. Emmett and Rose are coming over for some drinks before dinner, and Edward and Alice are meeting us at the restaurant. Tonight is cause for celebration."

"Jasper... I don't feel much like celebrating." Her brown eyes lifted to meet his and he sighed, laying next to her, pulling her close.

"Six months ago, you were dealt the shittiest hand. And I get it, life sucks. But now, you're here. With us. And we want to celebrate. And I still need to get you a gift. Name it and it's yours.."

Bella sighed and attempted to sit up, "You're already letting me live here.. I don't need any gifts."

He pulled her back down, "Letting you live here is nothin'. You keep me company, my house has never been cleaner, and I think I put on about 15 pounds since you moved in and started cooking me real food.."

"Maybe if you ate in moderation..." she grumbled, patting his stomach that was anything but flabby.

"Just think about it. You have until midnight to give me an answer about your gift." He smirked and kissed her forehead before getting up, "Now shower and get ready. We're celebrating whether you like it or not."

Bella groaned and dragged herself to the shower. Standing under the soothing jets of water, she let her mind wander.

xxx

4 Years Earlier...

Feet dangling in the water, her body leaning back against his chest as they sit on the dock, watching their friends in the lake.

His mouth presses against her neck, and a smile plays on her lips. His free hand resting on her upper stomach and his thumb gently caressing the underside of her breast.

He watched her bite into her bottom lip, as he whispered, "Let's escape."

When brown eyes lifted to his emerald green ones, he heard her whisper back, "Again?.."

"I can't have you forget me when you leave next week. I need your body to remember everything about me."

Bella lifted a hand to delicately stroke his stubbled jaw and smiled, "I could never forget you. You're my best friend.. and I trust you with every fiber of my being. And I'm coming back. In a few months. When my job is over."

His thumb and forefinger settled on her chin and brought her lips to his, his mind screaming, What if I want to be more?

She deepened the kiss and turned in his arms, crawling into his lap, her thin bathing suit bottoms allowing her to rub against his growing hardness. A slight groan escaped his lips and he pushed her away, stood up and grabbed her hand, leading a laughing Bella away from the dock and down to their camping area.

Unzipping their tent, he pulled her inside quickly and secured the zipper again. Turning back to her, he found her leaning back on a pillow, her breasts heaving with her deep breathing and excitement. He grinned and crawled over to her, leaning his hulking body over hers, "I want to hear you scream my name. I want that sound burned into my memory forever. And I don't want you to ever forget what it feels like to have me inside you." His hands swiftly pushed his trunks down and off, revealing his massive erection.

xxx

Hearing Jasper speaking on the phone in hushed, clipped tones brings her out of her memory. Bella groans and shuts the water off, toweling dry before getting ready.

A final glance in the mirror gave her a glimpse of the girl she once knew. Her hair was done, long beachy waves flowed down her back, her makeup simple and her eyes exaggerated. Her body hugged by a black, halter neck cocktail dress with a flowy skirt that falls to her mid thigh and shows off her long slender legs. And to top it all off, her favorite Christian Louboutin stilettos that used to drive her ex wild.

The bathroom door opened a crack and a blonde head poked in with a bright smile. Bella grinned and turned to face her, giving a model-esque turn, "How do I look?"

Rose's jaw dropped and she let out a shocked chuckle, "Like someone is looking to get her groove back. Or at the very least, laid tonight."

"Well.. Happy Birthday to me." Bella gave an exaggerated wink and laughed, hugging her friend tightly.

"I've got a big glass of wine with your name on it to get tonight started. Let's go.." Rose took Bella's hand and led her out of the bathroom and down the stairs, where she was met with two wide sets of eyes at the bottom.

"Holy.. Fuck..." Emmett announced, not bothering to hide his shock.

Bella stopped in her tracks and blushed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears. Rose gave Emmett a smack on the arm and laughed, "Stop it. She looks lovely."

Jasper cleared his throat and nodded, "She does. Stunning." He stepped forward and handed her a glass of wine that had her name beautifully etched into the glass.

"A big glass of wine with my name on it..thank you.." she smirked, running her thumb along the etching gently before lifting the glass to her nose to smell the fruity aroma of the wine. Her eyes lifted and took in how close he still was as he lifted his hands to untuck her hair, and gave her a slight wink before stepping back to grab his own bottle of beer.

"A toast.." Jasper raised his bottle. "To a beautiful woman, who is strong, forgiving, loving, and has been through so much. Yet she perseveres no matter what life has thrown at her. You, my beautiful friend, are an inspiration of strength and tenacity. Happy Birthday, Bella." He leaned down and kissed her cheek before clinking glasses together and taking a sip.

Bella smiled slightly and took a long drink of her wine, finishing the glass off quickly. Emmett and Rose glanced at each other and grinned, while Jasper cleared his throat before finishing his drink quickly, "Dinner is at 7.. we should head out in a few minutes.. Coat? It's nice out, but may get chilly later.." he rattled on.

Emmett grinned and nudged Bella with his shoulder, "This is a much better look than your leggings and tank tops. Maybe you'll get lucky tonight..." he stopped quickly and his eyes widened, "But that would be weird. Go to the guys house. Don't bring a guy here." He stage whispered, and Bella caught Jasper's glare.

xxx

The trendy new restaurant was packed full as they were led upstairs to the seating area to eat. Downstairs, people danced, laughed and drank themselves to contentment as the upbeat music made the floor thump.

Drinks and appetizers were ordered and stories shared like usual. Finally, Jasper glanced at his watch, "Edward and Alice are late... again..."

Bella smiled into her glass before taking a sip, "Theyre newlyweds." Rose just beamed up at Emmett, and he returned the look.

Jasper on the other hand, looked clueless, "..And...?"

"And.. they're going to run in here, all disheveled. I'll be surprised if they stay long at all.."

It took a minute to process before Jasper made a disturbed face, "The last thing I needed to think about was my youngest brother having sex with his wife, but thanks for that.." he gave a mock shudder.

"Says the perpetual bachelor." Rose hissed sarcastically, "It would do you good to settle down."

Jasper adjusted his tie and cleared his throat, thankful for the interruption as Alice and Edward rushed to the table, both with satisfied smiles on their faces. Gross.

"So nice of you to finally join us.." A raised eyebrow and the big brother stare down made them both grin sheepishly.

"We are so sorry we're late.. Happy Birthday, Bella, you look fabulous darling.." Alice leaned over and kissed her cheek, followed by Edward doing them same, before he pulled the chair out for his new bride to sit.

"We got caught up with house hunting and then getting ready and.. well... you know how big of a diva Edward is. Anything less than looking perfect is just not acceptable." Alice placed her delicate chin on her palm and looked at her husband adoringly, batting her eyelashes and giving him a perfect smile.

Edward gave her a grin and nodded, "Why settle for less than the best?"

"House hunting? So soon? Planning to expand?" Emmett grinned, knowingly.

"Oh god no." Alice scoffed quickly, making everyone look at her strangely, especially Emmett.

"But I thought... I mean.. you just bought your house a few years ago.. why else would you buy again so soon?"

Edward smiled and held Alice's hand, "Honestly... Alice and I aren't sure that we want to have children. We are quite content with our dogs and us. We just want a better location."

Bella sucked in a quiet breath and forced a smile, "Not everyone needs to start a family. And people are having babies into their fifties now. So it's not like you need to decide right away. It's not like it used to be..." she ended with a whisper. When her eyes lifted, she caught the concerned glances of Jasper and Rose, who looked to each other before Rose rejoined the conversation with the rest of the table. Bella tore her eyes away from his and drained the contents of her glass quickly, feeling the liquid heat her throat.

Their food came and they made quick work of finishing it to join the party downstairs. Jasper handed his credit card to the leering waitress regardless of the protests of the table.

"My plans for the evening, my treat." He smiled, his perfect teeth glistening, his eyes meeting Bella's as he mouthed Happy Birthday.

She tilted her head and gave him a one sided smile as everyone begrudgingly accepted his payment and began throwing money on the table for a tip.

"Alright, alright... it's my Bella-Boo's eternal 29th birthday, we made it into the newest hotspot in the city thanks to Jasper's connections, so I say... it's time to get fucked up." Emmett grinned mischievously, rubbing his hands together.

Edward grabbed a nearby shot girl and hands shots out to everyone, raising his into the air slightly, "To getting fucked up."

Shot glasses clinked together as the 6 of them down their shots quickly, the liquid heating their throats.

xxx

"It goes like this... Never have I ever... kissed a teacher..." Emmett announced proudly, his words slurring slightly. Bella and Rose looked at each other sheepishly and took a drink, their cheeks flushed.

"What??" Jasper laughed, looking at both of them.

Alice announced in a sing song voice, "I know who they wereeeeee."

Emmett said nothing, just stared at his wife, wide eyed.

Bella grinned and shrugged, "Senior year. The night of graduation.. he wasn't that much older than us. And no. It wasn't together." She pointed an accusatory finger at the boys.

Rosalie giggles drunkenly and nods, "Mr. Biers was sooo cute. I really think he liked Bella, but she was off limits." She shrugged innocently, then gasped, "Oh, My God... Bella! You should look him up! See if he's single! You're totally legal now!"

Jasper visually stiffened as he waited to hear her response, his fingers tight around his bottle of beer.

Bella waved her off, "Stop.. he's probably definitely married with a bundle of children by now."

"He totally is.. Saw him at the dog park myself." Alice laughed and shrugged, "Still okay looking, definitely not that fine young hotshot he used to be. Thank god he didn't recognize me." Jasper's body relaxed as he stood, grabbing his drink.

"My turn... never have I ever... had sex in a public place." He grinned mischievously, scanning the faces at the table. Simultaneously, four hands lifted their drinks to their mouths. To his relief, Bella's wasn't one of those hands. When his eyes locked onto hers, she shrugged, "I'm boring, I guess."

Bella raised her glass, "Never have I ever..."

A voice chimed in from behind them, "Oh I've got one. Never have I ever killed someone."

xxx

Let me know what you think!

K