The first thing I feel is that I'm very, incredibly warm, almost enveloped in comfort.
"-always told you-" I hear Alice's voice as though from very far away, before Edward cuts her off sharply, definitely, voice as hard as I've ever heard it,
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Alice-"
"So what now?" she fires back, and I can't remember petite, gentle Alice ever talking quite so forcefully before. "You leave again? Come back once a year for the next ten years before you can't stand it anymore and have to talk to her again? Screw what it's doing to you, Edward, have you ever stopped to think- really think, objectively, about what you've done to her? What it's going to do to her eventually when-"
I hear a chair fly backwards, the sound of wood cracking as he hisses something too low for me to hear before growling, though I'm positive she hasn't said anything else, "That will never happen, Alice."
"I know what I see," she replies after a long moment, voice far, far calmer than his, "And even after all this time, you're still just postponing the inevitable. Nothing has changed since she was seventeen, and nothing you can do will change that, as though the past week wasn't enough to demonstrate that. There are only two ways for it to happen, at least on your end. Either you will make her one of us, or you'll kill her. It's just a matter of which and when."
I don't even have time to process the words before the blackness surrounds me again.
--
"No!" I hear two voices thunder simultaneously as I slowly struggle to consciousness again, and I wonder what on earth could inspire Edward and Jacob to actually agree on something.
"Well, maybe that Bella's awake now, she'd like to offer an opinion herself," Alice suggest glibly, and I feel caught off guard and oddly embarrassed as I blink, raising up from the couch and able to feel a furious blush on my face as I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, not caring how out of place the question might sound in the tension of the room.
"Where are the kids, Jake?"
"Playing outside," he near growls, not even bothering to turn to face me from where he stands, sending a death glare at Alice- a death glare that Edward seems determined to outdo as he stares at his own sister, murder in his eyes.
"They must be hungry," I offer, knowing that I'm not helping the situation any, but unsure how I should act, what I should say-
"Your dad fed them," Jake bites out in that same tone of voice, so different from any he has ever used with me, and I suppress a shiver as I struggle to understand what's going on.
"Hi, Bella," Alice says suddenly, smiling at me, that same warm, genuine smile I remember from before, when things were infinitely simpler, and also somehow more complicated, and before I can even realize what's happening she's leapt forward gracefully and is hugging me tightly. I can't help but let out a small laugh at her enthusiasm as she says warmly, "I missed you," and I say, without needing to think about it at all,
"I missed you too Alice," sending her a genuine smile as she pulls back slightly and grabs my hands.
"Do you mind if we go somewhere else to talk?" she inquires, looking suddenly nervous for reasons I don't understand, and I start to nod even as Edward and Jacob bark, once again, miraculously, in agreement,
"No!," both stepping toward us in a way that might have been menacing if it wasn't also so oddly comical.
Alice looks slightly nervous, but with one more look at the two men I feel suddenly, sharply indignant as I snap, hands on my hips, "Excuse me? Who asked you?" before squeezing Alice's hands lightly and asking, "Where would you like to go?"
"You will leave this house over my dead body," my husband snarls at her before turning his attention to me and hissing, "So help me god, Bels, if I have to physically restrain you I will."
"What?" I blurt, blinking at him in confusion, too surprised to really think about why he might be saying that. In all this time, Jacob has never, ever threatened me, directly or indirectly, in any way- has never tried to control my movements, directly or indirectly, in any way-
"If necessary I'll help," Edward pipes up from somewhere behind Jacob and I feel anger at the fact that they're doing this to me, now of all times.
"I just bet you will," I snap harshly before turning so I can't see them and focusing on Alice. "Is it okay if you just tell me here? Evidently they've decided to go all cavemen on my ass."
And to my continued surprise, Alice looks like she's going to cry- in fact, if Vampires could cry, I'm sure she would be crying as she near-whimpers, sounding nowhere near as self possessed as she usually is, "Oh Bella, I'm in so much trouble."
"What, for coming here?" I hear myself ask blankly, unable to think of another reason why Alice- beautiful, perfect Alice, might think she's in trouble. "Alice, don't worry about that! Edward will get over it eventually, and, I mean, I don't think Jake's mad so much as surprised, like I am-"
"No, I- I came to see you about something else. I wasn't even sure Edward would still be here, and I can't see Jacob, so I had no idea how he'd react."
And for some reason my stomach sinks as I start to realize that whatever she's about to say is the reason Jake and Edward are acting so crazy- that whatever it is can't possibly be good-
"Bella," Alice interrupts my thoughts, looking down at her feet nervously, "I really, really need a favor."
"Alice, anything!" I cry, unable to believe she could be this nervous about asking me for something. "You know I think of you as a sister- nothing could change that-"
"No!" both Edward and Jacob cry out in unison again, and Alice shoots me a wary smile before saying softly,
"I think you should let me finish first, Bella."
I open my mouth to protest that she doesn't have to, but something about the sheer desperation in Jacob's tone gives me pause, so I just nod instead, waiting for her to continue.
"The Volturi have Jasper," she blurts out suddenly, and I wrack my brain, almost positive I've heard the term before, but utterly unable to place it. "And- I need your help to get him some information."
"The- what?" I ask, knowing I sound like an idiot again and unable to help it as I fail to make sense of anything she's saying- what has Jasper? And how on Earth can I help her with this-
"Sort of like Vampire royalty," Jacob bites out bitterly from somewhere behind me. "At least if I'm to understand this right."
Something else half-clicks in my head but again I can't place it, so I sigh, saying softly,
"I'm- sorry, Alice, but I don't really see how I can help. I mean- I'm just- normal."
"Aro won't see it that way," Edward says bleakly, voice almost wooden, and I fight the urge to scream as I snap,
"Who's Aro? What are you all talking about? How can I possibly help you? I mean- you're vampires, they're vampires- I don't get what the problem is. If Jasper wants to leave this- Vampire royalty, can't he just- well, go?"
And to my amazement it's Edward who speaks. "No. They want Alice. He's the best leverage they could hope to find, and they know it."
"Want Alice?" I blurt in continued confusion. "Want her for what?"
And somehow it's become Edward who I'm talking to as he bites out harshly, "Her ability."
Abiltiy? It takes me longer than it should to figure out that he means the way that she can read minds, and I nod, still not understanding how this involves me.
"They've wanted Alice for years. They wouldn't mind having me, either, but since my… ability is similar to Aro's, they're not quite as desperate-"
"Desperate for what?" I cry out in real frustration. "And what do you want me to do?"
Again, Edward and Jacob are bellowing in unison- or at least Jake is bellowing, while Edward merely hisses, "Nothing."
And with that I turn back to Alice, saying softly. "And- you? What do you want me to do?"
And Alice looks as nervous as I've ever seen her, which I don't really understand, since she must know one way or another, what I'm going to say-
"The thing is, Bella- the Volturi are looking for a new human secretary. Or at least- they will be in three days. And I was wondering if you might be willing to go and help me get Jasper out -"
I look at her like she's crazy for a long moment before saying hesitantly, "Alice, you know if I could help you I would, but, I mean, wouldn't it be better to send Carlisle to negotiate or something? I just don't think they'd be into having a klutzy middle aged human work for them-"
"They would," Alice says with impossible certainty before looking hesitant again, and whispering, "But I understand that- you probably wouldn't want to go. It's really selfish of me to ask you-"
And I can feel my heart constrict as I hear Conner laugh outside and realize I can't- it would be irresponsible, and wrong, to leave my children on some wild goose chase for Jasper-"
"Yes it is," Jacob says loudly from behind me before I can speak and suddenly the words I was going to speak are drowned out by my fury at how Edward, as usually, seems to think he can dictate my actions- that Jacob is somehow getting that idea too-
"She can't do it, Alice," Edward says from behind me, sounding mostly tired, and Jacob pipes up,
"I won't let her-"
"The hell I can't!" I snap, not even thinking about the consequences of my words as I gaze at Alice intently. "I'm ON this. Now tell me what to do."
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