-Connection: keep-aliveCache-Control: max-age=06647659 A/N How sad is it that you guys reviewed more when I said I would be taking a little break, than on the previous couple of chapters. Combined.

Ben's Point of View

I had been sitting in the restaurant for 20 minutes waiting for Edward or his friends. Finally, Alice, whom I recognized from a photograph he'd shown me, walked in with a guy. I stood up and waved her over.

"Alice? Hi, I'm Ben."

She smiled and hugged me lightly. "Hi, Ben. This is my boyfriend, James. Where's Edward?"

I frowned as we all sat. "He hasn't showed up yet. I thought maybe he was with you."

Alice pulled out her phone as James stared at me from across the table. Creeper. "I'll call him. This isn't really like him to just not show up."

She held the phone to her ear for a moment before sighing and hanging up. "Straight to voicemail."

I put my head on my hand and handed each of them a menu. "That's… great. Well, let's not wait on him. He'll get here when he feels like it."

We ordered our drinks and started talking. Well, Alice started talking anyway. James didn't really say much of anything, just stared intently at Alice.

"So, Ben, where did you and Edward meet?"

I loved the fact that she was nice to me and was making an effort to make conversation even though I was dating her ex.

"We met at that music store near over by Puget Sound. I was buying sheet music for my violin when he was buying some for his piano. We were both looking for Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, and the only copy available was the one that had violin, piano, cello and viola, so only one of us could get it unless we ordered it and waited. We spent almost half an hour arguing over who could take it, but he was insisting that it was 'ungentlemanly' of him to take it, and I should. I have mostly the same argument. So, we went Dutch on it, on the agreement that we'd get together and play a duet."

James scoffed. "Violin? Piano? That all sounds rather gay, if you ask me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "No one asked you. But yes, Edward is my boyfriend."

Alice gave James a look before reaching across the table and placing a hand on my arm. "I think it's sweet."

The waiter came by and took our orders then. James and Alice ordered prime ribs and I got spinach and mozzarella ravioli.

"Spinach and Mozzarella? Good lord. That's not man food. Why not eat real food?"

"Well, James, first, I'm a vegetarian. Secondly, I've got swim team tomorrow morning and I'd hate to have heartburn or something at practice."

He laughed. "You are such a fairy."

Alice gasped and slapped at his arm. "James! Stop. You're embarrassing me!"

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his soda. "Whatever. Baby, I'm leaving. Bring my food home."

He pulled her face up to him and kissed her roughly before leaving. She slipped a bit closer to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Ben… I'm so sorry. I didn't know he was going to do this. I… I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe he could say something like that to you. I'd just like you to know, that even though he says some stupid things, I don't agree with many of them."

I lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Thanks Alice. For every few people that are supportive, there are 3 times as many who aren't."

The waiter brought our food out, furrowing his eyebrows at the 'loss' of James.

"Excuse me," Alice said, "can you put that in a box or a bag?"

The waiter whisked James' ribs back into the back. Alice and I started to eat.

"Alice, those ribs smell really good. Share?"

Alice chuckled and looked at me. "Didn't you just…?"

"James sucks. I lied. I'm not a vegetarian, and swim team was today, not tomorrow. Share?"

She grinned and cut the rack of ribs in half before stealing half of my ravioli. "Let's both share."

As we ate our food, we talked about all sorts of things. "How's Edward been since we split?"

I took a bite of the pork before answering. "Edward was feeling really guilty feeling when we first met. He felt bad after the telling you he was gay, and he felt horrible about what he did to Jasper and Bella."

Alice shook her head. "I haven't really talked to him all that much lately, so I was hoping to see him tonight and maybe apologize about the way I handled some things. I wasn't a very good friend to any of the old gang after Emmett left. You know about Emmett, right?"

I shook my head. "No. Edward doesn't like to talk about his life with you guys very much. He said it was a dramatic time in his life where he made bad choices that caused him to lose nearly all of the people important to him. He said that… it was a time in his life when things got hard, and now that things were going great he'd rather focus on me than what happened before. He didn't hate you guys or anything, he just… he's sad, when it comes to that part of his life."

Alice gently hugged me. "Edward needs us all right now. I think it'd be great if everyone could get back together, but we can't. Emmett and Jasper are… gone… Rosalie is staying with Emmett's mom, and Bella is with Jasper's mom in Texas. Edward and I are the only ones left here. The two of us need to be the friends for Edward that he needs right now."

I nodded at her. "You're a nice girl, Alice. I like spending time with you, and I can see why you were Edward's best friend. And I can spend time with you and Edward because he needs it and you're someone I could spend time with. But I can't do that if James is around. I'm living with my older sister Angela because my parents don't talk to me anymore since I came out."

Alice frowned and hugged my arm that had a death grip on my glass of soda. Edward's parents were very supportive, but one of these days, he's going to get a shock when he realizes that everyone isn't going to be like that. Part of me is glad that he's not here tonight because he's a pretty sensitive guy, and I'm not sure how he'll start to react when people start to get prejudice towards our relationship.

Alice and I finished eating, and she half smiled. "Well, Ben, it was really nice to meet you. You're exactly what Edward needs right now. I've got to go, I have an appointment in the morning."

I stood when she did, knowing it was polite. She surprised me by wrapping her arms around my waist and hugging me. "Edward has my number. Call me sometime, I'd really like to this again."

She reached into her bag and pulled out some money, which I batted away. "No, I've got it. Go ahead and head home."

She smiled at me and hugged me again. "Thanks, Ben. You don't know what this means to me."

She grabbed James' food and headed out, waving right before she walked out of the door.

The waiter came back around. "Could I interest you in some desert, maybe?"

Why the hell not?

"Could I have a slice of the strawberry cheesecake?"

"Sure, sir. I'll have that right out."

He walked away, and I started thinking over the night. Edward had skipped out and embarrassed me, and James was a bigot, but I'd gotten a new friend out of Alice.

The waiter deposited my cake along with a new fork and I started to eat. I was about halfway through with it, when Edward walked in. He had a frantic look in his eyes and rushed over to my table.

"Oh my god, Ben. I'm…"

I pulled 40 dollars out of my pocket and threw it on the table.

"Save it. You embarrassed me and left me on my own tonight. Alice's boyfriend is a complete homophobic jerk and I was left to face that on my own. At least I got a friend out of Alice, or I would've left earlier. I don't want to see you right now."

I stood and left, opting to go on a walk before driving home. I could hear Edward's beaten red chucks hitting the sidewalk as he ran after me.

"Ben, wait!" he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Get off of me! I said I don't want to see you!" I pushed him back, but he corrected and didn't fall.

"Ben, will you at least let me explain?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "Yes, please, explain. Try."

He smiled and looked at me gratefully. "Ben, thank you. You probably won't believe this, though. Okay, I was in my closet looking for a sweater to wear and I accidentally knocked some things off of my shelf and the door slid out of the track and hit me. Next thing I know, I'm looking at my phone and I've got dozens of missed calls from you and Alice, and it's 9:30. I came over here, Alice's car was already gone, but yours wasn't."

"Nice try. You wanna tell me the real reason you were nearly 4 hours late?"

He shook his head and looked at me. "Ben, that's the real reason, I promise. I have no reason to lie to you."

How stupid does he think I am? "Edward. I need you to either tell me where you really were, or I'm leaving."

"Ben! That is the real reason!"

I reached into my pocket and grabbed my keys. "You had your chance. Don't call me, alright?"

I opened my car door and jumped in, reversing out of my spot. Edward put his hands on the front of my car. "Don't do this!"

I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. "Move, or I swear to god I'm running your ass over."

He moved, and ran over to the sidewalk. I guess something in my face made him realize I was serious. Edward was in for a lot of pain if he thinks he can continue to lie to the people he claims he loves.

Rosalie's Point of View

I woke up to the sound of a hacking cough coming from the bedroom beside mine. I sat up as quickly as I could, and listened. The hacking, wet cough came again. I stood and walked into Doreen's room. She had a tissue covering her mouth as she coughed, and as soon as she stopped coughing she started sneezing.

"Doreen?" I stayed in the doorway, afraid to get closer in case I get sick: the doctor's told me to do everything I could not to get ill.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, as another cough wracked her body. "I'll go run to the store and get you some feel good food and meds. Need anything before I go?"

She shook her head as she continued to cough. I got into Emmett's Jeep, putting it into gear and heading towards the store. I grabbed a cart and roamed the aisles. I few people from around town were there whispering among themselves at the sight of me, in Emmett's basketball shorts and old tee shirt, with my pregnant stomach.

I mostly ignored them, and searched for foods that could make Doreen feel better. Orange juice, chicken noodle soup, ice pops, as well as some antibiotics, ibuprofen, and some more tissues. I also got some simple groceries for myself.

As I was turning the corner to go check out my cart ran headlong into someone else's. The eggs I had sitting in the child seat flew forward and broke on the ground in front of me, covering my flip-flopped feet and bare calves.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry, Rosalie!"

"Royce? You live in Forks?"

The man I'd met at the mall smiled at me. "Yeah. I just moved here a couple weeks ago, I'm living with my cousin James. I didn't know you were here. Hey, we'll have to get together sometime. Maybe… dinner and a movie?"

"Sorry, Royce. But I've got a boyfriend. So, no. Sorry."

He nodded. "I completely understand. Well, at least let me pay for your groceries, it's the least I can do since I ran into you, literally, and broke your eggs."

I frowned. First he more or less forces me to let him buy me maternity clothes, and now this? "No, it's fine. I've got it."

His eyes tightened. "No. Go get more eggs. I am paying for this."

"Royce. I may be a girl but I'm fully capable of buying my own groceries."

He glared at me and grabbed my upper arm, leaning in close to my face. "Get eggs. I'll be waiting by the register."

He released my arm and I stumbled back a bit. I turned on my heel and quickly hurried to the dairy section, suddenly afraid. I grabbed another carton of eggs and headed up front where Royce was unloading the contents of my cart. He placed the eggs on the conveyor next to a box of ice pops and smiled. "Was that so hard, Rosalie?"

Bella's Point of View

I was sitting in the dining room eating a bowl of fruit when Eleazar sat at the table across from me.

"How are you liking my home, Isabella?"

I smiled lightly, stabbing a cube of cantaloupe with my fork. "It's lovely. I can see why Jasper missed living here."

He smiled, and I felt uneasy. "This came for you today."

He reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and handed me an envelope. I flipped it over and looked at the return address on the back.

St. Elk's Rehabilitation and Detoxification Centers

I slipped my fingernail under the flap on the envelope and opened it. I pulled out a folded letter, as well as what appeared to be some drawings.

I opened the letter first, and Jasper's tight blocky letters met my eyes. My eyes teared up slightly at the familiar sight. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and blinked furiously for a moment. I refocused on the writing and started to read.

Bella,

I know that I haven't always been the best boyfriend in the world. But ever since I saw you on my first day at Forks High, I realized what my life had been lacking in Texas. You. I never really believed in the whole 'love at first sight' thing. But even before you had your transformation, I knew that you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. Admittedly, I hadn't ever really heard you talk until the first day junior year, but I knew I loved you.

Love. Completely overplayed in today, but I love you. You are single handedly, the best thing in my life. It doesn't matter that we're on opposite sides of the country, no one has ever made me feel the way you do. My heart beats for you. Forget ba-dum, my heart beats Bel-la. No joke. Listen sometime.

You are my best friend, and my soul mate. I can't live without you, and I know for a fact that I want to spend forever with you. I'm not the best friend, or the best boyfriend, but I love you, and I want to always be there for you.

I've missed your skin while you are east. I miss the smell of freesia and strawberry.

I love you.

Jasper x

A tear fell on the paper and I moved it away from my face. I hadn't noticed that I was crying. I loved to know that Jasper was thinking about me and missing me possibly as much as I thought about him. Without Jasper, things had been harder recently. I lightly ran my finger over the paper, feeling the indentations from Jasper's pen. I unfolded the drawings.

One of them was a sketch from one of my favorite memories. Jasper and I were sitting at a Denny's, a cigarette on the ashtray between us. A thin trail of smoke lifted up, splitting in half, forming a heart above our heads. I smiled running a hand over the drawing. I could still remember that day like it was 5 minutes ago.

"Bella, I'm hungry, do you want to go get some food?"

I looked up from my photographs, and into Jasper's eyes.

"Where were you thinking about going?"

He blushed a little bit, and looked down. "Denny's."

I chuckled. "Sure, I haven't been there in ages. But let's go."

I went to grab my keys, but he shook his head.

"We'll take my motorcycle."

After about 15 minutes of speeding along in the rare warmth, we were at the epitome of American breakfast joints.

As we walked in, a tall, bored looking blonde said, "Welcome to Denny's, my name is Shelly. Table for two?"

Jasper nodded, and grabbed my hand.

"Smoking or non-smoking?"

"Smoking," Jasper said, at the same time I said, "Non smoking."

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he refused to meet my gaze.

Sheryl led us over to a booth, where we sat opposite each other.

"Your server will be right with you."

I thanked her, and looked over at Jasper.

"Smoking?"

He shrugged, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of Marlboro's and a Bic lighter.

"Didn't know you smoked." I said, not putting it as a question, but rather as a statement.

"I stopped around the time I moved here. I've been smoking since I was 14. But things have been a little stressful lately, so I started back."

An equally tall, blonde and gorgeous woman to Sheryl walked up. "Hi, I'm BeckyAnn, may I get you anything to drink?"

"Coffee." I said.

"Make that two."

Jasper took a long pull from his cigarette, before tapping it against the ashtray on the table. I held out my hand, for the cigarette. He obviously didn't know why my hand was out, and looked at it, before looking back at me. I threw a pointed look to his cigarette. He placed it in my hand, careful to keep the burning part off of my skin.

We spent most of the morning in Denny's drinking coffee, and sharing that cigarette, food forgotten, as we talked about any and everything that popped into our heads.

I folded the papers back and placed them back in the envelope. I looked up to thank Eleazar, but he was gone. I stood and walked into my room, putting the letter on my bedside table. I saw a bunch of people lying under the apple trees in the orchard. They looked to have food, and there was music playing. I slipped on my shoes and headed out there.

I was about 30 feet from them when one of them jumped to his feet, shutting off the radio.

"Oh cague! Es la muchacha blanca, consiga trabajar o ella puede ser que diga al hombre del jefe!"

The others all stood, running to the nearest trees. I didn't know how to speak Spanish, really, but I could say some simple things.

"Cualquier persona sabe inglés?"

A tall tanned girl stepped forward. "Si. Yes. Sorry we weren't working. It was our lunch break and we weren't watching the clock. We'll work longer to make up for it."

I shook my head slowly. What was Eleazar doing to these people?

"That won't be necessary. I'm Eleazar's son's girlfriend, Bella. I won't tell if you won't. What's your name?"

"Eleazar? You mean hefe? My name is Renesmee. My brother Nahuel is the one who startled when you showed up. He's very afraid of being fired."

I reached up to the tree and pulled an apple down. I sat in the grass under the tree and polished it on my shirt before taking a bite. Renesmee smiled and followed my lead.

"Why is he afraid of being fired? Are you guys here… legally?"

She nodded, her oddly colored hair swaying in the breeze. "Si. But when our family was applying to get our immigration papers and green cards everyone was declined except for Nahuel and I."

I took another bite of my apple. "That makes since. How many are in your family?"

"Well, there's Abuela, Padre, my brothers Stefan, Benjamin and Felix as well as my sisters Kate, Sasha, and Renata, and my tia Renata. So 11, but only Nahuel and I were able to come over, the other 9 are still back home. We send most of our pay home so that they can apply again soon."

I heard a voice call from the other side of the path. "Nessie! Back to work, lazy!"

Renesmee stood and frowned. "Bella, it was nice to meet you. But I have to get back to work."

I stood with her and helped her pick apples and put them in the woven basket.

"I'll help."

I'm about to go on vacation. So, I'll have time to write. I spent some time, talked to some people, and now I have an outline for a few chapters. I write faster when things are planned out.

Spanish translation (sorry for any mistakes)

Oh cague! Es la muchacha blanca, consiga trabajar o ella puede ser que diga al hombre del jefe! = Oh shit! It's the white girl, get to work or she might tell boss man!

Cualquier persona sabe inglés? = Anyone know English?