Us Against The World

C9: Good 'ol Texas

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

Alice's POV

The remainder of our time in Phoenix was very enjoyable now that we knew Victoria had no desire to kill Bella anymore, and it seemed they had reached a common ground and a basis for at least a friendship, although I had seen that they would become closer than most sisters in the coming decades.

Right now we were back on the road and on our way to Texas, having decided to skip Vegas until after she had been turned. That way we could both enjoy gambling.

"So love, what did you talk to Victoria about? It's been on my mind ever since it all happened." Bella asked with a soft smile.

I smiled at her. "I told her about what I had seen about her and how we go on from here. I suggested that she focused on getting to know your mother before she turns her, and she agreed. She also asked me to tell you that she is sorry, but that she didn't feel comfortable enough to tell you herself yet. She will soon though."

She nodded at that, but said nothing, which I understood. Again her world had been turned onto its side because of her mother being mated to the one woman that wanted to kill her, and she needed some time to come to grips with things again. "You okay love?" I asked softly.

"I'll be okay. I just need a few more days to come to grips with the fact that the one vampire I have ever pissed off is mated to one of the most important people in my life." She said softly.

I smiled and squeezed her hand lovingly. "The universe is a strange mistress sometimes, my love. Not even I could have foreseen this outcome, but I was glad that I did, because it means that you get to have your mother forever."

She smiled at her. "I'm so glad you and Mom got along well, although that might be a bit of an understatement. I really think she sees you as a second daughter, given how well you two got along while we were there, and how much you two enjoyed teasing me."

I smiled at her. "It went better than I expected. Your Mom is so caring and generous. I wish I could remember my own mother, but I am very sure that she was never this caring."

Bella smiled at me. "Then I am glad that I have been able to give you another mother that loves you. You two certainly bonded very quickly."

"That's because I felt I knew her already because I know you so well, and of course the fact that I was upfront with her about my feelings for you will probably have helped too." I said with a soft smile.

She smiled and kissed my cheek softly. "Definitely, Renee has always been able to tell if someone was lying to her, and honestly is something she drilled into my head from the moment I was able to talk."

"I know, she told me, and I saw all of the pictures and videos." I said with a bright smile.

Bella blushed at that. "Don't remind me. It was embarrassing enough to see that again."

I just smiled as I pulled into a restaurant parking lot. "I have to say, without wanting to embarrass you, that you were a very cute little girl."

Bella smiled at that. "Surprisingly, you are not the first one to say that, but thank you. I only hope that Renee doesn't repeat it with Victoria, I don't think I could handle that."

I smiled at her. "I'm just glad you two at least managed to find a common ground. For once I am very glad for the one-track mind of vampires. It would have been disastrous if we had encountered her on the road."

Bella smiled and nodded as we got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. "I can't do anything else but agree with you, although I wonder how that one-track mind will manifest itself in me."

I smiled as we took a seat. "I think you know love. It will involve a lot of sex, and a lot of hunting in the first few weeks."

Bella blushed a little at that. "I figured as much, and I'm honestly kind of excited to be turned."

"As am I. It will be a load of my mind knowing that you won't hurt yourself if you fall, nor that I will have to protect you from rogue vampires, because I know that you will be able to protect yourself." I said with a soft smile.

"Trust me that I am very glad about that as well, my love, but know that I will also do everything in my power to keep you safe. I have always felt so bad about the fact that I couldn't protect you like you have always protected me." She said softly as a waiter came to take our orders.

After ordering our food, I grasped Bella's hands, softly running my thumbs over her knuckles. "That is very sweet of you to say, but in your own way you have protected me. It were my visions of our future that gave me the strength to keep going. It were all those sleepovers that showed me what a beautiful and unique woman you are. It has been your love that saved me from doing stupid things, like driving straight to Denali and ripping Edward's head from his body. You have shown me that I don't have to rely on my visions to make my dreams come true."

Bella blushed prettily at that. "When you say it like that it is almost as if I am free from blame. I've done so many things wrong leading up to us being together. I should never had let things come as far as they did with Edward, especially after everything Charlie did to me."

"Unfortunately you didn't have much choice love. Edward dazzled you with his musk, so to speak, so that you had no choice of wanting to be with him. It is something most male vampires have to attract women. Our pheromones actually work for both sexes, which once again proves that women are better." I said with a wink.

She smiled and kissed me softly. "Well of course, I thought that was a given, but thankfully we will only need our pheromones to work when we go hunting."

I smiled and nodded at that. "Yes, you are more than enough for me sexually, and I have a feeling that the sex will only get better and more abundant when you are turned."

She smiled at that. "Like you would object to more sex, my Pixie Princess. Last time I checked you were a very willing participant."

I only smiled at her as our food arrived, since she was absolutely right. There were few things I enjoyed more than to make love to my beautiful mate.

Bella's POV

By the time we arrived at the small ranch where Jasper lived with Peter and Charlotte, it was well past noon, after Alice had driven for most of the night to get here.

Jasper was waiting outside with a smile on his face, and not for the first time I felt a pang of jealousy. They had spent several decades together and you don't spent such a long time together without developing feelings for each other.

Apparently Alice saw the look on my face and smiled at me. "Don't worry love. You know you are the only one for me. Jasper is, has always and will always be my best friend and brother."

"I know, but for the time being I am still human, and jealousy and doubt are very human emotions." I said softly.

She merely smiled and gave me a soft kiss. "Don't you think I get jealous every time another woman ogles you? Or when another woman flirts with you?"

I shook my head at that. "Well, I do. It is a part of life to feel jealous when someone flirts with your spouse. I'm just saying that out of everyone to feel jealousy for, Jasper is not one of them, as I think he will tell you in a bit as well."

I nodded and pressed a kiss to her knuckles before we got out, for once thankful that we had taken the time to go to Phoenix, because the heat here was very similar.

Jasper smiled at us as he walked up to us. "Good afternoon ladies. I trust you had a nice trip so far?" He asked in his usual southern drawl.

We both nodded at him, and his red eyes didn't bother me as much as I thought they would. They actually fitted him a lot better. "Hey Jazz. How have you been?" Alice asked as she gave him a hug.

He smiled at us. "We've been good darling. I hope you two have been okay too?"

She nodded as he turned to me. "Hello again Bella. I trust Alice has told you why I left as well?"

I nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, but I have been wanting to say something about that to you for a long time, and I hope you will let me."

He merely smiled and nodded. "Okay, so I want you to know that I never blamed you for anything. Not for what happened at my birthday, nor the times you kept your distance." I said kindly.

He smiled at me. "Thank you Bella. That means a lot to me, but I hope you will forgive me if I won't give you a hug just yet, because while less strong to me now, your blood still proves to be a temptation."

I smiled at him. "Of course I don't mind Jasper, but as soon as I am turned, I will be collecting that hug, big brother."

He smiled and nodded. "Of course Bella, now let's take a seat in the garden so you two can tell me everything you've been up to."

We nodded and followed him. "Where are Peter and Charlotte? I thought they were looking forward to our arrival."

"Peter and Char went shopping for Bella. We figured it would be easier to have fresh produce in the house. Now, tell me what you girls have been up to?" He asked kindly.

Alice smiled and took my hand. "We've been up to a lot since we left Forks, not in the first place that we eloped. Mr. Jenks sends his regards by the way." Alice said with a smile.

"Don't forget you killed that poor excuse for a man in my father, visited my Mom and made sure that the only threat to my life is now eternally happy with my Mom." Bella said with a smile.

Jasper looked a bit confused at that. "You killed Charlie? Why would you do that Alice?"

Alice sighed softly at that as she shared a look with me. "He deserved it for what he did to Bella for most of her life and the things he said to her when he tried to stop us from leaving."

"You don't have to tell me, I can feel it coming from you both. I'm sorry that happened to you Bella, and I wish I had picked up on it sooner." Jasper said softly.

I smiled at him. "It's okay Jasper, I kept it all bottled up inside until I was sure it was safe to tell someone, and I knew very early on that the only one I could tell was Alice, even before I realized the feelings I had for her."

He smiled at that. "I have always felt some form of love for Alice coming from you, but I never knew what to make of them. I should have seen what was happening sooner and for that I am sorry."

"It's okay Jasper. We all know Edward was very careful about his actions and emotions. In the back of my mind I knew that he wasn't right for me and that he was probably going to treat me like a pet, or even worse something akin to what Charlie thought of me, but I couldn't do anything about it, not while I was human anyway." I said softly.

He smiled and nodded at that. "True, but all of us could have something about it. Carlisle wouldn't have put his foot down, but we could've stood up for you against him and Edward."

"Have you talked to the others at all Jazz?" Alice asked softly.

He nodded at her. "I've called Esme a few times and Rose and I talk almost once a week. They're in Denali right now, and Carlisle and Edward have split themselves from the family. You should give Esme a call soon. There have been some developments that she wanted to tell you."

Alice nodded as she pulled me into her lap. "So what have you been up to, besides changing your diet?"

"Not much, mostly enjoying my time in Texas again. This time off has shown me that I am not cut out for the high school life. I'm a Major, not a student." He said with a smile.

Alice smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around my waist. "I'm glad you have found yourself again, Jazz. You seem much happier."

"I am. It was too long since I felt like myself. I loved the time we spent with the family, but it was not who I was. I'm finally able to be myself again." He said with a soft smile.

Alice smiled at him. "I'm glad you found yourself again, I can see the change.

He smiled at us. "Speaking of change, when are you going to turn your mate?"

Alice and I shared a look before smiling at him. "Probably within the next couple of days. There's no rush after all."

He smiled and nodded. "That's fine. You two are welcome to stay for as long as you want, but I am curious about something. You mentioned that the one vampire that wanted you dead is mated to your mother. Is that really true?"

I nodded at him. "Yes, as you know we were with Renee before coming here and when we came home from a shopping trip, Victoria was waiting on the couch, and while it was a bit tense for a couple of days, Victoria and I managed to find some common ground. She doesn't want to kill me anymore and we agreed to give each other some space. I think we might become good friends at some point."

Jasper smiled at that. "While very shocking, I am glad it turned out this way. Does your mother know about us already?"

I nodded at that. "She does, and Victoria will probably change her at some point, and after that we might find a place where we can all live together."

"If you want, and if Victoria and your mother want, we could make our own Coven and live here. There are three cities close by that we can hunt in, and I think it would be good for everyone." Jasper said with a soft smile.

"We'll talk to them when the time comes. I don't know how Victoria will respond to being tied down to one spot after being a nomad for so long." I said softly.

He only nodded at that as we fell into a more easy topic of conversation until two more vampires ran into the yard.

Alice's POV

By the time Peter and Charlotte had questioned us about how we got together and what we had done so far, it was well into the evening, and after a quick dinner we had retired to our assigned room. "So love, what do you think of Peter and Charlotte?"

Bella smiled as she cuddled up to me. "They are just like you said they were. Peter is very sweet and Charlotte is basically another you."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "I figured you would be quick to mesh with them, we'll be around them for a while, at least for a couple of months once you are turned."

"Perhaps even longer if we can convince Victoria to come live here with us once she has turned Renee." Bella said softly.

I smiled at that. "I haven't seen anything, but maybe she will be open to that, or perhaps they will make a better offer. To be honest I have come to like this transient lifestyle."

"So have I, if I am being very honest. Just us and the road. I think I'm becoming more like my Mom every day." She said with a soft smile.

"You've certainly inherited her beauty, my love. It was very easy to see the similarities between you and Renee." I said honestly.

She blushed a little at that. "Sometimes I think that you get some sort of pleasure out of making me blush."

I smiled and kissed her. "Of course I do. When you blush that delicious scent of yours becomes more pronounced, and you know I absolutely love the way you smell."

Her blush darkened as I could feel her fidget against me. "And you still want to turn me in a few days and lose that scent forever, at least as strong as it usually is?"

"I would give up everything to have you by my side forever, and you won't lose your scent, it will just become a bit more subtle, and the fact that by the time we are ready to come out of our room, I will be coated in your scent will help a lot too. It is a lot weaker now, which is why I sometimes nuzzle your neck, where your scent is the strongest." I said lovingly.

"You know I never have problems with you staking your claim, I have always found that kind of hot to be honest, even when you oh so possessively wrapped your arms around my waist after dinner when Charlotte tried to be funny and flirt with me." She said with a soft smile.

I smiled at that. "I know it was in good fun, but I couldn't help myself there. She knows better than to try it, being at least fifty years older than I am."

Bella smiled at that. "I thought it was cute to see you so possessive. It brought out a whole new level of affection from you."

I smiled and kissed her. "I will never stop showing you affection, Bella. We've always been very affectionate with each other and I don't see that changing any time soon, in fact, I think it will only increase as the years go by."

She smiled and pulled me on top of her. "I think so too, and I think we'll drive everyone mad with it."

"I know we will, but whatever we decided to go with in the end, whether that is making a Coven here with Jasper, Peter and Charlotte, and perhaps Renee and Victoria if they are willing, or if we continue our transient lifestyle, I have seen us together with Victoria and your mother, it is something that never changes." I said with a soft smile.

Bella sighed contently at that. "I think I can get used to having them traveling with us, although we might need to look for a bigger car then."

"Baby, we won't need a car by then. I have seen us really living off the land and just running everywhere, getting new clothes every week." I said with a smile

"Why am I not surprised with you going the way of fashion in this. Sometimes I wonder if you love clothes more than me." She said teasingly.

I smiled and pinned her to the mattress. "I could never in my life love anything as much as I love you, my Bella. I thought you knew that?"

She smiled coyly at me. "Of course I know that. I was only teasing you, my Pixie."

"You're tired aren't you love?" I asked softly.

She nodded at that. "A little, but I don't want to go to sleep yet. I want to stay awake for a little while longer so I can keep looking at the beautiful angel that is my Pixie."

I smiled and kissed her softly. "You say the sweetest things sometimes, my love. You know it is dangerous to stroke a vampire's ego. It might lead to exhaustion."

"Haven't I proven that I have excellent stamina, my love? And I figured with the way I am at your mercy right now, that you wanted to have a little fun." She said with a sultry smile.

I growled softly as I let my hand trail down her torso. "I would say that you want me to ravage you. You're soaking wet, my Bella."

"Of course I am, when have you failed to make me wet in our relationship. Sometimes I like it when you dominate me." She said with a slight blush.

I smirked at her. "Is that what you want tonight, my love. For me to dominate you? Make you moan my name in ecstasy as I make you cum for me again and again?"

Bella moaned softly as I started tracing slow circles around her clit and wet folds, and I couldn't help but smile as she bucked her hips into my hand, trying to force more contact.

"Uh uh love. Not tonight. You wanted me to be in charge tonight, so you don't get to cum until I say you can cum." I said as I purposely pulled my hand back a little.

She pouted adorably but kept her hips still. "Good girl, I promise to reward you well for your obedience." I said with a loving smile as I took one of her nipples in my mouth and sucked gently.

Bella moaned loudly as she unconsciously bucked her hips up again, but this time I just couldn't admonish her for it. "It's been a while since I have seen you this turned on, my love."

"That's because it has been a while since we could take our time with each other, Ali. I need to taste you too." She said with a needy whimper.

I smiled and kissed her softly. "Is that what my Tigress desires. To devour my pussy until we are both sated?"

She nodded at me, and I just couldn't resist that cute look on her face. "Please Ali, I've been a good girl."

"You definitely have, you deserve a treat, it's just a shame I can't ride your face just yet, but I think we can do something else where we can both enjoy each other. Want to try a sixty-nine?" I asked softly

She nodded and kissed me as we switched positions. "The first thing we will try when I am turned is you straddling my face, you've put images in my head now that make it hard for me not to cum on the spot."

I smiled and placed a soft kiss just above her clit. "That's why I brought it up, my love, just to put the idea into your head, we've only scratched the surface of what we can do together after all."

Bella only smiled before placing a soft kiss on my clit. "Whatever we decide in terms of relocation, I will be very glad I won't be able to blush anymore, because I have a feeling there might be a lot of awkward moments."

"The first thing a vampire loses is its inhibitions when it comes to carnal pleasure. Exhibitionism is common among nomadic vampires." I said wit a soft smile.

Bella smiled and slipped a finger inside of me, making me moan as I returned the favor, since I didn't want to be left behind.

As always Bella tasted amazingly sweet, and I had to pace myself and keep control of my body's reactions. It might be a problem if I accidentally broke her fingers when I came.

Fortunately Bella seemed to realize that as well, and switched to just her tongue after a while. "You taste so sweet Ali. I could live off your juices." She said with a husky moan.

I smiled and gently squeezed the soft globes of her ass. "As I could live off yours, my Bella. Perhaps it is something we could try once you are turned."

I could feel her smile against my pussy. "I would be up for that, but I'm so close Ali. Please make me cum."

"I'm close too love, let's cum together." I said softly.

Bella nodded and started eating me out with renewed vigor, until we both moaned out our orgasms a few moments later.

Once we had ridden out our high's a little, Bella pulled me against her, pressing a soft kiss against my neck as her arms wrapped themselves around my waist. "Was that to your satisfaction, my Pixie?"

I nodded and cuddled in close to her. "Of course love, you know there are few things I enjoy more than making love to you."

"Even more than shopping?" She asked teasingly.

I giggled at that. "Yes Bella, even more than shopping, but I can also hear that you are tired."

"I am, but it's rude to fall asleep right after sex. That's such a guy thing to do." She said softly.

I smiled at her. "Sleep, my love. I'll be right here the entire night."

She nodded and placed a last kiss against my neck as I felt her breathing even out, and once again I could relax in my mate's arms as she slept peacefully.