A/N: Oh my. Did I have fun writing this chapter or what. Wish there was an evil grin face you could type in here. But for now I'll just stick with this :)

I'm the lesser of two evils

Or am I, am I tricking myself nice?

If I'm the lesser of two evils

Who's this man, who's this act I hide behind?

Chapter 4: All Part of the Plan

Alice POV:

"Bella!"

"Huh? What?" She popped her head up from where it was previously resting a few seconds before. This was now the third time she has fallen asleep at her desk this week. I smiled at her innocent confused face and went to pull off a sheet of paper that had stuck to her cheek.

"You are working too hard my love." Bella blinked a few times, finally realizing what happened.

"I'm sorry baby. How bout I make it up to you this weekend? I'll take you to New York. You can shop all weekend long."

"I don't care what we do Bella. As long as I'm with you, and you're not asleep half the time." I giggled uncontrollably, noticing the ink from the paper had bled onto my poor fiancée's face. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what I found so hysterical. "Oh come here." I wiped the ink away with my fingers.

"Oh. Thanks. Sorry about that."

"You are too damn adorable sometimes. What am I going to do with you?"

"Alice are you even listening to me?" Liam's voice brought me back from my carefree memory.

"No." I shrugged truthfully. Once he had told me that there was no good news, I had zoned out like usual.

It has been two and a half months. Seventy days without my mate, my wife, my everything. I prefer not to talk to anyone. If I'm alone, I can visualize that Bella is still with me and not so very far away. I've gone through five of her shirts, smothering each until its scent was lost. Even our room itself is starting to lose that beautiful aroma that tells me I'm home.

"It's not healthy for you to spend so much time alone Alice."

"Yeah, well it's also not healthy to be without my mate. But life isn't fair." I didn't mean to snap at him so harshly, he has been a saint since Bella's capture, and I know it's been extremely difficult on him as well. "I'm sorry Liam." I whispered quietly to try and repair what I had said.

"It's alright. I don't blame you." He ran a distressed hand through his hair, poor guy looks like he hasn't slept in two months. Probably true to be honest. "I just don't think you should be in here with only your thoughts to keep you company. And Rosalie and Carlisle agree with me. So starting today, someone will come in everyday, for maybe an hour or so, just so you're not alone."

"Why?" I wasn't mad, actually I wasn't anything.

"I know what you're doing Alice. You are trying to protect your mind, but really all you're doing is hurting it."

"Well what else am I supposed to do? You have no idea how much this hurts! And I hope you never do!" My sensitive emotions got the better of me again. "What? Do you want me to just move on and hang out with everyone like things are back to normal? Because they're not!" I broke down, crying for the first time in weeks.

"Hey hey no. That's not what I meant. Shit Alice I'm sorry." He wrapped me into a hug and held me as I sobbed. "I miss her too. So fucking much. But we need to keep it together. We need to stay strong, so when we do get her back, she has something sturdy to lean on." He rubbed my back until my crying had subsided, and then pulled my chin up with his fingers. "So do you think you can do that? For Bella?"

"Yes. Of course. Thank you Liam."

"It's no problem Alice. You're family." He kissed the top of my head like usual before standing up. "I'm going to send Zoey in. She's been missing you like crazy. And I think she needs the company too."

"Sounds good." I went to change quickly, I had been sitting in this outfit for probably a week now. But my not caring is over. Liam was right, I do need to be strong. Without Bella here as my rock, I have to be my own. And when she comes back, I'll be hers.

Bella POV:

"Bellaaaaaa. What are you doing all the way out here?" Alice asked as she made her way slowly over towards me. I had veered away from her during a run, I knew she would follow. She sat down next to me at our spot next to the creek.

"That wolf mind of yours is so hard to read sometimes." A laugh rumbled in my chest and I placed my head in her lap, hoping she'd scratch my ears. "Oh alright." I purred loudly when she did. This was heaven I'm sure of it. "Hmmmmm. You're so soft." Just then, the sun decided to break through the thick cloud and tree cover, lighting up my pixie.

Laying there in Alice's lap, watching her skin dazzle like diamonds, her scratching my head, it was all so perfect. It's how I wanted the rest of my life to be. With her.

"Ugh. Alice." I croaked to my empty cell. How long have I been in here? A month? A year? Ten years? I honestly have no clue. Time has seemed to cease in here.

I'm on a full time IV drip of venom. Which as you can imagine, is just plain wonderful. And every time I build a slight tolerance to it, they up the intake. So yeah, I could have been a century in here and I would have no idea.

I was sitting, chained against the wall, shivering. I hadn't felt cold since I was human. But here I was, teeth chattering and all. My body couldn't produce its normal heat or healing like usual. Hell, I think I might even be getting a head cold.

"Wakey wakey 173952. You are being much too quiet for Aro's liking. He has a surprise for you later today. Only if you're a good little girl." My best friend Felix came in to up my dose once more. I didn't even have the energy to hit him back with a snarky comment.

He left me alone again, alone with my memories and nightmares. The truth was, I was hiding a question in the back of my mind. One I refused to ask myself. Well, out loud at least.

Why was I here for so long? Where were my rescuers? Liam? Alice? Emmett or Jasper? Fuck, anyone? Did they expect me to escape again? On my own? Were they even trying to find me? Jesus Bella, of course they are. Stop.

But why haven't I heard anything? Have the Volturi gone after them? No. If they did, they surely would have told me. God I need to stop thinking. It's making me go paranoid. Crazy with hate, annoyance, betrayal, and fear.

"Oh my! Do I have a present for you!" Aro came in a while later, his most evil grin in place. Uh oh. That can't be good. "Well? Aren't you curious?" I rolled my head to the side to look at him properly. Yes, he did appear to be in quite a sinister mood.

"What else do you want from me?" My words came out a lot more pathetic than I thought they would. Which in turn made Aro happier that his plan was working.

"My dear sweet 173952. I want your soul of course. Your humanity. The thing that is holding you back from being my perfect child."

"I will never be yours."

"Oh I wouldn't speak so soon if I were you. See, I know something that you don't know." He sat down next to me, grinning ear to ear. "Now, did you really think I wouldn't take a closer look at that little ring of yours?" That got my attention. My face paled completely. "What was it again? Oh yes, Forever Yours, Alice. Ironic really." My body shook with anger and terror. What did he do? "Now, with no last name, I had a problem on my hands. But I started thinking, what were the odds that this Alice on your ring, in your pathetic heart, was the very same future seer that I sought after for so long? Well it was all so delicious. It was much too easy to get that sad little creature. She was so blinded by her pain for you."

"WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" The monster within me was clawing at its cage to get out, just so it could rip apart the man before me. Not Alice. Please not Alice.

"Relax my child. I haven't done anything to her. Not yet at least. I thought it would be more fun for you to watch." I pulled on my chains hard, tugging with all my might. Which wasn't that much anymore. Aro leaned over and injected an extra syringe worth of venom in me.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare touch her!" I felt my muscles weaken further, and I involuntarily slumped against the wall. My vision was getting worse, and the more I fought, the worse I felt. There was definitely something else laced in that venom.

"You need to stop struggling so much. Felix! Bring in our lovely guest please?" The royal servant did as he was told, and my body was screaming for me to do something. Anything but sit there.

There she was. The woman who haunted my dreams. She didn't smell the same, I must have forgotten her scent. She looked terrified. I wanted to comfort her, tell her it would be ok. But I knew it wouldn't.

"Alice. Alice baby I'm sorry. Don't hurt her. Please? I'll do anything. I'll be your slave. I'll be the mindless soldier you want. Anything you want, I'll do it. Just please let her go." I wasn't above begging, not when it came to her.

"So quick to give up 173952? After all this time? This one girl, does this to you? Now that's just pitiful."

"Please. Please." I was starting to black out. Alice was looking at me terrified. Why wasn't she saying anything? What did he do to her?

"It's too late for begging darling. I'm afraid this has to be done." He stood up, slowly approaching my mate. No no no no no.

"Please. Don't do this to her. She's innocent. Hurt me. Hurt me instead." Felix pinned her arms and shoved her to her knees.

"Don't you see? I am hurting you." Aro said mirthfully, before placing his hands on either side of her head.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed right as he ripped her head from her body. Felix immediately lit it aflame. I didn't even get to say goodbye. All I did was watch, watch as my soulmate was erased from the earth.

"Sorry sweetheart. It's all part of the plan." Aro muttered under his breath while leaving with Felix. But I didn't hear. My heart was beating in my ears. I was filled with an all-consuming rage.

She's dead. She's dead because of you.

Turn it off. Turn it off and you won't feel this way anymore. No. It's not what Alice would have wanted. That's nice. But she's dead. What do you have to live for? Vengeance. Oh, but you can do that when you're a vampire Bella. A full, blood fed vampire. Just turn it off.

I battled against myself for what felt like hours. All the while crying in agony. It was all my fault. I should have never fallen in love. I should have never let anyone in. I knew it would only cause me pain in the end.

"Ok."