Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own Twilight.
Keep you Forever
She was finally alone.
Carlisle was working at the hospital, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were hunting and Edward was, as usual, with Bella.
Alice stepped into her vast closet, for once not interested by the racks of clothes, her attention focussed on something else entirely.
A small shoe box tucked away at the back. Lifting the lid she took out the small video camera pushing down the guilt, she had told Jasper she had destroyed it.
She settled cross legged on the sofa as Bella's terrified face filled the flat screen.
"She didn't even seem to notice the pain, poor little creature. She'd been stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long.
A hundred years earlier and she would have been burned at the stake for her visions. In the nineteen twenties it was the asylum and the shock treatments.
When she opened her eyes, strong with her fresh youth, it was like she'd never seen the sun before." (Twilight chapter 22 page 390-391)
The words whirled in her head.
'Burned at the stake.'
Was that what she was? A witch? Was that why they'd sent her away?
'Stuck in that black hole of a cell for so long.'
How long?
'Shock treatments.'
Had they known what would happen to her? What had she done to make them subject her to that?
As the scene continued to play on a loop repeating the dreaded words that created more questions than answers. Alice slowly slipped deeper and deeper into despair.
What had she done to make her parents abandon her to darkness and pain, a pain so bad she didn't even notice the pain of transformation.
A broken sob wracked her body as she folded in on herself. This was the reason Jasper wanted the video destroyed, he would happily hunt down and annihilate anyone or anything that upset her, everyone responsible for this were already dead the video was the only thing left.
She couldn't do it, she needed the answers but this was all she had to cling to.
Hours past but Alice was to lost to notice.
"Alice?" Carlisle's calm voice didn't even register.
His heart broke at the sight of his youngest daughter, usually so alive and full of joy, broken down. She looked so much smaller than normal, so fragile.
He had her cradled in his arms less than a second later as James' message played again.
"Why didn't they want me?"
Those five words nearly made Carlisle breakdown but he stayed strong, Alice needed her father.
He held her tight as she sobbed his eyes flicking to the big screen as the damaging words repeated over and over.
An unusual flare of anger rose in him, not towards James but the people who were truly responsible for breaking Alice, the people who had sent her away to suffer pain and torment because they were ashamed of her.
A protective growl threatened to break through and he tried to calm himself gazing down at the tiny girl in his arms, he ran his fingers lovingly through her spiky hair.
Thinking back to the day she had burst into their lives full of laughter and excitement, so happy when he allowed her to join the family.
He had never truly understood why it had been so important to her to be part of a family until now.
Alice needed to be loved, her heart was so big and open to everyone, she never had a bad word to say about anyone, therefore in Alice's mind her parents weren't bad people, they wouldn't have hurt her unless she did something to deserve it.
"What did I do?"
Carlisle held her closer, the flat screen went blank as he unplugged the camera unable to hear the message again.
Alice continued to sob and he gently rocked her continuing to run his fingers through her hair, doing everything to let her know she was safe, she was loved.
Wrapped safely in her fathers arms Alice slowly began to calm down.
"Sorry." she whispered.
Carlisle looked down but she kept her face buried in his chest.
"For what?" He kept is voice soft, soothing.
"I told you I'd destroyed it."
"It's okay, I can understand why you didn't. But you wont find any answers in that video Alice."
"Why did they send me away?"
It was the same question she'd first asked and the one he couldn't answer.
"I don't know Alice, I wish I did."
He sighed as another sob shook her.
"What I do know however is that they were the ones who lost something when they did."
He kept her close. Alice had never needed him this much in all the years she had been with them.
"You didn't loose your family because you hadn't found it yet, they didn't understand your gift and that caused them to overlook the kind loving person you truly are and that is their loss Alice, their loss and our gain.
Sometimes I wonder how this family survived without you."
Alice finally looked up into his eyes.
"From the first moment you flew through our door and greeted me with a big hug you were my daughter Alice and nothing will ever change that.
I am sorry that you had to go through so much suffering in your life, but I'm not sorry that it inevitably led you to us."
There was a slight smile on her face and she was blinking, fighting off tears that couldn't come.
Carlisle smiled down and gently kissed her forehead.
"We're your family Alice forever. If you want to find out the answers to your past I'll help you as much as I can." he smiled slightly "On one condition."
Alice's eyes widened slightly.
He kissed the top of her head "Get rid of the video. Please."
"Okay." she whispered.
Carlisle smiled and passed her the video camera.
Her eyes widened again "Now?"
"Alice."
There was a slight warning in his tone but he pulled her tighter in his arms.
A deep sigh escaped sounding to big coming from her tiny frame, she twisted slightly in Carlisle's arms and the next thing he heard was a loud crunch.
Glancing down he saw Alice open her hand to reveal the broken camera.
"That's my girl." he whispered.
She sighed again letting the pieces fall to the floor before wrapping her arms around Carlisle's neck.
"I love you daddy."
Carlisle's smile widened "I love you to Alice."
"Alice." Jasper's panicked voice broke their moment.
It was Carlisle's turn to sigh as Alice gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading towards her husband and allowing him to wrap her safely in his arms protecting her from the world.
It was always hard for a father to admit when his little girl had another man she went to for comfort, even when she had found him first.
Carlisle smiled as he watched Jasper's eyes flicker around the room checking for danger, they widened slightly as he took in the broken camera, before focusing completely on Alice.
At least she'd found a man who would do anything to protect her.
Taking his hand Alice started to lead Jasper to the stairs.
She paused at the bottom then quickly flitted back to Carlisle.
"Thank you for being my father." she whispered hugging him again.
Carlisle smiled hugging her back.
"Thank you for giving me the chance to be."