A/N First off let me start by saying thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews! It really means a lot, and second this last semester of school was insane, the good news, it's over! Woo! Next semester won't be as crazy, I'm taking a normal amount of classes so hopefully there will be room to update. Anyways here's the next chapter, hope ya'll enjoy (Also I need to/fixed Silas's age, he's way older than 12000 years)


Chapter Four

Bree's POV

"Fred," I whispered and stood on shaking legs trying to right myself. He was waiting for me out there, and I wasn't quite sure how much longer he would before he decided to leave. I raked a hand through my hair and blinked not quite knowing what I was about to do but knowing deep down that I had to do something before it was too late.

I quickly glanced out to the west and took note of the dimming light that was peeking through the washed out gray clouds that hung over the city's harbor and sighed. Night was coming soon, and Fred had said he'd wait for twenty four hours which gave me only a few to get to him, just to be sure he didn't jump the gun early and leave for good. Only a few hours to get to him, only a few till I was reunited with what was left of my past…

My head snapped up breaking my previous thoughts as two faces with stern, bored looks crossed my mind. Silas, Jasper. What would they do if they found out I'd gone that far? Would they even know?

I wasn't quite sure the extent of either of their powers, but without giving it a second thought I knew that one thing was absolutely correct, and that was that I was going after Fred, regardless of their disapproval. Besides it would only take two or three hours at most. And I knew I would have to face the older vampires once I got back… but I needed to talk to him and tell him I was ok and alive, for now at least, especially after everything we'd been through.

After all, he was all that was left of my brief second life.

With this last thought I sprinted off through the back alleys heading north.

Silas's POV

I stepped towards the counter and turned angry eyes towards the window above the sink. It had been two hours since she had walked out the back door, two hours too long. What was she doing?

Jasper was still puttering around the house, refusing to leave and it was annoying me to no end. I turned from the dark window and looked at the blonde on the couch reading some old, crumbling book. Of course he would be calm.

He didn't have the responsibilities of watching her, taking care of her and protecting her from vampires like the Volturi or other nomads that liked to kill anything just for a thrill. I kneaded my forehead with my palm and gritted my teeth together feeling a small headache forming.

I should have put a spell on her too, just to make sure. I mentally cursed myself for being so stupid but calmed myself seconds later as another thought came to my aching mind. I might not have known exactly where she was, but I could feel that she hadn't gone too far, at least the lingering aura that I'd left around her told me that much but still...

I turned and walked towards the couch letting my face melt back into a cool, composed mask as I sunk down on the calico furniture.

"She'll be back," Jasper said simply, breaking the long silence that had settled on the two of us since our earlier conversation.

"Don't speak to me." I growled and sunk lower on the couch.

Jasper let out a long sigh and closed his book with a thump, and leaned forward on the couch. "Relax, she trusts me enough to come back. Besides she doesn't have anywhere else to go, and no one else to turn to. It's a lonely world for us, especially if one is by themselves." Jasper paused, his face turning dark and from that one look I could tell he was speaking from experience. But the moment was forgotten as he stood and gave a small smile. "Also-" He stopped, his gaze lingering somewhere behind me in the direction of the back door.

And then I could hear the soft steps on the concrete of the patio in the back, and then the solid click of the backdoor opening. Cool and damp night air rolled into the house, scrubbing away the stuffy old papery smell that lingered. I closed my eyes as Bree entered the house, I could smell her now too, although something was off but I couldn't quite tell exactly what it was.

"Bree, I was just about to tell Silas that you both are free to use any room in the house except for the attic. And of course, you are free to raid my wife's closet," He said, smiling slightly at the last part.

"Oh," Bree said sounding dazed. I could hear her fidgeting with something as she stood in the kitchen, her booted feet tapping on the hardwood floor in a disjointed pattern. Why was she so nervous? What would she have anything to be nervous about? "Thank you so much for giving us a place to hide," she said absently.

"It's no trouble," Jasper said and gave me a cold, disapproving look before going up the stairs. I made a face at his retreating form and turned my head to the girl who stared back at me with wide slightly frightened eyes. Nothing of the fire that had been in them before lingered and I wondered yet again what would she be so nervous about.

"Where were you?" I said coolly, not bothering to restrain myself.

She took two unnecessary breaths before walking further into the house, stopping to stand just in between the kitchen and living room. "I had to get out, I'm sorry," she said, but I knew the she wasn't, not really. I cracked a smile from frustration and stood in a flash, too fast even for her and I saw her flinch slightly.

"I'm not going to play games with you. I just want to know where you went," I say, my tone turning happy, but I knew that there was a manic smile on my face where a real one should have been. "You were out for quite a while."

For a moment I thought she was going to tell me but then she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive position, her bright red eyes hardening with unconcealed hatred. "I went out to go feed, don't pretend that you own me," she said growling the last part out as she moved past me towards the stairs.

"Don't walk away from me," I growled back, barely containing my anger.

Bree spun around baring her teeth and growled "Old man I'll do whatever I want. Again, you aren't my father, my brother, or my guardian. You are just some old man with a bitter rivalry with the Volturi and to be honest I have no interest of being a play thing in your war. This is your fight and yours alone."

Jasper walked down the steps at that moment and sat me with a disapproving look. "Please don't ruin the house," he said with a resigned sigh and then added "I leave it to you both for now."

He moved towards the front door picking up a card board box with what looked like clothes in them and opened the large front door. "I'll check in with you tomorrow evening. Silas I'm assuming you want to follow the Volturi. If you would like, Bree can stay here while your-"

"Thank you, but I don't think it will be necessary for the moment," I said cutting in, earning me a glare from the young vampire.

Jasper let out a small sigh, "Again, don't destroy the house," and with that the blonde vampire left, shutting the door quietly behind himself.

Bree's POV

Great.

Tonight was going to be a long one, longer than those I'd spent with the newborns in the basement. At least there I'd had Fred, and no one bothered us, here I wasn't so lucky.

I turned towards Mr. Dark and Broody who was still standing behind me and held up a finger. "Don't say it, I went out and now I'm back, and I can't really deal with the idea of being stuck to your side for all eternity right now so we will have this talk later. As for right now, I want to be alone," I said tiredly and sprinted up the stairs without waiting for a reply.

What was his deal? Why was he trying to keep me so close? I couldn't think of Silas's motives at the moment but I just chalked it up to him acting the way he normally was, which was angry and overly protective.

I could still smell hits of Fred around me and I wondered if Silas could smell him too. I hadn't totally lied when I said I had gone hunting earlier, I had been hungry but it was also just to cover up his scent. I crossed over to the large bedroom and shut the door quietly behind me and stared out into the dark empty room, so different from where I'd been only an hour before.

I shook my head and moved into the bathroom, deciding that a bath would warm me up and take care of the rest of offensive odors that still lingered on my skin and clothes. I sat on the edge of the bathtub and let the water fill near the top as I methodically took off my clothes, folding them up neatly and set them on the counter along with the small silver cellphone that was in my boot. I let myself slid into the silky water submerging my head completely and then let the thoughts from the last couple of hours replay over in my mind.

I had been searching the city for half an hour and I still hadn't found a single sign that Fred was still here and I was getting worried that he'd already left. The sick gnawing feeling entered the pit of my stomach and I slowed down and leaned against the brick wall in an alley to get myself under control.

What if I never found him?

But the thought was erased from my mind as the breeze picked up in the dim alley way and the slightly sweet scent of the man I was searching for wafted by. I lifted my nose to the wind and drew in a deep breath, following it to the end of the alley in the opposite way I had been going.

His smell was faint but there was just enough to be able to find him. This was what he wanted, I realized as I ran through dark and deserted streets of northern Vancouver to an area that wasn't quite hidden from the busy sections of town but still wasn't teeming with very many people.

I quickly found myself on a street that held a few shops and two restaurants, and I stopped and ducked back into the alley I'd just come from. He was somewhere around here but his scent was thrown around so much by the different smells it was all becoming very distracting. And then there was the burning that was becoming more pronounced in the back of my throat as the minutes went on in the presence of the humans that shopped about. That was most distracting of all, but I forced myself to focus on finding Fred.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, composing myself as well as trying to flesh out the direction of where he was. I walked back out onto the street and took a right which led me in the direction of a bookstore, some clothing shops, and a restaurant with an outdoor seating area. I dragged in another deep breath and decided that he was either in the bookstore or in the restaurant and I stopped, slightly confused again.

And then I saw a flash of curly blonde hair and wide shoulders sitting at one of the table in the outdoor seating area and I knew it was him. I let out a relieved sigh as I walked through the small metal gate that separated the sidewalk from the eatery and walked up to his table, ignoring the looks from some of the humans.

"I almost wasn't sure I was going to find you," I said and laughed as I pulled out the metal chair across from him and sat down.

Fred looked up from the book he was reading, his mouth pulling up in a smile as he sat back. His warm red eyes met mine and I could see the worry that was behind them.

"Bree," He said with a hint of relief and closed his book, "It's good to see you."

I smiled back and shifted in my seat. "Yeah you too, I hope I didn't keep you long."

"Nah," he said and continued, a small amount of hope entering his tone, "And Diego?"

I silently shook my head, hollowly thinking of ways to change the subject.

Fred nodded and opened his mouth to say something but stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly. "There's something… off about you," he commented and I mentally cringed.

"Yeah, getting ripped apart and burned isn't exactly my idea of a good day either," I said lightly and started fidgeting with my hands under the table.

He eyed me for a moment before leaning forward in his chair his face turning serious. "What happened?"

I leaned back and looked out at the street and stared at the people that walked by suddenly very weary of everything. "Yeah, come on lets go somewhere else, I promise there won't be anyone out after us. It's a long story."

"Well we've got nothing but time," Fred said smirking while getting up from his chair and I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's true," I murmured and stood from my chair as well.

We walked out of the seating area and went down the street a couple of blocks to a park that led up to the harbor. The lights from the city across the harbor on the southern half illuminated the dark water beautifully and I couldn't help but feel that for once things really were going to be all right.

But that feeling only lasted for a moment as I began to tell him what happened, how the fight had gone down, how the new born coven and our leaders were killed by the Cullen's and werewolves. I told him about the Volturi and who they were and what they did, and how, against all logic, I had been reborn and taken in by Jasper.

And I also told him about Silas.

"So that means you can't come with me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Unfortunately," I said grudgingly. "He's keeping such a tight hold on me, it's suffocating. I just can't figure him out."

Fred linked his arms around his back and looked up at the dark sky above, thinking. "Well, maybe you specifically are someone important to him, ever thought about that?"

"Of course I have, I just want to know why," I said and frowned. The two of us walked in silence for a moment before Fred spoke again.

"I almost left, but I couldn't help but hope that you would come, you know?" he said quietly.

I gave a small smile and bumped into his side catching him by surprise and throwing him off balance. "I do, and thanks."

"Bree," He said as he regained balance, his voice serious, "I am sorry about what happened to him."

"No, don't be," I said sighing thinking of the black haired man. "It's all ok, I'm ok."

Fred sat me with a look that said he didn't believe a word that had just come out of my mouth and I reached out, placing a hand on his arm reassuringly. "I'll be alright," I said and for the first time since I had woken earlier today I believed it.

The blonde smiled at and me and tugged me into a hug that wasn't as awkward as I thought it'd be.

From there the two of us agreed to split up but keep in touch with cellphones that Fred had bought earlier in the day and I shoved mine in my boot, hoping that Silas wouldn't ever see it. The curly blonde haired vampire said he was thinking about staying in Vancouver for another couple of weeks, and I told him he would know where to find me if he ever needed me.

We hugged our goodbye again which was slightly unusual but comforting and I ran back to the house but not before trying an animal on the way back to curve my thirst.

I twitched under the water as my thoughts dragged me back to reality and I swallowed still tasting the off flavor of blood in my mouth. How the Cullen's could live off the stuff was beyond me, but it did hold back the hunger.

I sat up in the tub and glanced at the clock on the counter which read 10:30. So many things happened today and all I wanted to do was sleep forever, but I knew I couldn't. 'Would this day ever end?' I mused as I sunk below the water again.

END