All Characters and all things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I just enjoy making them do what I want for a change!

BPOV

"Diggers? Seriously Kenna?" the garish neon pink sign above the doors to the club had caught my attention and fuelled my doubts that this was a good idea.

"Give it a chance Bella." McKenna bumped me with her hip as she dragged me by the hand towards the doors. " Look at this line up, I told you THIS is the place to party." she motioned to the line that was starting to form around the block.

McKenna wrapped her arm around my waist as she approached the wall of muscles parked in front of the doors, presumably her bouncer friend. "Lenny, baby I'd like you to meet my friend Bella" her voice breathless, her finger running down his chest hinting at just how good of friends Lenny and McKenna were.

"Bella" he nodded, his eyes only momentary flicking to me then settling back on McKenna. His eyes running up and down her body, obviously appreciating what he was seeing. I could somewhat see how he'd be her type. Mr. Muscles wasn't bad looking; tall - at least 6'2; barrel chested; enormous arms folded over that chest; straight shoulder length hair; dark blue eyes and most likely soon to be putty in her hands if the look on his face as he watched the tall blonde beside me was indicative of anything.

"So Lenny…" she took advantage of his attention being solely focused on her, "Are you going to make me and my good friend here stand in that long line?" McKenna motioned towards the line with a tilt of her head, subtly jutting out her lower lip.

" 'Course not sugar." he held the black metal door open for us.

"You're the best baby!" a squeal escaped her as she leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "I will see you later Lenny" she tossed over her shoulder as we walked through the door, placing emphasis on "will."

I was in awe! Not a chance I'd ever be able to exude that much confidence or blatant sexuality, never mind the bubbly energy she always seemed to have. I couldn't help but take notice that she was almost a perfect combination of Alice and Rosalie. Strikingly beautiful and knew how to use that beauty to her advantage but also a bundle of energy that never took no as an answer from me. Shaking my head and laughing at her antics at the door I allowed myself to be dragged to the bar area while she held my hand and bounced ahead of me.

"Whatcha drinking sweetie?" McKenna pulled me up beside her where she'd squeezed in at the bar, waiting for the bartender to take our order.

"Umm, uh, surprise me?" my uncertainty made it sound more like a question than an answer as I hunched my shoulders in a shrug.. I was rewarded with an arch of one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. " This is kind of the first time I've been somewhere like this." the embarrassment I was feeling at the admission staining my cheeks in a blush.

"Oh Bella honey don't be embarrassed. Just means I have so much to teach you!" excitement at the prospect evident in her voice.

McKenna leaned over the bar and gave our order to the bartender while I looked around, taking in this foreign environment. It was dark save for the strategically placed lights in the seating areas and the flashing multi coloured lights over the bar and crowded dance floor. Groups of twenty something's crowded around tables and moving to the beat of the music on the dance floor. I was completely out of my element, which strangely enough suited me just fine. After all wasn't that the point of the drastic move I'd made here, to have a different life and start actually living again.

McKenna handed me an electric blue drink in a tall glass with a bright pink straw as she threw one slim arm over my shoulders. " Come my young Jedi, there is much for you to learn tonight."

I laughed aloud, so not having pegged her as a Star Wars geek. "Are you for real? Star Wars Kenna?"

She shrugged her slim shoulders. "What? Anakin is hot!" I could see the humour and mischief in her eyes. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad birthday after all. Perhaps my bad luck had been left behind in Forks.

Sipping my drink I found I actually enjoyed the sweet fruity taste as McKenna led us to the railing surrounding the dance floor, pausing along the way to acknowledge people she knew. I envied the ease in which she seemed to relate to people. Even pre-Edward I hadn't been able to relate to people my age with such ease.

"Alright Bella, drink up! I. Want. To. Dance" each word punctuated by the sway of her hips.

"D-dance." my eyes widened, almost choking on the word as I popped the pink straw out from between my lips.

"Yes Bella, dance. Ya know, move your feet, shake your hips. Wait…..you don't dance either? Haven't been to a club, never had a drink, don't dance." the surprise evident on her face as she ticked my have nots off on her fingers. "Did you like grow up Amish or something?"

"Or something." I mumbled

"Next you're going to be telling me you're still a virgin." her voice giving her away that she seriously doubted she'd be adding that to my list of have nots.

The tell tale blush stained my cheeks as I cast my eyes down to my feet.

"Holy shit! I do have my work cut out for me." she giggled "S'ok sweety I love a challenge. I'm going to make it my misison to de-shelter you!"

Raising my eyes back up I could see the excitement in hers. If I didn't know better I'd swear she was channelling Alice.

Taking the glass out of my hand and setting it on a nearby table McKenna pulled me onto the dance floor. "We are going to dance, just follow my lead."

I was given zero chance to argue.

The music had a fast beat, the bass thumping through my body as we weaved through the throng of people already dancing. McKenna led us to the far edge of the dance floor, turning to face me and leaning forward so I could hear her over the almost deafening sound of the music. "Just feel the music Bella. Move your hips, and if all else fails - follow my lead."

My internal cheerleader picked up her pom poms again….. You can do this Bella, it's just dancing. It's not like I couldn't dance, just being a perpetual klutz I tended to avoid situations where I'd end up flat on my ass in a crowd of people. Oh what the hell, I was all about taking chances now wasn't I? I would never understand how I could have no fear of the supernatural beings - vampires and werewolves, yet the thought of dancing terrified me. Taking McKenna's advice I let the music dictate my movements. Closing my eyes I swayed my hips to the music only to find that after a few minutes I was actually enjoying myself.

"See it's easy!" McKenna shouted to be heard over the music. We danced through a few more songs until McKenna announced she was going to go get us another drink. "You stay and practice!" she laughed "I'm going to go get you another dose of liquid courage."

Nodding my head and laughing I continued to move my body to the music. For the first time in so very long I was thoroughly enjoying myself. The belief that I could be happy again didn't seem like such a distant possibility.

"Damn girl, you're good at this! What the hell were you so worried about?" McKenna sounded almost proud as she rejoined me on the dance floor, handing me my drink.

The laughter bubbling out of me and the response ready on my lips died as I looked up and saw……him. My body froze. My stomach was suddenly in my throat. I had to be seeing things. Wishful thinking maybe.

"Kenna?" my voice sounded more like a croak "W-hat's in this drink? Because I think I'm hallucinating?"

McKenna had a seriously confused expression on her beautiful face.

I leaned in to whisper to her, on the off chance my brain wasn't playing some sick joke on me. "Do you uh see that guy straight ahead, at the tables on the upper level?" her eyes immediately shot up to where I had directed her to look. "He's tall, curly blonde hair, intense eyes?" I gave her a more apt description of the man I'd made eye contact with moments earlier. The man I was certain was none other than Jasper Whitlock Cullen.

" If you mean that god in the leather jacket staring at you, then you bet I see him." I'm sure she couldn't help herself with her next comment. " God damn, I think he's the hottest thing I've seen on feet in a very long time!"

"That's what I was afraid of." I whispered as my euphoric mood of earlier quickly evaporated.

"Well don't look now sweety but your hallucination is coming this way." cringing when I saw Jasper chuckle knowing he'd heard her comment.

I couldn't help but wonder if this is what a deer in a pair of headlights felt like. There was nothing I could do but watch him saunter towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. It didn't escape me however that he looked very un-Jasper like. Gone were the designer clothes and generally pained expression that used to marr his handsome face. In their place was a relatively relaxed although intense expression on his pale face and he was dressed in a pair of well fitted blue jeans that rode low on his hips; paired with a dark green t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest; a black motorcycle jacket and a pair of well worn cowboy boot. This was so not the Jasper from my memories. In fact my memories had done him no justice at all, because this Jasper was unbelievable gorgeous!

Any doubt that he was real was alleviated when I heard my name. " Bella." his voice was deep and velvety.

"J-Jasper" I barely managed to stutter out, my mouth feeling like I'd been chewing on cotton all night.

The panic that ascended on me was swift. Breaking eye contact with Jasper I clutched my small black bag tightly in my shaking hands. I nervously chewed my lower lip as the questions funnelled fast and furious through my shocked brain. Was he alone? Where was Alice? Why did he look so different? Edward….oh my god, could Edward be with him? I knew I was probably starting to throw off more emotions than Jasper could handle. Finally I just decided to ask the question that I'm sure he was anticipating. "Are the ummm……are you here…. with?" My mouth suddenly felt disconnected with my brain, the words not coming out anything like what I wanted them to.

Jasper must have decided to put me out of my misery when he answered without fully being asked "No Bella, it's just me. The rest are not here with me."

A wave of relief washed over me. I'm positive Jasper looked as shocked and confused as I felt, the expression on his face assuring me he had picked up on my feeling of relief. Disappointment; further despair, now those wouldn't have shocked or confused me in any way. I was so not expecting to be relieved that I wasn't about to come face to face with Edward, or Alice for that matter. A part of me, in fact a large part of me was slowly coming to the realization that I would however like to get to know this very different Jasper in front of me. Something that would not have been possible had the rest of the Cullens been waiting in the wings.

"It seems Bella here has been shocked into forgetting her manners." McKenna's voice full of mirth seemed to be what was needed to pop the bubble that had seemed to surround Jasper and I when he'd first spoken my name. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm McKenna, and you are?" with a friendly unassuming smile she held her hand out to Jasper.

"Jasper, Jasper Whitlock. Pleased to meet you." he drolled in that Texas accent of his as he lightly grasped McKenna's perfectly manicured hand, lowering his head and light brushing across the top with his lips. Intense topaz eyes met mine as he released my friend's hand, as he smirked.

He smirked. Since when does Jasper smirk? Oh no, that means……. Shit…….empath Bella, remember he's an empath. Meaning he'd most likely felt my surge of curiosity as to why he hadn't introduced himself as a Cullen as well as the spike of jealousy I'd experienced when he'd lowered his lips to McKenna's hand. Jealous? Why in the world would I be feeling any jealousy? I really needed to get a handle on myself or Jasper was going to be able to read me like a book. Unlike Edward being unable to read my mind, Jasper had never had any difficulty in gauging, or manipulating my emotions.

"So, uh Jasper, who are you here with?" Almost certain this was not a place he would come on his own, or of his own free will for that matter. A combination of the sheer number of humans combined with the average age of said human, the steady flow of alcohol, as well as the general environment had to make this place an emotional mine field. Not exactly the dream hangout of an empath. I was curious as to who Jasper could be here with if it wasn't his family.

"That would be Peter" he gestured with his head in the direction he'd approached us from. "He decided I needed to get out of the house for a while. In his infinite wisdom this….." he gestured with his hands "is where he decided to bring me. Remind me to thank him for that later." he had an almost mischievous glint in his eyes, and one hell of a sexy grin on his face.

The man oozed sex appeal. How had I not noticed this before? Oh that's right…. Edward and the fact that he's married to my best friend. Well that thought was enough to kill any errant lust threatening to break the surface and further mortify me in front of Jasper. Focusing instead on the conversation at hand I recalled that I'd heard of Peter in passing during my many visits to the Cullen's home. I'd not learned much about him other than he was a very old and dear friend of Jasper's, as close as a brother to him as Edward and Emmett were. I remembered as well that he didn't not share the vegetarian lifestyle of the Cullens, but at the same time was also not a cold blooded hunter like the vampire James that had come after me. Alice had described Peter as more a vigilante of sorts, only preying on the dredges of society.

"Would you ladies care to join us?" Jasper's question interrupted the internal monologue going on in my head.

"Of course we would love to!" McKenna did not give me the chance to even consider declining his offer. McKenna wrapped her arm around my waste to move me forward as Jasper turned to lead the way. Leaning down she whispered in my ear dramatically. "You my little friend have so been holding out on could you not have told me you were aquainted with such a fine speciman as this?" Her eyes appraising Jasper from behind. I couldn't control the rearing of a certain green eyed monster, followed closely by complete mortification as I saw Jasper's shoulders vibrating in a quiet chuckle. I knew that not only had he heard every word McKenna said to me, but that I was also not doing a very bang up job of controlling my emotions.

My only response to her inquiry was a shrug of my shoulders and a quietly muttered "Oops?"

McKenna threw back her head and laughed, her blonde curls bouncing as she hurried us along behind Jasper. "No worries Bella, I'm pretty sure I can forgive you."

A/N - The reunion between Bella and Jasper will continue in the next chapter. It would have made this chapter much much to long for me to try to fit it all in. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. They most definitely make me want to update as quickly as possible.