AN: Alice's confession.

Chapter forty four: And more…

Bella, March, 2011…

"You know, Sam, I can walk." As soon as we left the tent, Sam lifted me up in his arms and started carrying me.

"I know, but I think I'll get a bonus this month just carrying you," Sam said with a grin. "And Jasper wants you to get home safely."

I laughed because I couldn't think of anything else to do. "You're both crazy, you know that? I'm just tired and need a little rest. Then I'll be as good as new." The house came into view. "Alright, Sam, seriously, put me down. I can walk from here."

He chuckled deeply. "I don't think so, Bella. Bonus, remember?"

I laughed again and left him alone.

Sam carried me all the way home and up the steps that led to the front door. He put me then and I opened the door and walked in only to stop short when she got up from the couch. I couldn't believe she was here. How did she get in? My anger was rising and if Alice wanted a repeat of last night, I was going to beat her into the ground. I wasn't in the mood for nonsense.

She was about to say something to me but it was too late. I had already stomped over to her and had her by the throat. I spun us around and slammed her back into the wall.

"What are you doing here?!" I shouted. Sam was saying something to me but I wasn't listening. Alice was trying to move or talk, but I just slammed her into the wall again. Sam's voice came through my haze of anger.

"Bella, calm down," he said, trying to get me to let go of Alice's throat. But I practically growled at him. I have had enough of this woman.

"Fuck that!" I shouted at Sam and then asked Alice, "What are you doing here?!"

"Need…to…talk…" Alice struggled to get out. "You…Jasper…me…danger!"

"What?" I loosened my hold a little.

"James…he hates me…Vicky's going to kill me. She wants me and you to play then she's gonna kill me."

No. This wasn't happening. Today was a good day. No. James wasn't going to ruin it.

I let Sam pull me away. I walked away from them both and collapsed on the couch. Alice fell to her knees, coughing. Sam was about to drag her outside, but I stopped him.

"Wait, Sam!"

"She should leave," he insisted.

Alice was looking between us. "I need to talk to them. I need to say this and then run. I can't let myself get caught up in this. I'm deep enough as it is." She coughed all the way through saying that.

I got up and went for two bottles of water. We would need them. When I came back, I told Sam to wait outside. He didn't want to, but it wouldn't be for long. I was sure Jasper heading home. I wanted him to prep Jasper, so I told Sam he could come back inside when Jasper got here. Sam agreed then.

Alice didn't want to be alone with me. But she had no choice. I opened the water and handed it to her. She gulped it down. I opened mine and took a few sips. "I shouldn't be here. I should be hiding."

"Why?"

"Why what?" she asked me.

"Why did you help them? I wasn't messing around," I told her even though I didn't have to. "I wasn't playing with Jasper's life. I hadn't met him until Maria brought me home with her. I didn't ask to stay. They compelled me to, but I'm so thankful they did. I can't let James hurt them. I can't, Alice."

She was eyeing me with anger and trepidation mixed into one. "Then why didn't you leave sooner?" she whispered. "Before Jasper fell in love with you. It should be me."

"At least you would've been safer."

She laughed. "Yeah, but I'm not a Betty Crocker homemaker type, Bella. I don't want the situation you're stuck in."

I bristled. "My baby is not a situation, Alice."

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "I'm not here for that. I'm not here to argue. I'm here to ask the impossible of Jasper. I'm here to beg him to help me."

"Where did you meet Vicky and how much has she told you?"

Alice shuddered. "Everything."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and I met her at a fashion show, and we hit it off. But I didn't know…"

She was about to say more when the door slapped open and Jasper stormed in. His eyes zoomed in on Alice and they were angry.

"What the hell are you doing here, Alice?" Jasper asked roughly.

She couldn't speak. She just stared at Jasper. I spoke for us both, "We need to help her."

Jasper's eyes snapped to mine, disbelief swirling in the midst of the anger playing them. "Why the hell would we do that? Are you forgetting what happened last night?"

"No. But things have changed."

"How so?" Jasper asked me.

"Vicky and James," Alice jumped in and said.

"I'm talking to Bella!" he snapped at her.

"You've got to calm down," I said to him.

"Tell me what happened."

"Alice has unknowingly, until today, been corresponding with Vicky and James." Jasper bristled. Sam looked at Alice like he wanted to kill her. Jasper nodded for me to go on, "I think I know what they did."

"What did they do?" Sam asked.

"They wanted to get close in order to make a move," I said. "No doubt since she told Vicky my name, Vicky has been giving her 'ideas' as to how to deal with me being with Jasper. But I think Alice is here because they wanted her to take a step further."

By the time I stopped talking, Alice was staring at me in shock. "Are you psychic?"

"No. I know Vicky and James."

Alice looked at me long and hard and then she got her purse. She opened it and pulled out a vial, placing it on the coffee table just as Tanya and Edward walked in. They stopped short and I signaled Edward to grab Tanya. He snaked his arms around her waist and held her to him amidst her protest.

"What is that, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Vicky told me how to make it. I was supposed to give it to you. Vicky said it would've taught Bella a lesson. Just a little lesson," she said, looking straight at him. "But I couldn't do it. I told her I was done and I wanted out of our friendship. I told her she was jealous that I could wake up and realize that Jasper was trying move on and learn to accept it, while she was hung up on James."

"That was the wrong thing to say," I said to her.

She chuckled nervously. "Yeah, it was. She went off on me, Bella. She started saying these crazy things. She didn't sound like my friend. When I started to get defensive, it got worse. She threatened me. She told me that when they came for you, she was going to come for me and you and I were going to have some fun together. I was nervous then. I didn't want to know what she meant but I opened my big mouth and got defensive again and then she told me a story."

"A story?" Edward inquired. "What kind of story?"

I sighed because I knew what was coming. Alice looked like she wanted to turn blue. Vicky must have said some horrible things from my past.

Alice glanced at me and then started, "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Bella. James loved this girl from the first time he saw her and he had to have her. His cousin tried to keep him away. He wanted Bella for himself. But James was smarter and the cousin paid dearly. Then when Bella was really, really sad, James got to take her. And take her he did. After the wedding, James started the training." The more she said, the more I felt like I was there. Alice was trembling through it.

"Keep going," I told her.

"James was good at training. The wedding night, James took her. He said she had the sweetest, tightest pussy and it was all his. But eventually, James shared her with me," Alice cried, telling us what Vicky said and then she whispered to me, "I'm so sorry."

I nodded, wanting to hear what Vicky said. "Go on."

"James had fun training Bella. He never called her Bella because he thought that name was too good for such a plain girl. Marie was better. Her mom was right to change her name to Marie. Because when James thought of Marie, he thought of his perfect little slave, and when he thought of Bella, he thought of the naughty girl who ran away."

Alice stopped but I knew there was more. "What aren't you saying?"

"Vicky talked about how much she liked fucking you. She loved that she could make you cry. Or how funny she thought it was when you tried to defend yourself," Alice sobbed. "And then she said you, me, and she were going to have a lot of fun together. I hung up because I couldn't listen anymore."

All eyes were on me while Alice apologized. "I'm not your favorite person and you're not mine. I highly doubt we'll ever be friends. But I'm so sorry, Bella. No one deserves to go through that."

I had lost my voice, but gained enough strength to say, "Thank you for telling us, Alice. And thank you for not doing what they said." I turned to Jasper and got up. "You need to help her. If you don't, they'll hurt her. Excuse me."

I took the stairs two at a time and ran into our bedroom. I dashed into the bathroom and got to the toilet just in time. I felt his hands in my hair and I cried.

"It's gonna be okay, darlin'. I promise you, it'll be alright," Jasper said in my ear while I lost everything I had ate. When I was through, Jasper helped me clean up and then he carried me to bed. I cried myself to sleep.

Tanya was in bed with me when I woke up. She held me while I cried. She told me that Jasper was helping Alice leave the country for a while. All expenses paid by him. He was setting her up in Italy until he felt it was safe for her to return. I thanked her for telling me and fell back asleep.

When I woke up again, it was to run to the bathroom and puke. Esme was in the bedroom when I got back.

"Jasper called me," she said.

"What time is it?"

"It's one am."

"Oh my God," I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands. "He's lost it."

"No. Jasper hasn't lost it. He's concerned. I didn't leave. Carlisle and I were over at the main house when Jasper called. We came over with Maria. She's with him now and I came up here to see you. Tanya was carried to bed by Edward. And I'm in here with you because you were screaming in your sleep."

"I was?" I didn't feel like I had a nightmare.

"You were." Esme came and sat beside me. "I know of the events that took place tonight. I know that it's gotta take a toll on you. We can talk if you'd like."

So we talked. I trusted Esme with my fears and I let her convince me that I was doing the right thing. And I began to hope again. My ultimate triumph was that one day I was going to rid my life of James Carter and he will be nothing but a distant memory.

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