The Edge

Breakin' All the Rules

Summary: Alice goes to see Bella in the aftermath of her birthday party.

Later That Night

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and caught it.

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and caught it.

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and caught it.

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and caught it.

Bella sighed and tilted her head back against her mattress. Her body was exhausted but she couldn't sleep. She just kept on going over the events of the night in her mind, over and over and over again, her heart squeezing painfully every time she thought of Alice or Edward.

She couldn't understand how she had managed to screw everything up so spectacularly in one night. She had been so full of hope at the beginning of the party. Things weren't perfect of course, there was the awkwardness between her and Alice, and the issue of being turned to worry about, but things had been as close to perfect as was possible, and she had been so ... hopeful that things would just get better.

And now ... now it was hard to imagine things possibly getting worse. The Cullen's were likely furious at her, likely hated her. Edward had barely been able to look at her when he had dropped her off at home. By the time she had left the Cullen's house Jasper still hadn't returned, and Alice ... Alice probably wouldn't want to be anywhere near her after she had been so stupid, and so clumsy and nearly caused her to lose the control she had spent years developing.

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and caught it.

Bella tossed her hacky sack ball in the air with her good arm and ...dropped it.

Registering movement near her window out of the corner of her eye, Bella turned her head to the side, her heart thumping powerfully in her chest as she caught sight of the petite figure delicately perched in her window.

"Alice," Bella whispered disbelievingly as Alice hopped gracefully onto the floor.

Immediately Bella stumbled to her feet and began to move towards the raven-haired beauty, relieved beyond belief to see Alice in her room. However, she stopped halfway to her, uncertain how Alice would feel about her closeness after everything that had happened at the party.

"It's okay," Alice said softly, her voice so small and subdued that it brought the sting of tears to Bella's eyes. "I'm fine now," she continued, her voice cracking as she spoke. "You can come closer ... if you want," she said hesitantly, her voice still cracking as her eyes skittered away from Bella's. "If you're not scared," she added staring at the ground, her tone unimaginably pained.

Bella immediately moved forward and wrapped her arms around Alice's waist, hugging her without reservation.

"Of course I'm not scared. I'm so glad to see you," Bella whispered, blinking rapidly to try and contain the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I was so worried. I was afraid you would hate me."

"Hate you?" Alice asked incredulously, stilling in Bella's arms for a moment before pulling away from her enough to see her face. "Why would I possibly hate you?" she continued softly, blinking in incomprehension. "I'm the one that a-a-attacked you. How could I possibly be mad at you?"

Her voice was full of regret and recrimination and she guilty averted her gaze from Bella's.

"If I hadn't been so careless, and ... and so frickin' clumsy, then none of this would have ever happened," Bella responded shaking her head with remorse. "Only I could turn opening a birthday present into a UFC main event," she continued disparagingly, her eyes far away for a second before they widened and she looked over at Alice. "Oh," she gasped, "how's Jasper?" she continued, wondering if he had finally come back.