True to her promise, Alice was indeed by my side when I woke up. She was lying on her side, a book in her hand, but she glanced up when I moved to face her, a soft smile on her face. Her eyes glowed with warmth, the colour of molten gold. Weak sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains of my room, and where it hit her face she shimmered, a thousand diamonds twinkling in her skin. I was struck by her beauty more fiercely than ever before, and it took me a moment to get my breath back.

"Morning, beautiful," I managed, voice croaky from sleep, and she grinned, leaning over to brush a kiss on my forehead.

"It's not morning, sleepyhead. It's two in the afternoon."

"What? Seriously?"

"Uh-huh. Hence this," she replied, gesturing to the book in her hands. "Luckily, I was prepared for long nights. Not that watching you sleep is boring. But you might think it weird if that's all I did all night long."

"Anything good?" I asked, still half-asleep and feeling the same contentment that I had yesterday. She showed me the cover, and I cocked my head to read the title. "Game of Thrones? Why don't you just watch the TV show?"

"Because you don't get half the things from a show as you do from the book. All the emotions, the depth of all the characters. It's non-existent in translations from book to page. And I she cut off her rant when she saw me grinning at her lazily. "What?"

"Nerd."

"…Shut up."

"Make me," I murmured, and she leant forward with a smile, hand burying itself in my hair as she rolled us so that I was on top of her, all the while kissing me with those addictive lips, leaving me breathless.

Her other hand traced my side, made all the more teasing by that fact that my skin was relatively uncovered I only wore the black bra and panties that I'd gone to bed in last night.

She dropped her grip on my hair only to move both hands to cup my ass, nails digging gently into the skin. I groaned against her mouth and pulled away, needing to breathe, and instead ghosted open-mouthed kisses along the side of her neck, guessing from the soft noises that fell from her lips and the way her hands gripped me tighter that I was doing a good job.

I was soon flipped onto my back, glaring up into the playful face of the vampire above me, who just smirked back. Her eyes were darker, swimming with desire and something more primal that made me shiver in anticipation.

She was just about to kiss me when my phone cut through the near-silence of my bedroom (well, silent aside from my slightly embarrassingly fast breathing), and Alice muttered something about timing as she hopped off the bed, snatching the phone off my desk and tossing it towards me. I glanced at the caller ID briefly before answering, unable to stop a smile when I read who was calling.

"Hey!"

"The fuck, Bella? You were in Forks last week and you didn't tell me? I live about ten minutes away from there!" Angela's voice made me grin I hadn't realised how long it had been since I'd last spoken to her. I'd definitely missed her crazy personality.

"You weren't home last week," I replied, relaxing back into Alice's body as she curled up on the bed behind me, throwing an arm over my hip and pressing her forehead into the back of my neck. My skin was flushed from the wonderful wake-up call, and it was nice to have her against my skin.

"How do you know?"

"Because I asked around, you idiot. Do you really think I'd be so close and not try and get into contact with you? God, Ange. That's ridiculous." It'd had been one of my first questions once I'd gotten up to date with what was going on with Charlie seeing as pretty much everyone in Forks knew one another and Angela's parents still lived there, it hadn't taken long for me to discover that she was away. "So, how was your holiday with Ben?"

"Curse you, Swan. Know it all." She paused, but I could hear the smile in her voice. "It was… Actually, it was amazing. We had a really good time."

"So you guys are back together?"

"Yeah, we are. We talked a lot while we were away about what went wrong with us last time and stuff. But yeah, I think we can make it work this time."

"I'm happy for you, Ange. You deserve it." Alice was tracing patterns on the skin of my side, trailing her fingers up across my ribs, and I stifled a moan Angela would not only never let up until she knew who I was with, and what I was doing, she also wouldn't let me live it down.

"So, how are your girl troubles?"

"Oh, you know," I managed to say, trying to wriggle away from Alice's touch as her hand crept closer and closer to the edge of my bra. There was a devilish look in her eye, and I glared as shuffled away. "I'm managing."

"Did you ever find out what Alice wanted?" I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the question because I most certainly had. What she wanted she was currently trying to get with that tantalising touch of hers.

"Sort of? It's a long story, though."

"Fair enough usually, I'd demand you tell it to me, but I've got to give Ben a lift before I head to work… Don't wait too long before you call me again!"

"I won't, I promise. Have a good day, Ange. I'll speak to you soon."

"You'd better. And I'm glad your dad's okay."

"Yeah, me too. Bye!" I hung up to continue to glare at Alice, who just stared with innocent eyes.

"What?"

"You're terrible," I murmured, dropping my phone onto my bedside table and rolling on my side to face her. "But that was a nice way to wake up."

"I bet. And it is not my fault that you look so sexy in the morning."

"You look so sexy at all times. It's not fair."

"Have you looked in the mirror, lately?"

"Stop trying to seduce me when you already have me." I pressed a final gentle kiss to her lips before climbing out of bed and grabbing some fresh clothes. Deciding that I'd get my own back, I seized some new underwear and reached to undo the clasp on my bra.

"What… What are you doing?" I spun around at the sound of her (slightly strained), voice, trying to keep my amusement of my face.

"What?" I asked, not dropping my hands from my back. "I need to get changed. Problem?" When I received nothing but a wide-eyed glanced I flicked the clasp with one deft movement and let the garment fall to the floor, never taking my eyes off her face. Golden turned dark in a matter of seconds, her gaze raking over my skin with an intensity that made me blush.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Bella?" She was in front of me without hesitation, so fast she was a blur. "Any idea?" She kissed me then, so hard and deep and wild that I was barely able to manage to kiss her back she pressed me against the nearest wall, lithe body against my own, so tightly that it was like we were one.

My hands fisted in the material of her shirt, unable to do anything other than pull her impossibly closer wanting, needing no distance between us. The first touch of her hands to my skin was more electric than before, heightened by my lack of clothing.

Her fingers danced over every inch of skin she could reach, teasing until I was breathless and unsteady on my feet, moans slipping from my mouth and into hers her lips never leaving mine.

The first, tentative, touch to my chest made me shudder against her, and it was quickly followed by another. Both of her hands cupped my breasts, thumbs flicking lightly over my nipples, and my knees buckled, my head titling back to rest on the wall behind me, finally breaking our kiss.

"Fuck, you are way too good at this," I managed between gasps for breath, eyes flickering shut of their own accord when her lips moved along my neck, her hands never stopping their ministrations.

I probably would've collapsed or melted into a puddle on the floor had it not been for how closely we were pressed together and my tight grip on her clothes. The effect she was having on me was addictive we were hardly even doing anything and I was already set to rip the rest of our clothes off.

And if she could affect me like this already, God knows how I was going to survive going further.

A shiver ran through me at the thought, and she pulled her lips away from my skin to kiss my lips gently before tugging my earlobe between her lips. "Are you okay?" she murmured, her breath on my skin sending me into sensory overload.

"I-I'm fine." She dropped her hands back to my waist, tracing the outline of my underwear absently, eyes gazing into my own.

"Are you sure? Your heart's racing." I was hoping she hadn't noticed, but considering I could hear the pounding blood in my eyes, I was hardly surprised that she could with her far superior hearing.

"Well that's not entirely my fault, is it?" I was still trying to catch my breath, and I noticed Alice's not-so-subtle glance towards my rapidly rising and falling chest. "See something you like?"

"Obviously. And it is entirely your fault. You were the one that got naked, after all."

"This is true." She kissed me again, unexpectedly, but this was much softer than before, and she broke away after a few seconds.

"This wasn't how I was expecting things to go. You ruined my carefully constructed and well thought out plans. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"You had plans, did you? You can still utilise those plans. We've barely even gotten started. And you are still wearing too many clothes." I moved to tug her shirt up and over her head, but she danced put of my grasp, smirking. "That is so not fair!"

"You'll get what you want soon enough." She laughed at the pout on my face and sat on the edge of the bed, still regarding me with desire in her eyes. "You said I could utilise my plans."

"So…?"

"So let me take you out tonight. On a proper date. I'll pull out all the stops and everything. And then…"

"And then?"

"I'll leave that up to your imagination."

x-x-x-x

An hour and a half later I was sat in my favourite coffee shop, about a two minute walk from my apartment. I was sat next to the window, in my usual seat, leaning back in my chair, steaming mug of black coffee clutched in front of me and staring absently outside.

It was typically rainy (the weak afternoon sunlight hadn't lasted long), the window pane beside me streaked with water droplets, the sky a dark, menacing grey. The people hurrying past outside clutched umbrellas or had their coats buttoned to the collar, a futile attempt to fight the cold. Wind whipped through the streets, rustling the leaves of the trees of the park opposite the park where I'd had my first, proper, meeting with Alice.

I remembered the day vividly, the terror I'd felt at seeing her, but at the same time filled with hope that the promise she'd left me with, that she'd leave as soon as we'd spoken, was true.

I thought it miraculous how quickly things could change.

Now here I was, a mere couple of weeks later, and things couldn't be more different. And yet, I loved it.

And I was pretty sure that I loved her.

I hadn't really had the chance to think much, to be on my own and just sift through my thoughts, but that was why I'd decided to come here today. I'd needed to be here anyway I was meeting Nikki later but I'd come earlier to try and figure things out. It was my spot to do that I'd sit in this chair, and I'd stare out the window, and I'd just think.

About my life the choices I made or needed to make, the people I knew, just… everything. And thinking about Alice was definitely something that I needed to do sooner rather than later.

I was still reeling from the Cullen encounter, but hadn't been as horrible as I'd first imagined. I didn't believe for a moment that Edward was finished with me, though. The way he'd stormed out was evidence enough for me.

However, that didn't fill me with dread anymore. I'd gotten over him a long, long time ago, but that didn't mean that I'd ever been content with the way it ended. But now… now I had closure.

Now I could fully, completely move on with my life, with little of the past to haunt me.

But then there was Alice. She was a reminder of the past, and yet everything I'd ever wanted in a woman. Bad and good, all rolled into one tiny, gorgeous pixie.

I sighed, taking a sip from the coffee, glancing briefly around the rest of the shop. It was busy, people choosing to sit inside (sensibly), rather than chance the weather outside. It was loud with the sound of people chatting, the pungent smell of coffee permeating the air.

My phone buzzed on the table and I read the text quickly, smiling at the message. It was my dad he was out of the hospital and at home, probably going crazy from all the fussing Sue was going to be doing over him.

I was so glad that he was ok, especially seeing as I'd been so terrible at visiting. I'd never liked Forks in the first place, so what had transpired when I'd lived there had just been added excuse not to go back often. I vowed that I'd return again soon to see him back at home, and said as much in the reply I sent.

The thought of the look on my dad's face if I brought Alice with me on that visit made me smile but I knew I could never do that. She looked exactly the same, and it had been four years. No-one could get away with that, especially at the age that she claimed I couldn't look any more different than I had been in high school, and the same went for everyone else I knew.

And that presented me with a new (or I suppose it was old, just recycled), problem. For Alice would age and I would not.

The irony of the situation was not lost on me. It was precisely, really, the reason Edward had left me in the first place. The again, it wasn't like I didn't know what Alice was when I'd gotten involved with her.

"Stupid vampires," I muttered under my breath, the woman at the table next to mine eying me with concern. I fought a smile and turned my gaze back to the London world outside.

I knew I had a decision to make. A big decision. One that would change my life forever, for better, or for worse but how the hell did you find the strength to make a call like that?

x-x-x-x

"You look serious." Nikki's voice cut through my thoughts, interrupting my brooding, and I glanced up, forcing a smile at the sight of my friend. She slid into the seat opposite, gloved hands wrapped around a cup of tea. "What's up?"

"Nothing," I replied, deciding that two hours of pondering was more than enough for one day. "Just thinking."

"'Bout what? Your girlfriend?"

"She's not"

"Not your girlfriend, yeah, yeah, yeah. Heard it before, Bells. But you'd be a liar if you said you didn't want her to be." I looked up sharply, meeting Nikki's eyes there was a challenge in them, daring me to say she was wrong.

"It's not that simple," I said, dropping my gaze back to the table.

"Of course it is. You like her, and anyone with eyes can tell that she likes you. So, what's the problem?" I didn't say anything, terrified that if I opened my mouth the whole ugly truth would come pouring out and I couldn't endanger Nikki. I wouldn't. "Is it the brother? Because he seems like a right wanker don't let him stand in your way."

"It's just complicated, okay?" I said, fighting the smile that tugged at my lips at Nikki's opinion of Edward. "Can we drop it, just for now?" She narrowed her eyes at me, but she knew how I stubborn I was, and eventually looked away.

"Fine. But I won't keep quiet about it forever."

"I know."

"Then I'm glad we understand each other."

"So, what's new with you?" I asked, taking a sip from my coffee the third mug I'd gotten since I'd sat down. I was going to be all night at this rate then again, seeing as what Alice had promised me this morning, being wide awake was probably a good thing. The thought of tonight filled me with anticipation and yet, I was hesitant. I had the feeling that sex would tip the scales over for me, cloud my judgement, just when I needed a clear head.

But there was nothing that I wanted more than her so frustrated wasn't even the word for what I was feeling.

"Um, just the usual with me, really. Work. My dad finally left didn't say goodbye, but that's fine with me. And…" She trailed off, biting her lip, and I raised an eyebrow Nikki never looked so hesitant to say something.

"Aaaaaaand?"

"And I met someone."

"Wow."

"Yeah." She'd never been the settling-down type for as long as I'd known her she'd gone from fling to fling, never having a proper relationship. I hadn't even thought that she ever really fell for anyone, well, until me. I wondered if that was why she looked so awkward right now. We'd never really talked about that little incident, after all but now, a while later, was hardly the time to bring it up.

"How did you meet her?"

"Well, I… I've known her for a while. You haven't met her though, I know her through work. She liked me a while ago, but…"

"But?"

"I didn't think it was fair to go out with her when I had feelings for you," she mumbled eventually, looking everywhere but at me. I fought the urge to apologise, doubting it would do me any good she'd just say it wasn't my fault. And I knew it wasn't, but that didn't stop me feeling guilty for inadvertently hurting her. "Even though I knew nothing was going to happen between us," she added, still staring outside.

"Nikki, I"

"Don't." She took a deep breath and finally met my gaze, holding up one hand to stop me from saying any more. "I was already getting over it when I told you how I felt. I just… I didn't like seeing you talk about her when I wished you were talking about me. That might be stupid, but whatever.

"I think part of my infatuation with you was how similar you were to me. I've never really fallen for anyone before, so I didn't know what to do. But we're meant to be friends, I can see that now. We've known each other for too long, we're to close I wouldn't want to wreck that. So I don't want things to become awkward, that's why I didn't want to talk about it.

"But I've been getting to know this other girl, Katie, really well, and I think we have a shot. And you're my best friend, so you're the only one I really want to talk to about this stuff. And that goes for you, too, Bella if you want to talk about Alice, I'm here. Please don't think that you can't talk to me because of what happened. I'll always be here for you, I hope you know that."

"Of course I know that."

"Good. Because I want you to meet Katie. I think you'll really like her. And… I want to meet Alice. I mean, the few times I've spoken to her I've been kind of a bitch. And if she's got your head this messed up then I've got to meet her." She grinned at the expression on my face, before she climbed to her feet, glancing at her watch. "I've got to go, because I'm going out at seven walk with me?"

"Sure." We left together, arms linked, huddled closely together as we struggled through the wind outside. We stepped into the foyer of my apartment for respite, to be able to hear each other over the racket of the weather outside. "So, where are you going tonight?"

"On a date."

"You never date."

"I do now."

"Wow. I'm definitely going to have to meet this girl you're a changed woman already."

"Uh-huh. What are you doing later, then?"

"I…" I remembered what she'd said just a few minutes ago, in the coffee shop that I could talk to her about Alice, and feeling relieved for not having to keep things to myself any more. "I have a date too."

"Well, have fun," she smiled, pulling me into a hug and brushing a kiss against my cheek.

"You too," I murmured as she stepped back, zipping her coat up at high as it would go and saluting before she turned and opened the door, staring out.

"Wish me luck with getting home!" With a final grin she jogged through the open door, letting it slam through behind her. I shivered at the cold gust of air and made my way to the stairs, a smile on my face it was good to know that, whatever happened, I had someone there for me.

A/N:

The responses to the last chapter were al lovely, thank you so much! It's good to know that there are so many of you still interested in this.

I have these little things called first-year exams, so there's the possibility that I could be slower than usual (sorry, I know I'm already terrible).

I'm considering wrapping this story up in a few chapters. The last one I did was 20 chapters, and that felt that a good amount I just thought I'd warn you.

As always, thoughts and opinions are welcomed. Thanks again to those of you who do. :D