Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

A/N:

Okay, I need to send a big thanks to my friend AmandaCullen84. Whenever I need some mood music to get into the frame of mind for the character I'm writing I go to her and say, 'I need some Alice music' and she says 'Here you go' and voila! I have perfect Alice music. I almost feel like making it a little challenge now, to see if she always finds the exact right music. lol, anyway, go to my profile and you'll find her under my favorite authors list. Look her up and read her stories, and maybe even ask her to find you your perfect song. ;o) No pressure Amanda! lol

So do I still need to do the thing where I remind you all that this isn't Beta'd so please have patience about my mistakes? I'm guessing not by now. ;o)

Again, thank you to everyone reading this. It helps me sit down and write every day knowing that there are people actually following the story. And for those of you who take the time to review, a huge thanks, and for those of you who take the time to review every chapter, seriously, I love you all. You guys are what keep me going into the wee hours of the night (which is when I usually end up finishing my chapters).

I started out not really liking this chapter, or feeling it, but by the time I got to the end it jumped to one of my favorites, if not my very favorite, chapter. I don't know why, I think because we learn a lot about Edward. Anyway, hope you like it. Have fun, and thanks!

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Alice

I was so happy that Bella wanted to be friends despite my brother acting like an ass. I would have been so pissed at him if he had screwed this up for me. Luckily for him Bella was willing to befriend the rest of us, despite his rude behavior.

When I saw her face after she got back from chasing after Edward I knew what he had done. I could just see it in my head, his last resort, treat her like shit and make her hate him. My brother could be such an idiot sometimes.

I panicked in that moment, thinking for sure she would want to stay far away from all of us, but she had agreed to be my friend. Which is the only thing that saved me from killing Edward, or at the very least beating him until he cried. I was tempted to beat him anyway, for being such a big ass to my new best friend, but I'd hate to see a man his age cry.

That night I talked to Em, Jasper and Rose about the situation. Rose wanted nothing to do with Bella which I wasn't really surprised about, but both Jasper and Emmett were willing to make a new friend, and so we decided to see if she'd hang with us after school the next day.

It was going to be a little weird for sure, but I had faith in our ability to navigate between the idiot that was our brother, and Bella. If anyone could do it I was sure I could.

We met up by Bella's locker after school. Because of Emmett we had to catch a ride with her, mainly so he could ride in the back of her truck. I've never seen someone take pleasure from such simple things. I swear, sometimes I think he's just a really big kid.

When we were all accounted for we headed out to the parking lot, Jasper and I hand in hand. This was going to be fun.

It was going to be really nice having a friend outside of our family again. I felt like for the past year or so that we've been getting more and more independent from the rest of the school, and dependent on each other. We'd talk to them in class or whatever activities we happened to be a part of, but when any of us were available we would just gravitate to each other, and away from everyone else.

I think it was self-preservation in a way, they still view us a little as freaks, so we distanced ourselves from them. Bella didn't make me feel like a freak, I was sure she saw me for me and not some weird girl dating her would-be brother.

We piled into the truck, possibly the slowest thing on the road, and headed to Bella's house. I felt a little jolt of excitement, it was like I was a normal teenaged girl again. I loved this, I was so happy Bella moved here.

Jasper could feel my excitement, he was so good at reading my moods, and gave my hand a little squeeze, and smiled at me without looking at me. We were trying to keep Bella comfortable, so were limiting our PDA's.

We chatted all the way to Bella's house, about how our days had gone, how much homework we had to do, stuff like that. Occasionally I would look back at Emmett sitting in the bed of the truck, but he seemed to be totally content back there.

He was leaning against the side of the bed, with his arms up on the sides, with his head facing the road in front of us. I didn't know how he could take the wind or the cold, but he seemed perfectly in his element. Silly boy.

When we pulled up to Bella's house and got out of the truck I looked over at Emmett and just started cracking up. His hair was sticking up every which way and it made him look a little crazy. Jasper and Bella turned to see what I was laughing at and joined in. Emmett was not as amused. He fixed his hair as we headed inside.

Bella gave us a little tour of her house and as soon as we ended up back downstairs Emmett plopped down on the sofa and said, "So, whatchya got to eat?"

Crap. I forgot to warn Bella that Emmett was a human garbage disposal who needed to eat copious amounts of food at regular intervals throughout the day. If she didn't have anything for him to eat we were going to be in trouble.

We got lucky.

"What would you like? I could make up some nachos if you want?" she asked.

Emmett's eyes lit up, he loved nachos. I went in to help her get them together and the boys hung out in the living room.

"So, how'd it go today with my brother?" I asked.

"It went, well, not so good. Alice, I don't want to put you in the middle of us though. This is going to be uncomfortable enough for you without me adding to it," she said.

I hopped onto her counter and watched as she shredded some cheese for the nachos, and heated the oven. I didn't want to push her to tell me what had happened, I figured I'd get it out of Edward later anyway, so I decided to switch subjects.

"So, what are you doing this weekend?" I asked.

"Nothing, at least I don't think I'm doing anything. I don't know if Charlie has any plans for me, but I doubt it. He'll probably go out fishing with some of his friends," she answered.

"Good. So you'll be able to come clothes shopping with me on Saturday," I said.

She groaned and I knew this probably wouldn't be her favorite way to spend a Saturday, but I was too excited about buying her some new clothes, and dressing her to her full potential to let her off easy.

"Alice, isn't there anything else you'd rather do?" she asked.

"In fact, there isn't. Shopping is my favorite recreational activity, and I especially love shopping for other people, and you Bella Swan need some Alice approved threads," I answered.

"Okay, look, I'll come shopping with you, but I have no plans to buy anything. My money is kind of tight right now and I have enough clothes already so I'm not about to spend money on more when I don't need them," she said.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to buy anything, I was going to buy you some clothes," I explained.

"No. Absolutely not Alice. You barely know me, you're not buying me new clothes. That would just be wrong," she said.

I laughed out loud at that. Poor Bella, she was so clueless when it comes to living in Alice's World. Somebody needed to get this girl caught up, and fast.

I decided to humor her for the moment, thinking if I explained to her that there was no way I was going out shopping and not coming home with new clothes for her I'd probably never get her out. So I pretended that I wouldn't try to buy her anything. Hehehe, she was definitely going to be inducted into my world soon enough.

The nachos were done and we headed out to the living room. Emmett immediately sat up and started chowing down. Bella went back and grabbed some glasses and soda for us and we were quiet for a few minutes while everyone snacked.

Emmett was the first one to speak again, and he immediately went for the same subject I had.

"So, what exactly is up between you and my brother? No one's really talking about it right now. All I know is that you don't want to be around him so if we wanted to hang out with you it would have to be away from him. Not that you're not worth it, but I was just wondering what the reasons were, since he's not up to talking about it. Nearly bit my head off last night when I asked him," he said.

Bella heaved a sigh and thought it over for a minute, "I just explained to Alice that I don't want to put you guys in the middle of us. That doesn't seem fair. He's your brother and I don't want you to have to feel like you need to take sides. Not just because I know I wouldn't, and shouldn't, win in that situation, but because I honestly don't think it would be fair of me," she explained.

Emmett snorted. "I love my brother, but that doesn't mean I don't realize he can be an ass sometimes, and I'm guessing this is one of those cases. You don't have to worry about us, we can handle ourselves, but only when we know what's actually going on. I can't help mediate a situation, or kick my brothers ass if he deserves it, if I have no clue what's happening.

Bella laugher a little but still looked undecided.

"He's right you know," Jasper cut in. "We're feeling around in the dark right now. We don't know enough to know how to deal with the situation. Edward's not talking, so I'm afraid you're going to be the one who has to."

I think it was the fact that we felt clueless that made her finally give in. Bella was obviously one of those people who worried about everyone else first.

"I don't know what happened honestly. We had biology together yesterday and I could feel then that something was weird. He ignored me throughout the whole class and then as I was getting ready to leave he called out his name at me. He introduced himself and then just walked out. Next time we saw each other was in your music room, and you saw what happened there. When I followed him outside it was like he couldn't stand to be anywhere near me. He basically told me to get the hell away from him, though not in those exact words, so I left. Today he completely ignored me except as we were leaving Biology, he nodded his head at me, said 'Isabella' and then left. And that brings us up to date," she explained.

I sat there stunned. I was sure yesterday that something bigger happened, that we had only witnessed a small part of their interactions, but there was nothing going on behind the scenes apparently. Edward's reactions were totally unprovoked in every way, and after only spending a tiny amount of time around Bella. I looked over at Jasper and Emmett and I could tell they were just as surprised as I was.

We looked at each other and silently agreed to talk about Edward's behavior later, when we would be able to hash it out better. For the moment we had to try to make our brother look a little less crazy, though I'd doubt we'd succeed.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I don't really understand what's going on with Edward, and he's my twin so I probably should, but I can tell you that he's not usually like this. Edward's always the calm one, the one who doesn't react with his emotions, or let them get in the way. This, how he's been acting around you, this isn't my brother. I don't really know who this is actually," I tried to explain.

"Damn Edward," Emmett put in, "I don't know what the hell is wrong with him. I promise Bella, we'll straighten him out for you."

"No!" she practically yelled before continuing on more calmly. "No Emmett, promise me you won't say anything to him. This is exactly what I didn't want, you guys feeling like you had to step in between us."

"Geeze Bella, he's being an ass though! I feel like he needs a little sense beat into him. You're a perfectly nice person, you don't need that kind of shit, especially from someone who I know doesn't usually treat people like that. Someone needs to do something about it," Em replied.

"No, look, we did okay today ignoring each other, I think that's for the best. I'm not ready to forgive or forget the things he said to me yesterday, so I think it's best if we keep on like we're doing right now. If it gets too much for you guys, I'll understand, but for now I'd prefer to just leave it as it is," she said.

We all collectively sighed. Bella was our friend now, and Edward was our brother, we wanted to be able to hang out with both of them at the same time. For Bella's sake though, we'd honor her wishes.

Just then we heard a car door close and then the front door open. Chief Swan came in and turned to see a bunch of kids he didn't know sitting around in his living room. You could tell he was caught off guard because he froze for a second before he recovered.

"Afternoon," he said.

We all answered simultaneously, "Afternoon Chief Swan."

Bella stood up, saying, "Dad, these are my new friends. This is Alice, and her brother Emmett, and Jasper."

I was pretty impressed with how she handled our introductions. People who've known us much longer stumbled over them, not sure how to handle the intricacies of our relationships.

Chief Swan nodded slightly asking, "You're the Cullen kids aren't you?"

Emmett stood up and went over to him, offering his hand for a shake, "Yes sir, we are. Emmett Cullen, at your service."

I quietly laughed, Emmett was always such a smooth talker to parents. He loved being loved by them, and he usually was. You couldn't help but love Em.

Jasper and I both stood up and went over to shake Chief Swan's hand, introducing ourselves as we did.

"I know your father a little, from work. I've had to consult with him a few times, nice guy. I've seen you lot around town before but never had reason to talk with you. It's nice to meet you though, and call me Charlie, I'm only Chief Swan at work," he said.

We made small talk for a minute or two before I finally said, "We should probably get going, we'll need to get home for dinner."

"Let me throw our nacho plate in the sink and grab my keys and I'll take you guys home," Bella said.

Charlie looked over at us asking, "You all caught a ride here with Bella today?"

"Yes sir, we did," Jasper answered.

"How'd you fit in the truck?" Charlie asked.

"I road in the bed of the truck, and Jasper and Alice sat up front," Em answered.

Charlie frowned, saying, "You road in the bed? I'll ignore the fact that that's not legal for the moment, but it's cold out there. Weren't you freezing?"

"Nope, I'm naturally a warm guy, so it was fine. I loved it," he answered.

"Well, I'll let it go for now, but I don't want you kids riding in the back of the truck like that, it's dangerous. If you can't manage to catch a ride here then Bella can call me at work and I'll either come pick you up or will send someone to do it," he said.

I was shocked that he would go out of his way like that for us, and smiled, deciding I liked Chief Swan a lot.

We promised we would find a different way here next time if we came together again and said goodbye and headed out the door. We chatted easily all the way home, Em in the back again, we'd definitely all become friends by now. I was so happy, I loved that we all fit so well together. If we could just get Rose and Edward to fit now, it would be perfect.

We had Bella drop us off at the end of the driveway, preferring to walk the rest of the way so we'd had time to talk unheard. We said our goodbye's and thank you's and watched Bella pull away.

I was the first to speak at that point asking, "So what do you guys think?"

"I think he's in love with her," Jasper answered.

"He wouldn't be treating her like shit if he was," Emmett countered.

"No, I think he would actually," Jasper answered. "He's been closing himself off little by little. I think it's his way of protecting himself. We sometimes forget that of all of us he was hurt the most when Alice and I and then you and Rose started dating. We were ostracized by the school and he watched as people he considered good friends turned on him, and for what? He didn't have an Alice, or a Rose waiting for him at the end to make it all worth while. He stood with us because we are his family, but he lost a lot because of it, because of our decisions. So he starts shutting out the world, building this little box around himself as a way to cope, and then along comes this girl and the walls he put up don't do anything to protect him. He starts falling her before he even knows her and it freaks him out. What else could possibly explain away his behavior? He's never rude or an ass unless provoked, and from spending time around Bella I can't picture her provoking him, not intentionally, and not to the level he would need to be pushed to act the way he's been acting. No, I think he's falling in love, and he's freaking out over it, and trying to scare her off."

It made perfect sense. I had been thinking along the same lines myself actually. I knew my brother well, and I've never seen him lose his control so quickly and so thoroughly. In my eyes love, and the fear that would come with it for him, would be the only thing that could make sense of his behavior lately.

"Well, shit. Okay, so what if you're right, which I'm starting to think you are. What do we do now about it? We can't let him fuck it all up, she's too nice to let him screw with her head, and I think they'd be good together. Not to mention that I genuinely like her and want to be her friend. So, what do we do now?" Emmett asked.

Both he and Jasper turned to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Look you little pixie, you're the schemer here, if anyone can devise a plan it's going to be you. You interfere with people's lives all the time, so don't think that when the perfect opportunity arrives for you to put your nose where it doesn't belong that I'm gonna let you just watch it pass you by," Em said.

I laughed at that a little. He was right, but unfortunately nothing was coming to me, not yet anyway. Something would need to change before we could do anything to push them together. I was afraid that we'd have to wait it out a bit.

I sighed in frustration. I wasn't used to admitting defeat, but neither of them wanted to be around the other right now and there was only so much I could do with that.

"I think we need to give it a little time. Neither of them are ready to deal with the other. In the meantime I think we should let Edward be, and enjoy our new friendship with Bella. Eventually they'll come around, and if not, well we'll make them," I said.

They both agreed we'd give it a little time, and we headed towards the house.

Just as we came into view of the house Em asked, "So, do you think he realizes that he's falling for her?"

I was trying to think of the answer when Jasper beat me to it. "No, I doubt it. I can't imagine even Edward being able to push her so effectively away if he actually knew that he loved her. I think on some level he would acknowledge that it would hurt him if she was out of his life. He can definitely be a selfish creature, and I think when it comes to something like this his selfishness would kick in and save him from cutting her off completely. I don't think he's aware yet of how deep his emotions run in regards to Bella Swan."

"He's certainly going to kick himself when he finally catches up and figures it out," I said.

Em smiled evilly, saying, "I so can't wait for that to happen. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finally realizes he scared off the one person probably perfect for him."

I only hoped he'd realize it in time, before it was too late for him to find his happily ever after with the girl who stole his heart before he'd even had a chance to defend it from her. Silly boy, he was lost before he'd even had a chance. I was there to witness it, his heart belonged to her that first time they'd made eye contact in the cafeteria, and nothing he did would be able to change that.

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A/N:

So, what did you think? Did you end up loving it as much as I did, or not so much? It won't hurt my feelings if it's not so much ;o)

I'd love to hear what you all thought, so if you have the time drop me a review, even if it's just to tell me what you don't like. It helps to get feedback so I know which direction to go.

I finally worked out a major plot point in my head tonight. It's something I've been floundering over for the past few days, unsure of what direction I wanted to go. I've finally gotten it and I think it's going to work wonderfully. I only ask that you trust me for a bit, I know it's a lot to ask, but I think it will be worth it in the end. You just gotta have faith. ;o)

Thanks again everyone for reading. Next chapter will be, uhhhh, actually who will next chapter be? Oh, yeah, Edward. Silly me.