Author's note: So we've got a pretty little dilemma now. Leave it to my resident Evil Plot Bunnies to - once more - take the very nice, tidy storyline I'd had planned for Ages of Desire and turn it into Play Doh. I'm not objecting. I usually don't. But it's a bit weird how my stories always start off as one thing and by the time they're finished they bear absolutely no resemblance to what I'd thought they would be. LOL At any rate, on with the show!

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When Alice got back to the house, she was bombarded by a very pissed-off Edward.

"What the hell is wrong with Bella? She won't wake up!" Alice took a deep breath. ~This is going to be difficult.~

"Edward...let's go sit down."

"To hell with that! I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong! And where is Carlisle?" She could see that he wasn't about to be reasonable, and she couldn't blame him in the least.

"Carlisle's gone out of town for the day. Bella should wake up in a few hours. And Caralla will be here about the same time the rest of the family gets back."

"Caralla? Why? What-" He broke off suddenly and she could almost see the wheels in his head turning. "Something went wrong, didn't it? With the bond? What happened?" She decided to be honest.

"I don't have a clue what happened. That's why I called Cara. She seems to have an idea, though, but she said that we need to keep Bella calm right now, and keep her and Carlisle separated until she gets here. That's why he went to Seattle for the rest of the day. He won't come back until we call him. And right now, Bella's been mildly sedated, because I don't have a clue what's going to happen when she wakes up and realizes he's not here." He slumped to the ground, completely beaten and broken.

"Bella..." he whispered. Alice made as if to sit down beside him, but his haunted eyes met hers.

"Please...just leave me alone for a little while. I need to...just go, okay? I promise I won't do anything, but I can't...I need..." She understood completely. Threading her fingers through his bunny-soft hair and kissing his forehead, she headed upstairs to sit with Bella. She could hear him stand, then walk out the front door, closing it behind him as he took off for somewhere else, and she shook her head sadly.

~Whatever happens had better happen soon.~

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Jasper came to a full stop, and the others looked at him in confusion.

"Something's wrong back at the house. Alice's emotions are off the scale right now. I'm going back." Esme put one hand on his arm as he was about to bolt.

"Finish feeding first, Jazz. If it's enough to upset Alice, then we're all going to need to be at our peak." He nodded acquiescence and between the two of them they polished off the deer. Rose and Emmett returned as they were finishing up, and Jasper explained quickly. Without another word the four took off back to their home.

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Even here, miles away, he could feel her, his mind afire with the raging need to be with her, possess her. He thanked God for his centuries of practicing restraint, because he knew if he were any less strong-willed he'd be heading back to the house and damn the consequences. As it was he found himself sitting in the shade of a huge tree, an unread book open before him, an uneaten bag of chips in his hand, pretending to be just another person enjoying the nice, if cloudy, weather in the park. Two kids ran past, throwing a frisbee, their laughter making him smile even in his current state. He saw a woman walking her dog along the path a short distance away. Everywhere around him was life and usually he thrived on the activity and bustle of humanity. Today, though, it was a mild distraction at best, and he had to concentrate to keep himself from thinking about Bella, and his family. Images and thoughts of her kept finding their way back into his mind, though, however hard he tried to think about other things. Like staying out of her thoughts. As much as he wanted to talk to her, he knew that it wouldn't help matters any - in fact, it might actually destroy the small shred of control he'd pieced back together. So he sat, pretending to be mortal, acting as though he wasn't falling completely apart. And every human that passed paid him no mind, which was just as he needed it to be. He idly turned a page.

~What have we done?~

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Bella felt as though she'd been drugged. Her limbs were heavy, her head muzzy, and she blinked blearily for a moment before recognizing Alice sitting beside her, gently stroking her hair.

"Al...Alice? What happened?"

"I'm not sure. What do you remember?" Bella paused for a moment, then blushed bright red, and if the situation had been any less dire Alice would have laughed and teased her about it.

"We were all pretending to watch the movie, and you and Edward seemed to be hitting it off fine, so I coaxed Carlisle outside - WHERE IS HE?!" Her voice had been soft as she started speaking, but when she realized who was missing she bolted upright, nearly shouting. She would have fallen off the bed had Alice not caught her, held her.

"Shh, he's fine, he's in Seattle right now. He'll be back this evening."

"I can't - I have to go to him!" It took very little physical effort to hold the wildly struggling human in place, but a lot of mental effort to not let her worry show.

"Calm down, Bella. I don't want to hurt you. And if you keep fighting I'll have to tie you to the bed." Eventually the energy left the brunette and she slumped back against the cushions. Alice let go, knowing that if Bella tried to move again she'd have no problems catching her. "Now, keep talking. I need to understand what happened."

"I...we...we went outside...it was raining...it felt so good to just stand there in the rain..." She trailed off, her eyes far away as she relived the moments. Alice cleared her throat, snapping Bella's wandering attention back to the matter at hand.

"He didn't bite you, it's obvious. But he did drink from you." Bella's eyes widened.

"How...how did you know?"

"Because when I found him in the study, his eyes were red. Not, like, fully red, but red-gold." Bella closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows.

"I wanted him to. He's so...and it feels so good to be with him...he was hesitant, but I talked him into it." Alice just shook her head in bemusement, letting her best friend talk. "I've never felt anything like it. Having him inside me is wonderful, but whenever he gives up, when he stops thinking and just feels...god. I could die happy - more than happy."

"Bella...haven't you though that...well, as old as he is, and as strong...he could seriously hurt you." Bella just laughed.

"I think he dislocated my hip earlier. He had me at this impossible angle and it was..." She shivered, moaning softly, looking at Alice. "I barely even noticed the pain, the pleasure was so intense. I wanted more. I still want more. When will he be back?" Alice blinked at the abrupt conversation shift, staring in shock as her friend's gaze unfocused, glazed over. She tried to decide how to answer.

"He...well, Caralla's coming in for a visit, so he'll be back then. Meanwhile -" she hated having to do this, but it was obvious that the first chance she got Bella would be trying to leave and get to Carlisle, so she didn't feel she had much of a choice. "- your mouth must be dry. Want some more punch?" She gestured to the half-full glass on the nightstand. Bella saw it, smiling.

"Yes, actually, my mouth is very dry." A few gulps later, she set the glass back down, not even noticing when Alice moved it away from where it was teetering on the edge of the stand. "I'm so tired. I think I'm going to nap until Carlisle gets back." And with that, she was out like a light. Alice sat there for a long time, searching the future, but as no one had decided anything yet, there wasn't enough to see. Or there was too much to see. Either way, she knew she wasn't going to be any help. Covering Bella back up with the soft comforter, she headed downstairs to wait for the family to get there.