All things Twilight belong to the Awesome Stephenie Meyer
I know, I'm sorry. I skipped a day, and even though I hate to make excuses I found this chapter really hard to write. Tanya and her coven wouldn't speak to me :(

Songs for Thought:

It's Beginning to get to me - Snow Patrol, Offshore - Chicane.

Chapter Fifteen - Denali

Things began getting back to normal and my schedule, once again, began filling with shopping and helping Esme complete the restoration of the house, the whole fashion week debut had begun to feel like a dream. If I could have slept, it's exactly what I'd have thought it was. Jasper had successfully given me one of my most memorable Christmas presents in my history, and I was sure that he would never be able to out do it in an eternity. It was pure luck that he'd waited as long as he did, this was the only time I had ever put my gift on the back burner.

The dress was now stored safely in my closet, and there it would stay until my hope for it was realized, I still had flickers of visions but I knew that they could change in a heartbeat with any decision made. I was overjoyed that my paranoia had been unfounded. No one had realized what the dress had denoted. I was sure that they would eventually figure it out when and if the time came.

Edward hadn't called again since Christmas, he hadn't found Victoria again and I was becoming concerned, something had changed and I'd lost her. I checked for her regularly so I could help Edward, but she was more elusive now. She would rarely do anything premeditated. It was almost as if she knew not to make plans. I put that Idea directly out of my mind, I was becoming paranoid. There was no way she would know about any of us, we'd been so careful to not mention anything concerning our gifts the one night they had been in our company. Carlisle had made sure of that.

Edward seemed to mope more now that he had lost the trail, whenever I checked on him I would find him huddled in the shadows miserable. There were many a time I considered sending Jasper and Emmett to collect him. I was sure he would find this entirely too intrusive so I let it go, for now. If he was still searching when we came home from Denali, I was sending someone to go and get him. Spending so much time brooding over his decision to leave was becoming more difficult to watch and I knew that if he were around us it would be easier to help him through it. There was only one thing that would remove the pain completely and I knew that at this moment in time, he was too stubborn to act on what he so desperately wanted to do.

As our vacation became ever closer, the atmosphere surrounding us as a family became lighter, we enjoyed our trips to visit Tanya and her family. They had so much history surrounding them their stories could keep us entertained for hours. Kate's powers were similar to Edward's but seemed to center more around attraction, she seemed to pick up more romantic thoughts and was able to manipulate them. It was an odd talent and she would often use her gift to confuse us. Jasper had a hard time when she began manipulating people around him because their emotional states would peak.

Eleazar also had a gift, but would rarely use it, he hated the consequences. It did, however, come in useful when Tanya, Irina, and Kate would pursue men to play with. He was able to pluck certain memories from your head. So when the girls had finished with their newest acquisition he would wipe the memories of the coven from the men before sending them back into the world. This was something he had agreed to do to keep them hidden from society. It was easier to exist when no one knew you were there.

Our travel plans were simple, we had to stay on the ground as long as we possibly could before getting on a plane. Jasper, although doing well still found it difficult being around humans for any large amount of time and being trapped in a confined space made it even more difficult. Not to mention that since the incident with Bella he had been pushing himself to the brink to try and strengthen his resolve. He was being more stubborn that I could have ever imagined. So we had decided that we would drive to Seattle and catch a plane from there. The plane ride would be subsequently shorter. I knew that the entire family had some reservations about being so close to Forks but it was something I had asked them to do. It wasn't as if I saw anyone in Seattle and the flight from there to Fairbanks would be easier, so they had agreed.

We began packing the Mercedes and the BMW for our drive. Rosalie had insisted on taking her car, I knew that she and Emmett wanted some privacy so none of us argued. I never really minded riding with Carlisle and Esme, they were always so entertaining. Carlisle liked to sing on car rides and Jasper and I would often test his musical skills by bringing a variety of music. It was always interesting to see Carlisle rapping, he had such a genteel nature that he would edit the words he disliked using. Jasper and I would be in the back seat giggling furiously as Esme shook her head in amazement. I didn't particularly like Rap music but I would keep some for occasions such as these.

The airport in Seattle was busy, it was getting close to Spring break and the college students were heading for sunnier destinations. It was amusing to watch them as they headed straight for the bar after they checked their luggage. Rosalie found the attention of these collegiate men entertaining, and would strut unnecessarily past them to the book store or the restrooms. Emmett chuckled as his wife entertained herself. Jasper could never understand them. As we sat and watched Rosalie make a spectacle of herself Jasper closely watched Emmett.

"I will never understand them." he laughed as he raised his eyebrows. Rosalie had decided she wanted to buy a magazine.

"Why's that?" I asked full well knowing the answer.

"Well, if you took to doing that, and those men were looking at you and talking to you like that, I would lose my temper pretty quickly. But Emmett. . . there is pure lust flowing from him. It's quite disturbing."

I laughed lightly and picked up his hand kissing it. I knew that he would never understand the dynamics of Rosalie and Emmett's relationship, none of us really did. We just accepted them for the anomaly they were. Trying to figure them out would take entirely too much effort and I had a feeling it could be quite disturbing.

"That's why none of us try and figure them out, as long as they're happy."

"I know, but it's times like this when they confuse me the most."

I nodded and raised my eyebrows as Rosalie strutted back from the news stand. She grinned at me and dropped herself gracefully into Emmett's lap.

The plane ride was easier than we thought it would be, it was reasonably empty due to the sun-seekers heading south for the spring ritual. We were sat comfortably in business class trying to fend off the flight staff as they insisted we take champagne and trying to force feed us steak. I was sure this was due to pure boredom. The flight didn't take very long so the only form of entertainment they afforded us was reruns of sitcoms, it wasn't too bad, Jasper and I spent time huddled together in our own little world.

We descended into Fairbanks slowly, the beauty of the landscape hit us as we peered out of the windows, the sun danced on the white horizon as it sank back. We had arrived at Twilight. That was one of the things I loved about Alaska, the days felt so much shorter.

We rented a couple of cars in the airport, once again we left Rosalie and Emmett up to their antics. We rented four wheel drive utility vehicles, Tanya's home was set in the mountains and would be difficult to get to without them. We headed onto the freeway. The cool crisp evening air felt refreshing, the smells were so clean. We had been afforded a fresh blanket of snow and it made the open wilderness around us seem untouched. The pure beauty of Alaska had always appealed to me, there was plenty of wildlife to feed from, and the natural lakes and rivers were beautiful and serene. If there had been a decent mall nearby I would have been content to stay here for an eternity.

Carlisle found the hidden road easily, it was barely visible to our sensitive eyes so the chances of humans finding it really were slim. Tanya sometimes enjoyed company but it was always on her own terms. The male visitors would never find them again and that is if they were lucky enough to walk away with a memory of the women.

The trail led up the mountain and with the narrow trail so close to the edge we took our time, it was beautiful. The tree lines were so precise with the new fallen snow. There was another snow storm coming, I could see it. It would cover our tracks from the main road, but it wouldn't cover the scent of the game that surrounded us. There were fresh tracks all around the trail and I knew that Jasper was getting thirsty because of the circles under his eyes. I really had no idea why he found it necessary to push himself so hard. Especially when he knew we would be in such a confined space on the plane. He had pushed himself so much harder since Bella. I knew he still blamed himself for the move and Edward's pain and as much as I tried to console him he would only get over it with time.

As we ascended further upwards we came to the clearing in front of Tanya's house. It looked breathtaking in the early evening, the contrast between the dark night and the warm glow that was cast from the windows was breathtaking, it could have been a picture for a postcard. The sound of our approaching cars drew the attention of the inhabitants of the house. Tanya was the first to appear.

We got out of the cars slowly and headed towards our welcoming committee. Eleazar stood at the door with his arm around Carmen looking happy at having male company. He was the only male in a house full of females. Emmett, Jasper, Edward and Carlisle took pity on him.

Tanya approached the cars with a beaming smile. It had been a while since we had seen them and she always enjoyed our company.

"Carlisle." She hugged him happily. "It's so good to see all of you."

"Tanya, it's been along time." Carlisle replied as she turned her affection towards Esme.

"Too long, of course we saw Edward a little while ago. he isn't with you?" she asked scanning the group.

I fidgeted uncomfortably and grinned at Jasper, Tanya had an attraction to Edward that was never reciprocated but she had always been quietly persistent. She had always believed he would come around in his own time. It had been a standing joke among us.

"No, not this time. He has a prior engagement he couldn't get out of." Carlisle was always so diplomatic when it came to making excuses for us. It was another one of his parental attributes.

"That's a shame. Well, come on in." Tanya motioned towards the house as she threw an arms around my shoulders. She smiled at me happily as we entered the sinfully warm house.

"How about you, Alice. You look very well. Esme was telling me that you did some research on your history. How did that go?"

"Well, I have a great, great niece who looks astoundingly like me. I brought you some pictures."

"Excellent." she said smiling and handed me off to Kate who threw her arms around my neck happily.

We settled into the rhythm of things quickly. Jasper and Eleazar had gone hunting together, while the rest of us caught up on what we had done since seeing each other last. We avoided the topic of Edward as much as we could but Tanya was persistent. She asked about his 'friend' who had caused him to flee here all those months ago.

Carlisle answered her as honestly as he could and explained that he had become friends with Bella. We all knew how much of an understatement that was, but we kept our mouths shut. It wasn't our story to tell so we would protect it as much as we could.

It was then that I noticed that someone was missing.

"Tanya?" I asked quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the room towards me.

"Yes, Alice?"

"Where is Laurent? I thought he came here to stay with you?"

"Ah, yes." Tanya lowered her voice and her eyes flickered quickly to Irina. "He took a sabbatical, he found our diet. . . difficult."

"Has he gone for good?"

"No he comes and goes. He and Irina have become close so he doesn't wander too far. They're actually very sweet together."

I nodded and smiled letting the subject drop. There was something unusual about all of this. It played in the back of my mind for a while, I couldn't figure out what had me so on edge. There was a nagging thought in the back of my mind but I couldn't put the pieces together. That's when the flashes started.

A/N: I know, short, I'm sorry :(

I will hopefully have another Chapter for you tonight, Maybe I can get the Denali crew to open up for me, who knew they would be so difficult!

I had them drive to Seattle to catch a plane because in New Moon I could never understand how Alice caught a plane but still drove the Mercedes to Bella's house. . . I hope this explains that a little, I used it to fill in a gap I didn't understand lol.

Thank you to my awesome reviewers. . . Sorry I suck at replying to your wonderful reviews. Please know I truly appreciate each and every one of you. YOU GUYS ROCK!