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Thanks so much for your kind reviews for the last chapter! So, without further ado, here's the fifth chapter! I hope y'all enjoy this one!

Here ya go!

On the Streets of Italy
Chapter Five: V

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I wasn't sure if it was the fact that everyone in the store was looking at me as if they knew who I was or the fact that the little, petite girl named Alice kept spinning me around as if I were a ballerina in a music box, showcasing whatever clothing she had put me in. I was starting to feel nauseous, but I wasn't sure why. It was a strange feeling that I almost immediately wanted to get rid of, but at the same time, I wanted it to last.

I finally settled on the idea that the twisting of my stomach was anxiety. I wanted these people to like me, even though I had only known them for a few minutes. I wanted them to like me, in spite of the fact that I was currently being dressed up like Barbie Bella.

Alice looked at me, her peculiarly familiar golden eyes light and airy as she picked out several pieces and flung them onto the small couch beside me. I looked at them quizzically, knowing that there was no way I'd ever wear them outside the store, but I figured what the hell. It wouldn't hurt to let the small woman have some fun - it looked like she was having a bit too much fun, in my opinion - and besides, I came to get some clothes anyway…

"Blue!" She exclaimed, her musical voice startling me.

"Huh?" I eloquently replied.

"You'd look great in blue." Her golden eyes shut in a bright smile that was almost blinding.

"Uh…ok." Again, another elegant reply from Bella Swan, the master of conversations.

"No one's told you that before?" Alice said casually, as if it were a regular occurrence that people would tell me what colors looked best with my skin tone.

"Quit tryin' to look pretty, slut!"

"You only 'ave nice clothes 'cause of me and my money."

"Be grateful, whore!"

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the images that pervaded my thoughts, along with the words of my estranged husband. It was difficult; for minutes, all I could see was the glowering face of the man I used to love.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Alice stepped forward, her golden eyes looking concerned. "Do you need to sit down? You look pale."

I looked at her, my eyes feeling as weary as they looked, most likely, and just gave her a shaky smile, "No…it's okay. What else do you got for me?"

Alice grinned and grabbed my hand, showing me to bunches more of the impeccable clothes that the store, 'V', carried. They all looked to be expensive, but when I snuck a peek at the tags, they were nearly half the price I thought they were. But then again, I wasn't familiar with Italian money. But by the tag and Angela's shining face, I figured that they must not have been much.

After we stripped several racks of their clothes, Alice grinned at me, her teeth glinting in the light in a way that I found strange, and her grip tightened slightly around my wrist, enough to make the cold her body emitted feel like it was seeping directly into my bones.

She directed me over to some dressing rooms that lined the walls of the spacious store, and I looked at her strangely when she shut the door behind us, leaving the two of us inside one of the larger rooms with the pile of clothes. I gave her a questioning look and she just looked at me and shrugged, "Some of these clothes are difficult to put on. You might need help."

I felt her answer was hiding something from me, but I obliged anyway. She was telling the truth in some part - some of these clothes were dresses and had strange zippers and belts where I would never have thought possible. I knew just by looking at them that they would be a hassle to put on.

Without my noticing, I felt her icy hands on the hem of my shirt and I looked at her weirdly, "Uh…I'm capable of undressing myself, Alice."

"Sorry." She made a face that I thought should have carried a blush, but strangely, no pink crossed her cheeks, "I just get anxious when I see how good certain clothes would look on someone."

I cocked my head to the side, wondering about her explanation, but she seemed truthful, so I let it slide, "Yeah. It's okay."

I then slid my shirt over my head, leaving myself in only my pants and my bra, and I walked to the pile of clothes on the bench in the corner of the changing room. My eyes roamed over the collection of cloth and I sighed. This was certainly going to take a while. Looking back at Alice, I could see that her eyes were slightly blank, gaping, before turning sharp and excited. She shot over toward me, in a movement so graceful I couldn't comprehend it.

"This!" Alice said, easily prying from the stack one of the tops that had been sandwiched between the mass of clothing. It was blue, of course. That seemed to be her favorite color for me. Blinking, I looked at it. It was a deep blue, not quite navy, but more like a royal blue in color. The shirt also had a deep v-neck that would no doubt expose some skin. I was no Pamela Anderson, and I suddenly felt self-conscious.

She looked at me and said, "Aw, Bella, don't look at it that way!"

I bit my lower lip and let out an exasperated breath. It wouldn't help to deny her now. I'd already gotten too far into this "outing".

"Try it on, please?" Alice asked, her eyes wide and pleading. "It won't bite you."

I looked at her and sighed, admitting my defeat. Immediately, her face lit up and she tossed the garment toward me. I grabbed it clumsily and looked it over. The fabric felt soft in my hands and idly I wondered what it was made out of. I slipped it over my head and felt it as it melded to my body. There was a thin black belt just beneath my breasts, but the rest of the fabric floated outward around my stomach and waist.

A satisfied smile crossed Alice's mouth before she fluffed up by hair and stepped back, appraising me.

"Ah, I do have a knack for these things." She said in an airy breath that reeked of confidence.

I blinked and looked at the mirror that was inside the place. The shirt did look okay on me. I supposed it could be worse. I allowed myself a small smile as a strange feeling overcame me. The most ridiculous of phrases crossed my mind - I look good.

I almost slapped myself when I heard those words echoing in my head. It was unusual for me to think something like that. Not that I didn't have any confidence in myself, but…Mike's constant verbal and physical abuse had taken its toll on my view of myself. It was silly, I supposed, but when you hear the same thing about yourself day after day, sometimes you start to think that it may be true…

I touched the ends of my hair and looked at myself, a small smile breaking across my lips.

"Yeah, I suppose you do have a knack for this."

Alice clapped her hands together, and there was something off about the sound. I quirked a brow as she clasped my arm in her small, dainty hand and jerked me to the door. "What are you doing?"

"Going to show Angela!" Alice chimed. But there was something in her eyes that didn't seem to fit. It was as if she was hiding something - like she knew something that I didn't, and she was keeping it from me. Like it wasn't just Angela she was excited about seeing.

"Uh…" I managed to get out before the door was flung open and the bright white décor of the store blinded me.

I immediately blushed as I heard several people comment on the shirt. I felt weird that it was just the first shirt and Angela already had to see. But I guess it was okay…

"Jasper!" Alice chimed, a knowing tone to her voice, "It's been a while."

My heart picked up in my chest, suddenly beating a hundred miles an hour. It was a strange feeling, I couldn't even remember when my heart beat this fast when not contorted by fear. My eyes searched around, and I could only wonder frantically if it was the same Jasper I had met at the hospital.

Suddenly, I felt silly. Why would it matter if Jasper was here? I didn't see why it would…nothing would happen. I was still too jaded from my last relationship, and though Jasper seemed to be a nice enough guy from the one time I had met him, I still had that same doubt about guys in general.

But, as soon as I saw that it was indeed Jasper Hale, I felt…happy.

The strange, bubbling undercurrent of glee that surged through me was definitely a foreign emotion. It had been too long since I had experienced this with anyone…just being happy to see another person. Someone I didn't know well - or at all, for this case - and someone I wanted to see again.

Though it had only been a day since I had first met him, I was still stunned by his good looks, even from afar. His honey blonde hair was still impeccable, though messy, and the strange reddish tint in his golden eyes was still puzzling.

"I was just here yesterday, Alice." Jasper said, stepping forward, his Southern accent thick and inviting.

Alice smiled at him and patted his shoulder, "Yes, well, that's far too long."

Jasper smirked at her and I felt a sinking feeling. Were he and Alice an item? They were certainly beautiful enough for each other. I sighed and grabbed my elbow with my right hand, looking and feeling out of place.

Then, his eyes were on me.

He still looked to be uncomfortable, almost holding his breath at my mere presence. I felt awkward as he stared at me, the intensity of his gaze was stifling. But then, his stance relaxed somewhat, as if he was letting down the strange guard he had up whenever he was with me, and he gave me a smile that would have melted the coldest of hearts.

"Miss Swan." He acknowledged with a devastatingly charming wink.

I felt my cheeks flush red and then he was tense again. I wondered what caused him to be like that, but I just smiled shyly back and said, "Jasper."

"You two know each other?" Alice asked, but I could tell by her tone that she already knew that, if that was any indication of the strange situation I was in.

"W-We met…" I stumbled over my words, feeling immediately like an idiot for doing so, "I was at the doctor's office and he was there after I got done with my appointment."

Jasper looked over to Alice, his smile obviously not having the same effect on her as it did on me. I was strangely entranced as I looked at both of them. I noticed that they had the same golden colored eyes - despite the tinges of red Jasper's - and then Carlisle's kind face, along with his golden eyes jumped into my head. Esme had the same colored eyes, and I wondered what was going on. Was it a condition? Did a lot of Italian people have golden eyes?

But Jasper wasn't from Italy originally, if his accent was any indication. And he and the others spoke English too well, without any hint of an Italian accent. Yes, I knew it was possible that people could learn a language and not have any accent, but it seemed unlikely that…

I groaned, feeling my head start to ache, and stopped my train of thought. This was too much for today. And, even though Jasper's eyes were even more golden than they were yesterday, I couldn't stop myself from wondering what was going on.

"Jasper." A voice spoke up. It was just as melodious and pleasing to the ears as the other voices, but different. One I had never heard before.

I looked toward the sound of the new voice, and almost gasped. There was yet another inhumanly attractive person. He was tall, slender, and his hair was a mass of bronze colored strands atop his head. His golden eyes were intense, even more so than Jasper when he had tensed up just moments before. He was beautiful, as were the rest of them, but despite that, he couldn't get my mind off of Jasper, who was standing painfully close to me at the moment.

"Yes, Edward?" Jasper's drawl wrapped around his name, as if expecting that he was going to say something that would bring down the mood.

There was something in his eyes as he looked at Jasper. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I looked at him with an intrigue that I couldn't hide. I didn't know what was happening, but they were staring at each other as if they were having a stand off.

"Edward!" Alice's chiming voice chirped as she danced over to him. She stretched up on her tiptoes and wrapped her skinny arms around the bronze haired man's neck before pressing her lips to his.

Well, I guess she and Jasper aren't a couple.

It seemed as soon as I had that thought, Edward's familiar golden eyes darted to me and back, the movement so fast that I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't paying attention to him and the small, pixie-like woman.

"She sure is somethin', ain't she?" Jasper said from my side, and I quickly noticed how close he was at this moment.

Looking over at him, I felt my heart start to increase by a bit ever second, "Yeah. I guess she is."

"You just met her, huh?" He continued, his eyes kind on mine, "She's a handful, but you'll get used to her."

"You say that like you know." I said as I raised a brow.

Jasper shrugged nonchalantly, his strong shoulders catching my eye, "Sometimes I do."

I was thoroughly confused, but intrigued at the same time. Instead of furthering that line of bewildering conversation, I asked a different question, "What bring you here?"

"Alice told me to come." Jasper replied, "And when she tells you somethin' like that, then there is hardly any arguing with her. She'll keep on and on and on…until you say you'll do it." He finished his explanation with a bright smile that immediately stopped my heart.

What was going on?

I wasn't supposed to be feeling like this…I wasn't supposed to be wanting a connection with another guy. Not after what I had been through, but being with Jasper like this…it was almost like this is what I was supposed to have been doing all along instead of wasting my life away with Mike, as strange as that sounds. I knew it made no sense, that it was completely irrational and stupid of me, but I couldn't help my thoughts. They ran away without me, and I felt completely awful for letting it happen.

"And what brings you here, Miss Swan?" His voice wrapped around my name like a comforting blanket.

"Bella." I corrected gently, "You can call me Bella."

"Ah, alright then…Bella." He tested my name out on his tongue and I got a shiver at the sound of it. "Well, Bella, what are you here for?"

"Clothes." I said simply, looking around and motioning to the place, "I left a lot of my stuff behind when I came to Italy, and I figured I needed to restock."

He smiled at that, and he looked like he wanted to ask something more, but stopped himself, as if he knew that what he would as was something that I wouldn't be comfortable answering. "Of course." He said, smiling at me and I felt relieved. Whatever he was going to ask had passed and he was at ease. "This is a good place to buy from. Not expensive, but the clothes'll last."

I smiled at him, appreciating that he was at least talking to me. Then, I heard the familiar voice of Angela, "Bella!"

I looked around before my eyes settled on her figure, further away, in the corner, currently getting clothes folded onto her shoulders by a tall, statuesque blonde woman. Looking concerned, I walked over to where she was, trying to pretend I didn't notice it when Jasper followed.

"What are you doing, Ang?" I asked, laughing as she craned her head over the mass of clothes that now adorned her skinny frame.

"I…I apparently needed clothes. Rosalie told me, so I guess it must be true." She said, jabbing her thumb over to the blonde woman who then stood up, a green blouse in her hands and a contemplative look in her eyes before she tossed it aside.

The woman was stunningly beautiful, so much so that I felt myself lost for words. I wondered what was in the water here at Italy, for almost all the people I encountered to be so attractive. Her golden hair was long, and fell down to her mid-back in loose waves. Golden eyes, a shade darker than her hair, looked at me skeptically before moving to Jasper.

"Rosalie Hale." Jasper introduced, "My…sister." He said as if it were some kind of inside joke between the two of them.

"Sister?" I blinked in confusion. Well, that would explain the good looks, "Nice to meet you. I'm Bella Swan."

Her eyes were hard as they bored into mine. "Yeah. Nice to meet you." She bit out, and the gesture didn't seem at all polite.

Jasper's hand clamped on my shoulder as his drawling voice sounded in my ear, "Don't pay her no attention. She's not really a people person."

"And yet I work here." Rosalie snapped with a hint of rueful amusement, "Where I have to deal with people."

Angela looked frightened beneath the clothes she was currently sheathed in. The sight was almost comical, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from smiling at her predicament. It was almost the exact same as mine and Alice's just minutes ago. It was quiet for a moment before she said, "That top looks good on you, Bella."

I blushed before looking down, "Thanks."

Rosalie piped, "Yeah, Alice knows her shit, I'll give her that."

The blonde man beside me scoffed, "A bit too much, if you ask me."

Rosalie looked at Jasper, her eyes sparkling with mirth before a melodic, bell-like laugh escaped them and floated around in the quiet of the place. I couldn't help but smile, despite her hostile greeting just a while ago.

It was something I wasn't used to - feeling so safe and secure around a group of genuinely kind and caring people. Though I hadn't known them long, I just knew that they were not bad people. Not in the way Mike had been, at least. Something about these people, the people who were so similar and yet so different and intriguing at the same time, made me feel at home. Like I belonged. Like I was apart of something special.

I turned, looking at Jasper's strange red-gold eyes.

He smiled down at me, and I felt a warmth spread through my entire body.

Yes, my journey to Italy had definitely been for the better.

End Chapter Five.

Not the longest of chapters, but I tried my best to get this one finished. I knew y'all have waited long enough for an update, so here it is. I didn't really know how this chapter was gonna turn out, but I think it ended up pretty good. I think I was starting to get writer's block for a bit, but…yeah. I think it's still there…which sucks. Because I really wanna work on this story, but I'm not sure where it's going at this point. Haha. But I will try my best. It's not on hiatus or anything, but it may be a while before I update next.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'd love to hear your opinions and thoughts.

Thanks for reading!