A/N: Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.

This chapter at times runs a close parallel with the original New Moon, therefore, some dialogue is Stephenie Meyer's work.

Chapter 1: Laurent-Running

There was a certain freedom in running. Feeling the wind as it musses my hair, hearing it as it whistles past my sensitive ears. Feeling the warm dirt as it squishes up between my toes, it's a peculiar sensation. I love the fact that I can outrun anything that would dare chase me. It's much easier to think that you're running towards something, than away. Truth be told, I'm not sure what I'm doing right now.

I left Denali a few weeks ago. I tried to live their "vegetarian" life style but it wasn't for me. Drinking animal blood is like taking a drink of tea, expecting it to be sweet, but instead it's unsweetened and bitter. At the moment I feel like I'm running from the disappointment of my "slip-ups." Personally, I'm not disappointed, but Irina was and I'm not sure what I could deal with an eternity of animal blood to be with her. I'm not sure she's my mate. They say you'll know when you find her, but I just don't.

I've run this earth for two and a half centuries, I've seen the way vampires love. Sometimes it's a love of convenience. Victoria loved James, I'll never know why. But James's love for Victoria? That's more like what I mean, I never once heard him tell her he loved her first. It was always in response to her own declaration. He confided in me one day when she was away hunting that if Victoria didn't have a talent for evasion, she wouldn't be around still.

Then there's love that transcends all reasoning. Love like Edward's love for Bella, and Bella's ability to love him back. It just astounded me. Some much can be said for their love. I think that is the other part of why I'm running. I guess I just want to see how Bella is adjusting as a vampire. When I left the Olympic Coven after warning them of James, I never heard anything more from them. I didn't think too much of it, what's a year in the span of eternity?

The day I left Denali, I had told Irina that I just needed to go for a run and that I'd be back. By now I'm sure she knows I wont be back for a while. If I come back. Maybe in a few years I'll give the vegetarian life style another go. Maybe I wont. I'm as indecisive as a woman right now. For now, I'll keep running. I just past a sign "Welcome to Ontario". I hadn't realized I was so far east so I turned back west, decidedly heading towards Forks again.

"Welcome to Manitoba"

"Welcome to Saskatchewan"

"Welcome to Alberta"

I just kept running. Wind in my hair, dirt between my toes.

"Welcome to British Colombia"

I would need to hunt soon. I could make it to the Cullen's first, see what's there for me. Maybe there have room for another vampire in their coven, Maybe it would be nice to just stop and take a shower. Maybe they can tell me how the fight with James turned out, after all, he was severely outnumbered. I never did hear back from either James or Victoria, I can only assume they killed them. Maybe it would be nice to live somewhere permanently. Maybe they would accept me the way I am. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

"Welcome to The United States of America"

I was so lost in my thoughts of maybe as I passed the sign, it was comical how the "Welcome to Washington" sign was nearly right behind the first sign. I forgot how wet it is here. And green. I've never seen so many ferns in my lifetime. Or moss. As I passed a town called Ephrata, I began to feel my excitement build. I began to really feel like my running was for a reason. Like I'm running towards something.

And finally, "Welcome to Forks"

I decided to skirt the town on the way to the Cullen residence, after all, I was in need of a hunt and didn't want to slip in their territory. It wouldn't make a good impression.

You know, it's strange, you would think that there would be more vampire trails with permanent vampire in the area. I had to go off of memory to get to the Cullen mansion.

When I arrived in the long drive, I couldn't hear a thing. Maybe they were all out on a hunt. I walked up to the porch and decided to sit on the steps, but changed my mind. I walked around the house to see where their trails led off to, maybe I could find them. I circled the entire house, there were no trails. Very strange. As I walked around the front, I did pick a scent... Bella. But it was a human scent. I thought for sure that Edward would change her after such a run in. Maybe they ran with her. That would make sense.

Well, if they weren't here I might as well hunt. I started to head north a few miles. I loved the way the wet air smelled here, it was fresh. I reminded me of the French country side of my youth, all it needed was the subtle scent of baking bread. I took a deep breath a caught a scent that surprised me beyond words.

Bella.

Ahead was a meadow filled with the sounds of someone gasping. As I approached the tree line, I saw her kneeling with her hands fisted in the grass and it was heartbreaking. I watched her for several moments, it felt wrong. I felt like a voyeur to her pain and it was obvious to me why she cried. She rolled so that she was laying down and she curled into a ball. In that minute, her misery was my own. Where were the Cullens? Where was her Edward? How could he leave her?

When she started to stand again, I stepped through the tree line and intentionally stepped on a twig so that she could hear me approach. She stared at me for the longest time then finally spoke.

"Laurent!" She sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Bella?" I guess the human memory wasn't as weak as I imagined. We'd only met once before and she remembered me.

"You remember." I grinned, and truthfully I was happy to see her. But I was sad to see her so sad. It was a strange way to feel, certainly a new feeling.

"I didn't expect to see you here." And I definitely did not expect to find her human.

"Isn't it the other way around? I do live here. I thought you'd gone to Alaska." I stopped walking. I cocked my head. Beyond her look of pain there was momentarily a flash of trust. The love of her life was a vampire, naturally she would not initially fear me.

"You're right, I did go to Alaska," if I decided not to kill her, to put her out of her misery, there would be plenty of time to explain. "Still, I didn't expect... When I found the Cullen place empty, I thought they'd moved on."

"Oh." Was all she managed before tears streaked down her cheeks. So, I was right, and she confirmed it:

"They did move on."

"Hmm. I'm surprised," shocked, upset, angry, a little sad, "they left you behind." She was broken, but she was beautiful. In that moment I didn't want to kill her anymore, I wanted to hug her. What's with these new feelings today? They weren't romantic, but in the way a big bother would console a little sister.

But in that moment she took a unconscious step backwards. No, now would not be the time to offer that brotherly hug. I almost laughed at the thought.

"Do they visit often?" I asked as I took another step.

"No." She answered curtly.

"So how are things working out in Denali? Carlisle said you were staying with Tanya?"

I wondered if she were just trying to change in subject, or if she was truly interested.

"I liked Tanya very much, and I liked Irina even more, but she liked me even more than that, so I had to leave." Why am I pouring my heart out to this little human girl? Aren't I supposed to be eating her? Wait, aren't I supposed to be giving her that brotherly hug? Yeah, indecision.

"Maybe he left because I loved him more than he loved me." She concluded with sad eyes.

I knew for a fact that he loved her and there was no humanly way possible that she loved him more than he loved her. No humanly way.

"You want to do something crazy?" I asked before I had any chance of censorship.

"You're not going to eat me, are you? Because I'm supposed to making dinner tonight." If she had to make dinner tonight, what I was about to suggest would indeed be crazy.

"I think I'll spare you." I said with a grin.

"You miss him right?"

She just looked at me while a fat tear rolled down her cheek. Of course she missed him.

"I'll tell you what, I'm looking for an adventure. Let's go find your Edward, I know that he still loves you. I know that it sounds crazy, but I want to help you." I never expected her to give in, I never even expected her to consider it. She would think I'm crazy, she'd tell me no, and I wouldn't even kill her for it. But she surprised me, I bet she always took people by surprise.

"Let's do a trial run, take me to my truck and see if you don't kill me." She took slow steps toward me.

"I wont kill you," I smiled, "Climb on."

I knelt down so that she could climb on my back. I did say I wouldn't kill her, I really wish I would have said I'll try not to. She was so warm and she smelt really good, floral. I had never been this close to a human that I didn't intend to kill. Once she was situated, I took off running and I followed her trail to her truck. I think she knew that's what I was doing because she said:

"You're such a vampire." I had to laugh.

We arrived at her truck a minute later. It was really old. I really imagined her to be more of a coup kind-of-girl, maybe an Audi.

"So... I didn't kill you."

"You know, I spent all morning hiking up there."

"You're such a human." She smiled and I realized that I had never seen her smile before.

"So," Bella began, "I'm on this kick lately where I do dangerous things but... I do really need to go home and cook dinner. As fun as today was just now, I'm not really sure I should do something so drastic."

"I'll tell you what, think about it, go home, make dinner, and just think about it. Because I'm going to go find your Edward and kick the shit out him for leaving you, and I really would like you to come with me. So just think about it."

"Okay."

"If you decide to come with me, pack a bag and meet me out front after your dad goes to bed."

"I'll give it some thought." She said as she turned to get in her truck.

I followed her truck back to her house to make sure she got there safely and then I left to hunt.

Oh, the internal debate! Should I hunt a human or an animal? Potentially, I could be spending the next couple of months with a human. If I hunted a human it might upset her, but if I hunted an animal, would I be strong enough to resist her? In the end I found a deer, and wondered, is Bella worth the bitter blood of an animal.

Maybe.

I made my way back to her house and waited in the tree across the street from her house and waited to see if she would come out.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment or PM.