REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END, TRUST ME.

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Chapter Three – What Happened When You Got Back? EPOV

March 25th 2033

"And for the love of god, please tell me you guys don't lose it and jump each other the moment you are reunited in the fall," Oliver stated as he flopped down on the couch.

"We do not jump each other the moment we're reunited," Jasper confirmed as we both sat down on the couch across from him.

"We actually don't even really get together until much, much later that year," I added.

"From what I've gathered over the years, you guys got together around this time then were apart for a bit, then got back together and that's it, right?" Lily was trying so desperately to put all the pieces together.

"Why don't we just continue with the story, okay?" Jasper suggested.

"When you two retire, you should write a novel on your epic romance and sell it for millions because this story is ace so far." Our son, the ever-charming comedian.

"Shut up, Ollie!" Lily threw a pillow at his head from where she was sitting in the sofa chair.

"Now, now children. Stop fighting. Use your words," Jasper said mockingly while resting his arm leisurely over my shoulders along the back of the couch.

"You're the worst," Oliver teased as he threw the pillow back to Lily.

"Maybe I should just start and they can tune in whenever they want," I murmured to Jasper, who laughed.

"No! We're listening." Lily sat up, crossing her legs while she hugged the pillow to her chest.

October 18th 2000

My senior year had not been treating me nicely so far. Long lab hours led to long study hours and very little sleep. I was so close to getting my undergrad but they sure did make you work for it. But my hard work had paid off as it looked like I was going to graduate at the top of my class. My father would be very pleased.

For the rest of the week I had vowed that I would take it easy as I had just finished my last midterm and had no reports or labs due for another two weeks. I deserved a break.

Making my way out of the biology building, I put my headphones over my head and pressed play on my diskman. Just as I stepped on to the sidewalk I literally ran into someone and stumbled backwards.

"Crap! Sorry!" I whipped my headphones off and looked up to meet a very familiar pair of grey-blue eyes and beach blond hair, "Jasper?"

"Hey, Edward," he smiled tentatively. He looked amazing with his hair a little shorter but still a disaster and a glowing tan still hugging his skin.

"How are you?" I pulled him into a soft hug, which he returned before I released him.

"Good; just heading to class. How about you?"

"Good! I just finished my last midterm so I'm off to go home and sleep." I laughed a bit; God, I was tired. It was so good to see him.

After Emmett's birthday party, I was thoroughly confused. I had never done anything with anyone before and after my first intimate anything with Jasper he just left. I had later realized that night was just a 'hook up' for him. A few days later I had run into him at a local coffee shop and we actually sat down and got to know each other better. Sober.

The semester was then soon coming to an end and we found ourselves in this limbo between friends and blowjob buddies. It was easy and carefree and exactly what I needed at the time without realizing it. When summer came and we parted ways, along with my other minimal friends, we promised each other to write and email to keep in touch, and we did. I slowly found out over the summer the stress his family put on him and observed how it discouraged him to know he would never please them.

Then, in July I got the email saying he had been accept to a university in Rome, Italy for an exchange. He asked me what I thought about it and even sent me the web site for the school. It looked like an amazing opportunity and, although part of me wanted him to come back to UW for personal reasons, I could not deny that this was perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity. So I sent him an email back the following day congratulating him and telling him he should for sure go for it. Two days after that I heard that he had accepted and was already to beginning to pack.

When I got back to school that fall, it was like I had this new found confidence and I thank Jasper for that. I lived alone for the first time, Ben had moved in with his girlfriend, and I decided to join the on campus gay-straight alliance club. It was there I met people that I knew I would be my friends for a very long time. The club definitely broadened my horizons and allowed me to have a unique group of friends to hang out with when my studies allowed. They even convinced me to go to a few gay-centric bars where I indeed made out with and 'hooked up' with a few random guys.

One of the club members and I had become extremely close throughout the year. He was my confidante and our friendship was very important to me. He was also the man I lost my virginity to. We knew that we were both virgins and it was actually my suggestion that we lose it together, where we feel safe and secure. Paul is still a very good friend of mine and I'm happy I got to share that moment of my life with him. His new boyfriend, Jake, is great and, from what I can tell, there are no jealousy issues with us still being friends.

Over the year, Jasper and I had exchanged emails and postcards so I heard all about his schooling, Rome and Alec. He'd even sent me a few pictures in the mail and I was truly happy for him. Since August, though, we'd exchanged few emails. I knew he was back at UW but he didn't mention Alec or what had happened. He also didn't propose meeting up so I concluded that he was just busy getting back into the swing of things.

We stared at each other for a moment, just taking it in. Jasper fidgeted nervously, taking a drag from the cigarette that he was apparently smoking. "So, what have you been up to since getting back from Italy?" I offered.

"Nothing really, just getting acclimatized," he said while looking at his watch, "I'm sorry, I'm going to be late for class but do you maybe want to grab dinner some time? Catch up?"

I was a bit taken back.

"Um… sure! How about Friday?" I smiled at the prospect.

"Sounds good! I'll message you, figure out time and place?" He had already begun to walk around me to continue to his class. I nodded and agreed. "Great. See you then, Edward!" He waved then turned to walk away.

And just like that Jasper Whitlock stumbled right back into my life.

After sleeping off and on for the next two days, I met Jasper at a small Japanese restaurant just off campus. I had been there a few times before and the food was fantastic so when Jasper emailed me wanting to know what I suggested for a meeting place it was at the top of my list.

"Hey," I greeted him as I sat down at the table where he was waiting.

"Hey, yourself," he grinned in reply. His smile was still dazzling.

"Have you had a chance to look at the menu?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go for a bento box; you get a bit of everything," he said as he closed to menu he had been reading.

"Yeah, I usually get the chicken teriyaki one."

"Cool," he smiled at me from across the table.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" the waitress suddenly appeared. We both ordered beer and a moment later they were sitting in front of us and our food orders were placed.

"So, I know we ran into each other briefly but tell me what you've been up to. It's your last year, right?"

"Yeah, it is, and the pressure is on, believe me. It's weird to think that, in few months, I'll be a pre-med student and on my way to med school," I commented.

"Med school, huh? Have you applied anywhere yet?" he asked timidly.

I gave him a bit of a sidelong glance, "So far, Johns Hopkins and Yale but I'm considering a few other options," I shrugged.

"Like what?" he asked.

"I'm still looking into it, but hopefully something on the west coast. Something a bit closer to home."

He was looking at me a little funny.

"That's amazing, Ed," he said genuinely.

"Ed? Did you hit your head in Italy? You know I hate it when people call me that, you've seen me go all pissy on Emmett," I scolded.

At that he let out a laugh.

"Oh, I remember. Maybe I was hoping for an encore? The way you verbally bitch-slapped him was priceless." Taking a breather, he took a sip of beer and then let out one more laugh, "Emmy Boo-Bear. Please tell me you still call him that."

Through my laughter I managed to get out, "Oh yeah, you know it; and don't think I've forgotten my rebuttal name for you."

"Oh, no," he said in faux horror.

"Ass-hat Jazz," I smirked as he covered his face for a moment with his hands.

"Oh, man, I did forget," he was laughing as well when his eyes finally met mine. We stared at each other while our laughter died down and the fact that he was so gorgeous swiftly hit me all over again. He shook his head slightly, "You're… different."

"How so?" I pressed.

"I don't know, just different…" our eyes had never left each other.

"Different good or different bad?" I asked.

He pondered that for a moment, "I'm not sure."

The waitress was back with our boxes and we immediately dug into our food. After the first initial bites, I decided I wanted to know more about his past year, so I asked him.

"Oh, you know, it was great. Italy is beautiful and because everything is so close over there I was able to travel all over Europe during the weekends. The people in Rome are so nice and once I picked up the language life was a lot easier. For a history major like me it was a dream year," he finished with a sigh. I wanted to ask him about Alec but he hadn't mentioned him yet. I didn't want to bring up something painful.

"That sounds amazing, Jasper. I've been to Europe and you're right it's absolutely exquisite. The history there is miraculous and I'm sure you just soaked everything up."

"I sure did," he smiled and continued to pick through his bento box as I did. After a few silent moments, the curiosity was killing me so I finally had to ask.

"So, are you seeing anyone?" It came out hesitant when I wanted to sound confident.

Jasper looked up to me and swallowed whatever was in his mouth, "Edward…" he trailed off as if he didn't know what to say.

"We're friends, right? Just wanted to know." I shrugged innocently even though I knew my question was anything but.

"Right," he confirmed, "Well, no, I'm not seeing anyone." He seemed suddenly quieter.

"What happened?" I asked softly. He knew I was talking about Alec.

"What do you think, Edward?" he sighed. "He lives in Italy and I live here. When the exchange was over, I had to come back and we had to end. There was no happily ever after for us," he said with a hint of bitterness.

"I'm sorry," I offered. I really was.

He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair once before looking at me again. "It's okay. I'm sorry for being a Debbie Downer. How about you; seeing anyone?" I could tell he was trying to focus the attention away from him.

"No, not seeing anyone," I ducked my head slightly and continued to nibble on the tempura.

"What about last year, anyone special?" he pushed.

"A few dates and hook ups here and there but nothing serious. You know me, whatever my schooling allows." I rolled my eyes to myself and took a swig of my beer.

"So, genius boy, did you finally let your freak fly?" he winked at me and I definitely turned a little red.

"Yeah," I murmured. Jasper had definitely been aware that I was a virgin while we were hooking up over a year ago. He had helped me master oral skills that definitely came in handy later on.

"Well, congratulations! Does the air taste sweeter?" he teased.

"Ha. Ha. And yes it does," I said shyly while he nudged my knee under the table and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making me laugh.

We continued with our dinner, talking about classes and our newfound friends. Jasper had a new roommate, Mike, and they were getting along well while I talked about how I was living alone for the second year and loving it. Then I brought up how I met my small circle of friends and extended acquaintances through the gay-straight alliance club.

"The people are great, Jas. I've made some very good friends through the group and it's not just a gay only club; it's for anyone really to be in a completely accepting environment. They've really helped me come out my shell over the past year or so." I was very passionate about the club and my group of friends.

"That sounds great, Edward," he sounded completely genuine.

"It really is- hey! You should come to one of our gatherings. We don't call them meetings because it's more of a group 'hang' rather than an actual club but it's done through the school." They did a lot of evening gatherings, something I know Jasper would love.

"I don't know, Edward," he sounded very uncomfortable at the idea. I wondered if it was because it was too much exposure.

"We don't have t-shirts or anything, Jasper. It just looks like a bunch of friends hanging out and having conversation. You should come to at least one and see if you enjoy it. The people are really nice and welcoming," I knew he was nervous about the prospect of coming out to the world and was still slightly uncomfortable in his own skin sometimes.

The waitress came to clear our empty plates. When she asked if we needed anything else, we let her know the check is all.

"Maybe. When is your next… outing?" he seemed mildly interested.

"Tomorrow night, if you're free?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure, why not," he nodded and my spirits soared. He was grinning at me softly and it took everything in me to not stare at his lips. There was always something flawless with Jasper's entire demeanor. His radiant witty personality was fresh and I found his complete being endearing. Now that he was back, I wondered if there was perhaps a chance for us to become something… more.

When the check came, Jasper insisted he pay as on our previous "date", the one where he had walked out, I had paid. Gathering our belongings, we headed out to the street where we walked side-by-side towards 47th Street.

"Where exactly are you living?" Jasper asked.

"Over on 16th and 50th," I commented, waiting for a specific response that I knew was coming.

"The new development? Shit, Edward, showing all of us up aren't you?" he laughed in astonishment.

"Oh, whatever. I like it," I rolled my eyes. "Where are you living?"

"42nd and Brooklyn," and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"That's in the other direction," I reminded him.

"I'll walk you to 50th and 15th then walk down for a smoke," he said casually as he continued to walk.

"Still smoking?" I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"Yes, doc, I'm still smokin' the cancer sticks," he used that drawl that he knew drove me a little crazy.

"Not gonna' say anything," I put my hands up in mock surrender and he chuckled.

"I have been considering the possibility of cutting down. Apparently, they're bad for you," he scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at me briefly, as if telling me something brand new.

"What!" I gasped as we turned onto 50th Street and headed east.

"I know! Who'da thunk it, right?" he laughed then bumped my shoulder with his. Our fingers momentarily touched and I wanted so badly to hold his hand.

"What will happen to your bad boy image?" I asked desperately but with a smile on my face.

"Hey, I said cut back, not quit. I'm still a bad boy," he reassured me.

"Oh, thank god." I put my hand over my chest and sighed dramatically.

As we approached 15th and 50th, we both slowed down to a stop on the edge of the sidewalk, "I had a lot of fun tonight, Edward," he said honestly.

"I did, too, Jasper. Now that you're back, we should make it a point to see each other." I didn't realize until tonight how much I had missed his friendship. How much I had missed him.

"Of course," he agreed, then opened his arms slightly. I immediately took the hint and stepped into his arms for a hug. My body was flush against his and I could feel his stubble against my cheek and neck and it was…amazing. I moved the arm that was wrapped around his neck down so that I could tangle my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck then pulled back a little.

We were but inches apart and I felt his shallow breath against my lips. His eyes were staring directly into mine and they were breath taking.

Gathering all the courage I had in my system, I used the hand anchored in his hair to pull him closer to me and his breath caught the second just before I pressed my lips to his. It was exactly as I had remembered it and yet so much better. We stood there for a moment, locked to each other by a solid, lasting kiss that made goosebumps rise on my arms because, god, it was Jasper.

I opened my mouth slightly to run my tongue along his bottom lip and was met by air. Opening my eyes, I saw that Jasper had a panicked look on his face and was backing away from me.

"Edward… I can't…" he was shaking his head and had a look of complete remorse on his face.

"It's okay… if you don- don't feel that wa-way…" I was stuttering like an idiot through my words because it hurt like hell to be rejected by him. The feelings in my stomach made me want to bend over in uneasiness and I felt like my throat was suddenly so dry.

"No, Edward… it's just that I can't… I do, want you; I'm just," he closed his eyes and took a momentary breather before looking at me again, this time a little more composed, "I'm not over Alec." The brutal honesty I was seeing and hearing left me dumbfounded. "I still love him very much, and I'm trying to figure out how to get over him and move on with my life. I'm sorry," he reached up to squeeze my arm.

"It's okay, Jasper; really," I reassured him.

"But I want to be your friend. I do like being around you and value your friendship very much. Maybe we could go to your club thing tomorrow?" I could tell he was trying to make it up to me, but it wasn't necessary.

"That'd be great, on both fronts," I agreed.

"Awesome. 'Kay, call you tomorrow?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course." I could be his friend. So he was devilishly handsome and had a winning personality but it wasn't like I was some love-struck boy. We had some history but, overall, we were friends and I could definitely work with that.

"See you tomorrow, Edward." He started walking south on 15th, adding, "And thank you."

"No problem. See you tomorrow." I gave him a wave and watched him pull out his pack of cigarettes as he walked away.

I could totally be his friend.

March 25th 2033

"You rejected him? Ouch," Oliver winced.

"I just really wasn't in the right frame of mind for what Pop E wanted at the time," Jasper sighed. "At least we know this story has a happy ending," he said as he leaned over to kiss my neck.

"Well, we know that already; what happened next?" Lily rolled her eyes.

"For months we were simply what we had agreed on: just friends," I said. I remembered those months clearly because, while I had tried my hardest to have only platonic feelings towards him, I found myself instead falling in love for the first time with Jasper.

"That's lame; where's the passion," Oliver quickly shook his fist in the air back and forth while both Jasper and I rolled our eyes.

"Oh, the passion came later and, trust me, there was intense sexual tension throughout those months," Jasper winked at our son.

"Definitely. There were times when I thought I was just going to attack him in public places and start boning him right there." I began rubbing my right hand up and down Jasper's thigh, each time going a bit higher.

"Dads, please. I want to hear the story!" Lily whined.

"Oh, this is definitely part of the story," I reassured her.

"Ugh, are you guys going to start groping like teenagers on the couch now? Reliving the moments? 'Cause I'm leaving if you are," Oliver was already standing.

I laughed and used my left hand to crane Jasper's neck so his lips met mine and, unlike the story, there was no way he was going to push me away. Jasper immediately leaned his body over mine and grabbed my hips with his hands.

"Peace," Oliver said.

"Bah! You guys ruin everything!" Lily moaned dramatically as she got up to walk away.

I began to sink backwards to lie down as Jasper crawled on top of me, both of us laughing while we attempted to kiss heatedly. "Your father is a hot piece! I can't help myself!" I choked out between my laughter as both our children removed themselves from the scene.

"Get a room!" Oliver yelled back, followed by two doors slamming. Then Jasper and I were full on making-out. I ran my hands from his neck down his back and grabbed his ass in both hands, grinding his pelvis down to meet my now growing erection.

His lips moved down to my neck and he greedily began to suck on my pulse point, which resulted in me bucking my hips upwards. Our legs were tangled together and our hands began roaming each other. I wanted so badly to rip his clothing off and on any other day I would have, but the kids were home and that kind of behavior was inappropriate.

Jasper moved his lips back up to mine and I quickly plunged my tongue into his mouth while he moved his hands up to cup my neck and cheeks. Slowly, he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine as we panted into each other's faces.

"Twenty-five years, Edward. I can't believe it." He was staring right into my eyes, centimeters away, and I brought my hands up to cup his cheeks as well.

"I can. You and the kids make my world possible," I leaned up to press a soft kiss to his lips.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," I said.

He leaned down to Eskimo kiss me and then gave me a chase kiss on my nose, "Bed?" he whispered and I nodded. Looking over his shoulder at the clock on the bookshelf in our living room I saw that it was just after ten-thirty, which meant we had been telling our story for over three hours.

We each got up from the couch and went to our respective tasks of closing the house up. Jasper turned off all the lights and made sure the door to the garage was locked while I set the house alarm, locked up the front door and closed the blinds.

When I made it to our bedroom, Jasper was lying on his back in the middle of the bed, propping himself up on his elbows. Oh, and he was naked.

Discarding my clothing as I walked slowly over to the bed, I had only my undershirt and boxer-briefs left as I climbed on top of my man, where I was promptly met with his mouth on mine. He brought his hands to the hem of my undershirt and lazily pulled it up and over my head. Our mouths were only disconnected for a moment and, once my shirt was off, I was being flipped over onto my back.

Jasper moved his hips between my legs and started scattering kisses down my neck and chest until he lifted up completely to slip off my underwear.

For as long as I had been with Jasper, making love with him had always left me breathless and gasping for more. Sure, we'd gone through dry spells but for the most part it had always been passionate and filled with love and heat.

Tonight was no different as he rolled into me over and over again as we lay on our sides. He took me strong and sure and soon my muscles were tensing and I was releasing into his hand, spilling onto my stomach and bedspread. He followed me after a few more thrusts and I craned my neck back to kiss him.

After taking a moment to catch our breaths, he slowly pulled out of me and leaned over to retrieve a baby-wipe from our bedside table. As soon as we were all cleaned up, I rolled over to snuggle into his chest while he pulled our duvet over us.

"Twenty-five years, babe," I felt him grin as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

I moaned dramatically and then added, "Crap, we're old."

AN: Because this story will only be 8 chapters long, the events and stories that will be told will only be the ones that are critical to how Jasper and Edward got together. Jasper and Edward's story spans a few decades and I would love to be able to give you folks snippets and glances at Jasper/Edward in the HIMYF universe outside of these critical moments.

I have over 100 people who have signed up for alerts to this story and only about 15% of you are reviewing.

So I propose that for every 80 reviews I will post a miscellaneous one-shot of their life together AFTER the story is complete.

Sound good?

I look forward to hearing what you guys think of the story so far!