A/N: Oh my lovelies! How nice to be back! Don't you hate how RL interferes with fan fiction? I do! So here is a slightly shorter, but angsty chapter which will hopefully please you! And to those of you who are so kind as to review: I apologize for being the worst responder ever, but promise that should you choose to take time and review, from now on I will answer every single one!

Disclaimer: I somehow don't feel like this is necessary, however; not mine, no money, please don't sue!

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APOV:

The problem with plans is that they almost never work out the way you want them to. A fact I was reminded of all too quickly when Rosalie and I arrived home to find Emmett and Jasper in the den, happily playing some sort of video game and trash-talking. So much for my sexy new outfit. I sighed, which was a mistake. The boys had been so loud, we'd entered unnoticed, but my sigh alerted them to our presence.

"Rosalie," Jasper nodded at her, "Alice," he drawled my name, pouring it from his lips like honey, thick and sweet.

"Hey Rosie-baby," Emmett greeted his wife, jumping over the couch and crushing her in his arms.

Jasper shivered almost imperceptibly, watching them for a moment, and then eyed me.

"Walk me home?" he asked lowly, cocking his eyebrow at me, challenging.

"Why not?" I responded flippantly, but my insides were churning with nerves and I was positive he could tell.

Rosalie gave me a look that somehow managed to be both sympathetic and encouraging all at once. She glared meaningfully at Jasper. I got the feeling that somewhere along the line she'd had a conversation with him that she neglected to mention. Jasper just smiled serenely at her and waved jauntily at Emmett.

Damn him! How can he be so relaxed?!

In unison we turned and walked to the door, silent, gliding, matching each other step for step. He was shortening his stride for me and I both liked it and hated it.

The silence was thick with tension and we walked quickly towards Forks. Last time we'd gone on a walk I'd started the conversation and it hadn't gone so well. I was hesitant to do it again. Jasper, damn his intuitiveness, seemed to know that I wouldn't start it this time. He came to a stop in a small clearing, reaching out and pulling me around to face him.

"Why aren't we friends?" he asked me simply, his beautiful eyes soft and sad. I wrapped my arms around my body and stared at the ground, feeling very Bella-like.

"I can't trust you," I finally said, raising my head and meeting his eyes. He opened his mouth to protest, but I didn't let him get the words out. "I was perfectly happy before you came to this town," I stated, glaring at him now. He snorted, loudly, disbelieving.

"Happy?" he scoffed, "that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You were a disaster of emotions, but none of them were happy."

"Maybe not happy, but I got by, and then you had to come mess around with my feelings," I was trying desperately now to regain my anger and not notice how attractive he looked standing there smirking at me.

"Look, I apologized for that enough, and there is no reason for you not to give me a chance to prove myself to you," he remained calm, reasonable.

My insecurity in both myself and him felt like a living thing beneath my skin, scratching, trying to fight its way out. Why is it so hard for me to just nod, agree to be friends?

Because you don't want to be friends… a sly voice whispered in my head…you want to be more.

Jasper was standing completely still; the only sign that he could sense my turmoil was a slight clenching of his jaw.

"Friends," it was barely a whisper, swallowed by the wind and the sounds of the night.

I don't know if Jasper heard me, or if he saw my lips move, but he seemed to understand that I had given in to his request.

He stepped forward, closing the gap between our bodies, and hugged me. Sweet, tentative, and awkward as hell. He was still so tense it radiated off him, and my assent hadn't loosened my arms from around my body. He put his mouth close to my ear and whispered, "Someone is coming, I'm sorry,"

"Well, isn't this sweet?" a snide, heavily accented voice broke us apart. I was startled, despite the cryptic warning Jasper had just given me.

I faced the direction the voice came from, taking in the lone figure that stepped through the trees. She was short, but still taller than me, with long, curly black hair. She looked half-something, maybe Hispanic, with almond eyes and long lashes. She was sneering in our direction, but I realized that it was directed mostly at Jasper. I finally unwrapped my arms from my middle, sensing the danger in this unknown woman and wanting to be prepared.

"Jasper, baby, it's been awhile," she grinned maliciously and I felt Jasper shudder, just once.

His voice was stiff but even when he responded, "Maria…"

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I knew without a doubt that Alice wasn't expecting to see me. She and Rosalie were both shocked when they walked into the room. I could feel it long before Alice sighed and caught Emmett's attention. Gotcha! I wanted to pump my fist in victory, but that would have been at odd with the cool demeanor I was trying to portray.

I greeted Rosalie then focused my attention on Alice. All I said was her name, but I tried to infuse it with everything I was feeling, savoring the sound of her name on my tongue.

I felt a spike of something almost like lust from her, but then Emmett and Rosalie's overwhelming love and desire drowned it out. I was having a hard time being in the room with those two, their feelings were so deep, so strong, and my body felt like it was vibrating from the force of them.

I turned to see Alice watching me, contemplating. Now or never.

"Walk me home?" I asked her, daring her with my words, my tone, my look.

"Why not?" she sounded like she couldn't care less, but her emotions said otherwise.

Meaningful looks were exchanged all around, but no words were spoken. Emmett gave me a secret thumbs up, and I couldn't help but smile and wave goodbye to him.

Alice and walked to the door together, and I tried to lessen my steps so she could keep up with me. All I was trying to do was be nice, but I could feel her frustration. Is there anything in this relationship I can't eff up?

The forest between Forks and the Cullen's home was noisy, birds and animals and rustling leaves. But the space between Alice and me was silent as death. I could tell she wanted to get this over with, but was too nervous/angry/shy to go first.

I took a big step that broke through a stand of trees into a small clearing. I reached out, grabbing Alice's arm, and forced her to face me.

The air felt thick with anticipation, and at the same time I was nervous and excited.

"Why aren't we friends?" was all I could come up with to say. I'm sure I had something better than that planned, but when it came down to it, nobody around, just her and I, it seemed like the right thing. It sounded sad, pleading, and it was all I could do to meet her eyes.

Alice wrapped her arms around her middle as if she were trying to hold something in. The silence seemed to stretch for an eternity, but in reality it was less than a minute before she answered, "I can't trust you,"

I wanted to argue, even started to, but she cut me off, "I was perfectly happy before you came to this town,"

I could feel her anger, so familiar to me after all this time.

"Happy?" my voice came out derisive, upset, "that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You were a disaster of emotions, but none of them were happy." I heard myself say the words, even as I knew I shouldn't. Arguing with her would not help my case.

"Maybe not happy, but I got by, and then you had to come mess around with my feelings," she seemed to be struggling with something, but my own emotions were now so agitated, coloring everything around me, that I couldn't be sure what was her and what was me.

I paused, reigning in the heated words that wanted to burst out of my chest, drawing myself up, tall and tense. When I allowed myself words, I somehow managed to sound even and calm, "Look, I apologized for that enough, and there is no reason for you not to give me a chance to prove myself to you." I was so desperate for her to consent, to be willing to be someone in my life, no matter how small that role may be.

Lie, lie, lie…you know exactly what role she should play…the guilt buzzing across my skin was all mine, but the edge of insecurity tip-toeing up my spine was all Alice. I ground my teeth, fighting to maintain my position, to keep her from being swallowed by the emotional tidal wave crashing against my internal barriers.

"Friends,"

It was such a relief I almost staggered. I hadn't actually heard it, but I'd felt it. Something dark had fluttered for a moment, a whisper of true terror as her lips had formed the blessed word. I wanted to grab her, swing her around, god, I wanted to kiss her. But I didn't.

I steeled myself, knowing that relaxing now might let down the flood gates and ruin all the progress I'd made tonight. I moved closer to her, trying not to startle her, and gave her a gentle hug. She was tense, her arms trapped between us, and the whole situation felt strange. It was then that the excitement and malice cut through the haze in my brain. It tasted familiar and I knew she was near, so I moved my head and spoke softly into Alice's ear, "Someone is coming, I'm sorry," not able to say more before she cut the silence.

"Well, isn't this sweet?" I'd prayed to never hear that voice again, yet here I was thousands of miles and decades away from the last time and place I'd heard it, and it still had power over me.

"Jasper, baby, it's been awhile," she was far too triumphant, pleased with herself, and I couldn't stop the tremor of fear that ran through me. It took every ounce of strength in me to reply, to greet the creature of my nightmares.

"Maria…"