I have to give a big Thank You to my beta Ms. Bond, she not only has to deal with my horrible grammar but my excessive use of the word Shit.

So thank her by checking out her story Becoming Bella http://www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/5366270/1/becomingbella

I know most of you already read I Get Off by Britpacksuccubus but if haven't and you're looking for something that will make you tingle check out I Get Off!

http://www[dot]fanfiction[dot]net/s/5234938/7/IGETOFF

Mary J. Blige's "The One" is Alice's theme song, when I heard it, I could see Alice spoke to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, the wonderful Stephanie Meyers.

The One

Them other girls you done been with

None of them got nothing on me

Hating on my style, they ain't got nothing on me

Nothing on me

Way I walk, the way I talk, my swagga

Look around, every dude wanna have her

I ain't saying that I'm the best, but I'm the best

Hey Baby, you need that

-Mary J. Blige

*****************

I groaned when my cell phone vibrated. Laying across Jasper I picked up the God forsaken thing. I knew who the text was from before I even saw the caller ID. The one person I should have never taught to text, my father, Carlisle Cullen.

Ace,

Pls will you do me this favor?

Dad

I hated it when my dad tried to make me hang out with people, I put an end to his friendly play dates, when I had to deal with the crazy twins, Jane and Alec Ramsey. They were just plain creepy, the whole family was ick-ville. He had been determined lately for me to hang out with one his patients, Bella. She must be some loser if he's trying to recruit friends for someone over the age of 15.

Dad,

We'll discuss when I return to Forks. I'm on VACA!

Ace

Just as I was dropping off to sleep, the phone vibrated again. FUCK!!

Ace,

What's VACA?

Dad

I had to laugh.

Daddy,

VACATION!! Something you better think about or Mom is going to be pissed!

Ace

I felt Jasper's arms circle my waist; he repositioned me and gave me my morning kiss. Fuck morning breath, I kept thinking, and started giggling. His hands in my hair, he started to massage my scalp and his lips met mine again. No more giggles, just me and Jasper. It never failed how he calmed my over hyper ways. When our kissed ended I remained straddling him, my head over his heart, it was nice and strong.

"I don't want to go yet," I said softly.

"More shopping?" he said jokingly.

"No, silly I'm actually all shopped out" I said.

"Excuse me Miss, but I'm looking for my fiancee Mary Alice Cullen. Have you seen her?" He kissed my hair. "What's wrong babe?" he asked.

"I just want another day of us. When we get to Forks, it's going to be about the family, and the band." I hated that I sounded so ungrateful. Jasper's career as a songwriter was really taking off, Edward was entrusting him to helm the next CD, and with Edward's writers block most of the pressure would be on him.

"Is it wrong to want Jasper and Alice time?" I asked quietly.

"No babe. I'm perfectly happy with Jasper and Alice time" his Texan accent more pronounced when he was tired.

He brushed his calloused fingers up and down my spine; I was in my own personal heaven. Every girl should have a man who treats her like a princess, even when she's being an unreasonable bitch. I'm not perfect and Jasper gets that.

He looked at me letting out a big sigh and tightened his arms around me; I kissed his chest and drifted off to sleep.

**************************

"Alice can I see you in my office?" my father asked me softly, two days later. I was surprised he waited this long, considering all the emails and text messages.

"Sure Dad" I said, as I followed him down to his office. I was going to have to decline this 'play date' he was trying to set up. This was ridiculous.

"Have a seat sweetie" he gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. I sat down and stared at him, with a bored look on my face that Rosalie had taught me. I remembered to sigh so I could sound bothered, and not rude.

"I'm hoping while you're here on vacation, you can meet up with Bella Ramsey", he said softly. I wondered to myself if she was related to the Ick twins. "She didn't have many friends outside Jake Black's circle".

"Daddy, if she's friends with Jake, then she's good. She won't need me." I said.

"Mary Alice, I wouldn't ask if this wasn't important." FUCK he called me Mary Alice, not Alice or even Ace but Mary Alice, he wasn't going to give up.

"Dad, remember last time you tried to make me do this, it ended with Jane Ramsey whacking off a chunk of my hair? And you want me to go back into that same family, to be friendly?" I said, shaking my head no. "Sorry dad, not going to do it", I stood up, prepared to leave the room.

"Sit Mary Alice", my father said in a controlled voice, which was empty of emotion. I've only heard my father use that voice when he'd caught me making out with Parker Webber in the back room. I sat back down, and my father placed a small box in front of me. "I hope this changes your mind Mary Alice", he said quietly.

I opened the box, and my heart stopped. I looked at my father; his face was cool and unreadable.

"Is this legit?" I asked him.

"Yes, its legit." he said.

"What do I have to do?" I asked, staring into the box.

"Just take Bella out for lunch and some shopping" he said and passed me his cell phone with Bella's number already highlighted.

"Dad, I'll call her later today".

"But my dearest Mary Alice, if you don't call right now, you can't keep your gift", he said with a smug smile. When did my father start playing Mr. Conniving?

I looked down into the box, it was beautiful. I always wanted one, now it was here; I wondered if this was how new mothers felt when they first looked at their newborns. I looked down once more, and stretched my hand down. I dialed Bella Ramsey, she answered on the third ring.

"Hi Dr. Cullen", she said whispered timidly. Great, this was going to be fun, I looked down for inspiration.

"Hey Bella, its Alice Cullen", I said cheerfully. I might as well put that pixie shit out there.

"Oh, hey Alice", she sounded as surprised as I felt.

"I'm heading out to Port Angeles for a little shopping, and wanted to know if you wanted to come with me?" I finally spit out.

"Um...I don't know...."Bella replied, sounding uneasy. She hated the play dates too. There was a rustling in the background and I thought I heard someone,it must have been be her husband.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun, a girl's day! And I need it!" I rushed.

"Um, could you hold on?" it sounded as if she covered the mouthpiece. "Unfortunately, I have to be back home by 4", she said quietly.

"Oh, I'll have you back by then! I can pick you up around 9:30", I said. I needed to close this deal, and not have her back out. "See you then!" I said and hung up the phone.

"Done", I said to my father, as I scrolled through his contact list and forwarded her info to my phone.

I finally looked at him, I thought he'd have a smug look on his face, but instead there was only a look of relief.

"Thank you, Ace", he said as he stood up. He gave me a kiss on the forehead. Not that my dad was never affectionate, but this was an odd moment. I grabbed his hand before he turned to leave.

"Daddy, what's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing sweetie, just enjoy your gift and have a good day with Isabella", he said. I looked down at my gift and sighed; I'd always wanted one, and couldn't wait to use it. It was beautiful, with my full name on it, Mary Alice Cullen. Imagine that, my name on an American Express Black Card.

"Thank you, Daddy! Does Mom know you have this?" I had to ask.

My father chuckled, "Of course, she's the one who told me what it was", he said as we left his office. "Please remember, you can only use it when you're with Isabella". BACK THE FUCK UP.

"What?" I asked.

"That's the stipulation Mary Alice", he said, and continued down the stairs.

"That's not fair!" I said, nearing tantrum mode. She wasn't even his kid. Or was she? "Dad, she's your bastard and you haven't told us yet," I said in a hushed tone.

My father looked at me as if I had struck him; he grabbed me by the arm and got really close to my face. "I've NEVER cheated on your mother, and for you to make that kind of accusation, is just a fucking slap in the face Mary Alice. I have my reasons for asking you to do this. If you can't fucking handle this, I will find someone else who can", he said in a even harsher, low tone. I had never seen my father like this, he was usually the most calm person, even when Edward and Emmett had gotten into trouble he had never lost his composure. He abruptly let me go, and walked back to his office.

I blinked back the tears, I knew I hurt his feelings, and needed to apologize. I walked back into his office, not bothering to knock. He was standing, looking out the window with his hands in is hair. He looked a lot like Edward at that moment.

"Dad", I said softly. "I shouldn't have said that".

My father turned to me and shook his head as he came over to me.

"Baby, I should apologize." He embraced me, "I'm sorry I lost my temper, there is no excuse. Because, if someone had done that to you, I would have beaten them within an inch of their lives. Have fun with the card" He gave me another peck on the fore head. "Go buy a car if you want", he joked.

We made another attempt to leave his office; at the foot of the stairs, I reached over and gave my dad a peck on the cheek. "Love you Daddy" I said, and ran to the music room to see Jasper.

Jasper was tuning his guitar when I walked down the steps. He looked up and smiled. I walked over and gave him a kiss. I felt better after those tense moments with my dad.

"Did your dad take it well when you turned him down?" he asked as he resumed tuning the guitar. I grinned and reached in my pocket, flashing my gift in front of him. He recognized the infamous Black card and started laughing.

"Wow, Carlisle has learned a few tricks along the way", he said, and started strumming his guitar to a melody I'd heard him work on before. "So, when do you have to meet up with Bella?" he finally asked.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. "I have to leave here in about 20 minutes, she has to be back at 4", I replied.

I loved watching Jasper play guitar, with his eyes, closed I took in his lanky well muscled body, encased in loose fitting jeans, and a fitted DCMA tee shirt. His wild wavy blond hair was in a sloppy ponytail. His eyes, were a cornflower blue, that I easily got lost in. I loved everything about him, his eyes, his mouth, hell I even adored his feet. Because if I were being honest, for a guy, he had great feet. Ugh! If I didn't get a move on NOW I was going to jump him.

As if sensing my time was up, he opened his eyes and smiled. I walked over and gave him a gentle kiss. His soft lips met mine and I literally felt my toes curl.

"Love you," he whispered. "Please drive safely and no more than 10 miles over the speed limit."

"Love you too, but I can only promise to be careful." I turned around and started to walk out of the house and towards the Suburban.

************************

Bella was waiting for me, because she was down the walk just as I parked the Suburban, followed by a tall blond guy. He was wearing a typical blue office shirt, dark grey pants, and he had blue beady eyes-Definitely the husband. I put my truck in park, hopped out, and met her half way. I reached over, gave her my best smile and quick hug "Hey Bella, thanks for joining me", I said.

"Sure, no problem, thanks for inviting me", she replied with a slight smile. The man, then approached. "James, this is Alice Cullen, Alice, this is my husband, James Ramsey" she said nervously. He placed hand on her shoulder, and she visibly tensed up.

"Nice to meet you James" I said cheerfully. I may be a bitch, but my mother did teach me manners, so I extended my hand out to him.

"Nice to meet you too Alice", he grabbed my hand and squeezed it way too tight. One of my biggest pet peeves is a bad hand shake, too strong or weak, it just irritates me. I reciprocated with an even tighter squeeze; most people don't expect someone with as stature as small as mine to have that kind of strength, he obviously wasn't either. I just smiled at him; I couldn't tell if he was trying to intimidate me or not. I wanted to tell him that shit didn't work on me, but I kept myself in check. You could be a foot taller or same size but try to step to me I'd take you down. One of the perks of having Emmett as a brother was that he taught me how to fight, I just continued to smile.

"So, what's the plan for today?" he asked.

"Oh, just lunch and a little shopping", I said with a smirk.

"Anyone else joining?" he inquired. I looked at Bella, who was staring at her shoes.

"No….it's just me and Bella today. Rose hasn't returned from Hawaii, and my mom was called into work, but she gave us a rain check for next week", I said smiling at Bella.

"Where exactly are you going?"

"Landings Mall, in Port Angeles".

"I see, I see. Where are you going for lunch?" he inquired further. "What time will you be back?"

"Bella said she needed to be back by 4, so 4." I said hoping the 20 questions were over.

"Ok, well you ladies have a good time", he said once my answers satisfied him. Bella and I watched him walk to his car and drive off. Once James was out of sight Bella seemed more visibly relaxed. She gave me a shy smile, and we made our way to the Suburban.

We didn't speak much on the way to Port Angeles; I think my driving was scaring her, so to relax things a bit, I turned on my iPod. Lately, I've been obsessing with 'the One' by Mary J Blige, and I just had to sing it at the top of my lungs. Bella glanced at me and tried to hide her grin.

"What?" I asked.

"I just didn't see you as a Mary J Blige fan", she said.

"Yeah, I may look Gwen Stefani, but I'm all about the R&B, rap, pop genre", I said. She glanced over at me to take in my red-plaid skinny pants, white Cami, black leather jacket, and 5 inch ankle boots. I rarely wear red since it clashes with my dark magenta red hair, but lately I haven't cared too much. I was just happy it decided to curl, instead of frizz like it normally does.

"You're kidding, right?" Bella was laughing.

"It's true! Its how Emmett and I used to bond, then Edward and I would bond with Rock. I just can't do his classical stuff, unless I have insomnia", I finished.

For some odd reason the truck got really silent, Bella had seemed retreat into her quiet mode. To fill the un-natural void I started rambling about my recent trip to Los Angeles.

"You know, I when I went to L.A., I found this amazing jacket, but when I got it home, I realized it didn't fit the vibe of Rose or myself. I swear, I hate that! I find these great items, but making them work doesn't always go as planned", I said in a rush, I heard Bella chuckle, at least I knew she was listening.

"So, what have you been up to you since I saw you last?" I inquired. We didn't talk much after the concert, but I figured it was a good way to get her to start talking.

"Not much, I just hung out with Jake", she said quietly. If she kept speaking that low I'd have to turn the radio off.

"I need to get out to La Push while I'm home. I can't believe how much I miss that place when I'm on the road".

We were quiet again, and I didn't know how to make the conversation flow.

"So, how long have you been married?" I inquired, she tensed up. Oh, touchy subject…

"Four years", she said looking out the window.

Ok, hubby isn't a good subject; then again if my husband was as creepy as hers, I wouldn't talk about him either. Thank goodness Jasper was nothing like James, people love to be around Jasper.

"Cool" was all I could think to say.

The drive to Port Angeles usually takes about 45 minutes, but the way I drove I was able to get us there in less than 30.

We entered the Port Angeles shopping district and I went into a few new boutiques. As much as I wanted to just shop for myself, I knew I needed to start preparing for a few photo shoots that were lined up this summer. This particular store, called Eclipse showed a lot of promise for both the band, and me. I was grabbing a few items for me and Bella, when Lady Gaga's 'Beautiful Dirty Rich' came on. I started to strut across the store like a contestant, on America's Next Top Model, pulling clothes off the rack and tossing them over my arm, which made the sales girl laugh.

I chose some great tops and a couple dresses for Bella, and was trying to usher her into the dressing room, but she was resisting me.

"Alice, I don't know about these things", she said frowning, trying to put the items back on the rack. What she did choose, was a God awful flannel shirt, which was thicker and bulkier than the one she was currently wearing, and again ill-fitting.

"Bella, you look like a lumber jack. Looking like a girl is important otherwise, one day, someone might mistake you for a man. Trust me, I'm a stylist, and you need this outfit." I said this as I thrust more items in her hands.

"I understand, but I don't wear stuff like this" she protested.

"Bella, just try it on! You don't have to buy it, stop being a brat about it. Geez" I said harshly.

Bella's face was beet red from embarrassment, and she angrily stomped off to the dressing room. The girl had a decent frame, she could wear almost anything, and she choose to wear ill-fitting clothes. Women like that made no sense to me. I found a few new items that would be good for the cool Forks summers, and I went back to the dressing room Bella was changing in. Since it was just the two of us in the store, I just walked into where she was changing.

"Bella, I found -"I couldn't finish. A majority of Bella's back was covered in purplish and green bruises; some areas were yellow as if they're almost healed. With her hair up, I could see red marks on her shoulders. As she turned to face me, I could see her torso had marks that resembled a foot , as if she'd been stomped on. The bruising seemed to be everywhere; even her arms and legs were covered with marks.

"Alice, get out of here!" she screamed, trying to cover herself, I still couldn't speak. All I could do was stare, as if I was a dazed. I felt myself being pushed and looked up to see Bella trying to get me out of the dressing room. I could see her face was flushed, and there were tears in her eyes; I saw her lips moving, as if she was trying to tell me something.

Once I was out the changing room I still couldn't move, I could barely breathe. It was all starting to make sense. I could remember over the years my father, talking about treating woman who'd been abused; it always affected him, leaving him defeated. Some, he was able to help, and others he'd lost to the on going battle.

Why did I feel like I was drowning? Was this how my father felt sometimes? I walked over to the register, and handed the sales girl my card. Purchasing something always made me feel better; it was the only thing that made sense. I went through the store just grabbing items, not checking sizes; I just picked up what ever whatever my hand landed it on. I went back to the register and the sales girl continued to ring me up. But the feeling never left me, why?

"Ms. Cullen?" I looked up at the sales girl trying to my attention so I could sign the credit card slip.

"Sorry about that", I said.

I signed my name, I usually loved this part, but this time I just felt like throwing up. I saw Bella waiting for me out side outside the store. Her eyes were closed, her face was still slightly flushed, and her arms were wrapped around her body, as if she was trying to hold herself up.

I was still in shocked at what I'd seen in the dressing room. Her husband had to have done that to her, there was no question in my mind. I still wasn't sure what to say to her. What does someone say to someone about something about that? This was out of my usual realm. As I walked out of the store Bella started walking ahead of me, heading back towards the exit, when I heard my name being called.

I turned to see a teen wearing a Cullen hoodie, approaching me along with 3 other girls. "Are you THE Alice Cullen from the band Cullen?" she asked. I looked at her, seeing her excitement and I nodded yes.

"Ohmigod you're so tiny! Like a real life pixie!" tall weird girl #2 said.

I put on my fake pixie smile and just giggled. They asked me about Edward, and I just said he was home relaxing. The truth of it was in reality, Edward was holed up in the music room not speaking to anyone. They went on and on about shit in the tabloids, then I almost lost it. Weird Girl #2 actually ruffled my hair, like I was a kid. I looked at Bella who was standing off to the side, she caught my shocked expression and came over.

"Okay ladies, Alice and I need to get some shopping done" She grabbed my arm, and led me into to some random store. I was fuming.

"Sorry, but when I saw that girl ruffle your hair, you looked like you wanted to shank her." I glanced at Bella and started laughing, wow, considering what transpired in the last 15 minutes before she had still found a way to make me laugh. There was more to this Bella girl than I originally thought.

"Thank you, I appreciate the rescue. I hate that pixie shit. Yeah, I'm small, but I'm not some human size fairy", I told her rolling my eyes. "But it's my role in the band", I finished.

"We all play roles" she said quietly, Bella understood. I linked our arms and walked towards another store.

"And sometimes, we have to stop playing and come back to reality" I replied. I knew I had to change my image, but that could wait, someone calling me a fucking pixie was nothing compared to Bella's situation.

I tried to lead Bella to another store, but she stopped in her tracks. When I looked at her I could see the tears in her eyes again. Brave Bella was gone scared Bella had returned.

"Do you want to go?" I asked quietly, she nodded her head and we made our way back to the truck. We didn't say anything on the way back to Forks, and I felt like an ass. I don't know why, but I did. I felt like I let her down somehow, I know I let my father down, but why did I feel this strongly about someone I barely knew. I glanced over and I could see Bella huddled in her seat next to me looking out the window.

Again, I asked myself why would someone do this to her? And more importantly, why did she stay?

In my mind I could see the bruises clearly, as if she was standing right before me in just her underwear again. The various colors of red, purple, yellow and green markings looked painful, it explained why she wore the baggy jeans, loose shirts, even why she kept her face hidden behind her hair.

We arrived back in Forks less than 40 minutes later, I barely stopped the truck before Bella hopped out and ran into her house. I drove away from Bella's, trying to wrap my mind around what was happening. She wasn't a bad person, very quiet and shy actually, she was someone I would like on sight. How could her husband do this? No one deserved the bruises I saw. My heart started to pound, I could see my hands visibly shaking. There was no faking it now that I was alone, I just needed to get home and everything would be ok.

I saw the lane that lead to my family homestead, but the ease I desired had yet to come. As expected, my father's Mercedes was missing, as well as my mom's F-150 pick-up. I carelessly parked the Suburban, and jumped out; leaving the shopping bags, running to my room hoping Jasper was there. When I found the room empty, I immediately picked up my phone and called him; he answered on the second ring.

"Babe, where are you?" I asked urgently.

"In our spot out back, are you ok?" he asked, as I was racing down the stairs, exiting the back patio towards the creek.

"I just need you" I clicked off, and ran in search of Jasper. I saw him walking towards me, and he lifted me in his arms when I reached him. He cradled me to him as he walked me the rest of way to our spot near the creek, and sat us both down without once breaking contact.

I was shaking so badly and I could feel his hands rubbing my back trying to soothe me. When I looked up at him, I realized the tears I had been holding back were finally coming down. Jasper had a worried look on his face, he tried to wipe the tears away, but they were streaming down my face too quickly for him to do much good.

"Babe, you're scaring me", he whispered, I felt his hands in my hair, he was trying to massage my scalp, to calm me, but it wasn't working. I clutched his neck, crying into it while trying to get my breathing under control.

I don't know how long we sat that way, and I knew he was getting uncomfortable but he never released me. I finally relented on my death grip, and Jasper handed me his handkerchief. I smiled, because he could be so old fashion sometimes, so sweet. Then I started thinking about Bella again and my smile faded.

"Talk to me babe", he whispered gently rubbing my cheek.

"We were shopping…I selected a few items for Bella to try on, I knew she didn't want to, I insulted her wardrobe, and I pretty much threw her in the changing room." I could feel my cheeks turn red from embarrassment, remembering how I humiliated her. "She finally went into the dressing room to try on a few items; I went out to the floor and found a few more things, I didn't think about it, I went into my usual mode. I just walked right into her fitting room; I do this to Mom and Rose so much, I think nothing of it. But, I shouldn't have done that to Bella." The tears returned, and I could barely breathe, the image was burned in my head forever.

"Jazz, she was covered in bruises! I don't think there was a spot on her back that didn't have a bruise. And she went ballistic on me when I walked in, as she had every right to", I could barely get the words out and Jasper just held on to me.

"She didn't say a word to me on the way home, not that I asked questions, I was too stunned. That's how bad I am Jazz, I didn't ask questions, nor did I offer anything. Why did Dad ask me to do this? He should have sent you", I wailed.

Jasper chucked. "I don't think Bella would have been comfortable with me, but, I think Carlisle asked you, because you're more intuitive than you realize. Ask anyone who gets to know you; they know they can come to you for advice, for something other than clothes." He hugged me again, my head still resting on his chest, I could hear his heart.

"What do I do?" I asked.

"You just be Alice, be the compassionate person I fell in love with, that friend she can count on when she thinks there's no one else. Just be you, Ace Cullen", he said quietly. I knew I could count on Jasper to make me human again, I knew he was right. We walked hand and hand back to the house. As we were walking, I realized Jasper had his first writers meeting with Edward.

"How did you meeting go with Edward", I asked.

"Not good. He's in a foul mood, like he has been for the last few days. But basically, out of the 6 songs I presented, he only liked one."

Great Edward was in the tortured artist mode today, and I was not in the mood to deal with him.

"I can't believe it, they were good songs!" I was starting to get frustrated, not only was I having a shitty day, but so was Jasper. I gave his hand a squeeze. As we were walking in Jasper stopped me.

"Don't tell Edward about seeing Bella's bruises, he knows her, and I don't think he'd be able to handle that information", he whispered.

I nodded my ok to him indicating that I understood. We were at the top of the stairs when Edward came out of his room.

"Hey Ace, Jasper, you want to go for a run?" Edward asked.

He must be more stressed out than I realized, tortured artist Edward liked to brood, not move. That was what I needed, to escape my demons like Edward, demons rarely shared with anyone. Edward looked up at me, his green eyes looked painful.

"I can't, right now", Jasper said, putting his arms around me being comforting, and right then I knew what I needed to do.

"Babe, go with Edward, I need to run a quick errand", I said quickly, ideas running through my head.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked.

"Yes, our talk helped", I reached over and gave him a peck on the cheek, and ran to the room where our trunks were located. I found the shopping bag I was looking for, and ran back outside to the Suburban.

The drive to Bella's took less than 5 minutes; I grabbed the shopping bag, and made my way to her door. I knocked, hearing movement in the house, but she didn't answer. I knocked again, louder this time and finally, few seconds later, she opened the door, her eyes were red and puffy.

"Can I come in?" I asked. She opened the screen door and stepped aside to let me in, partially hiding behind the door. I was surprised to see the ultra modern furniture, it was cold and sterile, there was nothing warm or homey about the house. It didn't fit Bella at all.

I took a seat on the couch, and patted the spot next to me. Bella slowly took a seat looking ahead, not making eye contact. I handed her the Chanel bag, she didn't open it, just held onto it, still avoiding my eyes.

"Remember that jacket I was telling you about earlier? Well, I got home and realized it would look much better on you, than me or Rose.

"Bella, I wanted to apologize for my behavior at Eclipse today" I said, Bella finally looked at me with a frown. "I'm used to shopping with Rose and my mom, where we just barge in each other's dressing rooms. We're really open that way."

"Don't worry about it" she said quietly, her voice thick with tears. Her hair created a curtain and I was unable to see her eyes, so I pushed her hair behind her ear, I could feel her flinch. Oh dear God, she actually thought I was going to hit her.

"Bella, I'm not going to bullshit around about what I saw. Your husband is physically abusing you, and I will not pretend to understand or relate. But, I want to be your friend; you can count on me to be there for you, if you need to vent, if you need refuge, anything, you can count on me. And even though I travel a lot you can always call me. If you can't get a hold of me you call my parents, they will help you until I can hop on the next plane home.

"I'm not just saying this, I mean it. You are not alone, do you understand me? You have me, you know my dad is on your side, you have Jake, Jasper and Emmett will be there for you too. And my mom! Lord she may not let you go, so if you need her, she's there! And even moody ass Edward will be there for you. If you want to leave today, I'll help you, if you want to leave tomorrow just say the word. But sweetie, please understand, you need to leave soon." I finished, gathered her into a tight hug and let her cry. She held in so much, and to hear her release the pain was one step closer to her healing.

I felt a tie to Bella that I couldn't explain, like a sister I never had. As close as I was to Rose there was a part of her that she always kept to herself, she even closed herself off to her twin brother.

"Alice?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Thank you"

"Anytime sweetie", I continued to hold her until her phone rang. Sighing heavily, she picked up her phone from the coffee table and answered.

"Hi James", she said sounding tired. I could hear him mumble something, "I was watching Titanic", she sniffed. "yes, dinner will be ready in 20 minutes" she closed her eyes when he spoke "Ok, see you in a few minutes". Her eyes were still closed when she said. "He's on his way home".

I stood and kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, after he leaves for work".

"Alice I can't, I went out today, he'll be calling me constantly to see where I'm at. I'll just call you in a couple of days, okay?" she said quickly looking nervous.

"If I don't hear from you by 10 am tomorrow I'm coming over here. Got it missy?" I finally got a real smile out of her.

"Got it" she said. I gave her one last hug and drove home. I felt better than I did this afternoon, but I had this urge to open a can of whoop ass on her husband. Moments like this, I wish I was as musically talented as Edward, then, I could put this nervous energy into something constructive.

When I got in the house I went down to the music room, Jasper and Edward were making notes on the board. It looked like they'd come to some sort of agreement about the songs. I made my way to Rose's practice drum set, and picked up the sticks. I fiddled around a bit, playing a few beats, but I had limited skills on the drums. As if sensing my urge to hit something, Edward plugged in his guitar and was already strapped in. He started strumming the opening chords to Notions by Kings of Leon, and before I knew it I was singing the opening lines:

I gotta notion to say what doesn't feel right
Got an answer in your story today
It gave me a sign that didn't feel right

So don't knock it, don't knock it
You've been here before
So don't knock it, don't knock it
You've been here before

My voice started cracking, and tears started sliding down my cheeks, I started sobbing and it was too much for me to continue, both Jasper and Edward rushed to my side.

"Guys, stop, I'm fine, I'm just being a girl", I said trying to wave them off as Jasper guided me away from the drums, he sat me in his lap and wrapped his arms around me. Edward took a seat on the coffee table in front of us.

"How bad was it?" Edward asked, he looked at me with his piercing green eyes and I realized he knew. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"Bad", I whispered. Edward continued to smoke as he told us about his conversation with Jacob. She was trying to protect Jake but had forgotten to take care of herself.

"She's coming with us when we leave".

"She's leaving him?" Edward said.

"If I have to hog tie her and put her on a plane she will, but if she doesn't leave soon she won't survive another summer", with all her bruising there was no way…

Edward's expression went stoic, he stood up without a word and walked out the music room. Jasper's arms comforted me from my internal demons.