Disclaimer: Don't own. Still trying to find a way to though.

A/N: There are a few things. First, I can't even begin to thank all of you for the support you showed me on the last chapter. I appreciate all of your support and encouragement. I love you all so very much and I cherish you and your words. Second, I can't apologize enough for how long this chapter took to get out. I have started going to school in addition to working fulltime. It's very hard to find time to write when 16 your days are spent driving to work, working, driving home, sleeping, driving to school, school, and then driving to work again. But now that I have gotten into the swing of things with school and things have calmed a touch, I have found time to write and get chapters out a lot faster than a month and a half. I will be busting my ass to make sure that that doesn't happen again!

And as always and never changing, thank you to my super beta, oceanwaters2006! You are so amazing and now that I'm working and going to school, I appreciate what you do for me even more!

Playlist: Guilty By Design by Rev Theory, Hail Mary by The Black Cloud Collective, Diamond Eyes by Shinedown, We Are Stars by The Pierces, Lies of the Beautiful People by Sixx: A.M., Waiting For The End by Linkin Park, Die Trying by Art of Dying

Chapter 19-

I wasn't really sure how long I had been standing there. Edward was gone and I was left with a man that I didn't know and didn't trust. How in the world was I supposed to function? I had built up my defenses and armed myself, but it was really hitting me. I was alone.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

I forced myself to walk away from the door and back into the living room.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I know that this is a big change and that you were comfortable with Edward, but I'll try and make this as easy of a transition for you as I can. I'm not really the asshole that Edward paints me out to be. I really hope that you'll give me a chance."

"I will. I always intended to. Just don't make me regret giving you that chance. I've met you're kind before."

"My kind?"

"Good looking and knows it, cocky, and just a little loud. You probably have a whole laundry list of ex-girlfriends."

"Okay, so far you're doing pretty well."

"I'm just pretty good at reading people. I don't get the ass hat vibe, but I do get the cocky bastard vibe."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not necessarily, but it's not a point either."

"Noted. Now that we've broken the ice a little bit, I should let you know that we will be relocating you again. We just can't risk staying here and you being found. We'll wait until sundown and then we're going to get on the road."

I felt myself freeze completely. If we left, that meant I would be pulled away from Edward without him knowing where I was.

"You're sure we have to leave?"

"Yes. It's not safe here anymore. It was a risk keeping you here this long."

"Does Edward know where I'm being relocated to?"

"No. Even I don't know. I'll get a call from Emmet right before we leave."

I could only manage to nod my head and turn to walk up the stairs.

"I'm going to go pack my stuff and maybe take a nap."

I knew I was obviously cutting the conversation short, but I didn't care. I needed space to breathe and try to recollect myself. In a matter of 20 minutes, Edward had left and now I was being forced to relocate again. I walked up the stairs quickly and made it to my room just in time. Kirby ran into the room before I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.

All of the things I had been holding in and pushing to the back of my mind were now coming to the surface. All of the hurt that I had become numb to was now a searing pain running through my veins. The lump in my throat felt like a grapefruit. I fell back against the door to try and steady my shaking knees, but to no avail. I slowly slid down to the floor and let the dam break.

This whole time, I had been acting like nothing had happened, that Jess wasn't really dead. I had somehow managed to block the memories of that night from my mind. All of the small details were so vivid in my memory. The fresh scent of candles mixed with blood, the creaking of the banisters, the panicked look that was frozen on her face. I stared ahead of me and out my bedroom window. Small snowflakes had begun to flutter through the air. It was that moment that I realized that the tears were rolling down my face. I had no control over them anymore. I relinquished my death grip and let go. I couldn't hold anything in anymore. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to muffle the body wrenching sobs that were now choking me. Kirby nudged my leg with his head as he burrowed into my lap and let out a small whimper. I kept staring out the window as the tears kept rolling.

I wasn't sure how much time had gone by before I picked myself up off of the floor and walked over to the bed. I felt completely drained and catatonic. Kirby followed beside me and tried to climb up the over sized frame. I picked him up and placed him in the middle of the bed before pulling the covers back and crawling under them. I looked back out the window and the light flurries had now begun to fall quickly. I started to drift off, my last thought before sleep over took me was that I hoped I would wake up to everything being a dream.

My sleep was restless and without any dreams. Kirby was still sound asleep by my side. I lightly played with his small paw and was very grateful that I at least had him with me. He was my only link to Jess and my old life. A light knock on the door was followed by the door creaking open. I turned and saw James peeking into the room.

"Hey. I was just checking to see if you were okay."

"Yeah, I guess. Any word yet?"

"Not yet, but it should be soon. Are you all packed?"

"No, sorry, I fell asleep. I'll get that done."

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

James closed the door behind him and I hopped out of bed so I could start grabbing everything. I didn't even bother folding anything, I just grabbed and shoved. I could worry about ironing when I got to wherever the hell else I was going. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the piece of paper Edward had given me. The phone number wasn't labeled and it didn't look familiar. The only caveat that was attached was that I could only use it if it was an emergency. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew Edward was already in enough trouble because of me, I would grab the nearest phone and call. I folded the piece of paper up and put it back into my pocket.

I looked around the room one last time before grabbing Kirby and my bag. The realization that I was holding everything that I owned was not lost upon me. I closed the door and walked down the stairs. James stood at the base, talking on his phone and pacing back and forth.

"Alright, we'll be on the road as soon as we gather all of our things."

James put his phone in his pocket and gestured to the door.

"We gotta head out, do you have everything?"

"I just need to grab Kirby's things from the kitchen and then we can leave."

"Alright, but make it quick. Emmett wants us on the road in the next ten minutes."

I made quick work of gathering all of Kirby's things while as sat by my feet and watched. I walked by the fridge and stopped when I saw the picture of Jess and I hanging on the door. I plucked it from the magnet and smiled at the memory of happier and easier times. I missed those.

I stood by the door while James did a finally sweep of the house to make sure there wasn't anything that needed to come with us. When he was satisfied, he came to the door and pulled my duffel bag from my shoulder and slung it over his. His act of chivalry caught me off guard and from the smirk on his face, I was guessing he noticed.

"See, not a total asshole."

"Not totally. But we still have plenty of time for you to change that progress."

"I'll try not to disappoint you. Now, shall we?"

"Do I have any other choice?"

"Nope."

"Then I guess so."

James smiled and opened the door to the garage. I followed behind him and looked back into the house one last time. I tried to internalize the memories and small details, hoping that they would stay with me. I held the door open and waited for Kirby to follow me. He stood by the door and watched James load my bag into the car.

"Come on, Kirby. He's one of the good guys."

Kirby looked up at me and hesitantly walked into the garage. James closed the trunk before he opened the driver's side door. I knew we were on a little bit of a time crunch so instead of waiting for Kirby to decide if he wanted to be in the same car as James, I picked him up and hauled him to it. James started the car and then opened the garage door. I let out a heavy sigh as the car began to move.

On the run again.

I watched in the dim light of the early night sky as the trees passed by the window. The snow was still falling from the sky and placing a thin blanket on the ground.

"You might as well get comfortable. We have about nine hours ahead of us."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"No. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Can't wait."

As we got closer to town, I tried to get a decent look at the small, rustic buildings. I wanted to remember this place. I may have been there for a less than ideal reason, but it was still a place I wanted to remember. My heart felt heavy when I saw the 'Now leaving Belgrade' sign. The street lights became smaller as we approached the highway. We were only a few miles outside of Belgrade when James pulled into a small gas station.

"I'm just going to top off the tank. You can grab anything you need. We probably won't stop for another 6 hours."

"Okay, did you need anything while I'm in there?"

"No, I still have some stuff from before."

I nodded and walked up to the building. I pulled on the door but it was locked. I peered into the window and didn't see anyone. Perfect. I walked back to the car and let Kirby out before we started our road trip. I clipped the leash on to him and put him down.

"The door was locked. I'm just going to take him to go to the bathroom before we leave."

James gave me a small wave while he focused on filling the tank. Kirby pranced away from the car and stopped to sniff a small patch of grass that wasn't covered in snow. I waited patiently and looked around at the trees that were surrounding the gas station. I was going to miss the fresh air and wide open sky. Kirby tugged on the leash as he started walking back towards the car. We made it back just in time for James to twist the gas cap into place.

"We should be good to go now. Climb in."

Before I had my door open, I heard a loud screech of tires along the pavement. I turned towards the source of the noise and saw a large black SUV speeding towards us.

"Get in the car!"

I fumbled with the door handle before finally climbing in. James reached towards his back waistband and pulled out a gun and then got into the car. He quickly started the engine and threw the car into gear. We sped off and James whipped the car back towards the highway. The SUV stayed right behind us and the interior of the car started to get brighter as the SUV closed the distance. My heart was racing and I tried to keep my breathing normal so I wouldn't panic. I sank down as low as my seatbelt would allow me. An odd sense of déjà vu came over me and then I vividly remembered the dream I had been having. The only difference was that I was with James instead of Edward. I ran through the dream again in my head and each time I had had it, it never ended well.

The glass of the back window shattered. I heard James grunt and the car jerk slightly. I saw the blob of dark red begin to form on the sleeve of his shirt. His teeth were gritted but his hands were still gripping the steering wheel. The inside of the car got dark and I knew exactly they were doing, they were pulling up beside us. The dark shadow blocked the side of the car and I could see the glint of light off of a gun. The car suddenly jerked before more glass shattered. I barely had time to register the spray of blood coming from James' throat before the SUV rammed into the side of the car. James grip on the steering wheel was gone and I felt the tires slide on the pavement. I reached for the wheel and tried to guide the car.

Before I could do anything, the SUV swerved into the side of the car again. I couldn't keep control of the wheel and the car slid off of the road and ran straight into a tree. I jerked against my seatbelt and then was thrown back by the air bags deploying. I felt the sting of glass shards cutting into my skin and the crunch of my nose breaking from the airbag hitting it. I looked over at James and heard the wet gurgle of his breathing. His eyes were locked on mine as he struggled to breathe. I wanted to stay but I knew that the SUV would be back. He must have been able to tell that I was having an internal battle because he reached over and handed his gun to me.

"Run and don't stop."

I wanted to argue with him, but I knew he was right. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the door open. The creak of metal against metal made me cringe. I stopped before closing the door to grab Kirby from the floor and turned to James again.

"I'm sorry."

I slammed the door behind me and I ran while holding Kirby close to me. The crisp air burned my lungs as I took it in. I was thankful that I was surrounded by hundreds of trees to keep me hidden, but I knew that it wouldn't be enough to keep me totally safe. A flash of light illuminated the trees around me. I turned around and saw that the SUV had pulled up beside the car. I had to keep moving. I forced my feet to move as quickly as I could and I let the adrenaline take over. I felt a warm trickle down my face and knew that I had to be bleeding, but I ignored it. I was thankful that there was just enough light from the moon to allow me to see the trees, but not enough to make it easy to see me. Between trees, I was able to see the street lights of Belgrade start to get closer. If I could just get into town, I could hide. I just had to keep moving. I started running further away from the road to keep myself hidden and kept repeating a silent plea that I could make it.

My lungs were burning when I ran into a clearing. All of the trees were gone and I still had about a quarter of a mile to go before I would be surrounded by the safety of the buildings. I ran in a straight line and kept looking around, praying that I wouldn't see any headlights behind me on the road. The buildings got closer and closer and a sense of relief started to fill me. Only a little ways left to go.

As soon as my feet hit the first sidewalk, I knew exactly where I had to go. I ran towards one of the back alleyways and ducked into it. I leaned beside a dumpster and looked out towards the street, I saw a dim set of headlights in the distance. I hoped that I would have enough time to get to safety before it got closer. Kirby let out a small whimper in my arms. He appeared to be fine, but I wouldn't know for sure until I could get somewhere safe. I moved by the backdoors in the alleyway and stopped at the last building in the row. I put Kirby down on the ground and began to relentlessly ring the doorbell while knocking with my other hand.

Footsteps got closer to the door before a light went on over my head. The door swung open and Esme's concerned face popped out.

"Allison! What happened to you?"

"Esme, I know you're closed, but can I please come in."

"Of course! Come in, come in."

Esme ushered me in closed the door behind us, locking the deadbolts. I was still in such a daze that I forgot I was holding a gun in my hand with Kirby's leash. I saw Esme's glance go to my hand and her face become even more concerned.

"Allison, what is going on and why do you have a gun?"

"It's a really long story, but all I can tell you right now is that someone is after me and I have to call Ed…Matt."

"Of course. But shouldn't I call an ambulance for you?"

"No, please don't call anyone. I'll just call Matt and he'll know what to do."

Esme lead me to a back office and pointed to the phone.

"While you call him, I'm going to grab some first aid supplies from the shelves and I'll be right back."

I nodded and waited for her to close the door. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. My fingers numbly punched the keys and I waited. The line was picked up after the first ring.

"Bella? What's wrong?"

"Edward, they found me. James and I were supposed to leave and they found us before we could get out of town."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Esme's store. All I could tell her was that someone was after me and I had to hide here."

"Stay there and tell Esme to lock all of the doors and not to let anyone in unless it's me."

I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. I was suddenly aware of the pain shooting through my body. Esme pushed the door to the office open with her foot and dropped the arm full of first aid supplies she had grabbed onto the desk.

"Matt is on his way. He said not to let anyone into the store except for him."

Esme nodded and went to work opening boxes of bandages and dousing cotton balls in alcohol. I readied myself for the impending sting and gritted my teeth. It was hard to keep myself still while she tended to my wounds, but I made myself do it. Esme had finally gotten the majority of the blood off of my face when a loud knock on the door echoed through the back room. Esme grabbed the baseball bat the was by the office door and she walked back to the door. I waited silently and prayed that it was Edward. When I heard the door open and the rushed footsteps, I momentarily panicked when I realized the possibility that it might not be him. My hands scrambled across the surface of the desk and I grabbed the gun. I pointed towards the door and waited.

A sigh of relief passed through me when Edward walked through the door. I put the gun on the desk top and ran into his arms. His arms wrapped around me and held me close to him. His hand ran through my hair to try and soothe me. Edward pushed me away from him and looked over my injuries. His expression went from concerned to angry.

"Where's James?"

"I think he's dead. He got shot in the throat and I had to leave him behind when I ran from the car."

"Shit. We have to get you out of here. I already called Emmett and let him know."

"But then what? I run and then they find me again and I just keep running. I can't keep running, Edward. I just can't keep looking over my shoulder."

"Bella, there's no other way until we can find who's behind all of this."

The door to the office was pushed open more and I saw Esme standing by Carlisle. Esme looked confused while Carlisle only looked concerned. Esme looked back and forth between Edward and I.

"I thought your names were Allison and Matt. Will someone please tell me what's going on here?"

I gave Edward a questioning look and he nodded his approval. I took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

"My name is Bella Swan and I'm hiding from the people that murdered my best friend."

A/N: Mini cliffy. Well, maybe not so much a cliffy. I'm already starting on the next chapter since the writer's block seems to have been broken and I have a little bit of free time from school and work. I now know how hard it is to get anything done when you go to school and work full time. Again, I'm sorry this chapter took so gosh damn long to get out. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!