CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:

The drive was silent. Charlie was waiting up for me, and all the house lights were on. I took a deep breath as Edward pulled up slowly, all three vampires ramrod straight as they listened acutely to every sound, looking through every shadow, catching every scent, searching for something out of place.

"The tracker's not here yet," Alice said finally, quietly, "but he will be. Time to go, Bella. Be as quick as you can."

"Edward, stay here," I tell him, when he looks like he's about to move. I can't have him in with me when I'm about to handle obviously magical items.

"What?" Edward demands, honestly confused, and definitely upset. "No!" He then says, fixing me with a hard look, "that is not going to happen."

"Alice, will anything happen to me while I'm getting my things and telling Charlie I'm going?" Alice concentrates for a moment, then shakes her head.

"She'll be fine, Edward." Edward's face is still stubbornly set.

"Edward please," I try a different tact, and give him the most pleading expression I can muster, "please just trust me on this!" Edward's mouth turns down.

"Be quick. If you're not out in ten minutes, I'm coming in."

I nod at him, deciding now isn't a good time to mention that he probably shouldn't be with me when I leave Forks.

"I love you." I tell him, and his face immediately softens.

"I love you too Bella." He says. He reaches over and helps me out of the harness, and I give his shoulder a lingering touch before opening the door and jumping down, stumbling slightly as I landed. I took a deep breath, then half-jogged to the front door, and shoved it open.

"Charlie!" I shrieked, letting desperation tinge my voice. Charlie, who had been hovering in the living room, was by my side in a second.

"Bella? What's wrong?" he demanded, frantically.

"Charlie, I can't explain, but they've found me! They've found me! I have to get out of here!" I let my voice climb in hysteria, and Charlie's expression is horrified.

"Who's found you? The Dea-" I interrupt him before he can finish.

"Yes, they've found me, and I have to go. I have to go." I run up the stairs, Charlie hot on my heels.

I ran to my bed, flinging myself on the floor to drag my emergency go-bag out from under my bed. I'd made up the go-bag with several of my favorite books, tooth-brush, tooth-paste, hairbrush and two changes of clothes in the event that I had to leave Forks in a hurry. I just hadn't imagined it quite like this. Running from a vampire, not Snatchers or Death Eaters.

I throw my bag over my shoulder, and hurry to my side table, yanking it open and grabbing my wand, shoving it down my sleeve. Charlie stood, helplessly, in the doorway, watching me. I patted my jeans, checking that my DA galleon was still safely in my pocket, and rushed over to launch myself in Charlie's arms.

He staggered back slightly, surprised by the sudden weight. I hugged him as tight as my arms could manage. "I love you dad." I tell him fiercely, "no matter what happens to me, I love you so, so, so much. Living here has been... amazing. Living with you has been amazing. I'll miss you, so, so much."

"Bella, what are you talking about?" Charlie asked, his voice choking slightly, "I'm coming with you, baby."

"I'm sorry dad, but you can't." I tell him, shaking my head, tears beginning to run down my cheeks.

"Bella-" he begins, face, impossibly, even more horrified then before, but I interrupt him.

"I'm sorry dad, but I can't hide us both." I lie, "if you came with me... they would be able to track you and they'd kill us." Charlie sucks in a horrified breath.

"This can't be happening," he mutters, raking his hands through his hair, "this can't be happening!"

"I love you dad." I tell him, before I move around him, and rush down the stairs.

"Bella!" his voice is anguished, but he doesn't rush after me. He believes what I told him. That if he did, he'd cause my death. I ran out into the night, and Emmett was suddenly there, lifting me up into the Jeep, then the engine was purring, and the car accelerated away.

I didn't look at any of the vampires, just clutched onto my go-bag with shaking hands. They'd be curious, I knew they'd be curious, but I didn't want to talk, didn't want to explain.

"James heard the end of your conversation." Alice speaks up, suddenly, and I jolt slightly, startled.

"Oh." I say, non-committedly.

"That bag was already packed." Emmett speaks up, pointing at my go-bag. I don't answer him. "You said 'they' found you- who's 'they'?" he continued.

"Please," my voice is trembling, "just... don't." Emmett opens his mouth, but Edward cuts him off.

"Emmett, be quiet. It worked, that's all that matters." Emmett pouted slightly, but didn't say anything else, to my relief, and the rest of the drive passed in silence. We drove right up to the house, and Edward vanished from the driver's seat, and was suddenly there, opening the door, pulling me into his arms.

"I'm right here, I'm safe, I'm right here," I assured him, as he held me tight, inhaling deeply. He nodded, and shifted so that he was holding me with one arm, his other one darting into the Jeep to grab my go-bag.

I was glad that he walked, instead of ran, into the large white living room, but I was less then pleased when I saw Laurent standing in there. I could hear low growls rumble deep in Emmett's throat, as he moved into place beside me and Edward.

His burgundy eyes turned to meet mine and he inhaled again, shaking his head slightly. "I've never smelled anything like her," he murmured, "I can see why you keep her around. Even when I'm fully fed, my throat's never felt like it does now. So... soothed."

Ah, my scent. The scent that soothes, instead of burns. Cold water on the flames. A safety mechanism that was supposed to keep me safe, but instead landed me in the cross-hairs of a tracker vampire.

"He's tracking her." Edward stated, angrily, "he wants to kill her." Laurent's face was unhappy, and he turned, speaking to Carlisle.

"I was afraid of that, that when your boy there defended her, it would set him off."

"Can you stop him?" Carlisle asked, but Laurent shook his head.

"Nothing stops James when he gets started."

"We'll stop him." Emmett promised. There was no doubt what he meant.

"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven." His coven, I noted. The show of leadership in the clearing was merely that- a show.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation between Laurent and Carlisle, instead concentrating on how I was going to get Edward to realize that I needed him here, in Forks, not with me, wherever in the world I was going to hide.

As soon as Laurent was gone, I turned to Edward. "Listen, Edward, wherever I'm going to hide, you can't come with me." I state softly, calmly. Firmly. Confusion is clear on his face.

"What?"

"James saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are." I told him.

"I can't do that." Edward's voice was firm in its resolution.

"She's right," this was Jasper, his voice smooth and leonine.

"So you're suggesting I should let her go alone?" Edward asks him, incredulously.

"Of course not," this was Alice, "Jasper and I will take her."

"I can't do that." Edward repeated, but this time there was a trace of defeat in his voice. The logic was working on him.

"It won't be for long," I keep my voice soothing, reaching up to cup his face in my hands, "hang out here for a week" -I feel the tightening in his jaw and quickly amend my words -"a few days and lead James on a wild-goose chase. Make sure he's completely off my trail, then take a roundabout route and come and meet me."

"Meet you where?" he asks, and I can see he's beginning to accept it.

"I'm not sure," I admit, before a flash of fear runs through me, "not Britain! I have to stay in America." I can tell by the look on his face that if the situation wasn't so dire, Edward would be demanding answers right now. But it was dire, so instead he concentrated on the other half of what I said.

"What about Phoenix?" Alice piped up. Edward frowned.

"Phoenix?" he questioned, "the only other place in America where she does have ties?"

"Of course," this was Jasper, who was nodding at his mate approvingly, "Phoenix is the one other place where he'd never expect her to go."

"And we'll be with her, Edward," Alice reassured him.

"What are you going to do in Phoenix?" Edward demanded.

"They'll stay indoors, and I will too." I answered for them, "Edward... this is going to work."

"Promise you'll be safe, Bella," he pleaded, "Promise me!" I reach up on my tip-toes and press my lips against his. We kiss with the hungry sort of passion borne from fear and desperation, clinging to each other as tight as we can.

"I love you," I mumbled between kisses, "I love you so much."

"I love you too." He whispers against my lips.

As we broke apart, I wondered if he'd noticed that I'd avoided making that promise.

The living room was empty, giving us the pretense of privacy I guessed, and I allowed myself to collapse on one of the expensive looking couches. "Why me?" I asked Edward, "why, out of everyone, did James decide to hunt down and kill me?"

Edward hesitated for a moment, and then sighed. "It's not just your scent... I'll explain what Laurent meant about it being soothing later," he quickly assured me, and I pretended to be curious, nodding, and he continued, "he might have not bothered if it was just your scent, but when I defended you... well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant he perceives the object. He thinks of himself as a hunter, nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking and a challenge is all he asks of life."

I could see where this was going, and I let myself slump. "And we just provided him with one hell of a challenge." I state.

"Indeed," Edward nods, "one beautiful, hell of a challenge. A large coven of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is right now. It's his favorite game, and we've just made it his most exciting one yet."

Thirteen days, I thought; sourly, furiously. In thirteen days I'd be seventeen. In thirteen days I'd be of age. In thirteen days, I'd be able to kick James' arse.

In thirteen days I'd show him who the fucking vulnerable one around here was!