So...I watched Eclipse yesterday and completely fell in love with Riley! I mean, Xavier Samuel? WOW :D :L Anywhoo, I was looking for a decent Riley fic and wondering who a good pairing would be for him. Then thought of Bree and it just seemed to fit!

This is the first chapter of a short fanfic on them, and how things could have been so different. The whole thing is inspired by the song "Perfect" by Hedley. Give it a listen, it's an amazing song :] Sweet Escape readers, don't panic! Chapter 23 is almost complete (its quite long :P) and should be up tomorrow!

Love you all, hope you enjoy!

Em xx

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight :( Or Hedley, I'm afraid.

"I'm not perfect, but I keep trying,

'Cause that's what I said I would do from the start,

I'm not alive if I'm lonely, so please don't leave..."

Hedley - Perfect.

I wanted to run. I wanted to run, far, far away, and never come back. But the snarls and the screams held me in place, echoing in my ears and reverberating off my skull. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Victoria had promised an easy fight. She'd promised she'd let us all go when it was over – she'd lied. Riley had lied. No, I told myself. No, it wasn't like that with him. Victoria had lied because she didn't care what happened to us. She didn't care if we died. But Riley had lied to protect me.

Neither of them had known about those...animals. Wolves as big as cars, some even bigger. Just as fast and strong as us, if not more so. They tore the other newborns apart as easily as if they were made of paper. I shrank down further and covered my ears with my hands, screwing up my eyes. I wasn't supposed to be here! I was seventeen years old, I was supposed to be at school! Not here, in this clearing, ripping strangers to pieces without even knowing why.

I wanted Riley. I wanted him to be here, to pick me up in his safe arms and take me away. He was a good man. Young, days away from his 20th birthday when Victoria had claimed him as her second in command. He'd done terrible things since then, but it was all because of her. She had her hooks in him so deep, he couldn't even see what was happening to him. Still, he had protected me since the start. He'd been there when I'd woken up, taught me how to hunt, how to survive in a world where the people around me would brutally kill one another for no apparent reason. Riley had even protected me from Victoria once or twice when she flew into a rage, and was looking for someone to tear apart. He had a good heart; but Victoria had lied and brainwashed him into blindness, and now he was going to get himself killed for her. Just the thought of losing him terrified me.

I couldn't stay here any longer. He could already be dead – I shuddered and swallowed hard at the thought – but he might not be. I might still have a chance to save him. To save myself. So I ran. I ran faster than I'd ever run before, the forest blurring around me. I picked up his scent and changed my direction, following it towards the mountains. I wasn't going to let him die. There had to be some kind of alternative to this torturous existence; but if there wasn't, I would rather endure it with him.

I was there within minutes, barely registering the two strange scents, or even the one we had been instructed to seek out. And then I saw him. Riley stood there in the snow, hands curled into fists at his sides. A bronze-haired man was standing just a few feet in front of him. He had his arm out in front of a dark-haired girl in a protective gesture. He was trying to reason with Riley. I registered only briefly that the girl was human, that the familiar scent belonged to her. My attention was caught by a smooth voice that I recognised. Victoria. "Don't let them come between us, Riley," she urged him. "I told you about their mind tricks."

"Don't listen to her," said the man. "I really can read your mind. I know what she really thinks of you." Suddenly, his gaze averted and fixed on me. "I know her name. Bree. She's scared you're going to die, Riley."

Riley turned at the sound of my name, scarlet eyes finding mine instantly. I saw a strange mixture of murder and confusion in his eyes. But my Riley was in there somewhere. I knew it. I was in front of him in seconds, hands holding his arms in a vice-like grip. "Listen to him," I begged. "Don't listen to Victoria. Please, Riley – she doesn't want you. It's all a lie. It's always been a lie. She's using you to kill the girl." Out of the corner of my eye I saw the human girl shrink back slightly. Riley frowned; I could almost see the internal battle he was fighting with himself.

"You're going to believe her over me?" Victoria asked him in a tone laced with venom. The look in her eyes told me that if Riley didn't kill me, she would. "A simple girl? She doesn't have a tenth of the power I do, Riley. She doesn't understand us."

"She doesn't love you!" I persisted. "She can't love you! Not like I do!" Victoria snarled, a feral sound that ripped the air and caused the human to squeak in terror.

"She lies!" Victoria screamed. "Kill her Riley! She wants only to come between us!" My eyes widened as he visibly struggled with who to listen to. He looked to Victoria as if for confirmation. "If you loved me you'd listen to me!" she yelled. There was a growl from the base of the tree she was hanging from, and I finally noticed the smaller wolf circling the bottom. Then there was another growl, this time from Riley, as he whipped back round to take my face between his hands. I closed my eyes, imagining for the briefest second the tingling sensation of a tear running down my cheek.

"Stop, you're making a mistake!" yelled the bronze-haired man.

"You won't hurt me," I whispered, eyes still firmly shut. I began to tremble. I held onto my trust in him with both hands. "You're not a monster," I murmured. "You wouldn't ever hurt me."

"Do it!" Victoria shrieked.

"You protected me." It came out as barely more than a breath, but I knew everyone except the human could hear me.

"Kill her!"

Everything seemed to stop. The swaying of the trees, the icy breeze. The frantic beating of the girls heart was drowned out. The steady flow of blood through her veins faded into nothingness. I held in a breath that I hadn't even needed to take.

The world around us ground to a halt as his grip tightened, and I prepared myself to die at the hands of the man I loved.

His beautiful, smiling face flashed through my mind.

I love you, Riley.

Please leave a review and let me know if you'd be interested in reading the rest :] Thankyou! xx