Cursed With Beauty

X18

Annalise sat on the Cullen's back porch and watched the family of seven dash around the back yard in a game of tag. She couldn't help but to shake her head and smile. The family of vampires are older than every human being they've come in contact with me yet they could still act like children.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked, suddenly sitting beside her.

"I was just thinking about how childlike you all can be while being so much older than most of the people you meet." She stated.

Edward smiled and leaned over to kiss her hair. "I hope that doesn't make you like me any less."

She turned to him and smiled. "Eh, maybe just a little."

Edward smiled before he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers gently. He lifted his hands to her face and pulled her closer until they were nearly chest to chest. He growled into her mouth when she bit his tongue and slipped her own into his mouth.

"I love you, Edward Cullen." She stated when she pulled away.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Annalise Cullen."

Later that day, Annalise sat on the roof of the Cullen's house staring out at the trees before her, thinking. She couldn't stop thinking about Alice. She missed their friendship even after all these years. She missed her friend and she so badly wanted to tell her the truth.

She had to. She no longer wanted to keep this from her. If she was really Alice's friend, she'd come clean to her about everything.

Annalise sighed. "And I am."

Annalise quickly made her way inside and down into the living area where each member of the Cullen Hale family resided.

"Alice?"

Alice looked up from her game of chess with Edward. "Yes, Annalise?"

"I need to tell you something. Something very important." She stated.

Alice looked to Edward then Annalise once again. "Uh, okay. What is it, Annalise?"

Annalise took a big breath. "Do you remember when you said that I seemed familiar to you several weeks ago?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, I remember."

Annalise swallowed.

"Well, that's because I am."

Alice was on her feet and standing before Annalise is a blink of an eye."What do you mean?"

"We knew each other back when you were human." She confessed.

Alice gasped. "Wha - what?"

Annalise looked to Edward. "The story I told you about the girl I couldn't protect...that was about me and Alice. She was the girl I let down."

Edwards eyes widened.

"Let down? Why would you say or think you let m down?" Alice asked. "And why don't I remember you? I know we forget a lot of our human life but I never would have forgotten you."

"You don't remember me because I erased all traces of your memory of me." She admitted.

"You what? Why would you do that?" Alice gaped.

"I was a coward. I was the cause of you being turned into a vampire. I was to blame for your newly found life."

Alice took a step in her direction. "You - you changed me?"

Annalise shook her head. "No, but had it not been for me, you would have remained human."

Edward was up and on his feet beside Alice in a second. "That's not true and you can't continue to blame ourself for what happened. You were a good friend to her."

Alice looked to her brother with wide eyes. "You knew about this and didn't tell me?"

Edward met her gaze. "I didn't know she was speaking about you. She never gave your name."

"It is my fault. Had I been there she never would have been turned. And then I just walked away. I was a coward for erasing her memory and walking away."

"You didn't cause her change, Annalise and you did what you thought was right. It's no like you abandoned her the moment you found out that she'd been turned," he stated.
"You helped her in more ways than one."

Alice looked at her brother. "What do you mean?"

Both Annalise and Edward went on to explain to her and their family, everything she'd told Edward. Annalise explained everything in a way that condemned her whole Edward explained it in a way that defended her. He couldn't let her blame herself, or make herself look like the bad person, for something she had no control over.

After everything was not out in the open and put on the table, Annalise stood before her old friend waiting for her response to everything.

"Wow. That's uh, a lot to take in. I wasn't expecting that at all." She stated and met Annalise's gaze. "Can you reverse it?"

Annalise raised a brow. "Wait - you want to remember?"

Alice nodded and moved forward and took her hands in hers. "I don't blame you for what happened and neither should you. From what you told me, you were a good friend to me."

"I erased your memory of me and walked away. That's not being a good friend." Annalise groaned.

"But staying with me and teaching me to control my impulses and my thirst, teaching me how to look and act normal, is." Alice added. "You could have just walked away and left me to fend for myself but you didn't. You stayed with me ling enough for me to get myself under control. I call that being a good friend."

Annalise shook her head. "I don't. I never should have erased your memory and or left you."

"No, you shouldn't have, but we can't change that now. All we can do and be in the present," she stated. "Now, can you reverse the memory erasing or is it permanent?"

"I can give you your memories back if you really want them."

Alice smiled widely. "I do! I do! I do!"

Annalise couldn't help but to chuckle. Alice really hadn't changed much from her human life. She was still as happy as she could be.

"Are you sure about this? It can be pretty overwhelming." Annalise warned.

Alice nodded. "I'm sure. I want to remember our friendship."

"Alright. Don't move." She said as she lifted her hands to either side of Alice's head.

Closing her eyes, flashes of their entire friendship raced through her mind. And as they raced through her mind, she allowed them to race through Alice's mind also. It was kind of like projection. She was able to project her memories of their friendship to Alice along with giving her, her own memories of their friendship back to her.

After a moment, Annalise lowered her hands to her side and waited for Alice to open her eyes.

"Alice?" Jasper called out to his wife.

Annalise watched Alice's eyes open slowly and land directly on her.

"Are you alright?" She asked her.

In a blink of an eye, Annalise was wrapped in Alice's arms and lifted off solid ground while being spun around. "I remember! I remember everything!" She screamed.

Annalise chuckled along with everyone else.

"Thank you! Thank you so much for giving me a price of my life back." Alice said before calmly placing her friend on her own two feet.

Annalise smiled and nodded. "Thank you fo not hating me for taking them away in the first place."

Alice took her hands. "You were doing what you felt was the right thing to do. I can't hate you for that."

"I would...for a while." Annalise admitted.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not me," she stated. "Now, let's sit down and talk. We have a lot to catch up on."