Chapter Text
Shadows break across the city of Forks Washington. Clouds loom in the sky, as the sun breaches the horizon. The sleeping town stirs to life as the earliest risers begin their latest day in the small Pacific Northwest town. Despite the full force of spring upon the town, cold air hangs heavy across the city.
Bella Swan awakens in the early light of morning. It has become standard over the last month, that the first light of dawn piercing her window seems to be all it takes to end her dreams. Today her excitement over her impending spring break may have something to do with it. She pulls herself out of bed, and all but runs to her bathroom.
After a lukewarm shower and entirely too much time choosing her clothes for today, she is ready to start her Saturday. Despite the spring being in full swing, it is still far too cold for Bella’s liking. With her new favorite jacket waiting for her on the back of the recliner, she stops into the kitchen. Charlie is already seated at the table with two mugs of coffee ready and a fresh pot brewing.
Bella sits with a smile, taking the Forks police mug sitting across from Charlie. The father and daughter are both dressed for their days. Charlie, wearing waterproof boots and pants, is ready for fishing and Bella is dressed for a relaxing day around town. As the Swans silently finish their cups of coffee a knocking at the door redirects their attention.
Bella stands to answer the calm knocking. Charlie stands to pour the second pot of coffee into his old reliable and dinged up thermos. The pale green paint is scuffed and chipped off, but it still keeps its heat so he has no need to replace it. His hand clots momentarily over his assortment of sugar packets, before he shakes his head.
Bella gingerly throws her vintage light brown leather jacket on her shoulders. Flicking her hair free of the collar she reaches the door and answers with a friendly smile. Just on the other side is the low but smiling face of Billy Black. He smiles up at Bella, his eyes flashing with mild sadness.
In the driveway, Bella can see Jacob. She can almost hear him complaining to himself as he moves the fishing gear around in the back. If her focus wasn’t torn back to the older man in front of her, she might make out his soft complaints. Instead, her eyes and ears shift their focus she hears her name spoken.
“Bella.” Greets Billy with a kind smile. “Is Charlie ready yet, or is he too ashamed to get out fished by a man in a wheelchair?”
“Hi again Billy.” Greets Bella back with a chuckle and a smile. “He’s just about ready,”
“I didn’t have to remind you this time.” Chuckles Jacob’s father.
“Oh, so we’re shit talking now Billy?” Responds Charlie on approach from the kitchen. The police chief walks up to the two and smiles incredulously at his friend.
“Bell’s, I’m gonna be out all day showing this old man who he’s messing with. If I’m not back before you two head out, just remember I love you kiddo.” He quickly plants a kiss on top of his daughter's head.
“I love you too dad.” Responds Bella giving her dad a quick hug. “I’ll call you when we get to Mom and Phil’s.”
Bella follows her father and Billy out of the house, locking up behind her. She stands and watches the two loading Charlie’s fishing gear in the back of the Rabbit along with Charlie’s cooler. Despite herself she eyes the trees to the side of her yard suspiciously. She knows that she shouldn’t be afraid anymore, James is dead and burned, but every now and again she just gets paranoid.
Soon after, she watches both men drive off down the road. Rushing off to their preferred lakeside fishing spot, far from the distractions of work or civilization. Jacob stands at the end of the driveway; despite the cool air he has a thin flannel shirt on over a t-shirt. He turns and with a smile walks over to Bella with his arms open.
Bella leans in and the two share a short friendly hug, she briefly wonders if this is what it feels like to have a brother. Pulling apart Bella leads him to her truck, keys already in hand. She gently glides her fingers across Meg’s lightly rust speckled surface as she nears the driver side door. With surprising ease, she leaps up into the cab.
Once both are inside and seated on the firm but comforting seats, Bella hands him a box. She had received it from Rosalie in the mail just the other day. Jacob looks over the specifics on the back closely. He smiles to himself before turning the box over in his hands.
Bella sits in silence awaiting his judgment. She knows that he is drawing it out just to make her squirm. She doesn’t give him the satisfaction however, remaining silent and stoic in her seat. Eventually he gives in and looks over to her with a defeated grin.
“It’s definitely not the same as the original radio.” He responds with a smug smirk.
“But will it fit, and will it work?” Bella asks with a nervous expression.
“Yeah, as long as the electrical system is intact, it can be fitted into the dash.” Answers Jacob proudly. “And I can do it today if it’s important.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to be today, but I’ll be out of town with Alice for spring break.” Responds Bella with a dreamy tone in her voice “She’s going to meet my mom and stepdad in Jacksonville.”
“You’re not taking this truck all that way, are you?” Questions Jacob concern breaking into his voice. “She’s in good shape but she’s still an old truck.”
“No, as much as I love Meg, she’s not comfortable enough for a 20 plus hour drive like that.” Responds Bella gently rubbing the dash as if to apologize to her beloved truck. “Her folks are renting us a car for the drive, and we’re leaving tonight.”
“It’ll definitely take me a couple hours to install, and I’m gonna need to custom make a piece to hold it in the place of the old radio.” Explains Jacob carefully plotting out the work.
“Could we do it now?” Asks Bella nervously biting her lower lip. “We wanted to have a picnic before we left.”
“Who would have guessed the same girl who routinely pushed me down the hill would grow up to be such a romantic?” Jokes Jacob chuckling at Bella’s faint blush of embarrassment. “Yeah, if you drive us to my place, I can get the whole thing done.”
“In my defense, you were an obnoxious little shit back then.” Counters Bella as she slides her key into the ignition. “And in your defense, you stopped being little.”
*****
The drive to the Black home on the tribal land of La Push is a smooth one if not especially quiet. Jacob has very little to say, or rather he says very little to Bella. For the entire ride she can see that he wants to say something but keeps talking himself out of it. Instead, he just makes generic comments about the weather, most of them over and over.
Bella gets very nervous and annoyed with him by the time the two pull up to his home. Driving right up to the garage before she parks, Bella sighs aloud. Pulling the keys from the ignition she turns to Jacob and frowns silently. He glances back to her and begins to nervously look away as if he could ignore her glaring implication.
Bella makes no move to avert her accusatory gaze. She forces her eyes to remain locked on him, unmoving and unblinking. The cabin grows heavy with the awkward air between them. Having quickly grown fed up with her stare, Jacob blurts out a defensive sigh.
“What?” He asks losing this little game.
“You tell me?” Bella questions right back. “You’ve been wanting to say something the whole ride, so say it.”
With a deafening silence that threatens to destroy his eardrums, Jacob finally relents and groans aloud in defeat. “Fine! But you're gonna laugh.”
“I will try my best not to laugh.” Exclaims the smiling Bella with her right hand raised in a mock pledge. “Scouts honor.”
“How did you and Alice get together?” He asks softly unbuckling his seatbelt in case he needs to run.
“Oh my god! You're not going to try to talk me into breaking up with her too, are you?” Questions Bella in mounting frustration. “Of all my friends I thought you would just let me be happy,”
“No!” Defends Jacob with a sudden and loud exclamation. “I am cool with you two! I’m just asking you for advice.”
“You want my advice on asking a girl out?” Softly and confusingly asks Bella. “Okay, wow! I literally never saw that coming.”
“Stop mocking me.” Responds Jacob in embarrassment.
“I’m not mocking, I just never expected anyone to ask me for dating advice.” Responds a smirking Bella. “It’s a sobering realization. So, tell me about her?”
Jacob pauses briefly to find his words. “She was really close to another guy, Sam. And like just about everyone, I thought they were gonna get married one day. But overnight he changed into a jerk and dumped her. Then he started dating her cousin as if to just rub salt in the wound.”
“Alpha asshole behavior right there.” Interjects Bella after Jacob pauses for a few moments.
“Yeah. So after they broke up Leah got justifiably pissed.” He continues. “I was one of the only people our age who would talk to her as most of his friends turned into alpha jerks too, and most of the girls just seemed to side with her cousin.”
“Last week we talked for most of the night under the stars.” Jacob’s smile grows as wide as it can as he reminisces on the night in question. “She seemed genuinely happy, and she grabbed my hand. I’m sure if her brother hadn’t found us, she would have kissed me. But the next day she started acting extra aggressive and started to avoid me.”
“Have you been able to talk to her about it?” Asks Bella sitting silently.
“No, she just keeps avoiding me.” He responds defeated.
“Keep trying to talk to her and don’t give up.” Answers Bella with full confidence. “Maybe try writing your feelings out and giving it to her if she still won’t talk to you.”
“That’s all you’ve got for me?” Questions Jacob with a half-hearted smile.
“Well Alice and I had almost being crushed by a van that went wild to help bring us together.” Teases Bella with a smile. “And I don’t recommend trying to fake that. Or trying to do it for real.”
The two laugh together at Bella’s bad joke. The laughter helps Jacob cover up his vulnerability. It also helps the two friends further cement their friendship. When the laughter fades, the two share a quick hug and get started on replacing the truck’s radio.
Bella, having no knowledge of electronics mostly watches, but she tries to help where she can. She does prove helpful as she feeds him replacement wires and holds tools to free his hands. She even learns how to use a few things, like a voltmeter. Though, she refuses to touch the soldering iron for fear of catching something, or one of them on fire.
Jacob has to create two solutions to the new radio’s size versus the original radio. One is to use spare foam scraps from the packaging to hold the radio in place and avoid it shifting around. The other is to use a piece of scrap to make a cover to fill the excess space on the sides of the radio face. The colors don’t match fully yet, but it’s something that he can better match later.
Just past noon the two are seated outside the truck and again talking about nothing in particular. They are sharing a couple of sodas and just enjoying the mid-day spring weather. Bella feels a light chill pass through her, still adapting to the cooler weather. Jacob to her surprise is only wearing his thin t-shirt now and seems unaffected by the chill in the air.
*****
Bella drives away from La Push and back home not long after. She still had to grab her bags and make sure she didn’t forget anything for the trip before joining Alice for their date. She was happy to give Jacob advice, even if she wasn’t sure if it was the best advice in the world. Her relationship with Alice isn’t exactly analogous to any other relationships that she knows of.
Her girlfriend being an ageless vampire who could rip a human apart with her bare hands, does make things different. And that’s without adding the whole prophetic visions brought them together across time, aspect. Bella isn’t complaining though, she loves Alice and has never felt like she was used or manipulated by her. And after Alice tore the head off the hunter who stalked her, any doubts she could have had about Alice’s love for her evaporated completely.
The drive home through Forks is quiet, despite the new radio. Besides testing it to make sure it worked; Bella wants to wait to use it for real until Alice can join her. It amazes Bella that she has come to so fully embrace Forks as her home after so little time. She hates the colder weather, she hates the incessant rainfall and cloud cover, and yet.
Even discounting Alice, she just can’t ignore how much she is enjoying the city. She has friends here; her dad is here, and she even has a friend in Jacob if not a little bit outside of town. Hell in the last few weeks she has even started to go swimming again. Granted her current swimsuit is not the one she would like the most, but beggars can’t be choosers and all that crap.
*****
Checking back through her room one more time, Bella ensures that she hasn’t forgotten anything. She has a charger for her phone, her laptop, a few books and plenty of clothes. She makes sure her journal is in her bag, when she decides to change her shirt once again. Throwing off the navy-blue t-shirt, she pulls a black band T from her dresser.
She pulls the AFI shirt on over her bra and just feels more comfortable. Turning off her bedroom light she ensures that all the lights are off on her way out. She pauses outside of her home before tossing her bags into the back of Meg’s cab. Setting off for Alice’s home she can’t help but smile at what awaits her.
Arriving at the sizable modern redesigned house, she spots Esme outside tending to her pink rose bushes. They haven’t bloomed yet but are obviously getting close. The vampire mother’s other flowers however are much further along. Bella kills the engine and hops out looking up to Esme as the eternally youthful woman smiles at her.
“Bella, it's so good to see you.” Joyously exclaims Esme with a massive grin.
Bella smiles, still a little embarrassed by how accepting the Cullen’s have been. “It’s good to see you too Esme.”
“How was your and Alice’s date last night?” Questions Esme with a mischievous twinkle in her dark golden eyes.
“Alice didn’t tell you about it?” Questions Bella dismissively.
“While my youngest daughter is quite open and forthcoming, she does not share everything.” Responds Esme with a smile, snipping off a damaged bud.
“We had fun.” Responds Bella reminiscing on the previous night. “She took me to our restaurant, in Port Angeles. And we finally made it to the little bookstore she told me about on our first date.”
“That certainly sounds romantic.” Exclaims Esme, in a wistful tone.
“She really is.” Whispers Bella with a wide smile on her lips.
*****
Alice quietly steps out of her family’s home having heard Bella’s voice from outside. She watches the young woman standing in the jacket she gifted her just two weeks ago. Bella didn’t like when Alice constantly bought her things, so they came to a compromise. Once a month or on special occasions Alice can give her a gift, and they would trade off when paying for dates.
“She really is.” Whispers Bella with a wide smile on her lips.
“You know, you don’t have to butter me up right?” Questions Alice stepping outside to greet Bella with a knowing grin.
The two women pull one another into a tight embrace. Bella’s arms resting around Alice’s neck and shoulders. Alice’s arms tightly encircling Bella’s waist. In her enthusiasm, Alice picks up Bella and spins around holding her girlfriend up as if she weighed nothing.
Bella leans down and plants a powerful kiss upon Alice’s chilled lips. Alice responds with equal passion holding back only as much as she needs to. Bella tries to hold on to the kiss for as long as she can, before her lungs necessitate a break. Alice, not needing oxygen, plants a series of additional kisses on Bella. She begins with the tip of Bella’s nose, slowly trailing up to her forehead.
Alice releases Bella as she finishes catching her breath. Her warm hands sliding down the vampire girls’ arms, Bella takes hold of her soft hands. Alice hardly notices the soft tingling sensation from their touch anymore. It has simply become an intrinsic part of their embraces.
“Are you ready for our picnic?” Questions Alice lightly rubbing her thumbs over the backs of Bella’s hands.
“Yeah, you know you don’t have to do all of this just because you had to end our date early last night.” Responds Bella her smile never faltering.
“It’s not about have, it’s about want.” Responds Alice beginning to dance in place. “Besides, you’ve planned this whole trip for the two of us so I might as well plan another date before we leave.”
“After all we’ve been through, I won’t say no to a romantic date.” Responds Bella consciously attempting to dance along with Alice.
Alice breaks her grip on Bella’s hands with a wink. Using her inhuman speed, she rushes back into her family home for a moment. She collects the picnic backpack that she prepared for today from the kitchen. Within a few moments she returns in a blur. Alice hands off the dark brown leather backpack in her hands.
Bella seems surprised by its weight, but easily slings it over her shoulders. Alice snaps a harness across Bella’s chest holding the backpack tightly to her soft frame. Her hands linger over Bella’s chest, lightly touching the young woman’s side before returning to her own. Alice turns from Bella and motions for the girl to climb on to her back.
Bella is surprised at the gesture taking a moment to fully grasp the mechanics of the request. Alice remains patient giving Bella time to grab hold of the shorter vampire girls sturdy frame. Bella rests her arms on Alice’s shoulders reaching around her neck. Nervously she pulls her legs up on to Alice’s sides.
The warmth radiating through Alice’s clothes from her girlfriend’s body teases Alice’s cold hardened flesh. Unlike the few nights that the two have spent in bed together, the close embrace is testing Alice’s self-control. Alice focuses and adjusts Bella’s position for a minute before she begins running at relatively slow speeds.
She gives Bella time to adjust to the motion and speed before she begins building speed. After a few minutes she is truly running and showing off to Bella how she can run. When she can feel Bella struggle and strain, she reaches back and holds the girl steady. Alice, knowing the route by heart, is content to allow Bella to experience the world almost as she does for the first time.
The afternoon light is flickering through the leaves onto the forest floor below. The soft animal chitters and rushing wind are heard through the forest. The budding trees rush past in a blur of browns and greens. Her hardened hands gently shoving off a few trunks, as her stride reaches its apex.
She gently leaps over a fallen tree, gliding through the space between barren branches. She softly and swiftly rebounds off the rain softened earth. Her speed remains constant, and she doesn’t miss a beat as she continues her journey. The destination is a clearing with an unmatched view of the soon to be setting sun.
A faint gasp from behind her shoulder, draws her attention to the warmth spreading across her back. She feels the beating heart thumping against her shoulder blade. The heady scent of her passenger brings a smirk to Alice’s lips. Bella instinctively tightens her arms around the vampire’s neck. Alice fights the urge to stop and press the fragile human girl up against a tree and embrace her.
As an illustration of her considerable control, Alice instead pushes through the Forks tree line. The two soon reach the clearing, from her visions. Alice smirks as she comes to a complete stop. Thanks to the momentum and Alice’s exceptional agility, Bella spins around her arms never leaving Alice’s neck.
Bella comes to a soft stop in Alice’s arms resting into a bridal carry. The two remain in that position gazing upon one another for what feels like a short eternity. The short but powerful vampire easily carries the taller and entirely too fragile young woman as she finds the perfect vantage point. The clearing has a softly sloping hill, and she wants Bella to watch the setting sun right alongside her.
The look that Bella gives Alice as she bites her lower lip, empowers the hunger within her. To satiate this hunger if only briefly, Alice leans in and passionately kisses the waiting lips. The two embrace and kiss for what feels like a second eternity, all the while the warmth and pulse of her lover can be felt through her lips. The kiss ends with Alice setting Bella upon the tall spring grass.
Alice removes the tightly folded blanket from the backpack. In a swift and entirely unnecessary single move, she shakes the blanket free of its folds and lays it down for the two to share. Bella fully removes the pack and places it in the center of the blanket taking a seat. Alice kicks her shoes off and steps on to the blanket herself sitting on the other side of the picnic backpack.
Alice opens her carefully crafted meal making a small show of the whole thing. “I cooked all of this myself today.”
“No help from Esme?” Questions Bella with a knowing smile.
“Oh no she helped me, a lot.” Responds Alice with a chuckle. “But I made sure that I cooked everything myself.”
“So, what did you make us?” Asks Bella uncrossing her arms in excitement.
“I looked up everything I could about picnics and while most of it was about summertime meals I think I got the gist of it.” Explains Alice with a nervous smile. “I made you fried chicken, pasta salad, and a slice of cherry pie.”
“Alice this all looks so good.” Responds Bella gazing upon the home cooked meal. “But why was the bag so heavy?”
“Well, I also brought some wine.” Answers Alice with a smile. “I don’t know what you might like, so I got red Pino noir, white Pino Grigio, and Syrah rose.”
“I’ve never had any wine before.” Nervously responds Bella looking at the three bottles strapped into the back of the bag. I don’t know if I even like any of those.”
“I don’t expect you to drink all three of them.” Responds Alice her nerves flaring again. “I just wanted this to be special, sorry if I went too far.”
“Alice.” Responds Bella reaching for her face and holding her gaze. “You don’t have to try so hard. I’m just happy to be with you.”
“I know.” Responds Alice softly taking Bella’s face in her own hand. “I just don’t want you to miss out on anything that life has to offer you. Now, are you going to try the food for me?”
“Oh, that was never in doubt.” Giggles back Bella.
*****
With the meal over and the soft pink and orange light igniting the cloud dotted sky, Alice gazes upon Bella. Her still very pale skin, her face barely dusted with makeup. Her sparkling brown eyes, God those eyes. So much love in them, tempered by pain that she now understands all too well.
Her wavy brown hair framing her face. Her pink lips curled up in a less than chaste smile, white teeth teasing at her lower lip. She is wearing her favorite brown leather jacket, over a black band shirt. A pair of tight fading blue jeans and scuffed black boots.
Alice watches every detail of her face and body language. Bella’s eyes lock on to her own. For the first time she is truly living in the moment she has waited for. In the dying light of the day Bella says the four words that burned themselves into her soul.
“I love you, Alice.” Her voice is so sincere and genuine.
If Alice had a heartbeat, it would surely skip at least one beat. “I love you too Bella. Always and forever.”
As the sun fully sets over the horizon, neither woman is seeing it. Instead, they look deep into one another’s souls. They kiss once more and quickly embrace again. They roll on top of one another only breaking the kiss so that Bella can breathe.