Because it's been so long since I updated, I stayed up late to finish this chapter…even though I have the first class of a brand new semester early next afternoon. Eek! Wish me luck, guys.

Chapter 29: Asunder

"You have to tell her," Edward said at once.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Alice's origins have been a mystery as long as she can remember, and you've just solved it. She should know."

"Mrs. Petrelli isn't someone most people would be thrilled to have for a sister, and I doubt she'd take being related to a vampire well; all this time she's thought Alice was dead, and because of James she blames vampires for her losing her sister. She really hates them…you," Elle corrected herself. Her eyes widened as she remembered what had prompted her to dig into Angela's past in the first place. "She wants to kill you! Her husband wants to make me do it."

Edward took the news with amazing calmness. "Well, I'm sure you'll do what you have to."

"I don't want to - you know that, right? - it's just that…"

"You're afraid Arthur Petrelli will force you, and you're afraid of him." Elle gave a reluctant nod. "I don't want you endangering yourself over me. Your life is more important to me than my own."

At first Elle merely looked stunned; then her face slowly shifted into a defiant expression. "No. Screw the Petrellis - I won't hurt you any more than I already have, no matter what they do to me. I-" I think I love you. "I care about you too much to do that."

"Then I suppose I'll have to find a way out of here."

"Do you think you can?"

"Give me time. For now I want you to go to your room, get some rest, and stay out of trouble. Do not confront Angela Petrelli or her husband about what you discovered tonight. Can you do that for me?"

"Hey, I always stay out of trouble." Edward just looked skeptically at her. "And when I do get into trouble it's hardly ever my fault." The skeptical look only intensified. "Fine, I won't do anything. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Edward said dryly. "Tomorrow, at a time when your being down here won't attract suspicion, I need you to bring me your cell phone."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." She walked out, leaving him alone to think.

Escape from the facility was impossible; the evolved humans' powers - some of them a lot more formidable than his telepathy - were just as strong as a vampire's, and if one or more of the Company's agents had the gift of increased strength they might be able to outmatch him in a physical fight as well. He would have to dissuade Alice's long-lost sister and her husband from killing him, because he had no intention of dying now that Elle finally 'thought' she loved him. He didn't know how she had reached that conclusion or how long it would take for her to admit it out loud or even think it deliberately rather than by accident in a rare unguarded moment, but it was still the best thing that had happened to him all week.

###

Elle delivered her phone at eleven o'clock the following morning as requested, then stepped out so he could use it in private.

"Well?" she asked when he tapped on the observation window to let her know she could come back in. "Did you just order a hit on my boss?"

Edward rolled his eyes, which were darkening rapidly. He hadn't hunted since before Elle left Forks; first he was too busy fending off James, then the revelation of her true identity had taken away his appetite. "I don't have assassins on speed dial, Elle."

"So who'd you call?"

Petrelli mansion - 13 hours later

Angela woke in a cold sweat, having just relived in a nightmare her first glimpse of a vampire - his pale, perfect features and predatory grace, but mostly his chilling red eyes. She'd seen him in the Coyote Sands cabin she shared with her sister, sniffing Alice's pillow and the socks she had left on her bed that morning…and he had seen her. Riveted by those crimson eyes, Angela stood there helplessly, heart racing, waiting for him to kill her. He hadn't, though; he wasn't interested in her. He simply told her she was lucky not to smell as delectable as her sister and walked right past her. Their arms brushed, and his skin was so cold it burned her.

Angela never saw Alice again after that night. She had had a dream of Alice screaming in pain as another beautiful white-skinned man…monster…bit her throat and licked the blood from her wounds, and then Alice vanished from Angela's dreams as well. That was when Angela had realized the impossible truth: she had encountered a real-life vampire. Vampires were real, and they had taken her beloved big sister.

Coming back to the present, Angela realized her nightmare wasn't the only source of the cold feeling raising goose bumps on her skin; one of the bedroom windows was open. She was sure it had been closed when she fell asleep. She slid out of bed, careful not to disturb Arthur, and closed it. Then she noticed that the bedroom door was also open.

Her blood ran cold; had someone broken in? Doors and windows didn't open themselves. But if there was an intruder, they didn't seem to mean the Petrellis any harm - after all, if they'd come in through the window they had walked past Arthur and Angela while they were fast asleep, leaving them unharmed. Angela walked slowly out of the bedroom and ventured down a hallway, searching for any sign of someone who didn't belong.

Suddenly, an icy hand pulled her into a guestroom at the other end of the hall. Another covered her mouth before she could scream. "Shh, Angela, there's no need for that." The voice was feminine, musical…and somewhat familiar. But the cold, hard skin clearly belonged to a vampire.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying not to whimper.

The hands released her. "Turn around."

She obeyed, terrified of what she would see…and found herself face to face with someone who looked eerily like the sister who had been haunting her dreams and nearly all her waking hours since Edward Cullen's arrival, yet at the same time totally different. Alice looked almost exactly the same as she had all those years ago - even the short haircut she'd gotten to annoy their mother hadn't changed - but her pixie-like features were slightly more angular, her skin paler, her eyes a deep ocher - the same as Edward's had been when Angela had gone to have a look at him on the first day of his captivity.

"Hello, little sister. It's been a long time."

This time Angela did whimper, unable to stop herself. She'd had it wrong all these years - the vampires hadn't killed Alice at all. They had changed her. Made her like them. "Oh God, no."

Alice studied the human in front of her, wondering at the lack of emotion she felt. Her sister… But she had no memories of growing up with her. Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett felt much more like her family than this woman who was now staring at her in abject horror. "You don't need to be afraid," she tried to assure Angela. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You- You're-"

"Really here? Alive? A vampire? Yes."

"This is impossible," Angela whispered. "I saw them kill you."

"If you were close enough to see anything, how did you escape?"

"I wasn't there; I saw it in a vision."

That was interesting; apparently precognition ran in the family.

Angela collected herself. If her vampire sister was here to kill her there was nothing she could do about it. Falling apart would serve no purpose except that she would die an undignified mess, which she refused to do. "Why are you here? Why come back after all this time?"

"I can't remember anything from before I was changed; I don't know why. Maybe the trauma caused me to forget. This morning Edward called and told me his girlfriend had uncovered information about my past - records from a place called Coyote Sands? I came to meet my human family."

"Edward?"

Alice nodded. "My brother."

"He isn't your brother, Alice."

"Yes he is," she said sharply. "The Cullens showed me how to live with what I am without becoming a monster - they're my family now."

Angela blanched. Alice wasn't the sister she used to know anymore, but hearing that she had been replaced still stung.

Seeing her reaction, Alice softened. "It's not your fault; you didn't do anything to make me stop thinking of you as my sister. I wish I could remember you, but I can't. If you want, I suppose we could try…to get to know each other again." She spoke with little enthusiasm - judging by Angela's initial reaction to her, the odds of them reestablishing their sisterly bond seemed slim. Angela pursed her lips, not sure if she was ready to accept a vampire as her sister either. "But whatever happens with us, I need you to let Edward go. He's not a danger to anybody, I promise."

Angela was hesitant. "He's a vampire…"

"So am I!" Alice snapped. "He may be a vampire, but he isn't evil. He helped Elle kill the tracker who hunted me in Coyote Sands."

Angela cringed as his face flashed across her mind. "He's the vampire the Bishop girl killed?"

"Long blond ponytail, wore his shirt unbuttoned, red eyes?"

"Yes, that's him."

Alice nodded. "His name was James, and yes, he's dead." Angela's relief was palpable. "So if you've imprisoned Edward out of some sense of revenge, you couldn't be more misguided. I'm asking you to let him go as a favor to me, since we're related, but I can be more forceful if that's what it takes. So can the others. Please Angela, I'd rather not fight with you."

Angela swallowed hard. "Very well, I'll have him released tomorrow. You're the reason I've wanted so badly to find a way to kill vampires - because they took you from me. If this is what you want I…I'll see that it happens."

"Thank you." Alice turned to go.

Angela's hand jerked as if she wanted to reach out for her but stopped herself. "Will I see you again?"

Alice flashed her a smile filled with gleaming teeth. "You know where to find me. I'm going home to Forks, but I'll be back."

###

Eden let Edward out of his cell first thing the next morning. Angela even arranged for a Primatech car to take him to the airport, where Alice was waiting. She had already booked their flight to Seattle. There was only one problem: he was leaving without Elle. Alice had been able to get him released from Primatech's custody, but they weren't letting go of her any time soon.

"It really sucks that you're not coming with us," Alice said sadly. "Maybe if I talked to Angela again-"

"No. My life is here. What would I do in Forks anyway? Go to high school for real?"

"Well, we'll miss you." Alice tried to hug her, but Elle stepped back.

"Really? That wasn't the feeling I got last time we talked."

"I was mad at you for breaking my brother's heart, but you came through eventually. And of course I'm grateful to you for finding out where I came from. If it wasn't for you I would never have known - I would never have seen my sister again."

Elle shrugged off Alice's gratitude. "I was just looking for something I could use to help Edward; it was just a coincidence that I found out about you at the same time."

"However you came by it, it doesn't change my feelings." She moved away. "I'll let you and Edward have a moment alone."

They had avoided looking at or speaking to one another during the ride to the airport, neither wanting to say what had to be said, but it couldn't be put off any longer. "Is this really goodbye?" Edward asked, distress evident in his quiet voice.

"It doesn't have to be. We have phones and Internet, you know."

"That's not good enough. I don't know how I'm going to tolerate not being with you, not being able to touch you…"

"You could stay here," Elle suggested.

Edward sighed. "No, I can't. The sun-"

"I bet there are lots of rich guys in New York City who sleep all day and only come out at night to party. You'd fit right in."

"How is staying cooped up inside all day any better than the cell I just got out of? And even if I stayed in the same state, you would still be living in the facility. Not with me. Also, hunting would be inconvenient, and Esme would be upset if I didn't come home."

"Okay, I can see your point. That doesn't mean I like it," she added petulantly, arms crossed stubbornly over her chest.

Edward took hold of her wrists and gently pulled her arms down to her sides, pinning them there as he pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her deeply, almost desperately, until the call for his plane to begin boarding came over the loudspeakers; then he reluctantly let her go. "I'll miss you."

"Come on, Edward! It's time to go!" Alice called. She was already in the line of passengers shuffling toward the chute leading from the terminal into the plane.

"I'm coming! Goodbye, Elle." He hurried off to join his sister in line.

"I'll miss you too," Elle whispered. Her voice got lost amid the chatter and noise of the busy airport, but Edward glanced back at her, their eyes meeting for an instant; he had heard. Then he was gone. Soon after, the Haitian - her babysitter, she thought with a surge of annoyance - approached, his dark eyes boring searchingly into her. "No, I do not wish I was going with him," she snapped. "You weren't there long enough to tell, but Forks is really boring."

The Haitian was silent, as always, yet seemed to radiate disbelief.

Elle huffed; she wasn't in the mood for an argument in which she'd have to do all the talking. "Come on, let's just go home."

I know in the show Angela's sister was younger than her, but I figured here it had to be the other way around or Alice would've been too young when she was changed. If Angela was about fifteen when they were at Coyote Sands that would make Alice about eighteen or nineteen.

Next up: Edward gets a surprise when he returns home. Any guesses what it might be?