A/N: Well, hello again. I decided to start this earlier than I originally planned. Writing became much more interesting than revision. And, as a friend pointed out, if I fail, I can always re-sit. ;D

So, sequel time. No idea where I'm taking this, by the way. I'll just go with the flow, I suppose. Also no idea when I'll be able to update again but oh well.

Oh, and before I forget, this is dedicated to Laura, cause she keeps reminding me that I promised . :P

Don't own the characters, (I checked again), and I also don't own the song that the title's come from. Evanescence by the way.

As always, review my lovely people. Let me know if it's any good.

I was woken up from the excellent dream that I was having by the feel of someone's weight beside me on the couch that I'd been sleeping on for the past few days. Begrudgingly, I opened my eyes to see my amused-looking girlfriend sat beside me, smirking.

"What? Can't a girl get any sleep around here?"

"I think you just want to get back to your dream. Sounded like you were having fun." Amusement was sparkling deep in her eyes, and I felt a blush come on when I realised why she was laughing.

"Oh God."

"See. That isn't the first time you've said that since I came down here." I picked up the pillow that I didn't currently have my face buried in and aimed it at her, but when I looked up she'd caught it neatly and was still laughing at the mortification on my face. "It could have been worse. It might not have been me that found you. Imagine if it had been my parents. Or Emmet."

I shuddered a little at the thought of that – I'd never hear the end of it if Emmet got word if this. Ever. Which reminded me, we still hadn't extracted any revenge on him yet.

"True." She moved closer to me, and I sat up a little so that I could kiss her softly.

"Come on, cheer up. It's not that embarrassing."

"Yes it is!"

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes at me before pulling me up so that I was practically sitting on her. "Maybe you could show me what you were dreaming about. We could do a little re-enactment."

I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me at the combination of her words whispered against my skin and her hands on the exposed skin of my back. Not to mention how close we were sitting.

"Aliceeeeee. You're parents are upstairs."

"Your point?" Her lips were on my neck now, and my breathing was starting to get a little heavier.

"That we should be doing this here. They've been so nice. I don't think they'd approve of us having sex on their couch."

"It can be our little secret."

"Alice. No."

"Spoilsport." She pouted, crossing her arms and pushing me playfully off her. Then it was my turn to roll my eyes at her, sticking my tongue out for effect.

"Look, just a few more days and we can move out. Then you can do whatever you want with me."

"Is that a promise?"

"Sure, why not."

"You might regret that." I just laughed, more curious than anything else.

"Why'd you come down here anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep. I missed you. I didn't actually plan to come down here and you know, but then I heard you talking and well . . ."

"Would your parents object to you staying down here tonight?"

"I don't know. They've been reasonably supportive of this whole thing. They might not mind. As long as they don't think we've slept together."

"Don't remove any items of clothing while you're asleep then." I pulled her against me, pressing my back against the couch as she pressed hers into me. I curled my arms around her waist, holding her where she was. In a few seconds she was asleep but I couldn't quite make it there.

Instead I decided to think. She was right – her parents had been supportive of us. I remembered the first day I'd seen them again – Alice had driven me straight to her place after the whole Charlie incident.

---

I'd managed to stop crying before we made it to her place. There were three cars in the driveway – Emmet's jeep, Carlisle's Mercedes and what must have been Esme's BMW.

Great. Everybody was home.

She'd led me into the house, somewhat bravely, and I couldn't help thinking about the last time I'd been there (and the things we'd got up to), so naturally I was fighting a blush as she pulled me inside. She glanced at me questioningly, but I just shook my head.

"Mom, dad? Where are you?"

"In here, Alice, honey." It was Esme that answered. I felt Alice take a deep breath beside me, and steeled myself because I really didn't know what to expect. They were in the living room, sitting with the TV on low and talking. Emmet was nowhere to be seen. They both looked up as we appeared in the doorway, looking surprised.

"Alice, what's wrong honey? Oh. Bella. What a surprise." I glanced at Alice frantically, a little scared, but she just smiled softly at me before stepping into the room.

"Um, yeah. What I wanted to talk to you about. Charlie . . .Charlie kicked Bella out. So - "

"He kicked you out? Oh, Bella I'm so sorry. Come in, sit down." A little shocked, I could really move with Alice's assistance, so she pulled me towards the empty couch located opposite her parents. Alice was looking at me expectantly, apparently wanting me to continue with the story.

"Yeah, he did. And, well, I'm eighteen, so I was going to buy a house. Around here somewhere. I ca stay with my friend, Rose, you know her? I can stay at her place while I look for somewhere, don't worry."

"Oh, no, no, no. You can stay here, Bella dear. You'll have to sleep down here, of course, but still. Your welcome in this house Bella. Always. So don't go bothering your friend, you can stay."

"Oh, Mrs Cullen, that's not - "

"Call me Esme, dear. And I wont take no for an answer. We can even help you find a place. It's no trouble, don't worry." I was stunned into silence, barely believing what I was hearing. This couldn't be real, could it? Surely not.

I didn't have this kind of luck. I mean, I already had Alice. I didn't need anything else. I didn't deserve anything else. She was enough.

"Mom? There's kinda something else." Alice took a deep breath before continuing. "When Bella gets this house, I want to move in with her." No-one spoke for a while, and it was making me a little nervous. Alice looked fine though, so I decided that things couldn't be too bad. And anyway, if they kicked me out as well, I always had Rose's place. Her parents couldn't kick me out – they weren't there enough to be able to kick me out.

"Well, Alice, we'll have to think about that. But you are, after all, an adult, so I suppose we cant really stop you. I think that you should both think carefully about this though. We'll leave you to it, then. Bella, did you bring your things?" It was Carlisle that broke the silence.

"Er, no. I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. I'll go back when I know he's at work, tomorrow."

"You can borrow some of my stuff for tonight." Alice spoke from beside me, and she was almost beaming. I was glad something was going right for us. It was the first thing in a while. She then proceeded to drag me upstairs to find some stuff for me to wear.

Well, that was the excuse we used. I did lose some clothes though. We both did.

---

So that was how I ended up at Alice's place, sleeping on the couch. Her parents have been so nice to me over the last few days, I kind of don't want to ruin the tranquillity by going back to school.

See, there'd been a really bad storm the night I left Charlie's, and some of the buildings in the school had been wrecked. It had taken them a while to fix all the damage. So, we'd been stuck here.

Not that I was complaining. I had Alice's undivided attention all day, seeing as Carlisle and Esme worked all day, and we presumed that Emmet was at Rosalie's. We hardly ever saw him. I didn't really want this to end.

Of course, it'd be better if we had our own place, but that search hadn't been going very well. Nobody wanted to rent a house to an eighteen year old high school student.

But Esme had been helping, and with her we were getting somewhere. There weren't that many places that were on the market, but we checked pout any that were.

But school was a little daunting. News spread fast in Forks, it being suck a small town, and I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school already knew about me and Alice, and the fact that I'd been kicked out of my house.

And if not, they soon would.

Because we weren't going to keep pour relationship a secret. We didn't want to – we'd done that last time, and it had driven us a little insane. Not being able to act like we wanted to in public. We'd ended up cheating though, finding little alcoves and the like and stealing a few minutes together.

Not anymore though. We were going to be out, and deal with whatever people said. I didn't really know what to expect, but nothing could be worse than what my father had said, and at best we'd be treated the same.

It couldn't be that bad, right?

I hoped not. I already suspected which people would still want to be friends. Angela, for sure. And Ben, of course. I wasn't too sure about Mike. He'd probably be pissed that both the girls he'd had a thing for had gotten together. His face would be priceless.

And so would Edward's. The thought made me smile. I could imaging it now – it wouldn't take him long to figure out that I'd broken up with him because of Alice. Well, if I hadn't given him brain damage when I'd hit him.

I felt a little guilty when I though about Jake. I hadn't spoken to him for a while, not since the day at the beach. He'd called me that afternoon, but I hadn't picked up. If he called me again, I'd speak to him. If not, well, I'd have to see. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. That'd just make things a whole lot worse.

So for now, I was in my own little Bella-Alice bubble, and all too soon that bubble was going to pop. Hopefully not before I was ready.

---

I woke up late the next morning, having been awake thinking for too long. Alice was gone, and there was the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Sleepily, I tried to listen to what they were saying.

"Mom. I couldn't sleep, so I came downstairs. We didn't have sex. I swear." I told her this would happen.

"How can I believe you?"

"Because I'm your daughter. And you should trust me."

"Can I trust you when it comes to her though? I know how much you care about her, can you be rational whilst loving her?"

"Of course I can. I know you think that me moving in with her is rash, but it's going to happen sooner or later, Mom. I love her, and that isn't going to change anytime soon, alright? Just trust me on this. It's been five years, and the way I feel about hasn't changed. Something tells me that it isn't going to fade over time."

"I know, I just . . ."

"Think I'm growing up too fast?"

"Have you been talking to your father?"

"No?" It sounded like a question, and she started laughing. After a few seconds, Esme joined in.

"Yes you have. And maybe you are growing up too fast, sweetie. You're only eighteen - "

"We've been through this. It's not age, it's maturity. I grew up fast, Mom. I had too."

"I'll never forgive myself for putting you through all that. We shouldn't have moved. I thought it was a bad idea the whole time, but I was stupid and me and your father both listened to Charlie. I'm so sorry Alice, and I know you've forgiven me, but I still haven't forgiven myself."

"It's fine, Mom. Honestly. It all worked out – I have Bella, and we're happy. I think that the time apart helped us . . .even if it was hard. But it all worked out. We're stronger than ever now, and I love her more than ever. So don't beat yourself up about it anymore."

The subject changed to lighter topics then, but I still didn't move. I just though about what I'd heard. Alice's part hadn't been anything new – she'd told me all that herself.

But the things Esme had said, that was new. I'd always thought that Charlie had something to do with them moving, but now I had proof. God, I couldn't believe him. Was it really so bad to have a gay daughter? Was it normal to react like that? To destroy her happiness so thoroughly?

I would never do that. To anyone. Never mind someone who was my own flesh and blood. What a tool.

Eventually I shoved myself to my feet and made my way to the downstairs bathroom that I claimed as my own in the mornings. After a quick shower I grabbed some fresh clothes from the bag I'd put in the corner.

Today was Saturday, and I had tomorrow before I had to get back to school. I didn't know what was on the agenda, but I wanted t see Rose at some point. It'd been a while since we'd had a proper conversation.

Carlisle had joined Esme and Alice in the kitchen by the time I arrived, and a few seconds later Emmet wandered in, looking tired.

"What time did you get home last night, young man?" He paused, looking like the kid who'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and seemed to deliberate for a few moments on what his answer would be.

"Um, late?"

"How late?" Esme was in stern mother-mode now, and it was entertaining for me to watch. Renee had never had to be like this with me. It was new.

"Late."

"Past curfew? If you say no I won't believe you."

"Yeah, it was."

"Right. Unless you tell me when it was then you're grounded for three days."

"And if I tell you?"

"Then it's just for today."

"Fine. Half five."

"And where were you?" Both Alice and I smirked at the exact same second, knowing that he would have most likely been with Rose, and they would have definitely been doing things that Esme wouldn't have approved of.

"I was with Rose." Esme sighed, a little exasperatedly, but didn't say anything else. She handed out pancakes to everyone, and everything was silent as they ate.

"So, guys, it's going to be a nice day for once. So, what do you say to some hiking today?" Carlisle announced to the silent room. Emmet and Esme both agreed enthusiastically, but Alice hesitated, glancing at me first.

"Actually, I'm not one for hiking. In fact, I'm awful, forever falling over. But you guys should go on. I haven't seen Rose for a while, we should catch up."

"Are you sure Bella? You're always welcome to come with us."

"I know. It's just not for me. Honestly. But you all have fun." I didn't really want to be away from Alice all day, but it had bee a while since I'd seen Rose. Besides, she should have some time with her family without me being there all the time. It'd be good for both of us.

I helped Alice pack the things to take with her, though. That was knew to me as well, and I had no idea what half the stuff I was passing to her even was.

"You don't have to do that you know. I could stay."

"I know. But you should spend some time with your family and not all of it with me."

"But I want to spend all my time with you." She stepped closer as she was speaking, and my breath caught a little as she wound her arms around my neck and pressed herself against me.

"I know. But we'll have loads of time for that when we live together. I don't want you to lose your family like - "

"You haven't lost your family, they're just . . . taking a break." I laughed at the analogy, knowing that she was attempting to cheer me up.

"Yeah, sure."

"Sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Yeah, but if you stay I'm never gonna leave. You're far too irresistible for your own good."

"Oh really?" I cut her off with a brief kiss, wrapping my arms around her waist tightly, taking another step forward. One of my hands moved to the exposed skin of her lower back, and she moaned softly at the contact.

I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, my tongue twisting with hers and her hands fisted tightly into my hair, holding me to her. We broke apart reluctantly, and even then it was only so that I could move my kisses to her neck, encouraged by her breathing growing steadily heavier.

"You know, I do actually need to change my shirt. So no harm in taking it . . ." She trailed off, as I ran my nails down her back to reach the hem of her shirt, pulling up slowly, and then throwing it somewhere.

She recaptured my lips urgently, and one of my hands traced up the side of her ribcage, teasing her as much as possible in the short amount of time we had together.

We were interrupted by a knock on the door before long though, and we reluctantly parted as I went to see who it was as Alice pulled another shirt on.

"All set girls?" It was Esme. At least it wasn't Emmet. He would have commented on my slightly heavier than normal breathing for sure.

"Yep. Well, I think I'll leave you guys to it." I turned to say bye to Alice and found her an inch in front of me. She leaned up to kiss me and it wasn't until she'd pulled back that I remembered that Esme was watching.

She didn't seem bothered though. In the slightest. Huh.

"See you later." I slid through the door and past Esme with a smile and a wave before making my way downstairs.

"You off already Bella?" Carlisle and Emmet were in the kitchen, packing up food.

"Yeah. You guys have fun, I'll see you tonight."

"Sure. Listen, if you're back before us, let yourself in, don't worry about it."

"Thanks."

"Say hi to Rose for me," came Emmet's voice from the pantry.

"Will do. Have fun." I waved again before grabbing my purse from the living room and going to my truck. I rang Rose to tell her I was coming over before setting off. She seemed happy that we could spend some time together.

I could get used to this. I really could.