AN: I offered Stephanie Meyer my pink and black skull socks, but she would still not give me the rights to Twilight. Sigh!

To all my reviewers, you guys are awesome. I love all of your takes on my story and it inspires me to write more.

To my gorgeous Beta, you are so awesome I ran out of words to describe it! Thanks for all your fabulous help!

This chapter has several POVs, I know that a lot of people don't like to jump from POV to POV, however I felt this was necessary for me setting up the plot. I hope is not too confusing and that you guys enjoy it.

BPOV

Why did I have to put myself in Alice hands? I must have had a death wish at the moment. She had dragged me to the mall three times this week, and then set me up with a date on Thursday and another, today. I was beat. To make matters worse, neither one of the dates had gone well. It wasn't that Alice was setting me up with losers, but neither one of them really grabbed my attention, and neither one of them were like Edward…Shit, I really need to stop thinking about him and get it together.

I was just about to enter my apartment when I heard Emmet's booming voice call me. "Isaboo, how are you?"

"Emmet, why do you keep calling me these ridiculous nicknames?" I asked. "Oh Isaboo, don't be mad, it's just that, if you would have been my little sister, I would have had tons of nicknames like that for you" he told me looking a bit embarrassed.

"Aw Emmet, does Rose know that you can be this sweet instead of the dork that she smacks around all the time?" I asked him trying to convey that I was not mad at him and that I thought his nicknames were cute. "Listen, if you are going to insist on calling me nicknames, why don't you just call me Bella. That is what everyone used to call me."

"Bella, that sounds great, I will call you that from now on," he said, suddenly looking very excited. "Did you just get back from your date?" he asked. "Yes I did, and now I am exhausted," I told him. "That bad, huh?" he asked. "Not bad, just not wonderful either. Perhaps my standards are too high." "Nah, I don't think so, it is good to have high standards," he said.

We talked for a couple more minutes about what happened on the dates, and he gave me what felt like a bear hug before leaving from his apartment. "Bella, I am sure there is a guy out there for you, you are great. Just be patient." If only he knew. Sigh!

After taking a nice, long shower I decided to cuddle in bed with a book. I was very tired but also wide awake. I needed to figure out a way to open myself completely to the idea of dating. I knew that I was holding myself back and that I was the cause for both dates not going well. I was making it impossible for anyone to make a connection with me.

I was just getting started with the second chapter of Pride and Prejudice when the phone rang. "Hello?" I answered. "Bella!" Angela exclaimed, sounding really upset.

"Hi Angela, are you ok? You sound upset," I asked her. " Bella, there is no easy way to tell you this… Jessica's mother just called… umm… Jessica…umm… she was… "God Angela, tell me what happened?" I asked, I was starting to get a bad taste in my mouth. This could not be good. "Jessica was MURDERED…"she screamed as she started to cry. "What!? What do you mean murdered?" I asked.

Angela proceeded to tell me how Jessica's mother had gotten worried about Jessica because she had not heard from her in a couple of days. Jessica and her mother were really close and she would talk to her every day. She was so worried that she called Macy's to see if she could get a hold of her there. She had spoken to her co-worker, Lauren and she told Jessica's mother that Jessica had missed work for a couple of days now and that she was planning on checking on her that day as she thought Jessica would get fired if she kept missing work.

"When Lauren went to her apartment, she found her door unlocked and decided to call 911 before going in," Angela continued to tell me. "It was a good thing she called the police because when they went inside they found her body… and…Oh God! She had been stabbed several times, and she was left naked, her legs spread wide with...with a post-it on her forehead that said WHORE."

Angela and Ben were planning to come to DC in order to attend Jessica's funeral the next day. I told them they could stay in my spare bedroom, and she said that they would arrive in a couple of hours as she needed to find a replacement for her next shift at the hospital before leaving.

After hanging up with Angela, I got up and made my way to the spare bedroom so that I could set it up for them and I collapsed in the bed. The thought of Jessica being murdered in such a way made me feel so sad. She had been a total bitch to me, but she had also been one of my best friends. What could she have done to deserve something so horrible? I really hoped the police was able to catch the monster that did this to her soon.

Jessica's funeral was very sad. Her parents were so broken hearted and everyone was both angry and devastated. The police told her parents that whoever did that to Jessica, must have had a close relationship to her because it was what they called a crime of passion. The only leads they had were that they believe it was a male, that they were probably in a relationship or had been, and that she had been murdered three days before she was found. They also told them that the person who committed the crime was very meticulous as they were unable to lift any prints or find any evidence that might aid them in identifying her murderer.

Angela was able to have someone cover her shift for the entire weekend, so she decided to stay with me until Monday morning. On Sunday, we went to The Madeleine for brunch. We spent all of our meal catching up. Angela was now on her second year of her residency and she was leaning towards becoming a Paediatrician. She told me how surgery had been one of the best rotations she had so far, mainly because the attending doctor in charge of her training had become her friend, but she had always loved kids, and she really felt that working with them was her true calling. I told her about my decision to start dating and described in detail my two dates as of her request. She told me that she was so excited and I had realized that I needed to get over myself and open up to find someone.

The rest of the weekend went in a blur and before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to Ben and Angie. "I am going to miss you guys, let me know when you have a weekend off so that I can go up there and spend some time with you guys. It has been too long." I told Angela as they headed for their car.

"Actually, next weekend is the gala to honour our top surgeons. Why don't you come up so that I can introduce you to my new friend and mentor, Dr. Cullen?" Angela asked sounding hopeful. "Sure, that would be fun." "Great, make sure to bring a cocktail dress, it will be a semi-formal function," she said as she got into the car. "That means another shopping trip, ugh!" I told her as we waved our goodbyes.

Dr. Cullen, hmm. I wonder if he was related to Alice and Emmet. I would mention it to her once I got to the office, perhaps she would be going up there next weekend as well. It would be nice not have to drive on my own.

EPOV

I was on my way home after working all weekend at the hospital, when I noticed that I had several text messages from Tanya. Why was she texting me so much? She had left the hospital only 6 hours before I did, I would have to talk to her about that. She had become a stick of glue ever since we started dating and I was starting to wonder if she was a little crazy. I decided that I would ignore all her messages for now and that I would not let myself get irritated by them until I had a chance to sleep. I was a dead man walking.

I only got a chance to open the front door, when I heard a voice that was quickly becoming annoying. "Eddie, my hunky man, you are finally home," Tanya exclaimed as she made her way over me and hugged me. "Tanya, how the hell did you get into my apartment," I asked, not caring to mask my irritation.

I had not given her a key to my place and I was angry that she had found a way in. "Eddie, don't be mad. I figured that since we are dating and I would be getting a key to your place soon, that I could show you how much I love you by saving you a trip to the hardware store. So I made a copy of your keys while you were working on Saturday."

I could not even tell her how mad I was. I was so angry I could not get my thoughts straight. "Eddie, please tell me you are not mad…" she was saying as I headed to my bedroom and started gathering her stuff. " Tanya, get the hell out of here!" I yelled, my anger getting the best out of me. "You had no right to make such assumptions, look how pathetic you are! It's like you are some psycho stalker bitch from hell." I regretted the words as soon as they came out. Sure she scared the crap out of me with her behavior, but I had never spoken to a woman in such a way. "Eddie, how could you talk to me like that?" she asked as tears starting to run down her face.

"Look Tanya, I am sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. But I think this is moving way too fast, and to be honest I don't think I am ready for a relationship with anyone right now…" I was telling her, but she started shaking her head vigorously and held up her hands trying to stop me from saying anything else. "You can't leave me Edward; you are my only hope to happiness before… I die" she said as she approached me and clutched her hands on my shirt.

"What do you mean before you die?" I asked, not liking the way this was turning out. "What I mean is that I have pancreatic cancer and I only have a year or two left to live. Would you really want to abandon me, knowing that? Wouldn't you feel guilty if I died all on my own?" she questioned, still holding on to my shirt, as if she was dangling over the edge of a precipice and I was the only think keeping her from falling.

I didn't know what else to say. She was right, I would feel horribly guilty for leaving her now. Tanya was a beautiful woman, so full of life. She had beautiful blue eyes, very nice plump lips, and a great body. Why couldn't I fall in love with her? Because she was not Bella.

I held her as she cried for what seemed like hours, asking me to assure her over and over that I would not leave her. After what seemed like an eternity, she fell asleep from her exhaustion and I carried her to my bed. I sat down next to her, not really ready to go to sleep. I was feeling so many emotions at the moment. What a fucking mess! How could I leave her? I realized that it would be impossible to do so, she needed me and I was not one to back out from anyone, especially with her situation. I just was not sure how to handle the fact that she would die. For once, I was glad that I had no feelings for her as it would had made things a lot worse, but I felt trapped. With a sigh I laid next to Tanya and I fell asleep shortly after.

TPOV

Boy that was close. I can't believe he almost dumped me. What an idiot! Thankfully I had come up with a quick idea and saved myself, but now I was going to have to figure out how to keep up the charade. Me, dying? Ha! What a fucking joke! This was going to be easier than I thought.

I was glad. Edward had not fallen instantly for me, as all men usually do, and I was leaning towards tricking him on knocking me up in order to marry him. However, this plan was much better. I could now rush him into a wedding, and basically have him eating out of the palm of my hand with little effort.

No man was immune to my advances. Let's face it, I was probably the most beautiful woman that had ever lived. I knew this and I always used it to my advantage. Edward had proven to be a difficult subject, but in no time he would be so in love with me, that he would even believe how I miraculously got cured from my incurable cancer. Ha! I could even attribute it to the power of his love, and he would believe it.

A few years ago, I had an affair with the Director of the Oncology department and I was pretty sure he was willing to do anything to prevent me from telling his wife. His wife was one of the wealthiest people on the entire Mid Atlantic region, and he was terrified of the possibility of her ever leaving him. Not to mention that her father was rumoured to have connections to the Mafia and he had threaten to kill him if he ever did anything to upset his precious daughter. This was indeed going to be a piece of cake.

I took a long look at my future husband and I slipped out of the bed, careful to be as quiet as possible and made my way to the kitchen to make a few calls. By this time tomorrow, I would have test results and everything that I needed to convince Edward that I was dying. Damn, I am good!

APOV

This weekend had been great. I was so lucky to have Jasper. It always amazed me the way we seemed to fall more and more in love with each other with each passing day. While a lot of couples got used to a routine and used to being with their partner, and little by little felt the passion leaving their lives, our relationship seemed to be the total opposite. There was never a dull moment in our relationship. I was truly the luckiest woman in the world.

This weekend, he had decided to surprise me by renting the penthouse at the Willard Inter-Continental, located right next to the White House. I had come home on Friday from a long day at work and he was expecting me there, a bouquet of roses in one of his hands and a blindfold in the other. "What's going on?" I asked him trying to suppress my excitement before I could no longer hold it together and I jump him right then and there.

"Hey, sexy lady," he purred. "This is going to be a surprise. Please turn around so that I can blind fold you." I did as he asked and I felt him move close to me, faster than I thought humanly possible. He pressed his body against mine, and started placing butterfly kisses all over the back of my neck, as his hands started to trail upwards, not missing a single inch of my body as he made his way to my face.

"Baby… mmm, you smell so good." He told me, blowing a little bit of air into my ear before he nibbled on my earlobe, sending a wave of pleasure all over my body, and making me weak at the knees. Carefully he placed the blindfold over my eyes, and secured it before turning me around and pressing his lips to mine. "Jasper… baby… I can't wait!" I said against his lips as I slowly open my mouth allowing him entrance.

Too soon he pulled his lips from mine, making me whimper at the separation, and turned me around, placing his hand on the small of my back. "Are you ready?" he asked. "Always for you, baby," I told him as he guided me out of our apartment and into our destination.

After a short car trip, he stopped and got out of the car, handing the keys to who I assumed was a valet person. He opened my door and let me out of the car slowly, and brought me close to him, his hands never leaving the small of my back as he guided me to what I now know, was the hotel. We took the elevator and it seemed to go up forever, and walked a few more steps before I heard the unmistakable noise of a door being opened with a card key. As soon as the door opened, I was assaulted by the smell or roses, and the smell of the delicious food he must have arranged to have delivered for us.

He gave me a sweet peck on the lips and took my blindfold off. "Wow," I exclaimed as I took in the view of the room. We were standing in a large suite surrounded by glass windows. We could even see the White House from one of the sides. There was another door that led to a bedroom, where a large canopy bed with white linens stood in the middle of the room. On top of the bed was a heart made of red rose petals.

"Do you like it?" Jasper asked, not able to disguise his excitement. "Oh Jasper, I absolutely love it! What's the occasion?" I asked. "Do we need one? I just thought that I should show you how much I love you, baby. You deserve the world," he purred at me, a sexy grin on his face. I could not resist my urge to be with him anymore and I ran to him, jumping in his arms, and wrapping my legs around his waist. "I guess dinner can wait," he said in a deep husky voice. "I love you Alice."

We made passionate love for hours, not caring about our now wasted dinner. We just could not get enough from each other. It was amazing the way our bodies would mold to one another and we were truly just one being as we made love. There was no need for words or gestures. Our bodies knew what we needed and we made love in a way that left us both satisfied.

When we emerged from the bedroom it was already 11:00 p.m. Jasper decided to order a light dinner since what he had ordered earlier was probably spoiled by now, not to mention cold. We ate dinner silently, never letting our eyes stray from one another. As soon as we were done, Jasper produced a bottle of champagne that I had not noticed before. He placed it on the table and made his way towards me, getting on one knee as he reached me.

"Alice, my love, would you like to spend the rest of your life with me? Would you marry me?" he asked, a sound of confidence in his voice as he knew as well as I did, that we were meant to be together. "YES!" I screamed as I wrapped my hands around his neck and kissed him. I was so caught up in the moment that I hadn't noticed that he had a small tiffany box in his hand. He had opened it revealing the most beautiful solitary diamond I had ever seen. He placed it on my finger slowly as he began to kiss me softly on my neck, moving upwards towards my chin, and finally reaching my lips.

We spend the rest of the night in the heated passion of our bodies melting together. We left the hotel before noon the next day. Jasper had packed everything I needed the night before, and we changed into comfortable clothes as we were going to spend the day visiting museums and other locations, trying to find the perfect place for our wedding.

We finally made it back to our apartment around 6:00 p.m. and I quickly grabbed my phone to call Rose. I could not wait to tell her the news. I simply told her that I had something to tell her and that she and Emmet should come over as soon as possible. Twenty minutes later, they were in our apartment, sipping champagne with Jasper and I, and feeling almost as excited as Japer and I were. "It was about time you proposed dear brother," Rose told Jasper and she hugged him once again. "Did you guys set up a date yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet. We looked at different venues today, but we are probably not going to set a date until after your wedding this summer," I told them. "Well, damn!" Emmet cried out, earning a smack on the head from Rosalie. "I was just hoping someone would take the plunge before I did," he said sheepishly, earning another smack from Rosalie.

"Sheesh, Rose, are you smack happy or what?" he asked her, a smile on his face letting her know he was not mad. I had a suspicion that he actually enjoyed the way Rose manhandled him a little too much.

"You guys are hilarious. I can't wait to tell Isabella," I said.

"Oh yeah, I bet Bella will be just as excited as we are," Emmet said.

"Wait… what did you just call her?" I asked Emmet, a new realization lighting in my brain.

"Bella..." Emmett said with a questioned tone, "Her new nickname."

Was she Edward's Bella?