Chapter 26

Esme, Carlisle, Carmen and Eleazar came out from the kitchen with the slamming of the front door with wide eyes as they took in the sight of Bella. She knew she certainly looked a fright, covered in dirt, twigs and the faint bruises and cracks that covered the entirety of the right side of her body.

"Bella, do you need me to look you over?" Carlisle asked with wide eyes as he took in the apparent damage to her body.

" No. No, thank you. I just need to shower and some space, please." Bella replied as politely as possible as she moved upstairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. She ran a hand through her hair before ripping her now torn and destroyed clothes off and tossing the ripped shreds of fabric against the adjacent wall. She moved next to the bed and picked up one of the many framed pictures in the room, this one in particular she had taken with Alice while she was still a human. It was their first picture taken together. Bella put her fingertips against the fragile glass and then placed it face down on the bedside table, along with her engagement ring.

With a sigh, she entered the bathroom and walked into the shower and turned it on, not allowing it any time to heat up. Bella sat down on the tile and allowed the cold water to come down on her as she let her body heal, her head resting against the wall and her eyes closed. Her hand touched her ribs and let out a sharp breath knowing they were likely bruised.
Finally deciding she would take a bath instead as the water heated up, she switched the water flow and moved to the soaking tub and began to fill it up before adding in some bath salts that Alice had picked up for them. She stopped the tub as it reached its capacity and folded a towel before placing it behind her neck and closed her coal eyes, waiting for her ribs to heal and for her emotions to calm down, breathing in the comforting smell of jasmine and cedarwood that came from the salts.

The rest of the family walked in a few moments later and cringed as they were met with Esme's concerned motherly expression, her arms tightly crossed against her chest.

"Anyone care to fill us in?" Esme asked with a raised eyebrow as her glance shot up the stairs to where Bella was.

"She wasn't doing well at the whole fighting thing. Honestly, it was almost pathetic. I knew she had to have it in her based on what she did to Jake so… I pushed her and I guess I pushed too far." Emmett said sheepishly as Rosalie rolled her eyes in frustration.

"That would be the understatement of the year, Emm." Rosalie sighed as she pinched her nose in irritation.

"Meaning?" Esme asked again as her fingers drummed impatiently against her forearm.

"I moved to attack Alice. I wasn't going to actually hurt her, I swear but Bella… Well, she certainly thought I was." Emmett grimaced as Carlisle began to inspect the cracks on his neck.

" Unbelievable!" Esme gasped as she threw her hands into the air, " I told you to train her, not push her like that. Honestly, do you ever think before you act?"

" Well, I mean, it worked! She definitely has it in her to fight, she just has to reach that emotional state first! Besides, she's not exactly helpless. I'm just pissed that the barrier stopped me from being able to do anything." Emmett argued back.

"Barrier, what barrier?" Carlisle asked as he raised his eyes to look at Emmett and then to Eleazar.

"I dunno. I was just an inch from landing a blow when suddenly I came into contact with some sort of invisible wall. It sent me flying" Emmett shrugged nonchalantly.

"Emmett, Bella's shield is purely defensive in nature. From what I've been told she was very much like that as a human as well until pushed to a breaking point. Training her to fight would be good but she needs more defensive skill training than anything else. I would venture to say that in the moment when she thought her imprint was in danger, she learned how to expand her gift to become an enhanced physical shield. We should be careful of pushing her that far though, it's impossible to know what kind of strain that will put on her." Eleazar said softly as Carlisle dropped a few drops of venom into the cracks, causing Emmett to hiss slightly in pain.

"It was rather interesting. I felt the shift. When she first got knocked down, I felt her emotions begin to climb. They reached a whole new level though after she was knocked down the second time and she looked over at Alice. After that, Emmett moved to attack and it was game over. It no longer was about sparring. She was going in for the kill and my power was completely useless. She rejected it completely." Jasper said as he looked up the stairs to where he felt Bella's presence.

"Why would her emotions have climbed when she looked at Alice though? Shouldn't have that had the complete opposite effect? Generally speaking, one would feel instantly relaxed when they make eye contact with their mate." Carmen asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at Eleazar who appeared deep in thought as well.

"Perhaps she thought you were disappointed in her, Alice. I mean, your expression wasn't exactly the most optimistic during the fight. " Jasper mused and Alice sighed as she looked up the stairs.

"I wasn't disappointed. I was merely concerned! How could I not have been?" Alice automatically defended as she ran a hand through her spiky locks.

"I don't know, I can only read her emotions, not her mind. It was just a thought." Jasper said with a shrug.

"I guess time will tell. Given everything though, I would venture to say you're right. It would appear that all us did some damage to her this week. I'll go see what I can do to fix it. If you will excuse me." Alice said as she moved up the stairs and into the bedroom. She was immediately engulfed in the sweet smell of the bath salts and knew where she would find her mate. Her eyes locked onto the picture that had been turned facedown and she let out a slightly frustrated sigh before she sat down on the bed and picked up the picture studying it closely. It was one of the first days they did anything together on their own.

'This all seems like so long ago now. Back when she was a human and the only thing I had to worry about was how I would convince her to go shopping with me. How did everything get so messy? More importantly, how can I make this right?'

Alice sighed once more and put the picture back up on the bedside table, and moved into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Bella opened one eye and Alice gasped as she saw that her eyes still were dark and had not yet reverted. She closed her eye with a huff and Alice wasted no time in removing her clothing before joining Bella in the large soaking tub. Alice maneuvered herself so that she was straddled against Bella's waist, running her fingertips up and down Bella's face.

"Bella, love. Please. Look at me" Alice practically pleaded as Bella turned her head away and pulled back from Alice's touch.

" What do you want?" Bella growled out; her eyes still shut tightly.

"I want to help make this pain go away. Please let me. This act with the walls is getting rather old." Alice responded as she gently moved Bella's face back to face her. Bella opened her eyes and black clashed with gold.

"Don't bother. I don't need your pity." Bella snapped back as she tried to move from under Alice, stopped as she gripped her hips tightly.

"Bella, this has nothing to do with that! What's gotten into you?" Alice argued back, her own gaze hardening as she was met with Bella's own glare.

"I saw the way you looked at me while I laid on the ground, overwhelmed and in pain. I saw your disappointment clear as day, Alice. Anyone could have seen it!" Bella snapped back as she began to lightly tremble, " You assured me everything would be okay. I trusted you. You never said anything about me getting hurt. You never said anything about you being put into danger. You failed to mention any of that! I told you I had a strong gut feeling against all of this, and you didn't take any of my concerns seriously. Well, look at where we are, Alice! Things are not okay."

Alice sighed as she closed her eyes, taking in the truth of what Bella had just said and allowing herself to calm down, she knew she had no room to be getting upset but it was hard not to.

"Go on." Alice finally encouraged as she reopened her eyes to look into Bella's, who quickly looked away as venom began to build up.

"You talked the Collaborative Cullen method up like it was going to create some full proof way to be safe and effective against the Volturi, and look what happened. I was able to break through it, me, someone with hardly any training to speak of. If I can do that, just imagine what the Volturi will be able to do. And that's what scares me the most. That we are not all as infallible as you and the rest of the family seem to think you are. There is a good chance that some of us would die if it came down to a fight, and for what? For me? Why is it always like that, Alice? Why am I the reason why the family is always being put in danger? Why is that no matter what, I am always the weakest link?" Bella finally asked, allowing her true feelings and concerns to be displayed.

"Oh, Bella. You are not the weakest link by any means. And granted, I realize that I put too much faith in our fighting techniques. You are right to say all that you have. But we can work on it, finetune it. I think you just need to have a little more faith in you, us and the family. A little optimism never did anyone any harm." Alice said gently as she finally felt Bella relax under her touch, allowing her to remove her grasp.

"The only thing that I am positive about is that I will never be the reason why anything happens to you. Do you hear me? I will protect you no matter the cost. I will do whatever it takes. What happened this afternoon will never happen again, you understand?" Bella all but growled out and Alice felt herself shake lightly at the authority in her tone. She had not yet displayed this type of authoritative or possessive behavior but then again, she had not yet seen her in that type of danger.

Without waiting for a response, Bella abruptly sat up and gripped Alice's waist rather tightly and pulled her down so that their cores were pressed tightly against each other, causing some of the water from the tub to splash over the side and onto the floor. Alice's eyes flew open as she let out a moan at the contact and felt her head fall back slightly as an intense wave of pleasure shot through her, instantly making her aroused and her eyes dark to match her mate's.

Bella wasted no time and leaned forward and placed chaste kisses up and down the side of Alice's neck, nipping and sucking at Alice's sweet and cool skin, one hand reaching up and pulling at Alice's dark locks, the other sliding down her front and in between her legs, her fingertips slipping against her wet and slick folds.

"Oh, Bella" Alice all but moaned out, unable to move as she felt Bella's fingers enter her roughly and curl up, aggressively rubbing against the spot that always made her come undone.

Bella did not respond except to growl louder against Alice's neck. She moved her fingers faster, angling them so that her thumb could rub against the small bundle of nerves.

"Jesus, fuck…" Alice breathed out as she felt the coils in her lower stomach become tight, signaling that her release was inevitable. It was almost shameful how quick her body responded to Bella. No one else, not even herself could bring herself to release as fast as Bella could get her to do.

"You are mine" Bella growled as she felt Alice's walls begin to constrict around her fingers. Without hesitating, Bella opened her mouth instinctively and sunk her sharp teeth deep into the side of Alice's neck, where it met her shoulder, injecting her venom at the same time.

Alice screamed like she had never done before, both in pain and pure pleasure as that possessive action from her mate caused her to instantly release, her body shaking and convulsing uncontrollably as she clung onto Bella for dear life, feeling her orgasm spread throughout her being just as Bella's venom was. Alice had heard about the pleasure that came from marking one's mate but nothing could have prepared her for this. Nothing would ever prepare her for the complexity and enigma that Bella was.

Bella slowly removed her fingers and her teeth as Alice came down from her high, her tongue gently caressing the wound on Alice's neck and effectively sealing it, leaving the permanent crescent mark on the skin, clearly visible.

"Well, my oh my, who knew that you would end up being the assertive one?" Alice finally breathed out as she opened her eyes to peer into Bella's, whose golden orbs were peering back at her, filled with apprehensiveness.

" Oh, Alice. I am so sorry. I have no idea what came over me." Bella murmured as she ran her fingertips against the crescent shape scar. Memories of the pain that had come with James' bite flooded to the front of her mind. She could only hope that she did not inflict that same amount of pain to her imprint just now.

" It was only natural. Both Carlisle and Emmett have similar markings on them. It's a natural part of the mating process. I just wasn't sure which of us would go for the bite, no pun intended." Alice laughed lightly, " I assure you, it was a lovely event. You may have noticed from my reaction, it wasn't exactly a terrible experience. I wouldn't mind if you were to do it again some time." Alice finished as Bella moved her off of her waist, and spread her legs and pulled Alice's back against her chest.

"Is Emmett, okay?" Bella finally asked with a soft tone as she nuzzled her face into Alice's neck.

Alice wrapped Bella's arms around her body and hummed softly in thought.

"You definitely did some good damage to his neck but he's already healed. He's fine. Perhaps a little sheepish more than anything for pushing you as hard and in the manner he did. I think we all are to be honest" Alice admitted with a sigh.

"Look, I have it in me to fight. I got Victoria and stood my own against Jake. I just don't enjoy it. Emmett forced something. He forced me to get into a place I don't like being in. That place is scary. I feel like I lose who I am and I'm terrified of losing control. I didn't have any recollection of who he was, or even who I was. All I wanted was to end the threat to you, and I didn't care how that looked. I could have killed him today, Alice." Bella admitted as Alice sighed once more.

"I seriously should have thought of that myself. I should have stopped him before he pushed you that far. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me." Alice said as she ran her fingers up and down Bella's forearms.

" I need to learn how to control that side of me when fighting. I just hate that I don't know when the Volturi are going to make the decision. I'd feel better if I could give myself some sort of tangible timeline." Bella sighed as she placed a gentle kiss on the top of Alice's head.

Alice nodded in understanding before turning around and wrapping her legs around Bella's waist.

"What is it?" Bella asked as she looked into Alice's eyes.

"My entire existence, I have been waiting to make decisions based on what other people decide. Perhaps it's time for a change of pace." Alice responded as she brought her chest against Bella's earning a moan of pleasure from her.

"You are being insufferable; how can I begin to focus with you doing that?" Bella groaned before taking in a collective breath, " What do you mean?"

"I mean, rather than sit around and be nothing more than waiting ducks, I propose that we take action ourselves. Play the game but be the one who deals the cards. In short, make the first move. What do you think?" Alice purred as she leaned forward and nibbled on Bella's earlobe.

Bella felt her eyes flutter with the sensation of pleasure causing her to instantly become aroused. It was rather challenging to say the least for Bella to focus on anything besides the throbbing that was coming from between her legs. Alice pulled back long enough for Bella and her eyes to meet. She thought about Alice's words for a few moments, surely there would be some benefit for taking charge of this situation.

"I'm down for it, but we should see what the family thinks." Bella said after a few moments.

"Oh, we will but not yet. I believe I owe you, first." Alice purred. Bella was about to ask what she meant, just before Alice's lips came crashing onto her own.

Bella's eyes stared unblinkingly as she held onto her lover as closely as possible, who vibrated as she purred, completely lost in a state of zen, the closest state a vampire could ever reach to sleep. She looked down at her imprint in her arms, her fingers playing with Alice's dark locks. Her eyes locked onto Alice's crescent shaped scar and couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips. While Alice had explained over and over again that this was a natural part of being mated and that the pleasure of being marked far surpassed the pain, she felt terrible that she had acted so primal.

Carefully as to not disrupt Alice too much, Bella slowly unwrapped herself from Alice's legs and arms. Regardless though, Alice's right eye opened lazily and Bella leaned down and placed a loving and gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm just going to try getting a drink of water. I'll be right back" Bella whispered.

Alice simply hummed in response as she snuggled Bella's pillow tightly as Bella stood up, putting on a pair of navy blue sleep shorts and a light gray t-shirt. She closed the door lightly behind her and moved downstairs to the kitchen. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, sipping in silence until the glass was drained, her mind otherwise occupied. She sighed in relief as she noted that the water tasted like it should and she did not feel the need to spit it out.

She turned around to go back upstairs when she heard the soft voices of Carmen and Esme outside, coming from the patio.

"I just wish he would come home." Esme's voice said softly, causing Bella to stop breathing as she continued to listen knowing full well that this was rather rude of her but couldn't fight the curiosity.

"He always comes back eventually. I'm sure he will, in time. Having to adjust and accept the person you loved was only your singer is a lot to take in, especially when they do indeed find their true mate." Carmen reassured with a soft voice.

" I know that you are right. It's just- I'm terrified that whatever he has done during his time away this time will be more than we can fix." Esme paused, " I don't know where these thoughts keep coming from but I just can't shake them. Weddings are supposed to bring people together. Not to say I am blaming anyone for Edward's actions except for himself, but that doesn't help with this ache. I miss my son." Esme finished with a shaky breath.

Bella hung her head and turned around as she walked back up the stairs, not waiting to hear Carmen's response. She paused on the stairs as her eyes roamed over the pictures on the wall, her eyes locked onto Edward's portrait.

' How could I have been so blind, so insensitive? I pushed him out of my mind without a second thought after our altercation but I wasn't the one who had a lifetime with him as my family.'

Without giving it much thought, she found her legs move until she stood outside of Edward's old bedroom, a room that had not been disturbed since his departure. Bella placed her hand on the door and pushed it open before walking in and immediately being engulfed in the overly familiar scent of honey, a scent that had not been as potent to her when she was a human. She moved slowly around the room, running her fingertips against the top of the piano, heading to the bookcase as her eyes locked onto her old and worn copy of Wuthering Heights that she had not read since the initial break up all those months ago in the forest. She bit down on her bottom lip as she flipped through the yellowing and dog-eared pages, memories of her time with Edward while reading the passages broke through the haze of her mind.

As she continued flipping, a solitary piece of folded parchment fell out from the book and floated to the floor. Bella paused as she placed the book back on the shelf, picking up the piece of paper. She gently and cautiously unfolded the note, her eyes skimming across the elegantly written sandscript

Time does not always fix all wounds.

Hurry, before the sand of time runs out.

Every action, breath, and tear has led us to this moment.

My, how it all has changed.

Echoes of the past all but veil and haunt the promising future.

All is not yet lost; you can fix this. Fix me. Fix it all.

Do you recall the bond we forged regardless of the uncertainty? Please have that faith once more.

Or would you rather forget? If so, I will amicably say farewell. Still. Please consider.

We, you and I still have time to fix what has been lost; if only you knew.

Look for me when the snow begins to stick and the trees become hollow and barren and you will find me. Waiting. For you and for you only.

Bella slowly folded up the note and placed it back into the book before looking out the large bay window with a sigh.

'THE MEADOW'

The conversation that she never was meant to hear between Esme and Carmen made her feel a strong tug in her chest, the same tug but stronger that she had felt when she attempted futilely to make Renee proud of her. She realized that she had unintentionally cost her family their son and she never could take his place, nor did she want to try. Perhaps this was part of the unity process Aurelius and Taha had made mention of. Afterall, if she could not even unify her family, how could she possibly tackle the world?

For the first time in several months, she let out a shiver, suddenly feeling very cold. She left the room and walked the few steps back to where Alice lay, her eyes still closed as she snuggled deeper into Bella's pillow. Bella felt her gaze soften at the beautiful and tranquil sight before her. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway, lost in thought.

' She hasn't even brought him up. They had been beyond close at one time but after the brief fight, she seemed to cut him off without second thought or hesitation. Tell me, does it hurt you to know that you don't have that bond anymore the way it hurts Esme? Do you miss your brother? If only I could read your mind Alice. What would you want?'

She finally pushed that thought aside and moved back to the bed and under the covers. Alice's apparent purring increased as she moved away from the pillow and wrapped their bodies close together once more, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Bella felt and heard Alice take in a few deep and short breaths, before her eyes opened wide and she looked up at Bella with curiosity. It was obvious that she had smelt Edward's lingering scent on her. Bella watched the hesitancy and insecurity dance across Alice's eyes.

'Silly vampire, I assure you there is no competition.' Bella couldn't help but think to herself as she moved her fingertips across Alice's cheek tenderly.

"You sure were gone an awfully long time, is everything okay, sweetheart?" Alice asked out as Bella resumed playing with her hair.

" Let's talk about it later on. Right now, all I want is to hold you, feel you and let everything else fade away. For one night, I don't want to focus on anything but you, me, our love and this moment." Bella whispered back, causing Alice to look at her with nothing but pure love. She nodded after a few moments and laid her head back down and let out a blissful sigh, more than happy to comply with that request. Afterall, who knew when it would be that they would be able to lay like this again.