Bella Outtake

That's What Friends Are For

A/N: Bella, Bella, wherefore art thou, Bella? I found her! For everyone who has been asking, FINALLY, Bella makes a re-appearance. She will be here to stay from now on!

Thanks as always to my amazing betas & pre-readers: nails233, Lamomo, Manda, Willow, and hln3twimom, as well as my support system on FB. These ladies, as well as all of your wonderful reiews, are what keep me going!

BPOV

I sighed, slipping off my shoes and sinking down onto the overstuffed sofa I'd bought from Goodwill. It might've been cheap, but I found it damn comfortable after spending the day chasing around eighteen three year olds. Working at a preschool supplemented my fellowship and also counted toward my externship hours. I'd just never realized how much energy the kids had in those little bodies. Thank goodness it was Friday and someone else would be covering the evening drop-in care.

I'd been shocked when I interviewed at Kimbi's. I'd never heard of a child care center that offered evening hours. Not only were there evening hours, the center stayed open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They filled a niche in a community with a huge population of dual military families. With one parent on deployment, if the other worked night shift, there weren't a lot of options for child care. Private sitters were difficult to find under normal circumstances, finding one to cover evening hours and duty days would prove a near impossible task. Even though there was staff hired specifically for evenings and overnights, the occasional need arose for an extra caregiver. The girl I'd been covering for on Wednesday night had eventually made it in, though, and I'd been able to surprise Ali.

Ali. Just thinking of my oldest friend brought a smile to my face. We'd been friends for the better part of seven years. Ali resembled the little pixies from the fairytales I told the kids everyday. Full of life and fun loving, she kept me from taking myself too seriously, while I helped her stay focused on the big picture. With a heart bigger than her tiny frame could contain, she displayed fierce loyalty to those she loved and pulled into her tight circle of friends. She could be infuriating as hell, but I wouldn't trade her for anyone.

Although we talked on the phone and emailed constantly, we hadn't seen each other since Spring Break in March, back home in Forks. That 's when we'd talked about the possibility of her moving to the East Coast. Moving back to Washington would be a waste of her talents and she hated the weather in Chicago, even though she'd been offered plenty of opportunities there. She'd researched a couple of design houses, fashion being her true passion, but the response had been less than favorable. Fortunately, she'd also studied interior design, and it was that, that had led her to Virginia and her new life here.

While I didn't necessarily agree with her methods, I fully supported her decision to head to the East Coast and see what she could find. In typical Ali fashion, she'd made the decision to go, and went with no back-up plan. As she put it, "There is no Plan B", quoting one of her favorite musicians, Spencer Bell. She figured the details would fall together; she just needed to get herself in the right place so the right time would find her. As always, it worked out to her advantage. She'd flown into Richmond to visit her mother's cousin, staying for a few days while she scoped out the area. It happened to be during a Spring Home-a-Rama and she'd fallen in love with the designs highlighted in one house. The following Monday, she showed up at the door of Cullen House Design, portfolio in hand. The owner, Esme Cullen, had taken a look at Ali's designs, been charmed by Ali herself, and offered her a position.

A couple months later, Ali called me about Edward, Esme's son. He'd come by the design house to see Esme and ended up taking Ali out to lunch. They'd been dating ever since. I hadn't met Edward yet, but I'd talked to him on the phone. They complimented each other in all the right ways, Edward's calm providing a welcome foil for Ali's flamboyant nature. I couldn't be happier that my best friend had found someone who appreciated her for herself.

I didn't hesitate to accept when Old Dominion University offered me a scholarship and substantial fellowship to attend their Master's of Education program. Not only were they offering more money than any of the other schools I'd been accepted at, I'd only be a couple hours away from Ali for the first time in years.

When she called me Tuesday about getting together the next night, I was thrilled to find out she'd actually be working in the area for the next several weeks.

Exhausted, I lifted my arm up near my face to check the time. HHHMMM. It was almost six and I needed to consider getting something to eat. Rachel, my roommate and high school friend, had volunteered for an emergency room rotation at the Children's Hospital. Her classes had started last week. Rachel's scholarship required a certain amount of community service hours and med school students received extra credit for volunteer rotations. She wouldn't be home until much later and I figured she'd eat at the hospital. Still lounging on the couch, I wondered if she'd be working with the guy from her class she'd mentioned earlier in the week. While she was interested in him, she'd also seemed fascinated by Edward's roommate, Jasper, when we all met up Wednesday night.

I'd enjoyed meeting Ali's boyfriend Edward. Seeing them together, I knew that she'd finally met her match. They meshed so well, without destroying what made them each unique. His cousin Emmett had kept me laughing all night. Laid back and fun, he'd teased me mercilessly when I met him. It felt like having the big brother I'd always wished for. I looked forward to getting to know the cousins better. Jasper, though, I wasn't so sure about. I'd tried being friendly, but he seemed distant. Rach said he'd been quiet, but nice when she'd talked to him. She also said he seemed almost…dangerous. I just thought he seemed haunted by something he wasn't willing to talk about. I didn't know why, but I felt like untapped emotions were simmering under the surface with him, waiting for the right trigger. He and Emmett were surfers, but he seemed like more, so much more, than a typical beach bum. One thing for sure, all three were devastatingly attractive.

I groaned when my phone rang, digging into the pocket on my jeans, I pulled it out. Looking at the number, I smiled while answering it.

"Hey, Ali, what's up, girlie? How's work going?"

Ali sighed. "This man is SO difficult! I appreciate the opportunity that Esme is giving me on this, but honestly, I feel like I'm under a microscope. I'm heading back to the beach now. I had a meeting with Esme in Richmond about the client. How were the rug rats today?"

"Exhausting," I laughed and continued, "but adorable. I'll miss seeing them every day after my classes start next week, but at least I'll still have my job. It'll count toward some of my work study hours, too, if I continue developing the curriculum while I'm there. I scheduled all of my classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I'll still work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I'll have to work occasional night shifts and Saturdays, but it's worth it. I'm going to relish my last weekend of freedom, though. Want to get together tomorrow?"

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. Emmett and Jasper advanced to the final round in the surf tournament tomorrow. Want to join me and Edward, hang out on the beach, cheer for them, then we can head over to their place for a cookout? We can even stroll the boardwalk to check out the art show and the sandsculpting contest."

"Uuuuhhhmmm," I drew out, hesitant to invade Jasper's space again, since he didn't seem too receptive to my company the other evening.

"Oh, come on, Bells. It'll be fun! You got along with the guys the other night, right?"

"Well…," I began, pausing to find the right words.

"What Bells? Spit it out. Is there something you don't like about them?"

"What? Oh, God, no, Ali. Edward and Emmett were nice and made me feel very welcome. I'd like to get to know them better, especially Edward. I need to make sure he deserves my best friend. It's just…"

"Jasper?" Ali supplied. "He's quiet, Bells. Really, he's a nice guy and he only has a few friends. It'll be cool. The guys were the ones who suggested the cookout."

"How about this, hun? I'll come to the beach with you and see how things go, then we can just play the rest of the day by ear."

Ali agreed, and we made plans to meet early at the parking lot closest to the tournament location. If we didn't, we'd never find a spot. The beach tended to fill up on a normal weekend, but with all the activities going on, tourists and locals alike would flock to the sand earlier than usual.

Saying goodbye, I hung up the phone and sighed, flopping back into the plump sofa cushions. I thought about what Ali had said about Jasper. I had nothing to lose in giving friendship another try, and I'd never been one to hold a grudge or be standoffish. The real question was, would Jasper be willing to try, too?

Chapter title from the song of the same name.

And so, our intrepid heroes are going to try to be friends. Let's hope they still feel the same way after they spend time together in the next chapter! Thanks all for reading!

Please check out the Spencer Bell Memorial page and remember him fondly. 4 years ago the world lost a genius it did not even know it had. The friends and family of Spencer are doing a fantastic job of bringing awareness and research dollars to Adrenal cancer : www(dot)spencerbellmemorial(dot).com

Going Under now has a thread on Twilighted's Forums! This is all new to me, so bear with me while it gets going. Thanks so much to Puppymam0909 for loving GU so much that she created this!

See that little button? The one that says "review"? Push it and tell me what you think! Reviews are like love and almost as good as playing on the beach with Jasper!