Namaste!
Reminder... Bella is twenty.
And the origin of Holmes' name is... Sherlock Holmes. See, as a puppy, he was inquisitive, and at the time Bella had been reading the Sherlock Holmes books. So, she named him after her favorite instigating investigator. Watson the cat was also named accordingly by Bella's mother.
Anyway, enjoy!
Alice
"Alice? What happened?" Rosalie met her sister at the door with a frown on her face, "And why do you look like shit?"
"I-I did a bad thing." The youngest Cullen stammered, "Bella and I...we've been getting too comfortable around each other, and I thought it wouldn't be too much to lay in bed with her in our underwear, so we were just there and-"
"Whoa, whoa, wait!" The blond held her hands up quickly, silencing her, "You say that you and Bella were lying in a bed in your underwear together?"
The pixie nodded in a frenzy, "We did!"
"And you think that's a bad thing?" Blue eyes sparkled mischievously. "Ali, you dog!"
"Wait! No!" Alice shouted, "She freaked out when...well, it was in a way her fault, but-"
"What was her fault?" The taller girl just chuckled, hugging her frazzled sister, "Explain to me."
"I-We, she..." The tiny surfer bit her lip, "We were lying there, and she put her thigh between mine, and then she-"
"She moved, right?" Alice nodded a little before blushing. Rosalie rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Ali, haven't you had sex before? On previous tours?"
"I-I never felt like that before." She sighed, "I want this with Bella, but I don't want to at the same time..."
"Well, what happened to make you both stop? Or what made Bella freak out?" Rosalie led her sister to the porch swing and sat her down, taking a seat next to her, slinging an arm around her frail shoulders.
"She pressed against me, and I made loud noises and clung to her. I-I wanted more. It felt so good, Rosie." Alice leaned her head back, "But then she froze up, and almost fell of the bed at the speed she'd used to get away from me."
"Did you ever think that maybe she was trying to calm herself down?" The blond chuckled, "She probably was really excited, Ali."
"She didn't make a move to stop me from leaving. So your claim makes no sense." The shorter girl leaned forward and balanced her head on her wrists, her elbows resting on her knees. "Though, I know for a fact that she knew what she was doing. I mean, how did all this stuff happen? First the thing with Jacob Black, and then this."
"What happened with Jacob Black?" Blue eyes narrowed as they took in angry golden ones.
"He was really mad that I went into Bella's house and locked the door behind me, so he was being the big bad wolf trying to knock it down, and Bella came down in a rush to stop him from breaking the door in half, and well...he didn't realize that she was going to open the door, and he hit her pretty hard on her face. It swelled up and everything. She couldn't see normally through the eye on that side of her face, either."
"And you didn't think to take her to the hospital?" Rosalie stood up, hands on her hips, "Mary Alice Cullen!"
"I-I...hadn't thought about it." She blushed, "Then all that touching started happening..."
"You need to go back and take her to the hospi-" The blond sister was interrupted when Alice's cell started ringing. It was her father. "Is that dad? If it is, you should answer it."
She flipped it open and spoke normally.
"Hello?"
"Alice? Where are you?"
"Just got home...why?"
"Well, I'm here at the local hospital to help out a surgeon, and low and behold, Bella Swan is wheeled in unconscious. Do you know what happened?"
"No...when I left, she was just-" 'Those gasps...gasping! Oh my god!' "Was it an asthma attack?"
"That, and it looks like someone wailed on her pretty hard, her face is a little swollen. Do you know anything about this?" Carlisle seemed to be able to tell when his children were involved. Call it a gift. "And don't you lie to me, Mary Alice."
"I left her house ten minutes ago...I didn't realize...I..." Alice began to cry, dropping her phone on the ground.
"Alice? Alice?" Rosalie bent over to swipe it off the ground.
"Hey, Dad." Blue eyes stayed trained on her sister's golden ones. "We're on our way."
"Alright." He hung up, and Alice just placed her fists over her temples, trying her best to keep from ripping her hair out. She had mistakenly put Bella in danger. She hadn't said a word to Bella before leaving...she had been suffering while she ran away like the coward she was.
"Let's go. He's waiting for us. And, chances are, she's probably awake." Rosalie pushed her sister toward her car, "You'll want to talk your issues out, I'm sure."
"What's the matter, Ali-cat?" Emmett asked as he paddled up next to his baby sister. "Having more wetdaydreams about Bella-bear?"
"Not really..." the pixie sighed as she wiggled her toes in the near freezing water, "I'm just worried that every time I leave her alone...she ends up getting hurt. She could have..."
"Could have, but didn't." Emmett wrinkled his nose, "You're thinking too much, sissy."
"You don't think nearly enough!" Alice chuckled, shoving him a little. His size only made her get pushed a few inches away. "God dang it, I'm a fucking surfer!"
"Hells yeah!" The brawny boy pumped his fists in the air, "It's all about the waves, girl!"
"Then...why the hell am I acting like this? It's been a roller coaster since we came here." She bent forward into a near child pose, her forehead resting on her surf board, "Life shouldn't be this hard. Why is it so hard, Emmy?"
"I don't know, but you know what?" He reached over and hugged her closer to his board, "It might be hard, but usually the things that make you happy in the end have to be. You have to fight for what you want. Nothing like that is ever easy."
"I think I understand what you mean." The tiny surfer sat up, looking at him, "You look like a vampire in this lighting, Emmy."
"You too, golden girl." He winked, "And if you didn't really get what I told you earlier, let me give you an example. Life is like surfing."
'Oh, this is going to be good.'
"When we first see something we want, like when you were four and wanted to ride the waves like those older girls, you had to work for it, right? You had to fall down to learn how to balance on the board, you had to strengthen your body to be able to paddle out to the waves, too. But before you did any of that, you had to learn to swim first. Ya know, to keep yourself from drowning. Life..is a lot like that."
"So what your saying is, baby steps?" She raised a brow at her brother, and he grinned and nodded. "Baby steps...is what I need to do?"
"Yep. Because if you just jump in without knowing what to do, you'll fall on your ass. Or drown. Either one." He looked over his shoulder and hooted, "The waves are cresting! Let's get some!"
"I never knew you to be so wise, Emmy." She laughed at her brother, who just flipped her the finger and paddled over to ride the shoulder of the wave. She looked up at the moon and smiled. It was beautiful out here at night.
Alice - Sunday Morning
"Hey, Bella, I was wondering if I could come over this morning?" Alice tapped her foot on the wooden floor of her bedroom as she waited for a response. "Oh? Why not?"
"Holmes just got home from his surgery, and I have to go to work, so Dad is staying home with Leslie to take care of him. You could come over, but I won't be here. I'm sorry!" Bella seemed distracted, and Alice couldn't help but relate her distraction to what had transpired the day before yesterday. She hadn't seen Bella yesterday at all because Holmes was coming home and she said she hadn't had time to entertain her. "Maybe tomorrow? Ah, I have to go! I'm late!"
Without waiting for Alice to say goodbye, Bella hung up and left the pixie speechless.
'Okay, what the hell?' The tiny surfer grabbed her car keys. She wasn't getting ignored today. She was going to pollute the Deli until she payed a semblance of attention to her!
Bella
"Hey, did I miss a memo or something?" Bella crossed her arms over her chest with a huge grin plastered on her face. "He's wearing my apron."
"Bella!" Jessica smiled at her friend before running around the counter to hug her. "How are you? I heard that you were in the hospital the other day?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't anything really serious." Jessica's fingers lightly grazed on Bella's slightly discolored cheek and she sighed. "Like I said, nothing really serious."
"That looks pretty serious, Bella." Concerned brown eyes were glued to her, "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling pretty top shape right now." She looked to where Micheal was standing there smiling. "He's certainly grown on you, hasn't he?"
"He has." She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, "I really like him. We have a date tonight after the deli closes."
"Well, congrats." Bella's lips pulled back a little further, "That's a big step for you, isn't it?"
"Shut up, it is." Jessica flicked her loose hair over her shoulder the way Rosalie always seemed to do. "So what's your week looking like? Going to watch the competition?"
"Uh, I was going to ask about that, see-" Bella was interrupted by a familiar, butterfly-inducing voice talking over her.
"She's going to support my family and myself." Alice grinned from where she stood, hands akimbo. "I'm a little embarrassed that she hasn't asked for those days off yet."
"Oh, that was never an issue, Alice!" Jessica winked, "The deli is closed for the entirety of the competition."
"Really? That's great!" Golden eyes narrowed at nervous chocolates, "Now there is no excuse for Bella to not attend and represent us."
"Ali, please-"
"No, Bella." Alice hissed quietly, "I'm already up to here," She brought her hands up over her head, "with being ignored and you coming up with excuses for me to not see you!"
"I don't give excuses!" The brunette hissed back, "Holmes is healing! He just got home yesterday, what do you expect? You want me to drop him and just run off with you? It doesn't work that way! I have a job, too! I have to actually work to keep my dog fed!"
"It wouldn't be impossible if you would just let me drop by the house or something! I could even help you then! But no, you just want to do it all by yourself, right? Because you don't need anyone? Is that it?" Alice's eyes were molten gold, fiery and passionate. "As for the working part, you know I am just dying to help with anything I can, but you always...! ugh! You know the deli would give you the day off if you'd ask for it!"
"I don't want to ask for days off, and I don't need your help!" Bella snapped, "Not everything is about living free without responsibility, Alice! Not everyone likes living that way! If you want someone as carefree and totally awesome, then go look elsewhere!"
Alice's jaw dropped at her best friend's words. Where was all of this coming from? She didn't live carefree without responsibility at all!
"Is that what you really think? You think that of me and my family? Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Edward and Jasper? You think that we...you made us sound like a bunch of fucking hippies! Are you aware? Or are you still loopy off the shit they gave you at the hospital?" Alice turned red in the face, her hands tight at her sides to keep from hitting anyone and anything. "Well, if that's what you honestly think, then..."
She didn't bother finishing her sentence. She spun around on her heels and stormed out of the deli, Edward looking frightened behind her, but following her nonetheless.
"Bella, what the hell was that?" Jessica crossed her arms over her chest, "Are you aware that you just broke your best friend's heart?"
"I think it's for the best." She looked over at Micheal, who looked so sad. Just looking at him, she knew he would give her a hard time. "You know...this place looks good with a boy and a girl. Kind of like a mom and dad. These surfers need that type of thing..."
"No, Bella, wait!" Jessica tried to stop the girl, who just sidestepped her and smiled, "Please wait."
"I...I have to go home and...take care of Holmes. I'll call you in a while." The brunette turned on her heel much like Alice had, and left the deli without another word spoken. She climbed into her truck and drove home, crying near her death when she parked in her driveway.
Charlie, who had seen most of his daughter's break down, reached for the house phone and dialed a number he knew could help.
Alice
"The nerve of that girl!" Alice slammed her fists against the punching bag at the teeny tiny gym in town. "How-how could she say things like that to me? To me?"
"You ever stop to think of what she might be going through, Ali?" Jasper panted as he tried to keep up with his sister, "I mean, her dog just got back from surgery. I heard that the dog was her best friend since she got him at four weeks old..."
"That gives her no excuse to talk to me like that! I never took shots like that at her!" She struck the bag again and hissed, the skin of her knuckles tearing. "Shit. Now I have to get this wrapped."
"There you are!" Emmett gasped as he stopped in front of his siblings, "What happened, Alice? I've heard things the past hour that just throw me for a loop! What the hell, kid?"
"Well, what did you hear?" Alice grit her teeth as she tore at the bag again, "Anything remotely interesting?"
"I heard from Jessica that you and Bella got into a word-fight and-" Alice interrupted him here.
"Argument. Not a word-fight." she motioned for him with one fist, "Keep talking."
"and that you two said some hurtful things to each other. Then, Rosalie got a call from Dr. Hart that Holmes had to go back to the E.R. Because he started flat-lining-"
"WHAT?" Alice spun around quickly, fear in her eyes, "What do you mean by flat-lining? Is that a word you made up or are you using the actual medical term for..."
"He's dying, Ali." Alice slowly sunk down into a bench and looked at the ground, unseeing. "The doctor said...that he's probably got until morning. She tried getting to you so you could help Bella get through it, but she assumed something happened if Bella came home crying already..."
"What else did you hear?" She whispered softly, her eyes tearing up quickly. "Please hurry up."
"Jessica said that Bella quit...shortly after you left. Rosie and I, we have a theory..." 'Oh god...when Emmett is using big words, its usually serious...' Alice shuddered, and jumped when Edward ran into the little gym.
She looked at her older brother and took in his sweating and pained expression. He was the poster child for pity right at that moment. Oh God.
"Please don't tell me. Don't fucking tell me!" Alice stood up shakily and backed up, her knees knocking into the bench. "Don't say it. It'll ruin me!"
"Rosalie's already on her way here to-" Edward looked over at Jasper when Alice shouted at him again. "Please, Alice."
"Already? Why couldn't he just..." Alice's hands went to her eyes as she threw herself onto her big bear of a brother, "He just...Bella will...Oh my god..."
"Alice, do you remember what I told you?" Emmett whispered into her ear, "Do you?"
She nodded slowly, "Baby steps."
"That's right." He stood up, hugging her tightly. She almost disappeared in his arms and his shoulders shook because of all the excess heartache that seemed to have clouded over them in this small town. "S-She's going to need you to be strong, Ali. She's going to lose it, just for a minute, and when that happens, you need to be her life jacket. Her flashlight in the dark tunnel."
"You know something sad?" the pixie muttered to her siblings, "We talked about almost everything together. Anything and everything. The weather. Clothes. Our pasts. Family. Futures. Surfing. Our love of crappy movies and equally crappy novels. Food. Places we've been... But we never talked about Holmes. I don't even know how old he is. Or when she got him. How she felt when she first held him. Or the first time she gave him a bath..."
She started to cry harder, "I didn't know anything like that, and I...I had...she was right. I had wanted her to just forget about him and spend time with me. I was selfish when he was alive, and I'm just as selfish now. She was his mommy, and I..."
A soft hand on her shoulder made her look up, and blue eyes tried to convey just how sorry she felt for the two...no, three, of them.
"Let's go. Charlie's waiting for us at his house."
Bella
'How am I supposed to feel right now? Am I supposed to feel...horrified? Sad? Lonely? What about angry? Should I feel angry at the person who was supposed to help Holmes get better? Or should I feel angry at Alice for keeping me from doing my job as Holmes' caretaker? No...it wasn't her fault. It was mine.'
'I let myself get distracted by that little pixie. That beautiful girl that would be leaving me and my memory behind in just two weeks time. How could I let this get out of control? When I first adopted Holmes, I swore that I would always put him first. That he would be who I woke up to in the morning and fell asleep with at night. He was a little scrap of fur when I first met him. Where is he now?'
'He's probably on a metal table with tubes sticking out of him and a machine strapped to him, telling any and all that his heart is no longer working. That his ears hear nothing. That his eyes...his lovable, tender blue eyes, see nothing. His feet will no longer tread dirt and grass and concrete or carpet. His tail, that fluffy, soft tail will no longer curl in excitement, or wag in happiness.'
'The only thing I could count on right now...is that he isn't in pain any more. That he's in the heaven for dogs. He's probably playing poker with all of my other pets before him that died while I was on my forced vacations to Forks.'
'Where is Alice? Oh right. We fought today. I tried to cast her from my life, for my own sake. I hadn't even thought of her when I did it. I just didn't want to hurt when she left. I didn't want to ask myself the 'what ifs' or the 'whys' that people tended to ask. I just wanted to move to Forks to let my mother have free reign on her life. I didn't want Holmes to die of a horrible disease. I didn't want my heart to go to someone who would probably hurt me accidentally, and leave with the next tide. And I certainly didn't want to end up questioning the life I had been living before.'
'That's where I am now. Even though I had said fairly bad things to Alice, and I knew she was mad at me...I couldn't help but want her here with me. I wanted her to hold onto me tightly, and say that she would be here for me. That she would whisper in my ears that she adored me, and would love me in place of Holmes.'
'But that was wrong. I could dream of that...but I would never let it happen. I know that my dreams are fairly still attainable...but Alice...I wanted her to be part of my dreams. I wanted her to be the one with me, to hold my hand, when it all came true.'
'Where is Alice?'
"Where is Alice?" Confused light brown eyes locked on the face in the mirror, tears still streaming down discolored cheeks, "I want Alice!"
Alice
When the Cullen Five showed up to the Swan's house, Alice was the first one out of Rosalie's car. Hell, the car barely had enough time to register the brakes that Rosalie had slammed down on when Alice bolted.
"Alice!" Rosalie snarled behind her, but she didn't listen. She didn't bother. She'd done it a thousand times. She barely felt her feet hit the ground as she ran up the small steps and to the door. She wasn't sure if she should knock or just burst in like she owned the place, so she jogged in place, her feet coming up as if she were standing on red coals.
She knocked a few times, hastily, before she grew even more impatient and threw the door open, nearly catching Charlie in the face. She sprinted past him and up the stairs. She tripped on one before she caught herself on the hand rail. Thank god for those, huh?
When she reached the plain, undecorated door of her best friend's bedroom, she paused, trying to come up with the words that she would need. The words that would make all the pain go away. The words that could fill the space of an apology that needed to be said.
A crash from inside the room made the tiny surfer forgo the apologies and loving words, and she pushed the door open in time to see Bella grab at a glass photo frame and throw it against the mirror of her vanity table.
Bella grabbed another and slammed it against her bedside table, the shards too dangerously sharp and close to the mourning brunette for the pixie's liking.
"Bella!" The tall girl spun around in pained shock, her eyes locking on the little surfer as her forehead wrinkled. "Bella, I'm here! Please don't."
"Alice? Are you really here?" Once again, she tried to find the words that would make this all go away...turn back time to a splinter where things were better. When they were happier. Where things made sense. "You're not really here..."
She picked up another frame and smashed it on top of the first one. Somehow, her hand wasn't getting sliced to bits by breaking the glass. But the noise was loud enough to bring Alice back to reality. Bella was losing it, just like Emmett said she would.
"Bella, stop breaking things!" She ran over to where the girl was still crying helplessly, and threw her down on the bed. She tried to get up, but it proved useless when Alice jumped on top of her and pinned her hands down, her worried face inches away from Bella's heartbroken one. "Bella."
"Alice?" The pixie released her friend's hands and placed her own on either side of Bella's face, making her look into her eyes. "It's you, Alice."
"That's right, Bells. It's me." She leaned in and pressed her lips to Bella's still wrinkled forehead while running her fingers through her soft chestnut hair, "It's me. I'm here. Right here with you. Come back to me, sweetheart..."
"Ali, you were upset at me...right?" Bella hiccuped, "I'm sorry...for what I said before. I didn't mean a word of it. You know that, don't you?"
"Can you tell me why you said those things?" Alice coaxed gently. She didn't want the girl to clam up just yet. She wanted to know exactly why she said the things she'd said.
"I...I wanted to get you to leave me alone." the brunette whimpered quietly, "I wanted you to forget about me. There was so much going on at that moment when you showed up at the deli and I was talking to Jessica...I wanted to concentrate on work. I didn't want to worry about you or Holmes. He was sick and on the verge of dying...and then the whole thing with you wanting to spend time with me more..."
"I'm sorry about the way things turned out, Bella." Alice sighed and rolled to her side, pulling the girl to roll along with her. "I was being selfish. I hadn't thought of Holmes at all..."
"There was another reason I wanted to get you to dislike me." Bella cuddled closer to the surfer and started to cry softly once again. "It's come up over and over for the past few days you've been here. I just always...push the subject away because I'm afraid of what you'll say, or what will happen afterward."
"We don't have to talk about it now...if you aren't ready." the pixie pulled the girl tighter to her chest, "I don't think I want to talk about it...at this moment. You're hurting enough as it is about Holmes...I think we should save that conversation for another day, sweetheart. Do you agree?"
Bella nodded against her chest.
"Just rest now, Bella." Alice whispered as she ran her free hand through Bella's long, chestnut hair. It was so soft.
Alice
"She's asleep, chief." Alice sighed as she plopped down onto a free space on the sofa. Her brothers were sprawled out on the floor, and Rosalie was sitting properly on the other side of the sofa. Leslie and Charlie were sharing the recliner comfortably, as if they'd been doing it for years instead of months. "And I've already taken the liberty of cleaning up the broken glass and taking out anything else that's...breakable."
"That's good. I was a little worried when the crashing stopped...but since you got here, I was assured that you would be able to calm her down." Leslie smiled kindly at Alice as her boyfriend spoke to the young woman. "She's taking it a little hard..."
"Of course she's taking it hard, Charlie." His girlfriend frowned at him, "She's had him for six years now. People can't even stand to be married for that long."
"Holmes was six years old? Holy crap!" Emmett grinned, "How old is that in dog years?"
"I don't know..." Rosalie sighed, "But it wasn't just the dog dying that has her so hung."
"What do you mean?" Charlie raised a brow, "Because whatever you say is news to me."
"Alright." The blond sat up a little further on her seat and clasped her fingers together. "How do you feel about gays and lesbians?"
"By the way, watch what you say." Emmett sat back on his wrists, legs sprawled out in front of him, "We have a gay couple in this room."
"Err...I suppose...to each his own. If that's how you love, then, that's how you love." He smiled genuinely, "My ex-wife is having a sex change...and to be honest, I was so not cool with it at first...but after a while, I was happy for her. If it makes her happy, she should be able to do what she wants with her life, right? I'm just happy that we have Bella. She completes our lives."
"Awww, look he's blushing!" Emmett cackled, Jasper hitting him over the head since his sister wasn't anywhere close enough to do it. "Ow."
"Thanks." Rosalie saluted Jasper, who winked at her.
"So, what does the gay and lesbian question mean?" The oldest man thought it over, and then sat back, snapping his eyes over to Alice, who had her face buried in her hands. "Oh."
"Yeah." Edward sniggered, "Oh."
"Charlie," Alice stood up and stood before Bella's father before dropping onto her knees in front of him, "I love your daughter. I honestly do. But, nothing has happened. I swear."
"Depends on your definition of 'nothing', Ali." Rosalie guffawed at Alice's brick red expression, golden eyes terrified. "Oh, you're just embarrassed that I've said that in front of her father, huh?"
"Rosie, that's not nice." Emmett crossed his arms over his massive chest. "You shouldn't tease her like that."
"Be quiet." She grinned at him, and he just pouted. "That's what I thought."
"Okay...so you love my daughter..." He just looked at his girlfriend, who nudged him. "Have you told her?"
"Uh..no." Alice blushed. "I kinda wanted to do something romantic or something. Like, telling her after serenading her over the span of the competition days and after events. You know, things that lead up to that type of thing? I've never said anything like that to anyone, and if I wanted to say it, I would want to do it right."
"That makes perfect sense." Leslie smiled, "Some people should take notes."
"Hey, I'm trying here." Charlie chuckled, wrapping his arms around the woman's slender waist. "Not my fault I sound like a seal or walrus when trying to sing."
He turned his eyes to the clearly still tormented Alice Cullen.
"I've go no problem with you falling in love with her, little surfer." Alice's eyes lit up at his combination of words. "But hurt her, and we will have problems."
"Yeah, Ali. Hurt her, and we'll have problems." Rosalie smiled devilishly, flexing both arms. "I'll have to shoot you with these guns."
"No, there won't be a need for threats." Alice stood up with a smile. "However, we may have to use force to get her to the competition."
"I doubt that." Edward sighed, "Just tell her that if she doesn't get her ass up to go, she'll have to deal with two very angry gay men. That should just about do it."
"Ah, well played!" Emmett pumped his fist in the air, "Never underestimate the power of the gay man and his sense of drag fashion! It instills fear in even the straightest of women!"
"Unfortunately for your statement, Emmett," Jasper chuckled loudly, "Bella isn't at all straight! It was wasted!"
"Oh shit...you're right...should I take it back?" His blue eyes were confused. "I mean..."
"No, babe. It was perfect." Rosalie jumped over to him and kissed his lips softly, "You are so amazing when you use big words on your own."
"I know! It's a day to day effort, though." He shrugged, "I'll get there someday and talk like Dad, Mom and Ali one day."
Sad day for Bella and Alice, folks. I know you guys are really depressed about Holmes dying, I know I was really upset, too...but he isn't the first thing that's gonna break your heart. I'd hate to promise that, but it's the truth. I hope you all stick around for the rest of it. One day of pain for weeks worth of happiness, I like to think. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Namaste!