For: Arfess96
Beta: Naelany
September 2010
Jasper, Edward, and Bella signed the papers for their house as soon as they were able, and it closed on August 1st. However, since there was remodeling they wanted to do, they decided to delay moving in until everything was finished. They were having a whirlpool tub installed in the master bathroom and really didn't want to be living in and around that construction. There had also been a fair amount of construction done in the basement to refurnish it as a music-and-craft room. They'd had soundproofing done and installed cubbies and shelves and cabinets. That project wouldn't have been as disruptive to their daily life as the bathroom remodel, but they'd agreed to just do it all at once. Beyond that, there had been some repainting to cover up some horrible color choices made by the previous owners, so all in all, waiting to move in had been a good decision.
Besides, between the three of them, they had no furniture, so the delay let them take their time to find pieces they wanted to furnish every room in the house. Esme had offered to let them take the bed from Edward's childhood room, but they'd declined, wanting to get a new bed of their own for a fresh start, and let Esme turn that space into a new guest room.
They ended up moving in at the end of the second week of classes. Saturday had been a long day, though none of the three of them had done that much work. The delivery guys from the department store where they'd purchased most of their furniture put everything together and placed it where Esme (and Bella) directed. Edward had supervised the installation of the piano from his parents house (accepting it only after extreme protesting), and Jasper had largely drifted around trying to assure himself that it was all real and happening while unpacking various boxes.
The kitchen was minimally stocked, with both supplies and groceries. Between them they owned four plates, four bowls, nine sets of silverware, three can openers, two electric kettles and one drip coffee machine. Bella was making a list of things she needed, both for Christmas lists and for what they'd need to get for themselves. Jasper had a feeling they'd be visiting Target quite a few times as they discovered things they didn't have and needed. Thankfully, Esme had prepped a couple of meals for them for the week, and they could always pay cash and eat on campus if it came down to it.
At the end of the day, when the last of the furniture had been installed and Carlisle had dragged off an overly helpful Esme (who left while inviting them over for brunch the next morning), the three of them collapsed across their California King sized bed, which had been made with freshly laundered sheets by someone.
Bella groaned. "So tired," she muttered. They hadn't really slept the night before, as they'd given Edward's bed a worthy send off to work off the excitement that they'd all been feeling. "My back hurts."
Edward turned onto his side and kissed her softly. "Wanna check out the whirlpool?" he asked with a leer.
Jasper grinned as Bella laughed. "Actually, that sounds really good," she answered.
Jasper levered himself up first. He stooped over and kissed them each, then started shedding clothes as he made his way into their newly remodeled and decorated master bathroom. Everything had been done in light colors. They had a shower stall with multiple jets at various heights as well as a dual sink and the whirlpool tub that Bella in particular had wanted.
As he started the water in the tub, he could hear Bella and Edward in the other room digging around for towels and stripping off clothes. Jasper had a feeling it was going to take them forever to get settled since they'd moved during the school year.
"I don't know where any of the salts or anything are, darlin'," Jasper called.
"Don't worry about it," Bella said as she stepped into the room. She had a towel wrapped around her, fastened just above her breasts, and her hair had been pinned up. Bella stepped up in front of him and tiptoed up to kiss him.
Jasper accommodated her, grabbing her lightly around the waist and lifting her up slightly. He felt her smile against his lips as he gently set her back on the floor, bending to nuzzle at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Bella tilted her head away and moaned with a giggle.
"What?" he asked against her skin, scraping his teeth lightly over her jugular. "Want me to stop?" he teased.
"Don't you dare," she breathed.
Jasper laughed softly as another pair of arms twined around them. "You're going to overflow the tub if you keep this up," Edward warned. "And if we have to move back out to fix it, I'm going to be very grumpy."
Bella let go of the light hold she had around Jasper's waist and turned to face Edward. "We can't have that," she agreed and kissed him, then laughingly ducked out of their embrace to shut of the taps. Jasper embraced Edward and kissed him quickly, turning to watch as Bella shucked off her towel and teasingly lifted one leg to dip her toes into the water.
"Joining me?" she asked as she stepped fully into the tub. It was only about half full, and when she sat, the water barely lapped at the bottom of her breasts.
"Yes," Edward said quickly, dropping his own towel and carefully climbing in to join her. Jasper found the control panel for the jets and turned it on, and they whispered to life, accompanied by Bella's soft sigh.
Jasper stripped out of his jeans and kicked them away before joining them. The three of them displaced enough water that filling the tub halfway had been a wise decision.
"We have so much work left to do," Bella said with a sigh as she settled back against the jets, sandwiched between Jasper and Edward. "Why do I have a feeling it's going to take us months to get settled?"
"Because we're working full time and we didn't take leave to get moved?" Edward suggested.
Bella elbowed him gently in the side. They had discussed taking a week's worth of admin time to get everything put together, but Bella had felt guilty about taking time off so early in the school year.
"We don't have that much stuff, darlin'," Jasper reminded her. "It won't take that long for us to unpack, really. To find out everything that we need, yeah, that might take awhile." Jasper had lived minimally while a student, and even more so when he'd started teaching at various boarding schools across the country. He really had no ideas about what they were missing. So long as he had a bed, his partners, and a microwave, he'd probably be fine.
"We have enough stuff to get us through the week," Edward assured Bella, leaning around her slightly to kiss her. "Mom left plenty of food and we have coffee and tea and milk and peanut butter and jelly," he teased. "I'm not assigning any big projects for this week, so next weekend is free for me," he concluded.
"Same," Jasper responded, returning to his earlier position of nuzzling lightly at Bella's neck.
"Me too," Bella acknowledged with a soft sigh. "Aren't there fairies or something that can take care of all of this for us?"
Edward chuckled. "Sorry, love." He kissed her again. "Really, all we have to worry about right now is the office. We just don't have that much stuff."
"I know," Bella sighed again. "I just…we're in this big house and it feels so empty."
Jasper smiled against her neck. "So ready for the pattering of little feet?" he teased.
"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know," she said. "Yes, but," she decided after a beat. "Not right away. I just feel like there isn't enough of us to fill this space yet."
"We'll get there," Edward assured her over the sound of the jets in the tub. "We've essentially been college students for years. With Mom and Alice's help, we'll have this house filled up in no time. Look at Emmett and Rosalie."
"True," Bella answered.
Emmett and Rose had been able to move right into their new house upon returning from their honeymoon. Two months later and it was slowly filling up from wedding gifts and both Esme and Rosalie's mother sending things. Of course the key thing there was that they'd had a wedding. With Bella and Jasper both being orphans, their only family was Edward's, and while they weren't hurting monetarily, there was no one to send them the things they needed to start setting up a new life together.
"So," Edward said, mirroring Jasper's actions on the other side of her neck, causing Bella to pretty much melt. "Don't worry. We'll get it sorted out. We'll find things to fill up the spaces so that if we ever have to move, we'll be having this exact opposite conversation," he promised.
"Stop that," she finally scolded, playfully, pinching their thighs. Jasper smirked and sat up, draping an arm over her shoulders, playing with the hair at the nape of Edward's neck.
"Spoilsport," Edward muttered.
Bella laughed and splashed him, which led to an all out water fight, or at least as much as they could manage in the tub. They playfully wrestled each other, wet and slippery, defeating the purpose of the relaxing bath, but the laughter was good, too.
When the water started to cool and the jets turned off, Bella climbed from the tub. "Be careful," she warned Edward, specifically. "We made a mess."
Edward nodded and kissed Jasper deeply before following her.
Jasper was the last out of the tub. Edward stood over the sink to brush his teeth while Jasper pulled the plug and sopped up a bit of the spilled water. He left the towels in a pile on the floor, planning to throw them in the washer in the morning.
He found Bella stretched out on her back in the center of their king-sized bed, naked, the towel between her and the duvet. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was too shallow for her to be asleep.
Jasper crawled up on the bed as gently as possible, smirking at the smile he saw tugging at Bella's lips. He knelt over her, his weight centered over her knees. Slowly he leaned forward, brushing feather light kisses over her stomach and up her sternum, running his nose lightly along the curve of her breast.
"Jasper," she whispered, her eyes still closed. Her lips finally stretched into a slow smile as gooseflesh broke out over her body. One of her hands lifted from the mattress and Jasper caught it, pressing his lips to her palm before letting her continue, grinning when her fingers threaded lightly through his hair.
"Yes, dear?" he asked quietly, leaning further over her body to run his lips over the column of her neck before working his way back down the way he'd come.
"Oh, nothing," she said with a sigh. "Carry on."
"Are you sure?" he asked against her sternum. "You're not too tired?" he teased. "I'd hate to wear you out so that Edward and I have to do all the work unpacking tomorrow."
Her eyes opened and Jasper laughed at the warning look she shot at him. He blew a raspberry against her skin in response, making her squeal and wriggle against him.
"Sounds like you're having fun without me," Edward said with a pout as he joined them on the bed.
Jasper leaned over and kissed him deeply, their tongues brushing against each other's. "That's what you get for seeing to oral hygiene first," he teased.
"How silly of me," Edward acknowledged, shifting to move behind Bella on the bed, lifting her shoulders slightly to rest against his thigh. He started finger combing through her hair as Jasper winked and returned to his original pattern of kisses and nips over Bella's upper body.
Her skin pinked, the blush that highlighted her face creeping all the way down her body. Jasper followed it with lips and tongue until his face was just above her mound. He paused for just a moment; Edward's hands had drifted from her hair and were wandering over her body. He'd teased Bella's nipples into peaks, and her legs had spread slightly wider in response and Jasper could feel her trying not to squirm or seem too anxious.
Jasper slid a bit further down, his lips tracing the last little bit of flat flesh of her abdomen. His hands lightly slid up her smooth thighs, teasingly curling his thumbs inward to brush the neatly trimmed hair that covered her sex.
"Don't be a tease," Edward warned, winking at Jasper as he bent at the waist to kiss Bella upside down.
"Who's teasing?" Jasper responded. He pressed his lips to the small mark Edward had made on her hip the night before and kissed his way down to her inner thigh, breathing in the musky scent of her arousal as he neared her center. "I mean to follow through," he said, purposefully causing his breath to wash over Bella's exposed skin. She shivered in response.
Jasper took his time lowering his face between her thighs, teasing despite his declaration. Bella squirmed and whimpered as his mouth traced the curve of her leg before finally pressing against her sex. He had seen Edward do this with her before, but Jasper never had, and was careful in watching her reactions.
Edward's hand was reassuring on his spine as Bella whimpered and moaned in response to every lick, nibble, and suck. Jasper was surrounded by her scent, warm and heavy around him. He focused on his attention on her, though the feel of her foot pressed against his thigh was slightly distracting, as was his own mounting arousal.
He knew she was close when her legs crossed behind his back and tilted her pelvis up into his face, forcing his tongue deeper. Her orgasm pulsed against his face and Jasper did what he could to prolong it for her.
Jasper tried to subtly scrape a stray hair from his tongue as he sat up. Bella laid back against Edward, flushed and gorgeous, her chest still heaving as she looking at him with heavy eyes that shone with gratitude. She beckoned him with a finger and he obeyed, smiling against the kiss she pressed against his mouth.
"If that's the look you get," Edward said softly, his hands ghosting over both of their bodies. "We need to do that more often."
Jasper laughed softly and shifted to catch Edward in a deep kiss as well, as Bella murmured "No objections here." Her lips pressed to Jasper's chest and he shivered as she scraped her teeth against his skin. He felt the bed move as Bella struggled to sit up between them, and Jasper had to break the kiss to allow her to squeeze in between his and Edward's chests.
Edward groaned quietly as Bella wriggled around to get comfortable on his lap which Jasper quickly echoed as Bella's hand sought out his cock and she tenderly stroked it, grinning as she leaned into to kiss him while Edward nuzzled her neck.
Their kisses and touches grew more heated as they fumbled around playfully on the bed. Bella got turned around to face Edward and Jasper traced kisses up and down her spine.
"Where's…?" Edward asked, slightly breathless.
"Side table," Jasper answered, kissing the back of Bella's neck.
"We don't need…" Bella protested as Edward turned away to find their kit, which Jasper had been careful to put away so he knew right where it was when they were ready for it.
"The lube's in there," Jasper whispered against her ear, drawing the lobe between his teeth and sucking lightly as he reached around and palmed her breasts, teasing her already peaked nipples with his thumbs.
"Ooh-kay," she breathed, ending on a whimper.
Edward turned back, his prize clutched in his hand. Despite her objection, when Edward handed her a condom, she took her time rolling it down over him while Jasper leaned past her claim Edward's lips in a heated kiss, reaching into the bag for the lube at the same time.
Edward broke the kiss to focus on Bella and Jasper sat back, taking a moment to pluck out another condom and quickly unroll it over himself before liberally slicking it with lube. Bella whimpered at something Edward had done, and Jasper refocused, pressing his lips to the back of Bella's neck while reaching around for some kind of contact with Edward.
Bella rose up on her knees and Jasper and Edward's hands met on her hips, steadying her as she lowered herself onto Edward's cock, both of them making sounds of pleasure as she settled with a slight rocking of her hips and wrapped her legs around Edward's waist. Jasper pressed his chest to her back and slid against the curve of her ass while his legs curled around them both, locking his ankles around Edward's back. Edward's hands remained on Bella's hips and Jasper's wandered over both of their bodies as they pressed together tightly, making it difficult for them to move.
So they didn't for a few minutes, Bella's face pressed against Edward's neck, Jasper's cheek against Bella's neck and Edward's face bowed against them both. Finally though, Bella began to move, shifting her hips and Jasper and Edward both responded, moving against her in a tangled rhythm.
Their lovemaking was slow and tender, full of lingering kissing and gentle touches. Edward slumped against Bella's shoulder with a quiet sigh, his back tensing under Jasper's fingers as he found his release first. His hand disappeared between his and Bella's bodies, and Jasper felt Edward's wrist against him as he continued to move against, but not inside Bella. Jasper likewise snaked a hand between them and together, he and Edward gave Bella her second orgasm of the night before Edward's hand turned to Jasper and he was soon collapsed against Bella's back, breathing heavily against her neck.
It took them several long minutes to untangle themselves, which was accomplished with more tender touches and fleeting kisses. Bella ended up sandwiched between Jasper and Edward, which had become usual and familiar in the months they'd lived together at the Cullen's since the end of the school year. They murmured quiet words to each other as they settled, and Jasper drifted into a warm, comfortable slumber.
They slept in on Sunday morning. Without having the cable, house phone, or internet up and running yet, there was nothing to disturb them as they enjoyed a quiet breakfast of coffee, toast, and eggs around the bar in the kitchen before they got themselves organized and started unpacking the remainder of the boxes.
Bella decided they should start in the bedroom, so they'd be ready to go Monday morning without scrambling for clothes or anything to get to work. Edward set up one of the alarm clocks and docked his iPod, and a brief argument ensued over the choice of playlist, with Bella eventually winning, laughing in her triumph as the soft sounds of a band Jasper didn't immediately recognize filled the room.
They talked as they worked, sorting all their things into closets and drawers, coming easily to the conclusion that they needed another wardrobe when all of Bella's clothes were arranged in the closet and Jasper and Edward's were still piled on the bed.
"How about we sort some of your things into the upstairs bedroom for now," Jasper suggested to Bella. Most of Jasper's clothes fit folded into the bureau that had been allocated as his, but he did have dress shirts and slacks that would benefit from being hung up, as would Edward's suits, tux, and work wardrobe. "Maybe some of the…" he'd been about to say winter clothes, but there really wasn't a distinction in Forks (though summer had called for far fewer sweaters and layers, it hadn't been summer as he remembered as a kid in Texas). "Some of the stuff you don't wear much anymore?"
"Yeah…" Bella mused. After a beat she began tearing hangers from the rod and thrusting them at Jasper. When his arms were full she declared she was done. They re-hung them in the room they'd designated as the guest room on the second floor and got back to work sorting Edward and Jasper's clothes into the closet.
"It's so plain in here," Bella muttered when they'd flattened all the boxes and carried the suitcases and duffel bags down to the basement. Though the furniture all matched, a beautiful dark cherry wood, and they'd chosen a duvet that they all agreed on, there was precious little of their personalities in the bedroom.
"Honey, we moved in yesterday," Jasper reminded her gently, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. "We'll go shopping next weekend," he promised.
"Or we can go through our posters and things and use stuff we already have," Edward suggested as he embraced Bella from the other side.
"I wanted mine in the office," Bella said against Edward's t-shirt.
"Well, let's see what we have when we're done and go from there," Jasper offered with a hug.
"Okay."
Jasper let Bella go, leaning around her to kiss Edward quickly before pressing his lips to Bella's temple. He left them standing together while he ducked into the kitchen for a few bottles of water and the small container of cookies that Esme had left the evening before. He found Bella and Edward standing in the middle of the den, which they'd decided would be the office, just across the hall from the bedroom.
Three walls had desks roughly shoved against them, and there was a knot of chairs toward the middle of the room. The fourth wall was lined with bookshelves that ran from about three-feet from the floor, clear up to the ceiling, and they'd ordered a large sofa-sleeper to put under the shelves for comfortable seating and an extra bed.
They'd each ordered a desk that was to their tastes. Jasper's was fairly simple, oak, with big drawers for files and a nice wide work surface. Bella had ordered something slightly more contemporary with a big work space and a swing arm mounted on the side for her laptop or computer monitor. Edward's would have to go in the corner, as he'd chosen a monstrosity of an L-shaped desk so he could hook up a small keyboard to his computer when needed and still have space to work.
Jasper handed each of them a bottle of water and held out the container of cookies so they could each grab one before he tossed it onto the couch. "Alright. Where do we start?"
"I think we need to move desks. Can you and Bella handle it, or should we call Emmett or Dad?" Edward asked.
"We can do it," Bella assured him. "Yours needs to go in the corner," she said, echoing Jasper's thoughts. "And Jasper's is probably best under the windows across from that, since it doesn't have the upper shelf like mine."
One wall was lined with windows, giving them a view of the thinly wooded path that separated their house from the neighbor's.
"Sounds good. And if we don't like it, we can always rearrange," Edward said. He started tugging the chairs out of the middle of the floor to give them room to move.
Jasper and Bella slowly tugged and pushed Edward's desk more into place. It had been close, but needed to be flush against the wall. Before they got it snugged up, they ran the power cords and such underneath so Edward wouldn't have to do it later. Bella's desk was also loosely placed where she wanted it, and they spent a few minutes fine tuning the placement before she was happy and they shoved Jasper's desk under the window. Once they'd each found their desk chair, they turned to the stack of boxes against the wall and started sorting them onto desks, so they could each start unpacking and setting up their desk space.
Somewhere in the house, Jasper heard Bella's cell phone ring, knowing it was Alice from the tinny sound of Cotton Eye Joe that drifted through the halls.
"Crap, where did I leave it?" Bella grumbled as she scrambled to her feet from where she'd been seated on the floor, sorting through a box of books.
"I think it's in the living room!" Edward called after her with a laugh as she slipped and scrambled in her socked feet. "You know she's going to invite herself over."
Jasper just shrugged as he slid some books onto the shelves. Between the three of them, the one thing they didn't lack was books, and he already suspected they'd need some smaller bookshelves to place around the room to accommodate them all. "She's probably lonely on campus and Sunday is traditionally movie night. She can come over after campus dinner and visit for awhile." Jasper was just relieved that none of them were going to have to try to cook that night, since they'd be expected for the usual Sunday dinner on campus.
"But what if I want you both all to myself?" Edward asked, half whining, half mischievously.
"Then I suppose you better find a way to convince your girlfriend to deny your cousin her company for the night," Jasper said as Bella's excited voice carried down the hall from the living room.
Edward just laughed. "It'll be fine. I know that she's wanting to do something for Bella for the house for Christmas, so it'll be a good thing to let her get in and snoop around."
"Any idea what she has in mind?" Jasper asked, abandoning his task as Edward crossed the room to join him on the couch.
"Just something original and arty," Edward said with a roll of his eyes as he settled and leaned against Jasper's side.
"Helpful," Jasper snarked dryly, making Edward laugh. "But we do have the whole guest room to deal with, and there's nothing but the loveseat and recliners to go with the television in the living room."
Edward shrugged. "Like you said, we moved in yesterday and we've been college students for years. We'll make it a home, even if it takes us a little while," he reassured Jasper.
"I know. I'm not that worried about it, really, but I do want Bella to be happy," he explained.
Edward nodded. "She is, and she will be," he answered, kissing Jasper softly.
Jasper hummed is agreement as the voice in the other room quieted and then stopped, and Bella returned to the office.
"Alice wants to come over after dinner tonight for movie night and to see what we might need now that everything's put away," Bella reported as she joined them on the couch. "I said it was okay?" she asked.
"Sure, darlin'," Jasper assured her as Edward hummed his agreement. "Is the DVD player even hooked up?" he asked. The unpacking ceased as they cuddled up together on the couch.
"Yeah. Of course that's the one thing that Emmett saw to before he left yesterday," Edward reported. Emmett and Rosalie hadn't stayed long to help with the move; she hadn't been feeling well, so Emmett had taken her home early in the day and then not returned (which they understood). "The cable guy is coming when?"
"Tuesday. Esme said she'd be here so we wouldn't have to rotate through to wait during our preps," Bella reminded him. "The internet will be set up that day, too, so we're not going to be in the dark ages for long," she said, teasing.
Jasper nodded, angling his arm to get a glance at his watch. "As comfy as this is," he began, "we need to get moving if we want to get this finished and cleaned up in time for dinner."
Bella groaned and Edward called him a spoilsport, but after another couple of moments, they were back to work, and within an hour, most of the boxes were empty, flattened, and being carried out to recycling by Jasper.
While they rotated through the shower, they discussed options for window coverings for the office (Bella offered options, Jasper and Edward agreed or disagreed without necessarily having an opinion), and the bedroom to match their duvet. While they dressed, they talked briefly about the guest room options, and Bella wanted to make the afghan for the bed covering for that room, based on whatever colors they eventually decided. On the drive to campus, they thought about the third bedroom, which they all knew would eventually become the nursery, but they were unsure of what to do with it in the meantime since they'd already set aside a guest room and had the pull out couch in the office.
Campus dinner was charged with energy, being only the end of the second week of classes. Most of the students were still excited about being on their own, and some of the first year students had finally gotten through the worst of their shock at being alone with strangers and joined in the excitement of their older peers.
Jasper, Edward, and Bella joined the others at the usual table, finding Alice her normal perky self, and Rosalie somewhat subdued with Emmett not far from her side, Esme and Carlisle presiding over their table as normal, all of them greeting students and other staff members as they got settled and waited for the Dean to speak.
After dinner, Bella decided to ride back to the house with Alice so they could have some girl time to catch up and gossip about their partners.
"I was thinking about the nursery," Edward said as Jasper navigated the way back toward the house after a quick stop at the grocery store for movie night supplies of iced cream, popcorn, and a bottle of wine.
"Yeah?" Jasper prompted.
"What if we used the space as kind of meditation room? A place where we can do yoga and stretch, and have a quiet place to think."
"I like that," Jasper said. Bella had been doing yoga for years and in the last month or so had gotten Jasper and Edward to join her, partially to find something else for them to do together, and partially because it was good for Edward to have a different kind of stretching. "We can talk to Bella about it, but she'll probably like it. We won't have to decorate much, either. And it might be nice to have a place for some smaller gym pieces, since it won't be as convenient to get to the gym on campus in the mornings anymore."
When they arrived at the house, Jasper folded Edward into a hug and kissed him, grinning as Alice honked at them from the street as she and Bella pulled up behind them.
They spent the evening watching a couple of movies and catching up with Alice over her last visit with Charlotte. They were getting serious, despite the distance between them, but Alice seemed genuinely happy, so Jasper was happy for her and tried not to worry.
Once Alice left after the second movie and the last of the wine was gone, Jasper went around making sure everything was locked up while Bella cleaned up and Edward went through his evening stretches. In their bedroom, they crawled into bed nearly naked, Edward and Jasper in shorts, Bella in a camisole and panties and they curled up tightly together, reviewing their schedule for the week in hushed tones, and Jasper knew they were well and truly on the road to their future life together.
Thank you to Arfess96 for her generous donation to Fandom Gives Back and her lovely prompt for this outtake.