A/N: Hey people! Here is chapter two. I'm gonna make an effort to get these chapters up sooner. But don't count on it too much, procrastination is my middle name. Apologies in advance for any errors, my beta is on break.

I own nothing, anyone who even knows what Twilight is should already know that.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2: Look at What We Started

Phoenix, Arizona

*Three Months Earlier

"James, why the hell do you want to go to Washington?" I yelled sounding more than a little frustrated as I slowly paced the expanse of the living room. The room was spacious and lined wall to wall with dark hardwood floors and a window that stretched from corner to corner. The window overlooked the bright midday view of three acres of garden and plains, and added to the overall vibe of 'old money' the home portrayed.

Despite the capacity, the room itself was rather sparse occupied only by several long tables, a very geometric black leather couch, several nude contemporary paintings and a large flat screen mounted on the wall adjacent the window. It's design, or lack thereof, was highly minimalist and felt too sterile and bromidic for me to feel completely comfortable.

"Victoria, don't be so quick to judge." James said clicking his tongue at me playfully. "There are lots of forests in Forks, you love the forest. I think you'll enjoy Washington scenery." James was a professional when it came to sarcasm and for a moment I actually considered his statement. I might have thought he really meant it, but his falsely placating tone told me that he was enjoying arguing way more than he was letting on. I spared a glance at him giving my best 'fuck you' glare as I continued my fifth trip across the room. He smiled cheekily knowing that-even though he was being a prick about it-with a little prodding I'd likely follow wherever he decided to go out of some twisted sense of loyalty and obligation.

"Don't pretend this has anything to do with my enjoyment." I spoke calmly, pausing momentarily to step over the mangled corpse of the homeowner we'd 'borrowed' this place from. It wasn't the wisest decision to off someone who clearly had a high status in the community, but from what I could discern after several days of stalking, he was single with no family and little friends. He was clearly a man of his work, he didn't socialize past business meetings and from his phone calls I can say with certainty he wasn't well admired. Still, it was risky and something even immortals like us couldn't always afford to do. Maybe it was the thrill, the power, or simply knowing that we could take whatever we wanted without consequence but whatever the reason we took risks often. I glanced back down at the body laying at my feet disgustedly, James never exercised proper dinning etiquette which was obvious considering the defensive tears in his black v-neck shirt and the sloppy incisor markings littering the poor homeowner's flesh.

I looked back to James who was lounging casually on the sofa flicking through the television stations. Several overacted screams and the sounds of simulated blood splattering against a wall exploded from the TV speakers; obvious indications that he'd landed on some cheesy teen horror film. The type of film where most of the cast is killed within the first 15 minutes, the killer walks to every location yet magically arrives there before anyone else, and every female character winds up either soaking wet or in her underwear before the credits roll. As a human I loved horror films, something about the danger of the unknown excited me and left me anxious to be apart of such a "adventure". That opinion quickly evaporated the day I realized the creatures I'd seen in theaters weren't just products of cinematic imagination.

"Why Forks?" I said seriously, suddenly remembering the conversation I was involved in. Frankly, I was confused as to why we should spend any time at all in a small, leaky faucet town like Forks Washington. I'd hoped we'd go back to Wellington, after our last visit there 10 years ago but it always seemed like some new obstacle prevented it. After decades of nomadic living I was beginning to tire of being a wanderer. I wanted to settle down somewhere I could call home, somewhere that belonged to me but I knew that was impossible considering the life I had chosen.

At my inquiry James perked up a bit, re-adjusting his position on the sofa so that he was sitting upright.

"The other night while I was hunting I caught the most amazing scent." His face fixed into a contented expression as his eyes closed; and I could tell he was imagining it in his mind.

"So?" I asked confused as to what any of this had to do with Washington. "Most humans smell good James, did you forget that or is all that overindulgence clouding your senses." I said humorlessly, smirking when James gave me a pointed look. "What's different about this one?" I continued, taking a seat on the long metal coffee table between James and the television.

"This girl's scent was far beyond anything I've ever experienced. It was so potent. The only time I've ever smelled blood even remotely similar was with…you." He said sounding slightly surprised at the truth of his own statement.

"Hmmm," I murmured quietly to myself as my interest peaked. "Well...did she taste as good I did?" I said with a seductive lilt to my voice as I licked my lips teasingly. James faltered for a moment, as the memory of my changing resurfaced in his head. He'd often recounted the story of my transformation to me, claiming that my blood was irresistible for him. It was -as James liked to call it- a pleasure overload. I never really decided if that was a good or bad thing and what it meant about the platonic's of our relationship.

"I wouldn't know." He said as he regained his composure, his thoughts floating back to the human.

"You didn't kill her?" My voice elevated registering my shock. It wasn't typical of him to show any sort of restraint when it came to humans and the notion that he'd resisted blood as appealing hers was surprising.

James shook his head sullenly. "This is such a rare opportunity Victoria. I'd hate to waste it on a half-hearted impulse." His mouth curved into a cynical grin as he spoke his next words, "I want to drag it out a bit; I think it could be fun."

"This is why you want to go to Forks…to track this 'rare opportunity'?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes dramatically at the absurdity of his excitement. I didn't believe in playing with my food…unless of course my prey was especially frisky. Overall I preferred quick, efficient kills, and thought it rather tacky to make a spectacle out of our hunts.

"You know I hate it when you do this." I admonished as I examined my fingernails, becoming increasingly disinterested in the direction of the conversation. I heard James release a frustrated sigh ahead of me and decided to continue before he could offer some half-assed apology for his inconsideration.

"Have you even bothered to inform Laurent of your plans?" I questioned, hoping the mention of our coven leader would offer some interference to James' extracurricular activity.

"I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem with it as long as we both have a decision made before he gets back from his hunt." James responded as he ghosted towards me, crouching at my feet and taking my hand in his. His dark burgundy eyes bored into mine silently pleading for my cooperation.

"What's in it for me big brother?" I asked twirling a strand of his dirty blonde hair around my index. I waited patiently as he seemed to consider my question, my eyes focused absentmindedly on the golden strands weaving through my fingers then airily floating onto his shoulders. I felt a sudden tug of nostalgia pull at my thoughts from the gesture, as faded memories rushed to the forefront of my mind. Memories of rainy Rochester mornings, soft blonde curls framing an delicate visage, and honey and spice fragrance that made my heart flutter uncontrollably. Memories from my human existence when I still believed in the goodness of the human soul; when I was still innocent and fragile.

"Wellington!" James announced matter-of-factly, snapping me out of my reverie.

"What?" I stumbled, suddenly lost in the dialogue taking place.

"Wellington, New Zealand? I promise we can go as soon as the human hunt is over." He affirmed sincerely. I studied his face carefully for several moments, trailing my fingers along the sharp edge of his jaw line. The offer certainly was tempting, and one thing I knew to be true was that James was a man of his word. He wouldn't lie to me, if he said we would go I knew we would.

As I started to speak my reply was interrupted by the gentle click of the front door opening. No sooner than we heard the sound did Laurent appear in front of us, taking a comfortable seat on the couch.

"Hello you two." Laurent greeted, his heavy Cajun dialect tightly wrapping his words like a Christmas ribbon. He eyed our proximity skeptically before asking, "What have you two been up to?"

I was the first to respond, "Talking." I said firmly, standing from my seat on the table. "I was just telling James that I think we should visit Washington." I forced my voice to sound as nonchalant as possible while, internally, I was cringing at the words leaving my mouth. "I've heard they have really nice…forests." I mumbled the last word, looking out the window to avoid James' smug expression in my peripherals.

When I turned back to Laurent, his eyebrow arched questioningly but he offered no objections to my proposal. This is going to be worth it I thought to myself as I fought the urge to sigh in defeat at the inevitability of our next destination.

Looks like we're going to Forks.

A/N: So, what do you guys think? Make sense so far? Did you guys get who the human James referred to might be? I kinda like this chapter, because I think it gives insight into the relationship of Victoria's coven. Let me know if there's something you guys would like to see happen in the story. The next chapter is almost finished.

Also, I'm gonna try not solicit reviews, but PLEASE PLEASE review! :P It's great motivation to update when I know that someone besides me actually cares about this, lol.

Answer to Chapter 1 song selection = Consequence by The Notwist