Chapter 26: Asylum

All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. (In other words – I don't own it, I'm just playing). Please take the time to leave some words if you really loved it or really hated it!

~ 0 ~

After experiencing the pain of Alice's memories, I could feel myself building the thickness of my shield involuntarily. I clung tightly into Edward's arms trying to hold onto reality and not sink back into that black place.

"Bella, love, you have to stop torturing yourself with this," he whispered.

His voice was enough to break through the walls, for now.

I broke down.

"Torturing myself? This is nothing...nothing compared to what she went through Edward. And I can't do a damn thing to stop it from happening. There is nothing I can do to stop that beautiful, pure soul being corrupted and ripped to shreds by her own family. Her own father. How the hell am I supposed to tell Alice about any of this?"

"Then don't."

"That's hardly fair," I snapped at him, "I can't make carte blanche decisions about her life or her memories."

He pulled me tighter to him and stroked my hair. "She asked you to do this because she trusts you. If you tell her she's better off not knowing, she'll believe you."

I shrugged. I felt my shield thicken a bit again. I shifted into the next memory.

We were finally in a location other than her house. It took me one second to realise this and then another second to panic. We were in a hospital. Not the asylum, but a genuine hospital. Alice was lying in the bed in front of me, her hair was cut short, almost completely shaved off in some spots. Her head had nicks and cuts all over it from where she had sliced roughly with the razorblade. But the most worrying thing was the bandage wrapped around each of her forearms. I could smell her drying blood coming underneath the bandages. It was surprising how quickly I was able to stifle my thirst when I was so concerned about her wellbeing.

"Bella," she croaked. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't cope anymore."

"Alice, you have to keep yourself safe for me, and for your family."

"My family are the reason I'm in here."

"Not that family. My family. We all love you, Alice."

"If you love me so much, why do I have to wait to join you? Why can't I join you now?"

"I wish you could, sweetie. I just don't know how to make it happen."

She turned her head away in response. I took a second to really study her face while she wasn't looking. Her features were almost the same here as the Alice I knew, if you took into account the changes that would occur when she was infected by the venom. Her hair needed to grow out a little bit, she had maybe a few months before she would meet Nicholas and James. Before she would lose all her memories of this.

"Alice, please don't be like that."

"I just... don't understand, Bella. I've always thought of you as my guardian angel but you won't take me away. You never save me."

Her words cut through me. "I know. And, honestly, you don't know how much I am suffering because of it. It is a physical ache for me to see you like this and not be able to do anything about it."

"You're so much stronger than me."

I laughed. "I won't always be. The time will come when you're stronger than me. I will need you to protect me then."

I showed her a memory of us talking in the cafe shortly after I arrived in Fairfield. I was in tears and she had her arms around me telling me it would be alright..

She gasped. "My eyes are a different colour."

"You'll have a completely new life. You'll be the real you."

"I like the sound of that."

"But you have to keep yourself safe for me until the time is right."

She sighed. "Will it be much longer?"

"No, not for you to get away from here. But it will be a while before you'll meet me in person."

"How long?"

I shook my head. "Can't tell."

Alice grinned slyly at me. "Can't or won't?"

I smiled back. "Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. There are a lot of people counting on you. A lot of people who will love you."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine."

~ 0 ~

Alice was back in front of her house, her hair had grown out a little. It almost the length I was used to her having. We were getting closer to the time when she would escape all of this.

I felt relieved for her. I realised just how close when I smiled at her and she waved over my shoulder. I heard two sets of footsteps but no heartbeats walking along the road behind me.

Vampires.

I turned slowly to see James and Nicholas walking past her drive. They looked hungry; their eyes were still crimson, but were darkening.

I sniffed at the air. I couldn't smell any open wounds on Alice and I knew if James really wanted her it wouldn't matter if there was or wasn't, but I didn't want them to have any additional reasons to come after her swiftly. I felt the need to desperate need to protect her.

"Alice, have you cut yourself lately?"

"No, I promised you I wouldn't. Remember?"

I sighed in relief, but then realised Nicholas looked every bit as hungry as James. I could hear them hissing at each other under their breath, talking about the taste of her.

I instinctively fell into a protective crouch in front of her. Part of me registered the fact that I would be useless if, when, they tried to attack Alice. But I couldn't fight my instinct.

"Alice, is anyone else home?" I asked.

"Just him. Momma and Cinnie went out to town today."

As if his name had been called Alice's father came out of the house.

"Mary, come inside. I wanna spend some quality time together before your Momma gets home. It feels like we're never alone anymore."

During the course of his speech he had walked up behind her and grabbed a handful of her hair and was sniffing it. I saw her cringe away from his touch again. I felt bad that the feisty young girl had been beaten out of her. It would have been good to see her clock him on the nose like she had done her sister. He stroked his finger down the back of her neck and she whimpered. He put his arm around her waist and pulled her back into him and she let out a frightened whine.

"Leave the young lady alone," Nicholas called from the street, before walking purposefully towards the house. His eyes seemed a little more controlled, a little less hungry. A new emotion had replaced the hunger, it was one I recognised from Edward – the need to protect.

"And who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm just someone passing by who thinks you need to be taught a lesson on how to read body language." Nicholas smiled widely at him, showing all of his teeth. "See, this," he indicated Alice's stiffened body, "means she's not comfortable. Which means you should back off."

Alice's father held on tighter and pushed his body further into her, garnering another whimper from her. "She's my responsibility, now run off and mind you own business."

Nicholas looked at Alice. "Are you comfortable with what he is doing to you right now."

Her headshake was almost imperceptible. Nicholas took another few steps closer. Alice's father pushed her roughly to the ground and raised his fists. "Oh, a tough guy, huh? Come give me those lessons then."

James sauntered over to us, laughing. This had just became a game he was interested in, even though he knew he could easily overpower his victim. He just liked the ones who fought back, they were rare. He leaned back into the tree, relaxing as if he was catching up with an old friend rather than tensing for a fight.

"I'll take the two of you at once if I have to, just get the hell off my property. I got business to attend to." The way he looked at Alice's huddled form told me that I would tear him to shreds if I could read his mind right now. At least, I would have if I had a physical presence.

James laughed louder, which annoyed Alice's father more. He took a swing at James, but his fist collided with the tree, I saw James's nose wrinkle when he registered the slight smell of blood that filled the air from the scrapes on Alice's father's knuckles. He became intent on the hunt then. I saw Nicholas wrap Alice up in his arms and carry her back into the house. I decided she was the bigger priority for me, so I followed them inside.

He laid her on the couch and gently brushed the ends of her hair from her eyes. He seemed to be having an internal debate about something. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Really looked at him. And I saw what she did. Very tall, very handsome with lovely blonde hair and eyes the same colour as mine. Exactly how I told her her future husband would look when she was little. I looked at Alice and watched her eyes. I knew that no matter how Alice thought she felt about Nicholas, I knew she wasn't truly in love with him, which made me feel sorry for him but better for her and Jasper.

"You're very beautiful," he whispered to her.

I wondered what could change a vampire from desiring a human's blood to whispering sweet nothings to her. After all, what they were planning to do to her was almost as bad as what her father had been doing. But as the minutes grew, I could see a change coming over Nicholas. I hadn't realised it could occur so instantaneously, but I could almost see the love growing in his eyes by the second.

A shrill shouting started in the front yard before the sound of a skull being smashed by a rock filled the air. The screams became choking gurgles. I tried to tune out the sounds that I was hearing now, the snapping of bones like twigs. The sadistic laughter. James' voice cooing about what he was going to do before they finished. And how it would end.

Nicholas shook his head as he listened to the sounds of the violence from the front yard. "Just clean up after yourself," he called, too fast for Alice to be able to understand, then he continued, "No, I've got her."

I paused for a second, I hadn't heard James reply. Then it occurred to me exactly why I hadn't heard James, and what changed the shift in Nicholas's attitude. Nicholas had a talent similar to Edward. It made sense based on what I knew of James. He liked to align himself with other talented vampires. Victoria had a skill for evasion that was unrivalled. But Nicholas could hear thoughts and there wasn't a doubt in my mind that he had heard Alice thinking of him as her future husband.

And had seen the certainty of her choice-perhaps he'd even seen her penchant for getting things right.

He turned back to Alice and stroked softly down her cheek. He leant in to kiss her gently. "I'll be back. You need to keep very quiet. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded. Nicholas headed back out the front door and led James away. I heard James questioning Nicholas on Alice's taste and heard the slight growl underneath Nicholas' pleasant words in response.

"He's very cold," she whispered softly to me.

I put my fingers to my lips to tell her to stay quiet a little longer.

Alice stood and quietly stepped back into her room. It was in the opposite direction to James and Nicholas and I was sure they were out of hearing range by now. She sat on her bed and turned to me with a smile on her face.

"He's gone now, isn't he?" she said, I could tell by her scowl she was talking about her father.

"Yes, sweetie, he'll never hurt you again."

She smiled. "I think momma and Cinnie will be better now."

"Alice, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

I didn't know where my inspiration came from, it was almost like I could hear a velvety voice in my head whispering an idea to me. "If I could take away all your memories, all of this pain, but it would mean that you remembered nothing when you woke up. Would you want me to?"

She furrowed her brow a little. "I wouldn't remember anything?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, none of the bad, but also none of the good."

"So I wouldn't remember you?"

"Not until you met me again, for real."

"But I'd know you then?" She seemed to be concentrating hard on keeping up with the flow of the conversation.

"Yes, you will absolutely know me then because then we will be sisters."

"Then I'd want you to take the pain. I don't want to remember any of this. But..."

"But what?"

"Well, it's just that I'd like to remember how you were there for me. You've saved me, Bella. I don't even know if you realise how much. And I know you haven't been around all the time, but knowing I could look forward to you coming back always made the hard times that little bit easier. I'd like to know that you meant that much to me at some point."

I smiled. "That sounds good."

I heard the window click open. Nicholas climbed silently inside. "Little one? Mary?" he called softly.

Alice whispered back to him. "I'm here. But how did you know my name."

"From your father's thoughts." He growled lightly. "He thought a lot about you and about your sister Cynthia."

Alice shivered.

Nicholas misinterpreted it. "I'm sorry about what James did to him, but he was going to hurt you. I couldn't let him do that."

"Don't be sorry. He's hurt me more than you could ever know."

I saw Nicholas' face become drawn and tight with stress, no doubt a reaction to the images dancing around Alice's head.

He stroked her forehead lightly. "It's alright, he'll never hurt you again. No-one will. I'm sorry I have to leave once I do this but I'll find you, I promise."

Alice nodded.

He raised her hand up to his face and pressed his teeth into her wrist. He sat there for a moment, unwilling to move, the bloodlust was too strong. He was unwilling to take any more of her inside him in case it set of the frenzy. He waited until the bloodlust subsided enough to pull away slightly and then he disappeared out the window.

A second passed and I could smell the venom on the wound. It would be enough to transform her, but from what I understood of the process it would be long and painful for her now as the venom would take more time to spread from such a small wound.

Another second passed and then the screaming started. And I worked out exactly why Alice ended up in the asylum.

Her mother raced into the room to calm her but all Alice could do was scream.

~ 0 ~

She was in the dark room now. Strapped tightly down to the bed. I could smell the venom progressing through her blood. Her face turned to me, "I'm going to join you soon, Bella. Be beautiful like you."

Then she started to scream again.

I shifted out. I'd already seen this memory.

Edward was still holding me but the light was wrong. It had been late evening when he had bought me out to the forest. The sun was coming from the opposite angle now, just rising over the edge of the trees.

"Oh my goodness, Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't realise I had been out for so long."

He clutched me to his chest, "It wasn't that bad, love. At least I had your thoughts to keep me company. And at least you got your answer about what to tell Alice."

I looked at him. "Did you plant that in my head?"

He chuckled. "I may have suggested you ask her, but that's all. You did the rest on your own."

"How long before you have to go to school?"

"Do you see that sun? None of us are going to school today."

I stood, shaking him off me. "In that case I need to see Alice."

Now that I had a sense of purpose, it was easy to be calm. I shook off the pain. I had taken it from Alice, and now she would never experience it.

All she would know was that her human life was hard, but I was there to help her through it. She would hear that from her own mouth.

Edward jogged along right behind me. I think he was pleased that I was no longer a sobbing mess, clutching to him as if I might slide away forever.

Everyone was gathered on the couches when Edward and I arrived in the living room. I stood right in the centre of everyone's attention and this time I didn't mind it.

Alice smiled at me. "Thank you, Bella. I can see how hard that was for you."

"Actually, Alice, it helped ease a lot of my guilt."

She had a puzzled expression on her face.

"May I?" I held my hand up, indicating to her that I wanted to show her a memory.

She nodded, her face wore nothing but an expression of trust. I rested my hands in the air beside her temples and called up the memory of the last conversation we had. Of what she told me. I stopped before the part where Nicholas came in the window. She nodded at me. "Maybe one day I will ask you to tell me what happened – tell me though, not show me."

"Whenever you are ready. Until then I act on your authority to keep these memories hidden."

"Bella?" Emmett called to me. I turned to look at him. "Alice told me about what you can do. About going back and looking at memories and stuff."

I nodded.

He smiled at me. "Bella, I want you to do me."

He waggled his eyebrow. And with that one sentence the tension from the last day dissipated as every around me fell into laughter - trust Emmett.

~ 0 ~