A/N: Endless thanks to my superstar betas, siouxchef & TwilightMundi.

All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.

BPOV

Oh fuck, I need to talk to Jasper.

It was still too early on Sunday morning to call him, so I decided to do the next best thing - I'd bring him breakfast. I showered and dressed in casual clothes, threw my hair back into a ponytail, and made my way to Einstein's to pickup some bagels and coffee for us.

Once I had nourishment and caffeine, I decided it was safe to wake the beast. Trust me, you don't wake Jasper up early on a Sunday empty handed, this I've learned over the many years of our friendship. I parked in my driveway; Jasper has not only been my friend since sophomore year of high school, he also bought a house down the street from me.

Knowing he would have a solution for me, I knocked on the door. No answer. I tried his cell phone. No answer.

What the fuck? The one time I really need Jasper and I can't find him. I had a key to his house, but it was on a key ring all the way back at my house, and I was feeling lazy. I called his cell while knocking and I could hear the damn thing ringing, so I was almost positive he was inside.

Right as my frustration was reaching an all time peak, the front door flung open and a very angry looking Jasper was glaring at me, wearing nothing but pajama pants. Had I ever been interested in guys at all, Jasper would have been the one for me.

"Jazz, there are you. Shit, I was getting worried. What took you so long?"

"What the fuck, Bella? Do you even know what time it is?"

I admit, I nearly fell right on my ass when I saw two nicely manicured hands come up Jasper's bare chest from behind and a female head on his shoulder. My eyes must have been as wide as plates.

I knew Jasper was into some chicks, but usually he went for the more down-to-earth type. This one probably didn't even recycle, something Jasper hounded me relentlessly about. Sometimes I wanted to ask if he wasn't sure he was the lesbian in our relationship.

"Oh, uh, hmm. Jasper, sorry to interrupt," I said.

I did my best to hold in a giggle, but I wasn't very successful.

"It's okay Bella, you aren't interrupting," he said. "Come on in, Charlotte was just going."

I briefly considered trying to flirt with Charlotte, then I remembered the disastrous night Jasper brought home a seriously hot woman and I toyed with her a bit too much. After she left with me, Jasper didn't speak to me for a week. She wasn't even that great in bed; a first timer.

I walked in to see Charlotte wearing one of Jasper's t-shirts. I knew Jasper well enough to know he certainly wasn't seeing her; even he admitted he was a gay-leaning-bi. He would make the occasional exception for a hot girl, but his usual preference was hot guys.

I raised my eyebrow as I walked by Jasper, taking in Charlotte's body and making a few lewd gestures behind her back.

"So, Charlotte, it's nice to meet you," I said.

I stuck my hand out to shake hers, and yeah, it was a move mostly designed to make her face me so I could size her up properly. The shirt clung to her body beautifully and I couldn't help but be slightly jealous of Jasper. She was no 5-foot-nothing raven haired beauty, but she might be a close second.

We shook hands and she kissed Jasper's cheek before wandering off toward where I knew the guest bedroom was. Jasper was so predictable and hysterical – he never, ever brought "guests" into his bedroom. He said it was too personal. I giggled as I watched her walk away, and Jasper sat on the couch with me, opening the bag of bagels.

"Bella, what the fuck are you doing here so early?"

"Jazz, I'm sorry... if I had known you were, uh, busy, I would have waited at my place. Wait, there aren't any cars in the driveway?"

"We were too intoxicated to drive last night, so we took a cab."

"Oh shit, Jazz. She's not a 'regular' you're hiding from me, is she?"

He shook his head and laughed.

"No, no. Fucking Stoli."

"So funny you should mention Stoli," I said. "I have a little drunk tale of woe of my own."

I looked down at the floor.

"Oh my God, Bella. You're blushing?" He gasped.

"Jasper, I need you calm and collected for this discussion, please. Eat up, drink up, then once your little friend leaves, we can talk."

He laughed. "I guess I should go check on her. Fuck, this is why I don't usually bring women home. Your gender just doesn't know when a night is over."

He shot me a glare and I couldn't help the hysterical laughter.

"Oh, Jasper. You will realize the sheer and utter irony of that statement after we talk."

We sat in silence eating our bagels as Jasper guzzled some of his coffee, procrastinating and delaying the inevitable, before standing up.

"You sure you don't want to take this one?" he asked. "You usually have no trouble kicking hot women out..." As he walked away, I could hear his quiet laughter.

I just shook my head and gave him a horrified look.

It was slightly uncomfortable as I heard them exchanging words. Clearly, Charlotte had no idea she was meant to be a one night stand. Poor girl. I saw Jasper's appeal, and could only imagine what it was like to be basically kicked out by him.

When I heard him calling a local taxi service, I felt a little bad for her. Jasper came back a few minutes later and walked her out. I could predict what he'd said to her – "Thanks for a great night," "It's not you, it's me," or maybe, "I'm just not ready for a relationship right now." We sometimes spent our gym time together brainstorming for new lines so we could keep fresh ones in rotation.

Jasper sat next to me again, taking another sip of his coffee before speaking.

"So, doll, what's on your mind so early on a Sunday?"

"You're in a much better mood," I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"She went without a fight, thank God."

"Okay," I said. "So I need some help with a problem. Something... strange happened to me last night." I slipped my flip flops off, leaned back on his couch and put my feet in his lap. "So, I met this girl, Alice. No, wait. I met this woman last night. Oh, Jasper. She's pretty much my dream girl from what I can tell so far. So of course, we had amazing sex all night," I rambled on. "Right in the middle, I realized that I could really fall for her. I decided that I wasn't even going to ask her to leave until morning."

Jasper put his hand over his heart, feigning shock. "Excuse me, Bella Swan letting a woman stay the whole night?"

"I know, right? It would be like you fucking someone in your own room for once. But, I digress. So, we're snuggled up sleeping after round 2, and I wake up, and she's fucking gone. Gone, Jasper!"

I moved my arm up to cover my eyes, partially because the fucking sun was blinding me in Jasper's living room, and partially because I was actually tearing up telling the story.

"Bella?" Jasper tapped the arch of my foot to get my attention and I peeked at him from below my arm. "Bella, I hate to tell you this... You might be developing... feelings for someone."

"No, no, no, Jasper. That just can't happen. You know I don't do relationships."

He laughed again, and I was starting to get a little pissed.

"Besides, she fucking left," I grumbled. "Why did she do that, Jasper?"

"C'mere, honey," he said, motioning to his arms. I gladly sat up and shifted into his embrace. He rubbed my back in soothing circles as I cried. I fucking cried.

When I was done, he pulled back and looked at me with the most odd expression.

"Bella, I haven't seen you cry since Charlie died. Are you okay?"

"I don't know, Jazz. I don't know why I'm so attached to her already. What kind of irony is it that the one woman I want to stay leaves in the fucking middle of the night?" I pouted at him.

"Who can truly explain the workings of women, Bella? Did she leave a note or any way to contact her? Do you know anything about her?"

"Nope, no note, nothing. I have no clue what her last name is. I met her at Paper Moon last night."

"Maybe you could go back this weekend? That's the only idea I have, sweetie, I'm sorry."

My hopes for his genius plan were dashed, but he was right, there was really nothing else I could do.

"Thanks for listening, Jasper."

APOV

I looked up, certain my makeup was a mess after the night I had, not to mention the crying. "I'll be okay. Thanks, Aro. Take me to my brother's, please?"

"Of course, Miss Alice. Which one, honey?"

He was doing his best to sound soothing and comforting, but frankly I just found it annoying.

"Edward."

It was early, but I knew Edward would be awake. Hell, Edward had probably already been to the gym and was showered, dressed, and back at home donating money to needy children.

Edward and I both lived in condos downtown that our parents owned as investment income while we looked for more permanent places to live. We've been best friends since I was born, a year after Edward.

Even though we're so close in age, people sometimes had a hard time believing that we were related. I'm short with dark hair, and Edward is tall and has beautiful coppery brown hair. His green eyes are usually what people notice, and he has an amazing, kind heart. I went to dance school to fulfill selfish dreams, he went to law school to protect and vindicate.

By the time we pulled up to the building, I was calm enough to go to my apartment first for a quick shower and change of clothes. I stayed under the water until my hands were wrinkled and I thought I had cried myself out. I dried off and slipped on some comfortable clothes.

Edward and I were on different floors, so I walked to the elevator and went to his. I knocked on the door, and he answered quickly. Sure enough, he was immaculately dressed in designer jeans and a cranberry cashmere v-neck sweater, ready to save the world.

He took one look at me and knew just what I needed: a cup of coffee and a hug. He pulled me into the condo first and hugged me, leading me to the couch to sit down, then went into the kitchen and brewed us each a cup of coffee. He brought them over and set them on the coffee table, taking a seat next to me.

"What's wrong, Ali?"

"Oh, Edward..." I started to cry again. "I met someone last night."

"I would think this would be a good thing?" he asked.

"It was, Edward, it was wonderful," I said. "She's smart, sexy, beautiful, great in bed. She really seems to care about people. Actually, you'd love her. But I knew even before I went home with her that she wasn't a long-term relationship type. I ran into Tanya at the bar and she warned me, but I didn't listen. I thought I could just have one night with her. I needed a hot night with someone, you know? But she was so much more than that. I wanted so much more from her, and I knew she wasn't willing to give it, so I left. I just left. What was I thinking?"

Edward held me close. He and I were very alike, in that we very rarely had one night stands. I was sure he knew it must have been bad for me to know Bella's reputation and still go home with her.

"Alice, did you even give her a chance to tell you she didn't want more?"

"There was no way I could have faced her in the morning and have her ask me to leave," I said, sniffling.

"I think you jumped to conclusions, Alice. I mean, what if she felt the same way?"

"She didn't, Edward. She's not like that."

"You never know until you try, Al," he said, nudging me. "Do you know anything at all about her? Can you find her, call her?"

"No, it's not like that. I don't know her last name. I know nothing about her except where she lives. I can't go back there and humiliate myself. I couldn't stand it if I put myself out there like that and she didn't feel the same way. She must have girls falling all over her."

Edward looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Alice, here's what you need to do... Next Saturday, go to the club. She'll probably be there if she's really the pussy magnet you make her out to be. So, dress to kill, and if she's interested in more, you'll know without really putting yourself out there too far. If she's not interested, you can pretend you weren't either and go about your night."

Genius. I knew I loved Edward so much for a reason.

BPOV

I spent the rest of Sunday afternoon with Jasper. We went to the gym and played some racquetball, then soaked in the jacuzzi. I even tried to not rub it in Jasper's face that I kicked his ass all five games. We were relaxing in the jacuzzi when my mind went back to her. Even after pushing my body to its limits with the racquetball, I still found my thoughts drifting back to Alice, wishing she was there with me.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Jasper must have noticed me checking out – he poked me right in the ribs. Fucker.

"No letting your mind work overtime. I know that expression, Bella. No naughty thoughts in the jacuzzi. At least save them for later at home, okay?"

I kicked Jasper under the water and we got out shortly after. If he wasn't going to let me dream, I didn't want to sit there all day. We agreed to meet up in the lobby after our showers and hit Blockbuster to pick up a movie to watch at my house. It would be an early night, as we both worked the next day, and I needed to be on top of my game; we had a new guy starting.

Jasper insisted we rent Talladega Nights. It wasn't that I couldn't enjoy the humor of Will Ferrell, I actually found him quite funny. The problem was that Jasper rented this movie so often, he had more than paid for the price of a DVD of it, which just irritated me.

I made some microwave popcorn and Jasper grabbed us two beers from the fridge. If you had been looking in on us, you might have thought we were the perfect married couple, curled up on the couch together, laughing.

After the movie, I gave Jasper a soft kiss on the cheek and thanked him again for helping me with my problem. I was at least not pessimistic anymore, with my plan in place for the weekend.

I went to bed right after he left since I anticipated a stressful early morning. Tossing and turning, thoughts of her haunted me. Before I was able to get to sleep, I could smell her in my bed, almost pretend she was still with me. Touching myself, I convinced my brain it was her touching me. I came whispering her name. I fell asleep and dreamed of her; her touch, her crooked smile, her heart.

I woke up feeling like shit.

Picking a light grey suit with a crisp white shirt, I accessorized in red. I felt saucy and wanted everyone to know it.

I grabbed up a Starbucks tall Americano on my way to work, downing the caffeine necessary to get my day properly going. As soon as I walked in the doors of the building, I knew I had to remain calm, cool, composed, and in charge. There was no fucking with Bella Swan inside these doors. This was my domain.

I pushed the up button on the elevator and promptly took it to my office on the penthouse level. All of the partners had offices up there.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan," Leah said. "How are you today?"

"I'm great Leah. How are you?" I asked. "And what have I told you about calling me Ms. Swan?"

I raised my eyebrow and smiled at her as I made my way into my office, leaving the door open. I liked Leah, she was the most competent assistant I'd had.

"Leah?" I asked.

"Yes, Ms... Bella?"

"Where's the new hire?"

"Human Resources called five minutes ago to say they were finishing up with him," she said. "I imagine he should be here any minute."

"Thanks."

I had the new guy's resume on top of a stack of papers on my desk, so I reviewed it before he showed up. He'd gone to school at Seattle University and was ranked among the top in his class. He had a few years of experience to show for himself, technically no more than I had.

I flipped open my laptop and began checking my work email. I tried to avoid it over the weekends; it was too easy to get sucked into projects and never have any downtime. In a high stress job like mine, I found that relaxation was vital. Leah had, of course, already gone through my email for me once, but these were the messages that might need my direct attention, so I focused on dealing with them as quickly as possible.

My eyes were squinting at the screen, even through my reading glasses, when I realized I heard a voice outside my office.

"... let her know you're here."

Leah walked in and let me know that the newbie had arrived, so I stood and got ready to shake his hand, welcome him aboard, all the usual crap.

He walked in and I was immediately captivated by him. I wasn't attracted to him, but he was a fine piece of man that even I could appreciate. He had on a well-tailored dark grey suit that fit him perfectly. It accentuated all of the great parts of his body, and I guessed from the quick glance I took that he spent as much time in the gym as I did.

I stuck my hand out to him and tried to ease the tension I knew he must be feeling at meeting his new boss. We let HR handle all of the hiring and firing business. It was a small firm, so the person handling it knew exactly what we were looking for and the type of person that would fit in, and I was glad not to have to deal with it.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen. I'm Bella Swan and I'll be your mentor while you adjust to working here at Weber, Swan, and Swan. Do you have any questions before I begin going through some of the basics?"

Christ, his hands are soft.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Swan. I don't think I have any questions just yet."

He smiled and I felt my heart rate increase; it tugged up into a crooked smile just like Alice's.

No thinking about Alice. This is work. You're the boss, keep it together.

"Well, then, have a seat," I said. "So, I was just refreshing my memory with a glance at your resume. It looks like you went to University of Seattle Law School and graduated near the top of your class, then went on to work at a very prestigious firm there. We're flattered you want to work with us, Mr. Cullen. My sister and I started this firm with a friend, and we've made quite a name for ourselves over the last few years. What attracted you to law in the first place, if I may ask?"

I took my glasses off and began to fidget with them.

"Well, my entire family is here in the Salt Lake area, so I had personal motives for moving back. When I heard through the grapevine that you might be looking for a new lawyer, I jumped at the chance," he explained. "I've always had a passion for the law and helping people, and you're right – you do have quite the reputation. You are three of the most aggressive lawyers I've seen in action and I love that you aren't afraid to tackle the tough cases. I know your firm had a hand in a few of the life-altering civil rights cases here, and I can't wait to be a part of that."

I immediately liked him, and not just because he'd complemented us.

"Well, we've got your office setup on the second floor. Everything you need should be there," I said. "Why don't you go drop your briefcase off, familiarize yourself with the laptop we have for you, and come back up after that. We can open a few case files and see what I can let you get your hands into, okay?"

As the words were slipping out of my mouth, I realized how they could have been taken. I'd been hit on by more than one guy in my time, so I was expecting him to take the opening and run... but he didn't. He thanked me again, turned on his fabulous shoes, and made his way out of my office.

I immediately called Rose.

"Rose, the new guy is here," I half-whispered.

Yep, the sad truth was, even though she and I were partners (with Angela) and had the respect of our peers as successful professionals, once you got us together, we were just like two 15-year-old sisters gabbing away.

"Oh yeah, is he hot?" she asked.

"Smokin'. I dunno if he's your type, though. He's a little smaller than you like. Wanna take him to lunch and get all the juicy details?"

"Sure. Can you do eleven thirty at Ichiban? I need sushi."

I opened iCal to consult with my schedule, then let her know that sounded perfect. We were within walking distance and it was still nice outside, so we agreed to meet in my office.

Edward appeared at the door shortly after I wrapped up the email I had to deal with, just as I was about to check my personal account. Figures.

We worked on two cases I'd shown him that I needed help with. These were pretty easy, so I was going to turn them over to him and just keep an eye out, letting him take the lead.

Edward and I had been so deep in work that we hadn't even noticed her approach, but once I noticed her, I stood and walked over to hug her.

She'd clearly stopped in the bathroom on her way to freshen up. She always looked good, but that day, my sister looked great. She must not have had court, because she was actually a tad on the overly sexy side. Not that I was going to say anything to her about it.

"Rose, this is Edward, the new lawyer here. Edward, this is Rosalie Swan, a partner in the firm, and my sister."

They shook hands and we convinced Edward to let us treat him to a sushi lunch. The walk was easy, but quiet. Once we got there and ordered, Rose and I both relaxed and shifted out of "office" mode.

It was nice to talk to Edward, and Rose was getting to know him as well, so we asked the usual questions. He wasn't married. He lived downtown in a great building, and he said his family was pretty normal – parents still married, one sister, one brother, nothing too terribly interesting. He wasn't raised in "The Church" as everyone called it, so I knew he was bound to be slightly more liberal than some of our co-workers.

We shared a bunch of sushi rolls and actually had a great time. I had a feeling that Edward Cullen and I were going to be friends. That wasn't a feeling I got frequently.

The rest of the workday went pretty fast and I spent my night stuck in a haze of Alice again. I had called Rose to get her advice and it brought everything up into my brain again. I know, it was a little psycho of me, but I still couldn't bring myself to wash my sheets and erase the last lingering scent of her. I even ate dinner in bed, music from my iHome filling the room. Just as I set my dish down on the bedside table and laid back against my mountain of fluffy pillows, my phone chirped with a new text. I groaned.

WTF, you skipped the gym this morning and now you're ignoring the door? -Jazz

Shit, I had no idea anyone was even at the door. I walked over and opened it to see Jasper waiting on the porch.

"It's about god damned time. I almost broke the thing down. What the hell?"

"Sorry, I guess I had the music up a little loud. Did you forget you have a key, Jasper? Shit, what's got your panties in such a twist?"

"Bella, I've only ever known you to skip the gym when you're sick or something is terribly wrong. You even go if you're out of town! Why is the music up so fucking loud?"

He brushed past me on his way to the bedroom to turn the music down.

"Holy shit. Did you eat in here?" he asked. "You did, didn't you? You must have it even worse than I thought."

He flopped on my bed and I cringed, silently cursing him for adding his scent to the mix.

"Do you at least have a plan yet?"

"Yeah," I said, flopping down beside him. "I think you're right, I should go back to the club on Saturday and see if I can find her there. I don't know what I'm going to do if she's actually there. I mean, what if she left because she thought it was horrible? What if there was no spark for her? What if it was just another throw away night? Oh my God, what if she's like me?"

My lower lip began to tremble. Alice couldn't be like me, could she? She was good, and warm and kind, right?

Jasper moved his hand up to brush the hair away from my face and saw my glassy eyes.

"Bella, it'll be okay, sweetheart. If you don't find her at the club on Saturday, we'll somehow figure out who Alice is. If she passes up on a chance with you, she's clearly just fucking insane."

I laughed at his choice of words.

"So says the shrink," I mocked.

"That's right, so you have to agree. Clearly my completely thorough professional analysis and diagnosis couldn't be wrong?"

He winked at me and pulled me into his body.

"I missed you this morning," he confessed, pressing his nose into my neck.

"Sorry," I said. "We had a new guy starting and I couldn't be late. I had a shit night of sleep, and I needed every last second in order to hold it together at work."

I knew my whole week was going to be full of rough nights until I could theoretically see Alice again. I was hoping she'd let me do more than just see her, but I'd have to try and keep going with my week as normal.

"Jazz, do you think we could have a sleepover tonight?"

"I don't see why not. Let me go back to my place and grab a movie and some pajamas, okay? I'll be back in ten."

He kissed my cheek and walked away. I heard the door close behind him and decided I may as well start a load of sheets in the wash; her scent was all fucked up from Jasper. There was no use wallowing in it anymore, and he'd probably appreciate a non-sexed-up bed to sleep in.

After I put the sheets in the washing machine, I made some popcorn and got two Cokes. I could hear the front door open and close, then saw Jasper walk back down the hallway to the bedroom to drop off his things.

We snuggled up on the couch together, this time to watch Wanted. Jasper drooled over both Angelina and James McAvoy, and I got to drool over Angelina. We actually paused about halfway through the movie and spent a few minutes dissecting her marriage to Brad Pitt after I moved the sheets to the dryer.

The sun had long ago set and I went into the kitchen to get us some wine. I was going to need all the help I could get for a restful slumber, so I uncorked one of my favorite reds and poured us each a glass. We finished the movie and a few more glasses of wine before bed, snuggling up together.

"Jasper, thank you for everything you do for me," I said quietly. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"I know, Bella. I love you, too."

At least I had a small feeling of contentment as I drifted to sleep in Jasper's arms.

Tuesday was boring, to say the least. I didn't skip the gym. Thanks to Jasper's sleepover, he was up and ready to sweat. I couldn't really complain since he'd done me a favor by staying over; the least I could do was give him a good racquetball workout.

Edward spent most of the day in his office doing research, sending me an occasional email to ask a question. I worked through lunch, asking Leah to bring me a sandwich, then left around sunset to go home. I was exhausted, too tired to cook, so I grabbed a salad on the way.

Snuggling into my sheets alone wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was already exhausted from the gym and a long workday, but I couldn't help it when I changed into my pajamas and found myself lying there, thinking of her again. My hands had a mind of their own and I came quickly, but without much satisfaction. I sighed in frustration.

On Wednesday, I let Jasper kick my ass. Well, let was not entirely accurate. I was exhausted, another restless night of sleep leaving me grouchy.

I was at the office by eight; even Leah wasn't in yet. She showed up around quarter after and apologized for being late, but had Starbucks with her, so all was immediately forgiven.

Edward had some good insights into the cases I asked him to work on, so we sat and discussed them for awhile. I really wanted to get to know him better. We could carry banter between the two of us very well, and I found myself curious about him.

I invited Edward, Rose, and Angela to lunch; I wanted the other partners to get to know Edward. We were a small, tight-knit firm, and we all agreed that it was important we stay connected.

Angela drove us in her pearly white Escalade since we wouldn't all fit in my car and Rose didn't want to drive – she wanted to sit in the back seat with Edward.

I could see her turning the flirt volume up and Edward looked a little flustered. I imagine having one of your bosses hit on you wasn't exactly the ideal way to spend your first week at a new job, so when we got to the restaurant, I pulled her aside and reminded her that she was his boss. She toned it down a little after that.

"So, Edward, what brings you to Salt Lake? You moved from Seattle, right? Who would give that up to move back here?" Angela practically spat as she asked. Her disdain for the area was well-known.

"My family is here, Ms. Weber. I'm very close with them and I wanted to settle down somewhere nearby."

"Oh, what do your parents do? And please, call me Angela."

"My father is a pediatrician at Children's Primary downtown, and my mother is a clothing designer."

"You've been holding out on us, Edward!" I teased.

"Does your mom have her own label or work for anyone we might know?" Rose asked. She seemed intensely curious, now that she had this nugget of information.

"Hmm, the truth is, I have no idea about anything fashion related, sorry," he said, looking sheepish. "My sister and mother are the fashionistas of the house, but I'll ask and try to decipher the Woman Code."

"How about your brother and sister, what do they do?" I asked.

Edward looked like he was on trial for a moment, and I giggled at the thought.

"Oh God, Edward," I said, "I'm sorry if we're asking too many personal questions. You're free to tell us to butt out at any time. We generally like to get to know every employee since we all work so closely together, but we completely understand the need for privacy."

He smiled at me and I could tell that I had put him somewhat at ease.

"Thanks," he said. "It's not that you're asking too much, it's just that I don't usually have three people interviewing me all at once. My brother is also a doctor at Children's, and my sister is in limbo at the moment. I'm pretty sure she'll take an internship with my mom, though. How about you, Bella? I know Rose is your sister, do you have any other siblings?"

"Nope, just Rose. Our dad died a few years ago and our mom now lives in Florida with her new husband."

"Ahh. Did you grow up here?" he asked.

"Born and raised," Rose said.

"And how about you, Angela?" Edward asked.

"Oh, I was born in Washington state, actually. I moved here to go to law school, and that's where I met these two."

"Oh, hell, now that Bella said you can tell us to butt out, I'm just going to come right out and ask," Rose piped in. "Edward, why are you still single? Hot, sexy, intelligent, funny... have I just not seen the psycho killer side of you yet?"

Edward shifted in his seat and looked uncomfortable for a moment.

"I never said I had always been single," he explained. "I was seeing someone in Seattle, it just didn't work out. We had a messy break up, so I'm taking a little break."

That seemed to satisfy Rose, who I noticed had her "I'll get you, my little pretty!" smile across her face. That girl always did like a challenge.

I paid the tab and we all piled back into Angela's SUV for the short ride back to the office.

"Thanks, you guys. I had a great time. Edward, you're going to fit right in with us," I said, turning back to look at him as I spoke.

I called Rose when we got back to ask her for help with some shopping on Friday night. I needed to look my best on Saturday, so I was enlisting help from all of the troops. When I stopped at the grocery store on my way home for some essentials, I called Jasper.

"Jazzy, are you standing me up for dinner?" I harassed him. "I even let you win this morning!"

"First, you did not let me win; I won fair and square. Second, nope, I'm not standing you up I was just delayed with a patient. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. What are you making us, babe?"

"Jasper, seriously, who above the age of four says 'fair and square'? I thought we could have some lasagna and salad with garlic bread. How does that sound?"

"Yum, see you in a few."

We hung up and I shook my head as I started making dinner. I always looked forward to when Jasper came over for dinner; since I lived alone there wasn't much incentive to cook, but with Jasper around I could make a real meal. I also liked to host dinner parties for the same reason, but it had been awhile.

After I got the lasagna in the oven, I heard the front door, followed by a loud, "Honey, I'm home!" I laughed.

"In here, dear."

"Aw, now is that any way to greet your hard-working husband? Where's my martini?"

"Oh, Jasper, you just covered in about five seconds exactly the reasons why I will never have a husband."

He came up behind me and gave me a squeeze. "How was your day?" I asked.

Jasper was a child psychologist and I knew that sometimes his work was very emotionally draining. The fact that he was late and mentioned it was related to a patient couldn't have been good.

"Terrible," he said, sighing. "I swear, I see kids younger and younger with all sorts of problems that only adults are supposed to have. It breaks my heart."

I turned to give him a real hug and held him in my arms for a minute.

"Jasper, you're such a wonderful person for helping so many kids. They don't even realize just how lucky they are to have you caring for them," I said. "Now, sit down, relax, and I'll get you that drink. Martini, wine, or scotch?"

He kissed my cheek and made his way to the breakfast bar and sat so that we could keep talking as I fixed the salad and bread.

"If you've got it, I would love a scotch actually."

"Aw, sweetie, you know I keep a bottle here just for you. Let me get you all fixed up and then we'll eat as soon as the lasagna is done, okay?"

We stuffed ourselves at dinner, then sat on the couch letting the news play on the TV in the background. I was still worried about Jasper, so I asked if he wanted a quick shoulder rub and he said yes.

"Alright, hop down on the floor then and let me work my magic."

Five minutes later, he seemed remarkably less stressed. He began to let out soft moans and sighs every now and then, and I could sense his tension leaving under my hands.

"You are too good at that," he said.

He curled his arms around my legs and leaned back, letting me know my job was done. I kissed the top of his head and he got up and left for the night, wishing me sweet dreams, so I went to bed.

Thursday was much the same as Tuesday – boring as shit. I wasn't volunteering that week and I felt utterly useless. It seemed like the closer it got to Saturday, the more anxious and irritable I was. I was tired of sleeping poorly, so I took something before bed and managed to feel mostly okay at the gym Friday morning. Jasper and I just did cardio, then sat in the sauna together for a few minutes talking quietly before heading off to our respective jobs.

I sent Rose an email from my personal account to confirm we were on for shopping and she replied right back. I was so excited I think I bounced through the day.

"Someone is in a good mood," Edward said, shooting me a smile as he came into my office to drop off some paperwork.

"I am, it's Friday! Any hot plans this weekend, Edward?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Nope, same old same old. I think I'm supposed to have dinner at my parents' house on Saturday with my brother and sister. That should be nice."

"Ah, well, try to have a little fun this weekend. All work and no play is not our motto here, okay?"

"Advice so noted," he said, smiling. It reached his eyes that time, in all its crooked glory, making my knees weak. I was thankful to be sitting.

"Have a good one, Edward," I said. "Don't stay too late! Rose and I are going shopping, so I'm leaving early. See you Monday."

"Thanks, Bella. See you Monday."

We had left behind the formalities of "miss" and "mister" sometime the day before.

I met Rose in her office, literally hopping with excitement. "All right," she said, "where are we headed on tonight's shopping adventure? You know I'm giving up a Friday night for you, I must really love ya, sis."

"I know Rose, I owe you. I was thinking Victoria's Secret to pick up some new lingerie, then we could browse a few places for a new dress?"

"Okay, let's go," she said. "Meet me at Nordstrom."

We drove separately and I had a great feeling about our shopping trip. I parked and made my way in, glad we'd left work a little early to avoid the usual Friday night traffic. Rose and I found the perfect outfit and some new lingerie, then grabbed a quick bite to eat. Hugging her, I thanked her again for her help on my way out of the mall.

"Knock her dead, Bella. You're going to look fantastic." She gave me a little squeeze before letting go.

This plan just had to work, because I didn't know what I was going to do with myself if Alice wasn't there or, worse, turned me down. I had never been so nervous in my life. Deciding to take a little risk and call in a favor from Jasper, I picked up my phone and texted him.

Jasper, darling, dear... how much do you love me?

He must have been having a boring Friday at home, as he replied immediately.

Oh boy, what do you need now?

I snickered as I typed my reply.

Just hear me out before you say no. Please will you come with me tomorrow night? I need you there, Jazz, and you know you want to meet her...

I waited for 20 minutes without an answer.

You want me to go with you to a lesbian bar? Why can't Rose go?

I quickly replied with how many times have I gone to gay bars with you? Please! I already took up Rose's Friday night with shopping.

Finally, Jasper relented and I smiled as I read his reply.

There better be some nice eye candy there. I'll meet you at your place at 7. You so owe me.

Yes! I knew with Jasper at my side, even if Alice didn't show up, I'd still have an okay time.

I took a sleeping pill again before bed to make sure that I actually got some sleep; I knew without it, I would have stayed up all night worrying and wondering. The plan was falling into place. All I had to do was find Alice and get her to agree to a real date.