Well this is an epic chapter so I best get on with it. I hope you guys like it! Thanks again for bothering to read it, please read and review. Let me know what you think!
Jazz had decided she would be a 'fantastic sister' in her words; driving Bella and I to the airport the next morning after prom.
It was 7am and Bella was a little cranky after the early morning wakeup call but I made sure to cheer her up by showing her how I had colour coded her suitcase during the night.
Of course Bella appreciated what I had done but she found it more amusing than anything. Normally I would have just rested with Bella through the night, letting her grip onto me as she slept but that night I couldn't sit still.
Cuddling with Bella at night was the closest thing I had ever come to sleep in my existence as a vampire. I became so relaxed and at peace that I felt like I could close my eyes and possible drift off to sleep.
Though technically it wasn't possible, it felt like it was almost in reach.
Carlisle had explained to me that when this happened; it was because I was in a peaceful state of mind while I was with Bella, that I was one hundred percent content with her and it was true.
But that night my mind didn't want to be peaceful or content, it just wanted to place further stress on me.
Prom had been an amazing night, Bella had actually enjoyed herself and I wasn't about to let that escape her attention in the near future.
I gloated the entire trip home from prom about how I was right and she was wrong because I always knew I would be right.
Though as soon as I changed and found myself in the very familiar four walls of Bella's room, I realized what the next day would mean.
It would mean that I would be facing my biggest fear yet: her mother.
I wasn't afraid of Renee, nor was I intimidated but I just wanted to make the best impression possible.
I had changed my outfit for the trip to Florida five times overnight while Bella was sleeping.
"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" Bella asked as she looked back at me from the front seat
"Huh?" I asked shaking my head before I registered what she had said "Oh nothing"
"Real convincing" Jazz mumbled "You're going to be fine Alice. I could practically feel your anxiousness from Bella's house this morning"
"Alice why are you still nervous about this?" Bella asked with a sigh "How many times do I have to tell you that she's going to love you?"
"A couple hundred more" I replied
"Stop" Bella furrowed her eyebrows "I'll say it again; she's going to adore you, it's impossible not to okay?"
"Okay" I nodded
"If she freaks out too much just give her a bit of a slap on the back of the head, generally gets the brain working again" Jazz said trying to lighten my mood "Ali you'll be fine"
"I know" I nodded again "This is just really important to me"
"And I love you for valuing my mom's approval so much" Bella encouraged "But you need to stop this or you'll drive us both crazy on the way there"
"I know, sorry" I replied sheepishly
Bella flashed me a grin before she turned back to face the front of the car
"So what are you going to do while we're away?" Bella asked my sister
"I'm not sure, the usual I suppose" Jazz shrugged "There'll just be less chirpiness around the house"
Once Jazz dropped us off at the airport and we cleared security after checking in, we boarded our plane just in time before it took off.
Bella and I had the entire row to ourselves which was handy but Carlisle had explained to me that he had gone ahead and arranged that for us.
He told me he wanted it to be a surprise but it wasn't really possible for him to surprise me in any way.
"You really might as well sparkle, Alice" Bella said as she closed the shade of the window seat she was sitting in
"You think I look strange?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows
I thought I looked rather reasonable with my large round sunglasses, long sleeved shirt and scarf wrapped around my head
"It's going to be really warm in Florida" Bella warned
"I know, I'll just explain that I have a circulation problem" I replied simply "Though technically that is very true"
"Technically" Bella said laughing
"Are you enjoying watching me squirm over this?" I asked with a small smile
"Only a little" Bella replied "You do deserve it after what you put me through at prom but at the same time you don't deserve it because you're just you"
"Thank you" I replied "It's going to be sunny out today but otherwise we picked a good time to come. It's going to be cloudy tomorrow"
"So we'll just have to stay inside for most of the day then" Bella replied shrugging "Easy"
"Sorry for making your trip so complicated" I said shaking my head as I leaned my head against her shoulder "Though I like to think that I make it worthwhile"
"You do" Bella said seriously "You'll be fine Al. She's going to be eating out of the palm of your hand"
"That's the plan" I shrugged jokingly before I nodded against her shoulder "I've just never done this before and neither have any of my family so it's not like they could relate to me"
"I can relate to you though" Bella shrugged "I know how much you want to impress because that's what I felt like when I met Carlisle and Esme"
"You were great with them though" I replied "And it's not like Renee is any threat to my life like Carlisle and Esme could have been to you"
"There is no way that Carlisle or Esme would ever be a threat to my life" Bella replied
"I know but it's possible" I replied
"You managed to win Charlie over though and I guarantee that he will be the difficult one" Bella smiled "He loves you and he's completely accepting of us so you've done a great job of him, mom will be so easy for you"
"I will admit that Charlie surprised me" I nodded "But he's great"
"Mom never liked Lauren so chances are you've already impressed her by making me happy and not miserable like Lauren did" Bella replied
"Yeah but your mom didn't actually know you were gay until you told her about me" I answered
"She had her suspicions though" Bella shrugged simply
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in the sounds of conversations that were happening around us.
"You're not falling asleep on me are you?" Bella asked
"I wish" I mumbled
"You know if you breathed, you would actually look like you were sleeping" Bella whispered playfully
"I'll work on it" I responded quietly
"I kind of wish I got to meet your real parents" Bella said after a few moments of silence
"Honestly?" I asked taking my head from her shoulder to look her in the eyes
"Well yeah, I mean if you were born just a little bit later" She began with a smirk "You're so old"
"And you're so young" I teased "So are your parents"
"Yeah I don't know, I just think it could have been interesting meeting your parents" Bella replied, clearing her throat as someone walked down the aisle "Though I don't think the meeting would be quite as pleasant as it was with Carlisle and Esme because of what they did to you"
"You know I kind of wish I did remember them so I knew exactly why they decided to put me into the asylum" I shrugged "Not that I really care because they indirectly gave me the chance to meet you"
"That's true" Bella replied
The rest of the flight was quiet and uneventful, which was just the way I liked plane trips
We waited our turn to exit the plane before heading towards the baggage collection area.
I spotted Renee first, nudging Bella to make her aware that I had spotted her mother.
"Bella" Renee called
Bella's hand left mine when we reached Renee, I smiled as I witnessed Bella give her a warm hug
"I missed you" Renee said happily as she squeezed her daughter
"Me too" Bella said in true Bella fashion as she pushed some hair behind her ear "Uh Alice this is my mom Renee, Mom this is my girlfriend Alice"
"I don't really think we need formal introductions Bella" Renee said with a smiled "It's nice to finally meet you Alice. I've heard so many great things about you"
"It's nice to meet you too" I smiled as she pulled me into a quick but welcoming hug
"So how was your flight?" Renee asked pulling away
"Oh it was fine thank you" I said politely before gesturing to my choice in clothes "It was a little cold though"
"Alice has a little bit of a circulation problem" Bella explained
"Well Florida will certainly warm you up" Renee said happily "I'm so excited to have you two here for the weekend. We're going to have so much fun"
"We're excited too" I replied with a smile
Renee paused for a moment to look at my smile before she blinked, smiling again at both of us.
"How about we get your bags and get home?" Renee asked
"Sounds great" Bella nodded
Renee lead us to the correct baggage claim carousel where we waited to collect our things
"Stop dazzling my mom" Bella warned playfully
"I didn't do it intentionally" I replied innocently
I giggled musically before Bella took my hand again in full view of her mother who just smiled approvingly at Bella's gesture
"You know Alice, Bella told me you were beautiful but she really didn't do you any justice" Renee said
"Thank you" I nodded simply
"Your parents must have great genes" Renee said jokingly
"I like to think that they do" I laughed inwardly
"That's your bag Al" Bella pointed to a bag that was moving slowly towards us
"Do you want me to get it?" Renee asked "That's a big suitcase for a small girl"
"I like to be prepared" I smiled charmingly "I can get it thank you"
I reached over the other bags, pulling mine off with ease
As I set it down I was met by Bella and Renee's eyes, both wide in my display of strength
"I have good upper body strength" I shrugged "It's not as heavy as it looks anyway"
"So are you loving Forks still Bells?" Renee asked as we pulled out of the airport car park
"I think I'm going to love it for a while" Bella said with a knowing smile
"For obvious reasons" Renee looked back to me in the rear view mirror with a grin "You seemed to have settled in well anyway"
"Everyone's really nice" Bella replied
"Speaking of nice, Alice thank you so much for getting Bella to the hospital as fast as you did when she fell down the stairs" Renee said "That's just typical Bella doing something like that"
"It's okay, I felt bad because of what happened at our house" I shrugged "I couldn't get her there soon enough. It was really scary"
"I know" Renee nodded
Bella glanced at me from the front seat and I shared a small smile with her
"So is your family from Forks Alice?" Renee asked
"No actually, we're from all around the place. I don't know what Bella's told you about my family but my mother can't have children so they adopted us when we were little" I explained quietly "I'm actually from Mississippi though"
"I didn't know that, I'm sorry" Renee apologized
"No it's okay" I said waving her concern off "I don't mind talking about it. I love my family so I don't mind"
"So why did your family move to Forks then?" Renee asked "If you don't mind me asking of course"
"My dad is a doctor at the hospital, they needed more doctors so he applied for a job" I shrugged simply "I love Forks. It's a small, simple town and I actually love the weather"
"You love all the rain?" Renee asked pulling a face
"It's relaxing, I never get sick of it" I replied smiling at her expression "You get used to it, right Bella?"
"Yeah" Bella replied with a chuckle
We arrived at Renee's house in no time where I grabbed my bags and quickly hurried inside.
"This place is really nice" I said looking through the glass doors to the beach "You must love it here"
"I do" Renee said with a smile "Phil and I just love this place. It was a steal as well, we fell in love with it straight away"
"Where is Phil?" I asked
"He's out in Houston this week so it looks like it's just us girls" She replied happily "I'll show you your rooms. Now just so you know, I'm not treating you any differently than I would treat Bella if she brought a boyfriend here. You two will be in separate rooms just down the hall from each other"
"After a 5 hour flight next to her, that sounds fantastic to me" I said playfully
She showed me to my room and left me for a moment to settle while she went to call Charlie just to let him know we had gotten in safely
"Hey you" Bella said as she stood by my door
"Hey" I smiled brightly at the sight of her
"How's the room?" Bella asked looking around "It's bigger than mine"
"You know I think she might like me better than you" I said teasingly
"You might be right" Bella said sarcastically "You really had nothing to worry about with my mom, she already loves you"
"You think?" I asked
"I can tell" Bella replied
"Oh so you can read minds too?" I asked raising an eyebrow
"No but I know how hers works" Bella said simply
"This place is really nice" I said looking around the room once again "I wish we could live in a place like this"
"So you want to live with me now huh?" She smirked
"I would love to live with you" I replied honestly "One day anyway"
"How far away is one day?" Bella asked seriously
"I don't know. You're going to need to live with my family for a while when you're turned but when you're controlled we can go where ever we want" I smiled shyly
"That sounds pretty perfect to me" Bella said pushing off the door to walk towards me "I don't care where we live, as cheesy as this sounds I just want to be with you"
"You're right, that is cheesy but I happen to love that kind of cheese" I stood from my bed to meet her right in the middle of the room "Thank you for letting me come here and meet your mother. Though I wish I could have met Phil"
"Maybe one day you can" Bella shrugged simply
I tore my gaze from Bella's to look down at her hands as I took both in mine, loving the feel of the warmth radiating from her. I knew it was something that I would never get used to.
"Are you sure you're going to be able to give this up?" I asked "And be honest with me"
"I can give it up and gain you in the process" Bella replied seriously
"No I know but you could have me either way" I said
"Nothing is going to change my mind"
"I'm not trying to change your mind; I just want you to understand what you're giving up" I said before I paused as a quick vision hit me "You're mom's going spend some time outside, you should join her"
"What about you?" Bella asked raising her eyebrow
"Oh I'm tired from the flight and I have a bit of a headache" I winked
"Bella?" Her mom called
"Go on" I nudged Bella after I dropped her hands slowly "Go spend time with her, I'll be fine in here"
"Are you sure?" Bella asked
"Yes" I smiled "Now go before I pick you up and put you outside my door"
"That would be pretty interesting" Bella said "If you did that though, I think my mom would clue into the fact that you have super strength"
"Well I wasn't about to let her help with my suitcase because I wasn't sure if she knew just how heavy that thing is" I grinned "I may have a bad habit of over packing"
"Oh you don't say" Bella replied sarcastically "I love you for it though and every other quirk about you"
"Well aren't I just the luckiest girl in the world" I rolled my eyes playfully
"If you do actually need anything, come and find me" Bella replied
"Off you go"
I kissed her on the cheek, letting my lips linger for just a moment before I stepped back from her again.
She sighed quietly, exhaling a little shakily before she made her way out of the room.
I smiled to myself shaking my head before I moved back to sit on the bed. I was content just to let Bella have time with her mother, that was the whole purpose of our trip anyway.
"I just thought it would be a nice break in the weather for you both to sit outside with me for a little while before we start making lunch" I heard Renee say from the other room
"Oh Alice isn't feeling well. She isn't a big fan of flying and she doesn't feel well" Bella explained quietly
"Does she need anything? Poor girl" Renee said sympathetically
"No she's fine, she just needs some sleep" Bella said dryly
"Shouldn't you sound more concerned about her?" Renee asked curiously
"No I am concerned about her but I know Al, she'll be fine in a few hours" Bella said "Did you still want to go outside though?"
"Maybe I should go check on her" Renee said before I heard her take a few steps towards my room
"No, she's probably asleep by now" Bella said "I'll go check on her later and you can come too"
"As long as you think that she's okay" Renee replied hesitantly
Hearing footsteps again, I knew they had gone outside when I heard the door open though I didn't hear it closed.
I figured that Renee had wanted to keep it open just in case I had needed anything while they sat outside.
"So Forks is pretty great huh?" Renee asked happily "I didn't think you'd like it there"
"Either did I" Bella responded, I could hear a smile in her tone "But I guess that changed pretty quickly"
"She's really sweet Bells, I really like her" Renee said "And she makes you happy?"
"Yeah she does" Bella replied before pausing "I mean I know it must be odd for you but she does make me really happy"
"It's not weird Bella" Renee scolded "You can't help who you love, it just happens. You picked a looker by the way, she's stunning"
"Tell me something I don't know" Bella muttered "I just didn't know what you thought when I told you that Alice and I were together"
"I'll admit that I was a little hesitant at first about the idea of you two together but that was only because of how Lauren hurt you" Renee said "You went through a lot with her and I didn't want Alice to be another heartbreak for you because I could just tell how much she meant to you just through your voice on the phone"
"Alice is nothing like her" Bella said quickly
"Well I know that now but I can't help but be protective of you, you're my daughter" Renee responded "How did everyone at school take the news that you two were together?"
"Surprisingly well, I mean some people are always going to be narrow minded but most people were great about it" Bella replied "At first they were pretty curious about everything but people eventually found something else to talk about and we were left alone. My friends are great and they accept Alice, it's hard not too though because she's so sweet"
"She is sweet" Renee agreed "How did you know you liked her though?"
"She was the first person who spoke to me at school, the first person I met at Forks high. I dropped my books and she helped me pick them up. I don't know, it's weird talking about it but I just felt something and my feelings just progressed pretty quickly from there" Bella explained
I couldn't help but smile, it was nice to be able to hear what was going on in her head when she was too shy to say some of these things to me.
"Well you certainly seem different around her, happier more than anything" Renee said "I just want you to be careful. I know Alice is a great girl already and even Charlie likes her but I want you to be careful in how quickly you two move in your relationship together. I don't want you to be hurt again"
"She won't hurt me" Bella said with conviction "I know she won't"
The day progressed quickly, a little too quickly for my liking. I was loving being in Florida with Bella away from everything and everyone.
It was just nice getting to see a different side of Bella that she displayed when she was around Renee.
"I hope you're feeling better" Renee said sympathetically as I walked out to the kitchen
Bella had decided she would take a shower to freshen up while Renee began to prepare dinner. I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to speak with Renee alone, I was nervous because I didn't have my safety net in Bella but she was worth that nervousness.
"I do thank you, I think I just needed to take a nap" I said with a smile as I skipped towards the kitchen "I'm sorry for spending most of the day asleep"
"No you can't help it" Renee replied shaking her head "I'm not the best flyer myself. I just hate the landing"
"I know what you mean" I said "Do you need any help with dinner?"
"I'm fine thank you but you could stay and talk to me if you really want to help" Renee said "Bella explained to me that you're on a special diet so you don't eat that much"
"Yeah but I can eat whatever you two are having, it's really not that big of a deal" I replied with caution
I was willing to eat human food but I knew it was going to make me feel terrible after but again, my mate was more than worth it.
"No I'm not going to force you to eat" Renee said with a furrowed brow "I'm not offended and Bella certainly didn't inherit her cooking skills from me that's for sure so I don't know where it came from but you're not missing anything spectacular"
"I'm sure it's great" I shrugged
"I'm really excited to have you two out here, I'm so glad I finally got to meet you" Renee said chuckling "You're all Bella talks about"
"Sorry about that" I answered sheepishly "I'm really glad I got to meet you as well. I was really nervous to meet you but I'm glad I came"
"You were nervous?" Renee asked
"I just want you to approve of me" I said honestly "Approve of Bella and I"
"Alice I think you're a really sweet girl and you've done wonders for Bella, she's almost like a different person" Renee replied seriously "She's just so happy"
"I know you're concerned about that because of what happened with Lauren but I swear to you that I won't do anything like that to her" I nodded
"I know" Renee replied
A few slightly awkward moments of silence passed as Bella finished her shower but that was broken when Renee cleared her throat quietly.
"Can I ask you a question about your family Alice?" Renee asked
"Of course you can" I replied with a grin "Ask away"
"What did your parents say when you told them that you were gay?" Renee asked "And I know that's a really touchy subject but I was just wondering how other parents react"
"They were a little shocked I guess but they were fine with it. They explained to me that as long as I was happy, they were as well" I replied with as much honesty as I could manage "They're really great about it and my whole family loves Bella. They see her as a part of our family as well"
"I would love to meet your parents one day" Renee said
"Well have to arrange that then" I said with a soft smile
"What are we talking about?" Bella announced walking into the kitchen, her wet hair tired back into a ponytail
"Not you if that's what you were asking" Renee said playfully "Alice and I were just having a good talk"
"We were" I agreed with a broad smile
"Well sorry to interrupt" Bella teased before she turned to me "I'm glad you're feeling better"
"I just needed some sleep" I nodded
"You know I can't believe I forgot to ask but how was prom?" Renee asked the both of us "Your father is going to send me some pictures but I guess I'll have to get you to email them to me"
"Yeah he's not so great on computers" Bella said
"I can't believe you actually managed to get her to prom" Renee smirked "You must special if you can convince her to go to something like prom"
"I practically had to drag her" I glanced to my girlfriend "But we ended up having a great night and Bella looked so beautiful"
"I can imagine she did" Renee smiled at her daughter
She opened her mouth to continue the conversation before the phone began to ring and she placed her cutting knife down on the bench
"I'll be right back girls" Renee said before she hurried out of the room
"You really are a charmer" Bella spoke with a soft smile "My mom is practically in love with you, do I have to watch my back?"
"Maybe" I joked "She's really great Bella"
"Well so are you" Bella took a couple of steps into me so that we were just inches from each other
She reached out to place a hand on my hip
"See how you had nothing to worry about with my mom?" Bella asked raising her eyebrows "She never had a chance because she was always going to love you"
"I don't think I'm going to want to go back to Forks after this weekend" I admitted
"I know what you mean" Bella nodded "So...are you going to sneak into my room tonight?"
"Wow Bella, don't be so forward" I said sarcastically with a small smirk "And why do I always have to do the sneaking? I'm sure you could sneak if you really tried"
"Alice you know how clumsy I am" Bella deadpanned "You're practically the definition of stealth"
"Are you just saying that because you want me to sneak into your room?" I asked with a raised brow "Bella Swan I do believe you're trying to manipulate me"
"Yeah because you've never done that before to me when you pout or make those cute facial expressions" Bella frowned
"I told you; I don't manipulate, I just influence" I smiled proudly
"You're just lucky that you're so damn cute" She huffed she crossed her arms
"I know and I love you for thinking that" I nodded "Actually I think I just love you in general"
"I love you too" Bella smiled "But seriously, will you sneak in my room tonight? I can't sleep when you're not there. If you ever have to go away you're going to have to get me a life sized ice pack to sleep next to"
"Oh so that's what I am to you?" I asked
"Alice" Bella groaned in frustration
"First of all; you're not going to need an ice pack because I'm not going anywhere without you and second of all; yes I will sneak into your room tonight" I nodded "Even if you didn't ask me to I probably would have found my way to your room anyway. Also I think we should use a different word than sneak because that word makes me feel guilty"
"We'll use a different word then" Bella laughed as she leaned her forehead against mine "Thanks again for coming with me"
"My pleasure" I nodded
I suddenly felt very distant from Bella who was pressed against my body. I felt that familiar rush begin to sweep over me.
I was being pulled into a vision.
It was late at night, dark and cold in Seattle.
One male vampire rushed at two humans who were walking down an abandoned street.
He quickly grabbed one's neck, biting it swiftly before he did the same to the other person.
Evidently the male vampire was a newborn because after he bit the second human he proceeded to kill him. Not being able to let go as he tasted their blood.
The first human; a woman in her mid 30's was screaming and writhing in pain as the newborn fed.
He sucked the man dry, as the woman continued to change very rapidly.
"Al?" Bella asked patiently as I blinked away the vision and the sound of the human screaming
The vision had shaken and it had shocked me.
I had seen many things before but this time it was different.
It was different because I had Bella and I could hear Bella scream in my thoughts just like I heard that poor woman in Seattle.
I had even seen myself in the newborn when he couldn't stop himself from killing the second human.
That was exactly what I had been afraid of doing when I sucked the venom out of Bella.
"I have to call home" I muttered to myself more than I did to Bella
"What did you see Alice?" Bella asked patiently
"There's a vampire in Seattle" I furrowed my eyebrows "It was weird; he tried to change them both. Two people...I mean he killed one because he couldn't control himself but he was in the process of changing the other"
"Why would he be doing that Al?" Bella asked "I mean if he was thirsty why didn't he just kill them both?"
"He wasn't thirsty" I shook my head "I mean yeah he was but he wasn't hunting, he was trying to turn those people. The only reason why one of them died was because he was a newborn"
"This doesn't make sense baby, why would a newborn be trying to turn someone?" She asked
"I don't know" I shook my head with a frown "I don't know why he would do that"
"Do you think they'll leave Seattle?" Bella asked "Did you see anything about that?"
"No, he hasn't made a decision" I replied slowly "I've been keeping an eye out on activity out there just in case that red head popped up somewhere but I guess I just came across something else"
"What? You think that she'd come back?" Bella asked wide eyed
"I don't know, maybe" I replied "Vampires love a good serving of revenge"
"So what are you going to do about this newborn?" Bella asked
"Seattle is Cullen territory" I shrugged "I have to call home and tell them about it, I don't really have any other choice"
"Okay" Bella nodded before repeating her question "But do you think he would just leave though?"
"No and it doesn't matter because I have to tell my family anyway. He's killing and he's turning people on our territory so it's our job to take care of it before something else happens" I said anxiously "It's our job to stop any attention focussing on what's just happened so the Volturi don't have to come by and inspect the situation. We have to take care of the situation quickly especially seeing as it could end up being a challenge for our land"
"What?" Bella asked "A challenge?"
"They could be after our territory and he could be trying to gain enough vampires to challenge us. It's certainly not unheard of so we need to take care of this right away" I replied quickly "More than anything I just want to keep the Volturi away from you Bells, they can't know about us because they won't like it and they'll want you dead"
"You should call Carlisle" Bella said nodding furiously
"Sorry about that, it was just Phil checking up on us all" Renee said happily as she rejoined us in the kitchen.
Bella and I immediately pulled away from each other slightly but my eyes focused on the floor as I ran the vision through my head one more time
"How is he?" Bella asked in a strained voice
"He's fine" Renee said raising her eyebrow "Are you two okay? Did I miss something?"
So that's it! I hoped you liked this chapter and this story, i always loved a good Bella/Alice trip to visit Renee :P I hope you don't hate me too much for the ending as well. I just needed something to lead into the story so that's what I decided to do.