Rosalie's room had always been cleaner than mine. She preferred long, dark furniture, with green and white hangings dripping against the walls. Black was also a predominant color, although it was a decidedly warm ebony that reappeared throughout her room, and it always made me feel foreign to be there, as though I had just stepped across the border into an unexplored country. My mind immediately returned to the heels incident as I followed Rosalie inside nervously, and I noticed that the hole in the wall had already been patched up and cleaned…not surprisingly, Rosalie had removed all evidence of her dangerous temper tantrum.

"Do you like it, Bella? The bed is just large enough for the three of us."

Bella obediently nodded her head as Rosalie spoke, turning her attention to the queen canopy in the center of the room, and I interjected quickly,

"Actually, Rosalie, I wasn't planning on lying down tonight. There's really no need for us all to share the bed…Bella might find it harder to sleep if we do so. As you pointed out, it's barely large enough for three people."

Immediately Bella looked up, and she came over and grabbed my hand tightly.

"You're not going to lie down by me while I'm sleeping?"

I saw something like disappointment in her eyes, but I wasn't sure if that was the only emotion swimming beneath the dark irises of the human female across from me…why was there a hint of desperation there? While I was trying to figure this out, Rosalie came behind Bella and craftily slid a hand down her back, so slowly and languidly that even I felt my body burn as Bella flushed darkly at the contact, and I realized what Bella's mixed emotions actually were: she was hoping for a repeat of the other day, and she was doing anything she needed to do in order to get herself between me and Rosalie again.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

My voice sounded several octaves higher than normal as I half ran, half stumbled into Rosalie's bathing chambers, and I immediately locked the door behind me so that Rosalie couldn't follow. How could I have let this happen? Panting heavily, I pressed the heels of my hands against my forehead, and I let out a long whine. There was no way that I would be able to control myself if I was lying next to Bella, especially not if Rosalie was right there, pressing me forcefully into her. I had to say something. Edward would never forgive me if I killed his only girlfriend.

"Rosalie…could you come in here a moment, please?"

Hearing the pathetic way in which my voice had rose to a strangled squeak, I unlocked the door and waited for my sister to come in, backing up a few steps so that there would be no reason for her to bump into me. The door cracked open, and I saw the golden blonde curls of my sister first, followed by her lean, fluid body. She seemed to take up the entire room as she completely stepped inside, and when she closed and re-locked the door, I felt my breath catch somewhere in the middle of my abdomen.

"You're being rude to Bella, Alice. She's very worried about you."

I felt my shoulders hit the wall, and I realized that I had unconsciously retreated so far from Rosalie that I had backed myself up into a corner. Unable to form coherent speech because of the knot in my vocal chords, I could do nothing more than shake my head as Rosalie pressed forwards and lowered her body against mine, pinning me gently in place, and I squirmed uselessly. I could smell the sweet scent of the perfume she used, and as her curls brushed against my face, I caught the tantalizing aroma of her shampoo…there was no end to my fascination with her, for even as I began to loathe her sincerely, I wanted nothing more than to consume every inch of her body.

"Rosalie, this isn't funny."

I finally got my voice back, and it sounded hoarse as she ran the bridge of her noble nose against my cheekbone.

"Do I look even remotely amused?" she responded, and I felt my skin go numb. Rosalie's voice was as cold as ice, and I knew now that this wasn't a game to her at all…she wanted me to suffer.

"Why are you doing this? Please, at least let Bella leave. I'm afraid that I'm going to hurt her."

"Is precious Bella on your mind again, little Alice? I think that she wants to stay, and I would never refuse her such a simple request."

"Rosalie, please! You're not listening to me. If you make me touch her, or sleep next to her, I'm going to lose control. I'm going to bite her."

At my words, Rosalie gripped me so suddenly and so tightly that I let out a gasp of pain, and she wrung my wrists in her hands as she snarled, "You should have thought about that before, shouldn't you have?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I want something, Alice," she growled, lowering her lips to my neck, "I always get it. And if the thing that I want isn't cooperative, then I have to try a different tactic."

I practically yelped as she bit down into my skin, and I slammed my head back so hard against the wall behind me that my vision swam, threatening to black out completely.

"Remember when we were little girls, Alice?"

I assumed that she was talking about our first few years together, because I had no memories left of being a child.

"Carlisle always loved you more, Alice. Don't try to deny it!"

I shut my mouth at the wild look in her eyes, and she released my wrists in favor of yanking on my short hair, which caused my eyes to water with pain.

"He wanted a sweet little daughter, and you were the definition of sweetness. You even acted innocent, and still do sometimes…it's not even the fact that you were naïve, though. Carlisle didn't trust me fully. He didn't like the look in my eyes…the angry look. That's what he called it: the angry look. 'Why do you seem so troubled, Rosalie?', he would ask. 'Why do your eyes move so quickly? Are you scared, Rosalie? Are you wary? Why Rosalie? Why?' He hated me. I know he hated me, Alice, but he loved you…oh, he loved you so much, even more than he loved Esme."

Frightened and unnerved by her words, I shook my head as best I could, wincing as several hairs parted from my scalp. "Don't say things like that! Carlisle doesn't love me more, Rosalie, and certainly not more than he loves Esme."

"They all love you more!" she snapped, and now I could see her irises blackening as she nipped at my jaw, too hard to be considered affectionate. "They all love sweet, innocent Alice, but they can't all have you. Only I can have you. Only I can say that you belong to me."

She began to suck on my neck, and I could feel her teeth lengthening against my skin as her tongue undulated over and over again, lapping against my cold flesh like a suction cup. Pulling away with a popping sound, she groaned into my ear,

"I've seen the way that you look at Bella, how you long for her blood and skin. I'm going to make you taste her, Alice. We're both going to play with Edward's human toy, and when he comes back, we're going to do it again, right under his nose, just to make him crazy."

"I'm not touching Bella."

"You'll do what I say," she whispered, her voice an imitation of maternal sweetness, "or tonight, I'm going to let you rip her throat out."

There was no fighting with her, especially not when her teeth were pressed this aggressively against my throat, but I knew that I had to find a way out, for Bella's safety as well as my own.

"I want to talk to Esme."

"You'll talk to Esme in the morning, when you and Bella and I are all done with our little sleepover."

Feeling completely trapped, I squeezed shut my eyes and lifted my arms, trying to fold them across my chest in a protective hug. Rosalie wouldn't allow it, but she did soften her touch, so that when she grabbed my wrists for a second time, her fingers slid soothingly against my skin.

"Don't cry Alice. I promise that as long as you behave, I won't let you hurt her."

"I don't feel comfortable doing this, Rosalie," I whispered, feeling tears burn my eyes. She had never been so cruel to me before, and I wondered where all of her hate was coming from. At least before all of this had happened, she'd occasionally shown me kindness. Now I was terrified of her, and she didn't seem to care that a few weeks previously, we'd been nothing more than normal sisters…well, normal for a vampire, at least.

"Hush, Alice. You're crying now, but once you've experienced the ecstasy that I'm going to show you, you'll be begging me for more."

"You're scaring me."

"Get used to it, sweetheart."

Grabbing me by my wrists, Rosalie led me to the door against my will and flipped up the lock, opening it only after she'd dabbed at my face with a hand towel, viciously forcing me to hide my tears.

"Play along, Alice, or I'll have to try another new tactic."

The threat was a serious one, and I fought to keep my composure as I stepped back into the room, only to find that Bella was dressed in nothing but a pair of lacy black panties and a matching bra. She looked up shyly as she saw me, and I forced my gaze to the floor as she mumbled, "Do you have a night gown that I could borrow, Rosalie? You didn't show me where you kept them, and I didn't want to go through your things."

I could hear Rosalie's low purr as the blonde moved forward to pick out a night dress for Bella, but I doubted that the young girl had been able to detect it. I surreptitiously glanced up again at Bella, and guilt washed over me as I found her staring back, lust evident in her gaze. How was this even happening? Bella was supposed to be in love with Edward, not me, but it was clear that right now, there was only one person that Bella was after, and it wasn't my brother.

"Try this, Bella dear. It's one of my favorites…"

I felt my mouth fall open as Rosalie handed Bella a short satin slip, and Rosalie smiled towards me as she added, "It would be terribly uncomfortable to sleep with your bra on, Bella. Why don't you take that off while Alice and I go pick out some night things for ourselves?"

Bella's heart rate intensified, and now I didn't have to try to hear it as the human blushed, shifting her legs nervously. I could smell her arousal, and it made my mouth heavy with saliva as Rosalie directed me towards her night stand.

"Let's see…Bella's in black, I'll be in green…how do you feel about red, Alice darling?"

"I don't need a night gown, Rosalie, really. It's completely impractical."

"Oh, it's not impractical Alice, don't worry."

Rosalie's eyes had turned cold and watchful as I tried to deny her this small command, and I sighed as I pinched my lips together and bowed my head submissively.

"Fine. Whatever you'd like, Rosalie."

"I'd like you to wear red."

"Me too."

I started as Bella whispered into my ear, and I looked pleadingly towards Rosalie. The area between my legs began to throb as I squeaked out, "You like the red, Bella?", frightened by the strength of my own desire, and I swallowed with difficulty.

"Yes, I think it's a lovely color."

"Rosalie, I think I'm starting to feel sick," I stated pointedly, letting her know that I couldn't hold out for much longer, and as I spoke, my voice began to shift from breathy to dangerous, slipping into my lower range.

"Oh Alice, you poor thing! Let's get you out of those clothes at once. Do you think that a hot bath might help?"

"No!" I said immediately, unable to believe the length in which Rosalie was willing to go to make me uncomfortable. "I don't think that a bath would help at all. In fact, I think that it would only make things worse."

"I disagree…but perhaps we'll just try resting, shall we? Bella, help Alice into her night things while I go get the bed ready. It is rather late for you, isn't it? Half past twelve. Are you tired at all, Bella?"

Bella began to tug at my straps, and I felt my head spin as she chattered back, "I am a little tired. Probably because of the last few nights I've spent at home. I should fall asleep within the next couple of hours, knowing myself." The straps came off, and the shirt went up. "I've been trying to get used to staying up late…you know, for Edward…but I've been exhausted lately."

My shirt was thrown to the floor, and I leapt forwards suddenly as Bella's hands found the clasp of my bra, which was located between my breasts. It unhinged as I moved away, and I covered myself immediately, rambling out as I did so, "Wait! I really need to go to the bathroom, and I think that I should do it alone, just because it's not really such a big deal…hold on a second, just hold on."

"Alice! If you can't stand still for more than twenty seconds, then maybe you do need a hot bath after all."

Rosalie's threat made me stop cold, and my body began to shake uncontrollably as she came up in front of me, sliding my bra straps off with both hands. I would have to uncross my arms in order for the garment to reach the floor, but I embarrassedly refused to do so, warranting a very ominous glare from Rosalie.

"Alice. Move your arms."

Just as she commanded me to do so, Bella came up from behind me and wrapped her hands around my torso, spreading her fingers out over my navel in what was apparently supposed to be a comforting gesture. It only served to make me more frantic, however, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I held my breath, knowing that I was about to lose control.

"Come on Alice, it's ok. It's not like I haven't seen a naked woman before."

"I'm not worried about you seeing me naked!" I lied, letting out the softest of moans as Rosalie pried my arms apart. "I'm just…"

"Cold?" Rosalie offered, and I opened my eyes to glare at her as she smirked at my bare breasts, staring pointedly at my erect nipples.

"I'll work fast, ok Alice?" Bella said soothingly, unbuttoning the front of my pants from behind with such speed that I felt positive she'd been practicing on Edward. My pants joined the puddle of clothes on the floor, and then Bella went for my underwear, crossing the final line. I stepped into Rosalie's arms and wrapped myself around her in a tight embrace, plastering my hips against hers so firmly that my last bit of clothing couldn't be taken away, and I growled,

"The underwear stays on."

"I want you to wear the matching underwear that I picked out for you," Rosalie said dogmatically, and she reached down and pushed my underwear past my knees with one graceful motion, causing me to yelp as Bella grabbed onto it and finished the rest of the job. If I had been human, I would have been blushing so darkly at this point that my face would have been beet red, but instead, I only seemed to grow paler as Bella sang sweetly,

"Lift your feet!"

I did so, completely mortified, and she pulled the lacy red underwear up to my hips, grazing past my groin in what could have only been an intentional caress. My mouth came open, and I pressed it against Rosalie's throat as I let out a long moan, feeling my body shudder with guilty anticipation.

"Arms up!"

Again, I complied with Bella's cheerful instruction, and I felt my knees go weak as her fingers slid over my breasts. Looking up in agony at Rosalie's face, I saw that her eyes were the blackest that they had been all evening, and against my will, I felt my chest fill up with a loud, rolling purr that rumbled past my lips and into the open air.

"Did you like that?" Rosalie cooed softly, and I held my tongue as she said to Bella, "Why don't we have Alice sleep in the middle?"

Bella nodded eagerly, and I found myself crawling shakily into the bed after her, followed closely by Rosalie. Both women wrapped their arms around my body the instant that the covers were pulled up, and Rosalie held me possessively as Bella curled up against my navel, nuzzling my shoulder the way an affectionate pet might do.

"Comfortable?" Rosalie asked Bella, and as the human girl nodded her head sleepily and closed her eyes, Rosalie whispered into my ear, "The instant she falls asleep, you and I are going to take a very long bath together. How does that sound?"

I let out a whimper, and Rosalie's grip tightened around my abdomen.