(Disclaimer: done.)
(A/N: Some of this chapter will be from Alice's side of things, no worries, her side will be given more often in later chapters.)
Bella groaned in protest when a warm body next to her began to continuously shift. With a grunt, she smacked the arm wrapped around her waist in an attempt to get the form to stop moving, but just managed to draw a snort of amusement from the burly man spooning her. The couple lay tangled and wrapped in Bella's black sheets and comforter, barely able to function in the early hours of Saturday morning, and barely remembering the events preceding them going to bed.
Everything seemed fine at first, the two were relaxed, sleepy, and content and Bella prayed that it could stay that way forever. Of course nothing ever seemed to go her way because her still sleep boggled mind then abruptly went in to overdrive. While she lay enveloped in Nate's warmth and comforting scent, the fight from the day before surged to the forefront of her mind and the situation suddenly felt a lot less comfortable. She wished that it would stop weighing so heavily on her, because Bella knew in her heart that Nate had been telling the truth when he said he didn't go to see Greg, but no matter what she tried she couldn't manage to shake the feeling of betrayal that crawled just beneath her skin.
"I love you." Nate mumbled in to the crook of her neck.
Bella chose not to respond verbally, and instead just turned in his arms, placed a bruising kiss to his lips, then buried her head in his chest. She loved him, that much was evident, but she was terrified because she was not in love with him and it was making it so much harder to forgive and forget. It was that moment that she decided she was over-reacting, and would do her best to brush off the problem.
Earlier that morning . . .
"Alice do you know how much trouble you're going to get us in!" Edward huffed impatiently at his sprite of a sister.
It was approximately three in the morning and the two siblings were perched carefully in a tree outside Bella's house. It was very creepy, yes, but Alice couldn't help the constant need to make sure her human was safe and sound. She had seen how utterly distraught the girl was at school, and though she knew her efforts to cheer her up were not completely in vain, the underlying pain was still obviously there.
"Shut it, Edward. You didn't see her face after that fight. She looked so. . .so defeated. It was terrible. I don't trust this human boy, he's everything that's bad for her." Alice growled at the sight of the two very barred out humans stumbling about the bedroom that glowed with black-lights.
"Alice . . ." Edward sighed in defeat, "I understand what you're going through, I do, but she isn't one of us, she doesn't feel the pull like you do. All Bella knows is that she is attracted to someone other than her boyfriend. Imagine how internally freaked out she is right now."
He paused. Alice snarled lightly.
"Okay, well maybe not right now, but when she's in her right mind Jasper says she is all over the place with her emotions. He said yesterday at lunch he could feel anger, betrayal, fear, attraction . . ." Another pause. "Love. All of those are probably a war to her."
The pixie sucked in an unnecessary breath of air and leaned back carefully against the trunk of the tree, her ears trained carefully on Nate and Bella. They weren't really doing much besides talking, which ranged from incoherent rambling, to oddly deep conversations that she tried to respectfully tune out, then to them just laying and staring at the black-lights across the wall. Edward was right, she realized that, but she still planned on keeping an eye on the girl from a distance. Alice was going to become good friends with Bella one way or another, and if luck was on her side, one day they would be together.
"Alice, your thoughts are screaming at me, for the love of God stop thinking so intensely or you're going to give me a headache." Edward quipped.
"Vampires don't get headaches, Edward." Alice stuck her tongue out at him.
"Listen sis', you're not going to have her right away, you know that right? There's clearly much more to this girl than what she lets on, and the rumors, while unjust, are not all incorrect. This boy may not be good for her, but clearly she cares a lot about him. It will take time for that to go away, and that's if it even does. She falls in love like a human, she doesn't just find her mate at first sight like we do. She is a human."
"I get it! She's human, you've said that a thousand times."
"I'm just reiterating my point."
She sighed when the two finally collapsed and passed out almost immediately on the bed in a heap of blankets and tangled limbs.
"I know. Let's go home."
It didn't take long for the two vampires to flit across Forks back to their home that lay safely tucked away in the forest. The trip had been all but silent, as Edward had decided to leave Alice to her own thoughts as best as he could while they duck and wove through tree branches. He didn't need Jasper, their empathic brother, to know that Alice was hurting inside, although he couldn't tell what she was in pain from more; seeing her mate with someone else, or seeing her mate destroy her life. Edward concluded that both were valid reasons and would be weighing heavily on the shoulders of the little pixie. It hurt him deeply to see his baby sister in so much pain, and it was even worse to be able to hear her thoughts on the entire situation, but he knew that all he could do was offer his love and support as her brother.
"We're home!" Alice spoke as her and Edward crossed the threshold.
There was no need to yell, vampires had enhanced senses and the whole family would hear her from their bedrooms. Well, they would, except that they were actually in the living room. It wasn't a total surprise because while they all enjoyed their alone time, the Cullen family was keen on spending time together. Edward strode to the far side and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from Rosalie, who had Emmett sitting on the floor between her legs focused on a heated war-game battle with Jasper. Carlisle and Esme, their "father" and "mother", were curled up together on the love seat to the right of the couch. Carlisle, as per usual, had his nose stuck in a book, most likely a medical or history book, and Esme was watching her two sons duke it out via video-game, occasionally scolding one or the other for using vulgar language.
"So shorty, how was she?" Emmett inquired without looking from the screen.
Alice stiffened. They had told the family they were going hunting, so how did Emmett know?
"Awe, COME ON!" He cried in exasperation as Jasper killed him with another head-shot. He set down the controller and turned to face her, a grin threatening to split his features. "Seriously, baby sis', we all know you and Eddie-boy didn't really go hunting."
Emmett pulled Rosalie up and sat back down on the couch with her in his lap, while Edward took his spot on the floor and took the controller. Alice eyed her brother skeptically, a little unsure on how to respond to his statement, then turned her gaze to Edward in a plea for help. It was no use, he was already engrossed in the game, crying out in a similar fashion to Emmett when Jasper killed him first round.
"She was fine." Alice responded curtly, but adjusted her tone when Esme shot her a look. Emmett was just being himself, so she couldn't really snap at him for his curiosity. "How did you know, though? We didn't spend more time there than we would had we been hunting."
"Be real here Alice," Rosalie finally jumped in, "Your plan was totally flawed. First off, we all went hunting three days ago and got our fill, you wouldn't be that hungry this soon. Second off, we can see the way you've been looking at her and finding every little excuse to be around her at school, and let me tell you that you are in no way subtle about your affection for this girl."
"She's not just a girl Rose," She barely managed not to snap, "She's my mate, just like Em is yours, and Esme is Carlisle's, and I can't help the need to be around her."
"All that human is going to do is attract attention and caused problems!" Her sister snarled.
Edward and Jasper had put down their controllers, and Carlisle looked up from his book. Emmett's arms were wrapped securely around Rosalie in the chance that things escalated and the whole family was eyeing them warily. Jasper did his best to help by sending out a heavy wave of calm feelings, which worked enough because Alice relaxed her stance and Rosalie sat back against Emmett's chest.
"I love you Alice, you're my sister and nothing will change that, but Bella is an orphaned drug addict who is clearly head over heels in love with that Nate kid." Rosalie's expression saddened slightly. "I don't want to see you hurt if she chooses him over you, or worse."
Alice sighed, she couldn't be mad at Rose, after all she was just trying to protect her like an older sibling should. When everyone felt the tension subside, Carlisle went back to his book, and Jasper and Edward back to their video game. Edward huffed indignantly as he was once again killed.
"I know, Rosie, I promise I do." Alice smiled in answer to the one that appeared on Rosalie's face at the use of her nickname. She secretly loved to be called that but would never readily admit it. "However, I do love her, with everything that I am. She's going down a terrible path, and even if she chooses that boy over me, I will be beside her every step of the way because the least I can do in that situation is not let her be alone"
"She wouldn't be alone Alice, she'd have him."
"I understand that, but she also has no friends because of him. He's dangerous, the kids here know that and they steer clear as best they can, which in turn means that they avoid Bella because they're pretty much a package deal. I don't know what he did, but the other kids avoid the couple like the plague and Bella needs a friend, Rosie, a friend who won't leave because of her boyfriend."
The two stared at each other for a moment, Alice's eyes begging her to understand, and Rose's eyes seemingly searching for something. She must have found what she was looking for because she closed her eyes, took a deep, unnecessary breath, then exhaled before responding.
"Alright, I trust you know what you're doing."
Alice smiled in thanks, and turned to where her two battling brothers sat on the floor. Edward. She thought, getting his attention enough that he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Will you come with me again tonight to keep an eye on her? I'm worried, I had a vision and her future went black. He nodded lightly in response, keeping his attention trained on the television as not to make it too obvious that they were having a mental conversation. With that said, or rather with that thought, Alice made her way up to her bedroom and curled up in the window sill, letting her thoughts wander.
She thought about Edward first, and how sometimes it bothered the family when they would speak wordlessly. Since Edward could read minds, all Alice ever had to do was think to him and he would know. In turn Alice could see the future, so all Edward needed to do was make the choice to say something to her and she would see it and respond mentally. The two tried their best to do it discreetly to avoid irritating the others, but that's how the two of them had bonded so amazingly fast when Alice and Jasper showed up to join the family. They both had gifts that were a strain and sometimes a burden, and even though Jasper had quite a difficult gift to manage too, it was a bit different because it was emotional rather than mental.
Then she began to think about Bella and how the confident, but still somehow shy and sweet, girl had captured her heart long before they ever met. Alice didn't start having visions of her at first, but it was like her inner beast knew her mate was in the same town, because as soon as Bella moved to Forks the visions began. They were pretty basic at first, little snippets here and there of Bella and her father eating a meal together, or of her getting ready for school or meeting with friends, but when her father died and she sought out less than admirable people they began to get stronger. It had taken the combined efforts of all four of her siblings to withhold her from stopping Bella from going to Greg's house that fateful night, and then when the vision came true Alice didn't speak with them for a month, having refused to leave her room for anything other than hunting. It had been a few days before school when Carlisle and Esme sat them down for a family meeting to talk about what happened, and the air was cleared when Alice understood their reasoning that things had to run their course they way they were supposed to, and that she couldn't go changing futures just to try and save someone pain.
Then they asked who exactly Bella was, and it was that moment that Alice realized she hadn't actually told them about her visions of the girl and that what they knew was all based on that single event. She explained to them when she started seeing the girls future and how she believed Bella to be her true mate, much to her family's delight. Jasper, of course, was the happiest for her, since he had been around her long before they ever found the Cullen family. At first, when Jasper and Alice showed up everyone thought they were a mated pair, since they kissed and made love like one. It wasn't until twenty years after them living as Cullen's that the rest of the family learned that they were together out of convenience rather than an actual mate bond. The two had known that of course, with Jasper being an empath he could feel the difference between a mate-bond and simple love, and Alice had seen Jasper coming many years before they ever met, so naturally she knew what was going to happen between them, and so did he.
Shaking her head to try and clear her mind a bit, Alice moved from her window to the bed and lay down; she couldn't sleep but she could at least mimic it as best she could. Her thoughts began to swirl around Bella, concern, love, and fear being the ever present emotions she felt when she thought about the clumsy human.
"Oh Bella," She sighed; something she seemed to be doing a lot lately, "My sweet, beautiful Bella. What am I going to do with you?"
Bella's home . . .
"Nathan Andrews I told you once, and I'll tell you a thousand more times, I do not want those men anywhere near my home!" Bella snapped.
After waking up, the couple had laid in bed for a good three hours before actually deciding to start the day. They were still groggy and a little high from the night before, so lazing about was pretty much a given, well, it was until Nate decided to drop a bomb on Bella. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was still pissed over the Greg issue, he had decided to inform her that he'd lined up a fantastic deal with some guys from Seattle, and she nearly punched him until he assured her that they had nothing to do with Greg. Although, she contemplated hitting him anyways for inviting them to her home. Bella told him no without a second thought, and that there was no way she was going to have any of that part of his life come near her home; it was one thing to keep it at a distance, it was another for it to be on her doorstep.
"Babe, please, I can't bring them to my place because of my mother, and this deal could set us up for a long time!" He pleaded his case, following his furious girlfriend to the kitchen.
"No means no! I told you when we started dating that I didn't care what you did, or who you dealt with, as long as it wasn't Greg and you went to them instead of them coming to us." Bella began to cook the two lunch, trying to keep as calm as possible.
"Listen, I know, and I promise you that this is a one time thing. They'll show up, we'll make the exchange, they'll leave. No product testing, no threats, no drawn out conversations, just in and out and it's done." Nate hopped up to sit on the counter beside the oven, bright blue locking on to chocolate brown, a look of pleading meeting a look of anger and concern.
"Nate . . ." Bella sighed in defeat.
She knew that he would beg and plead until she gave in, and if she didn't cave then he would just go to them. It was a risky situation all-in-all, because if Nate didn't tell the guys she would be there, then she'd have to hide in another room. The dealers around the area were very jumpy people, which was partially due to the drugs, but it was also for fear of being set up. When you planned a get together with one, the rule was always the same; inform them of every attendee or risk death. It wasn't like the two hadn't been in similar situations, because Nate had taken her on many of his trips, but this time he made the stupid decision not to tell them about her because of the fact that it would be in her home, and he didn't want them knowing who she was. Bella stared at the puppy dog face he gave her for a long time, weighing her options and finally coming to a conclusion with a sigh of defeat.
"Fine, they can come, however," She cut him off as he opened his mouth to speak, "I need you to understand the amount of risk here. We could be killed, Nate! I'll stay in my dad's study, but don't do anything stupid. Don't provoke them, don't argue, and for the love of God, don't slip up and mention me."
"Thank you!" Nate leaped down and enveloped Bella in a bear hug, peppering her face and neck with kisses and mumbling a "thank you" between each one.
Bella tried hard to maintain her serious demeanor, but failed when his fingers dug in to her sides. She squealed in laughter and began swatting at his arms, pushing him away with a soft, playful scolding then sitting him at the table. It was about two-o-clock and they're company wasn't due to show up until seven, they ended up spending five hours doing absolutely nothing productive besides watching a bunch of old movies. Bella was extremely nervous long before there came a knock on her door, signaling that Nate's buddies had arrived. She kissed him, praying it wouldn't be their last, and retreated to the study, which was right next to the living room. Bella leaned carefully against the door, straining her ears to hear the conversation.
"Right, boy-o, you have what we want?" A scratchy voice asked.
"Of course Chris, I told you I would."
There was the sound of slight shuffling, a crinkling bag, then a snort of amusement.
"Seriously, mate? This is it?" A second, unfamiliar voice snapped.
"Hunter, you only brought enough for that amount, measure it for yourself, it's all there"
"Nate, buddy, you don't want to skimp me on anything. I thought I told you that we expected more because we came to you." The man, apparently Chris, returned with false concern.
"And I told you that I couldn't afford the extra, and that it wouldn't happen. I also told you and your boss that if you didn't want it, you didn't have to show up and we could forget this whole deal." Nate's voice rose slightly.
Nate, please, please don't provoke them. Bella pleaded silently. She moved slightly closer to the door, tripping over a book in the process, then mentally chastised herself for being so clumsy. There was an angry yell from the other room, and her blood turned to ice in her veins. She had just royally fucked up.
"What the FUCK was that!?" Hunter bellowed.
"Who's in the other room, you stupid prick!?" Chris snarled, storming down the hallway.
Bella screamed in terror and fell back flat on her ass when the study door flew open to reveal a red-faced man with hair as blonde as Nate's, but eyes as brown as her own. Behind him stood a smaller man, lankier than the other two, with shaggy, curly black hair and almost black eyes. They both looked menacing, and the blonde guys face twisted in to a sneer before molding in to a wicked smile. Nate came barging through and planted himself firmly between them and Bella.
"Boy-o, you had someone spying on us?" Chris tilted his head, slipping a gun from his pants.
"No! No, Chris, this is just my girlfriend, please I only sent her in here because I didn't want her involved, it wasn't her place and she is in no way a snitch!" He defended desperately.
"You told us you would be alone!" Hunter growled, tackling Nate to the ground.
The two struggled with each other while Chris knelt down in front of Bella, his face a mask of mock regret as he regarded the young girl thoughtfully. Hunter, being unusually skilled for such a little man, managed to get the upper hand and twisted Nate's arms painfully behind his back, gripping the short hair on his head and forcing him to watch the exchange.
"Now, little miss girlfriend, we can't have you knowing we were here. I apologize for this, but we only deal with Nate because my boss has the dirt on him, he can't defy us without risking himself. You, however, are an unknown party and therefore considered dangerous. I'm sorry for this sweetheart, you really are very beautiful, but in this life it's kill or be killed."
"Bella NO!"
Two voices cried out her name simultaneously as the sound of a gun rattled the air. Bella stared down at her side as blood began to seep out of the wound and proceeded to soak her shirt, the screams of horror and the animalistic snarls not even registering. Her mind grew fuzzy and her eyelids drooped as the blood loss began to take it's toll on her body and just for a moment, Bella could have sworn she saw golden eyes staring in to her own before darkness claimed her.
(A/N: Oh noooo, what have I done? Nothing. I've done nothing wrong :| I'm going to tell you now that some of these situations portrayed are situations I myself have been in, so I don't want to see anyone say "Oh that wouldn't really happen." because yes, it would, and it has. Review and tell me what you think! Or don't review and just enjoy the story to your hearts content :D either way I'll be supremely happy!)