A/N Yeah, so basically I completely lied when I said my next update would be soon. Sorry. On the upside, this chapter is kind of a big deal and I think you'll like it, so enjoy...

Chapter 10

I was violently awoken the next morning when my curtains were thrown back, letting the morning sun stream in the window, and consequently, right into my eyes. I groaned, pulling my pillow over my head and trying to ignore the woman flitting around my room.

"Come on Bella. Up, up up!" My perky mother sang, emphasizing her words with a tap on my butt. I could hear her already rifling through my closet and burrowed deeper into my covers.

"Isabella Marie! You get up right now." Mom said using her stern voice, ripping my blankets off me. I instinctively curled up at the loss of warmth.

"Whyyyyyyy?" I whined, rolling away from her.

"Because I said so!" The ultimate parental come back. Never the less, I finally relented and sat up with a grunt, pushing my hair back and out of my face.

A few minutes later I was dressed and dragging myself down the stairs for breakfast. Our plates were waiting on the table when we arrived. I rarely saw Gemma since my mother's arrival. Apparently she was hiding, not that I could blame her.

"You seem awfully tired, honey. Are you not sleeping well?" Mom asked, watching me with concern in her eyes. I shrugged, forking some more eggs into my mouth. She frowned, but reached over and squeezed my arm gently, in a gesture of comfort. "It must be hard with Edward away so often, but it'll only be a couple more days now. I'm sure you'll sleep better once he's home." She smiled and withdrew her arm to take a sip of orange juice. My mother could be a little crass or demanding at times, but there was never any doubt in my mind that it was because she cared about me. Times like these proved it. Though, that didn't stop me from escaping her for a couple hours after breakfast to read in our garden.

Of course by lunch, I was discovered.

"Bella, would you mind going to Vicky's this afternoon. It's been so long since I've seen her and I promised her mother I'd stop in."

Victoria, was the daughter of one of my mother's good friends. We had never been particularly close, though, and we had become even more distant when I began seeing Alice, knowing that she was as well. However, my mother adored her, so I knew a visit was inevitable the moment she came to town. As far as I was concerned, seeing Victoria at the club occasionally was plenty.

"Fine." I sighed, marking my book and heading back to the house.

"Slow down, dear. We're not in a race."

"I'm going the speed limit mom."

"You're awfully close to the line, honey."

"It's fine, mom."

"It's a left at this light."

"I know where she lives mom."

My nerves were frayed from the car trip so I was only too happy when we pulled up to the gate and buzzed for entrance. Unfortunately, as we continued up the winding drive, my relief proved to be short lived.

"Oh my God." I breathed, when the house appeared, though the beautiful mansion wasn't what caught my eye. The bright yellow Porsche out front was like a punch to my gut and suddenly I couldn't breathe.

"Bella? What's wrong?" My mother asked, finally noticing my obvious discomfort. But I ignored her. I was too caught up in my own emotions to worry about her concern for me.

And then…I died a little bit more inside.

The front door opened, revealing Alice and Victoria laughing together, playfully touching each other. My stomach turned and I was caught between my hurt and anger. I thought back to the weekend and couldn't help feeling betrayed and a little resentful at the sight before me.

"Oh! I didn't even think that she might have company. I guess I should have called first. Do you know that girl, Bella?" My mother asked, oblivious to my breaking heart. I remained silent, my eyes set on the couple in front of us, my hands gripping the steering wheel until it was almost painful. "Bella?"

I turned my miserable face towards my mother briefly, before silently opening the door and climbing out of the car. I heard my mother following, but didn't slow in my furious trek towards the house.

I watched as the two women realized they were not alone, and blue eyes met mine, fear and shame evident in them.

"Renee! I didn't know you were in town!" Victoria said, happily, walking down the steps to give my mother a hug. My gaze remained focused on the young girl, now biting her lip.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope I'm not interrupting anything, though." Mom asked, as they pulled away. She shot a curious look over to Alice and Victoria followed her eyes.

"Oh, no! That's just Alice. She was just leaving." With that blatant dismissal, Alice slowly made her way to her car dejectedly, avoiding everyone's eye contact, especially mine. "Come inside, Renee. I've just remodeled the living room and I'm dying to show it to you." Victoria said, leading my mother towards the house.

"Bella? Are you coming?" Mom called back to me.

"In a minute." I said, never taking my eyes off the small girl who was still fumbling for her car keys, apparently in a hurry to escape. When I spoke, however, she looked up at me, her face slightly fearful. I heard the front door close and I knew we were alone.

Taking a few steps towards the Porsche the hurt inside me bubbled over and I lashed out, snarling, "Was the other night not enough for you? Are you so needy that you'll whore yourself out to anyone just for a good time? Oh wait! I already know the answer to that, since you've been doing it for years now!"

I regretted it immediately, but in my blind rage and jealousy, any sort of filter on my mouth was not functional. I suppose I expected her to be a least slightly remorseful or something, but in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Alice's glare was set to kill. Dropping her purse she stalked around the car towards me. With false bravado, I held my ground, hands on my hips, and she stopped barely an inch from me.

"What did you just say?" She hissed. I didn't respond. I couldn't. The anger and hurt swirling in her eyes had left me speechless. "I don't remember you having a problem when I "whored" myself out to you." She said slightly louder, her small body was trembling in her fury, small fists balled at her sides. A long silence followed, the tension building to astronomical proportions, until finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"Didn't this weekend mean anything to you?" I asked quietly. My rage had long since dissipated leaving only feelings of sorrow and self-loathing behind. Alice's face softened just slightly, and when she spoke next, her voice no longer had the edge I'd heard before.

"Of course it did. It meant everything to me."

"Then why…" Her soft finger covered my lips, cutting off my words.

"Because if I stopped seeing the others, rumors would start, and if they discovered I was still seeing you, it would only be a matter of time before Edward found out."

"You did this to protect me?" I asked, shocked.

"I did it to protect us both." She corrected, giving me a small smile and taking my hand in hers.

I knew what she was doing was smart and I should have just accepted it and tried to slip back into my safe world of denial when it came to Alice with other women, but I couldn't. The sight of Victoria touching her, the image of them together was burned into my mind, and the thought of Alice being with anyone else in the future made my stomach rebel violently and my heart clench.

"Don't." I finally blurted out, surprising both Alice and myself.

"Don't? Don't what?" She asked, seemingly trying to find the answer in my eyes.

I knew my next words would change things, but I was tired of always playing it safe. I didn't want anyone else touching my Alice! I'd never been a possessive person. When girls used to come up to Edward in bars, I never faulted them. He is very good looking after all. But with Alice it was different. There was a primal need inside me telling me to claim what's mine and protect it from all others.

"Don't see anyone else." Alice looked up at me slightly alarmed, but before she could speak, I closed the distance between us, kissing her hungrily.

After a moment of shock, she returned my fervor and the kiss deepened, my tongue dominating hers as I explored her mouth. Somehow Alice ended up pressed into her car, one of her legs wrapped around mine, but it wasn't close enough. Taking my hands from her hair, I moved them to her bottom, lifting her so she could wrap both legs around me. She moaned as I pressed harder into her exposed center. We kissed feverishly, both apparently needing to prove something to the other.

Unfortunately, a few moments later, my senses returned to me and I realized my mother was just inside the house. With one final kiss, I eased Alice back onto the ground, but left my forehead pressed to hers.

"Please, Alice. It hurts to think of you with anyone else. I know it's probably stupid, but I can't do this anymore. I want you to be mine and only mine. Please." I begged. She didn't answer right away and I was left anxiously staring into the blue pools I'd drowned in so many times.

"Okay." She finally whispered, smiling and leaning up to peck me quickly on the lips.

"Okay?" I asked, hope oozing out of me.

"Okay, I won't see anyone else. Just you."

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face, and Alice giggled at my excitement. I should have known there'd be a catch.

"But this isn't a one way street, Bella." She said, abruptly ending the happy dance in my head. "You're not the only one who gets jealous." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow. Though she never actually verbalized the demand, it was obvious what she wanted.

"It's not that easy, Alice. We're married." I reasoned, though instinctively I knew that excuses wouldn't work this time.

"It is that easy. You can only have one of us, Bella. Who do you want more?" The blatant ultimatum was unexpected, but I knew the answer. Maybe I'd always known it, but I'd save analyzing myself for later.

"I want you." I breathed, and Alice beamed at me, causing my heart to soar. It was a surprisingly easy choice once I was up against the wall. I simply couldn't lose Alice, and while I loved Edward, it just…wasn't enough. This was quite possibly the most spontaneous and reckless thing I've done in my life, yet I couldn't feel anything but elated in this moment.

"You…you're going to tell him." Alice asked shakily and it took me a moment to realize she was crying, all the while a brilliant smile still on her face.

"I will." I promised, though I had yet to work out the how and when. This wasn't something I could just spring on my husband the moment he got home, and certainly not while my mother was here.

After a few more teary kisses, Alice left, leaving me to spend the remainder of my afternoon with my mother and Victoria. Joy. However, even listening to them prattle on about mindless topics, could not wipe the goofy grin off my face and I knew I would be in trouble for it later. As it was, my mother was sending me worried glances, so I took the time to mentally prepare myself for the inevitable conversation.

The ride back was tense, as an unspoken agreement not to speak until we arrived home was established. I had just barely parked the car before my mother was out and walking into the house, so I hurriedly followed.

"We'll be having dinner late tonight Jenna. My daughter and I need to have a talk." Mother said brusquely to a scared looking Gemma who'd come out to greet us. She looked to me and I gave her a small smile and a nod.

"Thank you, Gemma." I said, emphasizing her name and taking childish pleasure when I heard my mother huff. Taking a seat across from her, I reminded myself to show no fear. "So you wanted to talk to me? What about?"

Mom snorted in disbelief and threw herself back onto her feet, quickly closing the distance between her and our mini bar. Once she'd poured a double shot of gin and some tonic, she took to pacing. That's when I knew I was in for it. My mother only paced when she was incredibly irritated or worried about something.

"Let's not pussyfoot around the bush here Bella. I saw the way you looked at that girl at Victoria's house. When they came outside the jealousy was practically falling off you in waves! Then you're outside with her for nearly half an hour doing who knows what and you come back in with no explanation and some ridiculous grin on your face! I don't know what you were thinking, but I think you'd better start talking right now, young lady! For heaven's sake! You're married to Edward, Isabella! And you're going around town with some trollop! What if he found out!"

By the end of her speech, my mother was red in the face and holding an empty glass, staring down at me. I had hoped she might have missed the jealousy, but it was wishful thinking on my part. Renee was nothing if not observant.

"Alice…" Before I could get in two words, mom huffed, cutting me off.

"…is a child! AND A GIRL! I absolutely won't stand for this! Victoria told me about how this Alice sleeps around with everyone! Have you lost all your sense! You're risking your marriage and your reputation for some lesbian experiment with a slutty little…"

"SHE'S NOT A SLUT!" I roared, standing and slightly trembling in rage. She could say whatever she wanted about me, but that was pushing it too far.

"DON'T YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME ISABELLA!"

"NO!" I growled, taking a step forward. Her eyes widened in surprise and she flopped back onto the couch. "For once you're going to listen to me." I pulled my hands through my hair, my annoyance with my mother far surpassing its normal limits. "Alice makes me happy mom." I turned to look at her, my eyes pleading for some understanding, but she was stubborn as always, refusing to look at me, so with a deep breath I dropped the bomb. "I love her, mom. I'm leaving Edward."

Her head whipped around so fast, I thought I'd need to take her to the hospital for whiplash.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" She hissed, at me, looking around, as if for eavesdroppers. Surprisingly, her comment just made me smile.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that I love Alice and want to be with her." I said feeling incredibly light after acknowledging these facts out loud.

Oddly enough, my mother was actually looking at me with something akin to pity.

"Bella." She started, patting the seat next to her, so I sat down. "I know you must be lonely with Edward gone so often. It's easy to confuse a want of companionship and lust for something deeper…"

"I'm not…" I started to argue, but my mother shushed me like a mindless child.

"I'm sure once Edward returns, you'll realize that this passing fancy was just that and move on. After all, I'm still waiting on those grandchildren." She smiled caringly at me and I furrowed my brow. Was she really that much in denial, or had my confession completely sent her over the edge.

"Mom, Edward and I aren't having children, because I'm leaving him." I reiterated and she looked at me disapprovingly.

"Now, Bella. Stop being so silly. Why on earth would you leave a perfect husband who's given you this wonderful house and a more than comfortable life for some little girl who's still in high school? It's absurd! I don't find your joke very funny and I think you'd better stop talking about it before Edward comes home and you upset him with this nonsense." She lectured and I stared at her in disbelief.

"Oh my God! You're insane!" I muttered, pulling on my hair again and standing again.

"Oh! I'm the insane one, am I? I'm not the one throwing my life away on a whim! Just how do you expect to support yourself, because I can tell you right now that your father and I will not have you and some tramp living under our roof!"

"I'll get a job!" I countered, completely fed up with this circular discussion. One minute she's in denial and the next she's biting my head off like before!

She snorted, causing my irritation to rise.

"Doing what exactly? The only reason your father and I allowed you to be an art history major was because we knew Edward would take care of you. I can't believe how selfish you're being!" She huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Wanting to be happy is selfish? Fine then, I'm being selfish! For once in my life I'm doing what I want to do!" I screamed.

"I won't be a part of this Isabella. I can't stand by and watch you destroy your life." My mother said, her voice quiet and resolute.

"Fine." I said, crossing my arms. She looked up at me with a combination of disappointment and disgust on her face and I had to look away. Sure she was being a bitch right now, but she was still my mother and I couldn't bear to see her regard me in such a way. But I wouldn't give in. She would just have to learn to accept it…or she couldn't be in my life anymore. My heart clenched at the thought, but I pushed it aside angrily. This was her fault! Not mine!

"I'm leaving then. I'll just go and pack my bags. Call me when your sense returns." She said, standing and shaking her head as she walked off. I didn't respond, but watched her go down the hall in silence. We were both stubborn, and I knew she had her expectations, but I expected more from my mother. I wanted her to understand and to love me anyway. I guess that was asking too much.

"Mrs. Cullen?" Gemma's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at her, forcing a small smile onto my face.

"I thought I asked you to call me Bella?" I said, hoping it came out as the joke I had meant it to be. Gemma blushed, moving further into the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Bella?" She asked timidly and I saw her eyes flash to the hallway where the guest room is.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, catching me by surprise. I thought she was going to ask me something about dinner.

"I'm fine." I lied, convincing neither of us. But she nodded politely.

"I'll have dinner ready for you soon." She said softly before turning to leave, but I called her back. "Yes?"

"Would you mind calling a car to come take my mother to the airport? She won't be staying for dinner either." I told her and she nodded, giving me a sympathetic smile, before making her way back to the kitchen. As soon as she left I collapsed on the couch, pulling my cell phone from my pocket and speed dialing number four.

The tears were already falling freely when a voice finally answered on the other side.

"Rose." I whimpered into the phone, choking on my sobs so much I could barely hear her say she was on the way over.

A/N So wudjah think? It's not as long as I planned originally, but this seemed like a good stopping point, so I decided to break the original chapter into two, plus that let me update sooner.