A/N: As always, the lovely ladies at PTB are awesome! I cannot thank TDS88 and 2Shaes enough. I'm not good at leaving well enough alone, so any errors belong to me.

I'd also like to thank the readers who sent reviews and PMs. Your comments are insightful and inspiring!


Chapter 6: (For timeframe, let's just say this is 'somewhere in the middle'.)

Alice dropped her bag near the door, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the couch. Her roommate worked evenings, so she normally turned on the radio for some company, but tonight she just soaked in the silence. There were still times she found New York loud and overwhelming. After the chaos of the day, the quiet was soothing.

She had just started to drift off when the faint strains of a Nickelback ringtone came from her abandoned bag. She ignored it. As much as she loved Emmett, she wasn't in the right mood to talk to him. For the last six months, she'd been careful about contacting her family, making sure to call only when she'd had a good day and was in a mood to chat.

A few seconds later, the song stopped and was replaced with the faint voicemail chirp. She rolled over and let herself drift off.

She had only been asleep for an hour when she sat up, panting and disoriented. Pushing sweaty hair out of her eyes, Alice looked around the empty living room then sat back with a groan. This was the second dream she'd had about being locked in the apartment. Every door would open, but when she walked through, she was always right back where she started. No reason to call Freud on this one, she thought, I'm pretty sure I can interpret this dream on my own.

Pulling herself from the couch, she ignored her bag and went for a shower. Hot water and comfy clothes were just what the doctor ordered.

An hour later, she was clean and wrapped in cozy flannel. Sitting down for a dinner of microwave popcorn and hot chocolate, she finally gave in and pulled her phone from the bag. She dialed into her voicemail and waited.

"Hey, sis. It's me." Emmett sounded far away, and her heart clenched a bit when she heard his voice. "I haven't heard from you in a while. I thought I'd call and check in.

"I hope you're fine. Everyone here is good." He was quiet for several seconds. "I miss you. Call me back." He paused before disconnecting. Alice could hear his soft exhale before the connection broke.


"That was when I knew it was time to come back to the city."

Alice let her mind wander as her date's voice droned on, stealing precious moments of her life. He had been going on about his trip to northern Michigan since they sat down. The endless discussion of potential mining sites and ore shipment methods made her want to cry. She took a quick sip of her wine and attempted to look interested.

She was going to throttle the receptionist, Jessica, for setting up this date. No, that would be too quick; she needed a death that was slow and ore-related. Alice smiled at the mental image of Jessica being dropped to the bottom of a mineshaft. There would be a whistling sound, followed by a hollow thud, and a small poof of dust wafting up from the impact, Wile E. Coyote style.

A fresh wave of dismay hit Alice as she realized Mr. Ore was her best date this month. She had yet to meet a man who was not either bitter from a previous relationship, married to his work, or simply out to get laid. Those were the worst, and she tried to weed them out early.

She crossed her legs under the table and shifted her body. Her foot was now clearly visible in the aisle between the tables.

"Where did you say you were from originally?" he asked, looking up at her. Jessica was right about the fact that he was good looking, with sandy brown hair, hazel eyes and a strong jaw, but he was also totally self-centered. Alice figured Jess must not care that he was self-centered, or she was really into mining.

"Washington state. The Olympic Peninsula." She checked her watch slyly. It had been twenty-two minutes since they'd sat down. These were the first words out of his mouth that were not work-related.

"I don't think there's a lot of mining going on there. Although, there was quite a bit of history with gold miners in the past."

"Yes, I think that's true," she answered dryly, knowing it wouldn't matter if she replied or not. He continued talking, and she let her mind wander again. What would happen if she dropped a ton of ore on him? What exactly did ore look like, anyway, and how big would a ton be?

In spite of her bloodthirsty thoughts, she sat politely, bouncing her leg up and down while she waited for him to remember she was there. Esme would have had her hide if she was rude, and the politeness was too deeply ingrained to send him away.

"This has been a lot of fun," he said finally, looking at his watch. "Are you sure I can't take you to dinner?"

"No, I'm sorry. My friend is going to stop by any minute and tell me about his mother's surgery. I really need to be here for him. You know how it is." She leaned across the table, trying to look sincere.

"Oh, of course. Well, we can just chat until he gets here."

"Uh uh," she replied. Alice sat back, sipping her drink while she moved her foot further into the aisle. She was bound to start getting dirty looks from people walking by, but she didn't care anymore. It was clear that James needed glasses, because she was sending a huge signal for help over here and getting nowhere.

"So, Jessica didn't tell me exactly how the two of you met," he said.

"She's the receptionist where I work. We don't get to talk much." And we'll talk even less now, she added silently.

If her foot bounced any higher, she was going to sprain her ankle.

"Alice! I'm so happy you could meet me!" James rushed over. He pulled a chair from a nearby table and shoved it across the floor with a nerve-rattling screech. Plopping down, he began to speak quickly. "I'm helping my mom move tomorrow, and I really need someone to take care of her dog."

"Is this your friend?" her date asked, pointing to James, who had not introduced himself. "I thought his mom was the one having surgery."

"No, well ... sort of," Alice replied with a slow nod. "His mother is moving, but the dog is having surgery."

"Yep. That's what's happening," the bartender confirmed, bobbing his head in approval then turning to her with a wink. Alice silently wished for that ton of ore to drop on James. Some friend he was. Once again, he was enjoying watching her squirm.

"Well, I'll leave you two to talk," her date said. "Alice, it was nice to get to know you. I'd like to call you later, if that's okay?"

"Why don't we play it by ear?" she replied, with a concerned tone. "I might be busy with this for a while." She pointed at James briefly.

Mr. Ore nodded once and walked away.

Alice and James watched in silence until the bar door closed behind him.

"Late much?" Alice cried, smacking her tardy friend on the shoulder. "I was going to break my freaking foot signaling for help over here."

"Sorry," he replied. "I thought I had more time. This one lasted less than a half hour. That's a new record. You either need to screen them better, or give me a clue that's easier to see. Something like the bat signal."

"I'm glad my misery is so entertaining," she sighed. "Fine, Batman. The next time you save me, I'll buy you a cape. Better yet, I'll make you one. It'll be shiny and red with a big yellow 'J' across the back."

"Screw the cape, I want the Batmobile."

"I'll see what I can do," she replied with a giggle. "Just bring me another wine, will you? And pour yourself one, my treat. You've earned it."


"Oh, I see how it is. You call and leave a message, but don't answer your phone," Alice said in a teasing tone. She'd finally found the determination to return Emmett's call from last week.

"I've been great," she said, then paused, knowing that he would be able to see through any lie. "Okay, maybe great is too strong. I'm good. Work is really busy; they gave me a new project." Another awkward pause followed. She really should have planned better, but it wouldn't have mattered. Even if she had chattered on about nothing important, he would have known she was just filling time.

"I have a promising second date tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes the next time I call." She sighed.

"I miss you, big brother. Call me back."


"Hey, baby," Alice called into her phone. "How are you?" In spite of distance and busy schedules, she and Bella were working to stay in contact. After too many weeks of phone tag, they decided to try something new, and a weekly movie night had been working out perfectly.

Just hearing her friend's voice helped some of the tension inside Alice start to release. Those first few calls after the wedding had been awkward, but Alice had stuck with it. She refused to let her mistake with Jasper affect her relationship with Bella. Being the best kind of friend, Bella had waited until Alice was ready to talk about it, and even then, she only gave advice when it was requested.

"I'm good. We're trying out a new curriculum next week, so I've been preparing for the fallout." Bella's degree in elementary education had helped her find a job with a small non-profit that specialized in early intervention for at-risk preschoolers.

"How's my brother? Still falling asleep anytime he sits still?" Alice asked, balancing the phone against her shoulder while she carried a tray from the kitchen to the living room.

"He's good, I guess. At least he was the last time I saw him. It seems like they keep working him more and more. I know this isn't forever, but for right now, it's a pain in the ass. I can see why some of the med students' marriages don't make it."

Alice could hear the loneliness in her friend's voice, but there was no hint of self-pity. Bella had too much pride for that. It was more an acknowledgement that their choices required sacrifice.

Alice couldn't help but marvel at the irony. They were a continent apart, married and single, surrounded by family and alone, but they were both lonely on this Friday night.

"Well, you could have it worse," she reminded her friend gently. "You could still be dating. I crossed another one off the list tonight. We met for a drink last week, and he seemed nice enough. Tonight, we went for a walk in the park, and he kept adjusting his pants. I'm not talking once or twice. This was every five minutes for an hour." She paused when she heard Bella laughing through the phone line. "Whatever nastiness he has going on down there, I want no part of it."

"I don't know why you keep doing this to yourself."

"I'm starting to wonder. I think I'd rather be alone than invest any more time in trying to pull something worth keeping out of the dating pool." Alice fidgeted with the tray on the coffee table, making sure the corners matched up perfectly.

"I don't think it will come to that, and I don't think you believe it either." There was silence on the line, as though Bella was deciding whether or not to speak her next thought. "I know you don't want to talk about it," she started softly, "but I still think you should just call him. What can one call hurt? Edward said he's stopped seeing anyone and seems—"

"Please. Stop." Those two words said volumes. They'd been around this discussion before. "You know I'd rather leave it alone. And we had an agreement about you discussing this with Edward."

"I'm not going to lie to my husband if he asks me directly, but I'll do my best to hedge," Bella told her gently. "Just think about it, please. I think he's changed."

"Believe me, that would have to be some drastic change," Alice said softly.

"Fine, I won't press. Just think about it. That's all I'm asking."

"All right, I'll think about it," Alice said softly. "Now, are you ready to press play?" she called in an exaggeratedly chipper tone, obviously changing the subject.

"Of course," Bella said, taking the hint. "I've got my popcorn, M&Ms, and lots of soda. 'Uncle Buck' me, baby."

They spent the rest of the night enjoying the genius of John Hughes, and forgetting they were three thousand miles apart.


"Dude, don't fall asleep in your beer!" Emmett called to Edward. "I haven't seen you in months. The least you can do is stay awake." The sports bar was crowded, and they had to yell to be heard even across the table.

"Bah, you're lucky I'm here. I could be home in bed with my wife," Edward mumbled, rubbing his hand along the back of Bella's neck.

"Yes, you could," she muttered low, so that only Edward could hear. Her head tilted to allow him better access to her neck. She moaned softly and rubbed his thigh under the table.

"Give it a rest, the two of you. Geez, you're still way too handsy after all this time. You are now, officially, an old married couple. Act like it," Emmett groused.

"I found you!" Jasper said, walking up to the table. He smiled at Edward and Bella. His gaze shifted to Emmett and faltered for a second. Unable to walk away without drawing attention to himself, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Jasper lifted his hand to signal the waiter and nodded at Emmett. "Em. Haven't seen you in a while."

The tight-jawed nod he got back said volumes.

Sensing impending doom, Bella was thrilled to see when the waiter arrived to take their order. She'd wanted to get this group together for months, but now that they were all here, she was beginning to doubt the wisdom of this plan.

She'd been hoping for one of two outcomes. With any luck, the proximity and the beer would help Emmett and Jasper relax around each other and remember they'd been friends. Her worst case scenario had them simply fighting it out. They were both behaving like cavemen, and she was sure it wouldn't take much to get them rolling on the floor, pummeling each other and getting it out of their systems.

Unfortunately, when the waiter arrived, Jasper ordered a Coke, instead of a beer. Emmett glanced over and ordered one for himself. Bella added her own order, and she narrowed her eyes, looking between them. She started to ask Edward what he wanted when she heard soft snoring and looked over to see he had fallen asleep. She rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling. It was going to be a long night.

Bella was doing all she could to fill the tense silence; thankfully, the waiter came back just as she was running out of small talk. It was hard to keep a conversation going when one person was sleeping, and the other two gave monosyllable answers.

As the drinks were passed, a cheer went up through the bar. Someone, somewhere, had scored a point in a game, using a ball, or maybe it was a puck. Bella never watched sports. What was the point? Tomorrow they would play the same game with the same rules.

Pulling Edward's head down onto her shoulder, she looked up to see Jasper say something about the game while looking at one of the wall-mounted screens.

Holding her breath, Bella waited.

She let out her own silent cheer when Emmett answered Jasper. He only said two words, but it was a start. Slowly, over the next hour, she saw a tiny crack form in the ice between them. Now this was a spectator sport worth watching.

Bella was sure they were the most dysfunctional patrons in the bar. Edward slept fitfully while muttering about arteries. She would normally have pulled him up and taken him home, but she didn't want to leave Emmett and Jasper in the same room alone. Any progress they'd made tonight could be undone with one misplaced word.

Glancing up at their stilted conversation, she realized she still had a lot to learn about men. The outcome was what she'd been hoping for, but the path had been unexpected. Maybe sports were good for something after all.


Throwing the covers back, Jasper sat on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his knees. In spite of the early hour, he couldn't sleep. There was no reason to continue tossing and turning. It just wasn't going to happen.

He glanced back at the clock. The date was displayed below the obnoxious red numbers, but he didn't need the reminder. This day has been sneaking up on him for weeks, coming closer in fits and starts.

When the wedding invitation had arrived last month, it included a hand written note asking him to attend. He wasn't surprised Maria had invited him, but he couldn't believe her fiancée had agreed. If the situation had been reversed, he was not sure he would be as generous.

He should have gone. It would have been the adult thing to do, but he simply couldn't do it. Standing in the church while Maria pledged her love to another man felt wrong. It wasn't that Jasper loved her, but he couldn't help but wonder about his impact on her life. Would Maria have been better off if they'd never met?

It seemed he'd done more soul-searching in the last few months than he'd done through his entire life. Spending all this time inside his head made him feel claustrophobic; it was like his skin was too tight.

For so long, he'd been sure of what he wanted out of life. He would finish school, start working, and take over the company when dad retired. In his free time, he would do whatever he wanted, including any lovely ladies he met along the way. It was a simple plan. What he didn't realize until recently was it would also be very, very lonely.

Then this enticing, infuriating, little female knocked him back. Alice's response to his offer had been like walking into a brick wall. Her scathing answer forced him to look at himself in a new way, and he didn't like what he saw.

She wanted white-picket fences and happily-ever-after, but he knew her version of that life had been very different from his. While she saw it as something to be valued, he'd followed in his father's footsteps and saw it as a prison. That Leave It to Beaver life was something to be avoided at all costs, and so he'd filled his time pursuing his own interests.

When Rose had told him to grow up, he'd been incensed. How dare she? As long as he wasn't hurting anyone, she had no reason to butt in. His relationships, or lack thereof, were none of her business. He realized now that wasn't exactly true.

Time and distance were giving him time to think. Is that what he wanted for his life? A series of slightly sordid non-relationships with nothing he could be proud of? Where would he be in twenty years? Hell, where would he be in five years? Still here—alone, quite possibly sitting in the dark while another ex-lover prepared to marry someone willing to give her what he couldn't.

A gruff voice in the back of his head told him if he stayed on his current path, he would end up old and alone. Or worse yet, he would be the lecherous old man with a young vacuous gold-digger on his arm. He would be an object of pity people pointed at as they walked by. Was that a future he was willing to risk? If not, was he willing to take the chance on a real relationship? Did he have it in him to make that kind of change?

He could only imagine one person who would make him consider the risk. She was thousands of miles away and refused to speak to him.

Blowing out a breath, he stood. He'd reached the end of this train of thought before. Going around the track again would get him nowhere.

Pulling on a pair of shorts and t-shirt, he grabbed his iPod. He had excess energy to burn, and he needed to turn his churning brain off for a while.

"Penny," he called. "Are you up? Let's go for a run."

He smiled as he heard the click of puppy toenails across the hardwood. She was the first thing he'd done right since the wedding. Her enthusiastic bark made him smile and pulled him from his melancholy thoughts.


Moonlight filled the hotel room, casting pale shadows and giving their bodies a soft glow. Jasper was wrapped around her, murmuring sexy things in her ear. The heat from his breath sent goosebumps down her spine.

His hand cupped her jaw as he lowered his head for a kiss; the scent of him surrounded her. Before she could stop it, a soft moan echoed from the back of her throat. His mouth taunted hers, and his tongue teased a response. One hand moved down her back and pulled her hips to meet his. Heat built between her legs, and her hips rocked against his.

There was a faint beeping sound, but she ignored it, not wanting it to intrude on their moment.

It's been so long. She couldn't remember how they got back to the room, and it wasn't important. All that mattered was that he was there. Everything she'd worked so hard to forget came flooding back. Yes, the desire and temptation were there, but there was something else too, a tenderness. Holding him close, she felt the relief of finding something she knew was lost.

The beep sounded again, louder this time. The sound was coming from inside his breast pocket.

Alice whimpered in protest as Jasper pulled away from her. He reached in and pulled out the shiny red cell phone.

The beep sounded again.

Jasper read the message displayed on the screen and broke into a wide grin.

Beep.

He turned away and walked to the door without ever looking at her.

Beep.

Before she could protest, the door was open, and he was gone.

Beep.

Alice's eyes flew open, and she inhaled deeply, completely lost to her surroundings. The alarm clock continued to sound in the darkness as the dream receded.

Instantly, it all came crashing back. She was in bed, in her apartment, alone. After all these months, Jasper still invaded her dreams from time to time.

Reaching over, she slammed the alarm button hard, silencing the infernal machine. This had been the most vivid of the dreams. It angered her that he still had any kind of hold over her, even in her subconscious.

Enough, she chided herself, no more dwelling on the past. It was time to get ready for work, even if she didn't feel like going. She had an important meeting today, and she needed to be on top of her game.


"Damn man, you're late again. Doesn't Bella let you out of bed?" Jasper teased. Edward just grinned that shit-eating grin. He hadn't stopped smiling since confessing he and Bella were trying to conceive. The very idea of one of his friends becoming a parent freaked Jasper out a bit. Being responsible for another human being was more than he wanted to consider.

"Shut up. We're not all sleeping with our dog," Edward countered. When Jasper had brought home the mixed-breed shelter puppy, the teasing had begun, and it was getting old. Jasper bounced the ball at Edward with too much force, and he heard a satisfying 'oof' as it hit the target.

"Oh, I see how it's gonna be," Edward countered. "Bring it on. Hope you ate your Wheaties."

The community center was empty this early on a Tuesday morning, and they started an intense game of one-on-one. There was no conversation, and the only sound was the squeak of their tennis shoes on wood floor.

A half hour later, sweaty and breathing hard, they sat on the bleachers and watched as the senior citizen walkers arrived and started their rounds.

"How are your folks?" Jasper asked, wiping his face with a towel then hanging it around his neck.

"They're good. Dad has a conference in Los Angeles next week; Mom's going along. How about yours?" Edward replied, fishing bottles of Gatorade out of his bag and handing Jasper one.

"The divorce is finally final. Mom celebrated by taking a cruise. She came back dating some guy. I'm supposed to go over there next week to meet him. My Dad is bitching about the new wife. I try not to get involved. As long as he doesn't bring his shit to work anymore, I don't care. My new half-sister is cute though. She looks just like Rosalie did as a baby."

Their conversation continued, discussing Emmett's thriving business, their own work, and their favorite sports teams. Three blue-haired senior ladies smiled every time they passed the bleachers. "Good morning, ladies," Edward said. When they broke into giggles worthy of pre-teens, both men smiled.

Eventually, they lapsed into silence as they continued to watch the seniors stroll past. Jasper thought it was the companionable silence of good friends, but when Edward began to speak, he realized he should have been more wary of what his friend was planning.

"Jasper," Edward asked, "do you realize you've never asked me about Alice? Not once. In her phone calls, she's never asked about you. Why do you think that might be?"

Jasper shook his head and remained silent. He had a feeling he knew what was coming, and maybe if he laid down and played dead, his friend would go easy on him.

Edward continued with more of an edge in his tone. "In the last year, my sister has not been home once. Somehow, that internship turned into a permanent job, and she shows no signs of moving back any time in the future. My parents keep asking me if I know why she doesn't want to come home."

Edward paused and waited for a response. Jasper remained silent.

"Anything you want to tell me, Jasper? Maybe something happened at my wedding?"

Jasper shook his head and continued to stare straight ahead.

"Fine. You keep that up. My question is, how long are you going to wait? She told Bella she's been dating. My Mom is scared she's going to meet someone in New York. If she marries someone there, she will decide to stay."

Edward's eyes hadn't left the walkers during this little speech. A long silence followed, and he continued to look straight ahead when Jasper finally spoke.

"This isn't your business. Leave it alone," Jasper whispered.

"Son-of-a-bitch. Bella said I might be right when I guessed something happened between the two of you," he said with a humorless laugh.

Edward's next words were spoken with a quiet calm. Looking at Jasper, he enunciated every word, as though Jasper was slow to pick up on a simple math equation. "You want to tell me how it's not my business that my parents are worried sick. Their baby girl is living as far as she can get from her friends and family. She makes excuses to keep them away. Or how it's not my business that you are somehow involved.

"Listen up, friend. Later today, I'll send you an e-mail with her address and phone numbers. What you do with it is up to you. I'm telling you though, if you go to New York, you make damn sure you fix it, whatever the hell you did."

He looked away for a moment and then turned back quickly, a look of realization spreading across his face. "Emmett knows, doesn't he? That's why he barely speaks to you. I'm so fucking blind."

There were a thousand things running through Jasper's mind, and he wasn't ready to share any of them, so he packed his bag silently. He certainly didn't want to explain why Alice wouldn't speak to him, and he was still weaving through his self-evaluation. How do you explain something to someone when you barely understood yourself?

If he went to New York to talk to her, he had to make sure he was ready. He knew he wasn't ready yet, but if she was actively looking for someone, he might be running out of time.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I've spent the last year trying to figure my shit out," Jasper said quietly.

"Figure it out faster, that's all I'm saying."

Jasper nodded and walked out of the gym, leaving Edward on the bleachers watching the old folks stroll.


I still have teasers for anyone who wants them. See you next Friday!