Alice left me to find another kill on my way back to the house. I arrived to find Alec and Jane sitting on our sofa while Demitri talked with Carlisle in the dining room. After a quick change, I approached the men at the table.

"It is very different of course, but there is a benefit to being able to stay in one place so long, a comfort to living," Carlisle explained to Demitri.

"We don't move."

I rolled my eyes, but at least Demitri was honestly curious, not simply taunting Carlisle. I'd seen nomads do that in the past. It pissed me off. This wasn't just some whim of Carlisle's, he had an honest calling to preserve human life. Some vampires would never understand that.

"Yes, but the Volturi are a rare case. What other coven could claim the same? The Romanians? Some in the South? Neither are situations to emulate I think."

"I think your son wants a word with you. I'm going to check on the prisoner." Demitri excused himself.

"I'll join you," Jane said with a smile.

I felt the revulsion from Carlisle. "They torture him."

"And do you think he would have simply drank Bella? I believe torture is not wasted on James," I rebutted.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

I took a breath. Only Alec was left in the house. "Alice and Bella."

Carlisle nodded. "Alice didn't come back with you?" he asked.

"She did. We stopped to hunt. Wait, she didn't come back here?"

"I haven't seen her since I left for work."

"She hasn't been back, Jasper," Alec called from the other room.

I put my head in my hands, wondering where she was, what she was doing.

"Something wrong?"

"Besides being a two-timer?" I asked him.

He sighed. "Ah. I'm not sure how to help you with that one, son."

"You cheated on Alice?" Alec asked. "You know she's vindictive, right?"

"I'm not with Alice. Well I am. What do you know?" I asked him.

"That she's been looking for you for as long as she can remember. She just about jumped out of her skin when she saw you the other day. Was dancing on the spot until you passed by. I was going to blind you, but she wouldn't hear of it. She wanted to be the one to catch you."

I groaned. He wasn't making this easier on me.

"Who's the other one? Not the human." He gaped at me. "You aren't seriously. That's sick, you know?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why? We don't think of them as food the way you do."

"That's fine, but what would you do to her? Doesn't she... break?"

Carlisle's jaw was working, too. "He doesn't damage her, if that's what you're referring to."

"How?"

"That's a good question," I muttered, remembering how close I'd come to that.

"He's careful."

Alec scoffed. "What are you, a virgin? How careful can you be when you're getting off?"

Carlisle shifted his feet. He was exactly what Alec had named him.

"I had help." I remembered Alice, her ass in my face, her smell, feeling her tonight. "I had someone take the edge off."

"Oh, I hope you aren't referring to Alice there. Jane hurts you and it doesn't show." He pulled back the sleeve of his robe to show bite marks reading 'lil bitch' on his arm. "Alice makes sure you never forget who you dealt with."

"How?"

He growled, "My sister helped. My gift would trump hers if hers didn't hit you so fast."

I chuckled. "That's... I don't want to know what you did, do I?"

"I wouldn't tell you if you did want to know."

"Fair enough." I sighed and sat in one of the chairs, putting my head in my hands again. "What am I going to do?"

"Have you told Bella yet?" Carlisle asked me. "She might understand."

I snorted. Then I sighed. "I'll head over there anyway. Monday morning." I dragged my ass from the chair.

I felt Carlisle's amusement and lack of sympathy. "Get going. You'll feel better after lunch."

"Sure I will." After that utter lack of advice, I ran for Bella's house, still feeling like some sort of monster. Here I was, breaking down this girl's defences to be with her, and I go and bang the next vampire who jumps me. And I had tried to convince myself it was for her good. I was a cretin.

Under Bella's window was Felix, his hand inside his robe. It was pretty obvious what he was doing even before I caught the waves of lust coming from him.

"What the hell?" I asked.

"Do you know what they've been doing up there? Shit, man. You are one lucky fucker." He continued to stroke himself. "God that little human can scream. Why don't you and Alice share? I'll be gentle."

I decked him. He laughed at me.

"That's a no? Fine. They're plenty loud enough; I don't need to participate."

My eyes lifted to the window. I was still far enough from the house to see in the window. Alice was curled around Bella, her lips at Bella's ear, her hand reaching around Bella's hip. I jumped catching the sill.

"He's here," Alice whispered to Bella.

Her eyes fluttered open. She had been sleeping. Alice rolled back. She wore one of Bella's T-shirts which half covered her hips. Bella was in panties only, and they smelled ... well, she wouldn't be wearing those to class.

"Jasper," she murmured with a smile. She opened her arms, beckoning me into a hug.

Confused, I knelt at the side of her bed and leaned into it.

"Alice told me you'd be coming. I dreamed of you, hunting with her. You were both so beautiful, so fast, and then she was here." Bella's voice was slurred; she was still half-asleep, and utterly sated. If it weren't for the lack of alcohol on her breath, I'd think she was drunk, too.

"What did you do to her?" I whispered to Alice, stroking Bella's head, urging her back to sleep. She didn't have to wake for a couple hours yet.

"I didn't do anything to her. We did a few things with each other," she said with a smile.

"That's what Felix said."

Her smile faded quickly and her smugness was replaced with ire. "He's down there. If he can hear me, he's already running." She smiled again. "Threats are sometimes more effective than anything else." She shuddered. "Ugh, the thought of him down there. Don't tell Bella. She had a hard enough time when she thought it was just me." She tightened her hold on Bella's hips, pulling their bodies together. She kissed Bella's shoulder eliciting a small moan from the human girl.

"You've been here-"

"Since I left you. She was waiting for us." Alice slid one hand up Bella's torso, cupping one of her breasts. "She missed you," she whispered, putting another kiss to Bella's back.

"Did you tell her?" I asked as we listened to Charlie shower and shave.

She released Bella and sat up a little, irritated. "What? That you fucked me with abandon? Why would I tell her that? For someone who can differentiate so many forms of love, you sure don't know what they mean, do you?" She brushed her fingers over Bella's neck. "I don't want to hurt Bella. I did tell her I love you. She knew that, so it wasn't a big surprise. She is very perceptive."

"And?"

"And?" she asked, shrugging. "You aren't looking for a play-by-play are you? Because I'm not giving you one. What happened last night should not have been privy to anyone," she growled, looking toward the window. "Let's just say that Bella understands my feelings for her as well."

I didn't know what to say to that.

Alice's expression softened. "Look, I'm sorry if I was terse. This is still very new to all of us. Especially her," Alice stroked Bella's hair. "Neither of us is pushing you away, does that make sense?"

Her emotions weren't confused, and they weren't different either. She felt the same affection and lust toward Bella she had from the first moment she caught her scent. If anything the affection was stronger. Her love for me hadn't changed one iota. She slid back down the bed and put her hands back around Bella. "You're welcome to join us," she whispered as she slipped one hand into Bella's panties.

"Jasper," Bella murmured. Alice winked at me. Obviously I was still on her mind. "Alice," she cried, arching her neck, putting her cheek under Alice's lips. Alice licked the corner of her mouth. She also wrapped her fingers around the breast she had begun fondling, sawing her fingers around the nipple. "Yes," Bella moaned.

We heard the front door close and Alice doubled the speed in both her hands. "Charlie's gone, Bella."

Bella rolled on her back, opening her eyes a little. "Good." She locked lips with Alice. Her fingers pawed at Alice's open skin as she straddled my girl's hips.

"So hot, Bella. Your fingers," Alice moaned between sloppy kisses. Her venom was dripping into Bella's open mouth.

"Yes, Alice. Right there. Is this...?" They are both arching, pressing into one another, fingers clawing.

"Bella. Oh god. Don't let me hurt you, okay?" Alice was grinding on Bella's fingers now. "Tell me if ... if it ... holy shit." She tipped her mouth to Bella's breast now, pinching one nipple while sucking the other.

Bella put her free hand into Alice's hair. "God that feels good."

I was the intruder here. How strange. Alice had invited me, but Bella hadn't, for all that she had been dreaming of me a moment ago. I started to rise, but Alice shot her hand out to grab my waistband.

"Stay," she ordered. Her orange eyes holding mine briefly before turning back to Bella's erect nipple. I shook my head and moved slowly to the window.

"Yes, yes. Shit, Alice," Bella's chin pointed straight up. She whimpered as Alice arched as well, their hands pinned between them. "Ow, oh," she yelped before moaning.

"Sorry, too hard." Alice opened her mouth again, using her tongue rather than lips.

"Alice," Bella moaned as I swung my legs over the sill. "More, Alice. So close."

"Yes, Bella. Come for me." Alice's lust was tempered with sadness. She turned from Bella to look at me, a small frown creasing her brow. Then she turned all of her attention on Bella. I dropped from the window as the lust between them peaked, before I drowned in their heat for each other.

I heard a sucking noise and then Bella murmuring, "Mmmm." I could imagine her licking her fingers.

"Yes, Bella. May I?" Alice asked.

"I don't think we have time, Alice. God, I wish I didn't have class today," she groaned.

I heard the water turn on and Bella squeal.

Well, this sucked. What was I supposed to do now?