Onward to Chapter 10…I'll save the rest for when you get to the end (Oh, and yes I know the song is ironic, but it fits the chapter for other reasons besides the title).

Alex: What the hell is this place? Hhhmmmm.*poke* *poke*

HV: -_-U

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. All the lovely characters belong to Stephenie Meyer—unfortunately. The OC's however, I do own *muahahahaha* .

Her name is Alice (Alice)
She crawls into the window
Through shapes and shadows
Alice (Alice)
And even though she is dreaming, she knows

Sometimes the curiosity can kill the soul but leave the pain
And every ounce of innocence is left inside the brain
And through the looking glass we see she's faithfully returned
But now off with her head I fear is everyone's concern
You see there's no real ending
Its only the beginning
Come out and play

--Her Name is Alice—Shinedown

Seth POV

It was weird what Imprinting could do to someone. I had heard all the guys talk about it, but had never once fully believed it. My sister's troubles being enough to plant the seed of apprehension. But as I looked down at Alex in my arms, I felt it. And I knew I was done for. For some reason, it was her. This stubborn, sarcastic, infuriating, crazy girl was my Imprint and I only hoped that one day I could tell her and not make a complete mess of the situation.

But who was I kidding? The situation was already a mess and there was no way I was dropping the I'm-bound-to-you-for-eternity bomb just yet. Neither of us was ready for that. In fact, I was pretty sure if she woke up and found me wrapped around her… Well, I'd rather not find out. I had witnessed enough from the rest of the pack to know not to let the Imprinting emotions get out of control—especially when your Imprint has no idea of the bond yet. Come to think of it I think Brady still has the mark from his experience—one that I was not in any hurry to repeat.

Minding my conscience, I gingerly disentangled myself from Alex's limbs. This, I might add, was a lot harder than it originally looked. Apparently our bodies had decided to make a giant human pretzel in the middle of the night. After thirty minutes of twisting and turning I finally was free and I placed a kiss on Alex's forehead before heading to the kitchen.

I started as she turned and leaned toward my place on the bed. I slipped out of reach and smiled.

Not yet.

Alex POV

I awoke alone. I sighed at the tranquility of it. It was nice to have a moment of peace and quiet as opposed to hostility and madness. My head turned into the pillow and I could have sworn I smelled Seth. Funny, I thought I had slept alone. But as I inhaled again I picked up that woodsy scent that could only be Seth. I stopped myself at that, pondering the insane fact that I knew what Seth smelled like.

What the hell??! Since when did I know what Fido smelled like? Since when did I care? Again I felt that feeling in the pit of my stomach that was the answer to all my questions. It was also the feeling that scared me to death—I had been there before, and I was not ready to go there again. I closed my eyes and tried to get my mind to drift back to the peace.

I was halfway there when a bright flash taunted my eyelids and forced my eyes open. There, to my utter horror, was Alice. With a camera. Pointed at my face.

"Alice!" I screamed. "What the hell are you doing?!" I buried myself further into the comforters.

"Before and after photos silly," she said it like it was the most common thing in the world to be doing in the morning.

"Before and after…what? Why would you need photos of me sleeping?" I was not in the mood for this.

"Well," she sighed dramatically. "Since you destroyed my work from last night, I am going to have to start all over again." I stiffened under the covers. "And as you clearly did not appreciate my art, I figured before and after photos would make you see the light." She pulled the covers from my head and gave me a smile that I was beginning to know far too well.

"No." I gave her the best glare I could this early in the morning.

For some reason she considered my expression and shrugged. "Fine."

The statement caught me so off-guard that I sat up, confused.

"Fine," she continued, "no makeover."

I sighed in relief.

"I am, however, getting you in this," she pulled something from behind her back and I knew instantly that my relief came too soon.

I was staring into the depths of my deepest, darkest, pinkest nightmare.

I sprung from the bed with lightening speed and ran for the door. She beat me to it, blocking my only escape route. I wasn't stupid enough to jump out a two-story window—yet.

"That thing is not coming within three feet of me," I growled at the pixie. "I swear Alice, if it touches me…" I trailed off as she gave me a wicked glare.

I was out of options. So I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed my trusty bedside lamp and prepared for battle.

Seth POV

"So let me get this straight… Seth finds this girl, in the middle of the woods. Girl just happens to be running from crazy-evil vampires, and Seth just happens to Imprint on her?" I rolled my eyes at Emmett's attempt to be serious.

After breakfast, Jake, Edward, Jasper and I had decided to regroup and attempt to figure Alex's situation out. Carlisle was at the hospital, so it was down to us at the moment. Although we first had to explain to Emmett what the hell was going on. Needless to say, it was going slow.

"Emmett…" Edward attempted.

"And to top it all off, the evil vamps are still lurking around? Dude what are the odds? It's like Bella 2.0."

"That's not the point Emmett," Jasper saved us this time. "Regardless of Imprinting, we now have a vampire threat to deal with." He sighed before continuing. "And what's worse is that we have no idea what kind of threat it is. There are no details and it's forcing us to grapple for clues. This could be a full out attack or a petty lover's spat for all we know." An exasperated growl ended his point.

"Does it matter?" I found myself asking. "There's a threat to her life…isn't that enough?" I locked eyes with Jasper.

"The threat is enough, yes," he responded. "But her life is not. I am not going to risk this family for a girl I barely know."

I started to shake, but Jasper continued un-phased.

"We don't even know if the girl is a part of the ploy—there are simply too many attributes."

A growl started forming in my chest, but a hand on my shoulder quelled it. I looked to meet Jake's eyes and ordered myself to calm down. Jacob settled his gaze on Jasper.

"I'll agree that the lack of details is unsettling, but Alex is Seth's Imprint." Jake's tone held the Alpha authority that he rarely used. "She's Pack now, and I will not allow her to be harmed, or thrown to the bloodsuckers." Jake's attention went from Jasper to Edward.

"If it were Alice, Jasper," Edward turned to his brother to mediate. I could see the wheels turning in Jasper's head.

"If it were Alice, you would be feeling exactly what I am feeling now," I took over the conversation. "I am asking for your help Jasper." The tone of my voice caught Jasper's attention. "I am not asking you to throw away everything to help us. I am just asking for back-up if I need it. You know how these vampires think, and I would be an idiot to disregard your opinion. But I will protect her. No matter what. I don't need your approval for that." I finished with a glare in Jasper's direction.

Jasper held my stare. "Alright," he conceded. "Forgive me Seth. It seems I have let my past overshadow my judgment. You have helped us without question and it seems it is my turn to repay the debt."

My posture relaxed again as Jasper gave a nod and exited the kitchen.

"Whew! Well that was interesting," Emmett's booming voice broke the last of the tension. "Don't worry about Jazz, he'll come around. He's always this cautious in the beginning."

"I'm glad he gave in," Jake sighed. "I was afraid I would have to pull the You-owe-us card. And I have to admit, that's one ace that I was hoping to save for later."

"Too bad Jasper played it for you," Edward smirked and Jacob glared in response.

"There's one thing I don't quite understand," we turned our attention to Emmett. Whenever he had that inquisitive tone, well, one does best to listen to him—before the real Emmett returns. "You said she knew you were a werewolf," he pointed to me and I nodded. "And you also said that she knew about the vampires and figured out these two"—he pointed to Edward and Jacob—"pretty quick. Hell, she even knew Edward was a mind-reader. So…"

"She's either incredibly observant, has vast supernatural fantasies, or has been through this before." Edward finished for him.

"Or all of the above," Jake mused.

"My bets on option three," I finished. Alex was observant, yes, but her reactions definitely pointed towards prior experience—no matter how much she tried to hide it.

"Well," Emmett pondered, "at least we can bypass the running and scream—

A loud bang and a series of thumps from upstairs interrupted our discussion. My body stiffened in response. I didn't need Imprinting to know it was Alex. But the smirk on Edward's face made me relax a little. Apparently whatever was going on up there was nothing to be worried about. A crash followed the thumps and I could not stop myself from inching toward the stairs. It sounded like World War III up there.

Emmett snickered.

"Seth," Jacob's voice made my head turn, "she'll be fine." He tried to sound reassuring, but the amusement in his tone squandered it. "Alice attacking in the name of fashion is nothing to be worried about"—another crash from above—"and in all honesty I think you're safer down here."

"Agreed," Edward added. "There's nothing—

A harsh scream cut off Edward's remark, and before anyone could comprehend it, I was bounding up the stairs and breaking open the door of the guest room. The thought of Alex in danger had my body shaking to phase and I forced myself to breathe. Though as I took in the scene in front of me, all triggers of the Change came to a halt.

The room was in shambles. Almost everything in sight was broken or shattered. And smack dab in the middle was Alex laying face-first on the floor, mumbling a continuous stream of profanities into the carpet. Alice sat atop her back, one arm holding Alex's shoulders down as the other slipped the last strap of the dress in place. Well, at least that explained the screaming. Alice held her position as she turned toward me, her trademark smile fully in place.

"Done," she said triumphantly.

I just stood there dumbfounded as I attempted to pull my jaw off the ground.

"Don't worry Seth, she is perfectly fine. And now she has the outfit to prove it." The smile grew bigger.

Alex responded with more profanities.

"Well next time I spend six hours making you look amazing, don't destroy it all." Alice ended with a tone that made me flinch. And within a second the smile was back as she daintily jumped off of Alex and walked out the door.

As soon as Alice was off her, Alex picked herself up off the ground and crossed her arms defiantly, glaring towards the hall.

"There will not be a next time," it came out in a whisper, but I still heard it. I'd bet money that Alice had too. And by the look on Alex's face that is exactly what she was betting on as well. She raised her head to me then, as if finally realizing I was in the room, which gave me the opportunity to finally realize what she was wearing.

It was a dress—no surprise there. This is Alice we are talking about. The scream factor probably came from the bubble-gum pink color of the fabric. I didn't blame Alex. Hell I would scream if I were stuck in that, but I had to admit, she looked amazing in it. I felt a smile growing. I'm no fashion expert, but I am a guy, and I could appreciate the way it fit every curve and accented her features.

Alex, on the other hand, seemed to have a completely different opinion and she glared in my direction. She strode toward me until she was within three inches of my face—the look on hers wiping the smile off of mine.

"Not a word wolf-boy," she hissed and then brushed past me out the door.

I sighed. I should have never left her alone this morning.

Alex POV

I trudged down the stairs, mumbling obscenities the entire way. I swear Alice was going to pay for this. I have never in my life worn a dress on my own free will. The fact that a vampire just had to man-handle me into one should be a clear statement of my feelings toward the annoying excuse for clothing. My body made it to the kitchen on its own accord and I plopped down into a chair.

In mere seconds three heaping plates of food was set before me. There was everything from pancakes, sausage and bacon to eggs, fruit and toast. I gaped up at Esmé's smiling face.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, so I made a little of everything." Her expression was so honest and warm that I couldn't help but like the woman.

"Thank you," I managed to gasp out as my eyes scanned the towers of food before me and my stomach gave a growl of approval. I'd forgotten how long it had been since my last meal.

Esmé chuckled at my guttural sounds. "Well apparently I made the right decision. You must be starving."

"You have no idea," I said as I started loading my plate with food. "At least one of you is sane around here."

She gave another bell-like laugh at that. "You'll have to excuse Alice. She means well"—she stopped at my raised eyebrow. "What I mean is; she wants to help. She can just be a little over-the-top at times. It's a lot to take in if you've never met her. But her heart's in the right place."

I decided against questioning if the banshee had a heart. Esmé didn't deserve my rudeness. I conceded to eating my breakfast in silence. I was halfway through my second plate when my tower of pancakes suddenly rattled as the table moved. I looked for the culprit only to find the largest vampire I had ever seen occupying the seat across from me. I couldn't help it, I gaped.

The vampire in question gave a thundering laugh and stuck out his hand. "Hi," he said in that same smooth voice. "I'm Emmett."

I tentatively shook his hand and my eyebrows rose at the gentleness of the shake. I had been expecting my arm to fall off.

"So you're the new blood around here," I glared and he laughed again. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

His smile was so child-like that I couldn't help but soften my expression. I was getting the impression that Emmett was a big teddy-bear. Granted a teddy-bear that would bite your head off if provoked, but I had no plans to provoke him. I went back to my meal. It wasn't long before I felt eyes on me again and looked to find Emmett staring intently at me.

"What?" I asked, not appreciating the scrutiny.

The smile was back, though this time it had a wicked gleam to it. "I like that color on you. Really brings out—"

I flung a waffle at his face.

He caught it inches from its destination. Typical.

"Wow," he laughed at my attempt. "Seth sure knows how to pick 'em." His playful expression turned serious for a second. Then he smirked. "You'll fit in just fine around here." He smiled once more before his attention abruptly turned toward the doorway.

I followed his gaze and my eyes widened in shock once again. Before me stood the most beautiful vampire I had ever seen. She had the kind of body every woman dreamed of with her long blonde hair and supermodel physique. The only flaw was the stone cold look that seemed to be permanently etched on her face. To say I was curious was an understatement. There are only two types of personalities that go with this body type. One: the cute, innocent southern girl who is a complete sweetheart. Two: the Bitch.

"So this is what all the commotion is about," she began in a cold voice. I was starting to lean toward option two. She fixed me with a glare that made me stiffen in my seat.

"Oh come on Rose," Emmett attempted to warm up the atmosphere. "Alex just got dragged into hell—"

"I am not obligated to care," she cut him off and turned her gaze back to me. "And I assure you I don't."

Yep, definitely option two. I stood from my seat and walked over to her, stopping once I was right in front of her. If it were possible, he features hardened and her glare turned glacial. I made sure my features stayed free of emotion as I met her hostile stare.

"You're a bitch," my blunt tone caught her off-guard and her eyes widened a smidgen. "But I respect that." And with that I walked out of the kitchen and continued through the back door. I had more important things to deal with than a vampire with a petty grudge.

As I made my way down the porch steps I caught Edward's eye. It was apparent that he heard every bit of the previous conversation. I smirked at his awed expression. I stopped when I got to the yard. For some reason unbeknownst to me, everyone had gathered outside. Edward, Bella, Jasper, Emmett and Alice stood to the side next to Jacob, Seth, and a girl I had never met. It was obvious from her build that she was related to the two werewolves and was most likely one herself. All were in deep conversation over something—though when I came close enough the talking stopped. Well, that answers that question.

Luckily Seth came to my rescue. "Alex," he started, his expression apprehensive, "I'd like you to meet Leah." He nodded toward the girl on his right. "My sister," he finished.

My eyes widened slightly. Well, that explained a few things.

Leah gave me a hard look as she scrutinized my appearance. I had a feeling if I weren't in Alice apparel her and I might have had a chance to get along. Might—being the key word. Her expression turned granite and I feared I was in for another Rose experience. The expression alone told me not to even consider a handshake. I sighed and settled for a nod instead. I wasn't surprised when I got no response. Seth rubbed the back of his neck uneasily and looked to Jacob for help. Unfortunately for both of us, it was Alice who spoke up.

"Ooooh doesn't she look exquisite!" She exclaimed as everyone flinched in response to the change in volume.

I stiffened and gave the pixie a death glare.

"I knew that color would work perfectly with your skin tone…Oh! And I have the perfect accessories to go with that—I couldn't get them on this morning." The tinkling tone turned to a growl as she met my glare. "No matter," I blanched as the wicked glint returned to her eyes, "I'll just get them now." And with that, she dashed into the house.

Oh no. I was not going through this again. I looked around frantically for a way out. My eyes landed on Edward and an idea sparked my mind.

"Edward do you still have your lighter?" From the look on his face, I knew he did. And he thought this was a very bad idea.

"Alex, I don't think—"

"No time," I cut him off and strode forward until I reached his frame—I had about two seconds before Alice came back. Despite the deranged looks I was getting from my audience and the low growl coming from Bella, I reached into Edward's jean pocket and dug until I found what I was looking for. I grasped the lighter tightly in my hand and removed myself from Edward's personal bubble.

Wasting no time, I stripped out of the appalling fabric until I was once again in my faithful undergarment set. I heard the squeal from the upstairs window and quickly lit the lighter before she got any closer, dropping the flame on the dress. Not a millisecond after, I was tackled to the ground by a very familiar pixie.

A very familiar, enraged pixie.

My body instinctively shrunk back from her glare, which was made all the more impressive by the roaring flame framing her face. But I snapped myself out of it and glared back.

"Please tell me," her voice was a deadly whisper, "that you did not just burn my one-of-a-kind Versace dress into ashes." At this point I was absolutely positive I was dead. Well, I might as well enjoy it then.

"I just burned your one-of-a-kind Versace dress into ashes," my cold tone never wavered, "incinerated it actually." I smiled. "I warned you this morning what would happen if you put me in a dress."

It was at this moment that I noticed the growling coming from behind me. I tilted my head back to find Seth was the source, his body quivering. Alice noticed too and loosened her grip on my shoulders. I turned my attention back to my tackler.

"Truce," I offered; more for Seth's benefit than mine.

Alice met my stare and seemed to weigh her options before she sighed and her posture sagged. "Truce," she returned. But before she let me up, she bent down and whispered for only me to hear. "This does not, however, mean I admit defeat." And with one last glare she jumped off me and sauntered to the house, Jasper following in her wake.

I lay in the position she left me in, taking in the silence of the moment.

It lasted for a whole minute before Emmett broke out in hysterical laughter.

"Holy shit!" He boomed, and I swear I felt the earth shake beneath me. "Did she just—Alice and—holy crap—" He trailed off in a fit of laughter.

I rose from my place on the ground and found everyone else in a similar state of shock. Jacob was joining Emmett in the laughter category. Edward couldn't wipe the smirk off his face even as I tossed the lighter back at him.

"Sorry about the invasion of personal space," I said to him. "It was simply due to lack of time." I said it more for Bella as I'm sure someone groping her mate was not on her favorite list, but she just seemed to be dazed by the event.

"I've never…" She trailed off. "I can't believe you pulled that off. I've never seen Alice bested like that… God I wish I would have…" She just shook her head in disbelief and gave me a smile.

Seth was beside himself as usual when I was in my underwear. I rolled my eyes. The poor kid seemed to be suffering exposure overload. At least the shaking had stopped. He caught my stare and snapped himself out of it and walked over to me. His stride was quick and his expression was borderline possessive.

"Will you stop," he paused and took his shirt off and in one quick motion had it over my head, "taking your clothes off." He gave me a pointed look, "Please."

I could only nod. We had been in this position before. Granted that time was completely planned, but I still found myself just as speechless. My mind was reeling.

An unfamiliar laugh brought me to my senses and I turned to find Leah shaking her head in amusement. She met my gaze and this time the expression was warm and welcoming, yet a primal excitement danced in her eyes.

"I like her."

So… yah, can't say I haven't been curious to see Alice and Alex go at it—hope it was amusing.

AND… Seth's POV. Yes? No? I tried to break it to you slowly so it wouldn't overload, but I think it worked nicely.

I know you guys hate reviewing this story, BUT you do read it—which means you are aware of the button…

Thanks for Reading--HV