A/N: Yay another update! As the semester winds down and commencement approaches I'll be more able to just come home and write rather than pass out the moment I sit down on my bed. So, throughout the holidays look for more updates and perhaps some side/back story to our newly introduced characters. I'd written some one shots a little while back to get a grasp on the characters before we got to them and I'm thinking of sprucing them up and posting.
If anyone is interested in the one shots about Jasper and what they've been doing all this time in New York with the Cullens and Denali's then let me know and I'll get to posting them after the next update for this story.
Also, I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested in helping me!
"Alice!"
The voice sounded so distant and yet Alice could feel the warm arms encircle her waist. Her body felt as if it were on fire. Panic crushed her. Where was Bella? Were they both already ash? Had Maria caught them?
She jerked around haphazardly, flinging her limbs in all directions in an attempt to turn and gain some perspective on the situation. His voice rasped to her, slowly capturing her attention and holding it prisoner.
"You will be mine, always."
"No!" Alice cried and swung her fists forward towards the voice. "Never!"
"Always,Alice." The voice reminded her. "You will remember to whom you belong."
"Bella!" She screamed helplessly.
Smooth circles were being run into her skin soothing away the tremors that wracked her small frame. She shuddered once more before the fire receded and she realized that it was Bella holding her tightly against her chest, cradling her. Her fingers stroked Alice's hair and neck and her lips pressed against Alice's forehead whispering words of guilt, shame, and concern. It took Alice a moment to connect each word in a sort of coherent sentence.
"Please, no. Please be alright," Bella whimpered. Alice realized her mate was shaking just as hard as she had been moments ago and wondered if it were possible for Bella to take on her pain. She listened to Bella ramble on for what seemed like hours—crying, pleading, and praying to God for the simple pleasure of talking to her again.
"I'm here, Bella. I'm alright," Alice said in a surprisingly hoarse voice.
"Oh!" Bella pulled back to look at her, cradling her face between her palms. Alice didn't think it were possible for Bella to muster the amount of fear Alice saw etched on her face. Her eyebrows had risen up her forehead and her eyes were wide with terror. Her full lips pressed together in a firm line as she gauged for herself Alice's current state.
Satisfied with the result she smiled and to Alice it was as if the sun were shining and the world was right again. The space between them felt too great and she fell forward into her mate's arms and curled herself into a ball in her lap. She rested her head on Bella's shoulder and nuzzled the crook of her neck.
"What happened?"
Alice sucked in a deep breath, inhaled the sweet cherry and vanilla scent, and let the calm crash over her. Bella's fingers resumed their earlier ministrations further enhancing Alice's smooth transition from anxiety to tranquility.
"I don't know," Alice said and felt wrong for telling the immediate lie. Bella stiffened against her.
"I'm sorry," Alice said. She felt Bella nod.
"It's okay," Bella said.
"No, it's not."
"When you're ready, you'll tell me."
Alice sighed. "Do you ever feel connected to Jasper in the same way you're connected to me? Can you feel him?"
Bella hummed for a moment. "I do, but it's a different connection. It's like a faint nagging feeling I get when he's near. I can sense him and find him if I need to and I used to be drawn to him when I was first turned. If anyone threatened him I was fiercely defensive and powerfully opposed to any harm coming to him."
"And now?"
"It's like I said, those emotions have dulled now that you're here. I don't feel like I need to protect him at all costs because I guess deep down I know I could live without him. If someone ended him completely I know I wouldn't self destruct."
"It's more like a strong kinship?"
"Yes, that portrays it perfectly. Strong, but not unbreakable."
Alice nodded and with a heavy sigh relaxed in Bella's arms. Contentment replaced her fear and anxiety.
"I do need to know one thing."
"Yes?" Alice said uneasily.
She hoped she could actually answer Bella without bringing her pain. She guessed it was the mating imperative but the thought of Bella being hurt by her past caused a greater ache in her than the facts that swirled around in her head. Alice ducked her head. She wasn't worthy of this woman's comfort or concern. She didn't deserve Bella's trust. She was the liar now despite the remorse she experienced.
Bella deserved better and Alice had always assumed that she was. It crossed her mind that this was probably what her mate had felt when she initially used her shield on her. Protection was the first and foremost thought Alice had when it came to Bella. It must have been the same for Bella.
"What happened out here wasn't something that could ultimately bring us both harm was it? Think carefully, darlin'. I can wait for the details of your memories but I can't keep us safe if there's something coming after us that I don't know about."
Alice's teeth tore at her lower lip. The question was too deliberate and intent on the truth. She couldn't answer her without telling her all that she had seen. A nagging feeling gave her the sense that telling Bella everything would bring more trouble than they could handle. Besides, for all she knew she was only remembering her final moments and her sire wasn't trying to contact her—if he even could. Bella gingerly separated them so she could look into Alice's eyes. The gentleness ripped Alice's insides.
"Please, darlin."
Alice shook her head and swallowed her cowardice in an effort to not speak and give herself away. Bella nodded then glanced up at the sky, which had grown darker as time passed them by.
"We're almost there," she said then looked back at Alice. "Let's get inside and find out if there's anything of worth in those cases."
"No one heard?" Alice said, peeking behind her mate as if a human would poke out and see them right there and then. Bella shook her head.
"There must not have been anyone on the cars in front of us. We got lucky. C'mon."
Bella scooped Alice up and carried her inside. Alice's mouth flew open in protest then snapped shut at the look of adoration in Bella's eyes. She was spellbound and aroused in an instant. Bella chuckled as she stepped through the doorway and sat Alice down on the nearest upright case.
Bella rested her hands on Alice's knees and errantly ran her thumbs across Alice's bare skin. The result of which was a deep rumble from the tiny vampire. Alice glanced over Bella's shoulder and took in their earlier destruction. She lowered her head.
Bella tipped her chin up and their gazes met. Alice spared another look at the dented wall and then shifted in place as the warmth between her thighs came rushing back. How she could still feel the way she felt while knowing how she had been created confounded her. Simultaneously she didn't care. The primal need from before still beat within her demanding that she finish what she started.
"What happened between us just a while ago? Was that another…you know…" Alice asked. Bella's eyes lit with the same type of hunger Alice had witnessed hours before.
"…mating thing?" Bella finished for her. Alice crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.
"It figures," Alice spat. "Will our entire lives be driven by this?"
Bella gnawed on her lower lip and looked away from her. "You make it sound so terrible. I know things have never been easy or ideal, but is being mated to me that horrible?"
Alice shook her head vehemently. "Honestly, it feels horrible being mated at all. It's not you."
"What is it then?"
"Back there, I felt so primal. The need was so overwhelming it clouded my every thought. The need to possess you and be possessed by you."
"It's only natural," Bella explained. "Vampires are more animalistic than humans. It makes sense that our mating habits would be different."
"Maybe to you," Alice said. "This thing we have is so strange and so much larger than I think even you believe."
"Do you want to leave?"
"No!"
"Then what's the problem?"
"I wasn't in control!" Alice hissed. "It were as if—"
"What?" Bella barked.
Alice hissed and watched her mate recoil from her with remorse in her eyes. She reached out and grabbed Bella's arm holding her in place.
"It felt like someone else was inside of me. Some other thing was at the helm forcing me along with this urge to be owned and show ownership. That's not me."
"What if it is?" Bella asked. "And how can you tell who or what you are when you never really knew in the first place?"
"I don't know," Alice whispered brokenly. Bella didn't hesitate to run her fingers comfortingly through Alice's hair and Alice couldn't ignore the sadness reflected in her features. It all only served to make her yearn for Bella to never hurt or be left wanting of anything.
"I guess I'll never know. The only things I'm constantly aware of are my thirst and this love I have for you."
"Is that so awful?"
"I'd die for you, Bella. I know that as well as I know my heart doesn't beat and yet I know so very little about you. You know next to nothing about me. Our love seems to only stem from this archaic sense of ownership."
"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Bella said, stopping the slow and deliberate stroke of her fingers through Alice's soft strands.
She stepped back and gently shook her arm out of Alice's grasp. Alice let her go and silently cursed the never-ending ebb and flow of their interactions. It seemed that the longer they stayed together the less Alice became concerned with her own survival and more interested in Bella's happiness.
If Bella wanted space, she'd give it to her and shake off the irritation she felt at having to be apart physically. The thought process clicked more automatically now than it ever did before and she had no doubt it was because of this vampire bond.
That was perhaps the most horrifying thing about their mating. She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that if it came down to Bella's survival and happiness she'd sacrifice herself without a second thought. It was compulsive and irrational but she knew it to be true.
She watched Bella's every motion from her side to the nearest suitcase she had decided to unlatch and search through. Darkness was their only other companion now and as Bella sifted through the items Alice marveled at how she could still see the soft outline of her jaw, which led to her inexplicably beautiful lips.
"I think I was what they called a 'tomboy' in my former life," Bella said abruptly. Alice nodded in encouragement and straightened in her position. She leaned forward and rested her fingertips on her knees.
"Most of it is a blur of images and barely recognizable experiences but I remember that I liked to climb trees and run through the fields of my family's lands."
"Maybe that's why you run so fast," Alice suggested. The music of Bella's laughter was infectious and soon Alice joined her.
"I'm no faster than any other vampire out there. Although there are some that are faster than average. Like, Edward for example."
"Ah, the mysterious Cullen who has lost his way," Alice said. Bella shook her head.
"I didn't want to create more conflict but I think Irina was wrong about that. Edward hasn't lost anything he wasn't meant to lose. He found his way just like Irina did, she's just too prim and proper to admit it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Edward found his mate just as I found you and Laurent found Irina. Finding your mate changes you. I know that much at least. Laurent wasn't the nicest person before he found his reason for existence. I can't say I was the sweetest peach either.
"Oh, really? And what of Edward?" Alice asked.
"He's an anomaly as far as I can tell," Bella said following a very unladylike snort. "I didn't know him before he mated but from what I hear he's really no different other than the fact that he has a direction to run in now."
"Hmm," Alice said. "Who is Edward's mate?"
Bella's gaze swept up to the ceiling then settled back on Alice's face. Alice quirked an eyebrow.
"Maybe it's better we left that subject alone."
Alice laughed. "You must be joking? As if it's some big secret."
"I've been asked to keep it that way. In case someone overhears."
"You said it yourself, no one is watching," Alice said.
"Still, it's better left unsaid. You'll find out in due time," Bella said. "A mate is a powerful tool to be used against another vampire."
"Vagueness will not satisfy my curiosity," Alice stated.
"It'll have to satisfy you for now," Bella said.
"Shouldn't my happiness override this whole need for secrecy?" Alice prodded.
"Are you unhappy, darlin'?" Bella asked.
Alice smiled slowly and shook her head.
"Not at the moment."
"Good," Bella said then grinned.
Bella continued to dig through each case and unearthed enough clothing to last them for a year. She found a few slender pairs of blue jeans and ladies blouses. Alice even joined in and pulled out a couple of near form fitting dresses that made Bella's eyes drift up her frame lustfully when she modeled them.
"Beautiful. Although, I will say that I prefer what you've already got on," Bella drawled leaving Alice's mouth dangling open. Bella chuckled and moved along retrieving their satchels from the far side of the car.
"Maybe I should wear one," Alice mused.
"You'll want to wear something more lose," Bella commented. "If something happens and we have to get out quick it'll be easier to move in."
"Hence the riding outfit?" Alice replied. Bella nodded. Alice dove through a nearby suitcase and found a pair of blue jeans that had a decent fit and followed up with her boots.
She shuffled through her options for a shirt and quickly chose a white men's dress shirt that billowed more than clung to her.
"Here," Bella said and tossed her a black tweed jacket. Alice caught it easily and slid it on.
"Is that really necessary?" Alice asked. Bella nodded. She'd found similar attire in the form of black dress slacks and a white dress shirt. She watched her sweep her mahogany locks over her shoulder before shrugging on her own jacket.
"We're going to stick out based on instinct to the humans. We don't want to draw extraneous attention to ourselves and be followed. Plus the more clothing we wear the more our scents with be masked."
"How would Maria's people even know what I smell like?"
"They won't but with our enhanced sense of smell it isn't exactly hard for them to distinguish us from the humans. Our scents are more potent in the way that only another vampire could really tell what we are."
"Do you think there will be trouble?" Alice asked. She stuffed the remainder of her findings in her satchel including the cloche Bella had given her, which was gently placed on top of everything else.
Bella packed her things as well and took a deep breath before answering. She tied and snapped the bag closed before stepping closer to her.
"We've been exceedingly lucky so far," Bella said. "Too lucky."
"Well, Maria can't be everywhere."
"No, she can't. You've got that right, but if there's anything I know about that woman it's that she's resourceful. She'd find a way to keep up with us and I'm surprised to not have sensed anyone since Dradis. Not even during our…quarrel."
Alice chuckled and spared a glance at her dent. "I like quarrelling with you."
Bella took her into her arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Me too."
"So what's the plan? Are we going to blend in and exit with the other passengers?"
Just then the train's movement slowed. Bella shook her head and swung her bag over her shoulder. She took Alice's hand and they stepped outside once more.
"We're just crossing the state line now. Edward will be along here somewhere, anyhow."
"We're jumping?"
"They're probably expecting us to get off at the station and blend in with the crowd. Either way, we'll find Edward faster and avoid anyone who might be looking for us a whole lot easier."
Alice's gut twisted at the prospect. This was it. They'd made it to New York and soon they'd be with Jasper's army and then to where or what she didn't know. All she did know was that her gut didn't exactly like the idea of them jumping from the train.
Sure, they were indestructible but who knew what was waiting for them out there on the tracks.
"Trust me," Bella said shattering her train of thought. Alice looked up at her and instantly calmed. The twisting was but a faint reminder of her enhanced intuition.
"I do," Alice said quietly. They stepped up on the railing one by one and in a single bound leapt. Alice landed easily on the balls of her feet with Bella only a foot away from her. They turned and shared an easy smile before Bella's dissolved into a snarl.
"Alice, get behind me," Bella ordered harshly. Alice obeyed without thinking and hissed shortly to let her malcontent at being bossed be known. Bella sent her an apologetic look before turning back to the road they'd just travelled down.
Alice sniffed the air and discovered the burning scent of coal that faded away with each chug of the train. Underneath it was the scent of fresh pine and peppermint. The towering pines around them left only the minty extract to be their guide, which wasn't entirely necessary because it seemed to be shooting towards them.
"What is it Bella?"
Bella raised her arms and groaned with the effort of wrapping her shield around them.
"What do you think you're doing? You'll drain yourself!" Alice hissed. Bella shook her head.
"It's worth it."
"What's wrong?"
"Edward is coming and he's not happy to see me," Bella said through gritted teeth.
No sooner had she spoke than did Alice glimpse a white blur bounding through the trees. As he approached his pine needle scent was overwhelming as was the force of his assault on them. He went right for Bella, going low as to take her out at the knees and finish her off later. Alice growled deeply and readied herself in case Bella's shield fell. As far as she was concerned Edward would have no such luck.
Thanks for reading! Let me know how you're enjoying it thus far. The first leg of Alice and Bella's journey is finished and a new one has begun. What would you like to see resolved in the future? How do you feel about the progression of Alice and Bella's mating? How do you feel about Edward and Jasper being his mate?
If anyone would like a preview of the next chapter then please leave a note in their review or PM me! The next update is done and just needs polishing. It will be up by Wednesday at the latest, no joke! If it isn't you can all throw tomatoes at me!
Until next time!
