Forwarded To My Future

by Foenix2phorks

Complete. Bella is resigned to living a boring and unfulfilling life until she's old enough to graduate. But that was before fate stepped in. Looking up from her lunch tray, she sees four perfectly sculpted, pale faces - plus a bronze-haired, green eyed boy known for his gentility. He's not like the other boys in Forks. Can he help make her life a little more interesting? AU.

25. We're Going To Be Friends

Chapter 25- We're Going To Be Friends

March 13, 2005

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My eyes are locked tight, not allowing even a small ray of light to creep through. I don't dare take a peek at my surroundings. Because when Alice Cullen announced that she likes to drive fast, she did not lie. As a matter of fact, I don't believe that she made that statement clear enough.

The car's engine strains from the force she exerts upon the accelerator. It's vrooming so loud that the people living along this rural road probably think the thunder has returned. Despite the seatbelt being strapped across my torso, I sway violently back and forth in my seat - my head almost smacking into the side window whenever she makes a sharp turn. She's humming during our journey from the Cullen mansion to my house. It's a happy and carefree tune, making this experience more like a souped-up and halfway terrifying version of the It's A Small World ride at Disneyland.

Without warning, she slams the brakes and the car screams to a halt. I lurch forward, my internal organs briefly shooting up to my windpipe before they resume their normal positions.

"We're here!" trills Alice.

Warily, I pry my eyes apart and take stock of the situation. We're parked in front of my house. I am alive and well - not lying in the hospital in a full body cast after agreeing that a vampire could drive like a bat out of hell down the back roads of Forks. Additionally, we did not run into a single bloodthirsty vampire that's seeking revenge against the animal-eating vampires who helped destroy her mate.

Well, so far so good. Now if Alice can only go the night without getting hungry and using me as a bedtime snack, everything might turn out just peachy.

I unlatch the car door and stumble outside into the fading evening's light. My eyes blink a few times to reorient myself. I'm a little wobbly from the rollercoaster ride Alice took us on, but it could have been worse. At least I held on to the contents of my stomach.

While I am evaluating myself for possible injuries, Alice grabs her suitcase from the trunk and then slips an arm through mine. "You did great for a first-timer," she compliments as she supports me to the front door. A smile eases onto her pixie face. "And you didn't complain one bit! Usually Edward's all like, 'You're about to hit that garbage truck!' Or, 'You went straight through a stop sign!' Ugh! Trust me when I say that his excessive worrying gets old fast. I'm a vampire for cryin' out loud! Why do I need to 'stop' at a stop sign when my superior eyesight can see plain as day that no one is coming?"

I'm not sure how to respond, so I just nod and smile. If nodding and smiling works on humans when they say or do something that I find too awkward to comment on, I figure it will work on otherworldly beings too. And it does. She's grinning now. Turns out that vampires are a lot like us.

We arrive at the door and I walk inside of the house. Charlie's stretched out on his ancient, ratty recliner and watching TV. He spots me as I enter the living room and his mustache starts twitching like mad. Grabbing the remote, he quickly turns down the volume of whatever he had been watching. "What happened to you, Bells? You're dripping water all over the-"

Alice pops out from behind the front door like a Jack-in-the-box before he can finish the question. With a thunk, her suitcase drops to the floor. "Hello, Chief Swan!" she greets in a perky cheerleader screech.

Charlie's head jerks as though a tornado blew him backwards. And really when you get right down to it, that describes Alice perfectly.

Her pale white hands clasp in front of herself and she bounces on her toes. "Do you remember me? I'm Alice Cullen. Edward's sister? We met at my father's welcoming party down at the hospital a couple of years ago?"

I seriously doubt Charlie will have any difficulties recalling the members of the Cullen clan. They're all kind of unforgettable.

"Oh - um - yes. Um. Hello," he rambles while his hands slyly attempt to wipe away potato chip crumbs from his lap. I guess he's only embarrassed at living like a slob when company comes over.

Alice glances at me for a second and covertly winks. "We all got a little wet tonight," she giggles. "Can you believe Edward's car had a blow out a mile away from our house? We all piled into my brother Emmett's vehicle to go help. And then the sky literally opened up just as we were about to pull it home. You should have seen Emmett's Jeep after we all climbed back in with our wet clothes! It looked like Shamu's aquarium! Water was everywhere!"

I try not to let my mouth hang open dumbly as she concocts this lie on the spot. But Charlie's mouth gapes wide enough for the both of us. Alice's effervescent energy is evidently more than what he was prepared for on this lazy Sunday.

She heaves a believable, dispirited sigh. "So now half the family is fretting over Edward's car while the other half is fussing over Emmett's. I tried telling them that it's no big deal. They're just cars. We can worry about them tomorrow or whatever. But no one listened to me. They're scrambling around like chickens trying to make the cars pretty again. I couldn't stand it."

She stops "complaining" and smiles again. "Bella very sweetly offered to let me come over here for the night. That sounded great to me! Hanging out with Bella is a lot more fun than changing a flat tire," she notes with a roll of her eyes.

Now that she has ended her fabricated story, Charlie looks my way. If we were in a cartoon, a thought bubble with a giant question mark would be hovering above his head.

"Do you mind if she stays for the night, Dad?" I ask, slightly wincing. Even if he says "no" and that she must go back to her own home, it won't make much of a difference. I'm sure Alice can run upstairs when he isn't looking, hide in my room for the rest of the night in order to protect us from danger, and Charlie would be none the wiser unless that female nomad decides to show up. But if that were to occur, Charlie will have more pressing things to worry about than Alice being an uninvited guest.

He fidgets in his recliner and looks between the two of us. "No. I don't mind." Then his thick eyebrows slant confusedly. "But I wasn't aware that you two knew each other that well."

Alice throws a lily-white arm around my shoulders and hugs me close. "Oh, the two of us have known each other for weeks. I liked Bella as soon as I saw her. We're going to be the best of friends."

I peek at her out of the corner of my eye. Is she lying, or is this that precognition thing at work again?

"Oh. I see," he replies gradually.

Since Charlie has agreed that she can stay, I move the conversation along before he can change his mind. "Um, Dad? Have you eaten yet?"

"No. I was waiting on you. I called Edward's cell number a few minutes ago but no one answered. It went straight to voicemail. I was about to go looking for you two."

My blood runs cold. There's a good reason why he couldn't get through. Edward's cellphone currently sits on the floor of his damaged Volvo. It's exactly as I feared. If I had stayed at the Cullen house, Charlie would be out at this very moment searching the roads and possibly run smack into trouble. I'm sure that female vampire wouldn't mind sampling from his neck.

Alice makes a tsking noise with her tongue. "That figures. All three of the boys are probably on their phones at this very minute looking up emergency car cleaning services. A little mud lands on their precious cars and then they fall back to being big babies." She gifts Charlie with an infectious smile. "I bet you're not like that. Your mustache reminds me of one a cowboy would grow. Like Wyatt Earp. Cowboys are manly and don't get worked up over little things, like dirt and scratches on a bumper."

Charlie's face blushes to fire red - a sight to which I have never before seen.

Wow... So that's where I get my curse from.

Before she can say anything else, I snatch Alice's wrist and pull her along towards the stairs. I don't want Charlie's face to stay that way forever.

"I'm gonna go change and help Alice find a place for her stuff. Then I'll make us something quick for dinner," I announce. Charlie bobs his head nervously and doesn't utter a peep. He pretends that he is interested in a hemorrhoid medicated wipe commercial on TV. Hopefully, by the time we come back down, his flushing face will be back to normal.

Alice follows me up the stairs, not even needing to hold on to the handrail like I do. Although the doors on this floor are closed, she walks straight up to mine and enters without needing to ask which is my bedroom. I wait until we are both inside of the room and the door safely shut before whipping around on her.

"You just flirted with my father!" I confront in a whispered yell.

I am beyond disturbed. I'm not sure if I should cringe in disgust or gag into the wastebasket. In fact, I am tempted to do both.

Alice tosses her suitcase on my bed and pops it ajar. "Flattered. Not flirted," she corrects while sorting through her clothes.

"There's a difference?"

She pulls a shirt out from the case and places it on an arm. "Sure there is," she explains while she multitasks. "Flirting is attempting to attract another person by saying things that may or may not be true. Flattery is just making someone feel good about themselves. There's no harm in that. Besides, we needed a way to distract him. He was about to grill you about why it took you so long to get home. I can promise that question is the farthest thing from his mind now."

"But...but," I sputter. "Charlie is my dad. You made him blush like a schoolboy. And he's almost middle-aged!"

Alice tosses her head back and belly laughs. "And I was around long before Chief Swan was even a twinkle in your grandfather's eye, Bella. He's practically a kid to me. If he is middle-aged, then what am I?"

My scrunched up face clears. "Oh. Sorry. I keep forgetting that you're not really a teenager," I admit.

With a bundle of clothes in her arms, Alice steps away from her suitcase. "Don't apologize. It's fine. I may not be technically a teenager anymore, but I am still very much like one. My face, body, and spirit will remain the age I was when I changed into a vampire. Only my wisdom has grown since then. I'll be like this forever." She pauses and glances around the area. "So... where can I put this stuff?" she asks, referring to the clothes she carries. I lead her across the room and pull out the empty, bottom section of my chest of drawers. Good thing I left a good portion of my clothes behind in Phoenix. Looks like Alice is going to need this whole drawer.

Grabbing a dry shirt and pants from my closet, I travel to the bathroom and change out of my damp clothes. The reflection in the mirror above the sink has me frowning. My hair is wet and threatening to frizz out like a French poodle's. I jerk down a towel and pat it dry. When I return to my room, Alice stands by the window with her cellphone pressed to her ear.

"I'm telling you - she's fine," she says, putting stress on the last word. "But since you seem to have a problem believing me, you can ask her for yourself." She then holds the phone out towards me. "It's Mr. Worry-Wart for you, Bella," she dryly reveals.

I walk over and extract it from her hand. "Hello?"

"Thank god," Edward gasps out. "She insisted that you were OK but I wasn't so sure. Whenever I would ask to speak with you, she would say that you were too busy to talk and pivot the conversation in a different direction. I was beginning to suspect that she was hiding something."

"Like what?"

"With Alice it can be nearly anything. I wouldn't put it past her if she tried to kidnap you and bustle you off to New York City for a night of unbridled shopping along 5th Avenue. She's ruthless sometimes."

"I heard that," she deadpans from across the room. I guess vampire hearing is more advanced than a human's.

I break into a smile. "I'm fine."

"So the ride to your house was uneventful?" he questions, almost sounding skeptical.

"I wouldn't know. I kept my eyes shut the entire time," I confess. I leave out the part during the journey where I secretly prayed that I would make it home with all of my body parts still attached. That would probably worry him more.

I hear him let out a small sigh. "That's probably for the best. I forgot to warn you about her driving technique. She has a habit of switching lanes at 180 mph for no rhyme or reason. My neck suffers from whiplash whenever she gets behind the wheel."

"That only happened one time," Alice pouts with folded arms. "And Carlisle fixed him right up afterwards."

After telling Edward that I need to start on dinner, I end the call. When Alice and I reach the bottom landing of the stairs, I see a bowling tournament blaring on TV - although Charlie chooses to keep an eye on the two of us instead. I pretend to take no notice of his curiosity. Alice smiles sweetly as we stroll by. In response, his face threatens to redden again.

Once we are in the kitchen, I check the cabinets and try to come up with a quick and easy meal. It's been more than a week since my last grocery run, so my choices are slim. After much searching, I find a couple of tomatoes, a red onion, and some lettuce hiding in the vegetable crisper. There's some leftover roast beef I put in the freezer a few nights back, too. All I need to do is heat up the meat and - bingo - roast beef sandwiches.

I'm putting the beef into the microwave to defrost when a tiny finger taps my shoulder. "Want some help?" offers Alice.

"There really isn't much to do..." I trail off.

"Please? There must be something. I never get to do this at home. And I always love trying to do new things," she begs.

My brows crumple downwards, struck by that last comment. "You've never cooked before?"

Her mouth dips into a tiny frown. "I don't know. I don't remember my human life at all. But I do know that I haven't since I was changed. There was never a reason for me to learn since I don't eat. And the only person in my life that I could cook for has Esme as his personal chef. She prepares all of Edward's meals. Usually, she's sweet as can be, but she's a real dictator in the kitchen. She won't allow anyone else to cook!"

"Wait a minute," I break in, holding up a hand. "What do you mean that you don't eat food? I saw you do it. It was only the week before last. Edward invited me to sit with you guys at your lunch table. I sat right next to you and watched you eat your lunch."

Her lips curve into a smile. "Well, you saw us chew and swallow - yes. But did you see us bringing it back up later?"

As realization slowly dawns, my nose crinkles up.

Alice laughs and pats my shoulder. "I know. Gross, isn't it? Back a couple of decades ago, we were enrolled at a high school in Minnesota and a boy suspected that we weren't really eating during lunchtime. Since we didn't want to give ourselves away, the four of us were forced to eat like normal kids for a while. After a few times, he stopped watching us and just shrugged it off as paranoia on his part. The only downside was that a girl heard Rosalie hurl inside of a bathroom stall right after lunch one day and went around telling everyone that Rose had an eating disorder. Rose wasn't happy, but it at least the students began believing that she was just your average, insanely beautiful teenager with serious mental health issues and not an insanely beautiful vampire." Alice shrugs a shoulder carelessly. "But - anyway - that's why we pretend to eat and only stick food in our mouths unless we absolutely have to do it. Upchucking is no fun no matter what you may be."

"You don't eat at all?" I confirm, completely dumbstruck.

"Nope. We can't digest food like you can, so it's just blood for us," she chirps. "So...can I help?"

I suck on a cheek and look around, trying to come up with something to occupy her that isn't difficult since this is her first time helping in the kitchen. "Uh. How about slicing up the onion, tomatoes, and lettuce?"

"Gotcha! I think I can do that," she agrees, skipping away to do her chore.

I turn my back, hit the defrost button on the microwave, and then press start.

"OK! That was fun! What now?" bubbles Alice from behind me.

My head swings away from the microwave. On the countertop is a plate of perfectly sliced tomatoes and onion with chopped lettuce sitting in a bowl. That task took her all of three seconds to complete.

"I think that's about it for now," I murmur in a stupefied daze. "Why don't you go take a break for awhile?"

She glides over to the table and sits, beaming a proud smile. Once the roast beef heats up, I'll ask her to slice it. I want to see for myself her ability to chop things faster than a food processor.

There are a couple of minutes left on the microwave when her eyes glaze over, staring unfocused across the room at nothing but a speck on the bare wall. Ten seconds pass like this. I'm becoming concerned and wondering if I should call Edward for help when she blinks.

"Shoot," she huffs, the corners of her lips tugging down. "Right when Emmett was preparing to lunge for that female nomad's throat, a black fog blew in and my vision was cut off. It has to be because of the Quileute. Whenever that wolf pack gets near the action, I can't see a thing! I wish they would just stay a little further away so I can keep up with how things are going."

"They're helping you guys chase her?"

"Uh-huh. Shapeshifters are about as fast as we are." She snorts and adds, "Though Emmett lives under the delusion that he's the fastest thing on the planet. I wouldn't mind for Sam to prove him wrong for once."

"But I thought the Quileute hate you," I point out.

A wan smile tilts up her mouth a tiny bit. "Oh, I'm sure most of them still do. But after Sam overheard Carlisle pleading for James to release Edward, I think he finally realized that we're fighting a common cause - to keep Edward and the people around Forks alive. I'm not sure yet what tomorrow might bring, but at least this is a start."

Much too soon, a shuffling sound drifts down the short hallway that links the kitchen to the living room. Charlie walks in warily, probably poised to run if Alice tries to wink or compares him to "manly" men like John Wayne. She takes pity and keeps her smile on a low setting. That appears to help. As long as she doesn't lay the flattery on too thick, I think he can make it through dinner without his face simmering.

I am kind of disappointed, though. Because Charlie has made an early appearance, I can't ask Alice to put on a super fast Benihana food-slicing demo. I am forced to cut the roast beef up myself. My knife slices through the meat agonizingly slow since I can't afford to rush. It's too soon to test Alice's self-control if I were to go and nick my finger.

While I work on preparing our meal, Alice sparks up a conversation with Charlie. Peeking at them every so often, I see him nervously rubbing his upper lip as she chats about a trip to Tacoma she recently had. As time progresses, he relaxes and chimes in with a word here and there. He even smiles a little after a while. By the time I have food on the table, he is back to his normal self.

Swallowing down a mouthful of sandwich, he stares at the empty plate in front of Alice. He awkwardly clears his throat and tries to become a gracious host. "You're welcome to eat with us," he hints.

She pats her belly and shakes her head. "Thanks, but I already ate earlier. I'm stuffed," she fibs.

He and I concentrate on our food while Alice focuses on filling the silence with her voice. It's pleasant, like wind chimes on a porch. And I notice Charlie's head lifts a little higher when she mentions how much safer and peaceful it is here in Forks than the last place her family lived.

We are nearly finished with our meal when Charlie wipes a napkin across his mouth. "So, Bella," he says out of the blue. "What were you and Edward doing out on Hastings Creek Road? That's a pretty long drive away from here."

His question catches me unawares. If I tell him that Edward showed me the spot where he fell out of a wormhole, Charlie wouldn't waste a second before signing me up with the closest mental health facility. Telling him that Edward and I explored the forest today wouldn't be good either. Charlie may trust Edward more than he once did, but I seriously doubt that trust would extend to leading me into the same wilderness Edward supposedly got lost in last summer. That vein on Charlie's forehead would bulge. Then, in all likelihood, he would inform me of how irresponsible it was of us.

I have no idea what to say. I am not a very convincing liar. So, I give him an edited version of the truth.

"We were driving around sightseeing," I mumble, trying not to nibble on my bottom lip.

The ends of his mustache curl down into a frown. "What's to see out that way?" After he asks the question, his chin jerks up. His eyes narrow slightly. "Were you two visiting the National Park by any chance?"

I hide my gulping throat by giving an exaggerated head shake. "No. We were just looking around at the countryside," I insist. This isn't a lie. Edward said the meadow was near the Olympic National Park - not in it.

"You know, the area around Forks really is beautiful this time of year," jumps in Alice, her cheek resting dreamily against her knuckles. "What with the flowers in bloom, the birds out building nests, the warm breezes... Yeah. It's gorgeous. Just the other morning, I was driving and saw a herd of deer grazing in a field of wildflowers. It was a sight to see. I can't wait until me and the fam can go camping again. The only bad thing about it is that it's rough on your feet. I guess I'd better take some preventive actions and start working on mine before I go hiking anywhere." Her pale lips poke out musingly. "Maybe I'll start tonight. When's the last time you had a pedicure, Bella?"

My mouth moves a couple of times before anything comes out. "It's been awhile," I reply uncertainly.

"All right. Then I'll help do yours after mine. I have a nail polish that I have a feeling would look great on you. I hope you like semi opaque baby pink! It should match your skin tone perfectly," she assures with confidence. Her amber eyes dart over to Charlie, growing wide with innocence. "Do you need help with yours too?"

True fear flashes across Charlie's face, his skin fading to a tone almost as white as Alice's. You'd think that she threatened him with a gun instead of just toenail clippers.

With exceptionally rapid speed considering his main hobbies are fishing and channel surfing, he pops out of the kitchen chair and shoves it under the table. Walking backwards, he sputters out a reply in between his incoherent mumbling. "No! Uh... There's a... something that I've been wanting to watch on TV. But - uh - you two go on ahead." Then he exits the kitchen as though his pants are on fire.

As soon as it's safe, Alice leans forward on her elbows and unleashes a Cheshire cat smile. "I sure know how to clear a room, don't I?"

I slump against the back of my chair, profoundly relieved that she discombobulates my father so easily. "Thanks," I reply with a shaky smile.

"Don't mention it. But I wasn't kidding about that pedicure. After you soak in the tub, I'm giving you a mani and a pedi. You need one after the day you had."

"Soak in the tub?" I repeat cautiously.

"Yeah. Isn't that what you were planning on? I saw you coming home and taking a nice bubble bath."

My forehead wrinkles as my brain attempts to fathom this information. I had indeed planned on doing exactly that. I guess this is that future forecasting talent of hers coming into play. But I am slightly disturbed by one aspect of this ability.

"Are you saying that you saw me taking a bath? Naked?" I stress in a low voice.

"Uh-huh," she nods. "But don't worry, I didn't see much. Whenever my visions show me something intimate like that, I try to distract myself in order to maintain at least some privacy. Trust me, having visions of Emmett and Rose's extended sex marathons really stinks," she explains with a small frown.

My eyes squint at her, astonished by a new revelation. "Vampires can't eat. But they can have sex?"

A slow grin stretches across her face. "Yep. Living for eternity without anything fun to do sure would get boring after a while."

"I guess it would," I concede in a murmur, my cheeks threatening to heat up.

We head back upstairs and part ways. I'm going to relax in a hot bath while Alice sets up shop in my bedroom. I fill the tub to almost the top with steaming water and climb in, allowing the heat to soothe my aching legs and feet. By the time the water cools, I feel like a new person.

I slip into an old t-shirt and pajama pants, brush my teeth, and return to my room. Alice has out a couple of dozen shades of nail polish and all of the tools of the manicure trade. At the moment, she sits cross-legged on the bed and reads from a fashion magazine. She asks if I prefer my fingernails to be square, almond, oval, round, or stiletto shaped. My perplexed blinking tells her that I have never contemplated this apparently important question before. She asks for me to hold up my hands and examines them closely. Once she sees that my stubby nails are very short, she decides to concentrate on strengthening them as opposed to shaping them.

"Have you done your nails yet?" I wonder as I take a seat beside her.

"Yes. All I had to do was reapply the nail polish. That's practically all I ever get to do," she explains with a half-hearted smile.

"What do you mean?"

Her lips shift to the side for a few moments. "When you go from being human to this, your entire body experiences a bunch of changes. It erases flaws and accentuates your positive traits. Let's say you had zits all over your face as a human. Well...BOOM! They're all gone once you're a vampire. But, maybe you had thick and long eyelashes as a human, or a killer profile that made people swoon. Those traits are magnified and made more beautiful than ever. It's like having a permanent makeover. Though what really sucks about it is that you're stuck with some things whether you like them or not. For example, hair doesn't grow after the change." She points up to her short hair and sighs. "I'd give anything to grow it out at least a little bit. It's been hanging down to my ears for at least eight decades. I've always wanted to do something different with it - like big curls or a sophisticated bun. But my hair isn't long enough. Sometimes Rose allows me to fix hers, although that isn't very often. She prefers doing it herself." Her eyes go from sad to twinkling in seconds. "Do you mind if I fix yours tomorrow morning? Your hair is even longer than Rosalie's."

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I think. Due to laziness and general lack of knowledge on this subject, my hair is normally styled in one of two ways - down or twisted up in a messy knot. And judging by the appraising gleam in her eye, I am going to assume that Alice knows more hairstyle techniques than I do. Plus, I feel for her. She may be a beautiful and eternally youthful supernatural being, but that doesn't mean she is incapable of wishing that she could change something about herself. Who knew that while I was coveting her graceful movements and flawless face, she evidently dreamed to have hair like mine.

"Nothing too fancy, right?" I reply cautiously.

Her face beams. "Sure! I'll do it up however you want."

Alice soon busies herself in making my nails appear less like a tomboy's - the style I have gone with for the past seventeen years. They get soaked in some liquid, their cuticles pushed back, and slathered with polish. Soon, I have ten fingers and ten toes that look better than they ever have. It's simple but feminine. Turns out that girl vampires make the best manicurists.

While my nails dry, she puts her things away. It doesn't take long before my clumsiness kicks in and an elbow accidentally knocks a nail file behind the bed. My mouth drops into a frown. Grumbling, I prepare to go after it.

"Wait! You can't do that," Alice intervenes like it's an emergency. She scrambles away from her travel case and moves to my side of the bed. "If you crawl under there, your fingers might get all dirty again. And then we'd have to spend another thirty minutes repairing the damage it caused your nails. I'll get it."

I tell her that it's unnecessary and that I can retrieve it later, but she won't hear it. I give up and move out of her way, noting that it's a tight squeeze underneath my bed. At least she's petite. She will have a much easier time crawling under there than I would.

However, she doesn't get down on her knees as I had expected. With one hand, she lifts the bed frame up on it's side as though it is as light as a pillow.

"Gee, Bella," she marvels, looking at the floor which had been hidden underneath the bed. "You sure do have a lot of junk stored under here. When's the last time you cleaned?"

"It's been awhile," I admit, slightly embarrassed by the clutter. Every summer break from the ages of five to thirteen, I would travel far from my home in Phoenix to spend two or three weeks with Charlie in Forks. And every year, he always had an assortment of secondhand toys and books to occupy me during my stay. When I outgrew the toys, they were stuffed out of sight under the bed and largely forgotten. I haven't laid eyes on that Tamagotchi toy since the day my little digital pet died for the third time in six days. No matter how hard I tried as a kid, the skull icon would appear on the black and gray screen and my pet would instantly be at knocking at death's door. I eventually took it as a warning from above to not ask Mom for that puppy I had always wanted.

She grabs her nail file from the floor and gently sets the bed back into place. I plop down on the mattress and resume watching Alice put her things away. Once she is finished with the task, she skips over and sits by me again. She's sharing her opinion on how press on fingernails should only be used under certain dire circumstances when her mouth suddenly parts open. Her eyes stare off into outer space - as though she is in a world of her own. Aware that this is another vision being received, I keep quiet and wait it out.

This vision takes a little longer for her to finish - fifteen to twenty seconds is my guess. At its completion, she breaks free from the spell and sighs with hunched shoulders. "Well, that sure was close. Carlisle had that female nomad cornered somewhere near Port Townsend, but she still managed to get past him. She's a slippery thing, I'll give her that."

"Where's Port Townsend?"

"It's on the other side of the Olympic Peninsula. I recognized a couple of the landmarks they passed by during the chase. It has a few thousand more residents than Forks, so the chances for them catching her without being seen by a human is drastically reduced."

"And that would be bad?"

"Catastrophic," she divulges. "We would likely have to leave the area right away."

"Why?"

"Well..." she drags out, her mouth twisting to the side. "Humans aren't technically supposed to know about vampires. If certain individuals were to discover that Edward or you know the truth about us, we could get into trouble."

"Trouble? With who?"

"The Volturi. They're a group of vampires that enforce the rules. And rule number one is to keep our existence secret from mortals. Unless you have a really good excuse, they destroy lawbreakers right away."

"I could be the cause of your execution?" I emphasize, my eyebrows shooting up.

Alice places a hand on my knee and pats it. "Now don't go worrying like Edward does. As long as you two don't broadcast to the world that the Cullens are vampires, we should be fine. The Volturi live in Italy and usually leave their castle only when they absolutely have to - which figures to about once every three hundred years. They do have a few scouts roaming around, but I've never bumped into any of them in all of my years. Anyway, what with my talent, there's no way the Volturi's henchmen could ever sneak up on us. If I get an inkling that someone is coming, we'll keep you and Edward far away from harm."

"But what about you? And the others?"

She waves her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about us. They would never guess what we've been up to. We're masters at lying through our teeth." Her lips purse out for a moment. "Except for maybe Emmett. He has a tendency to blurt out his thoughts. So we'll make sure to keep him far away too."

A few minutes later, my fingernails are pronounced dry enough to move freely about the room. Since I haven't checked my emails since Thursday night, the first thing I do is flick on my old PC. It takes its sweet time booting up, as usual. I peek to my right to see what Alice is up to. In her hand is another fashion magazine, yet she doesn't appear to be reading from it. She sits on the bed with her legs hanging down, one foot tapping so quickly that it's almost a blur. If it goes any faster, it will drill right through the floor.

"Are you OK?" I question.

Alice switches her attention away from the spot that she had been mindlessly staring and looks at me. "Yeah. I'm just excited with all that's going on. It's difficult keeping still when I see visions of my family running around." The slight frown on her face erases suddenly. Large, optimistic eyes spread wide. "It would really help if I could find something to do to pass the time. Like cleaning up your room. You know, spring is just around the corner," she chimes.

"I don't know... Having a guest do manual labor doesn't sound right," I hesitate, glancing at the messy state of my bedroom. Other than laundry, I haven't really given it a decent cleaning since I moved in. Having Alice discover a long forgotten pb&j sandwich hiding somewhere in here might prove embarrassing.

"Aww, I don't mind! I love cleaning. And I'm fantastic at organization. I can help you sort through all of that old stuff underneath your bed. Whatever you don't want anymore can be donated to charity if you don't care about it anymore." Her hands clasp together, pleading her case. "Please? I would much rather keep busy than just sit here doing nothing. I feel so useless."

I stare at her, my mind deliberating on what to do. Part of me wants to say no - it's not appropriate to have her work on something that should be my sole responsibility. Yet Alice's small pout has a larger part of me immediately throwing up my hands and saying, why not? If allowing her to clean is the secret to keeping a vampire happy, then she can reorganize this whole house for all I care.

"OK. If that's what you want..." I trail off.

"Yes! Thank you!" she exclaims, hopping up from the bed. "Do you have any empty cardboard boxes we can use?"

"Up in the attic, I think."

"Got it. I'll be right back," she replies, already walking out into the hallway. Ten seconds later, she's carrying several stacked boxes in her arms and closes the door. She drops them on the floor and immediately flips the bed on to its side. The pile of crap from my childhood is exposed again. By the time my computer is on and the email program attempts to start, we have relegated everything except a few beloved childhood books to the donation box. Even though I haven't read those books in years, I can't bear to get rid of them. So, I find a place for them on my already crowded bookshelf.

Alice points to my closet. "What condition is that in?"

"It can't be too bad. I've only been in this room for a few weeks."

"True. But have you organized it? Shirts in one section, pants in another, and so forth? Also, is it arranged by fabric, color, and frequency of use?"

"Not really," I respond. I am not very good at arranging things like she is apparently. My clothes are lucky to be on hangers and not just balled up in the corner of the closet.

"Then I'll do it for you. I've been dying to see what you have in there anyway. You may not know this, but clothes are a passion of mine," she reveals with a seemingly shy smile.

"Yeah. I remember," I mumble.

Alice marches up to the closet with the swagger of a five star general, flinging the door open wide. Her pale hand snatches up a plain white blouse and closely examines it. "Very nice," she drawls speculatively. "Silk Dupioni. That's a keeper," she remarks as she sets it on my rocking chair.

I leave her to rummage through the closet while I tackle my emails. Three of them are spam, which I send straight to the trash. The remaining emails are all from Mom. I read from oldest to newest, starting from Friday night.

ReneeDwyer04 - Guess what, sweetie? Phil is being considered for a COACHING position in Jacksonville! Isn't it exciting? No more living from our suitcases! We're going house hunting tomorrow. What color do you want your room to be? Xoxo Mom

I frown at the message. I have no desire to move across the country again. For better or worse, Forks is my home now. I'm happy for Mom, though. Moving like gypsies every few days from upscale hotel to budget motel is a pain, I'm sure. I really hope Phil gets the job. Mom needs the stability of living in a house.

The next email was sent five minutes after her first one.

ReneeDwyer04 - I forgot to ask, but when can I expect to see a photo of Edward? It's been almost a week since you promised that you would send me one. Doris the night clerk is getting impatient.

I have the urge to scratch my head while staring confusedly at the computer screen. Who in the heck is Doris? I guess she is yet another stranger Mom has struck an instant friendship with. It's great that she can make friends so easily, though her tendency to overshare has gotten out of hand.

Her third email is from early Saturday afternoon.

ReneeDwyer04 - You haven't said anything back yet, honey. Do you not have enough money for a camera and that's why you are avoiding me? If that's the trouble, I'll send some right away. Did you know that they sell disposable ones at most drug stores? You can invite Edward to drive you to Walgreens, buy a camera, take his picture in the parking lot, and walk right back in for them to process it. Isn't that convenient? Let me know what you think. Hugs and kisses, Mom.

My mouse arrow clicks the last email, sent only an hour ago.

ReneeDwyer04 - Why haven't you messaged me back? Where are you? Are you OK? If I don't hear from you by tomorrow morning, I'm calling the hospital in Forks.

A heavy sigh slips from my lips. Just because I haven't checked my emails for a couple of days, Mom assumes the worst...

"What's wrong with you?" Alice asks from across the room. "You sound like someone who just accidentally squirted yellow mustard all over your favorite outfit."

I smile a little and swivel around in the desk chair. Alice has an old pair of slacks of mine and is rubbing the fabric between her fingers. "It's just my mom. She sent a few emails bugging me about something I haven't done yet."

Her eyes flick up from her examination. "Oh. You mean the picture thing."

I do a double take and stare at her. I haven't mentioned Mom's picture demand to a soul. It's going to be hard adjusting to Alice's clairvoyance.

My tongue swipes across my lip. "Umm. Yeah. She's kind of upset that I haven't sent her one yet."

Alice carefully places the pants on the rocking chair and walks over to my nightstand. Grabbing her cellphone, she starts pressing buttons at lightning fast speed. "What's your email?"

"Why?" I ask, tilting my face warily. I hope she isn't planning on signing me up with a bunch of fashion blog alerts or something similarly useless. I get enough unwanted spam as it is.

"I have a few photos of Edward stored on my phone. I'll send them to your address. Then you can pick which ones you want to forward to your mom. Is that OK?"

I blink my eyes a few times. Her precognition talent is unnerving, but she can be a godsend sometimes, too.

"Yes. That sounds perfect," I answer.

I tell her my email address and only have to wait a couple of minutes before my pitifully slow computer dings with a new alert. Opening Alice's email, I am delighted to see several attachments. A smile rises on my face the second I see ruffled bronze hair on my computer screen. The pictures Alice sent of Edward range from crooked grins to annoyed glares. I love them all. However, the last one stuns me speechless.

The image is one that I had no idea existed. Edward sits at his piano in the Cullen living room. I am seated to his right, my full attention centered on him. It occurs to me that this was from the day he drove me to his home for the first time.

"That's my favorite," confesses Alice, standing a foot behind me.

I tear my eyes away from the image. My face angles up to meet her gaze. My lips move, yet nothing intelligible comes out. "How did..." I falter, waving a hand towards the computer.

Beaming down at me, her chest vibrates with silent laughter. "How did I snap that picture without you knowing? That's easy. You both were so lost in each other in that moment that a marching band could have stomped through our living room and neither one of you would have known."

Like a magnet, my attention snaps back to the picture. This third-person viewpoint makes me feel like I am seeing myself for the first time since my move to Forks. Brown eyes wide and locked on Edward's face. Pink cheeks set against my otherwise creamy white skin. I had "I'm in love" written all over me. Yet, I am more surprised by what I see about Edward that I did not notice that day. As he played the piano, his body leaned slightly towards me. The hypnotic green of his eyes had been gentle, open, and warm. And his smile wasn't merely friendly - as I had once assumed.

In hindsight, that day I tortured myself into believing that he was taking Lauren Mallory to that dumb spring dance was ridiculous. Here he was telling me all along how he felt. And I had been too ignorant to see it.

"Wow," I breathe in awe.

"You've got that right," giggles Alice. A chalk-white finger reaches for the monitor, landing on Edward's smiling face. "You see that? Before you moved here, it was rare to see him crack a smile. He'd hole up in his bedroom like a hermit instead of actually doing something worthwhile. If it wasn't for school, he would have never left the house."

"Why?" I frown.

Alice's mouth cocks into a smirk. "Because he is the most pigheaded boy ever to be born. He couldn't accept that this was his life now. He believed that he didn't belong here. There was many a day that he beat himself up with survivors guilt, thinking that had he stayed in 1918, he could have helped his parents in some way. Carlisle treated them at the hospital back then, you know. He has little doubt what would have happened if Edward had stayed. Edward would have probably caught the Spanish Flu and died - just as his parents had."

My head dips down sadly. "That's exactly what I thought when he told me this afternoon."

She sagely nods. "Yeah, and Edward knew that, too. But that didn't stop the self-flagellation for a while." During a pause, an eyebrow slowly cocks up. "Speaking of this afternoon, Bella, I found some of the conversation you two had simply fascinating," she stresses. "Are you planning on opening up a private eye firm here in Forks?"

My knee bounces nervously under the desk. "Oh... You had a vision of us in the meadow?" I squeak nervously. I never stopped to think that she could have heard me confessing to Edward about my research into their origins.

"Yes. A couple."

No longer able to look at her straight on, my eyes wander to the floor. "Sorry about the snooping thing," I mumble.

I hear a tiny laugh. "Don't be sorry. I was amazed that you were able to discover so much on your own. And then you kept me from knowing, too! I'm actually very impressed. Now I understand why I saw you on the computer all day long last Sunday," she teases.

Glancing up at her friendly smile, my body relaxes and stops shaking. "You're not mad?"

"Nah. You actually did us a favor. Jasper is in charge of keeping our internet footprint to a minimum. Whenever one of our names pops up in a search, he works to erase it. Thanks to you, he discovered an old Hale family photograph on one of those genealogical websites. It's from 1930 and had Rose in it! Since she is going by her full human name right now, you can see how that could be a problem."

"Why wasn't he in it too?"

Alice's brow furrows for a moment before a look of realization crosses her face. "He wasn't born a Hale, Bella. He and Rose are only playing the role of twins while we live in Forks, but otherwise they aren't related. That's how it goes for all of us. Each time we move to a new place, our roles change. Through the years, I've been Emmett's little sister, Esme's stepdaughter from a prior marriage, Carlisle's destitute cousin-"

As soon as those words leave her lips, her head cocks to the side. Yellow eyes glaze over for roughly two seconds. I'm expecting her to come out of the trance with news of how the hunt for that vampire woman is faring, but that isn't what happens.

My eyes blink exactly one time. And during that brief interval, Alice has retrieved her large case of manicure supplies, dragged a small stool over to where I sit, and is miming painting my nails again with a dry nail polish brush.

I open my mouth to ask what's going on, but she cuts me off. "Shh," she breathes out, peeking slyly up from my hand.

Moments later, there is a soft knock from across the room. Alice's head tips towards the door, silently encouraging me to acknowledge my father's presence.

"Yeah. Come in," I answer.

The knob twists and the door pops open. Charlie sticks his head in. His gaze lands on what looks like Alice diligently working on my fingernails. "I was -uh - just checking in. Everything all right?" he asks.

"Sure, Dad. We're fine."

He grunts in typical fashion. "That's good. I'll be, umm, heading to bed in a minute."

"Oh. Well. Goodnight then," I say, attempting to hurry him along.

"Goodnight," he parrots. I wait for him to back away and close the door. But the doesn't. He just stands there, eyes glued to Alice and me. "Uh..." he drawls, his mustache shimmying from right to left. "Remember, it's a school day tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."

"We won't," I reply.

Alice's face lifts, momentarily halting her "work" on my manicure. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Bella gets her beauty rest as soon as I'm done with her nails," she smoothly lies.

"OK," he responds, his eyes never leaving our faces. They keep flicking from me, to Alice, and back again. It's as if Charlie doesn't quite buy our story. And if that's the case, he would be one hundred percent correct. There's no way that I will sleep tonight unless I know that there are no more vampires roaming around that want to eat my new boyfriend.

Roughly ten silent, awkward seconds pass.

"Hey, Chief Swan," hums Alice, her head tilted ruminatively a few degrees. "I noticed during dinner that your hands are a little dry. I have some lavender scented moisturizer and cuticle softening oil in my case. Oh! And a brand new pumice stone to remove those callouses, too. I guarantee that your hands will feel as soft as a baby's bottom after I'm through with them."

Charlie's dark curls whip violently from side to side. "That sounds like too much trouble," he says in a rush of breath.

"It's no trouble at all! Really!" she cries. "I'm thinking of becoming a cosmetologist after graduation. It's been ages since I've worked on a male's manicure. Just because I once applied tiny heart decals to Jasper's fingernails, the other guys won't let me near their hands! I tried explaining that I need the practice, but no one will listen," she finishes in a clearly visible pout.

"Thanks, but I think I can manage it myself," he slurs, backing away. "I'll see you two in the morning." The door clicks shut and he's gone.

With her stage act no longer required, Alice jumps up and tosses her nail props back into her case. "Your dad's sweet," she smiles. "He reminds me of Errol Flynn, but shyer - and with a thicker mustache."

While she tackles the closet once more, I recall that I have an email to write up for Mom. My fingers stretch and flex a few times before I type.

87BSwan- There's no need to call the hospital. I promise that I am fine - just have been busy lately and haven't checked my email in a while. That's great about Phil's new job prospect. Jacksonville sounds like a great fit for you both. But I'm staying in Forks, Mom. I've made some good friends, and I like my school too much to up and move away again so soon. There's no need to send me money either. Edward's sister is staying over for the night and sent a few pictures of him that should meet your list of demands. I hope you and Doris the night clerk will be satisfied. Love, Bella

I close the email program and find Edward's 1910 census document staring at me from its location on the desktop. The horrifying possibility that someone could break into my room and come across evidence of Edward's secret hits me between the eyes. I need to get rid of it. Right now. I watched E.T. The Extraterrestrial before. If the government knew about him, they would send a fleet of agents to Forks and then throw him into a laboratory to study for the remainder of his life.

Immediately, I delete the census image from the computer. Also, I tear up into tiny pieces the list where I had written down all of my suspicions concerning him and the Cullens. With all evidence gone that could prove that they are not what they seem, I shut down the computer and crawl into bed.

Alice encourages me to read and relax while she works to organize my closet. I try to convince her to come and rest too, but she laughs it off - insisting that creatures such as herself don't get tired. Approximately a quarter of an hour later, I'm getting interested in one of the books I borrowed from the Cullen library when I hear a gasp. Alice pulls a blue checkered-pattern skirt off a hanger and holds it up to the light. A bright grin spreads across her face. "Oooooooo. This is cute, Bella. Why haven't you worn this to school yet? Old Navy, 2003 spring collection. Also comes in gray, purple, red, and black."

"How do you know all that?" I wonder, scrunching my forehead.

She taps the side of her head with a finger. "Vampires have photographic memories. Everything I have seen, done, or read about is up there. If you want, I can recite the Bloomingdale's catalog from 1925 and all the way up to their latest edition. Although, my personal favorite is the summer of '66. It had bikinis and miniskirts together for the first time. But you're avoiding my question. Why haven't I seen you in this before, hmm?"

"Because my legs are boney, untanned, and hideous?" I counter in question form. In a moment of delirium, Mom thought I would look good in something that reaches well above my knobby kneecaps and bought that skirt for me. Since I did not want to hurt her feelings, I hid it in my closet until she forgot all about it. Mom's forgetful tendency is convenient sometimes.

Alice's mouth pinches together. "No they are not. You are much too critical of yourself. Mine are a lot paler. And yours are so much longer. They look fantastic. Edward seems to think so, too."

I have only worn jeans and sweatpants since arriving in Forks. I smile condescendingly, calling her bluff. "Edward has never even seen my bare legs."

"But he will," she emphasizes, eyeing me seriously.

That smile of mine disappears. "He will?" I croak. I keep forgetting about her "special talent".

"Yep," she says, her mouth popping on the last syllable.

"W-w-when?" I stammer.

"Soon."

My lungs burn now that hyperventilation mode has been triggered. What has gotten into me? Or, more specifically, what will? Did I blow caution to the wind and lose my mind? Edward and I are new at this relationship stuff. I don't think Not So Distant Future Bella is ready to rush into bed with him yet. And...oh no. What if it's not even a bed we rush into? What if it's the backseat of his car where I lose my virginity? With the gear shift poking me in the back? That couldn't be comfortable. Though, on the bright side, at least he wouldn't be able to see much of my naked body. The backseat is pretty cramped...

Piercing through my frenzied thoughts, I hear Alice's laughter. "I was referring to Edward seeing your bare legs while wearing a dress, Bella - not what you're thinking."

I suck in a much needed breath and release it, my cheeks puffing out from the relief. "Oh. Thank God," I mumble with closed eyes. Upon reopening them, I meet Alice's gaze. "So...how did you know...?"

"In around thirty more seconds, you would have plummeted into a panic and started pacing the room - all while murmuring something about virgins and Volvos. Really, Bella. Give him more credit than that. Edward would never be so inconsiderate. He will be a perfect gentleman. I promise." She then tugs out an old jacket of mine from the closet and studies it as though it is an artifact from ancient Babylonia.

As I take comfort in what she said, the much needed relief quickly mixes in with suspicion. I have a hunch that her "promise" is more than just her intuition at work.

"Alice?" I say in almost a whisper.

All I can see is her butt sticking out of my closet as she digs through clothes. "Hmm?"

"H-have you seen visions of me and Edward together?"

"Sure. Loads of them," answers her muffled voice.

"Like...?" I coax.

Abandoning the archeological excavation of my closet, she rises slowly to her feet and looks my way. One golden eye squints musingly for several beats. "Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

A heavy dose of worry overloads my senses. Her psychic ability reputedly goes far beyond the short-term - like what will happen tomorrow or next week. What if she sees everything? What if my entire life story is already up in that head of hers? Am I really ready to know what the future has in store for me? Or Edward? Or me AND Edward?

"I... don't know," I respond, my fingers wiggling in my lap.

She nods her head and resumes her concentration on the closet. "That's what I thought. It's OK. I won't say a thing unless I absolutely have to do it. It's more fun keeping everything a surprise. If it had been up to me, I would have never told a soul a single thing about what I saw. At the time I had no choice - although it did almost ruin everything-"

She abruptly stops speaking, her nose wrinkling down at the shirt she just pulled off a hanger. "Ugh... Polyester. Do you realize how unfriendly this fabric is to your skin? It doesn't breathe! Synthetic materials will have no place in your wardrobe," she proclaims, tossing it into a cardboard box like it's garbage.

"Excuse me," I interrupt. "What do you mean that you had no choice? What are you talking about?"

Her flawless face squishes together as though in pain. "Well... I think I should give you some context first before I rat anyone out," she says hesitantly. Then, all appearances of uncertainty vanish. Her posture straightens, her gaze focused solely upon me. "I saw you coming," she announces.

My brows lower themselves. "What?"

"I saw you," she repeats, putting stress on the second word. "In Phoenix. It was late last year - right before New Year's - when I began seeing your face in my visions. You were at a crossroads in your life. One moment you would think about moving in with your father. The next, you contemplated staying in Phoenix. Your indecisiveness was playing havoc with my visions. It was like trying to peer through muddy water. I'd get brief glimpses of you here in Forks sometimes. But then you'd change your mind and you would disappear again. It wasn't until early January that my visions solidified."

She glides closer to where I sit - maintaining eye contact all the while. "I know Edward touched a little on how he once believed he didn't belong here, but I don't think you understand the extent of it, Bella. He had a lamebrain theory that his existence put a strain on this new time period he was brought into - as if it wouldn't be able to deal with him plus the several billion other people already living in this world. For example, I tried to push him into signing up with the Track team but he refused. He told me that it wouldn't be fair to 'steal a spot' away from another person just so he would have something to do after school," she explains with an eye roll.

"And you could forget about trying to convince him to go do something fun on the weekends!" she continues in a huff, crossing her arms. "He preferred hiding in his room over hanging out with kids his own age. I know some of it has to do with him not enjoying the company of certain people, but he took it well beyond what was healthy. Just because he was born over a hundred years ago, he never felt very comfortable around the other teenagers that live around here. He liked to refer to himself as a 'freak' even though he is no such thing. Other than showing up to school, he stayed out of human society as much as possible. My life was more well-rounded and gratifying than his - and I'm not even human!"

Her mouth quivers, the look of irritation fading into frown. "The whole family was worried sick about him. We all tried to encourage him to be more active, but it was like talking to a brick wall. You know there's something wrong when vampires are telling a seventeen year old boy to go out and socialize. Yet all he wanted to do was listen to music or occasionally play chess downstairs. I had hoped that he would realize that his past doesn't matter - it's his future that counts. After all, he was sent here. And I don't believe in accidents. But, all I saw for his future was one of loathing and self-isolation. He...stopped living. I saw no hope in sight."

My vision blurs, overwhelmed by how lonely Edward must have felt. Alice zips over to a box of tissues sitting on the nightstand and hands me one without saying a word. I take it and dab at the corners of my eyes, grateful that I could get rid of the teardrops before they could stream down my cheeks.

"So that's what it was like living with him up until January," she resumes, now sitting at the end of the bed. "That's when his future began changing. I saw visions of him actually leaving the house other than to just go to school or the occasional trip to Seattle. I saw him smiling and no longer moping up in his bedroom. He was like a different person in my visions." Her eyes stare piercingly. "I saw him with you."

Finding it hard to stay still, my chest leans forward until it hits my bent knees. My arms wrap around them. "So... are you saying that you've known all along what would happen? Between Edward and me?"

Her lips press together, twisting to the side. "Yes and no," she answers after a moment of thought. "My visions aren't always set in stone, you know. All it takes is for someone to change their mind and everything gets shot to hell. But, yes. I did have visions of the both of you coming together at some point very soon. I didn't tell anyone about it - not even Jasper. After you moved to Forks, I even kept my interactions with you a secret for as long as I could."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want Mr. Worry-Wart to start stressing out about it," she replies, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "I figured that things between the two of you would progress naturally without me needing to interfere very much. And that's likely how it would have played out too - if only it hadn't been for that stupid van that almost ruined everything!"

"The car accident?"

"Yeah. That day really blindsided me," she confesses after a rough sigh. "It's like this, Bella. Out of everyone in our family, Rosalie is the one that regrets the most not being able to live out her human life. It's a sore point. She may love Emmett with all of her heart and cares deeply for the family, but living a vampire's life is difficult for her to accept. So when she saw that Edward was almost hit by Tyler's van, she had a nuclear meltdown once we got back home. She felt that Edward risked his life unnecessarily 'cause - you know - he stayed to help you get out of the way instead of just looking out for himself."

My eyes blink several times in succession as I absorb this information. Now I understand why Rosalie kept glaring at me earlier. "Oh. So that's why she hates me," I realize, barely moving my lips.

Alice's head shakes in the negative. "No. She doesn't hate you. I'm sure she was just upset that she had to run with you tonight. Rose worries a lot about the Volturi and has always been especially cautious about not revealing her true nature to a human. Trust me, back a few months ago, she wasn't happy when Edward found out about us either. But she's used to it nowadays. She might occasionally throw out an insult to annoy Edward, but in reality, she is just as protective of him as the rest of us. It just takes a little time for her to warm up to new faces. When we first joined the Cullen family back in 1950, she didn't trust Jasper or me at all. It was three months before she stopped hissing whenever she saw me walk into a room."

"Hissing? Like a cat?" I ask incredulously.

"Yeah, but it was more like a mountain lion's than your average house cat. Now she only hisses if I'm getting on her nerves. So, that figures to about once a week," explains Alice breezily. "But getting back to the story, after the accident in the parking lot, we arrived home and Rose called a family meeting. Then she went off on Edward big time. She yelled that his responsibility was to protect himself - not running around rescuing strangers while playing hero and blah, blah, blah. No one backed her up though - not even Emmett. I saw that she was gearing up to another level of anger when I decided that I had to put a stop to it. So...I told them about what I had seen." One corner of Alice's mouth curls up into a smirk. "That sure did shut Rosalie up fast."

A thousand thoughts run through my head at once. Yet the one that holds center stage has me awe-stricken.

"Are you saying that Edward knew what would happen between us almost this whole time?" I press, my eyes growing large. "That was a month and a half ago!"

Her head tilts back as she giggles, her arm encircling her waist in an attempt to contain it. "No! It's not that simple. Let me finish explaining and then maybe you'll understand," she wheezes, trying to settle down. Taking its time, the amusement fades until her voice grows calm once again. "First of all, I only told them that I had previously seen visions of you and Edward together. I never gave specifics. But that didn't matter much to Edward that afternoon. He threw a fit regardless. Then, he buried his head even deeper into the sand and refused to believe a word I said. Aligning with his twin beliefs of never having fun or doing anything fulfilling, he had an iron-clad 'no dating or romantic relationship' rule that he had set into place. His plan was to be remain single and cloistered until the day he died. He quote, unquote 'would never drag' someone into his life here - as if being with him would be a death sentence for some poor girl," scoffs Alice with an arched eyebrow.

The conversation abruptly halts for a short time, her eyelids drooping sadly. "My visions went haywire for the next twelve hours. The progress I had seen for his future life vanished. They went back to him locking himself away from the world. Since he was aware that there was a possibility that the two of you might come together, he made it his mission to see that it would never happen. And in the name of keeping you safe from supposedly useless antique curios from the past, he planned on keeping his distance from then on out."

She huffs a single laugh, her face turning up into a smile. "It was frustrating to see him being so stubborn, but it didn't take long for my visions to get back on the right track. All it took was for Mike Newton to drool over you one good time. Then Edward's gentlemanly side took over and decided that he had to protect you from Mike's raging hormones," she reveals with a teasing wink.

My mouth gapes open wide enough to stuff my fist inside of it.

"Oh, Bella," she giggles at my shocked expression. "Do you see now what I had to put up with for all of those weeks? In the span of twenty-four hours, he went from saying that he would keep his distance from you to suddenly saying that he was your friend and was only looking out for your welfare. I knew right then that his plan was crumbling already, but - of course - I never told him that. So, I just sat back and waited - all while watching him head to your house every day and seeing how he generally wanted to be near you every waking moment. I was thrilled. But my God! Was it frustrating! I swear, for a while I was seriously considering just locking the both of you in a room until you guys worked things out. It took him a month before he acknowledged that a mere friend doesn't usually want to rip a limb off from their female friend's suitors and beat them over the head with it."

My nose crinkles at the word suitors. "Mike was nothing more than a friend with a little crush on me - which I never encouraged," I counter.

Alice's lips press together in an effort not to smile. "I know. So did Edward - but his jealous streak didn't get the notification evidently."

My teeth drag in my bottom lip and chew. "So, what you're saying is that the only reason things worked out the way that it did was because Edward was jealous that Mike gave me attention," I conclude.

Her head shakes quickly back and forth. "No. I'm saying that it was inevitable. It may have taken longer than I would have liked, but things would have ultimately turned out the same in the end. I am a strong believer in fate. It's true that I may not have seen you coming before January. However, there isn't a shadow of doubt within me that says that this wasn't meant to be. I just didn't forecast it sooner."

Her hard, ice cold hand gently comes to rest on the top of mine. Golden eyes have lost all signs of amusement. "Don't let him know that I told you this, but Edward needs you to keep him on the right track - or else he will fall right back into his old habit of feeling sorry for himself. Push him out of his comfort zone. Encourage him to try new things. And for heaven's sakes, get the boy to think about what he wants to do with the rest of his life!" she pleads, hinting at the stress she has been under for the past nine months. "Are you up for the challenge?" she questions, both brows raising.

My smile is weak but genuine. "Yes," I answer simply.

She matches my smile and raises it to a bright grin. "Great! With you, me, and Esme on his tail, he won't have any choice but to comply."

Happily skipping across the room, she takes a nose dive back into the closet. I notice that she appears to love every article of clothing my mother ever purchased for me - especially the ones that I am too intimidated to wear since they expose more skin than I am comfortable with showing off.

Out of nowhere, her eyes become glassy and immobile. Her breathing halts entirely. Another vision briefly occupies her attention. Twenty or so seconds pass this way. At the end of it, she inhales a large puff of air. Her face lights up into a dreamy, faraway smile. "Finally! Took long enough!" she exclaims triumphantly.

I drop my book to my lap, excitement overwhelming me. "What happened? Did they catch that female vampire?"

Her smile drops sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry. But, no. I just saw that Jasper decided what he'll get me for our anniversary. It's a cute little emerald ring he saw on Tiffany's website. I think he's been trying to hide it by constantly changing his mind for the past couple of weeks. But he slipped up just now. I'll have to pretend that it's still a surprise come next month..."

"May I ask a question?" I break in.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"It's about the visions you have. How does it work?"

Her arms cross while a finger taps her chin, appearing to deliberate on how to respond. "You know how breaking news interrupts the TV program you were watching and there's nothing you can do about it until it's over? Well, that's kinda what it's like. Sometimes I can multitask and experience a vision while also conducting a conversation. Other times they take over me completely and I can't do a thing until it's done. The visions range in importance - from tiny hints on what Ms. Goff will assign for homework tomorrow, to a possible danger that's coming on the horizon."

A hand covers her mouth as she laughs, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "I was bored once during the 1990s. Carlisle inspired me to do something which would be both fun and helpful. He works hard to keep the humans happy and healthy, and it made me want to do something like that, too. So I joined a psychic hotline for a while."

"One of those 1-800 fortune telling scams?" I gasp.

"Uh-huh. But obviously, I'm no scam. I'm the real deal. I don't have to pretend to be psychic. I figured that I could help a few humans by giving them accurate information. I warned the people who called of upcoming tax audits, deaths in the family, job loss, or whatever was in store for them in the near future. But not a one wanted to hear it. They wanted me to tell them that they were going to win the lottery, or that they would meet the guy or girl of their dreams come next week. They didn't want the truth - they only wanted their fantasies read back to them."

"I'm guessing the job didn't last for long?"

"You got that right. I got fed up after a month. My boss wanted me to start reading from a script since I wasn't giving farcical fortunes like the callers wanted. Well, that wasn't going to happen. I couldn't lie and give people false hope just so I could help my employer snatch more money from their pockets! So I told Miss Cleo that she could stuff her turban where the sun don't shine and walked straight out the door."

I burst into laughter, shoving my face into a pillow as to not wake Charlie up. I bet Miss Cleo never predicted being told off by a vampire the size of a middle schooler.

"Oh!" cries Alice.

I lift my face up to find her staring vacantly at the floor, a blouse clutched in her fingers. This vision takes a short while to complete.

Her stiff posture relaxes. Her eyes briefly snap shut. Then she grins. "Ding dong, the witch is dead," she singsongs.

My heart flutters. "It's over?" I press without taking a breath.

Alice meets my gaze and nods. "That female nomad is currently being fed to a bonfire courtesy of Emmett Cullen. That's the only way you can destroy a vampire."

"So Edward is safe now?" I confirm.

"Completely. I don't foresee a bit of trouble out of the third nomad that was in their coven. He didn't strike me as much of a hell raiser. Anyway, he's already in another state. Edward will be fine."

My lungs inhale air greedily, helping to alleviate my anxiety. I even crack a smile. "Thank goodness Emmett is so strong. I guess that vampire didn't have much of a chance after he got a hold of her."

With sparkling eyes, Alice shakes her head. "Oh, no, Bella. You're wrong. It wasn't Emmett that caught her. Rose did it."

"Rosalie?" I repeat.

"Yeah. It was pretty awesome, too. She ripped that nomad's head clean off before anyone knew what was happening. Being fueled by both anger and revenge put her far ahead of everyone else in terms of ferocity."

My head moves up and down as I think. "I'd imagine so. That vampire and her mate caused a lot of trouble tonight."

"Umm. Yeah. That has a little to do with it, but - uh - she has another reason to be upset tonight too. Remember?"

I'm confused for a while until I recall that there is a person Rosalie dislikes in addition to savage female vampires. Me. I'm the mortal who shouldn't have seen her superhuman abilities.

"Oh..."

Alice's eyes meet mine, staring seriously. "Don't worry about it, Bella. Rose won't be angry forever. She'll stomp around the house for a while, as usual, and be over it in no time. You'll see."

I nod and give a fake smile, acting as though I agree. However, in my mind, I am contemplating on how common it is for a girl my age to draw up a last will. Having a legit supernatural being pissed at you can't be a harbinger of good things to come.

Alice jumps back to dealing with the piles of clothes strewn around the closet. She's complaining at how metal hangers should be outlawed since they leave indentations on your clothes when her phone rings.

"Hello," she greets into the phone. Looking over at me, she mouths "Edward".

A real smile creeps back onto my face. He's safe and sound at his house, and I'll be seeing him tomorrow. This night couldn't end any better.

Snapping out of my happy daze, I lean forward and listen closely to Alice's end of the conversation.

"I already know. I saw it. Rose looked so mad. She'll be thrilled when she finds out that Bella knows exactly what we are," she says, arching an eyebrow. Growing quiet for a short time, she shakes her head. "Nah. She'll get over it. Eventually... Sure." Her eyes dart back to the bed, a sly smirk aimed my way. "Bella! Edward wants you!" she croons, putting stress on the word.

My cheeks erupt in flames but I manage to not die of embarrassment. I take the phone and clear my throat before I answer. "Hey."

"I wanted to let you know that they caught that nomad. We should be OK now," Edward says through the tiny speaker.

"I know. Alice told me. I'm glad we can finally relax."

"Me, too." A gap in the conversation occurs and his relief changes to something else. "I miss you," he purrs.

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside, making my lips curve upwards at how just three words can affect me so thoroughly. "I miss you," I respond back.

By chance, I notice a movement in my peripheral vision. It's fast - like a beam of light flashing by. My eyes instinctively flick to their right. In the few moments I have been occupied on the phone, someone has been very busy. I stare unblinking at what I see.

"Edward?" I breathe in a bewildered tone.

"Yes, love?" he replies smoothly.

Even though I am aware that she can hear every word, I can't stop myself from covering my mouth as I covertly speak into the phone. "Alice said that she would do a little spring cleaning around my room while I read. Now half of my clothes are in a cardboard box, including my sweats. Should I be worried?"

"Alice!" bellows Edward.

Across the room, the stack of clothes in Alice's arms falls back into a chair. With a roll of her eyes, she zips over to me and takes the phone from my outstretched hand.

"What?" she huffs to Edward. Her brows slant irritably. "I was not! All I was doing was sorting through her clothes. Half of them are obsolete now that it's practically spring! I was putting them into boxes for storage until it's cold again. Bella needs the extra closet space!" One hand falls to her hip. "Fine! I'll put them back. But it'll be your fault when we don't have enough room to add her new summer wardrobe, Edward. Just remember that!" she snaps before ending the call.

She glowers at the phone for a moment, sticking her tongue out for good measure. Catching my eye, the look of annoyance slips away. "He gets so pissy sometimes over the smallest things. Hopefully you can combat that problem too."

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I sleep decently considering that there's a blood-drinker in the house. Alice assured me before going to bed that she would keep herself busy and out of trouble. Strangely, she also promised that she wouldn't stare at me while I slept. This was comforting, yet also worrying that she would even think to bring it up.

When my eyelids reopen after a night of dreaming, I find Alice curled up in my rocking chair with a book. Upon seeing me awake, she throws it down and zooms over to her makeup bag to retrieve a curling iron and hairbrush. I inform her that I require a bathroom break before giving her access to styling my hair today.

I return to my bedroom to find that a beauty shop has sprung up in my absence - the only item missing is one of those hair drying chairs that usually sit along a far wall. My desk has turned into a makeshift vanity, cluttered with various hair and skin care products that I have never before laid eyes on.

"What's all this for?" I sputter.

"It's for your new beauty routine, silly!" she grins. "First we'll ready the palette by hydrating your face with this terrific fruit enzyme mask. Then, while that's working its magic, I'll trim an inch or two off the front of your hair to give you a bit more volume. Layers are very popular right now, you know. Ooooo! Can't forget the tweezers! I noticed that you have a couple of stray hairs out of place around your eyebrows. After a good pull, I promise it'll be over in a jiffy."

I blink rapidly with furrowed forehead, swamped mentally by what she had planned for this morning. "I thought you were going to braid my hair or something simple like that."

"Yeah. And layers are simple," she emphasizes. Patting the chair in front of herself, she adds, "Come on, slowpoke! We have a lot of work to do before school starts."

I stare at the scissors in her hand with cautious eyes. My head rocks from side to side before I am aware of it. "No."

The smile on Alice's face slackens. "No?"

"No," I confirm.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. No hair cutting."

Slim shoulders sag in defeat. "OK. I'll just brush your hair and give it a wavy effect. Is that all right with you?"

I give it a moments thought, examining it for any hidden traps. "Yeah. That sounds fine."

Her smile returns. "And the face mask is still on, right?"

The corners of my mouth frown in response.

Taking that as my answer, she sighs. "Some other time then," she mumbles sadly, putting most of her beauty products away.

When she isn't attempting to give a full body makeover, Alice is skilled at making me look better by changing little things about myself. A few added curls make my hair appear fuller. Wearing a shirt and slacks combo that I would never ordinarily think about gives my body the illusion of curves. She even convinces me to add a pair of earrings today - something I rarely do even though my ears are pierced. Once the tiny silver studs are in place, she gazes enviously and reveals that she is limited to clip-ons.

I notice that my bed hasn't been made yet, so I move her suitcase off and drop it down to the floor. All movements cease as I weigh the suitcase in my hand. It seems awfully light considering the amount of things she brought over last night.

"Alice? Why haven't you packed yet?" I wonder aloud.

She's brushing her hair while studying her reflection in the mirror. "I did. All of my stuff is put away."

Following a hunch, I walk over to the chest of drawers and yank it open. The bottom drawer that she crammed with clothing remains filled to the brim.

"But your things are still in here," I point out.

"Those aren't mine. They're yours."

My head whips in her direction. "What? No! You can't give me your clothes!"

"But I just told you," she pouts in defense. "They were never mine. I bought them for you a few weeks back and have been itching to deliver them ever since. I've got more at the house that you can pick up at your convenience."

My fingers rub at my eyes, wishing I could crawl back to bed. "No. Return them, please."

"Why?" she bleats at high pitch. "You haven't even seen them yet! They will be gorgeous on you."

"I don't feel comfortable enough to allow someone I just met to buy my bras, Alice."

"There's more than that in there! There's sleepwear, too."

I gather up the clothes and stuff them back into her suitcase. "Thanks for the thought, but I can't keep any of this stuff," I remark. Based on the designer labels I saw, I'm guessing Charlie and I could eat like kings for well over a month on what it took for Alice to buy all those silky undergarments.

"Fine," she sniffs, nose up in the air. "If that's how you feel, I'll take them back home. But mark my words, one day you'll let me buy stuff and clothe you just like everybody else."

I zip up the suitcase and abruptly pause in place. "You dress everyone in your group?"

"I have to - otherwise chaos would ensue and I would have five vampires plus Edward trying to wear outfits that went out of style decades ago. For months whenever I had to go out of town, I had horrific visions of Edward wearing a suit and bowtie to Forks High. Thanks to my foresight, that never happened. One time I had to phone him and threaten to slip Jessica Stanley a 'love note' written in his handwriting if he dared to show up to school like that." She pauses and her body shudders uncontrollably. "And you don't even want to know what Emmett would put on himself if given half a chance. He makes the cast of Hee-Haw look like New York sophisticates."

We head downstairs soon after and wander to the kitchen. Charlie munches on scrambled eggs and bacon while skimming through the morning newspaper. I'm surprised to find that he made enough for all three of us. Alice thanks him profusely and slips into a chair. While I nibble at my food, she mostly chats while only occasionally pantomiming chewing up her breakfast. When Charlie stands up to refill his coffee mug, two slices of bacon fall on my plate from out of nowhere. I glance at Alice and catch her in a wink. More than half of the food on her plate has disappeared. I shrug and eat what she tossed over. I'm not crazy enough to turn my nose up at free bacon. If I knew where she hid her scrambled eggs, I'd probably eat that too.

I'm almost finished eating when Charlie says his goodbyes and heads to work. Not much more than a couple of minutes later, Alice tugs my shirt sleeve and excitedly pulls me to the front door. A familiar black Jeep stops at the curve. A tall boy with messy hair and crooked smile emerges from the backseat, walking over to where I stand and scooping me up into his arms.

"You're alive," Edward teases into my ear. "You survived a night with the pint-sized monster."

"Ha!" Alice cackles sarcastically nearby. "You say that now, but just wait till you see how great I helped make her look today. If you'd stop smothering her face into your chest, maybe you'd appreciate it."

"Bella is beautiful every day - with or without your assistance," he retorts, squeezing me tighter.

"Aww," a loud voice booms. My head turns to find the ghost-white face of Emmett grinning wickedly from the driver's side of his Jeep. "Who knew that ol' Eddie boy was so sweet? What's next? A heartfelt rendition of a love poem that compares her to a flower?"

Edward's eyes morph into a pointed glare. "Go to school, Emmett."

An elbow pokes out from the Jeep's window as Emmett chuckles. "Why the rush to get me away so soon? Now that Bella knows everything, we can finally hang out more. Hey, Bella! I heard it's pizza day in the cafeteria! Having two of you guys eating that junk instead of only one will really help us out. That food reeks! You wanna have lunch at our table?" A nanosecond passes and I hear Emmett yelp. His head snaps to his right. "Ow, babe! What was that for!" he whines, rubbing the back of his skull. "If Bella knows, she knows! We can't do anything about it now! So why not take advantage of it?"

From the passenger side of the Jeep, Rosalie gives Emmett, and then me, an icy cold stare. With an audible "hmph!", she crosses her arms and chooses to ignore us all by looking out of her window.

"Don't worry about her," Edward comforts softly. "She's been in a foul mood for hours. No one pays it much attention anymore. The only person who ever finishes on the losing end is her mate." I tilt my head up, scrunching my brow confusedly. He huffs a laugh and whispers. "She locked Emmett out of their bedroom last night."

From fifteen feet away, I hear a distinct whimper come from the Jeep. The look of despair on Emmett's face tells me everything that I did not want to know.

Meanwhile, Jasper climbs out of the vehicle and Alice pecks him on the cheek. Like a gentleman, he takes her suitcase and tosses it into the very back. "Morning, Jazz! Look what I did to Bella! Isn't it chic? Did you know that she owns ten cotton sweaters but only two wool ones? My fav was the black sweater lined with white trimming along the bottom. It was too cute! Her mom has excellent taste in clothes, but can you believe that Bella won't even try on half of-" she babbles nonstop as Jasper silently coaxes her into the backseat of the Jeep. I see who wears the mouth in that relationship.

"Come on, you guys," Emmett waves impatiently at us. "Let's get going. School starts in less than fifteen minutes. Sorry, but this is only a five seater, Bella. You'll have to sit on Edward's lap during the drive. Don't worry though. I'm sure he won't mind. It'll be the most action Edward has seen in his entire life!" he snickers.

Edward sighs, taking my hand and pulling me to the grass of the front yard. "We're not riding with you. Bella can drive us in her own vehicle." He looks at me meaningfully. "If that's agreeable to you?"

Since Emmett has already managed to make me blush twice in less than two minutes, being trapped in his Jeep while he cracks more teasing jokes doesn't sound very appealing. I think his brand of humor will take some getting used to.

"Yeah. I'll drive," I agree.

Edward opens the truck door and I climb into the driver's seat. He walks around and enters through the passenger door. "Thank you," he breathes out. "I needed a break from them for a bit."

"Is it like this every morning?" I ask as I stick the key into the ignition.

"Actually, it's tame in comparison to some days," he reveals dryly. A bronze brow arches high, a flash of worry haunting his features. "Are you sure you want to be a part of the madness? There's still time to back out."

My mouth curves into a smile. It will take more than wisecracking vampires and threats of makeovers to drive me away. "I think I can handle it."

The anxiety vanishes. He leans forward. I do the same. We meet in the middle of the truck, our lips touching. It isn't long before his hand is on my hip - pulling me closer. My fingers fondle his hair as I lose myself in the moment. It's been approximately eleven hours and twenty-seven minutes since I have been with him, and our bodies are well aware of that fact. If we keep on like this, the windows are going to fog up in no time...

"Woo hoo!" a voice yells for all of the neighborhood to hear. "Look babe! Edward must've paid attention all those times you and I were necking in his backseat! That's the same technique I've used on you! Good job, Edward!"

I look to my left. Emmett's Jeep idles at the curb, its driver wagging his brow up and down. I had forgotten to check if the Cullens left yet...

At the same time, Edward stops devouring my neck. His forehead comes to rest against my own, tired eyes gazing back. "Did I mention the lack of privacy among us?" he confides wearily.

My thoughts drift to super sensitive hearing and tiny beings who see almost everything thanks to her precognitive visions.

"Yeah. I figured that out by myself," I mutter.

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A/N- I'm trapped in the house with my family and three dogs thanks to a certain virus plaguing the planet. My youngest just remembered that he has a keyboard and has been playing "music" to pass the time. FYI, my noise cancelling headphones should be shipping out soon.

Next Chapter- Edward tries to convince Bella to attend prom. And since she's - ya know - Bella, she tries to resist. So, yeah. This will be basically a big ball of fluff.

Thanks for reading! :-)