Chapter 6
Alice leaned against the wall of the front room, her cool hand against her injured arm. Her honey orbs shot down, and assessed the damage. The jagged cracks were deep but were already healing, just not as fast as usual. Jake moved forward, sweat beading across his forehead.
"Alice, I know a lot just happened, but we have to go. We need to see Emily first, before going after Bella. Bella may need an herbal blend from our Tribe before she can shift back. That's what it took for me the first time, and her emotions are a hell of a lot stronger than mine were." Jake breathed, his warm hands touching Alice's skin, evaluating the injuries.
"Thank you for the help with this Jacob, I know it must be hard for you but admittingly enough, I don't have much knowledge on shapeshifters." Alice smiled gently, gratefulness radiating off of her honey orbs.
"Jake. Please call me Jake. That's what my friends call me. I know we aren't exactly friends but I have a feeling that we will eventually be close, even if you can't see that in your visions." Jake smiled lightly.
Alice nodded and Jake helped her to her feet. Alice could feel the stares from her family burning holes into her back, but she didn't care. Now was not the time for questions, her focus was on Bella.
"Will… will she be okay?" Alice finally murmured.
"Yes, but the first two weeks after the initial phase is crucial. The first phase is well, painful to say the least" Jake paused and grimaced as he thought about his first phase, "It's extremely terrifying and disorientating. It feels like you have lost control over your body, your mind, and soul. Knowing how Bella feels about not having control over things in her life, it has to be worse. When I first phased, it was right after, well… you left. I had to leave Bella alone for two weeks. Ultimately, what I did will not work for her. I had the tribe; she does not have that option. She has to be near you. Which is why we must hurry, if you are able to that is" Jake responded.
"Yes, I'm fine. Let's go" Alice nodded, and began to advance, only for Rosalie to step in front of her.
"Alice, what are you thinking? Bella just phased, and for the first time. New shifters are especially dangerous and you are injured. You can't go near her, especially in this state!" Rosalie yelled, annoyance reflecting off her eyes.
"She's not our enemy, trust me. Besides, this was an honest mistake, just like it would be if I were to not go after her when she clearly needs me…" Alice stammered, her begging eyes shot to Carlisle to make him understand she had to leave.
"Rosalie, there is a lot we all need to cover. Many questions need answers. But now is not the time, let Alice pass. Once she returns, we can all catch up." Carlisle murmured, his sharp eyes locked onto Alice.
"Alice, you've been gone for months! You left us all. I just… we just got you back. I'm not going to stand here and let you go. I'm sure you have your reasons for leaving, and I can respect it, but dammit Alice, I've missed you. We all have. If you must go, I can understand. But wait until you're healed. Until then, I will not let you leave." Rosalie murmured, as she strengthened her stance.
Alice stole a desperate look to Jasper, who merely did his custom half smile and nodded his head as he peered into her darkening eyes. He understood the desperation she felt, and if it would take her releasing her secret, their secret, so be it. Alice smiled at Jasper, forever grateful for his understanding and his presence in her life. She didn't know what she would do without him.
Alice's eyes fixed on Rosalie, before she neatly jumped through the air, twisting and missing Rosalie's grasp by inches. Alice warped herself gracefully through the air, landing on her feet and skidding to a stop. Even for a vampire, her movements were hard to follow. Jasper smiled; he was so proud of the person Alice was becoming. He knew at that moment that she had finally met her mate, and because of it she was growing stronger, which meant she would be safe. All of the Cullen's eyes were huge, barely being able to register what had just happened before their eyes.
"That's badass" Emmett finally breathed, earning a smack across his arm from Esme.
"Emmett, language!" Esme lightly chided.
Rosalie just looked at Alice with wide eyes.
"Alice, with a shapeshifter in the room, you shouldn't have been able to read my movements and avoid me. How did you do that?" Rosalie asked, her eyes wide.
"Because, I didn't use my gift. I just had to get past you." Alice breathed, her darkened eyes shooting to her family, " Listen, I know you will have a lot of questions for me and rightfully so but I have to go. I will come back, later tonight with Bella. We can discuss this tomorrow morning, after Bella has had a chance to sleep. I have a feeling that she is going to need it, before we have this conversation. But for now, I must go." Alice stood up and Jake met her before beginning to walk towards the door.
"Alice, please. Just tell me. Why?" Rosalie asked, her concerned gaze locked onto Alice's back. Alice paused for just one moment, before taking a deep and unnecessary breath.
"Because Rosalie, she's my mate." Alice finally breathed out, earning gasps from the family. Without pondering it for a moment more, Alice ran into her room and gathered some of her spare clothes that she thought would fit Bella, and then ran out with Jake, who had phased. The two began running towards the tribal grounds. Thoughts of Bella kept rising to Alice's mind. She only hoped that wherever she was, she was okay.
' I have already failed her enough as a mate, I can't allow it to happen again" Alice thought to herself, willing her legs to move faster.
It didn't take long for the two to reach the boundary, and both jumped across the raging frigid river and onto Tribal lands. Jake ran behind a tree and phased back, quickly putting on his jean shorts to meet Alice a few seconds later. Together the two walked towards a beautiful wooden cabin, and Alice saw a beautiful young woman with scars on her face open the door. Her onyx eyes shot to Jake and then to Alice, and nodded in understanding before opening the door completely.
"Please, come in." she smiled, as Jake and Alice walked in. Alice's eyes shot around her, taking in the beauty of the cabin. It was quaint in comparison to the Cullen's mansion but perfect, homey. Alice almost preferred this over her home. She made note that she would like to redo her room in a similar fashion so that Bella may feel more within her comfort zone.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you at this hour. My name is Alice" Alice finally smiled, extending her hand to Emily, half expecting her to reject the gesture.
"Hello Alice, nice to meet you. My name is Emily." Emily smiled and took Alice's hand and shook it gently, " And trust me, you are always welcome. Especially when Bella is at stake"
"Emily, please. Bella, she phased. I need the herbal blend. We have to find her, before she does something she will regret." Jake frantically explained, as Sam walked into the room.
"I will get the herbs, Jake come help me." Sam mused, as Jake followed Sam towards the back of the cabin, leaving Emily and Alice alone.
" Alice, please. Let me see your arm." Emily finally smiled, gently taking Alice's arm in her own. Alice nodded and handed over her injured arm. Emily nodded and grabbed a small dark colored glass bottle of ointment and some gauze. Emily opened the small glass bottle, and placed some of the ointment on the wound, causing Alice to hiss lightly at the burning sensation. Emily apologized softly and then began to dress the wounds in the gauze.
" I know you heal quickly, but as this wound was inflicted by one of us, it will take longer for you to heal. This should help with the process." Emily smiled as Alice inspected the dressings.
"Thank you." Alice finally was able to get out, before burying her face in her hands and sighing.
"Are you worried about Bella?" Emily asked, as she sat down on a chair near Alice.
"Of course I am. So much has happened in 24 hours, I have no idea how she will be able to bounce back. This has to be so hard on her." Alice replied, lifting her face to meet the gaze of Emily, who nodded in understanding.
"It's true, from you making an appearance in her life again, to her imprinting, to you accepting the imprint and becoming a couple, the Cullen's returning and then of course finding out that her Father has been murdered…then phasing for the first time. It's a lot to take in. But Bella will be okay, trust me. She's gotten very good about taking things in stride. She's grown." Emily smiled, taking Alice's hands in her own.
"You… Are you okay with her and I being together?" Alice mused, with a slight tilt of her head.
"Alice, of course. Bella imprinted on you. You are who she is meant to be with. I could not be happier for the two of you, though I wish you and her had discovered this under better circumstances. Regardless though, you have mine and the full tribe's support." Emily smiled, her soft gaze steady on Alice.
" Thank you, that means so much. It seems like we could use all the support that we can get" Alice laughed lightly before looking up at Emily, " Jake mentioned that the first two weeks are crucial after the initial phase. What did he mean?" Alice inquired.
"Similar to being a newborn of your kind, shapeshifters have a process to go through as well. They have to master their emotions, and their phasing. They have to adjust to the heightened senses, body temperature, emotions and body changes. It is crucial that they learn how to do this within the first two weeks or so because if they don't, they may lose their ability to ever control it and then become a threat to themselves and to us. They become more like the Children of the Moon. Luckily, Bella has already imprinted on you. You will be key to help her achieve these results. You will have to be patient with her. Your bond will grow increasingly fast, and it will be hard for Bella to adjust, given the history and everything that happened while you were, well, away." Emily explained as Alice's head tilted in thought.
"I was around practically the entire time she thought I was away. I thought she was handling it all well, given everything." Alice mused, her eyebrows furrowing.
Emily looked down at the ground, and Alice could read her emotions like a book. She could tell that something was wrong, that she felt conflicted, upset, sad and even maybe a little angry.
" Alice, you may have been around and watching over her, but not while she was on the Tribal lands, with us. Trust me when I say this, the two weeks that took place after you left… they left a mark so to speak on her. It was the most pain I have ever had to seen anyone endure. She was only successful in hiding it from Charlie because she couldn't bear to hurt him, but when she was here, she let it all go. Nothing we did could help, nothing she could do could help. We all felt…stuck. It is not my place to discuss everything that happened during that time frame, but I will say for you and her to grow in your bond, it…those issues will need to be addressed. Please, just be gentle when you do so. There is still a lot of pain and damage there, regardless of the front she has been successful in putting on." Emily smiled gently, watching as Alice's eyes fell to the floor.
" I understand. We will work things out, in due time. I'm not going to push anything though, you're right. She's been through so much. I feel like it's something that I will always regret. I missed out on so much!" Alice murmured, lifting her head only when Emily lifted her chin to meet her gaze.
"You are here now. That is all that matters. You must move forward, there is no way to go back. You have the opportunity now to make things right. Do not waste it by living in regret. Just please, be patient. My scars were inflicted by Sam, my imprint after a fight and he phased. I was too close, as I imagine you were too. I know how Sam felt after, I'm sure this will effect Bella as well."
"You are right. Trust me, once I find Bella I am going to spend the rest of my existence moving forward, making things right, with her by my side." Alice smiled, but froze as she smelled a foreign smell, past the wet dog smell that filled the area. A smell of light lavender and of fresh rain. Emily looked past Alice and peered at the open door. Alice wiped her head around, so that she was facing the entrance as well. Standing in the doorway was a wolf, significantly larger than a normal breed but definitely smaller than that of Jake. The wolf had a very long coat white in color on the chest, belly and legs, with chestnut brown markings on the paws, and tip of the tail, and black markings running across the back, up to the head, and down to the snout. The eyes were perhaps the most stunning, as they were a brilliant shade of jade, rare for even the wolves.
The wolf stood at the doorway, and slowly entered, visibly trembling. The wolf walked past Alice, eyeing her from the side and letting out a very soft whimper.
"Bella." Alice finally breathed, walking over and kneeling on her knees, reached out to Bella, who had sat down and moved her head to connect to Alice's touch, eyes closed and breathing deeply. " It's okay, Bella. I'm okay. I've already begun to heal, with Emily's help. See?" Alice smiled lightly undoing her bandage. Bella's eyes shot open and saw the cracks almost healed and gently thumped her tail.
With that, Sam and Jake returned to the room, their eyes softening at the sight before them. They knew that this moment was critical and that perhaps the herbal remedy was not as necessary as they had thought it to be.
"Bella, you're okay. We're okay. Everything is okay. We are all safe. Just please, focus. You should be able to shift back. We can go back and explain everything in the morning. Trust me" Alice murmured, earning a sigh and a nod from Bella, who closed her eyes and laid down. With that, Bella phased back, quivering lightly. Jake and Sam quickly turned away in respect, and Bella tentatively took the clothes from Alice, and slid them on. While they weren't exactly her taste and didn't fit just right, they would do for now.
"Alice, I'm so…" Bella began but was cut off as Alice leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Bella's forehead.
"No need for that word right now. Let's head back." Alice mused noticing that Bella was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. Alice took a supply of medicine from Emily with a smile of gratitude, just in case there was any other incidents with Bella phasing or losing control. She also took the batch of the herbal tea then gingerly picked Bella up.
"The first few times after phasing, she will be exhausted. This is normal" Sam commented his soft smile breaking past his normal tense expression at the sight before him, " Alice, I can't allow all the Cullens past the boundary point but you, and you alone are welcome here anytime, with or without Bella. I can't say how intrigued I am that you are so welcoming to her in her state, knowing that we are supposed to be natural enemies. Feel free to come to us at any point. Ultimately, you will have to be the person to help her through this, not us. She is not part of the tribe. I know it's a lot, but I trust you are up to the challenge."
Alice nodded in understanding, and then took off holding Bella bridal style, running straight towards the Cullens with Bella tightly held in her grasp. Alice could not help but look down at the sleeping woman beneath her, she had been through so much it just didn't seem fair. Bella deserved better. Finally, within moments, Alice reached the house. She knew her family was inside, waiting, but that did not matter. Without hesitating, Alice opened the door and walked in. The Cullens quickly gathered around, watching Alice carry Bella bridal style towards the bedrooms.
"Esme, I will need to redo my room at some point to make it more fitting for Bella and I. Can I put her in the guest bedroom so I can work on the room while she sleeps?" Alice mused.
"Yes, of course dear. We can work on the room tonight. Is she okay?" Esme soothed, as Alice stopped and allowed Esme to run a cool hand across Bella's warm, dirty, and tear-stained face. Her concerned gaze locked onto Bella, up to Alice and then to the family.
"No, but she will be. We will discuss everything tomorrow morning. She has already agreed to it. But for now, I want her to rest. It's been a very hard day." Alice responded, walking towards the spare room, and gently laid Bella down on the bed. Alice heard a small whimper come from Bella's lips. Alice instantly laid down on the bed, and Bella instinctively became intertwined with Alice. Alice hummed lightly, playing with Bella's hair and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. Finally, the whimpering and the shaking stopped. The nightmare was over. Alice gently untangled Bella from her, and watched for a few moments to make sure the nightmare didn't return. When it didn't, Alice felt comfortable with leaving the room and headed back downstairs to where the family was waiting. Jasper waited near the end of the stairs, and gently took her hand in his own as they faced the family.
"Is Bella going to be okay?" Emmett finally asked, his soft gaze looking up to Alice. While this tone was out of character for his normal demeanor, Alice knew it was because he had a soft spot for Bella.
"Yes, in time. I'm sorry for the delay. She was having a nightmare, which is no surprise. Seems to be a regular occurrence to be honest." Alice finished before sitting down on the couch, followed by Jasper.
" So, are we going to discuss the wolf in the room or not?" Rosalie finally asked, her eyes shooting to Alice.
"I'm sorry, to everyone. I should have done a better job at this from the beginning, but I need to make things clear. Jasper and I have never been or will be mates." Alice finally responded with a slight sigh, calmed by Jasper who ran his hand down her arm.
"Then why did you make it out to be like you were for all this time?" Carlisle asked, his eyes showing visible confusion.
"Because, we needed to join a coven. The life for a nomad, and a vegetarian one at that is not safe. We were scared that if you knew about Alice's sexual preferences, you may reject us. It seemed like pretending we were mates would be ideal and easiest. But then… Bella happened." Jasper murmured, earning a thankful glance from Alice.
"Alice, dear, we accept you the way you are. We do now, and we would have then too. I'm sorry that you felt the need to lie to us to begin with." Esme soothed, kneeling in front of Alice and placing a gentle hand on her knee.
"I'm sorry for that, I really am. I didn't mean to mislead any of you. I never thought I would find my mate with Bella. It just…happened." Alice responded, looking up to meet Esme's soft gaze.
"What matters is your happiness. And now of course, Bella's. I guess it was safe to say she never belonged to Edward. We will finish talking through everything tomorrow morning. For now, please, let us work on the room and we'll figure everything out tomorrow." Carlisle murmured, earning supportive smiles and nods from the rest of the family.
Alice smiled and moved to her room. She had a lot of ideas on what she wanted to do, ways to make Bella happy and help with the adjustment. She wanted to be everything that Edward was never to Bella, to show her what a true loving relationship should be like.
Tomorrow would be a new day, the start of something new, and while the journey was not going to be easy, she was ready to take it on, with Bella by her side.
