A/N:

Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait. I had so much trouble with this chapter – I was going to do something different, more of a filler, but I hated it, so I kept putting it off.

I got this idea this morning, though, and couldn't wait to get it down… So, here you go. Thoughts, as always, are greatly appreciated. You're all awesome for continuing with this story. Awesome. :D

It wasn't until several hours after Alice had left that I actually had the chance to think over the things she'd told me. It had taken me a good while (and two bottles of wine) to calm Nikki down – it turned out her parents had finally tracked her down, and, ironically, because she'd tried to avoid them, her dad was meaner than usual. If I could have, I would've marched on over to where they were staying and given them both a piece of my mind. As it was, however, I felt I could aid my best friend more by letting her cry on me for a while.

I didn't really want to leave her on her own (and I didn't really want to be alone), so after only a slight argument we'd ended up collapsing in my bed. But I couldn't sleep. I could hear Nikki's slow breathing beside me, but it did nothing to quiet my mind. Watching the clock didn't help, either – I was all too aware of the few hours I had to rest before I'd have to go in for work.

By four in the morning, I'd had enough, and I rolled irritably to my feet and stalked into my living room, shutting the door to my bedroom quietly behind me. I might be in foul mood, but I didn't want to wake up Nikki and have her deal with it.

I must have ended up passing out on the couch at some point in the night, though, because the next thing I was aware of was Nikki shoving me onto the floor, smirking slightly when I glared up at her.

"Good morning?"

"You were in my seat space. And it's… Eight. So stop glaring at me and get your ass showered and ready for work."

"…I hate you."

"No, you don't. You love me."

"Well, at least I know you're feeling better…" I muttered as I stumbled into my bathroom, splashing some cold water on my face as opposed to taking the time to dry my hair after a shower, and tried to make myself look presentable, which wasn't easy when I felt (and looked) like crap.

"Are you going into work today or are you hanging out here?" I called as I pulled on a pair of jeans.

"I was off today anyway, so I'll probably stay here… Might swing by my place to pick up some more clothes."

"I'll come back here for lunch, then." I grabbed my keys and grabbed an apple on my way through the kitchen. "I'll see you later!"

It was cold outside, as always, though it looked like the sun was trying to shine its way through the oppressive clouds. A quick glance at my watch told me I had enough time to walk to work today – I used to go for a walk whenever I felt the need to clear my head, which I certainly did that morning.

I still didn't really know what to think about Alice. I wanted to know why she'd taken off so suddenly – I doubted that she wouldn't have gone if it weren't anything serious. Then again, she could have. I honestly didn't know what to think – not to mention the fact that my head was still spinning from the fact that she'd liked me from the first time she'd seen me.

Yeah, still having a little trouble with that one.

It was all very frustrating.

Luckily, I didn't have much time to dwell anymore on thoughts like that, because my day was so insane, I barely had time to breathe until it was time for my lunch break. Though when I arrived back at my apartment, I decided that it was a bad thing that I'd wanted to come home in the first place.

"Are you insane? No!"

"Nikki, come on - "

I'd apparently come back in the middle of a brother-sister argument, because Daniel was perched on my couch, next to my temporary roommate, who looked rather annoyed, to say the least.

"Is everything alright?" I asked as I shut the door behind me. At least they weren't just carrying on and ignoring me. It couldn't be that bad, then. Surely.

"Daniel here is trying to persuade me to come to his birthday party tonight. And, oh yeah, I forgot to mention, my homophobic father will be there."

"Ah. I see."

"Look, honestly, Nik, he's not going to make a scene, ok? I've told him I'll kick him out if he does. I just… I really want you to be there. Please? For me?"

"No."

"Bella can come with you."

"Uh, what?" I whirled around from where I'd been making myself a sandwich in the kitchen, but neither of them seemed to hear me. Wonderful. Just how I wanted to spend my Friday night – being glared at.

"…No." Or maybe I wouldn't be. Excellent.

"Nikki, please. Come on, I'd do the same for you. You know I would." Daniel turned around to face me, a pleading look in his eyes, and I sighed. I was a real sucker for making people I loved happy.

Sometimes it could be a pain in the ass.

Like now, for example.

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on. Honestly, he won't make a scene – he won't want to embarrass himself, or his family. I'll owe you, the both of you."

"I'll go… But only if Bella will come with me." I felt two pairs of eyes turn to look in my direction, and I sighed heavily. It was times like these when I hated the fact that I couldn't say no.

"Fine. But you do owe me. You definitely owe me." Daniel left soon after that (but not before hugging me and thanking me when he thought Nikki couldn't hear). I'd probably regret agreeing when I got home after, but for now, as long as everyone was happy, I supposed I could suck it up.

x-x-x

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this! Your brother is far too persuasive for his own good." At eight o' clock that evening, Nikki and I stood, side by side, staring at the door to her brother's apartment as though hell itself was contained within. Which, I supposed, it could be. It just depended what your definition of hell was.

"You knock."

"He's your brother!"

"I don't care. Knock. I'm too nervous."

"You're too nervous to knock on a door?" The death glare she gave me was enough to shut me up, though, and I did as she asked, attempting to smile when Daniel answered the door. He grinned at the probably uncomfortable look on my face, and I suppressed the urge to slap him – a sleepless Bella was a cranky Bella, and sleepy and cranky Bella in an awkward situation?

Never a good thing.

"Come on in, guys." We stepped over the threshold, and I was glad to see that there were already a fair few people there already – which meant that we'd draw less attention to ourselves. I followed Nikki to the kitchen, where she handed me a vodka and coke that was over half alcohol. I didn't complain, though, as I saw her father approaching us – I'd never met the man in person, but I'd seen a couple of pictures. Besides, they had the same eyes.

"Nikki, it's good to see you. Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" I glared at him over the rim of my glass, but as I opened my mouth to tell him to fuck off (I knew Nikki wouldn't say it – or anything at all really, so what else was I supposed to do?) Daniel practically sprinted over, took his dad's arm, and steered him away, shooting me a warning look over his shoulder which I made a face at.

"Why are we here, again?" I muttered, turning to my friend, who looked like she didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. "What?"

"Next time my dad wants a 'talk', remind me to bring you? I think he might meet his match." I grinned as she was pulled into conversation by a woman stood to her left, and just surveyed the apartment. I couldn't see anyone I knew, which was hardly surprising. Nikki didn't like to talk about her family too much, other than her brother, which I respected.

It wasn't as bad as I expected – I spent the first hour or so either chatting casually to anyone who spoke to me first, or listening to Nikki's conversations, letting my mind wander. I was brought out of one such reverie by the buzzing of my phone from my bag. I nearly had a heart attack – yes, I was that desperate to hear something from Alice, and I nearly dropped my bag in my haste to get to the device.

"Jesus, Bella, waiting for a call or something?" Nikki asked, and I could tell without looking at her that she was trying not to laugh. When I finally grabbed my phone and looked at the caller ID, I imagine my face must have fallen slightly, because when my eyes met hers she raised a questioning eyebrow, but I pointedly looked the other way as I answered the call.

"Hey, dad, what's up?" I spoke to my dad usually about one a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, and we weren't scheduled to walk until Sunday – he worked varying hours during the week.

"Bella? It's Sue." This was more unusual. My parents had split up long ago, but just before I'd left Forks, I'd noticed that Charlie had been getting closer to a woman from the Reservation – Sue Clearwater – and it hasn't come as any surprise to me when they'd announced their engagement, and then got married earlier this year. I quite liked Sue, or at least more than I imagined I'd like my dad's girlfriend/my new stepmother, but that didn't mean we spoke often. And even though I didn't know her all that well, I could tell that she sounded worried.

"Oh, hey. Is something up?"

"It's your father." They were sort of the dreaded words, weren't they? That something had happened, and I could tell from the tone of her voice that something had. I knew Nikki could tell something was wrong (we'd known each other for long enough to be able to read each like a book), when I felt her hand at the small of my back – a tiny gesture, but it made me feel better all the same. "He had a heart attack a few hours ago, and it's… Well, it doesn't look too good."

"Oh, my God. Is he… Is he going to be ok?"

"Honestly? I don't know. But… I think maybe you should think about coming home."

"I… I'll try and be there as soon as I can. Thank you for telling me."

"Of course, Bella. Look, why don't you phone me when you know what you're doing? We can sort things out from there, ok?"

"Yeah, sure," I murmured, my voice cracking. I hung up, fighting the haze of tears that threatened to take over my vision. I tried to walk away, determined not to cry in front of strangers, but Nikki's hand, tight on my wrist, stopped me from going anywhere.

"What? Babe, what it is?"

"I need… I need to get out of here." She looked like she was going to disagree until I told her what was up, but after glancing at me once more, she nodded, taking my hand and leading me back to the door. Once we were in the corridor, she pulled me to a stop.

"Stay here, ok? I'll just go tell Daniel that we have to leave." She disappeared and was back what felt like seconds later, shutting the door behind her, cutting off the loud sound of laughter and conversation from within. "Bella, what's happened?"

I told her, managing not to cry too much, as we made our way back to my apartment, where she immediately started to help me make plans. I rang Lisa, asking for time off, and then Alex, asking her if she could keep things in order while I was gone, whilst Nikki looked up flight information. I glanced at her, as she was frowning at the screen of my laptop, and on impulse, asked her what had been on my mind since we'd left the party.

"Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me. Come home with me. I know it's selfish of me to ask you, incredibly so, but… I could use a friend right now."

"I… are you sure? I mean, it's family…"

"Please, my dad loves you. He wouldn't mind you being there to keep me company. And besides, I'll need someone to stop me from going out of my mind. There's nothing to do in Forks. And I don't want to bother Angela too much… But if you don't want to go, then that's ok."

"No, no… It's ok. I just… Well, I figured your girlfriend would be going with you." She didn't look at me as she said it, instead staring straight ahead, and I felt a pang of guilt once again, that I couldn't return the feelings she had for me.

"She's not my girlfriend," I murmured, because honestly, I didn't know what to call Alice. We'd never really gotten to that discussion. And I was trying not to think of her right now – because I was pretty sure that she'd be the only one that'd be able to take my mind off of everything, and the fact that she wasn't here was killing me more than I cared to admit.

"I still would've thought you'd ask her."

"She… had some things to take care of. And besides, I think my dad would rather you were there than her." It hurt to say the words, but they were true – my dad hated the Cullens with a passion after everything that had happened. Nikki gave me a look as though she sensed there was more to that story, but she let it go.

"Alright, then. I'll come with you."

x-x-x

Fourteen hours later, Nikki and I sat in a taxi, headed for my old house. I paid the driver as he pulled up outside – it looked the same as ever, except there was a new coat of paint, and Sue's car was sat on the drive, next to Charlie's police cruiser. And, sat a little way away, was my beloved old truck. I knew that Jacob sometimes used it to make sure that it kept running, so I was confident that we'd be able to make our own way to the hospital.

I grabbed our hastily packed bags and dumped them just inside the front door, going to clean myself up in the only bathroom whilst Nikki raided the cupboards for food. She handed me a bar of chocolate, shrugging, as we passed on the stairs, and I smiled a little in spite of myself – it was good to know that some things never changed.

Like my dads inability to cook anything edible.

My old car keys still hung on the hook in the hall, and I grabbed them while I waited for Nikki. To my relief, the truck did run – the roar of the engine comforting, even if it did drag me through memories of when I'd lived here.

Not as much as driving through the streets did, though. I hadn't been home since I'd left, practically. I hated coming back here, and Charlie, thankfully respected that. He'd asked me to come to stay for Christmas this year only because it would be his and Sue's first one as a married couple, but before that, he'd never requested that I come home. He liked London, anyway, probably because it was a change of scenery.

Everything was still as oppressive and green as ever, though it was, to my surprise, not raining. I remembered the route to the hospital pretty easily, having been there one time too many during my life here, clumsy as I was. It'd quite obviously had some work done, I noted abstractly, as I pulled into a space in the carpark outside. I turned off the engine and sat, staring at the doors, just needing a few seconds to think before I went inside. Nikki reached over and squeezed my hand gently. She'd been silent for the whole car journey, content to just sit and stare out of the window, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to bother with inane conversation – I'd probably have enough of that to deal with in the coming days. My leaving here had generated a lot of buzz, apparently – when you live in a town as small as this, the story of the police chief's daughter heading off to England when she was just eighteen was big news.

Sue had told me where to go to see my dad, and I ventured slowly inside of the hospital, Nikki half a step behind me, her hand intertwined with mine. My phone rang once again as we were just inside the doors, and I answered it without looking, assuming it would be Sue, seeing where abouts we were.

"Bella? Oh, thank God. Are you ok? I saw about your dad. I'm so, so sorry I couldn't be there. Forgive me?" I froze at the sound of the voice, velvet in my ears, and I didn't realize just how much I'd missed her until that moment.

"Alice?" I breathed, and I felt Nikki tense for a second, but she didn't walk away. "Where are you? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Bella, and as for where I am… Well, I'll tell you when I get back. But are you alright?"

"I… I guess so. I mean, not really, but… I'll be ok."

"I am so sorry… If I could, I'd be there… But I don't think, either way, that that would go down well with the wolves."

"Will you be back anytime soon?"

"I hope so, Bella, I hope so. But things are… difficult, shall we say."

"Does this have to do with the thing?" I asked, hoping she'd get that I meant vision – I couldn't exactly say that with Nikki being so close. She already thought something odd was going on, there was no need to encourage her.

"My vision? Yeah, it does, but I can't really tell you what… I'll try and be home as soon as I – fuck," she breathed, her voice turning anxious from one word to the next. I heard, in the background, a crash, and I flinched, despite knowing that little could hurt her.

"Alice? Is everything ok?" There was a growl in the background, her own, I suspected, which was answered by another, before a voice spoke, angry and definitely male, but too indistinct for me to make out.

"I have to go," she murmured, her voice strained. "I'll be back as soon as I c - " The call ended abruptly, and I stared down at the phone as though it'd bring her voice back to me. The number was withheld, and I doubted that ringing it back would do me any good. Instead, I sighed, slipping the phone back into my pocket. Hearing her voice had made me feel better, at first, but now I was just worried again – mostly about her.

"What was that? Is everything ok?"

"Honestly? I don't really know." She looked at my skeptically, but once again dropped it, much to my relief.

"Right, then. Isn't that Sue, anyway, over there?" She pointed to the left of where we stood, and I nodded, recognizing her shock of black hair, even from so far away. She hadn't noticed us yet, so I took a minute before I started towards her.

"Come on, then. Let's throw ourselves to the wolves…" I muttered, smiling once again a little at my own joke – I'd be surprised if none of the wolves were about. Jacob especially, seeing as he was engaged to Sue's daughter. I didn't know how I felt about that, but one thing was for sure – I was definitely going to be in for an interesting few days.