Author's Note: Holy *expletive of your choice*! Have I really not updated in almost 3 months? That right there is blasphemy, folks. But don't worry. I've got a long, good, honest line of excuses to spew out. How about this: A day or two after my last update my sister surprised our family with some great news – she was getting married. Some not so great news? She was getting married in a little less than a month and wanted us to help her plan it. Yeaaah. Then, I had finals to get to, which were the biggest inconvenience in the world. And for the past month I've been planning my vacation to Orlando, Florida in 3 weeks. I'm going to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so, naturally, I had to re-read the whole series, which has occupied a huge chunk of my times. Long story short? I'm a horrible writer who deserves heaps of cyber bullying. Have at it.
Disclaimer: You should know the drill by now. Stephenie Meyer, this is all yours. Except the plot. It's alllllll miiiiiine.
Previously on "All Is Love"
"Don't go falling asleep on me again." Bella teased, glancing toward Alice, who lifted her head with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. We have so much to talk about. Like who the hell Edward is and why he was sexting you…"
20 Questions
Bella's face flushed at the mention of her boyfriend and his inappropriate texting. She couldn't denythat she had actually liked the messages he'd sent her, or that they may have slightly turned her on, but she'd sure as hell try to deny it. The last thing she needed was for Alice to think she was some horny chick who spent all of her time "sexting" her boyfriend instead of building a stable relationship.
"He's my boyfriend, the one from California." She slowly explained, clearing her throat. God, this is embarrassing, she thought. "He likes to… to talk dirty through texts." Bella shrugged, putting on a nonchalant façade that didn't match her flaming face.
Alice scoffed. "He sounds to me like a chauvinistic pig."
Bella turned to look at the slight girl, whose bone thin arms were tightly crossed over her chest. Her red lips were pursed in an expression that clearly showed how little she thought of Bella's boyfriend. "If you knew him, you wouldn't say that." Bella mumbled, her dark brown hair covering most of her face from Alice's view – a protective veil, keeping her from the smaller girl's penetrating gaze.
"Whatever you say." She said in a singsong voice, rolling her beautiful, sapphire eyes. Just a hint of disdain still plagued her features, and Bella noticed them immediately as she turned to glance at the girl.
"Honestly." She promised, shaking her head. "Yeah, the 'sexting' thing is kind of dumb, but… I love him. And we have to make exceptions for those we love, right?"
Alice quirked an eyebrow, folding her hands neatly in her lap. Bella hadn't sounded so sure about making exceptions for loved ones. And the way she was treating this subject was like it was more of a nuisance to sext than a pleasure. Alice knew for a fact that if she loved someone and said person was sending her dirty texts, it would make her feel special; she wouldn't be worried about what others would think. "Regardless of who he is or what his personality's like, the guy needs some lessons on talking dirty."
Bella face turned scarlet. "So," she said, taking a quick right, causing Alice to slide across the seat and smoosh Jasper into the car door. He didn't even flinch. "Got a girlfriend?" It had been hard enough for Bella to ask it the first time, but it was even harder now, knowing Alice was completely, one hundred percent awake.
Alice giggled and shook her head. "I wish." The look she gave Bella made her shiver, in a good way, of course.
Bella cleared her throat and looked back toward the road. The last thing she needed was to run head-on into someone else before even passing the Arizona state border. "Who was the last girl you dated?"
Alice thought for a second, not quite sure whether to count it as an honest relationship or not. "Well, a few months ago I started fooling around with my friend from college, Tanya. She was just experimenting though. Dropped me for some Abercrombie & Fitch model with a body like a God." She mentally flinched at the memory. It was difficult to tell if college girls were truly lesbians or just looking for some fun.
"Have you ever been in love?" Bella asked, her hands slipping slightly on the steering wheel. Her hands started to sweat whenever she got nervous, and it was her most embarrassing quality. Well, if you didn't count the fact that it was nearly impossible for her to walk across a flat surface without tripping.
"What is this? 20 Questions? If so, then I should be the one to ask a question now."
Bella laughed, and turned towards Alice, waiting for a question. The pixie thought for a second, her forefinger tapping her chin as she searched her mind for a suitable question.
"I got one!" She shouted cheerfully, raising her finger in the air in an "aha!" kind of gesture. Her teeth sparkled. "Do you love Mr. I-Love-Sexting-My-Girfriend-And-Making-Her-Feel-Uncomfortable?"
" For one, he, like the two of us, hates being called by his full name. You can just call him Edward for short." Alice giggled, leaning towards Bella and swatting her arm playfully. Her face flushed. "A-And two, I… I think so. I mean, we get along great, and he's so sweet to me. I've told him I love him – I mean, we have been going out for two years – I'm just not sure that I truly mean it."
Alice paused, absorbing the new information, before speaking in a small voice. "Hun, if you're not sure that you love him after two years, then you don't, and you never will."
Bella looked down at her slick hands, clinging to the steering wheel for dear life. It was funny how much that sentence affected her. It wasn't like she didn't know it was true; she'd always known, but she'd hoped that she'd learn to love him like he loved her – learn to be the loyal Juliet to his always charming Romeo.
"My turn." Bella said, shaking herself out of her trance and re-stating her previous question. "Have you ever been in love?"
Alice thought about it, unsure of whether or not to share the story with Bella. She'd never told anyone the entire story, not even Jasper, her best friend. No matter how beautiful and intriguing this girl was, she certainly wasn't about to confess it all. "Yes. Once."
Bella waited patiently for Alice to continue, and gently shoved her with her shoulder when she didn't continue. "And?"
"And you used up your question. Now it's my turn."
Bella frowned at Alice's smug smile but allowed the girl to ask her question.
"Can I borrow your cell phone? Mine is as dead as a door nail."
Bella sputtered. She'd expected some shocking question that she'd be far too embarrassed to answer.
Alice seemed like the type to thrive on gossip. But this? Totally unexpected. Regardless, she handed
over her crappy little cell phone and watched as Alice punched in a number.
"Thanks." She mouthed, holding the phone up to her ear while twirling a short piece of hair around her finger. Touching her hair had become a recent habit of hers. She did it whenever she was nervous or self-conscious – especially when she was self-conscious.
"Who is this?" The cold voice on the other line spat. It wasn't the greeting one would normally use when answering the phone, but it was the one Alice had anticipated.
"Now, now, Rosie Posie. Is that the way you greet you loving sister?"
"What the hell, Alice?" Rosalie screeched, her voice like nails on a chalkboard. Alice instinctively shrunk away from the phone, wincing at the panic that Rosalie was trying – and failing – to conceal. "Where are you? Are you okay? What happened? Did you get kidnapped? Raped? Is Jasper with you?"
Alice laughed softly. "Slow your roll, Tootsie. I'm fine."
"Don't you dare laugh like this is some kind of joke!" Alice held the phone away from her ear, flinching as Rosalie continued her tirade. Once that girl got going there was no stopping her. "Do you not realize how worried I've been, you dumb bitch? Emmett has been sitting with me, trying to get me to calm down while I tear my hair out. I was so close to calling Esme."
Alice paled at the thought of her mother. If Rose would have called her, which would have been an extremely Rose-like thing to do, it would have killed the poor woman. After all she'd been through with Alice's health issues, she didn't think her mother's heart could withstand much more. Not to mention how disappointed Esme would be to hear her son and daughter had hitched a ride with a complete and total strange without bothering to tell anyone. She could just picture her lecturing her, saying, "What would we do if you went missing? We'd never know where you were."
"I just... I can't believe you, Alice. It's been," She paused, looking towards the clock over her stainless steel stove. "SEVEN HOURS! Seven hours since I last talked to you. I can't – do you realize – I was so – You're so stupid, Alice!"
Alice sighed and listened as someone whispered soothingly to Rosalie. She could hear her sister screeching and thanked God that the phone seemed to be a good distance away from her loud mouth. She loved Rose; they were sisters, always. But the girl could be infuriatingly overprotective. Point and case.
"Hey, Ali." A deep voice rumbled through the speaker. She could hear the grin in Emmett's voice. Sure, the guy was one of the dumbest people she'd ever met, but he was also one of the sweetest. It wasn't exactly his fault that he was gullible and awfully dim-witted. "Sorry about Rose. She's been sorta upset these past couple of hours. You were really worrying her."
"As I was trying to tell her, Em, my phone died. I would have stopped to use a pay phone or something, but then my car broke down and that was the farthest thing from my mind. All I was concerned about was finding a way to Seattle."
"Your little Porsche broke down?" Emmett asked, incredulous. "Damn. It's a shame. You really loved that car." At least someone noticed how attached she was to the old, yellow sports car. Everyone else acted like it was just a car, like it was easily replaceable. Sure. "Sorry, Ali."
"Thanks, Em. Just... just tell Rosalie that everything is fine. Jazz and I found ourselves a ride home. Hopefully we'll see her soon. And tell her that I'm really, really sorry for worrying her." She paused, choosing her words carefully. Unlike Rosalie, Emmett never liked to discuss their frequent break ups. "Are you... joining her? A-Are you coming to Seattle, too?"
"Of course I am!" There it was again, that wide grin that could be heard very clearly in his booming voice. "I'll see you in a couple of days, sis."
Before Alice could protest to his nonchalant use of the word "sis," he hung up. She shut the phone with a snap and handed it to Bella, who stared at her curiously. "Who was that?"
Alice's expression looked quite blank. "I hope you know that counts are your question." She waited for Bella to change her question. She didn't. "That was my sister, Rosalie. She's horribly overprotective. Her boyfriend had to take the phone before she burst a blood vessel." She smiled softly and looked down at her lap. "They're the strangest couple I know. Their personalities are so different."
Bella nodded, waiting patiently for Alice to ask a question. She didn't say anything even after a few minutes of total silence. She could tell Alice was lost in her thoughts.
"Oh, sorry." Alice said, shaking her head. She beamed at Bella. "My turn!" Bella wasn't so sure she liked the expression on the girl's face. "Not to make you uncomfortable or anything, but have you ever done anything with a girl? You know, like, for experimental purposes?"
Right on a cue, a slow, steady blush crept up Bella's neck and ignited her face. Part of her thought that Alice was asking this to try to figure out if Bella would ever be interested in her. The other, more sensible, part knew that Alice was just being curious. After all, this was 20 Questions on steroids. The more probing the questions, the better.
"No." Bella admitted truthfully, not volunteering any more information. She thought for a second about a good question. "If you've ever been with a man, why?" She paused. "I'm not sure if that made sense."
Alice laughed loudly, the sound echoing in the cab of the truck. "It kind of made sense. It was a very clever way of combining two questions." She smirked at Bella, catching on to the brunette's antics. "Anyway, yes, I have. His name was Seth. He was one of my closest friends. We were both sixteen, and I was confused about my sexuality. I thought that maybe if I had sex with a guy, it would help me better understand myself. I used Seth; I knew how much he liked me. Our friendship was never the same after that." She looked down at her feet, which were crossed delicately at the ankle. "It was wrong. To this day I regret it.
"Now the mood needs lightening." Alice grinned broadly at Bella, an evil glint in her bright eyes. Bella gulped. "Does Edward ever talk dirty when you're doing the deed? I mean, I'd think so considering he's so eager to sext." She nearly burst a lung trying to contain her laughter.
Bella started to choke on her saliva and felt her palms get sweaty again. Her grip on the steering wheel started loosening. "Um... he... I... we..." She glared at the windshield, and with a huff, said, "Yes."
Alice stopped trying to control herself. She was overcome with a fit of giggles and clutched the side of her stomach. "You poor thing. I can only imagine his idea of what constitutes as sexy, dirty talk."
Bella scowled. "Now my turn. Why is your hair so short?"
Alice's giggling stopped as soon as the words left Bella's mouth. She knew immediately that she had said the wrong thing. "So much for lightening the mood." The pixie whispered to herself, reaching up to twist a strand of ink black hair around her slim finger. There was no trace of a smile on the tiny girl's face, and she seemed to shy away from Bella. Her demeanor had changed so suddenly.
"A-Alice," Bella said gently, turning away from the empty road for a few seconds to look at the girl sitting beside her. "You really don't have to answer. I'm sorry. I didn't think it would be – "
"It's fine." Alice said, smiling weakly and waving her hand as if trying to rid the truck of the tension. "Two years ago I was – "
Jasper groaned loudly, stretching his arms and legs as much as he could in the tight space. His eyes flickered open, and he turned to face Alice and Bella. The former had stopped talking at the sound of her brother waking up. She looked utterly relieved. "What's going on?" He asked in a thick, groggy voice.
Alice smiled at him, reaching forward to lightly tap the tip of his nose. "You have been sleeping for hours. It's about time you woke up."
Jasper shrugged, not caring that he'd slept away a good chunk of his day. Lord knows he needed the sleep. His friends kept him out at the bars on the weekends – the only time he ever got to sleep in. Being in the Air Force was hard work.
"What did I miss?" He asked, noting how closely Alice was sitting to him. She was avoiding Bella's gaze, and her eyes kept flickering from the floor to Jasper to the windshield. Everywhere but Bella's face. Her hands were clasped tightly together in her lap. Her jaw was clenched. She was glum, upset. Something was bothering her. Her eyes seemed to be focused on something that only she could see; some thoughts that she'd worked hard to bury.
He knew he was right about her mood. He always was. It didn't matter who the person was, either. He could read anyone like an open book. With a quick glance at Bella he could pinpoint how uncomfortable and guilty she looked. Her brown eyes kept alternating from the road to Alice's tiny frame. She looked as if she wanted to propel herself from the moving car.
Jasper stared at them. "Well?" He asked patiently, waiting for one of them to speak up.
"Just getting to know each other." Alice explained, finding her voice again. A smile spread across her face – this one genuine – and she set her hand on Jasper's forearm. "Jazz?"
"Yeah?" He asked tentatively, watching as Alice turned to give Bella a mischievous smile.
"You up for a round of 20 Questions?"
So, this is the point where I bow down to all of you reviewers. Without you, this story would be abandoned, which a lot of you probably thought it was. Alas, it isn't. It was just on a teeny break. So I'd like to show you all my appreciation. I will post another chapter at the end of the week (as long as I get a good amount of reviews to show that people are still reading), and I'm going to start responding to all the reviews.
SweetestSuicide: Teehee, thanks. That word always makes me giggle. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it.
Kyraaah1992: Thank you! I really appreciate the support.
asd: You, kind citizen, are a doll. Thank you oodles for translating that for me! I'm lousy at Spanish – I wanted to be an odd ball and took French in school. And thanks for the kind words, too. I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
arcticsoul: Hehe, my brother is the inspiration for her nickname. I christened him the family garbage disposal ages ago. And thanks! I feel that their powers are an important part of the series. It would be a waste of an opportunity to not make them shine through in this AH fic.
Jenny: I had to translate your review using Babel Fish, which is janky as hell, but I think I got the idea of what you were saying. Thanks so much for liking the story and for the compliment. It's always nice to see your writing is appreciated and know that I appreciate your kind words and comments.
ethans mom: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.
manipulativerunner: Really? I love me some Edward Cullen, but Alice is definitely the cutest character in the series. And Alice/Bella is so adorable it makes me want to puke... in a good way. I can't say thank you enough for the compliments and excitement! Readers like you are what keeps me going. You, mademoiselle, are the reason Emmett is included in this chapter at all. I want to show that although he's an airhead, he has a big heart. You'll see more of him towards the end of the fic, along with Rose. And I don't want to spoil anything, but Bella will not be jealous of Rose. Yes, she'll notice she's stunning, but Bella's a confident chickadee. She loves herself and is comfortable with her looks.
pazu1: I'm sure you've realized I wasn't writing the next chapter, aha, but it's done now! And posted! REJOICE! And I agree. Alice is a cutie.
WaLe: THANK YOU! And after 3 months, I feel compelled to admit I'm a horrible person. Don't hate me! *begs*
NandinhaMa: I'm glad to hear it! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the first two.
bleed4her: Bahaha, I know. He's creeptastic. And not to mention lame. As Alice states in this chapter, he needs some lessons on how to talk dirty.
Flypaper-Writer: Wow, really? *bear hug* I'm glad my story could make your night. Also, you're review just made MY night.
amUous: No need to be sad! Chapter 3 has FINALLY arrived, albeit three months late. But oh well. Better late than never, right? ….right!
This-Years-Pink: Thank youuuu! I hope you like the new chapter.
willnevergettiredofYOU: MORE than a month, actually... unfortunately. But here's the update! Enjoy, love.
Mac and Cheese Duffy: Screw, Edward. I'm all about Alice/Bella. So this story will be Alice/Bella to the very end. Edward will be out of the picture soon... I hope. Let's pray that Bella doesn't chicken out and stay with him...
Hier: Lovely, your wish is my command. Enjoy chapter 3.
Until next time!
~WorriedShoes014