Disclaimer: S. Myer owns all, but what I wouldn't give for a Jasper of my very own-sigh.

A/N-My apologies for the delay, this chapter was a bitch for me to write, and I worked on L&F pianoward outtake before this chapter. Speaking of, there is a slash outtake moment in this chapter, extra hugs to those that can tell what the next L&F outtake will be!

That being said, this chapter contains underage drinking, if that offends you, move along. They are college now, and there shall be drinking.

Also, I am not familiar with the UW campus other than what their website can provide, and thus I have taken some creative liberties with classes, buildings, and frat house locations. My apologies for those that are familiar with the campus for the complete screwing up of it that most certainly occurs within this chapter.

I am also uncertain of Emmett's home town, but Gatlinburg is what I was told.

Lastly, I know absolutely nothing about music, well, playing it anyway. I am the most unmusical person ever, so all the musical references (other than songs) I have completely guessed at.

C Me Smile- thank you, for everything-you're truly amazing. Thank God for BBM service to keep in touch with!

Huge hugs and thanks to Dannie for the encouragement, laughs, and very late night phone calls. Her love for my Edward never ceases to amaze me.

To those that have read, thank you! I appreciate it very much.

"**~~**"

New Life

Location: Seattle, WA (Adjustment)

"**~~**"

"It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good" ~ Muse

"**~~**"

The drizzle fell steadily, and with a heavy sigh, I pulled the collar of my coat up as I exited Smith Hall on my way to meet Bella and Edward at the Allen library for a quick study session before my next class. I thought it rained a lot in Forks, but the Seattle weather was nothing but miserable torture on my sun-birthed soul. More than once after trudging through rain, I briefly rethought my decision of turning down the UT offer. Instead of being in jeans and a pea coat avoiding puddles, I could have been in shorts and a tee shirt walking in the dry heat.

We were four weeks into our freshman year and, so far, things were going well. Edward, Bella and I had settled into our house comfortably, and had already fallen into an easy routine. Edward was always the first one up, starting the coffee, letting the scent waft up the stairs, coaxing Bella and I from our sleepy states. By the time we stumbled down the stairs rubbing the sleep from our eyes, Edward usually had some sort of breakfast prepared; even something as simple as a toasted bagel was appreciated. We were usually on our own for lunch, either picking up something on campus, or making something easy at the house. Most nights, Bella or Edward fixed dinner, at first sticking to their schedule they had planned before we moved here, but it wasn't long before I would find them both in the kitchen, debating over the proper way to make crème brulee.

Whatever the hell that was.

Our nightly dinners were when we reconnected, catching up, or bitching about our classes. Missing their company during the day, I treasured our nights together more and more. Whether it was hanging out in our kitchen munching on grilled cheese, or studying in the living room together, the time we were all together was my favorite time of the day.

For the most part, I enjoyed my classes, although I could have done without my calculus class, math never having been my strong subject. However, the cute co-ed that set next to me smelling like coconut every day made the class a bit more bearable. And when she leaned over my chair to ask me a question, her auburn hair would fall down around us like a curtain, and I found myself easily returning her friendly smile.

I realized I kind of liked the smell of coconut.

Edward's course load was a bit heavier than mine or Bella's, but he seemed to be taking most of it in stride. Occasionally, I would hear a few choice words float from his bedroom to mine through the door connecting our bedrooms as he grew frustrated with something he was studying. If I felt his anger continue to build, I would drop my work, run downstairs; grab a few sodas and a bag of chips, and jog back up to his room bursting through his door uninvited, claiming I needed a study break.

As we would sit there, drinking our bottles of soda and chatting about useless shit, I could see the gratitude in his eyes, silently thanking me for saving his sanity for one more hour of the day.

There was no doubt he would do the same for me.

Bella seemed excited about most of her classes, and while she often complained about her Psych professor, she adored her English and American Lit instructors, often raving about them at dinner. It was over dinner one night that Bella first mentioned Rosalie Hale, a classmate that was suffering through her Psych class with her. Bella's eyes lit up with envy when she described Rosalie's supermodel beauty, her long flaxen hair, perfect figure, large blue eyes. While Edward commented on the centerfold good looks of Rosalie, even joking if we had seen her in one of his magazines, all I could think of was why Bella didn't see that same beauty when she looked into the mirror every morning.

The same beauty I saw every time I looked at her.

The pelting rain on my face brought me back to my walk to the library, and as I dipped my head to try to protect my face from the wind, curls plastered against my soaked skin.

I was sick of the rain. Someday, I would be back in the sun-drenched state I missed so much, even if it was briefly.

I jumped when I felt the arm around my shoulders.

"Jasper, my boy, how the fuck are you?" The deep voice boomed much too loud next to my ear as he shook his head, spraying water everywhere.

"Thanks, Emmett…nice. Like I'm not wet enough?" I shrugged out of his hold and shot him a wary glance.

Emmett had first accosted me in English class, squeezing his Hulk-like body into the student desks, muttering under his breath about being an elephant trying to fit into a VW Bug. His body overflowed from the seat, and he apologized to me when his shoulder would rub against me every time he moved. I told him not to worry about it, and winked at him. His wide eyes and shocked expression cracked me up, and I told him I was just giving him shit. Laughing a bit nervously, he held out his huge bear paw of a hand and introduced himself. Upon hearing my accent, he promptly quirked an eyebrow and asked where I was from, and said something about things being bigger in Texas after I replied.

Like he should talk about things being bigger.

Emmett was from the mountains of Gatlinburg,Tennessee, born and raised on a small farm, but he had a heart as big as the state he was from. In the month we had been in class together, we had occasionally hung out between classes, and I had seen him open doors for girls, and be nothing but polite to those around him. One day at lunch, the kid in line in front of us had forgotten his wallet, and before he could return his food, Emmett handed the cashier money for both lunches. When I shook my head at him, he just shrugged and said he hoped 'someday the kid would pay it forward.'

"Yeah, sometimes the wetter the better, if you know what I mean," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"You're disgusting," I scoffed, trying to suppress a smile.

"True, true," he agreed, nodding. "Where are you heading in such a rush, my boy?"

I motioned to the library ahead of us. "Meeting Bella and Edward for an hour before American Civ. What about you?"

His Atlas-sized shoulders shrugged as he walked next to me, meeting my long strides step for step. Not only was Emmett big in terms of sheer bulk, he was almost my height, with short curly brown hair, and even darker brown eyes. "Nothing," he mumbled as he glanced up at me quickly.

"You want to join us?" I asked, knowing neither Bella nor Edward would mind the extra person. They had both met Emmett before and seemed to enjoy his company.

"Sure," he agreed quickly, and I smiled. "But ummm…"

"What, Em?"

"Well," he hesitated. "I don't want to interfere with the little something-something you got going on with Bella."

I stopped midstride, my mouth gaping open. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Stopping, he turned to me, rain running down his sharp features, his UW sweatshirt three shades darker from the weather. "Oh come on, Whitlock. You don't think I'm that fucking blind, do you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, "I denied. Furrowing my brows and pushing past him, I continued on my way down Skagit Lane, suddenly in a hurry to put some space between me and my overly-perceptive friend.

Jogging, he caught up to me quickly as we reached the library steps. "Jasper, listen, buddy, I totally know you got the hots for your girl Bella there."

I glared at him through my wet hair and was about to put a stop this conversation when he continued. "Dude, why do you think I haven't gone after her? It's not like I couldn't get her if I wanted, but bros don't do that to each other." He finished easily, as if he had stated the sky is blue, or something else as equally obvious.

"You got it all wrong, Em," I feigned a smile, trying to brush off his comments, and open the library door for him.

Emmett might look like a dumb jock, but the guy had a fucking lot of common sense, and even more importantly, knew when to change the subject.

"So I have a question for ya. You pledging any frats this year?" he shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other as he brushed past me through the door.

I hadn't really even considered frat life when I had thought about moving to college, it just wasn't something that interested me, living in such cramped quarters with so many people. Maybe it was a Texas thing, but I treasured my space and preferred wide-open areas. Also, I just didn't have much interest in the party aspect of campus life, not that I was completely anti-social, but I had no problem staying at home on a Friday night studying, or hanging with Edward and Bella.

I knew all the stereotypes weren't true, but I couldn't help but envision Belushi chanting in a toga whenever I thought of a frat boy.

Besides, I didn't need 'brothers'.

I had all the family I needed waiting for me in the library.

We stopped just inside the door so I could take my jacket off, draping it over my messenger bag. Emmett glanced around the library warily, as if he was waiting for something to jump out at him from behind the shelves of books.

Ignoring his odd behavior, I answered his question. "Probably not. Why?"

"Shit." His reply muffled, he pulled his sweatshirt off over his head, tossing it over his bag when he was done. "Well, I wanted to go to the rush party for Phi Kappa Theta this weekend, but don't want to go alone. Thought you might go with me?" When he looked up at me with pouty lips and pleading brown eyes, I knew it would almost impossible to refuse.

"What about your roommate?" I suggested hopefully.

"Seth? Dude, he is so not the frat party type." Leaning down, he picked his bag back up, placing the strap over his shoulder.

And I was?

I turned to him and shook my head, a wet curl going into my eye. "I don't know, Emmett. I'm not really a party guy either."

He pushed the bottom lip out a bit more. "Come on, man. Look, bring Edward if you want. That dude needs to seriously loosen up anyway. "

I couldn't help but chuckle. Like I said, Emmett was perceptive.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" I sighed.

"Nope," he grinned, knowing he had already won. Rolling my eyes, I turned and started up the stairs to the second level.

"Fine, but I'm out of there by one," I conceded.

"Thanks, Jasper," he murmured, once again putting his thick arm around my shoulders. "Libraries give me the creeps."

"What the fuck you talking about?"

He visibly shivered, shaking his head. "I don't know what it is. Just something about all these books, or something."

"Oh yes, books are the root of all evil," I snorted and he gave me a 'shut the fuck up look.'

We turned the corner just in time to see Edward and Bella sitting side by side deep in conversation as Edward reached up and brushed a piece of Bella's hair out of her eyes, and she gave him a small smile.

"Whoa. Looks like I'm not the one you need to worry about, "Emmett huffed under his breath.

"No, it's not like that," I defended Edward's actions, even as my heart ached a bit to see them so close, so comfortable, in public. If Emmett thought they were together, then surely others did as well.

"Sure looks like that to me," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not…"

Edward glanced up when he heard my voice, his eyes going directly to the arm around my shoulder.

Immediately, I shrugged out from under Emmett's arm, and placed my bag on the floor, keeping my eyes on Edward the entire time.

"Hey, Jasper…Emmett," Bella greeted, smiling.

"Bells, Edward," Emmett returned, setting his bag down on the floor and pulling out a chair next to Edward.

Edward's eyes glanced over Emmett and I. "Raining?"

"Wiseass," I smirked as I sat down opposite Bella. Wanting to get it over with, I nodded to Edward. "Um, Edward, Emmett wants us to hit the Phi Kappa rush party this weekend. You in?"

Knowing Edward as well as I did, I could easily see the rush of emotions and questions run through his eyes before he carefully replied. "I can't. Sorry. I have some lab time reserved for an assignment I need to get done."

My hopes of getting out of it were soon dashed when Emmett turned his pouty lips and brown eyes on Bella, even tilting his head a bit.

Oh, he was good.

"Bella, you want to join Jasper and me and come to the party?" he flashed her some pearly whites. I sat there quietly, letting the scene play out, knowing Bella would politely refuse. Frat parties were definitely not her thing.

"Sure, Emmett, I'll go.

Huh?

Edward and I both shot Bella a look of warning, and surprise. "You want to go?" I almost stuttered in my shocked state.

"Sure, why not? It'll be fun, something different…and you'll be there," she shrugged.

"That's my girl," Emmett held his fist out in front of Edward to Bella, who promptly fist-bumped it back. "Okay, Whitlock, meet me there about eight."

Nodding, I glanced at Edward, unsure of his real reaction under his calm exterior. He was gazing down at his phone texting. As I reached for my books, my cell phone vibrated, and I pulled it out, pressing the menu.

'Take care of her' was all it said. There was no way he would say it verbally, not wanting to embarrass Bella in front of Emmett, but his concern was clear. I punched the keys quickly in reply.

I won't leave her side. Promise

His face relaxed into a smile, and he returned his attention to the laptop in front of him. It was then that I noticed the chair next to Bella wasn't empty.

Motioning to the bag and jacket on it, I looked at Bella. "Whose is that?"

"Mine," the sweet voice said from behind me. I could tell from the look of sheer shock on Emmett's face that Rosalie Hale was standing behind me.

It was love at first sight.

"**~~**"

The late afternoon sun filtered through the white gauze curtains, highlighting the dust floating in the air as I lay on my bed, propped up on my pillows, emailing my parents on my laptop. I could have cared less if anything hung in my window, much less matched the comforter on my bed, but Edward and I had agreed to give Bella and Mrs. C creative control on the decorating of the house. It was already painted when we moved in, but they had picked out our furniture, some new and some secondhand, as well as curtains, rugs, and blankets.

My room was next to Edward's; in fact, there was a door connecting our rooms, apparently from a remodeling job done years ago when siblings that had shared one large room decided to make it into two, but didn't want to close each other out entirely. I had chuckled to myself when I realized how much effort Mrs. C had put into my room, the furniture hinting at a southwestern theme in colors and style. There was even a bootjack by my closet to pull my boots off with.

Edward's sparse bedroom was in a masculine gray color; a black quilt covered his double bed, accompanied by only a dresser, nightstand, and desk. The room was really very Edward, from the cool tones of the wall and fabrics, to the classic, simple lines of the furniture.

Bella's room, across the hall from Edward's, was painted burgundy, her furniture a bit more intricate, and… dare I say, romantic. Frilly fabrics covered her bed and almost every surface. The top of her large cherry dresser was almost empty with the exception of a huge mirror with pictures of the three of us decorating each corner.

Pans banged together, cupboard doors slammed closed, and I knew Edward and Bella were downstairs in the kitchen, probably sharing the cooking duties for dinner once again.

Often, both of them cooked dinner together, working in a synchronized dance about the kitchen.

It kind of scared me.

Her light giggles were hugged by his deep laughter as I bounded down the stairs, and rounded the corner to find them side by side at the counter. Standing in the doorway in my bare feet, I crossed my arms over my chest and watched their unique way of moving around each other in the small kitchen. The house was large, but the kitchen lacked the openness of the other rooms, and while the appliances were modern, there was little counter space. There was a handy island with a few stools, which we often used for breakfasts, or when only one of us was eating at home.

When he would move, and she counteracted his motion flawlessly; if one moved left two steps, the other filled the void, there were never any bruised foreheads from mistimed opened cupboard doors, or any plates broken from being bumped out of arms. Without verbal requests, cooking supplies or ingredients were handed back and forth from partner to partner, never a mishap to be had.

Until I entered the kitchen.

Let's just say if Edward and Bella were the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the kitchen, I was the Tasmanian devil.

If I cooked anything, it was pretty much guaranteed that at least one thing would be broken, misused, misplaced, or mangled. Even small appliances were never safe under my watch.

Almost like Jasper's Law of the Kitchen, 'that which can be broken, shall be broken, that which can be burnt, shall be burnt.'

They had all but banned me from the kitchen, with the exception of breakfast. I guess they figured I couldn't do much damage to the toaster or a bowl of cereal.

Glancing at the stainless steel toaster on the counter, I smiled. It was our third one since we had moved in.

Like I said, even small appliances weren't safe.

Edward held a long knife in his right hand as he chopped the vegetables for the salad, Bella stood to his left, placing the noodles for the lasagna in the casserole dish. Steam rose from a pot on the stove, I assumed from Edward's homemade sauce. They were so wrapped up in each other, and their chores, they didn't hear me enter the kitchen. While Edward's docked iPod played "Sweet Home Alabama", he swayed his hips, purposely hip-checking Bella to the beat. Even though I couldn't see her face, I knew she was mouthing the lyrics to the song, and rolling her eyes at Edward's attempt at dancing.

Edward could play the piano.

Edward could not dance.

At all.

Well I take that back. Edward could slow dance, but anything that remotely required rhythm, he was at a loss.

"Edward," she called over the song, "please pass me the cheese over there." She motioned to the cheese on the counter, before stirring the sauce. Reaching over, he grabbed it, tossing it to her before he put the knife down and dumped the vegetables into a large bowl.

"Salad's done," he announced. "Wanna dance with me, Bella?"

"Oh, is that what you call that?" she snorted, motioning to his hips. "Edward, I adore you, but you dance about as well as I do."

Placing a hand over his heart, he stumbled back. "Ouch Bella, you really know how to hurt a guy where it counts," he feigned hurt in his voice.

With a quick glance to his crotch, Bella smiled at him."Edward, if I wanted to hurt you where it counts, I wouldn't make fun of your lack of dancing skills."

"Oh, that's low," he quirked back before leaning in a placing a small kiss on her cheek. "But you can hurt me there anytime you want," he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

With another roll of her big brown eyes, she playfully pushed him away, laughing.

Briefly, I debated on leaving them to their cooking and returning upstairs, feeling like I was intruding on their time, but before I could turn to leave, Bella saw me.

"Jasper, come taste this sauce," she held out the spoon to me, her hand cupped under it. At the mention of my name, Edward turned, smiling brightly.

"Yes, Jasper, come be my guinea pig," he chucked, rubbing his hands together evilly, resembling a mad-scientist with his odd colored hair sticking up in all directions. Sighing, I stepped forward and took her hand, guiding the spoon to my mouth.

Edward might not be able to dance, but he could definitely fucking cook.

"Mmmm, delicious," I moaned, and as she pulled the spoon from my lips, she reached up with a finger, wiping some sauce from the corner of my lips. Just her finger near my lips was enough to make my pulse race and my cock twitch. I swear she could hear my heart pound in my chest at her small gesture, because her eyes widened a bit as they stared into mine.

Did she feel it too?

That bolt of something, a quickening of a heartbeat, blood rushing through veins, muscles anticipating more.

"Good," Edward exclaimed, breaking the short silence. "It passes the Jasper taste test." He turned back to the sauce, spooning it onto the noodles. As he worked, Bella began setting the table, handing me some plates to carry over for her.

"You do know, Jasper, that the only reason Bella and I wanted you to live with us was so you we could test out our new recipe ideas on you."

Laughing as I set the plates down on the table, I yelled back to him. "Considering I think Chef Boyardee is a genius, I don't think I am a good judge of Epicurean tastes. "

Bella stopped her work and raised an eyebrow at me."Epicurean? Jasper, I think you're taking your English 101 class a bit too far."

I shoved her gently as we both headed back into the kitchen just as Edward was putting the lasagna into the oven. After the setting the timer, he turned to us. "We have about an hour. Anyone up for some music?"

He didn't have to ask us twice, Bella and I practically knocked each other over getting to the couch by his piano. With his heavy course load, he didn't have much time to play anymore, so when he treated Bella and I to an impromptu concert, we hung on to every delicious note he filled the air with. As he sat down on his bench, he nodded to me.

"Why don't you join me?" he suggested hesitantly.

I heard Bella gasp, "Jasper?"

She had no idea Edward had been teaching me to play for the past few weeks, our lessons usually taking place while she was at class, or out with a friend. With suddenly flushed cheeks, I shyly made my way over to the bench, and sat next to him, pushing my curls behind my ear. I had never played for anyone besides Edward, and having Bella as an audience quickly made my palms sweaty with nerves.

Edward reached up and opened the sheet music, pointing to "Dream a Little Dream of Me", a song we had practiced numerous times. It was one I was actually pretty good at, but had never played alone. I made a mental note to myself to thank Edward later for his choice, knowing he had chosen a song I was familiar with.

Hesitantly, I glanced up at him and saw the confidence in his eyes, his faith in me clear and bright. Nodding, he whispered, "You can do this, Jasper."

Biting my lip, I placed my hands over the keys, while Edward's remained on his lap, rubbing up and down his jean-clad thighs. With a deep breath, I began, gradually losing myself in the music, the melody flowing from me as I concentrated on the movement of my hands as they grazed over the keys. I became so focused, I had forgotten Bella was watching from the couch, although I was constantly aware of Edward's warm presence next to me as I stretched before him down the row of keys. My fingers occasionally fumbled, but I usually hit the right notes, even without reading the music. As I reached the crescendo, my heart raced with pride at my accomplishment, and I chanced a glance at Bella. Kneeling on the couch, she was leaning against the back of it, facing us, her face in awe, cheeks slightly flushed and eyes wide. Edward was now perfectly still, but I knew his eyes were following every slight motion of my hands, looking for the small things that I needed to refine in our next lesson.

As I neared the end, I felt a smile begin to form on my face, and by the time my fingers hit those last few notes, punctuating the end, I was grinning. I moved my hands onto my lap and sighed before looking up at Bella, wanting to see her reaction before Edward's.

Her hair gently swung back and forth as she shook her head. "Jasper, I don't know what to say. That was…incredibly beautiful," she said, shocked. "How? When?"

Edward answered for me. "We've been working on it the past few weeks. He didn't think he was ready to play it on his own, but I knew better." He nudged me with his elbow. "Told you, you could do it."

Rolling my eyes, I felt my cheeks heat at their compliments. Needing a diversion, I reached up and changed the sheet music to one of my favorites.

"Play this one for us," I said softly to Edward. He laughed when he saw the music for "Feelin' Good", and he dramatically flexed his fingers before beginning with enthusiasm. By the time he had reached the chorus, Bella and I had joined him in singing, his bluesy voice supporting Bella's soprano and my almost tenor. It had been awhile since we had played around together, the stress of moving to a new city, and starting college had demanded our attention, leaving little time for goofing off.

We were all holding our stomachs from laughing by the time we were done, Edward barely able to finish the song before his laugher overtook him. Grinning, I looked at them both laughing so hard tears were falling down their faces.

Even as the rain came down outside, I realized UT was never an option.

This was where I belonged.

"**~~**"

Friday night arrived and I waited for Bella in the kitchen, grabbing a sandwich before we left for the Phi Kappa house.

I was bending over looking in the fridge when I felt the slap on my ass, startling the fuck out of me. "Jesus…" I yelped surprised.

Bella stood at the island, munching on an apple. "You ready to go, Hale?"

Rubbing my ass with one hand, I grabbed some deli meats and the bread with the other. "Yeah, give me a second to make something to eat real quick."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up. It's just a sandwich. I think you're safe," I answered, rolling my eyes and proceeded to make my dinner. "Remember, we are out of there by one, right?"

"Right. Wait...do we need a safe word in case we need to get out in a hurry?"

"Oh… um, yeah we better," I paused, considering our options. Edward and I had our own safe words but they were probably not appropriate for Bella's ear.

She jumped up off the stool. "I got it! Guitar," she beamed at her suggestion.

"Guitar?"

Nodding enthusiastically, she replied smiling." Yeah, so like if we get to where we want to leave, we just say something like 'gee, I wish I had my guitar'."

It was the stupidest safe word I had ever heard.

"Guitar it is," I agreed, tossing the unused meat back into the fridge. "Ready?" I mumbled around my sandwich as I took a bite.

"Jasper, don't talk with your mouth full," she chided, grabbing her coat. "Come on, let's go to a frat party!"

The Phi Kappa house was about fifteen minutes away, Bella and I walked with our arms hooked. She wore a casual button down with a thin gray sweater over it. It was the softest fucking sweater I had ever felt, I just wanted to run my hands over it all night. Just as we had left the house, I grabbed my sweatshirt, and was glad I did. Bella's sweater wouldn't be enough to keep her warm if we ended up outside.

It only took us about fifteen minutes before we arrived at the frat house. Emmett had given us directions, but they were unnecessary, as the loud music and amount of people out in the front yard were pretty good clues we had the right place.

"Here we go," I chuckled to Bella as we walked up the driveway.

Within seconds of walking in the door, Emmett was before us, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Jasper, my man, you made it," He slung a tree trunk arm around me before leaning down across me and giving Bella a peck on her cheek. "Bella," he greeted and looked around. "Edward really couldn't get away from the lab on a Friday night, huh?"

"Nope, but he sends his regrets in being unable to attend the party at this time," I mocked.

"Yeah, fuck 'em, his loss," Emmett laughed heartily. "Well, as you can see, bar's over there, some food over there-if you can call it that. Bathroom is down the hall on the left. Third floor is off limits, but rest of the house is open. So have a look around and enjoy yourselves. Oh, and Jasper, if you change your mind about pledging, I'll introduce you to a couple of the guys. I'm off to find that hottie Rosalie, I heard she's going to be here." He finished, wagged his eyebrows at us and left.

Bella looked up at me with wide eyes. "What was that?" she asked referring to Emmett's instructional monologue.

"Perhaps he was a cruise director in another life?" I shrugged. "Want a drink?" I offered, snagging her hand, leading her to the bar. Nodding, she followed me, one hand in mine, her other on the hem of the back of my sweatshirt.

As we were standing in the line waiting for our turn at the bar, Rosalie came up and hugged Bella. "Bella! Oh, thank God you're here," she giggled, obviously having already obviously visited the bar a few times. "Hi, Jasper," she greeted almost as an afterthought.

"Rosalie. Bella, you go with Rose, I'll get your drink," I leaned down, letting my breath fan over her ear. "Don't go out of my sight. " She nodded, and Rosalie took her hand, pulling her toward one of the couches.

After what seemed like an hour, I finally reached the front of line.

"What can I get you?"

Like I had much choice?

"Two please." Nodding, he began to pour them from the tap in the keg.

"She with you?" he asked, his eyes a bit brighter than before as he eyed Bella and Rosalie on the couch.

"Which one?" I asked, taking one of the beers from him.

"The hot one…the brunette," he winked, handing me my second beer.

Excuse me?

"As a matter of fact, yes, she is," I lied, eyeing him warily.

He pursed his lips, "That's too bad," he finally tore his eyes away from my girl and looked at me for the first time, clearly sizing me up. "Welcome to Phi Kappa. If you need anything, my name's Sam, and that's Paul." He introduced his friend behind the bar with him.

"Thanks, Sam. I'll be sure to do that," I replied, lying again for the second time in less than a minute. Carefully guiding my way between the bodies of people standing in small groups, I found my way over the Bella and Rosalie. There was not a free seat anywhere near them, and no way was I leaving Bella unattended to find Emmett.

Being sure to not interrupt her conversation with Rosalie, I handed Bella her beer, and stood to the side of the couch, watching the frat boys and their typical antics. Classic rock blared through the speakers set up throughout the house, and I was thankful that the frats at least had good taste in music. As I scanned the room in search for Emmett, I saw that Sam had been replaced by another bartender and Sam was now chatting with Paul too damn close to us.

When Sam's friend smiled and pointed at Bella, my eyes narrowed on him. The knowing glances they shared between them while ogling Bella were not making me happy. Oblivious to what was going on, Bella kept chatting with Rosalie, and from the giggles and blushes, I assumed it was about Emmett.

Well at least Rosalie seemed to return the same interest in Emmett that he did in her. They would make a good couple. Emmett was one of the nicest and most down to earth guys I had ever met. Rosalie might be high maintenance, but she was loyal and honest and would keep Emmett in his place.

An idea formed in my head to squash any hope Sam might have of approaching Bella. I would make us look like the couple I had already said we were.

Hopefully, Bella would cooperate and not ask many questions. I leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, mind if we share your seat?" She broke her look away from Rosalie and glanced up at me, a bit surprised.

"Sure," she handed me her beer and held out her hand. Grabbing it, I pulled her up before I sat down in her seat. Bella waited until I was situated before gently sitting on my lap, her ass scooting up against my cock as she got comfortable. I placed my hands on her hips to still her movements. Once in place, she continued her conversation with Rosalie, every now and then, including me.

I inwardly groaned at my stupidity. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but with every slight shift of her weight, and twitch of my cock, I regretted my attempt at showing off and for putting a claim on something that wasn't mine to begin with. Bouncing up and down when she laughed, I realized this was my payback for the little white lie I had told Sam.

Just as I went to lay my head back against the couch, I caught Sam staring at us out of the corner of his eye.

Sure, payback's a bitch, but that doesn't mean I wasn't going to continue it.

Instead of leaning back, I learned forward, nuzzling Bella's hair before I pulled it over her shoulder exposing the back of neck to me. Trying to suppress a satisfied smile, I placed a soft kiss on the warm tender skin there, wisps of her hair tickling my lips. I didn't expect the shudder that traveled down her back, all the way to where she sat on my legs. Casually, I slid my hips back away from her, in an attempt to alleviate some of the desire building up in my cock with every one of her movements. I laid my head on her back, catching the eye of Sam and his creepy friend Paul, I let my fingers rest on the waistband of her jeans, my thumbs accidently slipping under her sweater to rub her sensitive skin.

I chuckled under my breath when she thought I hadn't noticed her jump when my hands made skin on skin contact. While it wasn't unusual for Bella and I have to have physical contact, but it had been awhile since we had been this close. She made no motion to remove my fingers from their happy place. In fact, I swore I even felt her lean back into me, her entire body relaxing.

We sat there for a few hours, especially after Emmett found us talking with Rosalie. He quickly squished himself in next to her and the four of us talked, laughed, and drank the night away. Emmett often left to refill our cups for us. Bella remained on my lap all night, my hands never leaving her side, literally securely tethering her to me. Once or twice, she had turned to me, running a hand through my hair while she was telling them how Edward, she and I had all met. I couldn't stop my eyes from closing when her fingers combed through my hair, lightly scratching my scalp before working on parting my curls, that simple touch enough to make my heart race.

When I opened my eyes, the smirk on Emmett's face was hard to miss. Shaking my head, I ignored the smile and went back to breathing in the concentrated smell of fruit before me. With every movement of her hair the scent would wash over me, making me drunker than any beer I had had. Emmett was in the process of telling Rosalie about some nonsense when I saw Bella stifle a yawn. Checking my watch, I saw it was a bit after midnight, and I nudged Bella's arm.

"Hey, Bells, it's after midnight, we should get going soon," I barely contained my own yawn.

"Yeah, you're right. Let me go to the bathroom," she said climbing off my lap, which instantly missed her warm pleasant weight. "I'll be right back," she called over her shoulder as she headed, a bit crooked, down the hallway. As Emmett droned on to Rosalie about his stats for his high school football career, I realized Bella had been missing for longer than the allotted 'line at the girls' bathroom time', and decided to check on her.

Fucking good thing I did.

She was in the hallway, near the bathroom, cornered by Sam and his creepy friend Paul. As I approached from behind, I could overhear parts of their conversation.

"So, are you really with that blonde guy, or was he just fucking around with us?" Sam leaned in toward her, not touching her at all, but too fucking close for my comfort. Bella peered over his shoulder and saw me behind him.

"Jasper? No, he wasn't 'fucking around' with you. We really are together. In fact, if you'll excuse me boys," her voice took on a sultry tone I had never heard before, but fucking wanted to hear again.

Soon.

"I'm going to go now so I can take him home and fuck his brains out until he can't remember his own name."

And with that, she pushed Sam aside, and took a step to me and wrapped her hands behind my neck, pulling my lips down to hers. Immediately, small delicate hands fisted my hair, tugging the pieces as she moaned into the kiss. Instinctively, I put my arms around her, one buried in her thick silky hair, the other at her waist, holding her to me tightly, molding her body to mine as she arched her back to angle herself to deepen the kiss.

Our tongues met quickly, twisting and licking before exploring lips and teeth. There was no containing the groan that rumbled in my chest when she pressed hers to mine, standing up on her toes to get even closer. Over and over our lips met, parting to invite each other to taste, mine discovering her minty taste beneath the tang of the beer. Vaguely, I realized mine must have tasted the same way.

I didn't care.

I didn't care if Sam and his creepy friend Paul were still there or not.

I didn't care if a girl was getting sick in the hallway next to us because she couldn't make it to the bathroom.

All I cared about was that this was the hottest kiss of my life…and my body craved more.

When I felt my cock begin to harden, I considering pulling away, putting a safe distance between her body and my erection.

Instead, I reached down to her ass, and pressed her hips to mine, making sure she felt what she had done to me.

How fucking hard I was for her.

Because of her.

Just when I expected her to pull away, I felt her grind her hips into mine, purposely rubbing against me, up and down my length as she rose and fell from her toes.

She gasped when my hands grabbed her ass and lifted her up, slamming her into the wall behind her, her legs wrapped around my waist, her arms tightened around my neck. Panting, I broke the kiss, licking along her jaw and down her neck, leaving a wet trail behind. With one hand, I reached up and tugged on the hem of her sweater.

Fuck, I needed more.

"Off," I demanded, my voice husky from lust. Letting me go, she reached down, grabbed her sweater and pulled it over her head, letting it drop to the floor. I stared into her slightly hooded wild eyes, her cheeks bright red from the booze and heat in the house, her lips plump and velvety soft. The pulse of her racing heart in her neck begged for attention. I pushed the collar of her shirt aside with one hand, while I licked and sucked her pulse, lavishing attention all over her collarbone before traveling to the other side.

The whimpers that she let loose as she tilted her head for me did nothing but increase the ache in my cock. Seeking relief, or at the very least some fucking friction, my hips began to buck up into hers, which responded with slow tantalizing circles of their own.

Nothing had ever felt so good.

Taking a piece of her tender skin between my lips, I sucked feverishly, marking her for the night, not caring that she might have to explain it to someone.

To Edward.

Her hands were back tangling my hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me back to her lips, where she darted her tongue out to trace my bottom lip before plunging it deep inside my mouth. A tightening had already begun in my balls, and was slowly spreading throughout my abdomen as she panted into my mouth in time with the rhythmic thrust of her hips.

I was going to fucking cum in my pants.

"Bella," I grunted, bucking into her, pushing her against the wall as hard as I could. "What are we doing?" I pulled away enough to let her answer, but my lips still brushed against hers time and time again.

"I don't know, Jasper, but don't stop," she sighed, her hands coming down to cup my face.

Stop.

We should stop.

She felt it. The slight hesitation I had when those words floated through my lust-filled brain, a small measure of sanity brightening the dark desire.

"Please," she begged, licking up my neck with her warm, wet tongue.

"Bella," I began. "We need to stop, this isn't….us," I rationalized.

No matter how fucking bad I wanted it to be.

Nodding, she pouted, and with one last kiss to the tip of my nose, loosened the grip of her legs around my waist. I back away from the wall, still supporting her body, but letting her slowly slide down me to the ground. I let her go and picked her sweater up, handing it to her before I slipped my sweatshirt off over my head.

"Here, wear this too," I said handing it to her.

Confused, she looked up at me," It's not that cold out."

Glancing down at her breasts rising with her heavy breaths, I admitted, "It's not the cold I'm thinking about it. I'm not sure my body can handle it all the way home. "

"Oh, okay," she blushed, pulling the sweatshirt on over her head. . Then she took a handful of the material and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply. "God, it smells good," she sighed.

She was drunker than I thought.

Taking her hand in mine, we headed for the door, thankful for the sobering cool autumn air.

Hand in hand, we walked in silence until we were almost home.

"Jasper," she broke the quiet. "Are we going to tell Edward?"

Edward.

"Honestly, Bella. I don't think we need to," I squeezed her hand, knowing she was worried about what Edward would think of our drunk groping. When I had promised him I wouldn't leave her side, I don't think that was quite how he imagined me watching over her. "Besides, we had been drinking. Things happen, right?"

"Right," she sighed, sounding a bit sad.

"Our secret," I promised before we headed into our house.

It wasn't the time to tell her about the man I had seen in the hallway after I had let her down, his eyes wide with surprise, his face grinning with pride and the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

Would Emmett tell Edward?

I hoped the fuck not.

"**~~**"

Thank you for reading.

So…guess on the slashy outtake?