BPOV

Though it does carry an all encompassing aura of freedom, college still felt a great deal like being in high school. Maybe it was because most of my classes were filled with my fellow freshmen—people who were sheltered and ignorant as a general rule. But, every day seemed to be an exercise in self control for me as I listened to my fellow students either spout asinine, bigoted opinions in classes, or gossip like they were Perez Hilton while walking the halls. I was just going to have to grit my teeth and endure my classmates' personality flaws for the next couple of years. Senior and junior years, if I'm to believe the conventional wisdom, are when the real learning begins. That's when a student is fully immersed in her major, and surrounded by like minds that have been expanded by both time and experience.

I know I'm sounding like a bit of a snob, but I guess I was hoping Canadian kids were more sophisticated somehow than the youth of America. And, this simply isn't the case.

Plus, with my husband still kicking copious amounts of ass on the football field, I also had to endure his newfound fan club. The same girls from the bar after the first game showed up to every game, pep rally and after party with Edward's number painted on their faces. I even heard them use the moniker Cullen's Cuties; it made me vomit in my mouth a little bit. I knew I had nothing to worry about because Edward doesn't have a wandering eye. But, these girls seemed to be under the very mistaken impression that painting their faces and showing up to games in revealing clothing—in 50 degree weather, no less—would catch his eye. And I'm sure they're all well aware he's married at this point.

Why do girls do that to each other? Even a young, sexy married man is still a MARRIED MAN! Just be happy for the couple and move on with your life!

I was a bit apprehensive about Alice's idea for Jacob and Tanya. Alice needs to learn that her match-making skills are shaky at best and not everyone needs to be set up. Though, Tanya did seem to have a certain attraction to Edward and Jasper. It could have just been her loneliness, but it was annoying nonetheless.

Just a few days before Halloween, the four of us were trying to decide what we wanted to do. Personally, I liked the idea of picking out a simple costume, staying at home and having a small gathering with some scary movies and lots of junk food. Alice and Jasper, on the other hand, were very keen on party-hopping throughout the dorm halls. Apparently, there was going to be at least five or six decent parties in each hall, and a few in the fraternity and sorority houses. I didn't want to sound like a downer, but it just wasn't my scene. I'm a homebody by nature. Edward eventually talked me into a compromise. "How about we go to a couple parties in Alice and Jasper's hall, and if things start to suck we can always come back home."

"Fine," I relented as we all sat in the dining hall a few days before Halloween. "I guess I could use a good party."

"Fantastic," Alice squealed. "Now, we need to find a good costume shop."

Edward, Jasper and I groaned in unison. Not even pregnancy was going to slow Alice down as far as shopping was concerned. Usually it was just me baring the brunt of her obsession, so I was mildly amused when she insisted we all go costume shopping together "so we all match!" The boys sulked the whole way to the shop, but I had a sneaking suspicion they were excited underneath it all. Plus, I told Edward on the sly that we didn't have to match if he didn't want to be "one of those couples."

"No, it's fine," he said. "It might be kind of cute, actually."

"OK then," I said, feeling mischievous. "How about we go as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan?" Oh, the idea of Edward in tights was nearly orgasm inducing. Though, the thought terrified him, I'm sure.

"Um, keeping thinking," he replied.

We all wandered around the shop, pointing out some of the more interesting choices to each other.

"I don't get how any self-respecting human being could leave their house dressed like a fat hula girl," Alice said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Some people don't take Halloween to be an occasion to dress like a stripper," I replied. "Some people actually have, you know, fun with this holiday."

"There's fun, and then there's just insanity," she remarked.

"Hey, I found the perfect idea," Edward said as he carried two packaged costumes in my direction, "A gangster and a flapper."

"Yawn," Alice said unenthusiastically. "Everybody does that."

"Alice, look around," Edward said. "There's nothing particularly unique or original in this place. Not to mention we're a bit late getting our costumes, so we're going to have to take what we can get."

"If you look hard enough, you can always find a treasure amongst the garbage," Alice replied.

"Hey Al, look what I found," Jasper called from the aisle one over from us. We scurried in the direction of his voice and found him in front of a selection of what they called "ethnic" costumes. He pointed to a geisha and a samurai.

"That's awesome," Alice said, "Pretty and feminine for me; tough and manly for you. And, they're actually fairly original. Nice work, babe!"

I put my arms around Edward's neck and whispered in his ear, "I like your idea better."

"I know," he replied. "I don't have to be strapped into some complicated getup, and you don't have to smear white junk all over your face."

"I heard that," Alice shot back.

I tried on a few flapper outfits until I found the perfect one—slightly above the knee and red, but with limited fringe. I twirled around in it while Alice appraised my appearance. "I think you should go shorter."

"Nope," I said simply. "This is the dress for me. Which geisha outfit are you going with?"

"They only have this one," she replied with a hint of sadness in her voice. "But, it's cute and it's in my size."

"Did you try it on?"

"No, I know what size I am, Bella," she said a bit too defensively.

"I'm just saying, you're pregnant so you might want to double check the size thing," I told her as gently as possible. "You don't want to get home and find out it doesn't fit, do you?"

She huffed slightly, but relented and took the costume into the dressing room next to mine to try on. As I removed the flapper costume in my own cubicle, I heard what sounded like muffled struggling, and then Alice gave a cry of frustration. "I don't believe this! It doesn't fit."

I stepped out of my room fully dressed and knocked on her door. "Honey, are you alright in there?" And then, I heard the sound of ripping fabric before Alice tossed the garment over the top of the door. A moment later, she stormed out in tears.

"I'm too fat!" She cried. "Let's just go, please!"

"Calm down, Alice," I said as I pulled her into an embrace and tried to sooth her. "It's not a big deal; it's just a part of having a baby. Come on, let's find you something else."

"No, I don't want anything else," she sobbed. Jasper walked over and wrapped his arms around her gently. After about ten minutes, he got her to stop crying. And, eventually, she found a different costume that fit. Though, she ended up having to pay for the geisha costume she ripped. In the end, she still seemed very unhappy about the situation.

"Come on, Al," I told her when we got back in the car. "Alice in Wonderland? That's so perfect for you, it's practically cliché."

Jasper seemed to really enjoy the Mad Hatter costume, though. He put on the oversized top hat and it actually looked rather good on him. I think his messy hair also worked out well in this equation. When we got back to the apartment, the boys sat down to watch some TV while Alice and I took the bags of costumes into the bedroom. I set the bags in the closet—Alice and Jasper were leaving their costumes with us as they would be getting ready at our apartment, anyway. I turned around to see Alice lifting her shirt and gazing at her abdomen's profile in the mirror. And, yes, there was a noticeable bump where her flat belly once was. She grimaced at the protrusion before pulling her shirt back down with a disgruntled groan.

"Why did this have to happen to me, Bella?"

"I don't know, hon," I told her as we sat on the bed together. "Have you heard from your parents recently?"

She nodded. "Mom said Dad's still being stubborn. He won't listen to anyone, not even Edward. He still expects me to move back to Forks after the semester is over. He's even trying to enroll me in some classes at that community college in Port Angeles."

"Did you tell her you and Jasper both got jobs so you can stay here?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "But, she said she's not going to tell Dad until he's calmed down some more."

I sighed and put an arm around her. "It's going to be OK, Alice. You'll see."

Edward knocked on the door gently before peeking his head inside the room. "What do you girls want for dinner?"

I turned to Alice. "You're the picky eater. What are you in the mood for?"

She placed her head on my shoulder and thought about it for a minute. "Um, I think I can stomach some spaghetti."

Edward smiled at her. "Spaghetti it is, then."

The next couple of days flew by so quickly, it seemed I had only blinked an eye and I was suddenly in my bedroom helping Alice put on her costume. We were going to their dorm hall for a party being held by Jasper's roommate, Garrett.

"Jas, you don't mind if your roommate throws a party in your room?" I asked as I zipped up Alice's costume.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I don't have any valuables to be stolen or broken. Just so long as he knows he's in charge of cleanup."

Alice adjusted the blond wig on her head and smirked at Jasper through the mirror. "And, let him know he's not to try and get Kate to help him out. She's not the party responsible for this shindig, so she shouldn't be forced to cleanup after him."

I got the feeling Alice didn't like this Garrett guy. Both she and Jasper spoke very little of him, so I was withholding judgment until our actual meeting. Edward and I took a separate car, just in case either one of us wanted to leave; more specifically, if I wanted to leave. This was actually my first visit to the dorms. I had very little desire to hang around these places, since they seemed to simply be breeding grounds for drinking, pot-smoking and random hookups. And, sure enough, by the time we got to the hall there were already students walking around drunk and half-naked. Alice took me by one hand while Edward held the other and we walked through the sea of drunkenness until we reached Jasper's dorm. Most doors down the hall were opened so party goers could travel from one place to the next.

Upon first laying eyes on Garrett, he did look a bit like a useless stoner. Maybe that was just because he resembled some Kurt Cobain wannabe tonight in his baggy jeans and striped shirt with a flannel top tied around his waist. Drink in hand, he sloppily strolled amongst his guests like he was Henry VIII. Within five minutes of being around him, I wanted to leave. But, I hung around a little bit longer since Edward seemed to be enjoying himself. And, I did eventually loosen up.

Alice and I hung out with Garrett's girlfriend, Kate. She was very nice and actually very intelligent. We talked for quite some time, while the rest of the party engaged mostly in drunken games. Although, I was proud of how both Edward and Jasper seemed to behold the proceedings with only mild amusement. Neither one of the guys seemed all that interested in playing flip-cup with the rest of the inebriated buffoons. Alice and I stuck to drinking water, ignoring the looks we received from the other guests. Everything was going smoothly, until Garrett sauntered into our little circle with his eyes glazed over. He produced a little plastic box with three tiny squares of paper resting at the bottom.

"For the ladies," he slurred.

"What are those?" Alice asked.

"Oh, just a little taste of psychedelia to make your Halloween a little brighter," he replied with a stoned smile.

I stood back in shock and glared at him. "Is this LSD?"

He nodded, his sloppy grin growing wider. I wanted to smack him across the face, but instead grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her out of the room. We found our way through the throngs of students crowding the hallways until we got to the elevator. Once inside, Alice and I turned to each other in exasperation.

"Was that guy for real?" I asked. "Where does he think he is, Haight-Ashbury?"

"I don't know, he's just plain weird," Alice replied as she pulled out her phone. She called Jasper and explained to him what happened. She told him we were going to take mine and Edward's car back to the apartment. Jasper said they would be along in just a minute – apparently the boys didn't find the party to be much fun either. When we reached the car, I heard someone calling out for Alice. It was a female voice that I was becoming quite used to hearing over the past few weeks.

"Hey, what's up?" Tanya asked. She approached us with her best friend, Maria, in tow. "You guys didn't like the parties?"

"No, it's not really our thing," Alice admitted as I unlocked the car.

"So, you all just heading back to the apartment?" Tanya continued. I could tell she was waiting to be invited, but didn't want to seem too obvious. I wasn't even about to extend that invitation. Alice didn't seem to be on the same page.

"Why don't you two come by?" Alice replied. "We're just going to watch some scary movies and hangout."

"Really? That sounds like fun," she said. "We'll follow you guys there."

I shot Alice a look once we were safely in the car, and she had the nerve to ask, "What?"

"You know what," I said. "I don't really like that girl, and I'm not altogether fond of hanging out with her."

"Come on, Bells," Alice said. "She's pretty much my only friend in the dorms apart from Kate, and she doesn't have a lot of people she hangs out with, either."

"She has that little friend of hers," I said. "How many more friends does she need?"

Alice narrowed her eyes and gave me her best withering glare. "Be nice."

"Fine," I said. "But, the second she so much as attempts to flirt with Edward or Jasper, she's so out of there."

Once we got back to the apartment, I jumped out of the car and marched right inside, leaving Alice to wait for the other girls. I wasn't even going to pretend that I liked them tonight, I wasn't in the mood. After pulling out some food for everyone, I popped The Ring into the DVD player and turned the volume up for maximum effect. I'm still not quite sure why I own this movie, as it scares the hell out of me, but I watch it every so often to remind me why it's so damn freaky. Alice walked in with Tanya and Maria, who were dressed as a cop and a saloon girl, respectively. Tanya seemed to be fine, but Maria was clearly already a little tipsy and holding a bottle of vodka. This did not bode well for the remainder of the night.

Edward and Jasper walked in a little bit later, and they had about the same reaction to Tanya and Maria that I did. Alice sat on our recliner while Tanya and Maria took up almost the whole couch. Maria was a short, annoying girl who was inordinately proud of having a rather large bust. Honestly, this approach does work in snagging many guys, but not Edward or Jasper.

The boys sat at the table with me as I pulled out a bottle of tequila and some shot glasses. "You guys up for some shots?" I asked them.

Jasper glanced at Tanya and Maria out of the corner of his eye. "Do you even have to ask?"

I laughed and poured the shots as Edward gave me a strange little smirk. "What?" I asked him.

"So, Garrett tried to offer you some acid?" He replied, his smirk growing bigger.

"Yes," I moaned. "He was such a jackass; how do you live with him, Jas?"

"He's not around much," Jasper explained. "Plus, I try to get out of the dorms as much as possible."

"Oh, who doesn't?" Maria sauntered into the kitchen and plopped down in a chair next to me, across from Jasper. The three of us stared at her in confusion. I knew we were all thinking the same thing at that moment – um…who invited you into this conversation? Edward held up his shot for me and Jasper to toast and Maria had the nerve to raise her bottle of vodka with us. I fought back the urge to slap her hand away, and instead took the shot quickly. Edward started pouring us more shots when Tanya walked into the kitchen.

"Hey guys, can I have a shot, too?"

Jasper and I exchanged annoyed glances, but Edward sighed and stood to get her a shot glass. Alice had excused herself to the bathroom – that was a side-effect to pregnancy I'm not looking forward to: frequent urination. When she came back, Maria tried to hand her the bottle of vodka. "Come on, Alice, join the party!"

"She's pregnant," Tanya blurted out. "She can't have a drink, dummy."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Maria slurred with a drunken laugh. The three of us gave Alice identical looks that said what did you expect? Alice sighed and shrugged as the two guests continued to take shots and pulls from both of the liquor bottles out on the table. I made a mental note to stop them if they tried to go through my cabinets, lest the stumble upon Edward's bottle of Maker's Mark. Lord knows how fast these girls could power through that, and it's not a cheap whisky by any means. It was about one in the morning by the time Maria and Tanya passed out on our living room floor. Alice and Jasper managed to get the couch bed unfolded and slept there for the night, but that still didn't make me feel any more comfortable having those girls in my home.

"Do we really have to let them stay here?" I whispered to Edward as we settled into bed.

"We can't let them drive anywhere like that," he replied. "Not that I care if they crash into a ditch or anything, but what if they hit someone else? You know it's never the drunk driver who gets hurt in those situations."

"True," I relented as I switched off my bedside lamp. I quickly found my favorite spot on Edward's shoulder and he pulled me in as tight as possible.

"Don't worry, Bells," he whispered. "Those girls will be gone in the morning. I made Alice promise to get them out as soon as possible."

"Good," I replied.

EPOV

The sunlight woke me the next morning, and I groaned at the slight headache I had. Not that I got drunk last night, but I still wasn't used to consuming that much alcohol. Bella was curled up on the other side of the bed, so I decided to let her sleep while I made sure things were cleaned up in the living room. When I opened the door, Alice and Jasper were just packing away the couch bed, and the two girls were still passed out on the floor. Luckily, neither one of them had puked. I really, really didn't want to have to clean up something like that. Alice began nudging the girls awake. Tanya stirred and groaned before pushing herself up to a sitting position. "Wow, I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"You look like you did, too," Alice remarked. "Come on, ladies; let's go back to the dorms."

Both moaned loudly in protest. "Can't we hang around for just a bit longer?" Maria asked. "We're a little hungover in case you didn't notice."

"Well, how about we take you girls to Denny's for some nice, greasy breakfast?" Jasper said. "We just can't trespass on Edward and Bella any further."

"Trespass?" Tanya asked incredulously. She looked up at me with big, innocent eyes. "Are we trespassing on you two? All you had to say was you wanted us to leave."

Sure, I thought to myself, I could have told your drunken ass to leave last night and you would have ended up on the business end of a head-on collision. "Didn't want you girls to get in an accident," I replied simply.

Tanya gave me a lopsided smile that seemed a tad lascivious. Something told me she didn't think I was just being polite. Ever since I met Tanya a few weeks ago, I got a troublesome feeling from her; like she had a misplaced crush on me. It's strange how the tables have turned since high school. Back in Forks, I was forced to deal with the plethora of guys who wanted to get close to Bella. Here, I was fending off women right and left. I think I prefer the former to the latter, really. It tore me up inside to imagine how the attention on me affected Bella; not that she didn't still garner her share of attention. Only here the guys were a little more interested in her mind than her body. That was even more worrisome than the superficial interlopers.

I threw away all traces of a party from the night before and sat to watch some TV until Bella woke up. However, after 11:30 a.m. rolled around and there was still no sign of her, I crept back into the bedroom to wake her up myself. Much to my surprise and delight, she had managed to get out of bed sometime during the morning to put on my favorite pink, see-through nightgown. "I wondered how long it was going to take you to catch on," she said, opening one eye to gaze at me mischievously.

I didn't waste any time stripping down to nothing before hopping back into bed with my wife. Bella immediately wrapped herself around me as we began to kiss passionately.

"Since we didn't get the chance to do anything last night with our unwelcome guests hanging around," she said, "I thought we could get a little afternoon delight today."

"What a good idea, Mrs. Cullen," I replied. I rolled her onto her back so I could hover just over her and slowly pull the nightgown up the length of her body. She pulled the flimsy fabric over her head and threw it to the side so we were both completely naked. In no time at all, I had erased all lingering memories of last night's questionable Halloween festivities.

As the middle of the semester nears, can Edward and Alice convince Carlisle to change his mind about bringing Alice back to Forks? And, will Alice and Bella be able to make a love match for Tanya and Jacob? Or, at least get Tanya occupied with someone else? Stay tuned!