Hey lovelies! Thanks so so so so so so much for the reviews! All of you are smurfin' great and I love reading what y'all have to say. I know some of you didn't like how Bella broke up with Ashley so quick, but it had to be done =/. And for the record, she didn't do it just because Alice showed up again... okay YEA it had something to do with that, But she realized she doesn't love Ashley like she should be by now so the breakup was coming either way. Sorry!=(.

I know this chapter is kinda short, but I wanted it to be just focused on Alice's conversation with Bella. So I hope you like it!

BPOV

I look up into the night sky when the sounds of rolling thunder reaches my ears. Great... weather that's reflecting my mood. A sigh passes through my lips as I return my eyes to my feet that are softly kicking the ground, making the swing I'm sitting in to move back and forth slowly. There's no one here but me. Probably because it's dark and the sky looks like it's ready to break at any moment. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell Alice to meet me here. It just seemed appropriate though... seeing how this is the playground that brought me and Alice together, becoming instant best friends. I close my eyes to see an image of Alice and I at 5 years old playing in the sandbox, laughing and having a great time without a care in the world. I wish it could be that simple again.... the scene stays the same, except the younger us are replaced with our 23 year old selves. Still laughing and carrying on in the sand...

"You want a push?", I slowly open my eyes with a small smile forming, knowing exactly who it is...

I feel Alice's small hands push softly into my back as I start to get a little air born, loving the feel of the cool night breeze against my warm face and whipping my long brown hair behind my back. After a few more pushes, Alice places her hands over mine that are gripping the chains and stops the swing from moving. I turn to look over my shoulder and her face is just inches away from mine. She leans closer in and presses her soft lips to mine and my eyes shut instantly...

"I broke up with Ashley.", I tell her once we part from the kiss. She removes her hands from mine and walks to where she's facing me.

"Did you do that for me?"

"Yes.. and no. It was something that I knew I had to do. I just can't love her in the way she needs. It's not fair to her.", I explain while kicking the dirt under my shoes, trying to take out some of my aggravation on it.

"Do you love me?", Alice asks softly.

My eyes look up from the ground to meet her's, "I love you."

She smiles and even in the night, I can see the sparkle in her eyes, "I love you too, Bella. I've never stopped loving you."

"Then why did you leave me to marry Jasper?", I ask while clenching my jaw.

"Nothing I say is going to make up for what I did..."

"Well, start talkin' anyway."

I know she can tell how annoyed and angry I am. What we're about to discuss is going to reopen a wound that really was never closed... but it's going to poke at it and bring the pain back.

She takes a deep nervous breath, opening and closing her mouth trying to find the words, "One thing needs to be clear, that night.. the night we slept together, it' wasn't a mistake. It opened my eyes and helped me realize and come to terms something...", she has a distant look on her face... remembering.

"And what's that?", I ask impatiently.

Alice looks me right in the eyes, "... exactly how much I love you."

I just stare at her, at a loss for words. So she continues...

"Even before that night I've loved you in a way that went pass close friendship. When we would sit on the couch together watching tv or just talking, I always had the strongest urge to reach out and touch you. To do anything to show you how I felt. I could be so upset and your very presence would make all the bad go away. No one knew me like you. No one else could make my heart beat as fast as you could. No one could make me laugh or bring a smile to my face like you... I never felt that way towards anyone else but you, Bella. Not Jasper, no one. I don't know what was different about that night, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to touch you... I had to be with you."

I can feel my blood boiling under my skin. All this time... all those opportunities to say something and she never took them. We could've been together all these years. I can feel my eyes water but I'm just too angry to cry...

"Then why didn't you say anything?! I know you knew that I felt the same! We're best friends Alice so I know you could feel how strongly I felt! And why the hell did you marry Jasper?!", she steps backwards a little as my voice grows louder with anger and confusion. "It makes no fucking sense!"

"Because I was SCARED, Bella!", she yells out, her beautiful voice shaking as tears fall.

"WELL WELCOME TO THE WORLD!", I jump up from the swing with my arms up in the air, "We all have fears, Alice. But we don't run off to marry someone we don't even love because of the fear!"

"I know, I KNOW!", The thunder gets louder as rain starts to fall but that doesn't stop Alice, "I was just SO scared of what I was feeling! I've never felt that way before, everything was just too much... especially with my mother and father CONSTANTLY telling me how me and Jasper are perfect for each other. How if I was with him, my future would be set and I wouldn't have to worry about anything!... if they only knew though.", she takes a deep breath while running her fingers through her wet hair, "There was so much pressure, Bella! And I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything! I'm so, so stupid!"

"Alice that's insane! Don't worry about trying to please your parents, just be happy! YOU'RE the one who had to go to bed with him every night for the past 5 years, NOT them!" , the rain starts to pour harder as I try to wipe the hair sticking to my face out of the way.

"I didn't want to marry him, Bella. I swear! I couldn't say no though."

"Why not? You have your own brain! I know you're strong enough to make your own decisions, so why didn't you?", I just can't believe she was feeling all this pressure... pressure that was so bad, it forced her to live a lie. It's just not like Alice to do that... and it breaks my heart.

"Because, there was something in his eyes... something that scared me so much... something that told me that if I didn't say yes, I might regret it. The way he acted that whole day was so... off. Like he was a different person.", she says distantly. I can't tell if she's shaking from the cold rain, or the memory of his face.

I clench my fists together at my sides so tight it feels like my knuckles might pop out the skin. I knew there was something bad under that jerkoff. I wish he was here just so I could beat the living shit out of him, "Has he hit you, Alice?", I manage to say through the rage that's coursing through my body.

"No. He's never touched me like that."

I narrow my eyes at her, searching for any indication that she could be lying... I don't think she is."Well, the fact that he touches you in anyway makes me sick to my stomach."I say with disgust... She looks away ashamed.

"Look, Alice... I want you. I always want you. But I didn't just break up with Ashley so I can let you run back to me like nothing happened...".

"Bella, I hate that I let the fears get to me so much. That I cared about what my parents thought. It's stupid and I know that.", she walks over to me, tripping a little on the soaked, muddy ground. I didn't realize how much of a gap we made between each other. When she reaches me she takes my hands and holds them tight, "Trust me when I say I've lived with the regrets of the mistake I made EVERY day.... but you didn't see his face, Bella." she shakes her head from side to side as she falls to her knees in front of me like the wind was knocked out of her, mud flying up from the impact, "You didn't see!", she's crying so hard now I can hear her sobs over the loud thunder and pounding rain. "I'm so sorry, Bella! I'm so sorry! Please PLEASE forgive me! I wanna take it all back! Oh GOD PLEASE LET ME TAKE IT BACK!", she cries out with her tiny arms wrapped around my waist, holding on so tight. All I can do is stare down at the broken girl on her knees... there are no words to describe it. I feel tears falling from my eyes and mixing with the rain on my face as I listen to Alice asking for forgiveness over and over. I put a hand on the top of her head, stroking softly trying to stop her violent shakes that are caused from her sobs. I close my eyes, trying to calm my own self down... but I just drop to the ground with her, pulling her into my arms as I cradle her while she cries. No matter how hard the rain is falling or how close the lightning is hitting, I wont let her go. I can't let her go. So I just hold her safely in my arms while she lets out all the pain and hurt that has built up inside her over the years....

I don't know how long we've been sitting here. Time kinda got away from me. But I just realized that the rain has stopped and so has Alice's hard sobs. All I can hear is rain drops falling from the trees and Alice's sniffles while she tries to regulate her breathing. I should probably get us out of here before we freeze to death from our soaked clothes.

"Alice, let's go.", I whisper to her, afraid that if I speak any louder she might break. Without a word she starts to get to her feet. I stand with her, helping her balance. She doesn't take her arms from around my waist as I walk us to my truck. I stand close behind her as she climbs into the passenger seat, preparing to catch her if she slips backwards. After she's sitting I close the door softly and get in on the driver's side, starting the engine and pulling off slowly.

The drive to Alice's is so silent. I steal a glance over at Alice and she's sitting with her hands in her lap, staring straight ahead like a statue. Mud covers her hands and legs, some on her cheek from where it flew up when she dropped to the ground. She looks so tired and emotionally drained. Like all the life has been sucked out of her. It kills me to see her like this. I look away blinking a little, putting my focus completely on the road. If I look at her I know I'll cry even though I don't think there's any tears left in me.

Once I pull into the Cullen driveway, I see that the only light that's glowing in the house is the living room's. Good. That means that they're all asleep and I can get Alice in without being hit with a million questions.

After I turn off the engine I wait to see if Alice is going to make a move to get out, but she just sits there. Unaware that we even stopped moving. But when I put my hand on the handle opening the door she does the same and gets out.

We walk to the house and up to her bedroom without exchanging a word. She stands in the middle of her room with her arms wrapped around herself, shivering from the cold. I quickly walk to her dresser, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and a shirt.

"Here, put these on then get under the covers to warm up.", I tell her softly. She extends a hand out to take the clothes, holds them close to her chest, and walks into the bathroom to change.

She returns a couple minutes later, still looking so fragile. I watch as she gets in bed and pulls the covers around her, taking in a deep breath when she gets settled.

"I guess I better, uh, get home.", I start to make my way to the door but her weak voice stops me.

"No...will-will you just stay a little longer? There's more I want to tell you."

What else is there to say? I walk over to the chair that's sitting by her bed, but she lifts up the covers, inviting me in.

I shake my head a little unsure, "I don't know, Alice. That might not be a good idea. I mean, my clothes are so dirty and-"

"Please?", her eyes are softly begging me.

How can I say no to her? Especially with the state she's in now. So I kick off my shoes and climb in beside her, trying not to get too close. But she slides over to me anyway, laying her arm across my midsection. I was wanting to keep a good distance away. One reason being that she just got on clean clothes and she's trying to get warm...

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Alice started talking and I found out somethings that disturbed me so much. It turns out that Jasper was abusive towards her. Not physically, but emotionally. At least that how it seems to me. She said that once they were in LA, he changed. He became very possessive of her. Said even some days she wasn't able to leave the house without him with her. I asked why she didn't call and tell anyone what he was doing and she said that he had taken her phone and disconnected the house phone so she could have no contact to the outside world... that explains why none of my calls were ever returned. The only time she got her phone back was when she decided to come down to Forks for my birthday. I asked her why she never tried to leave the house to get to the police, but she said that Jasper had told her that he had paid one of his neighbors to watch over their house and to call him if anyone entered or left. She was basically like a prisoner in her own home. It made me so sick and so angry that there are people low enough who could watch someone knowing that something wrong is going on and not say a word just for money. As she talked I started putting things together and thinking back on times when I watched the two of them. I knew Jasper had his moments where he got loud at her, but it was nothing like what she was telling me now. The asshole is a real piece of work. He wanted to get Alice away from everyone she knew and loved so he could try and control her without being noticed of what he was doing and by taking her away from everyone, there was a better chance that he could get away with it. I knew I had a good reason for hating him. I just wish now I would've acted on the urge of beating him senseless when I was around him.

But then Alice said he wasn't like that all the time and that's what confused her. She was really confused when he said it was a good idea for her to come home to visit... I guess it was a 'good' day for him. She said even if he said no though she would find a way out no matter what. There were days when he was like how he was when they first started dating, but then there were days where he was a completely different person. Overbearing and giving her that look she said he gave her when he asked her to marry him. She mentioned a lot while she was talking how she wishes so much that she would've said no to him. Ignore the fear she had and just left him to come back to me... she said getting out of bed that morning after we were together was one of the worst mistakes of her life. It kills me so much to know that Alice was living like this all along. Being treated like an object....

One thing is for certain though, she will never be treated that way again. Not if I have anything to do with it.

Its been about 20 minutes after Alice got done telling her story. I'm still laying in bed holding her, listening to her soft slow breaths. I'm so upset. I can't believe Alice was going through all this and I didn't know what was going on. If I did I would've found a way to LA years ago to pull her away from all of that.... I'd probably go to prison for killing Jasper too, but hey, I'd go with a smile on my face.

"When Jasper comes back to Forks, I'm ending it.", Alice's shaking words snap me out of my vision of beating Jasper with a lead pipe. I look down at her as she looks at her ring. "It's time for me to get my life back.". I can tell how ashamed she is that she even let it happen. And it's shocking to me since Alice was always a strong minded girl who would never let anyone walk over her... she had a moment of weakness though and it consumed her.

"Are you going to take that off?", I ask while nodding towards that damn ring.

"I want too, but I know if my parents or someone sees it off they'll ask questions and I don't want them to be pulled into this... not now at least."

I understand, but it still makes me want to rip it off her finger and sell it for scrap metal.

"Just go to sleep, Ali.", I whisper softly into her ear, "we'll worry about this later.... Just rest now and dream sweetly."

She nods her head and snuggles closer to me, if that's possible. I watch as her eyes drift shut and a calmness washes over her face.

I had every intention of leaving to go home to my own bed when I brought her home so we could have a little space... but now nothing could pull me away from her...

I stay awake until she's in deep sleep, watching over her to make sure she's sleeping peacefully.

"It'll all be okay", I say sleepily to the quiet room as my eyes shut...

It can only get better from here... right?

.............

*Asks nervously* how was it?=]

Please review and let me know!

xxxxx