The Edge

Golden Slumber

The prequel Chapter.

Bella awoke to the sensation of sweet smelling breath warming her face, and with her eyes still closed, she smiled.

As Bella opened her eyes, blinking, the darkness of the room as the disorientation of sleep had confused her, and for a moment, she thought that she was back in Forks with Edward. However, the delicacy of the arm thrown across her waist, and the petiteness of the body behind her had registered with her, and Bella knew that it was not Edward that was holding her but Alice; her other dashing protector.

"You're awake" Alice said.

Her voice was a song whose melody Bella could not resist, and even though she was surprised to find herself curled up in bed with Alice, Bella found her body relaxing into Alice's hold.

Her back was facing Alice, but having spent so much time around the pixyish vampire over the past couple of days, Bella found that she had beginning yo get a read on what the different shifts and timbers of Alice's voice indicated. And she was certain that the lovely brunette was amused.

"How did you ...?" Bella began to ask, pausing only when she felt Alice's body begin to vibrate with silent mirth.

"Your breathing changed" Alice said shifting a little, her slim legs moving against Bella's in a way that Bella uncomfortably aware of her awareness of Alice's body and the way it felt moving against hers. "I think I scared you" the petite brunette continued a second later. "Just for a second" she finished playfully.

"Not scared really" Bella replied lightly staring into the darkness of the room as she thought about how strange it was to feel Alice all around her, but not the resulting warmth that usually accompanied another body so close to her own. "Maybe a little surprised" she went on. "Speaking of which, I ah ... I thought that you all didn't need to sleep?"

"We don't." Alice confirmed softly, her voice melodious and lilting as ever, as if the conversation they were having were the most natural in the world. "I wasn't asleep, just lying down."

"Oh," Bella breathed out, eyebrows crinkling at the brevity and relative unhelpfulness of Alice's response. "Why here?" Bella asked a few seconds later deciding that she was going to have to go the direct route if she wanted to find out why she and Alice were snuggling.

"You had a nightmare," Alice said, a note of worry entering her usually breezy tone. "I came in to try and calm you down. When I was about to leave you grabbed my hand, so I sat down. And then I lied down. And I've been here since," she finished.

"Oh," Bella said again, making a mental note not to utter that again for a while lest Alice think that she was mentally deficient in some way. "Thanks" she continued beginning to feel embarrassed by her nocturnal neediness. "Sorry" she added becoming more and more mortified by herself.

"Don't be sorry." Alice said quickly, seeming to sense Bella self-chastisement. "You've had quite a shock, and are under an incredible amount of stress. It's only natural that it'd disturb your sleep... or so I hear." she added; that playful note back in her voice for a second. "I'm glad I could help." she went on, her hand moving so that it covered Bella's own. "Besides, this is kind of nice." she finished, shifting closer to Bella for a second before relaxing behind her again.

"What? Snuggling?" Bella asked confused by Alice's statement and by the way her heart beat picked up when Alice momentarily pressed up against her. She knew that breathing had probably changed again, and hoped that Alice was paying more attention to her question than her body, because she didn't even know how to explain the response to herself, let alone someone else.

"Yes," Alice said, practically purring. "You're so warm." she said giving a delighted little laugh. "It feels really... warm," she repeated happily, apparently deciding that that particular adjective encompassed all that needed to be said about the sensation.