The Edge

Changes

Summary: The crisis with Victoria has been averted, and things are changing in Forks, for the better and the worse.

Later That Night

Alice paused in the frame of the open window and turned to look behind her.

Bella was still sleeping fitfully, and Alice was certain that she would remain that way for at least the next few hours. Bella's time with Victoria in the woods had exhausted her emotionally, and when Bella had been able to escape to her room, the moment Alice climbed through her bedroom window to join her Bella's hands had been on her, quickly stripping her of her clothes as she pushed Alice towards the bed.

Alice had been tempted to try and stop Bella, to suggest that they just rest together out of worry that her own fragile emotional and mental state would lessen her control. But, as she landed on the mattress and Bella climbed on top of her, Bella's eyes burning into her own as her hands moved restlessly over Alice's naked upper body, Alice knew that this was something they both needed, and lifted her hand to Bella's cheek, stroking it softly before she guided her head down and kissed her deeply.

They spent the next hour clinging to each other, desperately making love to each other again and again, until Bella finally exhausted herself physically as well a emotionally. As the last ripples of her orgasm ripped through her, Bella had sighed contentedly and fallen forward in a deliciously sweaty heap, her head settling over Alice's breast as her arms wrapped around the raven-haired beauties waist, drawing her tightly against her and within minutes was asleep.

That had been almost half an hour before, and while Alice wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the night wrapped in Bella's arms, the sound of Bella's heartbeat lulling her into a pleasantly thoughtless haze, she knew that she had to leave.

Alice sighed, and turned back around, her gaze moving outside of the window until she was looking down at the dark expanse of grass below Bella's bedroom.

She shook her head.

She never thought that she would be sneaking out of Bella's bedroom in the middle of the night.

Sparing one last look at her sleeping lover, Alice leapt out of the window, landing lightly on her feet before she took off into the night at top speed.

She didn't have much time.

She was certain that the decision, which had lead to the vision she'd had just before sneaking into Bella's bedroom, had been made far before she had seen it. However, being in La Push territory, her visions had been blocked by the proximity of the wolves, and Jacob accompanying them back to Swan residence had continued to keep her ability at bay. It was only when Jacob had left the house, and gotten a fair distance away from it, that her talent came back and the vision came to her.

She had been tempted to leave and check things out then, but she needed to say goodnight to Bella in private and had climbed into her lover's room before going. And then, once she was there, Bella had taken such desperate control of her, was still so obviously shaken up over what had happened in the woods, that Alice couldn't have left if she had wanted to.

There had still been some doubt when the vision had first come to her, and so she decided to wait it out and stay with Bella until something more concrete came to her.

She'd had no visions as she and Bella were making love, and she began to think that the vision had just been a false alarm. However, as Bella drifted off to sleep another vision had come to Alice and she knew that she needed to leave very soon or she would be too late.

When Alice arrived home the rest of the family was standing around by the bottom of the stairs.

She looked at each of them, and then averted her eyes.