A/N: In which Alice almost has a stroke.
For some reason, Bella couldn't get one of her classmates to leave her alone. The girl just kept talking and talking, having come up as soon as Pre-Calculus ended and following through the halls while Bella desperately tried to remember her name. Bella's infrequent Mhms and Ohs made things worse by causing the girl to talk faster. At this point, Bella stopped next to the stairs by the main hall and feared if she went into the cafeteria, this girl would follow her all the way to her table.
"So do you have any plans this weekend?"
Arguing with old friends through texts about supernatural issues probably didn't count. "Nah, I'm pretty boring. And you?" Completely mystifying to Bella, the girl laughed.
"I've been bored lately. Looking not to be, though. You know?"
"Uh, sure."
"Sooo do-"
Bella didn't have to look to see why the girl stopped because she felt Alice. And she felt different. If Bella was crazy, and she'd started to think so lately, she'd say Alice felt possessive. One moment she was figuring out how to flee the conversation she'd only just realized the intent behind and the next Alice was attached to her arm like she had been at the movie theater weeks ago. And instead of responding to anything that just happened like a sane person, Bella furrowed her brow at a thought.
Alice was significantly less touchy in public.
"Uhm. So do you have any ideas about killing boredom this weekend?" She swallowed, resolutely pretending Alice wasn't there.
Except Alice was very much there and her laugh created a surge of warmth in Bella's chest. "This weekend? I'm thinking her solution is me."
No, Alice wasn't being possessive. She was trying to save her from this disaster she'd literally walked into.
"Funny, she said she didn't have plans."
"Bella's forgetful." She patted her arm for emphasis, smile still on her face.
She was, but her heart was also starting to react to Alice because, goddamn, she seemed possessive. But then again, Bella had fucked up and fell face-first for her friend who could hear her heartbeat. So, to cover, even though she was genuinely growing anxious at the situation, she committed a horrific social blunder. "Hey, uhm, what's your name?"
The girl's mouth opened and closed a few times before she walked away, muttering, "Jules."
Alice didn't waste a moment as she took them into the cafeteria, talking about their so far fruitless endeavor of figuring out what to dress up as for Halloween. She didn't let go the whole time. Not even when they got to the long line for food. Bella, against her will, found herself wondering if Alice would hold her hand or something if she ever freed her hands from the prison of her jacket pockets. Girls were already difficult for Bella to read sometimes, but touchy-feely ones were impossible.
And Alice? Utterly uncharted territory.
What boundaries? There are no boundaries, Bella thought even as she considered pulling her hands from her pockets. She swallowed and mentally played one of her favorite songs to focus on and calm herself.
"Wanna just catch a horror movie instead? We could prep for next year better."
Alice's eyes crinkled adorably with her smile. "A horrible one that we judge the whole time and you threaten to shove someone's entire bag of popcorn into their eye for shushing us?"
Green eyes rolled as she bit back a smile. "Exactly that." But then she frowned. "Hey, Alice?"
She looked away from the food options and back to Bella with a hum.
"You don't think I worry what people will think because of you, do you?"
Alice's trademark Deer In Headlights reaction was ample answer as her lips parted and her eyes roamed, her mind working on how to steer the conversation in a way she wanted.
"If someone's ashamed of you, they don't deserve you, Alice."
Later that day, when they were leaving History, Bella kept her hands out her pockets.
Alice held her wrist as they walked.
"So, Tink. When you gonna bring my new buddy home?"
"Never." Edward ruffled her hair with an idle smile. "Selfish, aren't you, little freak?"
"Well she's failing because Bella's friends with me." Rosalie shrugged a shoulder. "Tolerates Edward, I guess."
"I'll have you know we have excellent conversations in class!"
"Is it really an excellent conversation if you're mostly just asking her questions?"
"Wait till I get my hands on her." Emmett added emphasis to the mischief on his face by rubbing his hands together.
Jasper snorted. "You mean Esme? We'll never see her again. Bella will be the first shifter in history to die of overeating."
Before Alice could respond to any of those things, she froze because of Angela's soft voice.
"Uhm, Bella, do you know that guy staring over here? By your truck?"
A majority of gold eyes were on the tall Quileute that rested his hand on the side of Bella's truck, downwind of them. While Rosalie sent a glare at Edward, Alice's eyes bounced between him and Bella. Everything of Bella had shifted when she saw him. Her heart was wild. She left the humans without a word and pushed past students to get to him, their gazes never leaving the other. He took slow, measured steps to the back of the truck and stayed there, but his weight rested on his front foot as if he wanted to take more.
Alice didn't realize she was trying to walk until she felt Jasper's hand dig into her shoulder. She mumbled her thanks. Ignored how her siblings pressed closer, ready to grab her.
"Jake." Hard. Tentative. Hopeful.
He grinned and laughed even though he sounded pained. "Bella."
Before Bella fully got to him, he swept her up in a hug and just held her to him while she sighed, her shoulders relaxing. Then she wiggled. "Put me down. What happened with Sam? Is Leah-"
"Why do you smell so much like leeches?" He glared across the emptying lot at them. Rosalie hissed as he dropped Bella, staring down at her. "I told you to stay away from them!"
Any happiness Bella had felt at seeing him appeared entirely gone as her jaw tightened and she shifted her weight onto her back foot. "Yeah, well, even if you didn't put your teeth in my shoulder, you don't get to tell me what to do."
"They are dangerous, Bella. You shouldn't go fuck around with them just because I'm not around! How stupid-"
"Calm down and stop fucking shaking, dude."
"Calm down?" His nostrils flared as he threw one of his hands in the air, but then he froze. He took another deep breath and his expression twisted further. "Why do you fucking reek of one of them?"
"Why the fuck do you think I'm hanging around people to spite you?"
"Leeches aren't people!"
A ripple went through Bella as she hissed, "Stop calling them that."
"That one stinks all over you. Which one is it?" His glare swept over them, lingering on Edward's scowl. Jacob whipped his head back to Bella. "Is it the leech with sex hair?"
"Stop. Calling them. Leeches."
"It's what they do, Bella! They're killers."
"You know very well they don't hunt people."
"They're monsters. They are literally made to kill people."
Bella threw her hands up. "People kill people all the time!"
His hands dragged across his face. He took deep breaths. Still, his shaking didn't ease up. "Why are you defending them?"
"Why are you attacking them?"
The metal of the truck gave a faint squeal under his fist. "I struggled. Faced physical pain to disobey Sam's orders to come see you. They're dead. I'm alive. Here, in front of you. Me. Jake. Your best friend. Bella, I love you. They don't know you."
Jasper's fingers painfully digging into Alice's shoulder was the only thing keeping her growl in her chest.
"I love you too, Jake." His shoulders sagged with hers, letting go of the fight as she did. "And you do know me. That's the sad part. Leave me alone."
"Seriously? You're choosing some bloodsucker over me?" Jacob caught her arm and pulled as she walked past him.
Which was a mistake because she used that to make her right hook hurt even more.
He held his bloody nose, eyes narrowing at Alice for her growl instead of looking at Bella. "So it's the midget one over me. "
Bella threw a helmet to him from the motorcycle he had next to her truck. "If you want to make it you versus them, fine. I choose the people who didn't attack me."
"That wasn't me, Bella! Don't you understand? No, you can't, because you're not in a pack and you won't listen to me. You don't know what it's like."
"I just don't care anymore." She sounded so defeated it quelled the anger and hate in Alice just to let sadness sweep in.
Jacob's mouth moved stupidly, desperately. Then he stooped, grabbing a second helmet. "I brought both." His voice was so rough, so close to tears it managed to make Bella pause in walking to the cab of her truck, but she didn't turn around. "I. You know how the anger is, Bella. I didn't mean for this. Bella, I brought both helmets like I promised. I didn't forget. You called me June 14th at four am and told me what happened with your mom and I promised you we'd go for a ride and you wouldn't have to worry about anything. I'm here right now."
Bella had her eyes closed and her hand pressed to her mouth and Alice suddenly felt out of place. They'd stayed to make sure Bella was okay, but this was also private. But it wasn't anywhere near as private as Bella's pain and Alice both felt she should be alone with Bella and that Bella should be alone with herself.
Then she processed Jasper's slack grip and followed his gaze to Edward's face. She could only see the side of it from here as he stared at the pair across the lot, but she knew him. She read his distress in the pinching near his eye and the weird curve to his lips. "What?"
"I…" He shook his head as Jacob pleaded with Bella's name again. "That is not something I can tell you and I wish with every ounce of my being I didn't find out this way."
"Damn, Eddie. That bad?"
Rosalie smacked the back of Emmett's head and gave him a look. He had the decency to cringe, seeing the distraught expression on Alice's face.
Bella, hands on the helmet offered to her, gently pushed it to Jacob's chest. She got in her truck and left without looking at him or the vampires.
Not getting a text back from Bella all afternoon and evening had left Alice more unsettled than she thought possible. She understood, of course. But that didn't mean she hadn't wanted to follow Bella home and make sure she was alright.
Edward had spent the rest of the day with his piano, filling the house with notes swinging between desperate and angry to hopeless to light and back.
Jasper had went out to be by himself.
Frankly, she was surprised it took until after midnight for Rosalie to kick her out the house because of her "dragging dread" everywhere. The fresh air had helped, as had running mindlessly. But after however long, she'd finally come to a stop and scaled halfway up this tree, sitting on a wide branch and gazing at the stars across the dark expanse above her. Thoughts drifted away with each breath. It was just her and the night sky.
"Boo!"
The vampire lurched to the side with a small squeak, mind scrambling as she fought her fight or flight response and decided on which branch she should grab onto and how to twist her body to achieve it or if she should just fall to the ground.
But, instead, a strong arm went around her and she found herself plucked out the air and into the lap of Bella Swan as she crouched in a tree. Her left hand held onto the branch above them to steady herself and her right arm stayed around Alice.
"Shit, Alice. Are you okay? I thought you were humoring me, I didn't think I could actually sneak up on you."
Alice swallowed, lost in those green eyes, glittering in the moonlight just like she'd thought about on more than one night. Her lips parted. She didn't say anything and she didn't look down to confirm that this was very real and not some type of wish-fulfillment delusion. She'd braced herself during the change of momentum and now? Now she could feel Bella's pulse tapping against her finger. Directly. Warm, soft skin under her hands damned her to not moving just to keep from touching more of Bella. "You're shirtless," she tried to say, but to her ears it just sounded like a strangled noise mixed with a soft purr.
Bella's brow furrowed at the noise, then her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, fuck. Did I interrupt you hunting? I didn't think you were, but your eyes," she trailed off.
Never in her life did Alice Cullen so desperately want to see the future.
Never in her life did she think being unable to have a vision could be so exciting.
"You should, uh, get a snack."
She was probably saying that because of the subtle shaking of Alice's body, but she was...nervous. Thrilled. Stuck. Regardless, Bella was starting to look like she might carry Alice all the way to the Cullen house to ask someone what was wrong with her. But this was too close to what she craved to just let go of it so quickly. She blinked. For the first time in a while, she realized. "I'm not hungry."
Bella searched her face with thoughtful eyes and her lips moved, no doubt a question on her tongue. But she did what she always did, the thing that made Alice's control so fragile, so strained. She just let Alice be Alice.
It took three tries to swallow all the venom in her mouth. She wasn't trapped in green eyes anymore, but she focused on them anyway as she tried to compose herself and not take yet another misstep in their friendship. "You know I would've been fine, don't you?"
Then Bella's gaze darted away. "Well, you were falling. Because of me."
"I could've caught myself on any branch or landed on the ground without a problem."
Bella huffed, shifting her weight and thus moving Alice a little. "Look, if you're falling, I'm going to catch you, okay?"
"You have a tattoo?" She'd failed this test of control and had let her eyes follow Bella's jawline and study the tint moonlight lent to her hair. Her right hand slid across Bella's collar bone to push her hair aside. Slender fingers traced the design hooking over the front of her left shoulder even as Alice ached to see the rest of it on Bella's back and move the strap of her sports bra to see the image unhindered.
"It's not finished. I have to go get it colored. You like tattoos?"
"Yes," she said without looking up, "But only in theory. Meanwhile Rose is bitter she can't have any. I'm not sure I'd want one, but I do love them. The idea of letting your skin be a canvas and being able to express yourself in such a way is, to me, wonderful."
"Alice, are you going to fall if I let go?"
"No."
"Cool. Close your eyes."
After cocking an eyebrow, she obliged, but she still didn't take her hands off Bella. The sudden cold and sense of loss left in the wake of Bella's arm leaving her made Alice bite her tongue.
"Okay, open."
She gasped as she did. Her eyes raked across Bella's right arm, awash with black and reds and blues and even some dark green. Alice held her wrist where the tattoo tapered off in swirls as she explored the lively design with both her gaze and her fingers. It was somber, but hopeful, mixing dark and light aesthetics. "When did you get a -" She looked up and frowned at the way Bella's grin faltered. "-sleeve. What's wrong?" She became aware of their position all over again and feared she'd pushed too far by not getting off of her.
"Oh, no. Nothing. I just didn't know literally seeing color swirl back into your eyes would be so beautiful."
Alice's face softened, her thumb absently brushing over the top of Bella's wrist. "If anything's beautiful here, it's you."
That was not a regular, casual thing to say. Tenderly. Under the light of the moon. In a person's lap.
But, for the first time, Bella's heart stuttered without something to excuse it that was not Alice Cullen.
And for the second time, a blush came over Bella's cheeks.
Alice's lips parted, her hand sliding up Bella's arm and only coming to a stop when her fingertips touched Bella's jaw.
"Clearly, you need your eyes checked." Bella tried to swallow but she wound up choking and coughing to the side as her heart beat faster. She recovered and took a deep breath, though her eyes didn't return to Alice's. "Sorry, not used to compliments. Thanks. Even though you're insane. So you're okay, right? I still can't believe I got the drop on you. I was out running and I smelled you and figured I could say thanks in person for giving me space. Wow, that is actually a weird as hell thing to say."
Alice hummed and adjusted herself, "slipping" a little closer at the mention of space. "Of course. I didn't want to leave you alone, but, well." She cupped Bella's face in her hands and searched green eyes. "Are you okay, though?"
Bella took a deep breath and knocked her head back against the tree as she looked up, causing cold hands to slip from her face and down to the base of her neck. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just wanna go back to sleep, I guess."
A rumble from Bella's stomach filled the air.
"Mm, are you sure you want sleep?" She snickered at Bella's scowl. "When was the last time you ate?"
"I dunno. I woke up at about nine and ate a little after ten, I think."
"God, Bella, how often do you eat?"
"So often, dude! Everyone called me a fat ass before but fuck, I'm so hungry so often. Charlie gets so sick of me asking if he wants something every time I go in the kitchen."
When Bella shifted her weight again, Alice asked, "Am I heavy?"
"Haha, no. Even if you were, I wouldn't tell you. I know how this works. I say one thing in a slightly off way and suddenly I've called you fat and you forever hold that over me." Her grin eased the alarm on Alice's face and the vampire swatted her shoulder with a smile. "Are you seriously asking me that, pipsqueak?"
She really needed Bella to stop calling her that, and she was about to say as much when she realized there was a certain sparkle in green eyes. "What-"
A strong arm secured her again-pulling her tightly against Bella-and their gazes didn't leave the other for a second as Bella stood and Alice was acutely aware of the fact her friend didn't blink at her wrapping her legs around her waist. Bella stepped off the branch just as Alice's arms went loosely around her neck.
The seconds it took for them to fall could've been an eternity for Alice. An eternity in Bella's arms, in her eyes.
A warm hand went under Alice's right thigh in an unnecessary effort to make sure she wouldn't fall as Bella's feet hit the ground and she dipped into a slight crouch for a second to cope with the added weight during the fall. The grin on Bella's face dissolved into a soft, thoughtful smile that was no more than a casual curve of her lips. "You're a lot of fun, Alice Cullen."
Her voice was as quiet as Bella's. "Can we sleep together?"
She definitely could have phrased that better. Or at least said it when they weren't in such a...position.
But Bella's brow just furrowed as she looked up at Alice. 'Don't you actually have to sleep for that?"
The fact Bella was passably decent at social cues and swung between observant and oblivious was some kind of weird blessing. "Yes! Well, no. Maybe? Sometimes we meditate-which I'm horrible at-or relax to reach a kind of trance-like state similar to sleep, but it's really hard for me and, hm. I actually don't think I've done it in at least a decade. When was London..."
"Fucking shit, you've been bouncing off walls for ten years?"
Alice shrugged at wide eyes. "Time is weird when you're immortal and can't sleep."
"Yeah, I bet." Bella's gaze drifted and she bit her lip for a second. "I, uh, I might have a nightmare."
Her shoulders sagged, but she offered a smile. "Well, if you do, I'll be there."
"Alright. Well. Okay. Yeah. Let's go."
To Alice's great amusement, Bella took a few steps before she mumbled "oh" and eased Alice off of her.
They walked in silence. The vampire's mind was incredibly far from any sort of relaxed state. But it was good, exciting. And she felt so...happy. Bella was awkward and rather calm, but she definitely felt something. Whether it was imprint-level or not, it was enough for Alice to be thrilled for when they were together. Because it was just a matter of time.
Because Bella was hers, even if she didn't know it yet.
And for the first time, Alice didn't want to dive headfirst into something and wait for everyone else to catch up.
Alice moved up their pace by taking up a casual run and she rolled her eyes when they got there and Bella started as if to go around the house. She jumped up to Bella's window and slid in, giggling softly as Bella quietly hissed her name.
Bella came through the window with notably less grace, but she didn't hit anything or produce a lot of noise. She scowled at Alice. "I don't know why I'm surprised. Of course you'd display your B&E skills at the house of the police chief."
Alice shrugged a shoulder. "I never said I was a good influence."
Then Bella rolled her eyes and her demeanor changed, signaled by her rubbing the back of her neck.
And Alice wasn't sure how to proceed without making it awkward.
But Bella grunted and bent to remove her shoes and socks and Alice followed suit until Bella literally flopped face-first onto the bed and didn't move.
"You are so weird."
"Says the psychic," Bella bit back, muffled by the pillow.
It was not a good comeback, and Bella yawned, shoving her arm under her pillow. There was plenty of space on the bed for Alice, but still, she hesitated.
"Alice?"
"Yes?"
"Go the fuck to sleep."
Really, she'd never smiled so much before Bella Swan. And that was saying something.
She flopped onto the bed like Bella had, but on her back, and stared up at the ceiling.
She checked the time after a while and the clock on Bella's nightstand told her she'd been failing at "sleep" for eleven minutes.
"What do you need?"
"I thought you were asleep."
Bella huffed...or something. Hard to tell between her mumbles and the way she'd shoved her face into the pillow. "Waiting for you to stop fidgeting."
Alice pursed her lips before reaching a decision. She scooted close to Bella and, after not being questioned, pressed against her and laid her head on Bella's shoulder. Her arm folded across Bella's back so that she could splay her fingers across the top of of the tattoo. It took up a majority of the shifter's left shoulder blade and she resisted moving the sports bra to see the rest of the airy design. Swallowing, she whispered, "Is this okay?"
"You're comfy."
"Bella, I'm cold and heavy and hard."
"Well fuck you, I like the weight of you and the cold is nice."
"Better than the other girls you've cuddled?"
Bella scoffed like she'd asked if water was wet. "I don't cuddle."
But she was doing it now, with Alice, and didn't object when Alice slid her leg over one of hers, settling in. "You don't do a lot of things, do you?"
Enough time passed for Alice to realize Bella probably fell asleep and she sighed, her breath ghosting across Bella's back.
"That was so cold, dude."
"I'm sorry."
"No. Like. Is everything of you cold? Mm. Dumb question."
Alice giggled. "Go to sleep."
"But are you comfy?"
The sound of Bella's heartbeat and breathing was steady, somehow intimate against Alice's ear now that it wasn't a noise just brought to her by her vampire senses. "Yes."
Bella grunted.
"Do you think I'm too hard?"
"You're not." Bella adjusted her pillow and her voice came out clearer. "You're just not really squishy like everyone else. I don't worry about hurting you."
"I worry about hurting you," Alice admitted.
"You won't. Go to sleep."
"Do you-"
"Alice, go to fucking sleep. Stop talking. Stop thinking. Just let go."
She did. She pressed closer against Bella and lifted her head to kiss the warm skin under her. Bella stiffened, but only for a moment. "Good night," she murmured, settling back down and closing her eyes.
"Night, Ali."
The vampire drifted with a smile on her face and a phantom beating in her chest.
A/N: They're so? Gay? And Bella's so dumb oh my god.
I absolutely line up a shot at the end of the chapters, Sk8rgrl69, I absolutely do. And FrankDank! Thank you :)