BPOV

I was beyond nervous to meet Edward's best friend. Sure, Edward accepts me, but will Jasper be able to see past my exterior to see what Edward sees? That's quite a lot to ask of a young man.

Once again, I found myself rifling through my closet for something to wear. Alice would be so proud to see how much use I'm finally getting out of this fantastic wardrobe she set up for me.

"Edward!" I called as I held up a maroon dress and a forest green halter top. He stuck his head in the closet and I showed him the garments, "Should I wear a dress, or just a nice shirt with jeans?"

He chuckled, "It's very rare that a girl asks her boyfriend for fashion advice."

"Well, I am a rare breed," I quipped. "What are you wearing?"

"Jeans and a nice shirt," he said, taking the green shirt to get a closer look at it. "Oh yes, this is definitely what you should wear."

I took the top while stealing a quick kiss from him, "Thank you, sweetie."

I put on a strapless bra before pulling the top over my head and taking a look at myself in the mirror. I prefer blue on me, but this looks really nice, too. I still hadn't put on my jeans yet, and stood there in just my pink, Victoria's Secret shorts. Edward walked up behind me quietly and ran his hands up and down my thighs softly.

"Maybe you should wear a skirt," he suggested. "How about that mini jean skirt you have?"

"It's going to be cold," I said, leaning into him and almost giving myself over to his ministrations. "I should...really...stick to the jeans."

His long fingers dug into my flesh and his lips found their way to my neck. My right hand trailed up to tangle in his hair as his left hand tried to sneakily move up my thigh and get into my panties. My left hand unwillingly stopped his, "We'll be late if we get too caught up in this."

"I like being late," he replied, still determined to get his hands closer to my core. "Being on time is overrated."

"You're being a naughty boy, Edward," I told him, trying to sound sultry. "And I'm going to punish you for it later on tonight."

"Promise?"

"Oh, bet on it," I said. "Remember, I am a romance novelist...I have a vast imagination."

"I'm sure you do, love," he whispered as he gave me one last kiss on my neck and reluctantly pulled away.

Edward and I drove to the restaurant, where a tall, lanky blonde guy leaned against the side of the building. As soon as Edward parked the car and we approached the front door, the blonde pushed himself away from the brick wall and walked over to us. He had a swagger about him that made me a little nervous at first—Edward might not be one of those guys who's unbelievably full of himself, but that doesn't mean his friends aren't.

"Hey stranger," Jasper said. "You had me worried for a second—I've been stood up by Edward Cullen too many times before. Now...this must be Bella."

He turned to me and his green eyes gave me an once-over before he held out his hand for me to shake. I accepted it cautiously, and he chuckled at my nervousness, "Don't worry, darlin', I don't bite. Unless you're into that sort of thing."

I rolled my eyes; he was coming off as a bit of a jackass. Edward cleared his throat before starting in with proper introductions. "Jasper, this is my girlfriend, Bella Swan. Bella, this idiot is my best friend, Jasper Whitlock."

"Well, well, well...isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black, Eddie my boy?" Jasper remarked.

He turned and led us inside. The place seemed to be one of those restaurants hipsters and yuppies like to frequent. Jasper confirmed this to me as he commented "this place has the best martinis in town."

Well, at least I can have a gin martini with whatever small-portioned, strange dish I was going to have to order. We sat at a table that overlooked the whole restaurant and placed our drink orders while Jasper started in with the small talk.

"So, Miss Bella, what do you do for a living?" He asked as he lounged in his chair and swung an arm over the backrest.

"I'm an author," I said. "I write romance novels."

Jasper raised an eyebrow in Edward's direction, "Really? Are you a successful romance author?"

"Yes," I said, not liking where he was taking this. "I created the Emma Malone series."

Now Jasper seemed genuinely impressed, "Wow, those books have sold millions! My mom and sister read those books!"

I smiled and asked him to thank his mom and sister for me, but my smile was wiped away as Jasper kept eying Edward suspiciously. After the waitress left our drinks and went to place our dinner orders, I finally had enough.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked as Jasper gave Edward what I thought was a smug look. "You keep giving Edward these condescending looks, and I don't like it. What, do you think he's just shacking up with me because I have money?"

"Wha...no...no, it's just..." Jasper stuttered.

"Because, I'll have you know Edward is going to be a really successful actor, and he's going to make even more money than me someday," I said, getting a little too emotional. "And, if you're really his friend, you wouldn't be so judgmental!"

"Shhhh, Bella, it's OK," Edward said as he put his arms around me. "Jasper knows all that, don't you Jas?"

"Of course I do," Jasper replied. "I'm sorry if I upset you, Bella."

Jasper looked genuinely sorry—after a while, he grinned at me, "It's nice to know my best friend has such a loving, supportive girlfriend...and such a beautiful one at that."

"Easy Jas," Edward cautioned as I blushed.

"Speaking of girlfriends," Jasper said as he scanned the crowd around the bar. "I think ol' Jazzy needs to find himself a lady friend tonight...what do you two think? Is the future Mrs. Whitlock down there waiting for me?"

I gazed down at the scads of scantily dressed young women hovering around the bar area, waiting to be seated. Suddenly, in the sea of bleached blondes, I saw a familiar girl with short, black hair.

"Oh my god," I said, turning to Edward, "Alice is here."

"Oh yeah," he replied, gazing down at my tiny friend.

I took out my phone and texted Alice to look up towards the second balcony. She checked her phone before craning her neck up in my direction. I waved to get her attention, and she waved back as she noticed me. She walked up to our table with a drink in hand.

"Hello, love birds," she greeted me and Edward. "Nice to see you crazy kids out and about."

I noticed her wink at Edward—I'm sure it was meant to be inconspicuous, though. Jasper cleared his throat and stood to introduce himself, "I'm Jasper Whitlock...and, I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting such a lovely young lady in all my life."

Oh crap, Jasper's putting the moves on Alice—I should put a stop to this, I thought. But, Alice being Alice, just seemed to be indifferent to his attentions. She is the master of the brush-off, I remembered.

"Oh, hi, I'm Alice...nice to meet you," she said nonchalantly before turning back to me. "So, Bells, the publishing company said your promotional blitz should start on February 2nd. They're putting out teasers already, but they'll start the full-blown ad campaign then. And, you have some interviews scheduled the following week, leading up to the release on the 14th. God, how lucky are we that Valentines Day is on a Saturday this year?"

"That all sounds great, Al," I told her. "We should grab some coffee Monday to lay everything out...plus, I'm already starting a new story, so we can talk about that, too."

"Awesome!" She squealed. "OK, talk to you Monday."

"Hey, wait," Jasper said as he grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking away. "Won't you join us for dinner to celebrate Bella's new book?"

"Oh, we've had plenty of celebrations already," Alice replied haughtily. "Besides, I'm kind of here on a date, so I don't want to leave him waiting."

I gave Alice a smirk as she walked back down to the bar. She actually did have a date, as I figured out when I saw her return to a tall, blonde man sitting at the bar. It's just like little Alice to go for the tall guys. I chuckled to myself, but then I felt Edward tense up next to me.

"No way," he said as he stood up and stared at Alice and her date, "That can't be him!"

"Who?" Jasper asked as he finally took his eyes off of Alice and noticed her date, "Holy shit...is that Carlisle?"

Edward nodded wordlessly. I stared at them both with a confused expression, "Who?"

Edward's gaze finally turned to me and he looked mad enough to spit nails. "My father, Carlisle Cullen...that's who Alice is on a date with right now. My womanizing, philandering, scheming, slime-ball dad."

This was the first time Edward had really spoken of his father. The only time I had ever asked him about his parents, he mentioned his wonderful, charitable mother, but said he and his father weren't close and left it at that. Now I know why. I texted Alice again to see if she knew anything about her date.

His name is Carlisle and he's a doctor, she wrote back.

Do you know how old he is?

Um...I don't know...in his late 30's, I think.

I showed that text to Edward who laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah, I'm sure he still says he's 38," he replied. "Tell her he's really 50, and she should stay away from him at all costs."

I paraphrased Edward's advice and Alice sent me back a simple why?

He's Edward's father, I wrote. Edward said he's kind of a womanizer.

Are you serious? She texted.

Yes, I replied. So, think of a good way to excuse yourself and get out of there fast!

But, just as I pushed the send button, Jasper was weaving his way through the crowd and approaching Alice.

"He's not going to make a scene is he?" I asked Edward.

"Yup, he is," Edward replied as he made chase. "Stay right here."

But, he was too late—Jasper was pulling Alice away from Carlisle, who didn't seem to be too happy about losing his date to a much younger man. Carlisle twirled Jasper around and landed a punch square in Jasper's face, sending him back into a nearby table.

Before Carlisle could throw another punch, Edward was there, holding him back. I was frozen to the spot, but I could see Edward was whispering something in Carlisle's ear as he tried to restrain him.

EPOV

I couldn't fucking believe this! Why is it when my life seems to be taking a turn for the better, Carlisle has to make an appearance? And punch my best friend in the face, to boot?

Alice rushed to Jasper's side as I held my father back.

"Carlisle, don't do anything stupid," I said as I grabbed his arms and restrained him. I could smell the whiskey on his breath already—my dad doesn't go too long without being wasted.

"Let go of me," he demanded.

I whirled him around so he could actually see who he was talking to. His expression turned from aggressive to amused, "Edward? What the hell are you doing here? You know these folks don't take monopoly money, right?"

"Funny," I replied. "I'm here with Jasper and my girlfriend. And, we were all having a lovely time until you had to...well, be just who you are, didn't you?"

"Hey, it was your little friend who started it," he spat. "He tried to steal my date away."

"Oh Carlisle, trying to nail a 20-something?" I chided. "Alice is way too young for you, old man! And, she's Bella's best friend, so there's no way I'm letting her leave here with you."

"Some son you are," he said in a low, almost deadly voice. "Trying to cock-block your own father? You ungrateful little shit."

"Save it," I said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to return to someone who actually loves me."

Dad started laughing menacingly, until Alice walked up and slapped him hard across the face, "So, you're a single, 38-year-old pediatrician?"

"Well," Carlisle began sheepishly, "I'm not 38, but the rest is true."

"Hey! Get his guy the fuck out of here!" A short, balding man came into the bar area and pointed at my dad as two large, hulking men—who'd make my brother Emmett look tiny—pounced on Carlisle and threw him out.

Jasper was cleaning the blood off his face and offering to pay for the meal of the party at the table he ran into. They seemed to take pity on him and said he didn't have to. I checked his nose to make sure the bleeding had stopped before helping him back to the table. Alice followed us and got a big hug from Bella as we all sat around in silence, not wanting to breach the subject of what just happened.

The waitress came over cautiously, "Does he need some ice?"

"That'd be great, thanks," I told her. "And, another whiskey and coke to numb the pain, while you're at it."

She nodded and hurried off while I sat next to Jasper and sighed in frustration. This isn't the way life's supposed to be—a young man is supposed to idolize his father, not hate his guts. I fought to hold back the emotions inside of me as I looked up to find Bella gazing at me with sadness in her soft, brown eyes. I really wished she hadn't had to witness that particular father-son moment.

"Are you OK?" She asked me as she reached across the table, her tiny hand beckoning mine.

I took her hand in mine and gave her a weak smile, "I'm fine. I just...need some food."

As if on cue, some servers made their way to the table with our dinner order. The waitress stood behind them with a bag of ice in one hand and a Jack and Coke in the other. Even in serious pain, Jasper was still Jasper.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said to the waitress. "Don't suppose you'd want to make me feel loads better by giving me your number?"

She giggled and quickly wrote the number down on the piece of paper she grabbed from her apron. She handed it to Jasper before telling us to enjoy our meal and slinking away, giving Jasper a good show as she swung her hips back and forth.

"Christ, Jas," I said. "When are you not on the hunt for tail?"

He shrugged, "When I'm sleepin'."

"Oh yeah, that was classy, I must say," Alice retorted with disgust. "Hey, maybe if your nose is broken we can take you to the hospital and you can hit on the ER nurses...provided they're not dudes...or, maybe you'd like that, too."

Jasper and Alice stared each other down for a few minutes, until I stepped in and attempted to make peace, "OK, enough of that, you two. Let's just enjoy our dinner quietly, hmm?"

Bella pushed her plate towards Alice and shared her dinner. I tried not to read anything into it; she probably just didn't want Alice to go hungry. And, lord knows, after both girls ordered another round of drinks; I wouldn't want them to consume all that alcohol on an empty stomach.

Then, Alice decided to go crazy and ordered even more food and drinks.

"Come on, if we're going to party tonight, we're going to commit!" She said as she ordered shots.

"Sounds good to me," Bella replied. She was already getting kind of tipsy. But, then again, so was I. The dinner portions here were just too small to stave off the effects of the alcohol.

The server brought the shots over, and I took mine over to Bella and did that whole crossing the arms thing as we took the shots. It burned down my throat and I winced, making Bella giggle drunkenly at my reaction.

"Oh, come on," she said. "It wasn't that bad!"

"It tasted like cough syrup with some cinnamon thrown in," I said, my voice still hoarse from that vile concoction I just consumed.

Bella giggled again and rested her forehead on my shoulder, "I think I've had a little too much to drink."

"Yeah, me too," I said. "Do you want me to call a cab to take us home?"

"Don't do that," Alice chimed in, "I'll get you two home; Steve's waiting outside."

"OK," Bella replied as she attempted to jump up out of her seat. She stumbled slightly and I got a hold of her before she toppled over.

"Easy, love," I said. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No, I'm too heavy," she slurred as she put her arms around my neck.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" I lifted her into my arms as she yelped in surprise.

"Don't do that, you might hurt yourself," she said.

"Please," I replied. "You must think I'm pretty weak if you assume I can't carry you out to the car."

"I don't think you're weak," she countered.

Alice guided us out to where Steve waited by the car. I set Bella down in the far side of the backseat while Alice stepped in on the other side. Bella slid over for me and put her arms around me as I took my place beside her. Jasper stuck his head in the open, driver-side back door and gave Alice a puppy-dog expression, "I don't suppose I can get a ride, can I?"

Alice sighed, "Fine."

She jumped across the car to the seats facing ours so Jasper could sit next to Bella. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Jasper look a little bit hurt when Alice moved away from him. I shot him a sympathetic look over the top of Bella's head. I knew if he liked Alice, he was going to have to win her over like I did with Bella – by throwing away all his smooth-talking smarminess and being the cool, down-to-earth guy I know he is.

Steve stopped at our townhouse, and I stepped out to pull Bella back up into my arms. Alice got out with us and gave Bella a quick hug. Bella held her a moment and whispered, "Whatever you do…do not sleep with that guy."

Alice rolled her eyes at Bella and kissed her on the cheek before jumping back into the car. I got Bella back in the house and onto the couch before questioning her.
"So…I take it you didn't like Jasper," I said, trying to hide the hurt in my voice.

"Well, he just seemed kind of jerky – maybe I just need to get to know him," she replied as she pulled herself onto my lap, straddling my hips.

I put my hands on her waist, "But…you obviously don't think he's good enough for your friend."

She sat back on her heels and looked at me, "It's not that, it's just I worry about Alice sometimes. She's can be the exact opposite of me, so determined to not be alone she'll rush into sleeping with anyone."

I stared at the curve of her collarbone as I thought about that. Maybe I was being oversensitive. I mean, I don't really want Alice and Jasper to just run off and sleep together after their first meeting, either. But, was Bella opposed to the idea of them building a relationship?

"So, what if she's ends up liking him?" I asked, "What would you think then?"

She shrugged, "If he's what she wants, then I'll support her."

I sighed, "You just don't sound very enthused by the prospect."

"Edward, we're drunk; let's not get into a fight, please?" She asked as she placed her hands on either side of my face.

She was right; I was being a real buzz-kill right now. I took her hands into my own and kissed both of her palms gently.

"Let's just go to bed," I said. "I think I remember you saying earlier how I'm a naughty boy who needs to be punished."

She giggled and wiggled her hips, her heat brushing against my pelvis, "Do you need a good spanking?"

"Yes I do," I said as I lifted her up and practically sprinted into the bedroom. I almost tripped over Luna in my haste to get Bella into bed while simultaneously pulling both of our clothes off.

We probably should have stopped there and simply held each other close all night. But neither one of us seemed to have the ability to stop. The need to be intimate was too great and soon I found myself deep within the core of my love. I was spurred on by her moans and the way her soft lips lavished attention on my face.

We should have stopped…but we didn't.

BPOV

I woke up with one of the worst hangovers I've ever had! I'm not much for over-imbibing, so my body certainly wasn't used to the amount of toxins coursing through it. My head pounded and my stomach gurgled angrily. Not even the feeling of having my Edward hold me close could make me feel any better right now.

My body demanded vengeance for my irresponsibility last night, and I made it to the toilet with just enough time to lift the lid properly. Edward walked in behind me and held my hair back as every bit of food and liquid was rapidly and violently ejected from my body.

"Owwww….Edward…." I whined. "Why did you let me drink so much?"

He chuckled and pulled me into his lap on the cold bathroom floor. "You were having too much fun, love. And besides, I was just as tipsy as you – who would I have been to tell you to stop?"

"The voice of reason," I replied.

My head spun and I pushed away from Edward quickly to vomit one more time. Once I was finished, I stood up on shaky legs while Edward put his hands on my shoulders to stabilize me. I washed my mouth out and slipped on my bathrobe before walking out to the living room. I curled up in a ball on the throw pillows while Napoleon started rubbing himself against me.

My phone started ringing and I groaned at the sheer volume of it. Edward walked into the kitchen, still naked, and grabbed my purse to fish out the phone.

"It's Alice," he said as he answered it. "Hey Al. Yeah, she's a little under the weather right now. Huh? Hang on, let me see," he came into the living room and knelt next to me, "Alice needs to talk to you, love."

I held out my hand and he set the phone in my palm gently before kissing the top of my head.

"Hello?" I moaned.

"Bells? I need some help," she said with immense worry in her voice.

"What happened?" I asked as I tried to sit up.

"Um…I…slept with Jasper last night," she whispered. "And we didn't use any protection. Will you come with me to get a morning after pill…please?"

"Oh my god! I thought you hated him, what changed!"

"Well, let's just say he's a very persuasive man," she said.

"Are you coming by here?"

"Yeah," she said, still whispering, "I called Steve, and we'll be on our way soon."

"Why are you whispering? Aren't you at home?"

"Yes," she hissed, "But…Jasper's still asleep."

I sighed, "OK, see you in a bit."

I hung up and put the phone back in my purse. Edward had put some pajama pants on while I was talking to Alice. He wandered into the living room with a concerned expression. "What's wrong with Alice?"

"She and Jasper had sex and they didn't use any protection," I said. "Alice wants me to go with her to get a morning after pill."

All the color drained from Edward's face. He approached me and put his hands on my shoulders again. "Maybe…you should get one, too."

"Why?" I asked. "We…" then it hit me – Edward and I had been a tad hasty last night. "Oh my god, we didn't use any protection, did we?"

He shook his head, "I'm so sorry, Bella. I was totally irresponsible last night."

"No," I replied, "We both were irresponsible."

I put my arms around him and he held me close and tucked his face in the crook of my neck.

"Don't worry, Edward, it will be alright," I said.

I gave him a long, thorough kiss and went to get dressed before Alice showed up. She was in such a hurry, she didn't even come to the door – she had Steve honk the horn so I knew she was waiting impatiently for me. I jumped in the car and we hurried to the nearest Planned Parenthood. On the way, I turned to Alice sheepishly, "Al…I need one of those pills, too."

"What?" She gasped, "Do you mean to tell me you of all people – Bella the über-responsible – didn't use protection last night?"

I nodded and glanced down at where my hands sat in my lap. I could feel her still staring at me, so I met her gaze and saw she was looking at me with a smirk, "Is it bad that I don't feel so guilty now?"

I smacked her knee and turned back towards the window. We got to the clinic and walked in nervously. Neither one of us has ever had to set foot in a Planned Parenthood, and it was a bit unsettling for me, honestly. Everyone in the waiting room looked up at us with different expressions – fear, boredom, accusations.

I wanted to storm out of the building and run back to the safety of Edward's loving arms.

Alice walked up to the desk and explained the situation to the woman. She asked us to fill out some forms and give her our IDs. I sat in an open chair and filled out my information with shaky hands. Alice sat next to me and did the same.

It took a few minutes, and we had to shell out $40 a piece, but we got the emergency contraception and were on our way. Alice was in a hurry to get back to her place before Jasper woke up, and I wanted to get back to Edward as soon as possible.

I walked into the house to find Edward sitting on the floor, stroking Napoleon's head absentmindedly. He jumped up when I walked in and hurried to my side.

"Did you get it?" He asked.

I showed him the blister pack of pills. He gave me a suspicious look, "Did you take it yet?"

"Not yet," I said as I walked into the kitchen to get some water. I grabbed a glass and turned to the sink when a thought hit me. I stood there and gazed at the faucet in a daze.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I was thinking…would it be so bad if I got pregnant?" I asked thoughtfully, "I mean, I love you – you love me. We'll probably get married one of these days, and you want to have kids with me, right?"

"I do," he agreed. "And no, it wouldn't be bad if you were pregnant, now that I think about it. In fact, it would be pretty damn fantastic."

"So…I don't have to take these pills," I said.

"Here," Edward began, pulling me to the table, "let's talk about this: what will happen if we have a baby? Let's go over the pros and cons."

"OK," I said as I took a seat. "Pro, I've always wanted to have kids, and I'd be having one with the man I love."

He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose, "Ditto for me. Alright, con – we'd have to move. The townhouse is only one bedroom."

"Yeah, but that's not a big con," I countered. "My lease is up in four months, so that would be just about right, wouldn't it?"

"I guess," he conceded. "OK, pro – I've always had trouble with responsibility; maybe this could help me grow up a bit."

I smirked at him and shook my head. And the, another thought hit me, "con – I'll gain a ton of weight."

"Pro," he said, "There'll be more of you to love."

I rolled my eyes, "Con…I can't think of another con."

"Neither can I," he said as he took my hands into his.

"So, we're just going to see what happens?" I asked.

"Yeah," he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss, "Let's see what happens."

OK, I know I may get a ton of reviews saying "No Pregnant Bella!" Calm down, people! This only MIGHT happen….it's up in the air at this point. Remember, not everyone gets pregnant after only one round of unprotected sex!