A/N: I've changed a bit of these chapters, just to shorten a couple of storylines a bit. Not because Ms. Austen's work wasn't perfect the way it is, but because since this is fanfiction and updates on this story come periodically instead of getting the whole book at once, I know we're anxious to get back to Edward and Bella. So while there are a few things we have to cover before then, I will be shortening or changing some parts where I feel it won't entirely damage the integrity of the story.

Emmett enters the story in this update! Woohoo Emmett!

That being said…

All characters belong to S. Meyer. Major plot and storyline belong to J. Austen. I'm just playing in both their backyards.

A&A Chs. 23, 24 and 25

After the news spread of Jake and Leah's new relationship, little could be done to calm Renee. Of a few things she was extremely positive: 1) Jake had somehow been taken in by Leah. Hypnosis, witchcraft, sex, take your pick; 2) Mark her words, they would never be happy together; and 3) As long as there was no ring on Leah's finger, the whole mistake could be undone.

Two facts could not be denied by anyone though, in her unbiased opinion. 1) The whole thing was Bella's fault, and 2) Renee herself had been heartlessly abused and misused by everyone involved.

It was on these last two points that she dwelt for the next few days. No one could console her. Nothing could appease her. A week passed before she could look at Bella again. Two weeks passed before she could see Harry or Sue without saying something rude. And it took a hell of a lot longer before she could forgive their daughter.

Charlie's feeling on the whole matter, were much more composed. And whatever he did feel over it he pronounced to be most agreeable. Because it gratified him, he said, to see that Leah Clearwater, whom he'd always considered to be extremely level-headed, could be as silly and foolish as his wife and nieces!

Alice herself was a little surprised at the news, but of course, wished them both all happiness, and nothing Bella said could convince her to say anything negative about the match. Jessica and Lauren were anything but jealous of Leah. Jake may have been cute and all, but all his political mumbo jumbo greatly bored them, and the news was nothing more to them than gossip they could spread around town.

Sue Clearwater couldn't resist feeling a bit smug and triumphant over Renee, and she visited her friend more than usual to talk about how good it felt to know your daughter was on the verge of marrying well, and all of Renee's dirty looks weren't enough to drive away her happiness.

Bella and Leah though barely brought up the subject, and Bella was saddened to realize that it had somehow driven a wedge between them. Her undeniable disappointment in Leah made her turn even more towards her sister Alice, who she was confidently positive could never trade true love for materialistic gain. Unfortunately, with each day that passed without word from Jasper, both girls grew more and more anxious about his return.

Alice had sent Tanya a few emails, but hadn't heard back from her.

Jake had sent Charlie an email thanking them again for their hospitality, though the promised restaurant gift card never did arrive. He also mentioned he'd be in town again in two weeks, to spend some time with his beloved Leah, and would look forward to seeing them again then.

"Why should we have to see him when he comes down to see Leah?" Renee complained to Charlie. "You know how I hate visitors," she added, "especially with my delicate health, and everyone knows how disgusting it is to look at two lovers kissing and making all sorts of goo goo eyes at each other," she finished with a disgusted snort.

Everyone in the Swan household sighed at Renee's continued complaints, and it only added to the anxiousness at Jasper's continued absence and silence. When rumors spread around Forks that Jasper wouldn't be returning to Forks at all, Renee's mood grew even more horrid.

Even Bella began to fear at that point – not that Jasper had forgotten Alice – but that his cousins would somehow be successful at keeping him away. As much as she didn't want to think of something that would so completely destroy Alice's happiness, and that would shed such a negative and ungentlemanly light on Jasper, she couldn't keep the thought from crossing her mind. The meddling efforts of his two cousins, combined with those of his arrogant friend, as well as his possible attraction to Rosalie, topped off by all the amusements in New York City, might prove to be too much.

As for Alice, her anxiety over the whole situation was of course, even worse than Bella's, but to minimize her pain, neither she nor Bella spoke of it.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of Renee.

Jake returned punctually two weeks later, and invited himself and Leah to dinner on the second night. His reception at the Swan home was not quite so gracious as it had been the first time around, but he barely noticed as he stuffed his face with roast chicken.

Renee glared at them murderously through the whole dinner, and every time Jake bent his head to Leah's ear to whisper sweet nothings, Renee was convinced that they were talking of the house and all the redecorating they would do if Charlie ever died or defaulted on his loan.

"It kills me to think that Leah would ever be mistress of this house!" Renee complained to Charlie once again. "That I should be forced to pack up my things and make way for her!"

"Renee, sweetie," Charlie said over his newspaper, "don't upset yourself with such gloomy thoughts. Instead, let's hope that I don't die anytime soon."

This was not enough consolation for Renee.

OOOOOOOOOO

When Tanya's email finally arrived in Alice's inbox, it put an end to any and all speculation.

Alice honey, how are you? I know I haven't kept in touch very well, but we've been having so much fun! We've all decided to stay in New York for the rest of the summer. Jasper has asked me to apologize for not emailing you, but he's been busy with Rosalie and hasn't had a chance to write. Anyway, maybe someday we'll all see each other again!

TTYL! Bye!

Hope, was officially over.

When Alice finally read the email to Bella, all the latter girl could do was listen in silent indignation. She wasn't sure which emotion ruled her more, sadness for her sister, or hatred for everyone else involved. That Jasper had really fallen in love with Alice, Bella still had no doubt. Yet as much as she'd always liked Jasper and admired his easygoing, laid back attitude, she couldn't help but resent these same traits for making it so easy for his more head-strong friends to convince him to sacrifice his own happiness for their own selfish reasons. What's more, had it only been his happiness involved, Bella would've been more inclined to let him play with it to his liking. But Alice's happiness was involved too, and Jasper had to know that, didn't he?

Bella sighed. The fact was, whether Jasper's love for Alice had really died away, or whether he'd suppressed them to please his friends, whether he'd been aware of how much Alice loved him, or had honestly not realized it, though the answers to these questions would greatly determine her future opinion of Jasper Whitlock, they did not change one fundamental fact. Her sister's heart had been broken.

Renee, of course, was not informed of this email, and so for days on end, she continued to talk and talk about Jasper's return.

"I wish mom would just shut up already," Alice finally confided to Bella one evening. "She has no idea how much she hurts me by continually bringing up…Jasper. But I'll get over this," Alice said with brave conviction, lifting her little chin up high in the air. "It won't be long before I forget him, and then everything will be just like it was before."

Bella said nothing, but couldn't hide the flicker of doubt that crossed her face.

"What? You don't believe me?" Alice cried quietly. "Well you should. I'll always remember him as one of the nicest guys I've ever met, but that's all. It's not like we…slept together," she continued with a pained voice. "Thank God! I don't have that memory to try to erase! Some time, that's all I need, and I'll be fine. At least I can comfort myself with the fact that it was all just an error on my part, on miscalculating his feelings for me, and that the error has hurt no one else but me."

"Jesus Christ, Alice," Bella finally cried, exasperated. "Someone needs to come down and put a friggin' halo around your head, because you are just too damned nice. I don't even feel like I deserve to be your sister right now."

"I'm not that nice," Alice said forlornly, "and thank you, for loving me so much."

Bella threw her hands up. "Alright, that's it. You're killing me here. You insist on only seeing the best in everyone, and have a heart attack if I point out their shortcomings. Yet when I point out the best in you, you insist on putting yourself down! The more I see of this world, the more I come to believe of the non-dependability of people, of how little stock can be put in the appearance of someone having common sense. One such instance I won't mention right now, the other is Leah's new relationship."

"Bella, don't think that way," Alice reproached her. "What you call common sense may not be another person's definition of the word. You have to take into account the fact that Jake is, undeniably, in a pretty decent position in life, and that Leah has always valued security over romance. Just because you fail to see any good qualities in Jake, doesn't mean Charlotte fails to."

"Alright, alright," Bella admitted, rolling her eyes. "If it makes you happy, I'll try to see it that way. But only to make you happy, Alice honey," Bella assured her, "because if I were really to believe that Leah actually loves Jake, I think I'd think even worse of her than I do now. Let's be honest Alice. Jake may be good to look at, but he is an arrogant, conceited, pompous, chauvinistic fool, and you've got to admit that any woman who would ever consider marrying him has to be out of her mind. I know we're talking about Leah here, but the definition of common sense can't be changed just to defend her."

"I think you're being too hard on her," Alice insisted, "and I hope your mind will be changed by seeing them happy together. Anyway, enough about that. You mentioned another instance, and I'm not stupid enough not to know what you're referring to. But please, Bella, don't make things harder for me by blaming him for any of what's happened, or implying that your opinion of him has sunk so low. It's not good to think guys are always intentionally out to hurt us. A lot of the time we just let ourselves get carried away by our own feelings, and believe a little harmless flirting to be more than it really is."

"And that's exactly what men would have us believe."

"If they do it on purpose, then they're assholes," Alice agreed. "But I can't agree that guys are always out to hurt us."

"I'm not trying to say that Jasper purposely set out to hurt you, Alice," Bella clarified, "but even without setting out to purposely hurt someone, sometimes people still end up hurt. Chalk it up to thoughtlessness, lack of attention to other people's feelings, lack of will. All those can do the trick."

"And you think one of those was involved in this situation?"

"Yes. The last. But if I go on, I may end up saying what I really think of people you like. So stop me while you still can."

"You insist on thinking then, that his cousins had something to do with this?"

"Yes, in cahoots with Mr. Fancy-pants Cullen."

"I just don't buy it," Alice said, shaking her head. "Why would they try to turn him away from me? Wouldn't they want his happiness? And if he were in love with me, there's no way any other woman would be able to make him happy."

"First of all, your first assumption is all wrong. There're many things other than his happiness that they may want for him. For example, an increase in his wealth and position in society by dating someone with good connections, and lots of money."

"That they prefer Rosalie Cullen for him, I have no doubt," Alice concurred, "but this may be for better reasons than you're supposing. They've known her much longer than they've known me, it's only understandable they'd like her more. But regardless of their wishes, what does that have to do with Jasper's? If they truly believed he was in love with me, I don't think they would've tried to separate us. And if he'd really been in love with me, they couldn't have succeeded. By being so sure that Jasper was definitely in love with me, you paint a nasty picture of what really occurred, and hurt me more in the process."

Bella pursed her lips.

"Please, Bella," Alice pleaded, "don't make me feel worse by making me think so much nastiness was involved. I'm not ashamed of having been wrong about his feelings for me, or at least, it's less painful than thinking that he or his sisters really did intentionally hurt me. Let me make the best of the situation."

Bella drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The last thing she wanted was to cause her sister more pain, and therefore could not oppose Alice's wishes.

Jasper's name was therefore rarely mentioned between the two sisters for the rest of the summer.

The same could not be said of Renee.

"Oh when is Jasper finally going to return?" Renee asked every afternoon.

"Mom, Jasper's not coming back this summer," Bella would always tell her.

"But what about Alice? Doesn't he miss her?"

"Mom, it was just a summer fling. That's all," Bella would remind her through gritted teeth.

Renee would suck her own teeth. "I suppose you're right," she'd sigh. "Maybe he'll come up again next summer, while Alice is up for a visit."

And then she'd repeat the whole conversation again the next day.

Charlie treated the whole situation very differently.

"So, Bella," he said one day, when the two were alone in the living room, "I see Alice is nursing a broken heart. I congratulate her. Next to getting married or winning the lottery, it's good to have a broken heart every once in a while. It gives us something to think of, and makes us stand out among our friends. So, when do you think your turn will come? I hear there are plenty of young college guys roaming the streets of Port Angeles lately. How 'bout that guy, Newton? He seems pleasant enough, and quite capable of thoroughly breaking a lucky young lady's heart."

"Thanks dad, but a less pleasant guy would be enough for me. After all, we can't all be as lucky as Jane."

Charlie's eyes sparkled. "True," he agreed easily, "and isn't it a comfort to know that whenever that event should happen to you, you have a loving and understanding mother who will make the most of it."

As it turned out, Mike Newton's visits were extremely helpful in minimizing the gloom that the last few events had brought the Swan family. He came by very often, and to his previous good points was added that of being extremely candid and enlightening. The whole story he'd told Bella about Edward Cullen's shortcomings and unforgivable mistreatment was now known by the entire town of Forks, as well as half of Port Angeles, and everybody was proud to know that their existing dislike of Edward had come before they'd even known the whole story.

Alice was the only one who believed that there could possibly exist extenuating circumstances, unknown to the population of Forks and Port Angeles, that would explain Edward's treatment of Mike. Her personality would always look for the best in people.

But by everyone else, Edward Cullen was now widely believed to be an asshole.

OOOOOOOOOO

After a lazy summer of long visits to Leah, Jake was forced back into reality by the reconvening of the Senate in D.C., and as assistant to Senator DeVolturi, his visits to Leah would be further and far between. But he did not leave without extracting a promise from her that she'd come stay with him at his house in Madrona when next he could manage some days off. He therefore left Forks not quite happily, but with the knowledge that Leah would be joining him, without the constant presence of her family, in the near future, and said his goodbyes once more to the Clearwater and Swan families, again promising a forthcoming restaurant gift-card to the latter.

The last week of August, Renee had the pleasure of receiving her nephew, Emmett Jenks, for a short visit. Emmett was the son of Renee's brother, Jay, who was an attorney living in the Fremont section of Seattle. Emmett was currently in his first year of Medical school in New York City, and had come up so that he could accompany his cousin Alice back to New York, where they'd be rooming together while she attended FIT. Emmett was extremely laid-back and playful, and though he'd come from a broken home, having grown up with only his father, and in a very eclectic area of Seattle, he was also very well-spoken when the situation called for it, quite bright and undeniably good-looking. Tall, well-built, he'd graduated at the top of his class in pre-med, and was now once again at the top of his class at Cornell Medical School. He was hard-working, and spent summers and weekends as a waiter to help pay his rent and his way through medical school. Emmett was therefore a great favorite in the Swan home, and especially of his two eldest cousins, Alice and Bella.

The first part of Emmett's visit consisted of distributing New York City souvenirs to his family, which they all loved receiving, as well as describing his latest adventures living in the city that never slept. The second part consisted of listening to complaint after complaint from his aunt. She'd been used and abused all summer, first by Jacob Black, and then by Jasper Whitlock. Her two daughters had been practically at the altar with well-to-do men, and then nothing came of it.

"I don't blame Alice," Renee smirked, "because she would've sealed the deal if she'd gotten the chance, but Bella," she sneered, "Oh Emmett, she could've probably been at the White House right now, meeting the President, if she'd played her cards right!"

Emmett listened to his aunt with an extremely amused twitch upon his lips. He glanced at his favorite cousin, Bella and gave her a playful wink. Bella simply rolled her eyes.

"And now every day I have to hear from Sue Clearwater about how in love Jake is with her daughter!" Renee waxed on. "Those Clearwaters!" she spat. "All they care about is money and financial gain! It's true Emmett, I hate to talk bad about people. But what's true is true!"

"Aunt Renee, no one should have to put up with the hardships you deal with," Emmett answered his aunt solemnly. "You have truly earned yourself a place in heaven by your forbearance this summer alone."

Renee thanked her young nephew for his understanding of her plight in life.

When left alone with Bella later on, he cracked up in fits.

"I love your mother," he chuckled. "She makes me so grateful my own mom wasn't around when I had to nurse a broken heart."

Bella smirked.

"But tell me more about this Jasper dude," Emmett asked his cousin. "Sounds like he was really a nice guy, but I've been in New York long enough to see how these rich dudes operate. They fall in love for a few weeks and then when the summer's over, so is the love."

"I suppose that knowledge would be as good a consolation as any, but it won't do for this situation."

"Why not?" Emmett asked with a frown.

"Because it wasn't just a summer fling," Bella insisted. "Sometimes, nosy, good-for-nothing people get involved and convince a guy to forget about a girl he was crazy in love with just a few days before."

"The term 'crazy in love,' always bugs me out," Emmett laughed. "It's used both by people who only met each other half an hour ago as well as by those that have been together for years. Tell me the truth, how crazy do you really think this Jasper guy was about Al?"

"I've never seen a guy more taken," Bella said honestly. "He'd ignore everyone else and only pay attention to Alice when she was around. They only had eyes for each other every time they were together. I had to snap my fingers in front of his face a couple of times when I was trying to ask him something and he could do nothing but gaze at Alice. Could there be any more proof? Isn't being rude to everyone else in the presence of your loved one the very definition of crazy in love?"

Emmett shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you. Some of us are real assholes," he snorted. "Poor Alice. And then with her being so forgiving all the time, it'll probably be even harder for her to get over." He sighed. "Well, hopefully a change of scenery and all the excitement and busyness of New York will help get her mind off of him. And not for nothing, getting her away from Aunt Renee can't hurt."

"I hope she's not worried about bumping into this guy Whitlock in New York, since he's supposedly spending the winter down there. I'm sure he and his friends have a place somewhere in the Upper East Side or something, while we'll be in Hell's Kitchen. Totally different 'hoods," he laughed. "I doubt a guy like that'll be in our part of town unless he specifically comes to see her."

Bella snorted. "Yeah, that's highly unlikely, since he's now in the clutches of his friend, and Edward would never allow him to venture into such a neighborhood. I'm sure Edward's heard of the area, but I doubt there's enough soap in the world that would leave him feeling clean if he ever stepped foot in it, and Jasper goes nowhere without his counsel."

"Well screw'em both then," Emmett sneered. "He better hope I don't get my hands on him." He frowned, punching the palm of his hand. "But isn't Al still friends with his cousin? What if she wants to come over for a visit?"

Bella shook her head doubtfully. "Tanya won't be going over, trust me."

"Is she hot, at least?" Emmett asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"If you like the tall, snotty, rakishly thin type."

Emmett shook his head that he didn't.

Emmett stayed almost a week, and the Swans did their best to keep him entertained. The young crowd of Forks and Port Angeles often came over, and with them, of course, Mike Newton.

Being Bella's older male cousin, Emmett felt it was his duty to take care of his little cousins, and therefore watched Bella and Mike's interactions with curiosity. After a while, it became pretty obvious that Bella and Mike definitely preferred each other's company to that of others, but it relieved him for some reason to see that Bella didn't actually appear to be in love. Though Mike appeared to be a cool guy, friendly, funny and easy-going, there was something about him that didn't sit well with Emmett, and he decided he'd mention it in passing to Bella before he left Forks.

There was one subject though, which Emmett and Mike talked for hours and hours about. Before beginning Cornell's medical school in NYC, Emmett had been pre-med up in Ithaca, New York, which happened to be where Mike grew up. Emmett was quite familiar with Pemberley Vineyards in Ithaca, and was therefore fascinated by all the inside information Mike was able to provide about them. When Mike brought up the subject of Edward Cullen himself however, owner of Pemberley Vineyards, and how he cheated Mike out of his rightful inheritance, Emmett listened with a frown.

First of all, he'd never liked men that gossiped. Made them look like silly old ladies.

"But back in Ithaca, Cullen's known as a pretty cool guy. A bit quiet, maybe somewhat stuck up, but people generally agree he's quite generous actually."

Mike curled his top lip up in a sneer. "It's all an act, Emmett buddy," Mike assured him. "Edward knows how to fool people real good." His eyes turned towards Bella, and a slow, appreciative grin spread across his face. "Thank God, our little Bella was too smart to be taken in by him and his friends."

Second of all, Emmett wasn't too keen on a guy he barely knew calling his little cousin 'our little Bella.'

Yes, he'd definitely have to have a little talk with Bella about this dude.

Thoughts?

This is where I always had a problem with Bingley/Jasper. If he really loved Jane/Alice, there should've been nothing Darcy/Edward or his sisters/cousins could have said to him (short of showing him indisputable proof that Jane/Alice was a hoochy and just out for his money) to convince him to stay away from her. I always found him to be a little fickle in that respect.

BTW, although Cornell University's main campus is in Ithaca, New York, their medical campus is in New York City.