A/N: Hey there guys…settle in, this will be a loooong note. I realize the last chapter was a little confusing for some of you and I apologize. I suppose it's sometimes clear in my head because I know what all the characters are thinking, and I don't think I did a very good job conveying that to all of you. Don't worry, you guys were only getting to see things from Bella's point of view, and she's still pretty confused herself and doesn't have all the answers. Things will become clearer as the story unfolds (hopefully), and we start tying up some of the loose ends created due to the new alternate timeline.

That being said, we are definitely in an alternate timeline now…so things will be different thanks to Bella and Jasper messing with the past. Yes, they originally left Forks and stayed gone for about eight months. Strangely, when they returned to the future, they returned to roughly the same point in time in which they left…only now the timeline is different and it's like they never really left to everyone around them (translation: no one ever missed them at all in the new timeline). They have no memories of the new timeline…they essentially became their counterparts, yet their essence (i.e. their original Forks persona) remained the same. I know, it's very Star Trek-ish…I am a complete and total dork. I live for the nerdness that is Sci-Fi. And I'll clear up their separation that occurred upon reentry later. It's significant but not integral to the story. Also, don't stress about Edward and Bella not dating…just because they don't date in this timeline doesn't mean she didn't have another Cullen who brought her into the fold. I mean, Emmett's only been waiting seventy years or so to see her :-) And, Alice already likes her from their encounter in Tennessee. Of course, Rose still hates her, but hey, two out of three ain't bad, right?

I hope this next chapter answers a few of your questions. I tried to kick it out quickly so that it might help anyone who is scratching their head right about now. Remember, I'll be clearing things up as we move along (I hope). If you are really losing faith, just PM me and I'll be happy to try to add a bit of clarity (if I can!). This past week has been a nightmare with work and all, so if I'm slow replying back to you, just hang tight for a bit.

Thanks again to everyone!

Legal: Still don't own it…darn it. It all belongs to the talented Stephenie Meyer.

I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face. Emmett and I continued to glance at each other while Jasper answered Carlisle's questions. The looks he sent my way were hard to read. Was he shocked to see me? Disappointed? Or, dare I say it, hopeful maybe?

I know I was certainly hopeful. Emmett and Rosalie weren't together, which meant he was single. Edward and I weren't together, which meant I was single. Things had definitely taken a turn for the better as far as I was concerned. So I had an entirely new timeline to learn, big deal. Well, that was kind of a big deal, but I would manage. I knew I would do it all over again…Alice needed our help at the time, and I had the chance to fall in love with human Emmett.

Vampire Emmett, however, was another story altogether.

I honestly could not read him. One minute I felt like we were just Emmett and Bella again, the next it seemed we were walking on eggshells around each other. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were getting our wires crossed somewhere.

I stifled a yawn and stretched my legs under the table. We'd been talking for over three hours. It was only 10:30 p.m., but I was still on Tennessee time. For me, it felt like it was the middle of the night and long past my bedtime.

I felt someone nudge my foot under the table, so I moved my legs back a bit, thinking I was invading somebody's space. It wasn't until Emmett's feet braced against my calves that I realized it had been him.

I froze, not daring to move. His gesture immediately reminded me of our meals at Hattie's. We would often lock our feet together under the table. Not playing footsy, really…it seemed to be our way of touching without being obvious about it. Public flirting was tricky in 1935. Now, what we did behind closed doors, however….

Stop it, Bella. La, la, la, la…not thinking about it. Nope, not thinking.

"You're tired," Emmett said to me after Jasper finished talking.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Carlisle interjected, concern marring his features.

I held my cast with my good hand…suddenly, I was exhausted and the cast felt like it weighed twenty pounds. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty wiped out…it's been a long day." I had to suppress the urge to laugh hysterically. It really had been a long day. When I woke up this morning, it was 1935. Technically, I hadn't slept in over 70 years.

Alice jumped up and was behind my chair in a flash. "Come on, Bella. I'll help you get ready for bed. Carlisle brought you some pills for your wrist…you'll sleep like the dead."

I had to laugh at that comment. Strictly speaking, they were dead and they didn't sleep at all.

I glanced at Emmett again; his feet were still locked around my legs. He held my gaze for a few seconds before slowly sliding his legs away from mine, a small, sly smile forming on his face.

My insides turned to a gooey mush at the sight of him. Holy crow, he was like pure sex in jeans. If I thought I was screwed before when I'd first laid eyes on human Emmett, I was royally screwed now. How was I supposed to reign in my thoughts when he did stuff like that? And was he toying with me…or was he flirting?

Please, oh please, let him be flirting, 'cause I could really go for some vampire Emmett—

"Goodnight, Bella," Jasper said abruptly, breaking through my inner dialogue. He looked like he wanted to laugh, but he just sighed instead. I offered him a thin smile, knowing I'd been busted…again.

"Goodnight everyone," I said, waving as Alice dragged me up the stairs.

"Goodnight Bella, I'd love to talk to you tomorrow if you're up to it." Carlisle looked eager, and I felt bad for feeling so tired. I nodded my agreement before I was whisked away.

"Here," Alice said, handing me two large, white pills as she darted out of the bathroom. "This should help you sleep. Carlisle said you might have a hard time with the cast and all," she gestured to my hand.

I swallowed the pills obediently, but made a face. They left a horrible aftertaste.

Alice and I stared at each other for several seconds, making me feel a little funny. I didn't think I could handle it if she started acting weird around me too.

"Um, Alice," I said, as I looked around. "I'm not exactly sure where I sleep now when I come over here." I lowered my voice, which was silly because everyone would be able to hear me no matter if I whispered or yelled. "In the old Forks," I mentally cringed…it felt weird referring to my original timeline as the old Forks, "I used to sleep in Edward's room."

Alice closed her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she was having a vision. She opened her eyes again, shaking her head. "That had to be so…weird."

I laughed and rolled my eyes as we moved to one of the bedrooms. Alice flipped on the light and rummaged through one of the dresser drawers, pulling out a tank top and matching bottoms. I recognized them right away…they were my Happy Cactus P.J.'s. I'd had the same set in my original timeline. Renee sent me the absurdly dorky pajamas after I'd mentioned how green everything was in Forks. She said the cactus P.J.'s would fill my dreams with memories of Arizona.

Somehow, I doubted that would be the case tonight.

Alice sighed, handing me the pajamas. "We're going shopping tomorrow. These are awful."

"Hey," I feigned offense, "I like the Happy Cactus. He's so…happy," I gestured to the goofy smiling cactus screen print on the tank top.

She stared at me, daring me to deny the shopping extravaganza.

"Okay," I sighed, hefting my shoulders in the air during my exaggerated expression, "they are pretty lame."

"Thank you," Alice said looking deadly serious. Then, she completely changed her expression, her ridiculously perky smile plastered on her face, "So, shopping tomorrow…and we'll talk, of course. I'll fill you in on what it's like here…maybe you can tell me what it was like for you. You know, before—" she left her sentence unfinished, clearly unsure how to address my alternate timeline.

"I don't know, Alice. I have that exam, and—"

"Pfft, please," she said, waving her hand at me, dismissing my argument. "We'll study, you'll get an A. I've already seen it, so don't worry."

I exhaled, resigning myself to shopping. I wasn't really upset about it, though. I'd missed Alice terribly after the Cullen's left, and I'd sworn a million times over that I'd never complain about one of her marathon shopping sessions again if only she were back in my life.

Alice clapped her hands together, realizing that my resolve was gone. She hurried over to the bed, pulling back the navy comforter and matching cotton sheet. It was then that I looked at the room. The bed was large, dark wood, and had a simple but massive headboard. The dresser was also dark wood and simple. A single nightstand with a lamp sat beside the bed, and a leather chair occupied the corner near the window. A large television dominated one wall, and several gaming units were on a shelf below it, which also held many DVD's and video games.

"This is Emmett's room," I said, not really asking, but vocalizing my superb deductive reasoning skills instead.

"Sleep," Alice said, effectively ignoring me as she patted the pillow before turning on the lamp. "I want to leave early tomorrow." She said as she made her way to me.

She stood in front of me for a few seconds, giving me that awkward feeling again. Suddenly, she hugged me quickly then moved to leave, her hand hovering over the light switch. "I'm glad you're back, Bella." She smiled and I was thankful that it was warm and genuine.

God, I'd really missed Alice.

"Things are going to be good…I just know they are." She flipped the switch and closed the door, leaving me to stare at the dimly lit bedroom.

I smiled as I spotted a shirt draped across the chair in the corner. It was one of Emmett's and it took me back to the days in his apartment when I would find his shirts here and there. He never seemed to put anything in a hamper. I absently picked up the shirt, holding it up to my face as I inhaled deeply. His scent was strong, but different. He still smelled similar, but something was a bit off now…not in a bad way, just not quiet the same.

I felt like an idiot, standing in Emmett's room sniffing his shirts. I dropped the burgundy cloth back on the chair and prepared for bed. Just as I started to slip on my faithful Happy Cactus pajamas, I halted, reaching instead for Emmett's shirt. I'd missed him, damn it, and I wanted to wear one of his shirts. So what. Of course, it was huge on me, but between the shirt and his sheets, I felt like I was cocooned in his scent and I drifted off to sleep quickly.

Carlisle's medicine must have been potent stuff. I woke up the next morning stiff and practically in the exact same position in which I'd fallen asleep. I inhaled deeply again, taking Emmett's soothing scent inside my lungs. It didn't take me long to realize that deep breathing was not a good idea. My back and ribs felt like they were bruised beyond belief, and they had tightened uncomfortably overnight. The unexpected pain was so intense that I felt tears prickle at my eyes.

Oh, my God,…I think I may have cracked a rib or two, I thought to myself.

Suddenly, the door opened quickly, causing me to sit up abruptly. I grimaced in agony, the result of my new position.

"What's wrong?" Emmett's voice was tight with concern and his eyes quickly glanced over my form.

"Nothing," I said weakly. He'd caught me off guard and oh my, my…was he seriously wearing a black wife beater with some matching sexy Adidas sweats? Wait, since when did sweatpants become sexy?

"I—you…" Emmett hesitated, "You were cryin'." He said, looking concerned.

I absently rubbed my eyes. Not because I was crying, mind you, but because I needed to peel them away from Emmett's body. I noticed every muscle under his shirt, the way his skin looked like marble, his broad shoulders…. I rubbed my eyes harder, practically trying to gouge them out.

Bad eyes…bad, bad, bad. Stop leering at Emmett.

"Oh, I'm okay…" I stretched a little, still averting my eyes, "just sore this morning."

"You're okay?"

I nodded, finally turning my attention back to him. He stared at me and I realized he was looking at my shirt. Well, his shirt…the one I'd worn to bed.

Oh crap, I'd forgotten I'd slept in his shirt. What if he gets ticked or something?

My stomach announced it was time for breakfast, causing me to cringe in embarrassment.

"Hungry?" Emmett asked, smiling as he glanced down toward the hand on my grumbling belly.

"Apparently I'm starving," I said, laughing nervously.

"I'll make you some breakfast," he said, turning to leave the bedroom.

"You cook?" I was shocked…I never knew Emmett could cook.

He turned around to face me. "Um, not well…and not much." He smiled and clapped his hands together. "You can have eggs and toast, or oatmeal."

"You make oatmeal?" The idea struck me as funny.

He made a face before speaking. "I don't actually make the oatmeal. But I do microwave the little cup. I can do that really well…most of the time." He added, smiling and flashing his dimples. "Of course, I did try sausage once, but they came out looking like little hockey pucks."

I laughed at his expression and my stomach rumbled again. "Eggs sound safe," I said, returning his smile. "I'll get ready and meet you downstairs."

I turned slowly to get out of bed, but Emmett stopped me. "No, don't…don't change. Just, um, stay here and I'll bring it up." He dashed out of the room so quickly that I didn't have a chance to respond.

I realized I was smiling like a crazy person as I shifted my pillows and smoothed my hair, waiting for Emmett to return.

He was back in a few minutes with a large plate of eggs, some toast, and a huge glass of orange juice. Ugh, I'd never eat all that. "Thanks," I said as I took the plate, accidently brushing his fingers. "They smell delicious." I crammed a forkful into my mouth before I could start babbling like an idiot. "Where is everyone?" I asked between bites.

"Huntin'…mostly," he shrugged, sitting on the bed at my feet. Yes, indeed, he definitely looked bigger.

More eggs, Bella. Eat more eggs, stop ogling the poor guy and do not become entranced with that accent.

"Mostly?" I said around a particularly large mouthful.

He looked at me and I actually felt my pulse increase. "Alice and Jasper are," he ducked his head as he searched for his words, absently rubbing the back of his neck, "they needed some alone time."

"Again?" I asked.

He laughed softly, nodding his head as he looked toward the hall.

Realization hit me and my eyes became huge. "Are they here?" I whispered conspiratorially.

"Yup," he said, popping the "p."

I dropped my fork and laughed, quickly covering my mouth. I felt like a first grader, but hey, it was funny for some reason. "Well, at least they're being quiet."

Emmett plopped himself across the foot of the bed, leaving his legs hanging over the side. "To you, maybe." He pointed to his ears, "vampire hearing…not always a good thing."

"Ugh," I said, making a sympathetic face. "Must be hard." Then I mentally cringed, realizing the sexual innuendo. "Er, difficult," I amended, quickly shoveling another forkful of egg into my mouth followed by a large bite of toast.

Please do not let me develop diarrhea of the mouth. Please, pretty please?

Emmett closed his eyes and laughed softly at my feet. I took the opportunity to ogle him a bit more while his eyes were shut. I couldn't help but notice how his abs flexed under the thin cotton shirt. In my haste to distract myself from saying anything else potentially embarrassing to Emmett, I realized I'd eaten the entire plate of eggs.

"Finished?" Emmett asked, sitting up to take my plate. I smiled when our fingers brushed again.

"Yeah," I said, more than a little surprised. I never thought I would eat half that…nonetheless the entire thing.

"Drink your orange juice," Emmett ordered as he stood. "You'll need all your strength today if you're goin' shoppin' with Alice." He shot me a sexy grin as he left the bedroom, leaving me sitting on the bed wearing a ridiculously goofy smile of my own.

I finally shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I opted against taking a shower. I hated the cumbersome cast cover and I'd just showered last night anyway. Instead, I got up and slipped on my Levi's. I searched the drawer for a shirt with no buttons, figuring Alice would have me trying on clothes all day. The fewer buttons, the better…the cast would make buttons an ordeal. I found a green polo shirt and slipped it on, instantly missing Em's shirt as soon as it was gone.

I searched for a pair of sneakers, finally finding an old pair that was actually in pretty good shape and very similar to my Chucks in old Forks, er, my original timeline. Whatever. I looked around, noticing I had a lot of stuff in Emmett's room. A lot. Hmmm.

What were Emmett and I to each other in this new timeline, anyway?

I filed that question away, making a mental note to ask Alice. I walked downstairs with my shoes in hand. Laces were another problem…but I figured I could just tie them loose and slip them off and on all day. I was fumbling with one of the laces when Emmett crouched in front of me.

"Need some help?" He asked, his hand held out for my shoe.

"Thanks," I said, offering a little chuckle. "It's funny, you never think about how hard it is to tie your shoe with one hand until—" I held up my cast, letting it finish my sentence for me.

Emmett finished loosely lacing my shoes and slipped them on my feet. "Bella, I'm sorry." His golden eyes easily confirmed his sorrow.

"Why?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

He huffed and looked at my cast. "I did that," he said, pointing to my arm before gently touching the cast. "I'm sorry. I could have killed you."

I touched my hand to his cool one as he held the cast. "But you didn't. I'm okay…honest." I added when he looked at me skeptically. "Believe me, I've had much worse. This is nothing."

I smiled at him, wishing I could erase the regret tarnishing his face. He looked back down, his eyes on our hands. Slowly he laced his fingers with my own. I held my breath…was he about to kiss me?

"Are you ready?" Alice chimed as she bounded into the room.

I barely resisted the urge to growl. Yes, I actually wanted to growl at a vampire. Really, Alice, would five more minutes have killed you?

My eyes darted from Emmett's crouching stare to Alice. She was smiling and looking like the cat that ate the canary. "I suppose," I said, still reluctant to release Emmett's fingers.

He exhaled, shifting his weight so he could stand. He held onto my hand, helping me rise from the sofa. "Your chariot awaits," he chuckled, guiding me toward Alice.

Jasper trotted down the stairs, his wet curls bouncing. He had obviously just gotten out of the shower. "Bella, are you sure you're up for this?"

Sheesh, everyone was so worried. "Jazz, I'm fine. Besides, I don't think Alice would let me get out of this if I tried." I shot Alice a smile and she confirmed my statement with a quick nod of her head.

"I'll take good care of her boys," she said as she took my hand from Emmett's larger one.

"And I'll beat your man's ass at Halo," Emmett said, picking Jasper up and throwing him toward the sofa. Their roughhousing elicited a few chuckles from Alice and I.

"Look at them," Alice said, gesturing toward a now wrestling Emmett and Jasper, "old men acting like children. Remind me again why we put up with them."

I chewed my lip as I laughed at her expression. Emmett popped his head up, smiling from ear to ear as Jasper fought against his headlock. "Bye Bella," he said, a hint of seduction in his voice.

I felt my face flush as my heart pounded wildly in my chest. I waved goodbye with my bandaged hand, not fully trusting my voice. Emmett's concentration must have faltered for a brief moment, giving Jasper the edge he needed to slip free and tackle him. Alice cackled with laughter, nudging me out the door as we giggled.

I was still in a great mood as we made our way to the mall. I knew Alice would rather head to Seattle, but I was in no shape for an all day shopping ordeal and several hours in the car.

"So," she said, dragging the word out, "that looked…interesting. Was I interrupting anything?" She glanced at me, smiling.

I rolled my eyes. "No." I so did not want to have this conversation with her right now. I had too many questions of my own.

"Alice," I started, "how did I…how did we become friends in this timeline?" I shifted in my seat so I could see her better.

"What do you mean? We met back in Tennessee. I knew you through Jasper's bond…we've always been friends."

I sighed, "No, I mean in this timeline, when I didn't know any of you. How did we…" I left the question unfinished, not sure how to better explain it.

"Oh," she said, shaking her head, "Emmett."

Ah, thanks, that helped.

"Emmett," I repeated, hoping she would clarify her response.

"Yeah, he was a little obsessed with you." She shrugged, looking nonchalant. "He has been since, oh…um," she put her finger on her chin, faking as if she were concentrating, "1935, Bella."

I smiled, "Really? So he remembered me?" I felt giddy. Absolutely giddy.

"Oh yeah."

I shrugged, trying to reign in my hope. Mustn't get ahead of myself. "I wasn't sure if he remembered me. When we first met, after the change, he didn't seem to recall much."

"Well, he was a newborn. Things are kind of fuzzy at first sometimes. Some of us can recall a few people right away, family mostly. Others remember feelings about people, but have a hard time putting a face with the emotion…until they see them. Like Emmett did," she added, looking from the road to me, smiling. "It gets easier to recall things the longer you resist the urge to…well, kill people."

"Ugh, I don't know about that. He did try to kill me." I shrank into the seat as I remembered everything in vivid detail.

"No he didn't, silly Bella." She playfully slapped my shoulder. "If he'd meant to kill you, you'd be dead now." She shrugged noncommittally…almost like she'd said hey, it's going to be cloudy tomorrow, shrug.

"Oh, well, that's…um, good to know I guess. He did almost manhandle me to death," I laughed lightly, still feeling the bruises on my back and ribs.

Alice nodded thoughtfully, "Emmett's always been stronger than most. I can only imagine how difficult it was for him as a newborn. Now Edward, though, he tried to kill you. If Emmett hadn't protected you—" she pretended to shiver.

"Really?" I squeaked. I didn't know at the time if Emmett was protecting me or not.

Alice turned to face me, her expression grave. "Bella, when Jasper took you away…Carlisle lost control of Edward. Emmett fought him…he was savage. Even with Edward's telepathy, Emmett just wouldn't give up. He kept coming after Edward, over and over." She got a faraway look in her eyes. "It was the worst fight I've ever seen, Bella."

Wow, Emmett remembered me. Even as a bloodthirsty newborn.

"So, when I came here—in this timeline," I added for clarity, "did he tell me about you guys, or…" again I let my question hang in the air.

"Oh no," Alice said, scrunching up her face. "Carlisle made things clear early on. The next time we saw you , we were to let you find out about us on your own, if you ever did."

"So, they knew about the time traveling…mojo?"

"Well, I filled everyone in after you guys left, so, yeah."

"In my old timeline, I met Edward first. I figured things out when a friend started telling me about some old legends." I was careful to protect Jake, just in case. "Then, when Tyler almost hit me with his van, Edward saved me."

She turned to face me again, taking her eyes from the road. If it were anyone else, I would have been nervous, but the Cullens could probably text War and Peace word for word while driving, all without incident. She quirked her brow, her topaz eyes sparkling in the soft light that filtered through the windshield. "It didn't happen like that here…well, Jacob and the incident with Tyler did…but Emmett saved you from the van, not Edward."

Huh, interesting. And Jacob's original involvement seemed to be the same.

"So, Emmett and I met first?"

"Yeah," she said, laughing a little.

I shifted again in my seat, smiling with her. "What aren't you telling me?"

"You should have seen him the day I told him you were coming. It was like Christmas, Bella. He was crazy. He must have driven by your dad's house a dozen times. I swear, I'm surprised Charlie didn't arrest him."

"No," I scoffed.

"Yes! It's true. But, it wasn't meant to be," she said, doing her best Shakespearean, ethereal voice. "He had to wait until the next day, at school…in the caf." She rolled her eyes, "Poor Em."

"So, we started hanging out…did we, um, date? Were we a couple?" I had to know. It seemed to be the only way to explain all those clothes in his bedroom.

"Hmm," Alice said, quirking her brow again. "Yes and no."

Okaaay…could you vague that up for me, Alice?

"Emmett made it more than clear that you were off limits to the populace, so to speak. But, he was careful to keep things…" she narrowed her eyes, searching for a good way to explain our pre-time travel relationship in this timeline, "romantically casual between the two of you."

"Why?"

"Carlisle knew about the need for virgin blood…" she looked at me again, pouting as if to say she was sorry for being so blunt. "Anyway, he told Emmett it would be better if the two of you didn't have sex…just in case it would mess with things." She shrugged, smiling, "It was just Carlisle being overly protective again."

"But I have so many clothes in his room."

"Well, you know Emmett. Just because he couldn't cross the line didn't mean he wasn't going to push the boundaries. Poor Jazz…those were tough times."

I smiled, thinking about how Emmett and I shared such a similar situation. In Tennessee, I was the one who couldn't have sex with Emmett. In this new timeline, Emmett was the one who couldn't have sex with me. We were such a pair.

"So, you and I were clearly fast friends here."

Alice nodded, smiling.

"Rose and I are clearly not."

"Oh, it's not like that. Rose is still a little…bent is all."

"Um, why?"

Alice looked a little uneasy, glancing from the road to me, and back again. "After Carlisle changed Emmett—when he first woke up, she tried to seduce him. A lot."

I gasped.

Alice raised her eyebrows, "And she was rejected…a lot."

Emmett had rebuked the queen. Whoa . I whistled, "I bet that went over like a lead balloon."

"You have no idea. She was hell for a while. Anyway, the last few years she's backed off. Now she just acts like she's too good for him. I guess she's still a little bitter toward you, though."

"Me? What the heck did I do?" I asked, placing my hand on my chest.

Alice laughed. "You are the reason Emmett didn't play house with Rosalie. Thank God," she added, rolling her eyes. "He still loved you."

I swallowed hard. "Loved?" I asked, hoping she would be able to amend that word to present tense.

"I won't lie, Bella," she shot me a stern look, "things are beyond complicated. For years, Emmett has struggled with your relationship as it was in 1935. He knew how he felt, he even loved you as a newborn, and that's pretty unheard of…but he wasn't sure about you."

"He knew…I told him. We were getting married!"

Alice winced, "I know, but he started second guessing things. Thinking that maybe you were playing along in Tennessee until Jasper came back. He started thinking that maybe you had no intention of staying with him, and I think that broke his heart a little."

Alice clutched my hand in her cool one. "He still wants to be with you, Bella. He's just…guarded right now. Plus, yesterday you were terrified of him—"

"I thought he'd tried to kill me back in Tennessee! And I thought I was alone in the house when I first came back, so when he appeared behind me, I freaked." I was breathing quickly now, upset that Emmett and I had gotten our wires crossed. He thought I was avoiding him because I didn't want to be around him, and I thought he'd tried to kill me. Sheesh, what a mess.

"I know, I know…" Alice placated. "I think Jasper and I helped clear that up for him last night." She turned to wag her eyebrows at me suggestively, "Things certainly seemed better this morning."

"Yeah," I said, sounding girly and breathy. No you don't Alice, I still have unanswered questions, you sly little pixie.

"Okay, recap my crazy life: Emmett and I might be more than friends, You and I are friends, Rosalie hates me…."

Alice nodded her head in agreement to all three.

"What about me and Jasper in this timeline? And Edward?"

"Up until yesterday, Jasper still struggled with his bloodlust whenever he was with you. He was always careful to never be alone with you…he just didn't trust himself. Now things are—very different. He seems completely at ease with you. With everyone really." She looked over at me again, this time her expression was pure love. Clearly, she and Jazz shared a bond that transcended the ages. Those two were fated, and that was that. "You guys must have had a great relationship in your timeline."

"Not exactly," I said, surprising Alice. "Things were pretty much the same." I thought back to my birthday party…it all seemed like a bad dream now. "He tried to kill me on my birthday."

"What! He never mentioned that." Alice said looking shocked.

"Well, it wasn't his fault…not really. Anyway, Edward freaked."

"I'm sure he was furious with Jasper."

"No, actually, he dumped me."

Alice glanced at me, surprised again.

I nodded at her doubtful look, "Yeah, he dumped me, then you guys all left and moved back to Alaska."

"Where I started having issues in your timeline," she nodded, picking up on the events that acted as a catalyst, landing Jasper and I in 1935.

"Yeah, but, on the plus side, Jasper took the time to learn some fantastic self control." I smiled, making her giggle a little.

"What were the visions about?"

"I have no idea Alice. All I know is that you were upset and kept talking about setting something straight."

We were both quiet for a while, processing the information that we'd just shared. I watched as familiar shops started creeping up here and there. We were getting closer to the mall.

I psyched myself up as much as I could getting ready for a day of shopping with Alice when I had an idea. Maybe we could get Edward to use his telepathy to scan Jasper…sort of get a feel for what Jasper saw regarding Alice's visions.

"That's a great idea…I think it might work." She said as soon as the thought popped into my head.

"What, are you telepathic here too?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, but I knew the minute you'd decided to ask Edward, so…. Besides, it is a good idea." Alice remarked casually as we parked near Macy's.

"Yeah, well, I don't even know if he will do it if I ask him. Maybe you should ask."

"Pft," came Alice's wordless reply. "Why do you say that?"

"Do we even get along?" I asked, gesturing with my broken wrist. Pain seared with the exaggerated movement, making me instantly regret my inability to talk without my hands.

"You and Edward? Sure. He was pensive at first…you know, because he tried to kill you and all. But he goes to great lengths to make up for that, even though Emmett watches him like a hawk."

I laughed. "Why would Emmett watch Edward?"

Alice arched her perfectly tweezed brow as she lowered her voice and stepped closer to me. "Emmett is a vampire. We are notoriously possessive creatures, Bella."

"And…."

"And he knew about your relationship with Edward…even if it was in another timeline. Like I said, he was very clear that you were off limits to everyone, despite Carlisle encouraging him to let things unfold as they were meant to be."

"But Edward and I were never…?" I didn't finish, suddenly it felt wrong to even think about Edward that way. He was my friend and nothing more.

"Oh no," Alice spoke quickly, waving her hand, "but that didn't stop Emmett from being jealous."

"Jealous? Emmett?" He didn't seem like the jealous type back in Tennessee. Maybe it was a vampire thing.

"Very," Alice said, raising her eyebrows and rolling her eyes a bit.

Okay, I know I should say it's wrong, blah, blah, blah. But, the truth was that I kinda liked it. Actually, I loved it. It was a real turn on.

Oh man, I am so going to burn in feminist hell for admitting that to myself.

"So, Edward and I are okay?"

Alice nodded.

"I just need to make it clear to Emmett that I'm not interested in Edward…not that way, at least."

She smiled slyly, "Yeah, good luck with that. You saw the way he was staring you down last night. I almost felt sorry for you. I thought he was going to climb over the table and claim you right there."

Um, is it wrong that my abdomen suddenly flooded with heat? Holy beans, Alice's words had me thinking all sorts of delicious thoughts.

"And that would not be good?" I said, hinting that I rather liked the idea.

She turned toward me quickly as we made a dash for the shoes. "Bella!" Her mouth opened and closed several times, and I felt a rush of pride. I made Alice Cullen speechless.

"Actually," she finally spoke, "it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Poor Emmett has over seventy years of pent up sexual frustration. You might want to take it easy on him."

"What? He hasn't been with anyone?" Now it was my turn to be surprised. Even in Tennessee, in the relatively puritan times of 1935, it was clear that Em was no angel when it came to the opposite sex. I just assumed….

"No one," Alice said, shaking her head. "Which Rose loved to throw in his face every chance she got." She continued, picking up a pair of dangerously high heels.

"Why is she such a beast?" I said, examining a pair of cute flats.

"Who knows," Alice said, pushing my hand down and shaking her head at my selection. Man, I missed that. "She just is who she is."

"So, she's single?"

"Mmm-hmm," Alice said, definitely in shopping mode now.

"And Edward's single?"

"Yup."

"I always thought they would make a good couple…like some sort of fantastically beautiful, yuppie, power couple." I turned my attention to another pair of flats, holding one experimentally.

"I could not agree more," Alice beamed. For a moment, I actually thought we'd agreed on a pair of shoes, but when she pushed my hand down again and shook her head, I realized she was excited about what I'd said. "I'm actually working that angle a bit…maybe you could help me? Jasper is dead set against it. Even new Jasper. He tells me to mind my own business," she said the last bit pouting.

"Sure," I agreed quickly.

Okay, on the outside it probably looked like I was doing a good deed and all. The truth was, I wanted Rosalie involved so she would back off Emmett. I couldn't compete with her, and I wanted her out of the picture.

Gee, and poor Alice thinks Em is the jealous one.

Alice clapped her hands together quickly, almost squealing in the middle of the shoe department. "This is going to be so much fun…getting Rose and Edward together, you seducing Emmett—"

Whoa, crazy pixie vampire say what? "Huh? I can't seduce Emmett."

"Not in those clothes," she said, then patted my shoulder reassuringly. "That's why we're here. You already have the whole nurture me thing going for you," she said, pointing to my cast. "Right now he's in wait-and-see mode." She picked up a pair of patent leather red peep toe stilettos. "Now," she continued speaking to me as she carried the shoe, "I don't know about you, but I for one think there's already been plenty to see and way too long to wait, so…" she turned to face me. "I say we just move him along." She picked up another shoe of equally dangerous height, "Naturally, he'll want to make the first move…it's just the way Emmett is. And don't worry, Bella, he wants this…he's just been waiting so long that he's afraid he'll mess things up and not get another chance, and deep down he's afraid you intended to abandon him all along in Tennessee," she said, turning to me and shaking her head as though she were discussing something simple and basic. "We're just going to…encourage him a little, you know, let him know for sure that you wanted him then and that you still want him now." She smiled. "Only we're going to do it my way. He won't know whether he's coming or going."

Okay, did she mean for that last part to sound sorta kinda sexual, or is it just me and my oversexed brain?

Amazing, how can someone so small be so conniving.

I wanted to argue with her, tell her this was a terrible idea. I wanted to say that we should focus on Edward and Rosalie…at least get Rose out of the picture and in a relationship of her own. I wanted to take the high road like Carlisle, tell her that if Emmett didn't feel like there was anything left between us, that maybe we should just let it go. Really, I'd wanted to say all of those things.

At least I told myself I did.

Instead, I found myself answering her with a question.

"Where do we start?"

A/N: Okay, I hope that helped clarify things a little. I've realized that time travel is tricky to write, and darn near impossible for me to do from a first person perspective. Whew, this is a lot like work…except I actually enjoy doing this!

So, it looks like Bella has an interesting agenda planned, with Alice's help, of course. Seducing vampire Emmett, oh man…. But, something tells me that Bella won't really have her work cut out for her. Emmett certainly seems to be letting his guard down. Of course, it's Bella, so who knows what will happen to muck things up.

Remember, just PM me if you have any questions…and thanks again you guys!