Wow look who isn't dead! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this story but I'm trying. Without further ado I give you the next chapter!
Also, to answer a question I saw from Magic2488 Bella isn't stable enough to be an alpha yet. But fret not alpha Bella will make an appearance eventually.
Chapter 9: Shopping Bella
I awoke once again to the smell of honey and rose, quickly looking into golden eyes as though they would disappear if I waited a moment longer.
"Rose..." A quiet plead, at least that's what it sounded like to me.
"I'm here Isabella, and I am so sorry." I saw pain in those beautiful eyes, and regret so palpable I could nearly taste it. I simply shook my head and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"Just, don't do that again okay?" I heard and felt a small chuckle as a smile tugged at her lips.
"Of course." I smiled back, but before I could even think of anything else to say my nose was twitching and I sat up, mouth watering and stomach growling.
"Pancakes?" My grin grew to nearly monstrous proportions as she nodded.
"Yes, Esme thought you would be hungry and your brother mentioned that pancakes were a favorite." I couldn't help myself as I grabbed Rosalie's hand and tugged her towards to door.
"I thought you guys didn't eat? That smells sooo good. Does Esme always do the cooking? What does it taste like to you? Oh my god it smells great. Does she cook other things?" I fired off questions from the room to the kitchen and only stopped when I heard all the Cullen's laughing, Rosalie and Esme included. Blushing at my babble I cleared my throat. "It smells wonderful Mrs. Cullen."
"Please, call me Esme. And thank you dear I try." I stared at the feast she had prepared slack jawed, feast hardly described it! There were stacks of pancakes along the length of the table, each at least 15 high, and that wasn't all. There was bacon and sausage and eggs and hashbrowns.
"Woah..." I just stared at all the food, slightly overwhelmed.
"Go ahead and help yourself, the rest of us already ate." Rosalie winked at me while patting her stomach, I chuckled before helping myself to some of the food. I tried to maintain some form of decency but the second one of those pancakes hit my tongue I lost it. It was unbelievable how good it was, beyond compare. By the time I came out of my food induced craze the Cullen's were howling with laughter, some hunched over clutching their midsections. And the mountain of food that had been in front of me was gone.
"Um..." My face burned with embarrassment as I stuttered. "It-it was really good..." I stared at my hands clasped in my lap until the laughter died down.
"You really are something else Isabella." Rosalie smiled.
"Wow Rosie, just figuring that out now?" Emmett smirked, "The rest of us have been playing with the puppies all week." I flinched as a smack echoed in the kitchen.
"Honestly, it's like you were raised by savages or something." Alice skipped over to me. "Now that breakfast has been thoroughly inhaled," she winked playfully, "I want to play!" I gulped, the twinkle in her eye sending panic through me. "MAKEOVER TIME." Her bell like voice rang through the entirety of the house. Looking around I saw empathetic looks from the other Cullens, this isn't going to end well for me... I looked for a way out but before I could make my escape she grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.
"You tried." Edward chuckled.
"You can join us Edward, it's been a while since we went shopping." At that his face fell and I couldn't help but laugh.
"You see I would Alice but Carlise-"
"I said nothing, I'm not apart of...this." He gestured to his kids before walking out of the room with Esme in tow. "Good luck, Isabella." Was the last thing he said before speeding off. I tried following his example but was quickly stopped.
"I say this sincerely, give up while you can." The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight as a shiver passed through my body. I turned to topaz eyes with a pout. "Alice always gets her way." Rosalie shrugged as she walked out the front door, Edward trudged after her with his head hanging in defeat. I sighed and followed behind as the fairy herself brought up the rear.
"This is gonna be so much fun! I love Rose and Esme but you're so much different, the style possibilities are endless!" We piled into a Porsche; yellow, sleek, beautiful really, Edward and I in the back, Rosalie sitting shotgun and Alice behind the wheel.
"You know," Edward whispered leaning in close, "if we run at the same time I'd say we have a 50/50 chance one of us gets away."
"I promise the probability isn't nearly as high as you think Edward." Alice growled softly as Rosalie smirked at me from the mirror.
"And you shouldn't get your hopes up, no one can escape Alice." I gulped and nodded quickly.
"Yea, yea of course. Got it." The girls chuckled and shortly after Alice sped out of the drive way, down the dirt road and onto the street.
"I think she's gonna be one of my favorites Rose, your puppy is trained so well." Rosalie growled at that while Alice laughed. "Cmon don't be like that." she pouted playfully, barely containing her laughter. Rosalie just huffed and looked out the window.
"Yes, they always act like this." Edward responded to my thoughts, I'd nearly forgotten he was there. "Well that's rude." I scowled at him as he put his hands up in mock surrender. "I can't help it, you think loud." A low growl was the only response he received, after he gulped in genuine fear I smirked and stopped.
"Bella..." Rosalie scolded from her spot in the passenger seat, I whined at her tone before freezing. No no no that didn't just happen. Maybe if I don't say-
"Awe listen to the puppy!" Alice squealed and I knew I was screwed. Edward doubled over in laughter as my face slowly burned brighter with every passing second. I tried to disappear into the seat to no avail, and when I thought the worst was over I looked up just in time to see Rosalie give me the most painfully sexy smirk I've ever seen in my life. I sat there, mouth agape, as the world faded around me. All that existed were the golden eyes staring me down and those beautiful rose tinted lips.
"Down Bella." Edward chuckled, pulling me from my blatant ogling. When I looked back up Rosalie's eyes seemed a hair darker...maybe it was my imagination.
"We're here!" Alice yelled so loudly I actually had to cover my ears.
"Alice!" Rosalie snapped.
"Oops, my bad." She giggled before rushing out of the car, Rose followed after a roll of her eyes, and Edward after an exaggerated sigh. I sat for only three seconds before my door was opened for me.
"Are you coming puppy?" Rosalie purred with a hand extended. I shuddered before grabbing her hand with my own and stepping out of the safety of the car. I was immediately assaulted by the sounds and smells that come from a densely populated area, but before I even had a chance to appear uncomfortable Rosalie squeezed my hand in reassurance. And I felt, safe. For the first time in a long time.
"Hurry up, we don't have all day! Well we could..." Alice gave us a grin that made the hairs on my neck stand straight.
"Not a chance Al, let's go." Rosalie pulled me along, and I was grateful. There were so many people I couldn't focus on any one thing in particular, if it hadn't been for her I'd probably have walked into every wall there was.
"Fine," Alice pouted, "we'll start off easy in the first store. Shoes!"
"You call that easy!? Do you want the poor girl to die of exhaustion Alice?" Edward gasped from his spot off to the left.
"No! Not those shoes Eddie boy, we're starting off with shoes for the boys duh." I watched the exchange confused, was there a difference? Jasper and I wore pretty much the same thing, in all attire.
"Trust me Isabella, in this house there certainly is a difference. Alice's record for shoe shopping for herself is currently 5 days. No breaks." I paled at that, it couldn't be possible even for a vampire. "It is I assure you." Edward grimaced at me. "She dragged me with her." I gulped and turned to Rosalie.
"Don't worry. We're going easy on you remember?" She smirked as Alice pouted.
"Yes, but it's less fun this way."
Admittedly I lost the majority of the day. I thought they were being overdramatic but Alice truly was a force of nature. Without me even noticing she had bought at least ten bags of clothes. And to top it off she said all but two were full of my clothes and shoes.
"Edward." I said as we finally sat in the car after a painful ten hours of shopping. "Next time, I say we take our chances and run." All inhabitants of the car laughed as my eyes sagged shut pulling me into a much needed sleep.