QUICKIE: I'm baaaaaaaack! And I think you all will be satisfied with this chapter. Let me know, review! Next update should be posted on Friday night/Saturday morning, if all goes well.

-Alice's POV-

"Jake! I need your help. I need you to take Bella to my safe-house. I-"

"Wait, what happened?"

"One of the Nomads got a whiff of Bella's scent on me, and now he is hunting her. I need you to take Bella to my safe-house right now."

"Okay, where is it?"

"I'll text you directions. We're on on way back to Forks now. Emmett, Rose, and Esme are going to keep an eye on Charlie so he'll be safe. Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper are going to grab a piece of Bella's clothing to try and lead him away. Your scent should mask Bella's so you can make a clean getaway. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"How much time do I have?"

"I don't know. Just have Bella write a note to Charlie...make up something plausible. Then get her the hell out of there, and call me when you get to the safe-house."

I hung up then quickly going through my phone, texting Jake the directions to my cabin in the woods located down in South Bend. It was about three hours driving distance from Forks, and I knew that would be the safest place to keep her until we got this James situation handled.

-Bella's POV-

I jumped as Jacob burst open the front door with a worried look on his face.

"We have to go, now."

"Why?"

"Things went south in Seattle. I'll explain to you in the car, but you need to write Charlie a note fast...then we gotta go."

"Is Alice okay?"

"Yes, but she told me to get you out of here. Come on, Bella."

"Um...crap...what do I write?"

"She just said come up with something plausible that would explain why you won't be back tonight."

"Shit...um..." Then I just started to write the first thing that popped into my head.

Dad, spending the night at Alice's house. I didn't want to bother you at work to tell you. I have my cell, so if you need me, call. -Bella

I grabbed my hoody and my bag with my clothes, locked up the house, and then we were speeding away. Jacob checked his phone every once in a while, making sure we were going the right way. Apparently we were headed to Ali's "safe-house" that was a few hours away from Forks. Jake had filled me in on everything that Alice had said during their short phone conversation. I was worried, but I trusted Alice, and of course I trusted Jake to keep me out of harm's way, but I was more worried about her and her family.

Three long hours later, we reached the town of South Bend. Still following Alice's directions, we drove slowly along the street...checking the house numbers as we past. It turned out to be a beautiful wood cabin placed in the woods along the coast, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was getting dark, so I couldn't see much, but from what I could see...it was beautiful.

Jake whipped out his phone, dialing a number, then waiting for Alice to answer. He didn't have to wait long.

"We're here." He said. "Okay. Alright. Okay. Bye."

"What did she say?" I asked.

"To stay put. She'll be here soon. The spare key is underneath the cement walkway." He said, picking the cement block up with ease, and pulling out a small silver key.

He unlocked the door with a loud click, and we entered the dark cabin. He flicked on the lights, momentarily blinding me. I walked further in to find a spacious, homey, living room. Pictures all over the walls, books on every shelf, a flat-screen TV hanging on the wall, handmade blankets draped over the back of the couch.

I had never seen Alice's room at the Cullen's house, but I could tell...this was very much her space. I was shocked to see the back wall of the living room was completely made of glass. Which Jake closed the curtains to so no one would be able to see inside. I sat my duffel bag on a comfy looking chair, still taking the place in. I stepped closer, getting a better look at the pictures on the wall.

There was one of Edward playing a large black piano, in what looked like a nice recording studio. Jasper throwing a snowball at Carlisle. Rose and Emmett kissing underneath some mistletoe. Alice standing on top of a mountain, looking into the valley beneath. Like always, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

On the opposite side of the room, the older photos were hung. The first was a stunning photo was of a very human Jasper. He was dressed in a Civil War uniform, looking quite handsome, even in cruddy black and white. His eyes stood out the most. So brave and innocent.

The next was one of Carlisle, in the middle of talking with a patient. Judging by the background and some of the nurses outfits, it looked to have been taken in the early 1900s.

Next was a beautiful shot of Rosalie sitting on a fancy white bench in a park. She has a lovely, expensive looking dress on. Her gloved hands folded in her lap as she smiled at the camera. It looked to have been taken when she was still human. In the corner of the photograph, it was dated 1934.

Then another human shot, this time of Emmett. He is decked out in an old school football jersey smeared with mud, a football in his hand, and a huge smile plastered on his face. He was so adorable.

And then Esme. She was in the middle of gardening, a big white house sat behind her. She looked so beautiful, and seemed to have a spark in her eye, just like the spark I see in Ali's.

And then there was Edward. It was of him and him human family, I guessed. He had a warm smiled on his face, his hands on the shoulders of both his parents. He definitely had his fathers hair, so unruly and going every which way. And he had his mother's eyes, so full of life. I wondered what color his eyes had been before the change.

I moved to look at the next one, but that was it. There were old pictures of each of them, except Alice. I always wanted to know what she was like before she became a vampire, or even how she became one. But never really wanted to pry. Maybe I'll ask her later. I still had to tell her about me, and what I could do. I was still kind of scared to tell her. But she was a psychic for heavens sake, she of all people would understand what it feels like to have something different than anyone else.

For so many years, I hid my gift because I was scared of it. It wasn't normal, and so I kept it to myself, never telling a soul. Never really wanting to either, in fear of being rejected. But, I wanted to tell Ali. I didn't want to hide anything from her, especially this...my biggest secret. I needed to tell her.

"So..." Jake said as he sat down on the couch. "I guess we just...wait."

"Least when she gets here, I won't have to sit and worry about her."

"Come here." He said, gesturing with his pointer finger.

I didn't hesitate as I crossed the room and fell into his warm, comforting arms.

"Belle...she's a big girl and can take care of herself. She's practically invincible. So how come you worry so much about her, when there is a bloodthirsty vampire searching for you?"

"Aren't you supposed to worry about the one you love, even though you know they're tough? And I'm not worried about myself, because I trust you and Ali to keep me safe."

/-/

I didn't notice that I started to fall asleep, until there was a knock at the door followed by Alice's angelic voice. I rushed over to the door and whipped it open, launching myself at her, my arms circling her neck for a big hug.

"I missed you." I whispered in her ear.

"I missed you too. I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess, Bella." She said with a pained expression.

"Hey. Look at me." I said as I lifted up her chin so she was looking me straight in the eye. "It's not your fault."

I gave her a quick kiss, not wanting to make Jake uncomfortable. I pulled her inside, shutting and locking the door behind us.

"Thank you for taking care of Bella, Jake." She said, giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"No problem, Al."

I couldn't help but smile at those two, they were so cute. The loud growling of my stomach interrupted my thoughts as it seemed to echo in the large room. Alice and Jacob snickering to themselves as my face began to get red.

"Gee, Bells...you hungry?" He giggled.

"Apparently so." I said, still embarrassed.

"I don't have any food around here, but there is a store ten minutes away."

"I'll go." Jake volunteered. "I'm starving too. Sandwiches sound good to you Belle?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Here." Alice said, pulling out her wallet and giving him some money. "I have no toiletries here either, so this should cover toothbrush, and toothpaste, toilet paper. And to get to the store, just go down the road you came, but on the first right, turn, then that will take you straight to it."

"Alrighty, I'll be back in a little bit then." He said as he look a little bit overwhelmed.

-Alice's POV-

"You sure you got everything handled here?" Jake asked as he stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have to worry about James finding this place. Even if he did, I could take him." I reassured him.

"Okay. Here's the keys to the Rabbit so you don't have to carry her back when everything is over."

"Thanks, Jake. Be careful on your way back."

"I will. I'll see you soon, I hope."

"Likewise." I smiled as he headed off towards the woods, taking off his shirt while he ran.

I closed the door and locked it behind me, wondering where Bella went. I heard her rustling the toilet paper in the bathroom, so I went to the kitchen and finished cleaning up. After I was done I took a seat on my sofa and waited. Bella came out of a few minutes later, and sat down next to me.

"Can I ask you something?" She said.

"Anything."

It's kind of personal, and I don't want to pry."

"Bella, it's okay. I have no secrets, so ask what you want." I said quietly.

"Okay..." She started, looking nervous. "Do you remember your...human life?"

That was actually the last thing I expected her to ask, but that was Bella...always surprising me.

"Not really" I answered. "Only a few flashes right before I was changed..."

"Oh."

I bent down and opened the tiny door to the table in front of the sofa and pulled out a tin box. I opened it carefully, hearing the familiar squeak of the hinge. A small pile of cut out articles sat inside.

"A few years ago, I did some research. It took me a while, but I found me...or who I used to be." I said, pulling out a small piece of paper and handing it to Bella.

"Mary Alice Brandon, born March 18, 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi to proud parents Daniel and Elizabeth Brandon..." She read.

I picked out another article and handed it to her. Like the first one, she read aloud.

"Six your old Bradley Wilcox, Seven year old Adam Brian, and seven year old Mary Alice Brandon have been selected to play with the Biloxi Orchestra this Saturday at the Biloxi theater. Bradley will be playing the trumpet, Adam will be playing his flute, and Mary Alice will be playing her violin." She smiled and cocked her head at me. "Do you still play?"

"Occasionally. Maybe I'll play for you sometime."

"I'd like that." She smiled. "So what else is in there?"

"Well, the rest isn't very pleasant." I said, digging out another piece of paper an handing it to her.

"Claiming she has visions of the future, Mary Alice Brandon was admitted into the Mississippi State Asylum on Wednesday morning..." She stopped reading then, anger flashing across her face. "That's horrible. How could they do that to you...?"

"It was the early 1900's, Bella. That's the only way they knew how to deal with people who were different, so they didn't have to deal with them."

"That's just...so...wrong." She whispered. "What happened after that?"

I pulled the last piece of paper out of the tin box, showing her the picture.

"I was in there for three years. Then one night, there was a fire in the Asylum. This is what I actually remember. I escaped in the chaos...and ran into the woods. I ran for a long time before I was so tired that I collapsed. Next thing I knew, there was this figure standing above me. He leaned down and bit me...and then, all I felt was fire. Through my whole body, for three days straight, was just fire. I passed out at one point, and when I woke up...I was this."

"I'm so sorry, honey." She said, throwing her arms around me.

"It's okay...I guess God had another plan for me then I originally thought." I said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Ali..." She started, her heart rate rising. "I need to tell you something."