Atuthor's Note:

Well, no reviews (sadness!) but a few of you added me to alert lists so I had a "They really like me!" moment and got to work writing some more. I have some good news! Tomorrow is a holiday so hopefully I'll have another update tomorrow night!

And now: here we go! Back to the story!

All characters belong to... not me.

We got to our favorite Irish pub, Doolin's and parked in the small but nearly packed lot out front and pulled into one of the few spots left. I released my seat belt, took a deep breath and opened the door. I let Alice out and stared, wide-eyed at the bar.

"Bella, it won't bite you," Alice comforted and looped her mine in mine. She led me toward the bar as Rosalie joined our chain. I wasn't quite sure if it was meant to be a kind gesture or to keep me from running away.

One way or another, they got me to go into the bar. It was more crowded than usual, or maybe it was just that I hadn't been in a while. A DJ in the back corner was setting up a karaoke booth and as I looked around the room, I started to recognize most of the faces. My friends had really come through for me, getting more people than I'd realized that I missed to come out to see me.

"Bella!" A booming voice yelled from the far end of the bar. "Ed! Look, it's Bella!"

"Yeah, Em, Bella's here. She's the reason we all came," Edward explained to our enthusiastic friend.

I had known Edward since the beginning of High School. We were friends from the beginning and I'd had a huge crush on him. He had graduated a couple of years earlier than me and during my Junior year, he came back from the Marine Corps to recruit at our school and he and I became inseparable the whole time. This spurred a yearlong romance where I was very proud of my Marine. But then, it came to an end because I had issues and he was starting out as a Marine and the two didn't mix well. We stayed friends throughout my college experience and when he was stateside, we hung out a lot together because he was stationed in Camp Pendleton and I was at San Diego State University. A few months into my second semester and when Edward had been a Marine for a couple of years, he met Tanya and eight months later, they got married. They would have been separated because Tanya was in the Navy and somehow it made sense in their heads. After they got married, Edward and I only hung out when she was busy with work or with friends. She wasn't a big fan of me. Tanya was convinced that I wanted to get back together with Edward.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a giant bear hug from Emmet.

"Bella! We missed you!" he boomed, swinging me from side to side before setting me down. "You want a beer? You look like you need a beer." He left me to run over to the bar and order a beer for me.

Edward was next. He strolled over from his spot at the bar, hands in pockets, smiling sheepishly. "Glad you came out. I know it's been rough," he hugged me slightly awkwardly and looked over his shoulder to see Tanya coming out of the bathroom glaring at us. "Tanya missed you too."

I smiled softly, "I can tell."

Edward was about six feet tall and thin but he had muscles, thanks to the United States Marine Corps. He traded his formerly long hair for a regulation-short buzz cut but it was the same shocking copper color as ever. Underneath that shocking hair, was the deepest, most intense green eyes you've ever seen. He had a perfect nose and lips that I was sorry to say weren't mine to kiss anymore and a jaw that was squared and defined and strong and currently shaded by a thin layer of stubble. He never shaved if he wasn't working.

Emmet returned with a Blue Moon and handed it to me. "Drink up!"

I lifted the beer to him in a silent "cheers" before taking a long pull from it.

Tanya came over to our little huddle. "Hey, Bella. You over whatever happened last year yet?"

My eyes grew as big as saucers. Emmet looked at her like he was terrified of her, which was slightly funny considering his size. Edward's mouth dropped open before he murmured something into her ear behind her strawberry blonde hair.

"I am!" she exclaimed. "I'm asking about her well-being." She smiled a sickly smile at me. "Really, Bella, how are you doing?"

I sipped my beer again. "Uh, I'm doing a lot better," I mumbled.

"Glad to hear it," she turned and smiled up to Edward, almost to say "See? I can be nice. And then I'll stab the bitch."

"Bella!" Rosalie called from across the room.

Emmet gently pushed me over to her, but I turned my head in time to see Edward shake his head and pull Tanya outside of the bar.

"What is that bitch's problem?" Rosalie asked and took a long sip of her beer.

Emmet jumped in before I could answer. "Does it matter? She always has a stick up her ass."

I laughed, slightly surprised by his response.

Emmet was originally Edward's friend. By some twist of fate, the two of them managed to stay together all the way from boot camp through their stay in San Diego. He had joked around, saying I was his favorite ex of Edward's (something that we had to remind him constantly about: I was Edward's only ex since he had joined the Marines) and wondering when it was his turn to have a round with me. But then we all got together one night and he met Rosalie and had goo-goo eyes for her ever since. And they were so awkwardly perfect for each other.

She had the perfect cheerleader appearance and he had the look of the Quarterback. He was six-foot-three, all muscles, kind of like a nice Gaston. He had curly dark hair and twinkling bright blue eyes. His smile was infectious and it always made you feel like you were in on a joke that no one else knew about. He was like everyone's big brother. Well, I guess not like Rosalie's. That would be weird. Emmet was a protective type of friend that wouldn't ever let anything happen to you.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Alice said from behind us. "I think it's time for a little celebratory shot!" She set a small tray full of shot glasses filled with clear liquid on the tall bar table. "Patron for my girl who is back in action!" She passed everyone glasses. "Where did Edward go? Dammit! Did Tanya drag him out again?"

"Screw them!" Rosalie yelled over the noise. "This is about Bella and her getting back on the horse!" She looked around her for something and grabbed a random guy. "Hi! Are you single?" She asked him.

He shook his head slowly staring at her chest.

"Alright, buh-bye then," she told him and pushed him away before grabbing another random guy. "Are you single?" she asked again.

He grinned and nodded. "I'm Mike," he said, putting out his hand for her to shake.

"I'm Rosalie," she said, not shaking his hand, only putting the extra shot in it. "This is Bella, she's newly single," she introduced us.

I smiled awkwardly. He grinned back and threw his arm around me. I was kind of afraid he was going to eat me.

Rosalie raised her small glass and was suddenly very serious. "I would like to make a toast to my best friend Bella…" she grinned impishly at me. "And her newly open-for-business vagina!"

I blushed brightly as everyone, including myself raised their glasses and took their shots. As the liquid heat poured down my throat, I thought about how things might change. This was a new leaf and if I could just get this Mike guy away from me, things might be alright.

Author's note (again):

Well, whaddya think? Reviews would be awesome! Any thoughts that you have to share would be great!