Chapter Seven
Baseball Pt. 2
Alice POV

"Oh I just can't wait for baseball this afternoon!" I exclaimed as I laid out mine and Edwards baseball jerseys on our bed. "Bella's coming, it's going to be so much fun!"

"Alice, do you think that you may be pestering Bella just a little too much?" Edward asked apprehensively and I froze in my tracks.

"I don't think so...what makes you say that?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing." He smirked. "It's just that you've been the first to greet her everyday at school since she met you a month ago and you take every chance you can get to steal her away for your various activities. She may be getting a little overwhelmed is what I'm trying to say." Edward laughed.

"Well, if Bella doesn't want to be my friend she can say so at anytime and I'll leave her alone." I huffed and then cringed as a wave of sadness took over my entire body.

Edward carefully wrapped his strong arms around my tiny frame, holding me tightly but delicately at the same time, as if I was the most precious thing he owned.

"Ali, I didn't mean to upset you." He purred in my ear.

"It's alright, I'm okay." I told him, leaning back into him as his hands slowly started to roam my body.

"Is there something I can do to make you feel better?" He asked, chuckling evilly.

"Oh...I can think of one thing." I smirked as I turned around to face him and pulled him with me over to our bed.

After our little mid-day love session, Edward and I headed down the hall to Jasper's room where he and Bella were currently laughing as he playfully nipped and growled at her.

I knocked quickly and threw open the door, causing Bella to jump while Jasper just held onto her and adopted a very annoyed look on his face.

"Yes Alice?" He asked, sounding polite but I knew he was probably cursing me internally for interrupting him and Bella...again.

"We heard you were having Bella for a snack." I giggled.

"We came to see if you would share." Edward added, causing us both to go into near hysterics.

Bella surprised Edward and I both by laughing along with us, completely unfazed by our antics and more than happy to join in on our little playful jokes.

After her assuming Edward was an abuser, her joining in on our jokes are a very welcomed thing.

"Very funny." Jasper faked a laugh. "Now what do you want?" He asked.

"There's going to be a killer thunderstorm this afternoon." Edward responded.

"The rains going to stay in Forks, so the field will be clear and masked by the thunder." I smiled.

"Baseball!" Jasper cheered and Bella's face adopted a look of confusion and humor.

"Vampires play baseball?" She asked.

"Well of course, it is an American pastime." Edward laughed.

"See you both at the field!" I cheered and pulled Edward out of the room and to the garage with me to help get the equipment ready.

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Edward POV

We were enjoying our game of baseball, things had only gotten out of hand once when Rosalie refused to accept that she hadn't got a home run.

Suddenly however, as Alice got into position to throw a curve ball to Carlisle, she froze up completely and the familiar change of thought and emotions coursed through her.

First, fear froze her into place.

I've never really understood the fear part. After having visions for as long as she has, one would think she would be used to them enough for them not to scare her. But then again, it may be a trait she picked up from her human life. Fear of her fathers reaction to her gift or fear of seeing an event as horrific as her mother's death.

After the wave of fear came the actual vision itself. My own thoughts became fuzzy as I tuned into Alice's vision.

The picture was foggy, as it always is because I've never really been able to see Alice's visions clearly, three figures suddenly emerged from the tree line.

Alice didn't recognize them, but I did and it caused me to freeze up just as she had. They strode through the field and after brief discussion with my family, everyone suddenly became on edge. The blond haired nomad growled and hissed and Jasper responded with the same fever as he presumingly was trying to protect Bella.

"Stop!" Alice screamed as her vision ended and my thoughts returned to me.

This was an all too familiar position we were in. James, Victoria, and Laurent threatening the life of a human my family cares for deeply.

They didn't get Alice, so they definitely aren't going to get Bella.

As Alice rushed through and explanation, all I could think about was this same situation when she was human. My chest tightened at the thought of not being able to protect her and then warmth flooded my chest at the memory of her being able to save herself, as always.

Alice outsmarted these nomads once, even if she doesn't remember, and I'm positive she will outsmart them again.

"How long do we have?" Carlisle asked.

"Not long." Alice sighed and everyone got into position to block Bella, Jasper instructing her how to hide her scent by tucking her hair away.

James, Victoria, and Laurent stepped out from the tree line then and James's wild expression of want, directed at Alice, did not go untouched by anyone.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Alice." James smirked as he and his coven stoped twenty feet away from us.

Alice's mind started racing as she frantically searched through her few memories for their names and faces. Coming up short, she put a soft smile on her face and prepared herself to address them.

"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" She asked daintily, looking up to me for reassurance.

The nomads were shocked entirely.

"Well, yes." James scoffed. "What? Did you finally go crazy and snap?" James laughed and Victoria echoed him.

Alice stiffened beside me, crazy being her trigger word, and unconsciously clutched at her throat and wrapped an arm around her stomach, as if she was trying to keep herself together.

I slowly put myself in front of Alice, feeling the need to protect and shield her from them better than I did during their first encounter.

"Alice doesn't remember anything from her human life, I ask that you respect her wishes to not be told any situations from it." I addressed James and his coven.

"No memories huh?" James's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You got off the hook then didn't you, Edward?" He smirked.

"What does he mean? How am I supposed to know them?" Alice asked me, knowing she didn't really want to know.

"You and your coven should leave James, we want peace, and there is nothing for you here but hostility." Carlisle suddenly stepped in, always Alice's protective father.

"You know Edward, I've always wondered how you could stand being so close to her. She had the sweetest smelling blood I've ever encountered in my existence. It must have driven you as insane as it drove me?"

"It was not without difficulty." I told him gruffly, hating how he was speaking of Alice as if she was dead.

"You should've smelt the trail she left while running from me. Her panic and fear only heightened the scent. I was sad to see such precious blood waisted on being turned into a vampire, oh well." James smirked and my venom boiled.

"You changed her?!" I screamed and Alice grabbed onto my hand tightly to remind me of myself.

"Oh no, that would be Laurent. I wanted to kill her, but I guess plans change don't they?" He laughed bitterly. "Since you got to keep Alice, it's only fair that I'll take Bella. Her blood isn't nearly as mouthwatering as Alice's, but it's sweet enough that it will do." James smiled.

"You won't touch her." Jasper suddenly stepped forward.

"We'll see about that." James laughed sinisterly as he and Victoria retreated back into the woods, leaving Laurent. He sent Alice an apologetic glance before turning and following them.

I turned back to face my family then, and everyone had grim expressions on their faces, except Alice, who was staring off towards the tree line blankly.

"So..."she spoke quietly "I knew them."

"Yes, you did. A very long time ago." I sighed.

"So I guess that answers the question of who changed me." She said plainly.

"Yes, I guess it does. Alice, I'm so sorry. If I had-"

"Stop." She cut me off, finally looking me full in the eyes. "Stop apologizing for things I don't remember, it gets old." She giggled lightly and took a deep breath as she turned to face our family.

"So what's the plan Alice?" Jasper asked.

"What makes you think I always have a plan?" Alice asked him.

"Well, you always find a way out of things. You fought them off all by yourself once, you can do it again." Jasper responded and Alice's nodded to herself.

"Okay, here's the plan." Alice smirked devilishly.