Hi everyone! Well, here it is - the next chapter. This one was really tough to write. I had to do a lot of medical research and to be honest, I still don't understand it all. So for all of you medical experts out there, please be easy on me. I really did try to get it right.

I do not own Twilight, not even a little.

Chapter 29

Family Meeting

EPOV

7:28 on the dot.

Two minutes to spare. Not bad, Masen.

I had pulled Carlisle's car into his spot and shut down the engine. Bella had pulled in behind me and was frantically getting her purse and the plate of cookies out of her truck. Seeing her drive that bucket of bolts made me want to desperately buy her a new car, but I knew she would never go for that. And I had been trying to honor her wishes and not spend outrageously on her. It was harder than I thought because every time I saw something that I thought she would like, would make her life easier, or was just damn pretty, I wanted to get it for her. It was just so tempting to shower her with gifts but I understood where she was coming from and that was enough to control my impulsive buying habits…a little.

I got out of the car and rushed over to her and slipped my hand into hers. We drove here separately so I could return Carlisle's car and ride with Bella to her house at the end of the night. I had been torn because there was no fucking way I wanted to spend the night away from her, but I didn't want to offend the Cullens either, especially Alice. Esme immediately put my mind at ease when she nonchalantly informed me that they were "redecorating" my room and that I would be probably more comfortable spending the night at Bella's. Alice stood behind her nodding furiously and I knew they were letting me off the hook. How did I end up with such a wonderful family?

Bella started pulling me towards the house in almost a dead sprint. I chuckled as she started to whine. "Edward, let's go. Being in the driveway at 7:30 does not constitute being on time. I have never been late for a Cullen dinner and I'm not going to start now. Maybe you can away with it by using your hunkish looks and boyish charm, but all I have is a plate of cookies. That won't cut it." I stopped short and her whole body jerked back into mine, which is exactly what I wanted.

"Do you know how much I love you?" After her initial shock, she let go of her impatience and melted into me. I kissed her forehead and squeezed her. "So much sometimes it hurts."

"I love you too, Edward." We stayed in our embrace for a few moments before the porch door swung open and Alice appeared. I heart sunk as I took in her appearance. The effects of the last grueling round of chemo were still fresh. She had definitely lost more weight and she was even paler. What little hair she had in California was now gone completely. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at us with a shit-eating grin. It made me smile a bit that her spitfire personality was obviously still intact.

"Oooohhhh. You guys are late. You're so gonna get it." She was loving this. And I don't mean the fact that we were going to get in trouble for being late. She was loving the fact that Bella and I were together. I have to hand it to her, she predicted it. I still have yet to figure out how she does that.

Esme appeared and put her hands on Alice's shoulders. "Oh, leave them alone, Alice. Come on you guys, you must be freezing. Dinner is just about ready."

"Wait, that's not fair. I came downstairs and they weren't even in the driveway yet. I get a comment about being late and they get a free pass? What is up with that?"

"You live here, there's no excuse for you to be late. Bella and Edward had…a lot of catching up to do. Certainly they deserve a free pass today." Alice huffed, spun around and headed back into the house. Esme glanced over to us with a knowing smile and Bella blushed beside me. "I see you brought your famous chocolate chip cookies. That was so sweet, Bella. Everyone will be thrilled. I'll hide them so Emmett doesn't get to them ahead of time." She held the door for us and kissed us each on the cheek as we entered.

The house was bustling with conversation as we made our way into the living room. The whole family was there, including Jasper and Rosalie of course. They all stopped what they were doing when we entered and enthusiastically said hello to us. When I had arrived earlier, Carlisle was still at the hospital and Jasper and Rosalie hadn't made it over yet. After several handshakes and hugs we sat down and started to fill each other in on what had been happening in our lives the last several weeks.

Emmett and Jasper both started their baseball season. Emmett was on Varsity and Jasper was playing on the eighth grade team. I was eager to go to one of their games, but it was still early and they were only practicing at this point. I made a mental note that I would have to get their schedules before I left. Maybe I could work in another trip before Alice's end of the year dance.

Since she wasn't participating in a spring sport, Rosalie decided to get a job at the local diner. Even though she was only a junior she wanted to start saving now for college. It was amusing to hear her take on the diner. Rosalie was all girl and didn't take shit from anyone. Taking orders from other people and dealing with grease all day long had been an eye-opening experience for her, but she hadn't quit and even admitted to liking it a little bit. According to her, the tips made it worth while. I admired her for not only being willing to work to achieve her goals, but also that she took it as learning experience. I would have to take Bella there for dinner while Rosalie was working and make sure she got my idea of a decent tip.

"Okay, everyone. Dinner is on the table." Esme motioned for us all to make our way to the dining room. Once again she had outdone herself and I realized why being on time was such a thing for her. If I had worked hard to put on a spread like this, I would damn well want everyone to at least show up on time.

Dinner was wonderful. The food was great, the conversation was light and comfortable, and the company was…my family. Enough said. Esme began to clear the table and I jumped out of my seat to snatch the dishes out of her hands.

"Absolutely not. You are not to lift a finger in the clean up. Kids, let's go." Esme rolled her eyes as Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Bella began clearing. I turned to Bella. "You too are to relax." I then got closer and whispered in her ear so that no one would hear. "I have a debt to collect on tonight and I need you awake and alert." She gasped a little as the blush crept up her neck and onto her face. Realizing everyone was looking at her, she narrowed her eyes at me and picked up a couple of plates.

"I think I'll be okay." Her sarcastic tone informed me that she was not too keen on the idea of everyone knowing about our sex life. She walked past me and headed into the kitchen with out looking up. I on the other hand took the opportunity to appreciate her perfect ass as her hips swung slowly back and forth as she walked.

"Uh, Edward? Do you think you focus on something other than Bella's butt?" That little pixie had called me out in front of everybody. Immediately all eyes were on me. I coughed and turned a little red while putting more effort into clearing the table. She was giving me a taste of my own medicine.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Alice." I said as I walked by her with a stack of dishes that would come crashing to the ground if I wasn't careful.

Once everything was cleaned up we settled in the living room for an evening of visiting. Or at least that's what I thought was going to happen until Alice stood up and cleared her throat.

"Dad, I think it's time to begin our family meeting." Alice said loud enough to gain our attention. I wasn't aware of a family meeting and immediately became anxious. Bella beside me also tensed up.

"Sure sweetie, if that's what you want. Do you want me to start?" Carlisle's mood immediately turned serious as he looked to Alice with saddened eyes.

What the fuck is this about?

"Maybe it's time for us to say goodbye." Bella was thinking the same thing I was and began to lift herself off of the couch. This was a family meeting. We're technically not family, but there was no way I was volunteering to go anywhere unless I was asked. I wanted to know what this was about. My ass stayed put.

"Don't be silly, Bella. You guys are part of this family and I want you to be part of this meeting. The fact that you and Edward can both be here is one of the reasons we're having it now. You're not going anywhere." Bella sat back down but her demeanor was still tense. I could tell by the look on everyone's face that Alice, Carlisle, and Esme were the only ones who knew what was going on. The rest were just as nervous as we were.

"I'll start." Alice absentmindedly picked up Jasper's hand as she began to speak. "First I just want to say to everyone how much I appreciate everything that you have done to help me. This last round of chemo was, well, tough, and I couldn't have gotten through it without the love and support of each and every one of you." Some tears had started to well up in her eyes and her voice started to shake. "With that being said, I think I'll hand it over to you, Dad."

Carlisle nodded. "Well, as you know, Alice has been through three rounds of chemotherapy. The first round was the induction phase. The goal was to get Alice into remission, and it did, which is good. The last two rounds were part of the consolidation phase. This phase focuses on reducing the number of disease cells in the body. Usually if this phase is successful, the patient would move onto the maintenance phase which would work on killing the rest of the cells until it's completely gone."

I so did not like where this was going. The way Carlisle explained the maintenance phase, it sounded like this wasn't an option for Alice. My mind started going haywire. If Alice doesn't make it to the third phase, what does that mean? I couldn't even bear to think about it. My breathing started to get heavy and sweat was beginning to lightly coat my skin. I had been holding Bella's hand and now had it in a strong death grip. Bella sensing my distress, started to rub the back of it with her thumb trying to calm me down. It worked to an extent. I was able to get myself a little under control.

That's right. Listen to what he says before you freak out.

Carlisle continued. "After this last round of chemo, the oncologist was not pleased with Alice's test results. The leukemia is not diminishing as fast as it should during the consolidation phase. That coupled with the tremendous toll it took on her body, her doctor has suggested that we go a different route."

Okay, a different route is…different. It could be good, couldn't it?

"After talking it over with Alice's oncologist and a few others, it has been decided that Alice would be a prime candidate for a bone marrow transplant." Carlisle paused to take in everyone's reaction.

Looking around the room I could see that everyone was in their own emotional turmoil. Rosalie began to cry and Emmett held her in his arms, but his eyes looked straight ahead and were vacant. Jasper was going into shutdown mode and grabbed his hair tightly as he rested his elbows on his knees. Esme and Carlisle looked calm, but concerned as hell. Bella had buried her face into my shoulder. She was unsuccessfully trying to fight back the tears and I could feel them seeping through my shirt. I felt a thousand different emotions coursing through my body ranging from immense sadness, raging anger, and overpowering.

My eyes finally rested on Alice. Her eyes circled around the room and she became angrier with every passing second. She wasn't crying. She wasn't sad. She was fucking pissed off.

"Stop it! Just stop it! All of you! You guys don't even know what this means yet you are acting like I'm already dead!" Her yelling abruptly brought us all out of our own personal wallowing. We were utterly shocked by her harsh and unthinkable words. "There is to be no more crying. I don't want your pity, and I don't need it." She looked at me and I felt ashamed. The last thing she wanted was anyone to feel sorry for her and I was doing just that. It was why she kept me at arms length during her treatments. She did not want to see the look of pity on my face or hear it in my voice. She was finally giving me access to what she was going through, providing me with information that for weeks I felt entitled to. And the first thing I do is let her down with my reaction.

God, I'm a horrible friend.

Carlisle sensed that the tension in the room was reaching unbearable levels and interjected. "Why don't I tell you a little bit about the procedure and then you can ask me any questions." Everyone eventually got their shit together and nodded before he continued. "A bone marrow transplant is a long process, but will give Alice the best chance at a full recovery. When a match is found, bone marrow from the donor will be harvested. That procedure is pretty simple for the donor. A needle is inserted into the hip bone and the marrow is extracted. Once the anesthetic wears off, the donor might feel a little bit of discomfort for a few days but it is relatively minor." We were all on the edge of our seat as Carlisle attempted to discuss the procedure in the simplest language possible.

"Once a donor is found, Alice will begin a cycle of intense chemotherapy and maybe radiation. After that, the bone marrow will be given to her intravenously. At that point, the hard part begins. Because Alice's immune system will be so weak, she will spend the next several weeks in the hospital while the bone marrow engrafts into her system. Hopefully her body will take to it and it will begin to produce normal blood cells. This is going to be the toughest part for Alice. She will feel like she has an intense case of the flu for several weeks. Also, contact with her will have to be kept at a minimum to reduce her exposure to germs. Once she is well enough to leave the hospital, her recovery will continue at home. She'll be very weak for awhile, but as time passes she will slowly get stronger. It may take up to six months before Alice is up to resuming her normal activities." Carlisle let out a long breath. "I'm sure you have questions." I sure as hell had a lot.

"It sounds awful. Is it really worth it?"

"At the end she could be completely cured. I think if you asked Alice, she would say that having this chance is definitely worth it.

"Then why haven't they done this before now if there's a chance it could cure her completely?"

"Chemotherapy was the least invasive treatment. Unfortunately, it's not a long term option for Alice."

"When will it happen?" Jasper asked Carlisle the question but never took his eyes off Alice.

"Well that depends on finding a donor. Normally a sibling is the best chance for a match, but seeing that Emmett was adopted, it probably isn't an option." Well that was news to me. I had no idea that Emmett was adopted. By the look on Bella's face, neither did she. Esme saw our reaction and chimed in.

"We adopted Emmett when he was three days old. For all intensive purposes, he's ours in every sense of the word, except DNA. We haven't felt the need to tell anyone because frankly we never think about it. He's our son, end of story." She reached over and patted Emmett's hand. He kissed her cheek.

"I wish I was biologically yours. Then I could help Alice, even if she does annoy me on a daily basis." Despite the tense atmosphere in the room, we all chuckled at Emmett's obvious attempt to lighten things up.

"Carlisle, what can we do to help?" That was my Bella. Always wanting to help in any way.

"Well, you can get tested to see if you are a match, but other than that there's not a lot. Alice's name will go on a list and she will be cross-referenced with those who have been tested and are enrolled in the National Marrow Donor Program. Hopefully they will find a match, but it could take a long time. Most people don't actively seek to become a bone marrow donor unless they have a family member that needs one. It's pretty much going to be a waiting game."

"What if they can't find one?"

"Well, we will just have to hope and pray that they do. In the meantime, Alice will continue her chemo treatments as if they were fully working."

Carlisle answered a few more questions about the procedure itself. By the end, trying to process all of the information was making my head spin. I truly didn't know how to feel about it. Part of me was all for anything that would eventually lead Alice to a full recovery. The other part was worried that her body wouldn't physically be able to handle it. Even on the way back to Bella's, my mind was battling the pros and cons and not coming to any satisfying conclusion. Bella was quiet and also seemed to be wrapped up in her own thoughts as she drove. I took my hand and pushed back a lock of her hair behind her ear before resting my hand on her thigh.

"So what do you think about all this?" I asked her truly wanting to know what she was thinking. I was hoping she had some insight to the situation and of course, my Bella didn't disappoint.

"Well, at first I didn't know what to think. I don't know if this is the best course of action for her, but I also don't know if it isn't. This is what Alice wants. It's her decision and I don't think it's our place to judge. We just need to support her in any way we can."

And there it was. The answer I had been searching for all night. Bella was right. Who the hell was I to sit here and decide whether or not Alice should go through with this? I'm not her doctor. I'm not her parents. And most of all, I'm not her. It wasn't my job to decide if it was right, it was only my job to be there for Alice, regardless of her decision.

"You know, you are so smart." She really fucking was.

"Well, smart or not, I still feel helpless. I mean, we're all going tomorrow to get tested but if none of us are a match, there's nothing we can do. And you heard Carlisle, finding a match is the biggest challenge. People usually only get tested if they have someone they know who needs it, otherwise they don't. Her match could be walking around somewhere and never be found. It makes me feel like I should go door to door or something." She got quiet and once again we were with our own thoughts.

I couldn't stop saying it in my head. Her match could be walking around somewhere and never be found. Knocking on doors and asking people to get tested may not be a half bad idea.

Wait a second. Back the fucking truck up.

It hit me like a lightening bolt shooting out of the sky. This was it, a possible way to get Alice what she needed. Not only that, I had an opportunity to truly repay the Cullens and Alice for taking me into their family and saving me from myself. Finally, after all this time.

"You, my dear Bella, are a fucking genius!" My intensity startled her and the truck swerved the slightest bit.

"Edward, what are you talking about?" It was dark but I could still see the perplexed look on her face.

"I will tell you everything, as soon as I call Angela. I need to talk to her now." Bella looked at me like I was a mad man but allowed me to do what I needed to do before clueing her in.

My hands shook as I waited impatiently for Angela to pick up. I was excited beyond belief as the possibilities of what this could mean flooded my mind.

I was going to save my Alice.

Okay, I know this wasn't the most pleasant chapter, but it's necessary to the progression of the story. Please tell me what you think! I would love to hit (dare I say it) 600 reviews. Have a great week!