Bella's Babe

53) Always Part 1

This is a Bella/Alice pairing

Rated M

I don't own the characters, the books, or anything, so please don't sue. However, against the better wishes of SM, Alice frequently sneaks into my room and does naughty things to me.

Bella POV

The sound of the phone ringing pierced through the gloomy silence that had settled over my small apartment. Heaving an annoyed sigh, I threw down my beat up, torn version of Wuthering Heights and made my way to the kitchen where the obnoxious device was located. I wasn't sure who could possibly be calling me, especially when it was eleven o'clock at night on a Monday.

Angela, or any one of my old friends from Forks, didn't talk to me much anymore now that they were off to bigger, better things like college and marriage. Edward (or any of the Cullen's for that matter) wouldn't dare call me after I broke up with him. Even if it was over a year ago, I had made sure I wouldn't hear from them again. It was too painful. Plus, they didn't have my new number anyways. It couldn't be Charlie because first off, he was out fishing with Billy and Jacob and secondly, he rarely ever calls past nine.

So, who else could it be?

"Hello?" I asked cautiously while grabbing some juice from the fridge and pouring it into a glass.

Silence. Nothing. I was about to curse and hang up when a soft, broken voice made me rethink that decision. "Bella?"

My heart almost stopped beating; in fact, I think it did for a split second. I knew that angelic voice anywhere. That voice had haunted my dreams both day and night for so long. That voice had soothed me as much as it unnerved me. That wonderful voice replayed over and over in my mind as I would touch myself in the most intimate ways, always coming so hard that I had to press a pillow over my face to muffle the screams of both pleasure and anguish.

And the beautiful, witty, sexy pixie that voice belonged to was the sole reason for anything and everything that circled around who I am today. Letting go of Edward, going off to college in Alaska, proudly accepting who I am and all of the imperfections that I came with. I had her to think for that.

"Hello? Bella? Are you there?"

God, that voice ...

"Yeah, Alice, I'm here. Um, how did you get my number?" I had moved to this place in hopes of finally moving on with my life. It was too much to watch the woman I loved with someone else. With Jasper. I had distanced myself from Edward and I had been causing too much trouble for the Cullen's, so instead of them leaving me once more, I was the one that left without so much as a goodbye. I hated goodbyes.

All I left them was a note.

"I'm a psychic vampire, silly. How do you think I got it?" If anyone was listening to her, they'd think she was perfectly composed. But I heard the tremble in her words; I heard the nervousness, the fear.

I blushed at my stupidity. "Of course, what could a psychic vampire not do?" I asked sarcastically.

An uneasy silence came from the other line. I could almost feel how tense she was from ... wherever she was.

"Bella, I've needed to know for so long. Why did you leave?"

Her voice was heartbreaking and for a moment I was glad I couldn't see the pain on her face. I couldn't bear to see her hurt, much less hear it over the phone. Guilt and other dark emotions gripped and squeezed the air out of my lungs. For the first time in a while, I regretted leaving.

The pain, Bella. Knowing she could never be yours no matter how badly you wanted her. Don't be weak.

Taking my own advice, I told her what I felt comfortable saying. "I had to start being my own person,Alice. I couldn't do that with Edward treating me like a child," I said bitterly. It may have not been the actual reason, but it was partly in truth.