𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐎:
A not-so-fun party

"REALLY, ALICE?" Rosalie says as she approaches the pixie headed girl while looking around the living room covered in every surface is pink candles, dozens of vases filled with roses, a white cloth draped over Edward's grand piano, with a pink birthday cake sitting on the top, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

"Isn't this too much? For a human who doesn't even like to celebrate her own birthday."

"Nothing is too much," Alice tells her as she arranges the flowery-designed garlands on the stairs.

"I think this is wonderful, Alice. You did a great job," Thalia compliments as she enters the living room with Carlisle by her side. Alice smiles at her and says, "Thank you, Thalia."

"Looks like Christmas, Alice," Christopher says with a chuckle as he sits down on the sofa with standing beside him.

"See, too much," Rosalie says as she looks at Jasper, who's placing a crystal bowl filled with roses on the living room table, and Emmett just snorts. "Come on, Rose. You always like extravagant parties."

"It's not my birthday is it" Rosalie retorts as she rolls her eyes and walks away towards the kitchen, and Emmett just shakes his head, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"They're here!" Alice exclaims excitedly, and Bella and Edward enter the living room, and to say Bella is overwhelmed by what she is seeing is an understatement overwhelmed.

"Happy Birthday, Bella," They greet in chorus, and Bella blushes, looking down at her feet. Edward wraps an encouraging arm around her waist and places a kiss on top of her head.

Carlisle and Thalia were the closest to the door. Thalia hugs her carefully, her soft brunette hair brushing against Bella's cheek, and the woman kisses her forehead.

Carlisle then puts his arm around Bella's shoulder. "Sorry about this, Bella," he stage-whispers. "We couldn't rein Alice in."

"You haven't changed at all," Emmett says with mock disappointment. "I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faced just like always."

"Thanks a lot, Emmett," Bella says, blushing deeper.

He laughs, "I have to step out for a second"-he pauses to wink conspicuously at Alice-"Don't do anything funny while I'm gone."

"I'll try."

Alice moves away from Jasper and skips forward, all her teeth sparkling in the bright light.

Jasper smiles, too, but keeps his distance. He leaned, long and blond, against the post at the foot of the stairs.

Jasper had more trouble sticking to the Cullens' diet than the rest of them; the scent of human blood was much more complex for him to resist than the others-he hadn't been trying as long.

"Time to open presents," Alice declares. She put her cool hand under Bella's elbow and towed her to the table with the cake and the shiny packages.

Bella puts on her best martyr face. "Alice, I know I told you I didn't want anything-"

"But I didn't listen," Alice interrupts, smug. "Open it." She took the camera from Bella's hands and replaced it with a big, square silver box.

The box was so light that it felt empty. The top tag said it was from Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Self-consciously, Bella tore the paper off and then stared at the box it concealed.

It was something electrical, with lots of numbers in the name. Bella opens the box, hoping for further illumination. But the box was empty. "Um...thanks."

Rosalie actually cracked a smile. Jasper laughed. "It's a stereo for your truck," he explains.

"Emmett's installing it right now, so you can't return it."
Alice was always one step ahead of Bella.

"Thanks, Jasper, Rosalie," Bella tells, grinning. "Thanks, Emmett!" Bella calls more loudly.

They heard his booming laugh from my truck, and Bella couldn't help laughing, too.

Thalia smiles as she approaches the birthday girl and hands her a small silver velvet box with a ribbon on top. "It's from Carlisle and me."

Bella then smiles shyly at her as she unties the ribbon. Opening the box, it reveals a silver necklace with a rose pendant, "Wow, thank you, Thalia, Carlisle."

"You're welcome. Thalia picked it. I don't know anything about jewelry," Carlisle tells her as he places a peck on Thalia's forehead.

"Open mine and Edward's next," Alice says, so excited her voice was a high-pitched trill. She held a small, flat square in her hand. Bella turns to give Edward a basilisk glare. "You promised."

Before he could answer, Emmett bounded through the door. "Just in time!" he crowed. He pushes in behind Jasper, who had also drifted closer than usual to get a good look.

"I didn't spend a dime," Edward assures her as he brushes a strand of hair from her face.

Bella inhales deeply and turns to Alice. "Give it to me," she sighs.

Emmett chuckles with delight.
She took the little package, rolling her eyes at Edward while she stuck her finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape.

"Shoot," Bella mutters when the paper slices her finger; she pulls it out to examine the damage. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut.

It all happened very quickly, then.

"No!" Edward roars.

He threw himself at Bella, flinging her back across the table. It fell, as she did, scattering the cake and the presents, the flowers, and the plates.

Bella landed in the mess of shattered crystal.

Jasper slammed into Edward, and the sound was like the crash of boulders in a rock slide.

There was another noise, a grisly snarling that seemed to be coming from deep in Jasper's chest.

Jasper tries to shove past Edward, snapping his teeth just inches from Edward's face.

Emmett grabs Jasper from behind in the next second, locking him into his massive steel grip, but Jasper struggles on, his wild, empty eyes focused only on Bella.

Bella tumbles down to the floor by the piano, with her arms thrown out instinctively to catch her fall into the jagged shards of glass.

Dazed and disoriented, Bella looks up from the bright red blood pulsing out of her arm-into the fevered eyes of the nine suddenly ravenous vampires.

Carlisle was the only one who stayed calm. Centuries of experience in the emergency room were evident in his quiet, authoritative voice.

"Emmett, Christopher, Rose, get Jasper outside."

Unsmiling for once, Emmett nods along with Christopher. "Come on, Jasper."

Jasper struggles against Emmett's unbreakable grasp, twisting around, reaching toward his brother with his bared teeth, his eyes still past reason.

Edward's face was whiter than bone as he wheeled to crouch over Bella, taking a clearly defensive position. A low warning growl slid from between his clenched teeth.

Rosalie, her divine face strangely smug, steps in front of Jasper-keeping a careful distance from his teeth-and helps Emmett wrestle him through the glass door Esme held open, one hand pressed over her mouth and nose.

Esme's heart-shaped face was ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Bella," she cries out as she follows the others into the yard.

Thalia, who is suddenly standing still on the stairs, gripping the wood railing tightly, hearing the wood crack on her hold. "Carlisle," She says, her voice tight. She wants to stay and help.

"Go, my love, it's alright," Carlisle tells her, and as soon as the words leave his lips, she's gone in an instant.

"Let me by, Edward," Carlisle murmurs.

A second passed, and then Edward nodded slowly and relaxed his stance. Carlisle knelt beside Bella, leaning close to examine her arm.

"Here, Carlisle," Alice says, handing him a towel.

He shakes his head. "Too much glass in the wound." He reaches over and rips a long, thin scrap from the bottom of the white tablecloth.

He twisted it around her arm above the elbow to form a tourniquet.

"Bella," Carlisle says softly. "Do you want me to drive you to the hospital, or would you like me to take care of it here?"

"Here, please," Bella whispers.

"I'll get your bag," Alice says as she rushes towards his and Thalia's room.

"Let's take her to the kitchen table," Carlisle says to Edward.

Edward lifted Bella effortlessly while Carlisle kept the pressure steady on my arm.

"How are you doing, Bella?" Carlisle asks.

"I'm fine," Bella says. Her voice was reasonably steady. Edward's face was like stone.

Alice is waiting in the kitchen. Carlisle's black bag was already on the table, a small but brilliant desk light plugged into the wall.

Edward sat Bella gently into a chair, and Carlisle pulled up another.

"Just go, Edward," Bella sighs.

"I can handle it," Edward insists. But his jaw was rigid; his eyes burned with the intensity of the thirst he fought, so much worse for him than it was for the others.

"You don't need to be a hero," Bella says, "Carlisle can fix me up without your help. Get some fresh air."

Bella winced as Carlisle did something to her arm that stung.

"I'll stay," he says stubbornly.

"Why are you so masochistic?" Bella mumbles.

Carlisle decides to intercede. "Edward, you may as well go find Jasper before he gets too far. I'm sure he's upset with himself, and I doubt he'll listen to anyone but you right now."

"Yes," Bella eagerly agrees. "Go find Jasper."

"You might as well do something useful," Alice adds.

Edward's eyes narrowed as they ganged up on him, but finally, he nodded once and sprinted smoothly through the kitchen's back door.

Alice gives up and steals out of the room. With a tiny, apologetic smile on her lips, she disappears through the kitchen doorway.