7

When Edward told Bella about how hard things had been for Alice, Bella was furious. Not at Alice, of course. She was doing the best she could. No, Bella was furious with Carlisle. She thought of the man as a brother, and loved that he cherished her sister so much, but damn, how could he be so obtuse to what was going on with his own sister? Alice needed him and he was too busy pretending life wasn't falling apart. And so had Bella and Edward.

They had left everyone behind so they could start a new life together, and forgotten about those that needed them. Alice and Jasper were just like them: scarred on the inside and outside, scared of where their lives would take them. They'd been forced to grow up too fast, and Edward and Bella had left them behind. That was a mistake they'd soon be fixing, but she still didn't understand how Carlisle could just not call Alice. She was his baby sister.

Sighing, she shifted her attention from the textbook laid out on the counter in front of her and took a look around the bookstore. The place was a ghost town. Not that she was surprised. Everyone had headed over to the football game. She didn't understand the love of a game where your goal was to pound the shit out of each other just so you can carry a ball one hundred yards and only get six points. Maybe seven if the extra point was good.

"Hey, pretty lady, get to work."

Bella smiled as Edward strolled into the bookstore, stopping on the other side of the counter. She leaned across and pressed her lips against his.

"Mmm, what was that for?" he asked.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my husband?" she countered, raising an eyebrow while biting her bottom lip. It was a look that drove him insane with lust and need, something she'd been doing a lot lately.

"No," he replied huskily. Taking a step backward, he brought his hand up to his chest. It was mostly a reflex action, though Bella worried all the time about him. Was he still having pain? Tightness? Fluttering heartbeats, as he called them? "Have you been busy?"

"You're the only person to come in in at least two hours," Bella grumbled. "But it gives me time to study."

"Not that you need it," Edward teased, leaning against the counter again. "So, I've been doing some thinking about Alice."

Bella's shoulder tensed. She hated that the full weight of his sister's situation sat on his shoulders, but nobody else was going to do anything. "And? What'd you decide?"

"Well, I thought that maybe it might be time for an intervention."

"Hmm, okay."

"You don't think it's a good idea, do you?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't know that it will work. At least, not without having everyone in agreement. Alice needs help, that's clear, but we're just starting to be okay ourselves. I guess, I think it's kind of selfish of everyone else to leave Alice for us to handle."

Edward nodded, but didn't reply.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a bitch."

"You don't," he insisted. "And I get what you're saying, but I can't just do nothing. She needs help and Jasper can't do it alone."

"No, I know, but I worry about you." Bella paused. "You've been having more episodes this week than you were before."

Edward once more brought his hand up to his chest. "I didn't think you'd noticed."

"I notice everything about you," Bella mumbled, feeling her cheeks turning red.

"Oh." The embarrassment crept into Edward's cheeks, too. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"I think we need to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with everyone, but especially Carlisle. Alice has been keeping shit locked up inside for too long and now, it's tearing her apart. And I worry that she'll hurt herself or . . . or Jasper."

Edward's eyes closed, but he nodded. "Me too. I guess I didn't see how much she was holding inside. Should have made sure she got help, too."

"You were kind of busy recovering from open heart surgery."

"I'm always recovering from open heart surgery," he scoffed.

Bella wasn't sure what to say. He'd had more than his fair share of crap thrown at him and she knew his health was still an issue for him, just as hers was for her.

"I should probably let you get back to work," he said, suddenly. "Text me when you're done and I'll meet you for dinner over at the caf, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," she murmured. "I love you."

Edward smiled and leaned across the counter, kissing her lips once more. "I love you, too."

Bella watched him walk out of the bookstore before turning her attention back to her studies, but the words seemed like nonsense. Alice needed them, but she was just selfish enough not to want to help. Hadn't she and Edward been through enough?

—WH—

Maggie relieved Bella of bookstore duty a few hours later and she gathered her stuff and sent Edward a text, letting him know that she was on her way. His response was immediate. When she arrived at the dining hall, she found him sitting with James, Victoria, Tyler, and Lauren. It had taken a few weeks, but their four new friends seemed to have realized that Bella and Edward weren't fragile. Sure, there were times when they still found themselves being smothered, especially when it was cool and rainy outside, but Bella and Edward had resigned themselves to the fact that they weren't going to the normal, carefree life they'd always wanted. Not yet, anyway.

There were two trays already in front of Edward, causing her to smile. He was always waiting for her, usually with food. He didn't want her waiting in long lines, said her time was important and he wanted to make her life easier. It was important to him, so Bella didn't make it an issue. This was his way of taking care of her.

"Hey, sorry, I'm late." Bella dropped her bag in the floor next to the empty chair and sat next to Edward. She leaned over and kissed him chastely. "Thank you for getting me food. I'm starving."

Edward laughed. "I knew you would be. You rushed through lunch and barely ate anything for breakfast, and coffee doesn't count."

"You two are so cute,' Lauren cooed, turning and glaring at Tyler. "Why can't you be more like him?"

Tyler groaned and glared at Edward. "Thanks, man, for making me look bad."

"Don't blame me because you can't woo your woman." Edward smirked and nudged one of the trays of food toward her. He knew Bella well, she thought. A baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits, a small hamburger steak, green beans, and a cup of mixed fruits, all of which she loved. It was high in fat and calories, but she didn't care. She'd lived through too much to care about little things like that.

"Whatever," Tyler scoffed and turned back to Lauren, who was pretending to be pissed at her husband. Bella knew better, however. She loved the man sitting next to her. He was her everything and she meant the world to him. "Babe, don't be like that. I do sweet shit all the time for you."

"Sweet shit?" Lauren laughed, her southern accent thicker when she was amused. "And what, exactly, was this sweet shit you've done for me?"

"I . . ." Tyler paused for a moment as he thought. His lips curved into a smile. "I cleaned the bathroom yesterday."

"Cleaned the bathroom? Lauren snickered, while everyone else laughed loudly. "Babe, I love you, but wiping the pee that hits the floor because you miss the bowl, isn't exactly cleaning."

Tyler's cheeks turned bright red as he fell back in his seat. James and Victoria were laughing so hard, they were almost crying, and Edward had shifted in his chair so that he was facing Bella, but he, too, was laughing at their friend. Bella and Edward's eyes met, and in a brief second, a heartbeat, they were the only two people in the room.

"Dude," James choked out between peals of laughter. "That's nasty."

"No, shit," Victoria teased, placing her hand on James' back and patting him a few times to keep him from choking. "Not that this one can say anything. He misses half the time, too."

"Vic!" James exclaimed.

"Especially after morning sex," she added, causing Lauren and Tyler to burst out laughing as James blushed crimson. Victoria giggled and shifted her attention to Bella and Edward, smiling wickedly. "Come on, girl, tell me that one isn't as perfect as he seems."

"Um," Bella thought for a minute, but couldn't really think of anything. No, Edward wasn't perfect, but she loved every part of him: the good, the bad, and the ugly. "He drools in his sleep sometimes? I guess I don't really pay that much attention to his bathroom habits."

"Aw," Victoria and Lauren cooed, while James and Tyler rolled their eyes.

"That's disgusting. Edward, bro, you need to start pissing everywhere. Leaving your socks on the floor, something that makes you just as disgusting as us."

Edward chuckled, softly. "Sorry, no can do. My momma raised me better than that."

James and Tyler continued to pester Edward about being a real man while they finished their dinner and headed back to the dorms. It was nice, not being treated like freaks. Maybe, just maybe, Bella hoped, they wouldn't be the odd man out anymore.

"Goodnight, y'all," Lauren cooed, dragging Tyler down the hallway toward their apartment.

"Don't hurt him," James called out, earning him a smack on the chest from Victoria. "Honey, you injured me."

"You'll survive," she teased, but turned and faced their apartment door. She unlocked it and pushed it open. Grabbing him by the back of his shirt, she tossed him into their apartment. The wicked look in her eyes as she followed made it clear that James was going to be a happy man in the morning. Strangely enough, it didn't bother Bella that they were open about their sex lives. That's what friends were supposed to do, right?

Bella followed Edward into their apartment, dropping her backpack on the floor next to the door. Raising her arms over her head, she stretched, the bottom of her shift lifting up her stomach. Edward was immediately wrapped around her, his face nestled into the crook of her neck.

"You're being extremely affectionate tonight, Mr. Cullen," Bella murmured.

"Am I usually an asshole?" he asked, leaning back and cocking an eyebrow.

"No," she admitted. "What's on your mind? I can tell you're thinking about something."

Edward sighed. "I talked to Carlisle today."

"About Alice?"

He shook his head. "Figured that was a conversation we needed to have in person. Told him that we needed to talk to him, Esme, Emmet, and Rose. He said they'd meet us here tomorrow. I'm just kind of nervous."

Bella bit the inside of her lip. "Me, too, but we need to do this, right? For Alice and Jasper's sake."

"I just wish it didn't feel like I was betraying Pix by going behind her back like this."

"She'll forgive you," Bella lied.

"No, she won't, but I can't sit around and watch her kill herself, either."

Bella agreed, but knew the journey wasn't going to be easy. Not for them, and not for Alice.