Chapter 1
I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR CHARACTERS
Bella was calmly doing homework in her bed when she heard a light tapping at her window. She cocked her head to the side and glanced over at it, a slight thrill going through her. She recognized the sound for the amount of times that she had heard it before. It could only mean one thing.
There was a vampire at her window.
Either Edward, her boyfriend, or his adoptive sister, Alice, was rapping their knuckles against her winter frosted window pane and the thought made her grin. Although, she couldn't help but frown slightly a moment later. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Edward after the fight they'd had that day, and plus, she looked forward to any moment she got to spend with the pixie-like girl who was quickly becoming her best friend. They didn't get to hang out much at school because they shared no classes and they didn't get to hang out much at the Cullen home because Edward monopolized most of her time when she was there, but still, somehow, the tiny vampire had wormed her way into Bella's heart and settled in to stay.
So filled with a curious mix of excitement and apprehension, she tossed her Algebra textbook off to the side, rolled out of her bed and jogged to her locked window, slightly confused when she didn't see the usual form of one of those vampires perched on the sill outside. Furrowing her brow, she unlatched the lock and pushed it up, shuddering at the blast of cold air that hit her a second later as she peered into the darkness of her backyard.
"Edward? Alice?" she called out uncertainly.
Maybe it had been a branch from the oak tree scaling the side of her house blowing in the wind? It wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten her hopes up over nothing because of that stupid tree.
"Boo."
Bella squealed like an honest to God little girl and careened backwards as a pale face popped up right in front of hers. She flailed back a few feet and then fell back on her butt with a thud and a grunt, scowling at the sound of bell like laughter that rang out a second later.
Little minx!
"Alice!" she barked, but a second later said vampire's hands locked onto her window sill and then Alice had launched herself into the room like an acrobat. She turned her body end over end in the air, a blur, and hit the floor in front of Bella with a graceful roll.
Bella gasped as bright golden eyes met hers, centimeters away, matched with a straight edge, playful grin bordering on a smirk.
"Hi," Alice beamed and promptly kissed her right cheek which the mortified brunette felt flare with a blush instantly as tingles raced from the spot where her lips touched.
She then stood, twirled on her toes and leaped into Bella's bed, settling in comfortably a moment later, making herself quite at home.
Well, nobody could say that Alice Cullen didn't know how to make an entrance.
"Y-you-You-" Bella spluttered, struggling to get to her feet, indignant and embarrassed and totally awed by her friend's audacity.
Any ire Bella felt, however, was extinguished instantaneously at the playful look of innocence, of feigned ignorance on Alice's face and the twinkle that gave away the pixie's game in her pretty amber eyes. She grinned back helplessly.
"You jerk," she deadpanned and Alice smiled that million watt smile, the one that crinkled her adorable nose up and made her positively glow as they both burst into laughter.
Alice really was something.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist once the temptation hit me," the vampire admitted as Bella plopped down onto the bed next to her, trying and failing to give her the stink eye. It's hard to glare at someone so painfully cute, and how could anyone ever even try and be mad at Alice?
To Bella, it was impossible.
"You're just a show off," Bella retorted good-naturedly, shoving Alice's shoulder gently, which had about as much of an effect as shoving a boulder would do. "No, but seriously, that was pretty bad ass," she admitted a moment later. There was no use denying it. Even though Alice had scared the mess out of her, there was no denying how spectacular Alice had looked flipping through the air like that.
She laughed, though, when Alice immediately preened, her ego stroked.
"I know. I am kind of a boss," she boasted jokingly, popping the collar of her no doubt designer, thin black plaid jacket, the one with the brass buttons she loved so much.
What a dork, Bella thought fondly.
"A boss at being lame," Bella replied loftily and giggled at the look of mock outrage that Alice shot her, complete with a dropped jaw and girlish scoff.
She shivered a little at the sight of two small white fangs that peeked out and winked at her from Alice's pretty upper pink lip. The brunette had always had a mild fascination with vampire's fangs, the way they accented the insides of their mouths and how dangerously sharp they seemed. She shifted a bit on the bed and hoped Alice didn't mind the curious look she sent them.
"Please! That was an Olympic worthy front flip! A solid ten!" she protested, comically acting genuinely offended.
"Meh. It seemed more like a six or a seven to me," Bella feigned apathy, sitting up on her side and propping her head in her hand, truly enjoying their game.
This was what she loved about Alice. The girl could simply pop in on an otherwise boring and plain Jane night and within seconds make it exciting and fun.
"A six or a seven? Maybe to a blind man!" Alice snorted, her eyes twinkling as she sat up on the bed and turned to face Bella, sitting cross legged in a pair of impossibly tight skinny jeans.
"I think there's something offensive somewhere in that statement," the brunette pointed out, cocking an eyebrow when Alice only smirked and rolled her eyes.
"There's something offensive somewhere in your face," Alice said, a breathtaking laugh leaving her a second later as Bella was now the one faking offense.
"Oh, good one," she huffed, sitting up a second later and matching Alice's Indian style position.
"Like your mom," Alice added and they both burst into a fit of immature giggles at how seriously she said it.
"You're a hundred and eight years old and still making 'your face' and 'your mom' jokes?" Bella cringed though her face felt like it was going to split from smiling so much. "You need some new material."
"I'm a hundred and eight years old and still burning you like a firecracker, baby doll," Alice sing-songed, winking at her with one gorgeous golden eye framed by long black lashes. "Speaking of material, what the hell are you studying anyway?"
She had picked up Bella's Algebra textbook and was eyeing it distastefully.
"Algebra," Bella replied.
"Gross," Alice wrinkled her nose with disgust and tossed it over her shoulder as one might toss a wadded-up piece of paper.
"Hey! I need that!" she protested, lunging for it but only coming up short when Alice got in her way and kept her from suicidally diving over the bed for it, laughing merrily the whole time.
Clearly, Alice was in one of those moods. She was hyper, and had no interest in sitting still or calmly chit chatting. Bella should have known that the second the girl came flying into her room. She didn't mind, in fact, she loved when Alice was like this, a joyous beacon of light. She had the ability to put Bella in a good mood so easily, even though she did begin wrestling with Alice's arms in defense of an Algebra book she didn't actually care for.
"Algebra is for weenies," Alice stated matter-of-factly, snickering when Bella struggled uselessly with their flailing limbs, on her knees and trying to overpower the pixie who calmly continued to sit cross legged, unmoved.
"You're a weenie!" Bella gasped back, squealing when Alice suddenly lurched forward and then they were full out wrestling around on her bed, sending homework and textbooks flying everywhere.
It didn't matter that Alice was a hundred times stronger and that there was no way Bella could ever beat her. She still played around like a good sport, pretending to let Bella get the upper hand as they rolled around and kicked out, shrieking, grunting and laughing loudly the whole time.
"You weren't saying that when your eyes were all big and starry eyed after I rolled up in your face!" Alice shouted over Bella's muffled and hilariously muttered insults which ranged anywhere from a childish 'butthead' to a playful 'bitch'. She suddenly used her incredible strength and rolled on top of the brunette, making her yelp loudly.
"Starry eyed?" Bella gasped as Alice parried away her grasping hands and grinned triumphantly as the human girl squirmed uselessly with the vampire perched on her lap. "I was not starry eyed!"
Normally, Bella would have been wary of rolling around with any vampire like this. It was too easy to set off their instincts sometimes, but usually when Alice was in a mood like this, she was totally in control. Her eyes remained a shimmering, melted buttery yellow and she showed no signs of strain despite Bella's hands flinging around in her face.
And besides, she was having way too much fun messing around like this to even think about that crap. (Let alone her Algebra homework. Alice was right. That stuff was so for weenies.) It was incredible how easily Alice made her smile, how quickly she put Bella in a great mood.
"You were so starry eyed. Big, brown doe eyes all moony and impressed with my acrobatics," Alice grinned, effortlessly batting Bella's hands away and keeping her hips pinned with two strong, toned thighs.
"I was not!" Bella scoffed back, panting from all the effort of wrestling with a vampire. She knew Alice could stop her swinging arms whenever she felt like it, but damn it if that was going to stop her from trying.
"Were too. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you practically fell in love with me right then and there," Alice pronounced, finally catching hold of Bella's wrists and pinning them, smirking down on the brunette a moment later.
At her words and finally being fully submitted, Bella's breath hitched as she peered up at her friend, chest heaving from being out of breath. She tensed, pressing her lips together tightly as she finally got a good look at Alice after having the girl sit still for the first time since she'd gotten here.
Alice was smiling serenely down on her, eyes full of mirth and an immeasurable amount of joy that only she could get out of simply being alive; that is, if vampires were technically alive. Alice certainly made a good argument for that case, because nothing about her seemed dead. Even ice cold and pale, she radiated warmth and light that left Bella lightheaded.
What an incredible girl, she thought dazedly, breathing in heavily as they fell into a mildly comfortable and at the same time, tense silence.
"And you know what else?" Alice's voice suddenly broke that silence with a soft whisper and she lowered her face down to Bella's. She was so close that the brunette knew she should feel as if her personal space bubble was being invaded, but from the moment she'd met Alice, she had relinquished any idea of that bubble existing because Alice was as touchy as touchy comes and just as affectionate.
And though they'd always had a pretty platonic, physical friendship considering Alice's loving nature, something about the way Alice peered down into her eyes, close enough that if Bella leaned up just a little, their lips might just-
Well, it felt different in a way that made Bella hold her breath and her belly flip with anxiety, with nerves, and maybe something else that she couldn't quite place.
"What?" she breathed back, surprised at how soft her own voice sounded. She couldn't deny her own bewildering desperate desire just to hear what Alice might say next.
She breathed in sharply, however, when she glimpsed those two dainty white fangs when Alice smiled a wide smile.
"The tickle monster just arrived."
Oh shit.
Oh no, not the tickle monster. Anything but that.
Bella's eyes flew wide open and then she squealed when Alice released her wrists and impossibly fast hands flew to her ribcage, flying up and down as quickly as they could go, and for a vampire, that was very, very quickly. Whatever weird spell she'd been under was broken instantly.
"Oh my god-oh my g-god, A-Alice, quit it! Stop it! Stop!" Bella was reduced to laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face in seconds as she bucked up and shrieked, flailing at the blurs that were Alice's maddeningly dexterous fingers.
"Say Uncle!" Alice yelled over her screaming, riding out Bella's frantic movements that would have knocked another human out cold with how hard she kicked and punched out.
"No way!" Bella hiccuped back, her voice stuttering with her laughter. Alice brought out her competitive nature like nobody's business, and this was no exception.
But Jesus, she was dying. She could barely breathe as Alice's hands flew up and down her most sensitive spots, playing her like a piano as she hit all the right keys to drive Bella's nerves through the roof.
Tickling was the devil, of that she was sure.
"Come on, Bells, just say it and I'll quit!" Alice sing-songed ruthlessly.
Nope.
Bella jerked up as hard as she could, her fingers clawing at Alice's firm shoulders, knowing she couldn't hurt the vampire. She gasped for breath, face wet with tears and Alice only giggled into her ear. Somehow Bella found herself sitting Alice's lap as the girl leaned back with her, fingers still pushing buttons that drove the brunette mad with the need to get away from those damning fingers.
"Alice-"
Bella grit her teeth, swearing under what little breath she had left.
Oh god, she couldn't take it. Alice was going to kill her by tickling.
She had to do something, anything but say Uncle.
A spark of insanity flashed inside her head, an instinctive attack that Bella really should have though through a little more. She had no weapons as her nails were obviously useless, digging into the space between Alice's shoulder blades worthlessly.
So without warning, the brunette sank her teeth hard into the spot where Alice's neck met her shoulder, her teeth scraping along soft skin that was draped over muscle as hard as granite.
In hindsight, Bella really should have known that vampires would consider biting an aphrodisiac.
The effect was automatic. Alice gasped, a high pitched noise and sort of jerked her head to the side, away from Bella's clamped down teeth. Her palms splayed out against Bella's ribs as the brunette's chest heaved, fighting for air.
Right then and there, Bella became aware of their actual positions.
Her face was being tickled by Alice's soft, ebony black hair. She was surrounded by a naturally alluring vampiric scent of icy sweet and the pixie's own personal intoxicating aroma of strawberry shampoo and the forest in which her family dwelled. Her arms were wrapped tight around the vampire and her legs were slung over either side of her hips, thighs pressed into the curve of her waist.
Most of all, Bella realized with a flaming blush that their breasts were pressed together and even though it was winter outside, Charlie always cranked the heat during this season and so she was wearing nothing but a thin baby blue cotton t shirt and a pair of shorts that barely reached mid thigh.
And no bra.
No bra, so that the fabric of her shirt and Alice's jacket pressed intimately into her and her nipples were literally rock hard, aroused by the coolness of the pixie's body even through their clothing.
Oh god.
Everything about this was suddenly crossing the line, so intimate that an inappropriate thrill shot through the brunette and she whimpered, screwing her eyes shut to fight it off.
"Bella," Alice's voice was a high pitched, breathless moan that lit her body on fire and made the hairs on the back of her neck fly up.
Oh shit.
Oh god.
This was a mistake. A great big stupid mistake.
She probably should stop biting the other girl now, considering how absolutely stone still the the vampire had gone.
With a muffled yip of regret and shame, Bella reared back, releasing the iron grip her teeth had on Alice's neck. With total embarrassment, she saw a bright red bite mark ringing Alice's neck, glistening faintly from her saliva.
"Alice, oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I totally wasn't thinking-" Bella sat back in Alice's lap, her hands squeezing the other girl's shoulders apologetically as she tried to make eye contact with her.
This turned out to be a tactical error.
Alice's previously calm canary yellow eyes had become a startlingly deep, midnight black. Her pupils were dilated and the open expression she'd had before had become hungry. They locked gazes, Bella cutting herself off with a gasp at the sight of her friend's transformation. Alice still remained eerily still, her hands fisting Bella's shirt tightly.
"Bella," Alice growled out, her voice guttural and low. A tremor wracked Bella's frame and she tensed at the subtle warning lacing that unfathomably enticing tone of voice.
I really messed up, she realized and was proven right when Alice suddenly exploded back into action. Without a second to comprehend, Alice grabbed her by the hips and jerked them forward, sending Bella's back flying to the mattress with a thump.
There was absolutely no reason for that to be erotic. In fact, it should have been downright terrifying, considering she had clearly just stepped all over Alice's instincts. But it wasn't and that left Bella mortified and confused and oddly a little bit desperate.
"You bit me," Alice's tone was accusatory, and Bella blushed brightly, the blood rushing to her cheeks in shame.
"Alice…Calm down…Please…" she murmured, trying to pry her eyes away from Alice's swirling ones. Two slender, powerful hands pressed into the pillow on either side of her head and once more the pixie girl's face was too close for comfort, too close to be anything but something more.
How quickly Bella had turned their playful romping into something so deadly.
"You bit me," Alice reiterated, her cool sweet breath puffing over Bella's lips.
Alice's blatant restating of the obvious only served to string Bella a little tighter up in the noose she'd hung for herself by being an idiot.
"I know, I didn't mean to and I'm sorry-"
Alice clenched her eyes shut and seemed to be struggling with herself as a low rumble started up in her chest and she seemed to pull away a little, lean back in, pull back again and finally her eyes snapped open, boring into Bella's so hard that the human shuddered visibly.
Oh my god, she thought.
And oh my god was right.
"Fuck, you smell so good," Alice mewled. "Bella, you smell so good."
Without warning, Alice grabbed her chin in one hand, pushed her head back, and then Jesus Christ, her tongue was licking a long, cool stripe from the hollow of Bella's collarbone, up her bobbing throat, and finally flicked teasingly over the tip of her chin.
Apparently, biting did crazy things to vampires, because Alice had definitely lost it.
"Alice! Alice what-" Electricity coursed from the length of her neck and shot down to the core of her belly, making everything inside Bella feel warm, fuzzy and aroused. Her toes curled and she whined without her own permission, clutched at Alice's slender shoulders desperately.
Oh god, oh god, I really stepped in it this time, she thought. Oh hell, what if she bites me?
Alice growled again, appeared right in her face, their noses brushing, their lips less than a centimeter away, and their eyes locked together like magnets. A rush of fear and anxiety shot through her, making her tremble as Alice looked at her with eyes that were wild and far from the superb control she'd illustrated before.
Bella knew it was going to happen before it did. She could have resisted, twisted her head to the side, screamed, anything.
But she didn't.
And she had no clue why.
Alice's cool lips pressed to hers with a hungry moan. It was a hard but impossibly languid, delicious kiss that Bella could only whimper into as the vampire laid her body flat out along her own, pressing their chests together again and making her keen.
Oh god, I'm kissing Alice Cullen! Bella's brain screamed as Alice groaned against her, moved her lips with hunger and need that made the brunette's stomach drop. She could feel every inch of Alice pressed against her, she wanted to die at the jolts of pleasure her vibrating chest ignited in her. For one brief, intense moment, she could barely believe how good it felt to kiss her best friend.
At the first lick of Alice's cool tongue across her sensitive bottom lip, however, reality slapped her in the face.
She was kissing Alice Cullen.
Alice.
Her best friend.
Edward's sister.
Oh, crap.
"Alice, stop!" she cried and with an amazing display of willpower, ripped her lips away from Alice's incredibly firm, soft ones, her head spinning as the vampire's pheromones floated in the air and her scent shrouded Bella in bliss.
She was rewarded with a frustrated growl and she shook fearfully when she looked up again and saw just how far gone her friend was.
Alice was shaking with dark eyes, her upper lip curled back in a snarl. Her fangs no longer invoked curiosity but anxiety in the brunette.
Because now there was a good chance Alice might put those bad boys to use.
"Alice, stop," Bella repeated, her voice cracking pitifully, revealing her fear for the first time.
At the sound of Bella's voice cracking, clearly frightened, Alice seemed to recover slightly. She shook herself as if waking from a dream, looked down on Bella as if she didn't remember quite how they'd gotten in this position. She reached for her neck and her fingers brushed the bite mark Bella's teeth had left imprinted in her marble skin.
"Shit. Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Bella, I'm so sorry!"
In a flash, Alice was flying off of her, blurring off the bed with her hand still clasped to the spot where Bella had bitten her. To the brunette's astonishment, Alice actually staggered to the window. It was a stark contrast to the way she'd entered, the way she even moved normally. Alice never tripped, never did anything but float gracefully through the world.
But there she was, stumbling to Bella's still open window, wild eyed and frantic.
"Alice, wait, I-" Bella scrambled up, nerves still painfully sensitive –and as much as Bella couldn't believe it, aroused- and sort of lurched towards her friend, concern and worry overriding her fear or confusion.
But it was too late.
"I can't, Bella, I've gotta go. I've gotta go, I'm sorry, so sorry, I have to get out of here," Alice gasped, barely able to even turn and look over her shoulder at the brunette in her desperation to be gone.
"But Alice-"
"I'm sorry." And with that Alice slid feet first out of her window, gripping her shoulder all the while and disappeared into the night as fast as the human girl could blink.
And all Bella could think as she stood half on her bed and half off it, cold, aroused and out of her mind with confusion and anxiety, was that she really should have just said Uncle.