Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer and affiliates owns all that is Twilight. Lyrics belong to "Train". No copyright infringement intended. The factual information in this chapter is true; I did some research on it. I tried to make things accurate.

Between Friendship and Love

Part Eighteen

"One kiss breaches the distance between friendship and love"

- Anonymous

Jasper's POV from the present

When I arrived back at Bella's, I found her asleep on the couch with the sheets for my make shift bed wrapped around her. She had obviously fallen asleep not long after I left. She was feeling content, all around happy. I hoped that my appearance in life attributed to some of that happiness.

I walked over the sleeping angel and knelt down. Her swollen belly was sticking up as she lay on her back.

"Bella," I whispered close to her ear, trying to wake her up. Nothing. I placed my hand on her lower stomach, drawing little comforting circles around her unborn child.

"Hello, baby, how are you doing tonight?" I asked, obviously not expecting a response. When I felt nothing I continued to talk, "I know your mommy has had a tough day, and I know all of the emotions I made her relive weren't the best. But you must know how much she loves you. Every breath she takes is for you, baby. You are very lucky to have such a remarkable mother, and I hope you know I love you, too, baby." The little kick was soothing to my hand and brought a smile to my mouth.

"There you are, sweetie. I'm glad you seem to love me. I can't wait to meet you. I know my family would love you, especially Esme. You see, she always wanted a child but never had the opportunity. She is such an amazing mother, to me and all of my siblings. I know she'd love you to pieces, not to mention spoil the living daylights out of you." I felt another nudge on my hand and chuckled.

"You seem to like that idea. I don't think your mommy would, but you should always remember that love is the most important thing there is. Your mother would give that to you in abundance, never doubt that, sweetie. Well I should probably take your mommy to her room; I can't imagine the couch being all that comfortable."

I carefully picked up Bella, carrying her to the shoebox that masqueraded as a bedroom before placing her gently on the bed. I ran my fingers over her bangs and pushed them to the side; I bent down and place my cold lips on her warm forehead, silently wishing her goodnight. I turned to leave, but Bella grabbed my hand, grasping onto it rather tightly. She was still mostly asleep; her eyes kept drooping shut as she tried to open them.

"You're back. I knew you'd come back," she slurred in her sleep ridden voice.

"Of course I'm back. I could never intentional stay away from you, angel." She gave me a tired smile and moved over closer to the wall, trying to make room on her small bed. "What are you doing?" I was confused by her behavior. Did I smell of something unpleasant?

"I'm making room for you, Jasper. I don't want you to leave me again." Her eyes were shut, her mouth barely moving. I wondered if she was even coherent and aware of her statement.

"Bella," I called out. She just hummed her response.

I wasn't sure if I should leave. I didn't want her to be freaked out in the morning and her not remembering to ask me to stay. I also didn't want Bella thinking I abandoned her in the night. After my internal struggle, the devil on my left shoulder won; I effortlessly slid in bed with her. I gave her as much space as possible. I looked at the ceiling; it had been a long day filled with many emotions. I wished in that moment, to be normal, to slip into a dreamless sleep; what it must have been like to be able to shut one's brain down for a while and reside in complete silence.

I looked to the side and saw a smile gracing her lips; I was happy she was happy. I listened to her heart beat, enjoying the even faster heart beat of her child. It was such a miracle being able to listen to such an amazing sound. My hand found its way back to her stomach. I spent the rest of the night talking to the little miracle. Around dawn, the baby started to settle down and soon fell asleep. After a few hours later, Bella started to stir. She looked over at me. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

"Thanks for staying," she whispered before making her way off the bed, after much work. When she left the room, I opened my eyes and thought about what I would learn today about the stories of Bella's past.

Fifteen minutes passed before I got off the bed, venturing into the living room. Bella was in the middle of eating her cereal and yogurt. I was no food connoisseur, but it smelt just horrible. Bella gave me a shy smile before offering me some breakfast. After declining on account of not being a breakfast eater, I went into the living room and allowed her time to eat in silence.

"Do you have to work today?" she asked as she took a seat beside me on the couch.

I held her hand, assisting her in sitting. She may not have needed my help, but I was raised a gentleman, and I wasn't going to let a seven month pregnant woman do something on her own when I could be of help.

"Not today, angel, I'm all yours. So what would you like to do?" She was feeling happy and apprehensive. I wondered what was going on in that pretty head of hers.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to hear some more of my story, but if there's something you needed to do, or you just want to leave, that is also fine." Her happiness must have been about me not having to work and spending the day with her. At the thought of me leaving, her happiness was slowly turning to disappointment.

"Please, Bella, I could never find such wonderful company as you. So I think that means you're stuck with me for the day. I would love to hear anything you have to say." She gave me a shy smile and took a deep breath, her hand automatically going to her stomach. I braced myself for what I was about to hear.

"Well, after I left off last night, Dartmouth was calling and I was fast approaching in my second hand car. I had become attached to it, so, decided to take it with me. When Mike and I finally got there, all I could do was stare in awe, Jasper. The campus was amazing and everything I thought it would be. After getting all of my papers, finding my room and unloading my car, Mike and I went out to dinner that night, celebrating our new life. We did Orientation week and I loved every minute. Class started, and as I told you earlier, I was majoring in English, Mike in business management. He was planning on take over his family business, but also wanted to extend to more stores in the future. We both had our dreams and goals, and Dartmouth was the answer to both of our futures. However, as you are well aware of, some things don't go as planned.

. . .

Bella's POV from the past

Time flew, and before I realized it I was starting my fourth year of college. Dartmouth was such an incredible place. My time I spent there was filled with so many different memories. From the time we attended Dartmouth night bonfires, to the time in my sophomore year, while studying in the Rauner library for finals, a streaker ran around the tables singing at the top of his lungs. I remembered Halloweens and carving pumpkins and placing them on the Senior Fence on top of the green. My friends and I even participated one year in the Dartmouth Winter Carnival. One of the events was similar to building imagines in the sand. We built a castle (very creative), but for some odd reason, the Ship, the snow statue of the Coliseum, and the submarine were ranked higher. I couldn't complain, they were much better, and I never professed to be an Art major. One weekend we even went to see the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival in Vermont.

There were times of laughter and crying during finals week. There were fights and breakups. There were times of reflection and times of too much laughter. And through it all Mike was right by my side. We had other friends, and he dated many girls. I went on very few dates, school was my focus. I was blessed to have gotten into a school such as Dartmouth; I never wanted to squander my opportunities. My friends called me an "old lady", but I didn't care; it was I who they would run to during finals for help, wanting to borrow my notes. After making them apologize profusely and groveling (just a bit), I relented. My life was great. I had no reason to complain.

As the Fall semester of my Senior year started, I felt sad. It was my second to last semester at Dartmouth and soon after it would all be over. My birthday was quickly approaching and Mike wanted to do something else besides go out to eat. I never celebrated getting older. It was terrible and another year that went by without me seeing Jasper seemed as if a little part of me died. I missed him, but he was never far from me, I had a piece of him inside. I had a good life, and I always hoped he was happy, where ever he was. So on the night of my birthday, Mike and some of our other friends decided to take me to a frat party. I was beyond angry, but in wanting to make them happy, I went along for the ride.

The majority of the night was spent drinking and having some guy try to dance up on me. I wasn't a social drinker, but in seeing that I was already here, I wanted to cut loose for once. I was at a frat party. I decided to make the best of my night. After a few poorly chosen drinks, I was more than ten sheets to the wind. My tolerance level was nonexistent. I never drank, so I was pretty much drunk after my second cup of cheap beer.

I had lost my friends and decided to dance with a guy named something-or-other to a song that was played out before it even began. I was really starting to enjoy myself, when I looked over to my left, and saw some girl dancing up on Mike. My immediate reaction was to get her as far away from him as possible. My next reaction surprised me even more. I was angry at him for dancing with her like that. I mean she was practically humping his leg. My last reaction was the biggest surprise of all, jealously. I wanted to rip her hair out by her bleach-blond roots. I wasn't a physical person, so the violent reaction startled me to my core.

Mike must have felt me starting at him, because he turned from the cheap suit that was trying to wear him, and looked right into my eyes. He looked confused by the anger on my face and started to walk toward me. Butterflies assaulted my stomach as his face turned serious; he finally untangled himself from the dollar-store-dye-job. I didn't recognize the look in his eyes, but if I were to look in a mirror, I would have seen it reflected on me. When he finally reached me on the dance floor, he told my dance partner to "buzz off" or something to that effect and took me away by the hand.

A somewhat slow song came on so the crowd could hump each other even closer. Mike gently pulled me into his arms but kept me at a comfortable distance. I had never danced with him, and I immediately became shy. He just gave me a reassuring smile after reading the self-doubt on my face. He turned me around and started to sway me with the music, his arms wrapped around my back. My cheeks became flushed; I tried to hide my face in his neck. As the music continued to play, he sang the lyrics in my ear as we swayed to the music.

"Her timing is quite

Unusual

You see her confidence is tragic

But Her intuition, Magic

And the Shape of her body

Unusual"

My body shivered from his contact. The butterflies continued to swarm my stomach nonstop as I was becoming more perplexed by my body's reaction to my friend. My only conclusion was all of the alcohol I drank. Mike's hand reached into my hair. I became almost frozen. My hand seemed to have movement and made its way into Mike's blond hair in return. It was soft, sliding through my fingers with ease.

I pulled my head from his neck and looked into his face. I wondered if he was feeling the same things as me. One look told me my answer. One move of his head told me the answer again. For the second time since I had known him, his lips fell on mine and we shared a steamy kiss in a frat house.

My head moved in sync with his as we both deepened the kiss. My tongue tentatively made its way into his mouth; he caressed it softly with his while sampling every part that was available. After the need for air arose, I pulled back and stared at his flushed cheeks.

"Bella, I'm not sure what just happened," he said to me over the music. I looked at him and could tell he was being honest. As for what happened, his guess was as good as mine.

"I'm not sure either. Maybe we should just leave and call it a night."

Mike quickly agreed. As we left, I ever so expectantly bumped into a man that must have been the Hulk in another life. I tried to apologize, but he smiled and waved me off. The dimples in his cheeks threw me. I would never expect such a big guy to look so sweet, but one could never tell a book by its cover.

When we finally got outside, I was tempted to look up into the night sky like always. It was alive with millions of stars that shined down on me from the heavens. I sighed from the beauty of the night and grabbed Mike's hand. We walked back to my dorm room. I was lucky to have a single suite. I didn't mind sharing, but I did enjoy my privacy.

We finally got to my room without either of us saying a word. The silence wasn't awkward as I would have thought, and his hand felt rather comfortable in mine.

"Well, Bella, I think I'm going to head to my room. You must be tired. I'm sorry for dragging you to that horrible party; I just thought it'd be different. I hope you aren't too mad at me. I will make it up to you. If you want to go out to dinner or do something –"

He was cut off in the middle of his statement by my mouth on his. I didn't understand my bravado. I was never aggressive, but tonight I seemed to be throwing all of usual self out the window.

After coming out of his stupor, he started to return my kiss. Our tongues battled for supremacy as our lips continued their assault on the others. My hands made their way to his arms, and I pulled him into my room, slamming the door with my foot. The sound of the door reached my ears and continued to echo. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew I wanted it to keep going.

Mike pulled his mouth from mine. I was able to breathe but only for a second. He kissed my neck while running his wet tongue to the curve of where my collarbone started. My lungs and body were on fire and again I knew I wanted to go further. I lifted his shirt before running my hands down his firm back. His skin was warm, his muscles flexed as I scratched my way to the top of his shoulders. I exhaled loudly when he bit down and sucked my skin into his mouth. I moved my head to give him better access, closing my eyes at the pure pleasure that was making its way through my body.

All of a sudden the fire stopped and nothing happened. I opened my eyes to find his baby blues filled with doubt. I didn't understand. Had I done something wrong? I'd never been this far with someone and had no idea if what I was doing was right, or even a turn on.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked, looking at the ground. I couldn't stand to see the disappointment in his eyes. He placed his fingers under my chin and forced me to look at him.

"You did nothing wrong, in fact, you were amazing. I was just wondering if we are moving too fast. I would never want to do anything, Bella, that would ruin our friendship. It's why I never did anything after our first kiss. I didn't think you were ready, and you're far too special to me. You also had a lot to drink tonight. I'm not sure if you really want this or if the alcohol does. Please don't get mad at my words, but I just want to protect you, Bella."

I loved Mike. He was an incredible friend, always wanting the best for me. I had wondered why nothing happened before, and he was right in his assumption. I wasn't ready then. I must've also been the only Fourth-yea- college-student virgin on campus. I didn't understand why I wasn't like other girls in seeking out male companionship, but I was never inspired to. I never had a need to want for a physical relationship. That was until tonight. When Mike was touching me, I felt so light, ready to float to the stars. He was gentle yet skillful at the same time. I thought since we had been such good friends for five years there would be no spark or romantic chemistry between us, but I was wrong, and happy to be so. My body seemed to call for his, and I wanted his hands on me. I wanted his lips on mine, doing wicked things to my overheated skin. Just thinking of what I wanted his tongue to do made me blush.

"I'm not mad, M. I am, however, touched at your concern, but there is no reason to be. I may have drunk a lot, but this is me, your friend Bella talking. I'm not sure what is happening with us, but I know that I want you tonight. When you touched me I felt so hot. My body didn't want to stop," I said and could feel the heat race to my cheeks again. "For the first time that I can remember, I want someone and that someone is you. Please, Mike, you said you wanted to make it up to me. Now, here, is your opportunity. I want you. There is no need to feel you are taking advantage. I'm giving you permission. We're mature enough to keep our friendship grounded, so no need for worry. Take me, Mike. Take me here and now!" I demanded of him.

His baby blues turned midnight and the hunger in them almost stole my breath. He crushed his lips on my and I returned the kiss with as much heat.

He slowly walked me backwards until my knees hit my bed. I slowly sank onto the mattress and pulled him down with me. He lay on top of me as I ran my fingers up and down his defined back. My body was burning, and I instinctively raised my lower body to his. The friction between us was amazing and felt so hot and right.

. .

Our love making was slow and steady. And, when we loved on each other to completion we snuggled into the night. When the light of dawn broke into my room, we fell asleep holding each other.

The next day I woke up to find Mike gone again. I stated to panic at the thought that he regretted what happened, I just couldn't lose my friend. When I started to calm, I could hear the water from the shower and knew he wasn't far. He finally came out of the bathroom and we faced each other with shy smiles and soft words. He placed a small kiss on my lips, wishing me a good morning. He kissed my hand and helped me off the bed. After I took my shower, we left and ate breakfast at a small place we like to frequent.

Over pancakes and orange juice we held hands, speaking soft words of what had happened the night before. We each realized we were adults, and if in the future, we found ourselves not feeling the same as the other, than we'd handle it with maturity.

We hardly took our eyes off each other. This was a new aspect to our relationship; we were both living in the glow of new feelings.

As the months passed, so did our relationship. We became stronger friends, but even stronger lovers in regards to our relationship. Mike and I were respectful toward each other, but we also had fun. We loved freely and without restraint. The beginning of our relationship was fun, filled with wonderful memories: a picnic in the fall leaves that he had raked into a pile, hikes in the woods (okay with some injuries) and later sitting on a stump or the ground wrapped in a blanket together, drinking hot chocolate he brought with him. We ate at fancy restaurants, and he even attempted to cook me dinner. Dried chicken and crunchy mashed potatoes made memories that I would never forget, or would never want to.

Our relationship was beautiful, and I loved every minute of it. Mike was wonderful, attentive and so loving. There was nothing he wouldn't do for me, and I appreciated the man he was. We had been dating for five months when our relationship was first tested. We had one of those moments that either makes or breaks a relationship.

There was someone else.

Author's Note: There you have the second part of her story. I know I was horrible with the ending, but what is life without a little intrigue and mystery? I know I'm a beast. :*)

I promise the next chapter won't take too long to post. I've been busy this week so I really only had time to do this much. I'm still backed up with my writing, not to mention everything else that is going on. The next chapter will be up the beginning of next week, so please don't be too displeased.

Also please let me know what you thought (bad, good, mediocre, never attempt to write a lemon again . . . LOL). Everything is always appreciated.

Again I hope all is well with everyone, and always, much love to all.

Posted: Friday, 30 July 2010

Edited and Rewritten: Monday, 23 January 2012

*Note: I tried to find all the mistakes, but even I continue to miss some. If you happen to find any and wish to tell me, please PM me. Thanks in advance!