A/N: Chapter title is by Arcade Fire. My brother introduced me to them and they're really awesome so maybe you might like them too. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its wonderful characters. Also just realized I didn't write one for the last chapter I don't think. So this counts for both of them. Unless I did write one. Then you can just disregard this.

"Carlisle… are you sure she's going to wake up?" Mom's always been too worried and overprotective. This must've killed her.

"Yes Mary. I was just talking to her an hour ago. Alice needs her rest." The ever comforting voice of Carlisle.

"I don't see why she needs so much sleep. Hasn't she been sleeping for months anyways?" Definitely Emmett.

"It was more like a sort of recovery mode for her brain. After being out of use for so long the sensory overload probably exhausted her."

"Nahhh. Ali's just lazy." A large finger prodded my side. "Come on Alice. We came all the way out here and you're sleeping." He sighed dramatically. "Such a disappointment."

A loud smack. Emmett muttered a few fowl words. Dad probably walloped him with whatever book he's currently reading.

I stretched over dramatically and slowly opened my eyes, playing oblivious to the snippets of conversation I overheard while waking up. My mother instantly started fluttering around the side of my bed, sniffing back tears. She obviously wanted to hug me but didn't want to break me anymore than I had been broken. "Alice! Oh Alice! You're alive!"

"Of course I am mom. I've been alive this entire time."

She sniffled and buried her face in my father's chest. "Oh you know what I mean." She started blubbering at my dad. "Alistair, oh Alistair isn't this wonderful?"

He smiled at me, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "Hey Dad."

He winked. "I knew you'd pull through sweetheart."

Emmett was interested enough to drag himself over from the corner of the room he had been sulking in. "So someone finally decided to wake up?"

"Sorry if I was a disappointment Emmett." I smirked at him.

It took him a moment to get it but once he did he grimaced at me and mumbled. "You're lucky you're interesting when you're awake or I'd put you back to sleep again."

Before I could think of a witty reply Rosalie burst dramatically into the room with Edward close on her heels. "Alice!" She tossed her sunhat onto a nearby chair and sat on the end of my bed. "You missed the end-of-school-year sale at Macys."

I jolted upright. "I did!?"

"Sorry to break it to you kiddo but it's the middle of July. Sale ended two weeks ago."

I pictured the yellow sundress I had been planning on snagging in the sale. Me and Rose had torn their catalogue apart circling things. Guess that was a lost cause.

I was twirling in front of my mirror in the yellow sundress. I blinked widely. Guess it might still be there.

It took me a second to realize Rose was snapping her fingers in my face. "Alice!" I looked down to see a parcel wrapped in bright yellow paper with a yellow ribbon sitting in my lap. I grinned and started slitting carefully through the paper.

"I didn't know if you were going to wake up or not but I figured if you did you might want this."

I finally got through to the box and opened it slowly. There wrapped in yellow tissue paper was my yellow sundress. "Oh Rose! It's exactly the one I wanted! Thank you so much!"

She smiled. "Well I'm glad you like it. I had to rip it from the claws of some overweight beast who was convinced she was 'extra small.'"

I giggled. It was so nice to be awake again. I looked over her shoulder. "Edward."

He grinned. "Alice." He shooed Rosalie off the bed and she instantly lapsed into conversation with Emmett, who snatched her sunhat before she could sit on it.

I looked around the room. "Where'd all the parents go?" Did everyone just up and ditch as soon as they knew I was awake?

Edward laughed as if he could hear my thought in my question. "Esme just arrived and she needs some help getting some stuff up to your room."

I sighed. "You have to tell your mom to stop buying me things." Esme had always spoiled me and Emmett as if we were her own children.

He chuckled. "You know it makes her happy. She says you're all practically family and family takes care of family." He eyed all the monitors around the room. "Are you feeling okay?"

I nodded. "A little confused and wacked out but I'm not in pain."

He watched me critically as he placed his hand on my forehead. "You're not hot anymore."

"I was hot?"

He laughed at how my question sounded. "You were running a fever last week. 104. You must've caught some sort of viral infection in the hospital. Carlisle didn't give us too much information." His expression darkened. "We all thought it might the beginning of the end… but you're okay now." He brightened up again.

I pondered my possible death and the freaky flashes of things I had been getting since I had started to wake up. Did running a temperature screw with my brain? Why am I even asking that? I smashed my head off my dashboard, that's probably what screwed me up. "Did you not trust the monitors?"

His expression turned sheepish. "I just wanted to make sure for myself."

"Holy shit!" Edward and I turned towards the door at Emmett's vulgar exclamation. Carlisle and my dad were lugging a gigantic teddy bear into the room followed by my mom and Esme.

Edward smirked at my surprised expression. "I think that thing's bigger than you."

My mouth gaped open like a fish. "I think you're right." Of course Aunt Esme would go overboard with the welcome-back-to-the-real-world presents. How could I expect anything less?

They propped it up in the corner of the room, dwarfing every other stuffed toy gathered there. Emse swooped over and wrapped me in a warm hug. "Alice, it's so wonderful to see you awake again sweetie."

I smiled, you just can't help smiling when Esme's around. "It's good to be awake."

She took a step back and looked me up and down. "My you're looking much better! I was just here yesterday and already you have colour back in your cheeks."

"Glad to know I'm improving."

She laughed. "I kept telling Mary you'd wake up any day now. You're a fighter Alice. A little car accident wasn't about to stop you."

I pondered her words. Was I a fighter? I always thought I was a bit too scrawny to be a fighter.

"She means you have a strong will." I jumped. Edward was smirking all-knowingly.

"How do you do that!?"

He laughed. "A talent I guess. If you watch people closely enough you can almost tell what they're thinking."

"Mister big shot mind reader." He chuckled under his breath as Carlisle walked over.

"Alice, I hope you don't mind but we're going to have to run a few tests before we release you."

"No problem Uncle Carlisle."

He looked apologetic. "I'm going to have to take you now. It's the only time the MRI is free for the next couple of days."

"That's alright. I'll see them all when I get out anyways." I turned to wave at them all. "Carlisle's taking me for some tests. I promise we won't get in any head on gurney collisions on our way there."

I was greeted with a variety of goodbyes.

"Alright, wheel me out doc."

He chuckled as he transferred me to the gurney. I watched each of my loved ones' faces as I left the room, thankful that someone up there had wanted me to see them again.