Chapter Six
Worry
Bella

Even after my nice conversation with Edward, I still found myself watching he and Alice.

The way they moved around each other, never once touching but always treating each other so passionately, it required everyone's attention. I couldn't understand why none of the Cullen's watched them the same way I did. Well, I sometimes caught Carlisle looking at them the same way I did, but his was a more knowing and caring look than mine.

When Alice danced over to his side, when Edward watched her read a book, when Alice looked up in a daze from a vision and Edward smiled at her to get her back to reality. They demanded onlookers with the intensitiy in which they did everything. Alice was Edwards polar opposite in every way and to watch them move together the way they did was an uneasy sight.

I already asked Jasper how he felt about them, knowing he could feel their emotions.

He told me that he had never seen anything like Alice and Edward. Even when Alice was a human, their relationship was deeply spiritual. He told me that they are simply 'meant to be', and after all they've been through, they deserve whatever strange happiness they have together.

After knowing them for a few weeks, and seeing how the Cullen's seemed more than comfortable with Edward and Alice's strange relationship, I'm growing more and more fond of Alice. Her personaility is growing on me and she is well versed in all of the girly things I've never really been apart of. I can already tell that Alice and I are going to be best friends, just as she said. Alice is the type of person that people find hard to hate.

Edward, however, I have a problem with.

He looks dangerous and his brooding attitude is hard to get used to. Jasper told me that he went through a brief crisis and was an excellent fighter in his past, and he must have been nothing short of a nightmare.

His behavior worries me, especially the way he treats Alice. Always by her side and when he's not, he comes in to check on her. They never kiss or share a romantic moment. They simply are together.

They aren't married like the other couples in the house either. Which is really odd to me. If Edward loves Alice's as much as he says he does, and Alice loves girly things like shopping and weddings, wouldn't she have already planned a wedding in the nearly ten years they've been together? There's just something really odd about their relationship and it scares me.

Why doesn't Alice see that she's being controlled? It's like he's smothering her and no one else seems bothered by it. I sometimes catch Esme sending them a cautious glance, but Jasper told me that she was only worried because she considers Alice her first child and Edward sometimes still scares her.

Everyday, Edward makes me more and more concerned, to the point when talking to Alice is the only way I can make sure she's safe.

Jasper went out hunting with Emmett and Edward today, so I took my chance to get Alice all to myself for a while. When I walked into the kitchen, where Esme was cooking while talking with Carlisle, Alice was sitting at the kitchen island reading a book.

"What's that?" I asked her, trying to break the tension building up inside my chest.

"I'm not sure yet." She giggled. "Edward wanted me to read it, but he is much more into history than I am." Alice said and laughed lightly as she closed the book. "What's on your mind?" She chirped.

"I want you to tell me the truth about Edward, okay?" I begged her.

Alice frowned as her eyes glazed over, I guessed she was attempting to see a vision of my question being asked. She shook her head as she came out of her trance however.

"What is it?" She asked me, sounding frustrated with herself.

"The only reason I'm asking is because I'm worried about you." I told her

"Bella..." Alice sighed, becoming worried about what could be so important.

"You know that you can tell me anything right?" I asked her, my nerves going haywire.

"Just spit it out, Bella."

"Has he ever hurt you?" I raised my voice, finally blurting out what I've been so worried about.

The room went quiet, Esme and Carlisle looking at me with wide eyes as we all waited for Alice's response.

Alice blinked, and I could tell that out of all of the questions I could've asked, she certainly wasn't expecting that one.

"No." Her voice was grave, but firm. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"I just," I sighed, swallowed, and tried to get a grip on myself. "He's very...intense. The way he looks at you. I just wanted to make sure."

There was a silence that neither of us knew how to fill after that. Alice sighed deeply, held a hand against her head, and went upstairs quickly.

"What have I done?" I asked myself out loud.

"Bella, Edward would never do anything to hurt Alice." Esme told me. "He's never hurt Alice has he?" She asked Carlisle worriedly.

"No, never." He shook his head quickly, as if dispelling a bad thought from his mind. "Edward has always been very serious, especially when it comes to the people he cares for. Has Jasper ever told you about Edwards time in the vampire wars?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, but he didn't go into any detail." I nodded, taking a seat at the kitchen island.

"Well, when Alice was human, on her eighteenth birthday, we all tried to throw her a surprise party. We thought if we dropped her off in the forest somewhere, it would distract her long enough for us to set up a party. However, she was attacked by a pack of shape shifters in the forest and was injured pretty badly. She would've died out there if her friend, who was also a shapeshifter, hadn't have saved her. Edward saw it all as his fault and so he thought it would be best for us to leave. Leaving Alice was the worst decision of his life. He was miserable without her and practically waisted away." Carlisle explained and my heart sunk into my stomach.

"That must have been awful." I sighed.

"It was. He saw how badly he was affecting all of us and so he decided to leave. On his travels to try and forget Alice, he got caught up in the vampire wars and soon became a very talented fighter. He saw himself as Alice's defender, exterminating armies of dangerous vampires was helping to rid the world of the creatures that he saw as her biggest threat in his mind. You have to understand, his mindset was very muddled at this point. He hadn't been feeding himself properly, he was starving himself as long as possible because he didn't want to remind himself of the monster he sees himself as by hunting. When he returned home, he still wasn't himself. After he and Alice were reunited, in her new vampire state with no memories of her human life, he became more of his old self. But he'll always be haunted by his past mistakes and how deeply he hurt Alice. He'll never be the same person he was before." Carlisle sighed.

"I can't even image how difficult it must have been, for either one of them. How was Alice changed? What happened to her after you guys left?" I asked.

"She doesn't remember who changed her, and there's a thirteen month gap between when we left and when she found us again. Alice was at a ball that the entire family was at and surprised Edward and I. Not only did Alice rejoin the family, but she also introduced Esme and I to each other." Carlisle smiled down at Esme who was tucked into his side happily.

"He was born in 1901." Alice suddenly spoke behind me, entering the kitchen and taking a seat at the island beside me.

"He was upper class." She continued. "Trust me, he's the most gentlemenly man I've ever met. Totally sexist, it's ridiculous. I haven't opened a door for myself since we've met."

I laughed and quickly covered my mouth.

"Now I feel stupid. I would say I'm sorry for assuming, but you're my family now. You're not upset with me are you?" I asked her.

Alice smiled softly, "No. It explains a lot though, he knows you don't like him very much. He avoids you because your emotions make him uncomfortable."

"I should apologize..." I sighed, now feeling even more guilty after hearing more of his and Alice's story.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell him you and I talked. Just know that he loves me, okay? He really does." Alice beamed and I couldn't deny his love for her at all.

"Why does he treat you like that? I've never met anyone more protective." I asked, my curiosity taking over.

"Oh," Alice said. For such a small sound, it seemed to say a lot. "He's always been that way, even when we first met. He had never seen anyone like me, I've always thought he just didn't want to repeat things from my human life, and I suppose he looked at me like I was delicate and needed taking care of. I worship the man, but he's never had to share my attention with someone else so much before, so this is all a little difficult for him. He'll open up, I promise." Alice smiled brightly at me.

"I'll let you get back to your book then." I smiled back at her, feeling much better. I was about to leave when I suddenly felt the presence of someone standing behind me.

"Don't worry about it Bella, she's happy you gave her an excuse to put it down I'm sure."

Alice's face broke out into a warm smile, and I turned to find Edward standing in the door way. Tall, scarred Edward, with a small crooked smile across his face.

For a brief moment, I could see what Alice sees when she looks at him. Something different than what anyone else saw, similar to the way they gazed at each other. He was a person who's past was painfully etched all over his skin, and he loved the one women who had always seen past even the worst of it.

"It's so boring." Alice groaned and tossed the book onto the countertop. Edward chuckled and she crossed her arms. "Don't ask me why anyone would read this for fun." She huffed playfully.

Edward smiled at her and she smiled back. I suddenly felt like I was intruding on something and as Esme and Carlisle left the room, I followed them out and went into the living room, where Jasper was waiting on me of course.

"Everything okay?" He asked me, taking his chance to give me a small kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, perfect actually." I smiled up at him.

"Perfect? Well, who knew you felt that way about me." He smirked.

"Not just you...everyone." I smiled. "I think I've finally found a best friend, and your family really cares about me, don't they?"

"Yes, very much." Jasper smiled and kissed me softly.

"Aww!" Alice squealed from the doorway.

"Go away Alice." Jasper groaned while I giggled.

"Come on Ali, lets give the newest lovebirds some privacy hmm?" Edward smiled down at her and she danced up the stairs.

Edward sent me a crooked smirk and a nod before turning and following her upstairs just as gracefully.