WOW! thanks for the awesome reviews! your all amazing and im so thankful for them... heres another chapter... hope you enjoy!!!
all rights belong to SM... she is awesome
also... i have changed this story to be rated M but for some reason it keeps changing back... :(
Chapter 7: Blame
We needed Alice. She was the key to solving this problem. Not one of them would dare cross her even if she was super tiny and looked as harmful as a small bug. But just like the tiny ant, things with her were never as they seemed.
"Alice. That's where we will start. Do you know where she is?" he stared at me in confusion.
"Alice?" he repeated. "Why would she be…" I cut him off.
"Edward. Think about it. Alice always got her way, no one could stay mad at her or go against her. She was Alice and she was always right." I let out a small laugh as he studied my face and what I had just said. "Besides, she's better at planning than we both are." It was the truth.
He took a deep breath as he stroked my face before getting up. "Alice."
As we ran I noticed the difference in myself, in my attraction for Edward. It was still there but knowing that the whole family needed us seemed to take over and free me from the urgent needs. I still couldn't bare to let go of his hand though. This was going to be difficult and I needed him by me if it was going to work. I needed to trust him. Could I trust him? Would I ever again? I watched him from my side profile and noticed as he looked back at me the same way. There was longing in his eyes and yet the dark lust seemed to have completely vanished.
It felt like we had passed a million trees before we reached the edge of our destination. If Edward was right about what he thought he knew, Alice was here. He had spoken briefly to her about her small apartment when she had first moved here and so he was certain that she would be simple to find.
He was wrong.
There was no scent… nothing to follow. Where was she? We walking around the whole town looking to pick up on some sort of trail, we started at the most expensive shops and worked our way around to the cheaper ones but there was nothing.
"Maybe she doesn't live here anymore" I shrugged to Edward but he ignored me. The moonlight bounced off of his perfect high cheekbones casting shadows across his face from his heavy long lashes.
"No, she's here… it just doesn't make sense." He finally responded. "Where is her scent. Its Alice, she lives to shop…" he kept looking backwards and forwards as if trying to figure out which way was best to try next.
"Why cant we just call her?" I asked fully aware of the answer but thinking it was a stupid one.
"If I just tell her, she wont believe me, she has to see you Bella, she thinks… when you vanished from her visions she was certain you were…" his voice broke and lowered "I guess she was right" he spoke softly.
"Never bet against Alice, even I know that!" I tried to lighten the mood with mock horror but it didn't work.
"Maybe this way…" he trailed off as he dragged me in the same direction we had just come from.
"Enough" I said sternly as I pulled him to a stop. Over the year I had grown fully accustom to my strength but something about my strength with Edward still amazed me. "Call her, don't mention me. Just say your in town and want to see her… tell her you need to talk or something?" he looked down at me puzzled.
"Maybe she doesn't. Like you said, she couldn't see me. Maybe because I'm here…" I didn't expect that to make sense, I made it up on the spot hoping to convince him through lies but actually… that could be right… technically. Hmm.
Edward watched me for a few moments more before pulling out his phone and calling her. As she answered he placed a finger to my lips to remind me to stay silent. I assumed he had to do that because I felt the uncontrollable grin spread across my face the second I heard her voice.
"Alice, how are you?"
"Edward, I didn't see you deciding to call me, how strange. Did you just decide now?" Edward smiled in response to her. I was right.
"Pretty much. Where are you?"
"I'm at my apartment… why?" she could undoubtedly hear the hidden meanings in his words.
"I mean where is your apartment, I'm in town and I thought I…"
"Now's not a good time Edward." Her voice was harsh and low as she cut him off mid sentence.
"Alice, its extremely important that I speak with you immediately."
She was quiet for a moment. "Edward do you not realize what the date is?" her voice was so low and pained that I nearly ripped the phone from his hand.
"Its September or is it October?" he really had lost track of time. "Its not Christmas is it?" I knew what the date was but watching him fumble around the months had caught me off guard. The Edward I knew over thought everything, you couldn't take him by surprise no matter how hard you planned it.
"Edward, its September 13th" she barely whispered to him.
His eyes immediately met mine as I watched shock and recognition take over.
"I don't want you to be here… not today…" she spoke again. He was frozen, now he truly did look like a statue of a Greek God. He didn't even respond, didn't breath… he just stared at me. "Today is the day I ruined everything…"
I knew at any moment Alice was going to hang up and so I decided to do something I wasn't sure about but she couldn't blame herself. I reached up and snatched the phone from his still hands, he didn't even slightly move, shocked into stillness, that's a first. I laughed inwardly.
"Alice Cullen, you listen to me young lady." I scolded playfully. "I want to see you and I cant until you tell me where the heck you are." There was more silence. Did I hang up? That would be great, I sighed. After a few more moments I couldn't help but ask again. "Alice?"
"Bella" she whispered down the phone, the shock was so evident it was heartbreaking.
"Miss me?" I spoke softly as I felt the sting of dry tears burning inside my eyes. Silence. "Where are you Alice?"
"You know Main Street?" she finally asked.
"Yep on it now actually…"
"Go to the end, turn on to Val Verda, take that right to the end, you'll come to South Bountiful Blvd, go onto Sunset Hollow drive… I'm apartment 18C" although she was talking, this wasn't the Alice I knew… where was the playfulness and the laughter… where was MY Alice.
"We'll be there soon" I commented as I went to close the phone but I heard her call my name. "Yes?"
"How are you?" her voice was shaky.
"Better now." I said smiling up at Edward who had seemed to defrost a little. "I'll see you soon"
I looked at Edward, his eyes were full of sadness.
"What?"
"I didn't… I stopped waiting for your birthday a long time ago, it was too painful and now I have you and I still messed it up… why didn't you say anything?" As he spoke the ashamed tone broke at me, pulling my dead heart further apart.
"Its not a big deal. This is. I have plenty of birthdays for you to make it up to me… don't worry" I smiled as I stood on my toes to kiss him gently. "She's waiting for us" he nodded and I knew he was still beating himself up over it.
We followed the directions and found Alice's in no time. All the lights were out and to the outside world, the place looked empty.
"You sure this is it?" Edward said as he sniffed the air.
"Yep" I sniffed as well.
"I don't smell her, Smells as if she was never here." I looked at Edward and I instantly knew something was wrong. I ran to the door not caring if anyone saw. They wouldn't believe it anyway, besides I didn't intend to stay here for long.
As I went to knock, Edward behind me, the door flew open. I stood staring into the dark onyx eyes of my true best friend. Her eyes grew as she took in my obvious non-aging and again as she put together all the clues - pale skin, golden eyes, the scent - her head twisted slightly to the side as I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Bella you're a… since… how?"
"Long story." I laughed. I noticed the constant looks back and forth from her to Edward. "Okay, share the hidden secret or I swear I'm coming in!" I shrugged.
"You can do that?" Alice's eyes beamed with awe as she took me in another embrace. This was more like the Alice I knew. She wasn't quite there but she seemed to be getting better.
"Alice, when was the last time you left this place?" Edward asked aloud, turning and looking towards the door. I hadn't noticed the room until now. It was dark, everything had its perfect place but it wasn't hard given there wasn't much. Another stack of papers and clippings caught my eye but that was all.
"It's been awhile." She shrugged turning back to me.
"Awhile?" I asked raising my eyebrows at her. We stood in the dark but it didn't distract from my view.
She huffed before turning her back on us to pace quietly and gracefully before us. "I came here to think, to get away from it all… when I really thought about it… it was my fault" she whispered, eyes to the ground.
"How?" I asked softly standing in front of her now.
"I made you have that stupid party that you didn't even want… I put Jazz in that situation" she looked now at Edward and the pain emptied from her, seeping into his eyes. "I took her from you." Her eyes suddenly flicked to me. "And now here you are, one of us… how Bella?"
"Long story short… I jumped off a cliff" I waited knowing the angry expression I was going to receive from her. When she gave me what I wanted I continued. "Victoria found me… let say, she played a little…" I heard a small gasp escape her lips and I almost instantly felt the moment Edwards eyes dropped to the ground… "then she turned me to get back at Edward. Bing, Bang, Bosh… here I am" I smiled at her. Glad that was out the way. Three down, only another four to go. Meh!
"Wait… you jumped off a cliff?" She asked seriously.
"Erm, yes." I could feel her temper coming.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" She screamed at me. Wow, I had forgotten how loud she was.
"That I was bored" If I had been smart, I would have kept quiet but according to Edward, I've never really been that smart when it comes to my own protection. If I had been smart I would have stayed away from him, I wouldn't of pushed to know his secret… I probably wouldn't be here right now.
"Bored?" she looked at me with utter amazement. "She was bored" her eyes turned to Edward now who took a step closer to me, as if to protect me from what he and I both knew was coming. She turned, mockingly, her hands in the air, pacing as she spoke imitating my voice. "I'm Bella, I'm bored, I know let me go jump off a cliff… See how dead I get… lalaLA" the shouting had begun. "YOU ARE THE MOST… YOUUUU ARE SO PRONE TO LIFE THREATENING IDIOTICY… I COULD TARE YOU APART MYSELF…" I bit my bottom lip as Edward moved in between us as if to shield me. She continued ranting and shouting but it was far too fast and unintelligible to understand even with the heightened senses.
"Her thoughts aren't much clearer" he whispered down at me as he began walking towards her to calm her down.
More time passed as she slowly calmed down, still every now and then throwing abuse my way about being stupid, which I had to admit it, I really was. The more I looked back on that time the more I found myself wondering how I survived any of it with my luck.
"At least your still alive… well so to speak" she finally flung at me, I could tell by her tone the anger fit had passed and she was ready to talk to me again normally. Edward walked back to me then, wrapping his arms in a tight embrace from behind. She looked and a slow smile spread across her face. "What did I miss?" she asked suddenly, her eyes burning with suspicion.
Edward kissed the top of my head as we watched her eyes light up as she was presented with proof. She ran to us then and flung her arms around the two of us.
"We need to fix this all" I finally said, knowing that we had stood like that now for at least thirty minutes. I didn't want to move. I had missed them both so much that I wanted to stay this way forever.
"Fix all of what exactly?" she slowly pulled back.
"The family. We have a plan but we need you to make it work." Edward answered her.
"What's the plan?" her eyebrows raised as she looked between us.
"Er… that… that would be… You" I smiled widely, flashing my teeth.
"Will you help us Alice?" Edward asked as he placed a hand on the pixie's shoulder.
She nodded. "This isn't going to be that easy… I don't know if we should start with Jasper or leave him till last." She debated this in her head for awhile and I snuck a peak through Edward.
She was weighing her options… telling Jasper first meant putting him out of his misery but didn't mean that he would believe it all could be fixed. There would still be a lot of hurt for him to encounter. Telling Jasper last, meant he got to return to a happy family and feel the results for himself… but it meant leaving him in his guilty hell. She was leaning towards the later but felt terrible for it.
She was right… the second was the better but I felt bad for Jasper. "I think we should go for Emmett next" I finally commented.
