A/N: Alrighty, so to begin with, I want to say that for everyone who reads my other story, Wounded Cry, it is going on hold until I'm done with this one. I wrote an notice in WC, but if you haven't read that yet, I'm letting you know here.
Secondly, you should be proud of me. I'm updating within a week of the last chapter. I think that's a record for the past few chapters. And, all because I love my readers so freaking much.
UltimateSk8erXD: Thank you. Sorry that I've been updating so rarely recently, but life does get in the way. I did update quickly this time, though. So I'm getting better! ^-^
Yokai-Kitsune-Kyuubi: I would love to tell you who Daniel is, but it's going to have to wait. Those are all really good guesses, though. And thanks about Alice's jealousy. I was really trying to get that right and not overplay it too much.
AliceandBellaforever: I really, really want to answer you. Like, really badly. But, unfortunately, it has to wait until it comes up in the story. Sigh.
Primrosered: One- I love primroses. Just thought I'd share that real quick. And Two- Thank you so much! That chapter was really fun to right and I'm really glad at how it turned out.
Alright, as always, Twilight and its characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, not me. This story and any OCs do belong to me, though.
Unfortunately for us, the rest of the day went much the same. Alice and I were able to spend some time alone together during our free period, but Daniel just happened to be in Gym with me. When Alice found out, she wasn't very pleased.
"Seriously? He's in there, too?" Alice fumed, watching as Daniel walked into the boys' locker room. She had pulled me to a stop halfway down the hallway.
Alice glared in the direction of the locker room, almost as if by doing so, the whole thing would burst into flames. I sighed and ran my free hand over my face.
"Alice, honey, you have got to stop worrying about him. Nothing's going to happen. You of all people should know that." I squeezed her hand softly. Alice wouldn't meet my gaze, instead deciding to glare at the floor. "Ali?" I questioned, lifting her chin so that she'd look at me.
Alice hummed in acknowledgement, but said nothing else. She still refused to meet my gaze, looking over my shoulder instead.
A sudden thought made me smile brightly.
"What?" Alice asked me, not able to keep her curiosity at bay.
"I just thought of something that will make you feel better," I answered, turning back the way we came and pulling Alice along with me. "Come on."
I dragged Alice out into the parking lot, and led her to my truck. Luckily, Alice had agreed to let me drive today. She had been driving us to school and pretty much everywhere else, and I had missed driving, so I finally convinced her to let me drive my beast of a truck to school. Good thing too, or this plan wouldn't have really worked out as well.
I knew Alice loved surprises, and our destination being a surprise would make it even better. So I guess it was lucky that her visions weren't coming as often now, too.
Alice looked at me searchingly before shrugging and hopping in the passengers' side as I held the door open for her. I hurried over to the drivers' side as fast as I could, excited that I may actually be able to cheer Alice up after this horrid day.
Where we were headed always seemed to calm Alice, and she would always leave happier than when she had first arrived. It was almost inevitable for her to be in a better mood once we got there.
I smiled over at Alice as I pulled out of the parking spot before throwing my truck into drive and chugging forward. The drive would take longer in my ancient beast, but I doubted Alice would mind much. She seemed somewhat more content already, just sitting next to me and holding my hand. I knew she would rather be moving faster, but she was containing her impatience rather well – only her leg bouncing lightly showed that she getting twitchy at the slow pace.
The drive held barely any conversation. I had turned the radio on low so that the soft rhythm of the indie music would play in the background. Alice stared out the window the entire time, seemingly lost in her thoughts. I didn't want to interrupt, so I stayed quiet as well.
After a few moments, Alice looked over at me with a soft smile.
'This is really sweet of you, Bella. You didn't have to skip school, though. I could have made it through the rest of the day. It was just one more class."
I shrugged off her comment. "I'd rather be out here with you, anyway. You're more important than gym class." Alice smiled again at me before turning back to look out the window.
The drive did take longer than it would have if Alice were driving her Porsche. My truck could maybe hit 50 without beginning to shake, and I didn't want to push it too much. The possibility of it breaking down seemed too eminent to push my luck. But, we did eventually make it to our destination, and Alice's reaction made it completely worth the longer drive.
Alice smiled brightly at me before leaning across the space between us, hugging me tightly once I had pulled to a stop. She soon let me go, though, and turned to get out of the truck. Already, she seemed much happier than when we left the school grounds.
I smiled after her, watching as she danced to the edge of the cliff. I then climbed out of the truck and followed her at a much slower and less graceful pace.
Alice stood at the edge with her arms spread out next to her. The scene from Titanic of Jack holding Rose on the bow of the ship popped into my head and I couldn't suppress the chuckle that pushed its way out of me. Alice turned to face me, her arms still extended.
"What do you find so funny, Miss Swan?" She asked, dropping her arms dramatically. I shook my head with a smile before walking to her and wrapping my arms around her.
"Nothing important, Miss Cullen." Alice smiled up at me before leaning up and kissing me softly. I hummed against her lips before she pulled away. We stood like that in silence for a moment longer. The wind from the ocean blew at Alice's back, making her hair sway softly. As I watched her, I was reminded once again how lucky I was to have her. She really was the most amazing person I had ever met and probably ever would meet.
Alice's smile softened as she watched me. She reached up and traced the contours of my face softly. When her fingers traced my lips, I grabbed her hand, holding it and kissing her finger tips softly, one by one.
Twining our fingers, I lowered our hands slowly.
"Why don't we lay down?" I asked quietly, not wanting to break the sereneness of the moment. Alice nodded softly in response, lowering herself and pulling me down with her. I lay back on the grassy cliff, stretching my arms out beside me. Without hesitation, Alice cuddled against me, burying her face in the crook of my neck.
I leaned my head against hers and reached my arm around her to rub her shoulder through the thin material of her jacket. Alice purred contentedly against me, moving herself impossibly closer. I turned my head and buried my nose in her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent deeply. Closing my eyes, I kissed her head softly before turning back and staring up at the cloudy sky.
We lay there together for what could have been hours our possibly days. Time didn't seem to matter when it came to Alice. Nothing seemed to matter when it came to Alice, actually. All that mattered was her and whether or not she was happy. And, as we lay there cuddled together, I could sense that she was happy, and that made me happier than I ever imagined someone else's happiness ever would.
Admittedly, I didn't want to break the sereneness of the moment. It was honestly the last thing that I wanted to do. But Alice's reaction to Daniel had been on my mind all day and I couldn't seem to push it aside. So, grudgingly, I started the conversation.
"May I ask you something?" I asked gently, running my fingers up Alice's arm. I felt her nod against me and continued. "Today? With Daniel?" I knew that she'd know what I was asking, so I didn't bother elaborating any more.
Alice sighed and her cold breath danced across my neck and collarbone, sending a welcome cold chill down my spine.
"I just…" Alice began, trailing off as she searched for the right words to continue. "I guess it just started off as a bit of jealousy," she began again after a moment. "When he offered you that handkerchief… I don't know. He just seemed a bit too eager to help you." Alice snuggled closer to me, burying closer to my neck. She turned her head so that she was resting on my chest just below my collarbone. "Vampires are very territorial. We don't like sharing, and we don't like when other people get too friendly with our mates. You could say that we would actually rather be locked away with our mates, never to see anyone else again."
The idea of that was actually a bit alluring, but I didn't vocalize my thoughts on the matter. I let Alice continue, knowing that she had more to say about what had happened.
"So when Daniel showed up, obviously more interested in you than as just a friend, I got a bit protective and possessive. I'm sorry…" Alice whispered out the last part, turning her head so she could look at me, her apology reflected in her eyes. I smiled softly at her in response, leaning down to kiss her gently. With a brief smile, Alice resettled herself on me.
A moment of silence past in which I assume Alice was gathering her thoughts again.
"But then he kept showing up. Him being in every class with us didn't really help the territorial instincts that kept flaring up in me. Every time he looked at you, I had to fight the urge to punch him… or worse." I could hear the smirk in her voice and knew instantly that she really wouldn't have been very sorry for hitting the boy. I chuckled at the realization and heard Alice giggle softly before she hugged me to her tighter.
Alice continued after she got her giggling under control.
"And when he intruded on our table at lunch, it was pretty much over for me. I couldn't stand him any longer and his obvious ignoring of our relationship was infuriating to say the least. So my more… primal instincts kicked in and I had to mark my territory, so to speak. Not that you're an object to own, but…" Alice stopped for a moment before gripping me to her again. "But you're mine. No one else can have you." Her voice had gotten lower and had a growl in it. And I'll be damned if I didn't admit that it was the sexiest thing I had ever heard.
"So…" I began. Alice hummed in acknowledgement as she loosened her grip a bit and relaxed against me once again. Using her relaxed state to my advantage, I quickly rolled us over so that I was hovering above her as she lay flat on the ground below us. Alice's eyebrows rose in surprise as she lay under me. "So, you've marked your territory." Alice nodded hesitantly, an obvious curiosity in her eyes.
I lowered my head so that my lips were ghosting across the skin of her neck as I spoke. "Now it's my turn." Alice growled lightly at hearing that and reached her arms around me, pulling me flush against her. I began to nibble on her neck, though I knew I couldn't actually leave a mark or anything of the sort.
Alice purred under me. Her fingers were running lightly up and down my back, tracing nonsensical designs into my skin.
Slowly, I made my way up her neck and to her ear, biting softly on her earlobe before tracing a line of kisses across her jawbone, finally ending right below her lips. Alice's eyes met mine in a silent challenge. I could hear her voice in my mind as if she had said the words out loud: I dare you.
And I did. I was never really one to ever back down from a dare.
I captured her lips hungrily with my own, letting all of the passion that was building in me out in that moment.
Alice groaned into my mouth as I ran my tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. When she opened for me, I instantly began my exploration.
I had learned from experience that a vampire's fangs were super sensitive and any kind of simulation caused almost instant arousal. I used this knowledge to my advantage now.
Gently, I ran my tongue along one of her fangs, careful to not let the sharp canine draw blood. Alice again moaned into my mouth as she moved her hips up against my own. I returned the motion, grinding into my vampire.
Alice's hands moved up my back and tangled in my hair, pulling me ever closer to her. I let my tongue run across her other fang in response, grinning against her mouth when her hips rose to meet mine once again as a moan fell from her lips.
Pulling away to catch my breath, I began to trail light kisses down Alice's throat and to her collarbone. I bit down on that spot as my hands dipped under the bottom of her shirt. Lightly, I pushed my hands up, exploring territory that had yet to be seen. Alice shivered against me, and I knew that it wasn't because of the cool air coming from the ocean just yards from us.
When I glanced up at Alice's face, I saw that her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly agape. She was breathing heavily, every few breaths coming out as a soft moan.
Feeling much braver than I ever had before, and being reassured by the look on Alice's face, I pulled my hands back down to the hem of her shirt and began to drag it up her body. I studied her features for any sign of hesitation or disagreement, but found none, so I continued slowly.
It wasn't until I had gotten her shirt to right below her chest that she grasped my wrists and stopped me. Her eyes opened slowly and she met my gaze with regret shining in her eyes.
"Bella, I—" I shook my head, smiling softly up at her before removing my hands and rolling off of her to lay in my original position, staring up at the sky.
"It's alright. I understand," I said, turning my head to face Alice. She began shaking her head adamantly before righting her shirt and rolling to her side, leaning on her elbow so that she was looking down at me.
"No Bella, I don't think you do. I'm not rejecting you. I just… There's a point of no return when it comes to that, and we were very close to crossing that line just then. And when it comes to vampires… The first time shouldn't be stopped." Alice brushed a stray hair behind my ear. "If we had continued much further, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself." Alice's voice became husky as she leaned closer to me, her lips hovering above my own. "And, trust me, I wanted to keep going."
I kissed her lightly before pulling back with a grin. "Then you had better stop talking like that or we'll be crossing that line sooner rather than later."
Alice laughed and fell on me softly, cuddling into me again so that we were in the same position as when we first lay down.
A silence fell over us once again, but it was completely comfortable and full of promise.
The sun began to set, and the view from the cliff was fantastic. We both lay watching it, me holding Alice to me and Alice curling up against me.
When the sun had finally set, Alice spoke.
"We should probably be heading back soon. Everyone's probably wondering where we ran off to." Her voice was reluctant, and I sympathized with the emotion. But we got up, walking slowly to the truck.
I grabbed Alice's hand when we were about half way there, the light from the full moon setting her features aglow. Alice looked back at me questioningly. I grinned innocently, drawing her closer to me.
"So, should I expect the marking of territory every day from now on?"
Alice's laugh rang out in the clear night, echoing around us and filling the air with the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
A/N: And that's the end of that one. I thought I'd throw in a quick little fluff/teaser for ya'll before things got intense. And things are about to get intense within the next few chapters. The story is about to come to the climax, and the tension's building and I can feel it and just AHHH. It's going to be epic… hopefully.
Anywho, please leave you comments/questions/complaints/reviews. They are greatly loved and they really do inspire me to write more. I'm going to try to update this soon, but midterms are coming up for some of my classes, and I really need to start working on studying for those. So it may be a bit before I do actually get a chance to update.
On a side note, there's this really great story called My Piece of the Pie by SaralieMcCarthy-Cullen. It's really good, but she's probably going to stop writing it because she's not getting many reviews. It is smutty in some parts, but it's still a good plot and all. I want to know how it ends, so if you could go check it out, it would be appreciated by me. Just leave a comment like "Keep writing" or something. And, selfish reasons aside, a writer really shouldn't feel like their work isn't appreciated. So yeah, this writer deserves more reviews and what-not, but isn't getting them. Alright, end side note.
That's all for this one. Like I said, I'll hopefully update soon, but I'm not sure when I'll get a chance. Just stick with me, please. I promise that I'll work on it whenever I get a chance to.
'Til next time! ^-^