Gentle Touches

Chapter 10– Trust in Alice (EPOV)

Downstairs, I could hear Esme bustling around, cleaning and sorting various things that she thought needed her attention. I found Alice and Jasper curled up together in one of the loveseats in the main room. There was no sign of Emmett or Rosalie, but I knew that Carlisle had headed into the hospital for a late shift.

Alice smirked at me as I entered, translating the entire dictionary first into Latin and then Japanese in her head. I scowled at her, knowing that she was hiding something from me. She wouldn't tell me anything if I asked, though, so instead I asked, "Where are Emmett and Rose?"

Her smirk grew as she pointed out of the back glass wall. I caught Jasper's grimace and didn't need to ask as I found both of their thoughts and realised what they were doing. I shuddered, doing my best to remove the images from my mind. Alice snickered.

"Sorry I asked," I murmured wryly. Jasper chuckled at my discomfort. "Do you know when Carlisle will be back?" I asked Alice.

She nodded. "Of course; he'll be back late tomorrow," she told me, "He was going to try and get home for the morning, but there'll be a major car accident and he'll decide to stay and help out."

I smiled and nodded thoughtfully. It wasn't unusual for our father to stay long after his normal shift had finished if someone was in need of his help. Because of our extra abilities, he was better than any human surgeon could be, performing more precise or intricate procedures with ease. He liked that he could save people who wouldn't ordinarily live if left in the hands of humans; it gave him purpose.

"He's going to ask you to assist him in checking the girl," Alice warned me, "Though it will have to wait for the morning after, so you have some time with her before then."

I frowned, remembering the previous time when Carlisle had checked her. She had been terrified and she hadn't trusted any of us. But she trusted me now, or at least more so than she did then. Would that make a difference, make it easier? I wanted to be able to help her, even if it was just keeping her calm while Carlisle looked at her.

I nodded my thanks for the warning and wandered over to my piano. It had been a while since I had created something new and I was especially eager to see how this one would play out. If what I had thought of so far was any indication, it would be one of my better pieces and certainly a lot happier than my usual work.

Tentatively, I played the first few notes that came to my mind, listening to how they sounded. I shook my head and moved up an octave, repeating the pattern of keys. I smiled, satisfied, and continued to play the notes that followed, adding my other hand for accompaniment.

It went like this, slowly adding more notes, changing others that I didn't think quite fitted properly and shifting chunks of the melody to places better suited for them. I was so consumed by the soft, flowing rhythm of the song as it came to life under my fingers that I was startled from it when I tried to compose the closing bars.

For some reason, it didn't sound right and no matter what I tried, it refused to work. After the third time of playing it, I sighed and placed my hands in my lap, staring hard at the black and white keys in front of me.

"That was lovely, Edward," Esme voice sounded choked with pride and I turned to look at her. "What inspired it? It's been so long since I've heard you play something new. Does it have a name?" She asked curiously.

I hesitated in answering. "It's a lullaby," I finally said, "It doesn't really have a name yet." I purposefully avoided answering her first question. Alice sent me a knowing look, but I ignored her.

She placed a motherly hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. "It was beautiful," she whispered, still tearful. I shuffled awkwardly, feeling almost embarrassed by her praise and attention.

"It was," Alice agreed, smiling brightly. Jasper nodded as well and I rolled my eyes at them.

I frowned disappointedly down at the instrument. "I can't find a way to finish it," I murmured, the frustration clear in my tone, "The end just doesn't work properly, it doesn't flow like the rest of it.

"Oh, Edward," Esme said comfortingly, wrapping her arms around my shoulders tightly, "I'm sure it will come to you. Sometimes you have to struggle for something good, but the result is always worth the effort."

My lips lifted into a smile as I thought about it. It would definitely be worth it in the end to have this song finished. I nodded and raised my fingers to start playing the song again. My eyes closed and I found myself imagining what it would be like to play this for the mysterious girl living in my room.

I could almost see the exact way her soft, brown eyes would light up as they had when she listened to me as I sang her into a trance. Her lips would part slightly as she stared in awe. I imagined the feel of her warm body sitting close to me and the sound of her heart beating strongly in her chest.

Whoa, Jasper's thoughts broke through my concentration. Where are all these emotions coming from, Edward? He asked, so much love and happiness. What were you thinking about just then, while you were playing?

I shook my head, denying what he was telling me. There was no way I could love this girl. Not in that way, at least. I cared about her and wanted to help her, but I didn't love her; I couldn't.

Denial, Edward? Alice thought smugly. I shot her a look and shook my head again.

Esme was looking questioningly between us, a slight smile still on her face, but she didn't ask anything. I smiled at her as I turned back to the piano and began playing her song again, my fingers easily remembering the familiar melody.

"Play something fun, Edward," Alice whined childishly, showing her infamous pout to try and persuade me. I chuckled lightly, not looking up at her as I gracefully changed into a jazz song with a much more bouncy rhythm, grateful for the change in conversation. She squealed excitedly as she tugged on Jasper's hand.

He followed her, smiling amusedly as she encouraged him to dance along to the perky tune. I watched them happily, not needing to pay attention to my playing as my enhanced senses allowed me to continue uninterrupted.

Alice flitted around Jasper, looking every bit the tiny fairy dancer that she resembled. I chuckled a bit at the mental image. It was nice to see my siblings having fun as Esme and I watched from the sidelines. Rosalie and Emmett came back in and Emmett laughed at the sight of the pixie dancing with someone over a head taller than her.

You seem in a good mood, he noted silently. I shrugged at him, not denying it. I was in a good mood, for once, and it was because of the beautiful angel upstairs. Despite my worrying for her condition, I was happy that she was here and that I could spend time with her. And right now, this was an excellent way to distract me from my obsessive worrying.

As the song came to a close and Jasper drew back to lean down and politely kiss Alice's hand, she blanked out in a vision. Immediately, I tried to read her mind and see what it was about, but then frowned as I realised she was blocking me again, singing pop tunes in her head.

I waited for her to come around and when she did she was grinning wildly, obviously pleased with whatever she saw. "Alice?" Jasper asked quietly, ducking his head to look her in the eyes, "What did you see?"

She waved her hand dismissively, not looking at me. "Oh, there's a massive summer sale going on at one of the malls in Seattle in a few weeks," she said flippantly, "There'll be loads of my favourite stylists there as well to show off their work."

I stared at her suspiciously, knowing she wasn't telling the truth. If it was a sale that she saw then she would have no reason to be blocking me. Jasper seemed to tell she was lying as well, with the help of his ability, but he didn't say anything, though he felt hurt that she wouldn't tell him what she saw. They told each other everything and it was very rare for her to keep something from him. He trusted her judgment, though, and knew she would tell him when she was ready.

But I wasn't happy with that. I wanted to know what she was hiding and now. Jasper, feeling my impatience, shot me a warning look. She doesn't have to tell you anything she doesn't want to, he told me, staring at me darkly. I nodded reluctantly, sighing.

"I'm going to put those clothes away in the girl's bedroom now," she added brightly, ignoring the silent conflict between me and her mate, "She should be asleep until morning, so it will be safe." She looked at me as she said that last part and I smiled gratefully. The girl needed all the sleep she could get; she still had no strength.

Alice disappeared upstairs and we could hear her gathering bags from her room and transferring them to where the girl was staying. I shook my head at her exuberance and shared an amused look with Jasper. "She really cares for that girl," he said by explanation. And it was clear she did. I saw that a lot of the clothes she bought were comfortable, nothing too flashy. They were the kind of things I could imagine the girl would be happy to wear.

"Yeah," I said in agreement, smiling fondly in the direction she had disappeared in. I hoped that Alice wouldn't overwhelm the girl too much with her love, or rather obsession, with fashion and clothes. But I could already tell that she saw the girl as a new sister, no doubt partly a result from whatever visions she had been hiding from me.

Emmett was looking between us, curiously, his interest in the strange girl showing through. Rosalie, however, was pointedly ignoring any conversation involving the girl she hadn't wanted to stay. She was still sour that her opinion had been disregarded and she was allowed to stay anyway. I didn't care how she felt, though, because nothing would stop me insuring that the angel could live here.

I started playing her lullaby again, concentrating on places where it didn't work as well and trying to figure something out that would work better. "Something new, Edward?" Emmett asked with interest.

I glanced up at him and nodded. "Just...something I'm working on," I mumbled, frowning intensely as I repeated the last bars I had managed to play. After another few attempts, I sighed and gave up again.

Stuck, bro? Emmett raised an eyebrow in question, noting the times I had replayed the same part. I grimaced at him. Shame, that sucks, he said sympathetically. He had no idea. I really wanted to get this finished, but my experience in composing told me that I shouldn't force it. It would come to me on its own accord.

Alice came back down, smiling and looking self satisfied. She waltzed over to me and sat on the edge of my piano seat. "I've put all of the clothes away, there's much less than I usually buy so hopefully she won't get lost in the closet," she rolled her eyes dramatically and smirked, "I turned the music off as well, she was fast asleep. You know, she looks really cute when she's sleeping, especially all curled up under the blankets like that."

I had to agree with her when I saw the image in her mind. The girl looked so innocent and vulnerable, just like a sleeping angel. Only her hair and face were visible from under the cover, the rest of her body tucked tightly together. She was also peaceful, which was a sharp contrast to her wary alertness while awake. I hoped to see her like that while awake, and soon. I could feel my gaze soften as I looked at her image, but then it was marred by a concerned frown.

Stop worrying, Edward, everything will be fine, Alice's voice echoed in my head. She gave me a small smile of assurance and winked. Trust me…

Author's Note:

SEMI IMPORTANT AN!:

Okay guys, I can't begin to tell you just how sorry I am for not updating sooner. I honestly wanted to, but these past few weeks have just been so hectic trying to get all of my university assignments in on time; it's been a lot harder than I had anticipated and I seriously considered quitting a few weeks ago. But with University fees as they are now, over here in England, I figured I wasn't likely to get another chance at going 'cause there's no way I could afford the new prices.

Anyway, not that that matters now. I have finally got an update done, so feel free to let me know what you think ;D. I will be sending a preview for the next chapter to those who review. I will probably not get another update done until I finish Uni, but fortunately that's only like in the first week of May and then I'm done ;D.

I have also got some new (well old really) fanfictions which I hope to continue writing in the summer when I have more time. So feel free to keep an eye on me for them, as I may decide to post them early (I was going to wait until I had finished this and had them already written so they were ready, but I'm impatient ;D).

And for those interested in other fandoms, I also have a new fiction planned for Dragonriders of Pern. It will be called 'The Unlikely Queen' but I have no estimate as to when I get that up.

AND, I also plan to continue writing my own original fiction, a story called 'Raven', which I hope to one day get published, if I ever miraculously get good enough for that level ;D (This was also the story I started in November for NaNoWriMo, but never finished).

Not to fear, though, this fanfiction will remain my main priority and I hope to have plently more updates done over the summer for this. As to the companion story 'Touches of Perspective', if people are still interested, I will write it after I have finished with this one. Please let me know if you are interested in reading the companion story. It will be nice to have an idea as to who will read it. It will basically be a Bella POV of this.

Anyway, I have kept you too long with this AN. Please let me know what you think by clicking the very nice button below ;D

R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E

animal8 xx