This is my first time trying a Bella/Alice story, not to mention writing in first person, so please be gentle. It was supposed to be a one-shot, but grew out of control when my brain took over and my fingers would not stop typing. The second and third parts will be posted soon.

None of the characters belong to me; I am just giving them different options! I wasn't a fan of the options they were given to begin with, thus I had to give them more!

Hope you enjoy it.

To Love You More

Part One

I'll be waiting for you

Here inside my heart

I'm the one who wants to love you more

You will see I can give you

Everything you need

Let me be the one to love you more

To Love You More - Celine Dion

Bella

When he pulled away from the kiss abruptly and pushed me away, I snapped. This had been our daily routine for the past three months and I was damn sick of it. Ever since coming back from Italy, where I had basically saved his sparkly ass from the Volturi, I had been wanting to take our relationship to the next level, and every time, it ended with him pushing me away and apologizing for not having more control.

I got up from the bed and ran a hand through my messy hair. "I'm going to go shower."

"I'm sorry, Bella," he apologized for the hundredth time.

"Yeah, I know," I responded tiredly, but in reality, I didn't.

How was it that we had been together for so long and he couldn't handle a few kisses without losing control of himself? I wondered as I opened the door and walked away.

Knowing I needed to calm down some, I took longer than usual in the shower. One thing that surprised me, but maybe not so much anymore, was the lack of wetness between my legs. It had been happening more often as of late and the more Edward pushed me away, the more I wanted to ask him to go home and not come back at night anymore. All he ever wanted to do was cuddle, with him outside the blanket and me underneath, so even that was a joke.

Alice's face swam before my eyes as I thought of the little pixie that had no problems with distance or making me uncomfortable when she stayed over on the nights Edward couldn't make it. Alice would cuddle with me the entire night, under the blankets, and never had a problem with our closeness. I always ended up sprawled all over my best friend and Alice never said a thing about it, she actually seemed to encourage it. Not only that, but she was a hell of a lot more comfortable to lie with than Edward. While both were cold and their skin was hard, Alice still had some feminine softness to her skin and I loved to bury my head between the pixie's neck and shoulder, wrap an arm around her waist and nestled my leg in between Alice's for the entire night. Alice made it ever better when she stroked my back and arms softly, lulling me into a peaceful sleep that I didn't get with anyone else. With Edward, I always went to bed frustrated or stressed, but with Alice, I was in a calm state that made me relax completely and the nightmares stayed away.

As I finished my shower, I made up my mind as to what I was going to do. Either Edward accepted to move further in our relationship, or I was done with it for good. Things hadn't been the same for us since he had left me abandoned in the woods and I had never fully forgiven him for that. I had, however, accepted to give him a chance to prove himself, but so far, he hadn't done anything to make me think he had changed his ways. He insisted on overprotecting me, on telling me I shouldn't see Jake as much, patronizing me when it came to the things I wanted in my future, telling me becoming a vampire like him and his family was out of the question. Going away had done nothing to change his feelings about our relationship, so why should I put up with it? The way things stood was no longer something I wanted in my life. He had been killing the love I had felt for him a little bit every day and I no longer cared whether we were together or not. Our relationship consisted of holding hands, chaste kisses and nothing more. I would never be able to show him how I felt physically, I would keep on aging while he stayed the same, and eventually, I would have to move on to someone else that allowed me to be myself and make my own decisions.

After I finished drying myself and applying lotion all over my body, I put on a silk robe Alice had gotten for me and went back to my room. I was going to test him one more time, and depending on how he acted, I would make my final decision. As soon as I walked into the room, he looked up and smiled at me in that crooked way of his that no longer held appeal like it had at first.

"That took longer than usual," he mentioned as he walked up to me and opened his arms. "I think it's time you go to sleep, dear. Tomorrow is a school day and you'll be tired."

I bristled at his words. So much for thinking a little lotion would get some of his attention. I walked over to my dresser and ignored his opened arms. Opening a drawer I took out a matching pair of boy shorts and tank top, also courtesy of Alice, aka my personal shopper. Without thinking about it any longer, I undid the knot at my waist and let the robe fall to my feet. A smile played on my lips at Edward's sudden intake of unneeded breath.

"Bella, what are you doing?" he asked in surprise.

Turning around, I gave him a full frontal view and watched as his eyes widened.

"Like what you see?" I asked playfully.

"Bella, please, stop it this instant and put some clothes on," he ordered me as he swiftly turned around.

Facing his rigid back, I put on my clothes quickly and then put the robe back on for good measure. Squaring my shoulders, I tightened the robe at my waist. I walked over to the bed and sat down. Hearing this, Edward peaked over his shoulder and let lose a sigh of relief to my complete annoyance. As he was walking over to the bed, I put up my hand making him stop.

"I think you need to go home."

"What?"

"You heard me." I took a deep breath and made my decision. "I don't think this is working between us anymore and I'm done with it, Edward."

"What are you talking about, dear?"

The confusion was clear in his eyes. Well, I would be more than happy to clear it up for him.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore. Obviously, we want different things and neither of us seems willing to back down. Before it gets to the point that we can't even be friends, I'd rather stop it here."

His eyes widened even more. "Bella, consider what you're saying here. Surely you know you're not thinking clearly."

He would do much better if he kept his mouth shut and his chauvinistic comments to his damn self.

"I couldn't be more serious, Edward. Nothing has changed since you came back. Nothing will ever change. You've set your mind about how you want things to be and I have no say. However, I tend to disagree and I do have a say. And this is it for me."

"Did Jacob put you up to this?" he asked losing his calm.

I just barely kept myself from pulling at my hair in frustration. "No, Edward, no one put me up to this. I've been feeling this way for a while and I just can't take it anymore. No one knows about this, either, so don't go thinking of someone else to blame."

"I can't accept this."

"You're going to have to find a way to, then, because I'm not changing my mind."

"You can't do this to me!"

"Edward, please leave. I'm tired and I need to get some sleep or I'll be a mess at school tomorrow."

He stood there, looking at me, not really believing I was serious until I got up and walked over to the window. I opened it and looked pointedly at him. Knowing there wasn't much he could do at the moment, he walked over to the window and glared down at me.

"This isn't over," he threatened.

"Yes, it is, Edward. Good night."

Gritting his teeth, he climbed out of the window and I immediately lowered it and put the lock in place. Hearing that, he climbed down the tree furiously and ran into the nearby forest. I unlocked the window again and then leaned against the wall as the tears came and I let them fall. I cried for over an hour, sitting down against the wall and when the tears stopped, I got up and walked over to the bed.

Grabbing my cell phone from the night table, I noticed it was a little after eleven. I quickly wrote a text message, sent it and then took off my robe. I lied down and pulled the covers up to my waist. I knew I wouldn't have to wait long.

0-0

Alice

I heard my cell phone vibrate and picked it up; curious as to whom it could be at such a late hour. Seeing Bella's name on the screen, I quickly opened the message.

I need you.

I put the book I had been reading down, put on my shoes and jumped out of my open window. It didn't take me long to reach Bella's house and I quickly climbed up the tree. I was in the room an instant later and looked towards the bed.

"You came," Bella whispered from the bed.

"Of course I did, honey. What's wrong?" I asked as I closed and locked the window. When I was done, I walked closer to the bed.

Bella lifted the blanket and I understood the silent invitation. Being used to this by now, I quickly took off my shoes and jeans and climbed into the bed wearing only a baby tee and my lace panties. Bella immediately snuggled into me and I hugged her tightly.

"Bella, sweetie, where's my brother?" I asked as she wrapped her arms more tightly around me.

"I asked him to leave."

"What?"

"I broke up with him, Ali."

My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat. "You broke up with Edward?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because we want different things and I can no longer ignore that."

"How come you didn't talk to me about this before if it was bothering you, honey?"

"I didn't want anyone's opinion on the matter and wanted to make the decision on my own."

"I guess I understand that, but what brought this on? I though you guys were doing well."

"That's what I let everyone think. Nothing's been the same since you all came back and I no longer feel the same way I did."

"Don't you love him?"

"I do."

"I don't understand then," I said at a loss.

"I love him, Ali, but I'm no longer in love with him. I haven't been since he left me in that damn forest without a care."

"Oh."

Bella snuggled closer to me and buried her face in her favorite place by my neck. "Can we talk about this later? I'm sleepy, Ali."

"Whatever you want, Bells."

"Thanks for coming over."

"I promised you I'd never leave you again and that I would always be here when you needed me and that is a promise I intend to keep."

"I know. Good night, Ali," Bella whispered as she pressed a light kiss to my neck.

I swallowed hard as a light shiver ran down my spine. "Good night, sweetie."

I held her close for the rest of the night, wondering the entire time what the hell had happened to bring this on. I had no idea she had been feeling this way and no visions had prepared me for it, either. As far as I knew, no one knew about this, and I bet my idiot of a brother was not taking it well. Knowing Bella like I did, however, I was sure she hadn't made this decision lightly.

I ran my fingers absently over the exposed skin on her lower back as I tried to make sense of what was happening. I had thought my best friend was crazy in love with my brother, going as far as breaking every rule and worrying her father to death just so she could go and save his snotty ass from a certain death at the hands of Aro's guard. As much as I loved him, I knew he had asked for this to happen with his old fashioned ideals and his need to over-protect Bella.

I had gone along with his stupid plan of leaving Bella alone, because no matter how much hell I raised about it, no one listened to me. I've no idea who made him a god, but I was so over it at this point. If he decided we would have to leave again, I would beat his pale ass to a pulp. I might be small, but I was strong and conniving and they all knew how my strength seemed to double when I was pissed. Let me just say I would be beyond pissed if he so much as suggested we leave again so he could go and lick his damn wounds in some godforsaken corner of the world. I was done with his drama queen antics. It took me a hell of a long time to get back into Bella's good graces when I came back and I wasn't about to go that route again.

While we had been away, I had missed her more than anyone before in my life. Even Jasper noticed this and we discussed it plenty away from the family. The end result was that we broke up. No one could understand it at first, since there had been no signs pointing to us having problems. He was a gentleman about the whole thing and didn't hold it against me that my heart had changed courses and taken off in another, unexpected, direction.

While we had been away, we had also started working on ways to keep Edward out of our minds when it came to important stuff. After many hours of painful practicing, we had managed to let him see our day to day thoughts while keeping the important things locked away from him. So far, he hadn't noticed this had happened, which was a good thing, especially when it came to my thoughts of the beautiful girl sleeping peacefully in my arms.

Somewhere along the way, I had fallen in love with her. It happened without me noticing, and I didn't realize it until we had gone away and I no longer had her in my life. I'd never been more grateful that Edward had taken off the moment we had arrived in Denali otherwise he would have killed me. That is when Jasper came up with the idea of learning how to block some of our thoughts from him. He also told me he had known the moment Bella walked into our lives that our relationship would come to an end and he didn't want to be in the way of my happiness.

As it was, he had stayed behind in Denali for a while and the last time I had talked to him he had mentioned he had asked Kate out on a date. I could not be happier for him or for her. My Jasper was a good man and he deserved to be happy and if Kate could offer him that, then I was all for it.

He had asked me if I planned on telling Bella how I felt, and I had told him no. Now, however, if her breakup with Edward was real, maybe I could. Not right away, of course, but now that there was a possibility of a future with her, I was willing to wait however long it took.

I loved Bella Swan and nothing or no one would ever be able to change that. Only time would tell if she was the one for me.

For the first time in years, I prayed and wished with all of my heart. After kissing the top of her head and bringing her a little closer to me, I closed my eyes and let my mind go blank.

0-0

Bella

It's been two freaking months since I broke up with Edward and he still doesn't get it. He's come to my window at night more times than I care to count and every time I ignore him. I haven't taken the lock off of the window either, something that infuriates him even more. I finally asked Alice to buy me some dark curtains to put over the window. You know Alice and shopping. We ended up redecorating my entire room the minute Esme found out I had asked for curtains! When they got like that, I knew better than to fight them, so I let them and I have to admit the results are amazing. From the new and sleek laptop on my new desk, to the bigger bed and nicer mattress set, new wall colors, comforter set, Egyptian cotton sheets, decorative pillows and a rug in the middle of the floor. I was in love with my room. Charlie was still trembling in his work boots since Esme had suggested doing the rest of the house. God, I love that woman!

Surprising the hell out of me, his family took the news of our breakup well and most had figured it would happen eventually. Let me just say he was not pleased with that, either. He had expected his family to root for him and convince me to take him back, but no one had even tried. I still went over to visit, since they all insisted I was always welcomed there. He tried to talk to me every time I did, but Alice and Emmett always kept me busy and never left my side. Even Rosalie, to my amazement, had told him off the other day. She had actually defended me and I don't know who was more surprised: him, me or Rosalie herself. Emmett about died laughing, no pun intended, and didn't even get a single smack for it, which just goes to show you how much they support my decision.

For the past week, thankfully, he's gotten a little better, but he still tries to convince me in school that he has been patient enough and it's time for me to get back with him. I haven't slapped the shit out of him because I'm afraid I'll break my hand. Jake has offered to bite his ass numerous times, but so far I've kept the two away from each other. Alice has been my rock this entire time, coming to stay with me most nights. If she's not here, I'm over at her place. Charlie even asked her if she wanted to move in!

Cheeky monkey that she is, she showed up the next day with a suitcase and a sack of groceries to his delight. She even cooked for him that night. Good thing he got called away and by the time he got back, I had eaten and she pretended like she had as well. Charlie loved to have her around and she even took the time to watch sports with him when I was busy cooking or doing homework. Surprisingly, she seemed to enjoy herself. Emmett had even come over a couple of times to watch football with them. I just sat back and watched with an amused grin on my face. Alice would look over at me every now and then and wink.

Every time she did, something strange happened to my heart. It would go all crazy and beat a hell of a lot faster. Other times it seemed to skip a beat or two. And let's not even talk about the butterflies on my stomach every time she had that knowing smirk on her beautiful face. She would sometimes sit next to me in the loveseat, head resting on my shoulder. Other times I would lie down on the couch, head resting on her lap while her fingers played with my hair absently. Charlie would send us a curious look every now and then, but I always managed to ignore him, just like I was ignoring that I could barely go a day without seeing Alice.

I hated sunny days with a passion nowadays and I couldn't wait to get home since I knew she would be waiting for me in my room. The worst was when they all went away for the weekend to hunt. Jake kept me company then, but he had also noticed that something was off.

And that is where I found myself at the moment, walking down La Push beach with him by my side, my giant best wolf. He had just asked me what was wrong and I couldn't very well tell him I missed Alice like crazy. He'd never let me live it down.

Yeah, he had come to terms with me being friends with vampires and they had come to terms with Jacob's place in my life. I wasn't sure yet, but something told me that my breaking up with Edward had actually eased some of the discomfort and Jake seemed more willing to be civil to Alice and Emmett since they were the ones he saw the most. Last weekend he had come over and had actually sat with us in the living room while they watched a game with Charlie. I knew it hadn't been easy, what with their dislike of each other's scents, but they had done it for me and I loved them more for it. Charlie had been so pleased to have them all over that he almost wet his pants with glee. I was bored out of my mind at first, but ended up cheering along with them. Thankfully, Charlie didn't notice that Jake ate most of the pizza!

The clearing of his throat made me snap out of it and I turned my head and gave him a small smile.

"Nothing is wrong, Jake."

"So how come you look like someone kicked your puppy?"

"Jake, you're too big and intimidating looking. No one would dare to kick you!" I teased.

"Har har, you're so damn funny, Bells!"

"What can I say, I try."

"It's Alice, isn't it?"

Whoa! Where did that come from? Wipe the smile right off my face, why don't you!

"What do you mean?" I tried for a casual tone, but I'm sure he didn't buy it.

"Admit it, Bella, you miss Shortie."

"She'll kill you if she hears you call her that. And I haven't even mentioned her!" I said as I threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Exactly!"

I looked over at him, my eyes scrunched up. "That makes no damn sense, you dork."

"It does. It means you're in denial!"

He seemed so pleased with himself I wanted to smack him, but again, self-preservation prevailed. I settled for glaring at him instead and the idiot just laughed at me.

"Why are you laughing now?"

"You don't even know, do you?" he asked in wonder.

I was really lost then. I have no fucking idea what he was talking about. "Care to share, oh wise one?"

He smirked. "Sure. You're in love with her."

I was so surprised by his statement that I tripped over thin air and he grabbed me just in time. My eyes were wide and my face paler than normal.

"What did you just say?" I whispered.

He cupped my face then and looked deep into my eyes. "Babe, you're in love with Alice and have been for quite a while now. I think you're the only one that doesn't know it yet."

"No! That's not true," I said as I pulled away from him and started walking quickly down the water's edge. He caught up with me a moment later.

"Bells, come on, don't be like that."

"You have no idea what you're saying, Jake."

"Yes, I do, Bella. It's all over your face when she is near. Your smile is brighter, your eyes shinier, you fidget with your fingers a lot. When she's not looking at you, you can't take your eyes away from her face or her body. Hell, babe, even Charlie has noticed this!"

"What?" I almost screamed at him.

"Bells, I'm telling you, it's so obvious I'm surprised you haven't given into it by now."

I was shaking my head in denial. I can't be in love with my best friend. It's impossible. I don't even like girls, for fuck's sake!

But then why do I always want her around? Why can't I sleep well unless I'm wrapped securely in her arms? Why can't I seem to breathe when she holds me close or plays with my hair? Now that I think about it, Alice is always touching me. She cuddles with me as much as I cuddle with her. Even when we are watching TV in her room, she holds me close to her body. And where do I always end up? On her chest or on her lap, happy as can be.

Lately we have taken to sitting against the headboard of my bed, with her nestled between my legs, her back pressed against my chest as we talk. And when we are in that position, I always nuzzle her neck, dropping little kisses on it. I've also taken to putting my hand under her shirt when I snuggle into her as I'm falling asleep and she always lifts my tank top a little and caresses the small of my back and runs her toes softly over my calf. I never noticed before, but lately, I lay my face closer to her chest than to her neck when I sleep.

My mind is so filled with images of us at the moment that I actually stop walking and sit on the sand. Jake says nothing and sits next to me. I lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. As if I was watching a movie, things that have happened in the past couple of months start playing in front of my closed eyelids.

Alice laughing merrily, her eyes crinkling at the corner and me smiling because she looks so cute. Alice putting her hand on my thigh as she drives us to school or shopping. Me covering her hand with my fingers as I lean back on the seat and close my eyes. Me hugging her close and taking in her unbelievable and addicting scent and holding her tighter. Alice playing with my hair, nails running softly over my scalp and making every last hair on my body stand in attention. Me straddling her in bed and ticking her mercilessly even though it does nothing to her and noticing her eyes getting darker and darker as my core rubs against her center. My breath hitching when her hips buckle up instinctively and she flips us over, running towards the window and telling me she has to hunt and will be back in a little while. Alice running the tip of her nose all over my neck, nuzzling and purring, telling me how addicting my scent is. Alice placing little kisses on my neck while my hands go under her shirt and caress her back.

Oh, my God! I have to be the world's densest dolt not to have noticed this earlier.

Jake is right, I realize with a start.

Best friends don't cuddle as much as we do. Best friends don't sleep wrapped around each other's bodies. Best friends don't kiss each other's necks for no apparent reason. They don't share heated looks. They don't hold hands in the car. They don't touch each other so much.

I'm such a fucking idiot.

I, Bella Swan, have fallen irrevocably, desperately and undeniably in love with my best friend, Alice Cullen.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

I finally open my eyes and look at Jake. He has a tender smile on his face and wraps his warm arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.

"Finally figure it out, babe?" he asked quietly.

"I'm a fucking moron," is all I answer.

He just chuckles and we sit there for a while longer. Thank God for Jake and his willingness to listen. We spend the rest of the afternoon talking things out and by the time I crawled back into bed that night, there is no doubt in my heart or mind.

I love Alice with all of my heart.

0-0

Alice

For the past week, Bella has been a mess. I have no idea what has gotten into her. Every time I go to touch her, she pulls back or stiffens. Then she relaxes into my touch and seems fine. She's never been this fidgety or preoccupied; not even when she and Edward had first started going out. When it's time for bed, she seems unsure of herself and it's driving me crazy. I miss how easy it's always been between us. Things have always been so effortless that touching and being close have become second nature when we're together, but lately it seems forced and I don't like it.

Since we came back from our hunting trip, Bella has been in her own little world and I can't seem to reach her there. I can't get any visions of what happened, which tells me Jake was involved somehow. So while she is showering, I decide to call him. I've had enough of this shit and I want answers.

I dial his number and wait for him to pick up.

"Hey, Shortie!" he greets and I grind my teeth. "To what do I own the surprise?"

"Don't call me that, Pup!"

"Hey, be nice, Shortie. What's going on?"

I ignore the nickname for now. I need information before Bella comes out of the bathroom.

"Do you happen to know what is wrong with Bella?"

"Wrong? What do you mean?"

"Did something happen over the weekend while I was gone?"

"Um..."

"Jake," I say in a warning tone.

"I don't think it's my place to say."

"Give me something to work with here, Jake, or I'm going to make you look like a French Poodle the next time you shift into an overgrown puppy," I threaten.

He laughs merrily at this. "I'd like to see you try, pixie!"

"Seriously, Jacob, what the hell happened while I was gone?"

"Why are you asking me this? What's wrong with Bella?"

"She's acting all weird and I don't like it."

"We all know Bella is weird, Shortie. She hangs out with vampires and werewolves, for fuck's sake!"

I sigh. "Apart from that."

"Okay, I'll bite," he says and chuckles at his wisecrack. I growl in response and he quiets down. "Damn, you're prickly today. Fine, what's she doing?"

"She's fidgety and nervous around me all the time. I touch her and she jumps. I walk into the room and she stiffens. Did I do something to her that I'm not aware of? Did she tell you anything?"

"Alice, this isn't something I can help you with. I'm sorry, but it's not my place to say."

"So something happened."

"All I'm going to say is that Bella realized something important this weekend and she is having a little trouble dealing with it."

"Does it involve me?" I press.

"Maybe, but I'd rather not say. I really think you should talk to her."

"Jake, please, I'm begging here," I plead not caring how humiliating it was to do so.

"Can I ask you something, Alice and have you be completely honest with me?"

I frown at his serious tone. "Yeah, what is it, Jake?"

"Just how much do you love Bella?"

I suck in a breath at his unexpected question. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm not going to tell you shit if you don't answer," he growls at me.

"Fine. Okay." I take another unneeded breath and go for broke. "I love her, Jake, more than I thought possible, more that life itself. I love Bella with every inch of my dead heart. She is my world. Happy now?"

"Aww, Shortie, don't say that. Your heart isn't dead. Look, it's Friday and I think you should take Bella away from here this weekend and tell her that. I think you'll find her answer surprising."

Without further ado, he hung up on me. I stared at my phone in disbelief. The mutt had hung up on me. How dare he! Before I could call him back and rip him a new one, Bella walked into the room.

I turned around to look at her and I swear to God my heart gave a startled beat. She was just wearing her silk robe which was a little open in the front, giving me a great view of her cleavage, wet hair framing her face and a small, sheepish smile on her face.

"I forgot my clothes," she says as she walks to her dresser.

"Do you want me to leave the room while you change?"

She looks at me over her shoulder. "Alice, we're both girls."

"I know."

"And you were the one that helped me all that time I was recovering after the Phoenix incident. You've already seen me at my worst," she reminds me.

I only nod and sit on the bed, leaning my back against the headboard. I close my eyes when I see she is undoing the knot at her waist. If I get a single peak of her naked body, I will not be able to control myself and I will jump her. I wanted her so much it was driving me crazy with lust.

A couple of minutes later, she walks over to the bed and sits next to me. "Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you brush my hair?"

I open my eyes as I turn my head to look at her. Her eyes, God, I could drown in those chocolate pools.

"Sure. Give me the brush."

She does and as I am going to turn to my side, she gets up and settles herself between my legs. I close my eyes and swallow hard when I spread my legs further apart and her ass presses against my center. Bella Swan would be the death of me if I wasn't dead already. She wiggles while getting comfortable and I have to bite back a moan. Is she fucking doing this on purpose? Because I am this close to snapping and taking her, consequences be damned.

Before she could move even more, I brought the brush up and started working out the tangles in her hair. She sighed as she felt the brush running over her scalp.

"I love it when you do this for me, Ali."

And I love you, but what can I do about it? I thought to myself as I continue. She puts her soft hands on my naked knees and her fingers start caressing my skin softly. I grit my teeth and keep on brushing.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetie."

"Do you want to do something this weekend? I don't have any homework and Charlie is going to be fishing both days with Billy."

This was my chance to do as Jake had suggested. If he was encouraging me to tell her how I felt, he must know something. He did say I would be surprised by her response and it didn't sound like it would be in a bad way.

"What would you like to do, honey?"

"Anything, just as long as we do it together. I missed you this past weekend, babe."

My heart trembled. I swear it did. Bella didn't call me by anything other than my name or Ali.

"I missed you too, Bells. More than you could possibly know."

I put the brush aside and she leans back against me. I wrap my arms around her waist and she puts her hands over mine. I run my nose over the warm skin of her neck, dropping a kiss there before pulling back.

"You smell good, sweets."

She smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Let's go away this weekend."

She leans up and turns on her side to look at me. "Where to?"

I play with a strand of her hair while I try to calm my freaking nerves. "Seattle?"

"Just us?"

I finally dare to look into her eyes. "Only if you want to," I say softly.

Her hand comes up and her soft fingers caress my cheek tenderly. "I'd love to."

I nod once, unable to say much as our eyes met and hold for several long and heated seconds. I finally blink and shake my head to clear it. The smirk on her face surprises me a little and I smile back at her.

"I have to go hunt, then. Why don't you get ready for bed while I'm gone? I'll pack our bags while you're sleeping."

"I'd rather you pack in the morning."

"Why?"

"I don't seem to sleep well unless your arms are around me," she admits softly while looking deep into my eyes.

I swallow hard again. "Okay. I'll pack in the morning."

I drop a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and walk over to the window. Yep, it's official. Bella Swan has me wrapped up so tightly around her little finger it was shameful. I jump out the window and land gracefully at the bottom. I take off running towards the forest, a happy laugh erupting from my chest.

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Bella

When Alice got back last night, she came right to bed and held me close to her. After the stressful week I'd had thinking over and over about my new found feelings for my best friend, I cuddled into her body and was asleep in no time. The soothing touch of Alice's cold fingers on the small of my back was my last memory before I woke up this morning.

She was a little quiet and I was concerned but decided to let it go for the moment. She was focused on packing our suitcase. I had teased her about it, telling her we only needed pajamas since I wasn't planning on doing anything but lounging in bed the entire time we were away, but she insisted on packing a full suitcase for both of us. When she was done she ordered me to go shower while she made me breakfast. I had no intention of angering her, so I grabbed the clothes she had set out for me and left the room. After my shower, I went downstairs and ate the bacon and cheddar cheese omelet she had made me. For someone that couldn't eat and had no recollection of her human life, she sure as hell could cook. I ran back upstairs to brush my teeth once again when I was done while she loaded our stuff into the car. She had already told Charlie of our plans since he was just getting ready to leave when she had come down.

I walked towards the front door, took a deep breath and pressed my forehead against the door. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to confess my feeling to Alice. We would be alone, far away from family and friends, and if I didn't do it now, I'd never get another chance as perfect as this. I opened the door and locked it on my way out. Alice was waiting by the passenger side of her Porsche, a nervous smile on her lips.

I walked over to her and not stopping to think of my actions, I grabbed her face, planted a kiss on her startled lips and moved back.

"In case I forget to say this later, I had the best time ever this weekend."

Without waiting for her reply, I climbed into the seat and she closed the door absentmindedly after me.

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