A/N: I apologize for the wait and also for any errors. I didn't have this chapter beta'd as I'd been horribly blocked story-wise and I just managed to finish it. It felt cruel to drag this out another couple days while I had the wonderful dsmrm2023 tweak it for me. I hope y'all like it and enjoy!

-The rest of that week was a flurry of activity. The girls and I adjusted to having Emmett around again (also known as we started cooking enough to feed a small army as Emmett started the routine of eating dinner with us) and he learned our schedules. He also reminded us about his singular…talent. Like when he decided to prank Rose…

*Flashback*

I was sitting on the toilet (lid down folks, chill.) painting my nails while Alice was giving me a mini-pedicure because my feet "are disgusting! No one is going to want to cozy up to you post-coitus when you have super rough feet and you are only making them more unattractive by not taking the time to trim the nails and paint them!" *eye roll* However, I was willing to put up with her muttering and mothering as long as I got a free foot massage and pedi out of it! While we were engaged in feet-beautifying endeavors, Rose was in the shower. I don't really know how, but we all seem to somehow end up together in the bathroom, chatting away. Apparently it is awkward for some people, but I guess if you've been doing it since preschool you tend to lose that pretty quick. Anyway, we were SUPPOSEDLY talking about my soldier, James but we'd gone off on another tangent per usual.

"Seriously guys, you have to talk a bit louder! I'm listening to this over the sound of rushing water!" Rose complained from a few feet from us. Ali and I snickered at the slightly louder than normal pitch, but we complied.

"Chill Rosie, I was just telling Bella that she is never going to get any with her feet all rough and dry. No one wants you to rub the equivalent of sandpaper along their calf while y'all are doing the dirty-dirty! I mean seriously, you could throw off his entire rhythm." How Alice manage to state that in a righteous tone while maintaining a straight face I won't know, but Rose and I sniggered.

"Oh, come on Ali, not like you can talk! Virgins, the both of you!" Rose rebutted.

"Geez, can we just calm down?" I asked. "Just because you are a LOOSE WOMAN and you and Emmett started doing it in the back of the Cullen's SUV sometime during High School doesn't give you the right to be preachy." Ali and I laughed and stuck our tongues out at the vaguely human outline we could see through the opaque shower glass door.

"Very mature Ladies, you can roll your tongues back in your mouths now," Rose replied, without even having to look at us, "…its not like you know what to do with them anyway." The shower stopped and she stepped out, after wrapping herself in the towel that'd been slung over the shower door. "Ex-cuse me?" I stuttered out.

"Well that was rude! Hmmph!" Ali exclaimed and then threw a wink my way while Rose reached for the folded towel on the counter to towel dry her hair. I knew what that meant and I was more than willing to play along. Operation 'Make Rosie Feel Bad and Apologize' was about to get underway! ... Until Rose pulled on the towel and, as it came undone, it rained small black things onto our tiled bathroom floor that then started wriggling.

Instant. Chaos.

Rosie started screaming hysterically and ran out of the bathroom buck naked, yelling, "SPIDERS!" and Ali smeared nail polish all over my foot when she dropped the nail polish brush; she was busy making grossed out, whimper noises and trying to dig the little creepy crawly looking things out of her hair. When Rosie shook out the towel, some of the bugs were flung in her hair as she'd been sitting on the floor. I was momentarily stunned, and then hugged my legs to my chest to get them away from the little squirmy black things littering our bathroom floor while yelling for Emmett.

Little did I know, the asshole had been listening at the door. So when Rosie had run out of the bathroom like it was on fire, she'd run straight into him and sent them both tumbling to the ground. Instinctually, he'd grabbed on to her (in some rather interesting places, I'm sure) and after Rose had realized she'd found Emmett she started babbling out a plea (read that as incoherently begging) for help. After taking a moment to appreciate the feel of his lover's very curvaceous, very naked body on top of his, Emmett stood up; gathering a shaking Rosalie in his arms. She, in turn, was whimpering in fear. I should mention that ever since she'd been bitten by a brown recluse spider as a kid while playing in an abandoned field one summer, she's been completely terrified of spiders. Then again, having a bite on your hand that swelled up to roughly the size of a golf ball and then having to put up with the doctor lancing it to get out the venom can do that to a person.

Anyway, Emmett strode into the bathroom…and promptly started laughing at all of us. Emmett laughing shocked us out of our various states of grossed out-ness and we simply stared at him. He was our protector. It was his job, as the sole male in the group, to intimidate potential boyfriends (or males in general when it came to them ogling Rose), lift heavy things, unscrew the lid off the pickle jar when we couldn't manage it, and, perhaps MOST importantly, kill any and all bugs. Period. Yes, stereotypical and gender roles and blah blah blah…its what happened. SO having him laugh at us instead of immediately rushing to help like he always does clued us in. I reached down and picked up one of the squirmy black bug things only to realize I was picking up…rubber. Emmett had apparently found some kind of joke shop that sold little black rubber buggies of various shapes and sizes that, when given a small watch battery, writhed like live bugs. Pretty impressive and well thought out but we were beyond the appreciation stage right now. His darling girlfriend promptly socked him in the jaw, which caused him to release her.

All three of us girls then sprang into action as if we'd choreographed it and started tugging, pulling, and pushing the mountain of muscle that is Emmett out of the bathroom, down the hall, and out the front door. He was protesting that it'd been just a joke and he didn't mean to actually scare us, but it was to no avail. He'd shot himself in the foot on this one, especially with Rose. While Ali and I were doing most of the tugging, she had him firmly by one ear and was twisting it and whispering to him (very uncomplimentary things I'm sure). Oh wait, I just caught the words "castrate" and "vise"…scratch my previous statement, Rose was threatening bodily harm to his manhood. Atta girl!

After we'd pushed and shoved Emmett out of the apartment and closed the door in his face and then audibly flipping the lock, we heard the whistle that alerted us. Rose had, inadvertently, flashed some of the workmen across the way as she'd still been very much naked during the "expel Emmett from the premises" portion of the program. When Rose heard that, she audibly groaned and closed her eyes in mortification…and then we heard elephant like footsteps thudding down the hall from the direction of our door towards the sound of the whistle. We looked at each other with wide eyes and immediately opened the door a sliver so we could hear.

*mumur mumur mumur* *mumble mumble mumble* "What the HELL is WRONG WITH YOU! WHY were you STARING and WHISTLING at my GIRLFRIEND!" Yep, that was definitely Emmett's voice. …*mumur murmur murmur* "I don't GIVE a FUCK! I DON'T CARE IF SHE CAME OUT AND GAVE YOU A FUCKING LAP DANCE WHILE NAKED! YOU! SHOULD'VE! CLOSED! YOUR! FUCKING! EYES! *MUMBLE MUMBLE MUMUR MURMUR* "OH I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'm GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, YOU PERVERTED MOTHER FUCKER! ...then the unmistakable sounds of a tussle reached our ears. "Well…at least he is back to protecting us?" Alice ventured. We just looked at each other and then burst out laughing like a pack of hyenas. Three girls in various staged of undress laughing so hard that we had make-up running down our faces along with our tears of mirth.

*end flashback*

Yup. Em was definitely back. Of course, we added the experience to our Manifesto with a little black bug taped on for visual reference.

Classes were going well and James was developing into a good friend. It was nice to be able to talk to someone that didn't really know me as well as my girls and Em did. I guess that doesn't make a lot of sense, but sometimes it is frustrating when you know a person so well that you can even pick out their comebacks ahead of time to a fight that you are about to have with them; complete with dramatic hand gestures. It was nice to have an outside perspective on my life and I enjoyed trying to bring the same to James. We'd have late night Skype sessions (my late night, his early morning) recounting what we did that day or yesterday in James' case (though I'm pretty sure he censored a lot of what he shared).

The girls had expressed concern a few times over how close we'd become but I told them there was no need to worry. James had never made me feel uncomfortable or like he was intent on exploring any topics that I thought inappropriate for friends. He still called me Angel, even though I'd expressed my dislike for the nickname but he insisted it fit me and it didn't seem like something worth making a big deal out of. I called him Gunny, even though that is a Marine thing instead of an Army thing, but I thought it appropriate since he was in charge of manning the 50 caliber on his Humvee. Gunner (softened up a bit and tweaked a bit to make it more nickname friendly) turned into Gunny.

Halloween was fast approaching and we were all getting excited for it. I bought some holiday stuff in advance and sent it to Gunny. I loved how his face lit up when he opened his package while I was on the Skype cam. It was so nice to see his normally grave, moody countenance turn into something jovial. He seemed less burdened when I could make him smile and I found myself making every effort I could to make that child-like joy return to his face. Also, I somehow became the unofficial sponsor of his whole unit so I was already compiling a massive pile of presents to send overseas. I'd enlisted Alice's help because, honestly, I definitely needed her help to stretch my small, college budget to cover presents, nick-nacks, and snacks for a unit overseas.

Em and Rosalie were doing good, albeit just as complicated as ever. Though I can't say I'm surprised. They both are more complicated then they appear, with Rose needing a man who is there for her but will also challenge her. Emmett, similarly, likes a woman who can keep up with him both mentally and physically while giving him the affection he needs. With Emmett, Rose could be girly, soft, and emotional which she was unwilling to be for anyone else outside of our immediate circle; Rose hated feeling vulnerable.

Their relationship was a perpetual cycle of him annoying Rose, and then him making her laugh and forget why she was mad at him, followed by copious amounts of make-up sex. I'm all for a "healthy" relationship, but there is something wrong with seeing Emmett's bare ass when walking through my own front door because SOME PEOPLE are spontaneous and started going at it in the living room. I walked my ass right back out the door, snagging a gaping Ali on the way and we went to the nearest store and bought a carpet cleaner and Lysol wipes. Somehow, though, having to clean up after their elicit activities just made things worse since after that since, as Emmett put it, "We now have the tools to clean up afterwards! No place is safe!" Dear God.

His enthusiastic declaration was met with looks of shock (from me), disgust (from Alice), and thinly-veiled amusement (from Rose). "But Emmy, WHY!" I wailed. "Why on Earth can't you guys use your apartment? You have it all to yourself, there's privacy…there's PRIVACY!" "Seriously," Alice chimed in, "you guys have exhausted most of the surfaces in this apartment already AND christened Rosie's new bed. How about y'all do the horizontal mambo at your place so I don't have to go through any more therapy than I'm already going to need, to remove the image of your hairy ass that is now burned into my brain!" Dang. Pixie has a point. Now I'm thinking about his hairy ass. JESUS!

"It's not like we were planning to have you guys walk in!" Rose defended.

"I know, hun, it's just…really awkward. Let's keep all the nasty at Emmy-bear's place, ok? Please?" I asked.

"Sorry Jelly Belly and Alley Cat" said a blushing, apparently remorseful Emmett.

"Alrighty, now that we have that settled!" I said as I started to unpack the groceries. "Who wants what for dinner?" We ended up being lazy and tossing two frozen pizzas in the oven. While they were cooking, though, I walked back into the living room where Ali was reading a fashion magazine (I swear, I could see the little wheels churning in her head already) and our resident couple was cuddled on the couch watching Spongebob (obviously it was Em's turn to pick the tv program.)

"Sorry to interrupt everything, but I was thinking as I tossed the pizzas in the oven…why DO you still have your apartment all to yourself Em? I thought you were planning on getting a roommate?" I asked.

Emmett replied, "Well yeah, Bells, that is the plan. But I am just now feeling settled in my new job with the construction company and I'm still looking for a second job to help pay bills…I just haven't had time to conduct a full on roommate hunt. Though I really need to, since paying rent by myself is starting to hurt my wallet."

"Rosie," asked Alice, "didn't you say something when Em moved in about knowing a guy that might be a good roommate for Emmett? Some guy you know at school or whatever?"

"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about him. I'm sorry, babe. I should've asked him already!" Rose said, sounding remorseful. "I can talk to him tomorrow in class if you want? See if he's still looking for a place? If so, I can invite him over since we are partners on a project and y'all can meet him and see if he'll be a good fit?"

"Sounds good, babe." Emmett said, while shifting around on the couch so that Rosie's head now rested on his shoulder. Gosh, they are so lucky to have found each other so young, I found myself thinking. They're the perfect fit, two pieces of a completely different puzzle that somehow fit perfectly. *sigh* I realized my mind had wandered a bit so I tuned back in.

"…Wednesday work for you, Em?"Rosalie asked. Emmett unfortunately had to work late that day, I had a class that wouldn't be over till late, and Rose would be stuck waiting for the bus but we figured that Ali could hang out with him a bit till we all got home since it'd only be 15 mins or so.

Alice POV

The next morning dawned cold and foggy, with a fine drizzle that had turned into a downpour by the evening. I woke up feeling excited, though, even though I'm not really a fan of foggy days. I had a feeling of anticipation running through me…I just knew today would be a good day. With that unexplained emotion bouncing around inside of me, I couldn't help but bounce along in my daily routine as well. I skipped through the apartment while making breakfast and getting ready for school, jumped in a couple puddles on the way to my car in my cute Burberry rain boots, and beamed at everyone I walked past on my way to class. My mood was slightly dampened while sitting through the tedium of 3 solid hours of math, but it bounced back on my drive home. Even though it wasn't sunny outside, I cranked up the volume on the radio as soon as I got in my cute yellow and white Mini Cooper. I couldn't find anything on the radio that matched my upbeat mood, so I slipped in a cd from my cd case. When "California Girls" by Katy Perry came booming through my sound system, I grinned and drove home through the rain to the soundtrack of a sunny California summer.

When I got home, I transferred my cd from the car into our stereo and continued to bop along, making some spaghetti for dinner. After that was done and there were cookies made from scratch baking in the oven, I'd burned through most of my energy. I realized that I need to calm myself down a bit, so I went into my room and got out my easel and watercolors. I dug out my oldest pair of sweatpants that were splattered with every color of paint you can think of, along with a black t-shirt that read "Forks High School: GO WOLVES!" across the chest in gold lettering. Both the sweatpants and the t-shirt were Emmett's that I'd stolen from him years and years ago, though I'd had to tighten the drawstring on the sweatpants to their tightest and cut the legs so they were more capri sweats; just so I wasn't walking all over the excess fabric and tripping myself constantly. I also took out my contacts and put on my glasses, then threw my artfully spiked hair into a short ponytail.

I then sat cross-legged on my bed and closed my eyes. I did my best to clear my mind (which always takes a little bit for me as I seem to be constantly moving or thinking or talking) and then pictured a blank white canvas. Slowly, an image started forming in my head, though it wasn't what I thought it'd be. I opened my eyes, walked over to my easel and got to work, mixing and painting. Underneath my skilled and deliberate strokes, a scene started to come to life: a white, Southern looking plantation house with solid, graceful white columns and a sprawling veranda surrounded by a field of flowers and overgrowth, hedged in on one side with an encroaching forest. The whole left side of the painting, which contained the house, was bathed in sunlight and reflected off the little babbling brook the twined through the front yard. However, the woods I kept shrouded in shadows. I always felt that was how woods should be seen. Beautiful, mysterious, forbidden…the kind of scene that sends your pulse racing a bit and the lick of danger that only adds to the thrill of the exploration.

By the time I'd completed the finishing touches of shading, adding depth and grays to the shadows in the forest and little blue winged butterflies to the field of flowers and the house, I was about as mellow as I could be. I looked at my painting with a critical eye, noting things I would change or fix, but then I let it be as I always do. I brought the painting out into the living room and set it back on the easel to dry, since it would dry faster out there due to the large window I'd opened.

I then went into the kitchen and grabbed a still slightly warm cookie from the tray I'd left cooling on the rack after I'd pulled it out of the oven during one of my stretch breaks while I'd been painting. After biting into one and moaning at the decadent and comforting taste of chocolate chip, I poured myself a glass of milk and snagged another cookie on my way out of the kitchen. I settled on the couch, once again pulling my legs up so I was cross-legged and studied my painting again, trying to think if I should make up a name for it or see if it would come to me.

The butterflies and the contrasting shadow and light spoke to me, but the name I came up with didn't fit. Oh well, it'd come to me. They always do. I might wrap this up after it dries and hide it in my room and then give it to Bella as a "just because" present; she loves butterflies. Just as I'd finished the last cookies and set down my now empty glass of milk, the door bell rang.

"Who the heck…?" I thought as I got up to answer the door. I pulled it open and I suddenly felt short of breath. The sun had come out while I'd been painting and cooking, and it was now glinting in the highlights of the hair of the handsomest man I'd ever seen. My palms suddenly felt a little damp and when I spoke, I couldn't seem to find my composure, instead sounding like a pre-teen with my shaky, "H-h-h-How c-can I h-help you?" God, now he probably thinks I'm mentally handicapped! Brilliantly done, Cullen, I admonished myself.

"Um…excuse me ma'am but I'm here to see Rosalie? I'm her partner, Jasper." He. Has. An. Accent. Please catch me as I swoon! I know, I know, so completely stereotypical a response but it is a particular weakness of mine. I'd watched Gone with the Wind one too many times in my youth apparently, since I'd always wanted a Southern gentleman all to myself.

I realized I'd been kind of starting at him stupidly and I invited him in. After quickly (and hopefully subtly) checking to make sure I wasn't actually drooling because…eww, I invited him to sit on the couch and began my role of hostess. I explained that the girls and Em were all on their way back from various activities but that he could hang out till they got home. He commented on how it smelled delicious and I explained how I'd cooked dinner and some cookies. After offering some to him (which he praised as being even better then the store bought dough), I happened to pass by the mirror we have over the coat rack when I went to hang up his rain coat. HOLY! SHIT! I'd looked a hot mess! I'd completely forgotten about my tossed up hair, glass, paint splattered clothes, and I had paint on my face! No wonder he'd said "um.." at first! I turned back to see him sitting on the couch looking at me and he chuckled.

"Ma'am, I do believe you are blushing." He informed me. Well thanks, Captain Obvious, I must've mistook my checks feeling hot for a sunburn! *eye roll* "Oh, well yes, um…I'm so sorry to just leave you sitting in here like this but I…I really need to go change!" I said. He opened his mouth to say something, but I was already rushing by him to my room. After the fastest outfit change and make-up job in Alice-history, I was back in the living room. As I walked in I started to say "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting…" only to find Jasper had moved from the couch and was now standing in front of my painting, studying it intently. In fact, it seemed almost as if he were searching it for something.

"Um…Jasper?" I hesitantly asked. "How did you…why did you paint this?" He queried. "I don't know, it just came to me, I guess. I clear my mind and images come so I paint them." I replied. "Jasper, what's wrong?" He turned towards me slightly from the intriguing scene before him so I could once again see his intense light brown eyes drinking in the picture on the canvas before he said a couple sentences that would confuse the hell out of me. "Ma'am, that's my family house back in Georgia. It's missing a few small details like the third step on the front stoop being broken from when I stepped through it as a child but I'd swear on my Mama that that's my house."

*stunned silence*

"Jasper, that's impossible. I just met you today. How on Earth could I have painted your home?" My eyes were probably bugging out of my head, so I took two calming breaths. "It must just be a coincidence. I love old Southern architecture and this is what my mind conjured up. No need for alarm or confusion," I offered.

He fully turned towards me and when his eyes connected with mine I could've sworn I felt a tingle of awareness skate down my spine. God he was gorgeous with his rangy, slim build and his tawny eyes offset by his sun-kissed light brown hair. He seemed to do a double take, and my ego smirked a bit as I thought, 'yep, take a good look because I went to all the trouble of getting pretty again just for you.' He extended his hand and said, "I thought you looked lovely before, there was no need for you to change. …NOT that you don't look good now as well but um…so, you never actually told me who you are, Miss…?" Oh. Right. In my flustered state I'd told him about everyone else and fed him, but forgotten to say my name. Duh, Cullen. Real smooth.

"I'm sorry about that, my name is Alice Cullen, but you can call me Alice or Ali!" I said as I shook his offered hand. Again, I felt that weird tingly sensation, and I liked the feel of his calloused hand against mine and how my hand felt small and feminine, almost swallowed up by his.

"It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Alice" he said. I felt that tingle skate down my spine again and I shivered. He drew out my name, somehow making plain and boring 'Alice" sound sensual; the awareness I was feeling just from his gaze and my hand resting in his was ridiculous! This was all before what he did next. He smiled at me, and then smoothly bent his head and ever so gently kissed my hand that still lay trustingly in his grasp.

The moment that I felt his lips on my skin, my only coherent thought, which made no sense, was '…he's mine.' What the hell?

-A/N: Thoughts? Comments? REVIEWS? ;) Tell me whatcha think. I made it an extra long post as a suck up for taking so long with it. Lol. I hope you all are doing well and thank you for reading. See you in Chapter 5! *hugs* ~starryeyedauthor