Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but the plot of this story is my own.

Thank you to my beta Fanpireish for all your hard work!

Chapter 1

BPOV

I had been writing for several hours and needed a break. My fingers were starting to cramp with the constant typing. I glanced at the clock and saw that Jasper would be on his break in half an hour; I decided to text him and see if he wanted to meet up for lunch. After freshening up in the bathroom, I checked my phone for his reply.

Can we do lunch in my office? -J

Sure. I'll pick up some Chinese food. You want the usual?-B

That would be great. See you soon. -J

Grabbing my purse, I headed for the door and then my car. I called our favorite restaurant, called Windchimes, and placed our order. Twenty minutes after I had texted Jasper, I had the food and made my way into the school Jasper worked at. I checked into the main office then made my way to Jasper's office. His door was open, indicating he wasn't with a student.

"Hey." He greeted in his southern accent.

"Hey, I come bearing nourishment," I said

Jasper chuckled, "Really can't call this stuff nourishment, darlin'."

"Oh, whatever. It's good for the soul." I replied playfully.

"I suppose." He said with a smile.

We dug in while chatting about a little bit of everything. The high school was having some issues with bullying so Jasper, as the school counselor, wanted to stay close by in case another incident occurred. It was the reasoning for having lunch in his office. I didn't mind. I was just happy to see my best friend. His lunch break was coming to a close, so it was time for me to make my exit.

"It was nice seeing you," I said while getting out of my seat.

"You too. I know you have been busy with the new book and my job has been a little crazy, but we definitely need to hang out more."

"While I love any opportunity to hang out, I did see you just last week," I said teasingly, giving a playful wink.

"True, but I do miss you. It's also nice to have someone to have lunch with. To have someone to just talk to in general."

"Alice never stops by?" I asked.

Jasper's face fell. "No, she is rarely home as it is. She is either working or hanging out with her fashion friends. She has been really distant lately." He sounded so defeated.

He and Alice have been having problems off and on for awhile. It wasn't even that they argued a lot or fought all the time. It was that Alice was never there- physically, emotionally, or mentally. She was caught up in her work as a fashion designer and her friends in that industry. Jasper had always supported her too, but she never supported him back.

I reached over and hugged him which he reciprocated. "Well, I am here if you need anything. Never hesitate to call me. You know that, though."

"Thanks, Bella," Jasper said, with a weak smile as we pulled away.

My heart broke as I headed home. I hated seeing Jasper look so broken. His marriage with Alice had never been easy. I honestly don't know why he married her. I don't say that to be cruel, but they have never been in tune with each other.

Alice dated Jasper more out of convenience. And to honest, not as I headed home. IhaI thinks she has just been using him for her benefit. They meet two years ago when Alice was 21 and Jasper was 23. Alice had aspirations but no motivation. Jasper told her he would help her with her dreams and desires. She wanted to go to school, Jasper paid for school. She wanted to take an on an unpaid internship, Jasper supported them both financially. Alice dropped out of school when the internship turned into a full-time job. I was happy for her but found it a little strange they hired an intern without her first completing her degree.

Jasper supported her decision though. He always supported Alice, but she never supported him back. She always complained when he had to work late; it didn't matter if it was so he could meet with the parents of a student who attempted suicide. In Alice's mind, she was more important. I always thought she was selfish, but tried to support her and Jasper none the less. If she made him happy, who was I to argue? But now she was draining my friend and it pained me to watch.

Should I have intervened before they got married? Probably. But they announced their engagement only after three months of dating and then got married two months later. It was very quick and though I thought it was odd, I didn't want to hurt my friend's feelings with words of doubt. I often wondered what she did to convince him to marry her, but tried to shake those thoughts away.

Because if I was honest, deep down I loved Jasper. I had denied it for so long when we were younger. I fought the feeling because I worried he never felt the same way. He had dated other girls, and I had dated other guys. For a while, I thought maybe was just waiting for me to be ready to stop fighting the feelings, but when Alice came around, I knew I had to fight them forever. By the time I realized I was already in love with him, it was too late.

I then committed to still staying his friend. I wanted Jasper in my life, and if it was only as a friend then that was better than nothing. I never tried to come in between him and Alice. I supported them even though deep down it tore me apart when they got married. I never told Jasper about how I truly felt. For the past year and half of their marriage, I have perfected burying those feelings.

He was married and we could only be friends. I accepted it and moved on. Well, I never truly moved on to other guys. I never had a serious relationship after I ended things with Edward. Sure, I had gone on dates, but never let anything progress. I moved on to focusing on my career and building a life for myself. Jasper and I stayed close friends and I was happy. But now Jasper wasn't happy, and it was because of Alice. I knew I couldn't get too involved, but I still wanted to be there for my friend.

I was now home and tried to back into working on my book. It was no use as my mind was swirling in a million directions. I changed into work out clothes and headed to the gym in my apartment complex. I would workout outside but it rained a lot in Seattle. I ran about three miles on the treadmill before switching to the elliptical and doing another two miles. I felt better and my head was a little clearer. After showering, I got back to writing. I worked until late that night since I got on a good writing kick. My publisher would definitely be happy. I had a meeting with them next week and was certain they would be satisfied with the progress.

The few days went by fast. I chatted with Jasper on the phone time and it sounded like things with Alice wasn't getting any better. One day I suggested he plan a romantic dinner for them and he did, but Alice said she was busy, ruining the dinner he had spent two-hundred dollars on. I was two seconds away from ringing the bitches neck.

Two days later, Jasper called me to say that he and Alice had talked briefly that day; she wanted to sit down and talk to Jasper the following day about them and work some things out. Jasper sounded hopeful that this would be a turning point for them. I told him I was happy for him and wished him the best, but deep down other feelings stirred. I knew I should be happy that Alice was possibly making a turn, and part of me was, but another part felt saddened. I growled in frustration. He is married! I shouldn't still be hung up on this.

I decided a trip to the grocery store was a good distraction, plus I was low on supplies. After spending a good hour browsing through the lanes, I ran into Mike Newton. The real kicker was that he asked me on a date again. The guy was relentless. I had turned him down several times, but here he was asking again. I can't believe I'm about to do this….

"Yeah. Sure Mike."

His face lit up. "Great! How about tomorrow? I know it's kind of sudden…"

Tomorrow was also when Jasper and Alice were having their talk. This date would be the perfect distraction for me. Not to mention, I needed to move on.

"Tomorrow's fine," I replied.

I could tell Mike was stoked about my answer. "I'll pick you up at about 8." He said with a smile so big that it had to hurt his face. We traded numbers, and I told him I would text him my address.

I finished up my shopping and headed home. I tried to get excited about my date, but couldn't really find the enthusiasm. You need to move on…. But with Mike? I mulled it over in my mind. I doubted that I could be long-term with Mike. Going on a date with him would at least help me jump back into the dating game. Not to mention, he could stop bugging me to go out with him.

I worked on my book when I got home until I went to bed. The next morning, I again tried to psych myself up for the date. By the time six o'clock hit, I was actually a little excited. I showered and did my hair and makeup. I picked out a cute blue dress that seemed first date appropriate.

Mike was punctual and showed up right at eight. I greeted him with a smile which he returned. We then set off to dinner. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I put my phone on silent so I could give Mike my undivided attention. A half an hour later my earlier enthusiasm had faded. Mike and I didn't have a lot in common. I found the conversation almost forced with him. Needless to say, there was no click between us. I suppress a groan when Mike ordered dessert when I just wanted to go home. I was almost jumping for joy when we got in the car for him to take me home and end the date.

We were about to pull into my apartment complex when Mike said, "I had a really nice time tonight." Oh god…. I didn't want to be rude, but I most certainly did not have a good time.

"Uh… Yeah…" Smooth, Bella smooth.

"Maybe we could do this again sometime?" He asked. Oh shit.

I pulled out my phone to unmute it. "I don't know Mike. I…" I abruptly stopped when I looked at my phone screen.

10 Missed Calls- Jasper

20 Text Messages- Jasper

Oh, shit what happened?

"I'm sorry, Mike. I got to go. Something came up with a friend." Not sure what that something is, but I need to find out.

"Oh okay." He sounded disappointed, but I didn't have time to console him. I needed to get in touch with Jasper. What if something happened to Alice? Or Rose? Shit… I'm never putting my phone on silent during a date again.

I called Jasper as I practically ran up the stairs to my level. His voice was going straight to voicemail. Fuck! I was almost to my level. I would change and go straight to his house and see what was wrong. I made it to my floor and rounded the corner to where my apartment was.

At my door was Jasper, sitting on the floor. He had blood shot eyes and looked like hell. He staring off into space

"Jasper, oh god! I tried calling you back but your phone was going straight to voicemail. I'm so sorry I didn't pick up. I was on a date and put my phone my silent. Jasper, what's wrong? Talk to me!"

He lifted his up his head and meet my eyes, his hair frazzled and tears, both wet and dry, were at various stages of coming down his face. "Alice and I are getting a divorce."

A/N: Updates will be weekly, possibly sooner.

To my previous readers,

no, this is not a ExB story

no, this is not a mafia story.

But...I will be working on "Is there a Doctor in the House?" along side this story.