A/N: Sorry for not updating yesterday! The chapter was ready, but for some reason I could not upload it. I kept getting an error when I tried. Gave up at about 4 am and went to sleep. T_T Expect another chapter today in the evening.

Enjoy the chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

CHAPTER 20

Road

ooOoo

Jasper's PoV

'Hello, this is Chief Swan, father of Isabella Swan. She attends your school. Yes, I am aware that she hasn't been to class today. That is why I'm calling you. My daughter has fallen ill. It's nothing serious, but she will not be able to leave the house for about a week. Thank you, I will tell her that. Have a nice day!'

'You do a very good Charlie impersonation,' Bella said with a small grin, wrapping her arms around my neck. I embraced her, pulling her warm body closer to mine, and studied her eyes. She was worried, but not panicking; I appreciated her strength now more than ever.

After having spent so much time with her on daily basis, her emotions were like an open book to me. I quickly caught on the concern, worry, fear mixed with other, more positive feelings.

The feelings that were mine.

'Bella, you don't have to worry. I would never let anyone hurt you,' I murmured into her ear, kissing it softly.

'It's not my own well being I'm worried about,' she replied, settling into my embrace.

I knew that. Of course I did.

She was the single most selfless being on Earth. If at this moment, a pack of hungry werewolves barged in, closely followed by all of the Volturi and Marla, she'd probably worry about me rather than about herself.

I held back a short laugh. Problem is, in such a situation, we would both be in equal trouble.

Although, I'd much rather lose my life than hers.

I have decided to take her away for a short while, a few days, until my family comes back. To make sure she is safe.

It was a necessity, one I would have avoided if I could. I didn't feel right pulling her out of her human life.

I ran my fingers through her luscious hair, playing with one of the locks absent mindly, then bringing it to my nose to savour the wonderful smell of vanilla and Bella.

'Are you sure you are fine with this?' I asked. I'd never force her. To do anything.

'I'd go wherever, as long as it's with you…' she said, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

My favorite color, by far.

Except the color of her eyes…

Strangely enough, her presence was distracting; one would think that a vampire could never be distracted, but I found her to be the greatest distraction from the mess Rosalie has started. I couldn't hold back my smile as I lifted her chin slightly to make her look me in the eyes.

'With me, of course. I'd never leave you alone, Miss Swan,' I whispered, admiring the reflexes in her eyes and the pink flush of her cheeks.

'You better not, Major,' she replied teasingly in that tone I loved so much; the tone that was reserved only for me.

It's interesting how quickly Bella and I became us, how quickly I realized how big a part of me belongs to her, and how I recognized the looks and smiles she reserved for me, or even better, the emotions that I stirred within her.

'Shall we go, darlin'?' She nodded, so I picked up her suitcase and opened the door for her, letting her through.

The next few days will consist of hotels, making sure that nobody is following us, and Bella.

The first two did not sound very appealing, but the last part made it all perfectly acceptable. Acceptable? What am I saying? Perfect. If only I knew she would be safe...

We drove lazily with no set direction, although I remained wary to make sure that I'd catch the slightest hint of an enemy. That did not stop me from talking to Bella, though.

'How do you see your future?' I asked, looking at her instead of at the road ahead of us. She knew me well enough by now to not appear distressed by that, but she blushed slightly at my question and her pulse quickened, making her scent slightly more potent. I rolled the car window down an inch. Some air circulation is not a bad idea.

I should hunt, but I don't dare leave her alone.

'How do you see yours?' she asked evasively instead of answering the question.

The answer was simple.

'With you, as long as you will want my company,' I answered honestly; she rewarded me with that brilliant smile of hers, my smile.

'That would be a very, very long time,' Bella said, watering her lips with her tongue and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Adorable. Distracting.

Painfully sexy.

I chastised myself for giving in to such thoughts. Her safety was my top concern, but she really was distracting, without even knowing the effect she had on me.

'But as a human, that time is limited…' she added after a long pause, in a voice tinted with uncertainity. She wasn't sure how I'd react to the hidden meaning behind her words.

I have given a lot of thought to that subject. Keeping Bella safe from all kinds of vampires, wolves and what not was something I was capable of doing, but to keep her shielded against time was out of my reach. One day, life would take her away from me, ending both my existence and hers in one skilled blow.

The thought alone was enough to kill me.

I nodded for her to continue, and she eventually did.

'I don't just want… a year, or two, or ten… I want it all… I want forever,' she confessed, her blush deepening.

I remained silent for a moment, studying her eyes rather than attempting to sense her emotions. My eyes, although dark, did not frighten her. She looked at me with some sort of excitement mixed with hesitation. Her uncertainity was unnecessary. How could I say no to that?

'I would give you anything you wanted, Bella, and being the selfish creature that I am, I can't say no to a forever with you. But I will never do anything you are not convinced you truly want.'

'Sense it. Sense what I want.'

Doing as she commanded, I dove into the sea of emotion that was Bella. She was truly convinced that she wanted to become one of us; I sensed that much instantly, but I dug in deeper and found a different kind of longing.

Lust.

Her eyes told me the same thing.

'My eyes don't frighten you?' A bit out of context, but I couldn't understand where the lust was coming from now, when my eyes were more like the eyes of a wild beast rather than human. At the same time, I didn't want her to know I sensed it.

'No,' she answered with confidence, and then her soft hand touched mine. I willingly allowed her to pull my arm, and she pulled up my sleeve, studying all the scars.

I hated them. I hated my scars.

'Your scars don't frighten me either,' she added, 'They are a part of you. You're incredible.'

Her words moved me to the core.

I knew she accepted me as I am, but this meant a lot. It meant everything.

Alice hated my scars.

Bella was different.

Reserved as I usually was, this particular girl knew just how to stir an emotional overflow within my heart. I needed to feel her close, right at that moment. I pulled my car to a stop at the side of the road, and turned to her, to be met with a questioning stare which I ignored. I simply rested my hand at the base of her neck and pulled her towards me.

Her face was barely an inch away from mine, her hot breath caressed my icy skin; her scent was nearly overwhelming in the small space of the car, but I enjoyed every second of it. I locked my eyes on hers and touched her soft lips with my finger. She kissed it, nearly driving me mad.

Closer.

My cold lips connected with hers in a kiss more passionate than I have ever experienced in my life; I unwillingly poured all of my longing into that one kiss, and she responded with an equal amount of emotion.

Intoxicating. So intoxicating.

We remained close after the kiss had ended, our breaths entwining into one, and even when I pulled away to continue driving, I didn't let go of her hand for a single second.

The road to her safety would be long and may be dangerous, but it surely wouldn't be boring.

Not a chance.

ooOoo

Alice's PoV

There goes our surprise visit, I thought as I saw a vision of Emmett alerting Jasper.

I warned Marla that they won't be there, but she refused to believe me, and her little mascot, Edward, backed her up.

He was starting to get on my nerves.

I joined them to live my life, not start wars. And really, I didn't want to exterminate the Cullens. Though Bella would certainly make a delicious snack.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

I knew she took Jasper, I was certain of it, although once more, Edward refused to truly believe me. He never used to doubt my visions before, but now he only trusted Marla.

I was unsure how I felt about it. Not jealous – my feelings for Jasper consisted of resentment and pity, but it's not okay for Bella to do that, either. Jasper was supposed to be mine.

Edward shot me a mocking glance through the rear view mirror. Of course he heard my thoughts.

So yeah, thanks to Edward's and Marla's disbelief in me, we were now on our way to Forks, with a group of clueless vampires that Marla gracefully called her companions. Yay.

I could already see the vision of her rage twisted face when we arrive and they're not there. Edward hissed at me.

Two hours later. The house is deserted.

Full of her scent.

I was right. Twice.

My visions don't fail me. The few times they did were not up to me.

'Where did they go?' Marla hissed at me as her bunch of bloodthirsty sheep roamed the house.

I closed my eyes and focused on Jasper's and Bella's decisions, but the only visions I could see were of them together. Holding hands, kissing, all that stuff.

Edward looked at me with disgust. What can I do? That's what I see, jerk.

Jasper was clever. He didn't make any decisions regarding their trip whatsoever. I had no clue where they went.

'No clue. He's undecided.'

Her strong arm choked me, pining me to the wall for a whole minute.

'You're useless, Alice,' she growled before letting me go.

Edward didn't even try to defend me, although he looked at me with a pained expression.

This isn't right, I thought as I followed them to the car.

ooOoo

Bella's PoV

I'm really starting to question my own sanity.

Most likely, I have a bunch of vampires wanting to kill me, but when Jasper agreed to change me, and then sealed the promise with that mindblowing kiss, I just… I just…

Ugh.

I'm really stupid sometimes.

Can anyone blame me, though? An ordinary girl meets a breathtakingly amazing vampire from Texas. And the more time she spends with him, the more she wants him.

Pretty understandable. I think.

I sat cross legged on the double bed in our motel room where we'd be staying the night. The room was small, but I paid no attention to such details. What mattered was having Jasper in the same room as I, standing near the bed, with his nearly black eyes focused on me.

'You should hunt,' I insisted, looking at him with a troubled expression. I didn't want him to struggle.

'Bella, I'm not leaving you,' Jasper shook his head dismissively.

'Only for a while.'

'Even a while is too long to spend without you,' he murmured and moved towards me at vampiric speed. I clumsily fell back on the bed, and found myself lying underneath him.

My heart started racing as my cheeks turned the deepest possible shade of red.

He didn't lean in to kiss me, he simply hovered above me with his dark eyes gazing into mine. The hunger in them should have startled me, but it only made me stir uncomfortably, because I too felt a similar kind of hunger.

I yearned for something, and that something was him.

He looked somewhat dangerous, and I liked that kind of danger.

Finally, he slowly and deliberately leaned forward, his cold marble lips brushed my neck, causing a flutter within my stomach.

I gasped a little too loudly, and he chuckled softly into the skin around my neck before moving away and lying down on the side, facing me.

I want more, I thought, but didn't voice my thoughts. I don't want him to think I'm some sort of a crazed teenager.

But in a way, I was.

I felt so embarassed, knowing he can sense every emotion, as well as hear my rapid heartbeat. I couldn't hide anything from him.

'Whatever happened, Miss Swan? You are all aflutter,' he teased, pulling me closer to his cold body. I happily settled into his arms with my face pressed against his broad chest, where he at least wouldn't see me blush.

'I wonder?' I replied rhetorically, and he laughed softly.

We didn't say anything for a moment.

'After graduation?' I suggested, hoping he'll catch what I mean.

'Are you sure?' So he did. He understood.

'Yes. I want forever.'

'Forever…' he repeated thoughtfully, as if tasting the word with his tongue to see how it feels. 'Even forever is not enough time to spend with you.'

I sighed with joy as he kissed my hair.

'I like that you checked us in as Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock,' I blurted out without thinking, then hid my face even better to ensure he doesn't see the color of my cheeks. Although, I'm sure he could feel the increased heat and hear my heartbeat. Snap.

'You do?' Jasper's voice seemed somewhat surprised, as if he didn't expect such an idea would ever appeal to me. Silly vampire.

'Mhm.' I mumbled in reply.

He leaned in closer and begun tracing a path with his lips, from my ear to my jaw and finally my mouth, taking away whatever traces of reason I had left within my mind.

Yeah, I'm insane. And I love it.

ooOoo

Edward's PoV

Marla's thoughts were full of bitterness and anger, adding to my own bad mood.

I gave in. I promised to find and kill Bella. Alice wasn't helping me; she had no useful visions, and for that I was glad - it delayed the day when I'd have to fulfill my promise to Marla; but I wouldn't let it show. I've been rather resentful towards her.

We have been driving for a few hours, and still didn't find any traces of Jasper and Bella. I silently hoped we would never find them, then I wouldn't have to kill the human girl and possibly my ex sibling.

They meant nothing to me, but at the same time, they meant just enough to spare their lives.

In my opinion, Marla should be worrying about the Volturi. What will killing Bella accomplish? Yet the more I disagreed, the more she insisted, and the last thing I wanted to do was displease her.

Alice's visions of Jasper and Bella were getting to me. I started believing that she may be right. Jasper took care of her when I left her broken.

Should I be glad? I snorted. I'm only glad that I'm still with Marla.

We drove aimlessly through the plain streets filled with plain people, and then plain forests filled with wildlife, hoping to catch their scent.

Or her scent, to be precise. She really didn't smell like the average human – that much I remembered.

I wondered what the Volturi will do with the knowledge that we are responsible for those waves of murders. They did not like when vampires made their presence known, and I was afraid they would ruin not only Marla's plans, but also destroy her… End her existence…

Over my twice dead body.

'You still don't see anything?' Marla hissed at Alice who sat in the backseat.

'No. I told you. They know about my ability. They're doing their best to shield their decisions.' She replied in an angry voice.

'Useless,' Marla mumbled, and then snuggled up to me. I embraced her with one arm as I drove.

Several more hours passed, when I caught a faint trace of her scent. The smallest memory of it, to be sure, but it was her. She must have been there – possibly now very far, but I could follow the scent. I stopped the car when Marla noticed that I sensed Bella.

'It's her, isn't it? You caught a trace.'

I nodded, somewhat unwillingly.

'You must go and find her, Edward. You have to get this over with. It's your job. Prove yourself.'

The burden on my heart became even heavier to bear.

'Keep in mind, I will see in your memories if you've done it or not. If you don't do it,' she snapped her fingers when she paused, 'I'm gone. I'm leaving you.'

'No,' I whispered, 'It won't be necessary, my love.'

Resignation.

I'd do anything…

You're stupid, Edward. Alice hissed at me in her thoughts.

In a way, she was right.

I left the car and followed the faint scent, all by myself, on a mission to find Bella Swan.

A/N: Surprise note at the end. Too much J&B fluff? Like where their relationship is going? Hate it? Tell me! ^_^ The whole Mr. and Mrs. Whitlock idea is sort of my response to how Bella acts in the original story – I always found her prejudice against marriage rather stupid, considering she's involving herself with vampires and basically wanting to get killed to spend an eternity with Edward – what does marriage change then? ._.

Thanks to all of you that have been reviewing and reading. You're amazing!