Disclaimer: Once again I don't own any of the characters from the series. Also I haven't been using a beta so all errors are mine. I'll be more realistic. I'll probably post Chapter 3 when I get 15 or 20 reviews. I still need to get back to writing this story!

Chapter 2 – When Three Stars Align

New Moon Lounge, Sunday in April

Rosalie wasn't sure why she went to New Moon Lounge this particular Sunday night, but a lot of her friends had only good comments about the place. It was almost eight when she approached the bar. She briefly glanced around when she heard a deep voice in front of her. "Can I get you anything, Miss?"

Rosalie barely hid her surprise as she saw a large, muscular bartender in front of her. He had dark, curly hair and a broad smile as he waited for her to answer. "Oh… uh… I guess I'll have Sex on the Beach?" Her cheeks started to reddened at that. She prided herself on her ease and elegance, but this burly bartender made her sound like nervous wreck.

The bartender smirked at that. "No problem," he replied with an amused tone.

The bartender quickly mixed her drink and returned to her with it. He wore a clean, button-up shirt and a charcoal gray vest that practically strained against his muscular build. He had a confident grin as he gently placed the drink in front of her. "Here's your Sex on the Beach."

Rosalie couldn't help but smile flirtatiously as she sipped her drink. "It tastes wonderful." Rosalie handed him a ten dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks," the bartender said with a smile and a nod.

She accepted the drink and mentally shook her head at herself. Somehow a total stranger almost made her blush. Not just any stranger, she pointed out to herself. Rosalie never considered herself a snob, but how could she do something so typical like flirting with a bartender? The only thing more cliché would be if he was a waiter. Rosalie casually observed the restaurant briefly before turning back to the bartender. She wasn't going to deny the man was beyond attractive. She wasn't short, but the bartender actually made her feel very delicate and small in comparison.

New Moon's dining area was only half full with patrons chatting amicably with each other. The noise was more of a gentle hum, while the ambient music wasn't blasting loudly, but loud enough to be heard and set the relaxing mood of the place. Rosalie could understand the excitement and reputation this place garnered. She mentally sighed that she didn't come to this place sooner, but perhaps it was best she never ate here with Royce. Those memories would have tainted the pleasure she felt being in this place.

Rosalie sipped her drink and watched her burly bartender work when she saw a couple approach the bar out of the corner of her eye. They sat just three stools away from her.

The tall blond man smiled at the bartender and held a hand out for a handshake. "Emmett! Glad to catch you on your shift tonight!"

The bartender, or Emmett as Rosalie now knew his name as, shook the blond man's hand. "Hey, Jasper! Didn't know you were on a date tonight!" he said with a wink.

The brunette with Jasper blushed at Emmett's words.

Jasper chuckled, "Nah, she's not a date. Actually, you remember that place in Queens we used to eat at? You know the place with the lasagna?"

Emmett had a broad, boyish grin. "Sure do! It's the best lasagna in the world!"

"This is Isabella Swan, Marie's granddaughter." Jasper turned to the girl named Isabella. "This is one of my oldest friends, Emmet McCarty.

Emmett sobered a bit and shook her hand. "Hey there, Isabella. I'm sorry for your loss. Marie's Cafe had the best lasagna in the world. And well, Marie was a great lady. Like my third grandmother she was."

Bella nodded with a tender smile. "Please, call me Bella," she said as she shook hands with Emmett.

Rosalie finished her drink and she cleared her throat. "Um… Emmett, isn't it?" she called to Emmett.

Emmett glanced over to her and a smile spread as he walked to her. "Sure is! A refill or something different this time?"

Rosalie smiled at him. "Refill please."

Emmett grinned and went off to make her a second drink. Jasper and Bella had watched the interaction. After a few seconds of studying Rosalie, Jasper's face lit up in recognition and said, "Say… aren't you Rosalie Hale?"

Rosalie blinked and then arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Yes? Do I know you?"

Jasper smiled, "Actually yes. I'm Jasper Whitlock from Peyton, Featherstone, and Associates."

Rosalie's eyes lit up in recognition as well and smiled. "Oh! That's right! You're Mr. Peyton's nephew. God, it's been a few years since I've seen you. It was at your cousin, Leandra's wedding, wasn't it?"

Archibald Peyton was not only an old college friend of Rosalie's father, but he ran a prestigious law firm. Rosalie recalled attending a wedding eight years earlier for Mr. Peyton's daughter. She then remembered flirting briefly with the bride's charming cousin, who was drafted into being an usher at the wedding.

Jasper chuckled. "Well it's been too long. Funny coincidence we happen to meet at New Moon."

Rosalie had to admit to herself that her decision to get a drink at the New Moon Lounge was the best spontaneous decision she ever made. Rosalie had been enjoying a bubble bath and decided to light some candles. She couldn't find any in the bathroom cabinets, so she went to her parents' bedroom. She knew her mother kept some extra toiletries in her closet. She found an unlabelled box that had thin, blue candles. Rosalie just grabbed one and lit it before stepping into the bubble bath. It wasn't long before Rosalie was inspired to go to New Moon Lounge, the place she kept hearing rave reviews from friends at school.

"It really is," Rosalie said with a smile.

A man in a suit approached Rosalie. "Pardon me, Miss Hale. A table is now available for you."

Rosalie turned to Jasper. "Would you and your guest care to join me?" Rosalie turned to the maître d'hôtel and asked, "How many can sit at the table?"

"It accommodates four if the gentleman and other young lady would like to join you," he replied with a pleasant smile.

Jasper turned to Bella. Bella smiled and offered a small nod. Jasper turned back to Rosalie and the maitre d'. "That's fine with us."

They were quickly led to a table within sight of the bar. As they began to sit down, Jasper chuckled. "I'm sorry I never properly introduced you. Rosalie, this is my client and new friend Isabella Swan. Bella? This is Rosalie. Her father and my Uncle Archie are old college friends."

Bella smiled at Rosalie. "Hi, it's nice to meet you Rosalie."

Dinner was a wonderful flow of conversation. Jasper and Rosalie told the amusing story about how they met and flirted at Leandra Peyton's wedding. Bella explained how she met Jasper, including the old house she inherited from her grandmother.

"So what will you do with all that extra room at your grandmother's house?" asked Rosalie.

Bella finished one last spoon of the raspberry sorbet she ordered. "I was thinking about getting a roommate or two even. The idea of selling the house is just unthinkable. Generations of my family have lived in the house and I couldn't imagine giving it up. Besides, the house actually has four bedrooms. So I have plenty of sleeping space for roommates."

Rosalie's heart began beating faster in excitement. The longer she stayed at the place, the more brilliant her decision to come here tonight seemed to be. This was it! Rosalie grinned widely at Bella. "I think I've found you a roommate."

Alice and Jessica got to New Moon Lounge at 8:15. They were fortunate and a small table for two was freed. "Isn't this a fabulous restaurant? I can't believe how lucky we are that we could get a table so quickly," Jessica said with chipper excitement.

Alice nodded as she admired the lounge's décor. It had a very futuristic feel, yet somehow melded so much of nature into the design. New Moon used shades of white, blue, and black to give the restaurant an aura of mystery and serenity. Alice enjoyed the trickling of the small water wall on the opposite wall from their table. Alice turned to Jessica, "This really is a wonderful place. Do you know anything more about the restaurant?"

Jessica nodded. "I heard the owner is the Esme Cullen!"

Alice's eyes widened. Anyone who knew anything about fashion and modern design had heard of Esme Cullen. She was famous for her keen eye. She was also highly sought after and had a very exclusive clientele. Anyone that had her as their interior designer was part of New York society. "Wow, that explains how amazing this design is," Alice replied with awe.

Jessica smiled as a blond waiter approached. "Don't forget the staff here is really hot!" she said with an excited whisper.

"Evening ladies! I'm your waiter, Mike. Can I get you a drink?" Mike wore a white button-up shirt with a black vest that had light, gray swirls.

Jessica turned to Alice. "Want something?"

"I think I'll get a Cosmo," Alice replied before examining the menu.

Jessica turned to Mike with a flirtatious smile. "Two Cosmos, please."

Mike nodded, "I'll take your orders when I bring your drinks?"

Alice nodded, "That sounds like enough time."

The two roommates focused on their menus. Alice and Jessica had a good long conversation while their meals and drinks came and went. Alice got up and headed to the bathroom. She stopped in front of a sink to wash her hands and noticed a blond and a brunette chatting as they inspected themselves in the mirrors.

"What a weird coincidence! So wait that means what? That we're cousins or something?" the brunette girl said with surprise.

The blond girl nodded happily. "Yeah I almost didn't make the connection until you said your grandmother's maiden name was Anderson. Then I remembered my maternal grandmother was Lillian Anderson and she had a sister named Marie Louise."

The brunette shook her head with a smile. "How totally crazy a coincidence this all is! Although…" she said with a slight frown. "You know I think Granny mentioned another sister. I mean my grandmother was the youngest and talked about having two older sisters: Lillian and Alicia."

Alice's eyes widened and she gasped, "Alicia Anderson?" The other two women turned towards her with surprise at her outburst.

The blond arched an eyebrow. "What about her?"

Alice blushed. "I'm sorry about eavesdropping, but I had a grandmother named Alicia Anderson. She mentioned she had two sisters and I knew she lived up here in New York."

All three women stared at each other in shock. "This is just… wow," was the only thing the brunette could say.

Alice stuck her hand out with a wide grin. "I'm Alice Brandon. Well… it's really Mary Alice, but well you can see why I prefer just Alice," she replied sheepishly.

"I'm Rosalie Hale," Rosalie shook Alice's hand with an amused grin.

"And I'm Bella Swan," Bella shook Alice's hand.

The three girls quickly grinned and started giggling. It really was too bizarre a coincidence that three women in a restaurant would be long lost relatives. The whole idea was too ludicrous, but here it was. Alice spoke first. "You know I got this feeling that I should come here tonight with my roommate."

Rosalie stared at Alice curiously. "You had a feeling? That's kind of odd."

Alice actually blushed a little bit. "Well it's just that… oh this is totally embarrassing." Alice took a deep breath. "Ever since I was a little kid I always had this strong feeling about stuff. Like I'd get a feeling I should go somewhere at a certain time and then something happens. The feelings are particularly strong after I've meditated using these special candles my Grammy Alicia Carter taught me."

Bella gasped and her eyes widened. "You meditate with special candles too?" Bella was amazed there was someone else that did the same ritual she did.

Rosalie furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you two talking about?"

Bella and Alice turned to Rosalie. "I guess it must be an Anderson family thing if both of our grandmothers taught us about the meditating and candles. Didn't yours ever do teach you?" wondered Bella.

Rosalie frowned as she considered Bella's question. Lillian Montgomery nee Anderson was her maternal grandmother and. Rosalie didn't remember ever seeing her grandmother very often. Grandmother Lily and Rosalie's father didn't always get along and generally avoided each when it wasn't necessary. She never understood why that was, but she never gave it much thought. Lillian lived on Long Island and then moved to Queens in her family's house. In the last few years of her life, Lily lived in the house almost alone except with one of her sisters. Now Rosalie realized that it must have been with Bella's grandmother. "Grandmother Lillian didn't really teach me a whole lot. I hardly ever saw her. Just the occasional afternoon visit with my parents."

Alice frowned, "If Lillian was anything like Grammy, then she probably had a lot of stuff to teach you. Oh! I'm sorry if I said anything wrong." Alice noticed Rosalie's frown.

Rosalie shook her head. "It's just this conversation made me realize there was a half of my family that I knew nothing about. It seems that maybe this is a sign, an opportunity to find more about her."

Alice giggled. "It's funny I feel the same way. I mean the part about waiting for a sign. I was meditating and I got a little hint that I should come here tonight. Maybe that's what it meant; that I was supposed to meet you two and find a connection with you two."

Bella turned to Rosalie. "We should head back. Jasper probably thinks we ditched him or something by now."

Alice's eyes widened. "I was here with my roommate, Jessica! Can the two of us join you?"

Bella nodded with a grin. "Most definitely… Cousin Alice."

Alice giggled as she went into a stall. Something truly exciting was going to happen. Alice could feel it in her bones.

While Bella and Rosalie were in the ladies' room, Jasper patiently sat at their table. It wasn't long when Emmett joined him.

"Man, that blond girl is hot," he said with a chuckle.

Jasper rolled his eyes. Emmett was a good guy, but he loved girls and had no trouble flirting with any woman in his vicinity. He did have the decency to make sure they didn't have wedding rings or appear to be with another guy. Emmett was a strict follower of the "No hitting on another dude's girl" rule. "If you want I could introduce you to Rosalie. She's not seeing anyone as far as I'm aware of." Jasper had to admit that Rosalie Hale was the kind of girl Emmett would go for.

Emmett became more serious than he normally would be. "You think she'd go for a guy like me?"

Jasper furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Emmett? You've never had trouble trying to pick up women before." It was pretty odd to Jasper that Emmett McCarty could be worried about his success at getting a date.

Emmett shook his head. "It's obvious to me that Rosalie... she's just plain out of my league man! Not only is she a smoking hot babe, but she could probably spend more shopping in a couple hours than I can earn in two weeks. I'm just a barely middle-class guy who's still trying to make ends meet." Emmett was part of a large, working class family and was proud of it.

Jasper frowned at his friend's words. "Believe it or not, you're the kind of guy Rosalie needs. In spite of her glamorous exterior, she's actually a lot nicer and kind-hearted than you'd expect. Besides, it doesn't hurt just to talk to her. I mean you're only trying to get a date not marriage."

Emmett considered Jasper's words before a familiar grin reappeared. "I'll give it a shot." Emmett paused a moment before asking, "Ever wonder why the heck girls always go to the bathroom together?"

Jasper chuckled. "Apparently it's so they can talk about guys, but they can't wait later to do it."

Emmett smirked. "So you're really not seeing Bella?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Bella's a nice girl, but quite frankly she's not really my type. We're too similar to really be a couple."

Emmett smiled. "You're almost as bad as Edward. You two don't check out girls."

Jasper drank more of the mojito that Emmett offered him when he came over to the table. "Just because we aren't serial daters like you, it doesn't mean we aren't looking. Though… I have to admit, Bella might the kind of girl Edward would be into," added with a chuckle.

Emmett savored the scotch he poured for himself. Emmett was allowed to have one drink on the house, but he couldn't drink anything more during his work shift. Jasper's drink was already paid for. Emmett frowned slightly. "You're over Maria, right?"

Jasper narrowed his eyes. "Considering I'm the one who dumped her..." Maria Sandoval was still a sore subject for Jasper even a year later.

Emmett nodded approvingly. "There are women that are better than that bitch. You can bet on that." Emmett finished off his scotch. "Oh yeah, speaking of Edward, he's up for poker night on next Friday. You still on for it?"

"Yeah, sure thing. Who else is coming?"

"Well Ben Chaney is hosting it at his place. Angela will be there making homemade pizza and lasagna," Emmett said eagerly. He was practically drooling at the thought.

Jasper chuckled. "Yes we know how much your true love is stomach, Emmett. Anyone else?"

"Well Edward said Carlisle would come since he's off duty, but he might take off if he gets paged. Mike and Tyler are also coming. Some of the guys at the garage said they'll drop by after the close shop. It's a total BYOB poker night," Emmett answered with a chuckle.

Jasper snorted slightly. "Are we doing a poker tournament or something? I feel bad for Angela. There's going to be at least 12 guys at the apartment emptying her fridge."

Emmett had a wide grin. "Ben said that Angela was going to ask a couple girlfriends over to help. If we're lucky, they'll be single."

Jasper was about to reply when he noticed Rosalie and Bella approaching. "Glad to know that I wasn't left with the check, ladies."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever! Besides Bella and I had a funny run in when we were in the ladies' room."

Jasper arched an eyebrow. "Really? What happened?"

Rosalie glanced over at Emmett. "Didn't realize you were going to join us."

Emmett smirked at Rosalie. "Jasper and I go way back. I couldn't help joining him on my break, especially when he has two beautiful women sitting at his table."

Jasper turned to Bella when it was pretty clear that Emmett was going to flirt with Rosalie. "So what happened in the ladies' room?"

Bella smiled. "Well Rosalie and I were talking about the funny coincidence that our grandmothers were sisters. This woman walked in just when we were talking about how there was a third sister. Turns out that this woman is our Aunt Alicia's granddaughter!"

Jasper's eyes widened slightly. "Wow that really is a strange coincidence. I mean really what are the odds that you'd wind up meeting two total strangers and find out you're related to them. I mean second cousins aren't terribly distant from each other."

"Actually, we invited her to come over to our table. She's here with her roommate," added Bella.

Emmett turned to Bella. "Really? More girls at the table!" he said with a teasing grin.

Rosalie glared at Emmett. "You are being a total pig."

Emmett smiled sheepishly at Rosalie. "What can I say? I'm a guy who enjoys beautiful company."

Rosalie wasn't sure if she should grin at the indirect compliment or roll her eyes at him.

Alice and a girl with wild, dark, curly hair approached the table. Alice's eyes sparkled as she glanced over and saw Jasper. Her eyes were half-lidded and her smile widened. "Hi Bella and Rosalie! This is my roommate, Jessica Stanley."

Bella nodded and shook Jessica's hand. "Hi Jessica, it's nice to meet you."

Rosalie smiled politely and shook hands as well. "It is nice to meet you. An odd coincidence that we are at the same restaurant and then it turns out we're related to Alice."

Jessica laughed. "It really is a night of surprises. It's nice to see Alice has family here after all."

Alice narrowed her eyes slightly at Jessica before showing a more friendly expression. "So I see I haven't met everyone here."

Jasper couldn't stop looking at the petite girl who stood only an arm's reach from him. He glanced at the friendly, pixie-like woman. Her short, dark hair was cut in choppy locks that emphasized her delicate appearance. She had large inviting eyes that had smoky eye shadow, creating an otherworldly aura about her. He quickly glanced at Rosalie, who had an amused smirk on her face.

Rosalie turned to Alice. "Well you already know Bella. This big lug is Emmett McCarty. He works the bar here."

Emmett offered his paw of a hand out to the much smaller Alice Brandon. "Hey, how are ya?" he asked conversationally.

Alice had a chipper grin. "Nice to meet you, Emmett!"

Rosalie smiled and glanced at Jasper again. "And the other guy who looks like my long lost twin brother is Jasper Whitlock." It had been a little funny how they had a resemblance to each other, but as far as they knew they had no mutual relatives.

Jasper grasped the hand Alice offered him and kissed her hand. "Hello, Alice," he said with a slight drawl.

Alice blushed at the gesture. "That's sweet of you, Jasper," she said with a hint of her Mississippi accent.

Emmett chuckled as he placed two chairs at the table. "That's good ol' Jasper for you, offering ladies some Texas charm."

Alice and Jessica sat down in the chairs. "So Alice told me that the three of you are cousins?" Jessica asked before finishing her white wine.

Bella nodded. "Apparently our grandmothers were sisters, which would make the three of us second cousins. Jasper handled my Gran Marie's will, which is how we met and became friends. My Gran Marie left me this old house in Queens that her family, the Andersons, have owned since the mid-1800's. I lived in the house ever since I graduated from NYU last year since I was going to need my own place after school ended. Gran was nice enough to let me live with her."

Jessica thought a moment. "That's really generous. How big is the house?"

"Surprisingly there are four bedrooms in the house. I've been sleeping in my Gran's old bedroom from her childhood and she slept in the master bedroom."

Jessica was shocked. "What a large house! You could easily sell it for a lot of money I'm sure, even in this economy."

Alice frowned. Jessica meant well, but she was pretty shallow and couldn't imagine someone doing something that wouldn't advance their own interests. Alice couldn't help but watch Bella waiting for her answer. The house Bella inherited from Marie Anderson Higginbottam was the last connection to Grammy Carter.

Bella shook her head. "There was never any consideration of doing that. The Anderson family has lived there since the 1800's. Gran told me the Andersons got the land when James Anderson married Marta DeVries and inherited the land from her father. The DeVries family owned the land since the original Dutch colony. I can't imagine the house leaving family hands."

Rosalie managed to hide her surprise. It seems there was a lot more to her Grandmother Lillian's family than she thought there would be. "I'm impressed with your dedication, Bella. If anything I don't think I've appreciated something as much as what you're doing before."

Alice looked at Rosalie curiously. "Why's that, Rosalie?"

"Well Bella is looking for roommates since the house has extra bedrooms. As it turns out, I need a change of scenery so to speak. So I asked her if I could move in. If things work out, I'll be moving in within a couple weeks. Sound fair to you Bella?" Rosalie asked happily.

Jessica glanced at Alice for a moment as she took in the talk about roommates and moving places. "So if you're looking for roommates, how much rent are you charging? I'm sure it must be expensive maintaining the house, paying bills, taxes, and mortgage payments by yourself."

Jasper cleared his throat. "Well actually, there is no mortgage. The house and the property have belonged to members of the Anderson family for so long that the only mortgages ever issued were paid off decades ago. Actually, it really is just utility bills, maintenance, and the real estate taxes Bella has to worry about. I should add that there is an old bank account that was set up as an emergency repair fund."

Bella nodded. "I was never really thinking about making a profit off my roommates. I figure splitting up the expenses in half or thirds would be fair. Also we'd share chores and stuff." Bella hadn't really thought about making extra money from the rent, even though she could. She wasn't in truly dire straits financially speaking.

Jessica cleared her throat as she glanced at Alice out of the corner of her eye. "You know Alice you've wanted to start your own boutique and clothing line for ages. If you became Bella's other roommate, you'd have fewer living expenses and you'd have more money saved up for your dream."

This wasn't something Alice could deny. Bella was a really nice girl and they could easily work out something that would allow her save up money. The rent she was currently paying with Jessica didn't leave a lot. "You… you really think I should?" Alice asked quietly.

Jessica offered Alice a warm, sincere smile. "There are opportunities that come into your life to fulfill a dream. You have to grab it and just run with it. So you should take it when you see it, Alice. Besides, I won't be without a roommate for long. There are a couple other girls at work that are looking for a place to live."

Alice smiled gratefully and took Jessica's a hand for a moment before she let go and turned to Bella. "If you are still looking for a roommate, I'd like to be one."

James Hunter quietly looked at the screen of his laptop in the modest apartment he was sharing with his lover, Victoria. They were calmly waiting for the newest information from their informant. It was a rare opportunity to do a "scout and acquisition" mission. James casually checked his messages as he savored the cappuccino he made.

Victoria emerged from their bedroom in a black, silk negligee. She casually strolled to her lover as he sat at the kitchen table. She draped her arms over his shoulders before feathering kisses on top of his head. "Anything important, baby?"

James smirked as he drew patterns on her right arm. "Not much, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We've managed to keep ourselves out the Volturi's notice."

Victoria shuddered at the mention of the Volturi. "Don't remind me about those bastards."

James closed his laptop and stood up. "Don't worry. We'll be ready if any of them get near. We'll have everything we need." James stared at the light switch in the kitchen. He held out his hand and flexed the tips of his fingers. Eventually the light switch lower and turned off the lights. "Damn it," James growled.

Victoria frowned. "Your powers are weakening. That one wasn't as strong as we'd hope for. Only two years and the power is fading."

James led her to their bedroom. "Don't worry, we'll find more witches. They'll have to be stronger ones. Then we'll have power permanently."

Victoria frowned. "It'll have to be soon. That boost is dying down."

James glared at that. "With or without getting extra power, I'm more than capable of handling things. I'll just have to find some small fries to take of things for now. You worry too much." James smirked. "Worry your pretty head on other things."

Victoria stepped inside their bedroom. James followed and shut the door behind him.

AN: Editted & Posted – December 29, 2012