Big College, Bigger Love

Do you believe in love? If so, it's not hard to believe that Bella and Edward are not the only pair of unlikely lovers to cross the blood barrier. It takes strength and trust and courage, but much more than that, it takes passion.

Jess's POV

Let me tell you about life at Penn State University. It is amazing! Don't let anything anyone says, or I say, make you think any different. It's full of spirit and happiness and excitement. It's also a great place to learn a thing or two about engineering or journalism or turf grass management or yourself.

…but….

How come a girl can't smile at a guy at a party without that meaning that she wants to get it on? I mean, come on, some people are in control of there hormones! I'm not saying every guy is like that. I know a lot of people who have very serious wonderful boy friends. The only thing is those people have taken all of those wonderful boyfriends and left me to mercy of the weird kid in my statistics class or the drunken frat boy winking at me from across the room.

You would think with 40,000 undergraduates that there would be one man amongst the boys for me. Not that there aren't enough girls here at Penn State that are willing to follow the winking frat boy up to his room.

So there I was, at this party that I really had wanted to go to. I had been invited via my roommate who had been invited via her friend from work. I was excited. It had definitely been a long week and I could definitely use a drink or two. I wasn't old enough for the bars yet, only just turning 19 this May, but with work giving me more hours than I could really handle, 18 credits, and warming up for THON season, I thought a shot or two might do me more good than harm.

So I stood against the kitchen's island as a very cute guy was chatting me up. I smiled at him cheerily. It had been a while since I'd felt wanted like this. I had just told Ben, this guy I work with, that I liked him. He didn't feel the same. It was ok because he was far too nice and mature to make it affect our friendship but it had rattled me slightly.

I grabbed my roommate to go to the bathroom. As I washed my hands she asked, "So are you going to make out with Adam?"

"I'm not sure," I had answered honestly. "He seems nice enough. I just barely know anyone here and don't want to be remembered as a slut or anything."

She laughed in a way that didn't hurt my feelings but intrigued me, like she knew something I didn't. She quickly filled me in. "There are at least 7 girls in that room who have kissed Adam at a party just like this. It's usually his goal to kiss someone at every party. He kissed Alex once."

And that settled it. I was not going to kiss him. Alex is my best friend. She went to Penn State with me for a year and then transferred. It was really hard to see her go and now school was a bit different without her, a bit lonely, a bit empty. I would not kiss someone my best friend had kissed, even drunk at a party, just because I didn't want to be compared.

Alex is a bit… perfect looking, a bit much to live up to. I usually tried not to be too much like her, to avoid the confusion between being Jessica Mackey and just Alex's friend.

After making this decision, I wanted to leave. He was still flirting and I was trying to be friendly but how am I supposed to feel good turning down a guy that a few minutes ago was making me feel confident. I had a few more drinks and went home. I had work the next day anyway.

As I lay in bed that night, waiting for my tipsy body to let sleep take over, I pondered over how I always attracted that guy, the guy who wanted one night fun. Sighing, I let my lids fall and fell a sleep into dreams so confused that I couldn't recall them when my alarm rang the next morning.

Ken's POV

The year is 2014. I am 21 years old. I have been 21 years old since 1947. I have been to Harvard, Yale, NYU, Stanford, and the University of Alaska and have degrees in Journalism, History, Chemistry, and Hotel Management. I also have a strange diet. I guess you could call me the opposite of a vegetarian, though my friends teasingly call me one. I call myself an orphan because it's the only word that really makes sense because I technically have no family. You could say my favorite thing is traveling since I tend to do that a lot.

Now if we want to be straightforward, you could say I am a nomadic vampire stuck in time at the age of 21 who starves for human blood but settles instead for that of animals. I spilt too much human blood as a soldier; I feel no need to spill more.

So with multiple Ivy League diplomas under my belt, it was time to ponder my next adventure. Would if be a community college or a big fat school? Would it be music major or astrology major with meteorology minor? I wasn't sure yet so I decided to go visit some friends.

I reached Forks at the beginning of October and smiled to see the monstrous Jeep parked in the drive. Good old Emmett was home. We'd gone to Alaska together. He was the one to help me become vegetarian. I went up to the door and knocked once out of formality. My hand had barely touched the door when a new face appeared.

Her face was as beautiful as my own, her amber eyes smiled at me. She has brown hair spilled in graceful curls down her back and a pair of simple diamond studs hung in her ears. I smiled back out of habit. I was too busy trying to imagine whom this new person was to give a greeting. Did the Cullen's sell the house to a new friend? Edward was soon at the door beside this smiling woman putting that idea to rest.

"Kenny!" he said happily, pulling me into his arms for a hug. I smiled as I squeezed him back, patting his back exuberantly. "It's been far too long," he said pulling me away.

"Only 20 years Ed," I had said jabbing him in the arm. "Not since freshman year of Yale when you mysteriously disappeared after the first semester."

He laughed jovially. I watched him almost glow with happiness and then looked over at the smiling brunette. Her eyes were trained on the laughing Edward and then I understood. I glanced very quickly down at her hand where a beautiful, antique, ring was sitting against her pale skin. I looked at her face again and now smiled at her more genuinely.

"Congratulations to you Mrs. Cullen. Never thought I'd see the day Edward would find a vamp to settle down with," I said to her.

"Please call me Bella, and he didn't exactly find a vamp, did you Edward?" she said, her bell like voice ringing in my ears.

My eyes widened as I tried to comprehend the statement. I began to listen for a heart beat. I heard two but both were in the distance and not quite right for human.

Edward responded. "The heart beats are my daughter and her husband. And what Bella means is that originally, what I discovered was not a vamp. Just a human that smelled far too delicious who didn't understand the concept of danger or coordination."

Bella laughed. "As if I'm so coordinated now as a vampire. I swear, I can jump out of windows and glide around with ease but I still always end up tripping on the damn carpet in the living room on a daily basis."

"Well, I've always warned you that it helps to watch where you're walking."

"Yes, and when I do that I walk into something which is oh so much better."

"I can't help you're accident prone characteristics but they are a part of you so I love them no matter how many times you stare up at me from the carpet in the living room." He smiled down at her petite form as she scowled prettily at him, sticking out her tongue.

I watched the exchange in silence, still trying to absorb what he was telling me. A few choice words had thrown me off.

"Daughter? Human?" I asked, drawing their attention from each other.

Bella looked me in the eye before turning to her husband. "Maybe we should let Ness explain."

Edward nodded and beckoned me to follow him. I fell in step behind the two as we crossed the entrance hall. The heartbeats were growing louder, one pumping much faster than normal. As we entered the living room, a foul odor hit my senses and I cringed but followed. I was insanely curious. It was my weakness.

When the pair came to a stop, I followed their eyes to the pair on the couch, a beautiful girl lay curled in the arms of a very large man, most definitely larger than Emmett which was saying a lot.

The pair looked up at us, there eyes quickly looking to me and then back to Edward and Bella. The girl's hand went to the cheek of the man and caressed it softly. He just shrugged and sat up taller, shifting her besides him as opposed to on top of him before standing.

"No, nothing bad Jacob," said Edward to Jacob's thoughts. "This is Kenneth. He's an old college friend of mine and Emmett's."

Jacob nodded at me and I returned his nod. My eyes then shifted to the girl on the couch. She wore a dress of pink satin that played wonderfully against her honey brown eyes and her copper-flaked hair. I watched the pulse point in her neck and blinked twice. I looked from her to Edward to Bella then back to her. There was no doubting these physical similarities.

"How?" I asked dumbfounded. It just didn't seem possible. This child seemed human but couldn't be. And Bella had apparently been a human very recently, and the kind of human whose blood to Edward had smelled all but irresistible. How could any of this be possible?

"All of your questions can be answered by my daughter, Renesmee." Said Edward in response to my voiced and unvoiced queries.

At the sound of her name, this question mark rose from her seat on the couch and strode towards me. She was almost as graceful as her father but seemed somehow slower. She stopped in front of me and smiled. "Is it just me that confuses you or my mother as well?" I looked guilty. "Don't worry about it. Really, it happens all the time with new people coming here. You should have seen all questions the Volturi had for me."

"Volturi?" I said, turning away from this girl who was slightly mesmerizing. I looked to Edward and Bella.

"Don't worry. Things like Volturi visits are so normal for us now. But really, Ness can answer all of your questions much faster and much better than we can." Said Bella, looking proud.

Turning back to Ness, I saw her looking at my face. "Now I am going to touch your face," Ness said extending her hand towards my cheek. "I am sorry if this shocks or frightens you."

And with those words of warning she placed her hand upon my face and I understood. I understood the love and the fighting and the searching and the dangers and the risks and… everything.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, images dancing through my head from Ness's but sooner than I was ready for, her hand pulled away. It wasn't that I didn't have my questions answered, it was just so nice running through memories filled with so much love.

I turned to the man on the couch, well, not exactly a man. "So you're what I smell."

The man, whose name was Jacob, laughed at my comment, not in the least bit offended. "I'm used to being the smelly one around here."

Now with all my questions answered, I was able to enjoy my time in Forks. We sat for most of the night talking. Shortly after speaking with, or I guess sharing memories with, Ness, Alice appeared with Jasper shortly behind. Both greeted me genuinely and joined us in chatting. Carlilse and Esme were at their island and it appeared that Rose and Emmett were out for a quick hunt but would be back before dark. I nodded happily. Emmett had always been my closest friend.

We sat there for a long time and talked until we fell into a comfortable silence, waiting for Emmett and Rose to return. At one point, Edward pulled Bella from her seat and forced her to the piano. She began playing out for Mozart reluctantly with Edward standing behind her, occasionally kissing her shoulder or neck. I watched them in wonder. I had never found my mate. How funny to ponder finding your mate while they're still human. I had never thought to look there. I only hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with the same sort of blood longing that Edward did with his 100 year old brandy. I questioned if I had his strength or patience.

My thoughts were interrupted by Rose and Emmett's return. Rose stopped by the door but Emmett just plowed through the pounced on me, throwing me from my armchair, breaking it in the process. We wrestled until I finally realized there was no hope for me and succumbed. He had just fed and was stronger for it.

"I win," he said rising, looking proud.

"I won last time," I said in response, "and I'm not the one who has to go buy a new arm chair."

With that, we just smiled at each other. The night passed on, everyone picking on everyone, teasing and laughing until Jacob and Ness went upstairs to go to sleep.

As I watched them head up to bed, I pondered what a half human, half werewolf baby would be like.

"I try not to think about it." I heard Edward mutter under his breathe and I laughed.

"But what brings you to Forks anyway Kenny?" asked Emmett curiously.

"I just have some time on my hands," the group laughed at my joke, "and trying to figure out where to go from here."

"You thinking another school?" Asked Jasper, cocking his head curiously.

"One can never have too many degrees."

"So what are you thinking of?" Edward asked.

"You tell me?" I said back with a smile.

He pondered for a second and said, "Seriously?"

I sat for a moment trying to figure out exactly what he had seen. That was something that was both good and bad about Edward. When you think you couldn't make up your mind, he knew what you were really thinking. But then when you really didn't want anyone to know what you were thinking, you couldn't really keep him out."

"You want company?" he asked, clarifying what I should have really already known.

"Yeah."

"What kind of company?" Bella asked, stroking the back of Edward's hand absent-mindedly. "Like a pack or a friend or a mate."

I knew in my heart I kind of wanted all of them and I knew Edward already knew this but I responded with what I felt was honest. "Mostly just a buddy. Another vamp at the school who I can room with, who can hunt with me, who can chill out on sunny days with me."

"Well Garrett turned vegetarian a few years ago now." Emmett said smiling. "Back in the Volturi days. I'm sure Ness mentioned it." I nodded in confirmation. "Maybe you can see where he's at and see if it's any good. I got his number if you want to call but he may be a little preoccupied with Kate."

"Oh!" I said my eyes widening. So he'd found a mate too. "No wonder he's vegetarian. Sex is a great influencer."

The room laughed. We all knew of the house Rose and Emmett had broken and I had noticed that the piano was definitely new. I saw Edward smirk when I thought this. He gripped Bella's hand tighter.

"I'll call in the morning. Maybe if he's at a school, I'll go visit, see if I could transfer in for the spring semester and grab a degree in, I don't know, turf grass management this time."

"Do they seriously offer a degree in that anywhere?" Asked Rose surprised.

"They really do Rose, mostly at agriculture colleges."

Rose shook her head. "Majoring in grass, minoring in dirt."

"Soils," Edward corrected.

The night continued like this until all the couples had excused themselves to enjoy the other. I settled myself in front of the TV and watched some reruns of Friends. I'd give Garrett a call in the morning. I had crossed his path a few times and he seemed like a really cool guy. He was a guy I had never pictured abandoning the nomadic thing. How crazy the world was. Edward married with a kid older than him and Garrett all settled down. Maybe I would just have to major is grass and minor in dirt just to keep this wacky world going. I'd see if Garrett's school offered it.

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Hello Twilight world!

This is my first Twilight Fic attempt. I just finished breaking dawn 2 days ago and started the very first book a week and 2 days ago. Yes I read the entire series in a week, not rare, but a little more rare taking 18 college credits and working a 20-hour week not to mention extra curricular activities.

I hope you enjoyed this. I wanted to play a bit with the Cullens before I stray to my OCs so I focused a lot on Kenneth this chapter but in the future, you will get a lot of Jess. I am basing some of her qualities off of myself so please forgive her for being a complete mess.

Please critic. I have no clue what I'm doing in the Twilight world yet, only that I love the books, love the universe they create, and enjoy the characters.

Also I could totally use a Beta for this story so let me know.

Feel free to explain to me what Lemons means because I have no idea. I come from the Harry Potter fandom so I am not accustomed to the lingo yet though I am so on Team Edward its not even funny.

Ok, Hope you enjoy this!

Melissa Z