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-NeedForChange22

Bella tapped her fingers lightly on the kitchen counter. She was careful to contain the force so as not to break the precious marble top. She heard the water shut off a moment later down the hall and knew it would only be a few minutes until Renesmee was finished getting ready in the bathroom. She herself had changed her clothes to white pants and a white long sleeve top.

Ten minutes later her daughter came from the hallway smelling of coconut and steam. She was wearing the same thing she had worn to the island.

"You know you could have just grabbed something from my closet Ren."

Her daughter shrugged as she went to put some bread in the toaster. "I know, but I didn't have time to pick an outfit. I have to leave in a few minutes."

Bella smiled. "Ah, I see. No wonder then."

Some years ago Alice and Rosalie had taken each Cullen for a closet makeover. Bella, Rose, Alice, and Esme all kept some of those clothes at the sland in the event that any of them visited for a period of time. To go through the entire closet for one outfit would take over two hours at a vampire's pace let alone a human's.

The toaster popped up the now toasted bread with a ding. Renesmee buttered it and grabbed some orange juice from the fridge; she didn't bother with a plate.

Bella let her daughter finish her breakfast quietly and instead opted to put her plan into motion.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take you to the airport. I need to grab some things inland anyways."

Nodding, Renesmee swallowed her last bit of toast. She grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. "Sure. We'll have to leave in a few though so you might want to be ready to go."

Bella just nodded in agreement. She had already decided she would present her argument to Renesmee on the way to the plane.

Instead of waiting in the house while her daughter grabbed her things, Bella walked out to the boat and got things ready for them to go. Renesmee followed a few moments later and within seconds they were speeding toward land with Bella steering the vessel.

"So," Bella began. "Let's not beat around the bush. I know you figured it out." She glanced at her daughter out of the corner of her eye and could see acceptance in her facial expression. She had known this conversation was coming.

A sigh was the only sound of acknowledgement for a moment. Then Renesmee spoke up above the roar of the engine even though it was unnecessary. Bella would be able to hear her anyway.

"Yes, I know. The question for you Mom, is what are you going to do about it? You obviously haven't told her since they're still together and nothing has changed."

Before Bella knew it a sigh had escaped her own lips and Renesmee saw a transformation before her eyes. There was no longer the shy, confident woman she knew her mother to be. Now all she noticed was the woman's sagged shoulders and down turned lips as if she had faced this question more times than Renesmee could even comprehend.

This wasn't her mother. What she was seeing was hard reality facing a woman whose love had been kept secret and locked up for more than ten years. The reasons were still unknown. It seemed as if keeping this secret had weighed her mother down so much mentally that it was almost literally weighing her down physically.

She had to give her mother credit where it was due, though. For her to carry this secret for so long without letting it get out especially in front of Uncle Jasper was a miracle by no small standards.

Bella turned her head from the driver's seat and locked her eyes with eyes identical to her own. There was so much desperation held in Bella's swirling golden eyes that Renesmee had to fight to keep herself in her seat instead of going to comfort her mother.

"Ren, it's not that easy. Your Aunt Alice and I have been best friends practically since I first met your father. For me to destroy everything she knows and loves just because of something like this would hurt her. I love her and I'll do everything in my power to see that she stays happy. Even if that means it doesn't involve me. I'm her best friend and if that's all she has to give then I'm not going to ask for more."

Renesmee swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She knew that her mother was self-sacrificing for others' happiness but she didn't think it extended this far.

"But Mom what about you? You've been miserable for years and I'm the only one who's ever noticed besides Jake. Even now; if I hadn't confronted you about it you'd have kept it a secret for who knows how long. Why can't you at least tell her how you feel? It couldn't possibly hurt you any more than what you're hurting as it is."

Bella turned her head away from the prying gaze and forced herself to focus on directing the boat to shore. They were almost to land.

"Because then the rejection would be real." She whispered so low that Renesmee almost couldn't hear it above the loud hum of the engine.

Her voice rose when she kept on. "You can't imagine what it's like to be rejected like that because you've loved Jake since you were born. I know - Edward did it to me for his own selfish reasons when I was human. It almost killed me then so how do you think I'd be able to take it now? I couldn't, not again. It isn't real if I never confront her about it."

And here was where Renesmee saw the problem: fear, and lots of it. Her mother had been so emotionally wrecked when her father left all those years ago that for her to willingly put herself at a position for it to happen again would be mental suicide.

"So what then? Are you planning on keeping this in for eternity? Or are you just waiting until the feelings go away? Both options seem pretty stupid to me. You need to tell her or else you'll be stuck with the woman of the week in your bed with you asking 'what if' for the rest of eternity."

Her mother's shoulders shook and Renesmee knew if she were able to, Bella would be sobbing right now.

"It's not that easy. Because if she says she doesn't feel the same then everything will change! I'll never be able to look at her again without feeling guilty and we'll never be as close as we are now."

"So how are you going to do this then? Because I'm telling you right now Mother if you don't grow some balls and tell her before the end of the year I'm doing it for you and I can guarantee that it WON'T be pretty!"

If possible her mother seemed even more resigned than before. Bella groaned.

"How did I know you were going to say something like that?" She muttered before letting gravity bring her head down to hit the steering wheel with a thud.

Renesmee smiled to lighten the mood. "Because you're my Momma and you know every little thing about me!" She said happily. Her smile turned back into a frown.

"But really though. How are you going to do it?"

Bella just brought her head up slowly without saying anything at first.

It was only now that Renesmee noticed that they were a few yards from the docking station. She prepared the boat to dock and left their conversation to be picked up when they got in the car. Both women tied the boat up and stepped out while making sure all the arrangements for the care of the boat were taken care of. They walked quickly to the parking garage and got in the sedan the Cullen's kept at the marina for these exact occasions.

Bella waited until they were driving on the highway before she spoke.

"I want to wait to see how this fight of theirs turns out before I do anything. If it's as bad as you say it is and there's a chance they'll split for good then I'll tell her when I get back. If they stay together then I guess I'll just have to tell her before I leave for the summer."

Renesmee pondered these options for a moment. Both seemed solid in the fact that her mother had at least surrendered to the fact that she was going to have to profess her love at some point in the year. The first idea would happen in about two weeks when Bella got back home. The other one, if the events played out that way, would mean that Alice would know by early July.

"Okay, but if it comes to them splitting up you need to tell her as soon as you get home. Don't put it off until later or else I'll tell her.

Bella nodded as she kept her eyes on the road. She knew that this was as close to her plan as she was going to get so she had to take it. But telling Alice about her feelings?

Where would she start? Would she start by telling her that to her Alice was the sun on the cloudy days that she lived by? She could possibly tell Alice that she first realized she was in love with her the time that they had lived together after she and Edward got home from their two year attempt to salvage their marriage. Whichever way she decided to bring it about, Bella knew the odds that Alice reciprocated her feelings. That thought brought about a whirlwind of emotions tearing through her body so fast that she had to control her body's urge to shake.

When it came time to tell Alice how she felt Bell knew her unbeating heart would be shattered with the rejection to follow. There was no use hoping for Alice to tell her she reciprocated because it only meant more pain when the actual denial came. She gripped the steering wheel as hard as she could without breaking it and tried to calm the emotions eating away at her.

Renesmee noticed this entire inner struggle but opted not to say anything. Instead she placed her bare hand on top of the hand closest to her holding the steering wheel. She let a memory flow through her and into her mother's mind.

She was playing hide and seek with Leah around the Cullen's property. Currently she was the one seeking. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…" She sang lightly to the empty forest. About a mile away she could hear the rustle of leaves on the forest floor. Quickly she ran towards the sound making sure to make as little noise possible. Suddenly she stopped her sprint after noticing movement off to the side. She darted left and leapt into the air, arms out as if to grab hold of something. She saw a large grey wolf speeding away from her. It was going to be too late; she was going to get to it before it escaped.

Hands wrapped around fur and she tackled it to the ground. The animal let out a surprised yelp and Renesmee shouted "GOTCHA!" before she started laughing. The animal growled and pounced, pinning the girl to the ground. She could have tried to overpower the wolf but instead just continued laughing in its face. The animal brought up a large paw and began patting her face; it was Leah's way of showing aggravated affection.

She stopped laughing and playfully attempted to nip at the paw. At that same moment the wolf went to paw at her mouth to joke around and before she knew it Renesmee had a mouthful of fur. Teeth penetrated skin. A howl erupted from above her and suddenly the animal was jumping from her and limping away to a far tree.

All around she could hear her family rushing for her. Within moments her mother was upon her. She sat up, too dazed to speak as her mother sat down next to her.

"Renesmee, what happened?" Bella held her daughter close to her bosom, cradling the girl in her lap.

Her face felt wet. She brought a finger to her cheek and brought it in front of her face. Blood. Her whole face was covered. She glanced up and could see Carlisle and Jacob tending to Leah who had transformed back to her human form. Some ways away she could see Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper looking on fearfully.

"We were just playing around Momma…" She said. "I wasn't trying to bite her. We were just playing around…"

Bella just held her tighter. "It's okay honey."

Moments later Carlisle walked towards the pair. In hushed tones Carlisle explained to Bella that Leah would be fine; that it was a deep wound but it was already healing due to her heritage.

Bella nodded at the end of his explanation and turned her head down toward her daughter. "It's going to be okay, Ren. Leah's going to be fine; you're fine."

As the memory finished Renesmee took her hand away from her mother's skin.

"Everything is going to be okay, Mom, no matter what happens. I promise." She said resolutely.

Bella just sat there unmoving, not saying a word. She knew that things wouldn't be okay. If Alice rejected her confession she knew that she wouldn't be able to stand staying around her family regardless the short period of time. If Alice didn't feel the same then Bella would leave their family for good.

Rousing herself out of her thoughts, Bella directed the car towards the exit ramp for the airport. It would be about a few minutes before they arrived at the plane.

They arrived at the airport and Bella guided the car into park. She followed Renesmee all the way to the loading gate. The two paused at the same time.

Bella spoke first.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks when I get home, dear. Be safe."

The corners of her daughter's lips turned up. "Okay. I'll have someone come pick you up from the airport. Remember, when you get home…" The rest of the sentence was implied.

Bella sighed. "Yes, I know. I'll see you soon."

The women exchanged a hug and Renesmee went on her way.

Back on the Island Bella paced throughout the house.

How could she possibly tell Alice how she felt? The love she held for the little vixen was unlike she had ever felt before. Seeing Alice was like seeing the sunrise for the first time. Listening to Alice laugh or laughing with her could compare to hearing a thousand angels sing. And touching her skin…oh, touching her skin made lightning race through her body and settle between her legs.

To describe everything that Alice made her feel would take hours, possibly days and she wouldn't have that kind of time when it came to the actual event. She would only have one chance to explain everything in a way that would hopefully make Alice hate her less when the whole thing was said and done.

She dared not think up any more scenarios lest Alice see one in a vision. Instead she went into the house and grabbed a few books to read in the afternoon sun.

The final two weeks of Bella's vacation continued in this fashion, reading day and night and taking the occasional break to catch some game inland or relax in the water.

On the eve of her departure home she had to swim from the island to land and back just to calm her frazzled nerves. Once she was relaxed enough to lie down she settled herself in the master bed for a few hours of relaxation and meditation.

She cleared her mind of all thoughts, all hopes, all fears. She was a blank slate. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the sounds coming from the ocean outside.

Before she knew it morning was upon her and sunlight was streaming through the windows. She checked the clock on the wall, noting that she had around 3 hours to get her things together before she had to leave for her homeward bound flight.

Bella refused to think about things at home until she was actually back. She busied herself with tidying up the house and packing her things. Some of the books she left behind, knowing that Esme would enjoy them on she and Carlisle's next stay.

She spent some time hunting small prey to eat. Once her hunger was sated Bella showered and finished getting ready. Deciding she was finished with everything and that it was time to leave she loaded everything onto the boat and took off.

It seemed like the ride to the airport took seconds rather than an hour. Perhaps it was her nerves? She didn't know and didn't care. She pulled out an iPod from her purse and decided to listen to some music on the flight to pass the time.

The plane finally touched down and all Bella could do was sigh. It was almost time. She half hoped that Alice and Jasper had worked things out just so she wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment of declaring herself to the shorter pixie so early in the year. If she had more time she could find some way out of it. No, Renesmee was resolute in her statement. There was no way out of this.

She left the flight and picked up her baggage with ease. Walking toward the pickup lane Bella started to search for a familiar face. Eventually her eyes settled on the one who literally stood out from the rest: her longtime friend and son-in-law, Jacob Black.

Once Jake saw Bella his face split into a wolfish grin. "Bells! It's been too long!" She dropped her luggage for a moment to receive the bone-crushing hug she knew was coming. She then felt strong, hot arms envelop her in a grip that surely would have killed her had she still been human. She held back the primal instinct to growl and instead wrapped her own arms around his bulking frame.

"Jake, I see you're still smelling as horrible as ever. " She said smirking.

The tower of a man just smiled in return. "You don't exactly smell like roses either, you know."

They exchanged more classic Jacob-Bella banter while they loaded the car. It took merely moments and afterwards they were speeding down the highway.

"So," Jake started. "Nessie told me about your exploits. Really, Bella? 60 women in 5 years? Wouldn't you catch something?" Before she could retort he began to laugh at his own joke. He quickly sobered only for a serious expression to take over. "But really, though…Alice? When did that happen?"

This was not a conversation she wanted to have with Jake. Not yet. She knew though that she had to at least have part of it now or else he'd never leave her alone.

"Yes, Jacob. Alice Cullen. My 'sister.' If you want me to lie and tell you a specific moment then I'd have to say the day Edward and I came home from our final trip to Esme Island together. If you want the truth then I'll tell you that I started to fall for her from the first moment I saw her."

He seemed satisfied with this reply because the seriousness that had just held his features was now settled with a satisfied smile. "Good. That bloodsucker was never right for you anyways."

Bella smiled at his use of the supposed insult. "You do remember that one time when that 'bloodsucker' helped bring you the woman you imprinted on? Second, Alice is a vampire too."

He returned her smile with one of his own. "Yeah, and I'll always be grateful to him for that but you two weren't good for each other. You were always so serious with him. Whenever you're with anyone else, the short one especially, you laugh a lot. You're happy."

She thought on that for a moment. The statements were true enough but she had never thought about them in that light. She was serious when she was with Edward and only ever really laughed when she was with her daughter, Alice or Jacob.

"You're right. I never really thought about it like that."

If possible his smile widened. "Glad to hear you finally accepted the fact that I'm smarter than you."

She shoved him in the side but made sure it wasn't too hard to send him through the metallic car door.

"I said no such thing! Besides, I've always been smarter than you. It's not hard to be smarter than a dog, you know."

A growl erupted from his chest, but from its tone she could tell it was playful. They had arrived in Forks and were coming up to his home. When he parked in their driveway, Jacob got out of the car.

"Who you calling a dog, Cullen? I'm a wolf, and you better never forget it."

Not giving up on her fake persona, Bella got out of the car and walked to where he was standing. "I know, I know. Now won't you go fetch my bags, please? That's a good boy." She patted his head in a dismissive manner and made for the house.

Instead of lunging for her as she had half expected would happen, Jacob simply smirked. "Sure. You know, Nessie always says that she likes it when I use my teeth…" He let the sentence hang in the air.

It had the desired effect.

A growl erupted once again, but it wasn't coming from the werewolf this time. Bella clenched her fists and she could feel her nails dig into her skin. "Jacob Black, you better get that mouth of yours under control or else I may find a place for it…separate from your body."

He simply shrugged and went about grabbing her bags from the trunk. "You deserved it for the dog joke."

She shrugged off her anger before it got the best of her and she actually made good on the threat. He went ahead of her, leaving the front door open for her to enter.

When she walked in she was bombarded with children.

"Gramma Bella! Gramma Bella!" Children screamed at her. She winced; her heightened hearing made the screams all the louder.

Three children were grasping at her legs. The oldest, a boy looking exactly like Jacob with her own eyes looked up with excitement. Charlie would have just turned 8. The next child, Rose, was 5 and was every bit her daughter's child. The baby of the litter, Micah, was 3 and trying to climb up her leg at the moment.

Even though she shouldn't pick one, Micah was her favorite. At times he could make a person change their mind about something regardless of their own desires. It made her think he would have a special ability if he were a vampire. This special boy had at times helped her to make difficult decisions.

"Hello my babies! I hope everyone is having a good time in school?" She hugged each one of them as she spoke. They all groaned at the question.

"Gramma," little Rose said. "Mommy and Daddy won't let me go to school! They said its cause I can't control my changing. I really wanna go though!"

"Well maybe you should practice more then!" Charlie said haughtily. "I can control my changing now. I'm gonna run with the pack!"

"Nuh uh! Daddy said you're not allowed to run with them cause it's dangerous!" Micah piped up in his childlike voice.

Bella kneeled down so that she was on eye level with the children. "Okay, okay. Everyone quiet down. Rose, you and I are going to have a talk in a minute. Charlie, your dad's right; it's too dangerous for you to run in the pack yet. In a few years after you've practiced more you'll be able to run with your brothers and sisters. You know that."

This quieted the children down.

Charlie stomped his foot. "But I wanna run with them now!"

She gave the child a stern face. "Charlie Anthony Black, you will not take that tone with me or any other elder from now on. You are a big boy now, and big boys do not throw tantrums like the one you just did. Do I make myself clear young man?"

The boy in question hung his head in embarrassment. "Yes, Gramma." He said quietly.

She nodded. "Okay, then. You go to your bedroom and clean it as a punishment. I want it cleaned before dinner. Now off with you."

He walked silently to his bedroom. She turned then to the younger children to speak to them.

"Okay, Rose, before we talk I need to talk to your Momma. Is that okay?"

Rose nodded. "Course, Gramma!"

"Good girl," Bella said as she placed a kiss on the girl's cheek.

She picked Micah up in her arms and carried him towards the kitchen where she could hear Renesmee getting dinner together. "Hey little man, how about you? Have you had a good time with your Mommy?" she said as she tickled the boy lightly. He laughed loudly.

He stopped laughing after she stopped tickling him. "Yeah Gramma! We've done all sorts of cool stuff! We even went to the beach yesterday!"

She smiled. "The beach, huh? Did you have a good time?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Uh huh! I skipped a rock 2 whole times before it went in the water! Mommy could only do it 1 time!"

Bella smiled encouragingly. "I'm glad you had a good time, baby. I'm going to talk to Momma now. Do you think you can go play with Rose and Daddy like a good boy until dinner?"

Again, the boy nodded. "Sure Gramma!"

She set him down and he ran back to the living room.

Upon walking in the kitchen, Bella leaned on the counter waiting for Renesmee to finish rolling the dough she had out.

Once Renesmee finished and was cutting out shapes in the dough Bella began.

"Well?"

"Well what Mom? And hello to you too." Renesmee said.

"Don't play ignorant with me Renesmee. Are they still together or not?"

Her daughter sighed. "No, they split up. Uncle Jasper went to stay with the Denalis for awhile while Aunt Alice gets herself together at Grandma and Grandpa's. Aunt Alice is a right mess right now."

Her heart ached. Alice was hurting and she shared in the pain. Anxiety welled in her chest.

"I see. Well I'm going to stay here tonight if you don't mind. Tomorrow I'll go over there and, well, you know…" She couldn't finish the sentence. The anxiety threatened to overtake her for a moment and she had to take a breath to steady herself.

Her daughter noticed this and looked upon her sympathetically. "Of course Mom. You know you're always welcome here. If you need someone to go with you tomorrow, I'm sure Jake wouldn't mind watching the kids for a day."

She was unable to speak at the moment; the emotions were stuck in her throat.

"No. This is something I need to do myself. I appreciate the offer though. Thank you. If you don't mind I'm going to go to the guest bedroom after I speak with Rose. You're not letting her go to school because she can't control her shifting yet?" The question was more interrogative than inquisitive.

Her daughter looked up from her baking. "She still can't manage to hold it in when someone teases her. How do you think that will go when she gets bullied at school? She's the most emotional of them all. It's too much of a risk for now Mom. For now I'm home schooling her while she gets the shifting controlled. She's not allowed to go to school until she can fully control it, no sooner and no later."

Seeming pleased with the answer Bella only nodded and made her way to the living room where she could hear Jacob playing with the kids.

"Rose, are you ready to have that girl talk I promised you?" She asked not so subtly. This left no doubt that she only wanted it to be between herself and her granddaughter. Jacob nodded slightly to show he understood; he would keep Micah occupied for the time they were busy. Rose stood up quickly from her place on the floor and grabbed Bella's hand.

"Sure am, Gramma!"

The two walked outside to the swing on the porch of the house. Bella sat, put Rose in her lap, and began to rock the swing gently.

"So little Rosie, tell me about your changing. Mommy said you change when someone teases you. Is this true?"

The little girl nodded her head. "Yeah, Gramma. Sometimes what they say is really mean and I want to hit them for being so mean to me and it just happens. I always say sorry after but Mommy says it's not good enough for me to go to school." She pouted, her bottom lip puckered out.

Since Rose couldn't see her face Bella frowned. "And who says mean things to you?"

Rose turned around to look at her and Bella made her face into a smile. "Charlie's friend Ryan and his daddy Paul. Paul is Daddy's friend. Paul calls me a baby bloodsucker cause I gots the same name as Aunt Rosie. Charlie's friend always calls me a baby cause sometimes I get scared when they chase me into the woods. I don't like the woods unless Aunt Leah is with me. She lets me ride her in the woods!"

Bella frowned. "Well Rose I promise Paul and Ryan won't call you names again, okay? But you do need to learn to control your changing before you can go to school because there are other mean boys who will try to make you mad too. Can you do that for me? Can you promise to try as hard as you can to control your changing? When you can do it you can go to school and be happy. I hate to see my baby Rosie so sad." At this statement Bella hugged the child to her chest.

"Okay, Gramma I promise to try really hard!" Rose said enthusiastically.

She smiled at the girl before slowing the swing to let her off. "Good. Now let's get inside; it's getting dark."

When they walked back inside Bella saw Charlie standing next to his father, obviously waiting for her.

"Gramma my room's clean now. Can I go play now?"

She looked at her grandson critically. It wasn't his fault her Rosie was getting bullied by Paul and his son. They were likely doing it when he wasn't around because she knew that Charlie was fiercely protective of his younger siblings.

"Yes, Charlie you can go play. Just remember that if I catch you taking that tone with someone else again I'll take my hand to your butt, do you hear me?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Yes, Gramma." He hurried off.

She turned quickly to her wolfish friend. "Jacob, do you know what I just found out from your daughter? That your 'friend' Paul and his son Ryan have been calling her names like baby bloodsucker."

She watched his face turn from its normally content expression to one of barely controlled rage. "They said what to my daughter?!" He said loudly.

Bella dared not to touch him. "Calm down. You can't go over there this very moment but I do expect you to take care of this soon. I hate to see any of my grandchildren sad like that little girl just was."

Her words had hit their mark; he visibly calmed down. She could tell he was still livid but that he was working out when and where to confront Paul and his son and this concentration was taking up all his energy.

"On that note I'm retiring to the guest room. I'll be gone sometime tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Jake."

He could barely get out goodnight in his state. She walked to her room and lay down to relax until morning.

Bella got out of bed when her clock ticked 9:00. She took a fresh change of clothes into the unoccupied bathroom and showered for the day. She decided that she would leave for Carlisle and Esme's house around 10:30. It was all she could do to force herself to not think about what she was going to do in an hour's time.

In order to distract herself she finished her morning routine as slow as she possibly could. It worked; the clock read 10:25. It was now or never.

Opting to leave her luggage at her daughter's house until afterwards, Bella asked Jake for the keys to one of their cars. He threw her a set from the kitchen table and she took off, making sure to go the speed limit so as not to bring attention to herself.

In minutes she was pulling down that dreaded driveway. She reluctantly put the car into park and walked into the house, announcing herself as she crossed the threshold.

Immediately Esme was upon her for a hug.

"Bella, it's been so long! How have you been? How was your vacation?"

She swallowed nervously and they pulled away from one another. "Okay and pretty good. Actually, is Alice here? I need to talk to her."

Her ex mother-in-law frowned, sadness and concern washed over her features at the mention of her other daughter. "She's in Edward's old room, dear. Is there something wrong?"

Bella shrugged in a non-committal way, attempting to be nonchalant. "I just really need to talk to her."

Esme surveyed her for a moment. "Okay, but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Carlisle's at work so it's just us three in the house."

She nodded. "Thanks, Esme."

Hearing the dismissal the older woman walked away.

She started up the stairs. This was it; she was going to tell Alice how she felt.

Her nerves were making her normally fluid motions jerky. Her jaw was clenched.

Reaching the closed door to the room Alice was occupying, she brought her hand up to knock. Before her knuckles reached the mahogany that melodious voice interrupted her.

"You can come in, Bella." Of course Alice would know she was here.

She turned the knob and walked in. The sight in front of her made her heart swell with pain for her beloved.

Alice was wearing wrinkled clothes sitting on the couch that was in the center of the bedroom. The pixie was staring at nothing in particular and her face looked so forlorn and depressed that Bella almost turned towards the door to come back another time. This was obviously hitting her hard.

No, this had to happen now or she'd never have the courage to come again.

She took a step toward the couch and Alice looked up at her. Coal black eyes looked up lifelessly into golden orbs. She hadn't eaten either; that wasn't good. It meant that Alice would be severely agitated along with the other feelings that were going through her.

Still, she kept walking.

Eventually Bella reached the couch and sat on the opposite end that the shorter woman was occupying.

They sat in uneasy silence for some time. How long, Bella didn't know. She was busy trying to gather the remaining courage she had within. The raven haired vampire next to her kept staring across the room, her body perfectly still and seemingly not taking notice in Bella.

Finally Bella found her voice.

"Alice, we need to talk…" She said slowly, afraid to interrupt the quiet that had enveloped the room.

The other vampire barely opened her lips when she spoke.

"I know." Then the other woman's face turned towards her own. Black eyes burned into her knowingly.