Another chapter written late last night when the plot bunnies would not sleep. No worries though I sedated them.


"Bella." Jasper murmured softly, she closed her eyes fearing what she would see in his. "Alice and Bella." There was a smile and only a hint of surprise in his voice. "Has a certain ring to it don't you think?" Alice opened her eyes to see a slow grin take over her husband's face. "And you say Edward's hurting her?" There was no disbelief in his golden eyes or in his southern voice; her word alone had always been good enough for Jasper.

"There are bite marks all over her back, some fresh, some scars." He arched an eyebrow and if she could have blushed she knew she would have. "I'm not a biter Jazz. You of all people should know that." He smirked and she rolled her eyes. "Ok once. But the others would have heard us otherwise and you know they'd never have lets us get over it…can we get back to the subject now?" Jasper chuckled, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

"It would certainly explain why Bella's been so skittish for a while." He got up from the bed and held out a hand to Alice. "You should tell Carlisle." She nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her from their room and along the corridor to Carlisle's study. Once there she released his hand to knock quietly.

"Come in Alice." Her pseudo father called. Jasper smiled reassuringly and pushed her inside with a hand against the base of her spine.

"Hey Carlisle." She gave a grin that was nowhere near as bright as usual. The doctor placed his pen onto his desk and focused his attention solely on the girl with a patient smile on his pale face. Alice took a breath to calm herself before speaking. "I think Edward's hurting Bella." The smile faded from Carlisle's lips and panic fluttered in Alice's heart; Edward was his favourite and they all knew it. Carlisle tried to treat them as equals with all his heart but the first 'born' son would always be the favourite.

"Do you have any evidence of this Alice?" Doubt flickered in his eyes and she knew her father was torn between his first-born son and his youngest daughter. It was not a position she envied.

"I've seen the bite marks on her back." Carlisle frowned and she winced internally, her mind begging him not to ask the circumstances that led to her discovery.

"Did Bella say that Edward was hurting her?" Alice's shoulders dropped.

"No sir but-"
"Does Bella wish to have something done about this?"
"No sir but-" He pressed his fingers together and smiled ruefully.

"Then there is nothing we can do Alice." She sighed and turned away from her father.
"Ok." She whispered moving towards the door. As she pulled it open she shared a mischievous grin with Jasper who had waited for her. "Oh by the way Carlisle. Me and Jasper are no longer together." Giggling like children the married pair ran down the corridor and back to their bedroom.

/

School went quickly for her the next day. Alice spent all of her spare time running around the gym to clear her mind with Jasper sat at the side, talking to her about old memories or Bella. As soon as the final bell rang he walked her to the school field and threw himself onto the grass beside a girl called Emily Valentine who she knew to be Jet's girlfriend. "Hey Cullen!" Jet himself yelled as soon as he saw her and threw a ball her way. She grinned and caught it easily.

"Hey Jet." With deft fingers she span the ball on first one and then another. "Where do you want me?"

"Goalkeeper I think." Coach Lawson cut across the boy with a twinkle in his dark eyes as he watched the girl. She shrugged and tossed the ball over her shoulder as she wandered towards the white goalposts. Once there she span in a ballet twirl eliciting a laugh from her teammates, many of whom she did not actually know. She froze as she caught sight of a familiar dark head. Bella. She was alone and quietly sat down at the very edge of the pitch, away from Jasper. "Brought yourself a cheerleader Cullen?" Coach Lawson called good-naturedly as he set the ball down at the edge of the penalty box.

"Bella's a lovely girl but I'd never ask her to cheer for me." She called back, only casting the girl a fleeting glance. "She'd probably break something in the process." The whole team dissolved into laughter and even the coach indulged in a snigger. Bella looked mildly offended but shrugged it off.

"Jet's our main man so he's going to take a few shots at you Cullen. That ok?" Alice nodded, not daring breathe since she knew she was down wind of Bella and just catching the intoxicating scent could distract her completely. The ball hurtled towards her and pure instinct made Alice's arm shoot out to block it. The boy kicked ball after ball at her for nigh on a half hour and she'd blocked every one that had been on target. Jet ran up to the last ball and kicked it with all his might. Alice knew she could stop it but she let it pass, making a token dive towards it to at least make it seem as if she'd tried.
"Finally." He breathed dropping onto the cool grass and gasping at air. Alice gave her tinkling laugh somehow managing to forget that Bella's eyes were fixed on her. And only her. Coach Lawson clapped slowly.

"Well done Cullen. You'll be playing goals tomorrow evening. We have a team." He announced with a broad smile. "We have a team that may be able to break our losing streak against the Reservation kids." All the students on the field cheered, even Bella. "Get some sleep guys and girls. You'll need it." Alice ambled off of the pitch with a ball at her feet. Jasper smiled as she joined him and pulled her into a hug.

"I'd say you make a passable human." He laughed in her ear, swinging her around before setting her feet back onto the grass.
"Only passable Jazz? After all these years I'd think I'd be better than that." She laughed along with him. A cough sounded next to them and they turned to see Bella stood there with a sheepish smile. "Bella." Alice breathed, suddenly feeling as if she was human. A human who'd just played a half hour of soccer non-stop and needed to catch their breath.

"Alice can we talk?" Bella sounded nervous, she was wringing her hands. Alice fought the urge to take them in her own to stop them shaking.

"What's wrong Bell?" She whispered, casting a fleeting look to Jasper who shrugged.

"It's about…can we talk alone?" Alice shook her head, spiked hair flying.

"Jazz knows." The human raised an eyebrow. "Everything." Jasper nodded.

"Fine. It's about the scars-"
"Is it Edward?" Alice cut across her, needing to know if her brother was hurting her… no, not hers anymore. His girlfriend. She had to know for sure.

"Edward would never hurt me. Not deliberately." Bella argued. Alice scoffed, shaking her head.

"Of course he wouldn't. Perfect Edward can do no wrong." She muttered bitterly, turning away so she wouldn't have to see the hurt in Bella's eyes. "Remember when he left you? Did that hurt?"
"Not physically."
"Not physically. You jumped off of a cliff Bella. You could have died!" Alice whirled back around and Jasper's hands flew to her shoulders in an attempt to keep her grounded.

"He didn't mean it to happen. That was my fault." Bella defended her fiancé with anger tinting her voice.

"What did you come here to say Isabella?" The human flinched at the use of her full name. "Surely it wasn't just to defend my brother."

"I came here to say that my scars are none of your concern." Alice blinked. "I would not be marrying Edward if he hurt me, would I?"

"I honestly don't know Bell. Wouldn't you?" She took one of Bella's warm hands in one hers. "'Cause you see he causes all these situations and you end up being the one to pay for it. It scares me that you defend him. That you honestly believe this is all your fault." Her thumb caressed Bella's knuckles. "He's not the only one who loves you Bella. Just think on that for me ok?" For the first time in her life Alice Cullen walked away from Bella Swan.


Ah Bella. Sweet, innocent, possibly brainwashed Bella. So what do you guys think? Could it be Edward who is hurting 'his only reason to live'? Or is it someone else? I know as much as you do 'cause I don't plan ahead far enough so I'd like to hearyour theories if you have any :)

Thank you for reading and putting up with the abundance of typos, my keyboard is slowly giving up the ghost.