FAGE: Sweet 16.

Title: Party of FIve

Written for: Brier Lynn Rose/ Brierlynn03

Written by: Cruiz107

Rating: T

Prompt used:

"I think I will cause problems on purpose."

"I'm just here to establish an alibi…"

Ducks

Summary: Sometimes, you get the opportunity to pick your family.

If you would like to see all stories for this event head to the community page FAGE: Sweet 16. All stories past and present will be posted here. Do not forget to add the C2 to your favorite lists for all new stories as they are posted.

Special thank you to Sissy Marie who came through for me at the last minute to make me a great banner for this story. No one appreciates a clutch player like I do.

AN: Due to unforeseen circumstances, this story is un-beta'd. All spelling errors, extra commas, plot holes, and sentences that just don't make any sense are mine.

JPOV

"Your dad sends his love," I reiterated to Bella as I gently tossed the phone on the bed next to her. Before sitting with her, I bent low to place a kiss on Nico's little head as he slept in the playpen that has doubled as his bed for the last year and a half.

This kid looked more like me every day.

I sat down on the bed and wrapped my arms around her waist as she placed her head on my shoulder.

"How come he didn't call me?" There wasn't anger in her question, but a sadness that I felt, too.

"He was tired." I shrugged. "He worked three doubles in a row so he could take the next couple of days off to help us settle when we get back. He just called me to finalize the times for tomorrow."

"There is no "we" settling. 'We' would imply all of us and it's just you and Nico while I'm festering by myself in this shitty motel room." I don't see it, but I can hear the tears in her voice. I knew she was sad because I was sad, too. I didn't want to be separated from her, but this was the best solution we could come up with.

"I know, darling. I hate it, too. Nico's really going to hate not having his momma around, but it's only for a few days. Then you'll be back with us in Forks." I tried to sooth her without minimizing her feelings. I knew that this was going to be hard for both of us, but I was going to at least have Charlie to keep me company and getting settled to keep me busy. Bella was going to be in Texas by herself for the next week.

"I hate this, Jasper," she sniffled. "I want to be with my boys."

"And I want to be with my number one girl, but we know we have to do this. This is the only way it made sense for us financially," I reminded her. It helped to remind myself as well because her tears were killing me. I wanted to say "fuck it" and change our plans to have all of us fly out together, but we needed the overtime pay that her job was going to pay for the week.

"What if you meet a girl when I'm not around?" she laughed sadly.

"And what if you meet a boy when you get there?" I countered.

There was a stretch of silence before she spoke. "Things are really changing for us, and I'm scared, J," she confessed. "I'm scared for our little family."

"Hey," I cooed, grabbing her chin and making her look at me. "Me, you, and Nico are always going to be a family. Whether it's here in Texas or there in Forks. Whether we find other partners or not. I'm always going to love you. We're always going to be each other's first loves." I placed a soft kiss on her lips. I loved her lips.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I guess that I've been used to it just being us for so long that it's hard to picture anyone else inside our bubble," she sighed. "But you'll always love me, right? You promise?"

Insecure Bella made my heart hurt.

"Darling. There is a piece of my heart that will always only belong to you," I assured her. "I don't know what changes Forks may, or may not bring, but me not loving you will never be that change."

I grabbed her face gently, bringing her lips to mine again. She tasted like those vanilla cookies she likes to sneak in when Nico isn't looking.

"it's just us right now," I reminded her as I guided our bodies to lay back. "Before we have to face everything that scares us, let me make love to you again."

Bella smiled that irresistible smile. The one that the male population couldn't resist. The smile that enraptured me in the beginning and kept me ensnared. I knew that this smile would be for someone else eventually, but for the moment, it's mine.

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock," she stated in case I didn't know.

"I love you, too, Bella Swan," I said back in case she didn't know.

..ooOOoo..

I didn't realize how hard it was going to be leaving Bella back in Texas. It was definitely hard for Nico as well. I wish there was I way I could have warned him in a way that he would have understood. The flight was brutal with him constantly asking for his momma. No matter how many times I tried to tell him that his momma would be with us soon, he would ask again minutes later.

I was missing Momma, too, little man.

The only saving grace was that Charlie would be at the airport to meet us. Nico loved his grandpa. It didn't matter that he only met Charlie four times in his little life. Charlie was his best friend.

"You ready, little man?" I asked as I grabbed our overhead baggage. "Grandpa is waiting to steal you away from me."

I was not wrong. The moment Charlie spotted us in the crowded airport, he rushed over to grab his grandson to give him manly kisses all over his face. Nico was all hysterical giggles, forgetting all his distress from being separated from Bella.

Charlie finally spared a moment to give me a hug and ask how the flight was.

"How was Bella when you left?" he asked during our long drive to Forks.

"A mess," I answered honestly. "I tried to remind her that it was only a week, but you know Bella. I want to be able to get everything ready before she gets here. Trying to make her life a little easier."

Charlie grunted in acknowledgement. "It was always hard for her to be separated from you and now adding Nico to the mix." He shook his head. "But Bella is tough and that's why she was able to keep herself from getting on the plane right after you."

"Yeah, we've talked extensively about the best way to get settled back in Forks."

"Not that it's any of business, but what is your…romantic status with my daughter?"

A dark chuckle escaped before I could stop it. The side eye that Charlie gave me was hint enough that he did not appreciate where my thoughts had travelled.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly. "We're not officially together anymore. She's still, obviously, my best friend and that will never change. She's the mother of my child, which is the most important role that she could play in my life. I love Bella, Charlie, but I'm not in love with her and I know she feels the same. I think that it just took us being away from everyone and having Nico for us to realize that."

Talking about Bella made me miss her even more.

"Okay," Charlie responded slowly. "I guess I don't really understand it, but I can accept it. The two of you always had your own unique relationship. Just please – for the love of God – keep it in your pants when I'm home." I watched, bewildered, as he rubbed his hand down his face in distress.

"What?" I asked in disbelief, holding back a nervous chuckle.

"I may be old, son, but I'm not stupid." He gave me a hard, quick stare and turned his eyes back to the road. "Just because the two of you aren't officially together anymore doesn't mean that you won't be having sex with each other. You're sharing a bed in a room in my home for god's sake. Keep your dick in your pants when I'm home. And when Nico is around," he added as an afterthought.

The car was silent for a minute, which felt like an hour. Charlie certainly wasn't a stupid man. It was as if he knew the parting gift that Bella and I gave each other before I got ready to leave this morning.

"Yes, sir," I complied. Because what else was there to say?

Thankfully, Nico decided that I had taken up too much of his grandpa's time and babbled most of the way to Forks.

Charlie was the father that I wish I had. He was the father that I bet everyone wished they had. He was always a hardworking man who didn't have much to offer, financially, but made up for it in every other way. He was always an attentive father to Bella but gave her the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. When Bella brought me into their lives I was quickly accepted into their small family. Charlie only started giving me the stink eye when Bella and I started showing romantic interest in each other.

Even today, after admitting that he knows that I continue to defile his daughter, he continued to be the most giving man that I've ever known.

"Charlie, you really didn't have to do this. This is a lot of trouble for such a short time period."

I stared around the room that belonged to Charlie when Bella and I left for Texas. Our bedroom furniture and Nico's crib from Texas were already set up. The only thing that was left for me to do was unpack all our clothes and move the other boxes into a storage unit.

"Don't bother, son," he sounded disinterested. "I wasn't going to have three of my favorite people cramped into Bella's small bedroom. Besides, I didn't need all the space in this room. I was only ever in here to sleep, and I can do that in Bella's old bedroom."

I knew that Charlie wasn't an overtly affectionate person, but I couldn't help pulling into a hug.

"Thank you," I said into this shoulder. After I pulled away, but still couldn't help the emotions that over took me. "We've told you this before, but it means so much to us that you were willing to take us in while we get back on our feet. We'd still be stuck in Texas if it wasn't for you."

"Jasper, if I couldn't be there when my kids need me what kind of father would I be? And it's not like it was entirely selfless. I'm making you and Nico my new fishing buddies." He clapped me on my back and laughed as I could feel my face turn green.

Raw fish and I were not friends.

Four days in Forks found me the most tired I've been since Nico was born. I was up and down Forks and Port Angeles trying to get as many things done as possible before Bella came home to Nico and me. Despite talking to her multiple times a day, I missed her. I missed my best friend and Nico missed his mommy.

The four days had definitely taken a toll on Nico as well. The difference in climate was taking a hit on his health. When Bella heard the slight congestion in his voice, she threatened to cut work short and come back sooner. It took me and Charlie to convince her that it was just a cold – the same cold that she always got when there was a change of weather.

Things on day five were finally calm. Everything that I could do without Bella was done and Nico was finally feeling better and demanding chicken.

"Let me cut that tender for you, buddy." Nico and I were in the dinner that I hadn't visited since before Bella and I left for Texas. It was the only hang out spot in high school and hadn't changed in all these years.

"Like Mommy?" he asked.

"I'll try, buddy," I sighed.

Thankfully, Nico was preoccupied with his food and the new toys from Grandpa which made for a peaceful lunch outing.

"Hi," a voice to my left said. I looked to find a cute girl standing there with her hands clasped in front of her. She was a short thing of a girl but seemed to be bursting with energy as she vibrated where she stood. "Are you new here? I don't think I've ever seen you around. I'm Alice, by the way." She practically stuck her hand in my face.

"Jasper," I nervously chuckled. Alice definitely did not have the social reservations that Bella did. "This is my son, Nico." I turned to my son who couldn't care less about anything, but the Paw Patrol toys in front of him. "Nico, say hi to Ms. Alice."

"Hi," he said with a mouth full of French fry.

"Sorry about that," I apologized.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I work with children and see it all the time. As a matter of fact, I'm a nurse at my family's private practice so if you're looking for a pediatrician, my brother is a doctor and absolutely great with children. I could give you his number and you can call him."

"Umm…sure. I'm still getting settled, but when we're ready to look for a new doctor, I'll give your brother a call. What's his name?"

"Edward Cullen. My brother. My twin, actually."

"Okay. Well, I'll give Dr. Cullen a call when we're ready for a doctor."

"You and your wife?" she hedged. I couldn't help but laugh at her tactics. Bella would do the same thing when she wanted information but didn't want to ask outright.

I liked Alice. She was cute and funny without realizing it.

"I'm not married."

"Oh, a single dad. It must be hard to juggle everything and try to find time for yourself. I see a lot of single mothers struggle to maintain a sense of self." I watched, almost gob smacked by this woman and the intensity in which she just kept going.

Before I realized what was happening, a post-it was shoved in my face with two numbers. "Here. This is my brother's number to call when you're settled, and my number is on the bottom. If you ever need any help with anything or just someone to talk to, feel free to call me anytime.

"Okay, well thank you ma'am. I appreciate the offer. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Of course! I'm a helper. I love to help! Well, it was nice to meet you, Jasper. It was nice to meet you, too, Nico. I hope to see you in my family's office." She looked at me wide-eyed and gaping mouth. "Not that I want him to be sick. Like a well visit."

"I know what you mean. Don't worry about it. It was nice to meet you as well." I turned to my still preoccupied son. "Buddy, can you say bye to Miss Alice?"

Nico finally turned from his toys and food to acknowledge those around him. He looked at her up and down as if assessing her.

"Bye."

"Sorry. He's a little one track minded."

"No worries." She waved the moment away. "He looks just like you, though. He could be your twin."

"Yeah, you think?" I turned to look at my little man with proud but still saw a lot of his momma with my blond hair. "I think he looks like Bella – his momma." I leaned down to place a kiss on the crown of his head, suddenly missing my best friend.

I turned to look back to Alice. She may have thought that I didn't catch the frown she tried to hide, but I did. I didn't quite understand the reason for it, but I knew that I didn't like it.

"I have to get back to the office, but again, it was really nice meeting the two of you. I hope to see you around town." With a nervous wave, she turned to the counter to pay for her food before heading out the door.

"Alice go?" Nico finally spoke.

"Yeah, buddy. Alice left."

"Mommy come?"

"Yeah, buddy. Mommy's coming."

"I want Mommy."

"Yeah, buddy. Me too."

I tried to be strong for Bella this whole time, but it was getting harder. This was the longest we had been away from each other in forever and it was slowly getting to me. Thankfully, we would finally be together in a couple of days.

..ooOOoo..

BPOV

I didn't have time to search for my men before big arms and little arms were wrapped around me.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Jasper scolded me.

"Don't cry, beautiful. We're all together again." He placed a small kiss to my lips, pulling away to let Nico strangle me with his little arms around my neck.

He guided us to the parking lot as he held on to my bags and I held my little baby.

We caught up on the ride home. He brought me up to speed on the unpacking and settling in.

"So, nothing interesting happened while I was away?" I hedged. He must have forgotten who he was talking to, because no one knew Jasper better than I did. He was nervous about something. He had tells that I didn't think he was aware of it, but I was. There was something that he was holding back.

However, because I did know my best friend, I knew that if it was something serious, he would have told me already. Whatever he was holding back would be revealed to me in time and I had the patience of a saint when it came to this man.

..ooOOoo..

"I just don't understand why he hasn't called." I heard a female whine as she walked into the dinner with a much taller man. "It's been almost a week and nothing. I thought for sure he would have called."

"Alice, it's only been a couple of days. Didn't he tell you that he just moved here and is still getting settled?"

I turned back to Nico when I realized I was staring at the man who had just walked in. He had a beauty to him that I had not seen before. Jasper was gorgeous, but in that rugged way. This guy, though, he had an old time movie star look. Aside from the hair - that seemed to go in every direction.

I grabbed the fake fish that Nico brought with him to the diner. This toy, and every other toy our bedroom seemed to be overflowing with, came from Grandpa. I didn't even know that you could buy a fish toy.

"Nico?" I snapped my head up when I heard someone call out for my son. The girl and the movie star were heading to my table. "Is that Nico?" the girl asked excitedly.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" I asked as politely as I could without seeming overly suspicious.

"I'm Alice. This is my brother, Edward." She waved at the movie star.

Jeez! He had a blinding smile.

"Are you…the babysitter? I told Jasper if he needed help he could call me. I'm really good with children."

"No," I drawled. "I'm not the babysitter. I'm the mother. Bella."

The last time I saw someone pale so quickly was Jasper when I told him my water broke.

I watched as her eyes shifted multiple times between my son and me. I also watched Edward as he frowned at me, then his sister.

"Would you like to have a seat?" I asked when the moment was becoming even more awkward.

"Yes."

"No."

They answered simultaneously.

Edward gently maneuvered his sister into the bench opposite Nico and me, causing my son to finally realize there were other people there.

Nico looked at Alice like she looked familiar but didn't know why.

Oh, I knew why, and Jasper was going to hear all about it from me. This had to be what he yet to tell me.

"Nico," I addressed him. "Do you remember meeting Alice when you were out with Daddy?"

In the corner of my eye, I saw Alice wince and Edward frown again.

He shrugged non-committedly and went back to his toys.

"Um, not to sound rude, but Jasper said he wasn't married," Alice piped up.

"We're not. I'm not sure if you're aware, though, you don't need to be married to have a baby," I informed her.

"I – I know that." She was flustered and almost jittery. Like she had too much coffee. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you because I would hope for the same respect from another woman. I gave him my number hoping he would call me. I wanted to see him again."

"Well, Alice, I do appreciate you telling me this because Jasper sure didn't. I wasn't even aware that he had taken Nico out while I was away. You see, Nico was sick – "

"You should bring him to my office," Edward cut in. "I'm a pediatrician. I could take a look at him."

Hmmm….and fight off all the other mothers? It was doubtful.

"Thank you, but it was just a cold. He's much better now, but I will be speaking with Jasper when I get home. It appears that he kept a few things from me while he was getting us settled here."

"You live together?"

I could feel the heartbreak in her voice. Exactly what happened when they met?

"We do. We recently moved back to Forks from Texas. I had to stay back for a bit, so he got us settled while I wrapped things up over there."

Why did it look like she was going to cry?

"I think we should go," Edward spoke up. "I have to get back to the office." He pushed his sister out of the booth, and she continued to stare at me as if I held the knife to her back. "It was very nice meeting you, Bella and Nico."

"You, too. I'll tell Jasper you said hi."

Edward narrowed his eyes at me but gave a firm nod while he guided his sister out of the restaurant.

What the hell did I do to the movie star doctor to earn that look from him.

..ooOOoo..

"So, Nico and I ran into your friend today," I said to Jasper as he walked into the bedroom with the towel around his neck.

Thankfully Nico was asleep in the crib so I could have this conversation with his father.

"What friend?" He climbed into the bed and under the covers to meet me.

"Alice?" I watched for his reaction, and he didn't disappoint. The shock and guilt were clear across his face. "Why was she a secret?"

"Because, Bella." He sighed and grabbed my hands to play with my fingers. "It's just…I don't know. I know that we talked about this possibly happening, but it felt too soon after I got here, and I felt guilty. It almost felt like cheating on you. I was going to talk to you about it eventually, but I didn't even know how to bring it up."

"Jasper, you don't have to feel guilty. We did talk about this and knew that it was a possibility. I'm hurt that you felt that you couldn't talk to me about it. You and Nico's happiness is the most important thing to me. We're best friends and we promised each other that it wouldn't change no matter what. No matter who."

"Yeah, but I'm also nervous as to what this may mean. Our last day in Texas together I told you not to be scared of whatever change Forks may bring, but here I am scared out of my mind," he confessed.

"But you also told me that we would always be a family and we would always love each other. Was that a lie?" I gently scolded.

"Of course not!"

"Well, as long as that holds true, we'll be okay. I have faith in us that we can make whatever work with us and whoever else may come along. As long as that woman realizes that I'm not going anywhere," I added as an afterthought.

We laid together in silence lost in our head when an errant thought came to mind. A heartbreaking thought.

I straddled Jasper and removed my shirt before I second guessed my decision.

"I want to make love to you knowing that this may be the last time," I whispered into his lips, and I bent forward to kiss him. "Are you okay with that?"

With his fingers in my hair, he kissed me reverently. "More than okay that, baby. Let me say goodbye to this body that I know better than my own. Quietly, of course," he added when Nico sighed in his sleep.

..ooOOoo..

"Hi, I greet that pretty woman at the front desk. "We have an appointment with Dr. Cullen."

Nico was in between Jasper and me, holding both of our hands.

She smiled widely. "What is the patient's name?"

"Nico Whitlock."

She typed on the computer and moved the mouse around for a moment, clicking randomly.

"Okay, I have you all checked in. You'll be called in a moment."

Less than ten minutes later, we were escorted into a room.

While Jasper was making faces at Nico to pass the time, Alice and her Hollywood doctor brother walked into the room.

The speed in which the smiles dropped and reappeared, albeit forced, was impressive. Why they looked surprised, I didn't know. You would think that a doctor would know the patients that they'd be seeing that day.

"Hi again," I greeted the dynamic duo.

"Hi, Bella," Hollywood doctor greeted back. "What are you doing here?" He looked between my little family and me as if we were in the wrong place.

"Well," I drawled out. "Jasper said that you came highly recommended." I smiled toward Alice, hopefully extending the olive branch. "And Nico hasn't had a checkup in over a year, so we figured why not."

There was an awkward silence between all of us. Even Nico seemed to notice the grownups were acting strange.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Jasper asked when the professionals in the room seemed to be having a silent conversation. "I was under the impression that you were taking on new patients, but if that's not the case we'll look elsewhere."

Jasper turned to take Nico off my lap, signaling that we were about to leave.

"No, no, no." Hollywood doctor put his hands out, stopping Jasper from taking another step. "I'm sorry. I think Alice and I were just surprised to see you three here. Please, though, don't leave. I'd love to take Nico on as a patient."

Jasper looked to me so we could have our own silent conversation. With his eyes he was asking what we should do. With my eyes I told him that we should give Hollywood doctor a chance. Jasper sat back down but kept our son on his lap.

Edward was amazing with Nico. He seemed to be natural with children, which made me wonder if he had any kids of his own. I knew he wasn't married by the lack of a ring on his ringer, but I certainly knew that no ring didn't equate to no children.

"You're really good with kids it seems. Do you have any of your own?"

"No, not yet," he chuckled. "Hopefully one day, though." He smiled at Nico. "And hopefully just as adorable as this little guy."

"We did make an adorable kid, huh darling?" Jasper piped in.

I glared in his direction. For whatever reason, Jasper felt the need to remind the medical duo that we did the naked tango.

"Yes, we did. But I'm sure the doctor would make just as adorable babies."

Thanks to Jasper, the rest of the visit was tense and uncomfortable. Thankfully, there was not much left for the Hollywood doctor to check.

As the visit was wrapping up, and Jasper had still not brought up a certain topic, I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself.

"So, my dad is taking Nico fishing tomorrow and Jasper and I are free. Would you both be interested in meeting for brunch?"

"Sure!" Alice accepted before I could finish my thought. "We would love that. Right, Edward?" Alice gave her brother the big eyes that warned him he better not go against her.

I gave Jasper those same eyes.

"Of course," he agreed. There seemed to be some hesitance, but he looked more scared of possibly going against his crazy looking sister. "Where were you thinking?"

"Not sure. Our information is in the file, so Alice, why don't you call Jasper, and you can iron out the details?" I gave Alice my own wide, crazy eyes. Mine were better.

'Uhh-" Clearly, Alice didn't know what to make of my crazy eyes and instructions to call Jasper. She looked to her brother who's eyes were more owl like. "Um, okay. If you're sure you're okay with that."

"Of course. Just not too late. It's a pain to get Nico back to sleep once he wakes up."

"Is six o'clock okay?" she asked me, ignoring Jasper completely. In that moment, I felt more like Jasper's mother than Nico's.

"That should work."

..ooOOoo..

"So, you're originally from Forks?" Edward asked. "We didn't see either of you when we moved here a few years ago."

We were at a small bistro in Port Angeles that had the most amazing lox, as per Alice. Jasper did not tell her that neither of us ate lox but agreed to the location anyway.

"We are. We moved to Texas while Bella was still pregnant because I really great work opportunity had opened up for me. We eventually became homesick, though, and decided to move back."

Jasper's explanation was the extremely abridged version of what sent us to Texas and what brought us back. He did not mention that the amazing job opportunity laid him off after a year. We were broke in Texas.

"So how has it been getting settled back here? Housing isn't the most abundant in Forks," Alice chuckled.

"It's definitely not. At the moment, we're staying with my dad until we can get a place of our own. He's great, though. He's letting us have the bigger room so we're all not so cramped."

"You all share a room?" Alice frowned. She frowned a lot.

"It's only a two bedroom home, but we didn't come back with a lot of stuff. We only needed enough room for Nico's crib and our bed," Jasper explained.

"You share a bed?!" Hollywood doctor didn't seem too pleased with that tidbit.

"Look," Jasper sighed. "We know how this looks to the outside world and we make no apologies for how we live our lives. Bella and I spoke about this before we decided to move back to Forks. All three of us are a package deal. Bella may be the mother of my child, but she is and will always be my best friend. We agreed that if we were ever to find someone we were interest in, then that person would have to accept our friendship." He let out a long breath before continuing, looking at Alice. "So, I guess what I'm saying is that if a potential partner can't handle Bella always being in my life, then there is no potential at all."

Alice began wringing her hands and squirming nervously where she sat.

"When was the last time you had sex?" Edward blurted randomly.

If the situation wasn't suddenly so tense, I would have laughed at the doctor's expression after he realized what he had asked.

"Well," I began. "I don't want to start this friendship out on a lie, so the truth is that the last time we had sex was the day that I meet you two in the dinner."

"That was a week ago," Edward huffed.

I narrowed my eyes at the Hollywood doctor. He could kiss my ass.

"Okay, and?" I shot back. "Are you judging us for being intimate with each other while we have no ties to anyone else?"

"It's alright, darling." Jasper reached over and put his arm around me, placing a kiss to the side of my head. I didn't miss the harsh look that he gave Edward.

"What I think my brother is trying to say," Alice interjected, "is that it doesn't appear that you're open to other people if you're still sleeping together."

"Well, Edward should learn how to think before he speaks to prevent himself from sounding like an asshole." Hollywood doctor could still kiss my ass.

"Jasper and I have been our only sexual partners. We understand that our sexual relationship has to end when – if – we find other partners. Believe it or not, we knew that it was going to be our last time together."

"So, you don't plan on having sex again? Even if you're sleeping in the same bed?" Alice seemed skeptical and I couldn't blame her. What Jasper and I had was very unusual.

"Bella and I used to share a bed all the time when we were younger. Before we started having sex. Sharing a bed wasn't so we had easy access to each other. It is literally the only space we have."

"I'm going to be very frank with you, Alice," I interrupted Jasper. The conversation wasn't really getting us anywhere and I was ready to move on. "If you can't trust that Jasper and I will no longer be having an intimate relationship in order to get to know you better, than there really is no need to be sitting here any longer." I looked to Jasper to see if he agreed or if I had crossed a line by speaking for him.

Like always, Jasper had my back and nodded to show his agreement.

"Okay," Alice spoke slowly as if still processing her thoughts. "I'd like to get to know you, Jasper, and if you say that you and Bella are no longer sleeping together…er, having sex, I believe you."

"Thank you, sugar." He flashed her his rugged smile. I rolled my eyes, but apparently Alice was eating it up. We lived in Texas for only three years, and he thought himself a cowboy.

The rest of the brunch went a little better. Edward didn't say much else, which was fine by me. He was a judgmental asshole. Even though he looked like a Hollywood doctor.

I would be finding Nico and different doctor in the morning.

..ooOOoo..

I reached for my phone where it sat ringing on the table. It was my night to do the nighttime cleaning chores while Jasper bathed Nico.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Bella?"

"Yeah. Who's this?" Only a handful of people had my number and whoever was on the other line clearly didn't know if it was actually me on the other end.

"It's Edward. Um, the doctor?" I made a face that he couldn't see. "I got your number from Nico's file. I hope that's okay. When you were here, you said I could pull it so we could make plans for brunch."

He was rambling and seemed nervous. Good!

"That was to make plans and we already had brunch so I'm not really sure why you would be calling me."

Although I had not seen him since brunch ten days ago, I still hadn't forgiven him or forgotten about his stupid remark.

"Do you have a few minutes to talk? Is this a bad time?"

"I'm not really sure what there is to talk about, but I have a few minutes. What can I do for you, Dr. Cullen?"

"Oh…uh…you can call me Edward," he stuttered. "I wanted to apologize for the comment I made about you and Jasper. I was just surprised, but I know that it's none of my business."

"Thank you for the apology, Edward. I appreciate the call, but it was unnecessary."

If he thought that lame excuse was enough, he was very wrong.

"I um…Jasper is a really nice guy. He and my sister speak often. I've spoken to him a few times."

"Yeah. Things seem to be going well with them," I agreed, only just a little bit jealous of the pair.

There was a deep sigh before a throat clearing.

"Look, Bella, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said, but if I'm being honest, it's still hard for me to wrap my ahead around your…rooming situation if you're being honest about not fucking anymore. Not that I believe you're lying," he added quickly. "I've talked to Alice about it, too, to see how she felt about the whole situation."

"And?" I asked defensively. I may not be much of a fighter, but I'd try to get my licks in to defend Jasper's honor.

"She's not crazy about it, truthfully. She sees something in Jasper, though, and doesn't want to start a relationship with mistrust so she trusts that nothing is going on between you two anymore. She's trying to focus on that fact that you share a bed because of a space issue."

"Well, Alice seems like a very smart girl."

"I always thought that I was smarter," he added. Another deep breath. "Would you go on a coffee date with me? So, I can show you I'm not the dick that you probably think I am?"

I didn't necessarily think he was a dick, but he did make an asshole comment.

"Let me speak with Jasper." There was a long, somewhat awkward pause where Edward should have responded. "I'm not asking permission, Edward." I rolled my eyes. "To check his schedule so he can stay with Nico."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I'll call you back with my availability."

After hanging up with Edward, and finishing straightening up the kitchen, I went upstairs to find my two men. Jasper was lying a sleeping Nico in his crib as I entered the room.

"He was okay?" I whispered to Jasper.

"Always." He placed a kiss on my crown as he passed to leave the bedroom again.

I grabbed his hand, before he could leave. "Let's go downstairs to talk for a minute."

"Everything alright?" His brows furrowed in concern.

"Of course. Just want to run something by you." I tried to reassure him.

He dutifully followed me downstairs, sitting next to me on the couch.

"What's up, B?"

"I was talking to Edward a little bit ago. He called me when I was cleaning the kitchen and he brought something up to me. About Alice," I cautioned.

"What about her?" He wasn't defensive, but rather nervous about what I might tell him.

"She's not exactly comfortable with us sharing a bed," I began.

"I've told her that we're not doing anything. She said that she believed me!" He was getting upset and I realized I should have added more to avoid getting him mad.

"She does, Jay! That's not what I meant. Edward told me that she's trying to remember that we're only sharing a bed because we don't have the space. She doesn't want your relationship to start with a lack of trust."

"Oh." He was noticeably less tense. "So, what's this about then?"

"I guess, as a woman, I can see where she's coming from. I wouldn't want a potential boyfriend to be sharing a bed with his ex." Our situation was unique, to say the least. "Even if things didn't work out with Alice, and we're still living with Charlie, this is going to be a problem with the next person. When I stop to think about it, Alice is handling it extremely well. A lot better for someone who doesn't know us."

"I mean, I guess I can understand that, but I'm not sure what you're trying to get at."

"I think we should reconsider our sleeping arrangements," I admitted.

He looked genuinely taken aback and hurt by my admission.

"You don't want to room with me anymore?" he asked.

"No, Jasper, that's not what I meant. I think that we should get twin beds instead of sharing the one bed," I suggested.

"Twin beds?" he laughed nervously. "That's it?"

"Yeah. I think we've been so comfortable with it being just us, that we forget there are other people to consider." I took his hand in mine. "I want you and Alice to have a real chance. She may not tell you it bothers her that we share a bed, but it does."

There was a long pause where he just stared at me.

"I haven't slept in a twin bed in years," he finally laughed, rubbing his hands down his face. "I feel like I'm ten again."

..ooOOoo..

"What's going on, babe? I called Jasper when you didn't answer your phone and he told me I'd find you here." Edward wrapped his arms around me as I swung Nico on the swing.

When my son saw Edward, he flared his little arms wanting to get out of the rubber seat. Nico really took to Edward as a constant figure in his life when I finally started bringing him around. It took Jasper and I a few months to feel comfortable enough to bring Edward and Alice around Nico. We tried to arrange it so that Jasper and I would alternate dates so one parent was always with Nico.

Needless to say, Edward and I had a good coffee date seven months ago. We were able to talk and get to know each other on a very basic level. Our likes and dislikes, hobbies, and careers. It wasn't until our third date that I explained Jasper's and my relationship more deeply.

I also think that he and Alice had appreciated the twin beds that we bought so we were no longer literally sleeping together.

However, after almost eight months, our housing situation had not changed. Jasper and I were looking for a three bedroom apartment or home to rent, but nothing worthwhile was on the market. If something did look good, the distance was too far, which was why Jasper, Nico, and me still shared a room.

"I'm just here to establish an alibi," I grunted as I lifted Nico from the swing. "So, I guess it's a good thing you're here to be my witness. You can attest that I was at the park when they ask you strangled your sister."

Nico reached for Edward once he was free from the swing. With a bright smile fit for a Hollywood doctor, Edward grabbed my son and placed kisses all over his face making him laugh, while trying to swat Edward away.

It made my ovaries flutter.

"Wanna go down," Nico laughed. With a final raspberry to his cheek, Edward placed Nico on his feet. Wasting no time, Nico ran over to the pond where the ducks were living their best lives.

"Wait for us, buddy," Edward called out. Like the best little boy there ever was, Nico froze in his tracks and impatiently waited for us to catch up.

"So, what's going on with you and my sister now?" Edward wasted no time interrogating me as he grabbed my hand.

"She just – "I trailed off, not really knowing how to say something about Alice without offending her twin. "Do you think that she wakes up in the morning and says 'I think I will cause problems on purpose'?"

"Sometimes," he laughed.

"I'm being serious, Edward," I scolded, fighting a smile.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Really, though, what happened?"

"She brought up the whole house thing again," I confessed.

"Ahh." Thankfully, I didn't have to go further. Edward already knew my reservations. "What did Jasper say?"

"He agreed with me, which pissed her off, which pissed Jasper off, which pissed me off."

"So, a lot of pissed off people. Got it."

We watched in silence as Nico tried to creep up to the ducks so as not to disturb them. It only took one small duck charging at him when we first moved back for Nico to learn his lesson.

"You see how those ducks are just there, minding their own business?" I started. "They're peaceful until provoked. Then they attack. That's how your sister makes me feel. Jasper and I are just trying to do what we think is best for our family, minding our business, but it doesn't seem enough for Alice. She wants something that Jasper and I can't do just yet."

We continued to stare at the ducks that waddled slowly across the grass, knowing that they had nowhere important to be.

However, besides me, I could feel that Edward was tense and wanting to say something. I'd wait him out, though. If he wanted to speak, I'd hear him out. If not, I was content just watching my son trying to make friends with a duck.

"Has Alice ever spoken to you about Nic?" Edward finally began.

"A little. She'll tell me about the day they had together when it's the three of them. Or she'll tell me about something cute he did, or if he misbehaved."

"Alice loves Nic, just like I do."

"I would hope so," I laughed. "He's not going anywhere." Edward didn't find it funny.

"No, babe. What I mean is that Alice really loves Nic. She sees Nic as her son, too." I opened my mouth to correct that statement. "Not like that. She knows your Nic's mother, just like I know that Jasper is Nic's father. But that doesn't stop us from thinking of that little boy as ours, too."

Although, Jasper and I already had an idea, this was the first time that I had heard Edward say that he and Alice loved Nico as their own.

This moment, in front of quacking ducks, and Nico jumping in mud that will stain his little joggers, felt momentous.

"Alice loves Jasper. She loves you, too. For bringing Nic into the world, for being Jasper's best friend, and taking the first step which made their – and our – relationships possible. She's also very jealous and so am I."

Snapping my head back, I craned my neck back to look at him. This is not where I thought this was going.

"Since the day that we first met, you and Jasper declared yourselves a family. Over time, though, you've let Alice and I – even our mom and dad – into your circle. But still, it seems like your family only consists of you, Nic, and Jasper. It's like Alice and I don't have a space in your family."

"I…we've never meant to make you feel like that." I was horrified finding out that's how they felt. I didn't think Jasper realized it either.

"I know, sweetheart." He lifted my hand and placed a kiss to the back of it. "But you also can't change how we feel, either. Alice and I want to be a part of your family, too. We don't want to replace you or Jasper, but we want to stand beside you. We want to help strengthen the unified front that you and Jasper show to the world."

"And the house?" I brought up after letting his words stew.

"I'm on Alice's side completely. I just don't push or voice it like she does."

"I'll think about it," I conceded. "But not before I speak with Jasper about it. We still make decisions together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He stood, forcing me to do the same. "Now let's go grab Nic before he decides to follow the ducks back into the pond."

..ooOOoo..

"So, I had a conversation with Edward yesterday." I opened the conversation with Jasper as we lounged on the couch together. Early on in both of our new relationships, we had chosen one day a week that it would just be the three of us – no one outside of our family. At the time, we thought it was the best thing for us. While I still didn't regret the decision we made, after the conversation that I had with Edward yesterday, this played as an example of Jasper and I keeping people out.

"Oh, yeah? Anything interesting?"

"Very. Have you and Alice had a conversation about your current relationship standing?" He stopped playing with the strand of my hair that was in his hand. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"We have," he confessed. "We've...kind of fought about it, if I'm being honest."

"She feels left out?" I guessed.

"Yeah. Edward, too?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"What are your real feelings about the house?" I asked after a moment. "And don't tell me what you think I want to hear. If the decision was completely up to you, what would you do?"

Jasper stared at me for a long moment – either lost in thought or trying to gather them.

"I think I love her. I haven't told her, though. And she's good with Nico and for the most part, you two get along," he chuckled. "I think the house would be good for all of us. To keep our family together."

"Then why didn't you ever say anything to me? Tell me how you really felt? I could have taken it, you know."

"I know, B." He wrapped me in a hug. "I'm sorry. Part of me is still scared, though. To take such a leap with someone who wasn't you. Then you didn't seem on board, so I was second guessing myself."

"I think that we should do it," I mumbled into his chest. With Jasper still holding on, he pushed me back to look into my eyes. To assess my seriousness.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? It's a huge step for the three of us. Alice and Edward, too. Working with children is not that same as living with children."

"I'm sure, but you make a good point about them never living with a kid. Maybe we should have that conversation with them," I suggested.

"Yeah," he whispered. "B, are you really, really sure, though? Because I'm not doing this is you're just saying so to make me happy."

"Jasper," I sighed. "I um…I think I love Edward, too. I haven't told him and I'm not sure if I ever plan on telling him, but after talking to him and thinking about it, it feels right."

There was another, longer moment of silence.

"So, we're doing this? We're going to be a party of five now?" he asked.

"Yeah. But you have to tell my dad. He likes you better," I laughed.

..ooOOoo..

JPOV

Finding and moving into a house that fit the five of us was a lot more arduous than I thought it was going to be. Honestly, since Alice kept harping on all of us moving in together, I figured that she already had it planned out – house and everything.

Nope.

It took another three months to find a house that we could all agree on. It was a rental – not a purchase – like Bella and I insisted on. We didn't have the funds to buy a home like the Cullen kids wanted and neither of us wanted to feel like we were mooching off either of the siblings.

Apparently, the finances were something that the four adults didn't speak deeply enough about. Bella and I knew what we could afford with our income – we'd been budgeting for years. Edward and Alice were fine with that until they found out that Bella and I actually shared a joint bank account.

I guess it's frowned upon to share an account with your ex, even if said ex was your best friend.

It had never occurred to Bella or me that it was something that should have been disclosed since we'd been combining our income for so long. To Edward and Alice, though, it was a huge deal, so the next order of business was opening our own separate accounts. We had agreed – all four of us – to close the existing account and open a "high yield" savings account for Nico that we would all contribute to. Bella and I just agreed with the rich kids since we never had high yield anything and figured they knew what they were talking about.

It took another five months of all of us living together to get a good groove going. Bella and I had perfected the daytime and nighttime routine with Nic, and we would sometimes forget to include Alice or Edward. It was a month living together until Edward had pulled me aside and asked to be shown and included into Nic's care.

I wish that I could say that it was easy for Bella and me to give up care to another person – another parent – but it wasn't.

"Jasper," I heard Bella yell from the bathroom that she shared with Edward. It was her frantic voice. The voice that my body naturally reacted to when my ears heard it.

I didn't think that Alice appreciated the way I jumped off the bed and ran to Bella. Things were good between my favorite girls, but I knew that Alice still battled with her jealousy, the same way that Edward battled with his.

"Bella, open the door," I demanded when the knob wouldn't twist.

"Are you alone?" I could hear the sniffles in her voice.

"Yes. Please open this door!"

After what felt like forever, I was able to barge through the door and check that she was alright. I grabbed her head in my hands and checked her over. The only thing that seemed out of place was her red eyes.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong. You're scaring me." I placed a kiss on her forehead, trying to soothe what her worry was.

"Look." She pointed at something behind me. I didn't see it at first, but when I shifted my gaze down I spotted the offending object.

"Are you serious?" I asked as I whipped my head to turn and look at her. My hands on the side of her head made it hard for her to nod. "Okay," I breathed. "Is this good or bad?"

"Are you mad at me?" she asked. More like cried.

"Bella," I scolded before bringing her tightly into my arms. "Of course not. But you need to tell me if this is good or bad, so I know how to help you."

"I don't know," she cried again. "Good, I think, but I don't know. I'm really fucking scared, Jay."

"It's okay to be scared. Remember when we found out? I was ready to piss myself and puke at the same time," I laughed. "What are you scared of? You're not a teenager anymore and we're making our own money now, not living under your dad's roof."

"I don't know. Everything? It's not like we have a normal living arrangement and now I'm going to make it more complicated. We don't have much room as it is." She paused and I knew that she was gathering herself to say what she really wanted to say. No one knew Bella better than me. "Edward and I never actually talked about having kids together and it's not like we've been together long enough to actually consider it."

"B!" I chided. "I know that you know Edward better than I do, but I do know that he's a good guy. I wouldn't let him anywhere near Nico if I thought otherwise. I don't see him being upset about this. But," I waited until I knew that I had her full, undivided attention. "If he proves me wrong, this baby is still Nic's sibling, and you will not raise a baby alone. If Edward decides he doesn't want to be the father, I'm promising you right now, that I will be."

She wrapped her arms around me and wailed. It was her ugly cry that I knew would leave a snot stain on my shirt.

I don't know how long we stayed there, but it was long enough for someone to start pounding on the door.

"Babe!" Edward yelled from the other side of the door. "What's wrong? Please open this door."

"Are you ready?" I asked her before making any decision to let Edward in or not.

"Not really, but I can't keep this from him. You can open it."

"Okay." I opened the door and was quickly pushed aside as Edward barged in, quickly followed by Alice.

"What happened? What's wrong? Alice called me and said you were crying in here with Jasper. Is it Nic?" He was rapidly firing questions. In his worry and need for answers, he failed to notice the pregnancy stick in the sink.

Alice did not fail to see it. She gasped, but quickly covered her mouth. She looked at me then pointed between her brother and my best friend. Silently asking me if her assumption was correct. I nodded in confirmation.

"Nico is with Charlie," I reminded him. He was the one that dropped him off this morning.

However, Alice's quickly covered gasp did not go unheard by Edward.

"Someone tell me what's going on then." he demanded.

"Edward, I'm pregnant," Bella shouted.

She was never very good under pressure no matter how many times I tried to teach her to keep her cool.

Before Edward could react, Alice did.

"I'm going to be an aunty!" She ran past her still shocked brother, to hug Bella. The tears that were coming down her face would make you think that she was the one that was pregnant.

"I'm going to be a dad," Edward whispered. The tears already started forming in his eyes. I knew this was going to be a good thing.

"You're already a dad," I reminded him. He was great with Nico. I couldn't have picked a better man to be Nico's other father. "You just get to be a biological dad now."

I pulled him into a hug since it didn't look like Alice would be releasing Bella any time soon.

"Thank you, Jasper," he said in my ear. "Thank you for letting her go so I could love her."

..ooOOoo..

BPOV

"Jasper! Edward!" I yelled from my bed. "Get your asses over here."

Promptly, like the trained, handsome men they were, they entered the room. Even Nico. Although, he had a smirk on his face like he knew his dads were in trouble.

The past four years of all of us living together had gone by very quickly. When baby Masen came along, we were all able to adjust to make it work for us even in the cramped space. When Masen was old enough, Edward and I moved him out of our room, and he began sharing a room with Nico.

However, it was time for a new home.

Although Jasper and I were married to the siblings now, some habits were hard to break. When the conversation of moving was brought up, Jasper and I had a hard time of accepting the cost of purchasing a new, bigger home. Eventually, we caved when we knew that, logically, we needed a bigger space.

"Nico, don't look at your dads like that," I laughed. Edward and Jasper both scowled at their son. "Go play with Mase." I watched as he scampered away with a devious smirk that he learned from Edward.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Jasper asked as Edward lay on the bed with me. With a light hand, he gave me a cautious belly rub. He was well aware that I did not like being touched when I was heavily pregnant like I was now. "Is my son giving you a problem?" he asked with shameless grin.

I wanted to punch him. I would if I could actually get out of the bed.

"No, but your wife is," I corrected. "I just got off the phone with her. Tell her to leave me alone because I don't give a shit about bedroom color schemes. Your son, on the other hand is hungry so you need to feed me." I smiled sarcastically.

"Fine, I'm out, but if you two decide to get freaky please don't poke my son."

When Jasper had been gone for a few minutes, Edward had asked me the question that I knew was coming.

"Do you regret it?"

"No. I'm just tired and ready to push Jasper's baby out."

After a couple years of trying and not succeeding, Alice and Jasper had approached me about carrying their baby. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I had argued that they hadn't been trying for long and that they shouldn't rush things like this. Their counter argument was that they didn't want the age gap between their baby and Mase and Nico to be too big.

It wasn't a very compelling argument, but I wanted to give this to Jasper. It didn't take me long to agree but I wouldn't give them my answer until I spoke with my husband.

Edward was actually aware of his sister's fertility issues. It was something that doctors from years ago had mentioned might be an issue for her. He was all for giving our kids another sibling as long as I was okay with it.

So, I agreed. Nico and Masen were raised as brothers. Not half-brothers, but full brothers. Just like this baby would be.

It was the dynamic that the four of us agreed on. We liked being altogether and raising the boys together. Jasper and I's physical relationship had obviously changed, but our close friendship never had. We have just added two new partners in crime.

"I'm ready for you to push Jasper's baby out, too. I'm tired of him saying that he managed to knock you up without even touching you," he griped.

I laughed harder than expected. There may have been a little pee.

"He hasn't said that since Alice locked him out of the room. He learned his lesson."

I sighed, rubbing my gigantic belly, lost in my own thoughts. I hadn't discussed it with Edward yet, but I was pretty sure I was done with having babies. It wasn't that I wouldn't like to have another baby with Edward, but my body couldn't do it again. Every pregnancy was a little harder than the next. Edward and Jasper had seen how hard the last two pregnancies were, but I never verbally confirmed the beating my body was taking. I tried to smile through it all.

When Jasper and I had decided to move back to Forks, we both worried about what that would mean for our little family. To a degree, I think we also did worry about what it would mean for our friendship. When we moved back, it was simply because we needed the extra support that we didn't have in Texas. We were open to other possibilities, but they weren't expected but coming back to Forks turned out to be the second best decision Jasper and I had ever made.