AN: So I managed another one in time for christmas. And who knows, maybe you'll get another one before new years? Wink Wink.

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Deadly Affection – Reimagined

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. I just play around with them.

Chapter 18: Precarious Verification

Bella PoV

When I first came back to conscience, the first thing that filtered through my addled mind was the temperature of the room. It was cold. Blinking rapidly, the roof came into focus, with it's familiar lines being exactly where I remember them. Feeling out my body, there was no pain, but I felt cold all over. And really hungry.

Sitting up with intent, I looked to the window. Open. Then I looked down on my body. Not a single thread. I saw the comforter lying beside the bed, seemingly tossed aside. I got up and looked around my room for my clothes, only to find none. All I saw was the bags filled with the things I had bought, and was gifted.

Putting my head through the window, I looked for the signs. This time though, there were no obvious brown spots on the grass, and from what I could see, no fabric that had been ripped apart. I did notice it was still dark out, and the clouds didn't let through much light. Trying to flex my second sight, I pushed the range out to see if there was any dark spots. Doing so brought forth a tingle of a headache, but I noticed the range was much further than I remember. Yet there was no dark spots. I closed the window, having given up finding an answer from up here.

Going back to my nightstand, I tried to find my phone. Only to see that it wasn't there. What. The fuck.

Anger started building up, and I felt a rising lust for wrecking my bed, tossing it into the wall to express my frustration. But I know better. Charlie was sleeping in the other room, so obviously it was sometime in the night, or early morning. No need to make him have to deal with this right now.

I filtered through the bags, picking out a set of clothes and got dressed. I had the inkling that my phone missing and me waking up naked was both from the same reason. Sometime in the night, I had gotten up and left the house, feeding on energy out in the woods somewhere. I balked at the thought that I might have killed something.

I made my bed, being careful to not ruin anything, in an effort to calm down. Thankfully, the comforter wasn't ripped anywhere, so there was that. Sneaking downstairs, first thing I did was check out what the time was. Three in the fucking morning. Why me? I quickly threw together a cheese sandwich to staunch my hunger, and sat down to eat.

Closing my eyes as I chewed, I tried to remember anything from the end of last night. It hadn't been that late in the evening when we left from Port Angeles, maybe half past five or something. That means we should have been home at about seven, but I can't even remember getting out of there car. It's just gone. There's nothing from when I left the house, unlike when it happened in Phoenix. So I had no way to know where the hell my phone is. Brilliant.

When I was done with the first sandwich, I made myself another one. The gnawing hunger had toned down enough to ignore, but I figured another helping would remove it completely. And I found myself getting a glass of water, holding it up to drink, only to flinch away from it. Like I expected it to burn me or something. But it hadn't been an issue to have a bath yesterday, so what the hell?

I ignored the temptation to put my finger in it to test, and just drank it down without another thought. No issue, no burning. Seriously, what was this thing doing to me? Giving me signs of being affected by rabies? The anger lingered underneath the surface, as I had to come up with a plan.

Alice could probably be useful. Would be another set of eyes, if I had to run into the forest to find out where I had sucked an area dry. But I don't have a way to contact her. We don't have a landline in the house. And besides, she was probably busy with something. Or else she'd be here. Maybe.

It would have been fun if she came with. Even after last night, I wanted to see her again. And I knew that it was just tormenting myself, having the temptation so close by, but I couldn't help it. I was hopeless to stop myself. I'm just hopeless, period. Unbelievable.

In a daring attempt to get a hold of her, I snuck into Charlie's room. I'm reminded that his door really needs to be oiled, as it's begins creaking loudly when I try to open it. Dad didn't even flinch though, and I suppose his loud snoring had something to do with that. He had his clothes folded onto a chair he had close to the door, and at first I tried to check if the phone was in his pocket. I just felt stupid when I looked to his nightstand, and saw it clearly lying there. Doesn't mean shit that I can see well in the dark, when I don't know how to look around. I'm never finding my stuff on my own. I frown at myself finding another excuse to call Alice.

Charlie did stop snoring as deeply when I walked up to him though, which scared me. What the fuck was even up with me. Why was I doing this?! But I pressed on, taking his phone gently off the nightstand, and walking back outside. I didn't bother closing his door, as I knew I'd have to put it back in a bit.

Having gotten downstairs again, I found myself facepalming over another issue. I had managed to unlock the phone, thanks to dad only using the basic locking combination. Really, the Sheriff should probably know better, right?

My issue though, was that I didn't actually know Alice's number. She had put her contact info into my phone on her own, and Charlie didn't have her in his contact list. A brief idea of calling Carlisle popped up, and I even looked up his info, before deciding against it. He was the leader of their coven, and while I didn't want to make it seem like I was hiding anything from him, I felt more comfortable if only Alice knew of it. If it was something that was worth his time, she would tell him for me. Or she could cover for me, the little minx.

So how to get a hold of her. She has vision, and it was easier for her to see me now. She'd seen me just lying in bed contemplating stuff. How that even works, I don't know. Is she perhaps on her way here already, having seen me wanting to contact me? Can she see me wanting to contact her, when I don't have her information? Overpowered vampires are so broken, I can't tell what is possible, even when I know what they can do.

Oh right, if she knew I wanted to contact her, but couldn't, she'd try to call me first, right? But was my number still working? I tried to find my own contact info, and hit dial. For a few seconds it was silent, before I got the message that the phone number I tried to call, was not in use. That doesn't bode well for my phone.

So, if Alice did try to call me, she couldn't. Does she know my dads number? Surely she could get it from Carlisle if she wanted. That is, if she wanted to clue him in to that I was hard to reach. So maybe that's why she hadn't called Charlie's phone yet. She doesn't have the number.

Getting up, I looked around the kitchen and found a piece of paper and a pen, then I wrote my dads number down. I felt incredibly stupid, looking at the number written down, hoping Alice would somehow understand. So I wrote down 'call me' underneath the number, and was about to put the paper up to my face, only for it to ring.

I nearly jumped at the sound, clamoring to silence the sound so that Charlie wouldn't wake. So with a hoarse whisper, I answered the unknown number. ''Alice? Is that you?'' Of course it would be her stupid, who else would call Charlie at three in the morning, that wasn't listed?

''Yeah, it's me. What's up Dopey?'' Alice teased, her tinkling laughter following quietly after. From the sound of it, she was lying down. I suddenly felt like I was intruding, and at a loss for words to explain my situation. Though I felt somewhat calmer about my predicament for some reason.

''I'm not Dopey. I'm up at three in the morning. I can grant that it seems I had a bout with narcolepsy last night, but I blame you for that. But that's not why I'm calling.'' I argue, trying my best to keep to a whisper. Knowing how I have a tendency to get really riled up at times, I move myself to the porch, being careful to close the door gently.

''The reason I'm calling is to ask for your help. I don't remember anything after we got to the car yesterday, and now I can't find my phone.'' I speak into the cold morning air, seeing my breath become mist in front of me.

''That isn't too weird, considering you passed out. Did you know you speak in your sleep?'' Alice teased, and I felt the blood drain from my face. What the hell did I say? Oh please don't tell me I made a fool of myself. ''It wasn't anything too bad. You just didn't want me to stop petting you.'' Alice said with a laugh, this time not even trying to keep it hidden. I felt torn between wanting to throw the phone away and finding a hole to die in, and listening to her heavenly laughter.

''Wait, why were you petting me?'' I questioned, not understanding how that would come to be if I passed out in the back seat. ''And what kind of petting are we talking about?'' I added for clarification. Surely Alice didn't mean that kind of petting, right?

She just laughed harder, and it sounded like she struggled to hold the phone still. ''Don't you remember using my thighs as a pillow? Really, the daughter of the Sheriff should know better than to lie down in a car without a seat belt on.'' Alice admonished, and this time all the blood came rushing back to my head, as a blush this time. I did what now? Surely some vampire trickery was involved. ''And I know I'm not the right person to call out your choice of pillow, seeing as I don't sleep. But you really ought to find something softer.''

I felt speechless for a good while, trying to reign in all the conflicting thoughts running through my mind. She didn't mind me using her as a pillow? She was joking about me sleep talking. Was she a good pillow?

''Aaaanyway. My issue is that I can't find my phone. How did I get to bed?'' I had to change the topic, or else I'd really have to dig a hole. My heart probably wouldn't mind getting a small break either.

''Oh, Rosalie had to carry you inside. I really wanted to do it, but she said your dad would take note of that, with me being me.'' Alice said with a huff that told me she was frowning. Did this tiny terror really enjoy messing with me that much?

I just had to push past it. It did occur to me that I hadn't actually checked my wardrobe to see if Rosalie had undressed me and put my clothes in there. A quick look with my second sight and I could tell that my phone wasn't there at least, as that would have stood out. And it didn't connect when I tried to call it earlier either.

''Right. So she just placed me down on my bed, and left?'' I asked her, trying to piece together the events that had transpired.

''I don't know, did we?'' Alice teased back, and I felt the blush creep up again at the thought. They had both been in my bedroom. They wouldn't do anything to me if I was out of it, right? ''Yeah, she just helped you get on the bed and left. Charlie thought we had been out drinking because of your state, so he made a fuzz about it. But when he saw the amount of bags I was carrying, he eased up. He actually looked quite pale'' Alice explained. Huh, what would Charlie have said if he had come along yesterday I wonder. Screaming bloody murder, most likely. Or maybe not, seeing as that was part of his occupation.

''Great. That means it's most likely somewhere out in the woods.'' I said with exasperation, kind of hoping she'd suggest to help instead of having to ask her. But it didn't come for a full breath, so I had to suck it up. This little imp most certainly knew I would ask, so why she made me have to do it was beyond me. Then thoughts of what other couples would spend their nights doing, if they didn't have to sleep, crossed my mind. I immediately balked at the notion, and pressed on. She could decide well on her own what she wanted to do.

''Would you come over and help me look, if you're not busy with something?'' I asked tentatively. Wait, why didn't Alice see me when I went out earlier? Wouldn't she have been concerned about that?

''Sure, I'll be there in a few minutes. See you soon!'' She said, and hung up before I had a chance to respond. I wasn't sure if I should find it rude, or to be thankful she dropped everything in her hands to come help me. Again, I balked, thinking what that could have been.

I spent the next few minutes putting the phone back, and eating some more. Seriously, this need to eat so damn much was starting to get to me right about now. As I cleaned up all the crumbs and put everything back in the fridge, a small figure came into my range. She waited patiently outside the door without a sound, but when I opened the door she smiled like there was no tomorrow. What is going on with this woman? Did Rosalie give her ideas about going on trips in the forest at night with me or something?

''Thanks for coming to help me look. I'm sorr-'' I started to say, only to be interrupted by the tiny terror that was Alice.

''Oh don't worry about it. I enjoy spending time with you.'' Alice stated plainly, her smile not fading in the slightest. I on the other hand, nearly smash the door closed. I would have, if not for Alice. It was just getting silly at this point, how I reacted to her presence.

Not trusting my capability to speak at the moment, I lead her around the house to where I would have landed. Looking into the forest with my senses, I still couldn't find any clues as to what direction I had gone.

''I can't see anything to hint where I was headed. Think you can track my scent?'' I asked Alice, who looked at me funny.

''You honestly don't remember?'' She said in disbelief, but she did not wait for an answer. Instead she moved forwards towards the trees, motioning for me to follow. ''Something smells off about your scent. Like it's more intense, and with a slightly different aroma.'' Alice said without looking back at me.

Now what in the world was I supposed to do with that information? Ask the internet why my supernatural fucked up powers make me smell weird when I didn't even have control of my body? What?

Instead, I kept silent and followed her into the woods. Like she was a bloodhound I had summoned for a single reason, to be dismissed shortly after. I didn't want it to seem like that, so I searched for something to fill the void.

''You didn't see me go out in the middle of the night?'' I asked, stumbling over my words. She turned her head to look at me before responding.

''I didn't no. Though I suppose I wasn't looking, as I thought you'd be asleep.'' Alice said in response, slowing down slightly and moving so that I walk beside her instead of behind. She was probably busy with other things at the time anyway.

''By the way, is it normal for you to pass out like that?'' Alice asked. I actually hadn't thought about that. It's not really normal for a person to just pass out like that, is it. And I hadn't been low on energy for any reason before that either. I was pretty much stocked after my run in with Rosalie in the morning, and I hadn't used any between then and shopping. So why did that take so much out of me?

''It's the first time that's happened to me. Good thing you were there, although you're most likely to blame.'' I teased, nudging her shoulder with mine. She just huffed with a smile and kept walking. I noticed that we we're heading almost parallel to the path where I trained, as it was within the range of my second sight. It wasn't void of life however, so that wasn't where I had ended up. Hopefully the part of me that had been in control knew to go quite a lot further now. Not that I expected much.

''Do you have any theory on why you make this treks in the night?'' She asked, her tone much more upbeat than it had been. I wonder what was going through her mind.

''Not really. At first I thought it might just be my powers manifesting. Maybe some sort of active self-defense that forced me to increase my reserves of energy, preparing for a fight. Or it could be an emergency re-fueling sort of deal, though I don't know why it would act up last night if that was the case.'' I pondered out loud. I really had no clue why it happened, all I know is that I was getting fucking tired of waking up to another set of clothes being destroyed. Or having my phone missing, in this case.

''So it wasn't just an excuse for wanting to hang out with me?'' Alice teased back, sticking her tongue out at me for good measure. Not that I was against the idea of hanging out, but I think I'd prefer it not being in this scenario.

''What, did you have something better to do?'' I teased back, mimicking her childishly. As it processed, I felt stupid for asking. If she did in fact have something she'd been busy with, I'd just feel guilty for pulling her away from it.

''Nope!'' She responded with cheer, grinning as we kept walking. I couldn't be sure if she said that to ease my reaction, if she had foreseen it. The cynical part of me wanted to interpret it so. But I felt I should give Alice the benefit of the doubt. I sure felt better believing she just wanted to spend time with me.

Nearly a minute of walking in silence later, I caught a glimpse of darkness in my senses. Just a little to the north of our current path, maybe a hundred meters away. And with each step, I grew more and more nervous.

''I can see it, up that way.'' I whispered, pointing in the direction of the void. Even twenty meters further down the path, and the width of destruction was still growing. I stopped in my tracks, grabbing a hold of Alice's wrist. She turned to me with confusion on her face, and I knew why.

It was perhaps irrational of me, but I didn't want to face the facts of what I was sensing. And I didn't want Alice to see either. I felt scared, imagining her reaction to it.

''What's the matter?'' Alice asked, concern evident in her voice. She had made no move to make me loosen my grip, instead turning to face me fully. Her other hand clasped gently at my shoulder. A comforting move, though I felt the need to get away from her. I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want her to hurt me.

I just wanted to forget about this. To dream that I was just back in my bed, sleeping.

What would she think, when she saw that.

Get a fucking grip!

Anger flared through me, and I pulled away from Alice roughly. Walking up to the biggest tree I could find, I flared the cloak up around my right arm and punched as hard as I could. Splinters flew from the impact, several small cuts opening up, and some even embedding in my skin. Within seconds, they popped out and the wounds healed.

The red glow disappeared as I forced the cloak back, focusing on taking deep breaths to calm down. To center myself again. Why had I acted like that. They had already accepted me, as I was. This wasn't anything new.

Just worse, I thought sarcastically as the beast backed down again.

''I'm sorry. I panicked.'' I said before turning around, knowing perfectly well that she could hear me anyway. The distrustful look on her face was uncomfortable, although not unexpected. ''Just... Follow me.'' I said quietly, pumping my legs up with energy and speeding in the direction of the destruction.

A few seconds later I was standing at the edge, gaping at the result. And gagging from the smell. The small flecks of dirt down in Phoenix was nothing compared to this. An area spanning what I would guess to be around thirty to forty meters in diameter, with dozens upon dozens of trees ranging from a couple of meters, to those once towering up in the canopy. All of them dead, looking ready to snap and fall at any moment. The trunks bending and twisting from what I had done. Not an inkling of energy were left, even down in the roots beneath the ground. I was actually nervous to walk into this glade of horror, for fear that I'd be crushed under the remains.

''Ohh.'' Was Alice's reaction as she stopped a few steps beside me. How eloquent. I also noticed she had stopped breathing. What a nifty ability to have right now.

''Yeah.'' My response wasn't much better. I was still processing. ''What are the odds I can walk in and look for my phone without killing myself?'' I asked, without looking towards the tiny clairvoyant.

She didn't respond in words, instead walking a bit into the area and pushing on one of the bigger trees. It didn't look like she made much effort of it, but the resounding crack answered my question. Her hand was still hanging in the air as it fell into a second tree that made the same sound, and then a third. Like dominoes, six trees in a row ended up shattering like glass to the forest floor. A few more nearby fell just from the vibration of the ground, or the air pressure created.

''Could I ask you to find it for me?'' I asked, once the silence once again settled, hoping she'd understand why. Again she didn't voice a reply, instead just moving ahead. ''It should be at the center.'' I called after her, immediately feeling stupid for doing so. It was kinda obvious.

While I saw her flitting about near the center, brushing away a layer of fine dust and needles that had settled, I tried to spot anything that hadn't been a plant structure once. To see if I had killed anything else, like I had promised myself I would never do.

Try as I might, it was just about impossible to discern any shapes with my second sight. Everything was just dark. The trees I could mostly make out, with the ones outside the area still being orange, showing me the outlines. But anything on the forest floor and below was harder. I had to physically walk around, just outside the edge to look with my own two eyes.

I had only made it around a quarter of the circle, before Alice walked up to me. In her hands two pieces of crumbling corroded metal, and some clumps of plastic. Upon closer inspection, having picked it out of her hand, I recognized the first two as the remains of my phone, and my keys. The last was he remains my wallet. Fucking perfect. I hadn't even thought of those. I didn't even think to lock up when I left the house.

The plastic of the phone seemed to have melted off, leaving mostly just the metal wiring of the circuit board which was corroded. The shell of what used to be the battery was completely riddled with holes. As if tendrils had bored into it to suck out the energy, which kind of made sense. The keys didn't seem as damaged, probably just being damaged from the contact as it didn't hold any energy. But they were still mangled beyond use.

The wallet was what confused me however, with it looking like it had been cut at odd lines. Trying to open the raggedy thing, I noted that the cash that had been in it was shredded in some places. I knew that paper currency had hidden ink and stuff, so that the banks could find counterfeit money being distributed. That's the only thing I could think of that could make sense of the marks. But I had never noticed that it held any energy. Perhaps something to do with the chemicals in the ink?

''I'm not sure we should tell the others...'' Alice said, filling the silence. I looked into her eyes, searching for what she was thinking. What I wouldn't give to have Edward's ability right now. Was she scared of me? I wouldn't blame her. She was the clairvoyant though, so she should know what to do. Unless this was one of the things where her family actually had to consider their options before knowing how to proceed, effectively making her power useless.

It had been my first thought when I saw what I had done here, to keep it hidden. To not even let Alice see it. If I did, she would have most certainly come back to check at a later date. She was a vampire after all, there was nothing I could do that would stop her.

If any of her family came across this part, which wasn't that hard to imagine happening, it would be no problem for them at all to trace it back to my house. They'd know I was involved. Depending on how long it would take any of the to discover this place, they would probably know Alice was here with me. They'd know we were trying to cover it up. That'd only cause more suspicion, and increase the likelihood of a bad outcome.

So that wasn't an option. Better to stand my ground and tell them that this was in fact how dangerous I was. They weren't safe around me. I had never done it consciously, though I had managed it once while I was awake. If I lost control again while they were around, it was only fair that they knew the danger.

Alice tilted her head sideways as she was looking at me. She'd probably seen the conclusion I had ended up at. What I would say. She just nodded her head, biting her lip briefly before she picked up her phone and made the call. As she strolled a few steps away, speaking in rapid fashion, I found a small rock to sit on.

It would be a while before they got here. It's going to be a hard few minutes, that much I could tell already. The butterflies were churning those sandwiches earlier, making me feel like puking.

Alice sat down on the ground in front of me, looking thoughtful. Probably looking into the future for any clues. I wanted to ask her for any insight into what I could say. How we could proceed, to make this work out. But in this decision, she was on the side of her family. I wouldn't even attempt to sway her to my side in this, as I hope they would never do to me regarding Charlie.

So we sat in silence, with only the sound of my breathing to accompany us. And probably the hammering of my heart, in Alice's case.

I tried to imagine what their reactions would be. One wasn't that hard to guess. Edwards would probably have a conniption. How loudly he would voice his distrust was yet to see. I didn't really know what Jasper would say. Would he oppose to Alice being so close to me, after he had seen the devastation I could bring? We had only interacted a couple of times, and even then he hadn't been very... wordy.

How would Rosalie and Emmett react? It brought a brief smile to my face, thinking of Emmett's reaction. If it ended up being just one word, my bet would be 'wicked'. Rosalie was another deal, with her acting like a defender in dangerous situations. She had been playful and kind after they accepted me. But she also gave me the impression that she thought things through, imagining every possible outcome that could come to fruition. Would this make her change her mind? Would she start to act different?

The elder vampires were even harder to guess than Jasper. I've only met Carlisle three times in total, and all of them brief. From what I've seen, he was very charismatic and charitable. But he was also very cunning. That much was clear in how he dealt with the shifters. I didn't really have enough of an impression of how he acts to know how he would react. It was even worse with his wife, Esme. I'd only seen her twice, and during one of those she had been ready to fight. First impression could be summed up to mama bear. Which probably didn't bode well.

The last one was Alice. She hadn't said a word about the issue, other than try to hide it. Which could be interpreted both ways, if she wanted to distance herself after we'd left this place. I tried to inspect her, analyze her stance. She looked comfortable where she sat, not leaning away from me in any noticeable way. Her face was neither set in anger or fear, though the smile was also gone. The smile that I enjoyed to see so much. That would probably be what I would miss the most, that and her laughter. I think I'd even miss Rosalie's persistent teasing.

Alice turned her head in the direction we had come from at the same time as I first saw them. They were running together at high speed, and within seconds they were visible. Most of them were drawn towards the destruction. Everyone beside Jasper, who approached us.

''Ladies.'' He greeted, holding out a hand to help Alice stand up. I suppressed the sting inside me, knowing there was probably more to come. No need to fret about it yet.

''Hey Jas.'' Alice said, giving him a hug, before they both faced me. I saw Jasper looking at me as if he was trying to understand something, before he glanced over his shoulder for a brief second.

''You okay Bella?'' He asked as he turned back to me. What a silly question for an empath to ask.

''Oh I'm fabulous. Can't you tell?'' I responded with sarcasm. If it served any useful purpose to be aggressive at this point, I couldn't tell. But it felt safer to try to distance myself from the beginning. Not that he, or any of them deserved it. I did see Emmett grin to Rosalie. A mote of joy lit up at that, but it was quickly squashed.

''You did this?'' Edward hissed, as if I didn't know he'd react in this way from the start. Carlisle held up his hand to silence him, which seemed to work as his shoulders dropped. What did the brat think he could tell me, that I hadn't thought of myself? Again I was reminded that even though they were older, it didn't mean they were more rational.

''I was told that this had stopped happening. And that when it did happen, the outcome was not this severe.'' The elder vampire voiced calmly, all eyes looking to him as he spoke. His face didn't betray any emotion, no tell that could inform me what he was thinking.

So I stepped forwards to the rest of the vampires, who were standing in a semi-circle near the edge. I stared at the ground, trying to come up with an answer. I looked to Alice with my second sight, to see if I could tell what she was thinking. For naught, other than a tight-lipped smile, she was like a statue.

Honest truth then. It was how I had dealt with them the last time, so why not stick to it. ''I don't know what causes me to do this. I'm not even sure I could replicate it if I tried. And as to why it's so much worse than last time, I'm not sure of that either. It could be that I'm just that much more powerful than I was back in Phoenix. Or that there's so much more energy close together that it sustained the process for longer.'' I said clearly, feeling like I was on trial. I would have felt completely alone, if not for Alice standing much closer than the rest. Though Jasper had moved to stand between us.

Carlisle seemed to think it through, before he shared a look with Esme who had leaned into him. The look they shared seemed to convey their feelings, though I could not tell what they were. Seconds passed, before they both turned to me. Esme was even smiling. The naiveté. How infuriating.

Feeling emboldened by my anger, I took a step forward. ''Can't you see what that means? That is what I do!'' I nearly shouted, pointing towards the void. ''I'm dangerous!'' Why I nearly growled the words, I did not know. Do I want them to hate me? It would be easier than getting their sympathy. But I don't want to be alone.

Esme challenges me, also taking a step forwards, but her face doesn't harden. ''Would you ever harm us intentionally?'' She asked softly, tilting her head slightly sideways.

''No. Never intentionally. But I can't seem to control this.'' I whispered, feeling the anger fade again. I looked between the rest of them, taking in their expressions. None of them seemed angry. Only somber. ''I could hurt someone. I could kill someone.'' I say in a last ditch attempt to convince them. The obvious hint of it being one of them. None of them seem fazed.

''Oh dearie.'' Esme said, before walking up to me. A cold hand caresses my cheek, and I freeze. ''Don't take this the wrong way, but almost everyone in this clearing has already killed people. All of us regret it. And we never hold it against each other.'' She said quietly, before embracing me.

''But you at least know what you're doing.'' I muttered, standing quite still. I could feel the pressure starting to building behind my eyes.

''It doesn't feel like that, in those moments.'' Esme whispered. The last remains of resistance in me crumbled, and I grabbed onto her tightly, feeling warm tears staining her jacket.

Part of me rejoiced in the fact that she had accepted me, and I realized that she had sort of unofficially adopted me into her family. Another cub for her to defend. Part of me felt guilty that I couldn't share this moment with my own mother, even though she wouldn't understand.

There wasn't a word said between the silent watchers. Edward and Carlisle shared a look, before the former ran off into the night. I felt silly, crying for this nonsense. It was just who I was now. Why should I be scared of that. It dawned on me that I had actually felt scared with what I was becoming, since that first time I realized it was me.

I had worked to push people away, in a sense trying to save them from the danger that I posed. I had lied to, deceived, and even shied away from contact with the people I care for the most. Even Charlie. And in it all, I had blamed it on a figment of my imagination. The beast. When it was all just me.

It was a tough pill to swallow, but I did. No more running from the responsibility that was my life. I was different, but that didn't mean I had to feel ashamed. Time to face the world with my head held high.

I let go of Esme and looked to the people around us. Kind, timid smiles surrounded me. That, and Emmett grinning like he was a kid in a candy store. I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped me, and he just grinned even wider for it.

''I'm sorry if I disturbed anything important. I just thought you ought to see it for yourselves.'' I said to those remaining.

''Think nothing of it dear.'' Esme replied warmly, before walking over to her husband. Even Carlisle didn't seem so intimidating anymore.

Alice bouncing over to me drew my attention, her expression clear as day. She felt guilty, but happy. So she knew all this time what was going to happen. I had been a stick in the mud I guess. So this little encounter was probably something that would improve the path moving forward. I swear, this little imp. Death. Of. Me.

''I'm sor-'' She started before I interrupted her, holding my hand up. Her breath seemed to catch, though if it was for effect or genuine worry, I couldn't tell.

''I understand. I kind of needed that.'' I said before pulling her in for a hug. She seemed surprised by my sudden physical display, but quickly leaned into me. Who knew a vampire could feel so soft. No, bad mind. Boyfriend is right there. Back off. At least the mind reader wasn't around.

Letting her go, Jasper smiled broadly to the both of us. ''She really is quite somethin'.'' He said with a twang, though I couldn't tell who he meant. Surely he must be talking about Alice, yet he was looking at me.

''That she is.'' Alice responded, donning her perfect little smile. ''So now that's done and over with, want to come to our place?'' She asked, turning to me. It felt funny now, thinking of how much trepidation I had felt for going back to their home. All for nothing.

''Yeah, sure.'' I said, feeling quite chipper. The sun was barely starting to light up the horizon, yet I felt like I could take on the world right about now. The only thing I couldn't take on with a straight face, was Emmett playing dominoes with the remains of dead trees, jumping for joy.

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While the rest have taken to destroying the evidence as best they could, Alice and Jasper had followed me back to my place. I wrote a note for Charlie explaining I had gotten up early and gone to visit the Cullen's. I still didn't know how I could even start to make it up to him for how I've acted, but that would come with time. I felt quite sure about that now.

All three of us managed to fit into the cab of my truck, though perhaps teasing Alice with it working out due to the fact that she was about the size of a child was unnecessary. Even Jasper got the stink eye, having laughed just as much as I did from her reaction.

The whole way there, Jasper kept asking me about aspects of what I could do. How if felt to suck out the energy from trees, what it felt like when I had the cloak up, and the like. If I didn't know any better, he had been waiting for a while to be able to ask me these things. Had Alice told him to wait until I got ready to accept it all? I didn't know whether to think of that as coddling or compassion.

In any case, she didn't seem to mind. Alice was more busy with singing along to Perfect by Ed Sheeran. Her soft tones even distracting me mid-answer at points. She seemed totally content, in her own little world. I felt wistful, listening to her.

When we pulled up their driveway, I could see them buzzing around inside the house. Esme seemed to be preparing food in the kitchen, with Carlisle keeping her company. Edward and Emmett were mashing something in their hands, looking at the TV. Maybe playing a game, but I couldn't quite tell. Rosalie was in the garage, lying beneath what I could only guess was a car.

''So, any particulars on the agenda?'' I asked them as we exited the truck. Alice didn't seem to miss a beat as she zipped to my side and took hold of my arm.

''I'm going to show you my room! I want to show you my projects!'' She exclaimed, pulling me along into the house. Jasper even opened the door for us with a smile, which felt odd.

I didn't even get to say hello to anyone, as she dragged me up the stairs to the third floor, and into the room on the left. What greeted me was a mess of papers everywhere, with drawings of different designs of clothing. Four mannequins dressed with intricate layers of cloth held together with safety-pins. One of them looked quite similar to an outfit Alice had helped me pick out just yesterday.

The fact that she had let go of my arm, and was looking intently at me didn't get filtered until then. I managed to look further around the room. The walls were a soft yellow color, which sort of fit with Alice in a way. There was a door in the right-hand corner behind the bed, which looked like it was a bathroom. Though why they would need that, no wait. Vampires probably still liked to shower. And cleaning up after... other... activities.

It didn't do well to dwell on that, so I kept looking. The bed was only a queen size, which I didn't understand the reason for. Not that it seemed to have suffered any damage one would expect. The comforter was neatly folded, and by the looks of it, it had only been used for sitting on top of. A clear impression in the middle roughly the size of one tiny clairvoyant pixie. From there she would have a decent view of all the mannequins standing in front of it. Why a vampire would choose to have a bed here then, instead of a table to better support drawing her ideas, I could not tell. Those were clearly drawn while on the floor, with the pencils being still lying on top of one of them.

Behind Alice there was another room. A walk-in closet apparently, by all the rows of dresses and shoes displayed. In the corner was a shelf filled with books and CD's, and in the middle stood a small stereo. I wonder what she was listening to.

Feeling too curious to contain it, I walked around her and hit power, then play. I probably shouldn't have been surprised to hear some familiar notes, with how carefree she had been singing in the car.

''Perfect.'' I said quietly in tune with the song, and Alice beamed with joy, nearly hopping up and down in place.

Faster than I could react, she pulled me along and twirled me around the room. Time seemed to slow down, as I let the power flow through me, just enough to be able to keep up. The look on her face lit up even brighter, if that was even possible, when she noticed I was paying attention. Her laughter was infectious.

Our movement started to create wind, as proved by drawings starting to flap up into the air. Noticing the problem, Alice slowed to a stop and sat me down on the edge of the bed, before running around a lot faster to pick everything up. Not even five seconds later every paper was stacked neatly in a pile in the closet, before she walked around and sat down next to me.

Not that I was able to appreciate that at first, seeing as I was having trouble making the room stop spinning. I might have been able to focus on her face, but I still suffered from inertia. Do vampires not have a sense of up or down like we do perhaps? Or had their inner ear turned into a solid version of what humans have? I'd have to ask one of them later.

''I'm so glad you like it!'' Alice exclaimed, rocking the bed with her bouncy movement. Does the imp have an off button? It sure would be handy.

''I only have one question. Okay no, I have several. But one that is more pressing than the rest.'' I said, leaning back on the bed with my hands to help the vertigo. ''Why does that outfit look so familiar?'' Pointing to the offending mannequin, I saw her expression turn from happy to guilty. It didn't seem to slow her streak as she zipped to it, and started feeling along the folds with her hands.

''I saw it in a vision a little while back. It was kind of hard to make out, as that was when I couldn't see you clearly. So I tried to make a copy, not that I really knew why. It just felt like I had to do it, you know.'' Alice explained. This version was a much thicker fabric than the almost see-through one she had helped me pick out yesterday. But it had all the same colors, and the layers were stacked in the same way.

''I didn't find anything close to it in any catalog I had, so I tried to make it from memory. But when I saw it yesterday, I knew that had to be the one.'' Her voice sounded almost reverent, as she stroked it. Why in the world? What I wouldn't give to have Edwards power. Perhaps you could help me out later?

It was a long-shot that he'd even speak to me right now, but anyway. ''What could make it so important?'' I whispered, not wanting to break her focus. She only met me with a teasing smile.

''That would be spoilers!'' She chuckled, spinning twice on her way back to the side of the bed. ''Now, any other questions?''

''Does your mate complain about you hogging the room any?'' I asked, not really seeing any signs at all that he had any of his stuff here. Maybe they had separate rooms?

''My mate?'' Alice asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. ''What, Jasper? He's not my mate.'' At seeing me nod, she threw her head back in laughter. ''Why do you think I've been flirting with you all this time then?''

I felt incredibly shocked and stupid, all at the same time. But there had been signs right? ''But Jess said... And what about at school. And last time I was here.'' I managed to mumble through my severe case of the Swan blush.

Her laughter died down after that, looking somewhat guilty. ''I can understand why it would look that way. I'm not gonna lie, we were intimate once, many years ago. And we have remained great friends ever since.'' The way she said it made me feel jealous, though it didn't sting like it once had. ''The reason we stick so close, is because I help him keep his baser impulses in check.'' She explained.

So I guess that means I'm still on the menu for them. Great thing to sort out while we're ahead.

Another question popped into my head then. One that made me uneasy. ''Am I your mate then?'' As soon as I spoke those words, Alice's mood flat out died. Guess she hadn't seen that question coming. The result did tell me the answer though, even as she moved to speak.

''Those of my family lucky enough to have found their mate all told me that when I found that person, I'd know. But I... don't.'' Alice whispered, looking everywhere but at me.

It felt like someone had gut-punched me at first. Then why would she lead me on like this? What was even the point, if she knew we weren't meant to be. Why did she and Jasper ever get together then? To pass the time? Was that all I was to her?

The cynical part of me that I expected to taunt me with this didn't seem to exist in that moment. Instead I felt compelled to look to the little creature sitting next to me. To all her flaws. For all her actions, and manipulations, she was a good person. Anyone would be lucky to have her in their life. I sure felt that.

Even with the darkness she hid within her, caused by her curse. Now I saw that it was even closer to the surface than I'd imagined. She didn't have anyone to hold her, in her vast eternity. And that was another thing. She was practically immortal. While I still had a beating heart. And whether or not the healing capability my powers gave me were diminishing my telomeres, was yet to be determined. I didn't know how long I had. And if I ever died before her, I wouldn't have wanted her to be alone.

I don't want that fate on anyone. So maybe this was sort of a blessing. I would get the privilege of her company. I would be able to help her carry her burden, for as long as she'd have me. And if the worst came to pass, I'd know she'd find someone else to carry the torch, eventually.

A sense of warmth grew in me then, as I reached my conclusion. Suffusing my body with a joy I hadn't felt before. Like the calm pressure that had filled me once before, but so much stronger. Like the surge of strength the power in me usually gave, but more subtle, more determined. Looking upon my hands, I saw a tiny shimmering hue of blue. It was stretched thin, not even a millimeter thick. But the power I felt was undeniable.

With shock, I jumped off the bed and tried to stop it so I wouldn't be left without clothes. Only to realize that it did nothing to them. I put my arm to my sleeve, testing it, only to find that it didn't seem to be bothered. It sort of fazed though the thin screen of blue energy, which stopped my prodding finger flat. Like it was immovable.

''This is new.'' I said to no one in particular, surprised by the chime like quality to my own voice. I sort of sound like Alice now. How strange. Speaking of, what was her take on this.

I turned around to look at her, only to see her eyes completely dilated. Her nose was flaring, and she was breathing deeply. Slowly she moved to stand, teeth bared and jaw shaking with minute movements. And her arms were reaching for me.

Well fuck.

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AN: Would the response to any hate for the cliffhanger, perchance be suited to be along the lines of; Bite me?

Bad pun, I know. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed that. Feel free to tell me what you think. It sort of makes my day. Hopefully it won't be long before you get the resolution of this new development. Happy holidays everyone!