How to add multiple edges from one vertex in a single traversal

I have three user vertices. Tom and Mike follow Bob.

g.addV("user").property(single,"name", "bob")
g.addV("user").property(single,"name", "tom")
g.addV("user").property(single,"name", "mike")
g.V().hasLabel("user").has("name", "tom").as("tom").V().hasLabel("user").has("name", "bob").addE("follow").from("tom")
g.V().hasLabel("user").has("name", "mike").as("mike").V().hasLabel("user").has("name", "bob").addE("follow").from("mike")

I'd like to add an alert with edges to the users. There should be an edge from Bob to the alert, and the alert should have edges out to the users that follow Bob.

g.V()
.hasLabel("user")
.has("name", "bob")
.as("bob")
.in("follow")
.as("followers")
.addV("alert")
.as("alert")
.addE("alert")
.from("alert")
.to("followers")
.addE("alert")
.from("bob")
.to("alert")

What I end up with is two alert vertices. Bob has an edge to each of these new alert vertices, and the alerts have edges out to Tom and Mike (the followers).

I believe this is because when I select the followers, it branches (?) the traversal and starts creating the duplicates but this is not what I want. How do I construct this traversal to make the appropriate selections but only create a single alert vertex? What I'm trying to get is this:

       bob
        |
        v
      alert
     |     |
     v     v
   mike   tom