A/N: As I said before, I don't own Twilight, blah blah, read the author's note at the beginning of the first chapter.

Also, please read and review, it will help me with my muse and getting more chapters up!

I awoke on my back in bed, but didn't open my eyes… afraid that it would all be a dream. Afraid that opening my eyes would only serve to reveal that which I feared; I was still alone, and Alice had never come back… and then I realized that something cold lay across my tummy.

I opened my eyes and looked left, my face only inches from Alice's.

"Good morning, Bella." She chimed, and I smiled, looking into her golden eyes. I rolled sideways, and hugged her.

"I'm so glad that wasn't a dream." I said softly into her ear, and she laughed.

"Me too."

She held me for a moment, and then let me go, and I rolled onto my back again, looking over at her.

"You look like hell, Bella." She said, and I sighed.

"What did you expect, to come back and find me married and peppy?" I asked, a trickle of attitude leaking in my tone.

"Us leaving really didn't do you any good at all did it?" She asked softly. I shook my head. We sat there for a moment, silence taking over. I was sick of silence, and now that she was there, I just wanted to enjoy something with her.

"So what's the plan for today?" I asked, a bit interested in what she would have in mind.

"First, I think you should have a shower," she started, holding her nose teasingly, the mood lightening already, "…and then I think we should go to the diner and get you something to eat."

I couldn't argue with that plan. I didn't even remember the last time that I ate, and seeing as how she was sporting a pair of glowing gold eyes I knew she'd got her fill during the night.

Sitting up, I swung my feet off the side of the bed and stood up, moving across the room to my dresser. I pulled out clothes and set them on the bed, motioning for Alice to follow me. We padded down the hall, and I grabbed a towel on the way by the linen closet, before moving into the bathroom. Alice looked puzzled when I closed the door behind us, but I just smiled.

"I want you to tell me about where you've been, and what you've been doing. I don't want to waste time, y'know?" I explained, tapping the counter, hinting at her to sit there so we could talk. She complied, and I started to strip; pulling my shirt over my head and off my hair, and then unclasping my bra. To my surprise, she didn't avert her eyes, and I wasn't about to ask her to after that kiss.

"So, where did you guys go?" I asked, slipping my bra off my shoulders and onto the floor. I turned towards her while I talked, giving her a nice view as I slid my panties off. She seemed to be watching pretty intently, but I didn't draw any attention to it.

"Um, we went up to Alaska to visit the Denali clan first, stayed with Tanya and her family. It was hard, all of us being in one house though. Edward was the first to leave but-" she started, and I interrupted her.

"Edward went out on his own?" I asked, sliding into the shower. I was a little shocked that the family would let him go off like that.

"Yeah, he went to Japan first, I think. Then some other places in Europe. Now he's in South America." She explained. Inside my chest, my heart twisted; while I was here in pain, he was off gallivanting around the world. What an ass, I thought. Then she continued.

"…but we stayed a bit longer, before moving on. Next, we went to England. We ended up staying there 'til now, the rainy weather over there is near constant, kind of like here; and you know how important that is." I heard her say as I ran my fingers through my hair, lathering up the soap really good.

She explained more as I showered, taking my time to get all over really well. I hadn't had a shower like this since they'd left, it usually was a chore for me, but this actually felt normal. It wasn't until I was ready to get out that she finished.

"…so, yeah. We've just been staying in that house in Bristol, living like we did here, only without Edward." She finished as I turned the water off, pulling back the curtain. I caught a small look of shock on her face as I did, and could feel my face heat up, the blush hitting me fast.

"Can you pass me my towel?" I asked, as I stood there shivering ever so slightly. She nodded, and passed it to me from the counter, her face regaining its composure even before I was covered. I guess she had thought I'd be more shy, but I just didn't feel that way around her; not overly, anyways. Wrapping the towel around me, I stepped out, pulling my hair down around onto my chest on my right side. It lay on the towel as I brushed it, making sure to get out the knots. I had just started when I felt a cold hand wrap around mine, and saw a blurry figure behind me in the foggy mirror.

"Can I do that?" Alice asked from over my right shoulder, and I nodded, surrendering the brush to her. She pulled my hair back behind my head, and started to comb through it, being careful not to hurt me. I smiled, and leaned on the counter, enjoying the feeling.

I'd let Edward try to comb my hair once, but he'd gotten the brush so tangled up I thought I was going to have to cut it out. Thankfully, I didn't, but I never let him try it again. Alice, on the other hand, was good at it, her soft and soothing technique feeling wonderful. It was always a treat when you had someone to brush your hair for you, but this was something else. Her touch sent shivers through my body, not unlike the ones I'd felt last night.

When she was done, she slid up on the other side of the counter while I blow dried it, taking most of the wet look out. Looking at myself in the mirror, I figured that was good enough, and took her by the hand, opening the door and crossing to my room with her in tow.

I slipped out of the towel as soon as I crossed the threshold, turning back towards Alice before letting go of her hand. I bounced across the room and moved to the closet, starting to dress. I could feel her eyes on me the whole time, but I stood facing away now, not wanting to be too blatant about my… flirting? Is that what it was? Anyways, as far as she knew, I just wasn't shy…

Turning around once I'd put on a t-shirt and some skinny jeans, I picked up my sunglasses off the dresser, using them to hold my hair back since they weren't good for much else in Forks.

"All ready." I admitted, slipping on some shoes. I beamed at Alice, and she grabbed my hand.

"Let's go then." She said. I beamed as she dragged me away down the stairs.

We arrived at the diner a few minutes later, Edward's Volvo serving as our transportation. I figured since he was out of the country, he let Alice use it to get around, which was good because I didn't really want to drive. Once inside, I ordered a chicken burger, a salad, and a milkshake. Alice didn't get anything as usual. We sat, and she watched me eat, something that was making me a little self conscious. It was a little odd to eat in front of someone, let alone someone who didn't eat, and as such, every chew must've made my cheeks glow brighter.

Finishing up, I pushed my plate away, and swallowed the last bit of my food. Looking over at Alice, she just smiled and met my gaze. Reaching across the table, I put my hand out, palm up, for her to take. When she did, the coldness of her skin sent a tingle up my arm, and I giggled, a bit nervous.

We talked again, this time about what I'd done since they'd left, which wasn't much. When I was finished my milkshake, a silence overcame us.

It was strange, the way I was feeling now; much better than before she'd come, and even close to as good as I'd felt before all this had went down, and they'd all left. I had thought only Edward would be able to cheer me up this well, and I was wrong.

In my mind, the subject of the kiss rolled over, taunting me slightly. I wanted to talk about it. Actually, that was a lie; I wanted to kiss her again.

I was just about to try and steer a conversation towards the kiss, when Alice spoke up.

"So, what do you say to coming back to my house with me, just us two? We could go watch a movie or something, hang out." She suggested, and couldn't help but to smile a little at the idea of being completely alone with her, beyond the prying eyes of anyone.

I nodded. "Sure, that sounds… good." I answered, not wanting to sound too enthusiastic. In my head, however, I was doing back flips. This was the chance I needed.

Getting up from the table, Alice paid our bill, and we left, or next destination; the Cullen residence.