A/N: Whoops, sorry guys. *grins sheepishly* That was a long wait. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter Six

"Hi, I'm Alice. What's your name?"

She glanced warily at my waiting appendage before carefully placing her own in mine. Her slender fingers squeezed mine lightly as she shook my hand.

Her voice came out low and quiet, but I heard it nonetheless.

"Bella."

Bella

The skin of my hand tingled where it touched hers. Alice. Mine.

My eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head when I inhaled, raspberries and warmth trailing around me. My back stiffened though, slight traces of sweet venom in the air.

The beast drifted forward, propelling me towards mine. Her slight gasp was ignored as I spun her around, her hand twirling in mine. Lips skimmed lightly over pale scars, nose picking up faint traces of dried sunshine, free hand gently prodding at exposed skin.

The other hand refused to relinquish its treasure.

Sensing no further injury, the darker primal faded, comforted by the porcelain in its grip.

I nuzzled her shoulder gently, cheek caressing soothingly against her silky skin, throat rumbling lowly.

Some of the tension fled her muscles as the soft touch calmed her. She shifted, fingers slipping to entangle with mine, her body moving into mine.

I gasped quietly when I realized the beast was gone, its presence no longer floating in the back of my mind passively. My free arm slipped tentatively around her waist as I catalogued the feelings in the back of my thoughts.

My mind blanked briefly, distracted at the smooth skin encountered on her stomach, tracing fingertips finding a relaxing spot, soothed by her content sigh.

Refocusing, I brushed against the cloak in the depths of my human body, noting the beast's, no my other form still lingered.

I swiftly buried my face in the back of her neck, short raven locks tickling my skin, as tears pricked in my eyes, quickly spilling down my face. I was incapable of stifling the loud sob that escaped my mouth. I curled against her, against Alice, my knees failing me as I cried, only to be gently caught in her arms.

I clung desperately to her shoulders, tucking my head under hers as my grief, my relief, soaked through the fabric of her shirt.

Alice

One moment, my beautiful savior is curled around my body, nuzzling my shoulder softly, and the next, Bella is being pulled into my lap, her hands fisted into the material my blouse as she cries her heart out.

Once I recovered from the shock somewhat, I ducked close to her ear, cooing reassuringly and humming lowly. The more logical part of my brain tried to reason out her discomfort and even why I felt for her, but my baser instincts slipped my arm around her back and nuzzled her jaw and cheek slowly.

After a couple minutes, I tightened my grip around her shoulders and slipped my other arm under the crook of her knees, gently lifting her up off of the ground.

My feet carried us through the trees, dappled sun falling around us as we neared my home.

I left the back door swinging on its hinges as I carried Bella inside, beelining for the stairs. My scent stirred around us as I entered my room, kicking the door closed with my heel. My arms gently lowered the hysterical woman onto soft covers, releasing as I made to stand up.

Fingers tightened their hold as I was abruptly pulled back down, dark watery eyes gazing into my own.

I placed my hands over hers, cooing as I peeled her hands off of my shirt. I smoothed her hair out of her face, fingers trailing down to cup her cheek.

"I'll be right back," I whispered as my thumb swiped her tears away.

She appeared to reluctantly settle down, curling into the blankets on my bed, her face turned into my pillow. I purred lightly at the sight before shaking my head to through off the haze.

Focus, Alice, I thought as I quietly backed away, racing quickly into the bathroom next door.

I rinsed a washcloth in warm water, glancing up into the mirror to admire my shoulder. The scars were almost completely gone, fleshy pink fading to dull pasty white to faint marks. After I wrung out the small towel, my body took me back to her.

I wordlessly climbed onto the bed next to her, toeing off my shoes and wriggling out of my jeans to get more comfortable. As soon as I was situated next to her, Bella crawled onto me, her head and upper torso curled into my lap, her arms wrapped around me.

Tilting her face up slightly, I took the washcloth to her face, wiping off the streaks of tears, venom, and grime. Once her face was clean, my fingers threaded through her hair, stroking lightly and caressing her scalp.

She gradually calmed.

The tension slowly seeped from her body, but her hold on me never lessened. I continued to pet her hair, fingers trailing lightly down her bare spine, eyes glossing over her features. She was beautiful.

Bella turned her head up from where it had been pressed into my thigh. Her mouth opened in a yawn and she nuzzled her face into my stomach briefly before she curled closer into my body.

She breathed in my scent deeply and then sighed, content. "Thank you."

A/N: Whoo, done. :3 Hopefully this'll get updated sooner next time. Hehehe… I hope you all liked it. Leave me a review if you have any questions or anything. Thanks!

-Ally