AN: Yay for a burst of writing inspiration over lunch hour! How do we feel about Alice's return? In any case, I had a lot of fun writing her character. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you guys don't mind the shorter chapters. Happy reading!

Carlisle's POV

The front door burst open with such force that Esme winced, concerned for the state of the 200-year-old wood in its frame. A squealing blur of ivory skin and jet-black hair raced across the room. Bella seemed to have found nothing out of the ordinary with Alice's electric arrival; the glowing smile that lit up her face was proof of the joy she felt at reuniting with the person she had once considered a sister and best friend. Her genuine happiness at Alice's return left me feeling hopeful.

Thankfully, Alice had been made aware of Bella's injuries ahead of time and managed to grind to a halt in front of her, instead of jumping straight into the borderline bone-crushing hug I knew her instincts begged for. Despite the excitement I could sense thrumming within her, Alice hesitated. She was clearly unsure of how to approach Bella. No doubt she found herself wondering the same things I had back in Volterra. What would Bella say? Would she be angry? However, Alice could not contain her zeal for long and soon broke into a rushing stream of apologies.

"Oh, Bella! I am so, so sorry! I'm sorry I listened to him, I'm sorry I didn't come back. I will completely understand if you're furious. I can't believe this is all happening. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. God, I have missed you so much!" She finally caved and wrapped her arms around Bella, being careful not to squeeze too hard. Bella hugged her back, tears falling past her grin as she struggled to decide if she wanted to cry or laugh.

"I missed you so much, Alice."

Alice beamed, reassured by Bella's words. "I've been so anxious to see you, but I was kind of afraid of what you might say. I wasn't sure you'd want to see us. To see me."

Esme and I shared a glance, we were both curious to hear what Bella's response would be. Because of the way the events of the last few days had unraveled, Bella had more or less been obligated to reunite with us. From what we had heard from her and witnessed so far, she seemed to accept our renewed presence in her life, perhaps even be comforted by it. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised that she hadn't really expressed any anger towards us yet.

Bella took a step back from Alice's embrace and stared down at the floor. Her wistful half-smile spoke of hope but also immeasurable pain.

"I didn't at first. Once the shock of seeing Carlisle in Volterra wore off, I was terrified of seeing you all again. Which was confusing, because I have spent the last four months desperate for your return. But once I was actually confronted with reuniting with your family, I just felt weary. I knew I couldn't survive finding and losing you all over again." Alice reached out and grasped Bella's hand, giving it an imperceptible squeeze.

Looking up towards Esme and I, Bella's smile grew. "But I have a clearer picture of things now. Yes, I am still furious about how things unfolded, but I understand what led to it a little better. And my relief at not being alone, at not carrying that pain on my own anymore, is still stronger than my anger. Perhaps that part will come later, after I've been changed."

I grinned, "That's kind of what I'm afraid of."

A snort of laughter came from Bella before she added, "Well, good thing there are plenty of you to keep my newborn fury in-check". I was startled to hear Bella reference her upcoming change with such levity. But of course she was right, we would be here to help and support her as best we can. "Are the others coming, too, Alice?"

"Yes, they will be home soon. We were hunting in a different region and when I had a vision of you asking for me I took off without a second glance. But they shouldn't be long, I called them from the road."

Bella nodded, "Okay. In the meantime I think I'm going to clean up a bit, wash Volterra off me." With her good arm she gestured at herself with a look of disgust. She turned towards Esme and I, shifting uncomfortably, "I, uh-, I don't suppose you guys have an extra pair of clothes I could borrow? I've been in the same outfit since the accident and I wouldn't mind putting on something that doesn't remind me of motorcycle crashes and the Volturi…"

Esme smiled, "Check your dresser, dear. I picked up a few things before you arrived. But if anything is missing or you'd like something else then don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll come help!" Alice beamed, then stopped herself and added, "That is, if you'd like a hand."

"Sure, thanks Alice." Bella began to make her way back to the staircase, it was clear she was still stiff from her injuries. I let her know that if she wanted more pain medication she could have another dose in a couple of hours.

"Thank you, Carlisle. For everything."

I smiled and bowed my head in her direction, "Of course, Bella."

Bella's POV

The house may have been old but it had been impeccably renovated. I guess when you have eternity ahead of you, you can spare the time to make sure your numerous houses keep up with the times. At first I couldn't decide if I wanted to soak in the clawfoot tub or stand under a steady stream of scalding water in the beautifully tiled walk-in shower. In the end I settled on the rainfall shower.

I was glad that Alice had accompanied me upstairs. Being with her once again left me feeling more lighthearted and hopeful than I had in months. Part of me had been worried that the past autumn's events would make things awkward between us. And while I knew we still had a lot of things to talk about, I was too happy to see her to worry about that now. Plus, I realized it would be complicated and a tad painful to try and get changed with my arm and ribs still throbbing. She had helped me in the weeks following the accident with James so I didn't shy away from her offer to help now.

Once I was finally in the shower I sighed from relief. The heat of the water calmed the ache from my injuries and I felt as though I could see the remains of my time in Volterra disappear in rivulets down the drain. Ever since Carlisle had explained to me what the Volturi were capable of, I had felt as though a shadow of their sinister dealings clung to my skin. I scrubbed for what felt like hours. When at last I turned off the water with a reluctant frown, the bathroom was filled with steam and the mirror was rendered useless from all the fog. I took my time drying off, wincing slightly when my ribs groaned in protest as I bent forward to dry my legs. Alice had left a robe sitting on the counter which I managed to slip into on my own.

I opened the door that led back into the room where I was staying and Alice sat up from the spot where she had been lounging on my bed. "Need a hand?"

I nodded sheepishly and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser Esme had mentioned. After digging through the next few drawers I had an outfit picked out and Alice helped me gingerly back into a pair of jeans and a button-up flannel shirt. Esme obviously hadn't forgotten my preferred style. However, Alice smirked at my choice of clothes and I knew what she was thinking. "Don't say it, Alice."

She laughed and said, "Oh great, like this house needs a second mind-reader".

Both of us froze. My chest clenched at the casual reference to Edward while Alice watched anxiously to see my reaction. "I'm sorry Bella, I shouldn't have said anything."

My breath came out in a slow exhale as I smiled reassuringly at her, "No, no, it's fine. Really, I promise. I do want to see him, you know. Just not yet."

Alice smiled in understanding, "I know. There's no rush." Then her expression perked up, "Plus, there will be plenty of time for me to help you with your wardrobe later on." I rolled my eyes in fake exasperation.

For the next few minutes we sat in a companionable silence while Alice ran a brush through my hair. Then with a sigh she set the brush down and met my eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "I am sorry, Bella. For all of this."

I didn't say anything at first. Though I did have many questions, I was hesitant to ruin our joy-filled reunion with the heavier things that had been weighing on me. I didn't want to hurt Alice but I knew I owed it to myself to share with her what their leaving did to me.

"Did you know, when I was in kindergarten my mom brought me to see the movie Aladdin. I think she loved Disney movies more than I did. Afterwards, in the car on the way home, she asked me what I would wish for if we found a magic lamp with a genie in it." I paused, smiling at the memory of Renée's enthusiasm for coming up with impossible wishes. "I took the question pretty seriously and after thinking about it for a few seconds I told her that one of my wishes would be to have a sister."

I was never one of those kids that had a large circle of friends at school. We discovered early on that sports were disastrous, and Renée couldn't afford for me to take extra music lessons so my middle school orchestra attempts were short-lived. But even from a young age I didn't mind the relative solitude, I was always most content on Thursday afternoons when Renée got off work early and would bring me to the library. My happy place was running my fingers across the spines of books and filling up my backpack with that week's selections. By the time I was ten I had even memorized my library card number after one-too-many times of Renée forgetting it at home. But, I had always daydreamed about having a sibling, a sister if possible. Perhaps my love for the book Little Women was to blame. I wanted a Meg or a Jo. A Beth or an Amy.

Alice listened as I continued, her eyes downcast.

"Did you know I wrote to you? Even after the first couple of emails were sent back to me with error messages, I continued to write. I needed to tell someone. And you were my someone, Alice."