Disclaimer: All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization. Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, Volition belongs to me.

Thank you to the one and only Nic, my beta & girl whom i love and adore. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews; some of the kind things you guys say really encourage me to write. So, thank you. At one point I wasn't sure I'd hit even 1,000 reviews - now I'm aching for 2000. :) talk about addictive...

After this chapter there will be one last chapter, and then an epilogue. :( will miss you. put me on author alert; i write daily... literally.

Before, I'd have walked back to the bedroom to wait.

But we were married now. For better or for worse, whether he liked it or not – whether I liked it or not – we needed to deal with this together. I adjusted the blanket that was around my shoulders, tugging it further down so that it covered all of me as I went to the fridge. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Edward angle his body away from me slightly, and I knew he did it out of habit.

Obviously, I could still hear him.

Still, I wouldn't linger. I quickly assembled some of the fruit and bread and bits of meat we'd brought home from our reception into a bowl and left the kitchen.

Edward's call ended seconds after and he followed me back into the bedroom, watching blandly as I pulled on an old shirt of his. I put socks on too before curling up in the centre of the bed, popping food into my mouth all the while.

"Come," I said, patting the spot next to me. He'd pulled on his jeans now, and I felt silly and sad, like our honeymoon was over. He sat next to me, his shoulders hunched as he picked at his nails.

"What is it?" I asked, keeping my voice steady and quiet as I chewed.

"That was Andy. He's at the docks today," he said, referring to the cousin who had gotten Em and him jobs. I offered Edward a hunk of bread and he took it, biting absently into it. "He said local Gardaí were down there today with a few RUC officers from Belfast."

The food in my stomach turned to lead. I dropped the hunk of ham I'd been holding back into the bowl and set it aside, tears burning my eyes. I couldn't even look at him, my disappointment cut so deep.

"Bella," he said, touching my elbow.

I lay back, pulling him down with me.

"We'll have to go," he said, running his hand over my waist, beneath my shirt.

"But where?" I whispered, thinking about Emmett and Rose and their safety. I hadn't considered that I mightn't be able to see their baby when he was born, and it broke my heart.

"I don't know yet," he said. "But I was feckin' stupid to think this was going to stop. Andy said they were asking him all about me, if I worked there all the time, when I'd be back."

I shuddered, turning toward him so I could hold him tight.

"It's like," he paused, and I could feel him swallow hard. "they knew. Like… someone's been watching and telling them things."

"Who would do that?" I cried.

"I don't know," he said, narrowing his eyes. "There could be a squealer we don't know about, someone who got caught… I don't even want to consider that because it makes me feckin' murderous."

He closed his eyes briefly.

My mind raced as I thought back to all the other boys I had met in the time I'd been with Edward in Belfast; not one of them seemed the type to squeal. Of course, there were plenty of dodgy types who would love nothing better than to see Edward locked up… any fool on the street or member of a rival group could have made an anonymous call.

"If it wasn't that – and it better not be – then I'm guessing the RUC finally got fed up and went into my family's shite, past records, personal information, where me Mum an' Da are from…"

"Either way, everything's bollixed," I said.

"Yeah… either way, we have to go. Tonight."

My eyelashes were wet and cold when opened my eyes. "But how can we go if I don't have a passport?"

"We can hide out in the countryside for a bit… " he said. "We'll have to distance ourselves eventually, though. I need to make a call."

I tucked my hand into his back pocket, keeping him still. "How far do we have to go, Edward?"

"At this point, I'd like to leave altogether. Maybe to America, to where Alice is," he shrugged.

As exciting as that sounded, I hated that we had to do it under such duress. My parents were going to be crestfallen, as were his. I tried to snap out of that sort of thinking, because I'd always known life with Edward mightn't be smooth, but it was hard. A month of peace in Cork had lulled me into a false sense of security.

Again, my stomach ached with thoughts of Rose and her growing belly, how we could now feel when the little one inside her kicked and moved. I was supposed to be there for her when her son was born…

"How will we pay for airplane tickets?" I asked.

"I've some money saved," he said, his eyes flickering up to mine.

"I do, too. Not a lot…"

"So you don't have you a passport..." he drummed his fingers absently along my skin.

My stomach sank. "No, I've never needed one."

He nodded thoughtfully, chewing on his bottom lip.

I leaned forward to kiss him quickly, needing to be closer. "You've one, then?"

"I do, yeah," he smiled, leaning forward to kiss me back. "I can get you one. It'll set us back a bit, but no matter."

"So, tonight," I sighed.

"Yeah," he kissed my neck and pulled away. "Let me make a few calls, then you can call your Mum and Da, okay?"

"Okay."

He rolled off of the bed and walked out, leaving me in the bed alone. I reached half-heatedly for the rest of my food, no longer hungry but not wanting to waste it, either.

There were things I could be grateful for, I supposed. At least we'd heard about the local law enforcement's investigation before it caught up with us. I kicked petulantly at my blanket, staring at the small pile of boxes across the room.

At least I hadn't started decorating.

All of the places we'd frequented since coming to Cork – the pubs, Barry's bookstore, the docks where the boys worked, Vera's, even the inn we'd gone to in the very beginning – were all potential hotspots now. We didn't know how much information the Gardaí had about him, or if they were even sure he was still in Cork, but we had to assume the worst.

Like Edward had said, our best bet was to wait someplace remote until my passport was ready. Even then, it would be dangerous to move about when it was time to leave Ireland but that was the risk we'd have to take. Staying and waiting indefinitely was just as bad.

Because we hadn't been in the flat long, we felt secure that no one could link it to us yet. The only people who had been there were our parents, who had helped Edward move our things in during the days leading up to the wedding. Edward made arrangements with his father to forward the boxes on to Alice in Texas so that we could travel lightly with the barest essentials.

A year before, I'd never imagined I'd one day be on the run from the law with my husband. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so bloody serious.

Alice was glad that we would be coming to join her in the States, but her excitement was muted by anxiety and concern. She knew as well as we did that we had a rough few weeks ahead of us, and that we wouldn't really be safe until our feet were on foreign soil.

We could probably go to another country somewhere in Europe, but I trusted Edward's judgment; if he thought we needed to cross an ocean to feel safe, then I did too. And anyway, I'd always dreamt of going to America; it was just sad that I'd be going in such stressful circumstances.

Edward and I spent the remainder of our day re-packing, dividing our belongings into what we could send and what we'd keep with us. As soon as the sun went down my parents came over with the Cullens to drive us to a guesthouse Esme knew of out in Baltimore, a small seaside village in West Cork.

"We'll be back tomorrow," my mother promised, surprisingly calm. I'd have imagined that she and Esme would be hysterical by now but they weren't. Perhaps they were becoming as inured to this shite as much as I was. "D'ye need anything?"

I looked around our room, small and rustic but very comfortable. "I think we should be okay…"

"Da's bringin' my money tomorrow," Edward said to me, walking into the room. He handed Carlisle the key to our flat. "Whenever ye have the chance, just send our things on to Alice's address."

"It'll have to be soon," Carlisle said, pocketing the key. "I need to get back to Belfast sooner than later; we've been down here a bit much lately."

"I'll bring food," Mum said knowingly. "Tomorrow."

Nodding, I caught her in a tight hug, opening my arms to include Da when he joined us.

"Be safe," Da whispered, clapping me lightly on my back. "This isn't a game, now."

"I know," I said, wrapping my arms around myself when they stepped away.

"Goodbye, Bella. I'll be back tomorrow with Renee, yeah?" Esme kissed me affectionately before hurrying out.

A gust of cold wind blew in as Edward shut and locked the door, making me shiver violently.

"Jaysus, it's fierce out there…I thought it was bad before," I said, taking my shoes off before climbing into bed.

"It's because we're so close to the sea," Edward said, stoking the fire he and my father had built before. He set the poker down and came to me, rubbing his hands as he got into bed.

"Y'alright?" he asked, clasping his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," I yawned, wondering if I should take a bath. "Tired…emotionally."

"Hmm."

I peeked over at him; he was looking at the ceiling. "What about you?"

"Just… my mind won't stop, ye know? I can't believe we're doing this again, so soon…"

"You thought we'd be okay in Cork?" I said.

"When no one came after us right away, I thought we'd made it. I was wrong, and I'm feckin' cheesed off," he scowled, flinging the sheet off. He walked over to the bathroom and went in, slamming the door behind him.

I frowned, trying to catch up. He'd gone from calm to volatile in seconds… he was obviously a lot more stressed out than he'd been letting on. And why wouldn't he be? He had a wife to be responsible for now as well, and nowhere to live. All of our delicate plans had gone to shite the moment that phone call came through.

Emmett and Rose had it even worse. Even though no one had been asking about my brother, it was a mere matter of time because of his involvement and his closeness to Edward. They were leaving, too, but I didn't know where they'd go or when. I doubted they'd be joining us in America; Emmett had never wanted to be that far from home.

I heard the water running in the bathroom. It sounded like Edward was drawing a bath.

Could wait until he was done to take my own, I supposed, or I could join him. Things didn't have to be so dour; we could pretend this was the honeymoon we were meant to have. And anyway, I wanted him again.

I pulled my sweater and shirt over my head and unbuttoned my jeans, leaving everything in heap on the floor.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it's cold!

Chattering slightly, I knocked on the bathroom door.

"Are ye takin' a bath?" I asked.

"You can come in," he answered.

I opened the door immediately, shivering in relief when the steamy air hit me.

Edward was already in the tub. He lifted his head when he saw me, a little smile playing at his lips as his eyes wandered down my naked body.

"Hey," I said, stepping into the tub. "It was rude of you not to invite me…"

"Sorry," he said contritely, reaching for me. "I needed…to relax."

"I can help you relax."

He laughed, such an improvement over the glower and gloom. "Please and thank you."

I wrapped my legs around his body, leaving room between us so that I could clean my skin with a bar of soap. Once I'd finished with myself, I moved on to him, tickling his feet and teasing his cock with my slippery hands.

He sucked in a sharp breath and snatched the soap away, washing up quickly before tossing it into the opposite end of the tub, making me giggle. Then he slid me closer, up onto his lap, making bathwater splash over the side.

I could feel all of him now, pressed up against me. "How is this going to work?" I murmured as he pulled my nipple into his mouth.

"Same way it always works," he said, his fingers pressing into my hips.

"But the water…" I said, my words coming out with no meaning. Instinctively I knew that didn't matter; we were going to make love now, here. I wanted to forget everything that wasn't us, and wanted to make him forget, too.

Spreading his wet hands over my cheeks, he pulled my face to his so our mouths connected. I rocked my hips against him and he kissed me harder, his hands tangling in my hair. We shifted so that I was sliding along his length and I trembled, goose bumps scattering across the skin that was above water.

"I love you," I said, kissing him all over his face.

"I love you too," he said, his eyes fluttering shut.

Back and forth, over and over, until he held still, moving to slide inside of me.

"Oh," I whispered, trying to find something to hold on to.

Edward stopped abruptly, his eyes opening. "Maybe we should do this in bed."

He throbbed deep inside, twitching when I clenched purposely around him.

"Let's," I said, standing up on wobbly legs. The water had grown lukewarm.

We climbed out and I began to reach for a towel but he pulled me along, leading me back to the bedroom. I lay down in the middle of the bed, not really caring that we were dripping wet and soaking the bed. He lowered himself onto me, gliding into me easily.

The fire was really roaring now, having had time to build, so our room was much warmer. I groaned as Edward moved faster, every part of him in every part of me, slick, tight, hot.

"You feel so good," he panted, rolling us onto our sides. He slowed his pace and tangled our legs together, running his hand over my damp skin. "It feels so good every time."

"Mm," I said, raw and completely open and his.

Kissing me once, he withdrew and moved down my body, kissing the inside skin of my thighs. He licked his way higher, kissing me between my legs and then higher still. For once I watched instead of hiding, breathless with the way he made me feel, how exquisite his mouth felt. As soon as I came he was back inside, thrusting harder than he ever had, but somehow it didn't hurt.

He cried out when he climaxed, spilling into me and onto the bed. I coaxed him closer, and he laid his head right under my chin, breathing so fast, his heart racing with exertion.

Minutes later I caught myself drifting and I yawned, rubbing Edward's back affectionately. "Hey," I whispered, but he didn't move. I felt that his breaths were even and steady; he'd fallen asleep.

Things were different in this strange in-between world we'd found ourselves in, like we were floating neither here nor there. In some ways it was cozy… tucked away in a secret place, not expected to be anywhere or do anything just yet.

Nothing mattered.

We could rest for a few days.

Realizing this, I let myself drift off, too.

We barely saw the outside of our room, but it wasn't because we couldn't keep our hands off of each other. It was simply a matter of safety; as much as I liked to pretend we were on our honeymoon, we weren't. We were in hiding.

Knowing this would be the last they saw of us for awhile, both my parents and Edward's came by every day until it was time for them to drive back to Belfast. Alice had flown back to Texas a day before, intent on preparing her place for us.

My mother lingered by the door, weeping silently. I hugged her, burying my face in my neck the way I'd done as little girl. "Love you, Mum. I'll miss you, so much."

"Oh, I love you, Bella. Please be safe," she said hoarsely.

"Promise me you'll visit one day, please…"

"I promise," she said, squeezing me before letting go. "Take care of her," she said to Edward.

He nodded, hugging her.

No sooner had they left, he turned to me. "I've to make a call."

The only phone was down at the reception desk, so he slipped his jacket on and boots on and left to use it. I knew he was calling to check on the status of my passport; it had been almost a week since he'd ordered it, using the picture from my school identification card.

Mum had brought me a bag of scones from a bakery they'd passed on the way. She'd made a face when giving them to me, complaining that they weren't as good as hers, and she was right. But they were very tasty, and I was hungry. Her gesture brought a fresh round of tears, making it hard to chew.

This was really it. After all of the false starts and back and forth, we were really separating ourselves from them and from our home.

I was still sniffling when Edward bounded back into our room, excitement coming off him in waves.

"It's done," he said, grinning.

"Oh!" I stood, the half eaten scone forgotten in my hand. "So we're going…"

"Tonight. Or, when I can make reservations. He's meeting me in town in an hour," he said, hurrying to one if his bags. I watched as he took a stack of bills out and counted them. Folding them, he slid them into his back pocket and went back to the door.

"I'll be back. Just… make sure we have everything ready to go, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay," I said, watching with trepidation as he left.

He'd only ever ventured out to use the phone, but it filled me with nerves every time. I was almost paralyzed with fear that each time he left could be the last time; I felt only marginally safer in this new town. This was the first time he'd actually left the guesthouse property; his contact had opted to meet him at a small pub in Baltimore.

To distract myself, I put clean clothes for myself on the bed and then packed our bags. I took a quick shower, making sure to wash and dry my hair; I didn't know when next I'd be near a shower and I wanted my bases covered. In the bathroom, I twisted it into a tight bun at the nape of my neck, wondering absently what I'd look like with red hair.

No, forget that. Edward doesn't like redheads.

The door opened and shut with a muted click, summoning me away from the mirror. "Edward?"

"I got it," he grinned, flashing a large envelope at me.

"Oh, good," I breathed, relieved and little apprehensive. "What now? Do we… go?"

He nodded, peering into the envelope before handing me my new passport. It looked official enough, not that I had anything to compare it against.

"My uncle's coming to give us a ride to the ferry," he said.

"Which one?"

"The one to England."

"I know which ferry, Edward," I laughed. "Which uncle?"

"Oh," he smiled, shaking his head. "Uncle Chris… he was at the wedding… remember? The one who was completely fluthered –"

"That describes everyone," I snorted.

"-at the ceremony," he finished, cocking his head.

"Oh! With the big gut!"

"Yeah, him. He'll be out front in a half hour. You've everything put away and packed?"

"Yes," I said, placing my passport back into its envelope and then into my purse. "So, we'll fly out of Heathrow, then?"

He nodded. "I think it's better. If anyone's still hangin' about Cork, or even Dublin, they might be expecting us to leave from the airport…ah, I don't know. Every way has its own set of risks."

"Is there a ferry from Dublin?" I asked, making the bed.

"There is," he said, brightening. "You think that's better? We've no ties to Dublin…"

I shrugged. "Maybe…"

"No, that's brilliant," he stuck his wallet into the pocket inside of the lining of his jacket and began helping me with the bed.

"How long does it take to get to Dublin?"

"I don't know, not long. Two, maybe three hours?"

Uncle Chris didn't have much of an opinion on whether it would be better to leave from Cork or Dublin; he just wanted to get going. We put our bags into the boot of his tiny car and left promptly, stopping only to grab takeaway when we were in a more urban area.

Edward's guess was on target; about three hours later we entered into Dublin, a city I hadn't been since my competitive swimming days. In fact, most of the traveling I'd done had resulted from being on the swim team and winning meets. I'd never been on a plane, but I'd taken buses, trains and ferries all over Ireland, England and even France and Spain.

Today I'd be riding a plane and going to America - two huge firsts for me.

Uncle Chris dropped us off at Dublin Ferry Port, located right inside the City Centre. Much to our disappointment there were no direct ferries to London, and the one heading to Liverpool left at ten o'clock, which was still four hours away.

"Two please," Edward said, passing money through the ticket window to the cashier on the other side. "I'm starvin', so I am," he muttered to me once we'd stepped away.

"Well, we've plenty of time to find something to eat before we go," I said, adjusting my backpack. We were hardly into our travels and already I was feeling the wear and tear.

We found a local fish n chips shop, and although I was a bit tired of that sort of food, it was cheap. I could be picky once we were safe. Taking our time with the food, we lingered inside of the little restaurant where we were protected from the cold bite in the air and hopefully, any curious eyes.

In reality, The Dublin City Centre was crowded and busy; people coming and going from every which direction. The chance of us being indentified in a place like this was slim; I was glad we'd chosen to leave from here and not Cork. Still, there were Gardaí scattered around and we'd no way of knowing if they could recognize us somehow, from pictures or the like, or if they were even looking at all. I felt that we were probably safe, but Edward stayed vigilant, his eyes darting about constantly.

The sky was dark and we were tired by the time we boarded the ferry. We'd be traveling through the night, arriving in Liverpool just before dawn, so we quickly settled into a pair of seats and got comfortable. Edward, always hungry, went off to find things to eat and drink, and I took a moment to pray quietly, thanking God for getting us this far and requesting safety for the remainder of the trip.

We took turns dozing so that one of us could watch our things while the other slept. Around four, with just an hour to go, I woke up and went to buy coffee for us both. We moved to a window and watched the horizon began to lighten, the faint outline of England now visible.

From Liverpool we caught a coach to London, and then the tube to Heathrow Airport.

By the time we dragged ourselves to the ticketing counter, we were a sorry looking pair. I felt greasy and in desperate need of a bath… and we still had a ten hour flight ahead of us. Thankfully, it was direct, which meant we could finally sleep undisturbed for a good while.

I was a bleedin' basket case when Edward left me to purchase our tickets, terrified something would go wrong with my passport. What if it didn't register? What if someone recognized us? Was Edward on some sort of list for apprehension? How long were the arms of the RUC? I felt hot all over, my heart beating double-time.

Edward appeared next to me again. He handed me my ticket before sliding down the wall and joining me on the floor.

"That's it?" I asked, scanning the information on the boarding pass.

"They were mind-numbingly expensive," he grimaced, taking the ticket back and putting it with his in his backpack. "You'll show your passport when we board."

"Grand. I thought the hard part was over," I said, scrubbing my hands over my face.

"The hard part is over, Bella," he said. "We've been traveling for nearly a day."

I dropped my hand into his and he curled his fingers around mine. "Can you believe it?" I asked softly, the exhaustion making me a bit sentimental.

"I don't know," he shrugged, closing his eyes. "It'll hit us later on, probably."

"I'm glad we're together," I said, gazing at him. His hair was long in the back again. "I'm glad you're not… alone. And I – I'd be heartbroken right now if you'd left me in Belfast."

"I couldn't leave you there, ever," he said, wrinkling his forehead. "It wasn't safe anymore."

"I know, but I mean… even before we got serious. You'd plenty of chances to walk away."

His eyes drifted open, and he turned to look at me. "Don't you know?"

Slowly, I shook my head.

"You doubted me for a while, after we first came together, but that was it for me. I didn't kiss you or anything before then because I couldn't be what you wanted… I knew you weren't a casual girl. But then one day I wanted to try, and you let me… and I never would have walked away. I never could have."

He thumbed a tear from my eye and I kissed the palm of his hand in response.

"I was just as bitten as you were," he smirked, leaning in to kiss me.

The busy airport… the ache in my legs… my stringy hair… my need for a toothbrush… the incessant hunger gnawing at my stomach… it all fell out of focus for a second when he kissed me.

"Stop doubting," he whispered, his gorgeous green eyes glinting in the harsh overhead fluorescents.

"I will," I promised, cupping his cheek. "I have."

Our flight began boarding, and the butterflies in my stomach, which had all but calmed, started up again. Hands literally shaking, I gathered my portion of our bags and luggage and followed Edward into the queue waiting to get on the plane.

Soon there was just one person in front of us. Edward glanced back at me, smiling reassuringly. "Love you."

I nodded, my mouth dry.

He went through; the perky little brunette barely looked at his passport before smiling sweetly and welcoming him aboard. I stepped up, trying to look normal and calm.

"Good morning. May I have your boarding pass and identification please?" she cooed.

I handed it to her and waited, wiping a clammy palm against my jeans.

She glanced at my passport and returned it promptly, still smiling. "Welcome aboard, Mrs. Cullen."

the Gardaí - Garda Síochána na hÉireann (literally, "Guardians of the Peace of Ireland".) local police force.