AN:

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, I'm just having fun with its characters.

Thank you Scooterstale for reading and editing this chapter. Your insight is always welcome.

This chapter is specially dedicated to everyone who reviewed last chapter and to all my new readers. I was very surprised with the amount of story alerts I had after posting chapter 16. With those, after so long without updating, I was reassured that there is still someone out there who wants to read this... to all of you - THANK YOU!

Chapter 17

Alice More is in love with Jasper Cullen?

Alice More is in love with Jasper Cullen.

Jesus, Alice is in love with Jasper!

I didn't see that one coming… at all! At first, I have to admit, that particular piece of knowledge freaked me out, but then I thought about Henry's letter and what he wrote about Alice. She wasn't his biological sibling and she wasn't exactly raised at home so any kind of brotherly bond didn't have a fertile ground to grow up in. I could only speculate about a younger Alice, a sixteen year old girl, growing up in private schools and coming home, for good, for the first time and looking at the man who was supposed to be her new big brother. He was very handsome, tall with blond curly hair and icy blue eyes, with strong facial features exuding confidence. To an impressionable young woman he was the epitome of desirable.

I could relate… Who never had a crush on older men while growing up? I remember thinking that the guys from my class in high school were immature and I found them extremely dull. Given that perspective, if she had a crush back then… as the years had gone by the way she felt probably evolved. This probably explained her reluctance to change her name, why she still went by Alice More. Being a Cullen probably meant recognizing a connection that she didn't want to establish in the first place. Henry was wrong, being a real More probably didn't have much to do with it. I was extremely curious about that matter. But, truth to be told, it was none of my business. With that last thought, I felt asleep in the king size bed at More Park, sleeping next to a very unfortunate More.

That name was a cross to bear.

When I woke up, on the 30th of December 2009, Alice was already up and looking guiltily at me.

"Sorry about last night," were her first words to me.

"Forget about it! I had a blast for most of it."

"We owned the dance floor, didn't we?" she asked with a small smile.

"Pretty much, yes."

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I shouldn't have said what I did…"

"I have no idea of what you're talking about…" I said, trying to lighten her mood. I'd never tell anyone, she had to know that.

"About my feelings for…"

"Alice," I interrupted her, "my lips are sealed. I won't tell anyone. Doctors are really good at keeping secrets," I winked at her.

"You're not freaked out because I don't love Jasper the way I should?"

"You said so yourself, he's not really your brother… Anyway, you didn't even grow up together for crying out loud!"

Her eyes widened. "I'm glad you understand, but how do you know that?"

I bit my lower lip. I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't know how much I could tell her.

"Henry told me," I told her truthfully.

"He told you about my family?"

"Yes, he told me what he thought I should know. He truly loved you, you know?"

"I do. I can see why Henry liked you. You make everyone so at ease, I feel like pouring my heart out to you."

"It's something you learn when you take psychiatry," I winked.

"What sort of techniques have you learnt?"

"Not that many. My colleagues thought I was a natural but I couldn't imagine myself working as a psychiatrist all my life."

"So what do you do?"

"I'm a resident in Internal Medicine in Seattle. I'll actually start my residency on the 4th of January."

"Really? And what are you going to do with More Enterprises?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll work something out. In the meantime, I think we should really have some breakfast. What time is it?"

It was noon. Greta was already waiting for me in the library so I excused myself and went to meet her while Alice showered. While I was going downstairs my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"It's J. I have the copies ready for you."

"I'll have John get them, thank you. I'll keep in touch," I said, disconnecting the phone call.

Greta and I scheduled my departure for 8 p.m. from Gatwick and established some details. I would be escorted by the same team that stayed with me in Sydney. I learnt to trust them. John's intervention last night was extremely helpful and it made me really understand the need to have a shadow at all times. Greta was a little surprised that I insisted upon her staying in England. I really wanted to have a family gathering and I would feel terrible having her moved across the globe over the holidays because of me. It was unnecessary, so we both agreed she'd join me in Seattle on the 4th of January.

Half an hour later, Alice and I were sitting in the orangery, her favorite place in the house, when Alice´s phone rang.

"It's Edward…"

I was making my way to leave to give her some privacy, but she held my hand.

"You can stay. I highly doubt you'll learn anything even more compromising about me," she teased.

She was really good-natured.

"Hello, brother dear, how are you this fine morning?"

He must have asked where she was.

"I'm at Bella's. We went out yesterday… Of course he told you… I'm fine, Edward… No, I don't need you to come pick me up… No, I haven't forgotten… he was being pushy… I slept in a bed… What bed? Bella's… Now that you got me thinking about it I'm all hot and bothered… She has that effect on the Mores, doesn't she?" she winked at me and I blushed. "… Yes, she's listening. Ok, I'll tell her. I'll see you later."

"He said the police came to our house to ask him some questions…"

"Good…"

"He gave me a sermon that it wasn't safe for us to go out all alone like that and he was pretty insistent on coming to pick me up. I think he wants to see you."

"I can't say I share the same wish…"

"You know what I wish? That Henry More would have had the good sense to give his prized fortune to charity. That money is what's in the way of you and my brother. If you took that out of the equation he would have wooed you already. He's known to be quite charming. I understand Henry wanted to teach Edward a lesson, maybe his confidence morphed throughout the years into arrogance. I'm the first to admit that my brother doesn't always put others first, but one thing I'm sure of is that he really likes you. He likes you so much that he nearly drowned to save you. He has second degree burns on his feet… Underneath it all he's not a bad person."

"Alice, you're not the person I want to talk to about this. He's your brother, you love him, I get it… I do, I just don't think there's anything we could do… I mean… we went out on a date while he was engaged to someone else…"

"Tanya isn't his fiancée…" she huffed. "She never was! It was a rumor of her own design. Quite pathetic, if you want my opinion."

"And how do you justify what I saw at the a.m. party?" I asked her, genuinely curious as to what she might come up with to justify that one.

"You said that last night. It was quite the catalyst for the numerous rounds of shots we had later. But are you sure?"

"His penis was inside her mouth. Do you need me to be more graphic?"

She made a gag sound.

"Can he get syphilis from a blow job? I'll tell you that woman can go down on anyone, I mean anyone. My brother never had good taste when it comes to women, that's why I was looking forward to the change from blonde bimbo to clever brunette," she winked.

"Stop it, I mean it," I said with a stern voice.

"Fine. I suppose I should get going. We're having a masked ball tomorrow and my mom left me tons of messages to get home in time. I have to finish the dress I designed for Jasper's girlfriend. Apparently she adoooooores my style," she said with a nagging, high pitched voice, imitating the said girlfriend. "She's sickeningly sweet and perfect and she convinced Esme that I should do it. I'd be so proud to wear my little sister's design to the party, she said. I hate her," she confessed while she fought back tears. "What if she's the one? He never introduced anyone to my mom and Carlisle before and he's taking her to a very formal family event with 300 guests. There will be 300 witnesses to my misery, and she'll be there perfect with him, beautiful in my own creation. The first dress I designed had more feathers than a chicken… I wanted her to look like chicken! It was orange and it would be professional suicide, but she'd look like a chicken! And I'd do anything to humiliate her and she hasn't done anything wrong. She could be the patron saint of fashion and I'd still hate her…" she blurted out.

"You needed to get that out, didn't you?" I asked her after three seconds of stupefaction.

"Yes. It's a relief to have someone know. It's been my secret for too long. And now that I shared this with you I think I feel," she hesitated for a few seconds, "lighter."

"It's good to hear that…"

"I know that I should let him go, but I can't. He's always there! Haunting me, reminding me of what I can't have. And you know what hurts the most? He really sees me as his little sister, always watching and protecting and smothering me, like a real big brother. He can be even more possessive than Edward in that way."

"Can I be honest with you?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said wiping her eyes.

"You have to break free, go away, live your life. You're a designer… go to New York, sever those sick ties you have with him. All the possessiveness he showed last night isn't natural. You'll never get over him if you don't put some space between you. The world is expecting you to be his sister and you can't. You've been performing this part for how long?"

"Since I met him," she whispered.

She was so broken it was hard to look at her. It killed me to know that she was sharing this with me, nearly a stranger, because she didn't have anyone else. I didn't know how to help her, but I knew that staying with those people wasn't the answer. Could her mother really be that blind? Even though I had my differences with Renée, she could always tell when I was infatuated with someone.

"Come with me," I said, standing up.

"Where are we going?" she asked confused.

"You're spending New Year's Eve with me, in Forks. You'll sleep on the best couch in Washington State and you'll meet very tall, dark and handsome native Americans in the process. Do you want to get some clothes from your house or do you want to go shopping?"

"You're serious?"

"As a heart attack. Now stop pitying yourself and let's do something about it."

"I need to go home. I have a little studio in the back of the main house where I keep some of my designs. I have the dress there I was supposed to wear tomorrow and Mindy's dress. It´ll look good on you, she's a little shorter but you can wear smaller heels and it'll be fine. I'd have to tighten it a little in the chest… I suppose you're not much into silicone," she teased.

"I can't have Molly's dress…" I told her truthfully.

"It's Millie!" she corrected me.

"Maybe it's Mandy," I suggested chuckling at our silly joke, "and I don't want to look like a chicken!" I said, feigning horror.

"I'm not giving you the chicken dress," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm going to give you the one my mom forced me to make… She can still have the orange one, though," she smiled wickedly.

"We have a plan!" I was feeling like a teenaged brat and loved every minute of it. "We have to leave for the airport at 5 p.m. so that gives you a little over two hours. I'm going to pack a few things and then we're good to go."

"We have to go in stealth mode. I'll call my mom later from the airport saying that I'm ok, otherwise I'll never hear the end of it. We can go there on our way to the airport."

"Sure, let me just get my stuff."

I remember mid stairs that I had yet to call my uncle. He was worried and was very disappointed when I told him I was leaving. I promised I'd comeback as soon as possible and that I'd bring Emmett next time.

It only took me ten minutes to get my things. Everything was already packed.

As we were on our way to Alice's house, she was positively beaming when she said"I'll tell everyone that you came by to see some of my designs and to choose something to wear tomorrow, ok?"

"Aren't you too old to be sneaking out?" I asked her.

"A little, but I really don't feel like having a discussion right now."

"With that plan, I'll have to go inside…"

"Of course, you do. Don't worry, you'll love my parents."

"That's not what I'm afraid of…" I trailed off.

"Edward might be there," she said, answering my silent question. "You just have to go in, be fabulous and come out."

As simple as that.

John opened the door for us and we headed inside. The house was modern, three stories high and it seemed like a palace of glass, not at all what I expected for an Earl's residence. I went up the front stairs with my hands in my pockets to hide the fact they were sweaty. I was afraid how they might receive me. I didn't want to be there. I was still surprised about how easily I bonded with Alice. I admired her, in a way.

We were escorted to a beautiful living room where a striking fireplace, that dominated the room, was lit in the center. Around it were sitting several familiar faces having tea.

"Hey Mom," Alice greeted. Everyone's faces turned in our direction.

"Good afternoon," Lady Cullen said politely, standing up. She was clearly surprised and it took her a few seconds to react. "I believe we were introduced before, Dr. Swan. It's nice to see you again."

"Lady Cullen, how do you do?" I said, greeting her with the most formal tone I could muster.

"I'm good, dear. Would you like to join us for tea? You remember my husband?" she finally asked.

I nodded and shook his hand.

"Mom," Alice said, interrupting us, "Bella came here because she needs a dress for tomorrow night. I told her I had the perfect dress for her. I'm going to get a couple of dresses for you to choose from. I'll be right back." And with that she left me in the most awkward situation I have ever been in.

I was avoiding to look into the couch in my right. Even though I wasn't looking in his direction, his piercing green eyes were on me.

"Bella," Edward said, making a gesture to take my hand, that I quickly avoided, his eyes narrowing slightly at the rejection, "let me introduce you to my brother, Jasper, and his girlfriend Madeline."

"We met yesterday. How do you do?" I asked nodding in their direction. My voice came out flat and detached.

"Please, dear," Lady Esme said trying to break the tension, "have a cup of tea with us."

I sat awkwardly in the available spot next to Edward, placing as much distance between us as humanely possible, and pretended to drink. I wasn't really fond of tea and Edward smirked, sensing my discomfort. Did I tell him before that I hated tee? He leaned slightly in my direction. His presence was a little inebriating. I really didn't have to try much to smother any hatred I felt for him. I was never fond of feeding dark feelings inside me, I always felt like they consumed me, taking the best of me. I had every reason to dislike him and yet I still reacted instinctively to his presence. It was something raw, I felt it too in Australia.

I didn't hate him because I couldn't.

"I hear you're a doctor," Carlisle began, interrupting my musings.

"Yes," I said, taking advantage of the excuse to put down my tea. "I'm a resident in Internal Medicine in Seattle."

"That's lovely. We're colleagues, I don't know if Alice mentioned that I'm a general surgeon."

"Really?" It really took me by surprise.

"Yes, why the surprise?" he asked a little offended.

"I thought you had some sort of business to run. That teaches me to never assume much."

"I leave all family businesses to Jasper and Edward now. I work full-time as a doctor since they took over things," he said, smiling.

"I'm happy to hear that," I told him honestly.

"You won't be working as a doctor anymore from now on, will you, Belinda? I'm sorry honey, what's your name again?" That Mollie was really something… she was giving me a superior look, eyeing me and pausing to stare at my sneakers before giving me the fakest smile I've ever seen.

"It's Dr. Swan," I said, smiling angelically. With that I meant, 'You're rich but I accomplished something by myself.'

Esme was watching at our exchange a little perplexed. I could tell she was a little embarrassed by the soon to be daughter-in-law.

"Right, Dr. Swan." She made it sound dirty and gave me a little smile. Some people could make the word doctor sound like the worst insult ever. I've heard that tone before and I was used to deal with it. "You have excellent taste, our Alice is really talented. Are you well acquainted with her work?"

That question didn't seem innocent, but I took the bait.

"Not well, I only became aware of her work in Australia," I chose to answer honestly.

"Right, you wore one of her dresses to the party you attended with His Grace. You caused quite the stir wearing her creation. Tell us, how long have you been intimate with His Grace?"

She was distilling venom, completely at ease though she was clearly insulting me. Being rich had nothing to do with being well-mannered. Edward's eyes were focused on me, but he seemed somehow cross at her question. His behavior had shifted 180º since the last time he saw me, just a couple of days before. Carlisle shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking, and Esme looked truly horrified.

"To answer your question correctly, I suppose we should clarify your definitions of time and intimacy in order to ensure that we're on the same page. According to mine, I'd say we weren't intimate and I didn't know him for long. I met him on the 18th of December, so twelve days ago, approximately, if you ignore the time differences from place to place. Considering he died six days ago, I don't think I had the time to know him very well in order to be considered intimate, wouldn't you agree?" I asked her with a hint of sarcasm in my tone.

"You can't possibly be asking us to believe that he made you his heir without knowing you first…" she said, looking around for support.

"I'm not asking you to believe it, I'm telling you the truth. You can choose to believe my words or not. The reasons why I became his heir are becoming clearer in my head the longer I stay in England. Luckily, I'll be leaving very soon." I drank a sip of my tea to try to convey a confidence I didn't really possess.

"So you don't like England?" she asked with a devious smirk.

"I'm not particularly fond of the weather. I'll come back in the summer and let you know if I've changed my mind." I wasn't going to lose my composure over that.

"When are you leaving?" Edward asked, taken aback by my confession.

"I'd say as soon as Alice gets back."

Eager much?

"From England?" he pressed, his voice tense.

"My flight is scheduled for 8 p.m.," I said in a low voice.

"That's a shame, we're having a little gathering here tomorrow," Esme said, trying to intervene in the conversation. "We'd be delighted to have you here." Much to my surprise, she actually seemed honest.

"I wouldn't say little," Carlisle clarified and winked in my direction, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Bella, shall we go?" Alice's voice sounded behind me.

"Sure," I nearly jumped off my seat. Anything to get away from that nightmare. Edward stood up immediately as well.

"You took your time," I scolded her.

"Sorry. I'll see you later. Don't wait for me for dinner," she said, trying to sound nonchalant about it. Esme gave her a quizzical look that Alice pretended not to see.

"It was nice to see you again," I said to Esme and Carlisle. "Millie, it was a pleasure to meet you. You and Jasper are just… perfect together." Both their faces were bright red.

"They sure are… aren't they?" Alice said in the most convincing way. If I hadn't known better she'd have had me fooled. Jasper shifted uncomfortably in his seat at her statement.

Wasn't it rude for him not to stand up when I did? I registered.

There was an awkward silence before I waved goodbye and took off toward the exit, happy for the escape.

"Let me walk you to your car," Edward said and followed behind us.

"You have to know I didn't mean it," he said softly behind me as Alice got into the opened door across from mine.

I looked in his eyes and they were clear and repentant? Either he was the best liar in the world or he actually meant it. Even in the dim light those eyes called to me and were somehow brighter. It was scary to realize how much his presence had an impact on me. When he was hateful, it was easy to forget how it felt to be in his arms. No one before him evoked that kind of primal physical reaction in me. But the rational side of me was screaming, begging to get away from him.

And get away I did.

"It's fine, Edward. Sometimes we say things we don't mean to. I know that I owe you my life and that fact is enough for me to let go of that subject. Perhaps you should, too. I know everyone seems to think otherwise, but I never meant to take anything away from you. I didn't even know you existed until a few days ago. God, I didn't even know about Henry…" I drifted off.

"I'm starting to believe you…" he murmured.

"Oh, really? And what made you change your mind?" I asked sarcastically.

"You never left the States prior to your trip to Australia and Henry More refused to travel outside the UK for the last couple of years. He became quite the hermit after his wife died..." he stated as a matter-of-fact.

"And it's kind of hard to be, how did Millie put it? Oh, right, intimate with someone you've never seen before," I said, completing his train of thought. "When did you ask to have my background checked?" I asked, feeling my control begin to slip away.

"The day after the party in Sydney," he admitted.

"That's just brilliant! So all of this time you knew…" I huffed, frustrated. Alice was looking away, trying to seem unperturbed by our exchange.

"So this is what my life is going to be like from now on?" I asked no one in particular.

"I'm really sorry, more than words can convey. You have to believe me," he said with a desperate tone in his voice, "but I only found out today, when my investigator mailed me your background check."

"I'll give you the same credit you gave me. No more, no less. I really should get going, Edward," I said, stepping away from him. "I'll see you around."

"I'll let you go," he replied with a mysterious smile plastered on his face, "for now."

I wanted to punch that pretty face and give him a reason to have plastic surgery. Instead, I took my seat next to Alice, who was clearly confused by our little exchange, and waited for the driver to put the vehicle in motion.

After a few minutes of silence, I felt the increasing pressure to break it.

"How did I do with my dramatic escape? It seems like I'm always running from your brother nowadays."

"Or towards him," Alice corrected me.

"Anyway," I told her, clearing my throat, "are you excited to come to Forks?"

"I am!" she said a little too enthusiastically.

"Let's see about that when you realize you'll have to sleep on a very old couch," I teased her.

As soon as we got on the plane, Alice had me in several stages of undress in order to take my measurements. She said she wanted to use the long hours to alter the dress for me. She worked relentlessly, sewing everything herself. I could tell she used manual labor to distract herself. I remember Angela loved to do dishes before her finals. There was never a dirty cup in the kitchen sink when she was around. It was a way to control her stress levels. I could see how Alice did the same while her little hands were working patiently and relentlessly on that dress. She was a perfectionist. In that moment I found out how extraordinary she was and looked at her not with pity but with pride. She was fighter and she was going to make it.

We were in the air for approximately three hours before Alice finally fell asleep and I was able to sneak out unnoticed to a little compartment at the back of the plane. John promptly gave me the package he was asked to fetch a few hours before. J sent me some notes attached to the DVD copies. He marked the entrance time, the minutes missing and the time Edward left. I fast forwarded to half past midnight, the time all three siblings arrived together, then to the place where 3 minutes were missing, from 3:42 until 3:45. Edward left at 4:27 with a young blonde girl who looked oddly familiar. She was clearly tipsy and nearly undressed, exuding sex. I spent a couple of hours searching for something until I figured out one thing – I didn't see Jasper coming out. I fast forwarded after Edward left and I didn't see Jasper leaving.

I called the flight attendant. "I need to make a phone call."

"Dr. Swan, what can I do for you?" J asked, not at all surprised that I called him at 2 in the morning.

"J, what time did Jasper Cullen leave the club?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"I didn't see him leaving," he said after checking his notes.

"Is there any other way out?" I asked, knowing that I was onto something.

"There is, but it's only for employees. You think he left the club through that exit?" he asked, a little miffed that he missed something so basic.

"No, I think he left with Alice." I could almost hear J's thoughts.

Jasper was the baby's father.

Jesus! No wonder Edward was trying to hide that from the world. It made sense, she always loved him. Jasper's possessiveness over her, Edward's passivity regarding the search for a rapist. He always knew…

"You mean that…" J trailed off.

"Yes. Who's the girl that was with Edward that night? I bet she can confirm that they left together."

"I thought about that before. But I highly doubt Madeline Gray would be willing to say anything. Bella, even if you're right, this evidence is circumstantial, you know that, right?"

"I know. I just need the information… Wait, Madeline Gray as in Jasper's girlfriend?" I burst out laughing.

"Welcome to the life of the rich and famous," J told me, amused.

"This just keeps getting better. I can understand why they're together now… maybe keeping the secrets within the family. At least now we know they probably left together. Use whatever means you have to, try to find out where they went, anything… something. I have a promise I intend to keep."

"Are you sure you want to dig even further into this story? I can feel the stench already," J warned me.

"It's not going to hurt me to know, is it? Find that out for me and then I'll see what I'll do with this particular piece of information."

I disconnected the phone call and went straight to the bathroom. I emptied my stomach after a wave of nausea hit me.

What's wrong with these people?

AN:

Hi everyone! This chapter is a little shorter thank usual but I didn't want to delay the update any longer. How have you been?

Where do you think this story is going? Where do you want it to go? I'm always open-minded when it comes to your suggestions.

I just submitted a new chapter on the outtakes with another EPOV, I hope you enjoy it.

As always, read and review!

Take care,

Nofrure.