I pulled into the Cullen's driveway and parked the truck. I made my way to the door and let myself in.

"Hello, Bella," Carlisle said warmly as he walked past. Esme smiled at me from her chair in the dining room and stood up to take my coat.

"Hello," I answered. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well," Carlisle answered. "I'm not so sure about Mark, though. I think Emmett may be planning to murder him in his sleep."

"Emmett's not the only one," Jasper muttered from the living room.

"Thanks," I told Esme as she took my coat and hung it up. I looked at Carlisle again. "Is he really still winning?" I asked incredulously.

"They've beaten me twice," Mark called.

"How many times have you beaten them?" I asked as I walked into the living room.

"Eight," Edward muttered darkly.

"You're incredible," I laughed and planted a kiss on the top of Mark's head. "Where's Alice?"

"Pouting," Rosalie informed me from a chair across the room. She was curled up in the chair and had a book open in front of her, but she looked up to make eye contact with me. "She refuses to tell any of us what's wrong. She won't even let Jasper in the room."

"I'll go talk to her," I sighed. "It's my fault anyway."

"It is," Edward confirmed. He paused the game and glared at me knowingly.

"How do you know?" Mark asked.

"Do you think I don't know my sister well enough to know what's upsetting her?" Edward asked.

"Her own husband doesn't even know what's wrong," Mark pointed out.

"I've known her for longer," Edward argued.

"Eddie, start the game again," Emmett commanded.

"I'm not Eddie," Edward informed him. "Eddie sounds stupid."

"Well, you are stupid, so it fits," Jasper pointed out. "Start the game again."

"I take offence at that," Edward informed them, but started the game again anyway. I shook my head and started up the stairs to Alice's room.

"Alice?" I called softly as I knocked on her door.

"Go away," Alice commanded tearfully.

"Alice, I'm sorry," I said. "Can I come in and talk with you?"

"No!" Alice snapped. "We aren't best friends anymore, remember?"

"Alice," I sighed, "I'm sorry I said that. I just… I wasn't ready for that. You could have at least warned me first. Can I please come in and talk with you instead of talking through your door? I don't want the whole house to hear our conversation, if that's at all possible."

"It's not," Alice informed me, but the door opened anyway. I slipped inside and she slammed it behind me.

"Can I sit down?" I asked.

"Sit," she ordered crossly as she returned to sit on her bed. "It's not like I'm going to bite."

"Well, that's a relief," I joked. I sat down on the stool they always made me sit on for my makeovers. "I'm sorry, Alice," I continued. "I was just upset, and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that. But what did you expect me to do? Just accept him back with open arms? I can't do that to Mark. I can't do that to myself. Edward's left me twice, Alice, and he promised he wouldn't. But he still did. What if he leaves again? If I left Mark for him and then he left again, I wouldn't let you stop me from killing myself this time. Life would be more than over for me. It's a miracle that the world didn't stop last time. I wanted to talk to him, but I just wasn't ready this morning. You took me by surprise, and I reacted in a way that ended up hurting both of us. Can you please, please forgive me?"

"I thought you'd be able to handle it." Alice said from her place on the bed. She was sitting in a position that looked like she was curled into a ball with her back resting on the headboard. She refused to look at me. "But he acted like the smug idiot he is and you got mad," she explained. "I didn't want you to get mad at us. Then, you went to La Push. You jumped off the cliff in La Push, before, even if it was for entertainment. I didn't want you to jump this time, but I couldn't do anything about it, since I can't go on their land. I just hoped that you wanted to talk, not jump, but since I knew you and Jacob weren't speaking to each other, I didn't think you were going to talk. But I couldn't see if that's what you were planning. I was worried. I just hoped that you would calm down." Alice sighed and met my gaze then. "Jake could do what I couldn't. He could offer you comfort. He could help you figure out what you wanted. That hurt, because I'm very jealous. I want to be able to offer those to you, not be the one who makes you seek comfort."

"I'm sorry, Alice," I said. I stood up and went to sit next to her. I put an arm around her shoulder. "I just needed to think. I knew you would defend Edward. You're happy he's back, and I can understand that. But do you blame me for not being quite as happy as you are?"

She leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. "I can't lose you as a friend, Bella. I've lost Edward as a brother. He may be back, for now, but he doesn't plan on staying long if you don't accept him again. I'm not saying that you have to," she assured me, "I'm just telling you what the circumstance is. But I've practically lost him as a brother, and now I can't lose you too. I just can't." I knew if she could have been crying that tears would have been streaming down her face. I knew my own were falling as fast as they could. I didn't know when they had started, but they were there.

"Alice, Edward isn't the only one who I need to live," I told her quietly in hopes that no one else, particularly Edward, would hear. "My life would end if you left me too. I won't leave you any more than I will leave him."

"Then you'll give him another chance?" She asked hopefully.

"It's not like I have much choice," I sighed. "Refusing him is like telling the doctors that I don't need a heart. There's only two ways that will work: if I'm dead, or if I'm a vampire. Since I can't become a vampire, I'll have to settle for giving him another chance, because I'm not ready to die yet."

"Thank you!" Alice exclaimed, and squeezed me in a tight hug before I even knew that she'd moved.

"Can't-breathe," I gasped. She loosened her hold and grinned at me. "He'll stay if he knows you'll give him a chance," she told me.

"I didn't say I'm welcoming him back blindly," I warned her. "I will listen to him, I'll let him try to surprise me, I'll willingly go along with whatever plans he has to try to win me back, but I'm still married to Mark, and my loyalties still lie with him. I won't spend all my time with Edward. I need some time to myself, and some time with Mark. I'm just saying that I won't kick Edward out of whatever room I'm in anymore."

"But that's better than nothing," Alice said. "He won't leave again, I know he won't."

"You've been wrong before," I told her sadly. "I just hope this isn't one of those times."

"It isn't!" She exclaimed, and kissed me on the cheek before jumping off the bed and pulling me towards the door.

"Alice?" I asked questioningly.

"I'm better now!" she called once the door was open, my wrist still in her iron grasp. "Rose, we need to fix Bella's hair, and Edward, plan A is in action!"

"Plan A?" I heard Mark ask.

"To make Bella forgive Edward," Carlisle informed him as Rose came running up the stairs at a human pace. Edward zoomed past her at vampire speed once he was out of sight of the living room.

"Did Bella agree to this?" Mark called up the stairs. "Maybe I need to rescue her."

"Apparently I did," I called back before they shut the door. "But I didn't think they already had a plan!"

A/N: I had an idea. Well, ok, I didn't really come up with it, but I've been thinking about it. Do you guys want this to be all in Bella's point of view, or do you want me to throw in some of Edward's and Mark's thoughts too? I'm considering adding the extra views in here, but would it be better if I just do a companion story from the guys' perspectives? I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I want some input so I have an idea what you guys like. Would it ruin the story if I switch from Bella narrating to anyone else? Or would it make it better? Let me know, please!

Until the next chapter,
Addie