Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, I just like playing with them.

(APOV)

She had asked Carlisle to stay, not me, and that hurt. I should have called her at least, or sent an email. I planned on sneaking a visit at some point, and thinking back, I had no clue why I had been so utterly loyal to my brother about this. I had betrayed her, our friendship. I should have been there for her when he left. I don't know that I could forgive myself for leaving her when she needed me most. When he finally let me into her life, I was ecstatic. I saw her coming, and I knew we were going to be best friends. Sure, I had Rose, and while she was great for shopping and fluffy girl fun, there wasn't much sisterly affection there. Esme was more of a mother than a friend. Bella filled the role of friend and sister perfectly. We could talk about anything, and really connected. She was reluctant to join in on the shopping and pampering fun, but she indulged me. Jasper was everything a woman could ask for in a man, he was my soul mate, but Bella was the missing piece. In my many decades of existence, I'd never had a true friendship with anyone the way I did with Bella. I knew our relationship would be mended, sooner than hers and Edward's, but that didn't erase the regret and guilt I carried. I wanted to be in there, to take care of her, as much as Edward did. I could feel the pain radiating off of him and I didn't even have Jasper's gift.

Bella hadn't spoken since we left the room. I heard Carlisle pleading with her to talk to him, telling her she needed to eat something. He wanted some kind of response from her, but she was rejecting any kind of emotion. I had been constantly scanning her future since that first horrifying vision pushed it's way into my head, but it was so uncertain at this point, she had too many choices ahead of her.

Carlisle was talking again. Privacy in a house full of vampires was nonexistent. Our sensitive ears could hear the sound of snowflakes falling outside the house.

"Bella, I can understand if you don't want to talk about it right now, but you need to eat. You are weak and you're not going to heal unless to build your strength back up. I'm sure a shower and some fresh clothes must sound nice too. At least let Alice come in and help you with that. Let Esme to bring you something to eat. You don't even have to leave the room."

Silence.

"If you don't want to see Alice or Esme, it can be someone else. Please Bella, we just want to help you. Don't shut us out."

Minutes later.

"Tell me what you want Bella." His voice lowered with pain and frustration. "Do you want to go back to Charlie? Renee? Somewhere else?"

We all braced ourselves when we heard that question, looking at each other, waiting for her answer. What if she wanted to go back? Did she hate us all so much that she'd rather deal with all that, rather than be with us. I don't think any of us ever really thought she would not want to be with us, but after we abandoned her, had she turned against us? Her lack of response wasn't enough to fully dispel the tension in the air, but at least she didn't say yes.

Carlisle opened the door to Bella's room. We had been sitting outside in the hall for close to an hour.

"Alice, I think Bella might like to get cleaned up, would you mind helping her?"

"Of course." I hopped up and entered her room, closing the door behind me. She hadn't given any indication that she wanted me in the room or a shower. Carlisle was simply hoping she would respond to me, since we had been so close. He was worried.

Bella wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. I crossed to the bed and pulled her into a hug. She resisted at first, but as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, she gave in and laid her head on my shoulder.

"I've lost everything Alice." She whispered faintly.

"No Bella, not everything. You still have us, and we're not going anywhere. I'm here as long as you want me. Bella, I know saying I'm sorry isn't enough. I should never have let Edward talk us into leaving in the first place, and I certainly should have insisted we give you some closure, we owed you at least that much. I love you Bella, you are my best friend, my sister, and I'm sorry I hurt you. I hope one day you'll forgive me."

She nodded and tried to stop crying, her breath hitching in her chest.

"Come on, let's get you freshened up. Did you want a shower or a bath?"

"Shower."

I pulled her to the edge of the bed, and she grasped my arms as she stood up, but she was still too weak. I scooped her up into my arms and carried her into the bathroom, setting her down on the closed toilet.

"Are you sure you don't want a bath? I'll wash your hair for you." I worried she was too weak to stand in the shower.

"I'll be fine, Alice."

"Ok, I'll be right outside, if you need any help."

I left the door open a little as I went back into the bedroom to freshen up her bed and pick up the room.

"Alice." Bella called.

"Right here." I stood just outside the door, the aroma of her strawberry shampoo swirled in the steam that escaped.

"I missed you."

"I know, I missed you too.." I wanted to apologize for my brother, but wasn't sure if I should bring that up yet. The heck with it. "You know, sometimes we have to let those we love make their own stupid mistakes, so they realize for themselves what is right. None of us wanted to leave, we tried to talk him out of it. He's moved on so many times for us without complaint, that we owed it to him. I know I can't fix my brother's mistakes, but I want you to know he truly does love you, he always will. I'm angry with him, and it will take a while for me to forgive him, but he is my brother and I feel I should at least tell you that he's never stopped loving you or wanting to be with you. He thought he was making the right choice and he what he did for you...he wanted the best for you."

"I know." She whispered.

I went over to the dresser to pull out some comfortable clothes for her. I pulled out a pair of baby pink velour pants and a matching long sleeve tee. Searching the top drawer, I found some fluffy white socks that would be nice and warm. As I returned to the bathroom door, the scent of her blood assaulted me, my throat burned with fire and my stomach churned. Through the red fog pounding in my head, I heard her sobs.

"Bella!?" Please let her be ok! I risked entering the bathroom.

Edward flew into the room first, my thoughts of blood and burning reached him before my panicked voice alerted the rest of the family. In an instant he passed me and flung open the shower door. Bella sat in the corner hugging her knees to her chest, the water swirling pink down the drain. One of the wounds on her wrist was bleeding again and her face was ashen. Her dark eyes gazed vacantly at Edward. He shut off the water and scooped her up into his arms. I shoved a couple of towels at him and stood back to let Carlisle in. Edward laid her gently on the bathroom floor and began to dry her off. Carlisle started cleaning off the wound in order to get a better assessment.

Edward pulled her head into his arms and murmured into her hair. "It's going to be ok love. Carlisle is going to fix you up, and then we'll get you back into bed."

Carlisle pulled out some fresh bandages and spoke in a low voice for our benefit. "She wasn't trying to hurt herself. It looks like tearing, like she put too much pressure on her hand and it pulled the wound open again. It's a small opening, the water made it look much worse, it's barely bleeding. Alice, are you alright?"

I nodded. When it came to Bella, my control was ironclad, just as Edward's was. Our love for her outweighed any desire for her blood. We both spent so much time around her that we were used to her scent, and since she typically injured herself on a weekly basis, we'd grown accustomed to her unexpected fresh wounds.

"I'm just going to bandage this up Bella. Can you tell me if anything else hurts?"

She had instinctively curled into Edward's chest, her injured arm extended. His arms held her close, his nose buried in her hair. Tears still streaked her face, but she shook her head.

"What happened love?" Edward asked.

She hesitated. "I don't know...the water...and then the room started to spin...I braced myself on the wall and then I felt the pain, smelled the blood...." Quiet sobs choked her up again.

"Flashback." Carlisle murmured to himself as he finished dressing the wound. "Alright Bella, the cut just opened up a little bit, but it will heal again. Let's get you dressed and back to the bed."

She nodded, suddenly realizing that she was naked in front of three vampires. That familiar red stain swirled furiously through her body. Edward quickly whipped a towel over her. He lifted her into his arms and took her back to the bed. I gathered the clothes I had dropped earlier and brought them to the bed, dressing her as Edward and Carlisle moved away and turned their backs, discussing something...I didn't really listen. Once she was dressed, I pulled the covers back over her. She curled up on her side, and Edward came to sit on the bed behind her, rubbing her arm gently. We waited for her to react to his presence, to flinch or yell, or something. Instead, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

As she rested, we all sat on the bed. Edward reclined against the pillows and kept constant contact with her. His presence had always soothed her enough to let her rest comfortably, and seemed to still have the same effect.

"She will be ok." Carlisle told us. "When she wakes again, we need to try to get some food into her. She is too weak and underweight, and needs the strength to help her heal. Edward, as long as she doesn't object you may stay with her, but if your presence makes her the least bit agitated, you will be made to leave the room. There is plenty of time in the future to repair your relationship, but right now it is time for her heal."

Edward nodded. He was used to being in control when it came to Bella, and being told what to do in regards to her grated on him. Thankfully he loved her enough to know that Carlisle was only looking out for what was best for her, while Edward was being led by his emotions. Since she had not rejected him being there, we decided that he would stay with her while she slept. Carlisle and I left the room, and closed the door behind us.

I was going to look for Jasper, but Rose found me first.

"So? The human is going to live with us now I take it?" She asked, glowering.

"Yes, Rose. We're all she has now."

"Why couldn't we have left her there for her father to take care of? He saved her, again, isn't that enough? We all left because of her, and now we've just taken her into our family indefinitely without even asking her. Maybe she doesn't even want Edward any more. Did anyone think about that?"

"Rose, you are just going to have to accept that Bella is, and always will be, a part of this family...unless she chooses otherwise, though that doesn't seem likely. She and Edward really need our support right now, especially after everything she's been through."

Rose scoffed. "She wanted to give up her life to be one of us, and then she tried to end her life. I just don't like her being forced onto us like this. There were better choices that could have been made. Edward had the idea when he walked away from her." And with that she spun on her heel and strode away.

Rose had been left for dead in the streets and Carlisle took pity on her and changed her. She always resented the choice being made for her. She would give anything to be human again. For once both her and Edward were on the same page – they didn't want Bella to give up her humanity for immortality. I suppose, since this is the only life I remember, that our outlooks were just too different. I didn't see what the big deal was – I loved my immortal existence. Maybe if I had human memories, or knew what I had given up, I would feel some kind of remorse. Bella was eager and willing to join us, she knew what to expect, and she loved my brother, and our family. She wasn't being forced into the choice, she was making it willingly, knowing what the sacrifice would be.

I heard Jasper's guitar on the front porch and headed out there to sit with him. He set down the guitar and pulled me onto the bench next to him. Carmen and Eleazar were sitting out there too. They smiled warmly as we kissed.

"How is la pequeña?" Carmen asked.

"Sleeping. She had a bit of a spell in the bathroom, but she allowed Edward to sit with her, so he's staying with her right now."

"There is much love between those two, the bond they share is much more than they realize." Eleazar commented.

Jasper spoke up. "I've never felt anything like it before. I know the depth of my devotion and love to my little pixie here, but their love is something even more pure, maybe spiritual even. It's not right for them to be apart."

"Alice, what do you see?"

"She will still be one of us, Carmen, eventually. Bella and Edward will be together, but it's going to take time."

Eleazar leaned forward with a serious look on his face. "Have you seen any danger or deception surrounding her future?"

"No, I haven't. I've been pretty distracted with everything that has happened over the past couple of days. Why? Have you sensed something?" Please, no more danger, we've been through enough of that.

"The sisters went to town for the day." He gave me a meaningful look. "Tanya had been waiting for Edward to join you here, and it's putting it mildly to say she was more than disappointed when she heard he would be bringing Bella back. When Carlisle told us he had left her.... well you know how Tanya feels about Edward."

"Surely they wouldn't do anything...." I looked at Jasper, his jaw was clenched.

"I would recommend that you and Edward take some time to hone your gifts in on Tanya and her intentions....just to be safe. Bella is special, we all know that. She must be protected."

"Thank you for speaking up Eleazar. We have all been so focused on Bella, that we have been ignoring all else. I apologize that we haven't been better guests, though I know you both understand. I'll bring this up with Carlisle and Edward."

"No problem my dear, we are family and we must watch out for one another." With that, Eleazar held out his hand for Carmen and they flitted off across the snow into the wilderness.

I turned to Jasper. "You don't honestly think Tanya would do something out of jealousy do you?"

"It's hard to know for sure Alice. We've always counted them as family, but emotions can cause people to do terrible things." He gave me a knowing look. "We need to get Edward to spend some time with her, see if he can pull anything out of her thoughts."

"Yes..." I said absently, reaching deep into my mind to push into the future. I felt Jasper's arms wrap around me as the world faded.

As before I saw Bella waking as a vampire, her ruby eyes glowing, Edward reaching for her, our family nearby. I saw how stunning and controlled she would be. I shifted backwards in my time. I needed to see what led to that moment. Bella would eat, she would heal, she would spend many hours talking to me, to Edward, to Carlisle. There would be pain and sorrow, there would be happiness, and the love between Edward and Bella would be strengthened in the end. I tried to focus on Tanya. I saw her with her sisters in the town, shopping for clothes, more towels and bed linens since they had so many guests. Tanya excused herself and went to make a phone call, but I could not make out what was being said. She paused, hesitation and something else...regret?...flashed through her eyes. She finished the call snapped the phone shut and shoved it into her pocket. With her mouth set in a grim line, she headed back to her sisters who regarded her with a bit of concern and then they gathered their items to leave the store. I tried to push forward, but I couldn't find anything of significance. Frustrated, I shook my head to clear the images and brought myself back to the present. Jasper was waiting expectantly.

"Tanya is up to something, but I can't see what. She called someone. Who would she call and what would it have to do with Bella?"

He shook is head and shrugged.

"Everything is still the same for Bella, but there is a chunk missing that would show me what leads up to her being changed. I'll just have to keep searching, I know I'm missing something."

"Come on darlin', let's go talk to Carlisle while he's available."

"Good idea." I stood up and wrapped one arm around my waist as we went back inside the house.

We found Carlisle in the library, of course, reading.

"Carlisle, we need to talk, and we need Edward too." I told him.

"Now?" He asked, one eyebrow cocked with curiosity.

"It would be best if we spoke before the sisters get home. Can you ask Esme to sit with Bella for a while?"

"Sure, I'll be right back." He got up and left the room.

He returned quickly with Edward. "What's going on Alice? What did you see?" Edward asked.

I quickly showed him the key images of Tanya and bits of the discussion with Eleazar. Then I told Carlisle.

"Eleazar is concerned Tanya is harboring some ill will towards Bella. I searched for some clue, but all I saw was a suspicious phone call. I'm missing something, and I've never been able to see what events happen that lead up to Bella being changed. I always assumed it was because the decisions hadn't been made yet as to how it would happen, but it will happen. Edward, I know you try to give us the privacy of our own minds, and you've been so focused on Bella since you've been there. But we need you to see if you can find anything out from Tanya or her sisters, though I don't think they know what is going on, but they certainly suspect she is up to something. Tanya has never gotten over your rejection, Edward. She thought when you left Bella, that you had changed your mind, because we came here. She is quite upset you showed up with Bella, she was waiting for you."

Edward rubbed his hands over his face vigorously, and then raked them through his wild coppery hair. "Shit."

We all looked at him with bemused expressions, this was out of character for our normally uptight brother. "Like we need anything else on our plates! Isn't it enough that she almost died? No, now I have a jealous woman plotting...who knows what...why can't we just get a break?"

He was pacing, his anxiety filling the room.

"Bella is so weak, so fragile, especially now. Why would anyone want to hurt her? She's been hurt enough, and it's all my fault. And now, this is my fault too, all because I spurned Tanya's advances...because I chose Bella. Do you see now why I wanted to leave? I'm always putting her in dangerous situations!"

Carlisle grabbed him by the shoulders. "Edward! This is not your fault. You can't control the actions of others. You fell in love with Bella, and it's Tanya's fault if she cannot accept that. There are enough of us here to defend Bella, and one of us will always be with her. I can't see Tanya trying anything with all of us here, so we'll just make sure she doesn't get the chance to be alone with Bella. Everything will be fine Edward. You need to calm down, and you need to hunt."

Edward nodded sharply. "I'll go now while she's away, so I can stay near Bella when they get back. I'll see what I can find out later, and maybe have a talk with Tanya." Then he took off outside.

I sat down, weary from stress. "I will keep looking Carlisle. It's so frustrating to know I'm missing something, I'm sorry."

He laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Alice, no one expects you to be omniscient, we know it's not an exact science. Anything you can tell us helps. We'll get this all figured out, and Bella is going to be fine." He pulled me into a hug. "I'm going to go sit with Esme until Bella wakes up, you go and enjoy some free time. Don't worry so much, ok?"

"Sure, I'll try." I smiled meekly. He left the room and I decided to take advantage of the quiet to search some more.

Nothing much had changed. This time I saw Edward and Tanya walking outside together and talking, but nothing was revealed in my vision. Their conversation seemed a bit strained, but cordial, and subsisted of mostly idle chit chat. The vision followed Tanya after they were done and she was angry, yet remorseful. If I could just find out about what.