A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to get posted. Writing from Jasper's POV was especially difficult since he wanted to be a pain in the butt and wouldn't sit still for very much plot related writing. But, hopefully the Jasper/Alice lemony goodness makes up for the long wait. I'll be posting a teaser for the next chapter in the forum for this story on www (dot) twilighted (dot) net.

Jasper POV

I couldn't even begin to make sense of this new situation. My mind was spinning with facts that I hadn't known before today. I'd known about my friends' histories in general, but I'd never asked for details and we'd all been happier that way. Now, with Bella in danger and the previously unknown details of a sordid past on the table for all to see, I was reassessing my view of my friends.

As I thought over everything I'd learned, I came to the conclusion - almost immediately, I might add - that it didn't change how I felt toward Edward or Emmett or undermine my loyalty. My own past, while not as depressing as theirs, was far from squeaky clean. But what happened in the past made them into the men I knew now and those were men I trusted and loved. So no, my friendship wouldn't change, but my respect for them both had skyrocketed. And so did my understanding of their close bond.

"Jasper?"

I physically shook myself out of my thoughts and looked over at Alice. Here was another point of worry in my mind. Once James found it was going to be harder to get to Edward through Bella, he might go after her closest friends. Unfortunately, as feisty and independent as the girls were, they were the weakest link. Men like James would not hesitate to go after the weakest target. I cared for Alice far too much for this to happen, as did Edward and Emmett with Bella and Rosalie.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, reaching out to take her hand where it rested on my thigh. "I was thinking." I reached out with our twined hands and brushed my knuckles across her cheek. She turned a tiny smile in my direction before focusing worried eyes back on the dark road. Rosalie had loaned us her car since she was riding with Emmett; bags and clothes were easier to transport in the BMW than on my bike.

"Do you think Edward will be able to keep James away?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I brought her hand to my lips, pressing gentle kisses on each of her knuckles. "Everything's going to be fine, Alice." That wasn't an answer and we both knew it but she accepted it with a nod as I pulled into my parking lot. I put the car in park and turned in my seat to face her. "Please don't worry, baby. It'll all work out."

Alice smiled again and opened her door, shutting it gently behind her. I sighed and got out of the drivers' seat, locking the car and taking Alice's hand once I reached the front of the car where she was waiting for me. I unlocked the door to my apartment and ushered her inside, locking it behind me. I may have told Alice not to worry but I sure as

hell wasn't about to take any chances.

I watched as Alice walked into my living room and stopped, staring down at the floor like it held all the secrets of the universe and if she could just focus on it, she'd have all the answers. I came up behind her and placed a small kiss on the side of her neck, running my hands up and down her arms. "Alice, baby?"

She looked up and turned, forcing me to back up a bit so she could look at me. Her dark eyes were wide and tears were brimming on the surface. "I'm scared, Jasper. I don't want Bella to get hurt."

I pulled her into my arms, running my fingers through her hair as she buried her face in my chest. I could feel it when she started crying and I bent my head, placing a kiss on her hair as I held her. "Shh, baby, it's going to be okay." She wrapped one arm around my waist and I held her tighter, pinning her other arm between our bodies.

"Edward will protect her. And Emmett will protect Rosalie, and I'll protect you." I moved my hands to either side of her face and pulled her away from me so I could look into her eyes, wanting her to understand just how serious I was. "Bella will be safe with Edward and I swear to you, Alice, I won't let anything happen to you, either."

She nodded and reached up, wiping her eyes before giving me a watery smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all emotional."

I wiped away the tears she missed and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Don't ever apologize to me, Alice. You don't need to."

I brushed my lips across hers again, intending to pull away and start packing so we could get back to our 'safe house'. Alice, however, had other plans. Her fingers tangled in my hair before I could pull away and she stood on her tiptoes, forcing her lips back to mine. I growled under my breath as I returned the kiss, matching her intensity kiss for kiss.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up as I licked across her lips, begging for entrance. She parted her lips and wrapped her legs around my waist, my hands under her thighs now, supporting her. I groaned into the kiss as my tongue explored her mouth and her fingers pulled on my hair.

My jeans became uncomfortably tight as I walked us forward until I hit the couch. I dropped down to my knees on the cushions, moving one hand out from under Alice to brace myself against the back of the couch. A second later I had her pressed firmly up against the back of the couch, grinding my denim-clad erection into her, earning a small moan for my efforts.

I broke the kiss with a gasp and dropped my lips to her throat. She tilted her head back and I shifted until I had her pinned completely and could use my hands. I kept one on her hip but with the other, I started unbuttoning the silky red blouse she'd worn for our date last night. My lips followed the progress of my fingers, kissing down each newly exposed inch of flesh.

Her hands moved to my shoulders as I unclasped her bra, pushing the material of bra and shirt off her shoulders with a little shifting and adjusting. She moved her hands to the bottom of my shirt and a second later, it joined hers on the floor and our lips had reconnected, heat and passion exploding around us. I wrapped one arm around her, pulling her tighter against my body even as I ground her into the back of the couch as though I were trying to come out the other side. Our bodies moved together in a preview of what was to come.

I moved my free hand between us and made quick work of the zipper on her jeans and, with some awkward shifting since we refused to break contact with each other, I managed to get them off of her, leaving her clad only in her red lace panties. I groaned at the sight, finally breaking the kiss due to the need to breathe.

I ran my hand over the lace as Alice worked at my own zipper, her tiny fingers faltering when I bent my head and took her breast into my mouth without warning. I smiled to myself and guided her hand back, helping get the button and then the zipper undone. My teeth closed around her nipple when her knuckles brushed over my straining erection and she gasped, arching her back and offering her chest to me.

My hand moved between us, fingers deftly finding her moist center and began rubbing her through the lace. Her strangled moan filled my ears as I moved my mouth to her other breast, taking the nipple between my teeth and biting it, the same as I'd done before. Her fingers, resting on my hips under the denim cloth, clutched at me, pulling at the fabric of my boxers and inadvertently creating friction across my throbbing dick. I wanted to be inside her so badly I could taste it, but no, not yet.

I curled my fingers around the lace of her panties and yanked, ripping the material with a growl and letting the scraps fall to the floor. That one action defined us in the moment; there would not be anything gentle between us this time. The gasp that came from her throat and the heat the filled her eyes told me she understood and agreed. We needed each other in the most primal way possible, no barriers, no hesitations.

My lips found her neck as I slid the first finger into her, her moan vibrating the smooth column of her throat under my lips as I licked and sucked and kissed across every inch of it. A second finger pushed into her warm depths, stretching her around my fingers. Her own fingers trailed up my back to hold me tighter to her, one hand tangling in my hair to make sure I kept my lips on her throat. Like I had any intention of moving.

I started pumping my fingers in and out of her body, fast and hard, the muscles in my arm tensing as I set a personal goal to bring her in less than thirty seconds. My palm scraped across her clit with each thrust of my hand. I curled my fingers inside of her as I moved them, the pads on my fingertips beating across her g-spot without sympathy. I wanted her to come and I wanted her to come hard.

She arched her back over the back of the couch, inadvertently giving me an even better angle into her body. "Jasper… oh, god… Jasper!" I smirked against her throat as she dropped my name in the breathy, strangled tone that said she was close. I ran my lips up her neck to her ear, kissing along the shell of her ear.

"Come for me, Alice. Now." My voice was firm yet strangled, matching hers, my lips brushing her ear with each word. I felt her body tighten around my fingers, damn near cutting the circulation off in the process, not that I didn't enjoy every second of it. I moved my hand to her lower back to support her as her orgasm caused her to claw my back and scream my name in between gasps and moans. No one had ever been so beautiful as she was in that moment.

As she started to come down from her orgasm, I shoved my boxers down, just enough to release my painfully hard erection. I guided myself to her entrance and shoved myself inside of her, drawing a scream from her throat. Her body clenched around me and I groaned, my fingers digging into the couch on either side of Alice's body. I gripped the back of the couch, the muscles in my arms straining as I started thrusting into her, again without hesitation, not feeling the need to be gentle.

I moved my body in hers, pounding into her hard enough to make the couch jerk. She tightened her thighs around my waist, her nails digging into my shoulders as my own dug into the couch, giving myself the leverage to go faster, harder. It wasn't long before her body was clenching around me again and I growled, pushing myself faster until she screamed my name and I felt her body's release.

Alice whimpered when her orgasm passed and she found me still going strong. Her next orgasm came right on the heels of the first and brought mine with it until we were both gasping for breath around screams and cries of each others' names. I collapsed against her before shifting us until I was sitting on the couch, Alice across my lap and wrapped in my arms. There had been no gentleness during our passion but now, with our bodies temporarily exhausted and our sense of self reaffirmed, there was room for tenderness.

It was then that I realized we'd never turned on the lights and the sun was just starting to come up outside. So much had happened throughout the night that I couldn't believe the sun was only just coming up. I bent my head to nuzzle my nose against Alice's neck before taking a deep, steadying breath and pushing myself up to stand on shaky legs, holding Alice bridal style in my arms as I made my way through the dark apartment to my bedroom. I had to stop halfway to step out of the jeans that had fallen down around my ankles.

By the time I laid Alice out on the bed, she was half asleep already. I made sure the door was firmly shut before crawling under the sheets behind her, pulling her as close to me as I could before drifting off into a light sleep.

**

I woke before Alice did, my thoughts full of the nightmare that had plagued my unconscious mind. At some point during the - I glanced over at the clock - four hours we'd been sleeping, she'd rolled onto her stomach and half onto me, while I'd ended up on my back. I sighed and laid one arm across her back while I bent the other under my head.

Alice shifted in her sleep and I moved my hand up, running my fingers through her dark hair to soothe her. I thought she'd settle back into sleep but instead she lifted her head just enough to look at me through heavy lidded eyes. I smiled at her, running my knuckles across her cheek and earning a smile in return. I would do anything for that smile, to have it directed at me, meant for me.

"Sleep well?" I asked her, my voice husky from sleep.

She shifted again, snuggling closer to me and wrapping her arm around my waist. "I had a nightmare."

I leaned up just enough to press a kiss to her hair. "Me, too." She looked up at me again and I knew we'd shared the dream that something would happen to one of us, or one of our friends, and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it. It was a truly scary thought in the midst of the joy I was feeling at having her in my arms.

"We should probably get going soon," I whispered, not wanting to move at all but knowing we needed to get back to Edward's.

She sighed in resignation and nodded, but instead of getting up she pressed herself closer to me and buried her face against my chest. I laughed softly under my breath. "You're going to make me be the bad guy and move us, aren't you?"

I heard a muffled giggle and felt her nod. I growled playfully under my breath and lifted up, rolling us until she was pinned under my body. "Now that's hardly fair." My accent thickened with my words and I watched as her eyes practically glazed over, chuckling to myself. I loved the effect I had over her.

She lifted her upper body off the bed, trying to kiss me but I pulled back out of her reach. The pout that crossed her lips almost made me forget about everything except what we could possibly be doing in this bed rather than trying to get out of it. A quick shake of my head - and a knowing smile from Alice - and I was back in control of my body.

I dipped my head down and pressed my lips to her throat, finding her pulse and sucking gently, my fingers gliding down the side of her body. She moaned softly and lifted up under me, pressing her body the length of mine, inviting me to keep going. And oh, how I wanted to, now that I'd gotten started.

I pulled away and pushed out of bed, walking naked over to my closet and pulling out a large duffle bag. I heard a frustrated groan come from the bed and grinned at her over my shoulder. "We'll continue this later, Pixie-love." Turning away before she could unleash the pout on me again, I started shoving clothes semi-neatly into the duffle, paying only enough attention to make sure I got the clothes I wanted.

"Jazz." I hesitated at the husky tone in her voice and fought desperately against the urge to turn around. "Jasper." Oh, to hear her say my name like that all the time. I swallowed hard and glanced at her. Which was definitely counterproductive to us leaving any time soon.

She had moved up the bed, bracing her back against the headboard, and was running her hands down her stomach to her thighs before running them back up the inside of her thighs, back up her stomach, to cup her breasts. My mouth was suddenly dry and my attention was so focused a bomb could have gone off in the living room and I wouldn't have noticed.

I watched as one hand stayed on her breast, fingers rolling her nipple as her other hand slid back down, this time dipping down into the sweet heaven between her legs. I groaned as her head fell back against the headboard, her fingers rubbing circles over her clit. My dick instantly hardened, drawing a gasp of near pain from the sudden blood flow.

My legs moved without any direction from my brain and brought me over to the bed. Once there, I crawled on my hands and knees over to her, holding myself over her with my hands on either side of her hips. I leaned in, brushing my lips across her shoulder, up her throat to her ear. "Can you make yourself cum for me, Pixie-love?" She whimpered, though whether at my words or the use of my old pet name for her, I didn't know.

I looked down between us, watching the movement of her hand between her legs and fighting off the urge to move her hand and take over. I wanted to watch her get herself off, now that she'd gotten the idea in my head. I bit down gently on her ear, drawing a small moan from her throat. "Well?"

She nodded, looking at me from under heavy lids, her tongue sliding out to moisten her lips. I groaned at the sight and sat back on my knees between her legs, getting a better view of what her hand was doing. I watched as she continued to circle her clit, her other hand massaging her breast.

She moved her fingers down, sliding first one, then two fingers inside herself, a soft gasp coming from her lips. Her hand moved faster, the heel of her palm rubbing against her clit as she moved her fingers in and out of her body. I dropped my hands down to her ankles when she started squirming and trying to close her legs as her breathing got faster and her orgasm got closer.

My hands restrained her legs as they started to shake, soft words of encouragement coming from my lips. Her body tensed as the orgasm ripped through her and she cried out, her head falling back against the headboard so hard I thought for sure she'd hurt herself, but she didn't seem to even notice.

I loosened my grip on her ankles and ran my hands up her legs to her hips, gripping her waist and pulling her down until she was laying on her back under me. My hands moved up her sides, fingers grazing the sides of her breasts and drawing a gasp from her throat. I continued my journey up to her shoulders then down her arms to her wrists. With one swift movement I had both her wrists pinned above her head, one of my hands able to wrap fully around both of hers.

"Jazz?" Her voice was breathy and her eyes were unfocused.

"Shh," I ran my lips across her jaw, crossing over her lips briefly before moving on. My free hand had moved back down to her leg, my fingers curled under her knee. I pulled her leg up and over my hip, hooking it around my back and giving me the perfect angle into her body.

Her body arched up under mine and I pulled my hips back just enough to deny her what she wanted. She whimpered and I smiled against her throat before sliding inside of her, melting our bodies together with one quick thrust. I tightened my grip around her wrists when she tried to push up against me, easing out of her body before slamming back in.

A half dozen thrusts later and she was clenching around me, screaming out her second orgasm against my shoulder. I felt her teeth in my shoulder as she bit down, dragging a cry from my own throat and bringing my orgasm with an explosive release that left me weak and out of breath. I collapsed beside her, releasing her wrists and pulling her against my side.

We lay like that for a bit while our pulses slowed and our bodies cooled. Alice snuggled up against me as soon as she could make her muscles work and I pressed a kiss into her hair.

"We really should get up this time," I murmured, wanting to do no such thing. I was thoroughly enjoying what we were doing and had no desire to move.

Alice groaned and shook her head, burying as much of her body between my side and the bed as she could. I couldn't help but laugh and I rolled over, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her against me for a quick kiss. The quick kiss quickly turned into something more and it was almost an hour later before we finally got out of the bed.

I made quick work of the rest of my packing and we both showered. It took a tremendous effort of will on my part to keep the shower merely about getting clean. If Alice had had her way, we'd probably still be standing under the water, though I couldn't decide if I'd have her pinned up against the wall or bent over in front of me. The images floating through my head as I considered both options made my dick twitch and I had to reach down and adjust myself to relieve the discomfort. Alice gave me a knowing smile as she got in the car and I slammed the trunk closed after dropping my duffel in it.

We hit traffic on the way to the apartment Alice shared with Bella and Rosalie and then Alice tried to pack every single beauty product she owned. I finally had to hide my laughter while putting on a firm voice and telling her if she couldn't fit it in two bags then she didn't need it. It took another hour of debating and packing before we were ready to go with two duffels and a backpack. It was a lot better than the six duffels she originally wanted to bring so I didn't comment on the backpack.

It was late afternoon by the time we got back to Edwards' house. His Volvo was gone and the house was locked so I figured he'd taken Bella to go get some things. No matter, I had a key to the house. I parked the BMW in the grass beside the garage to leave room for Emmett's Jeep and Edward's Volvo when they returned.

A loud rumble echoed down the street as Alice and I were pulling our bags out of the trunk and a few seconds later, a beat up old Chevy truck pulled into the grass behind me, Bella behind the wheel. Alice waved and bounced her way over to the driver's side of the truck just as Edward pulled his Volvo into the garage.

I met Edward by the front door, loaded down with mine and Alice's bags, and waited patiently while he unlocked the door. Once inside, I made a beeline for the spare bedroom at the end of the hallway, the one I usually crashed in when I stayed over. Emmett would get the one closer to the living room. We'd had enough drunken nights over here to have claimed our own rooms.

By the time I had unpacked our clothes and put Alice's toiletries away in the Jack-and-Jill bathroom the two spare rooms shared, Emmett and Rosalie had arrived. I ran into Emmett in the process of stashing Alice's blow dryer under the sink. Apparently he'd been stuck with the job of unpacking, same as me, though I'd volunteered for it. I'm sure Rose 'asked' Emmett. We shared a knowing smirk as we finished putting things away.

Back in the dining room, with the girls all clustered around the table involved in a serious conversation, Emmett and I joined Edward by the stove. He had a huge bowl of what smelled like Italian dressing at his elbow and he was dropping raw chicken breasts into it.

"What the hell are you doing, Ed?" Emmett asked, bending over to get a better look 'cause apparently chicken covered in dressing looks different up close. Apparently.

Edward pushed him back with his elbow as he dropped the last of the chicken into the bowl. "Making dinner. Now back up before I make you fend for yourself tonight." He smirked at Emmett's look of horror and I turned my head to hide a smile. Emmett and cooking definitely did not go together. At all. I mean, seriously, this guy managed to fuck up Easy Mac.

Turning away from the playful verbal sparring of my best friends put me facing the girls in their huddled conversation. Alice, being at the end of the table, noticed me looking and offered a small smile before joining back in on whatever was being discussed. Frowning, I nudged Edward.

"What's going on with them?"

Edward glanced over his shoulder briefly as he put a top on the bowl of chicken. "They're trying to convince Bella to take time off work and pretend illness to get out of going to class for a few days." Between his tone and the serious expressions on the girls' faces, I gathered the convincing wasn't going so well.

"Success rate?" I leaned back against the counter and crossed my arms over my chest.

With a barely suppressed sigh, Edward dropped a pot into the sink to fill with water. "Non-existent. She doesn't want this thing with James to get in the way of her life. Although what she actually said was that if she took time off, someone else would have to work harder to cover her shift and taking time from school would set her back too far." He shrugged and put the now full pot on the stove, turning the element on to set the water to boiling.

Emmett grabbed an apple out of the bowl at the end of the counter and stood leaning against the island in front of Edward and myself. "Sounds to me like she's not taking the threat seriously." All playfulness was gone from his expression and his tone. It was a swift reminder that Emmett knew first hand the dangers James presented.

"She can hear you guys, you know." Bella's irritated voice drifted over from the table and she stood. "And I am taking the threat seriously. But I'm not going to let him scare me into hiding under a rock for an indefinite period of time." She looked pointedly at her two friends before disappearing down the hall. The sound of a door shutting was heard by all in the quiet room.

With a growl of frustration Rosalie sat back in her chair. "Why is she being so stubborn?"

Alice put her hand over Rosalie's and looked over at me with worried eyes. "Because she doesn't like us worrying over her. I think she's trying to prove that there's nothing to worry about."

I heard a sharp snap and looked at Edward standing beside me with the two pieces of a freshly broken wooden spoon in his hand. His jaw was clenched so tight I was worried he might shatter his teeth if he didn't let up on the pressure soon. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze when he looked over at me, anger and fear in his eyes. I didn't say anything, knowing nothing would help, even if he would believe a clever lie, instead just offering my support. He accepted my support with a nod and turned, throwing the broken wood in the trash before making his way down the hall, his movements stiff as he tried to get himself under control.

I sighed when he disappeared and looked over at Emmett. "What are the chances James will be able to get to her?"

Emmett took a bite of the apple in his hand, trying to put on a calm façade and failing. He was as tense as Edward. "James is a creative fucker and even if his time in jail lost him all his old contacts, he's got some serious resources. There's no way to know of any new contacts he could have made while in jail. We're going to have to be careful." Not exactly an answer to my question, but close enough.

Alice stood and came over to me, pressing her body against the front of mine. My arms wrapped around her as I pressed a kiss into her hair. Rosalie went to stand beside Emmett and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, nuzzling her neck before turning back to me.

"Bella's not going to make things easy on us, is she?" I asked Alice. She looked up at me with a small, humorless smile on her face and shook her head. I sighed again and tightened my arms around her as she turned in them to look at our other two friends.

"How're we going to get her to see reason?" I think her question was directed at Rosalie because I knew Emmett wouldn't know 'sense' if it bit him in the ass and danced the hula.

Rosalie shrugged after a moment of thought. "I don't think we can. We'll just have to make sure she doesn't go anywhere alone."

Emmett frowned and tossed the core of his apple into the trash. "You two won't be doing anything. James will just as soon grab one of you as he would Bella, especially if he thought he could use you to get to her."

Rosalie looked like she was about to say something but Alice beat her to it, her voice sharp and on the verge of angry. "And just what do you propose we do, then? Sit on our asses and wait for the big strong men to save us all from the evil villain?"

Emmett, wisely, didn't respond. It was probably the smartest thing he'd done in his entire life. Through my embrace I could feel the energy in her bubbling just below the surface, just waiting for the catalyst to break the tension. I suddenly missed my cheerful, hyper-active girlfriend. This worried, angry Alice made me want to comfort and protect her and that would go over about as well as a ton of bricks right about now.

"Look," I started, trying to diffuse what could easily turn into an explosive situation. "Why don't we all discuss this over dinner later? Nothing's going to get accomplished if Bella and Edward aren't a part of the conversation."

It took a few seconds but the energy in the room slowly calmed down and everyone looked, if not more relaxed, at least calmer. I was confident that Alice wasn't about to attack Emmett so I eased what I now realized was a really tight grip around her. She turned in my arms to give me a quick kiss before pulling away and heading toward the bedrooms.

When we heard, once again, a door open and shut, Emmett visibly relaxed. "Fuck, Jasper," he said, dropping his arm from Rosalie's shoulders to her waist. "She's fucking scary when she's angry." I saw Rosalie smirk and couldn't stop a small smile of my own.

"It's always the small ones you have to worry about." Rosalie said, trailing a finger down Emmett's cheek. He turned his head and bit down on her finger briefly.

"I don't know, Rose. You're pretty scary yourself, sometimes." The look they were sharing made me wish I was in another room. Maybe another state.

I pushed away from the counter and cleared my throat. "Uh, yeah. I'm going to go get Edward. Maybe you guys should take it to the bedroom. And try to not make our ears bleed in the process." Emmett laughed and punched my shoulder as I eased by them and followed the hall down to the end where Edward's room was across from mine.

I stopped and glanced back just in time to see Rose and Emmett disappear into their room, sending up a quick prayer that they kept it quiet. And that I'd remembered to close the door to the bathroom that joined the two rooms. I don't think they would even notice an open door and Alice probably wouldn't want to listen in on their fun times.

I rapped my knuckles against Edward's door and waited. Half a dozen seconds later the door was pulled open and I was met with a pair of soft brown eyes that showed enough irritation that I took an involuntary step back. The irritation flashed over to amusement as Bella watched my response and I heard a chuckle come from behind her. I needed to remember to tell Emmett that Rose was right; the small ones could be really scary sometimes.

"What's up, Jasper?" Bella asked, every ounce of irritation gone from her expression.

"Water's boiling." I glanced over her shoulder as Edward came up behind her, pushing the door open the rest of the way so he could squeeze by us, heading back into the kitchen. I watched him go before turning back to Bella. "You okay?"

She shrugged and leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her stomach. "Yeah, I guess. Just wish you guys wouldn't worry so much."

I gave her a smile and leaned in, pressing a friendly kiss to her cheek. "It's only

'cause we love you, darlin'." The exaggerated Texas drawl made her smile. Mission accomplished.

"Thanks, Jasper." She gave me a quick hug before heading out to join Edward. I turned and went to the door directly across the hall, opening it and walking in to find Alice sitting Indian style on the bed, her laptop open in front of her.

She looked up as I shut the door and smiled. "Everything okay?"

I nodded and opened my mouth to say something, only to be distracted by the sounds coming from the room next to us. Looks like Em and Rose were having a very good time. I grinned and moved toward the bed, pushing Alice's computer out of the way as I leaned into her, forcing her back on the bed.

"It will be."

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