It hadn't taken her long to get used to driving everywhere, but now that Alice was flying again, she had to wonder why her fellow Protectors had ever insisted she get her license in the first place. She now absolutely, one-hundred percent of the time, preferred to fly to her destinations than drive there.

It was quicker, too. So it only made more sense that she travel by air. Leaning back in her chair she did find the glances and stares from the other members of first-class to be a little bit off-putting, but it wasn't anything persistent during the almost five-hour flight to Birmingham International Airport.

When she landed though… that was enough to remind her just why flying everywhere wasn't as convenient as she remembered.

And that was entirely due to the amount of people she came in contact with while flying.

Thankfully she hadn't checked any luggage, because by the time she was briskly walking through the airport and toward the exit, people had already known she was on the way.

Now, she didn't even look up as people lifted and pointed their phones at her. A group of teenagers wearing matching shirts quickly caught up with her, and she smiled politely, signed the backs of phone cases and smiled for the occasional selfie, but not once did she break stride. The second she stopped or hesitated, she knew a crowd would form, and people would gather to ask questions.

And the topic of the week was still her and Jasper.

"How's he doing?" A scrunchie-wearing girl no older than fifteen whispered to Alice, struggling to keep pace with the tiny, fast-walking vampire.

It was clear who the girl was referring to. Alice smiled kindly, "He's hanging in there," she winked. In her mind, and thanks to her visions, she knew that was the only genuine answer she'd be giving to any of the people she'd encounter from there on out.

And thankfully there were only a small handful of people with cameras waiting outside.

They snapped countless photos and asked invasive questions, but Alice ignored most of them, smiling toward a few people as she made her way to the black SUV waiting to bring her to Tuscaloosa's Center. It was an hour-long drive, and as she focused on Edward's future—he was flying into Tuscaloosa's Regional Airport, landing any minute there—she knew he would make it to the center only minutes before her.

It was all a ruse, mainly. None of them could fly anywhere without it being on the nightly news, and if the media saw that they were heading toward a Center, they wouldn't think anything of it.

They would do a little work. Just barely. An impromptu inspection that Edward had already called ahead and informed them of. Her whole 'finding family' business was giving them a good enough excuse to see how this Center was doing. According to reports they were holding strong but it was still good to see for themselves.

They'd been far enough north that they hadn't suffered the amount of losses that New Orleans had, but again; death reached near and far.

Eyeing her driver—a middle-aged woman who had introduced herself as Chloe—Alice wondered who she'd lost. At this rate, there wasn't a human or vampire alive who didn't personally know someone who had been killed.

Her mind went to Elias and her heart ached.

By the time they arrived at the Center, she was buzzing with excitement. Although she'd spoken to him fairly regularly, she hadn't seen Edward in over a month.

He'd been in high demand amongst their coworkers. His mind-reading was proving to be their most valuable tool at the moment. After all, it was the only reason they knew first-hand that there was a dangerous amount of unrest simmering amongst the humans.

And they were certain that moles were still among them.

As the car pulled up to the Center and toward the main office, Alice couldn't help but mentally shout. EDWARD! I'M HERE EDWARD! HEY EDWARD! GUESS WHO'S HERE? After all, she mused as she patiently waited for her chauffeur to park, it had been too long since she'd bothered him.

In her mind she watched as he approached a window overlooking the parking lot and rolled his eyes.

He met her in the lobby. "I heard you a mile away," he joked as she skipped to his side. "But I appreciate the announcement."

She grinned, sliding an arm around his back, hugging him with one arm as she held her bag with her other one. "You know you missed me."

He returned the hug, smiling down at her. "Or something like that."

"So, how're things around here?" With her arm still wrapped around him, she started walking, leading them toward the elevators.

"So far, so good. And I mean really, really good." When they stepped inside the waiting elevator doors, Alice stepped away from his side, expertly guessing their floor. "It really shouldn't take more than an hour, ninety minutes max."

"That's a relief," Alice sighed. The knowledge that any Center was still being self-sufficient felt like a miracle nowadays. "I want to get going."

"Have you talked to Cynthia yet today?"

Alice nodded, "This morning before my flight. We just confirmed her address; she says she'll be home all day and to give her a heads up when we're done at work."

It had been another awkward, short exchange. Alice was praying that conversation between the two of them would be a bit less clumsy once they were in person, but a nervous part of her brain warned her that there was a chance their stiff dialogue would be relentless.

"Relax," Edward muttered under his breath as the elevator brought them to the fourth floor. "We still don't even know if she's real yet."

"How is that supposed to help me relax?" She whispered, side-eyeing him as they began walking again. And when a young cadet approached her, introducing himself to her, their conversation was put on hold.

Thankfully, an hour had been a generous estimation and they'd been in and out quickly. People in this Center had been genuinely excited to meet her, and that subtle change in the way people had been perceiving her that week left her feeling freshly energized. By the time they were walking toward the parking lot, keys to one of the Center vehicles swinging around Edward's finger, Alice felt like skipping again.

"I wish you could hear them," he commented as she closed the car door behind her. "I know they were happy to see you, but they were thoroughly terrified at first."

"Of me?"

He laughed, starting the car. The radio in the car started blasting music and Alice jumped in her seat, startled. Whoever had driven this car last had apparently been attempting to blow the speakers out. Edward reached forward, turning down the volume while grinning. "No way. You're as terrifying as a box full of kittens." Alice rolled her eyes at that. "They were fully expecting us to show up and shut the place down."

"Why?"

Edward half-shrugged. "We've shut enough places down in the past couple of months that almost all of these Centers are worried about it. Even ones in good condition, like this one." Alice watched as he decided he didn't care for the song on the radio and turned the entire stereo off.

"How have they been down South?"

"You mean in Mexico?" Alice nodded. "Gerardo should be coming up for a visit sometime this month or next, actually. You'll be able to meet him and Ana, at least."

It was an interesting thing to look forward to. Although the scandal of Jasper's 'returning' to Maria's side was a major event that the population had been forced to come to terms with, Mexico was dealing with a scandal arguably worse.

Because one of their Protectors had been a mole.

Manuel Flores had been presumed dead before the war had taken place. The continent had mourned his loss; even Carlisle had brought it to the nation's attention back during her first public appearance.

His disappearance had been both a diversion as well as a betrayal.

It was due to his involvement that the largest death toll had taken place around the gulf; in both Mexico and in the US.

Alice shuddered thinking about what the finalized numbers from New Orleans would end up being…

She'd heard enough from Bella and Edward how horrific the scenes down there had been. The stories she'd heard made her and Jasper's battle in Toronto seem like a mild little skirmish.

Then, a vision of Edward sighing: "You're doing it again."

Am not, she thought pointedly, before he could even open his mouth to speak the words. The rest of their conversation took place entirely in her mind.

"Yes, you are. With the whole 'only thinking about death' thing."

Thirteen months ago I only thought about sewing. Thirteen months ago I'd only ever seen death in my mind, not firsthand. She paused in her mental tirade as she watched him switch around what he was going to say next. Thirteen months ago I'd never killed someone before.

Her hands suddenly felt very, very heavy. Shaking them she stuck them between her thighs, trying to focus on the texture of her pants.

Another vision. "It's a lot to take in, I know." Edward hesitated, and then decided against saying that, then decided on: "You should talk to Bella about this more, the next chance you get."

Bella is too busy, Alice pointed out, annoyed.

Out loud, Edward sighed and spoke. "Bella knows more than anyone else what it feels like to have your entire world turned completely around in a small amount of time." He turned his head toward her. "I think you forget that the War of 64' happened less than a year after she got out of self-control training and took her oath."

Alice hadn't forgotten that fact, but she hadn't drawn the comparison until now.

"Not too much to compare outside of that." He acquiesced.

"Hm," Alice nodded, "you two were already married by then, right?"

Edward nodded in confirmation. "The October before." A slow, wicked smirk spread across his features then. "Rosalie was not happy about it being on her birthday."

Alice gasped, reaching out and smaking his arm. "You didn't."

"Well, a day before," he confessed, to Alice's horror. "We usually have to alternate vacations every other year. Two years ago Bella and I went on an anniversary trip to Spain. Last year would've been Rosalie and Emmett's turn to go on a birthday vacation but," he half-shrugged, still grinning, entirely faking his guilt, "they'll get this fall by default."

"You! Are! A! Brat!" She punctuated every word with another smack against his arm. "You absolutely did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Bella wanted an autumn wedding," he shrugged, still smirking devilishly.

"You better hope Jasper and I don't get married or I'll have it on your birthday. See how it feels!" She folded her arms and pouted.

She could feel Edward's bewildered gaze boring into the side of her head. "That's a weird way of phrasing that. Yikes."

She pouted, refusing to look at him.

"Does Jasper know you don't want to marry him?"

"I—what! Don't word it like that. That makes me sound bad."

"You just said 'you better hope Jasper and I don't get married' as if it's some outlandish threat. Or as if marrying him would be something you'd only do to get back at me."

Alice groaned, "Not you, too…"

"What?" He blinked at her innocently, flicking the blinker on as he merged into another lane.

"Josie put you up to this didn't she," she accused, turning to fully glare at him. "I don't know what everyone's obsession with marriage is. It's just a piece of paper. That's what Jasper's says anyways."

"Ah," he nodded, "okay then."

Alice narrowed her eyes, not liking that response at all. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He exhaled slowly, shrugging. "I would've guessed you'd want an excuse to have a party where everyone dresses nicely and celebrates you and Jasper."

Alice stared at him. "What?"

Edward full-on gaped at her for a moment. The car swerved and he had to rip his attention off of her and back toward the road. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I know you know what a wedding is."

"Yeah, and they're weird as hell."

"Oh, my god. Alice, no." He laughed, seeing what her image of a wedding was in her mind. But the only exposure she'd ever had was with the awkward, overdramatic acting in the soap operas Josie used to enjoy watching. She didn't want some weird priest droning on about biblical crap while people in the audience sat by looking bored. "We need to get you to a real wedding. They aren't what you're picturing at all."

She shot him a suspicious look. "Don't people just get married without a wedding?"

He laughed again, "You sound like Bella."

"I forget you had to convine her to marry you."

He scoffed. "She needs to stop telling people that."

"And I can't believe you of all people are lecturing me on not wanting to get married."

"I'm not lecturing you at all! I just think if you had some decent exposure to what modern weddings are like you'd already be planning one."

"I do not see the point," she reiterated. But in the back of her mind she was curious. She didn't want to think about the fact that the only reason she'd sided with Jasper on the whole 'marriage seems redundant' topic was because she knew weddings were a painfully awkward hassle. A waste of time that was more trouble than they were worth.

And she also didn't want to think about the fact that she did want to see what a modern wedding entailed…

Because the man sitting beside her would just say 'I told you so.'

"I didn't say it." He was ginning again, staring straight through the windshield. "And I won't say it when you and Jasper end up engaged. I swear."

"All those titles and status' are so arbitrary though," she wined, pouting again. "I already know Jasper and I are going to be together forever. Why go through all that effort?"

"On a scale from one to ten how silly do you feel referring to Jasper as your 'boyfriend'."

"I hate you." Because the answer was eleven, and she felt childish every time the word fell from her mouth.

She had to admit, husband had a much more mature ring to it.

But before he could gather another breath to speak, Alice had whacked him again. "Be quiet you traitor."

No matter how much she loved her co-Protectors, and even though she referred to Bella as her 'best friend', it was moments like this that made her realize that she was infinitely closer to Edward than anyone else she knew.

"Bella would be upset if you ever said that."

"I didn't say it, I thought it." It didn't matter either; Bella could be her best friend still. But Edward was like the brother she never had.

Speaking of siblings.

Alice glanced at the GPS, "How far are we?"

"Nearly there." As if emphasizing their proximity, he began to slow down as he maneuvered the car around the neighborhood they found themselves in.

And with a few flickers ahead of her, Alice was suddenly so nervous she couldn't think. The moment the house was in view, she sat up straight and panicked. "Actually, I don't know if I can do this."

Edward looked at her like she had two heads. "Cut it out. We're here."

"No, I mean it. I'm serious. I don't want to do it anymore."

"Alice," pulling up to the home, he parked the car against the curb, right by the mailbox. "Don't be ridiculous. It's going to be fine. You know it's going to be fine," he pointed out, knowing that if something bad was going to happen there was a likely chance she'd see it.

So far, the only flickers she was getting were of a friendly and enjoyable afternoon.

And that was what unsettled her.

"No," she insisted stubbornly. "Let's go home. I can come back with you and Jasper both when his probation is up." She reached over to where Edward had taken the keys out of the ignition and placed them on the center console. Quickly, she started the car back up. "Come on. Let's go," she gestured toward the road ahead of them.

Edward pulled the keys back out of the ignition, sighing as he exited the car, pocketing the keys. "Edward!" She shrieked. And then, realizing how loud she was being, she snapped her mouth shut. "Edward," she hissed quietly as she watched him walk around to the passenger side. "Edward no—"

When he moved to open her door, she locked it. And for several long seconds they played with the locks. Edward unlocking the doors with the key fob, only for Alice to immediately lock it back up.

Eventually he leaned his head against the window and glared. "I didn't come all this way just for you to chicken out."

As he spoke, Alice's eyes flickered to the house behind him, watching attentively as the door slowly swung open and a woman emerged.

Her expression caused Edward to stop, straighten up, and turn. And then Alice could see her so much clearer.

The woman had shoulder-length, dark brown hair, silver strands streaked throughout. Her eyes were wide as she stared toward them, also brown in color. Her smile lines (and the grey hairs) gave away her age, but she looked good for being in her mid-fifties.

There was no recognition, no old bells ringing in Alice's brain, as she stared at the woman. She was both a stranger as well as her sister. And even without the full confirmation Alice simply knew somehow.

Because this woman looked just like her.

When Edward unlocked the car again and reached out to open the door, Alice let him. And when he reached out for her hand, she took it robotically, her eyes still glued to the woman standing on the porch the same way her eyes were stuck on them.

Closing the door behind her, Edward placed his hand on Alice's back and began to move the both of them forward. "Hi," he called out, and Alice could hear the grin on his voice. "You must be Cynthia." Lightly, he pinched the center of her back with his fingertips, and Alice shook herself free from her haze.

But even as she gathered the breath to speak, she couldn't think of anything to say.

First impressions were important, she reminded herself, Rosalie's words echoing through her brain. But this wasn't a first impression she was making here. This woman already knew her. This woman—her sister—had memories of her.

When they reached the porch Edward stepped forward, extending his hand and smiling kindly. "Edward Masen," he introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Holmes."

"Oh, please," and Alice could both hear how he'd flustered her. The woman's very human response to Edward's boyish charm served to pull her back into the present just a little bit more. "Cynthia is fine."

"Cynthia," Alice spoke softly, drawing the woman's attention back to her. But what else could be said? Long time no see? How are you? Introducing herself felt ridiculous. This woman knew who Alice was, and Alice was supposed to know who she was.

But she didn't.

And she had a feeling that that revelation wouldn't be a kind one.

Tears sprang into the woman's eyes as she stepped forward, off of the porch and toward Alice.

"Oh, Mary-Alice," and then the woman was hugging her, and crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she pulled back after a few seconds but kept a firm grip on Alice's shoulders as she stared down at her. "I'm a mess, I know. I told myself I wouldn't do this." She laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'm finally taller than you," she smiled.

Alice couldn't help but laugh lightly at that. It felt like Cynthia was reminding her of an old joke that she had no recollection of. The laughter was the correct reply apparently.

"Come, come," wiping her tears with the back of her hand she gestured toward the house. "I don't want to make a scene," the muttered quietly as she quickly moved back onto the porch, beckoning them as she moved. "You've come a long way. I bet you're tired from your flight."

Alice raised an eyebrow, shooting Edward a bewildered expression as they followed the woman.

"Thank you," Edward responded politely before silence could seize them. "We're used to traveling though. It isn't too big of a trip."

"Of course not, always so busy." The woman hummed as they followed her through a foyer and into a sitting room. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I—" she hesitated, faltering with her words. "Let me go turn the stove off, just a moment." She disappeared around the corner then.

Alice and Edward exchanged a look then. It was apparent they were the first vampire guests this woman had ever hosted in her home.

She'd been about to offer them something to drink.

Edward was stifling a laugh when Cynthia re-entered the room.

"Your home is lovely," Alice spoke up, forcing her attention off of her sister and around the room. There were a few paintings on the walls, a couple of house plants gracing the corners of the room. Either the house was new or the walls had been recently painted; things were very neat and clean.

"Thank you," the sound of children's laughter from outside caused Cynthia's head to turn. "We've been in this house for almost a year now. The neighborhood is lovely, full of kids. They're always running through the yard. It's wonderful."

"Do you have any children?" Edward asked, politely (as if he didn't know the answer from plucking it out of her brain).

"Three," she smiled widely, and Alice felt joy at the pride in the woman's eyes. "They're all grown now. My oldest lives outside of Montgomery with his wife and my only grandchild." Reaching toward the side table, Cynthia grabbed a framed photo and smiled down at it, before offering it to them. "Kelsey Ann," she beamed, proudly. "She'll be nine on the thirtieth."

"She's beautiful," Alice stared at the picture of the girl in awe. If Cynthia was her sister than this was her—she paused and thought for a moment—great niece.

"Sweetest little girl, too." Accepting the frame back she sighed before placing it back on the table. "I wish they lived a little closer." She gestured toward the leather couch behind them, "Please, make yourself at home."

As Alice moved to sit, she eyed another small frame. Sitting down she picked it up carefully, eyeing the woman in the photo. "Who is this?"

There was silence then. When Alice looked back up to Cynthia she was staring at her with disbelief. "What?"

Alice swallowed thickly, suddenly realizing she'd already said something wrong. "The woman in this photo," she placed it back down quickly. "She's very beautiful."

"That's mom. I…" Cynthia paused, her mouth opening and closing as she fixed Alice with a concerned glance. "From before she and dad got married…" Her voice trailed off, and suddenly the tension in the room was thick.

Alice knew that she couldn't hide it forever. "So, Cynthia. It's important that you know," she paused, trying to swallow the sudden the lump in her throat, "that I don't remember anything about my human life," she confessed softly, wanting to let the woman down as gently as possible.

"Nothing?" Her voice cracked and Alice watched as more tears sprung forth.

Alice shook her head. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Then, she almost asked "So, you don't remember me?" But instead she stood up from the loveseat she'd found herself on. "I—excuse me for a minute…" And she was gone from the room in an instant.

Alice sat there, stunned into silence as her guilt overwhelmed her. Edward reached over and grabbed her hand, holding onto it tightly.

"This is the real deal," he confirmed, his words too low to carry far. Squeezing her hand he offered her a sad smile. "That's your sister."

It wasn't easy to ignore the sound of sniffling two rooms away. Alice wondered if Cynthia knew they could hear her, but doubted it when the woman began talking to herself, muttering pep talks and saying things like "it's fine, it's okay, pull yourself together."

Her and Edward sat awkwardly awaiting her return. Then, a few minutes later, Cynthia was back, her face a little puffy but her eyes were clear and her cheeks were dry.

"I'm so sorry about that, I don't know what came over me."

"I'm sorry," Alice insisted. "Memory loss is common during the change, but my case appears to be especially rare."

"That explains why you just," Cynthia waved a hand vaguely in the air, "vanished one day. So, what happened?" She asked bluntly. That's when Alice took note of the handkerchief clutched between her hands. "Were you attacked?"

Oh, yeah. This woman definitely didn't spend much time around vampires. It was horribly rude to ask a vampire how they were changed so casually. Of course, this was something Alice had learned after joining her fellow Protectors—either people would volunteer the information or they'd keep it to themselves.

But rule number one of vampire etiquette was not to ask about people's change stories…

"I'm still unsure. It's likely." She smiled thinly, watching as Cynthia frowned, clearly left unsatisfied with that answer. Anticipating her follow up, Alice continued. "There was never an investigation either, so it's been chocked up to an accident."

"That's terrible," the woman nodded, her frown deepening. Alice didn't entirely think so, but she kept that to herself. "So you really don't remember anything from your life?"

Alice shook her head. "I woke up with a blank slate." She leaned forward in her seat, locking eyes with her sister. "I never knew where my family was. I only learned my full, legal name last year," she confessed, wanting Cynthia to believe her. As long as she knew that Alice hadn't abandoned her, she knew it would be okay. "I would've come looking if I knew where to begin."

"When I got older and started asking questions Dad would tell me that you'd died in some accident." She sighed, her voice still shaky. "He never went into specifics, but it makes sense now. He probably had no idea."

The asylum paperwork begged to differ, but Alice held her tongue.

"I was a noisy kid. He probably just wanted to keep it vague enough that I would accept it for what it was. I just," she paused and wiped at her eyes with her handkerchief again. "I'm so happy," she smiled brightly then, "I can't believe you're still around. It's everything I ever wanted as a little girl, to have my sissy back."

Alice moved from the couch beside Edward to sitting next to Cynthia. Reaching out, she grabbed the woman's hand and held it gently. "I'm here now." She smiled, wishing she could ease some of her decades-long sorrow. "And I'm going to have a thousand questions," she warned, good-naturedly.

Cynthia laughed at that. "That's good, because you're going to hear too much from me this week, probably." She smiled again but winced, her face contorting into a grimace.

"Headache?" Edward asked, acting like he didn't already know.

Cynthia shook her head but then sighed. "Nothing too bad. I get them when I cry," she laughed again, "it's embarrassing but hey! It's life." Even though she attempted to laugh it off, Alice could tell it was really bothering her.

"Today was a lot," she squeezed the woman's hand gently. "I'm happy to know that you're real and not a random person."

Cynthia smiled, finding the idea humorous. "I'm glad you're here."

"Why don't you take the rest of the night to rest and recuperate and we can pick up again tomorrow?" Alice glanced toward Edward before looking back toward her sister. "Just you and me."

"That sounds good, actually," Cynthia nodded, gripping Alice's hand back tightly. "It'll give me enough time to dig up all the old photo albums and things. We can go through some of it."

"Or all of it," Alice spoke, shrugging. She didn't want to seem overly eager, but she would absolutely take any chance she could at collecting all of the information she was able to. "Remember, I don't know a thing about myself. Well, my human self."

Cynthia beamed at that. Alice was taken aback by the way her grin was so familiar. We have the same smile, she realized in awe.

Despite the rocky start, Alice as suddenly overcome with excitement.

They parted not long after that. Alice embraced Cynthia, only more willing and more warmly this time, with far fewer tears. Edward thanked Cynthia for her hospitality, and they set a time—ten o'clock tomorrow morning—to meet back up and continue where they'd left off.

It wasn't until they were already in the car, driving back toward the Containment Center, when Alice spoke up.

"I have a sister."

Edward hummed, "That you definitely do."

Alice stared at him for a long moment after that. "There's something you're not telling me."

He sighed. "I mean, she's legitimate. That much is certain. And she doesn't know what happened to you, either. She was serious about that."

Alice nodded. "She was only what? Eight? Nine when I was committed? I wouldn't expect her to know."

"There's something else…"

Alice watched him pour over how to word the information, and sighed.

"She wants my father to meet me," truthfully, she'd already seen it. "I'm guessing you don't think it's a good idea."

"Judging from her thoughts—and from the fact that he's in his eighties and senile—I doubt it's wise."

Alice huffed at that. No matter what had happened to force them to lock her away, she wanted to meet her family. All of them. "He's an old man, what's he going to do?"

"Nothing physically, but," he trailed off, and Alice stared out through the windshield. "Just maybe hold off on that for now."

Truthfully, there was very little Edward could say now to change her mind. She wanted to hang out with her sister and learn about her father and find out more about her mother.

Alice had found herself with acute disappointment a few months back during one of her 'research attempts'. The information she'd found on her father had been minimal: Edgar John Brandon had owned a small chain of jewelry stores that were popular back in the eighties and nineties, but he'd shut down the business by the turn of the century. The information she'd found on her mother had been even less: the only thing she could find out about Lillian Brandon is that she was long dead.

A car accident had claimed her the summer before Alice had been committed.

Not a day went by that Alice didn't wonder whether that had triggered whatever insanity that had forced her father to send her away to a mental hospital up in Maryland.

"She isn't a big fan of us." Edward spoke up again after a small period of silence. "Vampires, I mean."

Alice shifted in her seat at that. "I caught onto the fact that she didn't really know how to talk to us." She frowned. "It definitely didn't need to be as awkward as it was."

"If we had knocked on that door without her expecting us, or without her knowing who we are, she would've gotten her husband's gun."

She was put out by that. "I wonder where he is…" Cynthia hadn't mentioned him once.

Edward hummed, "He didn't cross her mind. There was only one car in the two-car garage. So," he half-shrugged, "at work, maybe?"

"I didn't notice that. I'll ask tomorrow."

"Just be careful," Edward advised. "I know she's your sister but you're still a public figure. If things went sour between you two, any information that you give her could be used against you." Alice was suddenly incensed. "Alice," Edward's voice was loud. "I'm not saying that she'll do anything like that. But you need to be careful."

"She's my family," she cried, aghast with the very idea. "It's absolutely unfair for you to tell me I don't deserve to bond with her or have a relationship with her or—"

"I'm not saying any of that—"

"Then stop!" Now, she really felt like crying. "I know you're just looking out for me, and I appreciate that usually. But this is different. This is my sister, my little sister! My link to my old life! This is all I've ever wanted Edward."

"I know."

"Then please, just save the lecture for some other day. Or some other topic. Please don't lecture me for wanting to indulge in something I've never had the luxury of having."

"I want you to be careful." He spoke again, staring directly out the windshield, refusing to face her. "That is all."

"Thank you. I will be."

And that was that.

They were silent for the remainder of the drive back to the Center. Alice would be using one of their empty offices as her private space for the next several days—or, for however long she decided to stay—while she visited with her sister. She'd do some tasks here and there, and she'd already talked to both Carlisle and Rosalie about getting some busy work sent her way for her to complete while she was down there.

For the first time in several months, Alice found herself feeling good about hanging around a Center and contributing to the hard work of her coworkers. Something told her she had the excitement of meeting her sister to thank for that. And truthfully, the atmosphere across the campus definitely helped, too.

These people had bounced back relatively quickly and were far kinder to her than any other group of people had been.

Despite the fact that she was still upset with him, Alice hugged Edward tightly before he departed, thanking him with a shaky voice. He had smiled thinly, and then she was alone.

It felt strange to be alone again, but it wasn't an unwelcome feeling.

Feeling refreshed, Alice reached into her bag and skipped over her laptop, instead pulling out her sketchpad. She'd be sending Josie countless sketches later tonight.

Only instead of drawing faceless, random bodies wearing her conceptual outfits, she gave the figure a face. With soft cheeks, dark eyes, and smile lines.

As she drew, she mused quietly. She'd have to send Josie a proper photo of her and her sister at some point tomorrow.

She was sure she'd hear an earful if she didn't.

A/N: Surprise!

I figured you all needed—well, deserved—one final chapter this year. 2020 has been rough for most and devastating for some. Again, the only reason I started posting this story this year was to provide some of you with a distraction adequate enough to let your brain take a break. It's hard for people to process trauma after trauma after trauma, and that's what this year really did to a lot of us: exposed us to astronomical levels of hurt and suffering and pain.

So here you go. One final update for this year. Don't get used to surprise, sporadic updates. They aren't going to happen usually. Although once I finish this story I'll begin updating twice a month instead of just once.

As for me, I'm ending the year with COVID, isolated off in the desert, with a week off of work with nothing to do but sleep, eat, and write fic. Fingers crossed I can finish this fic over this week, but if not, then at least I tried. Love you guys, and happy 2021.

REVIEW REPLIES:

Guest: Raising the stakes is what I do best! Hm, it could go badly couldn't it? guess we'll just have to wait and see...

ohsugarhoney: You're telling me! Once I realized I had to write some pretty complicated stuff, back when I was working on CotN, I knew I was going to be in for it during future chapters. But whats fun about that is that I get to decide what's 'canon' now, so that makes the complicated messy political stuff easier.

ZileRacer: The Alice and Cynthia chapters are LOTS of fun to read, and were even MORE fun to write!
There are vampire politicians, but they are subjected to far more intense levels of screening than humans are. And term-limits are used 100% of the time; it would make no sense to have vampires holding offices for more than a few decades, even WITH The Protectors being 'life-long' public servants. But the Protectors are less politicians and more like figureheads. Sure they have influence, but they don't have a lot of legal rights when it comes to controlling the way laws are built and restrictions are placed. They're liaisons, so they work in vampires' best interest, but they don't control everything.
This is a really good question and I've written down notes for the Guide so I can go into more detail, but yes: there are vampire politicians, but it is not the norm.
A lot of the power that humans hold is really societal, so while they don't have the physical power, or even weapons made to be useful against vampires, since humans still control a vast majority of well, everything, vampires are forced to abide by all the laws and rules and regulations. If the don't, they have no place in the society, so they have to be removed from it. And the way other countries are ran will be acknowledged further in future chapters. So I have to stop myself before I wanted back into spoiler territory... but I'm loving all these questions! If I could I would talk for hours about this stuff.
As for human-vampire relationships... all I can say is: you'll see.