Usual disclaimer: own nothing, sadly

Ignorantia juris non excusat

Part 1

Having tracked her prey into this city Bella was frustrated by the high level of humans still actively wandering the streets. Growling as their scents mixed and overwhelmed her senses, she ducked into the first alleyway she crossed and made her way to the brick building's rooftop.

The full moon and the street lights helped Bella search out her victim as rain started to fall from the sky above. She smirked as the change in weather would no doubt aid her hunt. Having no luck from this rooftop after a few minutes Bella raced over nearby roofs to a better vantage point and kneeled down over at one corner while her eyes scanned the thinning crowds and she heightened her senses to pick up her elusive prey again.

As she watched something else caught her attention and her jaw clenched at the added complication to her night. She had spent three days tracking this vampire all the way from Chicago and she wasn't going to let more vampires come between her and her soon to be victim.

She watched the three figures walk across the street below to a car park, two females and a male. The smaller of the two females held her attention and as she followed their progress Bella was stunned to see her pause and grasp the male's arm. Bella could have sworn she'd heard her gasp. Shifting uncomfortably as some internal instinct tried to force Bella down onto the street to go to the vampires and offer her assistance. With a snort of disbelief Bella growled and dug her fingers into the cornerstone she was hunkered down next to as she closed her eyes and forced herself to remain exactly where she was.

Having wrestled her control back into place, Bella glanced again to that spot on the sidewalk only to find it empty of all three vampires.

Stone crumbled in her hand and her eyes narrowed, turning an inky black. Snarling in anger she stood and leaped down the side of the building and raced across the road dodging humans as she inhaled the new scents and quickly chased after them.

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"Alice?" Rosalie asked in concern as her sister paused and gripped Emmett's arm.

Emmett sent a calm smile at his worried wife. "She's fine babe." He told her as she stood next to him and they both waited for the smaller girl to come out of her vision.

Standing guard Emmett kept watch around them, confident he'd be able to protect both women should he be called to but Alice having a vision in public always drew unwanted attention. He heard his sister gasp and immediately refocused on her. "What?"

"Alice?" Rosalie asked at the same time.

Alice blinked and shook her head to clear the images from her mind. So much blood. She gulped and took off in what she hoped was the right direction. There wasn't much time.

Emmett quirked an eyebrow at Rosalie and they soon both took off after their sister. Rosalie quickly lifting Alice up onto her back as they ran.

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It didn't take Bella long to track the vampires to a secluded area behind a boarded up shop less than a mile away from where Bella had first spotted the trio. She could detect the sounds of a fight going on as she approached silently from an angle that would give her a complete view of the area.

She paused at the corner of the building a grin on her face as she took in the fight going on. The male was pounding a slimmer vampire, also male, and clearly outclassed. Bella decided she could afford the setback in her own hunt to take in the scene unfolding in front of her.

Plus, the little dark haired female was proving an intriguing discovery. How exactly did she lead the other two to this male and why? As Bella listened to the beaten male plead that he didn't know the area belonged to them and offered to leave immediately and without trying to feed again.

Bella inched forward, using her well-honed skills to remain out of sight and undetected.

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Rosalie's eyes lit up as she watched her husband go to town on the older looking vampire. Her baby was impressive.

Alice rolled her eyes at her sister, nudging her with her elbow.

"What?" Rosalie asked trying to look innocent.

Alice sighed knowing full well just what was going to happen soon. She didn't even need her gift for that. Alice turned and started making her way towards the alley back to the main street.

"Just get it over with, and I'll bring the car around." She said and when Rosalie opened her mouth to protest her leaving she tapped the side of her head with her finger. "I'll be fine."

Conceding, Rosalie chuckled as Alice started walking away, then turned back to take in Emmett as he met her gaze and quickly wrapped his arm around his captives neck and pulled it free leaving nothing but a shower of dust that he passed through to gather up his wife in his arms.

"How long do you think Tink will let us get away with?" He asked as Rosalie jumped up onto him.

Rosalie kissed him hard on the mouth shaking her head as Emmett backed her up against the wall.

"Who cares!"

Emmett laughed then focused again on his reward for a good fight and kill.

xxxxxxx

Alice, knowing just what she'd left behind, took her time making her way to the car park where they'd left Rosalie's Mustang. She opened the door for the stairwell, bypassing the lift, and made her way up to the third floor. She argued that saving that girl had earned Emmett and Rose at least half an hour to…work out the aftermath.

Alice didn't really understand how fighting could make her siblings hot but she did feel good knowing a life had been saved tonight because of them, and that there was one less human feeder hunting on her families territory.

I might even give them an hour before disturbing their little love fest. She thought to herself as with a skip in her step as she opened the door to the third level. She didn't get it, but then she wasn't mated like Rosalie was to Emmett, maybe if she was then seeing such a strong display by her mate might make her frisky too.

Alice giggled making her way across the almost vacant parking area. The quiet didn't bother her, nor did the lack of activity. She liked the peace. It was hard for her to be around her family all the time, and as much as she loved Emmett and Rose, whom she spent most of her time with outside the family home, she was often left feeling more alone than ever seeing how in love they were.

She sighed then shook her head to clear the thoughts. There was no point dwelling on her past, the Cullen's had given her more than she ever thought possible, and maybe one day she too would experience life as they did.

xxxxxx

As Bella started following the retreating short haired female she was struck with the realisation that she was following a human, her beating heart being just one of the clues.

And she was a human that not only knew about vampires, but was personally involved with at least two of them.

This was not only a breach of vampire law it went against vampire instinct to be in such close proximity to a human for extended periods of time and not feed from them.

Bella stared at the girl as she sat in the driver's seat of a red convertible mustang, her position at the far end of the level and the darkness of her clothes assured Bella that the human girl wouldn't see her. The scent of the two other vampires had obviously masked the girls own scent, which was good because it would not only ward off other vampires in the area it would also make humans wary of spending time with the girl without really understanding why.

It was how vampires protected their human pets in days gone by. But the Volturi had long since outlawed the practice for fear of exposure and to prevent vampires interfering in human society. Only the Volturi themselves had that right and any other vampire caught attempting such a thing paid for it with their life.

So now Bella found herself in a bit of a dilemma, one she still had a vampire to take care of tonight and secondly she found herself drawn to a human that seemed to have been claimed by a coven of vampires already.

Deciding to deal with this human later Bella started heading for the exit knowing it would take her directly past the car the girl was sitting in. As she passed behind the car at vampire speed she inhaled deeply to capture the females scent and was struck by how clean and almost pure the flavour was that she gave off. It was strange to think of anyone living with vampires could retain such an innocence.

She was very intriguing indeed.

As Bella slipped into the stairwell she vowed to relocate her prey and dispose of him quickly before returning for the girl.

xxxxxxx

"Should we tell Carlisle about VampBoy?" Emmett asked his wife seated beside him as they drove into Forks. Alice had drifted to sleep in the back seat about half an hour into the drive back from Seattle. It had been a long day of shopping and then dinner and a movie, and that was before the nomad had interrupted their day out.

"Yes." Rosalie replied knowing that Edward would no doubt be able to read all of their thoughts and pick it up anyway. Better to just give their side of it before he manipulated the information to suit his own agenda. "He'll find out anyway. Better it come from us."

Emmett nodded then spared a glance at Alice in the mirror before lowering his voice anyway. "Think he'll be mad?"

Rosalie snorted not caring particularly if that was the case. "Oh, I'm sure we'll get a lecture on how violence is never the answer but Alice saved that girls life tonight and I don't really give a shit if Eddie or Carlisle has a problem with it." The girl they had save, or more accurately, the girl Alice had saved wouldn't have had any idea that the man that had pulled her into that back alley was anything other than a twisted, sick human, who had released her to run off the minute Emmett had gotten close and yelled at him.

"Do you think he was alone?" Emmett had thought he was but you could never be too sure, nomads often travelled and hunted alone but there was always a chance that there was more than just him, and Emmett had been too quick to the kill to have asked many questions.

Rosalie nodded. "I didn't smell a mate or other vampire on him so he was probably alone, but if not I guess we'll hear about killings or disappearances in the area soon enough."

Emmett grunted as he turned into the driveway to their home. Just as he pulled into the garage and brought the car to a stop Rosalie was already carefully pulling Alice into her arms.

Together they headed into the house and as they walked into the main living area of the house where Edward and Jasper were seated over a chess game, something in one of their minds must have given Edward a heads up as to what had happened in Seattle because he flashed over to them blocking their path.

"What did you do?" He demanded accusingly.

Rosalie growled threateningly as she tightened her hold on her sister and tried to move passed Edward to take Alice to her room.

"Get out of my way now, Edward." She spat at him quietly as he moved to the side with her.

"Dude!" Emmett said before putting his hand on Edwards shoulder to move him out of the way and let his wife go put Alice to bed. As she raced up to the next floor Carlisle and Esme entered the room having heard the altercation taking place from his study.

"What seems to be the problem?" Carlisle asked looking from Edward to Emmett for an explanation.

"They killed tonight!" Edward told his father as he glared at Emmett.

Emmett scoffed and moved to the couch in front of the large screen tv and started up his computer game. "I killed some nomad that was about to start feeding from a human." He said and some of the tension in the room caused by Edwards's words disappeared. "And I'd do it again." He added just to piss Edward off.

"Well," Carlisle started as he sat down with his wife. "It would have been more of a problem if it had been a human you killed, as it's not, then I will hope that you took the only course of action you had available to you."

"Right." Emmett replied not really sure what he was agreeing with but what was done was done, it wasn't like they could change it now.

"That's it?" Edward whined in disbelief.

Carlisle sighed as he stood again taking Esme's hand in his own. "What more should I say Edward?"

Scowling and unable to respond Edward growled and stalked off to his room, slamming the door loudly as he went.

"I worry about him." Esme muttered quietly as she shoot a glance at the stairwell as Rosalie returned. "How was your trip dear, aside from the encounter with the nomad?"

Rosalie shrugged as she sat next to her husband. "Alice seemed to enjoy it and we all now have new clothes for the start of school on Monday."

"And she wasn't too upset by the scene with the vampire?" Carlisle asked.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and picked up the nearest magazine in reach to start flicking through. "You seem to forget how she met Jasper."

Jasper paused with a chess piece in his hand, finding himself having to contribute to the conversation as eyes turned to him. "Alice is…special." He informed them awkwardly. His own history with Alice extends beyond the rest of the coven having been the first to meet her a few years ago.

He had come across Alice and her father arguing in a parking lot late at night in a small town in the South as he went hunting. He had been drawn by her screams and had gotten there in time to see her pleading and begging with a man twice her size and build only to be struck repeatedly and shoved into the back of a car.

Jasper hadn't even thought, just reacted on instinct as he raced over in anger and drained the man dry before dropping his lifeless body to the ground all in full view of the girl in the car.

They had stared at each other for a long moment before Jasper had opened the door and extended his hand in invitation. "Come with me." He had offered and then she had placed her hand into his and followed him away.

They had travelled as brother and sister for almost a year before Alice had a vision of the Cullen's and Jasper allowed himself to trust Alice enough to once again becoming a member of a coven of vampires.

That was almost two years ago, and he had been rewarded for his trust in Alice when he had encountered his mate less than four months ago. Bree, a newborn who seemed to rebel against her own instinct to kill, even shying away from killing animals until her need grew too strong.

Which reminded him that he had someone waiting for him in his room with plans to spend the next day hunting before they were forced into pretending to be high school students once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, Bree and I are going to do some hunting" He said politely and stood up and left the room.

"See, no big deal." Rosalie continued informing Esme.

Carlisle sighed and nodded. "In any case we will have to keep a close eye on Seattle for the next few weeks just to be certain."

"Sure thing Pop." Emmett said as he continued on with his game unconcerned.

Rosalie shook her head as her 'parents' disappeared from the room and she could read in peace.

xxxxxxx

Having been successful in her hunt Bella had returned to the parking lot just in time to see the girl leaving to return to the mated pair she had left to have sex in that back alley.

Being careful to remain undetected she had followed behind the car and become suspicious of the identity of the vampires given the direction they seemed to be travelling in but her thoughts had been proven correct when they had passed through Forks and stopped at a large house on the outskirts of the town.

She'd know exactly which coven she was looking at even before she had climbed into a tree and witnessed Carlisle enter into the room.

This was the Cullen's.

The Cullen's by law were a coven that had several restrictions placed upon them by the Volturi given that they spent such a large amount of time among humans, but also because of Edward's gift was one Aro had taken special interest in.

The rules were that they were not allowed to turn a human, and they were not permitted to increase the size of their coven.

Now Bella was truly in the middle of a problem because as she made a circuit of the building she learnt not only had the Cullen's increased their number with the blonde curly haired male and a young looking female, they had the human girl living with them.

And turning her would break both laws.

Bella listened in to the conversations then slowly headed into the forest, she had some thinking to do. She had a very good idea as to why she was so drawn to the dark haired Alice but she wouldn't be sure until she could meet her face to face, and that would take a bit of planning as now that her hunt was complete she was expected to return home.

And that just wasn't going to work now.

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AN/

New story, another Bellice although I am very tempted by a Bella/Rosalie or Bella/Jane pairing so who knows which one I'll pick next.

This fic will only be about ten chapters long, which I'm sure will no doubt please a few of you out there :D