Author's note: Well, well, well - things look to be going...somewhere, anyway. Wonder what the next few weeks hold for our favorite family?

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She tried to sit still at lunch, she really did. But between Edward's smug grin, Alice's wide-eyed smile, and that oh-so-naughty look in Jasper's eyes...well, Bella was finding it hard to concentrate on much of anything. They'd not only missed third period, but fourth as well, and had drug their clean clothes on and wandered back out of the forest just in time to hear the bell ring for lunch. Alice, as usual, had come up with a perfectly plausible explanation as to why they all had needed to leave for two hours...though Bella really couldn't remember what that reason was. She absently crunched down on the apple in her hand. And choked on the bite of fruit as Mike walked in, one arm thrown posessively over Jess' shoulders.

"It's not right that she should be too scared of him to break it off," Alice muttered under her breath.. The four of them watched as the couple grabbed their trays, Mike loading things on Jessica's tray without even appearing to ask her first, and took a seat at the far side of the room. When Mike turned around for a moment, Jess shot Bella a frightened look.

"That's it," she whispered. "I can't handle it. I'm going to go invite her over here with us. She's terrified."

"Bella, if you go over there you'll just make it worse. Remember - we want her to get a checkup, and we want to find out what's wrong with Mike. You won't solve anything if you go charging over like some avenging angel."

"I know that, Edward, but I have to do something!" She slumped down in her chair. "I feel so damned helpless." He scooted his chair closer and wrapped his arms around her, and she snuggled against him, taking what small comfort she could in his closeness.

"We are doing something. We're helping Jess in the way that will cause the fewest problems all around. And we can't hold our end of that bargain if we jump ahead of ourselves." She looked up into his golden eyes, filled with so much compassion, and sighed in remorse.

"Bella - ask Angela and Eric over to sit with us." Alice's tone was calm, yet brooked no disobedience, and Bella wondered just what her friend had seen even as she was standing and heading over to the pair where they sat near the door.

"Hey, you two - why don't you come join us? Plenty of room at the big table." Eric looked surprised, but Angela practically lit up like a Christmas tree. Bouncing to her feet, she grabbed her lunch tray and her backpack.

"Awesome! Hey - where were you fourth period?" she asked curiously as they waited for Eric to gather his stuff together. Bella blushed and cursed her own reaction, very glad that it was only Angie that saw it.

"We had a...well, there was a family emergency. I'll let Alice explain it all." Fortunately for Bella they'd begun walking over to the table and her perfect vampires had overheard her sentence. Alice immediately launched into an animated diatribe that Bella found almost impossible to hear over the rushing in her ears and the sly look Angela shot her as she sat down.

"Hey Eric," Edward said lightly, startling both Bella and the boy in question. After a second, Eric nodded in response.

"So, I will admit," said Alice once the two had made themselves comfortable. Well, once Angela had gotten comfortable and Eric had lost his deer-in-the-headlights look, that is. "...that I had an ulterior motive in suggesting we invite you over to sit with us." The mortal couple looked at each other, then back at the dark-haired pixie where she sat on the other side of the table. Bella leaned against Edward's side, wondering what on earth her friend was doing. After a moment of what appeared to be nervous hesitation, Alice continued.

"See, I wanted to have kind of a back-to-school get together at our house, but we...well we're rather antisocial for the most part. I know in my case I'd just gotten so used to moving from foster home to foster home that I gave up on making friends because I hated to lose them." She spoke with what Bella had to admit was convincing honesty, and the brunette had to wonder what she was playing at. "I think the rest of us have fallen into that mold as well. When Carlisle and Esme came along, it was...I felt like I'd been drawn into a fairy tale. Loving parents, stable home...I'd never known that. I don't think any of us had." In a flash, Bella realized just how skillfully Alice was weaving the conversation, and a sudden burst of insight had her knowing exactly where the story was going and the purpose it served. She decided it wasn't time to speak yet so she just listened, watching as Alice wound her words around Angela and Eric.

"Sorry - I have a tendency to ramble sometimes. Anyway, I figured - well, Eric, you are the eyes and ears of the school - everyone knows that." Score one for Alice, thought Bella as the boy's face lit up with pride and curiosity. "So I was wondering...who do you think would show up if we invited them? I don't think I really want a HUGE blowout - especially since we've never had one before. Carlisle sort of limited the guest list to twenty people or so, but I thought, if there's anyone in Forks High that would have a grasp of the school populous, well, Bella said it would be you, and from what I've seen I have to agree." She smiled disarmingly, and Bella nearly laughed out loud. ~I guess Carlisle isn't the only one that's not above dazzling mortals when he gets a chance,~ she thought, totally entertained now. Risking a glance up at Edward she saw that, though his expression was carefully composed into a friendly wariness, his eyes were dancing with suppressed laughter.

"Well," Eric began slowly, looking both flattered and nervous, "just about anyone in school would jump at the chance to see your home."

"Really? Why?" Alice's innocent question sounded perfectly normal, and Bella saw Eric warming up to the subject.

"Well, you have to admit, you guys have been the big enigma of the school since you moved here. Always sticking together, never really socializing. And with the cars you drive and the clothes you wear, and the fact that your dad is touted as one of the best surgeons in the state, you're like..." he trailed off, realizing what he'd been about to say and how it would have sounded.

"We're like what?" Alice leaned forward, her face showing no condemnation or hurt, just a curiosity that Bella somehow knew wasn't entirely false. Eric cleared his throat, looked at Angela who simply shrugged, and cleared it again.

"You're like...well, the eccentric rich people. Everyone's insanely curious, but since you've always held yourselves so aloof and apart, well...you kind of come off as...don't be mad, please?" Alice just nodded, inviting him to continue. "Well, snobs. It's always seemed like you guys didn't thin anyone was good enough for you to socialize with, so that's got a lot of resentment as well as curiosity." He looked like he wanted to swallow his tongue and melt into the floor tiles, and Bella couldn't blame him. Talking to the Cullens was a huge step for anyone, she realized, and to so blatantly inform them that they acted like stuck-up snots, no matter how carefully it was phrased or how many apologies were tacked on...Bella reached over and placed her hand on top of his. He looked up at her in shock, and she grinned.

"Thank you, Eric. I've been telling them that for months, but would they listen?" His eyes wide, he glanced from her to Alice and back again, looking for all the world like he'd been given a death row pardon.

"You have?" She nodded. He sat up a bit straighter in his chair, looking a bit more confident now. Turning to Alice, he started talking again, losing his hesitancy as he spoke and becoming once more the garrulous social butterfly Bella knew.

"So, you see, even though you guys are really cool and all, no one knows that except Bella here. So anyone you would invite would jump at the chance to see what you act like outside of school. Once they got over the coronary caused by the fact that the infamous Cullen clan have opened their home to people, that is." Alice nodded, this time more eagerly.

"Awesome! Well, I know we want you and Angela to come, definitely." He swelled a bit with happiness at that statement, and Bella realized that he saw this as a huge honor - not just to be invited, but to be the first ones asked. "Bella also suggested that we invite Mike and Jessica, but I don't know if they'd be willing to show up. I mean, I'm fairly sure Jessica would, she's such a nice girl, but Mike..."Alice trailed off and looked up at Jasper, who as usual had been letting his wife carry the entire conversation on her own. He blinked, momentarily startled, but his soft drawl covered it well.

"Mike's been going out of his way to be vicious to Bella, it seems. I'm in PE with her, and I see the way he acts. Alice wants to invite him along because it would be rude otherwise, but Edward and I neither one are sure that it's the best idea." Edward, who had draped an arm over Bella's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, nodded his agreement, stepping into the conversation with ease.

"This is something we've never done, you see, and I'd rather keep drama to a minimum. And I'm not sure I could just stand by and watch if Newton got it into his head to be mean or abusive to Bella - or anyone else, for that matter." There was a dark note in his voice, and Angela let out a loud sigh.

"So you guys have noticed too." Edward just nodded, the simple gesture seeming to give the girl strength to continue. "I've been watching them all summer. It started off fine, but now...it seems Jess is scared of him. Too scared. I tried to talk to her the other day in Lit and she just kind of...I don't know, curled in on herself, if that makes sense." This time it was Jasper that spoke, deftly easing the conversation around.

"We have noticed something unusual between those two. Jessica came to eat lunch with us yesterday. I got the impression she wanted to get away from Newton, but didn't know how. And there's the dilemma. If we invite her but not him, how would we make sure that he didn't show up to start trouble? I'm not worried that it would be anything we couldn't handle, but Esme doesn't take too kindly to fighting in her house, and if he started anything I don't know that any of us would stay quiet and calm. We protect our own, you see, and anyone who is in our home is considered in that group." Thoughtful silence cloaked the group, broken only by the occasional crunch as Bella finished off her apple.

"What day were you planning to do this party?" Angela asked.

"Well, this weekend we've got company coming in to visit, an old friend of Carlisle and Esme's, so I was thinking next weekend, maybe Saturday night so no one would have to worry about school the next day." Alice spun the idea with such certainty that Bella knew she'd already seen how it would play out. The undercurrent of steel in her friend's voice, only noticeable because Bella was so familiar with the pixie's moods, informed her that something was going to happen.

"So then, why don't I invite Jessica to a sleepover that weekend? Mike won't say a word about her coming to my house, and then we can both go to the party and he'll never have to come near an invitation."

"It could work," said Bella hopefully. "I really think it could."

"Then it's settled!" said Alice, her bubbly self once more. She turned back to Eric who had finished his lunch and was just sitting there listening. "So...could I ask you a favor?" He blinked, flushing a little at the brilliant smile she aimed at him.

"Uh...sure. What's up?"

"Well, I thought I'd ask you to take care of the guest list - that is, if you don't mind. You just know so much more about the other people here than we do, and I know I can trust your judgment." Eric was all but flushed now, and Angela took a moment to grin at Bella behind her boyfriend's back. Bella just smiled in return.

"Sure, I can do that," the boy said - Bella gave him credit. His voice was calmer than his expression. "So you said Dr. Cullen limited it to twenty people?" Alice nodded. "Well, I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"Great!" Alice bounced from her chair and gave him a hug, startling Eric. She turned to hug Angela as well. "This is gonna be awesome! Thank you so much!" she said happily. Just then the bell rang, and all around them students began to pick up their trays and leave the cafeteria. Bella glanced over at the table Jess and Mike had been at, but it was empty. She was a little bothered that she hadn't noticed them leave.

"I'll write up a list and get it to you after school?" Eric asked, and Alice nodded.

"Sounds great! We'll see you then!" And, grasping Jasper's hand in her own, Alice led the way out of the cafeteria. Angela and Eric said their goodbyes and left through the side door, and Bella leaned into Edward's embrace.

"I know I shouldn't bet against Alice, but I certainly hope she knows what she's doing," she sighed. He hugged her close for a moment before scooping up both of their backpacks.

"It will all work out," was his only response as they walked out of the cafeteria and along the halls towards their next class.