Chapter Eleven

Passion

If looks could kill, the look Edward gave Alice would have cut her into a million pieces. Not that he would have fared much better with the look she gave him in return. It would be difficult to say which one had the fiercest scowl on just then, as they both held their positions after Bella had left the parking lot. They stood as still as marble statues, neither one blinking or averting their eyes from the other. For the moment they were oblivious to all the other students passing by on their way home or to various after-school activities. The scene reminded Emmett of an old western film he once saw, except here they were exchanging death glares instead of firing bullets from pistols.

Edward didn't need to move any closer to them as he spoke, knowing his words would easily be heard by her.

"You just had to keep interfering", he said through gritted teeth.

"If interfering means balancing out your lies to her with the truth, then yes, I had to." Although Alice had a few more choice words to say to him, she didn't want things to escalate between them while they were still out in public. It was necessary to maintain composure and sensibility.

"The truth? Are you now saying you've been truthful with her this whole time?"

Alice could hear the ridicule in his voice, but decided not to respond.

Rosalie finally spoke, "Why don't we continue this discussion at home? This is neither the time nor the place for this."

Edward's gaze shifted to the blonde. "Why don't you just mind your own damned business for once Rose?"

She replied in an icy tone, "If only this didn't concern me or any of us, but unfortunately it does affect all of us Eddie. Let's just all go home." She turned around to get into the jeep which spurred the others into motion.

They all got in their respective vehicles and drove home. No words were spoken as they each entered the house. Esme could sense the tension that they brought in and asked what had happened.

When Alice opened her mouth to try to speak, Edward cut her off.

"I'll tell you what happened. I asked Bella out and she agreed, only to change her mind after Alice got to her."

Alice turned to look at him. "Why can't you just accept that she turned you down Eddie?"

"You can't accept the possibility she might actually choose me over you, if she was given the chance!"

Oh no…here we go again… Esme's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them as she listened.

"Have you lost all your marbles?" Alice looked at Edward in disbelief. "She said no to you right after you first asked her. But then you had to feed her a bunch of lies about it being okay with me. She only gave you the answer you wanted when she was upset and confused. Of course I couldn't let her go on believing any of your bullshit was true."

"I should have known you wouldn't have given me the chance for one date with her. You're too scared that if she were left alone with me, she would lose interest in you!"

Alice scoffed, "You really are delusional. Even if she weren't interested in me - which by the way, is complete nonsense – she is only interested in me – there's no way she'd want to go out with a slinking-into-her-bedroom-while-she-slept stalker!"

"Damn you!" Edward howled and in a flash he sealed the short distance between them grabbing Alice by the neck. He lifted her up so that she was now eye level with him. Before anyone could respond he slammed her against the living room wall, the impact leaving an Alice–sized crater behind her. He tightened his grip around her throat, with enough strength to crush her windpipe if she were human. He shouted, "I'll tear your head off!" His razor-sharp fangs lengthened and sharpened as he screamed in animalistic rage, spewing venom in her face. Alice squeezed her eyes tightly shut to keep the venom from blinding her. Before anyone could move fast enough to reach them she broke free from his grip by a powerful kick between his legs, her right knee crashing into his crotch. He was momentarily paralyzed by the alarming pain in his groin, enough for him to ease his grip. A quick punch to his face sent him flying to the other side of the room crashing through the entertainment center, the wall behind it, and into the never used kitchen on the other side.

Esme screamed for them to stop, while Emmett rushed to the kitchen to keep him from returning for more. He found Edward starting to rise from the wreckage, shaking his head to clear the dust and debris from the impact. He snarled and looked about ready to pounce back through the demolished wall towards Alice. "Dude! That's enough! Look at the mess you've already made!", Emmett shouted. The bulkier vampire jumped forward and wrapped his muscular arms around Edward's leaner frame, effectively binding him in place.

Rosalie and Esme rushed by Alice's side, instinctively wanting to confirm that she wasn't seriously harmed. She rubbed a hand around her throat as she glared at Edward, but she was relatively unharmed. Her body tensed, ready to throw another swing his way if he launched into another attack, but Emmett easily managed to keep him at bay. Rosalie and Esme stood in front of Alice, as another protective measure to prevent any more assaults from Edward.

"Emmett, take Edward out of the house and keep him outside until he calms down enough not to get violent again!", Esme commanded. She was dismayed at seeing the destruction inside their beautiful home, but was more alarmed by the violence that caused it. She was never more worried about Alice and Edward. The home could be easily repaired, even replaced – she wasn't so sure about the disintegrating relations within her cherished family.

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A few hours later Carlisle went into the forest to look for Edward. It was time they had a talk. Emmett stayed with Edward for a few hours since the fight. After a while when he seemed calmer, he tried to talk him into returning home with him. Edward had refused to return home, not ready to see Alice again. Emmett was relieved when he sensed Carlisle approaching from a distance and left the brooding vampire so they could be alone.

"Hello Edward", Carlisle spoke using a gentle tone, but his eyes conveyed his sadness and anger at Edward's violent behavior.

"Carlisle", Edward responded but didn't look at him directly.

"I'm very disappointed in the way you've behaved. There can be no more attacks against Alice. We are a family and for us to continue to be a family we must act civilized, work out our disagreements without resorting to violence."

Edward said nothing to this, but remained silent as Carlisle continued.

"You want to tell me what's going on here? I know this is all over a girl. But I don't understand why you can't resolve this peacefully with Alice."

Edward sighed. "Alice keeps interfering with my attempts at getting to know Bella more. She's known for weeks of my interest in her, yet she won't stay away."

"Is it true you've been going into her bedroom while she sleeps?"

Edward hesitated, knowing Carlisle already knew the answer since Alice had already made it known to the whole family. Damn that pesky little seer …

"I haven't for the past few days."

"What made you do such a thing?"

The lanky vampire shook his head, his face contorted with a slightly confused expression. "I can't really say. There's just something about her…I've never known anyone who has this effect on me..there's this strange force that keeps pulling me towards her. I just can't stay away."

"Is it her blood"? Carlisle bluntly asked.

"I…suppose that was the main attraction at first…but there are other aspects of her that appeal to me just as strongly. She makes me feel things I haven't felt in a long, long time." This was the first time he had attempted to put into words the emotions Bella stirred in him. He realized there were no words that could effectively express the intensity of his feelings for this human girl. He doubted that any of the others could really understand. Least of all Carlisle, who had the strongest immunity to the allure of human blood. And Bella wasn't just any human, she was exceptional. Her blood scent and her ability to block her thoughts from him were two of the obvious reasons for his fascination with Bella. He couldn't explain it even to himself, but there was something else that drew him to her, something indefinable that made him believe that she could be his if left to his own devices. How could Carlisle understand his pain, to be kept from the one he believed was meant to be his alone? He's always had Esme, and doesn't know the loneliness of a mate-less existence.

"I understand that she has a very alluring scent. But if this girl is already involved with Alice you must stay away. Alice has told me that she's known of this girl from a vision she saw months before her arrival. I don't think Alice's involvement with her is just to prevent you from getting close to her. She seems really taken with her. Can you find it within yourself to let this go? If not for Alice's sake, then for Bella's sake. For the sake of peace within our family."

Edward grimaced at this. This was the last thing he wanted to hear from Carlisle.

"And what about what I want? Does anyone care about that?"

"Of course we do. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but sometimes you must let go of the things you want no matter how desperately you may covet them, for the greater good of all."

Edward was silent for a minute then turned to face Carlisle.

"Do you think you can do this Edward?"

Edward said nothing for a minute. He knew he couldn't win this argument and there was no sense in trying. He couldn't imagine letting Bella go, but for the time being there wasn't much he could do as long as everyone stood in his way. He looked at Carlisle's gentle eyes and gave him a single slight nod of his head in silence.

"I need to go hunting. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

Carlisle wanted to talk with him more, but decided not to press the issue for the time being. He just hoped Edward would soon come to peace with the situation and do no further harm to Alice. Or anyone else for that matter. He still felt troubled by Edward's unusual behavior as he watched him dash further off into the forest.

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With the speed and strength of all the Cullens they managed to clear most of the damaged items and strewn fragments of broken wall in less than an hour. They would have to get material and supplies for repairing and rebuilding the broken walls the next day. Edward was still away, and though Alice was in no hurry to see him again, it made her nervous. However, whatever vision she tried to access surrounding him only showed that he was still within forests running in what seemed to be an aimless manner. Once they all finished clearing most of the mess Alice went upstairs to shower and have some time alone in her room. She wanted to call Bella before it got too late in the evening, if only to hear her voice for a few minutes. She thought it would help calm her nerves from the trying day.

Alice felt a lot better after a hot shower. She was drying her hair with a towel as she walked to her bed and reached for her phone. Two rings later Bella picked up her phone.

"Hi Alice", Bella sounded relieved that Alice had called.

"Hi Bella, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine...but Charlie was worried when he got a call from school telling him I left school early."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I got you in trouble."

"No it's okay. I just told him that I wasn't feeling well and left in a hurry. It must have been the bad lunch I had."

"It must have been..", Alice smiled at the humorous reference, despite the sore memory of the event.

"But really, I've been a little worried about you Alice."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Well um...you know Edward seemed really upset when I canceled the date."

"Yes, I gathered", Alice really didn't want to talk about Edward just then, but knew it was an unavoidable topic.

"I mean he seemed angrier at you than with me. I hope things are okay with you two at home?"

"Well let's just say things are a little strained at the moment. But I don't want you to worry. We'll work things out between us eventually." She wished she was as confident as she sounded. For the moment she was more concerned with easing any of Bella's worries.

"I hope so. I don't have any siblings, so I don't exactly have any experience with this sort of thing. I don't understand why he seems so hostile towards you."

"Edward isn't usually like this. But it's the first time we both wanted the same thing, or rather the same person. And at least one of us is going to end up not getting what they want. It's bound to cause some disappointment. I'm sorry if this has put you in an awkward situation, honey. "

All the cares in the world seemed to dissolve the moment she heard Alice use the term of endearment. She found that she no longer cared to continue discussing her weird brother just then. She'd be happy if the rest of the conversation was nothing but Alice calling her honey, or anything endearing like that. The sound made all the more pleasing coming from her sweet lips…

"Oh…don't worry about that Alice. I'm just glad that we cleared things up between us."

"Me too", Alice responded.

They talked for a while longer, before they hung up Alice asked Bella if she could pick her up the next day to take her to school. Bella seemed pleased by Alice's offer and happily said yes.

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After the phone call Bella felt decidedly better. She had worried after leaving the school parking lot what might have transpired between Alice and Edward would be unpleasant to say the least. His reaction took her by surprise. There was an unnerving sense of malice in his eyes when he lost his temper. It seemed mostly directed at Alice, but she couldn't help but wonder how much of it was also directed at her.

She mentally shook herself from further thoughts of the strange boy. She'd rather dwell on Alice. Talking with her, hearing the soothing tone of her voice, and the way she tried to ease her concerns melted away most of the tensions of the day. She spent a couple hours finishing her homework before readying for bed. She was exhausted, it had been a day of ups and downs and she needed to lie down and hoped she could manage to fall asleep.

After she dressed in her comfortable sleepwear of a loose t-shirt and women boxers she settled into bed. Fluffing her pillow she sank into it allowing her body to relax as she soon drifted into sleep. It was not long after when she felt pulled into the shadows of her consciousness…

She found herself in a place that was both strange and somewhat familiar. The moonlit meadow where she felt must have held some special meaning for her, though she knew not what. Though she arrived alone it was only brief moments later when her visitor showed herself. She appeared from what looked like outlining woodland. There was also that peculiar sense of familiarity about her dream companion.

As her visitor came forward, there was a floating ease in every step she took towards her. A feeling of anticipation welled inside of her as the woman drew nearer. She was moving purposely towards her, as though a magnetic force was pulling her forward, compelling her to get closer.

When the smaller woman reached her so they were close enough to touch, she held an expression that took her breath away. She was raptured the look of want and desire in the smaller woman's face that must have mirrored her own. She ached to close the small distance between them, wanting nothing more than to feel this woman's hands against her body. Suddenly she felt slender arms slide across her abdomen and realized the woman had somehow reappeared just behind her as if on cue. She eased her body into her and felt soft, full breasts brush against her back.

Bella moaned softly in her sleep as the woman began her slow seduction. She licked and playfully nibbled on her earlobe, sending shivers of pleasure coursing throughout her body. She cupped both of her breasts within her small hands as she nuzzled her neck. She gently rubbed and pinched her nipples as they became erect between slender fingers. Hands slowly made their way down her sides and around her waist as she was turned to face her dream lover.

Large golden eyes sparkled in the moonlight and she leaned in to caress her lips against the woman's softer looking lips. It was a tender, sensual kiss. It started building in passion as she ran her hands through darker hair and pulled her in closer to deepen the contact.

Sliding her tongue out to slowly trace the woman's lips caused a moan to escape from her dream lover. It was the most erotic sound she ever heard. Its effect on her body and mind was tremendous. She wanted to do everything she could do hear her make that sound again and again. She deepened the kiss and found her way inside her mouth, their tongues brushing against each other, further igniting their passion. Hands slid down her back and she was pulled closer against the woman's body. It was then when she was aware of the sensation of bare smooth skin against her own. Whatever clothing their astral forms may have been wearing having vanished without thought or effort.

She felt her body lean backwards as she was gently guided by her fantasy lover. Here in the shadows of her consciousness while her dream continued to weave its magic, she could just as easily move without effort or hesitation. Here was a place where she could fully give into her heart's desires and would sate whatever lustful fantasy she indulged in.

The woman pushed her body against her, leaning her further back. Vaguely aware of the shift in their surroundings, she was strangely unconcerned. They seemed to float adrift in the night air that sparkled with a multitude of stars. Their bodies merged against one another as they seemed to have found themselves afloat on a magical, ethereal bed. The laws of gravity easily dismissed in her lust induced dream state. She was more amazed by the sensation of her lover's bare skin against her own. Feeling smaller hands stroking the back of her legs, parting them and wrapping them around the woman's curvy hips. As the woman pressed her naked body between her legs, merging the most sensitive part of their sex together, she cried out in ecstasy.

She felt her center throb as the woman began rubbing her smaller body against her. The contact of their sex sliding against each others caused her to moan loudly and grasp her arms tightly around her. A growing wetness started to flow from her center, and she could feel the warm fluids flowing from the sex that was grinding against her own, merging together in a pool of lust. They began kissing again, tongues twirling together in a fierce and passionate manner.

Her lover's arms held her tightly around her back, her own hands were grasping the smaller woman's firm bottom and they rocked their bodies together in a synchronistic fashion.

With each thrust there was more than just a fusion of their bodies, Bella felt as though a part of her soul was reattaching itself to her. A powerful electrical charge suddenly shot through their bodies, starting from the sensitive nerve endings of their merged buds shooting its way through both lovers' entire being. Her body and mind whirled from the shocking sensation.

Bella felt her own body drifting slowly down and she found herself sliding back into waking consciousness, while fighting to cling onto her dream state. Panting heavily she rolled to her side and wondered at the vividness of this wet dream, it was unlike anything she ever experienced before. Keeping her eyes closed she saw the face and body of her lusty dream lover and recognized that she bore an amazing resemblance to the pixie-like girl that she had recently become so enraptured with...

Alice moaned in ecstasy as she reached her own climax in the comfort of her own bed. She stared up at her ceiling in amazement. Holy Moses...did that really just happen?

She had earlier laid herself in bed and fell into a deep meditative state. It was the closest a vampire could come to actual sleep, when a strange feeling overtook her.

She was dazed at the intensity of the vision. This was unlike any vision she ever experienced. Her visions never had such an intense feeling of reality about them before. She certainly never had an orgasm during one. She could feel, smell and taste everything that went on within it. She was not only viewing from a distance, watching the events unfold before her mind's eye, but she was in the midst of it, feeling everything that went on during its entirety.

She slid her hand under her panties and sure enough found that she was indeed quite wet. And she was fairly certain that she hadn't even touched herself while she was experiencing her passionate revelation. It was almost like a very lucid dream.

She smiled and purred at the memory of it, as she considered all the possible implications.