Hello Everyone :)

Sorry it's been a couple of weeks, but my editor was uncooperative with this... -_- Not that she didn't like it, she just didn't read it. *Sigh* oh well, so it's rough... but I figured you would rather have a rough chapter than no chapter at all. So, please enjoy!

Now, I should tell you that I've had this chapter done for a looong time, so I've been working on my new story that I wrote for the manga Naruto in the down time with this story. The next chapter might be a little slower considering I have yet to write it. I have the first few pages down and some arrant ideas in my mind but nothing solid. I'm having some difficulty with the next chapter. :/ But, I'll do everything I can and get it out as soon as possible.

Read and Review!

Keep Reading,

-TG

Chapter 10- Stronger

Alice POV

"I didn't expect her to find us so soon." Carlisle muttered. "I believe I am at fault."

"Don't blame yourself, Carlisle." I said, unable to look up into my family's eyes. I hadn't been able to look anyone directly in the eyes for a few hours, seeing as the guilt within me was gripping me so tightly I felt like I should be curled into a ball to whither away. Everything that had happened, the fact that Bella had nearly died everyone had flipped out of control, was entirely my fault. Carlisle had no part in this really. "It wasn't your fault at all. It doesn't matter right now, though. What matters in the situation is what we're going to do about this."

"I still don't see why she can't just stay here!" Emmett added rather unhelpfully. He sounded excited about the idea, and he didn't know how much I sincerely wished his suggestion was possible. But I already knew it was impossible.

"Emmett," Edward said, the tone of his voice sounding harsh when he said it. As cruel as it might be, I was secretly thankful Edward said it so I wouldn't have to. "Shut up. I think you have already done enough here."

"Me?!" Emmett yelled, and I was worried he would wake my unconscious sister in the other room. "Me?! Please, I believe I was the one who remained lucid when all of the rest of you went into frenzy back there. Seriously, Edward, what's your deal? Since when do you flip out at the smell of human blood? I thought you were supposed to be the high-and-mighty, almost to Carlisle status one out of all of us? You're usually the one holding us back, not the one trying to sneak a bite."

Actually, though it was a rather crude way to phrase it, Emmett had proposed a legitimate question. Why had Edward been unable to control himself? It didn't make sense— "I don't know, alright?!" Edward yelled, cutting off my thoughts. He seemed genuinely puzzled by the question as well. "I don't know what came over me! Her blood was just… different. I think she may be my, you know—"

"Stop it!" I yelled, unable to talk about my sister's blood anymore. Even if Bella was Edward's "singer," I couldn't see her like that. "Just stop it! This isn't just any human we're talking about here! This is my sister. Don't talk about her like that! Don't talk about her like she's just some random bucket of blood that you smell walking down the street! Ugh, you boys are insufferable! And, no, Emmett she can't stay here. Do you realize how hard this is for me as it is without having my own sister here? God, how can you be so dense?" I was being even harsher than Edward, but I didn't have time for sympathy. Not when my sister was in the next room, and would be conscious at any moment.

"Aw, come on sis! Don't be like that—" Emmett pleaded, but- by this point- all of us were fed up.

"Shut up, Emmett!" We all yelled in unison. Even Rosalie joined in, only proving that the tension and frustration in the air was getting to great to handle.

We all suddenly heard motion in the other room, and froze in place listening. We could all tell that she had woken up, and a silent feeling of dread crept up on me. Bella might be conscious, but we had yet to come to a decision. I had no clue what was going to happen, and I had run out of time again. I looked over the group, and begged in a hushed tone. "Someone please go stall her until we figure this thing out."

Rosalie finally added a bitter comment, as I had been expecting. "You want one of us to entertain your human?"

"I'll do it!" Emmett chimed in, though he was instantly ignored. We all knew I wasn't going to let Emmett be alone with my sister. I shuttered at the very idea.

"Well, it's not like Jasper or I can do it!" Realizing how loudly I was speaking, I tried to subdue my tone. "Carlisle, why don't you go talk—"

"I'll do it." I looked over in shock to see Edward's pondering expression. He wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation, instead thinking intently to himself. "I'd like to meet your sister if that's alright."

"No!" I yelled once again. "There's no way! I'm sorry, Edward, but I can't let you do that! This is my sister, and obviously you have some sort of weakness when it comes to her specifically, so I can't let you go out there and be alone with her."

"I can control myself Alice. I was caught off guard before, now I know to be wary around her. Besides, it's not her blood that makes me curious about her. I think your sister may be different for another reason…" He trailed off mysteriously.

"What do you mean, Edward?" Carlisle asked, and I could tell that they had that intrigue in their voice that was present whenever a new anomaly surfaced.

"I can't hear her." He looked up at us, and there were a few gasped whats emitted from my family in shock. I was in shock myself. "I realized a little while ago that I wasn't picking up on any of her thoughts. I thought I just wasn't paying attention, but when I tried to tune in to her, I got nothing. Even now, I can hear her moving around in the next room, but there are no thoughts coming from her. I sincerely doubt she's literally thoughtless, seeing as even babies think of pictures and things, so I assume she must be immune to my powers. I would really like to talk to her in person."

"Edward, please don't make me do this!" I yelled again, even though I was curious as well. Bella was immune to Edward's powers? But still, I had to protect my sister—and suddenly Edward was a threat to her. "I can't let you, or anyone else for that matter, who is so likely to hurt my sister go anywhere near her!"

"Don't you trust me?" He asked, the begrudging tone of his voice instantly making me regret my words. I must have offended him somehow.

"Of course I trust you; you're my brother." I said, the tone softening.

"Then let me do this. I promise you I will not harm your sister. That is the very last thing I'd ever want to do. She just intrigues me, and I'd very much like to get to know her." He sounded perfectly honest, and- just to be sure- I looked forward in time to make sure. What I saw was Edward and Bella sitting at the piano, playing music and talking harmlessly. I blinked in confusion for a moment, knowing I had seen that amused smile on his face before. As I thought of where I had seen that look previously, I immediately stopped myself from thinking about it—not wanting to reveal that previous vision to him. He had seen my vision as well, and was giving me a look to say See? I told you so.

I sighed, knowing I had lost this battle. "Alright. Distract her. We'll figure this out here then."

With a crooked smile back at me, he got up and left the room. We all listened as Bella began to tinker with Edward's piano, and Edward approached her, making the tinkering stop suddenly. Satisfied that they'd be alright for now, we returned to our conversation.

"It pains me to say this, but Bella can't stay here. It's too dangerous for her." I concluded, always listening distractedly to the music that had started in the entry way.

"Alright then." Carlisle said. "Would you like me to be the one to tell her?"

"Yes please." I said, feeling that familiar tightening in my chest that told me I was crying. I knew this would hurt her, and I hated myself for doing it. I couldn't do this to her though. I couldn't put Bella in anymore danger.

"What would you like me to say?" He asked, with a light tone that told me that I didn't have to rush this. I had time to think for a moment—Carlisle was granting me that much. I was grateful for the moment, but I didn't need to think about this. I had convincing myself that this was best for two years; I had the arguments already made in my mind.

"Make sure she knows that we can help her, but she can't stay here. She has to be somewhere where she is safe, and that's not here. Don't try to convince her that what she saw earlier was just a part of her imagination, but don't be completely honest. Just let her know that not speaking of this is for the sake of her own safety and mine as well." As I spoke, the words came out in a monotone. There was no inflection of my voice to betray emotion, seeing as I couldn't honestly say I wanted to believe any of that. But, like I had convinced myself time and time again, I had to believe this. I had to believe that this was what was best for her—if I faltered, it would only mean the worst for my sister.

"Ok, I can do that." Carlisle stated, but I could tell he was not finished speaking. "Alice, you know you don't have to do this. We can figure out a way for you two to be together, and you doubt how strong you are. I know you, Alice, and I have a pretty good idea of what Bella is like now. Are you sure you don't want to try to fix this, let the pieces fall where they may?"

"No." I said, absolutely resolute now. "My sister's a human. If the pieces don't fall in her favor, that's it for her. She's fragile—too fragile. This life isn't right for her."

"Ok, so if she's so fragile, why don't you just change her now?" Emmett added, sounding a little dejected from his previous denials.

"Absolutely not." I growled, the sound coming from deep within my chest. That was a ridiculous suggestion, and I wouldn't even consider it. My sister would not have her mortality taken away—I would make sure of that, no matter what. If all else failed, I would make sure Bella remained living: and that meant that she would be a mortal human. "I won't even consider that."

I looked over the group of vampires, the ones who were my family, and- by their expressions- could tell that both Emmett and Carlisle both thought the same thing. They both thought that she should be changed, but it didn't matter to me. This was my sister, and I would not let that happen. Rosalie looked expectably bored and offended. Esme, however, looked bothered by something. When I looked at her, she met my gaze with the same bothered look.

"If I may…" She asked quietly, and I nodded for her to continue. I had a feeling that she would have a problem with this whole ordeal, seeing as she considered family to be the highest priority. "I know it's not my place to help determine the fate of your sister, but I must say I don't agree with this. Alice, this is your sister we're talking about, and I have a feeling that, no matter who you have become, she'll still accept you in your life. You have an opportunity here that most immortals would kill for—the chance to hold on to your real family, and not have to watch them die away while you live on. We've all had to do that, but you're the first who has the opportunity to change the pattern. Trust me, Alice, you'll regret this later on in your existence if you pass up this chance now. This is your chance to maintain the relationship you had with your sister. She seems like a lovely girl from what I've heard, and we wouldn't mind having her as a part of our family. Not only that, but she could be the element that finally helps you overcome your vulnerability to human blood."

"Thank you, Esme." I finally conceded, knowing how passionate she felt about keeping family together. I didn't want to offend my adoptive mother, but this was something we would not agree on. "And I'm sorry, but I can not take my sister's life away from her unnaturally—not from premature death nor transformation to our life. I will see to it that she lives a long, happy life, has lots of children, and dies of old age. She deserves everything her human life will give her. I know her, and she'd probably not hesitate to join this life if it meant staying with me, but she's too young. She wouldn't know what she'd be giving up."

"I understand." Esme said, though I could tell that she still had that deeply rooted hope that I would change my mind.

"Alright then." Carlisle finally said. "Are you ready?"

I knew what he was asking, so I nodded; but I also knew that I would never be ready for this. I would never be ready to hurt my sister, to send her away from me when we were so close. This was just something I had to do—I wasn't ready for it, and I didn't want it. "As ready as I'll ever be. Jasper and I will be around, in the other rooms, listening in."

With that, we all got up. I stayed there for a few minutes, listening as the music coming from the entry way halted and Carlisle began to introduce the others to my sister. I closed my eyes, thinking of a world where I could introduce my family to Bella myself. I thought of an alternate reality where I could show her how great these people were, and I could show them how great my sister was. Instead, they were experiencing some bitter sweet introduction: a prelude to goodbye.

"Bella, if you'd like to come with us, we can talk in the other room and answer any… questions you might have." I heard Carlisle say, and I took that as my cue to leave the dining room. Jasper took my hand and led me into the next room. We moved to the living room to settle in and listen, but as soon as we made it to the room I was hit with Bella's scent. I paused and inhaled, unable to stop myself. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the frenzy that the scent of humans would bring. I waited for it, bracing myself to abate the monster within me. It wasn't the sudden onslaught of frenzy that surprised me, however. After a moment of panic, it was the inner peace that surprised me. I stopped, opened my eyes in shock, and sniffed the air once again. The smell had completely permeated the air since Bella had been here for an extended period of time, and when I had inhaled, that smell had travelled down my throat, making it burn painfully. But, when I stopped to figure out what had happened, I realize that nothing actually had. I stood there dumbly, trying to figure out why I wasn't going crazy with thirst. The smell made my throat burn, yes, but it wasn't intolerable.

"Alice?" Jasper inquired, seeing my odd display and sensing my confusion. I moved closer to the couch, where the smell was more concentrated, slowly and deliberately. Jasper followed me as I walked to the couch with timid footsteps, sniffing the air as I got closer. When I made it to the couch, I sat down hesitantly. Finally, I inhaled deeply, allowing the smell to invade my nostrils and burn my throat more. Even then, nothing happened. I was still completely in control. It was almost as if being immersed in the scent was making it easier and easier to be around. With a sudden spark of realization, I jumped up and followed the scent to its next strongest source, the piano bench. I sat down on the piano bench next to Jasper, who had followed me there as well. I took another deep inhale, taking in the more and more concentrated air. Every time I took another breath, the burning got easier to bear. It was like convincing yourself to immerse your entire body in a freezing pool. Diving in all at once was fast, but painful and torturous. If you went in a little at a time, the process was slow but your body would slowly adapt to the pain.

"Alice?" Jasper said again. "What's the matter?"

I smiled a little, taking in another deep breath as I did so. "Nothing." I replied, looking down and focusing more on my breathing. "I'm stronger than I thought I was."

Jasper chuckled and rubbed my back comfortingly. "I believe we've all been trying to tell you that for some time now."

"I know." I replied, chuckling softly but feeling like I should cry with relief. I was within the range of a human, and I wasn't becoming a monster.

"So…" He continued. "What do you plan on doing about this new information?"

I looked up in shock, realizing something I hadn't thought was possible. "I don't know what—" I began, but halfway through my sentence I was cut off by a sudden vision.

Vision

There was nothing particularly amazing about the scene in my vision at first glance. A family gathered around a television screen together, watching a movie from various positions on the couches, chair, and the floor. They chatted aimlessly about the movie of their fixation: some criticizing and some complimenting what they were watching. What was particularly special about this scene however, was the family which the vision was centered around. It was my family…and, upon further inspection, I realized that miraculously it was my entire family.

On the loveseat, Carlisle and Esme sat comfortably talking to each other. In the chair to the right of them sat Emmett, and- on his lap- Rosalie. On the couch, Jasper sat with me on the floor in front of him. I leaned back against his knees, not talking but smiling peacefully. I suppose that the reason I was so happy and content was not only the fact that I was sitting in front of the love of my life, but because, beside us on the couch, sat my sister, Bella. She was blushing and beautiful as always, which meant that she was perfectly human. She was human, and she was with me and my adoptive family. This was more like a scene out of my deepest desires, and not out of my visions of the future.

Before I lost sight of the vision, I took one more glance back at my sister and noticed something I hadn't caught before. Not only was she sitting beside Jasper and I, but by Edward as well. Not only was she sitting beside him though, she was leaning against him. She talked to Jasper and I pleasantly, not seeming at all fazed by the fact that my adoptive brother had his arm around her. In fact, there was nothing odd at all about this sight, even though I had never seen them interact before. The way they were around each other looked completely natural—as if they were meant to be around each other. They fit together so seamlessly, they were like two pieces of a puzzle. Edward looked down to Bella admiringly, not speaking more than a few comments every now and then. He wasn't watching the movie much either. He seemed much more interested in looking at Bella. For the second time ever, I saw a look on Edward's face that I saw frequently on Jasper's, Emmett's, and Carlisle's faces. Again, Edward looked completely content—as if the girl of his fixation was all he needed in his life to keep him living. Except now, I could actually see the girl he was looking at this way.

And that girl was my sister.

End vision

I gasped, not quite sure what to make of that vision. There was no way that could have been right, could it? Bella had been interacting with my family as if it were normal and not a novelty from my dreams. Could she really stay with us? And Edward was going to fall in love with her? All of this was just a little too much to consider at once.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked after he realized I was no longer in a dazed trance.

I smiled knowingly, and pulled his hand so he would follow me off the piano bench. "You'll see." I said, trying to test the theory I had just thought of.

As I moved closer and closer to the dining room, Bella's scent got stronger. I breathed it in deeply, only grimacing slightly with the pain. After a few moments, it dwindled to a controllable level and I tried not to let the pain affect my expression.

I listened in to the conversation, just in time to hear Bella speak about me. "…I came after Alice so that I could be with her again—so that that wounded part of me would heal and being close to her wouldn't hurt me anymore. I don't want to be in pain anymore."

I sighed, listening to what she said. I could relate to her feeling. I didn't want to be in pain anymore either, and I had assumed it was an inevitable part of this life. But, as I could see, I might not be able to rid myself of the pain, but I could ease it. I could withstand the pain until it was tolerable. Even now, with Bella in the next room and her scent filling the air all around me, I wasn't out of control. I was in just as much pain as Bella was, though it was for different reasons. It made me think that- if I could make my own pain tolerable- I could at least ease hers, if not appease it all together. I listened in again, only to realize that Esme had stood up.

"I can't do this." I heard her whisper to Carlisle, and I realized this was about what she had said earlier. It broke her heart to see my sister being pushed away like this. It made me only happier that I was already decided on this alternate option. "I can't watch this anymore. You know how I feel about the situation. You guys have discussed it, and I have included my input, but I know the final decision is up to Alice. But you know how I feel about this."

As Esme exited the room, I looked at her with a grave, serious expression. From the way she hunched over as she walked outside the room, I could tell she was crying in the only way she could, and the guilt for making her do this gripped at me. "Esme," I murmured, and she looked over at me as if she hadn't realized I was there.

"Oh, Alice, I'm sorry…" She whispered back.

"No," I interrupted her, and walking over her to give her a hug. She graciously received the embrace, and buried her face in my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Esme. This is enitirely my fault."

She tried to abate my guilt, but I wouldn't let her try to comfort me. "No, sweetie, it's not—"

"You shouldn't worry." I said, looking into her eyes as I spoke. "It's all going to be alright. I've seen it."

"What?" She asked, the surprise replacing the sorrow in her eyes. For a moment, the hope for another possibility was reignited within her.

"Make sure you're ok." I said, starting to make my way toward the door of the dining room. "Come back in when you're ready. You'll be happy to know that I've changed my mind."

"Oh, Alice." This time, Esme looked as if she would cry from happiness. I gave her a smile before I turned back towards the door.

I listened in to the conversation before I would enter the room. I listened in to hear Bella argue to the others, "…I always thought that it was just because she had to leave home. I don't blame her for wanting to leave our parents. But me? She always told me how important I was in her life…but now I know that can't be true. If I was so important in her life, she would take advantage of this opportunity for me to be in her life again. If I was so important to her, she would at least do me the decency of telling me she no longer wants me herself."

"Bella, please—"As Carlisle began to argue, I couldn't take it anymore. I entered the room, with Jasper in tow, and interrupted what he was about to say. I couldn't believe my Sister actually thought I didn't want her there. That was the last thing I wanted, and I couldn't understand why she would ever think that.

"Don't be so ridiculous." I said, the tone of my voice coming out harsher than I had anticipated. I didn't mean to be angry with my sister, but how could I not be when she was being so absurd? It bothered me that she would ever think that I wouldn't want her, and I'm sure I looked about as unhappy as I felt. Though I wasn't happy, my feeling ebbed when I was able to look at Bella for the first real time in two years. I had already seen how she had changed in the past two years through my visions, but I hadn't been able to get a good look at her up until now. Looking at her, I suddenly thought of the picture that was almost always on my person. Back in our days in Texas, Jasper had found that picture for me amongst my human things. It was my most prized material possession, seeing as it had been the only thing I had to connect me back to my human life and my sister. The reason I had been reminded of this was because, looking at Bella again, I was suddenly reminded of my human self. She had grown to look like I had when I had been human. She had the same chocolate brown hair I had once had, though hers was longer, and the same chocolate brown eyes, which were replaced with gold in my case. We had had the same heart-shaped face, before mine had become more angular and defined. Her cheeks were pink, from her constant blushing, but it wasn't her blood that that I fixated on as I scrutinized her appearance—It was how much she had grown up in my absence. She was so beautiful to me that she could have easily compared with any vampire I had ever seen.

"Alice?" Carlisle asked, breaking me from my reverie. I realized he was asking how my condition was in such close proximity to a human. My throat burned incessantly and venom pooled in my mouth, but over all I was doing well. I could bear all of that as long as it meant that this could work.

"I'll be fine, Carlisle." I said, looking at my sister as I spoke. I really was fine, and though I hadn't actually had a vision about this, I told him I had. "I've seen it. So long as Jasper and Edward are here, nothing will go wrong."

I met Bella's gaze as she looked back at me, her pained expression matching my own. "Alice?" She whispered.

"Bella." I said, and I was unable to make my tone as frustrated as I felt with my sister.

I didn't think I'd be able to control myself as she broke down, tears pouring from her eyes as she spoke. "Do you really want me to go?"

"No, of course not." I felt the familiar ache that told me I was crying as well. It broke my already still heart to see my sister cry. "Why would you ever think that?"

"Because you left me!" She broke into hysterics, and every word she spoke was like another sharp dagger piercing into my chest. "You left me, and didn't want me to find you. But even when we're together again, you're trying to send me away."

That's it, I thought unable to stand hurting her anymore. I'm not letting her go anywhere.

"Alice?" Edward asked, in response to my thoughts.

I've changed my mind. I thought directly to Edward. I can't let my sister go anywhere. Not when she's already with me. She can handle this, I know it, and now I realize I can handle this too. I showed him a brief flash of the vision I had seen earlier. I watched him look over at my sister, and smile. "If you're sure…" He replied to my thoughts. "I certainly don't have a problem with it."

I realized suddenly that Edward hadn't seen the part of the vision of them together, and I projected that thought towards him. Edward, I asked in my mind. Are you falling for my sister? I looked at his confused stare, an amused smile lighting my face. I had never seen my brother act bashful for any particular reason, and I could already tell that my visions hadn't lied: he was totally falling for her, and they hadn't even known each other for more than a few hours. With a final embarrassed grin at my thoughts, he said, "I guess we'll see."

I felt Jasper behind me suddenly use his power to release the tension in the room. Everyone, besides Rosalie, seemed to loosen up considerably, and I even saw Bella smile. Finally, she asked, "Alice, what's going on?"

This was it. I was finally going to see if my new theory was correct: I would see if Bella would handle this as well as I thought she would. "Bella, I'm going to tell you exactly what's going on, but only because I know that you'll be able to handle this much better than I had ever imagined." Everyone besides Edward tensed at the thought, and I realized they didn't know my plans. "Not only that, but I have found that I could handle this much better than I had imagined."

Carlisle must have asked the obvious question, because Edward nodded towards him. Carlisle smiled at me and looked prouder than I had ever seen him in my case. This was good. This meant I had his support, and I already knew I had Esme's, Edward's, Jasper's, and Emmett's as well. And, if everyone else wanted Bella to stay, then Rosalie's opinion didn't exactly matter.

"Bella," I began, finally taking a place behind Edward's seat as I settled in to explain. "This is going to be a little confusing and hard to explain, so please bear with me. If this works out like I've seen it will, we won't have to stay apart any more.'

Bella's eyes slowly grew wide in shock, as if she couldn't comprehend what I had just said. "Alice, are you being serious? Whatever I need to do, just tell me. I'll do anything if I can stay with you."

I smiled down at my sister where she sat across from me, and I hoped from the bottom of my dead heart that she would take this as well as I thought she would. "Of course I'm being serious about this, Bella. I wouldn't kid about this. I want this to work just as much as you do, if not more. Just listen first, and then if you have any doubts or questions don't hesitate to ask." She nodded, seeming eager to agree to my request. I took this as my cue to continue. "I guess I'll start then by telling you that the world as you know it will change from here on out."

She looked confused for a moment, but she nodded slowly telling me to continue. I smiled reassuringly at her, and thought for a moment how it would be best to start. "I guess I should explain myself from the very beginning then… Do you remember that night where we watched all those movies and fell asleep crying to Titanic?"

I smiled recalling one of the few memories I had saved from my human life, seeing as it not only included Bella but had been so close to my transformation. At the mention of the odd memory, I received a few chuckles from Edward and Emmett, who were probably imagining me crying to chick-flicks back in my human days. Bella chuckled ruefully, and looked at me. "Of course I remember. That was the week you went missing."

At that, the light atmosphere died down and seemed to be weighed down by the seriousness of Bella's statement. "Yes," I said. "That was the week I disappeared. I'm sorry for that, but- at the time- I didn't really know what was going to happen. If you remember, I had a vision that night… I told you it was about my upcoming shopping adventure…."

With a flicker of recognition, her expression darkened. "That vision wasn't about shopping." It hadn't been a question, but a statement.

I nodded to confirm her thought, and continued. "I had had a vision about you getting hurt when we went to the city. There was a girl, not much older than I had been at the time, or so it seemed. She… attacked you. I didn't know what she did, I just saw you… dead in my vision." She gasped, and I looked up to make sure I hadn't shocked her beyond repair yet. "Yes, that's why I really told you not to come with me. Luckily, you would do anything to get out of shopping, so it wasn't that difficult to convince you not to go. I couldn't let you get hurt, Bella, but for some reason… I knew I had to go. There was something drawing me to the city, to the object of my vision. I didn't know what it had been until I was actually there. I had been distracted the whole day, only able to focus enough on shopping to get your outfit before I made my way to the alley from my vision. I left your things in my car and practically ran to the alley. When I was there however, I was followed by some men. I was backed up into the alley way, when it happened."

I looked around, seeing everyone's eyes on me as though I was telling an engrossing story. Bella looked worried, but not afraid. This was a good thing. "Just when I had no way to escape, something suddenly attacked my pursuers… or, should I say, someone. There were four people, three women and a man." At this, I looked subtly to Jasper, who seemed to be grimacing at the reminder of how we met. "They had killed the four men who had followed me, right before my eyes. I witnessed four people being killed, but somehow I wasn't afraid of their killers. At the time I was just grateful that I wasn't dead for the moment. Not only that, but there was something very different about them: they were incredibly fast and strong and- above all else- beautiful. The three women's names were Nettie, Lucy, and Maria. But the one who really held my attention was the man. And his name was Jasper Whitlock."

Bella blinked in surprise, and looked from me to Jasper behind me. "Jasper?" She asked, and I wasn't surprised she had caught on so quickly. She didn't seem afraid of him, just curious.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Bella. It's nice to finally meet the sister Alice has always told me so much about." Jasper smiled at my sister, and she blushed in response. I chuckled at her, able to relate with how charming male vampires could be. I smiled at the thought, and Jasper took my hand with his for support as I started again.

"Yes, that's right," I continued, able to smile from the combined efforts of recalling some pleasant memories and the effect of Jasper's power. "This is Jasper, Bella. I've wanted to introduce you to him for a very long time now. So like I was saying, Jasper is the one who had killed the men who were going to hurt me. I didn't know how he had done it at the time—I just knew that there was something different about him, and that- whether it was dangerous or not- I was drawn to him in some odd way."

Knowing I was about to reveal the key part of the story, I looked to make sure Bella was alright with the information so far. When I spoke the last phrase, I saw her very briefly glance toward Edward as if she could relate to that feeling of the draw of someone dangerous. In concerned me a little, but I continued nonetheless. "One of the women, Maria, was curious about me. She liked interesting people, and she was greedy for my odd gift. She tried to scare me, which she probably could have done easily if I wasn't in shock. She ran at impossible speeds and her eyes were blood red. And when I questioned it, she revealed to me that she was a vampire."

I paused for a moment, looking as Bella's eyes widened. Nothing else besides that, however, happened, so I took this as a good sign. "Of course, I didn't believe her at first… but then I realized that I had to believe her. What other explanation was there? She was pale, red eyed, and she had just attacked and fed from the men who were going to probably kill me. I soon realized that Maria, Lucy, Nettie, and Jasper were all vampires. The one I had seen in my vision had been Nettie. Unable to control herself, she attacked me."

Bella gasped again, but nodded to signal for me to continue. With a quick breath, which burned my throat as a simple reminder of what I was about to inform her, I finally said it. "I was bitten, Bella."

"Which would make you…" She said, unable to look straight at me as she seemed to process this information in shock. "A vampire." She finally breathed the word, as if it were a great feat to say it.

The tension in the room seemed to grow to an unbearable level as the silence stretched between us. After a while, Jasper calmed us all so we could think properly. Eventually, she looked at me and said definitively. "Alright."

I blinked in shock and looked at her like she was crazy. "Alright?" I said, incredulously. "That's all you have to say about that little bit of information? Alright? You don't have anything else to say, or any questions?"

She thought for another moment, before turning deliberately to Carlisle. "Actually I do have some questions. Don't laugh—but how can you come out during the daytime?"

My family and I couldn't help it—we laughed anyway. Unlike their amused laughter, however, mine was of relief. I laughed an awkward, relieved gasp that my sister was acting so normal about this. It was like I had just told her that I had decided to become vegetarian, and not that I was a vampire. Realizing no one had answered Bella's question, Edward finally supplied, "Myth."

"Burned by the sun?" She added.

"Myth."

"Sleeping in coffins?" She asked, a bit of disgust in her voice.

Edward chuckled and answered again. "Myth. We can't sleep."

She blinked rapidly and asked incredulously, "Not at all?"

"Never." He said quietly, his amused smile never leaving his face as he gazed at my sister.

"You haven't asked us the most important question." Emmett said, with a mischievous look on his face. I wouldn't have been worried, only I heard the almost inaudible growl emit from Edward's chest as he heard what Emmett was thinking. At Bella's confused look, Emmett added. "What do we eat?"

"Oh. That." She said, and suddenly all the color drained from her face. I glared at Emmett.

Before she got the wrong idea, I told the truth. "We drink the blood of animals. We try not to be monsters, if we can help it."

"Oh." She said, her posture visibly relaxing at the comment. "That's good."

I shook my head in amazement. How could she be taking this so coolly? Even I hadn't expected her to be this ok with everything that we had thrown at her. I met her chocolate eyes and whispered. "Bella, doesn't this bother you at all?"

She looked up at me, then looked down and smiled. "It would," She said. "Only… I had prepared myself for this. I had the feeling there was something different about you—something you wouldn't want me to know. However, I decided a while ago that it didn't matter."

"It doesn't matter?" Edward and I exclaimed at the exact same time. I looked over at him quickly, wondering why he was as appalled at the idea as I was.

"Nope." She said, that bright smile lighting her face as she looked at us. "It doesn't matter to me who or what you are. I'm just beside myself with happiness that I finally have you back."

As she looked up at me, I just shook my head in amazement. My sister is incredible…I thought in wonder.

"You can think that again." Edward whispered just loud enough for me to hear it over his shoulder.

Sooooo... what did you think? ^_^ I liked writing this chapter, seeing as I finally (after more than 30 chapters apart!) brought Alice and Bella back together! Yaaaay.... ^_^ As you could see, I wanted to make Bella's reaction as in character as possible so I took some of her responses from "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer, all rights are hers for that part (and of course the characters belong to her too)... Hahaha, I really fail at disclaimers XD