Clockwork, a twilight fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or anything familiar.

Rated: T.

Author: .

Summary: Alternate Universe.

Seattle, Washington.

It was like clockwork.

Near perfect synchronization, unconsciously, unknowingly, and yet they managed, night after night, without ever exchanging a word, without ever meeting face to face.

The dancer freed up her night, every night, after seven thirty. She'd have finished her dinner, washed the dishes, watched an old black and white episode of Lucy, and then pulled out her dancing slippers. By seven fifty, the coffee table would be pushed up against the couch, the television wheeled back against the wall, and she would sit in the open space, stretching her limbs. At seven fifty five, she would stand, take a final sip of water, a deep breath, and ready herself while she waited for the music to start.

The musician wasn't quite as conscious about her timing as the dancer was. In her nature, she wasn't as organized, wasn't as stable. She did things, said things, as she felt them, crossed bridges as she came to them, and never looked to the future, for fear of what she might find. There were only two consistencies in her life, two unshakable, unmovable elements she took comfort from. The first, Lucy. She could count on the fact that after a stressful day, a long day, she could come home and lose herself in the black and white world of comedic relief. The second, her cello. As the dishes lay dirty in her sink, the television flickering, muted, she would suddenly find herself sitting in the middle of the room, sleek cello in hand, a melody filling the air.

It was dark, it was lonely, it was full of emptiness and heartbreak. But it was also powerful, beautiful, and it moved the dancer in a way that her dancing never could. She would spin, twirl, dip, and glide in the darkness of her living room. Alice moved like music as Bella's fingers danced along the strings of her cello.

The two, always unwittingly, played and danced for each other until the late hours of the night. Every night. By eleven o'clock, the dancer was pushing all her furniture back in place of her living room; the chairs angled just right for a perfect view of the television, the coffee table precisely two feet in front of the couch and chairs, despite the different angles of all. A large enough space to walk through without tripping or bashing shins, yet small enough to prevent stretching to reach for things and increasing the chance of spillage. She would take one last look around the room, set the blank television remote in the corner of the table, and proceed to shower before getting into bed, setting her alarm once again.

Just a little after eleven, she could never tell you when exactly, Bella would finish playing. She'd sigh, knowing that the night was finished listening to her, letting her pour out her emotions in the most convenient way, and she would give a little bow to her open window. Bella would gingerly put her cello back on the stand in the corner of her room, next to her older, childhood ones she used to spend days and days of practice with. She would wander off to the kitchen, search through her full fridge trying to decide what was still good and edible, and what was about to start growing eyes. She usually settled on a bottle of iced tea, take a large gulp, and wander back to the living room with a quilt, laying back on the couch and eventually falling asleep to the muted, flickering television shows.

Leah's Little Cafe, Seattle.

"So? Are you finally going to tell us how the date went?"

Alice sighed, her elbow propped up on the red table top, her chin in her palm while she stared down at her coffee, spinning the dark liquid around and around with her spoon. She knew he only meant well -they both did- and it was only because they were trying to help, that they set her up on blind dates every time she turned around. They loved her and they wanted to see her happy and with someone, she knew that. Edward had told her that he felt guilty, sometimes, being with Jasper and around her when she was alone.

Still, it didn't stop her from really despising the two sometimes. She couldn't stand the dates, more than she couldn't stand being alone. And she really didn't like being alone. Yet, date after date, she never stopped them, never said she'd had enough already and didn't want anymore help. Maybe it was because Edward was her brother, and maybe because Jasper had been her best friend since they could walk. Or maybe it was because she knew if she stopped these dates it meant she was giving up, accepting defeat, and was resigned to being alone forever.

All she knew for sure was that there was something that told her in the very wee hours of the morning, when she wasn't quite asleep but wasn't quite awake, that she had to keep looking. She couldn't give up, not yet. There was still someone out there waiting for her, someone who had already given up and accepted defeat, and she had to save them both. She just knew it.

Or maybe she just had a really bad problem with watching old romantic comedies before bed. There was always that.

"Not my type," she replied quietly, avoiding the disappointed eyes of the two closest people in her life.

Jasper sighed as well, slumping back in the booth next to his boyfriend. He'd really thought he had it this time, he thought Jessica could have been the one. She was everything that poor Angela hadn't been, when Alice had said the exact same thing last week. 'I'm sorry Edward, she just wasn't my type.' So he'd gone out, asked around, and found someone completely opposite from her. "Why not? What was wrong this time?" He asked.

The little pixie shrugged her shoulders.

He groaned. "Come on, Alice. I need to know so I don't get someone the exact same again. What didn't you like?"

"Well," Alice mumbled, hesitantly glancing up into those light blue eyes. "She talked. A lot. I don't mean like me, because I know you guys think I talk a lot, which sometimes I do." She shook her head. "But this girl… I'm not even sure she was breathing for half the date, and I really don't know where her dinner went because she didn't even pause for that."

"And your problem with Angela was that she was too quiet," Edward cut in with furrowed brows. "I'm sorry, but that confuses me. Do you want a talkative person, or a quiet one?"

This was another problem. Alice didn't want to just list a bunch of attributes and have the two set out on a treasure hunt for her. She didn't want to give a resume and have applicants come in for an interview. She wanted people to have these qualities, but she wanted to stumble upon them, not search for them.

"Neither," she paused. "Or both, maybe. I don't want a talkative person, but I want to be able to talk with them and have conversations, I want to hear her opinions and what she has to say. But I would like to talk too, without being interrupted or spoken over like Jessica did. I want to tell stories and jokes and I want her to listen and laugh."

Jasper nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "Okay, we can work with this."

"Definitely," Edward agreed with a reassuring smile towards his sister. He tapped his chin, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back in the booth, tilting his head to the side. His emerald green eyes scanned the little cafe they were in, taking in all the people. "Someone who has a sense of humour," he glanced at his sister who nodded, a curious look on her face. "Intelligence, honestly, all those lame cliches. She has to be taller because you're a midget and anything smaller -ow!"

The blonde chuckled, making sure to lift his own legs, lest he get a little foot in the shin as well. Alice scowled at them both and he continued on with his best friend's ideal partner. "Who can put up with your OCD and immaculate apartment but doesn't mind a little mess. Who talks and listens, likes music and dance, in other words..."

"More cliche words," Edward muttered with a crooked smile.

Jasper reached across the table and pinched Alice's cheek until she swatted him away. "Someone who completes you."

Alice rolled her eyes, glaring down into her empty cup. "I need more coffee."

Bella's Apartment, Seattle.

"Do you guys need more coffee?"

Rosalie and Emmett looked at each other and their cups, shaking their heads. "No, I think we're good. But thank you, Bella." Rosalie said, her smile just a tad too bright, her voice a little too friendly. Bella narrowed her eyes, but the bombshell's mask was perfectly smooth, not a crack in sight. The brunette's brown eyes flickered over to the giant, the weak link in Rosalie's almighty chain. Emmett's smile tightened uncomfortably as he struggled to keep eye contact. "So kind and considerate, thoughtful and nice."

"What do you want, Rose?" Bella asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the kitchen bar. She knew the blonde well enough to know when she wanted something, or was at least up to something, and put up her guard quickly.

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders and tucked a long lock of golden hair behind her ear. "You remember my brother Jasper, right?"

The brunette hesitated before nodding slowly. "Vaguely. It's been quite a few years since I've seen him."

"Yes, right," Rosalie nodded and set her coffee cup down on the magazine and book littered coffee table. "Well he has a friend, actually his boyfriend's sister, and we think you would get along swimmingly."

Raising an eyebrow, Bella gave Emmett a look. Swimmingly, she mouthed to him. He smirked. "She's cute, Bella Boo. Friendly, fun, is a dancer, and I think lives around here, too." He said. His sister gave him a skeptical look and he grinned wider. "A dancer, Bells. Come on."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I don't know, guys. The whole…dating thing is a little daunting."

"All the more reason to get back out there," Rosalie declared. It was received with two eyebrows raising at her and she shrugged. "Face your fears, and all that good stuff. Do you honestly think love is going to come knocking at your door one day, Bella? You have to go find it, grab onto it, and never let it go."

"No, I expect love to pass me by on the sidewalk without so much as a second glance, like it's done my entire life." Bella said, flopping down on the recliner. "I expect the pizza guy to come knocking on my door in," she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, fifteen minutes. You guys staying for dinner?"

"Heck yeah!" Emmett cheered brightly, pumping his fist into the air. One look at Rosalie's scowl had him slumping, his face falling.

The blonde looked away from her pouting husband and to his sister. "No. Bella's choosen to be alone and we don't want to get in the way of that decision. Have fun by yourself. Again."

She stood up and turned on her heel, storming to the door of the apartment with Emmett trailing behind her. As the door closed behind them, Emmett frowned at her. "Don't you think you're being a little hard on her, Rosie? You know this isn't easy for her. She doesn't want to be alone."

With a deep sigh, the scowl on Rosalie's face fell, her look softening. "We've tried coddling her, Emmett. We've tried being supportive. We've given her space and we've crowded her, surrounding her with couples. Nothing's worked. It's time for some tough love, a slap in the face with reality."

Emmett nodded, looking back at the door sadly as they walked down the hall, hand in hand. "I guess you're right." He turned back to his wife, smiling hesitantly. "Did you leave the date information with her?"

Rosalie smiled back.

Back in the apartment, Bella frowned at the door slamming shut, sighing deeply to herself. The silence that followed was heavy, like a physical weight on her shoulders, and she grimaced. She could hear the clock across the room ticking, the noise of the busy street below, and her fingers began to tap on the arm of the recliner. The silence grew, getting heavier and heavier until she couldn't breathe, and finally she got to her feet, glaring at the door.

"I don't choose to be alone," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I refuse to continue fighting for a lost cause." She bent over to grab their empty coffee mugs, grumbling to herself. "I'd rather be just lonely than lonely and disappointed."

A small piece of paper, folded in half, caught her eye and she set the mugs down again to pick it up, curious. She rolled her eyes at the date, time, and restaurant of this set up. "Follow the white rabbit," she read, her brows furrowing. "Emmett…what the hell does that mean?" With another huff, she crumpled the paper in her hand, tossing it into one of the mugs, and turned on the television while she waited for the pizza guy.

Follow the white rabbit.

Please.

The Apartment Building.

The brunette nearly threw herself into the door of the apartment building, trying to get inside as quickly as possible. Winter was right around the corner and it was going to be nasty this year, she could tell. It was only October and yet her cheeks and nose were nice and rosy already. "Need to stop wearing fingerless gloves," she muttered, flexing her pink fingers before pulling her coat tighter around herself and burying her face in her scarf.

She turned to the stairs, plans for a hot shower and then bundling up in blankets with some pizza for the rest of the evening, in mind when she noticed another occupant of the building having troubles. The girl -at least, she thought it was a girl by the slim waist and tight jeans, with her fancy high heel boots- was struggling to juggle enormous brown bags of groceries in her arms while she simultaneously tried to unlock her apartment door.

Bella eyed the staircase again, debating whether or not the good karma was worth standing in this cold hallway any longer. She sighed, turning back to the girl and stepped forward, her arms already reaching out when someone brushed past her in time to catch a bag that had slipped. She stared at the man's back, recognizing the dirty blonde pony tail in the back, and cringed.

James.

She was positive there wasn't a bigger schmuck out there than him. The guy had a new girl in his apartment every other night, despite the fact that he had a fiance - a particularly talented artist named Victoria that Bella had met in the hall once while she waited for him and the new keys.

The brunette had half a mind to go over there and pop the guy a good one in the face for the redhead, but decided against it. It's really not any of my business. Instead, she listened to his disturbing laugh as she ascended the stairs, and saw a quick flash of his grin before she ducked into her own apartment.

"How about a cup of coffee and then we'll call it even?" James said, following the tiny girl into her kitchen to place the grocery bag on the table. He leaned back against the wall, grin in place, and watched her start to put the groceries away.

Alice busied herself with putting the milk in the fridge, trying to think of the quickest way to get this creep out of her apartment. She'd seen nearly a dozen girls come and go from his room across the hall from her, and that was just this past month! Not to mention, one of them -a redhead- wore an engagement ring! "Coffee beans, that's what I forgot." She said with a snap of her fingers, shaking her head. "I knew there was something. Sorry, James. Maybe another time."

"I could settle for juice," he insisted, nodding at the jug of apple juice she put on the shelf.

Her blue eyes flickered up to the juice and then back to James, her mind drawing a blank. Horrified, she desperately searched for another excuse. "Well…uhh…"

You took a white orchid

You took a white orchid and turned it blue.

"Jasper!" Alice cheered as she answered her cellphone, smiling apologetically at James before turning her back to him.

"You sound positively cheerful today."

She nodded, looking over her shoulder back at James who was preoccupying himself by looking through the rest of her groceries. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, I'm excited about that date tonight."

James looked up with wide eyes, suddenly interested in the conversation.

"Yeah, that's why I'm calling. I'm so sor-"

"I know, she sounds wonderful. I can't wait to meet her tonight." Alice said, putting emphasis on each pronoun. James's face slowly lit up with realization and she smiled cheekily.

"No, Alice, she can't-"

"I have so much to do before the date, I should probably get started on it," she hummed. She pressed the phone against her shoulder as Jasper continued to chirp in her ear, looking up at James. "I'm sorry James, I lost track of time. I really should start getting ready for my date with this girl. How about a rain cheque on the juice?"

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, maybe… catch you later, Alice." He said, before making his way back out of the apartment.

Alice grinned, giggling lightly as she started putting more things away. She raised the phone back to her ear. "-okay? Alice? Did you get that?"

"Yeah, got it. Don't worry. I have frozen goods melting though, Jasper, so I have to let you go."

"Alright. Well, call me later, okay?"

"Sure thing, Jazzy," she replied before hanging up. She shook her head with a smile. Jasper was always there whenever she needed him, it was like he sensed it, and was always a convenient phone call away. "I've got to go get ready!" She sang, grabbing the empty brown bags and setting them next to the recycling bins by the garbage before she danced off to the washroom.

This was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

She wasn't even going on the stupid blind date, there was no need to get ready just in case. There was no just in case. She absolutely, positively was not going, she had already made up her mind.

And yet, there she stood in front of the mirror in her room, scowling back at her reflection. She'd showered an hour ago, her hair been dried, brushed, and was in loose curls around her shoulders and down her back, the natural red highlights bouncing the light back off. She looked paler than usual in such dark colours, but that was always something Bella had been able to work to her advantage. Instead of paste-y white skin like some of the people in the city, hers was more of a creamy white. Her black jeans were ironed, the navy blue blouse crisp and warm still.

"It has been a while since I've worn a shirt with buttons," she muttered, considering for a second that maybe going out would be good for her. "No, no that's just Rosalie's nonsense in my head."

Bella shook her head, turning from the mirror as her dark eyes glared at her shirt. What did Rosalie know, anyways. She had Emmett; she didn't know what it was like having to live with rejection and disappointment. To make expectations only to watch them fall and crumble every single time, a slap of failure in her face every time she turned around.

No.

There were reasons Bella stopped dating. Valid reasons that Rosalie couldn't ever understand.

She wouldn't go through them all again just because the blonde couldn't comprehend that.

A long, drawn out sigh that screamed boredom and loneliness rang out through the apartment room as Bella flipped through the channels. Her feet were propped up on the coffee table, a pillow hugged to her chest, with the remote in one hand. Her eyes drifted back over to the clock on the wall.

Half an hour until the "date".

She scoffed, turning back to the television.

Alice danced through her apartment with a smile on her face as she held up a different pair of earrings in each mirror she passed, trying to decide which ones went best with her dress. She wasn't exactly sure what this other girl was going to wear, and so she decided on the little black number in her closet. Black was always a safe bet, it went with everything.

She stopped in front of the last mirror, flashing herself a beaming smile as she turned her head side to side. "Subtly fantastic," she grinned. Or fantastically subtle. Either way, she really liked the silver hoops tonight; flashy enough to catch your eye but not so much as to distract you. That was the trick when it came to fashion, she always told Edward.

"You don't want to be just a distraction."

It had worked for him in the end, too, because he had landed Jasper not three weeks later.

The television played silently in the living room and she glanced to see what was on as she sat down on the couch, slipping on her shiny black heels. The cooking channel. She knew from experience that nothing good was ever on at this time, and was glad she had a date lest she sit there for an hour mindlessly flipping through channels.

"Nothing good is on," Bella groaned, tossing the remote to the other end of the couch with a pout.

With a huff, she got to her feet and walked over to one of the large windows on the front wall of her apartment, looking down at the busy street below. Any one of those people could be the blind date. The restaurant they would have met at was only a five, ten minute walk down the street at most. One of these people could be her, on their way now. Of course, that would make them five minutes early.

Were they the early sort?

Bella always felt awkward being the first one to arrive anywhere. Whether it was birthday parties when she was a child, stuck waiting around for the other kids, or meeting Jake, Leah, Rosalie, and Emmett at the bar. It was always…uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was because no one was ever there for her? Always her and her friends. Maybe because while she waited for the others, she waited alone? No one to talk to, no one to smile with, just her and her shadow again, only this time out in public for everyone to see.

So they could watch her lonely glances towards the door.

So they could judge her.

With another scowl, Bella turned away from the busy street.

Alice liked being early.

She always had, even when she was a kid and going over to Jasper's house. She was so excited to see her friends and didn't waste time in being "fashionably late" like all the others. As the years went by, she stuck with that story. The energetic pixie always there before everyone else, always ready to go, bouncing around with excitement.

Would they still smile and laugh at her antics if they knew it was because she couldn't stand the thought of being alone in her empty apartment for a second longer than necessary?

With a polite smile to the hostess who showed her to the table, Alice sat down in the booth and set her purse next to herself while she slid out of her coat. She smoothed out non-existent wrinkles in her dress and lined up the silverware set with the edge of the table, spinning the vinegar bottle around so the label faced the rest of the room.

She watched the people down below again, this time studying the scarves, gloves, and hats they wore.

"You're kidding me, right? This is some kind of sick joke?" She asked, staring at the rosy cheeks and people's breath curling in the air like smoke. "Do you have any idea how friggin' cold it is outside? And you want me to WALK down there to get my pizza? And then walk BACK? You want me to eat COLD pizza?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The car just won't start tonight. Did you want to cancel your order?"

Bella ran a hand through her hair, glaring at the empty fridge in the kitchen across the apartment. "No," she grumbled. "It's too late to order anywhere else. I'll be there in ten minutes."

She looked back out the window at the enormous snowflakes that had been falling for the past five minutes before pulling on her wool coat, wrapping her scarf around her neck a couple times, and pulled on her gloves before she grabbed her keys and was out the door.

Just as she suspected, it was bone chilling outside and she wrapped her arms around herself before starting down the street. The thin layer of snow that was already starting to melt in the streets and on the sidewalks, crunched under her feet with every step until she found someone's large footprints she subconsciously started walking in without thinking. It was a habit she'd had since she was a child, and she just never grew out of it.

A shoulder collided with hers, nearly sending her into the street until she caught her footing. "Sorry!" She apologized absently, looking up at the behemoth who bumped into her. He smiled apologetically, ducking his head while his girlfriend laughed and apologized.

Bella watched them continue on down the street, his arm around the girl's waist while she tucked herself into his side to shield herself from the cold wind. She felt a bitter ache in her chest, one she was too familiar with, and turned away. Ahead of her a little ways was another couple holding hands as they walked, another saying goodbye to each other outside an apartment building door; a chaste kiss goodnight.

How long had it been since she was blushing and waving before racing up to her own room to collapse on the bed with an enormous smile on her face after a first date?

Her jaw clenched and she quickly crossed the street, shoving her hands into her pockets as she stormed down the sidewalk.

"You look excited," the waiter commented as he brought Alice her wine. She beamed up at him and he couldn't help but chuckle; this girl was kind of adorable. "On a date?"

"I will be," she replied, looking at her silver watch. "In a few minutes."

He nodded, looking out at the room and his tables, making sure no one needed him immediately. He turned back to the young woman with a smile. "So, is this two friends realizing they're perfect for each other after years of friendship? Or maybe you finally landed that dream person you've been crushing on since you met?"

"Not quite." Alice said, tapping her chin. "More like a blind date that my brother and friend set me up on. They've been doing it for a while now."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said, frowning.

She waved it off, smiling brighter. "Oh, no, none of that! This is good. All the others were…blind dates. They felt like it. This one…I'm excited. Giddy. This feels like a real date, you know? I have a good feeling about it."

"Fate?" He asked, her eagerness contagious. "This could be the cosmos lining up for you! Your soul mate! Here and now in this very restaurant, in just a few short minutes, you will meet the love of your life, the person you'll spend the rest of your time with! Destiny has given you this small window for the elaborate lovers dance, that you may find everything you've been looking for!"

Alice stared up at the man with wide eyes, feeling her hands shake just the tiniest bit. "No pressure or anything…"

"I can tell already that this is one lucky man." The waiter said with a smile.

Alice tilted her head to the side, her eyes flashing as she smirked at him. "One lucky woman."

"Oh…"

She giggled softly at his blank look.

"That's…different, but okay. Good for you," he nodded, his eyes widening afterwards. "Not good for you in the sense that - I mean, I wasn't… you aren't… that wasn't supposed to sound so patronizing. I, uh, orders and…so…um…sorry," he stuttered out before awkwardly walking away.

Alice waited until he left before letting out a string of laughter, shaking her head.

The large glass doors of the fancy restaurant stared back at her and Bella stood there, arms wrapped around herself, most of her face buried in her scarf with just her dark eyes peering up at them. It was another five minutes of these cold winds, of crunching snow under her feet, to pay for a pizza that would be frozen by the time she got back home, so that she could eat it alone. Again.

Or she could just…walk through these doors just this once.

She didn't have to get back into the dating thing, but maybe a nice dinner wouldn't be so bad?

Didn't even have to try and impress whoever Emmett and Rosalie had scrounged up. She could sit there in silence while this chick regretted ever agreeing to eat with her. Hey - maybe they'd even leave early and she could enjoy a fancy dinner by herself? She could hope, right?

Maybe it would get her brother and best friend off her back for a while, too.

There didn't seem like much of a downside at this point.

Before she knew it, she was opening those glass doors and stepping into the warmth of the building.

She had chosen this table on purpose.

Alice had been to the restaurant enough times to know that this was one of the very few tables that were at the back with a perfect view of the front doors and hostess podium. She would be able to see everyone come and go, and, evidently, her date before her date saw her.

With a final glance down at her watch, Alice saw those doors open again out the corner of her eye. She looked up, smile in place, and paused at what she saw.

The young woman was a brunette, her hair falling in dark waves around her shoulders with slightly lighter streaks of red in it, natural by the looks of it. Her pale skin was a stark contrast to the dark colours she wore, though her cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold, charmingly so. Her dark eyes looked up at the hostess, more guarded and apprehensive than Alice was used to seeing in people. With a three quarter length wool coat, scarf, and fingerless gloves, the girl looked like she just walked out of a movie or book, because real people just never looked like that.

The pixie wasn't sure if that was why this woman struck something within her or if it was something else, but she could feel it. Like a jolt to her system. Recognition giving her a little shock. But she had never seen this person before in her life, how could she recognize her?

Either way, that brunette wouldn't leave the building without Alice introducing herself. She'd make sure of that.

The blonde hostess gave Bella a look when she entered and the girl fought back a scowl. Why were people always staring? It drove her nuts. Alienated her, like she were different from them.

She really wasn't. She was an average person amongst regular people.

"Um, hi." She said, stepping up to the podium. She glanced down at the blonde's clipboard until it was angled away from her with a huff, and looked up sheepishly. "I'm meeting someone here."

"Name?" The hostess asked, looking down at her clipboard.

Bella frowned. Were the reservations made under her name or the other woman's? What was the other woman's name? Had Rosalie given it? "Maybe Bella? Or…or does 'the white rabbit' mean anything to you?"

"Rabbit? That's one of Anthony's tables, over in the back there. Look for the white bunny on the light above the table." The hostess said, pointing to Alice's table.

The brunette nodded and thanked her quietly, looking up to where she pointed and froze. A…a pixie sat at her table, beaming over at her. Bella looked around herself to make sure but quickly looked back, unable to keep her gaze straying for very long. An electric blue gaze met hers and she felt drawn in, trapped in those blues as everything else around her faded out. The smile beneath them brightened impossibly more. Dark hair framed her face, chaotically perfect, black bangs brushing against her chin.

A small, delicate hand reached out and tapped the other side of the table in front of the booth across from her. Bella's spot.

Her feet started moving before she had even thought about it, carrying her across the restaurant. Her heart stuttered for a moment.

She slid into the booth, her hands resting on the table as she stared with wide eyes at the pixie across from her.

For a while neither of them said anything, they just sat in a silence that, surprisingly, wasn't uncomfortable. It was…electrical. Charged. The air felt like it was humming around them.

"What's your name?" The brunette asked her. Her voice was quiet, softer than she would have thought, and Alice almost didn't catch the question at all.

She had caught it, though, and grinned. "I'm Alice. Who are you?"

The brunette's brows furrowed for a moment and Alice tilted her head curiously, watching her frown slightly. "I'm…Bella."

"What's wrong, Bella?"

Dark eyes flickered up to her own, searching them for something. She wasn't sure if Bella found whatever it was, but she continued on anyways. "I feel like I've already met you before. This is…familiar."

"Maybe in another life?" Alice chuckled.

The brunette shook her head, looking away to the table beside them. She forced her eyes to stay there, locked on the salt shaker as some kind of gravitational pull tried to drag them back to Alice. "I don't believe in that kind of thing."

A smile curled Alice's lips as she leaned back in the booth, examining the girl across from her. Quiet but opinionated. "No? Why not?"

"If I did, that would make…fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it quite cruel, because I haven't done anything to deserve-" Bella stopped, snapping her jaw shut. That was a lot more talking than she would have thought she'd done. It just came rushing out of her though, she hadn't given it a second thought. "I just don't. You do?"

"Oh yes," Alice nodded with another smile. "I have a hard time believing in such big coincidences. Small ones, I guess, but sometimes the universe slaps you in the face with your fate and it's hard to ignore. For me, at least. You'd be surprised by the kinds of things people can ignore."

"Maybe."

Alice tilted her head to the side, leaning forward until those dark eyes flickered back over to her and stayed this time, watching her cautiously. "What's really wrong, Bella?"

"I wasn't going to come here. I ordered pizza and they couldn't deliver it so I was going to pick it up but I got cold. I don't want this." Bella said with a frown.

"This?"

She gestured around them. "This, a blind date. Dating of any kind. I prefer being alone, by myself, not with other people."

The pixie hummed, thoughtful. "You like being alone?"

"It's comfortable," Bella replied. Who liked being alone? No one did, and the people who say the do are liars. "I'm used to it, it's familiar."

Alice tapped her chin. "You could be comfortable with me, if you gave it a chance. Not only that, but you could like being with me, too. Ever think of that?"

"Maybe."

With a laugh and a shake of her head, Alice sat back in the booth again with a beaming smile. "You seem a little indecisive, Bella."

"And you keep saying my name," The brunette shot back with narrowed eyes. "Why?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. It's nice, personal. Don't you think so?" She asked. Bella opened her mouth to reply but the pixie held up her hand with a smirk. "Let me guess - maybe?"

Though she tried to fight it off, the brunette felt the corner of her mouth curve up into a smile. The girl across from her beamed, excited to see a positive emotion flittering across Bella's face for once. "Why are you here, Alice?" She made sure to say the girl's name and wasn't surprised when Alice's beaming smile turned into a full blown grin. "You don't seem like the type of person who goes on blind dates, who would need help from friends or family."

"And what does that mean?" Alice asked with a chuckle and shake of her head.

Bella felt her cheeks burn as she shrugged her shoulders, glancing down at the table top. "You just seem like the type of person who could get anyone they wanted."

"Perhaps," Alice considered while nodding thoughtfully. "But I'm not looking for anyone, I'm looking for the one." She smiled brightly again. "And I'll take all the help I can get. It's quite the search."

"I would imagine so," the brunette agreed.

"So are you here?"

Bella brows furrowed as she looked back up at Alice. "What?"

"Are you here?" Alice repeated, gesturing around her and to the table. "To have dinner with me? Have you decided yet?"

She looked pointedly at the taller girl's coat and Bella shifted in the seat, looking back out the windows across the room behind her. It looked pretty cold still. Her pizza wasn't so fresh anymore. Her apartment was dark and…

And there was that pull again, bringing her eyes back around to Alice's once more. The hopeful blues peered up at her, bright with excitement, anticipation as she waited. Bella bit the inside of her cheek to keep her lips from pulling up into a smile again, confused as to why they kept doing that. Why would she smile? She wasn't happy, this girl wasn't making her happy.

Was she?

"Yes, I'm here." Bella finally said, unbuttoning her wool coat and slipping out of it. She unwrapped her scarf from around her neck and pulled off her gloves, feeling the warmth of the room seep into her, warming her chilly bones.

Alice beamed again, waving over the waiter from before, never taking her eyes off of those deep brown ones. "I'm glad," she chimed.

"That looks…cold." Alice said, her smile falling from her face as she gazed out the glass windows before them. There weren't nearly as many people on the street as there was when she first walked to the restaurant, and there was a giant blanket of snow covering everything now. It was like a whole new world out there! How long had they been eating and talking? She glanced down at her phone, her eyebrows shooting up while she placed it back in her pocket. Nearly four hours. Honestly, she was surprised they hadn't been asked to leave so the table could be used again. Though with such fierce weather, there wasn't exactly a line up of customers waiting around. It was actually kind of empty in there.

The brunette watched different emotions flash across the smaller girl's face. Alice, she had gathered throughout the night, was a very expressive person. It made Bella very curious to know what it was she was thinking of most of the time, and had her asking more and more questions, her curiosity never sated when it came to the pixie. There was always something new to discover about her.

"It is," Bella finally agreed when Alice looked up at her with those blue eyes again. She looked over the girl's attire, frowning absently. "You only brought a coat?"

Looking sheepish, Alice smiled and ducked her head while she nodded. "It wasn't so cold when I left the apartment. I didn't even think to check the forecast before I left." She watched Bella unravel her scarf again, handing it out to her and she quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, Bella! It looks really cold, you need your scarf. I didn't think earlier, this is my own fault. I'll soldier through this." She said firmly, nodding at the glass doors again.

Rolling her eyes, Bella began wrapping the enormous and exceptionally warm scarf (it was her favourite for days like this.) around Alice's neck, letting the girl tuck it into the top of her coat on her own with a grateful smile. "My coat is warmer than yours, too, I don't need the scarf as badly," she buttoned her coat all the way to the top and popped the collar to cover the sides of her head and face, hoping it would block most of the wind. "Where did you park?"

Pressing her hands and face against the glass to get a good look down the street, Alice replied, "Nowhere. I live just ten minutes away from here, down the street," she pointed.

"You were going to walk in this with only that coat?" Bella asked incredulously. "Alice," she sighed, shaking her head. "Why wouldn't you bundle up?"

Alice pouted, stepping back over to Bella's side. "I wanted to look nice for you."

"Yes, because hypothermia is so attractive," the brunette grumbled, shaking her head again.

"Bella," Alice whined playfully, watching as the taller girl cracked another smile. Getting Bella to smile was starting to become one of her favourite games, though it was more challenging than it looked, she had found out. "We'll outrun the cold, how about that?"

The smile fell from Bella's face. "Run?" she asked and Alice nodded happily. "I…okay…" She decided not to mention how often she tripped just while standing. She didn't want Alice to freeze just because she was a klutz.

"Alright!" Alice chimed, turning to the door. She grabbed the handle, looking over her shoulder at Bella who looked kind of…odd for some reason. Ever since she mentioned running. "You ready?" The brunette nodded. "Okay…let's go!"

The door swung open and Alice was out, skipping down the steps before the gust of wind could sweep her up. By the time she reached the sidewalk, however, it had caught up to her and she gasped as the frozen wind blew through her, taking her warmth with it.

Goodness, it was cold out!

"Keep going!" Bella shouted over the wind as she came up behind Alice, gently pushing her along through the snow. "Don't think about how cold it is!"

It was hard to breathe but Alice gasped in a lung full of chilled air, looking over her shoulder. "Okay!" She yelled back, dashing forward into a run again.

The two ran down the street, hugging their chests as they struggled to hold onto what warmth they could, the freezing winds whipping at their faces, burning their cheeks. Bella glared fiercely down at the snow under her feet, struggling to keep her balance and stay as close to Alice as she could. The pixie, though much colder at that point, seemed to dance through the snow, finding footprints from the last person who had trudged down the sidewalk.

They were halfway there when Bella stumbled. She cursed breathlessly, trying to right herself and hold onto her balance, but ended up toppling forwards into the cushioned sidewalk. The snow around her flew up in a wave and for a brief moment Bella pictured the old movie Free Willy and the wale splashing into the water, sending tsunami like waves everywhere. But then the cold was seeping back into her bones, her hands dipped in ice buckets, snow getting down her pants (how did that even happen?).

She gasped in a lungful of chilly air, lifting her head up to see Alice glancing over her shoulder a few yards away. The pixie's eyes widened and Bella was certain Alice was trying to hold back her laughter as she turned around and started running back. The brunette was thankful her cheeks were already painfully red from the cold, and the blush coming on was warming her face up again, so it wasn't all bad. She shook her head as Alice crouched down in front of her, waving her off again. "Go on without me! I'll catch up!" No sense in them both freezing.

"Never leave a man behind!" Alice yelled over the wind. She grabbed Bella's arms, helping the girl to her feet and trying to brush off some of that cold snow. "Besides," she called, straightening the girl's coat and pulling it tighter around the brunette. She grabbed a freezing hand in hers, holding tight and looked up into that dark gaze. "I finally found you, I don't plan on letting go!" She finished with a squeeze of her hand before she started running down the street again, pulling the taller girl along with her.

For some reason, Bella felt like she was talking about more than just her hand.

Bella gasped for air, struggling to pull more and more into her lungs as she leaned against the wall, sliding down to the floor. The heaters in the hallway were on full blast, pumping heat into the room like a sauna. Her dark eyes flickered up, watching Alice stumble over beside her, collapsing to the ground right next to her as she tried to catch her own breath. Her cheeks were more red than pink, her nose just the same, her black hair was windswept but somehow still looked like it was styled that way, and Bella wasn't sure but she swore those eyes were even more blue now. When they glanced up at her, she couldn't feel the smile on her face.

"You've no idea how much of a coincidence this is." Bella said at last when she was certain her cheeks wouldn't fall off.

The pixie's brows furrowed and she tilted her head, gazing curiously up at Bella. "Huh?"

She gestured around the hall and the doors to the apartments around them while she slowly got to her feet. "This building," she mused, holding out her hand to help Alice to her feet. "I live here too, right above 103 here."

Alice's eyes widened comically. "You're the Cellist?!" she gasped.

Some of the red returned to Bella's cheeks as she ducked her face. "You…you guys can hear that?"

"I can," Alice replied, walking over to her door. "But I do live right beneath you. I'm in 103." She said as she unlocked the door. "I have no words for your music, Bella, it's just so…so…"

"Thank you," the brunette mumbled, still clearly embarrassed. Emmett promised, right to her face, that he couldn't hear it from out in the hall. Although, she supposed, that would explain why the landlord always brought up the symphony down at the Opera House whenever she saw him. She just assumed he was a fan. A thought came to mind and she wrung her hands. "I tend to usually play later in the night. I've had to have woken you up or kept you up at least one time or another. I'm sorry."

"Oh, no, no," Alice waved it off, grabbing Bella's hand and tugging her into the apartment. She beamed up at the girl while she slid out of her coat. "I've set up my schedule around your music, so I can practice while you play." At Bella's curious face, she held out her arms with a proud smile. "I'm a dancer, and I'm almost obsessed with dancing to your music."

"Huh," Bella hummed in surprise, slowly taking off her own coat. She never imagined anyone dancing to her music before.

"Actually," Alice began, leading them into the kitchen where she started making hot chocolate. "I've been thinking of venturing up those stairs to finally meet 'the Cellist' to ask if they have any CDs or recordings. I want to bring your music in and show the other girls."

The brunette shook her head bashfully. "No, nothing like that. I mostly just play at weddings and balls, events similar to those."

"But what you play at night, that's your own compositions?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"No buts," Alice chimed, stepping right up against Bella's front, holding onto her arms. "Your music is fantastic, Bella. You should think about making your own album." She waited until Bella's resolve shook before grinning and bouncing back over to the stove. "Now, do you like marshmallows with your hot chocolate?"

The chime of a phone awoke Bella the next morning.

She stirred, cracking one eye open and winced at the sunlight assaulting her vision. The living room was bathed in its warm glow, the light covering her like a thin blanket. She stretched her arm, fingers brushing against her phone on the coffee table in front of her before she grabbed it.

Call: Rosalie

Jasper got an excited call late last night. I take it you went on the date?

Sighing sleepily, Bella put the phone back on the coffee table, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Lucy was still playing on the television, the volume so low it was nearly inaudible. She glanced down to her blanket covered lap and Alice's sleeping face, the pixie laying down along the couch with her own blanket.

The smaller girl's brows furrowed suddenly as she frowned and Bella tilted her head to the side. "Are you watching me sleep?" Came the groggy voice.

"Oh!" Bella gasped quietly. "No! I-I…no! My phone went off and then I was just looking! I wouldn't watch someone sleep, I'm not that creepy."

"So only slightly creepy then?"

"Wha…no!"

Alice laughed, shaking her head as she gazed up at Bella. "I'm joking!" Bella scowled at the wall across the room while Alice continued to smirk. She reached up, cupping the side of the brunette's face and watched as it smoothed out into a small smile that she returned. "Did you sleep in that position all night?"

Technically it wasn't all night. The two had been up until four in the morning talking about everything they could think of. Neither wanted to call it a night though, and so they decided to watch an episode of both of their favourite show. They had fallen asleep before the opening credits had finished.

"You have a really comfy couch," Bella nodded, patting the arm of it.

With another grin, Alice got to her feet and ran her hands through her hair. "Alright, you can run upstairs for a quick shower and a change of clothes while I start some breakfast, and then I was thinking we could meet up with Jazz and Edward, maybe go for some lunch later, find something else to do, and then come back here so I can cook us dinner." Alice said, ticking things off on her fingers as she danced to the kitchen.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, one hand on her hip while she stood by the door. "What if I have work?"

"You'll call in sick," Alice chimed from the kitchen, grabbing pans and food already.

"You seem quite certain of that."

"I am," the pixie agreed, poking her head out from the kitchen. "I can see it in your eyes, Bella. You're already crazy about me," she grinned with a wink before going back to making breakfast.

And Bella, while opening the door with a shake of her head, found that she couldn't disagree.

So this was supposed to be a lot shorter than it is, and actually much sadder. Originally, the two would separately be talking with Jazz and Ed, and Emmett and Rosalie about their perfect matches. Whom just happened to be each other. And then there was going to be all these instances of where the two almost met, but at the last second one of them forgot their keys and turned back, or something similar, and they ended up never meeting. It showed the darker side of how mere seconds can change your life.

But then this happened. Honestly, I don't know how, the thing just started writing itself and spat out a happy ending.

Anyways, I know it's been a while since I've updated anything or wrote a one-shot, but I've been busy. I started a new job a little while ago and it's kicking my ass. Any day I work, I come home after my shift and fall asleep, and the next day I'm too sore to do much of anything. So I'll probably just be writing on weekends now. I'll try to crank out a new chapter for Magick, so if you're following that, there's something to get excited about. I've also got another one-shot in the planning stages, though this one will be sad and probably make you cry, so a word to the wise for all those heavy hearts out there.

Hope you enjoyed this and I'd appreciate reviews.

-Paige