Consciousness returned slowly. Her head hurt, her brain felt foggy. The light from the window seared through her closed eyelids and pounded her into awareness.

Groaning, Bella lifted her hand to cover her eyes. She turned her head away from the light, wincing when she felt a stinging pull bite at her neck.

The light 'swoosh' of fabric reached her ears as the room dimmed. Cautiously Bella cracked open an eye. Alice stood next to the window, watching her. Light shone through the crack in the two curtains creating a brilliant halo around her darkened form.

Bella let her eyes make the journey over Alice's body slowly. She was more than aware of the seriousness of last night's events, but couldn't help that they weren't at the forefront of her thoughts. Right now there was only one thing she wanted to know.

"Is this heaven?" Her voice was rough, her throat ached.

Alice just smiled and shook her head. "No, it's Iowa."

Bella groaned, turning her head away from Alice. "I go for romantic and you give me a Field of Dreams quote?"

The bed dipped as Alice sat down next to her. "Romantic? I thought that was kind of corny."

Bella scoffed, turning back to face Alice. "Shows what you know. That was grade A romance. Prime. Original. Heart felt."

Alice chuckled before falling silent. Her playful smile faltered; her eyes trained on an area below Bella's neck. Bella watched as Alice reached out and gently traced a finger over a spot a few inches above her collar. The spot was tender but Bella willed herself to remain still. The look on Alice's face had grown somber. Bella nervously chewed her bottom lip.

"Any regrets?"

"No. You?"

"No."

Slowly Bella allowed her hand to trail up Alice's thigh. She fingered the soft material of Alice's shirt hesitantly before slipping her hand underneath the blouse.

Alice's eyes floated shut. Bella could hear the small sounds coming from the vampire – a mix between a purr and a growl. It was the most erotic thing she'd ever heard. Knots formed below her naval, chills raced up her spine. Instinctively her back arched up off the bed, pressing herself closer to Alice while her hands gripped desperately at the hard body on top of her, trying to bring them closer.

The noise that came from Alice this time was definitely a growl. The slight vampire leaned forward, her hands pressing into the bed next to Bella's head. Her eyes held no hint of the gold hue that Bella found so beautiful. Now they were as black as any predators she'd ever seen. Alluring, aroused…dangerous. Wetness pooled between her thighs, her breathing came in short pants. Rational thought began to quickly fade from her mind. Bella watched as Alice's nostrils flared, heard the tear of fabric as Alice's fingers shredded through her sheets and bedding.

The need she felt was overwhelming, consuming. Never had she felt like this, heard of feelings this primal, carnal.

'I wonder if it's even normal…'

Bella latched on to the random thought – used it to pull her thoughts back from the lust-induced haze she was swimming in.

"Will it always feel like this? The wanting?" she asked. Her voice felt raw, unused.

The vampire above her stilled, eyes glazed.

.


.

Scene after scene, endless possibilities, flashed through Alice's mind. As it always had, as it always would, the future whispered its secrets to her. Bella's question has sent her mind racing forward, scanning what she could, as far as she could see.

Again, flashes of blue and silver – limbs tangled, bodies arching. Brown hair fell in tangles, strong hands groped desperately at her. Her own hand reached up, grasping the back of her mate's neck, pulling her face towards her own. Gold eyes met gold.

The strong beat of Bella's heart thrummed in her ears. She could feel the heat of the human; smell the arousal, the blood, thick on the air. Alice stared down at Bella, at the brown and black of her eyes. 'For now,' she thought to herself.

Bella returned her gaze, unaffected by the silence, daring Alice to speak.

Alice bent to her, lips ghosting against Bella's, but not fully touching. Bella's eyes had closed. Alice willed her to open them, to look at her.

She did.

"Always," Alice spoke, the emotion thick in her voice. "Always like this."

And then her lips were on Bella's.

The vampire in her crooned with delight at the sounds coming from its mate. The touch of tongues, the soft trails of fingertips.

'Mine.'

Her hand crept to the shirt she's placed on Bella hours ago. The material was flimsy, would tear easily with the slightest of tugs.

'Yes.'

Her teeth nipped at Bella's neck. The wound from where she had marked Bella called to her. The urge to bite, to remark, was strong. Bella's hands wound through her hair, yanking her towards her neck. Alice barely felt the pull, but knowing that Bella was using all her strength made her insides tighten with anticipation.

Her thigh slipped between Bella's.

"Alice…"

Her tongue traced the outline of the bite mark.

"Alice."

Her fingers began tugging the top of Bella's pajama bottoms down.

"Alice!"

The anxiousness of Bella's voice pulled Alice back to reality. Her quick, uneven breathing matched Bella's.

"What is it?" she asked, searching Bella's face. The human didn't look panicked, or upset. "What's wrong?"

Bella laughed, throwing her off even more. She watched as her mate lifted her chin towards an area off to the left.

"Your phone's been ringing for the last ten minutes."

The background noise filled her senses. Alice was momentarily stunned, then angry, at herself for getting so caught up in Bella that she lost track of everything else.

'Idiot,' she chastised herself.

"Is that really your ringtone?"

Alice turned her attention back to the woman beneath her. Bella was smiling, trying not laugh. Alice narrowed her eyes in mock sternness.

"It's my text tone, and I'll have you know it was Emmett's doing. He thinks it's hilariously appropriate."

Sighing, Alice slowly pulled herself off Bella. "I'd better see what's so important."

Her iPhone sat on Bella's dresser, flashing innocently – like it wasn't aware of what a great thing it had interrupted. Alice was tempted to toss it out the window, but the adult in her stayed her hand.

'Act like you're 89, not 19.' she told herself.

Tapping the screen, she frowned. 10 text messages, all from Edward. All telling her to quit making out with Bella and bring her home.

Sighing, Alice turned back to Bella. "My family wants to meet you. There are things we all need to discuss together."

Bella's eyebrows furrowed, the corners of her lips turned down. "Is there something wrong?" She sat up on the bed, nervously chewing her bottom lip.

Alice sat down on the bed facing her. "Nothing's wrong. You just need to know about us, about vampires, werewolves, bonding, mating, everything that has to happen now."

She watched as Bella reached over and gently intertwined their fingers. "Is the bonding why I feel you? Why I ache to be with you?"

The words were comforting, a balm on the fears she didn't even know she had. She'd never heard of a vampire bonding with a human, wasn't sure it would work. Alice felt lighter.

"It's the marking, in part. Marking enhances our connection. You would still feel…whatever it is that you feel, without it. But by biting you, marking you as mine, we're more connected. I could find you anywhere in the world, and you me. If you're hurt, I'll know, and vice versa."

Bella frowned. "What if you stop lov – caring for me?"

Reaching over, Alice cupped Bella's cheek. "I'll never stop loving you. I couldn't. Marking or no, bonded or not – I am yours. We, vampires, spend eternity searching for that one person, the only one we can truly love. Our emotions aren't like humans – we don't fall in and out of love. Even if your feelings change, my won't. Can't."

Alice was taken off guard as Bella threw herself at her. Cradling the human in her arms, Alice was surprised to see the tears in her mate's eyes and the fierce look on her face.

"I love you," Bella told her, moving so that she was on her knees in front of Alice. "I won't stop, I won't leave you."

Alice leveled her gaze on her human. "You'll need to be changed."

Bella nodded. "As soon as possible."

Alice pursed her lips. "There's rules. You have to be a certain age. And then there's the wolves – changing you will break the treaty. And of course, there's the change itself."

"What about it?"

"It's extremely painful for one. I don't remember mine, but everyone else does. They can describe it better than I can. Carlisle will talk to you about it. And after the change, it takes time, years, to adjust. Being what we are, being a vampire, is so much different than being mortal, human."

Alice could tell how confused Bella was.

"I wish I could explain it better. It's something you have to go through to understand. It's like having two sides, two personalities. There's the side of you that retains your humanity, your personality. And then there's the vampire, the animal. It's old nature, the Id in all its primal state. Feeding, mating, its concern's are instinctual."

Bella blushed. "So all you want is to have sex with me and drain my blood?"

Alice laughed, pulling Bella around until the human's back was against her chest. "I never want to harm you. My family and I only drink animal blood. I've never tasted human blood except for yours. And yours doesn't have the same effect on me that regular blood does."

Bella leaned her head back, resting it on Alice's shoulder. "So what does mine do?"

Alice felt herself begin to purr. Slowly she ran the tip of her nose around Bella's ear and neck. "It makes me want you. I don't remember much of my human life – I've always been more connected with the animal, the vampire. And it wants you all the time. The blood only turns me on more. I want you all the time. It's a constant battle between the part of me that wants to be sweet and romantic, and the part of me that wants to rip your clothes off and take you against the wall." Gently, she took Bella's ear between her teeth and scraped the skin.

Bella shuddered; her head tilted more towards Alice. "You're sure it's not just the vampire that loves me?"

Alice pulled away. She turned Bella's face towards hers, stared into her eyes. "I love you with every part of me. Never doubt that. You could deny every physical aspect of our relationship and I'd still be there."

Bella laughed. "Trust me, I'm not going to deny you anything."

Alice smiled. "Good. Let's go have a family talk with five other vampires. If we leave now I'll have you back before your father gets home." Hopping off the bed, Alice reached out to pull Bella up.

"Give me ten minutes to get changed?"

"Sure. I'll text Edward and let him know."

.


.

'I should be crazy by now,' Bella thought to herself. The last 24 hours had been information overload.

'I'm in love with a vampire, I've been marked by a vampire, I will someday be a vampire.'

Pulling a hoodie over her head, Bella stared at herself in the mirror. She had no idea why someone as gorgeous and as…mythical as Alice had chosen someone like her, but who was she to argue.

Concentrating, she could feel her pulse pounding, her whole body humming towards the direction Alice was in. She had become her own personal Alice compass.

Snickering to herself, Bella quickly pulled her hair up into a sloppy bun. She was still sore and tired from last nights events.

'They'll just have to make do with jeans and a hoodie. I'm not getting dressed up today.'

The biggest obstacle would be Alice. Bella knew her…girlfriend? Lover? Mate? She knew Alice had a thing for fashion. Squaring her shoulders, she allowed her body to pull her back into her room. It was unnerving how much more relaxed she felt when she entered the room. She hadn't even realized how uncomfortable she had begun to feel when not in the vampire's presence.

Bella snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the narrow eyed look Alice was giving her.

"Ok, I'm ready." Her voice was steady, determined.

'Just try to get me to change.'

She was thrown off when Alice smiled. "Alright, off we go."

Bella eyed her suspiciously. Alice feigned a look of innocence. "Something wrong?"

Slowly shaking her head no, Bella turned towards the door.

"Ah, ah, not that way."

Confused, she turned around. Alice was at the window, standing on the tree limb just outside her room. Slowly, Bella walked over. "I'm not climbing down the tree."

Alice shook her head. "Your truck's too slow. We'll go the vampire way."

Bella's eyes widened. "Uh, human?"

Alice just rolled her eyes. "You'll be on my back."

Before Bella could protest, Alice grabbed her and pulled her out the window. Looking at the ground, Bella shrieked and grabbed onto Alice.

"Alice! If you drop me…" she didn't even worry about the hysterical tone her voice had taken.

Alice maneuvered her so that her legs were wrapped tightly around her waist and her arms around the vampire's neck. Bella felt cool lips press gently against her arms.

"You trust me, right?"

Bella nodded.

"I won't let anything happen to you. You're safe with me."

"I know."

"Hold on real tight, ok?"

"Ok."

Alice's phone began to vibrate, the text tune breaking the tense silence of the morning.

Resting her chin on Alice's shoulder, Bella placed her mouth next to the vampire's ear.

"Tender, young Alice they say; come over and see me, come over and please me. Alice it's my turn today."

Giggling, Bella gently kissed Alice's ear. "You're a pretty gay vampire, you know that?"

She heard the low growl, felt Alice reach a hand up to secure her arm.

And then she was weightless and falling.

And screaming.

Definitely screaming.

.

.

.

.

Abandoned my ass. Don't even make excuses. I know you all thought I dropped this thing. But no, I was just busy with the last month of school. Trust me when I say learning how to teach isn't easy. But I thought I'd celebrate my first day of vacation, and subsequent aceage of my classes with an update. Happy Christmas.