Disclaimer: see first chapter.

A/N: I'm so sorry, it's been ages since I posted the first chapter. That's probably not good enough, because it's been well over a year - almost two, and I know that I told some of you that I'd update when my exams were over, but I didn't, because real-life got in the way. And I'm sure you don't really want to hear it, so.

It's kind of a filler chapter, so not much happens. I'm also still trying to reacquaint myself with all the fandoms and characters so it's probably not very good, but at least you won't have to wait a year for the next chapter this time. And, finally, (just in case you didn't know) the stuff I put in about their lives before, and what happened to Bree's family; I didn't make that up, I got from the official guide to the twilight saga, which is actually written by Stephenie Meyer, and I thought it was interesting, so I stuck it in.

And thanks to those of you who favourited and reviewed even when it seemed like I'd never update.


Chapter Two: A Taste of Freedom

Fred and I didn't stop running for a long time. We decided to pass through Canada, but we avoided Washington. We didn't want to go back the way we came and go through the chaos we just escaped.

Nothing really happened in that time, but we just enjoyed the chance to live peacefully; a normal life. Well, as normal as it gets for a pair of vampires that look like walking disco-balls in the sun. We didn't really get the chance to learn more about our kind like we wanted to; others were surprisingly difficult to come across, and neither of us fancied getting in touch with the dark-cloaks. If the others didn't want to be found, they couldn't be found. So mostly we just wandered.

We stayed north, avoiding the south as June turned into July and the July days stretched to August; there were more chances of exposing ourselves and less time to hunt. I've never been especially restless, but even I hated it.

Worse still, was the longing for Diego. I missed my friend. It wasn't the painful, heartbroken mourning of a lover. We weren't nearly that close. I'd barely realised I was even attracted to him when he'd been killed. Before, I'd been focusing on survival and finding the next meal, I never had much time for boys. When I became a vampire it was the last thing I thought I'd have to think about. No, we didn't really have the chance to be anything more than friends, but I still wished that he had escaped with us. But he'd put his faith in Riley when he shouldn't have and Fred and I learned all we needed to from that. There was no one in our corner but us.

It was difficult, sometimes, living with Fred. You could tell he'd been alone all his life. Sometimes he could go for days at a time without even talking. I wasn't like that. I needed to talk to people. I'd always been shy, I suppose, and that didn't change, but I still needed company.

And sometimes I'd just look at him and the only things I'd notice were his differences to Diego. Fred is tall and fair, nothing at all like Diego. Diego was tall – but not quite as tall – leaner than Fred, and dark-haired with an olive complexion. He was more lively and outgoing, too. This was one of the reasons it was hard to live with Fred on his quiet days: it's when I missed Diego the most.

We travelled from place to place, never with any particular destination in mind, we just went where we wanted whenever we wanted. It felt good to have that freedom, as neither of us had really had it while we were alive. At least, we didn't have any particular destination until Fred decided he wanted to check up on his dad.

It didn't surprise me that he wanted to do that. About three months had passed since we escaped Riley's coven, and I'd learnt more about Fred in that time. He was raised by his dad, his parents divorced, he had three half brothers and sisters on his mom's side, he was a science nerd and he got in on scholarship to Stanford.

I never got the chance to learn these sorts of things about Diego. I would have learned them easily with Diego, but he wasn't Diego; he's Fred. And Fred isn't very expressive – finding this much out was like pulling teeth.

He was usually okay with just going along with what I wanted to do. It was me that decided when we hunted, where we stopped and how long for, so I didn't really know what to do when he insisted we go check up on his dad. 'Just to make sure he was okay', in Fred's words. I wasn't too sure about it and we'd go around in circles arguing about it day after day.

They usually started the same, with me pointing out that, while we never left hunting until the last minute, like Riley made us do, it was still fairly hard on us to keep in control around humans.

"It's easier if we've eaten right before." He used the same response, every time.

"Easier, not easy or risk-free!"

He'd always get this pained expression on his face then. That tortured-soul expression that seemed to go with being a college student. He knew what was at stake. And I hated doing it but the guilt must be played if I want to win this fight.

"How do you think I'd feel if I ended up eating your dad for breakfast? How d'you think you'd feel?"

"But, it wouldn't... We'd be careful–"

"It might happen." That was enough for me not to want to risk it and I wished it would be enough for him because every time we have this argument he wears me down a little bit. I'd been fighting him so long, I didn't want to cave now.

He folded his arms across his chest and kept a blank face when he looked down at me. I hated that he was always so composed, even when wee were arguing. I tried to copy him sometimes but I'd always end up with my eye twitching or something to give it away. It was twitching now 'cos I knew what he'd say next.

"We're around humans when we're hunting."

I threw my head back and growled at the ceiling. If we were still with Riley's coven it would have descended into a fistfight by now, and either Fred or I would have been ripped to shreds a few times. But Fred was all about control. We did anything to improve our control.

"That's different! We know that we're hunting, we go with the intent of killing at least one and it's not like we keep them alive for long! It's like going vegetarian – before you do it you can go ages without eating bacon sandwiches but as soon as you swear off meat for good, that's all you wanna eat! Consciously avoiding it will just make the thirst worse." My voice has petered out by the time I'm finished. I'm so tired of this argument. It's days like this I just wish I could sleep.

He looks at me, considering, and I was suddenly aware that he was a good four years older than me. It made me feel childish and very silly for trying to tell him what to do.

"Then we won't do that. We'll hunt before, then hunt again after."

His arms are still crossed, face is still blank. He so rarely asks for anything or shows any emotions; he really won't give up on this.

So I stop arguing. I do nothing but nod my head.

He smiles. Not the shy grins he usually gives, but a full, real smile and it makes my chest tighten. I smile, too.


Fred was a whole lot happier after he knew his dad was okay. Not that he showed it much. But now that he knew his dad was grief-stricken, but otherwise in perfect health, I didn't have to endure any more bouts of nausea and revulsion whenever Fred didn't want me anywhere near him.

Fred may have been happier, but I was not. Fred now knew what had happened to his family; I now knew what happened to his family. I didn't know what happened to my family. Not that there was one really. Just my dad. And I didn't even want that connection with him, he's why I ran away in the first place. There was just a thought, gnawing in the back of my head; a morbid curiosity that festered.

What would he do, now that he had no one to take out his anger on? Would he try it with someone else? Someone worse than him and get himself beat to death? He'd deserve it. Or maybe he'd try it on someone who knew someone and get himself arrested. He'd deserve that, too. Or what if nothing had happened. He was still holed up somewhere, pleased that he's finally rid of his useless daughter. Maybe I could kill him. If he was still around.

The thought flickered out of my head before I'd even finished thinking it.

No. I couldn't kill him. Humans didn't matter anymore, unless they were something to eat. I'd never been fussed about draining scumbags, but there was probably more alcohol than blood in his veins. He's not worth the trouble of finding.

But was I declared missing? For someone to report you as missing you had to have someone to care. I sure as hell didn't.

Well, if I did they went to a lot of trouble making sure I didn't know about it. But it wouldn't hurt to know...

This was how I came to be standing outside a near-deserted library one muggy Thursday. I didn't want to know. I just didn't want to not know.

I carefully walked over, minding my pace. It didn't make much difference; I still moved too fast. It made the humans look twice, but they were naturally wary, so I wouldn't be disturbed. Good. It was strange, too, having to be extra careful with the furniture.

I opened the search engine and typed in 'Bree Tanner'. My eyes widened briefly as a couple of news articles came up. I clicked on the first and scrolled through it.

A man from Idaho has been arrested for the murder of his wife and daughter. Julia Tanner had been missing for twelve years, and police found her remains buried in a desert while searching for evidence in an unrelated case. After identifying the woman and tracking down her husband, they discovered that their daughter, Bree Tanner, 16, was also missing. Karl Tanner, 39, was initially brought up on charges for the murder of his wife, but is now also suspected for the murder of his daughter. Police suspect that Bree Tanner met the same fate as her mother, though it may be possible that the girl's still alive as no body has yet been found.

Not true. Couldn't be true – my mother left my dad when I was four. But skimming through the rest of the news features, I found they were just more of the same. Must have been true then. It did make some sort of twisted sense... and of course my dad would say she left him.

The unpleasant shock forced me into absolute stillness that only vampires could achieve. The humans started sending wary glances at me and I had Fred to get back to.

I logged off the computer and put library far behind me.

I'd left all that behind when I was turned. It was in the past, buried way down beneath Riley's coven and then at the bottom of the foggy human memories. None of it mattered now.


A/N: I had to think of names for Bree's parents, so I just picked random ones. And please excuse the crappy 'article' writing, I am not a journalist, as you can see. And sorry if her reaction seems anti-climatic; it seemed that way to me, but like I said, it's just a filler chapter. Next chapter is where Rose and Emmett catch up to them.