2. Just a Dream?

I woke up crying. It was the same nightmare as before. The one I had every night. It had a twist last night though. Alice was here in my room. That dream shattered me. I broke into hysterical sobs. I wanted so much for that dream to be true.

Suddenly, I felt cold arms embracing me. My mind reeled. Edward?

I looked up and saw two golden eyes. I realized that last night wasn't a dream.

I threw my arms around her shoulders, and drew Alice into a tighter hug.

"Alice." I sputtered through my tears. "I thought I ad dreamed last night."

"You can't get rid of me that easily Bella. I'm here to stay!" Alice said while grinning.

"For a second…..I thought you were him…" I said quietly.

"Bella I will do whatever I can to get you two back together." Alice's face was serious. "The whole family misses you. Even Rosalie, though she wouldn't admit it out loud. Edward's the worst. Jasper can't stand to be in the same room with him. I just thought you should know that…"Alice trailed off.

So Edward felt the same thing I felt.

"What exactly is your plan Alice?" I asked, curiosity heavy in my voice.

"Well, actually it's quite simple. We are going to pretend Victoria is after you." Alice told me with an evil smile.

"Go on…" I said cautiously.

"We will pay someone to pretend to be Victoria. When I have a vision, fake of course, Edward will run to save you." Alice finished nonchalantly.

She sounded so sure…I wanted to believe her.

Did Edward really love me?

"That sounds easy enough. Now where will we find someone who will do that?"

I asked.

"Nobody would refuse when paid the right amount of money." Alice said. She wasn't worried at all.

"When is this going down?" I asked.

"I can't tell you that. Then you won't act surprised when he gets there." Alice replied.

I didn't like not knowing, but she was right.

"So Bella get dressed. We have some shopping to do!" Alice said excitedly.

I groaned, but complied to her wishes. She left the room so I could change. I slipped out of my sweats and holey t-shirt. I chose a white shirt, with a dark purple tank top underneath. I pulled my favorite pair of faded blue jeans up, and went down to the kitchen.

Alice sat there talking to Charlie. I got a bowl from the cabinet, poured some cereal and milk in it, and started eating with a spoon.

"Good morning, Bells," Charlie said happily. I guessed it was because Alice was back.

"Good Morning Dad." I said back.

"Did you sleep well?" Concern colored his tone.

"Well Alice kept me up all night," I said, winking at her. I scooped up the last bite. I wasn't in any hurry to shop, so I rinsed and dried my dishes slowly. I think Alice knew what I was doing, because as soon as I was done she started pulling gently at my arm.

"Charlie, sorry but I'm stealing Bella for a bit. We are going to Olympia to shop." Alice almost shouted.

"No that's alright Alice. Just have her back by midnight." He threw a glance my way, and chuckled as he saw me cringe slightly. When he said "have her back by midnight" he wasn't joking.

"Come on, Bella!" It will be tons of fun!" Alice said.

We walked outside and got into Carlisle's Mercedes Benz. I wonder what she said to get it. I was about to ask, but she started speaking first.

"They think I'm with Jasper at a hotel." She winked at me before continuing." Jasper thinks I'm shopping which I'm doing now." Alice finished.

"What about last night?" I asked.

"I told him that I wanted to hunt alone. I told him that I was still sad about leaving you which is true." Alice said quietly.

"Oh." I said lamely.

We sat in silence for awhile. It took us thirty minutes to get there, although it should have taken us two hours. I had gotten used to the driving. Alice and I looked at clothes for two hours. Surprisingly, I had a good time. I was shopping, but with my best friend. That thought eased the discomfort. As usual, Alice went completely overboard. She bought me five really expensive outfits. We were talking, but not about anything terribly important.

After we got all the clothes, I was hungry again. Alice paid for my food. She talked to a few people about getting her brother back. They were sympathetic, so it was easy to find someone wiling to do it. Now that was a conversation.

"What is your name?" I asked politely.

"My name is Jenny O'Bryan." She answered, and asked a question in return. "When should this happen?"

Since I wasn't allowed to know, Alice went over and whispered the answer in her ear.

"Ah." She said after a minute of whispering. Alice came back over to my side and took my hand.

"You have nothing to worry about miss," she added playfully. "I won't hurt you."

"Yeah thank you for this." I said gratefully.

"Anytime." She laughed.

We walked away and got into the car. Alice and I sang to some songs on the radio. Alice didn't say it, but it was better not to mention the plan. Alice dropped me off at my house.

"Sorry Bella, but I have to get your scent off me. Then I have to go talk to Jasper. He's decided to come looking for me. She said with a laugh." You'll see me in the next few days." Alice gave me a hug.

"Okay Alice, see you then." I said happily. I took my clothes inside and sat them on my bed. With a blissful sigh, I sank into my computer chair. I picked up Pride and Prejudiced, and read for a few hours. I realized that Charlie would be home soon. I went downstairs to start making dinner.

Absentmindedly, I started humming my lullaby. I decided to put him in a good mood. I made his favorite, steak and potatoes. His cruiser pulled up just as I was finishing. I put the last touches on, and sat it on the dining room table. Charlie came in and smiled.

"Hey Bells." Charlie said.

"Hey Dad." I answered.

"You made my favorite?" He asked, clearly happy.

"Yeah I did. I thought that you deserved one after a long day of work." I said.

He washed his hands after putting his stuff up. We ate in silence. I washed the dishes and started up the stairs. "Night Dad." I yelled.

"Night Bells, see you tomorrow." He yelled.

I took a shower and brushed my teeth. I fell asleep thinking about Edward.