A/N: Hello, lovelies! I hope you all are happy with the last chapter. I got tired of waiting for Alice and Bella to get a move on, as I'm sure you were, so figured I'd speed things up a bit. Thank you all for your reviews! It's always nice to hear what you think and to see that you enjoy this story. :]
Much love to you all.
Ch. 5
Bella's POV
"Bella?"
Alice was growing impatient, and if the look on her face was any evidence, worried, as well.
Say something, Bella, c'mon. Just spit it out already.
"Um..."
Jesus Christ. That's it? 'Um?' FUCKING. SPIT. IT. OUT.
"I, I don't know what to say. I don't know if it's because I'm still stunned from what just happened, or because I don't understand, but...I just don't know," I said. I had to say something, so why not just speak the truth? I had no idea what to say, or what to do. None of this was supposed to happen.
This wasn't part of the plan.
"What plan," Alice asked, one eyebrow drawing up in question.
In my stunned state, I hadn't realized I had spoken aloud.
Fuck, fuck, fuck,fuck, fuck.
I knew my face was growing red. Probably closer to purple, most likely. Now, I definitely didn't know what to say. There was no way to get out of this one. After taking another moment to think, I decided to just spill it. Everything that had happened, from day one. Running into her mother, Charlie banning us from going near her family, chasing her brother in the woods, and most of all, the evolution of my feeling towards her over the course of our time together.
"Alice, I need to be honest with you. And I really, really, hope you understand and that you don't hate me after I tell you these things, but they need to be said. Honesty is the best policy, right?"
She just looked at me in confusion, then gave a stiff nod.
"Okay...so, I guess I'll just start from the beginning. You remember how I ran into your mother at her cafe, right?"
"Right," she replied. She was looking me right in the eye, and that only made me more nervous.
"After Jacob and I saw her, we went home to tell our father about the vampire we'd stumbled upon. Basically, he banned us from going back to the cafe. And that night was when we came upon your brother in the woods and I chased him down."
"I recall. Bella, what are you trying to get at, here?"
"My point is, my family really does not take kindly to vampires. Obviously. It's embedded in our nature, as you know. When I saw that you were in my class, I almost lost it. I left the classroom to find my brother and tell him there was another vampire around. He told me...Alice...the plan was to get to know you and your family, make friendly with you all, then take you all out."
I rushed through the last bit, and flinched, waiting for her reaction.
She just stared at me.
"You were going to kill my family and me," she said. Not as a question, more as though she were just repeating it so the information would sink in.
I hurried to explain myself, explain how things had changed.
"Alice, it's not like that anymore, though! This was all before I got to know you. I could never hurt you, Alice. Not now. I despised you and your kind, I have for so long. You have to understand that it was sheer ignorance. But then we started talking, and despite all of my efforts to not form any feelings for you, I did. After the first day we spoke, all I could think about was you, and-"
"Save it, Bella," Alice said, cutting me off. Then, without another word, she stood up and started to leave the room.
My heart was pounding, and I felt like I was about to have a panic attack.
I had to do something.
"Vampireskilledmymother!"
I said it as fast as I could, before she could get away.
Alice halted in the doorway. Thank God, I thought. But I was not out of the woods yet.
I stood and walked towards her, tears filling my eyes. I was determined to keep them at bay, though. Now was not the time to start blubbering.
Slowly, Alice turned to face me.
"I'm sorry, Alice. I'm so sorry," I said, in a whisper. The tears started to fall, and I ducked my head.
I felt a cold hand take mine, and looked up to see Alice looking at me with such sad eyes. I wasn't sure at this point if they were sad because of what I'd told her about the plan, or because of what I'd told her about my mother.
"Bella, don't cry," she said, in a soft voice, "Can you tell me what happened? Is that why your family hates us so much?"
"Yes, mostly. That's why my father banned Jacob and I from going near any of you. He doesn't want to lose us, too."
I wiped my face with the collar of my shirt, and took a deep breath before telling Alice about my mother's passing.
"Can we sit down, please," I asked.
"Of course," Alice replied, as she led me to the foot of her bed. We sat, and I took one more deep breath.
"A little over six months ago is when it happened. We lived in Forks, in a small house near some woods. Jacob and I were home schooled. Mom stayed at home and took care of us, and Charlie worked at the police department as their Chief of Police."
"One afternoon, while Charlie was at work, Jake and I decided to go out for a run. Mom was out shopping, and we weren't supposed to go out, but we figured we could get back before she came home. So, we headed out into the woods. We shifted, and headed towards the creek that was nearby. There was always something to hunt around there.
After we finished our hunt, we decided to check out some other areas. Specifically, areas we hadn't really been to. We headed North, and found this beautiful meadow. It was a gorgeous, open area, and the trees made a perfect circle around it. The meadow itself was full of wild flowers, and it was just amazing.
We had only been lying in the field for a few minutes when we heard something in the trees. We both jumped up, scanning the woods and trying to catch a scent. We didn't catch the scent until it was too late, though. Two vampires, a blonde male and a redheaded female, came into the meadow. We knew they were going to cause trouble as soon as they appeared. What we hadn't known, though, was that mom had gotten back earlier than we thought she would, and had followed our scents to where we were. Before we knew it, she was in the middle of the meadow, standing between us and the vampires."
By now, I was full-on bawling. I don't know how I was still able to form words through all of my sobs and sniffling. But I continued, anyway.
"She told us to go home. We took off back towards the house, but I couldn't leave her on her own. I made Jake go home and call our dad, hoping he could make it in time to help before anything happened. After sending Jake off, I ran back to the meadow. When I heard my mother yelp, I ran faster. When I made it back to the meadow, the male had my mother in a headlock and the female was clawing my mother to pieces. I don't know why I thought I could stop it, but I took off into the field, headed straight for the redhead. As soon as I charged her, Jacob and my father burst through the trees. The vampires knew they couldn't take on three wolves, and made a run for it. Dad and Jake had to have chased them halfway through Canada. I stayed with mom. She was barely hanging on. We heal fast, but there was...t-too much damage."
I lost it. I couldn't speak anymore. I was completely breaking down, hardly able to breath from sobbing so hard. Alice wrapped her arms around me and laid us back on the bed. I buried my face in her shoulder and continued to cry until I had nothing left.
"It was all my fault, Alice. If I'd just told Jake no, if we'd just stayed home, she'd still be here. She's gone, Alice. She's gone!" Another wave of sobs came, and Alice held me tighter.
Nearly and hour later, I'd finally calmed down. We still laid on her bed, her arms still holding me tightly. Finally, she spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Bella. I hate to see you in so much pain. I hate what those two did to your family. But those two aren't like most of our kind. Obviously they were a couple of rogues just looking for trouble."
I nodded, and sat up.
She sat up, as well, and took my hands in hers.
"Bella, my family is nothing like that. We don't feed on humans, as you know. In changing our diet, we've become more complacent than most vampires. We're able to live in harmony with the humans. Your family shouldn't be worried about us harming your kind. We never resolve to violence unless it's absolutely necessary," she said. I already knew all of these things. Of course, my father and brother did not.
"Charlie and Jacob would never believe that, though. They're too set in their hatred. I wish I could change that, but I don't know how. My father doesn't know that I've been hanging around with you, and if he found out, he would kill me. Jacob knows, but he thinks it's still only a ploy."
I was reminded, then, that I hadn't told Alice everything about hoping to get information on the two rogues from her, before we ultimately destroyed her entire family.
"I left a bit out of what the plan was. The original plan was mostly to use you and your family for information. We thought you may know of these two rogues, and be able to lead us in their direction so we could make them pay for what they've done," I said, barely above a whisper. Thinking back on everything now, I couldn't believe that I had agreed to this plan. Sure, I wanted the information on the vampires, but I couldn't believe that I had once been okay with the idea of killing Alice and her family.
"I see. Well, we do know many vampires across the States and through Canada. Perhaps we can find a bit of information, if you can remember enough detail to give a good description," she said.
I was surprised she was offering to help. After all that I'd told her, I hadn't expected any kindness from her. I was still shocked that she stopped and had held me as I told her about my mother.
"I could never forget. Thank you, Alice. Really."
We were still lying down on Alice's bed, her arms still holding me tightly. I had no complaints at the position we were in, but I still had one more thing to say to her. I sat up, bringing her up with me.
She looked at me with a questioning look, and I gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
"Can I tell you something else," I asked her. I was nervous again, and couldn't seem to pull my eyes away from my hands, which were fidgeting in my lap. She seemed to have noticed my nervousness, and took my hands in hers.
"What is it, Bella?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat, and let the words flow. It was as much of an admission to me as it was to her. This was me accepting my feelings, and revealing them to Alice at the same time.
"When I saw you that first day in class, there was a part of me that was drawn to you. Of course, initially, I didn't want to believe it. When we started talking, I tried to ignore the fact that I was actually enjoying our time together. I tried so hard not to feel anything towards you. Not even the slightest bit of friendship. But with each day that we spent together on the roof, the harder it was for me to ignore the pull, or to keep you out of my head at night. I've hardly gotten any sleep since that first day because I can't stop thinking about you. And tonight, when you started singing, it was like the flood gates were opened, and all those feelings I'd been trying to hide came rushing out. I've never felt anything like what I felt when we kissed. You literally knocked the breath out of me, in the most amazing way. I don't know what this means, I don't know why I feel these things, but I know everything has changed. You're amazing, Alice. And I would never hurt you. I can't even believe that I had once even considered it. I'm ashamed of myself for my ignorance. I hope you can forgive me, and that we can continue as we were before."
"I've already forgiven you, dear. Don't worry about that. And as far as what you feel towards me, I know exactly what you mean by all of that. I wanted to kick myself that first day that I saw you, because I was so enamored with you right from the start. You're too sexy for your own good," she said, and we both giggled.
"I hope that's not too much of a problem," we both laughed again, and Alice gave me a playful slap to the arm.
"Try not to let that go to your head too much, there, Bells," Alice replied. I enjoyed my nickname much more when she said it.
I finally looked up from my hands, a smile on my face. Alice gave me a smile of her own, one that greatly outshone mine. We sat there for a few moments, just looking at one another, our massive grins never leaving our faces.
Alice's POV
I could still feel the tingles on my lips from the kiss with Bella. To say it was the most amazing thing I'd ever felt would be an understatement. I was filled to the brim with desire as soon as her lips connected with mine, and needed more. I could kiss those lips every day for the rest of my life and never get enough.
The kiss ended, and I needed to know what Bella was feeling. She had pulled away so suddenly. I wanted to laugh when she apologized for having kissed me, as though I was going to complain about it.
I had to say something, something to get Bella to tell me what was on her mind.
I made her look at me so I could begin. I looked her right in the eyes and told her what I felt, not only from the kiss, but from the first day she walked into my life.
I knew something was different from the moment I saw you, Bella. And when we began talking, it only became more apparent that there was something there, between us. Our kinds are not supposed to mesh, at all. Yet we've carried conversations like it was nothing and have gotten along rather wonderfully. Honestly, I felt an attraction to you the moment I laid eyes on you. Bella, please tell me you feel it, too?"
I waited for her to reply, hoping she'd tell me that she felt the same way.
But she just sat there, looking confused. I began to worry.
What if Bella didn't feel the same way? What if she'd just gotten caught up in some moment?
The negative thoughts began to swim through my mind, and I couldn't make them stop. Nothing would stop them, except for Bella telling me she felt it, too.
It seemed like hours before she finally spoke up. But then, all she'd had to say was "Um."
Um? I practically spill my heart out to this girl and I get "um?"
I was growing frustrated, at myself for wanting her to want me so badly, and at her for still not saying anything of meaning.
"I, I don't know what to say. I don't know if it's because I'm still stunned from what just happened, or because I don't understand, but...I just don't know," Bella said, "This wasn't part of the plan."
"What plan," I asked. There was a plan?
As soon as she told me the plan, I wished that I hadn't asked. I wished that I hadn't kissed her, I wished that I had never spoken to her. I couldn't be in the same room with her anymore. I stood up, and began to make my way out of the room when Bella blurted out something that caused me to halt abruptly.
"Vampireskilledmymother," she shouted, as though it were one word.
I felt like I'd just been kicked in the stomach. I knew Bella's mother had died, but I had no idea that she had been murdered. I turned to Bella, and could see the tears in her eyes. It pained me to see her hurting.
We sat on the foot of my bed, and she told me the story of her mother's death. When she finished talking, she broke down. I was nearly crying just from hearing what she had been through, knowing she blamed herself and knowing how much she must miss her mother. I held her to me tightly, wishing I could take all of that pain from her. Nearly an hour later, she calmed down enough to speak again.
I had decided to try and help Bella find the two rogues that killed her mother long before she told me that the original plan was to get information out of my family and I to do just that.
"Can I tell you something else," Bella asked. I grew nervous, wondering what else there could be to tell me, but allowed her to speak again. She looked even more nervous than I felt, with her hands fidgeting in her lap, and her eyes focused on them. I took her hands in mine, and she continued on to tell me what she needed to say.
"When I saw you that first day in class, there was a part of me that was drawn to you. Of course, initially, I didn't want to believe it. When we started talking, I tried to ignore the fact that I was actually enjoying our time together. I tried so hard not to feel anything towards you. Not even the slightest bit of friendship. But with each day that we spent together on the roof, the harder it was for me to ignore the pull, or to keep you out of my head at night. I've hardly gotten any sleep since that first day because I can't stop thinking about you. And tonight, when you started singing, it was like the flood gates were opened, and all those feelings I'd been trying to hide came rushing out. I've never felt anything like what I felt when we kissed. You literally knocked the breath out of me, in the most amazing way. I don't know what this means, I don't know why I feel these things, but I know everything has changed. You're amazing, Alice. And I would never hurt you. I can't even believe that I had once even considered it. I'm ashamed of myself for my ignorance. I hope you can forgive me, and that we can continue as we were before."
I wanted to jump up and dance around like a child on Christmas, but decided it was best to keep calm.
After we finished talking, and after a few jokes, we sat on my bed just smiling at one another.
"You're beautiful, Alice," Bella said, out of nowhere. The grin on my face only grew larger.
"I'm glad you think so," I replied, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to kiss Bella again.
I leaned in slowly, giving Bella the time to stop me if she wanted. When our lips finally met again, my breath hitched, just as it had the first time. The wave of desire and pure want washed over me again, as well.
Bella's hands made their way to my hips, and mine tangled into her hair, pulling her lips closer to mine. My stomach began to knot, and I knew I would give Bella all that she wanted of me.
Bella's hands found the exposed skin just under my shirt, and a new wave of pleasure hit. My skin was tingling where she was touching me, and I had to suppress the moan that was trying to escape.
Just then, I heard the apartment door thrust open, and slam against the wall. Bella and I both jumped up off of the bed, and Edward appeared in the doorway.
"What the fuck is going on," he shouted, his eyes shooting daggers at Bella.
"Edward, calm down," Jasper said, placing a hand on Edward's shoulder. I could feel Jasper sending out waves of calm.
"You're one of the wolves!" Edward was still shouting, but I could see that his muscled had relaxed a bit.
"I am," Bella answered.
"Why are you in my apartment," he asked, still angrily, but less loudly.
"She's here with me, Edward. And she's not here to cause any harm. So, calm down and please leave us alone," I said, stepping to place myself between my brother and Bella.
Jasper took Edward's hand, and began to lead him from my room.
"I believe we'll be talking about this later, Alice, correct?" At least Jasper had manners. I knew he'd want to speak about what was going on with Bella and I, so I agreed. I would tell him everything after Bella had left.
I closed my door, plopped down onto my bed. Bella laid beside me, and neither of us spoke for a while. We just laid there, staring at the ceiling.
"I should probably get going. It's late, and I'm sure my dad's back home, wondering where I am."
I didn't want Bella to leave, but it was too soon for me to offer for her to stay.
"I suppose that's a good idea. I need to have a talk with my brothers, anyway."
We both stood and made our way towards the apartment door. I wasn't sure what would happen now. Do I kiss her goodnight? Give her the awkward goodbye wave, or what?
"Can I give you my number," she asked?
Another smile spread across my face, and I nodded, maybe a little too much.
I typed her number into my phone, and told her I'd text her after my talk with Edward and Jasper.
I thought she was going to just turn and walk out, but instead she leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. "Goodnight, Alice," she said, and she turned and headed to the elevator.
I closed the door, smile still on my face, and prepared myself for the talk with my brothers.
