A/N: This idea struck me while I was reminding myself why Alice and Jasper are the best couple in the series. I'm not entirely sure how this is going to end up, but I hope you like it. Also, I do not mean to offend anyone with anything in this story. Any characters or places resembling any real persons or places is non-intentional and is not meant to reflect poorly on any one person or institution. R&R.

Hey, guys and gals! I have a poll up now on my profile page asking you, my lovely readers, how long you think Solstice should be. The options are either A) the whole story is contained in one fic/book, or B) I separate the story into four "books" like the original saga. For both options, I would include a selection of bonus scenes as bonus chapters. So, please, go now and vote!

Happy reading!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Bella was terrified, and I was laughing. Official plans had been made at lunch that Jasper would start teaching our vampire family how to fight after school. So, obviously not taking part in any possible fights with the nomads, Bella agreed to go shopping with me for our upcoming triple date. Emmett had been surprised when Bella had said that he had been right about her needing to get over her horse fear, but she'd practically melted his frozen, dead heart when she added in that she knew she'd be fine with Edward and her big brothers there to keep her safe. Now, however, she was wishing they were in Jasper's truck at that precise moment to keep her safe from my driving.

"Alice, slow down a little, please?" she pleaded, so I did.

"Okay, fine. Hey, do you have any questions for me, in case this whole plan to open Edward up to the idea of sex actually works?" I asked her seriously, and she looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.

"The condoms actually worked? Nothing broke?" she asked, and I nodded.

"They worked just fine, Bella. Neither vampirism nor size ended up being a risk factor for us last night." I answered, and she blushed.

"Alice, there are some things I'd rather not know about my brothers. But, thanks for answering me, anyway. Hey, what's this song called?" she asked, and I giggled.

"Why, Bella, what did you think I was implying? It's called 'I'm in a Hurry' by the band Alabama. One of their songs, my favorite actually, reminds me of Jasper." I told her, and she gently smacked my arm.

"You know damn well what you were implying, Alice. I just have a few more questions. A) As much as I don't really want to know, how true was your implied statement? B) What's that song called? C) Why does it remind you of Jasper?" she asked, and I smirked at her before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"I'll answer those out of order. First, the song is called 'If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You've Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band).' It reminds me of Jasper for more than one reason: the song's setting is an Alabama concert in Houston, where Jasper grew up in his human life; not that he'd admit it at the risk of facing Emmett's ridicule and Edward's wish for someone to play music with, but Jasper does actually play the fiddle, the guitar, and the piano; lastly, it's my personal belief that nothing is as hot as Jasper in his faded blue jeans, deep purple button-up dress shirt, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat. That is something I've seen in my visions from the time I was nine-years-old at the youngest, and it is a sight I truly love seeing." I said, taking a breath before continuing. "As for my implication, everything's bigger in Texas. I know you don't really want to know, just like I don't want to know about how Emmett or Edward are in that aspect, so I won't give any exact numbers."

"You know exact numbers on this?" she asked, and I blushed a light pink while giggling at the same time.

"I only feel comfortable telling you this because you're both my sister and my best female friend, Bella, so please don't judge me for this." I began, and Bella butted in before I could finish my statement.

"I'd never judge you, Alice. Make fun of you? Maybe a little, but what kind of little sister would I be if I didn't? Sorry, please continue." she said, and I nodded in agreement with her.

"I couldn't tell if it was a vision or a dream, but I'm leaning towards vision after last night, but I had a night-vision around the time I turned fifteen. I'd had many night-visions about and including Jasper before, but this one was different. This one wasn't sweet and innocent by a mile; this vision was about passion, desire, and pure love. Before you say anything, yes, the first time I saw Jasper naked, and I think it's quite the sight, was in a vision of him making love to me. I never told him because I think that it's embarrassing." I said, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"First, he'd probably find that little fact cute in some strange way. Second, that still doesn't explain why you have exact numbers. Third, your gift is definitely doubling as a curse if you can't tell the difference between a vision and a wet dream." Bella said, and I took my turn to smack her arm.

"Isabella Marie!" I said, giggling despite my mild embarrassment and anger.

"What? You know I'm kidding and I love you, sister!" she replied, and I nodded, calming down slowly.

"To answer your question, finally, despite how much I loved what I saw, I had to do some math afterwards. Using the measurements for the inside of my thigh as a basis for comparison, I came up with my answer." I said, and she blinked in surprise at me.

"Do I want to know…" she trailed off, and I didn't need a vision to know the rest of her unfinished question.

"My thighs are just a bit smaller." I said, and she held up her hands in defeat.

"I don't want to know any more than that, Al, I swear. I think I already know more than I needed to in the first place." she said, and I giggled.

"At least it's me your talking about this with. Would you rather it be Mom, Rose, or your mother?" I asked, and she paled.

"I have a feeling Rose will broach the subject at some point, but I'd like to never think about Mom or Renee saying anything about Dad, Charlie, or Phil ever again, Alice." she told me seriously, and I giggled as I nodded in agreement with her.

"Not so bad now, right?" I teased, and she giggled too.

"Just drive, pixie stick." Bella said, and I smiled at the nickname.

Shopping was fun. Well, I always think shopping is fun; but this trip was more fun than I had originally anticipated. Why, you may ask? Bella was actually enjoying this one. The type of clothes we were looking at were right up her alley. Plaid shirts, jeans, and boots with no-to-low heels were things Bella could wear and be comfortable in her own skin. She was having a great time shopping with me, and I couldn't help but smile as we walked towards the small restaurant we'd chosen for dinner after leaving out shopping bags in the car.

"See, it's not always your worst nightmare, is it?" I asked, and she smiled back at me.

"No, it's not. I guess it's okay when we're shopping for clothes I feel comfortable in. It's not that I hate the clothes you and Rosalie pick out for me, Alice, because I love those. It's more that I'm not sure I'm pretty enough to dress like I just stepped off of a NYFW runway." Bella admitted, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yet you know what NYFW means? You surprise me constantly, little sister, and I'm loving it! Look, you're just as pretty as Rosalie and I are. Okay, just me; let's face it, our sister could be a supermodel and it would surprise no one. But, seriously, you're very beautiful, Bella. I mean it, so don't roll your eyes at me, missy! I've seen you after the change, so, if it's anything to look forward to for you, you'll only get more beautiful from here on out. What is it?" I asked as she began to look very worried all of a sudden.

"We're being followed." she whispered, and I closed my eyes.

"Bells, act as my eyes while I try to look forward." I told her, and she put her arm around my shoulders to help lead me along the sidewalk.

"Hey, we saw you outside the mall. You girls wanna party with us?" one out of a group of five or six drunks called out to us as we walked.

"Where do you think you're goin', ladies?" one of his friends asked, circling around in front of us, and my eyes snapped open.

"Bella, we're vastly outnumbered. There are at least five of them, but there could be more. Where are our mates when we need them?" I asked, and she squeezed my hand lightly.

"We'll be fine, Ali. You've seen our future already, remember? Two weddings and three kids between us, right?" she replied, and I nodded slowly before familiar words hit my ears.

"Hey, we saw you outside the mall. You girls wanna party with us?"

"Keep walking, Bella." I whispered, praying for the familiar scent of lavender and honey to suddenly fill the area.

"Where do you think you're goin', ladies?" the second perv asked, and then Bella pulled us into an alley.

"What the hell, Bella?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"I smelled cinnamon and crisp apples. We'll be safe." she said, and I was only confused for a moment before the realization hit me; Bella had caught Edward's scent.

"Why couldn't those boys have called or text to say that their dumb asses were already on their way here? We could have just stayed by the damn car!" I mumbled, and Bella rolled her eyes, half-agreeing with my point.

"Can't go anywhere now, can you?" sleaze three shouted, and then the tire-squeals reached our ears.

Moments later, a silver Volvo skidded into the alley's entrance. I saw all three boys get out, and Rosalie wasn't far behind. She, however, stayed back, watching in shock and horror as Bella and I were being cornered by the drunken pervs.

Why was I focusing on Rosalie, you may wonder? Well, I took one look at Jasper before I realized that I couldn't look at him unless I wanted my whole experiment to fail. Edward, as far as I was concerned in that moment, could not know that seeing Jasper in protector-mode made me want to drag him back to our tent-on-an-almost-island and rip his clothes off. I would have to tell Jasper that myself once we were out of Edward's hearing and reading range.

"You guys want in? It'll cost ya!" drunk four called to my mate and brothers, none of whom looked even mildly enthused.

"Get away from my sisters, and I won't kill you." Emmett threatened in a completely calm and serious tone.

"You're a mighty fine gentleman, Em. I don't know if I won't kill them anyway." I heard Jasper say, but my eyes never left Rosalie.

"Girls, go to Rosalie, now." Edward told us as he and the other two continued to stare the pervs down.

I grabbed Bella and ran for it, skidding to a stop beside Rose. My older sister finally looked away from the alleyway and threw her arms around the two of us. She looked highly relieved that we were both okay.

The guys made their way back over to us after a few minutes, and I could tell that things were not okay thanks to enhanced senses and gifts. More cautiously than normal, I took Jasper's hand in mine. Our eyes met, and his expression softened.

"I'm fine, Darlin'." he told me softly, and I gave him a short nod as a sign of recognition.

"Emmett and I can run home. Edward, get Bella something to eat; she needs it, and I can hear her stomach acids churning from lack of substance to dissolve. Jasper, take your time coming home. If we don't have to tell Mom and Dad about this, we won't. Are any of them mortally wounded?" Rosalie said, and the guys shook their heads.

"We rendered them unconscious, but left it at that. We'll see you when we get home. Anything else?" Jasper said, and we left before anyone had the chance to say anything.

When we got back to the truck, Jasper let out a breath that, while unnecessary, I didn't realize he had been holding. I turned to him and allowed myself to fall into his arms. My sobs started the moment my forehead hit his chest.

"I was so scared!" I admitted, and he just held me closer.

"I could feel that, Alice, and that terrified me more than anything those…scumbags were feeling. I don't know what I'd do if someone hurt you like that." he said, and I continued crying into his chest until I couldn't cry any longer.

Without speaking, we got into the truck from the passenger side door. Jasper slid across and started the engine. We were on the road to Seattle before I realized he'd taken the keys from my purse while I was crying. Sneaky as a fox, that one.

"You took the keys from me while I wasn't looking. Not nice." I said teasingly.

"Alice, was there any particular reason you wouldn't look at me back there?" he asked after I pointed out his act, and I smiled slyly.

"Nice subject change; I wasn't going to destroy my experiment, Jazz, nor was I going to make Edward less threatening to those bastards. He would've turned tomato red before turning avocado green if he'd heard the thoughts I had to control back there." I explained, and Jasper let one hand fall from the steering wheel to rest on top of mine.

"And what thoughts were those, pray tell?" he asked, smirking.

"You know I love it when you get protective and, surprisingly, possessive over me. I knew that, if I looked at you back there, Edward would hear how much I wanted to go back to the tent with you and rip those clothes right off." I admitted, and he smiled.

"So, it really was just because you thought I wanted to wait that we managed almost a month of celibacy?" he asked me teasingly, and I rolled my eyes.

"Knowing Bella, she'll tell as soon as Edward is either gone or has figured us out. You might as well know that, before our sister runs her mouth to our other sister, I had a vision of us making love two years ago." I told him, and he had to slow the truck down to human speed as the information washed over him. "Are you angry with me?"

"Darlin', why would I be mad? I'm just curious as to, if you knew about the scars two years ago, why you asked me about them on the way to your aunt's house from the airport?" he asked, and I sighed.

"The vision I had of you and Emmett hunting showed your scars on your arms. I was still unsure that you were, well, real when that happened, so I had to make sure. I needed to know that you weren't going to destroy the future and reject me before I said anything about having already seen you naked. How awkward would that have been?" I explained, and he kissed my knuckles lightly.

"I'm very real, and I'm not going anywhere. I promise." he said, and I giggled.

"After last night, I'm never questioning your existence again." I said, and I felt the emotional levels in the truck shift.

"Remember our scientific research for after the kids are born?" he asked, and I giggled.

"Yes, but not in the truck, Jazz. Rosalie would definitely find out then." I said, and we were driving back towards Forks before I knew it.

Just before ten, after I'd received a text from Mom saying she'd talked to Aunt Catherine about the almost-attack on Bella and me so that I could stay the night, Jasper and I left our hiding spot and walked through the garage door at home. Mom was waiting for us, but the house was empty otherwise. She saw my curiosity and smiled.

"Edward is at Bella's, Dad's at work for about another thirty minutes, and Emmett took Rosalie to the house in Alaska. It's just the four of us tonight once your Dad gets home." she said, and I looked at Jasper.

"She can know. Mom's pretty good at blocking Edward." he said, kissing my temple.

"Go shower, and I'll tell her. If training hadn't made you in need of a shower enough already…" I teased him, and he hurried up the stairs after stealing one last kiss from my lips.

"Tell me what? What was that all about?" Mom asked, and I blushed.

"There are a few things that I have to tell you, such as we drove straight home when I got your text, so I've yet to eat." I began, and Mom raised an eyebrow at me as we walked into the kitchen.

"Alice, Rosalie told me about the attack at seven. Where were you for just over three hours?" she asked, and I blushed deeper this time.

"Like Edward and Bella with the meadow, Jasper and I have a place we go where, for the most part, no one can find us. We were there for the last two hours and forty-five minutes, and we were having sex." I admitted, and Mom was silent for a solid minute.

"Why do I suspect Rosalie is somehow involved?" was the first thing she said, so I burst out laughing.

"Well, she gave me lingerie and condoms for my birthday, and Jasper and I realized that waiting was pointless. We have to have sex before I'm turned for me to get pregnant, right?" I said, and she laughed too.

"You were careful, though?" she asked me, and I nodded.

"Of course, Mom! You're not going to be a grandma just yet, I promise." I giggled out.

"What brought on you two ditching your siblings today, though, Alice? That I find intriguing." she asked me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Has Dad ever done anything that made you want to kick everyone out of the house, drag him upstairs, and rip his clothes off right then?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Oh, only every time he says he's going to kill anyone who ever tries to hurt you kids. Jasper's protective and possessive side got to you, I'm guessing?" she replied, and I nodded emphatically.

"For being essentially adopted, I am so your child. We're not telling anyone else about this, though, Mom. We want to see if Edward can figure it out for himself. Bella won't even pull him into her shield until he does." I told her, laughing slightly, and she smiled as she began making a grilled cheese for me.

"You know the saying, Alice: Like mother, like daughter. Anyway, as dense as your brother is, he and Bella could be married before she brings him back in." Mom said in a teasing manner, and I nearly fell off my barstool laughing.

"Mom, isn't that the least bit cruel to say about your son?" Jasper asked as he joined us in the kitchen and helped me back into my chair.

"It would be if your brother didn't have excellent selective hearing. If he believes it puts Bella in danger, he won't listen to any alternatives. You should have heard him on the phone when Rose called me! 'I never should have let Bella go out of town alone. What if I hadn't decided to meet up with her after training?' It was like no one else took part in today!" Mom ranted as she plated my sandwich.

"Alone? Where the hell did he think I was? Wait, I suppose it's my fault we were attacked because I don't have full control over my power and couldn't see that going shopping would result in almost being raped! And where does he get off saying that it was his idea to meet up with us after training? Jasper and I decided that in Italian before we talked with the others at lunch!" I practically screamed, and Jasper tried to curb my rage.

"I know that our brother's a moron, Darlin', but there is no point in shouting when he isn't here to face your wrath. That being said, he will be working twice as hard next training session for this little stunt…I'll triple it if he actually says that he blames you." he said, and I knew he was right.

"Make him fight Emmett, will you? It would make me feel better." I said, and Jasper grinned down at me.

"Yes, Ma'am." he said, pressing his lips to my forehead and sitting down on the barstool beside mine.

"I'll fight him next time. He won't know what to do in that situation. Edward knows what I went through as a human, so he won't want to try to hit me. But, as this is for Bella and Alice's safety, he'll know that he has to. He'll spend so much time on his inner monologue, I should be able to get him pinned." Mom said, and I smiled.

"That is genius!" I said, but Jasper just looked at us both in confusion.

"What does Edward know that I don't?" he asked, and I looked at Mom.

"It wasn't my story to tell. It didn't feel right for me to say anything." I told her, and she nodded and gave me a small smile.

"I know, sweetheart, and thank you. Jasper, what you have to understand is that Edward only knows bits and pieces of my story. He doesn't know why your father and I don't talk about how we met, but he knows that I was turned after trying to kill myself and that my first husband was physically abusive." Mom began, and Jasper let a low growl slip past his lips.

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I can't stand the thought of somebody layin' their hands on you like that." he said, shaking his head slightly.

"Emmett reacted the same way when Edward let it slip that Charles was his first victim when he decided to try a normal vampire diet. This story starts in 1911, when I was sixteen years old. I was a rebellious child, and my mother hated that I wouldn't do what I was told like my friends did. From the day I hit puberty, that woman was lining potential suitors up for me to meet. I, of course, rejected every single one of them. She invited one man to the house just after my sixteenth birthday, and I ended up climbing a tree to hide from her when she realized I was going to reject another suitor. Of course, because my mother believed my goal in life was to undermine her as much as possible, I ended up falling out of the tree and breaking my leg." Mom told us, though I already knew the story.

"Nice going, Mom." Jasper teased, and I giggled.

"It wasn't all bad, though. You see, our town's doctor was on vacation at the time, so we had to go to Columbus to get my leg treated. The doctor there was young and handsome, and I thought I'd finally found someone my mother would approve of that I wouldn't mind being married to. This doctor was your father, and I remember meeting him like it was just yesterday…" Mom began to trail off as the sound of footsteps on the stairs alerted us to someone joining our conversation.

"I remember it as well, though my account is probably somewhat different from your mother's." Dad said as he joined us in the kitchen.

"How so?" Mom asked, a coy smile playing at her lips.

"You said you remember me walking in and it being love at first sight?" Dad asked, and Mom gave him a short nod before he continued. "I remember walking in and seeing a young woman, obviously in pain, arguing with a woman who looked very much like her, only she looked a bit older, which I have learned usually means it's the mother. The young woman was telling her mother that, if she stopped trying to force her to marry, she would stop climbing and falling out of trees."

"That sounds like Mom!" I giggled out.

"It was the truth. Anyway, your father determined that my leg was broken and that I would need a cast. He officially became my hero when he convinced my mother to go and fill out my paperwork at the desk while the plaster was put on my leg." Mom said, smiling at Dad whilst giggling lightly.

"I knew I'd never be able to do my job if that woman was hovering over my shoulder the whole time." Dad said, and Mom raised an eyebrow at him.

"That was the only time you ever met my mother. Why all the contempt?" she asked, and my eyes budged.

"You never told her why you left Ohio?" I asked Dad, and he shook his head.

"I take it you know, princess?" he replied before turning back to Mom. "I felt that warmth when I shook your hand, and I decided I'd try to stick around as long as I could for you. About a week later, I bumped into your mother while she was having dinner with your father and another potential suitor for you. She introduced me to your father, and she started to get him to ask me over for dinner. I knew that, no matter how much I loved you already, I couldn't stay. I don't like the idea of taking someone's life so young; to this day, Edward is the youngest I've ever sired another vampire, and I only did so at Elizabeth Masen's insistence that I save her son. You were sixteen, darling, and I wasn't ready to end your life. I left for Illinois, and nothing, not even my own transformation, hurt me as much as leaving you did."

"He still thinks that leaving when he did means he's to blame for your first marriage and everything that came about as a result of that." I said, mock glaring at Dad.

"Is it not my fault?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"What would you have accomplished by staying? You would've had to have changed Mom when she was twenty-three in order to end up in Chicago in time to change Edward. Instead of being able to build this family, you would've probably been suspected of killing Mom when you had to come up with some story about why she's different from when she was human. That could've landed you in jail, and then none of us would be here." I told him, and Dad seemed genuinely shocked.

"Besides, dear, it's not your fault that I didn't think to look for you. I could've gone after you, could've saved up the money I was getting from teaching and left home. I was the one who chose to stay there and marry Charles to shut my mother up. You said it yourself, the woman liked to hover." Mom added, and Dad leaned back against the cabinets.

"How would you have followed me?" he asked, and Mom smiled.

"It would've been simple. Doctors tend to go wherever there's a medical crisis. The influenza outbreak in Chicago would've been enough for me to find you. It was a sudden epidemic, and Boston or New York would have been too far away at the time." she told him, and Dad let out a low chuckle in response.

"How do you make something as difficult as tracking down a vampire over two-hundred years old sound so simple?" he asked, still laughing.

"It would be that simple if all vampires were as predictable as you, my love." Mom answered, and Jasper took me by the hand and led me down to the truck.

"What's going on?" I asked, and the look in his eyes told me more than words could've.

"We need to go. Now." he said, and I let out a laugh.

"Fine, but you're buying me dinner. My sandwich is upstairs!" I giggled as we got in the truck and sped off back towards Port Angeles.

Wednesday morning, we returned home to find our siblings standing in the garage. All of them looked worried, and Edward looked a bit sick on top of that. Rosalie was the first to acknowledge our presence by pulling me into a hug.

"You're alright!" she let out breathlessly.

"Rose, what's going on?" I asked her, and she took an unnecessary breath.

"Charlie got word of some suspicious killings a few counties over. The cops there thought whoever or whatever it was might be heading this way. Mom and Dad said you two left last night, and no one had seen you since. We were worried Victoria and James found you." Bella said, and I switched from hugging one sister to hugging the other.

"We're fine. We thought it best to give Mom and Dad their space last night, so we made ourselves scarce." I said, and Bella looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Again?" she asked teasingly, and I rolled my eyes.

"No, not again, Bella; that happened before we ever made it home. Is that going to be your go-to reaction from now on?" I asked her while keeping my thoughts vague.

"Until such time as you tell me something's changed, every time the two of you go missing, I will think the same thing." She stated firmly, and Edward began coughing the way he did to signal his discomfort with someone's thoughts.

"Rosalie, why in the hell would you think that's what Bella's talking about?" he asked upon ceasing his coughing.

"It made sense. I set everything up, except an ideal location, so that it would be possible!" Rosalie responded, and I saw Emmett smirk.

"I believe that plan was my idea, Babe." he said, and Edward looked like he wanted to be able to throw up.

"You two are so lucky I don't yet have that lead pipe, by the way." I said, and Emmett did the most Emmett thing possible by sticking his tongue out at me.

"Did it work though?" Emmett asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Whether or not it did, why would I tell you? You're my brother!" I exclaimed, and he shrugged in reply.

"But you'd tell your sister?" Rosalie asked hopefully.

"She told her little sister the truth. I swore not to tell unless given permission." Bella said with a laugh, and Rosalie looked between the two of us incredulously.

"You told her because you knew Edward wouldn't be able to find out! That has to mean the plan worked!" she shrieked, and Edward went green in the face.

"I don't want to know if it's true or not, but if it is, is she hurt?" he asked Jasper, and I let out a giggle.

"Trust me, Edward, you'd know if I'd hurt her." Jasper said with a smirk, and Edward visibly winced as he realized what hid behind the smirk.

"Don't think this makes any difference to me, all of you. I still say that it's too dangerous and definitely stupid. Think of how much stronger we are than Bella and Alice!" Edward cried out, and I looked up at Jasper.

"Does this count as him figuring it out? I wasn't factoring Emmett being involved in Rosalie's plan into the experiment." I asked, and he nodded.

"Might as well end his suffering, Darlin'." Jasper said, and I snorted.

"He's got more suffering to come from Jacob, remember?" I said before turning to our family. "You want to know whether or not your plan worked, Rosalie?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know!" she said excitedly.

"It worked. It worked really well." I said, smiling widely at my amazed sister.

"Boys, go get ready for school. Girls, let's go pick out outfits for the two of you from your closets. We have a lot to discuss." Rosalie said, and Bella and I followed her, giggling.

As Rosalie worked on my hair, Bella's words from before replayed in my mind. I could feel my heart pounding faster, and this attracted Rosalie's attention. Slowly, at least for a vampire, she set the flat iron down and motioned Bella over.

"What's wrong, Ali?" she asked, and I looked at Bella.

"Why did you think it would've been James and Victoria? She, at the earliest, only left the ship last night. There's no way they're here already." I said, and we all exchanged looks of pure worry.

"Wasn't there a third one when they confronted us in the field?" Rose asked, and I nodded in response as she set the brush down.

"According to Victoria, his name is Laurent, and he's the one who's heard rumors of clans claiming permanent territories in the area." I said, and Bella nodded.

"From what Edward told me he saw in your vision, they're meeting up with him soon. If he's waiting for them nearby, then he could be the one responsible for those killings. Are you sure he won't try to prove the rumors on his own?" she asked me.

"He wouldn't ever go in entirely alone. From what I could tell, he likes power; while having no extraordinary gifts of his own, he likes to find the biggest bully on the playground and become buddies with him. When I saw him in the field, he would only speak with Dad. No one else spoke until the wind picked up and James and Victoria caught out scents. Laurent would want to size Mom and Dad up against James and Victoria first to see who held the most power." I said, and my sisters looked thoughtful.

"Are you sure we need to be in that field at all?" Rosalie asked, her tone concerned.

"Rose, I'm positive this is how things have to go. I don't know why, but I am." I assured her, and she and Bella shrugged.

"I learned my lesson; you don't bet against Alice." Bella remarked, and I grinned.

"Don't worry, Bella, this summer will be fun!"

At lunch, Lauren called me over as I walked into the cafeteria with Jasper. I was a bit skeptical, as she was actively being nice to me now. Jasper nodded, signaling that her emotions showed no sign of a threat, so I kissed him on the cheek and walked over to my cousin.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting down in the empty chair beside her.

"A bunch of us are going to the beach this weekend, because it's supposed to be sort of nice out, and we were wondering if you and Bella might be interested in going with us?" she asked, and I pretended to think about it.

"Which beach?" I asked.

"First Beach. It's in La Push." Eric piped up, and I pursed my lips.

"I know that you're only asking because you guys know the Cullens are going camping this weekend, so I'll let you know something this afternoon. Bella has some friends down on the reservation, so I'll ask her if she wants to go. Good enough?" I replied, and Lauren nodded.

I left their table and sank into my regular chair beside Jasper. His arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I leaned into him. I looked across the table and Bella, and she shrugged.

"I don't have a problem with going, but I should probably call Jake first. You guys are training this weekend, right?" she said, turning to our mates and siblings.

"Yep." Emmett said, popping the p, before continuing. "Since it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, Dad's got us all signed up for Major Whitlock's Vampire Ass-Kicking Boot Camp Friday and Saturday afternoon. You two can go party with the Wolves, and we'll pick you up from the Mallorys that night. We're going trail riding on Sunday, remember?"

"How could we forget?" I teased, and Bella groaned.

"If I fall off again, Emmett, I am blaming you entirely. You better catch me, though." she said, and Emmett nodded.

"What kind of a big brother would I be if I put you in a dangerous situation and didn't take responsibility for it? Kind of like me saying that the plan to slip those condoms into Alice's birthday present was my idea, which it was." Emmett teased me back, winking.

"Emmett! We're in public, dumbass!" I hissed, and he chuckled.

"No one heard anything. Everyone's too focused on themselves today." Edward said attempting to come to Emmett's rescue.

"And they all think I must be self-centered." Rosalie said with a snort, and I laughed.

"They'd probably all die of shock if they saw you Sunday." Jasper said, and Edward began snickering.

"I don't think anyone apart from this family would be able to withstand the shock of seeing Rose dressed for horseback riding." he said, and we all began laughing until he spoke up again. "Uh-oh."

"What?" I asked quickly.

"Lauren and her friends think we're laughing about them. Lauren thinks you don't think her offer was sincere, and Eric thinks you're refusing to go because he's going. He doesn't want you to think things will be awkward because he had a crush on you when you first got here. He's moved on now, to Katie Marshall." Edward said, and I rolled my eyes.

"I literally told them I'd have to ask Bella if she wanted to go, and then Bella would probably need to call her friends, by which I mean Jacob and his friends." I said, balancing my head in my hands and my elbows on the table.

"Then tell her we'll be there. I just have to call Jake when I get back to Charlie's, I guess." Bella told me, and I smiled at her.

"You seem to be handling this whole imprint situation better than I thought, Bella." I said, and she rolled her eyes while laughing.

"I don't necessarily like the idea of my shapeshifter best friend, who I've known for most of my life, is going to imprint on my daughter moments after she's born, but, if Renesmee is going to have a mate, I'd rather it be someone I can trust. I know I can trust Jacob." she said wryly, and Edward nodded in agreement.

"I second that, and it will help me, at least, to remember that Jacob's possible attraction to Bella isn't his fault." he added, and Bella blushed as I had been expecting.

"Hey, Bella and I are still staying with you guys Friday night, right? We're supposed to make Bella watch The Breakfast Club for the first time, if I remember correctly." I asked, and they all nodded.

"I still can't believe you've never seen it." Rosalie said.

"Sorry, I was a little busy raising my harebrained mother. I can't wait to see it, though. Even Dad seemed excited to watch it again, so it must be good, right?" Bella replied, and I felt the happiness levels shift.

"Everything okay, honey?" I asked, and Jasper nodded.

"I didn't mean to affect anyone; I was remembering the first time we all saw it. You guys remember that, right?" he asked our vampire siblings, and then the stories began.

That night, after dinner, I decided it was time to talk to Lauren about what had occurred at lunch. She was in her room, and the door was open. By listening to her conversation, I could tell that she was on the phone with Jessica; I knocked on her doorframe and waited for her to acknowledge me.

"Jess, I'll talk to you at school in the morning, okay? Bye." she said into the phone before turning to me. "What, Alice?"

"Bella and I accept your invitation. We're supposed to be staying with Rosalie tomorrow night, so we'll meet you guys there. Her friend, Jacob Black, says that he'll meet us with some of his friends, too. I figured that, seeing as how you aren't fond of the beach back home, you might at least want someone to talk to while everyone is off frolicking in the icy, bone-chilling water. What did Jessica have to say?" I told her.

"She was going on about how Eric needs to realize that you don't hang out with us because of Rosalie, not him." Lauren said with a roll of her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, shifting to where my hands were on my hips.

"You know what everyone at school thinks of Rosalie Hale. She's a high-and-mighty bitch with a holier-than-thou attitude." she said, and I took a deep breath.

"She's not like that at all! If anyone at school has that sort of attitude, it probably is Jessica!" I cried out before letting my head fall back onto the doorframe.

"I can't say Rosalie isn't, but you're right about Jessica. They say I don't know when to let go of something, but she's still trying to figure out a way to get Edward from Bella. I apologized to you, and any attempt I might have made to go after Jasper has stopped completely. So, if it isn't Eric, and it isn't Rosalie, then why don't you and Bella ever hang out with me and my friends?" Lauren asked, and I thought about what to tell her.

I couldn't very well say it was because Bella and I were destined to become vampires while she would marry an almost-werewolf. She had barely grasped that my visions, unlike her own, were full-on psychic visions instead of subtle hints of things to come. What could I tell her?

"It's complicated, Lauren. There is a lot that factors into who I spend my time with, and one day I will be able to tell you. But, for now, the best I can do is to tell you is that I won't be here too much longer after graduation, and I don't think that it's likely that I'll be in contact with anyone other than the people in this house and those with the last name of either Cullen, Hale, or Swan once I'm gone." I said, and she nodded, clearly unconvinced.

"When can you tell me the truth?" she asked, and I decided to bite the proverbial bullet by crossing the room and sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"I can't tell you the truth until you've met this guy from your dreams and you know he'll never care for another woman the way he cares for you. I can't tell you until I know you'll be protected." I said, but Lauren looked at me with eyes full of worry.

"Protected from what? Alice, you're scaring me." she said, and I gave her a small smile.

"It's more like 'Who,' and it won't be long before you know. If there was a way for me to tell you now without you getting hurt, I would. I don't like that Cynthia knows as early as she does, but I didn't have control over that. This time I do, and I refuse to put my family's safety on the line when I only need to wait a few more months to clue you in. You'll know by Christmas, I am sure of it." I said, and she nodded slowly.

"The Cullens aren't in Witness Protection due to former mafia ties or anything, right? They're not dangerous?" she asked, and I nodded back.

"Like your average person, they can become dangerous if one of their own is threatened. However, there are no mafia ties and no family members in the Witness Protection Program." I said with a laugh.

"I'll trust you on this, Alice, but you'd tell me if one of them hurt you, right?" she asked.

"Honestly, I don't think any of them would hurt me. Believe it or not, but Emmett is borderline terrified that Rosalie, Bella, and I are going to gang up on him one of these days; I know Edward knows I don't make threats to beat him about the head if he hurts Bella jokingly. I'm not going to be hurt. I promise." I assured her, absentmindedly fiddling with my promise ring as I spoke.

"What about Jasper? I mean, before you moved here, he always looked like he was bouncing between fifty different emotions, like he was unstable. That was the one concern I had the whole time I chased after him." Lauren told me, and I laughed for a minute straight. "What's so funny?"

"Jasper is definitely not unstable. In the same way that our family has the gift of precognitive abilities, Jasper's family, his biological family, has the gift of empathic abilities. It's thought his biological dad's side, and his affects mostly males as opposed to ours being mostly females. Rose doesn't have this gift, and she's actually glad that she doesn't. He has to feel things just as bad or as good as I have to see." I explained, expanding upon the story I had told Aunt Catherine.

"And your constant bubbliness eases the violent cocktail of teenage emotions." Lauren said with a chuckle.

"Yeah; and besides, what he does to me is the quite the opposite of causing me pain." I said, giggling before I could stop myself.

"Alice!" she hissed, but her angry expression faltered when she, too, began laughing.

"What?" I asked, and she smacked me lightly with the star-shaped throw pillow on the bed beside her.

"You've barely known him a month, and you slept with him? And Nana called me a harlot!" she said, still laughing.

"I didn't see anything wrong with that!" I defended myself, and she rolled her eyes.

"What if you two break up when he goes off to college? What if he breaks your heart? Then you've given your virginity away to a dumbass who didn't deserve it." Lauren said, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"That'll never happen, and I'm not being overly optimistic because of being in the supposed honeymoon-phase of a relationship. I've had visions of Jasper for as long as I can remember having visions; I've seen his past, and I've seen our future together. When your mom asked me about him before, the night I moved in, I hadn't had but a handful of visions of my future with Jasper. Almost all of my visions since then have been about nothing but." I explained.

"What kinds of things have you seen?" she asked, and I could tell she was more at ease after hearing that no one in my vampire family would hurt me.

"I've seen our wedding reception, our son, and our daughter since moving here. Before I left Biloxi, I saw random things like him reading to me, the two of us relaxing on the deck of a house on Lake Houston under the stars, and one particular vision of the two of us making love." I told her, and Lauren let out a low squeal.

"That is so sweet! Was I in your wedding? What are you naming the kids? Can I visit you in Houston?" she asked, and I laughed.

"In that order? We're not sure on a first name yet, but we're definitely giving him Jasper's birth father's name as a middle name, Josiah. We're naming our daughter Eloise, after his birth mother. As for that last one, I'll think about it." I said, and she giggled.

"Well, why don't you think about that in your own room? It's getting late, and I have tests all day tomorrow. I'm kicking you out!" she teased, and I headed towards the door.

"Good night, Lauren." I called as I walked back to my room.

"Night, Alice!" she called back as I stepped into my room and jumped in surprise.

"Text me and let me know you're coming over next time!" I hissed quietly, and I was greeted with low laughter.

"Sorry, sis, but it was an emergency. Dad's called a family meeting; he's even asked for us all to behave because Charlie is joining us, so you know what that means." Emmett said, and I closed my eyes.

"They arrested the jackass on the ship." I murmured, and Emmett pulled me in for a brotherly bear-hug.

"Jasper says a week at most before Mommy-Dearest and Co. show up looking for you girls. I promise I won't let anything happen to you or Cynthia, Ali. You're my sister, and I consider Cynthia to be like a sister as well. I don't like it when people mess with my family." he assured me, and I nodded against his chest.

"Did you bring the Jeep, or are you carrying me?" I asked, and he grinned down at me.

I was smiling as Emmett set me back on my feet beside Mom and Jasper in the kitchen. Everyone was in the great room, and the atmosphere was tense and full of nervousness. The sound of Bella's truck, which even I could hear, alerted us all to hers and Charlie's arrival. Dad went down to answer the door, and Jasper wrapped his arms around my waist. I tried to mask my glee with curiousness, hoping not to alert Charlie to my already knowing what he was here to tell us about Richard Brandon.

"Charlie, Bella, welcome." I heard Dad say, and footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"I wish I was hear with slightly better news than I am, Carlisle." Charlie said as they neared the top, and I leaned back into Jasper's chest.

"Why don't we all sit down. Can I get anyone anything to drink?" Mom asked, playing the role of hostess perfectly as her children, Bella and I included, burst out laughing. "What?"

"You were out in the green house when we got home, so you missed it!" Edward said with a laugh.

"Missed what, exactly, as I was at work, therefore not here as well?" Dad asked, and Emmett spoke up.

"I may or may not have been standing in front of the fridge earlier, preventing Alice and Bella from getting their afternoon snack before we all started on our homework. They may or may not have gotten mad at me for it, and Alice may or may not have let out a long string of curses I wasn't aware she knew; Bella was possibly not much better." he explained, and the three parents present each raised an eyebrow at his re-telling while I crossed my arms.

"I just wanted my damn juice." I mumbled, but Mom still heard me and shot me a look.

"If he does it again, girls, just grab your bottles out of the minifridge in the library." Dad told us, shaking his head and smiling.

"Yes, sir." Bella and I chorused, and we moved into the family room.

Dad sat on the corner of the couch nearest the kitchen, and Mom took the spot right beside him, his arm automatically wrapping around her shoulders. Jasper sat in the Ls bend, and I curled into his side. There were still spots open on the couch, but Edward sat down beside me on the steps leading out to the side deck while Bella joined him there. Emmett and Rosalie sat between Jasper and Mom, and Charlie sat in the chair facing us all. I resisted the urge to smile as Charlie took a deep breath before telling us the news he'd brought.

"Alice, after you told Carlisle about what your father did to you, and to your mother, I made mention of your situation to an old friend of mine who moved down south five or six years ago. He's been keeping tabs on your father since then, and he called me about an hour-and-a-half ago with some news. Ship security arrested your father today; your stepmother went missing, and they found a tape recording she'd made of your father confessing to killing your mother in their stateroom. They believe he's killed her as well." he said, and I quickly left the room.

I ended up sitting outside by the pool, my shoes on my left-hand side and my toes only just scraping the water. I watched my reflection until it was joined by another. Dad was sitting down beside me, just being there rather than trying to push me to talk.

"I'm not upset; I didn't think it best for Charlie to see me do a happy dance over the news. Okay, I'm a little upset, but not about Richard." I said, and he looked at me curiously.

"Then what are you upset about, princess?" he asked, and I scooted closer to him.

"Charlie kept calling him my father. He's not my father. He may have had a hand in bringing me into this world, but he was never my father. You are, though, and I hate that I can't say anything to anyone outside our family. It upsets me that I have the best dad in the whole world, but no one knows about it." I admitted, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"There is a way, you know." he said, and I looked up at him in confusion.

"How?" I asked, and he smiled.

"The day after your vision about James and Victoria planning to kill you and Cynthia after what they've already done, your mother and I started on the paperwork to adopt you once Richard was arrested and gave up his rights to you and Cynthia, as he should know by now that there's no way of coming through this without some prison time. We stopped short of finishing it when we realized that it was more important for you to agree to the adoption before we went any further. If you still want that, we're more than happy to make everything official." Dad said, and I felt the tears slipping down my cheeks.

"Really? I love you, Dad, and I'd love nothing more than for you and Mom to finish that paperwork." I said through the tears of joy streaming down my face.

"Then we will as soon as possible. I just hope Catherine won't be too upset by this." he told me, and I giggled lightly.

"Honestly, I think she'll half-expect it. Between the fact that I've spent more time here than in her house since I moved to Forks and the fact that every female in the family has some semblance of precognitive powers, she'll probably know before anyone tells her anything." I said in a half-joking manner, and Dad laughed along with me.

"Ready to go back inside? I'm pretty sure Jasper and Edward are the only ones not worried about you. The others were confused when you ran." he asked, and I nodded.

When we got back inside, I returned to my spot beside Jasper. He pulled me as close as he could, and I cuddled into him. Once everything was set, this would become a more permanent way of me spending the evening. As that thought left my mind, I felt a hand on my ankle.

"You're okay, right, Alice?" Edward asked, and I nodded.

"I just needed a moment to let that all sink in." I said, and my brother gave me a small nod and a smile in reply.

"Alice, I know this must be a tough time for you, and you're Bella's best friend, so I want you to know that, if you ever need anything, whether it be at home or at the station, my door is always open for you. Now, I mean what I say; I told Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob Black the same thing when their mother died. Bells will tell you I'm not much of a conversationalist, and I'm not, but I make time whenever someone needs to talk." Charlie said, and I smiled slowly at him while nodding, seeing Dad whispering to Mom out of the corner of my eye.

"He's right, Alice, and you know you've always got us as well." Mom said, and I nodded.

"Thank you, all of you. I guess I'm just relieved right now, that he can't hurt me or Cynthia ever again, and I'm glad I've got so many people who care about me considering I know this is going to turn everything upside down." I said, laying my head back against Jasper's chest.

"Don't worry, Darlin', we'll help you through this." Jasper told me softly, and I sighed.

Not long after that, Charlie and Bella went home with a promise to stop by Aunt Catherine's in the morning to break the news to everyone else. Bella also offered to give me a ride to school, which I accepted. Once they had gone, Dad told everyone what we'd discussed out by the pool.

"After getting Alice's opinion on the subject, your mother and I have decided that, when Richard Brandon gives up his rights to his daughters, we will be adopting Alice." he said, and all my siblings started cheering.

Jasper, however, chuckled and kissed the top of my head. I looked up at my mate, my curiosity clear on my face, and he smiled. I raised an eyebrow, signaling that I wanted an actual explanation.

"I suppose this means I should be calling Jenks again soon?" Jasper asked, turning from me to Mom and Dad, who nodded.

"We'll need the records of Emmett and Edward's adoptions, possibly, before Alice's will be approved. As far as anyone knows right now, you and Rosalie are the children of your mother's late sister. We'll probably need the records of your change of legal guardians as well. Can he handle all of that?" Dad said, and Jasper smirked.

"He can handle whatever he's asked to. I'll run Alice home before anyone notices she's gone; I'll figure out when I can pencil him into my schedule when I get back." he said somewhat sarcastically, laughing as the two of us stood up.

"You can go see him next Thursday evening; we leave Friday morning for Houston to meet with Peter and Charlotte, remember?" Mom said, and Jasper nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am, Mom. You ready, Darlin'?" he said before turning to me, and I nodded.

Jasper snuck me back into my room with ease, and he sat on the bed, waiting for me to return, while I changed in my closet. I pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants and a Belle t-shirt he'd bought me in Disneyland and made my way to bed.

"Who's Jenks?" I asked as he got into bed beside me.

"He's a lawyer who fakes documents on the side. I've worked with him for fifteen years now, and I started working with his late partner twenty years before that." Jasper said.

"Have they ever questioned how you still look twenty?" I asked, and he smiled devilishly.

"Jenks asked me once, and I assured him it was in his best interest not to know. He insists if anyone asks him about it that I am just unusually well preserved." he told me with a laugh, and I shook my head and smiled.

"The poor guy does so much for this family, and he does it because he's terrified of you. What am I going to do with you?" I asked jokingly, and Jasper kissed my cheek.

"Love me forever?" he asked, grinning.

"Forever and always." I answered, turning out my lamp and laying my head on his chest.

My eyes fluttered shut, and a vision overtook me. The setting was completely unfamiliar to me, but one of the three people I saw I recognized. Cowering against a large wardrobe, a significantly younger version of Bree was watching as a man stabbed a woman to death.

"Please, don't hurt me, Daddy. I'll do what you say!" she pleaded with the man, and I wanted to cry when I realized they, the dead woman on the floor and the man covered in blood from head to toe, were her parents.

"Get in the car, say nothing, and wait for me. We're leaving Nevada. Tonight." he told her, and I woke weeping for my niece.

"Alice, what's wrong? What did you see?" Jasper asked, but I couldn't do anything more than cry into his t-shirt.

Once I had finished crying, I told Jasper what I had seen. Despite knowing Rosalie and Emmett would find and protect their daughter at all costs, I didn't want to tell them yet. Bree would join the family as a vampire, not as a human. I knew we needed to wait, but I was afraid of what Bree's father could do to her before she made her way to us.

"She'll be fine, Darlin', I promise. You've seen her with us by the end of next year, and she will be. We just have to trust that time and fate will bring her home." Jasper told me, and I nodded slowly.

"I know, but I don't like that she's had to go through that. I know you can feel the emotions I have concerning the situation, but you don't exactly understand what it's like to watch the one person who was supposed to protect you becoming the greatest threat imaginable to your fragile, human life." I said, and he hugged me tightly.

"It's still pretty late, so you can probably get a few more hours of sleep. Do you need my help with that?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"With what I've just seen, it can't hurt. I won't object to you using your gift to help me sleep, honey." I said, and he began sending out small waves of drowsiness.

"Get some rest, Darlin'. I'll still be here when you wake up." he said softly, and I let out a small yawn.

"I love you." I told him, curling into his side.

"I love you, too." I heard him say before sleep took over.

When I woke, Jasper was gone. Instead, Bella was beside me in the bed. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she giggled.

"You were still asleep when Charlie and I got here. Jasper said you had a rough night last night, and not in a fun way, so I told him to go ahead and run home. I told him I'd stay here until you woke up, that way you wouldn't wake up alone and think he'd broken his promise for some unjustifiable reason." she said, and I giggled too.

"Go on back downstairs, Bells. I'll be down as soon as I get dressed, and I'll tell you about what I saw last night on the way to school, okay?" I told her, and she nodded before getting up from the bed and crossing over towards the door.

"I'll see you in a minute, Ali." Bella replied, and I nodded in agreement as she disappeared down the staircase.

I dressed quickly, pulling on a deep burgundy dress and black tights, before making my way downstairs with my tan, knee-high boots in my hands and my tan sweater thrown over my shoulder. I had also run a brush quickly through my hair, put my mother's pearls back on, and slipped my cross pendant over my head before making my way towards the first part of an uncomfortable morning.

"Morning, everyone." I said as I sat down between Lauren and Bella, Cynthia launching into my lap. "Oof!"

"Morning, Alice. Catherine, Michael, I have some news for you." Charlie said, and I tightened my hold on Cynthia.

"What is it, Chief?" Uncle Michael asked, sitting forward in his recliner.

"Please, call me Charlie. First, you are aware that doctors are required to report certain things to the authorities if they become suspicious over certain circumstances, correct?" he asked my aunt and uncle, both of whom nodded.

"What does this have to do with us?" Aunt Catherine asked, confused.

"Carlisle called me after he treated Alice the day of the accident. Were you aware of what your brother-in-law did to her, Catherine?" Charlie asked, and she nodded.

"I knew, but I also knew that no one would believe me. I'm an aunt who has lived over a thousand miles away from Alice for most of her life, despite how frequently she would visit us in California. I knew he'd hurt her a few months ago, and that was when she asked if she could move in with us. Richard was going to sign over guardianship to Michael and myself after he and Victoria got back from their anniversary cruise." Aunt Catherine said, giving me a small smile that I forced myself to return.

"It looks like he won't be able to do that, Catherine. After Carlisle called me about Alice's medical history, I called a friend down in Jackson who bumped the case file to a friend of his in Biloxi, and that officer called me last night. As of two days ago, Victoria Brandon went missing from the stateroom she was sharing with her husband, your former brother-in-law. The ship's crew searched the entire ship, and they found no trace of her. When they searched the stateroom, however, they found a tape recorder; after listening to the tape, the ship's security team arrested Richard for murder, Victoria's and your sister's. The tape was his confession, and they think he killed Victoria before throwing her overboard after he realized she'd tricked him into confessing." Charlie's words made Cynthia turn and look up at me.

"They got him for hurting Mommy?" she asked, and I nodded sadly.

"Yeah, Cynth, they got him. He can't hurt either of us anymore." I told her, and she nodded before realizing the problem with our stepmother being missing.

"But how could he have killed Victoria?" she whispered to me, and Bella leaned in to answer her.

"He didn't, but we can't prove it just yet. Alice and Jasper talked about it all with Carlisle and Esme, and we're going to make sure she can't hurt anyone either." she told Cynthia so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.

"This is going to get worse before it gets better. I can feel it." Cynthia said to the two of us, and Bella and I both nodded.

"Looks like you're coming into your gift after all, Cynth. Let me guess, Al, you'll tell me later?" Lauren asked, and I nodded as we all turned back to the adults, who were talking without noticing out conversation.

"-ow long until he's actually in a jail in this country?" I hear Uncle Michael ask, and I looked over at Charlie.

"It'll probably be about two or three days before the ship returns to port in New Orleans. The crew will hand him over to the state police there, and he'll be transferred back to Mississippi by them. My best guess is that he'll be in a cell by Tuesday at the latest." he answered, and I began doing the math in my head.

"What has he been charged with?" Lauren asked, recalling everything that had been said so far since we'd all sat down.

"So far, based on the recording and Alice's medical records, two counts of murder and one count of aggravated child abuse. Alice, they may ask you to return to Mississippi for the trial." Charlie said, and I nodded numbly.

"Sweetheart, maybe you shouldn't go to school today?" Aunt Catherine said, but I shook my head, cringing slightly as the term of endearment I had come to associate with Mom reached my ears with a different voice.

"I need to go. No one knows anything is wrong yet, and me not going will only kickstart that process. In fact, Bella, we need to get going if we don't want to be late." I said, and my aunt and uncle seemed surprised.

"Alice is right; we need to go to school." Lauren said, earning a shocked look from her mother as well. "Look, Mom, I'm both upset and relieved about this, too, but Jessica and her big mouth won't go very long without gossiping if I show up and Alice doesn't. It looks like Cynthia is going to be with us on a more permanent basis, so why don't you guys redesign her room while I'm at school?"

After promising Cynthia that she could come with us to First Beach the following afternoon, the three of us grabbed our bags and headed out the front door. Lauren said she was going to go on to school, and we nodded.

"We've got time before the bell, Alice. Do you want to go home first?" Bella asked me once my cousin had driven off.

"No, should head to school. If we go to the house now, I can't promise that I won't pull a Cullen." I told her, rolling my eyes.

"Is that what everyone around here calls skipping school? What? You know I don't read that stupid blog. I'd end up breaking my computer and hand in the process." Bella joked, and I nodded as the giggles took over.

"The sad part is you aren't lying. I think being all but adopted by a vampire doctor is the best thing that could have happened to you, Bells." I said, and she gave me a light shove.

School without our siblings, Bella and I discovered, was hell. The day got a bit better at lunch. We had attempted to sit with Lauren and her friends at first, but both Jessica and Mike's incessant questioning about our family made it very clear that I was reaching my limits for the day. Bella ended up dragging me to our empty regular table, where we were joined by Angela and Ben. Lauren shot me an apologetic look, but I waved her off as it wasn't her fault her best friend was an insensitive bitch.

"Alice, Bella, we're sorry about them. They want as much dirt on the Cullen family as possible in the hopes of finding some way to split you guys apart, you and Edward specifically, I believe, Bella." Ben said, and I smiled at him as my assumptions from before had been right.

"Edward was right; you are a nice guy, Ben, and thank you; it's not your fault though. We know how Jessica and Mike are. She's a first-rate bitch, and he's a little lost puppy who can't decide who he wants to follow around forever, the girl he's had a thing for since the eighth grade or the new girl who, for all intents and purposes, is as close to an exotic creature as we're likely to see around here." I said, and Ben seemed surprised.

"Edward thinks I'm nice?" he asked, as Angela let out a laugh.

"He does; he mentioned it when we were talking about how Angela, here, looked very disappointed that she'd be going to the dance with Eric. Not that there's anything wrong with Eric, and it looks like he and Katie are quite the pair." Bella added, and Ben smiled pridefully.

"Why was Edward so interested in my date for the spring dance?" Angela asked, and I took my turn to giggle.

"Even before Lauren and I put aside our differences, you were nice to Bella and me. You were nice because you're a genuinely nice person, not because you wanted popularity or a rich son of a doctor and an architect to be your boyfriend. Edward doesn't like his friends, or possible friends, to suffer like that, being forced to be the partner of someone who you could never like as more than a friend or maybe a sibling. His adoptive cousin, Tanya, can be very pushy sometimes. He's learned a thing or two about how to spot desperation on somebody." I said, and Angela blushed at my words.

"Edward considers me, and Ben, a possible friend?" she asked, and Bella nodded.

"He likes people who are authentic to themselves. Others, like Jessica, no loyalty to any of her friends, and Mike, the type of guy who hits his prime in high school, do nothing but annoy him. The only thing I know of that annoys him more is Alice, but she does that on purpose." she told Ben and Angela, and I laughed again.

"He makes it too easy! I love Edward, he's pretty much my brother, but he practically walks into every joke and smart remark I make!" I laughed out, and the others laughed as well.

"If you stopped implying things about Jasper that he definitely doesn't want to know, he might not get as annoyed." Bella said as the laughter died down.

"I blame Emmett. It's usually his juvenile comments that get me started in the first place." I said, and Bella shook her head at me.

"That may be true, but you don't have to take the bait every time Emmett throws it out there. Otherwise, Rosalie and I have nothing left." she said, and I snorted.

"In case either of you are confused by this, Edward is the family prude, and that usually makes him the butt of our jokes." I said to Ben and Angela, and they smiled and nodded.

"Who's the complete opposite of Edward then, Emmett?" Ben asked, laughing.

"Surprisingly, I'd have to go with Alice. Emmett may say some inappropriate things now and again, but this one? Alice isn't dissimilar to a miniaturized, female Emmett on an almost constant sugar high. She's even the most terrifying force in the world somedays." Bella answered, and I shook my head and laughed.

"Seriously? I never would have guessed that!" Angela said, and I grinned at her.

"She's just mad because I ducked on Splash Mountain." I said, giving Bella a playful shove as she stuck her tongue out at me.

"When did you guys go to Disney?" Angela asked, confused.

"Rosalie surprised us with Disneyland tickets when we went prom dress shopping in L.A. It was part of her birthday gift to me." I said, blurring the details slightly.

"I meant to ask, do you two think you could come with us to Port Angeles next weekend? Lauren and Jessica asked me to go prom dress shopping with them, and I don't mind going with Lauren, but Jessica drives me insane on those trips. Plus, her actual driving scares me." Angela asked, and I looked at Bella.

"What do you say? Jazz is going to Houston with Mom on Friday, Edward and Emmett are supposed to go on a supply run for our first Cullen-Style baseball practice, and Dad and Rosalie are working on some research project or something like that. If I promise not to destroy it, Edward might let us take the Volvo." I asked her, and she thought about it for a minute or two.

"Why not? We'll tag along, Ange. If we take the Volvo, you won't have to worry about Jessica's driving, just Alice's." she said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Why is it you're scared of my driving, but not Rose's? She drives faster than I do!" I asked, and Bella smirked.

"I was more concerned with you because we were in Jasper's truck. Rose's BMW is a lot smaller and less imposing." she said, and I mock-glared at her.

"You drove that giant-ass truck?" Ben asked before he could stop himself, and I giggled and nodded in response.

"Did you call Dr. and Mrs. Cullen 'Mom' and 'Dad'?" Angela asked, blinking.

"Yes, and yes. My biological mother died three years ago, and my biological father practically disowned me. I love my aunt and uncle, but I just had this instant bond with Carlisle and Esme. It's like they were meant to be my parents or something; I just can't explain it, really. Ben, contrary to Bella's belief, I'm an excellent driver. I went, at most, five miles over the limit when we went shopping on Wednesday." I explained, and they both nodded, trying and failing to hide their smiles.

"I don't want to sound like Jessica, but your conversation has really gotten me interested now, but what are the Cullens actually like? We all have our perceptions of them, but whenever anyone wants to talk to them, get to know them a bit better, it's almost like they send out this aura of 'Stay the Hell Away from Me.'" Ben asked sincerely, and neither Bella nor I could dispute his claim.

"Tell us your perceptions of each one, and we'll tell you how your wrong." I said, and they nodded.

"Okay; let's start with Emmett. He seems really scary and intimidating when you first look at him, and he never really seems to take anything seriously." Angela said, and I nodded.

"Em may look threatening, but he rarely is. He sees Bella and me like little sisters, so he's like a giant teddy bear to us." I said, and Bella laughed.

"He does have the ability to take things seriously, such as a threat to his family. Alice and I were on our way to meet up with the others after we finished shopping Wednesday, and these drunk guys started following us. Emmett turned the corner at just the right moment to make the guys wet themselves and take off back up the street. Emmett's also a lot smarter than most people think; he helped me study for that test on the Great Depression's effect on the economy. He might have taught me more than we learned in class, honestly." she added, and they smiled.

"I'm pretty sure you both know what the whole school thinks of Rosalie." Ben said, and I could tell he didn't want to speak poorly about her.

"Yeah, and is a bitch; but, in saying that, she's only a bitch when people make her act like one. Rose is actually a nice person once she knows you're not a threat. So many girls fling themselves at Emmett, and a lot of guys try to steal her away, so she tends to be very guarded. Does she like to spend extravagantly and shower those she cares about with expensive gifts? Yeah, she loves it almost as much as she loves Star Wars, which is a lot, trust me. But, she also loves helping people. Twice a year, Rosalie goes through her closet and donates whatever she doesn't wear a lot to women's shelters; she also does the mechanic work on everyone in the family's cars, Bella's truck included." I said, smiling as Ben's mouth hung open at the mental image of Rosalie Hale working on a car.

"I told Jake, on the phone last night, that we'd probably be in either Jasper's truck or Emmett's Jeep tomorrow, depending on which one the others took to the campsite. He asked if mine had bit the bullet finally. I told him it was still alive thanks to Rosalie. I'm still thinking that she'll give up one day and make it worse than it already is so I'll have no choice but to replace it." Bella said, laughing herself.

"She's mechanically inclined, loves Star Wars, and looks like a supermodel? How is Rosalie Hale a real person?" Angela asked, laughing too.

"She's not perfect; she's involved with her enemy, a Trekkie. Emmett loves Star Trek as much as she loves Star Wars, so the least partial party is usually in charge of our Friday movie night." I said.

"Carlisle?" Angela guessed.

"Me, actually. Alice loves fantasy, Carlisle loves adventure, Esme loves romances, Edward loves period dramas, and Jasper loves biopics. As previously stated, Rosalie will try to pick Star Wars every time, and Emmett will pick anything but that to mess with her." Bella answered, and I shrugged, not seeing sense in denying anything.

"She doesn't get to choose tonight, though, because we all agreed and out-voted her. Bella's never seen The Breakfast Club, so we're going to watch it before they leave out for their campsite in the morning." I said, and we all laughed again.

"Okay, my turn again. What about Dr. Cullen? He always struck me as being something akin to the lovechild of Superman and the Greek god Apollo." Angela asked, and Bella and I both coughed, caught slightly off-guard by her comment, before answering.

"With Dad, what you see is usually what you get. I've only ever heard him swear one time, and everyone else seemed as shocked as I did. He's very protective of his children, both legal and not, and every time he looks at Mom, it's like they're falling in love all over again." I said, and Bella nodded emphatically.

"He can still surprise you, though. Until Alice's birthday party, I wasn't aware as to just how big a Def Leppard fan he is." she added, making me laugh.

"He loves Van Halen and Black Sabbath, too. Dad's a secret metalhead." I said, leaving Ben and Angela flabbergasted.

"Rose loves Bon Jovi, especially the Slippery When Wet album, and Alanis Morsette. She's also a big fan of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani as a solo artist." Bella said, and I nodded.

"Emmett's partial to The Beetles and David Bowie, and Jasper's a southern rock/country man through and through. Mom's the one who loves dance-pop. Edward like classical pieces and his own compositions." I said, and Bella smiled faintly.

"Edward composes?" Angela asked, and Bella nodded.

"He's somewhat of a piano prodigy. Pretty much everyone in the family plays an instrument. Alice doesn't, yet, and I've only just started learning guitar." she told our human friends, and they were impressed.

"Mrs. Cullen's next. What is she like? I've only met her once before, but she seemed a nice woman." Ben asked, shaking his head as if to clear the jumble of thoughts running though.

"Esme Ann Cullen is the most badass supermom the world has ever seen." I said, trying to think of the best way to describe my soon-to-be-legal mother.

"She's got to be when she's got a house full of teenagers, though, right?" Angela asked as if it were obvious.

"Well, yeah, but she's just amazing with everything she balances. Esme restores old houses, paints, cooks the best food I've ever tasted, keeps her home in immaculate condition all the time, and makes time for each of her children individually. She's a superhero." Bella clarified for her, and I nodded.

"She's the type of mother I want to be." I said, my own children's faces appearing clearly in my mind's eye.

"Now we've arrived at the stuff you're probably the least likely to want to talk about. What are Edward and Jasper like?" Ben asked while Angela looked uncomfortable at the question being asked.

"We don't want to pry, we promise, but we've heard so many rumors over the years that we were just worried about the only friends we have who have gotten close to Edward and Jasper. We're sorry if it's too personal for you two. Jasper always seems to be in pain or sad. Edward was always so dark and brooding until you showed up here, Bella." she told us, but I waved her off.

"It's fine, Angela. I'm glad you were concerned; it shows you're a great friend." I told her before turning to Bella and whispering. "How about we describe each other one's mate and then describe our mates ourselves?"

"Sounds fine, Alice. I'll go first." Bella said before speaking to Angela and Ben. "Jasper is really cool. I know he looks pained a lot, but it stems from his troubled childhood. Despite being twins, Rosalie and Jasper weren't raised together. Their birth mother raised Rose in upstate New York, and their birth father raised Jasper in Texas. He fell in with the wrong crowd, chasing after some of the older kids in his neighborhood, and he got hurt really bad. When their parents were killed in a freak accident, an oak tree fell through the roof of the lawyers' office they were negotiating a more flexible custody agreement, he was reunited with Rosalie; she began trying to help him get back to normal, and everyone else tried to help him as well. Lauren coming on to him the way she did, however, set him back. A girl he knew back in Texas was like that with him for a time, and he'd believed she'd really loved him and not his father's money. The idea of a second girl doing the same thing to him was too much. Then Alice bounced in, telling him that his perceived faults are really his strengths, and she brought the hope back into his life. He's the one teaching me guitar, by the way. He's also attempting to teach me how to play chess; I'm not doing as well with chess as I am with guitar."

I was amazed at how well Bella created a cover-story for Jasper's emotional issues off the top of her head. My sister was amazingly creative when she wanted to be, and that made me wonder if she should become a writer. When you live forever, you use pseudonyms more often than you use your own name anyway.

"As for Edward the dark and brooding, he's somewhere between Dad and Emmett. He cares a lot about his friends and family, he enjoys a good joke or prank as much as the next person, and he makes more sarcastic comments in one week than the average person does in a year. When he's not listening to classical music, Edward likes listening to bands like Cheap Trick, Chicago, and Fall Out Boy. He's also a huge Cubs fan, no matter what their win-lose history is. In case you hadn't realized, Edward lived in Chicago from the day he was born until the day he was adopted." I described my brother with a light laugh.

"One of Esme's recent projects was restoring the townhouse Edward used to live in; it was built around 1900, and it's very close to Wrigley Field. Edward's a really great guy, and I love him. He's the Heathcliff to my Catherine Earnshaw, only without the lies, betrayal, and lifelong plots that end with everyone except Nelly Dean, Cathy Linton, and Hareton Earnshaw dead." Bella explained Edward in her own words, and I giggled.

"Jasper, in my view, is a little different than that. We're like two halves of a single whole. We're something along the lines of Gomez and Morticia Addams, to be honest. I am more than willing to admit that most people probably see us as creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky." I said, and Bella seemed thoughtful.

"You know, I can see actually see that. Jasper was depressed, and not exactly in the best health because of his depression, until he met you." she said, smirking at me. "Just don't name my nephew Pugsley. I might be forced to have Rosalie donate most of your closet to charity."

"You wouldn't dare, and I would never! I'd say I'm not as bad with names as you and Edward, but I think I know what your niece's middle names will be." I said, and she motioned for me to continue. "I've still got to ask Jasper what he thinks, but I want to name her Eloise Rosabella Ann. Giving your child four names is a tradition in my mother's family, and I want to continue it."

"Rosabella? You'd name her after us?" Bella asked me, and I nodded while rolling my eyes and smiling.

"Duh! You're naming yours after yours and Edward's parents, so why can't I name mine after my sisters and Mom, whose middle name is Ann? I'm still working on Ellie's brother's name, but I know hers. I haven't seen it yet to be certain, but I know my own daughter's name in my heart. I don't need my gift for this one." I said, and Bella hugged me tightly.

"Clearly, Ben and I are the only ones confused right now." Angela said as Bella let me go.

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Lauren about it later, Ange, but I'm psychic. On our mothers' side of the family, Lauren and I are both part of a long line of women with precognitive abilities. Lauren's are more like feelings of what's to come. Mine, on the other hand, are full-on visions based on even the tiniest decision someone makes. Lauren realizing her own gifts was the reason she backed off in her treatment of me for dating Jasper; she realized fairly quickly that the mystery guy she kept seeing short flashes of in her dreams wasn't who she thought it was after she saw he has black hair." I explained, but Ben didn't seem convinced, so I closed my eyes and focused on Ben's future. "Oh, that's really sweet of you, Ben. Your mom is going to love you staying home with her and watching all of those old home movies with her while we're in Port Angeles."

"I literally decided to stay home while you girls were shopping when you two agreed to go. How did you know that?" he asked, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Believe me now?" I teased, and Ben held his hands up in defeat.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed. There's no other way you could have known that. I won't tell anyone else about this, Alice." he said, and I giggled.

"Who would believe you if you did." I said, sending Angela, Bella, and Ben into fits of laughter themselves.

After lunch, I had P.E. Without Rosalie, the day was back to being hell on Earth. We had moved on to a gymnastics unit and away from basketball, and I was bored. I did gymnastics and ballet until Mama died, and I kept practicing on my own in the barn whenever I could. Because she had plenty of practice herself, being alive for ninety-three years, Rosalie had the skills to keep up with me. So, I sat on the bleachers and waited for class to end. Unfortunately, one of Lauren and Jessica's friends who, despite me trying to be nicer to my cousin, I had yet to learn the name of by choice had to point this out to Coach Clapp.

"Is everything okay, Ms. Brandon? Do you need to see the nurse?" he asked me, but I shook my head.

"I'm fine, Coach. I've been in gymnastics for most of my life, and I don't think anyone other than Rosalie is capable of keeping up with me. Also, everyone is already paired up. The only options are to either sit here or to go through each apparatus on my own. Both are boring options, but sitting her makes me less of a distraction to my fellow students using dangerous equipment like playthings." I answered, wishing the clouds would return and my sister would come bounding into the gym with human-acceptable reason as to why she was late.

"How about a third option? Ms. Curtis seems to be having trouble. If you have such an expert knowledge of the sport, help her. It's probably a better use of your time than sitting alone and doing nothing." Coach offered, and I smiled.

"I'll see what assistance I can offer. Coach, I think Tyler and Eric are attempting to dismantle the parallel bars." I warned, and Coach Clapp took off in the direction of the boys on the other end of the gym while I walked over to the girl he'd asked me to help. "Whitney?"

"Oh, hi, um, Alice, right?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, Coach said you were having trouble with all of this?" I asked, and she blushed while running a hand through her sandy hair.

"I get how to do a handstand; but a cartwheel, a walkover, a back handspring, and a roundoff? I just can't figure out how. Stupidly, I put them on the list of things I chose to be graded on thinking all of those would be super easy to learn." she admitted, and I giggled lightly.

"You put too much bounce in when you go into the handstand, don't you?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Everything else that I already know tells me to go fast, and I move without thinking about it. It's stupid, really." Whitney said, but I shook my head at her.

"Trust me, it's not that stupid nor is it that big a deal. Where did Ashley go? She was right there when I walked over here?" I replied, noticing that her partner had gone.

"She's over there with Katie. Can you show me how to do this? Please?" she asked, and I nodded with a laugh.

"Would I be here if I wasn't? Step One, go slowly into your handstand." I said as I moved onto the mat and kicked myself up and balanced on my hands.

We did this with step-by-step process with each move. Slowly, she was picking the moves up. Each time, Whitney was realizing where she'd always been going wrong. Apparently for her, her little sister's inability to clean up her toys was a big problem for her when she was practicing at home. I told her what I did with Cynthia to get her to cooperate, which was to teach her what I was doing. Whitney agreed to try this with her sister as we got into the steps of how to do a front walkover towards the end of class.

"Step One, slow down." Whitney said, tailoring my instructions to her problems the way she had since we'd started.

"Yep; if you go into this too fast, too early, you'll just fall and sprain something. Step Two, start to let your legs separate. Don't worry, we're in the gym, not a drunken house party when someone's parents are out of town, so no one should be making any snide remarks about that." I said as I moved into the next step. "You want it to look almost like a split done upside down, okay?"

"Step Two, upside down split. Got it!" Whitney said, and I began to notice that everyone had quieted down.

"Step Three, slowly start lowering your legs down to where you're in a backbend one leg at a time." I said, and she nodded.

"Step Three, backbend."

"Step Four, stand up the way you would from a backbend." I said, straightening up and facing her, my back to my classmates. "With enough practice, you'll be able to move through those steps fluidly enough to pick up a bit of speed. It'll look more like this."

I did a front walkover at normal speed for me, and then I heard the whispers. I turned when I heard a crashing sound, and I resisted the urge to laugh. Everyone had apparently been watching me since at least Step Two, and Eric had fallen on top of Tyler while the two were attempting to use the high bar.

"That sounded like it hurt." Whitney said, mildly concerned.

"It's what they get for not paying attention to their own apparatus. I have to spend the day with those morons tomorrow at First Beach. Jasper's not getting home until closer to five or six tomorrow night, so I can't escape until then." I said, and Whitney's expression changed.

"Is he dangerous?" she whispered to me as people began going back to their previous conversations.

"You're not the first, nor will you be the last, person to ask me that. Jasper went through some things growing up that scarred him, but he's not generally dangerous. Unless someone says or does something to completely piss him off, he's kind and gentle. Wow, I used an almost direct quote from Beauty and the Beast to describe him; I knew we picked these rings for a reason." I said, shaking my head and looking down at my promise ring as I realized what I'd said.

"You're his Beauty, and he's your Beast? It's cute. I wish I had a relationship like that. I guess we do tend to let our first impressions of people dictate our view of them after all. I'm sorry if my question sounded rude before, Alice." Whitney said to me, and I smiled at her.

"It's okay, Whitney, and you will one day." I said as Coach Clapp blew his whistle and got everyone's attention.

"Okay, time to get changed. Locker rooms, all of you!" he called out, and bodies began moving instantly.

As I left the girls' locker room after changing back into my normal clothes, I saw Lauren's friend standing with Tyler, Eric, Katie, and Jennifer Ford. They were staring at me, and I felt myself wishing Emmett or Jasper would suddenly show up to rescue me like the true southern gentlemen they were. Trying to ignore them, as I couldn't get away just yet, I moved to the top section of the bleachers. We still had about five minutes left in class, so I was trapped in the gym with them for now. Sighing, I took out my cellphone and texted Jasper.

'Hey, honey, how's Major Whitlock's Boot Camp fairing today?' I asked, and he replied almost at once.

'Everyone but Rose beat Edward. You and Mom were right about him. How's school been?' he asked, and I giggled at the mental image of Mom pinning Edward to the ground.

'It's been Hell on Earth for the most part. Ben and Angela sat with Bella and me at lunch at our table, and they questioned us about the family because they wanted to separate fact from fiction for mine and Bella's benefit.' I replied, briefly wondering if it was me or if vampires and future vampires, as I had seen all my family members text at some point or another, were the only ones who texted in full sentences the way I did.

'Edward says that, yes, vampires tend to text in full sentences. He says you're just weird for noticing.' Jasper sent, and I grew curious.

'How close are you guys? I know he has to be at least in the parking lot to hear my thoughts from inside the gym!' I asked, my smile growing as I thought about my rescue wish coming true.

'He texted Bella, who doesn't want to go to her art class anyway, to let her know we're in the forest near the parking lot. Em says you're either skipping Biology willingly, or he's coming in to get you himself and exposing vampires to the world. He wants to tell you about how he ALMOST took me down today.' Jasper's text admitted, and I held back a giggle.

'I knew I'd get a rescue! I'll see you in a little bit, Jazz!' I texted back, agreeing to go willingly into the forest and skip Biology.

'Love you, Darlin'.' I got back as a reply.

'Love you, honey.' I sent before slipping my phone back into my purse and looking up to see that I was still being stared at.

"Yes?" I asked them, sounding bored.

"Who knew you were that flexible? I kind of like that." Tyler said, and I smirked at him.

"You only kind of like it? Jasper really loves my flexibility; we've both found it makes life very enjoyable." I said, holding back a gleeful scream as the bell sounded and I walked away from my cousin's gaping friends.

Sneaking away from the crowd of students moving from class to class, I met up with Bella halfway across the parking lot.

"How was gym?" she asked, and I snorted.

"I helped Whitney learn several tricks she originally thought were easy, and I told Tyler a thinly veiled version of 'Not only will I never go out with you, but I'm also sleeping with Jasper Hale.' How was Banner's class?" I said, and she shrugged.

"Ever since Eric transferred into yours and Katie's gym and bio classes, I've been stuck with Mike and Jessica. I almost snapped and hit Mike upside the head with a microscope today. Fortunately for Mike, Edward texted me and said they were out here and he had already snuck my truck back to Charlie's almost the second Charlie left for his weekend-long fishing trip with Jacob's dad." Bella said, and I sighed.

"Oh well, not everything goes the way we want it to. I hope Charlie has fun; he seems way more stressed about Richard than anyone else seems to be." I said, giggling as a pair of arms snaked around my waist the second we were beyond the first line of trees.

"Charlie doesn't understand what kind of person can hurt their own child like that, Alice. Hey, Jasper; how was Boot Camp?" she said, looking from me to my mate.

"What exactly did you tell Tyler, Darlin'? Edward shook his head and mimed barfing just after you agreed to join us out here." Jasper asked, and I smiled. "Thanks for asking, Bella; it went rather well, although Edward lost almost all of his fights today."

"Coach Clapp had me helping Whitney in gym today because she signed up to be tested on several tricks that she thought would be easy to learn; for her, they weren't. I had to go slowly with each trick I showed her, and I ended up having all eyes on me by the last one. Tyler made a perverted comment about my flexibility, he said he kind Was any of what I said not the truth?" I replied, giggling again.

"Not by a damn mile." he said, kissing me lightly on the lips as Edward showed up and put his arm around Bella's shoulders.

"Of course, now Crowley thinks you're forcing Alice to stay with you through some sort of cross between Stockholm Syndrome and power exerted through sex." My brother said with a shiver, and I let out a laugh.

"Let me guess, my sleepovers with Rosalie, though I'm the only one who sleeps, are really a cover for Jasper holding me hostage?" I asked him, and Edward nodded.

"He still seems to think Jasper's dangerous." he said, and Jasper scoffed.

"Who says I'm not? If he doesn't back off, I'll tear him to pieces." my mate threatened with a low growl, and I leaned into him.

"Did you miss that conversation I had with Mom Wednesday night? I promised to hear Emmett's story, Jazz. We can go play afterwards." I told him, and he smiled down at me.

"That's three times this week alone. Geeze, babe, they're almost as bad as us!" I heard Emmett's booming voice say as we neared where he and Rose were sitting in the middle of the clearing we'd had lunch with Mom and Dad in on mine and Bella's first day of school.

"No one can be as bad as the two of you, Em. It's impossible." I said as the four of us sat down with them.

"Don't listen to her, baby. They're just jealous because they know we do it better." Rose said, and I smirked as Jasper pulled me into his lap.

"What do you think?" I asked him.

"Rosalie can believe whatever she wants to, Darlin', but I'm pretty sure my gift gives us the advantage." he answered with a smile.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and smiled at us, and we all laughed. Emmett told Bella and me about his fight with Jasper during training, and I thought it was good that they would all be able to defend themselves. From what I'd seen, James and Victoria would be ruthless.

Before too long, it was the end of the school day. To prevent anyone who might have decided to go into the woods from seeing four, sparkling vampires, the three of us couples went our separate ways. Rosalie and Emmett went on a pre-movie night hunt, Edward literally ran Bella back to Charlies so that she could get her things, and Jasper took me back to our tent.

I told him about mine and Bella's conversation with Ben and Angela as we walked slowly down our beach together. He was glad I had a decent human friend or two, claiming they were proof that the human race was not doomed. I told him to add Whitney to that list after remembering our conversation during gym class. He laughed and kissed my ring when I told him how I had described him to her and what she had responded with.

"And even with this ring, Tyler Crowley still thinks I'm forcing you to be with me." he murmured, and I giggled.

"I don't understand how you're forcing me to do anything, Jazz. It seems like it's always me asking you to have sex." I said, and he laughed as well.

"Over the years I've been a part of this family, I've learned that nearly everything is about sex in the minds of young men fifteen and older; the only time that hasn't been the case has been if the male subject was a vampire. The likes of Tyler Crowley can't see past the possibilities of sex to find any value in commitment at this point in one's life. To them, sex is nothing more than a way to boost ego and social status, depending on who has sex with who. It has no other meaning to them." Jasper told me, sounding to me as if he'd put his psychology PhD to good use.

"I take it your words mean sex has another meaning to you, Dr. Whitlock?" I asked him with a reference to his aforementioned PhD.

"Why, of course, Miss Cullen. Its meaning is different to every couple in the family." he said, and I smiled at his deliberate use of my loved and soon-to-be-adopted last name.

"And what might that be?" I asked, as he moved me onto his back and began to climb towards the tent.

"For Rosalie and Emmett, it's never just about sex; Rose went through some things as a human that, while horrendous things she should never have to relive, she wants to tell you and Bella both about them. For them, things are more about how much Emmett loves and respects Rosalie rather than how much he lusts after her. Edward sees sex as the highest form of two married people showing one another how in love they are; Bella's much the same, just without the word married being involved. I will admit to not paying close enough attention to determine exactly what it means to Mom and Dad, but I don't think I really want to know anyway." he told me as we reached the top of the rock.

"And you?" I asked, as he brought us both inside the tent and pulled me around his waist to face him.

"Me? I thought I already told you?" he said, and I looked at him curiously.

"Huh?" I asked softly as he lowered me onto the bed.

"Making love to you is the only time I can allow myself to fully share with you everything I feel for you." these words left Jasper's lips, and I pulled him down towards me.

The sun was just beginning to set, and Jasper and I were lying in bed. We were just talking now, not thinking much about the dangers we were facing. It was peaceful.

"This is definitely the way to start the weekend." he said, and I cringed when thoughts of the following Friday entered my mind for the first time. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"We can't do this next weekend." I told him, and he looked puzzled before remembering he would be in Texas with Mom.

"We could always start the weekend early? I was going to ask you about it Sunday, when we got back from the date, but I can ask you now. Would you come with me to meet with Jenks on Thursday, Darlin'?" he asked, but I raised my eyebrow.

"Won't my presence ruin your threatening image?" I asked him in reply, and he sighed.

"I think it's time I let Jenks breathe a sigh of relief. If I instill any more fear into the poor guy, I might accidentally give him a heart attack. I'd have to find a new documents guy then, and that isn't as easy as it sounds." Jasper told me with a chuckle.

"Then I'll be happy to go with you. I just wish you weren't leaving next weekend; James and Victoria will be a little too close for my comfort by then." I said, and he held me close.

"Would you feel safer if you and Rosalie had another sleepover? You could always take the truck to Port Angeles again." he said, but I shook my head.

"I'll stay with Rosalie, but we're taking Edward's car no matter what." I said, and he raised his eyebrow.

"Why can't you take my truck? You've done it before?" he asked, and I laughed lightly.

"Honey, if you ever expect to have sex in the truck, Jessica Stanley will never be allowed in it." I told him, and he laughed, too.

"Then you're definitely taking Edward's Volvo. Alice, what is it?" Jasper responded as I was pulled into a vision of Aunt Catherine and Cynthia walking into a lawyer's office, the electric sign outside reading Saturday's date.

"We need to get home; Aunt Catherine is going to her lawyer next Saturday with Cynthia. Dad will probably have to file the adoption paperwork as soon as he can." I explained, and the hunt for our clothes, now strewn across the tent, began.

A/N: R&R, and please remember this is a fanfiction. I get annoyed when people seem to forget that. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.