Jasper

He couldn't believe it. It was his first time witnessing Alice having a vision. She seemed to believe what she saw, and he hadn't any reason to think she was making it up. Then, he knew, of course, that what she said about the plant catching fire had been for the cameras. Though, Jasper would not tempt fate by smoking near a plant and making it come true.

Could what she saw really be true? Maria had a son? And it was Jasper's? If it had been true, why hadn't she reached out to him earlier? Why was she making her presence known in his life now? Too many questions. They'd arrived at this point in their lives, and she still hadn't told him. What did this all mean? Perhaps Alice was mistaken… which seemed the most obvious of the answers. Maria had approached him during his reception, and she wanted something from him, but not badly enough to bring attention to herself on camera. Jasper had difficulty falling asleep, and once he dozed off, he heard a crying baby and went to investigate. Inside a room, he found an infant wailing, the curls prominent on his head. Jasper's heart went out to him at once, and he moved towards the baby, but when he did, Alice appeared before him, wedging herself between him and the crib. She shook her head and wagged a finger. He startled awake, and light shone on the corner of the bed. What time was it?

Alice turned to him, concern in her eyes. "Bad dream?" He nodded. "You tossed and turned most of the night." Her gaze darted up to the camera. Fortunately, it wasn't on green yet. They still had their privacy. "What I told you must've really upset you."

His brows knit together. "I just don't know, Alice. Why is she doing this? Showing up here all of a sudden?"

"Maybe she's ready to come clean with you."

Sweet Alice—so willing to believe the best about people. She hadn't known Maria the way he had.

"I know you don't trust her, but I think she's not how she used to be. And believe me, I don't think she's too eager to share this secret with the world. What would she gain?"

Jasper had considered that. This boy—this young man...if Maria had any mother instincts, she wouldn't choose to bring him to the show and introduce him this way.

"In the vision, you were happy to meet him, Jas. There weren't any cameras around. It will happen after the show ends."

This was easier for Jasper to swallow. "And you were there?"

She smiled. "Yes. I was there, inside the car, watching." He took her hand in his. He'd needed this reassurance—that no matter what Maria threw at him, Alice would still be around.

That was comforting...if he was to believe what she saw. But what about the other thing? The awful secret that Jasper had not wanted to face...it still plagued him. He definitely needed time to let it sink in. And he'd have to allow Maria to reach out to him, because what would he say? "Hey there, Maria, my wife had a vision where I was meeting you and my son in the future. Do you have something to share with me?"

He shook his head. If what Alice was saying was true, and Maria was protecting her son from the show, then maybe she had no intention of exposing the other thing...the tragic event that tore him away from his life of anger and alcohol...had straightened him out and sent him straight to the army. Besides, as Alice said, what would Maria have to gain from that now? This new version of Maria appeared successful enough, if she was to be believed, but the old Maria couldn't be trusted. She'd become a product of her environment. Had she changed by the responsibility of having to raise a baby? Despite his doubts, he set them aside.

The green light caught their attention, and it was showtime. They kissed each other and smiled, him setting her head on his shoulder. Take 2! "Good morning, sweetie."

She smiled back, and it was as if they'd started the morning all over again. "Good morning."

Alice

They boarded the plane, and from Arizona, it was a short flight to Palm Springs. They were now two steps away from the end, and the last five weeks had gone so quickly. She sensed Jasper was feeling it, too. This was the beginning of the end of the experiment. She was most excited about seeing Bella and catching up with her, being able to express everything that had gone on in their lives. Also, she wanted to learn more about what had happened, if anything, between Bella and Emmett. There was a bittersweet feeling—an almost surreal quality to this experience. It was almost over. The smoking issues and what had transpired with Maria...Alice and Jasper would be left to face on their own after the fact. No longer would they have the show's support or counseling—not that Jasper wanted it, anyway. But it helped to have the producer smooth things over with him when he'd been resistant, like the help Pastor Ray had given them when they'd had that issue with his smoking...she couldn't imagine having gotten through that on their own. Now, the question remained: once this was all over, could she count on Jasper to keep his word to stop smoking? And these secrets...these things he wasn't telling her...were they truly as bad as he imagined? Wouldn't they be able to weather it all together? The show wasn't aware that Jasper had a son, and that was as it should be—a private matter. She was grateful that, if anything, Jasper would have a biological son to speak of because that was one thing that plagued Alice, being unable to bear one for him. She tried not to fret about things that had not existed in her life a mere 5 weeks ago. They could overcome it all, couldn't they? She squeezed his hand to assure him. The weekend would fly by; they would return to the hotel, and then, on Monday, meet the experts and give their final decision.

He'd been doing better with his smoking, she noticed. He'd set reminders so that his patches were timed and had supplemented them with gum. Now, he was relying on the gum less and even going out to smoke only after their meal times—she would not tolerate his smoking instead of eating. She would have preferred, of course, for him not to smoke at all, but she knew concessions had to be made. So far, he was progressing, so she couldn't argue.

They hadn't talked about their decision. Divorce had not come up, and why would they when they were getting along so well? The only thing he could really fault her on was the smoking issue, but would he? Or if not that, maybe her inability to have children. Maybe, she thought, it was like he said—she only needed to be tested. And if the issue lay with her, then they would get through it.

When their limo pulled up to the mansion, she marveled at the beauty of the modernist structure, the shadowy mountains serving as a serene backdrop. Tall palm trees guided their way toward their home for the night—reserved for the three couples. It was huge, and this was her first time seeing such a home in person, not having been privy to such luxury, nor had she longed for it. Still, the tall windows, straight roofs, and concrete flooring looked straight out of Architectural Digest. Despite the exterior, she couldn't wait to see Bella, and though she speculated on how the outcome looked for Edward and Rosalie, even Alice wasn't certain at this point. She had had no other visions, so far, and she was more than curious about her friend and how things would work out for her as well.

Alice and Jasper, with their straps of their bags over their shoulders, walked up to the large door, and excitedly, Alice turned the doorknob, but instead of a warm welcome, she found nobody there in the grand foyer—just a big layout of marble flooring and directly in front of them a wide staircase. They peeked around the space, poking around the vast kitchen, a library, a room with a grand piano, and had found no one. Nor were there any cameras in sight, apart from Jim following behind. She noted in each room the cameras in each corner. But, once they wandered up the stairs, the whispering voices at the end of the hallway caught her attention, and this was where they found Edward and Bella. The cameraman followed Alice and Jasper, and it looked like they had interrupted something.

Bella's head snapped to her friend in alarm, and Alice wondered what she missed. Bella quickly embraced Alice, smiling, and holding her so tight, and Jasper extended his hand to Edward to shake. This might have seemed odd to Jasper, she thought, as neither Emmett nor Rosalie were within sight.

Before Bella pulled away from her, Alice saw the scene in her mind's eye—the picture so clear as though it was happening before her: Bella in a satin gown that fell to her ankles, Alice holding her bouquet, and she saw his face at last. The groom—Edward. He was smiling at Bella, and she was smiling back. Though not a formal ceremony, the two stood before a justice of the peace inside a smaller courtroom. It hadn't mattered. Bella looked deliriously happy.

Alice gasped and held Bella so tightly. Bella pulled back from her. "What? Did you see something?"

"Yeah. I did." Alice felt herself getting choked up.

"What?" Edward asked. "What am I missing?"

Jasper turned to Edward. "Alice has these visions."

Edward didn't seem convinced. "Oh? What did you see?"

Alice sniffled and squeezed her friend's hand. "A happy ending."

"More specifically..." Jasper prompted. The cameras were there, and she couldn't very well say what she saw.

"We were all sitting around enjoying ourselves, the show being aired and the audience clapping and cheering."

"Speaking of happy endings," Jasper said, clearing his throat, "why don't we see to our room?"

Laughing at his joke, Alice smacked him. "Did you just really say that right now?"

Bella smiled and hugged her friend again. "I missed you so much. See you soon," she said. Then another vision struck Alice, and she felt the weight of it, how the cameras swarmed Bella and Edward...how Emmett had walked in with a towel around his waist, dripping wet and caught them in an embrace, their locked lips breaking apart upon his entrance, and before long, so much shouting...the producer had broken it up, calling for interviews for him and for Bella.

"Oh no," Alice whispered, holding tight to her friend.

"What?"

"Stay clear of him...for now, please?" This seemed to be a generic enough warning, but she imagined other scenarios ending similarly. Alice was sure that Bella understood who the "him" was and hoped she realized that this vision did not have to come true. She shot her brow up in warning. "Please?" she mouthed.

Bella looked like she was heading down to the pool and Edward back to the room, and Alice breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped she had just prevented a mistake. One that Bella would have regretted for a long, long time.

That evening, as they sat around the dining room, the cameras watched as they balanced their conversations. Bella kept her gaze focused away from Edward.

"I heard about the videos you made," Alice said to Rosalie. "That's amazing. Very inspiring."

"Thank you!" Rosalie said, gushing. "I was telling Emmett earlier that I can't believe how this all transpired. I mean, one minute, I'm just doing what I always do, going from audition to audition, then I'm married, have walked away from my inheritance, and now I have these videos I'm making."

"That's really something," Jasper said, taking a sip of his beer.

"I'm so grateful to the show for their help, and especially to Edward for all his support. I would not be doing all this if not for him."

Amused, Alice observed the odd dynamic at the table. From what she noticed, Emmett wanted Rosalie, Edward wanted Bella, and the ladies didn't know what to do with that. Their eyes seemed to dart to the others at the table, making for a tense dining situation.

Rosalie raised her glass. "Everyone, I would like to toast Edward. He's just been an amazing friend...and husband throughout this experience. To Edward."

Edward looked embarrassed, but raised his glass as the rest of them followed suit, and Alice caught Bella's and Edward's gaze lock for a split second but quickly faded.

"Thank you, you all. I would like to take the credit, but Rosalie is amazingly talented, so I'm sure she would've arrived at this point on her own."

Emmett's neck looked a little red, and Bella shot a gaze to her husband. That was when Alice wondered... was Emmett jealous? Was Bella jealous of this whole toast?

She knew this wouldn't be easy for any of them, but still they had to endure, especially after the vision she had. She hoped they would make the best of it.

"My back has been bothering me since the plane ride," Jasper said when they finished their last course. "Anybody up for a soak in the jacuzzi?"

"I'm in!" Rosalie said before anyone else could answer, and Alice caught how her eyes darted to Emmett. She wondered if the cameras caught it too...

"The jacuzzi sounds nice," Alice said. They all agreed to meet in the hot tub, and while she wished she had a moment to mull all this odd chemistry over with Jasper or talk to Bella about what had been happening, she only had enough time to get dressed.

Jasper pulled on his robe but hadn't put the mike on yet. "Yeah, this is super awkward," he said, "too bad we don't have our own hot tub." He began kissing her neck.

"I was thinking the same thing!"

"You need to tell me what you saw in the vision!"

"Later," she breathed.

"It's not just me, right? Do the other two couples...does it seem like Emmett and Rosalie are flirting again? Like...it's getting weird. The hormones raged at the table...and it wasn't you and me. Like a room filled with unresolved sexual tension. Yet, not with each other."

She kissed him on the nose…her poor empathic husband. "You are so right. We'll talk later."

When Alice was finally free from her husband's clutches, they found Rosalie in the jacuzzi, looking like a model in her shiny bikini, holding her wineglass, golden hair hanging down past her shoulders.

"May we join?" Alice asked.

"Please."

"I guess the rest of them are still getting changed," Jasper said.

"Yeah, Edward should be down soon."

They situated themselves inside the large jacuzzi, accepting wine from a server. One cameraman sat on one end, while another angled behind Emmett as he peeled off his robe. Alice glanced over to Rosalie, who was watching Emmett reveal a chest full of hair and muscle.

"Is Bella coming?" Alice asked.

"Soon," he said as he climbed into the steamy water, emitting a nice, "ahhhhh."

Emmett sat beside Jasper, facing Rosalie. The boom operator held the big bulgy mike over what looked to be a cozy scenario, but the group couldn't help be aware of an audience. The bubbles kicked in, and the boom operator adjusted a dial on his equipment with the addition of this extra noise.

"Can you believe it's almost over?" Alice said. "Soon, we'll be going back to normal lives."

"Well, it will be a new normal for me," Rosalie said.

Alice could already predict, but she had to throw it out there. "Have you all made your final decision yet? Is anyone here ready for Monday?"

"We're still working it out," Rosalie said, taking another sip.

"Yeah," said Emmett. "Us too."

"Seems pretty obvious about the two of you," Rosalie said. "You two seem like the perfect couple. I bet you haven't had any drama at all."

Alice chuckled, and she and Jasper looked at each other. "Well, you know...just your typical couple drama, probably not any more or less than any other couple."

Rosalie laughed and almost spilled her drink. "That's funny."

Emmett shook his head, and Jasper turned to him. "So, how have things been with you and Bella?" Emmett opened his mouth, but that was as far as he got before Alice spoke up.

"I think he shouldn't say...Bella's not here to defend herself." Alice wondered what was taking her friend so long...at that moment, terror struck her—she hoped there hadn't been something going on with her and Edward. Nah, she wouldn't, not after Alice had expressly warned her.

"She'll be here any minute."

Another minute had passed and Alice wondered if she shouldn't make an excuse to find her friend. Bella wouldn't risk scandal by making out with Edward with all the surrounding cameras, would she? Alice had warned her!

"Hmmm...I wonder what's taking Bella," Emmett said. His head was resting against the back, and his eyes were closed. He sat up after a moment, and a look of concern crossed his features but then he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe she's just lying down. She said she was tired."

"Yeah, hmmm...and maybe Edward decided not to come down here after all. It's hard for him to resist a piano..." Rosalie said. "But still..."

"Hi everybody," Bella said, wearing a white robe. Her face was flushed, and Alice caught the shiny look in her eyes, though she didn't make eye contact with anyone…not even her. Bella removed her robe and set it down on a chair, extra wobbly as she climbed into the jacuzzi.

Bella's navy style swimsuit couldn't be more opposite of Rosalie's skimpy two pieces. Emmett tore his gaze from Rosalie to Bella, seeing his wife struggle, then held onto her elbow, steadying her as though she would dive face first into the bubbly water. "We were wondering what happened to you."

"Oh, yeah...I laid down for a little bit, and I fell asleep. Our flight was almost 5 hours."

Alice couldn't tell if Bella was telling the whole truth and eyed her friend as she settled into the jacuzzi. The telltale flush of her cheeks was not indicative of a nap. Edward was still nowhere to be found. A server handed Bella a wine glass, which she accepted gratefully, but Alice found it odd that Edward hadn't joined them. Surely, he'd been told this was a group function? And that no matter how awkward, he would still have to be present.

Alice wanted answers; she intended to get them sooner than later.

A/N: This is part 2 of 6, since each couple has their point of view for this entire trip. We are making progress, and I thank you for sticking with me. Thanks so much for reading and, as always to the reviewers—I try to reply so check your pm inbox since the alerts are not working. Next up, Bella's pov picks up from her interview with the producer leading up to what she was doing prior to joining them in the jacuzzi. So much more to come!