I was horrified when I realised how long it had been since I'd last updated! I can't even remember what happened - probably a severe loss of inspiration - but I am so. Freakin'. Sorry! Thankyou to all of you who continued to read and review and check back during my extended absence from this pairing, you're all amazing!

You're probably going to hate me more now, because there's a high probability that there will only be one more chapter :( Perfect was only intended to be short, and although it's shorter than I'd like, I have no idea where to take Riley & Bree next, and I'm so busy with my Blackwater fics and school and college that everything's just getting delayed at the minute :(. Who knows, maybe, in the future when I have more time (e.g, when all my other fics are finished :L) I'll come back to this pairing and write something else? :]

Anywhoo, I don't blame you if you hate me now :L Hope you like this chapter, and I'll start work on the final chap as soon as I can. It should be up by next Saturday (Y) If it's not, feel free to pm' me and yell at me :L!

Much love,

Em xx

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight :( Stephenie Meyer does!

(Riley POV)

Everyone froze. I stared at Bree, who was standing with a hand over her mouth, watching Felix as he tried to pick himself up off the floor. Her face was a mask of horror and surprise, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just done. I couldn't believe what she'd just done. My little Bree, so strong and yet so fragile, had just picked up a tree trunk bigger than herself and thrown it. She hadn't even touched it. The roots had simply ripped themselves free of the ground under her burning gaze, and flown through the air as a blur. It had hit Felix with a sound like crashing thunder. "Stop."

Jane's voice was cold, commanding. Felix appeared at her side, and Bree walked unsteadily, at a human pace, to stand beside me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and we joined Edward's family. "It seems we will have to make exceptions for these two," Jane said, and fixed me with a penetrating glare. I didn't dare look away. "Aro will be interested in how their powers develop." And then her eyes left mine, swivelling instead to stare at Carlisle. "But the Volturi will not give a second chance without significant cause," she said. "Maybe you should remember that. For future reference."

"A date has been set," said Edward, and his voice sounded colder than I had ever heard it.

"Then let's hope you follow through. Until next time, Cullens..." And with that the four Volturi turned, cloaks swishing in the breeze, and walked away into the forest.

Everyone visibly relaxed. There were some sighs of relief and a few weak smiles, and then Edward's entire family turned to face Bree and myself. Bree pressed closer to me and I pressed a kiss to her hair, hoping that this was the end of all the fighting. I was sick of being a monster. I wanted to be the Riley I used to be, before Victoria turned me that night. Bree brought out that side of me. She saw the good in me. She saw the man, and not the killing machine, although I didn't think I would ever understand why. Before I got to know Bree, I'd been existing in a haze of red. I'd terrified the newborns, and I'd enjoyed it. But she gave me my humanity back, even if I was still trapped as an immortal.

(Bree POV)

"Did you mean that?" I asked, trying to sound confident and only succeeding in sounding nervous. "You'll...You don't mind...?" Esme smiled at me warmly. It instantly put me at ease.

"All of us here have come from a bad beginning," explained Carlisle as he, too, smiled. His golden gaze swept over me kindly, before it switched to Riley; I felt Riley's arm tighten around my shoulders by an infinitesimal amount and I tried to reassure him silently, using my free hand around his waist to trace soothing circles on his back through his coat. He relaxed a little. Since Victoria put him in charge of the army, his ability to trust had been badly damaged. He'd trusted her, myself, and only one or two others. His trust in me had been a miracle, even after all the soul-baring we'd done.

It bothered me badly, how little he thought of himself. He had done terrible things, there was no denying that – but so had I. In the beginning he'd been my boss, my creator. He taught me how to look after myself the first few months, like he'd done with the other newborns. And then, when he'd deemed me independent enough, he'd stopped helping. I was his pawn, his puppet, nothing more. But then when Victoria had started to spend time away from the army things had changed. We had our first, real conversation, and everything was different after that. "We'd be happy to accept you into our family," Carlisle continued, and I couldn't help but sigh in relief. Riley's entire body relaxed as all the tension flooded out of him, and he actually laughed. Just a little chuckle out of relief and surprise, but it was a sound I hadn't heard in a while. Not since she stopped going away and wrapped Riley back around her little finger.

Then he wrapped both his arms around me and pulled me close, and I buried my face in his chest. Everything was going to be okay. "Thank you," Riley murmured into my hair. I tightened my arms around his waist, noticing how he seemed close to tears he'd never be able to shed. "Thank you so much." His tone sounded so familiar. But why? "You have no idea..." And then it hit me. Those words. Those exact words, that exact tone. Another life.

I was frozen in place as the two men in the alleyway tore each other apart. Too shocked to scream, too afraid to run. But when the winner of the brawl stalked over to the body in the shadows, leaving the loser trying to piece his right leg back together with only one arm, something clicked in my mind. I began to back away as the victor – limping slightly from a newly reattached foot – sunk his teeth into the forearm of his victim. I managed not to trip on the kerb, and the second both my feet were on even pavement I turned to run. Instead, I found my path blocked by a fourth man.

He was tall, dressed in dark jeans and a jacket unbuttoned to reveal a plain black t-shirt. His hair shone dirty blonde in the light from the streetlamps, and in a heartbeat it had registered in my frantic mind that he was perfect. The surreal strangeness of it overwhelmed my sense and drew me in; I wanted to know more about him. His name, where he'd appeared from, who...what...he was. In an instant, the other men were forgotten. My fear died in the face of his unnatural beauty, and it was too late. "Want a burger, kid?" His voice was deep, smooth, and something else I couldn't place. It didn't seem to matter, then, that he was a complete stranger. It didn't seem to matter that what I had just witnessed was not humanly possible.

I was helpless. I nodded, already obedient. When he turned and began to walk away, I followed. Then, it was because I didn't know any better – it didn't register that there was no reason for him to be wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. Later, my reasons for doing as I was told would change. I would follow his orders because it would please Victoria, and her happiness made him happy.

I never got my burger. He got into his car – a black SUV with tinted windows – and I climbed into the passenger seat. We were silent for a while, until he spoke. "My name's Riley," he had said. Simple. A Statement. Expecting nothing in answer, judging from his tone. And still, I did.

"Bree," I murmured. Then, "Thank you." I thought of the food, gratitude welling up inside. I hadn't eaten since the previous night. There had been no time to pack food, my escape had been so rushed. "You have no idea..." I was so hungry. Riley smiled, but it was small and looked forced. I didn't know, then, what I was really thanking him for.

"So, you look a little young to be out on your own this late," he said, trying to change the subject. I thought nothing of it at the time.

"I'm seventeen," I said defensively, trying not to snap at him. "I'm just small for my age, is all. Besides, I'm on my own now. I can do what I want." He glanced at me, and although I couldn't see his eyes, I could feel the question they were asking. "I won't be missed," I mumbled bitterly, not knowing that it was exactly what he wanted to hear. It was only as the car slowed to a stop that I realised we were in the backstreets of Seattle. Nowhere near any form of burger. I fervently hoped he wasn't going to make me get out. I really wanted a burger. Riley looked down, hands still on the steering wheel, and sighed.

"Another runaway..." The first flicker of fear sprang up in my heart. I wouldn't know until later that targeting new recruits had been something he'd hated. But then he straightened, removing his sunglasses. When he turned to look at me, my heart stopped. His eyes. Oh, Jesus, his eyes, that wasn't natural, I was stuck in a car with some sort of creature and – "I'm so sorry about this, Bree." In the time it took for fear to turn to bone-deep terror and spread like wildfire to every cell in my body, he was over me and I was trapped, his icy breath cool against my neck for a split second. And then I felt the pain as his teeth broke the skin, and the fire became very real indeed.

XXXXXXXXXX

I had been so stupid. And by the time I'd realised, it had been too late. But I couldn't regret it, not now. Had I refused to go with him, he may have let me go, and I would have still been human. But I wouldn't have had this existence, this second life – this second chance. I wouldn't have befriended him, slowly but surely. I wouldn't be where I was, with him, now.

When we finally loosened our hold on each other the Cullens were still smiling brightly at one another. Edward was looking at me curiously, probably confused by the sudden rush of memories that had flooded my mind, but before I could think an explanation up I was leapt on by a dark-haired blur. It was the smallest Cullen, the one who'd alerted them to the presence of the Volturi. The girl was very short, shorter than even me by an inch or two, but the hug she gave me was surprisingly tight. "I'm Alice," she announced. "And we're going to be great friends!" She stepped back, hands still gently holding my shoulders, and gave me a dazzling smile. "I can see it," she said with a wink, and it suddenly struck me how much she looked like a pixie. But...what did she mean, 'see it'?

"Alice has visions of the future," Edward answered simply. "It's a long, long story."

"Maybe home would be a good idea?" suggested Esme. I realised that the bonfire had already burnt out, leaving nothing but ash behind.

"I must go to Jacob over in La Push," said Carlisle calmly, with a glance at Bella. Her face completely drained of colour at the mention of the name, and Edward's face grew solemn. Even Alice's smile faded to be replaced by a look of worry. "I'll get my things from home, then run to the reservation."

"Sam's given permission for you to cross the border," said Edward. "It was the last I heard of his thoughts before they were out of range." Carlisle nodded.

"I'll do my best for him, Bella. Try not to worry," he said, and then took off in a blur.

"Edward, I – I need to get home," began Bella shakily. She ran a hand through her hair and chewed her bottom lip.

Even from where I was standing I could see the panic settling in her. "Of course," said Edward. In a split second he had pulled her onto his back, and then they disappeared into the forest. Now that Carlisle, Edward and Bella were gone, we were left standing in a semi-awkward silence. Riley and I had little idea of what was going on or of who the werewolves actually were, and I felt a little out of the loop, but explanations would have to wait until later.

As I looked almost shyly at the Cullens who were left I caught Esme's eye by accident, and she smiled warmly at me. "Come on," she said. "We'll get home, and get you both settled in, explain things, and then...then we'll wait for news." Her smile faltered a little as she thought of Jacob again, but quickly fixed itself. "Just follow us, it's not far." And with that she turned, smiled at the rest of her family, and took off running. Alice quickly followed, as did a tall blonde guy and an even bigger dark-haired man with a cheeky grin. A blonde-haired woman who hadn't spoken either brought up the rear.

For maybe a second, I looked at Riley. His eyes held the same question as mine: was this the path we wanted to take? Was it the right one? But we both already knew the answer, and, with a soft smile from Riley that made me feel things I'd only ever felt because of him, the two of us bolted after the Cullens, towards our fresh start, and the beginning of our new life.

Well, it's quarter past ten (pm) and I have...*counts*...two? Three? Three more updates to write, I think...oh my days, I'd better get going! Don't forget to review, even if it's just to vent your hatred or give ideas for a Riley/Bree story I could write in the future :L xxx