I don't own it, I just play with it. Thanks Steph…

We headed back toward the house when my stomach's persistent grumbling gave me away. I hated to leave the oasis of the forest that separated us from the rest of the world. I had truly found a good friend in Jasper – a best friend, probably – and I knew that as soon as we stepped back into reality, things wouldn't be this easy.

"Have a good time?" Alice chirped as soon as we were in the door. "I ordered you a pizza."

"Thank you so much, Alice!" I told her. "I'm starving!"

"Come on!" she urged, dragging me toward the couch "Movie night!"

"Sounds really nice, actually. I'm worn out and it's still early enough that we can get a couple in before I have to sleep. What are we watching?"

"Pride and Prejudice and Romeo and Juliet."

"Sounds perfect! Girl's night!"

"Does that mean I'm not invited?" Jasper asked with mock solemnity.

"Of course you are, Jasper. It can be a girls - and guys who like girls - night. How's that?" He laughed and settled himself on the loveseat. It wasn't a sound I had ever heard before today, and one I hoped to hear a lot more of.

I grabbed myself some pizza and a can of Coke while Alice popped in the first movie. She settled herself in next to Jasper on the loveseat, so I headed for the chair, but she stopped me.

"Come here, Bella. You can't have movie night from all the way over there. Besides, I know you've missed this." She pulled me into her lap, and plate in one hand, open drink in the other, it was all I could do not to fall or drop my dinner. She was right, though. I had missed this.

There was something familiar and comforting about the cool stone feel of a vampire that relaxed me and made me finally feel at home. I sat on Alice for the whole movie, draping to an almost fully reclined, cradled position by the end, my feet in Jasper's lap.

Being with the two of them was so uplifting that it felt as if it had always been this way. Worn out from the long hike, I was half asleep when Alice got up to put in Romeo and Juliet. She shifted me to Jasper's lap to switch it, and I was out before she had hit play.

I woke up to Jasper's cool touch on my face and the early dawn light creeping through the window.

"Bella…" he murmured, his voice soft and low.

"Jasper?"

"Mmhm. Hon, I can feel Alice bouncing up and down from here. She won't make it much longer and I thought you'd rather she wasn't the one to wake you."

"Thank you, Jasper." I told him, dreading the day, but grateful for his interference to its beginning. "Did you carry me to bed? I don't remember moving."

"Yes. You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"Did you stay again?"

"Yes." I wasn't sure whether to feel guilty for monopolizing his evenings, flattered that he thought so much of me, happy to have such a good friend, or embarrassed that he had spent the last two nights watching me sleep.

"Thanks…" I finally said, blushing. "You know… you really don't have to stay with me every night."

"I know. You know… you're pretty interesting when you sleep."

"Oh no!" I groaned. "What did I say, now?"

"It doesn't matter, Bella. And it was nothing embarrassing."

"It matters to me, Jasper and I'll be the judge of what's embarrassing. What did I say?"

"You said you love me." he told me, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand.

"Well that's not embarrassing." I told him, taking his hand and pressing it against my cheek. "I do love you."

"I know." He said seriously "I love you, too."

"You're my best friend." I told him. It was true. "The best friend I've ever had."

"And you're mine."

"Yeah, yeah! Best friends… love you, too… blah, blah, blah… LET'S GO ALREADY!" Alice barged in barking commands like a drill sergeant.

"Yea! Shopping! Can't wait…" I replied, sarcastically, but I grabbed my bag and headed for the refreshing abilities of the shower.

I insisted on breakfast before shopping. I needed the energy. Even accounting for all the time it took me to shower, dress, and cook and eat eggs it was still only six-thirty when I finished brushing my teeth and running a brush through my hair and Alice was still hurrying me along.

"You know, Alice… we weren't going to leave till mid-morning. Angela's probably still asleep."

"Of course she's not, sleepyhead! I called her yesterday to tell her when we'd be there to pick her up and she'll be ready when we get there…. IF we ever get there!" She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Okay, Alice… I love you, but this is enough. You're going to have to calm down or I'm not going shopping with you." I told her seriously. I was really beginning to get tired of her steamrolling me. "You need to curb your enthusiasm and start treating me like you care a little about how I feel and what I want."

It was harsh, I knew, and I hated to do it, but I had fought too hard for my freedom to let someone else monopolize me again. Jasper appeared on the stairs and I thought he was going to be angry at me for blowing up at his wife, but he just smiled.

"Don't feel guilty, Bella. I'm proud of you. Besides, Alice isn't hurt, she's impressed." A small wave of calm and confidence came over me courtesy of Jasper and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the sensation.

"Thanks Jasper." I told him when I finally opened them again.

"My pleasure, Bella." He replied, a smile in his voice. He kissed us both on the cheek as we headed out the door. As I walked to the car, I considered his words. Getting further away from him, I was losing his influence and I once again began to doubt myself.

Alice hadn't said a word since I'd barked at her. She'd stood there with a blank shocked expression when it'd happened, snapping out of it only to accept Jasper's kiss and head toward the car. Was she mad at me? Had I hurt our friendship? I decided it didn't matter.

I couldn't apologize for what I had said, and a friend should be able to stand up for themselves and demand to be treated decently without risking the friendship. If she couldn't see that, well… it was her choice, regardless.

When I reached the car, she opened my door for me. She kissed me on the cheek as I slipped in. "You worry too much, Bella."

"Yeah, probably." I mumbled as she closed my door. She was right, though. I did worry too much. And we were fine.

"What are you getting today?" I asked her as we pulled out onto the main road toward Ang's house.

"Oh, you know… a little of everything." She smiled at the thought.

"You really love shopping don't you? I mean, you just went yesterday and look at you!"

"Doesn't everyone?" she asked, rhetorically.

"No. No they don't."

"Don't worry." She told me. "You will today… you are going to find the hottest pair of jeans.

She was right, of course. Never bet against Alice, even if it's about something as impossible as enjoying shopping. We had a blast. Alice put on a fashion show worthy of a runway, but concentrated on her own purchases, not running me in and out of the changing room until I had tried on everything in the mall.

The three of us never stopped laughing the entire day and I was able to supplement my wardrobe amazingly well. Everything I bought was my own taste and made me feel good when I wore it, and of course, I found the hottest jeans.

We hit the food court halfway through and I loaded up on pizza and Coke to make up for the workout I was getting. Alice took the opportunity to run some bags out to the car.

"I'm glad we decided to go shopping." Angela told me when we were alone.

"Yeah, me too. I'm actually having fun."

"It's good to see you back to your old self again. In fact, you seem… happy – happier than I've ever seen you."

"Yeah. I am. It feels like everything is falling into place for me. I feel good."

"What changed? Edward?"

"I guess so, yeah. I'm finally free to live my own life." I chewed another bite or two, contemplating the new direction my life had taken. "Oh! Guess what… I made a new friend."

"Who?"

"You'll never guess…" I told her, toying with her just a bit. "Not in a million years."

"Rosalie?"

"No way!"

"Who then?"

"Jasper."

"Jasper Hale?" she asked, shocked. I nodded.

"No way!" she squealed. "What's he like?"

"He's incredible." I told her. "I've never connected like this with anyone."

"Well, good for you. We should all hang out sometime."

"Yeah. Maybe we will."

"Will what?" Alice asked as she slipped into the seat beside me. She would already have heard, but she had to keep up human appearances, after all.

"Hang out sometime. All of us with Jasper." I said, leaning back into her. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight enough that I could relax against her. I loved the reassuring cool stone feel of her and I found myself smiling naturally.

"Yeah! That would be fun. Ben, too." She replied.

"Yeah. Let' do it." Ang said.

When she had finished eating, she and I headed to the bookstore while Alice went to look at jewelry. I found several good books that I decided would start my collection on the shelves of my new room at the Cullen house.

Before we called it an afternoon, we headed to the spa for manicures and pedicures. It wasn't bad, actually. For once I didn't mind being spoiled. I sat between Alice and Angela and listened as they gossiped. I was amazed at how out of the loop I had allowed myself to become and was content to sit back and take it all in as they did the talking.

"Thanks for coming with me Ang." I told her as I helped her carry her bags into her house.

"I had a really good time." She told me. "We should do this again."

"Yeah… maybe in six months." I chuckled. I may have had fun today, but I hadn't become a shopaholic.

"See ya." She said, with a final wave and a smile.

Alice drove us back to the Cullen mansion in silence. I both dreaded and appreciated the opportunity to think. I was now enjoying my life, but realized I had been avoiding thinking as much as possible. I had somehow made it through the entire weekend without reaching any resolution about my future.

There's a lot to be said for taking life as it comes and trying not to worry about tomorrow, but there's also something to be said for planning ahead. I bought books for my new room, for example, but was it my new room? Would I keep it?

I had made plans with Angela, but should I be fostering a relationship that would realistically have to end if I decided to become a vampire. Finals were coming up… did I care? I hadn't studied… did it matter?

I had so many thoughts running circles in my head. If I decided I wanted it I could be a vampire, but what would that mean for my life? What would I tell Charlie? Would we move away right away? We would have to, I guess…

It wouldn't have to be right away. Did I want to go to college? Alice and Jasper would probably go with me. I could have Charlie, Renee, and Angela a little longer.

Could I become a vampire? Could I do that to Edward? He had messed up bigtime. He had become an overbearing control freak and lost me, but he had worked so hard to protect me from this life. Could I make him watch me live it despite his efforts?

Could I not become a vampire? I didn't want to give up the Cullens. They were my family and I loved them. I had finally connected with Jasper. I didn't know if I could give him up now even if I had to. And it seemed Alice was finally letting me be myself a little bit. I couldn't just say goodbye to my family.

"Alice?" I asked, tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"You've seen it?"

"Seen what?" she asked, a wrinkle in her brow.

"My future."

"Bella," she warned. "You know I can't-"

"No. I'm not asking what it is. I just…" I let out a huge sigh. What did I want? "It's happy?" I asked her, nervously "Everybody's happy?"

"Everybody's happy, Bella." She assured me. Taking my hand, she gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Everything's going to be okay." She said, and I believed her.

Sometimes in life you have to jump in with both feet. I was luckier than most in that respect, at least. I had Alice to tell me if I made the wrong choice. This time, though, I had the feeling I wouldn't need her. I had made my choice.

A new best friend and a new pair of jeans… can't beat that. Bella's made her choice. Is it the right one? What do you think?

As many of you know, I'm writing two novels. Fan fic is fun and it helps with my writing, too. Many of you have asked for a Jasper POV. Writing a book, I can't cheat like that. One of the challenges is getting the other characters' thoughts, feelings, and experiences into the story in another way, so I can't do it here. Maybe if enough people PM me and request it, I'll do a one shot or a story from his POV.

In the spirit of improving my writing, I need your help. Okay, guys… I have a challenge for you. The reviews are getting really good. They're becoming more and more detailed and I really appreciate the time you're all taking to do them. Thanks. Here's your challenge…

PLEASE tell me what you like still, but this time, tell me something bad; find a mistake, a typo, something out of character, something wrong with the plot, something you don't like about my writing style. It doesn't have to be from this chapter, or even from this story. I know you can do it guys. Now when I say go, hit the Review button… GO!