Hey guys!

Okay I know most of you won't read this, but still I need to say it, since it's IMPORTANT!

I owe you a big apology for not updating for nearly 3 months, I am deeply sorry but I just couldn't find the time to write, right now I'm using most precious time (that i should be dedicating to work) to write and upload this chapter for you guys, I realize it might not be the greatest, but it's the best I can do for now.

I hope I can update sooner this time, don't worry though, I will finish this story.

thank you all for sticking around I would appreciate reviews to know you're still with me.

Disclaimer: I don't own twilight, Stephenie Meyer does!

Btw... the song's called Before the Worst and it's not mine either! it belongs to The Script!

Chapter 26

Alice

My fearful eyes were still fixed upon Bella's retreating form when she stopped mid-walk and tilted her head a little, looking like she was straining to hear something. Suddenly her eyes widened and both Anna and Bella tensed as the sound of a door closing above echoed all around us. They exchanged a look and I saw Anna shake her head in an almost imperceptible way, as Bella's expression turned determined.

"Lizzie?" I called, but Bella lifted a hand to silence me.

My family turned to me, looking puzzled. I just shrugged, not knowing what to say. Was someone coming downstairs? Was that it? After all, we weren't supposed to be here.

"Jane!" an angry voice boomed, "Stop, you know it's no use!"

I noticed Bella shutting her eyes tightly and pursing her lips.

"Oh I know that Dimitri, still why are you in such a hurry for me to stop? From going downstairs as well as trying to use my gift? It wouldn't have anything to do with dear Elizabeth huh?" her voice was mocking.

I frowned and listened for Dimitri's response, but Jane's words were met by silence.

"Wouldn't want her getting hurt?" she growled.

As soon as Jane had spat her last inquiry, Bella let out a small cry and stumbled over the first steps that made up the long staircase. She stretched out her arm and leaned heavily on the wall to her right, while clutching her head with her left hand.

"Ah shit!" Anna exclaimed as she hurried to her side.

"Answer me Dimitri!" snarled Jane.

I watched as Bella winced in pain and slid down to the floor with her back pressed against the wall. Both her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle now, as if they were keeping her from falling apart. I started forward but stopped suddenly when I heard Jasper's sharp intake of breath.

"Jazz!" I exclaimed, taking a hold of him and motioning for Carlisle to come close.

Carlisle's eyes were confused and he was frowning, he turned to me, as if he sensed I somehow knew what this was all about.

"It's Jane! Lizzie has her shield around Dimitri as well and it's hurting her. Straining her shield hurt's her just as much as using other people's powers" Carlisle looked shocked and preoccupied at my revelation and I felt a pang of guilt inside of me, after all, what I'd just told him wasn't entirely true, still I wasn't sure what was really happening around me so I made a mental note to fully explain Bella's struggle once I understood what was going on.

I heard a pain filled moan and turned my attention to Jasper expecting his eyes to be shut, but instead found him staring at Bella, she was breathing heavily now and her head was buried between her knees. Anna was kneeling beside her, whispering words of comfort and no doubt giving her a piece of her mind, but never touching her. This puzzled me. Whenever I'd seen Anna trying to reason with Bella she usually tried to shake some sense into her. But now it looked as if she was doing everything she could not to touch her.

"Go," Jasper whispered and my eyes found his. "Go," he said again, I nodded hating myself for leaving him, and headed for Bella.

I could still hear Dimitri's voice as he continued trying to persuade Jane to leave.

"Lizzie? What's going on?" she just shook her head.

"Anna," I tried, seeing as Bella was probably beyond speaking now.

"She's gonna die" she said through gritted teeth.

I froze. I heard a few gasps behind me and out of the corner of my eye I could see my family come closer, all but Carlisle and Jasper. I briefly noticed he seemed to feel better now that Carlisle had moved him farther away.

"Anna…" Bella muttered.

"What? You know you'll die if you keep this up!" Anna's tightly clenched fists were shaking, from anger or fear I didn't know. As for myself, I'd stopped breathing already, feeling the panic crawling underneath my skin.

"I'm fine…" Bella wheezed.

Her attempt at reassuring only upset Anna even more than she already was.

"No! You're not!" she hissed, "And you won't be unless you stop using other people's abilities!" she all but screamed.

"What?" I exclaimed, what other ability? I had thought changing her appearance didn't bother her as much.

"Why else do you think no one's heard the ruckus down here?" Anna said.

God Bella! I thought. Was she somehow concealing all the noise we were making?

"Is she–"

"Where is she Dimitri!" Jane raged on, upstairs.

"Damn you Jane," Bella muttered, she was clutching her head so tightly I wondered if she was hurting herself.

I reached out for her but Anna grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Why?" I asked.

I didn't understand why she wouldn't touch Bella. Her eyes became guarded and she hesitated.

"Anna," I snapped, loosing my patience. My best friend was being overcome by pain right beside me and I wasn't allowed to comfort her? I needed a good enough reason.

"She–" Anna started but her words were drowned by Jane's furious snarl and a scream so full of pain it broke my heart. It took me a second to realize that it was two people screaming. Both Bella and Dimitri's voices were laced in one beautiful and agonizing wail.

That could only mean one thing.

Bella had lost her hold of her shield.

It all happened very fast then.

I jerked my hand free of Anna's grasp and went to take Bella's arm ignoring the redhead's alarmed expression. As soon as my hand made contact with her skin I felt a wave of nausea wash over me and the room we were at became a blur before disappearing altogether.

I was standing in a hallway lined up by hundreds of lockers and full of teenagers.

I was standing in a high school.

I didn't understand. How did I get here? I stood in plain view of anyone who cared enough to look but was swiftly ignored by every single human that crossed my path. No one seemed to notice me. A lone girl looking lost. It was like being invisible.

"Hey! You coming or what?"

My head immediately turned towards the boy that had just spoken. I knew that voice.

Bryan.

But he wasn't the Bryan I knew; he looked more… boyish, younger. My eyes followed his line of vision and I gasped at what I saw there.

A handsome boy with dark hair and grey eyes stood apart from the other students, and was embracing a beautiful vampire, Lizzie.

Jason, I thought.

Was I somehow, inside Bella's memories? How did this happen?

"My beautiful Bella," he whispered to her ear, and they shared a secret smile. It made me think that, if I was right and I was watching Bella's past, then Jason already knew Bella's true nature.

"Yes, yes, we know your Italian is perfect Jason," an oblivious Bryan said in a bored yet light tone, "But if you two keep this up we'll be late…again!" he added, "I don't know about you, but I'd hate to be stuck in detention with Mr. Barry this afternoon," with that he turned around and walked away.

Both Jason and Lizzie made a face, "You know he's right," Lizzie said.

"We could always ditch…" he trailed off suggestively a small smirk on his face.

I saw a shadow cross Lizzie's face but it was gone before Jason could notice anything was amiss. "I could ditch, seeing as this isn't my first time in senior year, you on the other hand, would be missing out on what could be a once in a lifetime lesson," she said, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"Oh yes, I forget you're an old woman, who's aced her way through high school quite a few times already," he grinned.

She broke away from him still smiling, and started in the direction Bryan had gone, and turning her head back she said, "But you love me for it," before making her way down the now empty hallway.

Jason's features softened and he smiled as he watched her retreating back, "That I do," he whispered, surely knowing that Lizzie could still hear him.

I was about to follow when I felt a sudden pull in the opposite direction, then everything turned black.

"Alice! Alice!"

I thought I heard a voice calling my name, but it quieted as soon as I opened my eyes.

The scenery had changed, and this time I was in no high school. I was on the backseat of a parked car, Jason was at the wheel and Lizzie sat in the passenger's seat.

The tension that hung between both of them was almost palpable.

"They're coming for me," Lizzie broke the silence.

"Who's coming for you?" Jason asked after a moment, his voice tight.

"The people I told you would sooner or later come,"

"You mean Kurt and his coven?" his eyes narrowed.

"Yes,"

There was something off in Lizzie's demeanor, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

Jason nodded and remained silent before speaking again. "What are we going to do?"

She turned to him, "We," she motioned back and forth between them, "Are not going to do anything," she said, her voice full of conviction.

"What do you mean?" Jason's voice was carefully controlled.

"I mean exactly what you think I mean," Lizzie said.

I expected Jason to flip out, but he surprised me by staying quiet and facing forward, his eyes fixed on a spot.

"I think…" Lizzie's voice quivered and she took a deep breath. I knew what was coming. "I think, we should go our separate ways Jason," she turned to face him, "At least until this is all over, it's too dangerous for a human to be caught in the middle of it"

"You could change me," he said.

But Lizzie shook her head, "No,"

"Why not? We've already talked about this, right after the trip to Dublin, you said if I wanted to, then one day you would, and we could truly be together" he was looking at her now.

"I'm not going to change you,"

Silence.

"You don't really want to change me do you?" Jason said after a moment of consideration, his eyes betrayed how hurt he was by this assumption. "You don't want me,"

Lizzie and I winced at his choice of words.

She reached out and took a hold of one of his hands, "Of course I want you Jason," she whispered, "More than anything in this world I want you," I could see it in her eyes that she meant it, "But once you're changed, there's no going back, there's no second chance, and I don't want you to make such a decision based on fear,"

"I want to be strong enough to protect you for the rest of our lives. What use is it then, to promise to always be there for you? I can't do that if I'm a weak human!" he exclaimed.

Lizzie gave him a sad smile, "You'd be writhing in pain for three days, long enough for Kurt to find us and do whatever he came here to do, and it would be months, maybe years before you could control yourself well enough to be surrounded by humans," she said, "I cannot change you now,"

"So you're saying I'd be a burden?" he said, turning stiff. "That you'd be better off on your own? Is that it? Were you just using me all this time?"

Lizzie's eyes widened as she realized Jason had taken her words the wrong way, "No Jason that's not–"

"Am I a replacement after all? Maybe you wish I was him then?"

"No! Jason–"

"Although I don't understand why, seeing as he was the one who left you in the first place!"

As soon as the words had left his mouth Jason seemed to realize what he was saying and his eyes became wide. Lizzie's however were closed.

"I…" he started but Lizzie shook her head, and turned her vacant gaze to him. She placed an object on the dashboard. My jaw dropped when I saw what it was: an engagement ring.

"If that's what you really think of me, then I have nothing left to say," I still couldn't wrap my head around the ring, and I felt my heart breaking…again, at the sound of her broken voice. "Goodbye Jason," she whispered and stepped out of the car, shutting the door behind her, before running away, faster than Jason's eyes could follow.

Darkness again.

I looked around and noticed I was once again, surrounded by teenagers. Though this time around I was standing inside come sort of auditorium, in the middle of what seemed to be a talent show.

My eyes scanned the crowd and I spotted Lizzie sitting in the third row. Her eyes were fixed on the stage and once my eyes traveled there I could see why. There were a few boys with some instruments in a neat formation, but it was Jason who stood center stage with a keyboard and a mike just in front of him.

"Hey everybody," he said leaning close to the mike, "You all know I'm a transfer student, and I wanted to share something with you" his eyes jumped around from face to face until they found what they were looking for. "Something that happened back home in Dublin, and some very special memories of mine. I hope you enjoy,"

I watched as Lizzie tried to remain expressionless but I could see through her efforts. She was struggling with her emotions.

There was clapping and cheering all around and then the lights dimmed and everyone became silent as Jason hit the first keys to the song he was about to perform.

I saw him close his eyes and feel the music as he began to sing.

It's been a while since the two of us talked

About a week since the day you walked

Knowing things would never be the same

With your empty heart and mine full of pain

So explain to me, how it came to this

Take it back to the night we kissed

In a flash I could see them sharing a tender kiss inside a warm bar. A memory within a memory.

It was Dublin city on a Friday night

You were vodkas and coke, I was Guinness all night

His eyes turned and locked with Lizzie's

We were sitting with our backs against the world

Saying things that we thought but never heard

Who would have thought it would end up like this?

Her expression then turned pained and she looked away.

Where everything we talked about is gone

And the only chance we have of moving on

Is trying to take it back

Before it all went wrong

I watched as both Jason and Lizzie shut their eyes tightly.

Before the worst, before we mend

Before our hearts decide

It's time to love again

Before too late, before too long

Lets try to take it back

Before it all went wrong

There was a time, that we'd stay up all night

Best friends talking till the daylight

Took the joys alongside the pain

With not much to loose, but so much to gain

Are hearing me? Cause I don't wanna miss,

Set you adrift on memory bliss

It was Grafton Street on a rainy night

I was down on one knee and you where mine for life

Another flash and it was raining, Jason was soaking, down on one knee.

"Will you marry me, my Bella?" he said.

"Yes," she smiled radiantly, raindrops making up for the joyful tears she couldn't cry "A thousand times yes,"

We we're thinking we would never be apart

With your name tattooed across my heart

I shook my head disoriented, I was back in the auditorium and my mind was still trying to process what I'd just seen, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and just focused on the boy singing on stage.

Who would have thought it would end up like this?

Where everything we talked about is gone

And the only chance we have of moving on

Is trying to take it back

Before it all went wrong

As I watched Jason putting everything he had into his words, I realized this was his sincere apology for all the things he'd said. And as I turned my attention to Lizzie once again, I was sure she knew as well.

Before the worst, before we mend

Before our hearts decide

It's time to love again

Before too late, before too long

Lets try to take it back

Before it all went wrong

If the clouds don't clear

Then we'll rise above it, we'll rise above it

Heavens gate is so near

Come walk with me through

Just like we used to, just like we used to

Both Lizzie and Jason's eyes were filled with longing as they gazed at each other, and I could see a message pass between them.

Forgiveness.

Understanding.

Love.

Lets take it back

Before it all went wrong

Before the worst, before we mend

Before our hearts decide

It's time to love again

Before too late, before too long

Lets try to take it back

Before it all went wrong

Everyone standing up, clapping and cheering like mad and hoping to capture Jason's attention, but he only had eyes for the lone vampire girl that was making her way outside.

Then images and voices started to flash by.

Jason and Lizzie by the edge of a forest.

"I'm so sorry Liz,"

"I didn't mean to–" she cried.

"I was so scared," he whispered.

"I love you," they both said.

Lizzie; surrounded by oaks and pine trees.

Her horrified expression, and the panic in her eyes at the agonizing scream that echoed through the woods.

Kurt's mocking smile.

Jason's broken body.

Fire.

"JASON!"

"Alice!"

I gasped for breath twice and it took me a while to see that Anna was holding my wrist and I was back in Volterra.

"What the hell did just happen to her?" Rosalie hissed, her was gaze fixed on Anna who released me from her grip.

I turned my eyes to Bella. She was no longer screaming, nor she appeared to be in too much pain, but it was the intense look in her eyes as we stared at each other that surprised me most.

She knew what I'd seen; she knew what had happened even if I didn't understand it myself.

"Jane," I heard a new voice upstairs, Aro, "How many times do I have to tell you not to start a fight within the walls of our home?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord,"

"Now if it will appease you," he continued, "I will go down the stairs myself and confirm there's nothing to worry about as Dimitri so kindly suggested,"

All of us stiffened.

"Just don't move," Bella whispered, "And stop breathing, if you can help it,"

We all did as she said without questioning further and waited for Aro to finish his descent.

When he finally reached the bottom of the stairs he took a look around and I knew he'd seen us. He couldn't help but see us.

But to my surprise, he circled the room his eyes sweeping over the nine of us without ever acknowledging our presence. Then his stride carried him to where we were currently situated and I was certain that he would discover us, for surely no matter what Bella was doing, Aro would notice there was something amiss when he bumped into an invisible obstacle.

Still my surprise turned to astonishment as Aro walked by Rosalie and right through a freaked out Emmett on his way back to the flight of stairs. As if he wasn't really there.

My jaw dropped as I heard his next words.

"There's nothing down here but dust and spiders Jane dear," he said as he ascended, "We should send someone to clean up every once in a while,"

We all stayed frozen until Dimitri, Aro and Jane's footsteps could no longer be heard.

Then Bella released a deep breath and rested her head against the wall.

That was our cue to start moving again.

"He freaking walked through me!" Emmett exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Carlisle stepped forward and addressed Anna, noticing Bella wasn't in the state to answer any questions. "Could you please explain to us, what happened just now?"

Anna took a deep breath and squeezed Bella's hand before standing up to answer Carlisle's question.

"Just as Alice told you a few moments ago, Lizzie had her shield around Dimitri, and since Jane was trying to use her gift at the same time Liz was trying to conceal us, making us unnoticeable by using another borrowed ability," she paused, "She overexerted herself," she pursed her lips.

"Does this happen very often?" Carlisle asked.

"No, it doesn't" was her only response.

"And what happened with Alice?"

"You knew something would happen, didn't you?" I asked her before she had a chance to answer.

She made a face and I knew I was right, "That's why you wouldn't let me touch her…why you wouldn't touch her," I couldn't help but sound accusing.

She sighed and her eyes wandered briefly to Bella before meeting mine, "I told you this doesn't happen very often, I'm only guessing, but a few days ago, back in the forest near your house," she said, "Something very much like this happened and I rushed to her aid…" she paused, "But when I touched Lizzie…when I touched her I felt this rush of energy course through me and suddenly there was this gust of cold wind, almost like a blizzard and everything within a three mile radius lay covered with ice, frozen on the spot,"

"What?" Jasper asked from behind me, now that Bella wasn't in so much pain, he could bear to be near her.

"We think," she started, "We think that when she uses all that power, all that energy, her body becomes overloaded, and when it comes to contact with another vampire…" she trailed off.

"The other vampire's ability amplifies," I finished, catching on to her train of thought. Now it was all starting to make sense. I had really been in Bella's memories. I'd seen the past.

She nodded, "Now, I knew that whatever could happen if you touched her, couldn't be as bad as if I did," she said, and by the slight tremor in her voice I could tell she'd hated not being able to comfort Bella in her time of need, "Still I thought it best not to let anyone touch her," she shrugged.

"What did you see?" Carlisle asked me.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Edward beat me to the punch.

"The past," he said.

"What?" asked Esme.

"You saw it too?" I exclaimed bewildered, "How?" I asked Anna.

She gestured helplessly, "Lizzie lost hold of her shield for a moment before putting it back up, and it must've allowed Edward to gaze into your mind,"

I felt my stomach churn nervously.

"What did you see?" I asked him.

"The school, the car and the auditorium," was all he said, for once, respecting Bella's privacy. Those words meant nothing to my family, but I knew Bella appreciated Edward's silence and reluctance to share anything else.

I felt immediate relief at his revelation though. Not because I didn't want him to know Bella was right under his nose, but because I feared what his reaction to her engagement might be.

I noticed Bella looking at me.

I frowned, "You said yes," I whispered. I knew she knew what I meant, her right thumb and index immediately found her ring finger.

"I know," she whispered back, meeting my gaze with her sad, tired eyes. She struggled to stand and Anna helped her steady herself. Once she seemed ready, she turned to give her full attention to Carlisle and addressed the whole family, "Now, I really do need to talk with Dimitri," she took a deep breath, "I trust you'll all be okay right? No one will bother you while you're here as long as you're not causing any trouble, Aro wouldn't dare,"

Carlisle nodded, "Yes, you need not worry,"

"All right," Bella said, "I'll come look for you once I'm done, so we can discuss your schedule for your stay and hopefully quicken your departure," with that she turned around and with Anna's help they both disappeared as they climbed the long flight of stairs, leaving us to our somewhat confused and troubled thoughts.

Thank you all for reading and bearing with me, I know this is kind of a filler, but don't forget to tell me what you think!