Chapter 10


Alice's eyes scanned the location. She was in a cabin, with aged wooden floors. To her right, she saw the bathtub. She was in a bathroom. There was a flash of light and Alice saw Bella sitting on the bathroom floor against the toilet, shaking, covered in sweat. Bella lifted her head and wiped her mouth clean. Tears were free flowing down Bella's face as she was gasping for air. With another flash, Alice could only read Bella's lips as she said, " I can't do this anymore". Bella stood up and began to pace around the bathroom, her shaking hands running through her dark and messy hair. She leaned against the bathroom counter and looked into the mirror, shaking her head. Bella sank back down the floor, leaning against the bathtub. Her gaze was locked on the bracelet. Bella reached over and picked up a razor blade from the edge of the bathtub and played with it as she pulled out her phone, scrolling through pictures of Charlie, Jake, Emily and Sam, finally stopping at a picture of her with Alice. "I'm so sorry" came out of Bella's lips before she took the blade and dug it deep into her arm. Alice watched in horror as Bella gasped and placed her arm into the tub, her blood flowing freely from her. Bella closed her eyes and began to breathe slower, her complexion become paler. Bella was going to die.


It was at this very moment that the vision ended. Alice blinked once, having a hard time coming back to current day. Alice gazed down at Bella in horror and slowly untangled herself from her. Alice left the bedroom and made her way down the stairs to the living room where Emmett was gaming, Carlisle and Esme were curled up reading their own respective novels and Jasper and Rosalie were playing a game of chess. Jasper looked up and flinched at the raw emotion coming from Alice. She nodded at them with a tight smile and went outside into the cool night's air. Jasper and Rosalie exchanged knowing looks and both got up to follow Alice.

Alice crossed her arms and stood out on the front patio, her mind working a mile a minute. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shake what she had just seen. Alice looked up into the night's sky cursing herself.

' I thought I knew everything, but I had no idea. I left to be with her to make sure that she was okay and I missed it. She almost died and it would have been my fault. I'm the worst mate in the history of mates.' Alice thought to herself as she shook her head lightly. Alice sighed lightly as she felt Rosalie and Jasper's presence became known and she heard the front door close behind them.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Jasper asked, genuine concern lacing his tone. It was not like her to be emitting this type of energy.

" Bella was overheating in her sleep and was drenched in sweat. She has been so apprehensive about not wearing a long sleeve shirt, I didn't know why, until now. I was worried about her being so warm, so I tried to roll up her sleeves to give her some sort of relief. When I did so, I noticed a very nasty scar located on the inside of her forearm. She has a tattoo covering it up but of course I can see it, any of us could. I touched the scar while I was inspecting the tattoo and I was sucked into a vision of the past. She…She had tried to commit suicide." Alice finally finished, closing her eyes tightly. If she could cry, she would be.

"Was it after we left?" Rosalie finally asked as she walked forward to put a gentle hand on Alice's shoulder.

"I think so, yes, just based off what I could see" Alice replied, leaning into Rosalie's comforting touch, " It was just so intense, seeing her slice her arm open, bleeding all over the place. She should have died but my vision ended just before I could see how she lived."

"Interesting that you were able to see into the past. That's a new development of your gift," Jasper paused, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, " But I thought you were watching over her after you left. How could you have missed that?" Jasper inquired, as he leaned against the wooden railing.

"Maybe it happened on the Tribal lands. If that's the case, I wouldn't have known. Maybe I was able to see her past experience as it was a past decision made but I couldn't at the time due to the shifter presence" Alice shrugged with a light sigh.

" What are your feelings about all of this Alice?" Rosalie asked her concerned gaze locked onto Alice.

" I'm not mad at her if that is what you're asking. I'm not really disappointed either. I just don't understand what happened, I wish I did. It bothers me that she was pushed that far emotionally. It bothers me that she went through that on her own. I'm worried that she's going to internalize this along with her other emotions. If she does that, how can I help if I don't know that there is a problem?" Alice finally admitted, turning her head to meet Rosalie's gaze.

"You need to talk to her about it, Alice. There is no way around it. But please, be gentle. I can relate to Bella more than I would like to admit. She likely doesn't want you to know so that you aren't hurt. We all need to be more aware that maybe her façade isn't as solid as she thought it was. She obviously still needs some reassurance from all of us." Rosalie replied as she pulled Alice close, and ran a comforting hand up and down Alice's arm.

Alice smiled a thankful smile to Rosalie and then to Jasper and nodded as she returned up to the bedroom, knowing that Bella would be waking up soon as she no longer slept in. Alice walked back in and laid down next to Bella who rolled over and rewrapped her body around Alice. Alice played with Bella's hair as she heard Bella's breath speed up a bit before she yawned and rolled over, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stretching out.

" Good morning Al…" Bella began before sensing Alice's emotions and cringed lightly, " What's wrong?" Bella asked as she sat up abruptly and leaned against the headboard and the pillows averting her gaze to look at Alice.

"Bella, I know you are going to hate this but I need honesty. What happened after we left, you know, during the first two weeks?" Alice replied, her eyes shooting to look at Bella who suddenly paled and looked away swiftly. Bella shifted uneasily on the bed and felt her heartrate increase.

"Alice, I don't think you really want to know. It will just hurt you and you will think less of me." Bella finally murmured.

"No I won't. But please, Bella. For the sake of us, I need to know." Alice replied, gently taking Bella's hand in her own and giving a reassuring squeeze.

Bella sighed as she remembered her promise that she had made to Alice that she would do a better job about being honest and upfront. Bella sighed and nodded before she began to run her thumb across the top of Alice's hand.

" Alice, this is really hard for me. So please, bear with me." Bella paused and cleared her throat, " The first two weeks after you left were the most painful and paralyzing experience I had ever gone through. I spent most of my time out at the reservation, trying to get distracted by work and school but I couldn't sleep. I had terrible nightmares. Jake wasn't around because he had phased and as a new shifter, he was not safe for me to be around. One night, I was staying with Sam and Emily. I woke up from a particularly horrible nightmare. I had run into the bathroom to throw up and to try and calm myself down. I couldn't, and I was alone. I thought about everything that had happened. I just, I reached a breaking point." Bella paused at this moment and slowly rolled up her sleeve and flipped her arm upside down showing Alice the tattoo and the scar clearly.

" I tried to kill myself that night. I almost succeeded too. I don't remember much of it as I had already passed out from blood loss before Jake found me, but he told me what had happened. He said he had broken down the bathroom door and found me in the state I was. He tried to wake me up but I wouldn't. Without thinking, he ripped off his shirt off and made a makeshift tourniquet. He then ran into their medical supply area and got a transfusion kit. He yelled for Emily and shoved the needle in his vein and the end of the hose into my cut. He transfused his blood into me. Emily and Sam came at that point, and helped to carry me into the guest bedroom. Jake transfused over 2 liters of blood into me and then cleaned the wound and stitched me up. He saved my life, which is likely why he and I became so much closer and why he began to develop feelings for me." Bella finished, unable to look at Alice in the eyes.

"

Oh, Bella. I am so sorry. I should have been there for you. I feel like this is my fault." Alice sighed.

" Alice, it is not your fault. It's mine. I reacted poorly, immaturely. Loosing you and the family was just not something that I could handle. I didn't know why then. Now, it makes perfect sense, though it does not justify anything." Bella paused to lift Alice's gaze to her own, " but none of that matters now. It's in the past. You are here now and that's all that matters. I am so sorry for hurting you." Bella murmured, running her fingers down Alice's face.

Alice did not respond, but leaned over and locked her lips against Bella's. Bella immediately responded to the kiss and began to lay on her back. Alice did not break the kiss and moved so that she was on top of Bella, hovering on her forearms. Alice swallowed her venom and slid her tongue into Bella's mouth, as the two battled for dominance. Bella ran her hands up against Alice's sides before one wrapped in her hair and the other moved down, cupping Alice's thigh and moving up. Alice moaned into Bella's mouth as she felt her arousal building. Alice pulled back only to move her lips down to Bella's neck, gently nipping at the warm skin. Bella breathed in Alice's name and closed her eyes tightly, feeling her arousal spreading down between her thighs. Alice took in a deep breath and moaned at the scent. Bella moved a hand down between them, gently cupping Alice's breast and kneading the soft mounds. Alice groaned against Bella's neck and ran a hand down, slipping inside of Bella's navy blue pajama bottoms. Bella moaned louder and her hips involuntary bucked up, desperately seeking some sort of friction. Alice moved her lips down Bella's neck and onto the collarbone, slipping her fingers against Bella's wet folds.

" Oh my God, Bella, you're so wet" Alice moaned into Bella's neck as she moved her fingers up to Bella's clit, her fingers running in a light circular motion; her lips against Bella's pulsating vein. Bella could not respond, she could only breath Alice's name. Bella felt something growing tighter in the base of her stomach, needing release. It was at this moment that Alice abruptly stopped and removed her fingers and launched herself backwards from Bella. Bella's eyes shot open and she sat up to question why she had stopped, but stopped herself as she saw Alice looking at her with pitch black eyes.

" Alice, you okay?" Bella finally asked with a raised eyebrow.

" I am so sorry Bella. I almost lost control..." Alice murmured, as she closed her eyes to regain composure.

"It's okay, no need to apologize. I didn't exactly help stop you" Bella smiled lightly as Alice's eyes reopened and had reverted back to their normal honey color.

" I just couldn't stand seeing you looking so sad. I wanted to make sure you knew how much you mean to me. Words didn't seem like they would be that effective, and I needed to show you just how much I love you, Bella." Alice finally smiled as Bella kissed her forehead. The two were stopped with a slight knock on the door.

"Come in." Bella replied and Emmett stuck his head through the door.

" Hey, Bella. I was thinking today might be a day to see what you can and what your abilities are, you know, if you are up for the challenge. Jake is waiting outside." Emmett playfully smirked.

"Yeah, probably is a good idea. Just let me get changed and get some food in my stomach" Bella nodded and Emmett grinned before closing the door and heading back downstairs.

"I'll go help with breakfast. See you in a bit." Alice smiled and left the bedroom. Bella stood up from the bed and stretched, feeling all of her sore muscles and joints snap back into place. She then moved to the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. She then threw her hair up into a messy bun and changed into a pair of older and ripped blue jeans and a burgundy t-shirt. She then walked downstairs to find a plate of French toast and a cup of apple juice waiting for her.

"Thank you so much!" Bella smiled as she jumped into her breakfast, savoring the sweet flavor of the syrup.

"You're welcome, dear." Esme smiled as she and Alice worked on the dishes. Bella finished her breakfast in record time and finished drinking her glass of juice. She then walked over to the sink and began taking care of her own dishes when Esme walked over.

" You really should let me…" Esme stopped as her eyes got a glance of the tattoo and the scar. Bella looked over at Esme and saw her direction of the glance and sighed lightly.

"It's a long story, but it doesn't matter. I am okay now, I promise. I just can't hide it anymore." Bella said as she turned her attention back to her dishes.

"That is all that matters" Esme smiled and pulled Bella into a loving embrace.

"Yo, are we gonna do this or not?" Emmett yelled from the front yard, causing Bella and Esme to separate and walk together to the front yard, where everyone else was waiting.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Bella asked with a casual tone, looking over at Jake who was playfully grinning.

" It will be simple really. Just some light sparing" Jake shrugged as if it was the most normal thing to be said.

" Sparing, huh? With who? You?" Bella smirked lightly.

"I think that would be best. You can hurt me but I will heal, very quickly. If you get one of the Cullens, the healing process will take much longer. Besides, if you loose control, I'm the best to get that addressed." Jake replied, earning a slight frown from Bella.

"Jake, I wouldn't hurt any of you. That just doesn't sound like something I would be capable of." Bella replied.

"You say that now, but we will see what happens when you wake up your inner wolf and tap into that energy." Jake replied with a serious tone, moving to stand in front of Bella, while the other Cullens stood back to watch.

Bella eyed Jake cautiously. She had mastered the basic control training exercises, but that was all. She had no idea what she would do, and the thought on taking on Jake was a little intimidating.

"Relax, Bella. It's just a light sparing match. Just like we used to do back when we were little kids" Jake smiled and got into his stance.

"Yeah, except back then we were like 4 and our arguments were about who made a better mud pie." Bella sighed and got into a similar stance; her sharp eyes locked onto Jake's.

"Okay, good. Excellent stance. Now focus on your energy. Inside of you, your inner wolf is just waiting to be called on. You should feel a slight warming sensation when you are tapped in to it. I will wait until then." Jake coached and Bella nodded her head and closed her eyes in concentration, breathing deeply and slowly.

" How will you know when I'm ready?" Bella asked, her eyes still closed as she searched within for her unused power.

" Your eyes will give you away, just like they always do" Jake replied, his gaze locked onto Bella. If she were to lose control, it would likely be now as she would tap too far.

After just a few more moments, Bella found a warm feeling spread out throughout her being. Her eyes opened, revealing the beautiful jade color. Bella's eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

"There you go." Jake smiled as Bella relaxed her stance and remained in control.

" Well, let's get to it then" Bella said with a nod of her head. Jake nodded and wasted no time in launching himself forward. Jake moving forward so quickly that pieces of dirt and leaves from the forest floor shot up around where his feet has been just mere seconds ago.

Bella's sharp eyes took in his movements and easily stepped aside, causing Jake to miss his target. He flew through the hair, stumbling as he hit a tree. His hands gripped the wood and turned around. His eyes shot to Bella's with curiosity. Jake focused more on his own internal wolf and picked up a large nearby rock and threw it at Bella's direction, who easily caught it in her hand, before releasing it and looking at Jake with confusion.

"I thought we were sparring but it doesn't even feel like you're trying" Bella mused as Jake shook his head and laughed.

"Bella, I just threw that rock at you as fast as I possibly could. You should not have been able to deflect it that easily. It looks like we found out what your specialty is"

"Which is?" Bella questioned as Alice walked over.

"Your speed. I can't touch you." Jake replied.

Bella looked down at the rock and squeezed it, but found she could only slightly crack it. She tossed the rock to Jake, who easily crushed it within his grasp.

" You still have a good amount of strength too, but it's obvious that speed will be your main developing feature. That makes you a great defensive tool. " Jake smiled and Bella nodded and was about to respond but was silenced as a red sedan drove up the drive.

Bella groaned and immediately closed her eyes, and reigned back her inner wolf, sighing in relief she opened her eyes that had reverted back to brown. Alice looked at Bella in concern as she felt her tense, just like the previous night but worse and walked over, wrapping her hands around Bella's right arm. The car stopped and a woman got out of the vehicle. Alice's sharp eyes took in her features. Her shoulder length choppy and wavy brown hair, the same color as Bella's natural hair. Her eyes were an intense blue and her pale skin matched Bella's complexion as well. She was wearing jeans, and black cowboy boots with a white baseball cap and a gray sweatshirt.

" What are you doing here?" Bella finally asked as she took a few tentative steps forward.

" Well, given the fact that you have not responded to a single text message, call or email that I have made out to you for the past couple of weeks, you left me no choice but to fly here to discuss the issues face to face" Renee sighed as she shook her head in disappointment.

"Yeah, well. I've been busy you know with the funereal, moving, all that fun adulting stuff." Bella replied with a tight tone, her jaw clenching.

" Do you live here now?" Renee asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, just staying here temporarily while I get my feet under me." Bella smoothly lied, she did not want Renee to ever come back looking for her here.

"Well, listen. I think it's due time that you moved back to Arizona with me. Phil is done in Florida for now. You don't need to saddle this family with the burden of taking care of you" Renee briskly replied.

"What? No way!" Bella snapped back.

"Honestly, you are so dramatic sometimes. What could possibly be here worth staying for? Charlie is dead." Renee sighed and crossed her arms tightly.

"Me, that's who and my family, who in no way shape or form see her as a burden." Alice hissed. Bella's eyes shot to the side, and saw that Alice's eyes were pitch black, the same color Edward's had been during the confrontation.

"Jasper, can you please take Alice back inside?" Bella asked quietly, her eyes locked onto Alice. She had never seen her act like this before, and it made her concerned.

"Yes, of course." Jasper nodded and quickly moved and escorted Alice back into the house.

" Who was she?" Renee asked.

"Her name is Alice…and she is my girlfriend." Bella finally admitted, earning a shocked expression from Renee.

"Well, well, well. The truth about why you have been avoiding me finally comes to light. How long has this new phase been going on for, Bella?" Renee inquired.

" Renee, this is so much more than a phase and I don't know, a couple of weeks. But Alice is right, I can't just up and leave her. I am staying, regardless if you like it or not. I'm 18 and I can make my own decisions," Bella responded hotly. Renee always had a way of getting under her skin.

" Bella, you cannot choose this family over your own," Renee was interrupted as Bella snorted.

"Seriously? Since when have you and I been a family? Since when have I even mattered to you?" Bella argued back with a roll of her eyes. Renee did not respond, but walked over. Bella blinked and suddenly she felt a strong sting across her face. Her head had been turned to the side from the force of the hit. Bella tentatively raised her hand to her cheek, her eyes wide. Renee had just slapped her. Bella began to tremble from head to toe, her jaw clenched in anger.

" I think it's due time that you leave" Rosalie coldly said to Renee as she walked over and put a gentle but protective grip around Bella's arm, " Bella, please. Come back inside." Rosalie urged, and Bella nodded, unable to speak as she was fighting the urge to phase.

" Fine, walk away Bella. But I'm warning you now, you may care for that girl but you are a mess," Renee paused as Bella stopped walking, her back still to her, "You're hardheaded, clumsy, and make a mess of everything around you. The only person who was ever able to truly handle you, was me. Edward was smart to leave. It will not take long for Alice to realize her mistake. And when she does, don't even think about coming and crying to me. As far as I am concerned, you and I are done. You are not a daughter of mine." Renee shouted to Bella as she turned her back and got into her car, her tone dripping with venom. Bella did not turn around; she did not reply. Her focus was now on making sure that Alice was okay.

"Bella…" Esme breathed, not believing what had just come out of Renee's mouth. Bella ignored the looks and the reactions of everyone, pushing her pain away and walked into the living room, kneeling on the floor in front of Alice, who still had pitch black eyes.

"Alice, it's okay. I'm here, and not going anywhere" Bella said in a hushed tone, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Alice's. After a few moments, Alice's eyes reverted to topaz and she pulled back from Bella.

"I am so sorry, I have no idea what happened." Alice sighed, her concerned gaze locked into Bella's eyes.

"Alice, your reaction was completely normal," Esme said as she walked in, causing both Alice and Bella to look at her with curiosity, "Renee was threating to become between you and your mate. How you reacted is how any vampire would react in that situation, especially given that you two have not been mates for a very long time." Esme finished, causing Bella and Alice to nod in understanding.

"Bella, are you okay?" Esme asked as Jasper stood up, allowing Bella to sit next to Alice.

" Yeah, I'm okay. Honestly." Bella nodded.

"That was crazy, Bella. I've never seen a new shifter with that much control. When she slapped you, I thought for sure you were going to lose it" Jake murmured, causing Bella to look away from Alice and to him.

" I'm used to that type of treatment from Renee. Honestly, this is nothing new," Bella replied with a shrug, " Besides, my focus was on getting the issue over with so that I could make sure that Alice was okay. That was my biggest concern."

"Bella… what do you mean that was nothing new?" Esme asked with a concerned expression on her face.

" Listen, my childhood was a mess. Renee was not around. I raised myself. I learned how to cook, clean and manage a budget all before I was 10. I had to, because no one else was going to. Renee was too busy out drinking and partying to be a mother. When she finally decided it was time for her to get her shit together and got remarried, too much damage had happened. Charlie asked if I wanted to move in with him, and I agreed. So, I left. There was nothing for me there. I was tired of being seen as a burden by Renee. Doing everything I could to be recognized, but it never happening. I was tired of not being enough." Bella explained, causing Esme to rush forward and take Bella gently into her arms.

"Bella, I am so sorry that you had to live that kind of life. I promise, as my adopted daughter, I will never ever treat you like that or act in a way that makes you feel like you have. Not one word Renee said was true, and I hope you know that" Esme soothingly said into Bella's ear, causing Bella to melt into the first motherly embrace that she had ever truly experienced.

"Thank you." Bella smiled as she pulled back.

"Bella, care to take a walk with me?" Alice asked as she looked up to Bella who nodded. The two stood up and left the house and walked out into the night's cool air. Alice stopped at a nearby tree and scaled it, Bella following behind with ease. The two finally made it to a top of a large evergreen, and Bella leaned against the trunk of the tree and Alice leaned against Bella, who had wrapped her arms around Alice. The two looked up to the stars.

" Thank you for staying and for choosing me, Bella. I'm sure that was very difficult on you" Alice finally murmured, breaking the silence.

"Alice, I will always choose you, no matter what, and you know why?" Bella responded and held Alice closer to her to reassure her. Alice leaned her head against Bella's chest and heard Bella's heartrate increase slightly. Alice turned around to face Bella.

"Why?" Alice questioned.

" Because Alice… I am completely and utterly in love you." Bella replied softly as she looked deep into Alice's eyes.

"Oh, Bella" Alice immediately relaxed and her gaze softened, " You have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear those words. I love you too"

Alice turned back around and the two cuddled back up, enjoying the relaxing company and the beautiful night's sky.