For those of you who pointed out Bella and Edward were supposed to be staying with Charlie at the end of GOFP, good call. That was kind of an author fail on my part, but it's not that important to the story so I'll just ask you all to ignore my blunder.

And now, on with the show.

BPOV

After all of my classes were finished on the first day of school, I ran across campus to the field where Edward would be having his very first practice as a Thunderbird. I sat on the grass next to some of the other players' girlfriends and watched excitedly as the boys trouped out of the locker rooms. As Edward ran across the field, I noticed how he looked so damn good in his practice uniform. It felt as if it had been an eternity since he last played football, and I almost forgot how amazing those tight pants fit on his rear end. Damnit! Why did it still have to be my time of the month?

I noticed a familiar head of long, blond hair out of the corner of my eye— it was Jessica. I grabbed my school bag and made my way over to her.

"Hey, stranger," I said as I sat next to her.

"Oh my God, hi Bella!" She squealed as she lunged over and hugged me. "I almost forgot you were going here, too. How are you?"

"I'm great," I said.

She took a hold of my left hand and stared at my ring adoringly. "How's Edward?"

"He's great, too," I told her, gently pulling my hand away and pointing him out on the field. "He's right over there."

"Wow," she said as she watched him warm up with the team. I suddenly got the urge to shake her out of whatever fantasy she was having about my husband when I remembered something.

"Hey! Where's Jacob?"

She looked down at her hands lying in her lap. "I don't know, and I don't care."

Oh no, he dumped her. Great, just when I thought my life was taking a turn for the euphoric, all of my worst fears were being realized—James was still his mean, old self; and Jacob had followed me to college sans girlfriend. To make matters worse, Jessica's former crush on Edward seemed to be rearing its ugly head again.

"What happened?" I asked, trying to take her mind off my husband's perfect ass.

"Well," she began huffily, "We went to Portland over the summer, just for a little weekend vacation, and afterward he just called me up and said he couldn't do it anymore. I was so confused, I mean I thought we were doing so well," she started sniffling and wiping her eyes. "He was the first guy I had ever slept with, and I'm pretty sure I was his first, too. It was almost as if he just wanted to sleep with me and then dump me."

This would have sounded rather convincing had Jessica not used this story before—or maybe it was just karma biting her in the ass for trying to use this lie against Edward two years ago. Either way, I tried to calm her down. "Shhhh, it's OK Jess, I'm sure he wasn't trying to use you. It was probably just him being foolish. Jacob's a nice guy, but he gets confused sometimes."

She shot me an angry look. "He's a jerk, and I hope I never see him again."

"Um, I don't know if that's going to be all that possible," I said as I saw that tall, dark figure walking in my direction. Jacob Black, in all his glory, was waltzing back into my life. This is going to be one hell of a first semester, I can feel it.

He stopped a few feet away, a smile plastered on his face. That is, until he saw who I was sitting next to. Jessica glared up at him and almost starting shaking with anger. It was one of the more tense moments I had experienced in a while. I just sat there hoping it wouldn't escalate into a fight. Luckily, Jessica jumped up without so much as a word to Jacob and stormed off. It's silly and juvenile, but a part of me was kind of hoping that was the last I'd see of Jessica. Not that I didn't like her anymore, but I could see she had become a bit like the old Jessica, the one who first encountered me in the pizza place back in Forks last year. And, the less people I have in my life causing drama, the better.

Jacob watched her walk away for a moment before plunking himself down next to me. Of course, he was going to pretend Jessica hadn't just told me about their break up. However, I wasn't even about to play that game.

"Why, Jake? Why did you just go and break up with her like that? I thought you really liked her."

He shrugged and I had to fight the urge to slap him in the face. "Just didn't feel anything for her anymore."

I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to give him my best withering stare down, which he met with a defensive pout.

"You don't know what she was like as a girlfriend," he explained. "She was an overbearing, controlling bitch. And, it got even worse after we slept together—that was the proverbial kiss of death! It was like someone flipped the crazy switch on in her brain after that. She was calling me almost every hour we were apart checking up on me. If I hadn't broken up with her, I was going to fling myself off a building."

I softened my expression and turned back to the action going on in the football practice. "I guess I can see Jessica being like that. She is rather intense."

"Intense...crazy...whatever," he said, shaking his head. "I'm looking at it this way—new school, new start. There are thousands of girls around here, and I'm going to find one who's not an unbalanced psycho."

"Well, good luck with that," I said. I resumed watching the practice, but I could feel him staring at me the whole time. I finally turned back. "What?"

"Just wondering how married life is treating you," he said.

I stared into his eyes skeptically, but he didn't seem to be harboring any ill will in his inquiry. "It's treating me fabulously. I haven't been this happy since before my mom died."

He nodded absentmindedly as he gazed at the players on the field. "He takes good care of you."

I wasn't sure if it was meant as a question or a statement, but I nodded in response. Edward caught a shotgun snap and found an open receiver with ease. I was in awe of how even here, at this accelerated level of play, Edward made everything look easy. Then my reverie was crushed as I saw a familiar figure walk onto the field. James was there, and the coach called for the offense to try and work him in. I wondered if this was just his tryout, or if the coach had decided to put him on the team already. Jacob was just as confused as me.

"James is playing? Huh, I thought he was going to give the sports thing a rest for a while."

"Did he say he was?" I asked, turning back to Jake.

He nodded. "I saw him after graduation, and he said he was going to just focus on school since he was on shaky academic ground to begin with. You know, he wasn't exactly the top of our class back in Forks." He grinned at me. "That was you, wasn't it?"

I smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I did OK in high school."

The practice went on for another hour before the coach called all the guys together to talk about the opening game in less than two weeks. I couldn't wait for that game; I was almost more excited about it than Edward. I wondered if they got as spirited about football here as we did back in Forks. The players began running back to the locker room, and I took that as my cue to stand up and wait for Edward just outside of the building. Jacob followed me over.

"So, I was wondering if you two wanted to grab dinner or something with me," he said.

"Um, I don't know," I replied hesitantly. "Let me ask Edward, OK?"

He sighed. "Always have to make sure things are OK with him, don't you?"

"He's my husband," I said. "I'd like to make sure he didn't have other plans, plus he may be tired from practice."

Just then, Edward walked out quickly with his bag full of football gear. He looked none too thrilled to see Jacob with me, but he politely greeted him anyway. "Hey Jake, how's it going?"

"Good man, how are things with you?"

"Fan-freakin'-tastic," Edward replied as he pulled me close to his side.

I slid my arm around Edward's waist and turned his attention to me. "Jake wanted to know if we wanted to go out to dinner."

"Oh, Jake's going to spring for dinner is he?" Edward asked with a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Well, if it's on Black's dime, I'd definitely love to get some grub."

I poked him in the ribs and whispered, "Be nice."

He gave me a wearied glance but turned to Jake with a sigh. "Yeah Jacob, we'd love to have dinner with you."

"Great," Jake said, he had a mischievous smile on his face. "Meet me in the dining hall at six."

Jacob walked away with a snicker, and I turned to Edward with a smirk. "Feeling a little bit silly now?"

Edward shrugged. "Not really, I didn't think he was actually going to take both you and I out to dinner, anyway." We walked back to the 4Runner and he loaded his bag into the back. "So, what happened with him and Jessica?"

I took a deep breath and dove into the story. "Jess said he just up and broke up with her for no good reason. He said she was a controlling bitch. Don't really know who to believe."

"I'd say it's a little from Column A, and a little from Column B," he said. "I wouldn't put it past either one of them to be crazy or cavalier about being in a relationship. It's probably best that they ended it before things got ugly."

"Seems to me things got pretty ugly regardless," I said as we pulled up to our apartment complex. Edward showered quickly, after I declined joining him stating we would never make it to dinner on time. The dining hall was fairly packed again. Alice and Jasper were already there, eating their dinner in an isolated corner of the hall. We waved to them and Alice strode over gracefully.

"Hey, you guys eating here tonight?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're eating with Jacob," I told her.

"Oh," she said with great surprise in her voice. "Well, come and sit with me and Jasper, we'll wait for you."

"OK," I said.

Jacob approached as we joined the line of students waiting to be served.

"Wow, you actually showed," Jake quipped. "Thought you'd just blow me off and eat at home."

"We thought about doing that," Edward replied. "But, hell, we've got meal plans, might as well use 'em."

The two of them stared at each other with disdain for a few seconds until I cleared my throat and stepped in between them. "No fighting, this is supposed to be a pleasant evening."

Edward slipped his hand into my right back pocket and kept me close to his side. I rested my head on his shoulder as the line moved forward. It seemed like it took an hour for us to get to the food, but I think that was because the conversation had come to a screeching halted. I got a plateful of Salisbury stake and macaroni and cheese before heading back to where Alice and Jasper were still sitting. They gazed at me with curiosity as I sat down.

"What's up with you guys hanging out with Jacob?" Alice asked as Edward and Jake started our way.

"He just wanted to have dinner with us," I said. "I mean, he probably doesn't know anyone else here yet. And his basketball season doesn't start for a couple of months, so I thought it would be nice for him to not be so alone."

Jasper snickered humorlessly and shook his head. "He's a manipulator Bella, watch out."

I shot Jas a dirty look as Edward and Jacob sat with us. Edward put his left arm around my waist and managed to handle his food rather efficiently one-handed. Of course, he's had a lot of practice as this seems to be his favorite eating position. Alice sat on the other side of me and starting in with the questions for Jake. "So, how are you liking UBC?"

"It's nice," he said with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "I like the campus, and the classes aren't as difficult as I thought they'd be."

"Well, gen. ed. is never that difficult," Alice said, I elbowed her slightly for sounding condescending.

Jacob didn't seem to notice her conceit, however. He shrugged and continued. "I was never a very good student. I just thought this was going to be a lot harder than it was, and it's kind of simple, actually."

After a long first day, I think we were all pretty hungry as we dug into our dinners without any further discussion. The food was not really all that great, but it sated my appetite at least. I did save room for dessert, because the station with frozen yogurt and cookies looked too good to pass up. I took two chocolate chip cookies and placed them in a little bowl before filling the rest of the space up with vanilla frozen yogurt and then topped it all off with some rainbow sprinkles. Edward laughed at my little treat when I sat back down.

"Aw, did Bells need some pretty sprinkles?" He whispered as he nuzzled my ear with his nose.

"Yep," I replied as I started dipping pieces of cookie into the yogurt in lieu of using a spoon.

"Wow Bells, I didn't know you like junk food so much," Jacob said. "You're not pregnant yet, are you?"

Everyone at the table dropped what they were doing and glared at Jake. Edward tilted his head slightly as gave Jacob a menacing look. "Even if she was, what business is that of yours?"

"It's not," Jacob countered, unfazed by Edward's anger. "I was just curious, I heard women get weird cravings when they're pregnant."

"I'm not, Jake," I said as I pushed my dessert aside, not really hungry anymore. "And thanks for ruining my appetite."

"Jesus, when did everyone get so touchy?" Jake asked. "And why did my question make you lose your appetite."

"I think it's your overall demeanor," Edward replied. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you still have feelings for my wife and honestly still think you've got a shot with her."

This finally stoked Jacob's ire. "I'm not delusional, Cullen. I'm not going to go after a married woman."

"Then why don't you do yourself a favor and leave us alone then, completely?" Edward suggested. "If you seriously don't harbor any feelings for Bella, than just use this opportunity in a new city – in a new country – to stay the hell away from her and get your own life."

"I have my own life," Jake spat back. "And why can't I be friends with Bella still, hm? We've been friends for a while, and I've known her just as long as you have. What, are you threatened by me?"

"You wish," Edward said quietly. "I'm her husband, and there's no question in my mind that she loves me more than anything in this world." He turned and gazed at me lovingly before he returned his gaze to Jacob. "The problem here is a guy who thinks he can still be more than a friend to her. You look pathetic, Jacob. Why don't you do yourself a favor and leave us alone?"

That was all it took to prompt Jacob to stand up and leave without another word. I gazed up at Edward as if to silently ask if that whole scene was really necessary, and he understood my expression completely.

"Yes love, it is better this way," he said. "It's just the kind of push he needs. Remember, tough love and all that."

Edward was right. Jacob is not going to simply give up if I continue to string him along as a friend. I turned to finish my dessert and found it in the hands of Jasper, his mouth covered in vanilla frozen yogurt.

"What? You said you weren't hungry anymore!"

Edward and I laughed as Alice reached across the table and smacked Jasper in the head. I really hope Jacob finds some friends soon, I don't know what I'd do without mine.

EPOV

It was amazing how the first week of school flew by. I was just so consumed by every new thing going on in my life—school, football, being on my own with my wife for the first time. I was so consumed, in fact, that I almost forgot Saturday was Bella's 19th birthday. It kind of made me feel like a failure as a husband.

"Oh Bells, I'm so sorry," I told her on Friday after practice. "Tomorrow's your birthday! I completely forgot!"

She stopped as she was about to put a handful of spaghetti into a boiling pot of water. "Oh my God! It is? I forgot, too!"

Most of my previous guilt vanished as she turned from the stove in shock. "How could I forget my own birthday?"

"We've been busy," I said as I put my hands on her hips and pulled her close to me. "So, how are we going to celebrate? Do you want to invite Alice and Jasper over for dinner? Or, better yet, how about I take us all out on the town? We're all old enough to drink here, now. Let's give you your first hangover!"

She laughed and threw her arms around my neck. "I don't know if I want to get too drunk. I mean, after dinner I'd like to get a nice little present from my husband...in bed."

"Actually, I'm going to give you your present tonight," I told her as I grabbed her ass and lifted her up so our pelvises pressed tight against each other. She wrapped her legs around me and devoured my mouth with her own. Unfortunately, she broke the kiss and dropped her legs after a bit of snogging.

"We at least have to finish dinner," she said quietly. "Wouldn't want all this food to go to waste."

"Nope, wouldn't want that," I said as I stood behind her, still keeping a hold on her hips. Luckily, we were just making a simple spaghetti with marinara and sausage. It didn't take long to make, and even less time to eat. That may have had a lot to do with our impatience to get to the bedroom, though.

After we were finished, Bella took our plates and set them in the sink. As soon as I heard the 'tink' of the ceramic plates hitting the metal sink, I scooped my wife up into my arms and ran to the bedroom. I set her down on the bed and bent down to pull her shoes off. She reached for her sweater, pulled it over her head and then went for her T-shirt, but I stopped her hands. "Nope, part of my present is undressing you myself."

I trailed my fingertips up and down her arms, across her hands and then reached slowly for the hem of her shirt. She closed her eyes and sucked in a quick breath as my fingers brushed across the skin of her stomach. I raised her shirt up slowly, kissing every inch of her bare torso as it was exposed to me. Bella lifted her arms above her head as I moved to remove the shirt completely; I threw it to the side before turning back to remove her jeans.

I took my sweet, precious time removing every piece of clothing, until I had Bella completely naked. Her chest rose and fell steadily and she gazed at me under hooded eyelids. With one hand behind her upper back and the other under her knees, I carried her until she was nestled in the middle of the bed. I was suddenly so glad she decided to get these new sheets; they were almost as soft as her lovely skin. Bella's eyes followed me as I stalked to the end of the bed and started removing my own clothing. I peeled my shirt off, reveling in the way she bit her lip as she stared at my chest. My new coach had demanded I gain twenty pounds of muscle over the summer, impressing my wife with my new physique was one of the benefits of all the work I had done in the weight room. She writhed slowly on the bed, licking her lips and moaning softly as I stripped the layers of my clothing away.

When I was finished undressing, I crawled onto the bed and edged my way up to where my wife lay. She was already panting with need, but I wasn't going to make this a quick roll in the sack. I started placing light kisses all over her face and then took my ministrations southward, hitting all of the spots I knew drove her crazy – behind her right ear, along her collarbone, in between her breasts. I brushed my face, with my week-old stubble, gently over her left breast before latching onto the nipple and sucking hungrily at it. This action caused her to spread her legs wide and start moving her body against mine.

"Edward," she whispered as she ran her fingers through my hair. "Make love to me, please."

"Patience," I replied before trailing my tongue across her chest and turning my attention to her right breast. Her moaning became louder and her writhing more aggressive as my right hand ghosted across her hip to find the center of all her pleasure. One finger slid gently between her folds and her hips bucked upwards towards my hand. That finger was joined by another one and I began pumping both in and out of her at a steady pace. As that pace quickened, her hands left my hair to scratch their way down my shoulders wildly.

"Edward," she said, this time she almost sounded angry. "Damnit, I want you to make love to me, now!"

I lifted my head so my eyes could meet hers, and she glared back wantonly. She lifted herself up from the bed slightly and her hand found its way to my shaft. She started guiding me towards her entrance impatiently. I positioned myself at the very core of her and plunged into her depths briskly. But I waited for a moment, reveling in the feel of her warmth surrounding me, a feeling I know I could never get enough of. She moved first, her fingers digging into my hips as she pumped her pelvis up towards mine. I placed my hands on either side of her head and worked myself up to a fast, almost violent pace. I didn't necessarily want to have this kind of sex tonight, I wanted it to be a bit gentler. But, this was apparently what Bella wanted, and I wasn't about to argue. Though, this kind of love-making always brings out the more primal side of me, and I usually end up grunting and pounding into Bella as though I was some kind of pig rutting around in the mud.

Maybe that's why she likes it so much, who knows? Her moans had turned into cries of ecstasy as her climax began building inside of her. As her walls started to clench and spasm all around me, I grunted and thrust a few more times before I found my own release.

I lowered myself down to my elbows, but remained hovering over her still buried deep inside. She rubbed her hands up and down my back and sighed contentedly. "That was the best birthday present ever, Edward. I love you so much."

"I love you more," I told her as I lowered my head to kiss her. I rolled us over onto our sides and she snuggled into my chest tightly. I rested my chin on top of her head and we lay there for a moment, just enjoying the afterglow of my gift to her. The woman I married is pretty easy to please, but that just makes me want to put up twice the effort to do so. After a few more minutes, Bella stirred and started kissing her way up my chest. Before I knew it, she had pushed me on my back and straddled my hips.

"My turn to be on top," she said.

OK, what do you guys think so far? Let me know, because there's no better way to get a writer motivated to update quickly than a mailbox full of reviews (good or bad).