Guess what people? I don't own Twilight. I just like to make Jasper and Bella do naughty things, preferably together and sometimes alone as you will see.

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Chapter 3-What the hell was I thinking?

Bella

I yawned as I glanced around the news room floor. The building was in utter chaos with everyone preparing for the meeting in two hours. A third of the staff was trying to look busy, another third were biting their nails in worry, and I was part of the last third, the ones doing both. I was also trying to keep my eyes open.

I'd only managed to sleep an hour and a half after my personal time and it was starting to catch up on me. Scrubbing my hands over my face and shaking my head to clear it I looked around once more and then went back to the article I was working on.

The two hours passed quickly and I stood from my cubicle, stretching my back. Every one was already making their way to the conference room and I followed slowly behind.

Once everybody was gathered in the small area our owner, Mr. Waters, stepped to the front of the room. He looked like someone had just run over, backed up, and ran back over his puppy. I could understand it though. He'd owned the paper for twenty years. He'd never been married nor had kids. The Houston Daily was his baby and he was giving it away. If I wasn't so worried about what the tall man beside him was about to say I might cry. Hell, if what the tall man had to say sucked ass, I might still cry.

Mr. Waters went through his whole all of you are important to me, sorry things had to go this way, will miss everyone thing and then with a look of anguish he quickly left the room. The tall man stepped forward, clearing his throat, as the door closed behind Mr. Waters.

His eyes traveled across each of us with a cocky smirk on his face. His eyes stopped on a few and I noticed it was mostly the women.

Mentally rolling my eyes I tuned in he as started his spiel. "I'm sure that all of you have figured out already I am the new owner, Mr. Cullen. As all of you know I will be making some changes which includes getting rid of positions and/or people that are not needed. I am here to make money and I won't be apologizing for that."

What a dick? I thought and after looking around I saw I wasn't the only one thinking that very thing.

"Over the course of the next few hours I will be calling each of those unfortunate people into my office. I expect a certain level of maturity. Do not argue with my decision and do not dawdle collecting your things. I will not change my mind and the two will only succeed in getting you thrown from the building."

Everyone was staring at him, looks of shock on every face. He wasn't even paying attention since he'd started looking through some papers on the table in front of him.

After a few silent minutes he glanced up again. "You can all go back to work."

As everyone started to stand and move to the door whispers and hisses broke the silence. His voice stopped us all in our tracks before anyone made it out of the room. "And just because some of you will be fired does not mean that it is social hour. I want to hear keys tapping, not mouths moving."

As I walked back to my cubicle I passed by the office tramps who were in the middle of talking about Mr. Cullen.

"He'd be so much hotter if he wasn't such an ass." Jessica said.

"Did you not see that weird color sex hair? Or those green eyes of his? He may be an ass, but I'd fuck him." Lauren countered.

"True." Jessica said back.

I really rolled my eyes then and quickly got as far from them as possible. Although they didn't surprise me any. They'd sleep with anything that had two legs and a dick. Sometimes I even thought the two legs thing was negotiable.

Over the next hour I watched five people leave the floor, carrying a box of personal items. Stefan Rogers and Seth Clearwater were two fellow fact checkers. When they were the first two to be called back I really started to worry. But then the fashion columnist, Alice Brandon, and the advice columnist, Angela Webber were let go. The last one was Jacob Black, one of the junior copy editors.

By 4:30 I was starting to breathe a little easier. It was very short lived though as my phone buzzed and Mr. Cullen's voice came through the speaker.

'Ms. Swan a word please.'

I pressed the button to answer back and mumbled a "Yes Sir."

I fought back tears as I stood from my chair. It would have been comical if I wasn't about to lose my job to see every head turn as one like they did. They all wore the same expression too, half sympathy and half glad it's not me.

I will not cry in front of him, I will not cry in front of him. Became my mantra as I walked to his office. Getting to the door I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and knocked.

"Enter."

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting it behind me.

"Ms. Swan I presume?" He asked without lifting his eyes from the paper on his desk.

"Ye..." My voice cracked and I cleared my throat before starting again. "Yes sir."

His head rose slowly and I didn't miss the way his eyes went from my head to my toes and back again, twice.

When his eyes were back on mine he said, "Unfortunately Ms. Swan and I do mean unfortunately," He made another pass over my body. "Today will be your last at The Houston Daily."

"Yes sir," I said, cringing internally with the way he kept looking at me.

"Your left over vacation pay will be mailed to you next week."

"Thank you."

"You can go."

I nodded and turned, gripping the doorknob.

"Although Ms. Swan maybe..."

I didn't wait for him to finish that sentence. I didn't care or want to know what he had to say. I quickly jerked the door open and closed it behind me.

I fought more tears all the way back to my cubicle and started picking up my stuff. I didn't have much, so a box wasn't needed. I grabbed the two frames beside my computer, the bamboo plant sitting beside them, the coffee cup out of my top drawer, and my jacket and messenger bag.

I kept my head down as I left the floor and building, going straight to my car. As soon as I was in the front seat I lost the hold I had on my emotions.

As I cried I wondered what the hell I was going to do. Thankfully all my bills were paid and I got one more paycheck, but that wouldn't last long since it was only for a week of vacation. What if I couldn't find a job? I knew Jasper wouldn't kick me out of the apartment, but he really couldn't afford to pay the entire rent and all the bills and for the groceries. Dad wasn't an option either.

I couldn't ask them for money. I never had to before now and I didn't want to start.

"God," I groaned dropping my head back against the head rest. I sat there for a few more minutes before I took a deep breath and reached for my bag, thankful the tears had already stopped and I had stuff to clean my face up with.

Once I was presentable I started the car and headed home. As I drove I decided that I had to tell Jasper and dad about losing my job, but I would make sure they knew I wasn't going to take money from them. I would start looking for a job tomorrow and I would work anywhere. As long as it paid enough for me to continue living with Jasper I'd be fine.

I soon pulled into the apartment complex and parked next to Jasper's truck. I only grabbed my bag as I got out and went up to the apartment.

I unlocked the door and stepped through, looking around for Jasper and not finding him anywhere.

"Jasper?" I called.

"In the bedroom," Came from down the hallway.

I made my way down the hall and stopped in his open doorway. He was just buckling his belt buckle and I about fell over with how hot he looked.

His hair was clubbed back in a knot just how I liked it. He had on a pair of dark wash jeans, a black pair of cowboy boots, and a black, untucked button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He looked up as I propped against the doorway and a smile lit up his face.

"Hey."

"Hey," I said. "You look nice." Understatement of the fucking century.

"Thanks."

"What's the occasion? Hot date?"

"No, I have something to tell you actually and then I thought we could go out." He said his smile growing impossibly wider.

"I've got something to tell you too."

"You go first."

I shook my head not wanting to come out with my news yet, especially when he looked like he was going to burst at the seams. "You first."

"Well, I found out today I've completed the required number of years and can start the hiring process for the Rangers at the end of the month."

"Really?" I asked smiling for the first time today. This is what he'd been waiting on since becoming a cop.

"Yeah. I have to do the physical part first."

"That won't be a problem. You'll get through that with flying marks."

"That's what dad and Charlie said."

"Well they've both been through it so they know what they're talking about."

"True. So I figured we could go out and do like a pre-celebratory dinner."

"Sure. I just need to take a shower." I said, knowing I couldn't tell Jasper about my news tonight.

"That's fine. Do you mind that we'll have some company?"

"Who?"

"Two guys I went to the academy with, Peter and Emmett. They found out today too. Their girlfriends will also be coming."

"I don't mind. You've told me about them so I'd like to finally meet them."

"Alright. Go shower and I'll call to figure out where and what time."

"Kay." I pushed myself away from the door jam and turned to my door, but Jasper's voice stopped me.

"Hey what was your news?"

"Oh," I said facing him. "I almost forgot."

He was looking at me expectantly, wearing a smile as big as the state we lived in, and I just couldn't say the words. So I ended up saying something that was infinitely worse.

"I got a promotion."

His eyes went wide and he immediately leapt across the distance between us, enclosing me in a tight hug.

"Are you serious?" He asked, holding me against his chest.

"Yeah," I breathed.

"What is the position?"

I was thankful he couldn't see my face at the moment. I was systematically trying not to break down and figure out a job which, more than likely, made me look like a constipated frog.

I was quite another few seconds before I said the first thing that popped into my head, "Assistant to the junior editor."

He pulled back so I could see him. "Congratulations Bells. You deserve it."

"Thanks."

As he hugged me again I bit my lip to keep from crying and gripped the back of his shirt a little, wondering what the fuck I was going to do now and how in the hell I was going to keep this secret.

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Jasper

I let Bella go and watched her walk into her bedroom. God I was so proud of her. She deserved this promotion so much and I knew she was going to do great job.

Smiling I pulled my phone out and called Peter. I told him about Bella and he was okay with turning this into a co-celebratory dinner for her. We figured out a time and place and he said he'd let Emmett know. They were partners at another station, but we'd all become friends at the academy and I was happy that I was going to be going through the Rangers hiring process with them.

As soon as I hung up with Peter I called dad and then Charlie, asking both if they wanted to meet us for dinner. I didn't tell them about Bella figuring she'd want to give them the good news herself. They both said they'd be at the restaurant and I hung up with them quickly so they could finish what they were doing.

I sat on the couch to wait for Bella and she came out about 20 minutes later, looking so beautiful she made my chest ache. Her hair was down around her shoulders, she had just enough makeup to show off her natural beauty, and she was wearing one of the few dressier dresses she owned. She called it her little black dress, whatever that means. All I knew was that it made her ass and legs look fantastic.

I stood from the sofa as she came further into the living room.

"You ready?" I asked.

She nodded and went to get her jacket from the hall closet.

I watched her walk away, and not for the reason I normally did. I always thought she'd be so happy about a promotion that she wouldn't be able to stop smiling, but she wasn't. Hell she'd seemed happier for me.

I followed her to the front door and grabbed my own jacket. As I slipped it on I asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," She answered giving me a small smile.

"Alright. You just seem really quiet."

'Sorry. Just thinking."

"Are you not happy about the promotion?"

She tuned her back on me to find her keys in her bag and said, "Of course I am. I think I'm still processing though. It was kind of unexpected."

"It was, but its great news. You need to process faster so we can celebrate." I said and slung an arm around her shoulder as we went out into the hallway. Her quiet chuckle was music to my ears. "Thank you. Now let's go have some fun."

She glanced over and nodded with a bigger smile.

I quickly locked the door and we headed down to the truck. I opened her door and helped her up before going around to the driver's side.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, but it wasn't uncomfortable so I didn't worry about it.

We pulled into the parking lot and I immediately saw Peter, Emmett, and their two girlfriends. I then saw dad and Charlie standing a little bit further to the side.

"You called dad and Nathan?" Bella asked as we parked and she caught sight of them.

"Yeah." Her face fell a little and I quickly reassured her. "I didn't tell them your news though. They just think they're here for me. I knew you'd want to be the one to tell them."

"Oh okay, good." She smiled and pushed open her door, hopping out to the parking lot.

I followed and together we walked over to our dads. They both gave her a big hug and a kiss on the forehead before doing the man hug with me. I also got claps on the back and good for yous.

As we were going through our hellos Emmett and the other three walked over. I quickly introduced Emmett and Peter to Bella, dad, and Charlie and then they introduced us to Rose and Charlotte.

They were both beautiful blond girls. Rose was taller, maybe 5'7 or 5'8, and Charlotte was about the same height as Bella.

Once we had all met we headed inside and were seated a few minutes later. After we ordered drinks I tapped Bella on the leg and motioned with my head across the table, trying silently to tell her to tell her news.

She rolled her eyes and I grinned, causing her to huff and speak up.

"Dad, I got some news at work today."

"What kind of news Bells?" Charlie asked, giving her his full attention as did my dad.

"I...I got a promotion."

"Wow Bells, that's fantastic." Charlie said smiling wide and he reached across the table to squeeze her hand. Dad was beaming at Bella as well. He loved her like a daughter and I knew he was just as proud as Charlie and I were.

The other four congratulated her too as the waiter set our drinks down. She thanked them and then told every one what her new job would be. She also mentioned something about her hours might change, but she wouldn't know that for a few more days.

We ordered our food and then Bella excused herself to the restroom. I watched her walk off, wondering again if something else was going on, but when she came back a few minutes later I let it go. She was smiling and I knew if it was anything major she'd tell me.

The rest of the night was fun. While we ate we talked a lot. We found out Rose was a mechanic which was kind of a shock and that Charlotte was a photographer. Dad and Charlie told myself, Emmett, and Peter what we could expect over the next month or so and then they went on to tell us stories of some their cases. There was a lot of laughter during that time and I'm sure we annoyed a few of the patrons, but none of us really seemed to care.

Once we were done eating we ordered one more round of drinks and then toasted Bella followed by the three of us guys. We got the check soon after, which dad and Charlie both insisted on paying, and then we all went out to the parking lot.

Rose and Charlotte exchanged number with Bella as I said bye to Emmett and Peter. When we were done the two couples left.

Charlie grabbed Bella up in another hug and whispered that he was proud of her again. Dad did the same and then we said our goodbyes to them.

Once again the drive home was silent. As soon as we walked in the door Bella yawned.

As she slipped her jacket off I asked, "Do you work your normal hours tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I have to be there at my normal time, but they mentioned something about paperwork and shifting things around, so when I get off might be different. What about your schedule?"

"I'm the same the rest of this week and I have Saturday and Sunday off. After work Friday though I have a meeting at Ranger headquarters and I guess I'll find out the specifics on the physical training then. As dad said tonight, we'll have two weeks of training before actually taking our physical and shooting exams."

She nodded in understanding and then kissed me on the cheek. "I think I'm going to head to bed." She said yawning again.

"Alright. I'll see you when you get home tomorrow."

"Kay. Be careful at work." '

"I will."

"Night Jasper."

"Night."

I waited until she'd shut her bedroom door before moving into the kitchen. I set the timer on the coffee pot and grabbed a quick drink of water before going on to my bedroom.

Stripping down to my boxers I climbed into bed, making sure the alarm was set. As I drifted off I thought about how awesome the day had been.

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Well what do you guys think? Yes Bella is an idiot for lying, but he was so happy. She couldn't mess that up.

Next chapter tomorrow.