Chapter Seventeen
Reunited
Alice

I groggily became aware of my senses again and groaned as I stretched out my stiff muscles.

"How are you feeling Alice?" Carmen asked softly from a chair beside the bed and I opened my eyes to look at her.

"I'm fine." I answered, watching her carefully. She looked the same, especially when her eyes held the same worried look they used to.

"You look beautiful Alice." She complimented me.

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, you do, especially in this light." She nodded. "Everyone's waiting for you downstairs."

"Then they're going to have to wait for a long time." I spoke firmly.

"Oh Alice, don't be spiteful. Yes, Edward made a big mistake, but you need to remember that he's been paying for that mistake for a decade. While you lived in blissful innocence, he was faced with his mistake every day of his existence. He's never going to forgive himself. I'm not advocating for you to forgive him immediately, but at least give the man a chance. The Cullen's were forced to leave by Edwards wishes, please don't take out your anger on them, they're just happy you're okay." Carmen smiled and guilt suddenly hit me very hard.

"Okay." I nodded. "I'll talk with the Cullen's, but if Edward even comes near me I'm leaving."

"Alright, I'll go tell everyone." She nodded. "Get dressed and come downstairs." She pointed out an outfit laid out on another chair and left the room.

I dressed slowly in the long green dress that stopped just below my knees and put on the dark green flats that matched. I checked my hair and face in the mirror on the back of the closet door before leaving the room and walking downstairs carefully.

I peered around the corner of the living room and immediately met Emmett's eyes from across the room.

"Hey shortie." He grinned and I laughed. The next thing I knew, he raced across the room, picked me up, and spun me around just like he used to. "It's good to see ya kid." He chuckled.

"It's good to see you too goofball." I smiled back.

"We're just relieved you're okay Alice. Seeing you so sick right before you changed really scared all of us." Rosalie smiled as she showed up at Emmett's side.

Rosalie and I have, were, never that close so her sudden concern threw me off for a minuet. She caught onto my hesitation and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that you don't really remember." She sighed.

"No, it's alright. I just got a little confused." I smiled softly. "I'm guessing that we've become close?"

"Very." Rosalie nodded. "You were right, just like always, you have definitely become my little sister." She smiled widely and hugged me tightly.

"I'm glad." I nodded, meaning it.

"Alice." Carlisle caught my attention. I turned around and immediately saw his guilty golden eyes. "I'm so sorry sweetheart." He apologized.

"For what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"I was your father, I should've protected you, and I should've fought for you, but I didn't. I let you down and I'll never forgive myself for choosing sides so I don't expect you to either. I just want you to know that I'm sorry." He apologized and my throat tightened.

"You didn't choose sides, you chose to keep your family in tact as much as possible. You've always had a little too much faith in me, I'm sure that you thought I would be okay, that I could handle it." I nodded.

"That's exactly what I thought." He sighed. "I just didn't know that you were-"

"Pregnant?" I questioned and he nodded. "Yeah that one was a shock." I giggled and suddenly had a thought cross my mind. "Edward said that the Denalis told you. Does that mean..."

"Anthony is here yes, although he is very upset with Carmen and Eleazar at the moment and refuses to leave the guest room when either one of them are in the house." Carlisle explained. "He's fantastic Alice." He smiled brightly.

"Really? You think so?" I grinned happily.

"Absolutely. He's smart and funny and incredibly intuitive, he's a lot like you." Carlisle nodded.

"He must be so big by now, it's been what? Ten years?" I asked.

"Yes, and he looks eighteen or so." Carlisle responded.

"I've missed so much." I sighed deeply, my heart suddenly hurting.

"Not that much." A strangely familiar voice laughed suddenly.

I turned to find Edward standing in the doorway. I was just about run out of the room when I noticed that it wasn't Edward, just a close copy.

"Anthony?" I questioned, not really trusting myself.

"Mom?" He questioned me in return, very comically, and I couldn't deny that the crooked grin that spread across his face came directly from his father.

I realized after a few moments that we had both been staring at each other from across the room. I started to say something to him the same time he started to say something to me, and we both laughed at each other's expressions.

"You know, I've never forgotten about you." He smiled softly.

"Really?" I asked confusingly.

"Yeah, I remember my mo-Carmen," he paused to let the anger he was feeling pass "I remember Carmen rocking me, and she handed me to you, and I remember you being around for a few days, and then you were just gone." He blinked rapidly, as if coming out of a vision.

"So...how did you think Carmen was your mother if you remembered me?" I asked softly, trying not give away the terrible sadness I was feeling.

"I knew who you were, you had the same voice, and I was sad you left." He sighed. "I think I convinced myself Carmen and Eleazar were my parents because I didn't want to face the fact that I was alone."

I suddenly rushed across the room and threw my arms around him tightly.

I don't know what possessed me to do it.

I guess it was the way he was looking at me. He looked as if he was about to cry and I could tell how saddened he was, but at the same time he seemed overjoyed to see me. It was if he was at war with himself. A part of him was happy I was alive and with him again and another part was sad to be leaving a life of blissful innocence.

"I am so sorry." I sobbed, my emotions finally catching up with me. "I didn't want to leave you but I couldn't stand to see you hurt because of me. You were so innocent, so tiny, and I would rather die than let anyone hurt you...so I decided to die and keep James away from you." I explained quickly.

"I know, I understand." He nodded, holding me as tight as he dared. "You did what you had to do, I just wish there had been some other way." He sighed and a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Edward never found the letter did he?" I asked the room, turning to look at Carlisle.

"What letter?" He asked.

"I wrote so many, but the last one is the one I needed him to find." I sighed. "I told him about Anthony and everything that had happened since he left. I don't understand what went wrong, my vision was so sound."

"Where did you send it?" Rosalie asked.

"I didn't send it, I put all of the letters into a box and left it in Edwards room in Olympia." I explained.

"But I found that box." Rosalie shook her head. "There was only one letter in it and it was incredibly confusing, well, before we knew about Anthony."

"Only one letter?" I asked. "I didn't see that happening. I saw Edward finding the box and then finding a still little Anthony. That's what I meant to happen. I never planned for Anthony to be alone, I just planned for him to not have me." I was pulling at my hair by the end of my speech and had buried my face in my hair and hands.

"It's alright." Anthony touched my shoulder and I looked up at him. "I still had a family, sisters and overprotective parents so at least it was pretty normal." He chuckled and then put his face in his hands. "Oh my god what am I going to tell my sisters?" He groaned.

"We already knew Tony." A voice suddenly laughed from right behind me and I jumped, earning myself a round of laughter. "Alice calm down, we're not going to hurt you." A blond haired girl tried to soothe me.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Kate, you met me at the wedding?" She questioned and I nodded vaguely. Kate's sister Irina introduced herself as well and then they both converged on Anthony.

"You knew?" Anthony asked madly. "Why did you never tell me?!"

"Because you were happy not knowing." Kate smoothed his unruly copper curls and he calmed down a little.

"Alright." He sighed. "Where's Tanya?" He asked and his sisters froze. "Where's Tanya?" He asked again and I had a feeling that he doesn't get a lot of answers.

"She's outside with Edward." Irina announced.

"With Edward?" I questioned, confused as to why she would be with him instead of her family.

"She just has as a bit of a...crush." Kate answered carefully.

"A crush?" I gasped. "Okay, no, I'm not letting this happen." I shook my head and quickly searched the future before rushing outside to the front porch.

I found Edward and Tanya cuddled up on the porch swing together, Tanya clutching onto Edward as if he was going to disappear.

"Get up." I told her.

"Excuse me?" She gaped.

"I said get up." I growled and she stood up quickly, looking afraid of me.

That didn't take long.

"Alice." Edward smiled brightly at me.

"You are an idiot." I snapped at him and he reeled back in shock. "I understand that you don't care very much for me but to flaunt the pathetic relationship you have with our sons sister is going too far. I have suffered through a lot of your idiotic behavior but I won't sit back and watch you do this."

"Alice, you're confused, Tanya's affections have never been reciprocated!" Edward jumped up and tried to calm me quickly.

"So you two don't have a thing?" I asked.

"No, no, of course not!" He cried and ran his hands through my curls quickly. "Silly girl, I only want you." He chuckled a little.

I so desperately wanted to believe him. I wanted to close the little distance between us and wrap my arms around his neck. I wanted to hug him and kiss him and most of all, I just wanted him to be mine again.

But I can't let myself get hurt again.

So I turned on my heel and walked back inside the house and into the living room. I got a few questioning glances but I ignored them and sat beside Anthony on the couch instead.

He smiled widely at me. His bright green eyes were happy and his crooked smile was proudly on his face. Having Anthony beside me and smiling at me suddenly made me feel better.

"Is she awake?" A girls voice asked as the front door shut.

"Yes, she's definitely awake." Edwards familiar voice chuckled.

"Come on, they're in the living room." Jasper told the girl, I guess, and he entered the room holding the hand of a long mahogany haired girl.

"Bella Swan." I sighed deeply, realizing who she was.

"You remember me?" Bella asked hopefully.

"No, well, yes." I sighed and put my face in my hands. "But I remember you being eight and scaring me half to death." I couldn't help but giggle.

"Wait, you met Alice when she was human?" Jasper asked Bella, who looked very confused.

Bella stared at me for only a few minuets before she perked up and nodded. "Yes, I remember now. I was eight and spending the summer with Charlie. I remember seeing you at the bonfire at the reservation, I thought you looked like you needed a friend, and I thought it was funny how you were older than me but not taller." Bella giggled. "Sorry." She apologized quickly.

"It's no problem, I hear that a lot." I laughed. "You fell into the tide pools didn't you? Even though I warned you?" I asked knowingly.

"Yes." She admitted, laughing.

"Bella, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course Alice." She nodded.

"How did you know?" I asked. "How did you know I was pregnant?"

"I don't really remember, I just knew somehow." She answered truthfully. "Why?" she asked.

"I just wasn't expecting you to know. The visions didn't tell me about you and I'm not used to being caught off guard." I laughed and everyone echoed.

I noticed Jasper's arm snaking around her waist then and I sighed deeply.

"Are you alright Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah." I nodded and looked at Bella. "I knew this was going to happen, but I didn't want it to."

"What?" Bella asked.

"I knew you were going to find the Cullen's and be with Jasper but I didn't want it to happen." I explained

"Why?" Jasper asked, sounding very hurt.

"Because I didn't want such a sweet little girl to end up like me." I finally admitted, a tear escaping and running quickly down my cheek.