Chapter Eight

Edward watched as the Town Car pulled away and sighed. He almost wished it could be his father that had died. Emmett's dad, though, he never met him, seemed really nice. And from what Jasper had said, Emmett's family had all but adopted him in as another son.

He walked back into the house to find Bella and Tanya talking quietly in the foyer. "Edward," Tanya said. "I…I don't know anyone very well. I think I'm going to go. Clearly you need to be there for your band mate, and I…"

He smiled at her. "It's quite all right, Tanya. You start your classes back soon, anyway, don't you?"

She nodded. She was working through with summer classes to get her degree faster. "Yes, I do. So, I suppose I'll go home, visit with my family some more…"

Bella watched them for a moment before she said, "Come on, Jake. Let's you and I go into the writing room. Didn't you tell me you had an idea of a song?"

He blushed all the way up to the tips of his ears. "Uh, yeah. I did."

She smiled. "Alright then. Let's go."

Edward watched them go with a longing he didn't understand before he turned back to Tanya. She was beautiful, he had to hand it to her. Her breeding was prominently displayed in her slightly upturned nose, her beautiful strawberry blond hair, her striking cheekbones, but he felt…nothing. Okay, I'm going to do this. "Tanya…look. Can we go sit down for a moment?"

She thought and then nodded. They walked into the living area and he took her hand as they sat on the couch. "Tanya…we've known each other how long?"

"Since we were in diapers, Edward." She said softly with a smile.

He had to smile at that too. He remembered playing with her on her father's lawn. Oh, how simpler those times were. "And in that time, our relationship has grown, evolved, correct?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Well…can you say, beyond certainty that you even…love me?"

"Of course." She replied again.

"With an all-encompassing love?" He prompted.

She looked into his eyes and smiled softly. "Edward…I understand where you're going with this."

He blew out a breath. "Good. I'm glad."

She nodded. "You're concerned that I won't love you with all this fame you have, that I only want you for the fame, that I won't trust you around all those women. I know you, Edward. I know you are as pure of heart as you are of body and I know those rumors are false. I know you took the purity pledge in church the same day I did. You never wore the ring, but I know it's there, in your heart. And I promise, I'll still be here. Forever." She snuggled closer to him and kissed him tenderly. "I'm not going anywhere, Edward. You can't get rid of me."

FUCK! Was his only thought.

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"So…tell me about this song…?" Bella asked as she sat down and picked up a pencil.

Jake blushed. "Well…Edward makes fun of me, so…"

Bella's eyes darkened, but she said, "Well, pardon my French, but fuck Edward if he won't help you with your creativity. Edward is…jaded. And I'm not sure what it would take to get him past his cynical nature." She smiled. "But you…you have some great plans, don't you? You realize what love is. Edward…well, he writes about it well, but he just has…no freaking clue."

Jake smiled at that. "Yeah, see…okay, here's the deal. When a boy in my tribe reaches a certain age, we're taken on a 'spiritual journey'. Really, we're given like, a dose of Peyote and go on a trip into our heads."

Bella giggled. "I'm sorry…I'm not making fun of your beliefs, Jacob…"

He shook his head. "No, they're pretty much full of shit. Or at least, that's what I thought. Until…until I saw her."

Bella's eyes grew wider. "What do you mean?"

"I see this girl in my dreams. I have ever since that night. She…calls to me. And even though my body wants to do the things the other guys do…I…don't, because…I know that she's out there, waiting for me."

"Really?" Bella asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. So…I, uh, well, I want my every first to be with her. I believe she's out there." He cringed. "Do you think I'm like, certifiable now?"

Bella smiled. "Absolutely not. I think it's beautiful. And I'm sure she's out there, waiting for you, too."

"Really?" He asked.

She nodded. "Really. So…you want to write a song for her?" Bella asked.

Jake nodded enthusiastically. "I do. And I already have a few ideas. It's…it's kind of a silly, playful song, but…for some reason, I think she'll like it."

Bella smiled again. "Alright, Jake. Throw 'em at me."

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Edward sighed as he walked Tanya out an hour later. She was adamantly standing by the fact that she wouldn't leave Edward and he was more than a little aggrieved. This was not what he wanted. He heard Bella's voice combining with Jacob's and he sighed. That's what I want.

He blinked. Whoa. Where did THAT come from? I want Bella? Of course he did, Bella was beautiful, with a small, tight frame, large, expressive eyes, cupid's bow lips, perfect round breasts and the sexiest ass he'd ever…his cock twitched and he sighed as he put his head against the cool wood of the wall. I'm never going to get out of this. I'm never going to change. I'm unworthy of Bella even if I could shake off Tanya. I should just…I should just give up and continue on my quest to screw every female under the age of forty under the nose of my fiancée just like I have been.

He sucked in a breath, thoroughly depressed by the idea, and walked into the writing room. He saw Bella and Jake laughing as Jake performed some kind of a hybrid Elvis move and he saw the light in Bella's eyes. She deserves someone like Jake, someone pure, someone who isn't just evil and a fucking disaster. Her eyes wandered to him then and he felt trapped in her stare. How long they stayed like that, he was never sure, but it almost felt as if she was reading his mind.

She frowned, and he wondered if she knew of the decision he made. Apparently so, as she sighed and looked away. She turned to Jake. "That's great, Jake. I know that will be an awesome song. I think I need to pack. You guys will be leaving soon, won't you?"

"Wait." Jacob said. "Do you want to go with us?"

She looked back over at Edward and then she smiled back at Jake. "I do think it would be rude of me not to pay my respects to the man that made Emmett into such a great guy, don't you?"

Edward winced. He had a feeling that was a shot at Tanya, but it was unjustified. Tanya, though she liked Emmett, felt that Emmett, and by proxy, his family, were beneath her. It was the blue blood she had, the blood that Edward also had, but at least he now looked at Emmett as a brother, and family stood together. He cleared his throat. "Alice called. The first available flight was in the morning. She said that was good, she had a meeting she couldn't get out of this evening anyway. We have to pick her up at the ass crack of dawn in the morning before we head out so I'm going to go get packed."

"Alice? Alice Brandon?" Bella asked.

Edward nodded. "Yeah. She's our choreographer."

Bella grinned. "I know Alice. You know you'll have your hands full with her, don't you?"

Jake laughed. "Oh, yeah, we're very familiar with Satan's little sister."

Bella looked at him and burst out laughing.

The next morning, they were waiting in Edward's personal vehicle, oddly enough, a moderate looking Volvo. "It attracts less attention." Edward said as he slid into a parking space to wait for Alice. They only had to wait about ten more minutes before the pixie arrived, dragging two huge piggybacked suitcases behind her. Edward and Jake jumped out to grab them from her and she squealed when she saw Bella sitting in the back seat. "Bella!"

"Alice!" Bella cried as she ran to her.

The two men watched as the girls hugged and Jake looked at Edward amused. "I'm picturing naughty sleepovers."

Edward laughed. "You've been hanging around Emmett too much. He's corrupted you."

"Clearly." Jacob said with a grin.

Alice stepped away from Bella and asked the boys, "How is Emmett?"

"We haven't heard. We need to get on the road." Edward said, glancing at his watch.

She nodded. "Okay, let's go." Alice and Bella chatted animatedly in the back seat with Jake interjecting his thoughts here and there. Alice finally looked at Edward and said, "What's the matter with you, Edward?"

Jacob snorted. "He can't get rid of his fiancée."

"You have a fiancée?" Alice asked.

Edward winced. "It's a long story."

Alice's eyebrow shot up. "I think the ride is long enough…"

Edward heaved out a sigh, and before he knew it, everything was coming out. Well, except for his confusing thoughts on Bella. Those, he was keeping close to his chest for now.

He finished the story and both Alice and Bella looked at him like he was a pile of dog excrement upon a Persian rug. "You disgust me." Bella said with her nose upturned. "How could you do that to her? She won't put out, so you go find it from someone else in hopes that she'll figure out you're screwing around on her and dump you so you don't have to do it? That's…that's idiotic, Edward."

Well, when she put it like that…he remained quiet for the rest of the trip, which was good, because it was quite clear that neither of the girls would speak to him.

Meanwhile, back on the fire tower, the sun was just rising and the three friends were passed out cold. Jasper was the first to wake. He looked over to find Jamie had a leg slung between his while Emmett had spooned up behind her. Jasper smiled and moved away from them. Jamie felt his movement and let out a little groan, which woke Emmett. She blinked and looked around. "SHIT! I have to go…Jazz...Em…"

"What?" Emmett asked, sitting up and stretching.

"I have to go to work!" She shrieked. "Unlike some of you, I actually have a job."

Jasper snorted. "Yeah, well, we definitely don't consider what we do work, do we, Em?"

Emmett shook his head. "Nope. We get to have fun doing our jobs."

Jamie rolled her eyes, sitting up. But when she did, Emmett's shirt, which they'd draped over her in the night, fell to her lap revealing her ample bosom. Her eyes grew wide and she clutched it back to her chest.

Emmett smiled. "I wouldn't bother covering up, we've both seen you…"

Jasper grinned too. "You do look sexy as hell with your cum face on."

She turned a brilliant shade of red as she thought about what they did last night. "So…" Emmett said as he stood, not even bothering to hide the fact he was naked, "You never answered our question."

"Yeah, sugar, who's better?" Jasper asked.

Her mouth opened and closed several times before she said finally, "I, uh, um, well…your techniques are different."

"And?" They both prompted.

She threw her hands in the air, the shirt falling once more and this time she didn't care. "I don't know, okay!? Do you two know how many ways we fucked last night? I couldn't answer after that first time. Then, you two with your great plans said Em needed to give it a try, so, we did and I gave Jasper head! I. Don't. Know. Okay? You're both…" She sighed and stood, touching each of their faces. "You both mean too much to me, you know that?"

They both nodded. She smiled. "I'm going to call in. With this headache, there's no way I could put up with Dr. Standish and his shit. They'll understand. Let's go, I'll need to sneak back into the house, and then I'll come straight over to your house, Em. Jazz…" She knew he had issues with his mom. "Please, please don't stay with your mom. Carlisle went to stay at the Days Inn. Please stay over there."

It wasn't as nice as what they'd been staying in lately, but with her plea, he couldn't help but to think about it. He nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Jamie."

She smiled. "It's my job. I gotta look after you two until you find women that can. I shudder to think of what you two would get into without me."

They both grinned. Emmett reacted first. "Well, we know what we get into with you…"

She shot him a look and the three of them laughed.

They managed to get her snuck back into her house and she came back out in twenty minutes having showered and grabbed a travel mug of coffee. Jasper had gone and checked into a room, not able to stay with Carlisle after he found him shacked up with one of the girls he met at the house yesterday, Emmett's third cousin, Nina, if he wasn't mistaken, showered, and returned to Emmett's house to grab his brother's jeep. He knew Mrs. Cole's stance on motorcycles and even though Jamie was an adult, she still lived under her mother's rules, so he didn't want anyone being pissed off.

Jamie smiled at him as he stood propped up against Emmett's jeep. "Mornin', sugar." He said with a grin of his own.

She handed him the mug and he took it, drinking it down greedily. "Thanks."

Her lower lip pouted out. "Share?"

He handed it back to her. "Of course." They climbed in the vehicle and he said, "You don't…regret what we all did last night, do ya?"

She paused, the mug halfway to her mouth. "No," She whispered softly. "I've…well, no, I don't. Consider that my last hurrah. I'll find someone and settle down and then…"

"Hey," He said softly. "Nobody says you have to, ya know."

She nodded. "I know. Will's a nice guy…maybe…"

"Maybe he's everything you ever dreamed of?" Jasper supplied.

She bit her lip. "Maybe."

He patted her leg. "Well, then, consider that the end of an era. You need to tell Emmett if you're going to move on with this guy, you know that, right?"

She blew out a breath. "Not today."

He shook his head. "Not today." They both knew the family would have to go over to pick out all the arrangements at the funeral home. It would be tough. The viewing would be later in the evening.

"Do you regret it?" He asked again.

"No." She said flatly. "I don't. I've wanted to, okay?"

He grinned. "I knew you were a little freak."

"Bite me, Jasper."

His grin grew and he moved her shirt down revealing the bite mark on her shoulder. "I, uh, kind of already did."

She growled at him and he laughed.

When they arrived at the McCarty house, they were surprised to see a silver Volvo pulling in from the opposite direction. "Hey, Edward, Jake, come here!" Jasper said as he jumped out of the jeep. He grinned at Jamie as she lithely jumped down.

"Hey, man, where'd you get the jeep?" Edward asked.

"It's Emmett's brother's. They have the same taste in vehicles."

"Obviously." Edward replied.

Jasper introduced them to Jamie, and then Bella and Alice stepped out as well. "Hey," Jasper said, almost shyly to the women. Jamie noticed it and smiled.

Alice, of course, hugged him and Jamie both. Bella hung back, but asked, "Where is Emmett?"

"Inside," Jasper said. "I just went to get Jamie before I came back over."

"Where's Carlisle?" Jacob asked.

"He's…busy, at his hotel."

Edward let out a snort. "Well, at least someone's getting laid."

Jasper's eyes met Jamie's and she blushed. "I, uh, I need to go in and help Mrs. McCarty…" She trailed off as she walked away.

They watched her walk inside and Jacob turned to Jasper, smacking his arm. "Dude. You tapped Emmett ex? On the night his dad died? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"It's not like that, Jake." Jasper said hotly. "Your little virginal self wouldn't understand."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Well, at least I'm not spreading my shit around to ever girl, including my best friend's, the whole world 'round."

Jasper's hands fisted and Alice stepped between them. "Enough, both of you. Emmett is hurting. Edward, take Jake, go in there and be his friend or something, okay?"

Edward said, "Come on, Jake." And they, along with Bella, walked into the house.

Alice eyed Jasper. "Want to tell me what went on last night?"

He shrugged. "I'm not talking to you about it."

Her eyebrow rose. "Why not? I might prove to be a very good ear to have on your side." She smiled at him reassuringly. She was known for getting people to open up to her. She liked to think of herself as a therapist to the singers she choreographed. The stuff she knew would make a killing in the tabloids. But after her own past, she knew she would never betray anyone's trust.

Jasper blew out a breath. "You ever see someone you liked, that were friends with, and you wished you could have their life?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"Well, that's what Em is to me. I've wanted what he has forever. I have an abusive mother, a girlfriend that left me to go 'find herself', an addictive personality, and then, last night, I took advantage of said best friend and his ex girlfriend and had sex with her, while he watched. I'm a horrible person."

She thought a moment. "No, I don't think so. I think you gave him what he needed, since, obviously, he didn't beat the everloving shit out of you. I don't know about your mom, but I do know what having an addictive personality is like. My dad was a drunk. My mom wasn't around."

"Were you ever forced to have sex with your dad?" Jasper asked in a small voice.

She gasped, but composed herself quickly. She'd always known that Jasper had issues, from that first day of meeting him. It was like…almost like she was psychic how she could read people and what they needed. She knew she was meant to be more to Jasper. What, she wasn't sure, but she knew it was something. "No, I'm…" She lowered her voice, "I'm still a virgin."

His eyes widened. "Really? How?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're hot, Alice. I figured Emmett would have…well, had you. He's got his eye on you."

Alice smirked. "Is that a fact? Well, too bad. I don't have eyes for him."

"And who do you have eyes for?" Jasper asked.

She shrugged. "No one, at least, not at the moment." She eyed him. "Jasper?"

"Hmm?" He said as he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket.

"You don't have to continue on with your mom. You can…there are things you can do, if you open up to them."

"Like what?" He whispered and she wished they weren't so out in the open, so exposed.

"You can get help. It can be off the record…we can get her taken care of, arrested…"

"NO!" He said shortly. He breathed through his nose. "No, I…I can't do that to her. I…I won't go back again. I'll stand up to her this time…"

He looked, in that moment, very much like a scared little boy and not the twenty year old he was. "Jasper…?" She said as she moved closer to him, putting her small hand on his arm. "Don't worry, okay? I'll always be here for you. And Emmett, of course. And by the looks of it, that girl, Jamie. She will be too."

He blew out an unsteady breath. "O-okay, Alice. And…thanks."

She tugged on him until he bent down to her level and she kissed his cheek. "My pleasure."

Her hand slipped down his arm to grasp his much larger hand. "Come on, let's go in so I can meet Emmett's family."

He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Alice, really."

She winked. "I'll send you the bill."

He looked at her for just a moment more and then he laughed.

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Time passed, like all things. The pain lessened for Emmett and Jasper both. Edward, in a surprising move, decided to cut back on his whoring ways, though, he didn't tell anyone his true reasons. He, himself, wasn't sure of his true reasons.

A few months later, they stood outside the Hollywood studios. Emmett grinned. He had slowly gotten back to his old self. "We're going to do what?"

The director smiled at them. "You're going to be making a video like a horror movie."

Jake and Jasper smiled at each other. "Hell yeah!" They cried.