Chapter 6: Shine On

A wild ride, over stony ground
Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town
We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid
Just live a river runs, like a fire needs flame
I burn for you.

Animal – Def Leppard

x.x.x

Bella.

There was a bunch of bright flashes on the screen, everything moving too fast for me to keep up. There were gunshots and explosions all around me and for some reason my player was staring down at his feet. I squeezed my eyes shut, cringing away from the screen as my fingers jabbed frantically at random buttons on the controller in my hands. There was one loud explosion and then silence, and I peeked open my eyes to see the words "Player 2 wins" appear on the screen. I threw my controller down on the bed, crossing my arms over my chest angrily.

"What are you doing?" Emmett turned to me, a look of bewilderment on his face. He didn't want to lose his gaming partner, apparently, but he had no problem slaughtering my guy every two seconds.

"I give up – you're not playing fair and I don't even know what the hell is going on."

"You just won, Bella."

"I did?" I brightened.

"Yeah." Emmett shook his head, muttering to himself crossly. "That's two in a goddamn row."

"I won the first one too?" He hadn't told me that.

"Yup."

"Well, hell, how did I manage that?"

"I don't know." If he didn't seem so utterly perturbed by it, I would have thought he was lying to keep me playing. I didn't know how in the world I had managed to beat him twice; I mean, it took me most of the first game to realize I was watching Emmett's half of the screen instead of mine. My poor played had been running into a wall for god-knows how long while Emmett laughed his ass off.

"Another round?" he offered, but I had a feeling that what he really meant was that I wasn't leaving this room until he'd beaten me.

I glanced down at my watch. "One more, then I have to get ready."

"All right." He set us up for another round, directing me to press the green button on my remote when it called for it. I stared, uninterested at the screen. Video games were so not my thing – at least, I hadn't thought they were. I had a difficult time maneuvering around the obstacles to do much of anything, but somehow, five minutes later it was Emmett who chucked his controller to the ground in anger.

"I think you're cheating."

"I wouldn't even know how to begin. We'll have a rematch tomorrow," I promised him, hopping to my feet and dragging my bag with me into the bathroom. He muttered something unintelligible and cracked a beer.

I was still laughing when I climbed out of the shower, and beginning to seriously consider a professional career in video gaming. Was there such a thing? I was going to have to look into it.

I had spent the morning reading Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, about the only good book I could find at my exploration of Fork's miniscule public library. I'd stopped by to browse the day before on my way back from meeting with Jake. I'd slept a good part of that afternoon away, much too tired to do anything else. This afternoon, Emmett had then succeeded in convincing me to play a few rounds of whatever war game he was playing on his beloved x-box, and I'd thoroughly enjoyed kicking his ass, even if it was a complete fluke.

I had about an hour before I had to be down at The Whiskey to start my very first shift as a bartender. I wished Jake was going to be there. I was getting a little nervous, and a familiar face would have been comforting. And I wasn't sure on what to wear; my wardrobe was fairly limited although I did own a few nicer pieces, I wasn't exactly sure if they were fitting for a place named The Whiskey. It didn't seem super classy, and Jake had never mentioned anything about a dress code. So I threw on a pair of jeans and a black tank top because I was not wearing a skirt unless it was absolutely necessary. I figured worst-case scenario I could run back to the motel and change before my shift started if I was really that severely underdressed.

I dried my hair with the crappy little blow dryer in the bathroom, put a layer of ointment on my scabbed-over tattoo, and put on a little makeup that I hardly ever used. When I came out of the bathroom, Emmett let out a low whistle, pausing his video game.

"You clean up not bad, Swan."

I made a face. "Thanks. Wish I could say the same about you." My eyes swept his appearance; he was unshowered, unshaven, and still wearing the t-shirt and pajama pants he'd slept in.

"It takes a lot to pull off this look."

"Well obviously."

He pulled himself up into a sitting position and took a sip of his beer. "You have to leave right away?"

I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. "Pretty quick, yeah."

"Can I talk to you about something first?" Emmett's serious face made me nervous – something about it just didn't suit him.

I plopped down on the bed and began pulling on my shoes. "Uh, sure, what's up?"

"Well, I want your opinion more than anything."

"Sure."

"Do you think Jazz would freak if I offered to, you know, do some work on the car? Like, I'm no mechanic, but I have experience in bodywork, and it's going to be parked for a while and I figured something good should come from it… I'm going to go out of my fucking tree just sitting around here all day, and he won't let me help pay for the transmission, and you guys have to put with me all the fucking time now… so I was thinking it could be a way I could pay you both back. You know, make your car pretty." He smirked.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised by his offer. "Like what? Paint it and shit?"

"Yeah."

I mulled it over for a moment as I laced up my chucks. "I actually don't know what he would say. Ask him though, but just make sure you make it sound like you're doing it for yourself… definitely not like you're doing us a favor. I'd say hell yes, but Jazz is weird."

"I know." Emmett frowned.

"Ask him."

"I will." He nodded and hit a button on the controller in his hand and the game one the screen bounced back to life. I honestly really didn't care either way – as soon as I had enough money saved up, I was buying my own vehicle. Maybe another truck, like the one Jasper and I had begun our journeys in. I missed that truck… but it had finally given up on us a few years ago in Tennessee. That was the time we had to hitchhike, not one of my fondest memories over the years. It was right after that when Jasper had acquired the Mustang.

I grabbed my wallet and slipped it in my pocket as I shrugged on a jacket and made my way to the door.

"Oh, but Emmett."

He glanced up. "Yeah?"

"You can make that car as pretty as you want – I'll still never like it."

He just grinned. "We'll see, Bella. We'll see."

x.x.x

I hesitated outside the door to The Whiskey, wiping my hands nervously on my jeans. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, and my knees were unusually weak. It was strange to me; it had been a long time since I'd actually felt anxious before starting a new job. But then again I'd never worked at a bar before. And I was working with a girl named Alice, who I literally knew nothing about, and I had a difficult time enough bonding with girls as it was, so yeah, I was nervous as hell. Taking a deep breath and deciding I couldn't put this off any longer, I pulled open the door to the bar. My eyes immediately fell upon a girl with short dark hair perched on top of the bar who looked to be waiting rather impatiently for something. It took me a moment to realize that it was me she was waiting for. When she saw me, her eyes lit up and she hopped down, landing gracefully on the balls of her feet.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "You must be Bella."

"The one and only."

I was surprised when she danced up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist without any hesitation. I stiffened in her embrace and then patted her back awkwardly. "Uh. Hi."

"Oh, I am so glad that you are here," she said, pulling back and smiling up at me with captivatingly wide hazel eyes. She was shorter than me, wearing a pair of leggings and a long, fitted yellow shirt, and she was… barefoot?

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that… sanitary?" I asked, my eyes on her feet.

She giggled, dancing back toward the bar. "Probably not." She wiggled her toes. "But my feet needed a rest."

I exhaled, nodding slowly, trying to pretend like I understood what she was saying. She flashed me a wide grin, apparently amused by my confused reaction.

"When you're five-foot nothing, you find yourself wearing heels more often than you'd like."

"Ahhh. I see."

She just looked at me, smiling, then asked, "So, have you bartended before, Bella?" When she spoke, it sounded more like she was describing a sound than saying my name. I liked that.

"Nope. But I've had lots of experience in drinking." I grinned sheepishly, realizing that probably wasn't something I should have revealed within two minutes of meeting my new co-worker. "I usually waitress," I shrugged.

"It's easy," she assured me. "Most guys order beer, and most girls… well… when they order some fruity fancy drink I just give them fruit juice and vodka. They can never tell the difference."

"All right, fake fruity drinks, check."

"No one here really has exotic taste, so I'm sure you'll know what's in most of the shots anybody orders. And if you don't they'll be more than happy to tell you. All the tips go here," Alice slid over the top of the bar and landed on the other side. She produced a cash box from under the counter. "We split them at the end of every night – Jake doesn't take a cut from that. Prices for drinks are all written down here," she held up a piece of laminated paper that was sitting on the counter. "It's the cheat-sheet, but if you're ever unsure, just ask me. Thursdays we have drink specials, and those change every week… Our busiest nights are Friday and Saturday, by far. That's when all the kids that go to college in Seattle come home, and you know how those college kids just love to drink…" Alice rolled her eyes. "If someone is getting too drunk, make sure and cut them off. If someone looks like they are going to get sick, you can tell me and I'll make sure they leave. And other than that… we have everybody out of here by two a.m., and we have to clean up and cash out before we go home."

I nodded, trying to absorb everything. It didn't sound like it was going to be so very different from waitressing after all. And I was used to working late shifts; the diners I usually worked at stayed open around the clock.

"It'll be fun," Alice promised me, her excitement hard to doubt. "If you have any questions, I'll be here. I work every night… well, except Monday's, but that's when we're closed. Jake isn't always here, but if he isn't one of his buddies will stop in for the night. You know, just in case something happens and us poor girls can't defend ourselves." She rolled her eyes. "Please. I think Rose can throw a meaner right hook than any guy I know."

I laughed, nodding in agreement. "I think my friend almost found that out yesterday."

"Ooooh," Alice said, raising her eyebrows. "I heard about that. So you guys were the ones causing a scene at the shop."

I held up my hands. "I was a mere witness. Emmett, on the other hand, was ready to assault a woman."

"Well don't worry, Rose only yells at the guys she likes."

"Really?" That seemed kind of backwards to me. But everything I knew about Rose so far seemed kind of backwards.

"Well… what is this Emmett guy like?"

I shrugged. "Muscles, dark hair, tall, goofy as hell…"

Alice nodded slowly, a gleeful grin stretching across her face. "Oh she has it bad."

"Well… if she does, I don't think she knows it yet," I said, unconvinced.

"Of course she doesn't. Rosalie is one of the most unperceptive people on the planet when it comes to her own feelings. You'll see," she promised.

"All right," I nodded, mostly because she seemed far too convinced for me to disagree with.

Alice and I had got the usual questions out of the way as she showed me around the rest of the bar. She asked what I was doing in Forks, where I was from, and I gave her the general summary of mine and Jasper's travels, how we'd stumbled across Emmett, and how we landed ourselves in this fabulous little town. She was very easy to talk with, and listened intently to every word I told her, flabbergasted and almost envious by the way Jasper and I lived. I found it difficult to be nervous or awkward around her – something about her just put me at ease. The conversation flowed easily between us. I found out she was twenty-three, single, had grown up here in Forks and now lived in a house with a roommate, had a tiny dog named Clyde, was best friends with Rosalie Hale, and liked to make her own clothes. She seemed far too interesting to be living in this drab little town.

"Well I'm glad your car chose Forks to break down," Alice told me with a smile. "We need some excitement here. I can't wait to meet Emmett and Jasper, they sound like a blast. Are they coming by here tonight?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but never got a chance to because just then the little bell over the door rang our first group of customers strolled in. From then on my evening was spent ringing up orders, serving beers, wiping down tables, laughing at customer's terrible jokes, and goofing around with Alice. The place never got overly busy, not that I was expecting much for a Tuesday night, but there was a baseball game on TV so there was a fairly decent crowd. Most of the customers were guys, a mix of younger kids from the nearby reservation and a couple older guys from town. Alice introduced me to everyone though I forgot more of their names with minutes of meeting them. Jake's friend Quil, a tall dark-haired man, sat at the bar and kept Alice and I company. He reminded me a lot of what I knew about Jake – he was easy to get along with and always smiling.

I was having fun; I was comfortable. The place just wasn't one of those cheesy bars with the flashing lights and the dance music pounding so loud you couldn't even hear your own voice screaming over the noise. There was a jukebox in the corner that the customers pumped full of change and listened to music like Rush and Guns n Roses and Zeppelin and even Skynyrd and the Stones… To say the least, I was very much in my element. I had to resist the urge to break out into song multiple times throughout the evening. The night flew by and before I knew it, it was one-thirty and the last person had just stumbled out the door.

"You survived!" Alice congratulated me from behind the bar, clapping her hands together as I wiped up a table across the room.

I wiped fake sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "I didn't think I was going to make it – do you know how torturous it is to be the one serving the alcohol and not drinking it?"

"You get used to it," Alice giggled.

Maybe I would, but it would definitely take some adjusting.

I dug a couple quarters out of the front pocket of my jeans and set the music to some Def Leppard while Alice and I cleaned up. Alice giggled as she sorted through the cash register while I mopped up and sang along to Love Bites.

"You sure you didn't sneak a few drinks, Bella?" she teased, watching me with a highly amused expression.

I threw back my head and laughed as I wrung the water from the mop.

"Ooooh love bites, love bleeds. It's bringing me to my knees," I belted back in reply.

She giggled and went back to cashing out. I laughed to myself as I began pushing the mop and bucket to the back of the bar. I don't know exactly what had gotten to me – I usually only acted like a crazy idiot in front of Jasper.

"I thought only dudes listen to this kind of music," Alice called, still giggling as I did a very risky maneuver with the handle of the mop.

"What? No way! Dep Leppard is the greatest. You know their drummer only-"

"Only has one arm? Yeah, I know," Alice grinned, shaking her head. "My cousin reminds me of that constantly. I mean, that's great and all, but it's just not my thing."

I groaned. "Alice, I don't think we can be friends anymore."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You have to respect the classics."

"I do! I just think my definition of the classics are a little different than yours."

"Like what? And I swear to God if you say Hit Me Baby One More Time, I will step on you."

"Naw," she giggled, "I'm a more of a Genie in a Bottle kind of girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Please tell me you're kidding."

She just shrugged and laughed, leading me to believe that she was, in fact, not kidding.

It didn't take us much longer to get everything cleaned up. Alice locked up the back and I slipped on my jacket, waiting for her at the front. When we got out into the parking lot, she looked around, confused.

"How are you getting home?"

I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jacket and looked down at my feet as I kicked one up off the ground. "These babies work just fine."

"Oh, Bella." Alice rolled her eyes and grabbed me by the sleeve of my jacket, pulling me in the direction of her car.

"It's not far -" I objected.

"It's far enough at this time of night. We have bears and wolves here, you know. And I'd bet you'd make a tasty little snack for them."

"Oh." I shuddered and stopped struggling, following her eagerly the rest of the way across the parking lot.

I didn't have to tell her where I was staying, which led me to believe she'd asked more about me than she'd let on, but I didn't mention it. Maybe it was pretty obvious, and it seemed that this was the only hotel in Forks. If she had pulled up in front of my room, I would have been slightly creeped-out, but she asked me what door was ours and then parked in the two empty stalls in front of room 117.

"Thanks for the ride," I said, popping open the door. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Didn't feel much like work."

"I know, it's usually not a bad job. I'm really glad to be working with you, Bella. I think that's the most fun I've had there in a long time."

I grinned, biting my lip. "See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," she grinned brilliantly. "Have a good night, Bella."

"Thanks, Alice, you too."

I climbed out and dug around for my room key. Unlocking the door, I pushed inside, giving my eyes a moment to adjust to the dark before trying to stumble my way to my bed. Emmett and Jasper were both passed out, snoring loudly. I shuffled across the room, and when my knees hit the edge of my mattress, I flopped down on it face first. I heard Jasper stir on the bed next to me.

"Bells?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Hey," I smiled, rolling onto my side.

In the dim light I could see him run his hands over his face and then prop his head up on his elbow, facing me. "How was work?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Good," I replied, excitement seeping into my voice. "It was actually really, really fun."

"That's good," I could see a tired smile form on his face. "I wanted to make it out… but I was just so beat when I got back."

"That's okay," I told him. I'd honestly forgotten that I'd been half-expecting him to drop by after his shift. "I was pretty busy anyway. Maybe you guys can come by tomorrow or something. I'm working with a girl named Alice. She's… quite the bundle of energy, but she's really great. I think you'll really like her."

"Why do you always say that?" Jasper chuckled darkly. "I hate everybody. Why would I like her?"

"She's… different," I said carefully. "Besides, you like Emmett." Emmett chose that moment to roll over and let out a loud snore. I covered my mouth with my hand so I wouldn't wake him as I laughed.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "It's impossible not to like Emmett."

"Yeah, well, maybe it's impossible not to like Alice."

He just shook his head, covering a yawn. "Whatever you say, Bells."

I grinned at him. "Go back to sleep, Whitlock."

"Mmm, 'kay. Night, Bells."

"Night Jazz."

x.x.x

The entire week went by in much of the same fashion as the first night. Every evening, more and more locals made their way to The Whiskey, leaving me wondering just how hectic Friday night was going to be. Everybody I met was friendly and more than welcoming, and towards the end of the week I even started remembering a few names. There was the aggressively friendly Mike Newton, who had gone to college for business and now managed Newton's Outfitters, which his parents owned and which he was hoping to take over someday. Mike had been a little overly disappointed when I mentioned to him that I'd been turned down by the store before getting my job at The Whiskey. He promised he'd let me know as soon as a spot opened up, and I had only laughed because, really, it was hard to imagine someone like me working at a sporting-good store.

I also met the borderline-annoyingly chatty Jessica Stanley, who worked at the diner and hadn't made her way to college yet because she was undecided on her major. There were Jake's friends Quil and Embry who both just goofy as hell and had me laughing constantly. And on my second night, I officially met Rosalie Hale.

It was the same night Jasper and Emmett stopped by after work. When they strolled in the bar, I could see Alice's face light up immediately, although she waited for me to introduce them to her before bombarding them with hugs. If they were weirded-out by her friendliness, they didn't show it. It wasn't very busy yet so Alice and I had a few minutes to sit down and have a drink with them. Alice and Em carried the conversation with ease, which was great because it gave me time to down my drink.

"I thought you're not supposed to drink on the job," Jasper goaded, nudging me lightly as I took a long sip of my Jack Daniels.

I swallowed and looked up at him, raising my chin indignantly. "Jake never specifically prohibited it. In fact, all he said was for to not get 'too trashed'. Besides, I haven't had a drink since Sunday when the car broke down."

"Wow, look at you," he mused. "That's almost three days, Bella."

"Three very long, torturous days." Hm, maybe I was an alcoholic after all.

He grinned, and his eyes darted over to Alice, who was sipping a beer while laughing with Emmett. I watched Jasper curiously. He had this strange look on his face… and it wasn't the strange tortured look I was so used to seeing, either. He looked… intrigued, almost. It was baffling.

After a moment, he glanced back at me. "What?" he laughed.

I tried to rearrange my expression into something more normal. "Nothing."

"All right." I watched as his eyes darted back to Alice then down to his drink.

I tried to fight back a grin. So, so rarely did Jasper actually ever look at other people – like really, truly look at them…. And I'd just caught him in the act. He told me once that he didn't like to pay attention to people in that way, because when he did, he'd either find something he hated or something he liked. When he hated people, he got angry. When he liked people, he got attached. And that's how you get hurt – because you can't lose what you never had. You can't be hurt by something you don't care about.

I suppose that's how Jasper and I became close in the first place, though. He could have easily walked by as the kids taunted me that day in the schoolyard – a child getting teased was not a rarity, it happened every day. But Jasper stopped and looked, and he must have seen something there… something he liked; something he wanted to protect. Maybe if he hadn't looked that day, we wouldn't be sitting here right now.

"So, Jasper. How do you like working with Rose?" Alice's lips were turned up into a knowing smile, her chin in her hand as she leaned across the bar towards Jazz.

Emmett made a strange choking noise, and Jasper laughed. "It's great, actually. Most fun I've had working in a long time. Rose is great – she's amazing at what she does. I've never seen anything like it."

Alice cocked and eyebrow. "Really? She hasn't been torturing you the past couple days?"

"Ah, she tries," Jasper waved it off. "I learnt early on not to laugh at her when she yells. Or call her a bitch." Jasper glanced at Emmett.

"Even if she is a complete bitch," he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest just as the bell above the door rang, and none other than Rosalie Hale herself waltzed through the door. I grinned as Emmett tensed up.

She was fucking beautiful, there was no doubting it. She just carried herself with such poise and grace that if I had met her in the streets the last thing I would have pegged her for would be a mechanic. She'd obviously gone home to change before coming by here – she wore a dark pair of jeans and a tall pair of black boots and a long, fitted black shirt. She wasn't overdressed by any means, but something about it made me think that she could have just stepped off a runway. She was breathtaking.

"Rose!" Alice sprang from her seat and greeted her friend, dragging her to the bar where we all sat.

"Hey Rose," Jazz grinned easily as she took a seat.

"Hey dick," Rose raised her eyebrows in return. "I see you took off early on me, son of a bitch."

"Hey, I finished up that Tahoe like I was ordered to. It's not my fault you were buried under an Impala with a grinder in your hand and couldn't hear me yelling at you."

"Yeah, because you took the fucking tire rotation and left me to change out a transfer case."

"You asked for it."

"You know, I should really fucking fire you, Whitlock."

"Why? Because I'm a faster worker than you?"

"No, because-"

"Stop it!" Alice broke in, her voice a high whine. "No work talk! That's so boring."

Rose huffed but I saw her fighting back a grin. She looked down the bar and frowned. "Wow, customer service is sure in the shitter here these days."

"You know where we keep the beer."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Isn't this why you hired help?" she sneered. "So I don't have to serve my god-damn self?"

"Christ Rose, get off your high-horse and get yourself a beer," Alice retorted. I tensed, waiting from a snippy response from Rose, but she only made a face and got to her feet. My respect for Alice climbed about ten notches - it didn't seem like an easy feat to stand up to someone like Rosalie Hale.

"So have you been officially introduced to Bella yet, Rose?"

Rose's eyes flickered to mine and I met her gaze for a few seconds before I had to look away. I had to admit, the woman was intimidating as hell... but I saw something else in her ocean-blue eyes … something I recognized in my own sometimes. She was guarded… she'd been hurt, too.

"No, I haven't," she replied finally, pulling a Budweiser out from behind the bar. She looked back at me. "I'm Rose."

"I've heard. I'm Bella."

"I've heard." She cracked open her drink, a hint of a smile curling on her lips. Then she saw Emmett.

"You're the motherfucker who threatened to burn down my shop," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"It wasn't technically a threat," Em replied. "More like a general observation."

"I'm pretty sure that 'I'm going to burn this fucking shop to the ground if you don't help my friends out' is most definitely classified as a threat."

"I figured it was open to interpretation."

"Like what? That you're a fucking dumbass?"

"Wow, good one, greasemonkey."

"Rose-"

"Emmett-"

Alice and Jasper both spoke in unison in the same low warning hiss. They glanced at each other and burst out laughing. It was so strange, the way I felt like we were intruding on some intimate moment as they grinned at each other, their gazes locked. I had to look away. It was too much. And too unusual for Jasper.

I looked down at my empty drink, frowning. Did my Jasper have a crush on sweet little Alice? Huh. I couldn't wait to tease him about this one.

"Hey, Cullen!"

It was a reflex the way my heart froze in my chest, then started pounding again double-time as I head someone holler that name across the bar. I turned slowly, looking over my shoulder at Embry who was over in the corner with a group of guys I didn't really recognize. He was waving at someone over by where we sat. But it didn't make sense. That name… still… it had been five years and I still felt like someone was calling my name whenever I heard it. I took a deep shaky breath, calming my racing pulse and deciding I must have been hearing things again.

"Embry! Hold on two god-damn seconds!"

I looked up slowly at Alice, who was shaking her head and laughing as she flipped off Embry. Embry hollered something back at her and she hopped down off her barstool. "Guess it's back to work for us, Bella," she chimed.

I took a deep breath, trying to get my erratic heartbeat back under control and shoved my hands in my pockets so my shaking wouldn't be so obvious. "Alice, is your last name Cullen?" I asked, slipping out of my chair, trying to be casual but I could feel Jasper's gaze on me, watching me carefully.

"It is," she replied looking a little surprised. "Why?"

I shook my head. "Oh, it's nothing, I guess I just didn't know."

"What, you just assumed I didn't have a last name?" she giggled.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know." I shook my head and laughed to myself. Alice Cullen… so bizarre. I wondered briefly if it meant anything. But I pushed those thoughts from my head and got to work, because I knew if I didn't I'd think about him, and it was never a good time for that.

Jasper, Emmett, and Rose all stayed until last call. I'd stop and chat with them whenever I had a chance, but they actually all seemed to be getting along great. Jasper and Rose's back-and-forth bantering was pretty hilarious, and even Emmett finally loosened up and joined in. I looked back between him and Rose carefully, thinking about what Alice had said yesterday. As much as they seemed to hate each other, there was something about the way they looked at each other that made me think that maybe Alice could have been right. There was obvious tension between the two of them, but it wasn't necessarily angry tension. It was farfetched, but there could be something there. They seemed too much alike though, it was eerie.

The night flew by in a blur of beer bottles, shot glasses, and classic rock. Jasper and Emmett hung around while Alice and I cleaned up. I watched the way that Jasper stuck to Alice's side as I wiped down tables. They were both engrossed in conversation, and Jasper was laughing – like, really fucking laughing – as Alice giggled and danced around as she cleaned. Then Jasper and Emmett walked me home, despite Alice's protests. They didn't seem quite so freaked out by the possibility of wolves and bears as I had. So I reluctantly wedged myself between them as we made our way back to the motel.

I nudged Jazz as we walked and Alice's car took off in the opposite direction. He had his hands deep inside the pockets of his jacket and this stupid, sloppy grin on his face.

"I thought you said you weren't gonna like Alice."

His eyes darted over to me and he chuckled. "I said we'd see."

"Hmph. You shouldn't doubt me, Jazz. I know all."

"She seemed really into you," Emmett agreed.

"Yeah. We're gonna go for lunch tomorrow," he shrugged casually, looking over at Emmett. I could tell he was intentionally avoiding my gaze, the asshole.

My eyes were wide as I stared at him. Jasper didn't… date. Not since fucking high school. Huh. I blew out a breath, turning my gaze to the sidewalk before me. Jasper's hands shot out to catch me almost a moment before the curb decided to trip me. He still had it.

"Thanks," I giggled, straightening up.

He just shook his head and chuckled. "Sometimes I think you're more coordinated when you're drunk."

"It's possible." I shrugged. "So," I said, trying to keep my tone indifferent. "You have a date."

"I guess I do, yeah."

"Oh."

"What?" he smirked, "Don't you approve?"

"No I do. It's just… you don't date, Jazz."

"Sure I do."

Emmett and I both just laughed because I think it was fairly obvious he was full of shit.

"Well, I guess we officially have one more thing in common," I said jokingly.

"Huh?"

"You're dating a Cullen." I was grinning, but on the inside, something just felt off.

x.x.x

"Think you can handle soup, Bella?" Alice teased, glancing back at me with her eyebrows raised as she pulled two bowls from the light oak cupboards in her bright, airy kitchen.

"I'll manage," I replied, sticking my tongue out at her from behind her back and scooping up her adorable puppy Clyde and coddling him against my chest.

"Your mommy can be a big fat meanie, you know," I told him seriously.

Clyde barked and licked my face.

"Yeah, you love me, don't you Clyder?"

He yelped again and Alice laughed, turning to face me who two bowls brimming full of minestrone soup. "I think he just loves the fact that you have a giant hole in your lip. You know, I have a bib if you need it."

"I've managed to feed myself relatively well for twenty-some years, I'll be just fine." I set Clyde down and took a seat at the spot on the island where she'd set the bowls.

Alice had finally experienced the full potential of my clumsiness when I'd unintentionally poured and entire beer down my shirt the night before. I'd been waiting for something like that to happen all week. Unfortunately, it was my last clean shirt. I had two choices – spend the afternoon in Port Angeles shopping with Alice, or spend the afternoon at Alice's house doing laundry.

Maybe for the majority of the female population, laundry wasn't the obvious choice, but it sure as hell was for me.

"You know, Jasper did warn me you were a bit of a klutz."

"So that's why you've been keeping an arm-length distance all week," I accused, pointing my spoon at her and narrowing my eyes.

"Well that and," she wrinkled her nose and looked me up and down, "You really needed to do laundry."

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry I don't have two walk-in closets packed full of unnecessary clothing."

She just glared at me, and I couldn't help but laugh. One thing I'd learned early on – Alice was serious about her clothes. Like, really, really serious. But as long as she stayed away from my wardrobe, I was content.

When I first showed up at Alice's place just outside of town, she had given me the full tour of her house. It was beautiful – much larger than I expected and completely had Alice's own little artistic flare to it. Everything was light and bright and warm and it really reminded me of home. She'd told me her mother was an interior designer so they'd collaborate on the design scheme. It was beautiful; open and friendly and classy. I was beyond jealous.

She'd showed me her "design room" – a giant white room on the main floor that had cupboard upon cupboard of neatly piled fabrics, giant drafting tables where she did her sketching for her clothing designs, and another long table with three different kinds of sewing machines. I hadn't realized it, but Alice was huge into designing clothes. And her designs were incredible – ranging from everyday shirts to jaw dropping gowns. She truly had an amazing talent.

"Alice, what in the hell are you still doing in Forks working as a bartender when you have a talent like this?" I'd asked, picking up a long jersey-dress design she was working on.

Alice shrugged. "I'm waiting for someone," was the only response I could get. Her answer left me confused, but I too mesmerized by the room that I didn't press it further.

She had then led me out to her yard. I hadn't paid much attention to it when I'd first come over as I'd been practically sprinting from Alice's car to the front door through the rain. A hand-laid stone walkway led up to the front entrance, cutting through the greenest grass I'd ever laid eyes on. The back yard was separated by towering trees which enclosed a large, secluded patio which was half covered by a veranda which I could only assume was so that it was still usable on days like today. She had a massive barbeque out back, a black and red cushy patio set, tiki torches ever few feet… And it was so quiet, the only sound the gentle rain falling from the sky as it landed on all the surrounding greenery.

I could see why Jasper liked it here.

Over the last week, Jasper had spent the majority of his the nights over at Alice's. I knew he was reluctant to go at first, but after I promised him a thousand times that Emmett and I could handle ourselves just fine, he'd went. I knew Jazz was concerned about my nightmares - to be honest, I was too. But Emmett had never mentioned anything about my screaming waking him up in the middle of the night, though the man did sleep like a bear in hibernation. Once I convinced Jasper my nightmares wouldn't be an issue, he finally agreed. And he was happy, a giddiness I'd never seen just radiated from the man. Automatically, it made me happy too. It had only been a little over a week but their relationship was picking up speed, and fast.

Alice brought him lunch everyday at the shop; she was all he talked about when he got home, when he was home. He'd been spending every free moment with her – hanging out at her house after work and before her shift started, and coming by the bar after her shift and going back to her place. I wasn't jealous, per say, but it was an adjustment to say the least. I'd forgotten what it was like for Jasper to have another woman in his life. And it had all happened so fast – we hadn't even been in Forks for two weeks officially. But I was happy for him, because Alice was amazing. I honestly think a little part of me was falling in love with her too.

"Bella." Alice's condescending voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up at her to find her watching me, a frown on her face.

"What?" I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

She gestured at my shirt and I glanced down to find a line of minestrone trailing all the way from the collar to the hem on the bottom.

"How in the hell…?" I murmured, picking off a stray noodle and popping it in my mouth as I reached for a napkin and began absently blotting away the mess.

"I knew we should have waited until after lunch to do your laundry," she groaned. "Come on," she hopped off her stool and I followed her back down the hall to the laundry room, rolling my eyes.

"Alice, this really isn't necessary. You just made me all nervous with all your talk about bibs."

Alice giggled, "Well, you might as well toss it in with the rest of your clothes since you're here." She started digging through a pile of clothes next to the dryer and I reluctantly stripped off my t-shirt, inspecting the stain. It wasn't my favorite shirt, and I was sure it would come out, but if it pleased Alice…

She tossed me a grey t-shirt. "It's clean," she assured me. "Although… I doubt it will stay that way."

"I'm not completely handicapped," I muttered. "Is this yours?" I pulled it over my head; it hung halfway down to my knees. It was definitely a men's shirt, and I didn't recognize it as being one of Jaspers. And something about the smell was familiar… comforting…

"No, it's my roommate's. He won't miss it, I promise. I think he owns a hundred of those terrible shirts."

"You roommate is a guy?" I asked, kind of surprised because I had actually completely forgotten she'd told me she had a roommate. There was very little evidence in the house that anybody else lived here with Alice, especially a guy.

Alice nodded absently as she started up the machine again. "Yeah. My cousin, actually." I opened my mouth to ask her where the hell she was hiding the allusive roommate-slash-cousin, but her phone rang and she paused, pulling it from her pocket. "Speak of the devil…" she murmured, and her grin grew wider as she flipped the phone open.

"Hey! I was just talking about you! I miss you," she cooed into the receiver.

I heard a deep male voice laugh on the other end of the line and reply something I couldn't make out, and I wandered out of the laundry room back to the kitchen, hoping I could manage finish the soup before Alice got back so I could avoid another incident. I usually wasn't so bad at eating – I think Alice was making me nervous.

I had just brought the last spoonful of soup to my mouth when she came skipping back into the kitchen, and instantly began rambling on about her birthday. Apparently it was coming up in a few weeks.

"You guys have to come," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, "I can't believe I haven't mentioned it yet - he just reminded me! We throw it every year at my mom and dad's cabin on the lake, it's about forty-five minutes from Forks, so nice, on the beach, it's a huge party… it will be amazing! Jake takes the weekend off, so we don't have to work, and we can stay there all weekend! Oh, Bella, I've just so distracted I cannot believe I didn't tell you."

I raised my eyebrows, trying to absorb her enthusiasm. "That sounds fun."

Alice laughed lightly and shook her head. "Okay, try and contain your excitement a little, Bella. Come on, it's my birthday."

Okay, so that argument definitely was not the best to use on me. I'd never been a huge fan of birthdays… but for Alice, I would try.

"Sorry," I smiled. "That sounds really cool. And a weekend off? Hell yeah, I'll take it."

"I'm making you a dress!" Alice sang, plopping down on her stool.

"A dress, Alice? Is that really necessary?"

"Absolutely! It's a formal – and I have a great idea for something that will look amazing on you. Wanna know what it is?"

I shook my head slowly. "Um, you can surprise me. Just… nothing too slutty, alright?"

She pouted a little but agreed.

"Don't you have to make something for yourself?" I asked.

"Oh, please, I had mine finished months ago. I knew there was a reason for that."

"Lucky for me," I said, trying to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

She giggled, giving me that same love-struck grin Jasper had been wearing all week and went back to eating her soup. I played with Clyde while I waited on her to finish up, instantly deciding that when Jasper and I made it to Canada – if we ever made it to Canada – the first thing I was doing was buying a puppy.

The dryer buzzed, signaling my first load of laundry was dry. I quickly helped Alice with the dishes and slipped off to the laundry room to fold my clothes and throw the second load in. A few minutes later, loud, pounding music was echoing from the kitchen and Alice came sliding down the hallway, skidding to a halt right in front of the door to the laundry room.

"What is this?" I asked, practically yelling to be heard over the messy, erratic, bassy music.

She yelled back something that sounded like a mix of sounds and numbers and I just raised my eyebrows and nodded, setting a pair of folded jeans on the dryer. I had no idea if she'd just told me the name of the band or if she was having a stroke.

"You need to expand your musical horizons," she told me, dancing next to me. "Come on, don't you ever just want to dance?"

I laughed. "Hey, you saw me pulling out my best moves the other night at the bar."

"Yeah, to Def Leppard," Alice pouted. "That doesn't count."

"Sure it does."

"You'll have to dance at my birthday."

She was just making it sound more and more appealing every second.

"Come oooon."

I sighed and gave up, because I had a feeling Alice could be extremely persistent. And actually, I knew I wasn't a terrible dancer. I may have been an uncoordinated mess ninety percent of the time, but when it came to dancing, something about it just calmed me. Like a part of my brain just shut off completely, the part of my brain that controlled my sporadic movements, and I could close my eyes and let the music take me.

There's something about music… I swear to God it's like fucking magic.

So Alice and I jumped around and danced while we folded the rest of the clothes. Alice was fucking beaming. I had a feeling this was something Rose would never have been into – and if it made Alice happy, hell, I could listen to a few terrible songs and swing my hips around for her. And I was having fun. I could only imagine the things Jazz would say about me in that moment, but I honestly didn't care. I couldn't remember the last time I had an honest-to-god girls day. Probably not since I was little and Renee would turn on The Bee Gees and dance me around the living room; and I didn't even know if that counted.

And honestly? The music wasn't that bad. I even joined Alice and sang along to a couple songs.

We went outside afterwards so I could have a smoke, and Alice stared out into the yard. "It stopped raining," she noted, and I hadn't even noticed that the drizzle had ceased momentarily, wet drops that clung to the trees were still dropping to the ground. "We should take Clyde for a run or something, get some fresh air."

I looked between her and the cigarette in my hand.

"Uh… Aren't you not supposed to run for like an hour after you eat? Isn't that how you drown?"

Alice just stared at me. "You do realize…"

"Yes. It was a joke."

"Oh."

I laughed and shook my head. "Yeah, let's do that. A little exercise probably wouldn't kill me."

Her face lit up. "Okay! I have an extra pair of sneakers for you."

Oh, so she wasn't kidding…

"...All right." I gave in, because I truly couldn't think of an excuse not to. It was Friday – Jasper was working, and Emmett was at the shop with him because he'd actually managed to convince Jazz to let him do some work on the Mustang. I know, I was as surprised as anybody. Rose had reluctantly given up a spare spot in the garage so Em could work out of the rain, and after much convincing Alice had even let him borrow her car the other day so he could run to town and pick up what he needed.

So Alice gave me a pair of shoes and we headed outside with Clyde yelping excitedly beside us on his leash. The little guy was absolutely adorable – Alice told me she'd adopted him from a shelter a few months ago. She didn't even know what breed he was exactly – something like a cross between a miniature poodle and a golden retriever. I sure couldn't tell, but he was soft and fluffy and cute as hell.

It started raining about halfway through our run, and by the time we got back to the house we were both drenched and laughing our asses off as we raced to the front door. Alice let me use her shower and we cleaned up and got ready together for our shift at The Whiskey. Alice even convinced me to let her straighten my hair and she admired my tattoo. I was seriously beginning to wish I'd gotten it somewhere on the front of my body – somewhere that I could look at it all the time. I was pretty sure I'd forgotten the original sketch at the tattoo shop that night, and it definitely would have been more heartbreaking if I hadn't had a copy inked into the back of my neck.

When she asked me if there was a story behind it, I pretty much gave her the same vague answer I'd given Emmett – a friend from a long time ago drew it for me. She didn't press it, and I was thankful as hell.

We left the house around six-thirty, still laughing and listening to more dance music in Alice's car on the drive over. And because I felt like somehow I owed her for the perma-grin that had been plastered on Jasper's face since he'd met her, I even let Alice do my make-up. I was just truly grateful she hadn't gone overboard. Just a little eye shadow and mascara because according to Alice I had "amazing skin and adorable freckles and there was no way in hell I was covering those up." I'd just laughed and let her do her thing. I'd had an amazing day with her; I felt a little bad for robbing her of her lunch-date with Jasper, but not too bad because it wasn't fair for him to hog Alice all the time.

We pulled into the parking lot of the bar singing along to some Lady GaGa song, and I was grinning from ear-to-ear. Sunday would officially be two weeks since the unfortunate Mustang breakdown, but some part of me was feeling smug about the whole thing. I really did believe that some things are just fucking meant to be, no matter what Jasper or Emmett tried to tell me. And I felt more at home here in this strange town of Forks than I had anywhere in the past five years.

x.x.x

A/N: Am I the only one who is sick of hearing about our dear Alice being described as a pixie? I can promise you, I'll never use that word in this story. Mostly for my sanity, and perhaps yours too.

Also, I posted a picture of cute little Clyder in my profile, just so ya'll know. And shit gets real next chapter - finally! I hope you're as excited as I am!

Reviews are sweeter than Alice and Jasper falling head-over-heels in one week. If Romeo and Juliet can fall in love in four days, then so can they.