CHAPTER 23

Disclaimer: SM owns it all.

A/N: Thanks to all the guests that have reviewed my story. I want to tell you that what I consider a "flame" is when you offend me personally or you insult my story in saying stuff like "your characters lack personality or your story doesn't have a plot." So that's it. On with the story!

I held my Alice close to me. I like having her in my arms and it soothed me having her near. After a couple of minutes, Alice calmed down and so did I.

"Felling better?" I asked her while disentangling myself from her. I sat in the chair next to the bed and held Alice's hand.

"Thanks for being here Bella. It means a lot to me." Alice told me sincerely.

"Anything for you my love." I said with a smile.

We sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes; we were both in deep thoughts. There has to be a way to prevent Alice from going with her mother.

"Ali?" I asked her softly.

"Yes Bella?"

"Why didn't you told me about your mother?" I asked her with a confused expression.

Alice began shifting in the bed and she was avoiding looking at me. I gave her a quizzical look at this behavior.

"Bella, talking about my mother is not something I like to do."

"Why?"

"I just don't like to talk about her." She told me without looking into my eyes.

I let out a sigh at this, "Alice, I need to understand where her behavior comes from."

Alice gave me a glare, "Why do you need to understand? There is nothing to understand! Just drop the subject!"

"Why are you reacting like that? She did something to you didn't she?" I said getting very agitated.

"Stop pushing Bella! I don't want to talk about her!" Alice screamed at me.

Her heartbeat had increased and she was breathing rapidly. I tried to keep calm, but the thought of that woman taking my Alice away was unbearable.

"Look at how you have reacted. She did something to you and now she wants to take you away from me!" I practically yelled at her.

Alice started sobbing once again and I tried to hold her but she refused my embrace.

"Leave me alone Bella." Alice said between sobs.

"But Alice-" I tried to reason with her but she gave me a glare and pointed at the door.

I took a deep breath and with a nod left her alone. Something happened with Alice's mother. I know it and I am going to find out.

With that thought in mind I went back to the house in search of Victoria. I arrived at the manor 15 minutes later and went straight to the living room.

"Victoria!" I yelled at her.

"What?" Came the reply from upstairs.

"Get down here please. I need your help."

In a second, I had Victoria in front of me. "What is it sis?" She asked me concerned.

"Its Alice. Or to be more specific, Alice's mother." I said with a sigh.

She gave me an inquisitor look. "I don't understand." She said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Alice's mother came and when she found out about our relationship, she flipped. She started threatening Alice that she was going to take her away. Alice became agitated and I had to calm her down. When I asked her about her mother, she became evasive and we had a fight and asked me to leave her alone." I ended my explanation with a concerned look.

"Did you two break up?" Victoria asked me alarmed.

"No! Well at least I hope not." I said with a panicked look.

"Ok, so what do you need me for?" She asked me while sitting on the sofa.

"I need to hack and find out about Renee Dwyer." I said with a serious expression.

Victoria gave me an evil smirk and we went to her room, where she has all the equipment to get the information I was looking for.

Victoria took a seat in front of her laptop. "So what do you need to find out?"

"Seeing Alice's reaction to her mother. I think she is afraid of her. Look in the police records of Phoenix, Arizona." I said without taking my eyes off of the computer.

"Ok, give me a second to access the information." Victoria started typing and after a few minutes, she was inside the police records.

"Ok, what year are we looking for?"

"8 years ago. If I remember correctly, she came to live with Charlie seven years ago."

Victoria typed the information and after a few seconds we find out that she was charged, along with her current boyfriend, now husband, of child abuse.

"Renee Dwyer was charged of domestic abuse against her daughter Alice Swan. The neighbors reported that they heard several screams coming from Renee's house. The investigation couldn't continue due to lack of evidence. Six months later, Renee was apprehended for driving with an overdose of alcohol in her system." Victoria read out loud the police report.

"That bitch! She hurt Alice and now she wants to take her back to that hell?" I yelled outraged.

"Bella calm down, let's see if there is more ok." Victoria said trying to calm me down. I nodded my head and continued browsing.

After a while, we found that Renee was apprehended in the early 90's for been caught having sex with a woman.

"Bingo!" I said with a smile.

"Wow, now you have something on her Bella." Victoria said with a smirk.

"Yeah and I bet that Charlie doesn't know about the abuse." I said as a matter of fact.

"What are you going to do with the information?" Victoria asked me with a worried expression.

I stood up and went to the window. "I am going to use it to prevent Alice from leaving here."

I turned around and thanked Victoria for everything. I made my way towards my car and went to the hospital.

I arrived ten minutes later with a red roses bouquet. I went straight to Alice's room, where I could hear an argument going on.

"Charlie, our daughter was raped in your house! You can't possibly expect me to just sit and do nothing."

"Renee, Alice has a life here with her friends-"

"And a girlfriend that's un natural and yet, you allow it. I am taking Alice with me you like it or not!"

I heard enough to deduce that Charlie didn't knew about the abuse Renee inflicted on his daughter.

I opened the door and made my way inside. Renee wasn't too pleased to see me. "What are you doing here you carpet muncher?"

I took a deep breath to calm down and said with a serious tone. "I am here to visit MY girlfriend."

"I told you to stay away from my daughter. You have brought her nothing but pain." She told me while getting into my personal space.

I gave her a small smile, "Look who is talking." Renee and Alice both let out gasps at my comment and Charlie was oblivious.

Renee took a few steps back and she looked rather nervous. "What are you talking about?"

I put my hands inside my pockets and with a smirk I said. "You know what I am talking about Renee, or you don't remember when the neighbors had to called the police when you were beating Alice into a bloody pulp!" I ended yelling the last part.

"What!" Charlie's voice boomed in the room. He grabbed Renee by the arms and spun her around to face him.

"What did you do to my little girl?" He asked her enraged.

"Let go of me! You are hurting me." Renee said to Charlie while trying to free herself.

"I wont let go until you answer my question!" Charlie said getting close to her face.

"I couldn't stand her anymore! She was getting between me and Phil and I DIDN'T LIKE THAT." She yelled.

"Getting between you and Phil? What is that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked her with a serious expression.

"Phil was giving Alice more attention than me. I wanted to be the center of Phil's attention!" Renee said the last part with a crazed look on her face.

"That is not enough reason to beat her! You could have given her to me." Charlie told Renee while shaking her.

Alice, on her part, was crying softly and was shaking her head no. I made my way towards her and tentatively reached for her hand. When she saw what I was going to do, she launched herself at me and held me tightly against her tiny frame.

"Shh, baby girl. You are not going anywhere I promise." I whispered to her ear.

"Oh Bella! What have you done?"

"The only thing I could think of to keep you by my side." I said with a sad look.

I snapped my attention back to the scene, when I heard the slap that Renee gave to Charlie.

"Bella, where did you find this information?" Charlie asked me with a glare.

"In the database of the Police department of Phoenix, Arizona."

"Ok." Was his only response?

"Oh, I also found that Renee was charged in the early 90's for having sex in a public place with another female." I said to them with an evil smirk.

Renee gave me a look and in the blink of an eye had Charlie's gun in her hand and she shot me.

I dodge out of the way and in a second I had her pinned to the floor. "Tsk, you're being a bad girl playing with this toy. Don't you know you can hurt someone?" I said in a mocking tone.

Charlie quickly hand cuffed her. "Renee, you are out of your mind. You will not get near MY daughter ever again."

He turned to me, "We will talk later Bella." After that he took Renee out of the room.

I followed them and I went to pick the flowers that I brought Alice. I came back to the room with them and put them on the table, near the window.

"The roses are beautiful Bella." Alice said with a sad smile.

"The roses are a peace offering for what I did. I know there is no excuse for investigating your past, but, I needed to know why where you so afraid of her." I said while sitting down on the bed.

Alice surprised me by taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. "I am not mad. I am actually relieved that my dad knows that."

I gave her a quizzical look at her comment. "Really? How come you didn't tell him?

Alice let out a deep breath and lowered her eyes, " I was afraid. Plain and simple."

I wanted to hug her in that instant but I held back. After what happened I didn't know if she wanted physical contact with me.

"Bella what is it?" Alice asked me seriously.

I let out a sigh, "I don't know how to act around you. After what happened with the mutt-" Alice caught me off. "Bella, you don't need to be afraid to touch me. Yes, what Jacob did was horrible, but you saved me! You are a vampire and yet, you are the only person that never has hurt me. Not even Isabella has laid a hand on me. She always treated me with respect and love." Alice said with tears in her eyes.

"You really feel that way?" I asked her with a hopeful expression.

"Yes my love, please don't feel uncomfortable around me. I want us to stay the same. I actually need your touch, because in my mind the only one who has never betrayed me is you." Alice said her speech with tears running down her face.

I gave her a soft kiss to express my love for her. She responded in the same way and for a few minutes, we were lost in each other. Alice broke off the kiss and gave me a smile.

A nurse came in with Alice's food and I took the tray and started feeding her.

"You should try something." Alice said after swallowing her chicken.

"Ok!" I took a bite of the food and it didn't tasted so bad. I mean it was not restaurant food, but it was edible.

Alice laughed at the expression on my face. "What?" I asked her smiling.

"I don't think you like the food very much."

"Well its not from a five start restaurant, I mean, it's a hospital! I don't think they have a Chef in the kitchen." I said with a smile.

"No, I don't think so." Alice said while taking another bite.

"Maybe I should tell Carlisle to hire a Chef for the Hospital." I said with a serious expression and Alice burst out laughing. I joined her and for a few minutes, everything was all right.

Alice finished her dinner and we ended up watching some re runs of House, MD.

There was a knock on the door and Alice and I gave each other a look.

"Come in." I said to the person outside.

"Hello! How is our patient doing tonight?" Siobhan said while entering the room.

I stood up and in a second was in front of her. "What do you want?" I hissed.

Siobhan gave me an innocent look, "I told you, and I came to see how is Alice doing. I heard what happened with that Jacob boy. Awful thing."

"Well as you can see she is fine. Now go before I kick you out." I snarled at her.

"Tsk Bella or should I say Isabella?" She said smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked Siobhan.

"Don't you know that Isabella made a guest appearing today?" Siobhan told Alice with an excited glint on her eyes.

Alice turns her eyes at me for confirmation and I refused to meet them. Siobhan at seeing this took the opportunity to create some trouble.

"And here I thought that you had a solid relationship. Bella? Don't you know that the key to a healthy relationship is communication?" Siobhan said with an evil smirk. She turned to Alice and told her, "Isabella was so enraged at what that animal did to you that she did the same to him."

Alice's eyes widened, "You mean?"

"Isabella raped Jacob with a branch in front of his pack." Siobhan told Alice with a satisfied smirk on her face.