Us Against The World

C8: Sun, Sea and Promises Made

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters.

Alice's POV

The first few days in Phoenix taught me a lot of new things about Bella, mostly thanks to Renee who had shown me her baby pictures and videos, much to the embarrassment of my young mate.

All of those stories had given me a new perspective on Bella, one of an adorable young woman who had been through too many things in her short life but had overcome everything it had thrown in her way.

I really thought it was impossible to love Bella more than I already did, but she proved me wrong every day that we spent here with her mother. She seemed to become full of life again, something I hadn't seen since before Edward forced her into that farce of a relationship.

Right now Bella was relaxing in her new bikini at poolside, while Renee and I were working on some snacks for us to munch on. "So, now that we have some time, why don't you tell me how you two really got together?" Renee asked kindly.

I smiled at her. "To be honest I have always had feelings for Bella, ever since the moment I met her, but she didn't seem interested in anything else then friendship at first. My brother is a bit old fashioned, to say the least, not to mention very controlling, so when Bella showed even the slightest bit of interest, he latched on and basically forced her into a relationship. Bella and I have talked a lot about how much she hated it how he treated her, but also felt like she was trapped with him. When he ultimately made that stupid decision of leaving I knew I finally had to take the bull by the horns and tell her how I felt, and hoped that I didn't destroy my most valuable friendship, but thankfully Bella felt the same and I have gone out of my way to make sure she knows how much I love her every single day."

Renee smiled at me. "It shows too. She is more open with you than I have seen at any point in her life, which considering all the things I've missed about my daughter, does not surprise me. I am glad I can call you my daughter now too."

I smiled and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you Renee, it means a lot to me that you approve. We both knew it was very soon to tie the knot, and we were a bit concerned for your initial reaction."

"I know Bella better than everybody thinks I do. I know she never makes rash decisions and I can see you two are soulmates who share a lot besides a bed." Renee said with a smile.

I laughed lightly at that. "We didn't start in bed, and to be very honest, it is usually Bella who initiates our intimate moments. She told me that every time we make love it replaces the memory of one of Charlie's nights."

Renee nodded at that. "I can understand that. It's the way she has always dealt with tragedy. She was always very cuddly when she came back from him and I never knew what to make of it until a few days ago."

"I know it doesn't mean much, but you don't need to beat yourself up about not knowing or catching on earlier, I didn't even know until she told me about it, and I am usually pretty good at picking up emotions. I think Bella closed herself off from it all." I said with a soft smile.

Renee smiled at that as she gathered our nachos and assorted dips. "It'll take a while for me to stop feeling guilty, but I have to admit that seeing her be so relaxed and carefree for the first time in a long time is helping a lot in that, but I think we should go and check on her, she burns very easily in the sun and gets a bit whiny about it too."

I nodded and followed her outside, smiling as I saw Bella sprawled out on the chair, looking very much like a spoiled cat as she tried to soak up the warmth.

I put down our drinks and ran a finger up her stomach. "Wake up love. Your mother and I have some snacks, and I think you could use another coat of sunblock."

She blinked a few times behind her sunglasses and smiled at me. "And am I right in assuming that you are volunteering in applying said sunblock?"

I nodded and kissed her softly. "Of course, it is one of my wifely duties after all, one I would never mind performing."

She smiled at me as I grabbed the bottle and took my time in applying the sunblock to her gorgeous body. "If you're not careful, we might give my mother a show, and I would rather avoid that."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "I think that ship sailed last night, my love. I am sure the entire neighborhood could hear you scream my name." I said in a whisper.

Bella blushed a little at that. "I don't want to think about that. It's embarrassing enough that my mother knows what goes on in my bedroom."

I only smiled at her as I twirled my finger to get her to turn around. "I don't think it's embarrassing, I see it as an accomplishment. Not a lot of women find such pleasure in bed, even with the ones they love." I said as I undid her top, Bella frantically clutching at it to keep her modesty.

As I rubbed her back with the sunblock I could only smile at her. "I'm sure your mother has seen your breasts before, baby, we're all alone and no one besides your mother and I will see your beautiful breasts, besides, don't you want to join your wife in her state of dress?" I asked as I pressed my own breasts against her back.

I could feel her smile as her hands dropped to her side so I could pull the strings loose. "Doesn't it feel good to let the girls out for a bit. I think you will look amazing with an all over tan."

Bella's blush darkened as she turned back to kiss me. "Let's not go for and all over tan. I might be reasonably okay with tanning topless, but there is no amount of pouting you can do that will make me drop my bottoms too."

I smiled and laid down next to her once she had settled herself. "Fine, I'll relent on that then, but your mother and I made snacks. Hungry?"

She nodded and smiled when she saw Renee in a similar state of dress as us. "Why am I not surprised."

"It's always a good things to let your girls breathe a bit, sweetie." Renee said as she oiled herself up.

Bella smiled and moaned softly at the taste of the dip her mother had made. "I had forgotten how amazing your dips are."

Renee smiled at her. "I would be glad to give you the recipes, sweetie. Every woman needs a few good dips to blow people away with at parties."

Bella smiled and pulled me between her legs as we continued to talk for most of the afternoon.

Bella's POV

The following day Alice woke me up way too early for my liking, and I knew exactly why. "Ali. I love you very much, but please let sleep for a little bit longer. We have all day to go shopping."

She pressed a kiss against my naked shoulder and smiled at me. "I know, but it's later than you might think, love. It's a little after ten, and your Mom came in twice already. I promised to wake you."

I groaned and turned to kiss her. "It's the holidays, can't I sleep in now that I still have the ability to sleep?"

"I promise that I will let you sleep in for the rest of our time in Phoenix, baby. I think your Mom is just excited to go shopping with us." She said with a soft smile.

"Fine, but I want you to find something cute, sexy, but still covering enough to not make everyone outright stare at me while I go and take care of some human business." I said as I slowly sat up.

Alice smiled and nodded. "Of course baby. You know I love selecting clothes for you."

I gave her a kiss before rolling out of bed before making my way to the bathroom, taking a quick shower, mostly because I didn't want to go shopping smelling of sex, even if I wanted people to know how much I loved my wife.

When I got back into the room, Alice was nowhere to be seen, but I could see she had gone all out on my outfit, being another short black summer dress that seemed to be devoid of any form of underwear, instead having admittedly cute fishnet stockings that were closely knitted enough not to draw attention to the fact that I didn't wear underwear. For my shoes she had chosen cute boots that she had gotten me just before we left.

Deciding to also fix my make-up fitting the aesthetics, I went for a goth look, smiling at the way it looked on me.

When I got downstairs Alice and Renee were obviously waiting for me. "Good morning sweetie. I see your wife has chosen your outfit today." Renee said with a smile.

I blushed a little as I took a seat at the kitchen table. "Do you like it? Alice sometimes likes to see me in some more sexy clothes."

"I don't mind sweetie. I think you look amazing. You are a beautiful young woman and it is good to see that you are starting to see what I have seen all your life. You were a flower, ready to blossom and I am glad that you have embraced it." Renee said with a smile.

I blushed a little at that. "Alice said the same thing when I told her I needed her help on getting some new clothes, and I must admit that since that time I found it easier to accept my femininity a bit more."

They both smiled and Alice gave my hand a loving squeeze. "I merely wanted you to see what I see every time I look at you. You are gorgeous Bella, and I just want to show the world that I married the most beautiful woman it has to offer."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "You're going to make me cry in a minute and I really don't want to re-apply this make-up."

Alice only smiled and kissed me before we started eating our breakfast, which was another one of Renee's home cooked breakfasts.

After breakfast Alice gave Renee the keys to our car, so that she could drive us into town, which of course my mother did not have any issues with. "So Mom, I was wondering about something. Where is Phil. It's unusual for him to not call you at least once a day."

Renee smiled at me as she pulled away from the curb. "I was wondering when you would ask that, but honestly, we've been having some trouble recently and he has agreed to move out until such a time he can accept that my daughter married a woman. So he won't come back until you girls leave and even after that I can't see myself stay married to a man that thinks my daughter is an abomination."

"Oh Mom, I'm sorry. I ruined your chance at happiness again." I said softly.

Renee smiled at me. "Sweetie, you didn't do anything wrong, not now, and not with your father. They were both just bigots that hid their true nature from me. I will always choose you over a man. Any man. I love you and that will never change."

I smiled at her. "I love you too Mom, always have and always will."

Next to me I felt Alice stiffen, and I grabbed her hand, as I had found out that it helped her when she felt me close when she slipped into a vision.

She merely smiled at me as her eyes regained their clarity. "Later love." She said in a whisper.

I nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek as Renee drove us into downtown Phoenix. "Please promise me that you are going to keep it tame today, we barely have room in the trunk as it is."

Alice smiled at me. "I promise love, this shopping trip is more for your mother than it is for us. She merely wants to spend the day with us now that she still has the chance."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "So you didn't see us getting anything?" I asked teasingly.

She smiled at that. "Only a few things, you'll love them."

I nodded and relaxed against her, and I could only return the smile Renee gave me through the rearview mirror.

Alice's POV

Shopping with Renee and Bella was a lot of fun, and I couldn't help the smile on my face as I saw them interact with each other, which made me feel a bit of dread of what was going to happen later today. The vision I had received in the car shook me up, but it would solve a lot of our issues. I had seen that Victoria would be waiting for us when we got home, but that this story would have an unexpected twist.

Renee was Victoria's mate and that would be the key to Bella's survival. I had also seen that Victoria would be a valuable asset when the time of Edward's confrontation came. The only problem with this was that I wouldn't have the chance to tell Bella about this, and thus had no indication of knowing how she would react.

I knew I couldn't influence what would happen, so all I could do was wait until we got home and then explain everything to my wife and Renee, hoping Bella would accept it.

Of course I should know better than to have inner monologues when Bella was close by. "Are you okay love?" She asked softly.

I nodded and smiled at her. "That depends on how you will respond to what I am about to say. My vision in the car was about Victoria. She'll be waiting for us when we get home, but I have seen that she will become your big sister in no time. Your mother is her mate and while it will take a lot of explanations, I now know where you got your non-existent sense of self preservation from."

She didn't even look shocked at the fact. "Why am I not surprised that the one woman who hates me more than anything in the world is mated to the one woman who loves me more than my own wife."

"I have seen that you and your mother will become even closer through this and that Victoria will gladly help us against Edward. She will be the best friend to you that I have seen you need, no matter how much you try to hide the fact that you need someone to talk to who isn't your wife." I said with a loving smile.

She smiled at me. "We'll see what happens love, you know I will always trust you, no matter what happens."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "I know, sometimes even when it is not the best idea to trust me. I'm far from perfect and certainly not all-knowing. There are so many things that remain hidden from me."

"I don't need you to be perfect, or all-knowing. I just need you to be yourself, my Alice. My darling Pixie of a wife that I love so very much. It's not good for people to know everything. Some things should remain a mystery until the moment you live through them." Bella said with a soft smile.

I nodded and smiled at her. "Sometimes I think you're the one with almost a century of wisdom."

She kissed me and smiled as she wrapped her arms around me. "When you're used to being ignored, you become very proficient in noticing others and their behaviors. That is what I have been doing for most of my life and it has given me the insights and worldviews I have today."

I smiled as we made our way to the front of the store where Renee was waiting for us. "About time you girls snapped out of your honeymoon daze. We're losing valuable shopping time."

Bella smiled at her. "You sound like my wife whenever I propose the prospect of shopping. She usually has me up before the sun is even up on those days."

Renee grinned and linked her arms with ours. "It's the truth though sweetie. I know you've never been a big fan of shopping, but I can see you are very much enjoying yourself. I haven't seen you smile like this in a very long time."

Bella smiled at that. "That's because for the first time in a very long time, I've been truly happy. Not only with Alice, but also the fact that we're going to be as close as we once were. I've missed you over the last years, Mom."

"I've missed you too sweetie, I'm glad you two took the time to visit me on your trip." Renee said with a soft smile as we walked into a small restaurant for lunch.

Again we ate in silence and after lunch we shopped around for a little while longer before we made our way back home, and for the first time in my life I could feel some nerves creeping into my body.

Bella's POV

When we got back home, I purposely stayed behind Alice, knowing what was waiting for us the moment we stepped into the house.

What we actually encountered surprised me. Victoria was sitting on the couch with a big smirk on her face. "Hello again Isabella. I trust you still remember me?"

Alice growled softly at her. "Look I know why you're here, but we know why you've not attacked me already. You think it's because you want to play with your victim, but we know the truth."

"Bella what's going on here. Who is that woman and why is she in my house?" Renee asked shocked.

I smiled at her. "Mom, this is Victoria, but before I can explain who and what she is, we need to talk about some things, so I think we should all just take a seat and relax." I said to her before turning to Victoria, who had not stopped staring at my mother. "And Victoria, I know you want to kill me for what happened to James, but we know he wasn't your mate, and I am not Edward's mate either, so the whole mate for a mate thing just doesn't make sense anymore. To be honest I want my own revenge on him."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at me. "How do you know this, little girl. You are not yet one of us judging by your eyes, so before I agree to anything, you will tell me how you know this."

Alice smiled at her. "Because I have seen it Victoria. I am sure you at least know of the powers that are present within the Cullen Coven, and what mine is. I know who your true mate is, and we are hoping to resolve this without it resorting into violence."

"Will someone please just tell me what is going on?" Renee asked almost exasperated.

I nodded and took a seat next to her. "Before I can explain, I need you to keep an open mind. Do you remember the stories Billy Black always told everyone around the campfire in La Push, the story of the Cold Ones?"

Renee nodded at me before I continued. "So those stories are true. Vampires and Werewolves exist, and both Alice and Victoria are vampires, albeit both on different diets."

"This can't be true. Vampires aren't real." Renee said softly.

I smiled at her. "I'm sorry to say, but it is true. They all have superhuman strength, speed and reflexes, which is why sometimes you see Alice carry things that shouldn't be possible with her petite frame. I'll leave how we met Victoria and why she wants to kill me up to her to tell, but the reason we knew she wouldn't do anything now is because Alice had a vision of her not choosing to do so because of you. You see, vampires actually have soulmates, one person to be with for the rest of their lives and as Alice is my mate, she saw that you are Victoria's mate."

Renee turned to Victoria for the first time. "Is this true? Is that why you broke into my house?"

"To be honest the reason I broke in was because I traced Isabella's scent here and I was hellbent on killing her, still am to be honest, but yes, I smelled something much more appealing when I came here, and now seeing you in front of me, I can say that it is true. A vampire will always know its mate at first sight."

Renee narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, you are certainly a beautiful woman, but you will not kill my daughter. I will not let anyone take away the most important person in my life."

"I can't kill her anymore, because that would cause you pain, and a vampire can't do anything to cause their mate pain. So in light of that, maybe we should talk about this. What happened to the mind reader you were dating?" Victoria asked me softly.

Renee quirked an eyebrow at her. "Mind reader, what are you talking about, is there more to this?" She asked before I could answer.

I nodded at her, but answered Victoria's question first. "He left me alone in the woods after saying that I was nothing more than a pet to him, so yeah, he's kind of at the top of my shit list right now." I said before turning to Renee. "And yes Mom, there is a lot more information, some of which even I don't know, but some vampires have extra powers. Edward for example was a mind reader, although for some reason he couldn't read mine and Alice sometimes has visions of the future based on people's decisions."

Renee nodded at that. "Okay, this is a lot of information to take in all at once. I need a glass of wine." She said as she stood and walked to the kitchen.

Victoria looked at me. "I still hate you for what happened to James, but I will not harm you. Even though he wasn't my mate, he was my brother for over five hundred years. So forgiving you will take a while."

"I also wish that things would have turned out differently, but in the end it was Edward's fault that it all happened. If he hadn't been such a controlling asshole a lot of this shit could've been avoided, which is exactly why I want some measure of revenge against him."

For the first time she smiled at me. "I would be willing to help with that, see it as a first step in our mending fences."

I nodded at her. "I can live with that, but Alice and I will first continue our roadtrip before we get to that, and at some point during this roadtrip she will turn me."

She nodded at that as Renee came back. "So, where do we go from here?"

"We'll tell you everything you need to know, Renee, and after that it is up to you and Victoria to work things out, if that is your wish. I know it has been a lot of information that has been dumped on you today, but unfortunately there is more. As vampires there are a few laws we have to follow, the most important one being that we need to keep our existence hidden from humans, unless we intend to turn them. This means that both you and Bella will need to be turned into a vampire at some point, and while Bella already knows this and wants to become one of us, I thought it was only fair to let you know this in advance." Alice said softly.

Renee smiled at her. "To be honest it's easier to accept everything than you might think. It actually makes a lot of sense. I saw you flit into the bathroom a couple of days ago, and it was too fast to be human. But to learn that I am a vampire's soulmate, that's a bit much to comprehend. I will need to think about that for a bit."

Alice and I nodded at that. "Why don't I take Victoria and I talk outside for a bit, that way you can tell your mother most of the things she needs to know." Alice said softly.

I merely nodded at her as she and Victoria made their way outside. "You honestly took that all better than I expected."

Renee smiled at me. "I had my suspicions to be honest. It all cleared up a lot of doubt for me. I don't know why but Victoria has a calming effect on me."

"That's the mating bond at work. I used to have nightmares about her ripping my throat out, but I am glad that she's going to be family now." I said with a soft smile.

"What can you tell me about mates, sweetie? I would like to know what I am in for." She asked softly.

I smiled at her. "From what I know of mates and what Alice told me, a newly mated couple can't live without each other, I mean, just look at Alice and I if you want to know what being mated is like. True mates also can't hurt each other and will do anything to ensure their mate is happy, Victoria will especially want to make you happy in these first few weeks of getting to know you. Chances are that you merely need to ask her for anything, and she will move heaven and earth to make it happen. You have become the most important person in the world to her and she will show that, although I don't know in what way."

Renee smiled at that. "We'll see what happens sweetie, but this may sound as a redundant question, but how do vampires feed?"

"Well, they drink blood obviously, but they can eat regular food as well, as long as they feed off animals, like Alice, hence why her eyes are gold. Human blood apparently does something to the taste buds that ruins the taste of normal food. Alice and I have been talking about our choice of diet when I am turned and to be honest we're thinking about switching to human blood, but to only go after bad people, rapists and the like." I said with a soft smile.

Renee smiled at that. "I think you would look amazing with red eyes, but I think this is my limit of information for one day. I will need time to process everything."

I nodded and hugged her. "I understand Mom, just know that we will always be available to answer any questions, and that Victoria is probably going to be very protective of you for the foreseeable future."

She nodded and pulled me into her side, and for the first time in a very long time I felt like a little girl again, and I wanted to hold on to that feeling for as long as I possibly could.