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[ Edward ]

"That should be the last of it."

I nodded at Jasper and took the box that he was handing me. Carefully, I stacked it on top of all the other boxes, bags, and furniture that filled the U-Haul he'd rented. I never realized how much stuff he had until we'd been forced to help him pack and load all of it. At least we would have a day to "rest" while driving it all to LA before we had to unload all of it and finish moving Alice's stuff into their new house.

"Wait!" Alice yelled from the front door. Jasper and I turned around and watched as she ran towards us, holding a crumpled duffle bag. She had a huge smile on her face and tossed the bag at her future husband once she was close enough. "We can't forget this."

Confusion covered his face while he unzipped the bag and pulled out his a pillow case that had Alice's face on it. I snorted from laughter while Jasper just shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I can get rid of this now."

"Oh no!" Alice stole the pillow case away from him. "We're keeping it."

Jasper tried to take it back but in an act of defiance, she shoved the pillow case down her shirt and smiled.

He pulled at the bottom of her t-shirt and smiled. "Don't think I won't reach in there and get that."

"My, my Jasper Whitlock." Alice crossed her arms across her chest. "How scandalous."

The two of them continued flirting with each other while I jumped out of the back of the trailer and pulled the door down. Before it could shut all the way, Alice yanked the pillowcase out of her shirt and threw it into the U-Haul. Jasper slapped her ass and I pretended not to see anything.

"Are we ready?" Emmett yelled from the front door.

I nodded and secured the lock to the trailer. "I'm ready."

While Emmett locked the front door, Alice leaned up to kiss Jasper and then opened the passenger side door oh the U-Haul. "Edward and I will take the first shift of driving this monster and since I am the only girl on this little adventure, I get to pick the bathroom breaks." She tossed Emmett a walkie-talkie before smiling at me. "Ready?"

I hadn't known Alice very long but I'd known her long enough to recognize that smile of deceit. "You don't want to ride with your future husband?" I asked, knowing full well why she wanted me to be stuck in a car with her for eight hours.

She shook her head. "He always picks the worst road trip music."

"Hey!" Jasper protested.

"Finally someone agrees with me!" Emmett yelled. "Get your ass in the truck, Jaspy."

Knowing that there was no use in arguing, I got behind the wheel of the U-Haul trailer and started our long drive to LA. We hadn't even made it out of the city limits when Alice sat up in her seat and turned to look at me. I shook my head, knowing what was coming.

"Have you thought about it anymore?"

"I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that, Alice…"

"Why?" She tossed her sunglasses onto the dash. "It's a beautiful song, Edward. No matter who it's about… it would be perfect for the wedding."

Because my best friend cannot keep a secret from Alice, he had let the information about the song I'd written for Bella slip. Obviously Alice wasn't going to take no for an answer when she'd ask to hear it, so I played it and then she started crying. Since then she had done nothing but try to convince me to play that song at their wedding.

"Alice, I love you like a sister or something, but-"

"Edward, please. It would be so special for me…and especially for Jasper. I mean, having his best friend play an original piece of music at his wedding… that's just so perfect."

Alice Brandon: actor, musician, artist, and master guilt tripper.

"I dunno, Alice," I said hesitantly.

She reached across the seat and held my hand. "Edward, I just really, really, like the song. It is perfect. Please?"

Knowing I couldn't tell her no even if I wanted to, I slowly nodded my head. "Fine."

She squealed and started clapping her hands. "Freaking awesome!"

I laughed at her excitement until she grabbed the walkie-talkie and pushed the button to talk.

"Soaring Sparrow to Big Papa Bear," she spoke into the speaker. "Come in, Papa Bear."

"This is Big Papa Bear," Emmett responded. I could hear Jasper laughing in the background.

"I have to pee so…the next gas station, we're stopping."

"What?" My brother yelled back. "We haven't even been driving for an hour! Alice, we have eighteen hours to drive and-"

"And I have a small bladder," she cut him off. "Soaring Sparrow is out."

After the first bathroom break, Alice settled into a zoned out state of silence that was only occasionally interrupted when she reached over to change the radio station or the temperature of the air conditioner. We'd been driving for three hours and I had thought she'd fallen asleep, but as if she had just been waiting for me to fall into a false sense of boredom, she sat up in her chair and turned to look at me.

"If you decide to take the band up on their job offer, you and Bella could totally start dating."

"What?" I laughed, hoping to sound casual.

"I mean, you could really date instead of this whole when-you're-in-LA-then- we-will-hang-out-and-kiss-but-act-like-we're-just-friends-and-not-secretly-lusting-after-each-other thing."

I tried to act like I wasn't that excited about the opportunity of maybe moving to LA and working for one of the most popular independent bands on the scene and even possibly dating Bella Swan, but I knew for a fact that I wasn't fooling anyone.

Alice had approached me about the job a while back, claiming that the band really did need someone with a lot of computer experience and that the girls would need another roommate since she was moving out, but I still wasn't sure it was what I should do. It all sounded too good to be true and that made me nervous.

"Alright look." She turned the radio off. "Legitimately, I could find some eighteen year-old college student who would run the band's website and stuff for free. They would probably do a mediocre job and end up leaking personal information about us to the tabloids, and then I would have to fire them and start all over again. So, to save myself the trouble, I could hire someone I know we can trust, someone who will do a good job and deserve the pay that we're offering. I could also hire someone who would be a huge comfort to my new husband that won't have any friends in LA. By taking this job, this same someone could also end up in a flipping fantastic relationship with one of my nearest and dearest friends who just so happens to think that this someone is the best thing since Hot Pockets came out with breakfast products."

I tried not smile but I couldn't help it.

"See!" Alice said excitedly. "You do like the idea of moving out here!"

"I never said I didn't."

"But you never say yes or no, which is completely maddening. I mean… why would you not want to move? You would have a job, friends already there, and you would live with four women in the Monkey House! Did I mention that we have a swing set in one of the guest rooms? Not in like a sexual way but, like… an actual swing set."

"I would also be leaving the only life I've ever known, Alice." I turned to look at her and then back at the road. "I've always lived in Olympia and I've always lived with Emmett, who is the only family I really have."

"Jasper and I are your family, too," she added.

I smiled at the sentiment. "I know, and I do consider you guys family, but Emmett is my brother and… he gave up so much for me. He basically raised me and I couldn't ever just leave him… not unless I knew he would be okay with it."

"Well if I was a betting person, which I am, then I would bet that Emmett will be in LA before the year ends."

Surprised by her response, I gave her a brief look. "What? Why do you say that?"

"Three words." Alice held up three fingers. "Rosalie-Christine-Hale."

"Really?" I asked her. "All they seem to do is argue."

"Exactly-which is the most common form of foreplay." She laughed at my disgusted face but continued. "Mark my words, Edward. Something will happen between Emmett and Rosalie, if it hasn't already, and I'm betting everything will come to head at the wedding. Emmett will move to LA before the year ends and Rosalie will end up dropping this I'm-Miss-Independent routine and give in to the fact that she is head over heels in love with your brother." She poked my arm and added. "And you will see that moving to LA was the right choice after all."

The idea of all of us living in LA, completely happy and content where life had taken us, was definitely appealing. I just didn't know if I could buy into yet. What would happen if we did end up moving but Bella and I didn't work out? What if the Spider Monkeys broke up? There were way too many questions that didn't have answers.

But like always, Alice seemed to know exactly what to say. She quietly said my name and I turned my head to look at her.

"What if you do move to LA and you and Bella end up being the real thing? What if you move to LA and end up finding the life that you've always wanted but have been too scared to look for? Life isn't ever going to be a hundred percent certain, Edward. But it's the chances you take that make it all worth it."

Looking back at the highway in front of us, I realized she was right. The majority of my life I'd been terrified to take chances. But now I knew that I wasn't so scared anymore. Now I was just curious and excited.

Alice closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. "In a week, we will all be in Texas and I know that nothing is ever going to be the same after this wedding… for any of us."

xXxXxXx

[ Emmett ]

Fuck Disneyland, Texas was the happiest place on Earth! Especially in Mama Whitlock's kitchen where she had a cornucopia of healthy-homemade-snacks that definitely did not taste like the shitty rice cakes I'd been eating lately. All I had to do was help tie little ribbons on the gift bags for the rehearsal dinner and I was granted all of the food I wanted. They should have just put a sign on my back that said, will do girly shit for Imagene Whitlock's food, because I totally would.

I wasn't normally a fan of things like weddings, mainly because the majority of my adult life I had been jaded by women in one way or another, but I was honestly a little excited about this one. Not only was my best friend getting married, but he was getting married at the fucking Alamo. I mean, I'm not from Texas so it didn't really mean all that much to me, but I thought it was awesome as fuck that Alice had managed to arrange a private wedding ceremony in the Alamo Gardens and library, all under the disguise of a private fundraiser for the Daughters of the Republic organization that ran the museum. Which really, I'm sure with the amount of money they had spent to have the wedding there, the Daughters of the Republic made a mint. So my best friend and his movie star fiancée were going to get married at one of the most revered historical sites in Texas, surrounded by cannons and other cool shit that I could mess with. I saw it as a win-win situation.

"Another granola bar, Emmett?" Mama Whitlock asked me.

I nodded my head. "You know it." While she slid another snack onto my plate, I tied the final ribbon and smiled. "Where do you want these?"

"Oh, you just leave those there. I'll have Jasper move them when he gets back from the airport. They should be here shortly."

With the mention of the airport, my good mood fell to the floor and died. Jasper, Alice and Edward had ventured off into the big city of San Antonio to pick up Rosalie and Bella from the private airport they were flying into while I stayed behind and opted to eat myself into oblivion. I was not looking forward to seeing Rosalie, let alone staying in the same house as she was.

"I think Rosalie Hale is the prettiest of the three of them," Jasper's youngest sister said sweetly.

I gave her a playful look of death and shoved the granola bar in my mouth. "One of her nostrils is bigger than the other."

She folded the napkin she was playing with and smiled up at me. "I think you like her."

Arguing with a twelve year old about if I did or didn't like Rosalie Hale was not how I was going to spend my afternoon. So I just messed up her hair and pushed away from the kitchen table. I'd planned on taking a shower, that way I wouldn't be expect to be all social and shit when everyone got back, but of course the second I started towards the stairs, a vehicle started coming up the long driveway.

"Oh!" Mama Whitlock clapped her hands together. "I think that's… yup, that's them!"

While everyone else in the kitchen seemed to erupt with excitement, I sank back down in my seat and grabbed another granola bar. Car doors shut, voices called out, and I stayed exactly where I was.

"You're not coming outside?" Jasper's sister asked me.

I shook my head. "I'm good where I am."

And I was until Jasper yelled at me from the front yard. "Emmett! Come help with the luggage!"

I reluctantly walked to the screen door and stood there, assessing the situation before me. Bella was… Bella. She looked so out of place and completely oblivious to how awkward and dorky she seemed, and I mean that in the best of ways. Edward looked exactly the same way all of the time. Jasper was unloading luggage out of the back of his father's truck and telling his sisters to stop smothering Alice, even though she seemed to love every second of it. Mama Whitlock was welcoming everyone while offering iced tea and cookies, and there, standing in a ridiculous cowboy hat and boots, stood Rosalie Hale. The short denim skirt that she had on was really fucking distracting, so I just started grabbing as much luggage as I could, hoping she would be too interested in cows and trees to notice me.

"Oh y'all will all look so pretty at the ceremony!" Mama Whitlock smiled at all of us. "Let me get a picture of all the wedding party together for the first time."

"Mom," Jasper laughed. "You'll get pictures tonight at the rehearsal."

She just waved her hand at him and pulled a camera out of her apron pocket. "And I'll get some right now, too. Now Emmett, you let go of that bag and go stand by Rosalie that way all the couples are together."

With her arms crossed across her chest, Rosalie gave me a quick look and then stared straight forward. I dropped her damn luggage on the ground and stomped my way towards the rest of them.

"Closer, y'all."

I shuffled an inch closer to Rosalie and held my breath.

"Emmett, you're just too tall, honey. Why don't you just stand behind Rosalie and…yes, that's just perfect!"

Her fucking perfume and shampoo was absolutely assaulting my senses, making me angry and horny and… just a fucking mess all at once.

"Now y'all smile," Mama Whitlock held the camera up. "One, two…"

As soon as the flash went off, I grabbed Rosalie's luggage, took it to the room she was staying in, and ran down the hallway to the bathroom. I sure as hell hoped that no one would ask why there was half a bottle of shampoo missing or why I'd taken the longest shower know to man kind. This was going to be a long weekend.

xXxXxXx

"I know you don't want to talk to me."

I nodded my head at Rosalie's obvious statement and kept trying to tie my damn tie. "Then why are you in my room?"

"Because we can't keep acting like this, at least not this weekend, Emmett. Alice is one of my best friends and—"

"Jasper is my best friend." I let go of the tie and turned around to face her. "And you don't have to worry about me ruining their wedding, Rosalie. I'm not that fucking selfish."

She sighed and let her arms fall to her sides. I tried not to notice how fucking fantastic her legs looked in those shoes… or how good she looked in that dress. "I know you're not selfish, Emmett. That isn't what I meant. I just know that… if you had your choice you wouldn't want me to be here, you wouldn't want to be partnered up with me at this wedding."

I didn't bother to try and act like it wasn't true so I let her continue.

"Can we just have a truce this weekend? Just… let's be civil and then you can go back to hating me after the wedding is over."

Nodding my head, I agreed that I would try to not act like she was a raging bitch who had broken my heart and left me a mess of emotions in the back of a limousine without any clothes on. When she held her hand out to shake mine, I turned back to the mirror and started redoing my tie. "Let's not push it."

I saw her reflection behind me, looking rejected and scorned, then walk from the bedroom and shut the door. The silky material slipped through my fingers, making the most horrible excuse for a tie that I'd ever seen. I undid it and started over, trying to push back the feeling of guilt that bubbled in my stomach.

A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door and then Edward stuck his head into the room. "You ready? We're about to leave for the rehearsal."

I nodded and grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll ride with Jasper's parents; make sure Rosalie rides with you."

My brother gave me a funny look but thankfully didn't bother to question my request. Instead he grabbed my arm when I tried to walk past him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm fine."

We both knew I was lying.

xXxXxXx

[ Jasper ]

Most guys are shaking in their boots nervous on the night before they get married. Me? No way. I was so ready to do this. I had never been surer of anything in my entire life. I just hoped nothing fucked it up. And that started with Emmett.

"It'll be fine, I know it; Emmett knows how important this whole weekend is," Alice chattered on the way over to the rehearsal. "I mean, come on, and give him some credit. He seems to be going through a rough patch right now, but I have a good feeling about this."

I shook my head. I had learned in the time I'd known Alice that she was pretty intuitive about people's feelings—I wasn't going to mess with her if she said everything was going to be fine. We pulled up to the Alamo and I smiled at my excitement—I'd loved coming here ever since I was little boy, and I never thought I'd be getting married here.

Everyone piled out of their cars and met in the front. Mine and Alice's parents seemed to hit it off—almost too good—and were swapping embarrassing baby stories. My little sister was squealing and making goo-goo eyes at Edward—apparently she'd grown up in the last year or so and decided that he was the cutest thing ever.

"Well let's get this show on the road," Emmett muttered as he pushed past me through the gate. I gave Alice a concerned look and nudged Bella playfully as she walked by. She flipped me off when the parents weren't looking and stuck her tongue out for good measure.

We had a little time to kill before the minister got there so everyone started milling around and taking pictures. Alice was huddled with Rosalie and Bella so I went over to where Emmett was standing, inspecting a cannon. He was hunched over the plaque reading it.

"Man this stuff is cool," he turned with a grin. "Yo, Edward, come take a picture of me with this canon!"

Edward started fiddling with his cell phone camera and turned to take Emmett's picture. "Uh, Emmett, I don't think you're supposed to do that."

"Remember the Alamo!" Emmett screamed as he pretended to 'bang' the cannon from the rear end. I cringed and looked around to make sure no security guards were coming to arrest us.

"Okay, I got it," Edward said, showing it to Emmett as he nodded in agreement.

"Man, I can't believe we're here right now! A lot of shit happened in this place, yanno? And now Jaspy's getting married here! It's the ending of an era!" Emmett fake cried as he slung his arm around my shoulder.

I laughed. "Yeah, it's been a pretty crazy year."

"Edward, go sit in that tree log bench. Pretend to be Pocahontas. This picture would look great on your Facebook!" Emmett was being such a tourist, but his happiness was contagious so I didn't mind.

Edward stuffed his long legs into the trunk and grabbed onto his imaginary paddle while Emmett snapped the picture. I jumped in behind him and pretended to attack him when he tried to get out.

We horsed around until the minister showed up, just enjoying being stupid and immature. Then we lined up at the imaginary altar. I tried not to laugh as Bella stumbled on a rock walking down the aisle. Edward leaned forward as if to catch her but caught himself when he saw she was okay. Emmett snickered, which earned him a nasty glare from Rosalie who came in behind her.

Alice's mom was busy crying; mumbling about how she thought this day would never come. Alice winked at me as she stood before me and I gave her my best southern smile. The minister went through the ceremony almost flawlessly in between tidbits in which he explained where we would exchange rings and recite our vows. Afterwards I was instructed to kiss the bride and I planted a good one on Alice. I heard her brothers whistling and cat-calling and I was grateful that they didn't want to murder me.

The rehearsal dinner was just as successful. We all drove over to Le Reve, a French restaurant. It was fancy and not far from the Alamo. We all sat down and I noticed Emmett was scowling until Mama came over and kissed him on the cheek, telling him how much she loved him.

"Thanks, Mama," I whispered to her and she passed by me.

"Anytime, honey. That boy just needs some extra love once in a while," she said with a wink.

"How come they don't serve French Fries here? That's French," Emmett joked.

"It's not really French, Emmett," Rosalie said with a roll of her eyes.

Alice saved the day by jumping in and talking about some last minute flower ideas and the girls were off again in a wedding tizzy. Well, all the girls except Bella. My sisters were more than happy to become new friends with Alice, Rosalie, and Bella. But Bella didn't seem to be too interested. Instead she was making polite conversation with my dad. Wilber Thomas Whitlock was simply captivated by Bella since the moment she showed up to my parents' house. He'd taken her under his wing and she was fascinated with all the stories he told her about growing up in the South. Edward sat near them and took it all in, too, but Bella seemed to be hanging off his every word—and Dad ate it up. My sisters and I had long given up on listening about the Glory Days, and his new audience only got him all riled up again.

After dinner everyone began making toasts to Alice and me, handing us gift cards and photo albums. Mama stood up and wiped at her face before speaking.

"Alice, sweetie, you have been a great joy to get to know. You've turned our Jasper into an honest man, and I've never seen him happier. Thank you for coming into his life and making him smile again. You're already like another daughter to me and words cannot express how wonderful it is to be celebrating your wedding together," she choked out. Alice stood up and they embraced in a long hug before Mama pulled out an envelope and handed it to us.

"Mama, you shouldn't have gotten us anything," I scolded her as Alice began to claw at the envelope. She started to read the card and smiled. When she opened it and read the rest of it, a picture fell out of the inside. When she picked it up her smile grew and she started screeching. She jumped up and down and ran over to my parents, thanking them.

"I know you'll always want to remember where you came from, and it's not exactly the same, but its close enough," Mama explained.

I was confused as to what she was giving us. I managed to pry the picture out of Alice's hands.

"They're giving us piglets!" she squealed.

Emmett spit his water out behind him and everyone's eyebrows shot up.

I stared down at the photo. Two small pigs were nestled together under a blanket. My eyes had to have been bugging out. Pigs? Who gives someone pigs as a wedding present?

Alice ripped the picture out of my hands and began showing it around the table. "Aren't they so precious? Thank you Mama, Dad!"

My parents beamed in excitement as I gave them a nod. Pigs?

"We thought since you two aren't an ordinary couple that you wouldn't want an ordinary pet. And apparently miniature pigs are the new accessory in Hollywood."

Rosalie and Bella were looking at the picture and talking about names for the little animals when Emmett looked over at me.

"Pigs, Jasper? Oh, man!" He started making little oink noises. "This is going to be real hysterical. Make sure someone gets this stuff on film! Are they going to be in the wedding now?"

"Emmett, that's a great idea!" Alice yelled.

"No, I am not walking with a pig down the aisle," Rosalie said.

"I take offense to that!" Emmett argued.

"Ugh, not you, Emmett, a real pig. Although the similarities are almost uncanny."

I shot Rosalie a warning look and she backed down, going back to the conversation about pig names. Even Edward was joining in, and I heard suggestions such as Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Jack and Jill.

"I've got it, I've got it!" Alice jumped up and down excitedly.

"What?" Emmett asked.

Alice grinned. "Pearl and Snap. The white one being Pearl, of course."

"Fucking Pearl and Snap?" Emmett guffawed.

"Yes! Because the first thing I remember about meeting Jasper was how awesome his shirt was with the pearl snap buttons," Alice gushed.

"Oh, good Lord, those pigs are really in for it now. Good thing they have a cool Uncle Emmett to help them keep it real," he replied.

And that's when it hit me: tonight I was a new father to a set of pigs and my wife was a Spider Monkey. I was living in an animal house.

But there was no place else I'd rather be.

xXxXxXx

JFI: some partaking of this chapter that involves cannons, bench canoes and pictures at the Alamo may or may not be true. It may or may not involve LMW and myself. Happy New Year!

LMW: We're back, just in time for the New Year in the United States! Hope you haven't given up on us—we've got a wedding to celebrate, Stalking-style!