A/N: This alternate scene and deleted scene were removed from Ch. 20.

Why it was written: I thought I needed to explain that Bella knew Rosalie was involved in what happened to Clifford. Then I made use of that to segue into playing up Austin as the decoy prom date.

Why it was cut: It became clear that neither of those things was actually necessary. I wanted to show Bella moving on, and this did just the opposite. Also, if Alice, Jasper and Bella were to discuss what happened, it didn't make sense not to bring up Edward, whom I really did not want to mention again before his surprise appearance at the end of the chapter.

The house was quiet the next morning when Bella got up for school. Charlie had already left for work. In the kitchen, Bella poured herself a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal, and sat down to eat breakfast.

She thought about seeing Austin at lunch that day. She really hadn't talked to him much since Harry's death. He'd chatted with her about the brace on her wrist, but Bella had hidden the real reason behind it. She was a little too embarrassed to tell the school that she was paying the penalty for losing her temper and actually hitting someone. In any case, Bella hadn't dwelled enough on Austin to realize that a third date had never been planned. He'd been friendly enough, but probably given her space because of the wrist and then because of her dad. Did Austin know her father's friend had died? Angela had probably told him.

Only half-heartedly glancing at the loose newspaper Charlie had left on the table, Bella took a closer look when one of the article headings caught her eye: "Port Angeles Would-Be Rapist Wounded and Jailed". Sliding the paper closer, Bella sipped from her glass of orange juice as she read. "Clifford Pendleton, 24, of Port Angeles, was arrested last Tuesday night after attacking a young woman on W 4th Street. During the altercation Pendleton suffered an injury, allowing the woman to escape and contact authorities. Brought to the ER by policemen, Pendleton was discovered to have fractured all eight bones in his right wrist. Pendleton is currently being held in the Clallam Bay Corrections Center, from which he'd been released December of last year after serving time for theft."

Bella reread the short article two times over. Of two things she was absolutely certain. First, Rosalie had been involved. Second, she was already long gone. What she didn't know was whether the rest of the family had been aware.

(~*~)

At lunch, Bella had two tables to choose from. Alice and Jasper had not joined Jessica's table, at which Austin currently sat. After a brief hesitation, Bella joined the vampires.

"Have you heard from Edward or Rosalie lately?" she asked without preamble.

"No," Jasper answered. "Not for about a month."

"Do you keep tabs on them?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's really asking if I know anything about Rosalie being in Port Angeles recently," Alice explained.

Bella nodded and looked down at her tray.

"To answer your question literally, no, I don't spy on Edward and Rosalie. That doesn't mean scenes of what they do don't come my way." Alice crossed her legs under the table. "The first time Rosalie was in Port Angeles, she was there because I asked her to be, and she didn't kill Clifford Pendleton, again, because I asked her not to."

"This time she was there on her own accord," Bella said. "It was her own decision not to kill him. I think this means that something inside Rosalie is healing."

"I think you're right."

"Wait, so what happened?" Jasper asked, looking between the two girls. "I don't know anything about this."

"There was a short article in the paper this morning, buried, about his being arrested," Bella answered. "Somehow he broke all the bones in his wrist while attacking someone."

"Attacking Rosalie?"

"No. What?"

Alice started laughing. "Jasper! Trust you to think she'd set herself up as bait. Rosalie intervened, unseen, when he was after someone else. The girl got away, got help, and Clifford was caught. She's pressing charges. It was rather clever, really. Rosalie saved the girl, made sure Clifford couldn't escape the police, and he's being prosecuted. He's going back into a cage, Bella."

"Only because he escalated first," Bella said sadly.

"Where was Edward?"

Alice shrugged and stood up. "Walk Bella to class, will you? I'll catch up." She walked away, leaving a bemused Bella and Jasper. After disposing her tray, Alice stopped at Jessica's table and chatted briefly, particularly with Austin.