I drove home as quickly as my truck would allow. I knew I only had minutes, maybe not even that, before Jake turned up on patrol. Charlie was in the living room watching yet another game. I called "hi" as I ran up the stairs two at a time. Within seconds the door was shut and I was on my knees. Searching for my overnight bag which I knew was under the bed, somewhere. Finally I found it. I unzipped it as I moved around my room throwing in the necessities. I grabbed my phone charger and the money I kept stuffed in a sock. It was almost full now so I went into the bathroom and grabbed any toiletries I needed. I was packed and ready in less than five minutes. Now just to tell Charlie, I took a deep breath and walked into the living room.

"Dad, I'm going on a spontaneous holiday. Starting here and ending up in Phoenix and then I'll fly back. I'll be back before school starts." I lied confidently, something I was getting almost too good at. His eyebrows shot up and he opened his mouth to argue. I walked towards him with the full knowledge that time was ticking by. I held his hand softly. "I need to do this. It's the only way I'll get over him. I'm not a child dad. I promise I'll keep in touch. Let me do this." He went to speak again but I hushed him. "Bye." I was out the door and in my truck before he could put a coherent sentence together. I reversed out the drive without looking and pulled onto the road. I had no idea where I was heading, just as long as it was out of Forks. I tried to put Charlie's hurt face out of my mind, concentrating only on the road. There was a bang behind me as something jumped onto my truck. Please don't be Jacob. I begged. The passenger door opened and relief overcame me.

"Zak." I breathed; I was surprised to find myself smiling.

"Thought you might need to know where to go and obviously you can't drive all the way without sleep, so here I am your personal chauffeur." I laughed, as a weight I didn't know was there lifted from my shoulders. It was strange that I found his presence so comforting.

"Is Jacob anywhere nearby?" I looked around, as if my eyes could actually make him out in the darkness.

"Nope you made a clean escape. Very quick, for a human I might add. Now switch, I doubt you know your way to Alaska." He winked at me cheekily. He slipped underneath me smoothly, as I climbed onto the passenger seat. We hardly touched.

"Alaska?" I asked slightly shocked, that would have been the first place I would have gone to find him.

"He was having some reflective time when I met him, but that's where his family is. He was heading back there when I came to find you. Mind you he told me that you were probably way over him, I thought I'd have a much harder job of persuading you to find him." He touched my hand lightly, in a comforting gesture, his eyes surveying me. Even though I knew he didn't need to look at the road, I still felt uneasy when he didn't. He looked confused at my worried expression and then laughed. "You want me to keep my eyes on the road right?"

"Right." I nodded, not even bothering to question how he had guessed this. He'd seen Edward's memories about me after all.

"Whatever the lady desires," He chuckled heartily. "I met him, when he was searching for another vampire. Victoria." I shivered at the name, and squeezed my hand gently. "He's a useless tracker, and was then moving up towards Alaska admitting defeat. We got talking and I accidentally touched him and saw the way he felt about you. We'd talked about you for hours. I held onto his shoulder as he thought of strong memories I saw them too, saw how he couldn't live without you, saw how it would end if you didn't go back to him."

"He left me." I said quietly.

"Only to protect you, he loves you too much if that's possible. Then I find you in the woods, being pursued. He told me all about your rubbish luck. Then when I touched you I saw how your feelings equal his and then I saw Mr Complication."

"Jacob." I smiled, nodding. "I was only going to be with him to make him happy."

"You keep telling yourself that." Zak looked straight ahead, unsmiling. I frowned disliking his tone. Of course Jacob was just a second option. I loved him as no more than a brother, didn't I? He knew that I made it clear we could never be together, however determined he was.

"Will you be okay? In a cab with me I mean. My smell wont overpower you will it?" My voice was a whisper; me being killed wasn't a particularly comfortable topic. Zak didn't tense like I expected, he just beamed at me.

"Anyone but you would be difficult, but knowing how deeply someone feels about you I don't think I could end your life. Mind you don't go bleeding now will you." I just looked away, not really knowing quite what to say. Then another question sprung to my mind.

"You said you owe Edward?" I looked at Zak now his wavy blonde hair concealing his eyes from my view.

"I was a bit like Jasper, unhappy with killing people. In fact I was depressed about. I was thinking about going to the Volturi asking to die. Edward told me about being a "vegetarian". He saved my life." I frowned in confusion his words didn't make sense to me.

"But your eyes are still red." I blurted out without thinking.

"Oh I know." He said simply. "That's because it takes a while for the diet to change your eye colour. I haven't killed anyone since talking to Edward and that was only around two maybe three weeks ago." I pulled my hand out of his grip instantly. I curled up against the passenger door, as far away from the monster, as I could. "Oh Bella don't overreact. Mind you he'd be happy you'd learnt a sense of fear. I'm not going to hurt you. Don't you think I would have by now? Do you want to find Edward or not?"

"Yes." My muscles relaxed again. I had to trust this vampire, I had no choice. I'd made my decision find Edward or die trying.

"I'll keep stopping off to hunt don't worry." He tried to console me and for some reason the way he talked about hunting so casually did comfort me. "Like I said I couldn't kill you now anyway." He grinned at me and all sense of the previous terror washed away. "Alaska here we come."

"Edward here I come." I smiled now, anticipating seeing his beautiful face again. Zak took my hand again and squeezed it gently.

"Shit." He whispered.

"What?" I asked, confused by the sudden edge to his voice.

"Now we have two Mr Complications." He sighed deeply. "And from the look of that wolf they're both going to Alaska." I followed his gaze out the driver's window but couldn't see anything but black.