Firstly, yes, I did change my penname...cusher has made way to the more fantastical TheFaintHeart. Sorry if there was any confusion when you received your alert. Next, I have a link to my blog on my profile where I've put up a few fic related pics and stuff. So if you are interested in what Jasper's bike and helmet look like, hit up the blog. I'll also be putting up a couple of things from this chapter as well once it's posted.

Oh! I also have a new banner for Golden Gloves made by duskri123 - the link for that is also on my profile and blog- it's awesome!

I do not own Twilight or the Coheed & Cambria songs I mention or the ridiculous movie Snakes on a Plane.

I do suggest you check out this link if you are unfamiliar with Samuel L. Jackson's famous line. It'll be worth it, promise. www . youtube . com / watch ?v=amYzBQMT4VI

My beta has been busy doing exciting things, so until her life slows down and she has moved into her new house, the next few chapters won't have her Midas Touch.

Chapter 6: Breaking Habits and Keeping Traditions

"You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone." ~ Sugar Ray Robinson

Training with Jasper was unlike anything I'd done before. I felt like I was fifteen again and it was the first time I stepped into the ring. It was disorienting and left me feeling vulnerable for the first time since joining Jimmy's club. I hated it. I'd never been in the position of needing help; I was usually the helper.

Jasper was different than any of the other guys I had sparred with previously. Where the others usually held back the force of their attack, Jasper didn't. When we first stepped into the ring, he explained the basics of what to look for and how I'd have to adjust my position when fighting against a southpaw. Admittedly, it wasn't much of a change but I struggled to wrap my brain around maintaining it and found my body naturally reverted back to what it was used to. Jasper mistook my body's malfunction for rebellion and made me suffer for it.

"Get up, we're doing it again." Jasper barked at me as I pulled myself up after he managed to knock me over for the fifth time.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant," I mumbled.

"You say something?"

"Not a thing," I lied. My patience was wearing thin and I didn't want my hot-headed nature to cause a problem before I could accomplish the simple task of not getting my ass knocked down.

"Ready?"

Jasper stood tall with his gloved hands in front, protecting his face, he didn't bother wearing any protective head gear. Not like it mattered anyway, I was too busy falling to get a chance to swing at him. I nodded at him after adjusting my footing and hands; preparing for his attack. His motions were fluid and slow, giving me time to prepare a block for his left hook. All the time in the world couldn't have helped me. He connected and I stumbled backward until I was resting against the ropes. I let out a growl in frustration.

"You're thinking too hard. Again."

He was relentless, never letting me pause for a break or giving me any time to calm myself. It was almost like he wanted me angry; I just didn't understand what purpose it would serve.

He didn't wait for me to set up as he tried a different tactic; quickly rushing at me. I had no time to think or assess the situation. Ducking was my only option unless I wanted another encounter with the mat. His left hand swung at me and I dropped my right shoulder and bobbed around his moving fist. Smiling at my victory, and waiting for him to praise me for finally doing something right, I didn't see his return right jab, but I most certainly felt as his glove connected with my jaw.

I lost my footing from the blow and again fell into the ropes. This was quickly becoming old.

"Again" Jasper demanded.

"No. I need a break." I yelled back around my mouth guard.

"I said, again. Now get up," his quick dismissal of my request caused my anger to flare higher than before and I could no longer contain it. I glared at him, trying in vain to burn him with my eyes.

He came toward me with three quick steps, swinging at my head. I ducked again and spun around him; learning from my previous mistake. He turned around to face me smirking as he threw out another punch, giving my face a break and aiming for my body. I stepped back out of reach, giving myself enough time to be pissed off that he would employ the smirk while we were sparring. I was now furious. He was toying with me. I was his marionette. He had watched me before and knew the way I fought and how I would naturally react. It was time to cut the strings.

The only way to get him to back off would be if I stopped thinking and let my body take over. A vicious smile spread across my face showing off the white fang design on my black mouth guard. His eyes narrowed at my change in attitude, but it didn't deter him from coming at me again. This time, however, I was prepared. My fight or flight instinct quickly took over. I side-stepped another swing and decided I'd had enough of learning to block. I wanted to hit something. Hard. I would get a lot of satisfaction from hitting Jasper. My vision tunnelled and all I saw was blonde hair slowly falling out of its ponytail, a body clothed in black and bright blue gloves; all else fading away and no longer important.

I let him take another swing and ducked under his arm. He was too tall for me to comfortably reach his jaw, a body shot would have to suffice. His left arm was just returning to guard position when I pulled back my right fist and swung with as much power as I could, connecting with his left rib cage. I quickly followed up with a matching right-sided hit.

Jasper let out an "oomph" sound as the air rushed out of his lungs and stumbled back; he hadn't anticipated my attack. It felt so good to finally connect with something and I wanted to hit him again. Intent on doing just that, I followed as he stepped back and watched as he bent over gasping for air, left arm clutching around his torso. His new position gave me a better opening at his pretty face. I pulled back my right hand wanting to permanently remove his ability for future smirking.

Sensing danger, Jasper's head shot up, quickly making eye contact. It was his penetrating grey eyes that stopped me; breaking the aggressive haze I had been lost in. My feet planted firmly to the mat and my hand fell to my side.

I was frozen, my eyes wide in astonishment.

I wouldn't allow my body to move. Fear suddenly filled my body. What have I done? I had maliciously attacked my partner with an anger so raw I was lost to its power. Surely this would be grounds for him to tell me to fuck off and not come back.

Jasper's reaction was not what I expected. Once he stood at his full height, a look of satisfaction and lazy smile filled his face. I didn't say anything, not wanting to further provoke him.

"I think we're done for today."

"What!" I questioned, spitting out my mouth guard so I could talk properly.

"We're finished." He couldn't possibly mean permanently, could he?

"We can't be finished! You said you would help me. I'm sorry I hit you. Can we try again with the blocking, please?" I begged.

"Look Bella, I accomplished what I set to achieve today. And quite frankly, you knocked the wind out of me. You can't expect me to continue after that."

"So, that's it? One training session and you quit on me?" I asked, my voice dropping as I quietly muttered, "unfuckingbelievable," to myself. That was how it always went, being too aggressive meant bruised male egos and a quick excuse to no longer train together. Emmett was the only one in the club who was impervious to it which was why we always partnered during these sessions. I didn't know why Jimmy thought Jasper would be any different from the rest of the chauvinist club members.

"Quit on you? Did you hear those words come out of my mouth because I don't remember saying them," Jasper looked at me confusion covered his face.

"You said we were finished, I thought you meant-"

"Didn't you ever hear that saying about asses who assume things? When I said finished, I meant for today. We are finished for today." Jasper interrupted me with his explanation. "My only goal for today was to break your habit of over-thinking and analysing. To get you to just go with your gut. I thought for sure it wasn't going to happen today but you proved me wrong."

I didn't know what to say. He was testing me; he wanted me to lose my composure. He wanted me to feel my next move instead of planning it. He had expected me to fail, but I didn't.

"So, you'll still keep helping me then?" I needed to hear it directly from him. I wouldn't make the mistake of assuming anything else when it came to Jasper.

"Of course, we're only just beginning your re-programming," he said over his shoulder as he stepped though the ropes and jumped down to the mats below.

"Oh. Well, OK then." I hadn't expected this reaction from him. It would seem we were both surprising each other. "So, anything I should be working on until next club session?" I asked as I followed behind him, through the ropes and jumping down.

"That's two weeks away, if you are serious about learning, we can't wait that long in between. When do you normally come in during the week to train?"

"I'm here in the mornings because I work in the afternoons, why?"

"We should try to fit in at least three sparring sessions a week, is that alright with you?"

"That's fine, starting Monday?" I would definitely need all day tomorrow to ice my ass, I could feel the swelling beginning already.

"Works for me, I'll be here at 8:30am."

I watched as Jasper walked away, heading toward the change rooms. While he was pulling off his gloves I gave myself eight seconds to quickly take inventory of his retreating form. During those eight seconds, I managed to notice something I hadn't noticed earlier. Yes, his ass was spectacular but more importantly, Jasper was one of the few guys in the local boxing circuit that didn't have any visible tattoos. I was slightly disappointed by this. I had quite the affinity for guys with black ink etched on their body.

But then again, Jasper seemed to be doing the opposite of everything I had expected of him. So I shouldn't have been so surprised that a Harley-driving-leather-coat-wearing-bad-ass-boxer didn't have any tattoos-that I could see. But there was still a possibility that some inky treasures lie hidden under his clothes.

Jasper, without clothes-now there was an idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't allow my imagination to run wild, it had already worked overtime this week. Now was not the time or the place for any type of fantasies to be running amok in my mind while I was in the presence of other human beings. Especially when one was my best friend who knew me better than anyone else and wasn't afraid to call me out. The fact that Jasper was still in close proximity was also a great reason to squash any runaway dirty thoughts.

After showering and changing back into my regular clothes, I returned to the training area to wait for Emmett. It was tradition that anyone who was available went for brunch after team sessions. I was quite hungry since I still didn't trust the apple Jasper had given me enough to eat.

It was the abrupt stop of one song and the start of Coheed & Cambria's 'Far' that reminded me I had left my iPod plugged in. As I made my way to retrieve it, I noticed it was Jasper who had decided to play DJ.

"You'll learn very quickly not to touch something that doesn't belong to you," I called to Jasper. He startled a bit and quickly turned around, a slight flush filled his cheeks.

"Is this yours?" He asked as he motioned to the iPod and nervously running his hand through his hair now that he had taken it out of the ponytail.

"I wouldn't be possessive over something that wasn't mine," I replied, realizing a little too late how much I wished I was talking about Jasper and not some music device. He merely twitched an eyebrow at me. "Yes, it's mine," I finished.

"Well, I'm sorry for snooping, but I just wanted to see what else was on this play list. I noticed it during our sparring. I love Coheed. You seem to have their entire collection."

I couldn't believe my ears; Jasper loved the same band I loved. Was this some sick cosmic joke? Why did he have to be practically perfect for me, yet there was nothing I could do about it. He hadn't given me any indication he was at all interested. Not to mention I didn't want to give him any sort of reason to feel uncomfortable around me especially if we'd be training multiple times a week. I was sure he had plenty of other girls throwing themselves at him and I didn't want to be included in that list.

"I always have music playing when I train. Although, I didn't get to enjoy it as much as normal today. I was too busy peeling my ass of the mat." I joked.

"Don't blame that on me. I was taking it easy on you."

"Yeah, I know. I wasn't my best today, that's for sure. Did you notice I have 'The Penelope EP' from when Coheed was called Shabutie?" I asked to take Jasper's attention off my pathetic training session and I crossed over to the iPod to scroll through and show him the album.

"I didn't get that far through the list before you threatened me for touching something that wasn't mine," he chuckled back at my excitement. "But I do love this song." I nodded as we listened to Claudio finish singing the last repeat of 'No matter how far'.

I was about to remove the iPod but stopped as I heard a strumming acoustic guitar begin an all too familiar song. 'Wake Up' - I couldn't count how many times I had listened to it. I had plans for that song, as girly as it sounded.

It was a beautiful love song in a sense; but spoke of separating lovers, with promises of a return and what one wouldn't do for the other and how far they would be willing to go for that love. While some may find a declaration of killing for another morbid, I longed for that all encompassing love and willingness to do anything for another. I sighed.

"Wow, I thought I was the only one who watched 'Snakes on a Plane'." Jasper mussed.

"Oh, no. I did not watch that freak-fest. Nuh-uh. Em did, and then told me there was an acoustic version of 'Wake Up' on the soundtrack, which I promptly downloaded." I corrected.

"Not a fan of Samuel L?" He joked.

"Please, I love that guy. It's the Mother fuckin' snakes on the mother fuckin' plane I don't like," I attempted to replicate the distinct cadence of Samuel L. Jackson's voice. Jasper's loud laugh led me to believe I didn't do a very good job at the impersonation. "Yeah, I'm not very good at impersonations…" I offered, feeling lame.

"Oh, no…you did a fairly good…it was…just hearing the words mother fuckin' out of your mouth that had me laughing so hard."

"Cricket, tell me you didn't just embarrass yourself by doing an impersonation? You know you're terrible at that." Emmett called out as he was walking to where we were standing.

"Shut it, Goliath," I called back. Emmett barked out another laugh at my expense. My face was starting to warm. I turned to shut the music off, fiddling with it to give myself a moment to help my pink cheeks return to my normal paleness. I wanted to kick own ass for doing something so asinine in front of Jasper. What was with my brain's inability to function at full capacity when around him?

"So, you coming for brunch?" I heard Emmett ask Jasper while I busied myself with tuning off the sound system.

"Brunch?"

"Yeah, it's a tradition around here. After each group session, everyone-whoever doesn't already have plans, meets up at the Blue Star Café for brunch. You in?"

"Everyone does this?"

"Sure, it's like a bonding thing. A tradition of sorts. You see we have this small competition…"

"What Emmett means is, he and the guys see how many pancakes they can stuff into their pie holes. It's not pretty." I finished for Emmett as I put my iPod into my purse.

"Sounds fun. Who holds the record?" Jasper asked while looking back and forth between Emmett and I.

"Who do you think? This man beast here does." I answered while jabbing my index finger into Emmett's stomach.

"You'll pay for that," Emmett threatened as he grabbed my hand. "And you'll have to eat a baker's dozen to beat me. That's if you're up for the challenge, Jasper"

"Sounds interesting. What's your record, Bella?"

"Bella's too good for such cavemen-ish type behaviour, isn't that right?" He joked as he pulled me under his arm and ruffled my hair.

"Em, if you are going to mock me, at least use the right words; it's cavemen-esque," I swatted at his stomach again and freeing myself from his clutches. "But, to clarify-no, I don't participate in that nonsense. I'm the referee. It was deemed necessary after Paul and Tyler tried to cheat their way to victory. I have final say who the winner is each week."

"Sounds like I don't really have a choice, do I?" Jasper asked.

"Not really, I was only being nice by pretending to ask," Emmett confirmed Jasper's suspicions. By the time Emmett had Jasper agreeing to join the eat-off, the rest of the guys had emerged from the change rooms and were waiting by the door, ready to leave.

"Don't forget weigh-in is Wednesday," Jimmy called from his office as we left through the front door.

"Jimmy doesn't join?" Jasper asked as we walked around to the side parking lot.

"Nah, he did a couple of times when we first started going to the Blue Star, but now he just stays at the gym with Vicky," Emmett answered. "Come on, Cricket. Let's get a move on, I want a spot at the end of the table, more elbow room," he called as he shouldered my gym bag, tossing it into the back of his Rubicon and climbing into the driver's seat.

"We'll see you there, then?" I asked Jasper as he was zipping up his leather jacket, pushing his hair out of his eyes and pulled his helmet down, fastening the straps under his chin.

"You bet. It's been a while since I was in an eating competition. I don't even care if I win. I'm going simply to watch a grown man eat 12 pancakes," he laughed. I smiled in return

Emmett's impatience got the better of him as he honked his horn at me. I rolled my eyes in exasperation as I walked back and climbed into the Jeep, watching as Jasper drove out of the parking lot.

When we arrived at the café, Emmett parked beside Jasper's Harley. He had already pulled his helmet off and waited for us while we got out of the Jeep. Paul and Tyler had arrived at the same time but had parked a bit further away.

"Hurry your asses up, I'm getting hungry!" Emmett yelled as they took their time walking through the lot. "We'll be here until next Sunday if we wait for those old ladies. Let's go grab a table." I smiled at Jasper as he laughed at Emmett's eagerness.

The staff at Blue Star was familiar enough with our tradition that they usually had a large table reserved for us by the windows. I never exactly understood why they thought it was a good idea to put a bunch of guys cramming their faces with pancakes in the window. It was the makings of a side-show or maybe even a strange advertising strategy. All that was missing was the "Photos for $5" sign. I snickered at the thought of Emmett and the boys posing for pictures with random people complete with half masticated rounds of fluffy goodness hanging from their mouths.

"Hey guys!" Tanya, our usual waitress greeted as we walked in. She was so accustomed to serving us, she didn't even bother with the charade of bringing menus and waiting to see what we wanted. She motioned to our table by the window and practically skipped to the kitchen to put the order in and grab our drinks.

Tanya was a nice enough girl, if you saw past her incessant flirting with the boys. They enjoyed her attention so I never really gave it a second thought. I briefly wondered how she would react to Jasper. I knew she was relatively harmless but it would be Jasper's reaction to Tanya that would give me an indication of the type of person he was outside of the ring. Would he be polite and indifferent? Would he like the attention and flirt back? Would he react to her the same way he had reacted to me when we were introduced?

Emmett pushed me aside just as I was about to sit down. "What the hell, Em?"

"I told you, I wanted to sit at the end of the table. Besides, you need to be in the middle to keep and eye on those two Cheating Carols over there," he said while pointing at Tyler and Paul as they laughed and sat down at the opposite end of the long table. I rolled my eyes and sat in the middle of the table opposite to where Jasper was just draping his jacket on the back of his chair.

Seth and Brady had arrived and pulled out the chairs on either side of Jasper. They were twins and three months out of high school. Both had boxed with Jimmy before but had only recently started training with the core group of amateur fighters.

Jasper had set his helmet on the table in front of him since all the chairs on his side of the table were full.

"Pass me your helmet, Jasper. It'll be safer over here. Things tend to get a bit messy once the eating starts." I didn't wait for his response before reaching across the table, grabbing his helmet being careful not to get fingerprints on the shiny black surface and placed it in chair to my left.

"Oh, thanks." I nodded and smiled at him.

"Would you like a run-down of the rules before the pancakes get here?" I asked, laughing lightly at his slightly suspicious nod. Clearly, he didn't think it would be such a serious event. "Alright… Hey, listen up," I spoke a little louder to the rest of our group. "You all could use a refresher, so pay attention. The objective is to eat as many pancakes as you can. We stop after an hour or when everyone has forfeited by pushing their plate away from themselves. No pushing anyone else's plate. You can use as much syrup as you'd like. You can also drink as much as you'd like while eating. No elbow bumping or attempts to distract the person next to you. One pancake on your plate at a time and you cannot put another one on until I've given you the OK. I'll mark down how may you've eaten. Emmett holds the record for twelve pancakes. Any questions?"

"That doesn't sound so hard. Eat a pancake, show you my plate, rinse and repeat. Got it," Jasper replied.

"Almost. You see, the cooks in the kitchen like to have a bit of fun with the guys so they make special pancakes. You have to eat what they bring. If you don't like one of the toppings and don't want to eat it, you're out."

"Fair enough," he nodded in agreement.

"Don't forget the most important rule of all, Bella," Emmett reminded me, "the first one out pays."

"Wow, you really take this seriously, don't you?" Jasper asked as Emmett tucked his napkin into the collar of his shirt.

"We do. Just a reminder, my decision is final. If I see you breaking any of the rules or if you can't stay in your own plate, you're out. Just ask Seth how much it sucked to have to foot the bill when he forked Brady's pancake right out of his plate because he didn't want to eat the shrimp pancakes." I finished with a laugh.

"Hey, it was totally worth being disqualified. Shrimp should not be a topping on pancakes," Seth defended.

"So does that mean you get a free brunch every week then?" Jasper asked me.

"No, I pay for the tip. Things tend to get messy and we want to keep the staff here happy and allow us to keep coming each week." I explained as Tanya returned with our drinks.

She placed chocolate milk in front of Paul and Tyler, orange juice in front of Seth and Emmett and apple juice in front of Brady and myself. She then noticed our extra member and a smile spread across her face. I could have sworn I heard her say 'fresh meat' before clearing her throat.

"Sorry, I didn't realize there was a new member. What can I get you to drink? Something sweet perhaps?" Tanya's innuendo was left hanging as Jasper looked at my glass and smiled.

"I'll have what Bella's having, thanks," he dismissed, but then offered a polite smile, almost as an afterthought.

A strange silence fell over the table as Tanya walked away with a little less bounce in her step. I was slightly smug at Jasper's brush-off but could tell the others were surprised at his reaction to her. I rifled through my purse to pull out my Mickey Mouse note pad and matching pen; it lit up when you pressed the tip to the paper. I felt slightly embarrassed to have to use it in front of Jasper but it always got a great reaction from Emmett which was why I kept them.

"Jesus Bella, why do you insist on using that shit every week?" Emmett complained while everyone minus Jasper laughed at him. He always said the same thing when I pulled them out.

"Because I love the reaction you give me. What's wrong, Em? You feeling a little emasculated?" I shot back causing the others to laugh louder.

"What's the big deal about Mickey Mouse?" Jasper asked.

"Emmett has a problem with a male cartoon character having such a high voice."

"It's un-natural!" Emmett corrected.

"Whatever, Emmett. Jasper, you should have seen him when we were kids. Our families went to Disneyland during summer vacation one year. I think we were eight years old and we waited in line for over an hour to get a picture with Mickey Mouse. When it was our turn, my big, strong best friend here wouldn't go up with me. He started to cry. Papa M had to carry him and held him down for the picture. I still have it! I'm smiling and Emmett's dad has a vice grip on his shoulders keeping him in place while he cried. It's one of my most vivid memories." I laughed at Emmett as he shuddered at the memory.

"Since we're taking a trip down memory lane, perhaps I should share the story of Milkywhite?" Emmett teased.

"Milkywhite, wasn't that the name of the cow from 'Jack and the Beanstalk'?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, it was. It was also the name of a cow Bella killed when we were sixteen." Emmett laughed.

"It was not!" I defended.

"Then tell me why you no longer eat beef?" he prompted.

"Fine, I'll tell the story," I looked around the table at the smiling faces, "but only this once!" I took a deep breath and looked up, Jasper gave a gentle smile and I started, "Em and I were driving home from a boxing meet one Saturday evening. Both of our parents were busy and we wanted to be cool and go on our own. I had just gotten my licence and was driving my new-old-truck that my dad had bought for me as a gift. It was a beast, a Chevy, and painted red. Anyways, the sun was on the edge of the horizon. There was a bend in the road and I was following it but once I made it through the turn, the sun had temporarily blinded me and I couldn't see. So I started to slow down while Emmett searched in my purse for my sunglasses. That when it happened."

"It was great!" Emmett yelled excitedly.

"No, it was not great, you ass. I totalled my truck! I didn't see that a cow had gotten loose from the nearby pasture and hit it, straight on. She died instantly. Luckily Emmett and I only suffered minor injuries, but my truck took the majority of the beating." I finished.

"Wait, that's not the best part. Bella's dad is Chief of Police in Forks and he was on duty that night. He got called to the scene. So did the local butcher. We sat on the side of the road watching the butcher do his thing while the Chief did his reports and waited on a tow truck to take Bella's truck to impound. I might have mentioned that the cow Bella hit reminded me of the cow from Jack and the Beanstalk. Once all was done, Charlie drove us the rest of the way to Forks. We stopped at the local diner and had a pizza for supper." Emmett laughed.

"Sorry, but I fail to see how that's funny," Jasper stated.

"Ask me what my insensitive best friend and father had for toppings on the pizza?"

"Ok, I'll bite-sorry, bad choice of words. What did they order?"

"Hamburger."

Our table was quiet for a few moments and then everyone burst out laughing, so did a couple of the tables around us. Apparently Emmett was hard to ignore when he told a story. It could also have had something to do with his volume control.

"It's not funny. I had to sit through watching him and my dad share a large pizza with hamburger all over it, all the while picturing poor dead, Milkywhite in my head. I haven't been able to eat beef since." The peanut gallery roared even louder with laughter.

The laughing stopped when we noticed Tanya and another waitress carrying large trays in our direction. She set down Jasper's apple juice and placed an empty plate in front of each guy. She then set down my western omelette and fruit salad. Next were two large platters, one placed at each end of the table.

"The cooks are feeling nice for the first round, chocolate chip pancakes. I'll bring out the next platters in a couple of minutes. Good luck boys!" Tanya encouraged as she squeezed Jasper's shoulders and returned to the kitchen.

"Everyone can put one on their plate and the syrup if you want it," I began while pulling out my cell phone to check the time, placing it on the table. I quickly jotted down each guy's name and looked up to see everyone had their game face on. "Ready?"

After a chorus of agreement around the table and one last glance at the clock we were ready. "Begin," I announced.

Six sets of forks and knives hit glass plates, each participant choosing a different method to eat. Tanya quickly came over to the table to clear the empty platters and replace them with a fresh batch of the chocolate chip pancakes.

The restaurant had quieted down, the only sound was of cutlery as it touched the plate to pick up the next piece. Emmett was the first to finish his pancake and called out my name while tilting his plate to show he was ready for another.

"You're clear Emmett," I said as I marked a tick under his name with my Mickey Mouse pen. Paul and Tyler followed closely behind. As I marked my note book, Jasper called out he was ready for another. Looking at his plate I nodded to him and he forked another pancake pouring syrup over it while cutting it into pieces. Seth and Brady followed quickly behind Jasper.

It continued back and forth for the next two rounds, but Emmett still remained half a pancake ahead of the others. I ate bites of my omelette and fruit while watching for any funny business. The fifth batch of pancakes Tanya had brought out were no longer appetizing, to me at least. They were covered in hamburger. Tanya must have heard Emmett's recount of our cow-crash from before and suggested it to the cooks. I suddenly liked her again and forgave her of any previous wrong-doings.

Emmett was the first to notice the difference when I gave him the go ahead to go for his fifth round.

"Oh, come on!" He grumbled but it didn't deter him from slathering it with syrup. Laugher surrounded me and I joined in.

"Tanya, who's cooking back there?" I asked as my giggles died down.

"Mike is, he said you owe him," she replied with a smile.

"If he keeps up with the hamburger pancakes, tell him I'll give him that kiss he's been after," I joked and we started giggling again. Someone growled my name and I looked back to see Jasper with a scowl on his face. I guess he didn't like the idea of hamburger very much. His plate was clear of his chocolate chip cake and I gave permission for him to continue.

He slid one on his plate and poured the syrup on it. I watched in fascination as he shovelled a piece into his mouth, chewed for a few moments and then spit it out.

"Jasper, that's not how you are going to win this competition," I mock-chided.

His response was to push his plate out of the way. He had only made it to four pancakes and was already quitting.

"Remember, the first person out has to pay the bill, right?" He just shrugged his shoulders and drank half his apple juice in one gulp.

For some reason, Jasper quitting took the wind out of my sails. I had wanted him to do well and give Emmett a run for his money. I marked the subsequent empty plates with less enthusiasm while I picked at my meal.

Tyler and Brady dropped out at six pancakes each. Seth followed at seven. Emmett was still going strong at nine and Paul was right behind at eight. Tanya brought out the deal breaker for Paul, hamburger with pineapple. Emmett ate one just to prove he could. The competition finished with Emmett at ten pancakes. He celebrated by pushing out his chair, unbuttoning his jeans and letting out a loud burp.

"Emmett that is disgusting."

"Don't hate on me, baby! I'm the King of the Pancake Castle!" He bellowed. Those still watching cheered excitedly for him. Tanya and the other waitress had reappeared to clear the plates.

"Anything else I can get for you guys?" She asked with a bright smile.

"No, I think we're all done here for today, thank you," Emmett returned her smile.

She nodded then asked, "so, who gets the bill this time?" I rolled my eyes, because she already knew who lost, she hadn't stopped watching Jasper the entire time the boys were eating with the exception of when she had to refill the platters.

"That would be me," Jasper said, holding out his hand for the bill.

"Right, then this would be for you," she replied while smiling down at him, placing the bill in his hand and lingering for a little longer than I would consider acceptable.

Jasper looked at the bill, smirked and then placed it face down on the table and turned back to look at Emmett. He was now patting his stomach in a manor similar to what a pregnant woman would. It was a strange sight no matter how many times I had seen him do it after each win.

"So, what do I owe for the tip?" I asked while reaching across the table to look at the bill. Jasper tried to grab it back but wasn't fast enough. I looked at the bill, narrowing my eyes at the stupid smiley face and seven numbers beside Tanya's name.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get it this time," he replied, quickly snatching the paper from my hands and holding it tightly in his. I guess he liked Tanya after all. I must have misread his reaction to her when we first arrived.

"If you say so," I shot back and turned to Emmett, "ready to go Your Royal Highness?"

Emmett thumped his chest and another loud belch sounded. "Yes, I'm ready now. But you're going to have to drive, I think I may need to lie down. That last pancake was a doozy." He tossed me the keys as I packed up my notebook and cell phone. I pulled Jasper's helmet from the seat beside me and placed it on the table, sliding it closer to him.

"Alright, boys. After that display, I must say I'm happy it'll be two weeks before we do it again," I said as everyone stood up, gathering their belongings. Tanya reappeared at Jasper's side and asked him to follow her to the front to take care of the bill.

As we passed by the kitchen, Mike stepped through the door causing me to stop short. Emmett, still patting his bulging stomach, walked into me forcing me to fall into Mike's chest and waiting arms. He smiled down at me. He smelled of grease and sweat. His face was shiny from perspiration and a few strands of hair not held back by his hairnet were stuck to his forehead.

"Tanya tells me you wanted to kiss me." His smile grew big enough that I could see hunks of left-over food wedged between his yellow teeth.

"Uh, what?" I feigned ignorance, looking over my shoulder at Emmett shaking with laughter. He would be no help.

"Yeah, she said if I kept making the beef cakes you would kiss me. Well, what are you waiting for?" He asked as he held my arms tighter and bent his head down, lips puckered. I was freaking out. My face was frozen in horror at the thought of actually following through with my joke. Mike was inching closer and closer as I bent further back in attempt to free myself from his hot sweaty hands and the disgusting odour that perfumed around him.

"Uh, Bella, I changed my mind about that tip. Do you mind coming over the to register?" Jasper asked as he removed me from Mike's clutches. I allowed him to guide me by the elbow to the where Tanya stood clicking her nails on the chipping Formica countertop.

"Thank you," I whispered to him. He squeezed my arm before letting go and placed the bill on the counter. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out some cash, ready to hand it over. Jasper covered my hand with his and silently shook his head 'no' as he handed Tanya a credit card. I gave him a questioning look and tried to give him the money again. "Here, Jasper, just take the money."

"Keep your money, Bella." he replied as Tanya handed him the slip to sign. She took her copy and stapled his and the receipt with her number in bright red ink together and slid them across the counter. I watched as he returned the card to his wallet, picked his helmet up off the counter and turned around, again guiding me toward the front doors.

"Jasper, wait! Your forgot your receipt!" Tanya called out as he opened the door for our group. I waited for his response with a nervous anticipation.

"No I didn't," he called back as we walked outside followed by the other guys who had watched the entire interaction from start to finish.

"That was epic!" Seth barked out through his laugher as we walked toward the parking lot. "You should have seen your face, Bella. I though you were going to throw up!"

"I think I did a little but had to swallow it down," I shuddered. "Thanks for leaving me hanging, Jackass!" I said as I punched Emmett in the stomach.

"Shit, Bella. Do you want me to throw up? Keep your hands off the mid-section. And there was no way I was going to save you after egging him on to keep the meat cakes coming, serves you right!" He chuckled with along with the rest of the guys. As they walked ahead to their vehicles.

"At least, Jasper was kind enough to save me from certain doom," I called out to their backs. "Thanks again," I smiled at him.

"No problem, Bella. I've got your back," he returned my smile. "You'd better get Emmett home and fast, he looks like he might need a bathroom soon," he chuckled while pointing to where Emmett was leaning against the Rubicon doing deep breathing exercises.

"Yeah, he needs one of those warning labels that say 'Contents Under Extreme Pressure'. I'll be sure to hit every bump on the road."

"You do that," Jasper laughed as he pulled his helmet on. "So I'll see you Monday, 8:30?"

"Monday," I replied with a smile and watched as he climbed on the bike and started it, revving the engine. "Come on my gluttonous friend, let's get you home," I laughed at Emmett as I climbed up into the Jeep and adjusting the seat so I could reach the peddles. I laughed even more when I saw that Emmett had actually reclined his seat and was laying down, clutching his stomach.

"Oh, man. Those pancakes are like a brick in my stomach," he moaned.

"Please, you should have plenty of room, you only had ten pancakes, your record is twelve!"

"Yeah, but those were plain pancakes not meat-laden ones. Get this car moving Bella, or you'll be sorry you have to ride with me."

That was enough to get me to drive us home as quickly as possible. I still managed to hit every bump on the way with a bright smile on my face.

So some progress for Bella in the ring and some bonding with the group for Jasper.

Oh, and the Cow-Crash is a true story, it happened to my cousin...poor dear still can't eat beef!

Thanks again to those who read, review, alert and fave!

Also, since the last chapter update, I've started beta-ing a story called "Someday" by the fantastic duskri123 (remember when I said someone made me a banner, she's the same person). It's a vamp J/B fic and she is steamrolling through the chapters. In fact, she's writing them faster than I can beta them! It's dark and twisty and our favorite Cullens are far from the Brady Bunch. Check it out and tell her I sent you!

~Christie