What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a filthy fucking mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's

What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended.

So this hasn't been beta'd so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. I know it's short but I wanted to get you all something tonight and if I kept going it wouldn't have been up till tomorrow. HUGE shout outs to my ficwife Skychaser Fanfic who came up with Char's 'chocolate' spiel. Thank you and much love babe!Extra Special shout outs to Clara Bella, my pre reader KatieBatie who also pimped me over at ADF and Kristie Monroe who made a BEAUTIFUL banner for this fic. KD-Masen, Riri Whitlock and all of the amazing ladies and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for The Third Time groups on Facebook, especially, Cherrypie0192 for the continued support (If I missed you let me know and I'll make sure you get a super, duper shout out in the next chapter!) ….Go and read some of their work... after you review of course. Reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and panty flashes!

Fifteen minutes later, Alice, Edward, Charleigh and I were happily seated, our waitress Barbie, who did in fact live up to her name, had disappeared into the kitchen with our orders.

"So, Bells" Alice began, her caramel colored eyes twinkling with mischief, "How was your date last night?" My eyes shot over to Char who was very intently coloring her placemat in between sips of her chocolate milk before returning to Alice.

"My date was fine Alice, thank you for asking" I took a long swallow of diet coke as my mouth had suddenly gone dry.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me and turned to glare at my brother. "What?" I asked, fake disdain dripping from the word.

"Nothing Bells….you just look…different" His green eyes studied me intently. I quickly avoided his eyes and attempted to steer the conversation away from my evening, "So Ali, how are the twins doing?"

"The twins are fine Isabella" She said with a broad smile, her hand absently rubbing circles on her abdomen, "Now." S he paused for effect, "Spill. Where did you go, what happened, what time did you get home, what does he do, what did-"My sister in law was cut off by the reappearance of Barbie who, mercifully, had arrived with our meals. Alice's eyes lit up as she took in the plate of Vietnamese tacos the busty blond set in front of her. My niece and brother were similarly pleased by grilled cheese and carrot sticks and Cajun jambalaya pasta respectively. I smiled as Char slid me her plate and I quickly cut the crusts off of her sandwich before returning to my own French country salad.

"So?" Alice asked, swallowing a bite of the delectable smelling meal in front of her, "spill lady."

I studied my salad, quickly stabbing a beet and chewing thoroughly to buy me some time, followed by a long swallow of coke.

"We went to Volturi's, which was excellent- I highly recommend the Portobello and butternut squash ravioli, we talked about our jobs and music and, well, everything." I quickly ate a bite of grilled asparagus, "he is a music theory teacher at Central…" I purposefully let my voice die off, desperately trying not to answer her remaining question. Instead I turned my attention to my niece. "Char, Jackson asked me to say hello." I said with a smile as my niece's face brightened at the mention of her friend's name. The little girl quickly followed her bite of sandwich with a sip of milk.

"Thanks Aunt Bella. Will you take me to play with him again soon?" She gave me her pleading puppy dog eyes and I felt helpless to say no.

"Of course munchkin, soon okay?"

"Okay!" She said cheerfully, turning her attention back to her carrot sticks. Glancing back up at the two other occupants of the table I found both of their eyes glued to me, both sets bright and mischievous. "What?" I asked innocently, realizing my gaffe and studying my salad intently.

"You never answered my question Bells" Alice's voice had taken on a teasing, sing-songy quality, reminiscent of her daughters.

"I did so Alice" I retorted, childishly.

"Let's see" My brother said, obviously playing devil's advocate, "you are avoiding Alice's question, you are almost glowing and Jackson told you to say hi?" His voice dropped as he put his hands over Charleigh's ears, "You, little sister, got some didn't you?" I could feel the heat rush into my cheeks as I pushed the pecans that remained of my salad around my plate.

"Got somewhat, Aunt Bella? Chocolate? Can I have some, Aunt Bella? It's only polite to share!" Char's small voice rang out and Edwards eye bulged as Alice dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Never mind sweetie "I whispered to my niece as she looked at me with her eyes wide. "I'm sorry you had to hear that." Charleigh shrugged her shoulders at me and returned to her meal, cupping her own hands under her fathers.

"I am NOT going to dignify that with an answer" I muttered, refusing to look up at my companions.

Alice giggled happily, "I'll take that as a yes!" She said with a grin. "Well?" She said impatiently, glancing quickly at Edward to make sure his hands were still over Char's ears. They were and the little girl didn't mind a bit. Having a doctor for a father resulted in a lot of 'grown up' conversations and Charleigh was beyond used to it, "How was he?"

"Alice!" I said with a gasp as my fork clattered to my plate. "I am not dignifying that with an answer. Not in the middle of a restaurant anyway!" Alice laughed, the tinkling sound melding perfectly with Edward's rich tenor, as she stood. "In that case, dear sister, come to the ladies with me while your brother orders cheesecake. You can tell me there." Her tone was definite and she grabbed her Kate Spade bag and crossed her arms, staring at me. I had yet to move. "Now." She said definitively. I sighed and stood, it was impossible to argue with Alice on a regular day. Trying to argue with an eight month pregnant Alice who had her mind set on something was like trying to get blood from a stone. I grabbed my purse and followed her as she wound through the tables and to the ladies room.

"Well" Alice was practically tapping her foot as we reapplied our lipstick. "Tell me Isabella." Her tone was commanding and playful and I folded. I felt a warm flush spread across my face as I recalled the prior evening.

"It was…" I paused, searching for the right word, "Outstanding" I grinned like a teenager and Alice squealed, yet again.

"Details woman! Now! I am living vicariously through you at this point so make it good!" Her voice was stern but her tone light and a beautiful smile lit up her face even as she crossed her arms over her chest.

I smiled as I thought back on the evening. "He brought me flowers, we went to Volturi's and we talked about…well, everything Ali. He loves his job and he is unbelievably dedicated to his son." I smiled as I recalled the two after Jackson woke up. "We went to his place for coffee after dinner and Jackson woke up. We tucked him into bed and then…" My voice trailed off as I recalled the more intimate portion of our evening.

"Jesus Bells, you look like a damn high schooler with her first crush. Was the sex really that fucking good?"

I met her eyes and grinned with a nod. "It was, indeed, that fucking good. And? He made pancakes." I said with a grin.

"Christ woman, he sounds perfect." I nodded as she pulled my hand and began to lead me out of the restroom, "You WILL be telling me more later and I better meet him soon."

"You will Ali." I smiled as we returned to our table. Our desserts had arrived. Alice's eyes grew wide as she took in the plates.

"You will be giving me a bite of that" she said, gesturing to the lemon raspberry cream cheesecake that sat in front of my place. I nodded at her and smiled at my brother. He knew me well. Returning to my seat, I took a small bite of my dessert, sighing happily as the mixture of sour and sweet flavors exploded on my tongue. Alice moaned loudly as she dug into her cheesecake, drawing the attention of diners at the next few tables. My petite sister-in-law swallowed and stood, exposing her very pregnant belly to the customers who were still staring. "I'm 8 months pregnant with twins" she said sternly,"what do you expect?" The other diners quickly averted their eyes as she sat back down and happily dug her fork into Edward's Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake. "Yummy" she said simply as we all laughed. Charleigh shook her head at her mother with a mischievous smile. "Aunt Bella" she whispered to me. I leaned over to her and snatched one of the red, ripe strawberries from the large bowl in front of her and quickly dipped it in the whipped cream that sat alongside it. "Yes Char?"

"Momma tells daddy that the babies want chocolate a lot but I think?" She paused and her voice went up a bit, "I think that she really just wants some. Cause the babies don't like chocolate." Her voice was firm and definitive as she dunked a berry in cream and quickly polished it off. Smiling I quickly ate my own berry before returning to my cheesecake. I loved this little girl, sometimes more than life itself. I glanced down at my watch just as Barbie returned with our check. I hated to be a buzz kill but I actually had to get back to the office and said as much, prompting a pout from my Alice and a chuckle from Edward. I shook my head and rolled my eyes at them, finishing my sweet dessert as quickly as possible.

Once the bill was settled and we were all safely buckled into Edwards beloved Volvo we began the fifteen minute journey back to my office. We had been on the road all of five minutes when Edward caught my eye and gave me his signature crooked grin as he fiddled with a button on his steering wheel. Within a matter of moments the distinctive opening notes of Jump Rope flowed through the car. I could feel my cheeks get hot and stifled a groan. This, of course, delighted Edward and Alice to no end and they began to crack up. I hated my brother sometimes and his little wife too. Charleigh, however, sat by my side and happily sang the now familiar tune with all the glee a five year old can muster.

"Aunt Bella" She said to me with a grin, as she stopped for breath, "This is Mister Jaspers's song! It's my favorite" giving me a playful wink she returned to singing and I buried my face in my hands, willing the ride to be over.

After what seemed like an eternity, during which my dear brother played the song on repeat much to the delight of my niece and sister in law, we finally pulled up in front of my building. I gave Char a quick kiss on the head, scowled at the two adults in the front seat and slammed my door as I got out, only to be laughed at. Rolling my eyes I headed back into the building. Stopping short as I heard my name." Bells!" I begrudgingly turned back towards the car that was still stopped at the curb and glared at Alice. "Dinner tomorrow at 6:30. Be there." With a giggle she rolled up the window and they drove away. I rolled my eyes and headed back into the building.

Pulling the glass and chrome doors open I was hit with a blast of cool air and smiled. One of the constants of my job….It was always colder than hell. I smiled and caught Tanya's eye as I passed, giving her a smile. She responded in kind and held up a finger, beckoning me to her desk. Grinning I walked over, curious as to what my redheaded friend could want. Without missing a beat, she swiveled her chair and picked up a distinctive, green tissue paper wrapped bundle from the small table behind her and handed it to me, cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow. Blushing I shook my head signifying confusion and accepted the parcel.

'Later' she mouthed at me with a wink, indicating that there would be no way for me to get out of this situation easily. I nodded and smiled before turning towards the elevator. The ride up to my office seemed to take forever and the three overweight, balding senior editors in awful polyester suits and way too much cologne did nothing to make the trip easier.

Upon finally arriving at my floor, I nearly sprinted to my office, ignoring the confused looks of my coworkers as I passed by. Once I reached my office I immediately shut the door behind me and sat down at my desk, placing my parcel in front of me. With trembling hands I removed the cream colored envelope that was stapled to the top of the green tissue and opened it.

Miss Bella-

Thank you for helping me get back to sleep and for having pancakes with us. I hope you can some over again soon.

Jackson

(and Jasper)

The words were written in a decidedly masculine yet script. Grinning with delight I set the card aside and delicately unstapled the green tissue paper to reveal a beautiful mixture of lavender roses, delicate purple hydrangea, and soft white stock and silvery greens in an icy, clear glass cube vase.

My smile was so wide my cheeks were starting to ache. Reluctantly I set the vase aside and turned my attention back to the manuscript sitting in front of me, red pen in hand, and began to lose myself in the authors' vivid description of the characters that she created.

Pups fic rec corner- This week, my dears, I have an AMAZING rec for you….Bella's manuscript? Yeah, that's a real fic. Going Under For The Third Time by Busymommy. Go read it and fall in love with surfsper. I am also gonna tell you to go and read anything and everything by abbymicky24. She rules. Lastly, a Mortal Instruments fic called Posessions by the AMAZING Thisguiltyblood. Go ahead, read and review babies! And tell them Pups sent you!