A/N - Sometimes Alice's plans don't always work out. Still, you'd never catch me betting against her... :)

Chapter Twenty Five: News

APOV

"Remind me why we have to go to school," Jasper groaned, toying with a strand of my hair.

I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him pull me to the hardwood, tangled halfway in the bedsheets. I loved this second chance at life; I could remember very little about my first, less than most.

I did remember the feel of hard ground. The soft, fibrous texture of floorboards against my skin couldn't compare to that.

Thinking of my old half-life reminded me of Bella. How beautiful the world would be to her once she became like me, like Edward. For now, we were her world. It didn't take a vampire's eyesight to see that.

I nuzzled into Jasper's neck. "We have to go," I whispered "to see how our little human friend is getting along in the world."

"Your little human friend."

"Ours," I reproached, smacking his arm. There was no way he was getting me to skip class now. Aside from the fact that my attendance record was, and had always been, perfect.

"In any case," I reminded him "we have to keep up appearances. You like it here, don't you? The longer we keep up, the longer we get to stay."

"Yes, I do like it here," he murmured. "Right here." He rolled over, pinning me to the floor.

I laughed, and slipped out from beneath him in a motion so quick it was like being ether.

I was dressed to the nines for another dreary high school day in less than three seconds. I knew that Bella and the boys didn't understand why I bothered. I knew that for Rose, it was a matter of vanity. For me, it was a thing of integrity, making the most of an opportunity that I hadn't had the first time around. Who knew – I might even get voted "best dressed" in the Forks yearbook.

As I was slipping on a silver ballet flat, I caught a flash of Edward tossing the Newton boy onto his car roof.

"No," I gasped.

Jasper was with me in half a second, his arms twined around my waist in concern now, all romance forgotten.

"It's fine," I whispered through blurred eyes. I searched the future, unfocused, for anything I could see. "I'll meet you at school," I told Jasper, placing my small hands atop his and gently unfolding his arms. There was no need to worry him.

The only lie I would ever tell him would be one to protect.

I met Edward on the side of the highway. From my car, I spotted the slight indentations made in the muddied soil by his tires as they turned off into the brush. A soft rain was falling, filling the crevices in his path.

"Edward." I stepped toward him with my umbrella raised to protect the impractical silk of my dress. He stood motionless, nearly one with the sentinel trees. His body was ancient, but his soul embodied the same spirit as they did.

"I lost my temper, Alice."

"He isn't dead?" I whispered, looking for confirmation.

"He'll be fine. I'll be highly surprised if he has so much as a bruise. I was easier on him than he deserved, but I suppose my instinct was to keep from truly harming him. At most, I scared him thoroughly. Carlisle has taught me well. It's a shame that my peace has the same aftereffects of violence; they'll be after me now. It needn't affect the rest of you, though."

My anger flared through my momentary relief. "Not affect us, Edward? Newton won't let this go. And we'll stand behind you, whatever happens. Worse comes to worse, I'm positive Carlisle will be able to negotiate – he'll smooth things over. Don't act like you are alone in this."

"I will be," he said mildly, looking at some piece of the scenery I was neglecting to notice in my worry. His lack of eye contact was concerning; it indicated that he was about to say or do something he knew I wouldn't like.

"You're not leaving," I said flatly.

"Tell Esme I said goodbye," he whispered.

I opened my mouth to say something angry, to make him see what an idiot he was being, to make him stay, but he was gone. Always the fastest.

With a heavy heart, I drove to Bella's, knowing that without her truck, she would have no way home. She couldn't count on me for a ride today; I had half a mind to run after Edward. I'd never catch him, but if I made it to Denali, I figured I had a decent chance of coaxing him home.

It was going to be so sad, breaking the news to Bella. Though, I figured from Edward's snippet of a story that she might have already understood the consequences.

I was frustrated by the slowness of Bella's truck. Excepting Esme, I was the slowest runner in the family, and I could outstrip this baby by miles. Even at our senior-walker-speed, the truck and I made it to school a mere ten minutes after Mike's body made a dent in his own roof.

As I put Bella's truck in its usual parking space, I noticed that the lot was very visibly vacant – no Bella, no Mike, and too early for any of the other students. I wasn't sure whether to take this as a good sign, so I probed into the future for more information. To my relief and disbelief, I found a scene of Mike being questioned by an all-too-interested Jessica about his strange dent, and he replied that a tree branch had fallen on it.

We had severely overestimated Mike; far from seeking retribution, he seemed to be intent on denying the whole incident. I suppose, being at the top of the high school food chain, it might be damaging to one's reputation if it got around that he had been thrown on top of his own car by a reputedly quiet classmate. Sorry, Mike.

I was nearly giddy with relief as I skipped into school. "Bella, Bella, Bella!" I sang. When she did not immediately appear, I skidded to a stop outside the girl's bathroom. The school wasn't that big, and I'd found her in here once before. Predictable, predictable human.

"Bellaaaaaaaa," I called loudly toward the general vicinity of the stalls. Almost immediately, I heard the gratifying scrape of the stall latch, and her head popped out. Had she been crying?

"What is this?" I asked appalled.

"Nothing," she muttered, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Allergies."

I rolled my eyes. Like I hadn't heard that one before. Girl needed some new and improved excuses – if you're going to lie, do it right.

"Well," I beamed "you can put yourself on allergy medicine, because Mike isn't going to tell anyone what happened. He's absolutely fine, excepting the fact that he's now scared silly by Edward, and you by extension."

It was a beautiful thing to watch the hope spread on Bella's face, the palest sunrise I'd ever seen.

"He's coming back?" she asked.

Oh, shoot. I'd forgotten that part. "Let me catch up to him," I told her.

I left her in the bathroom, knowing full well that Edward wasn't likely to answer his cell phone under the assumption that we'd all be begging him to come home. Fortunately, in Rosalie's M3 – borrowed without permission – I was able to catch him, pushing top speed on the nearly empty highway.

Edward! I yelled mentally. Look!

I showed him what I'd seen, I was sure he heard, but he still showed no signs of stopping. You didn't hurt him – we're not in danger – you can come home.

He turned and streaked toward me, and I screeched to a stop, offering him the biggest smile I was capable of.

"That's wonderful, Alice. I'm glad everything is fine. I need it to stay that way, for my own and Bella's sake," he said.

My smile slid swiftly from my face. "What are you saying?" I whispered.

"I'm still not coming home."