AN: First of all, I have some apologies. I know I hinted at the wolves' involvement with Sam and Jacob in an earlier chapter, and that was supposed to come into play now with Bella bitten, but honestly I think the wolves and the treaty are kinda stupid. Jacob was supposed to be a secondary love interest too, but that didn't work out either, so I've decided to just disregard the wolves entirely. Sorry for the false implications.

So just to repeat: the wolves don't exist in this story and there is no treaty. Sorry if people were looking forward to a big vampire/wolf battle but I just don't have any enthusiasm to write it.

The other apology is that this is the last chapter. And to make it even worse, it isn't even a very good chapter. In fact, it's probably the worst of the whole story. I'm very disappointed with it, but I just couldn't think of anything else. Sorry if you were expecting this fic to be longer.

Anyway, here's the last chapter. The part in italics in the beginning is the final couple lines of the previous chapter, just as a reminder of what happened.

Chapter 9: Forever

"Is this what you want, Bella?" Alice hissed. She nipped at Bella's neck and made her gasp. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes," Bella whispered. Her arms came around Alice's neck and held her there. "Do it, Alice. I love you."

And Alice did it. She bit into Bella's neck and Bella screamed.

.

They lay there in the mist, Bella's arms around Alice's back, Alice's lips at Bella's throat. Bella's carotid artery was pierced and the blood gushed hot and red into Alice's mouth. Alice's arms snaked around Bella's back and she rose her up so that they were sitting in the mist, her face buried in Bella's neck. The blood ran down Bella's throat in a slow seep and soaked her shoulder and naked chest and the blood was a dark purple in the moonlight. "Alice," Bella panted. "Alice."

There was no pain and no pleasure, only numbness. The night was cold and Bella shivered in Alice's cold arms and she could feel herself fading. The feeling was wonderful. It felt like going to sleep, but a sleep from which there would be no waking. Eternal peace in Alice's embrace. When Alice had first bit her there had been a strain about Bella's eyes but now the strain was fading. Finally her eyes fluttered open and she turned her face to Alice's head and rubbed her cheek against it tenderly. "Oh, Alice…" she whispered.

Alice's own eyes fluttered open. She stopped sucking and the blood gushed against her lips and dripped down her chin. Perhaps it Bella's was consent or perhaps it was simply the way that Bella's hand wove into her hair but whatever it was it gave Alice pause. A moment of clarity in the haze of bloodlust. It reminded her of how much she prized the warmth of the girl in her arms and she realized dimly that she was strong enough to stop if she wanted to but did she want to stop? Bella didn't want her to. But did she?

"Alice," Bella whispered. "What's wrong?"

Alice pulled back and looked into Bella's face. Bella's eyes were lidded and her whole upper half was smeared in blood. Her lips were lilywhite. Alice reached out and caressed Bella cheek and Bella leaned into the touch dreamily, closing her eyes. Alice placed a kiss on Bella's lips, coloring them red. Then she leaned again to the wound in her lover's neck and closed her eyes.

But she had come to her senses. She was only sucking out the venom.

.

Bella woke to the glare of a fluorescent light in the ceiling. She was in a bed. She was lightheaded and it was hard to keep her eyes open. The ceiling was white and when she turned her head on the pillow she saw a monitor with a heartrate sensor set up beside her bed going beep beep beep, the green graph jumping with each beep. She turned her head the other side and saw her mom was sitting in a chair at her bedside. She was asleep and half slouched over the bed. Bella's arms were composed either side of her and she realized that her mom was holding her hand. She looked around one last time but she couldn't see Alice anywhere. There was white gauze wrapped around her neck.

"Mom," Bella croaked. "Mom…"

Her mom jerked awake. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying and when she woke she threw her arms around Bella and started sobbing. She said she was so glad Bella was okay and that she thought she'd lost her and that she was sorry for not being here to take care of her. Bella brushed aside these concerns by repeating that she was alright and when she got a chance the first thing she asked was where Alice was. Her mother's lip trembled and she watched Bella. She looked at her as if she didn't recognize her. Then she rose to her feet and said she'd go get the doctor.

They told her she'd been in a coma for two days. They said she'd lost a lot of blood. They said they had to shock her back to life and that it was doubtful that she was going to come out of the coma at all. Bella was hardly listening. She kept looking at the door anxiously. After a while her father arrived and the doctor left. As if he'd only been filling in until Charlie got there. Both her parents sat at her bedside and her mother held her hand and they asked her what happened. They said she'd lost a lot of blood. They wanted to know how that happened. They said that Alice had disappeared and they didn't know what happened and Bella told them that she'd tried to kill herself by slashing her throat because she wanted to show Alice how much she loved her. It was almost the truth, but it wasn't what the parents wanted to hear. Her mother started crying and even her father got teary eyed. They started to tell her that everything would be okay and that they'd get through this together and then they started arguing. Her mom accused her dad of not taking care of her properly and voices were raised and eventually her dad just walked out the room. Then her mother went after him to apologize. Now that Bella was alone she was certain that Alice would appear. She waited with a throbbing heart but Alice didn't come. It was a nurse that came into the room next and Bella asked her if a girl with short black hair and pale skin had been by at any time to see her. The nurse said she didn't know. Later still the doctor came again. Bella asked him the same question but he said he didn't know either.

They kept her overnight for observation. Bella lay awake in the darkness, her heart tightening with each passing moment. She was afraid that Alice had left her. Afraid that she'd made her angry or sad, or worse she was afraid that now that Alice had tasted her blood she wouldn't want her anymore. She tried to stay awake but she was so weak and so tired. Her eyes drifted shut. When she opened them again she saw Alice standing at the foot of her bed.

"Alice…!" Bella breathed. She threw aside the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed and touched her barefeet to the cold floor. Lightheaded and dizzy she took two steps toward Alice and fell against her, wrapping her arms around her and laying her head on her shoulder. "Oh Alice," she said. "I'm so glad you're here."

Alice lifted her arms around Bella and smelled her hair. "Hi," she said.

Bella held her. Neither spoke, they just stood there holding each other. Then Alice said: "You should get back in bed, Bella."

"Just let me hold you."

"You can hold me in bed. Come on."

Alice helped Bella back to the bed and helped her get in. She got in herself and drew the covers over both of them. It was a single bed and their heads lay on the same pillow and as soon as Alice was at her side Bella rolled on top of her and threw a leg over her body possessively. They watched each other in the darkness. "You'd never leave me, would you Alice?" Bella whispered.

Alice smiled. "Of course not, Bella," she said. "Not even for your own good."

Bella surged forward and kissed her fiercely. She pulled back and smiled with watery eyes. "Why did you stop, Alice? I didn't want you to stop."

Alice touched her face. "Because I can't live without you, Bella. And, unlike you, I've had a glimpse of the future and I know how wonderful it could be."

Bella sniffed. "I thought you'd left me."

"I'd never leave you, Bella."

"I know. But you weren't here. And my parents said you'd disappeared."

"I had to wait until it was dark to visit. And I've been in hiding because… Because I was afraid. I was terrified that you wouldn't wake up. I couldn't deal with anyone or anything, all I could do was wait. But I was here every night. Right here, in your bed. Holding you just like this."

"Just like this?"

"Just like this."

They fell silent. Bella smiled softly. "I wish you didn't stop," she said gently. "When you bit me. It would've been so perfect."

Alice smiled, playing with Bella's hair. "You only think that now. But if you knew how perfect it's going to be, you'd think differently."

Bella sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, Alice. I shouldn't have asked you to do something you didn't want to do."

"It's okay. I'm glad you did. Because in doing so we've discovered the true nature of our relationship."

"We have?"

"Mmhm. By offering your life you proved that you truly do love me. And by refusing to take it I proved that I truly do love you. Which means…"

"We truly do love each other."

Alice kissed Bella's temple. "Yes."

Bella smiled and snuggled closer. "I guess so. But I still wish you didn't stop."

Alice giggled. "You're so cute, Bella. Suicidally cute, but cute nonetheless."

.

Bella was discharged the next day. A psychiatrist came in the morning and interviewed her briefly but she had little to say and soon she was on her way home with her parents. They rode mostly in silence. Her mother mentioned she'd be staying in the guest room for a while. When they got home Bella went straight up to her room but her smile faltered as the door swung shut behind her. Alice wasn't there. Bella stepped forward cautiously. Then two cold arms closed around her middle from behind and Bella spun around smiling and pulled Alice into a kiss.

In the weeks to follow Alice would come to her every night. Crawling through her window and into her bed where Bella lay waiting. Soon they were they both back in school and lunchtimes would find them strolling the grounds hand in hand and after school they'd study together in the library. They spent the weekends together, romantic dinners, endless shopping trips. By now the gauze around Bella's neck was gone and the stitches removed from the wound and one day they were roaming a flea market in Seattle where Alice bought Bella a black lace collar to cover the scar. It fit snuggly around her neck and it was about two inches wide and it had a floral pattern. Bella loved it and as Alice reached behind her neck to put it on her they giggled over the symbolism and Alice called Bella her pet and Bella called Alice her mistress and then they linked arms and strolled on.

Within a month their relationship had stabilized to the point where Bella was allowed to invite Alice over legitimately. They had confronted Charlie together, hand in hand, and Alice had apologized for all the distress she'd caused and Bella added that it was more her own fault than Alice's. Charlie didn't like it to begin with but he had little choice in the matter and soon they were all watching baseball games together, Charlie on his chair, Bella and Alice on the sofa in each other's arms. They'd whisper to each other as the commentary droned in the background and Charlie would shoot them dark looks and Alice would always leave after the game but she'd be waiting in Bella's room when Bella got up there.

One evening Alice invited Bella over for dinner at her house. She said she wanted the family to meet her properly. Bella was reluctant but she wasn't one to deny her girlfriend anything she wanted so she said she'd go and on Saturday evening they pulled up in the Cullen driveway in Alice's yellow Porsche. Alice got out and opened the door for Bella and Bella took the offered hand and stepped out. They went up to the front door. "So," Alice said. "You're about to walk into a den full of vampires, how do you feel?"

"Nervous. Do you think they'll like me?"

"They better."

They went inside and found the Cullen's all gathered in the kitchen around the stove and the breakfast counter and when Bella and Alice walked in they all went silent and looked at them. Dinner quietly simmered on the stove. It smelt like Italian.

"Everyone," Alice said. "This is Bella."

Bella was holding Alice's hand, gripping it, and she waved the other one awkwardly. "Hi."

There was a woman with an apron around her waist at the stove holding a wooden spoon. She smiled warmly. "Well," she said, "it's very nice to finally meet you, Bella. Alice talks about you all the time."

"Yeah," Emmett grinned. "You should hear some of the shit she says."

"Emmett," Alice hissed.

Bella smiled and one by one Alice took her around and introduced her. She knew most of them from school but Alice introduced them by name anyway and she shook hands with Carlisle and Esme gave her a tight hug and then they sat down to dinner. There was only one plate served and that was Bella's. Everyone else sat around the large walnutwood table watching her eat, asking her questions about her life, telling stories about Alice. Esme was rather anxious about the food and Bella assured her several times that it was delicious.

After dinner Alice took Bella upstairs into her room and showed her all the drawings she'd done of her. They were drawings of her visions, she said, from before she'd even met Bella. They sat cross legged on Alice's bed. Bella sifted through them smiling. She said they were beautiful. Alice said the real thing was prettier. Then she leaned forward and placed a kiss on Bella's lips. Bella laid aside the drawing in her hands and laid back on the pillow.

It was only when Alice started unbuttoning her jeans that she started to panic. "Alice!" she hissed. "What are you doing? Your family's downstairs!"

But Alice only grinned. "You'd better not scream then."

When they came downstairs they were fully dressed, Bella's hair slightly ruffled. Emmett and Jasper were playing a video game and whether they'd heard or just assumed they both smirked over their shoulders as Bella and Alice went by.

Alice drove Bella home and that night they lay awake a long time in the darkness, whispering back and forth.

"Alice," Bella said, snuggling closer. "When are you going to turn me into a vampire?"

"I'm not sure," Alice replied, playing with her hair. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. If I was a vampire you wouldn't feel so cold, would you? That would be nice."

"Yes. But if you were a vampire you wouldn't be so fragile. And I like you fragile."

"I like me fragile too."

"Oh Bella. You're such a passive little thing."

"I know," Bella said, snuggling closer against Alice sleepily. She laid her head on Alice's chest and closed her eyes. "But you know…" she said. "You don't have to turn me into a vampire if you don't want to. You could always just bite me. If you want."

Alice sighed and kissed the top of Bella's head. "How many times do I have to tell you, Bella? We're going to be together forever and that's final. Okay?"

"Okay. But just remember. I still love you enough to let you do it. If you want."

"Bella…"

"I'm sorry. Just remember, okay? If you ever get tired of me. If you don't want to see me anymore. I'd rather die."

"I would too, Bella. I'd rather die than live without you."

"Okay. Just remember."

"I will. Go to sleep, Bella."

"Okay. Sweet dreams, Alice. Oh sorry. You don't sleep, do you?"

Alice giggled. "It's a dream just to hold you, Bella."

"Oh Alice. I love you."

"I love you too, Bella. Sleep well."

They fell silent. Alice lay listening to Bella's breathing, feeling the warmth of her body. She thought about her and about her insecurities and then she squeezed her gently. "Bella," she whispered. "Bella, are you asleep?"

"No. What is it?"

"Do you want to know the real reason why I haven't turned you into a vampire yet?"

Bella raised up on her elbow and looked at Alice sleepily. "Yes."

Alice smiled. "Because when you turn, you'll freeze at that age. And I want you to be older."

"How old?"

"Well, it's not so much a matter of years, as it is a matter of… proportions."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm waiting till your tits get bigger."

Bella stared at her. Then she burst out laughing. Shrieking gales of laughter that had her falling on top of Alice and shuddering in glee. Alice grinned and quickly smothered the guffaws with her hand over Bella's mouth. She held her quivering form on top of her tight and hissed for her to be quiet. "Bella! Bella, shh! Shh, you'll wake up Charlie."

Bella got herself under control and raised up on her elbow, still hiccupping little giggles, and looked at Alice with glistening eyes. "Are you serious, Alice? Are you seriously serious?"

Alice smiled, an impish glint to her eyes. "Deadly serious."

Bella stared at her, open mouthed and grinning. "You are serious, aren't you?" Bella asked in disbelief. "You are waiting for my… to get bigger, aren't you?"

"I'd be a fool not too, Bella. You're sexy now, sure, but your potential is astronomical."

"I don't believe it. Eternal youth and beauty denied me by my flat chest."

"It's hardly flat, Bella. It's just not as developed as it will be in, say, a year from now."

Bella groaned. "A full year? You're going to wait a full year to turn me?"

"At least."

Bella's shoulders slumped. "I thought it would be like… another month at most. I was looking forward to when you wouldn't be so cold."

Alice's smile was more gentle now, more sincere. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'd love to tell you that you're perfect the way you are—and you are, really—but the truth is I would just love it if your figure was a little more filled out."

Bella sighed. "As if I wasn't insecure enough about my self-worth in this relationship."

Alice giggled and reached up and pulled Bella's head back to her chest. "I'm sorry, Bella. I'll make a deal with you, okay? I'll turn you when you hit a D cup. Sound fair?"

"No," Bella said poutily. "I don't know what it sounds like."

"Bella," Alice admonished playfully. "What happened to my passive little sex slave, hm? Where'd she go?"

Bella grinned into Alice's chest, shaking her head. "She's right here, but she's not passive enough to accept this kind of treatment."

"Well, I'll tell you what. We'll compromise. You wait for me to turn you for as long as I desire, and I'll give you something in return. Anything you want. Within reason, of course."

"Oh Alice. What could I ask you for that you haven't already given me?"

"I don't know. A diamond necklace? A mink coat? An exotic automobile, maybe?"

Bella shook her head. "Just promise to keep loving me, okay? If you keep loving me, I'll wait for as long as you want for whatever you want to do to me. Anything at all. Okay?"

Alice glanced down at the top of Bella's head. She kissed it. "I'll always love you, Bella."

"I love you too."

Alice smiled. "Hey, I have an idea."

"What, implants?"

Alice giggled. "No, silly. I was thinking we could move in together."

Bella's eyes opened. She raised up on her elbow and looked at Alice. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Alice said. "I think it'll be fun. While you're still human, you know? I was thinking we could get our own place, somewhere in town. And I could learn to cook. And we could go furniture shopping together. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

Bella smiled excitedly, her heart pounding. "Are you serious, Alice? Do you really want to?"

Alice grinned. "Of course I do. And it'll be flu season too. Maybe you'll get sick and I can take care of you."

"Are you really sure, Alice? Do you really want to live with me?"

"Yes, you silly thing. How can you be so surprised? Isn't it obvious by now that my sole objective in life is to be close to you?"

Bella bit her lip, still grinning. "I just don't believe it. Would I still have to go to school?"

"I'm afraid so. There's no way I'm missing out on taking you to prom."

"But do we have enough money? I don't have any."

"Forget about money, Bella. I got plenty."

"I just don't believe it. Do you really want to live with me, Alice? Like, living in the same house? Me and you, all day every day? You wouldn't get sick of me?"

"We're together all day anyway, Bella. Living together just means more privacy. And a place we can make our own."

Bella grinned. She tucked some hair behind her ear and floundered speechless for a moment. "O-Okay," she said. "Okay, I'd love too. Are you sure you still want to?"

Alice smiled. "Yes, Bella," she said. "I'll always want to."

.

Charlie wasn't very happy about the idea but like most things concerning his daughter's relationship with Alice he had no choice. In the discussion they'd had the question of money was raised and Charlie was stunned when Alice quite casually mentioned that she'd won the lottery in New York last year. It was true too, she'd predicted the numbers. She also said that she had some modeling gigs in Seattle and decent prospects for a career in fashion. Bella herself said she had no aspirations beyond typical housewifey kind of stuff. Charlie listened to it all with a deepening frown. He said they were too young and they said they didn't care and that was the end of it. Nothing more was said and by the end of the week Bella and Alice were out house hunting.

The place they found was a modestly beautiful two-story house of red brick that was part of a new housing development on the edge of town. They were all beautiful houses and all more or less identical. Not as extravagant as Alice had in mind, but perfect for Bella.

The realtor was a woman who led them through the bare rooms with a smile and a clipboard, pointing out the house's various features to them with an excited air as if she herself were the one considering it. The house smelled new and fresh and Bella loved it right away. The living room was enormous and the light fitting hung from an ornate plaster mould and the fireplace was clean and bright. They made a circuit of the downstairs and then the upstairs and they wound up in a room that overlooked the yard below, the healthy grass, the birdbath. It was beautiful.

"It's wonderful isn't it?" the realtor said, smiling. "And plenty of room for a nursery. You girl's planning on having kids?"

Bella looked taken aback at the question. She looked at Alice, she looked at the realtor. "How?"

Alice burst out laughing. The realtor blushed and smiled. "Well, I was assuming adoption," she said, "but I can see you haven't given much thought to it. I suppose you're both still rather young for such things, anyway."

They moved in the day the deed was finalized. Neither of them took much of their old stuff besides clothes and on that first night the house was still mostly bare besides a bed they bought and assembled themselves in one of the upstairs bedrooms and a closet and a sideboard with an alarm clock. In the kitchen there was a refrigerator lightly stocked and some cooking implements hanging from hooks. The living room was empty and all the other bedrooms. Tomorrow they were going shopping and they'd be taking Bella's truck.

When they'd first arrived Alice had carried Bella through the door bridal-style as it was tradition, and that night when they were making love Alice stayed Bella's hand by the wrist as Bella was about to insert a finger. "Use your whole hand," Alice said breathlessly.

Bella wasn't sure what she meant. "What do you mean?"

Alice smiled and made a fist in the shape of a teardrop. "Like this."

Bella's eyes widened. "Won't that hurt?"

"I'm a vampire, Bella," Alice said, laying back. "You couldn't hurt me with a tent pole."

Bella had her misgivings but she did it anyway. And about an hour later they were in the hospital emergency room with Bella's hand fractured in four different places from the crushing contraction of Alice's orgasm.

"How did this happen?" the doctor asked curiously, as he wrapped the hand in a tan colored gauze.

Bella blushed. Alice giggled and laid a hand on Bella's shoulder. "She got it caught in a door, the silly thing."

In the weeks to follow they set about furnishing their house. They went room by room, first the essentials, then the trimmings. They got a wallscreen plasma TV, surround sound, a leather sofa that was like sitting on a cloud. The Cullen's all came by with housewarming gifts, Emmett with an Xbox and copy of Halo, Edward with a shipping order for a grand piano. Esme gave them a blender. Charlie came by with a frown but he was quietly surprised by how happy the two girls seemed. They were still going to school and by now they'd become less the object of disgust and more of curiosity and in some cases envy. It took a full month to fully outfit the house and even then they'd still remember things they needed at odd moments. By now they'd fallen into a improvised routine, grocery shopping on Fridays, vacuuming on Saturdays. Sundays to relax in each other's arms. Alice would often do the housework while Bella slept and after some disastrous first tries she finally learnt to cook a decent dinner. They were happy. They were together.

Soon it was prom. Alice was determined to sew Bella a dress, and to this purpose Bella was soon stripping down in their bedroom while Alice stood by with a tape measure and a smirk, an impish haberdasher. Bella stood with her arms out and Alice wrapped the tape around her bust, her waist, her hips, nodding approvingly, dress ideas swimming through her head. When they walked into the gym on prom night Bella was wearing a long gown of black satin that clung to her sexily and Alice was wearing a simple pink dress with lace and bellshaped skirts. Heads turned to watch them pass hand in hand onto the dancefloor and there they swayed in each others arms, swaying under the colored light of discolamps, not a thought in their heads but of each other.

Later that night Alice pushed Bella up against the wall of their bedroom and kissed her passionately. They had shed their dresses and the dresses lay tossed on the floor. Alice's body was pressed against Bella's and the kiss was so passionate it was almost violent. Since the night at the motel Alice's lust for Bella's blood but been placated but now it was starting to make itself felt again. She nipped Bella's neck and Bella gasped.

"Alice," Bella said, weaving her hands in Alice's hair. "Alice, what are you doing?"

Alice ran her tongue along Bella's throat. "Nothing. It's okay."

"Do you want to do it?"

"No."

Bella pushed Alice away and held her face and gazed at her liddedly. "It's okay, I know you want to."

"Bella—"

"It's okay," Bella repeated. "You don't have to kill me or turn me. You can suck out the venom if you want. But if you want to do it, just do it."

"What if I can't stop?"

"It's okay. I trust you."

Alice leaned forward and captured Bella's lips. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. But not the neck. It's too dangerous."

"Where then?"

Alice's hand went between Bella's legs and squeezed the inside of her thigh. "How about here?"

"Anywhere, Alice. Anywhere you want."

Alice scooped Bella up into her arms and tossed her on the bed. Bella's legs fell open bonelessly. Alice climbed on top of her and covered her mouth in a searing kiss and then she straddled Bella's face backwards and lowered herself to Bella's parted legs and bit into the soft warm flesh of Bella's pale thigh.

.

Bella lived to be twenty-one before Alice finally turned her. She'd graduated high school and college and Alice had never left her side and never gotten sick of her. When the time came they had journeyed together into the mountains in the springtime where Alice had bathed her in a cool clear lake and carried her dripping onto the shore. There was a rock shaped roughly like an altar and Alice placed Bella upon it like an offering and leaned and bit into her chest just above her heart. Bella closed her eyes and held Alice's head there.

Sometimes when Bella used to look at Alice her eyes would water. As if the love in her heart were literally overflowing. In her days as a vampire there would be no more tears. As if in it's stilled state the heart that hung quietly in her chest had finally attained the serenity to bare the love it bore, and from the moment her eyes first fluttered open to behold Alice with a vampire's clarity there would be no doubt in her mind that they had been destined from the first to be together forever.

…

The end

AN: Well, there it is. I hope it's not too disappointing. I don't know what everyone was expecting, but this story was never intended to be a tragedy.

Anyway, once again thank you to everyone who reviewed. I know this fic turned out rather muddled, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.