Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun. –B

Chapter 25
(Bella's POV)

When I woke up I was confused. My thoughts were hazy, still twisted up in dreams and nightmares; it took me longer than it should have to realize where I was.

This room was too bland to belong anywhere but in a hotel. The bedside lamps, bolted to the tables, were a dead giveaway, as were the long drapes made from the same fabric as the bedspread, and the generic watercolor prints on the walls.

I tried to remember how I got here, but nothing came at first.

I did remember the sleek black car, the glass in the windows darker than that on a limousine. The engine was almost silent, though we raced across the black freeways at more than twice the legal speed.

And I remembered Alice sitting with me on the dark leather backseat, while Jasper and Lilly sat up front. Somehow, during the long night, my head had ended up against her granite neck. My closeness didn't seem to bother her at all, and her cool, hard skin was oddly comforting to me. The front of her thin cotton shirt was cold, damp with the tears that streamed from my eyes until, red and sore, they ran dry.

Sleep had evaded me; my aching eyes strained open even though the night finally ended and dawn broke over a low peak somewhere in California. The gray light, streaking across the cloudless sky, stun my eyes. But I couldn't close them; when I did, the images that flashed all too vividly, like still slides from behind my lids were unbearable. Charlie's broken expression – Edward's brutal snarl, teeth bared – Rosalie's resentful glare – the keen-eyed scrutiny of the tracker – the dead look in Edward's eyes after he kissed me the last time. So I fought against my weariness and the sun rose higher.

I was still awake when we came through a shallow mountain pass and the sun, behind us now, reflected off the tiled rooftops of the Valley of the Sun. I didn't have enough emotion left to be surprised that we'd made a three-day journey in one. I stared blackly at the wide, flat expanse laid out in front of me. Phoenix – the palm trees, the scrubby creosote, the haphazard lines of the intersecting freeways, the green swaths of golf courses and turquoise splotches of swimming pools, all submerged in a thing smog and embraced by the short, rocky ridges that weren't really big enough to be called mountains.

The shadows of the palm trees slanted across the freeway – defined, sharper than I remembered, paler than they should be. Nothing could hide in these shadows. The bright, open freeway seemed benign enough. But I felt no relief, no sense of homecoming.

"Which way to the airport, Bella?" Jasper had asked, and I flinched, though his voice was quite soft and un-alarming. It was the first sound, besides the purr of the car, to break the long night's silence.

"Stay on the I-ten," I'd answered automatically. "We'll pass right by it."

My brain had worked slowly through the fog of sleep deprivation.

"Are we flying somewhere?" I'd asked Lilly.

"No, but it's better to be close, just in case."

I remembered beginning the loop around Sky Harbor International…but not ending it. I suppose that must have been when I'd fallen asleep.

Though, now that I'd chased the memories down, I did have a vague impression of leaving the car – the sun was just falling behind the horizon – my arm draped over Alice's shoulder and her arm firm around my waist, dragging me along as I stumbled through the warm, dry shadows.

I had no memory of this room.

I looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers claimed it was three o'clock, but they gave no indication if it was night or day. No edge of light escaped the thick curtains, but the room was bright with the light from the lamps.

I rose stiffly and staggered in to the window, pulling back the drapes.

It was dark outside. It must be three in the morning, then. My room looked out on the deserted section of the freeway and the new long-term parking garage for the airport. It was slightly comforting to be able to pinpoint time and place.

I looked down at myself. I was still wearing Esme's clothes, and they didn't fit very well at all. I looked around the room, glad when I discovered my duffel bag on top of the low dresser.

I was on my way to find new clothes when a light tap on the door made me jump.

"Can I come in?" Lilly asked.

I took a deep breath. "Sure."

She walked in, and looked me over cautiously.

"You look like you could sleep longer," she said.

I just shook my head.

She drifted silently to the curtains and closed them securely before turning back to me.

"We'll need to stay inside," she told me.

"Okay." My voice was hoarse; it cracked.

"Thirsty?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'm okay. How about you?"

"Nothing unmanageable." She smiled. "I ordered some food for you and I, since it's in the front room and it's that time of the week where I need some human food. Edward reminded us that you have to eat a lot more frequently than I do."

I was instantly more alert. "He called?"

"No," she said, and watched as my face fell. "It was before we left. He talked to Alice."

She took my hand carefully and led me through the door into the living room of the hotel suite. I could hear the low buzz of voices coming from the TV. Jasper sat motionlessly on the couch, his eyes watching the news with no glimmer of interest. Alice was in the other chair across from the couch, watching the tv as well.

I sat on the floor next to the coffee table, where a tray of food waited, and began picking at it without noticing what I was eating. Lilly sat down in-between Jasper's legs on the floor against the couch and began picking at the small plate of red meat.

I ate slowly, watching Lilly, turning now and then to glance quickly at Jasper and Alice. It began to dawn on me that they were too still. They never looked away from the screen, though commercials were playing now. I pushed the tray away, my stomach abruptly uneasy. Alice looked down at me.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong." Her eyes were wide, honest…and I didn't trust them.

"What do we do now?"

"We wait for Carlisle to call."

"And should he have called by now?" I could see that I was near the mark. Alice's eyes flitted from mine to the phone on top of her leather bag and back.

"What does that mean?" My voice quivered, and I fought to control it. "That he hasn't called yet?"

"It just means that they don't have anything to tell us." Lilly answered, reaching over to pull me in to a tight hug.

But her voice was too even, and the air was harder to breathe.

Jasper was suddenly beside us, squatting down on the floor to get down to our level.

"Bella," he said in a suspiciously soothing voice. "You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here."

"I know that."

"Then why are you frightened." He asked, confused. He might feel the tenor of my emotions, but he couldn't read the reasons behind them.

"You heard what Laurent said." My voice was just a whisper, but I was sure they could hear me. "He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? If something happens to any of them, Carlisle, Emmett…Edward…" I gulped. "If that wild female hurts Esme…" My voice had grown higher, a note of hysteria beginning to rise in it. "How could I live with myself when it's my fault? None of you should be risking yourselves for me – "

"Bella, Bella, stop," he interrupted me, his words pouring out so quickly they were hard to understand. "You're worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this – none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!" he ordered, for I had looked away. "Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you and Lilly getting kidnapped."

"I understand about Lilly, but why should you – "

Lilly interrupted this time, touching my cheek with her cold fingers. "It's been almost a century that Edward's been alone. Now he's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, I who has been there before you and them who have been with him for decades. Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?"

My guilt slowly subsided as I looked into her bright green eyes. But, even as the calm spread over me, I knew I couldn't trust my feelings with Jasper there.

(Jasper's POV)

It was a very long day.

We stayed in the room. Alice called down to the front desk and asked them to ignore our maid service for now. The windows stayed shut, the TV on, though no one watched it. At regular intervals, food was delivered for Bella. I noticed her every now and then staring at the silver phone on Alice's bag.

It was clear that we were handling the suspense far better than she did. She would fidget and pace as Lilly and I were curled up on the couch and Alice sat at the desk chair in the corner of the room. Our eyes would follow her imperceptibly as she moved. Sometimes she would stare in to space or at the wallpaper

As the afternoon wore on, Bella went back to bed, simply for something to do. We were all bored and Lilly was the only thing keeping me sane being cooped up in this little hotel room. Bella would have nightmares often, so I found myself using my gift to calm and mellow her and steer her dreams towards less troubling topics.

We would hunt in shifts, except for Lilly and I who would go together, not wanting her to be alone and give James the chance to snatch her.

We were currently lying together on the couch with her beside me as I ran my fingertips up and down the side of her body. Alice was sitting in the chair and Bella was sprawled out on the floor with her hands behind her head, looking up at the ceiling. The TV was on mute and the room was dark, except for the glow from the television. It was late night, or early morning, I guess you could say.

"Lilly?" She asked.

"Yes?"

She kept her voice very calm but I could feel the turmoil in her emotions. "What do you think they're doing?"

"Carlisle wanted to lead the tracker as far north as possible, wait for him to get close, and then turn and ambush him. Esme and Rosalie were supposed to head west as long as they could keep the female behind them. If she turned around, they were to head back to Forks and keep an eye on your dad. So I imagine things are going well if they can't call. It means the tracker is close enough that they don't want him to overhear."

"And Esme?"

"I think she must be back in Forks. She won't call if there's any chance the female will overhear. I expect they're all just being very careful."

"Do you think they're safe, really?"

"Bella, how many times do we have to tell you that there's no danger to us?" Alice jumped in.

"Would you tell me the truth though?"

"You know I would never lie to you, Bella." Lilly promised. "I will always tell you the truth." Her voice was earnest.

It was quiet again for a moment. Bella was definitely deliberating about something.

I buried my nose in Lilly's neck as I took in her scent and pressed my body closer to hers as I wrapped her tightly in my arms and wound my fingers in-between hers.

"Je taime," (I love you) Lilly whispered so that only I could hear.

"I love you too," I grinned into her neck, placing a chaste kiss on her neck.

"How do you become a vampire?" Bella asked out of the clear blue, catching us all off guard. None of us answered as I looked at Jasper with wide eyes and Alice stayed silence.

When she realized that no one was answering her question, she sat up and looked around at all of us. Lilly stayed facing me with her head tucked under my chin as I faced the room. Alice had an ambivalent expression on her face as she sat with her legs crossed in her chair.

"Edward doesn't want me to tell you that," she said firmly, but I sensed she didn't agree.

"That's not fair. I think I have a right to know."

"I know."

Bella continued to look at her, waiting.

She sighed. "He'll be extremely angry."

"It's none of his business. This is between you and me. Alice, as a friend, I'm begging you."

She looked at me with her splendid, wise eyes…choosing, asking what I thought she should do. I gave her a slight head nod, letting her know that I thought that she should go ahead and tell Bella. It was only fair, even though Edward really should've told her long before now.

Alice let out a loud sigh. "I'll tell you the mechanics of it," she said finally, "but I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory. If you really want to know more, you will have to ask Jasper or Edward or Carlisle."

She nodded her head and waited.

"As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal – much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Edward, Jasper, Lilly and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey."

She was very still as she listened to Alice with baited breath.

Alice smiled a wide, ominous smile. "We have another fairly superfluous weapon. We're also venomous," she said, her teeth glistening. "The venom doesn't kill – it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly, spreading through the bloodstream, so that, once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. Mostly superfluous, as I said. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Carlisle, for example."

"So…if the venom is left to spread…" Bella murmured.

"It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death."

Bella shivered.

It's not pleasant, you see."

"Edward said that it was very hard to do…I don't quite understand," Bella said.

"We're also like sharks in a way. Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides – the blood-lust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other."

"Why do you think you don't remember?" Lilly asked curiously.

"I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human." Her voice was wistful.

We lay silently, again, wrapped in our individual meditations. The seconds ticked by, as I was enveloped in my thoughts and the euphoric scent of my mate in my arms.

I was so afraid of losing her to James. Just thinking about him having her in his possession killed me and made me sick to my stomach. I didn't even know that vampires could get sick to their stomach.

"Tout va bien se passer, mon amour." (Everything is going to be okay, my love) She tried to assure me, feeling my worry and fear through our mating bond.

"Je l'espère vraiment, ma chérie." (I really hope so, darlin'.) I murmured, nuzzling my face in to her neck.

"Je ne vais pas le laisser me faire. Je vais utiliser mon cadeau et de le faire se tuer avant que je lui permets de me prendre loin de vous. " (I won't let him have me. I will use my gift and have him kill himself before I allow him to take me away from you.) She said with conviction, making me feel a little bit better, but I wouldn't allow it to get that far. I would not let him anywhere within a 100 mile radius of her.

"Je t'aime, ma chérie." (I love you, sweetheart.)

"Je t'aime plus." (I love you more) She smiled.

"jamais." (Never) I shook my head, smiling back at her before placing my lips on hers in a chaste kiss.

Then, without any warning, Alice's emotions became panicked and she leaped up from the chair and on to her feet. We all turned to stare at her, startled.

"Something's changed." Her voice was urgent

Lilly and I sat up on the couch as I wrapped her tightly in to my arms as we watched Alice continue to search the future. She stood to pace the length of the room deep in thought before moving to sit on the other side of the couch as Bella crawled over to the opposite side of the coffee table that sat in front of the couch.

"What do you see?" I asked intently.

Her eyes were focused on something very far away. "I see a room. It's long, and there are mirrors everywhere." She explained. "The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting. There's gold…a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is the room?" Lilly asked.

"I don't know. Something is missing – another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?" I asked.

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

My voice was calm, methodical, as I questioned her in a practiced way that I learned from being in the southern wars. It wouldn't do to panic and let the emotions around me distract me from the task at hand. "What is he doing?"

"He's watching TV…no, he's running a VCR, in the dark, in another place."

"Can you see where he is?"

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room, what else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo, and a TV. He's touching the VCR there, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drifted, then focused on my face.

"There's nothing else?"

She shook her head. We looked at each other, motionless.

"What does it mean?" Bella asked breaking the silence.

Neither of us answered for a moment, and then I looked at Bella.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"But we don't know where those rooms are?"

"No,"

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them." Lilly's voice was bleak as she thought about this.

"Should we call?" Bella asked. They traded a serious look, undecided.

And the phone rang.

Alice was across the room before I could lift my head to look at it.

She pushed a button and held the phone to her ear, but she didn't speak first.

"Carlisle," she breathed. She didn't seem surprised or relieved, the way I knew Bella was feeling.

"Alice, is everything okay? Is Bella and Lilly alright?" He rushed out.

"Yes," she said, glancing at Bella.

"We lost him; the tracker. We think he's figured it out. He also seemed to have figured it out. We tracked him to an airport, but we don't know where he went from there."

"I just saw him." She described again the vision she'd seen. "Whatever made him get on that plane…it was leading him to those rooms."

"Is Bella near you? Can I talk to her?" Edward asked from the background.

"Yes," Alice said into the phone, and then she spoke to Bella. "Bella?"

She held the phone out toward her and Bella ran to it as I pulled Lilly closer to me, thankful for the fact that she was here with me in my arms and safe.

"Hello?" Bella breathed.

"Bella," Edward said.

"Oh, Edward! I was so worried."

"Bella," he sighed in frustration, "I told you not to worry about anything but yourself." I could feel and hear the relief in her voice as she talked to him for the first time since we left. It was like the cloud of despair that was hovering over her head lightened and drifted back as they spoke.

"Where are you?"

"We're outside of Vancouver." I felt Lilly tense in my arms at the mention of her home town. "Bella, I'm sorry – we lost him. He seems suspicious of us – he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now – it looks like he got on a plane. We think he's heading back to Forks to start over."

"I know. Alice saw that he got away."

"You don't have to worry, though. He won't find anything to lead him to you. You just have to stay there and wait till we find him again."

"I'll be fine. Is Esme with Carlisle?"

"Yes – the female has been in town. She went to the house, but while Charlie was at work. She hasn't gone near him, so don't be afraid. He's safe with Esme and Rosalie watching."

"What is she doing?"

"Probably trying to pick up the trail. She's been all through the town during the night. Rosalie traced her through the airport, all the roads around town, the school…she's digging, Bella, but there's nothing to find."

"And you're sure Charlie's safe?"

"Yes, Esme won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we'll have him."

"I miss you." She whispered longingly. I felt so horrible that they were separated because of all of this. I breathed in Lilly's scent again, calming the Major from thoughts of being separated from our Lilly or Lilith.

"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half my self away with you."

"Come and get it, then," she challenged.

"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first." His voice was hard.

"I love you," she reminded him.

"Could you believe that, despite everything I've put you through, I love you, too?"

"Yes, I can, actually."

"I'll come for you soon."

"I'll be waiting."

As soon as the phone went dead, the cloud of depression began to creep back over her again.

She turned to give the phone back to Alice and found that Alice was bent over the coffee table with Lilly sketching on a piece of hotel stationery. I leaned over her shoulder as Bella sat down next to Alice.

She drew a room: long, rectangular, with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist high, a long band. The band Alice said was gold.

"The emergency exit sign goes there." Bella said pointing to the corner of the room where the fire escape was. We all looked up at her surprised. "It's a ballet studio."

"Do you know this room?" I asked, my voice sounding calm, once again, but there was a clear undercurrent of concern. If she knew this room, then James might know where we are.

Alice bent her head to her work, her hand flying across the page now, the shape of an emergency exit taking shape against the back wall, the stereo and TV on a low table by the front right corner.

"It looks like a place I used to go for dance lessons – when I was eight or nine. It was shaped just the same." She touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. "That's where the bathrooms were – the doors were through the other dance floor. But the stereo was here" she pointed to the left corner – "it was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room – you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

We all continued to stare at her in surprise and wonder.

"Are you sure it's the same room?" Lilly asked, trying to make sure that she was positive that she was thinking of the right place.

"No, not at all – I suppose most dance studios would look the same – the mirrors, the bar." She traced her finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "It's just the shape that looked familiar." She touched the paper where Alice drew the door.

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Alice asked, breaking Bella reverie.

"No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dancer – they always put me in the back for recitals," she admitted.

"So there's no way it could be connected with you?" Lilly asked intently.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere." She said, but she didn't seem so sure.

"Where was the studio you went to?" I asked in a casual tone.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's house. I used to walk there after school…" she said, her voice trailing off. Lilly, Alice and I exchanged a look. He knew where we were, I was sure of it.

I could feel the Major coming to the surface so I pulled Lilly back in to my embrace, yet again, and breathed in her scent while nuzzling her neck before looking back up at Bella.

"So the studio was here in Phoenix then?" I asked, still trying to keep my voice casual, even though I was panicking inside. If he got to Bella, then he would get to Lilly as well. Especially since I heard that he wanted to offer her to Lilly as some sort of offering so that she would accept him as her 'master' of some sort.

"Yes," Bella whispered. "Fifty-eigth Street and Cactus."

We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing as I continued to calm myself with Lilly's scent.

"Alice, is that phone safe?" Bella asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes," she reassured her. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"Then I can use it to call my mom."

"I thought she was in Florida?"

"She is – but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while…" her voice trembled. I sent her some calm and serenity, trying to keep her from breaking down.

"How will you reach her?" Lilly asked in a small voice. From her emotions, she clearly had a lot on her mind from all of this as well. I hoped that the emotions I sent out in the room would affect her as well and keep her calm.

"They don't have a permanent number except at the house – she's supposed to check her messages regularly."

"Jasper?" Alice asked.

I thought about it. "I don't think there's any way it could hurt – be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

She reached eagerly for the phone and dialed her number. It ran four times, and then I heard her mom's breezy voice telling her to leave a message.

"Mom," she said after the beep, "it's me. Listen, I need you to do something. It's important. As soon as you get this message, call me at this number." Alice was already at her side, writing the number for her on the bottom of her picture. She read off the number to her mom twice before continuing with the message. "Please don't go anywhere until you talk to me. Don't worry, I'm okay, but I have to talk to you right away, no matter how late you get this call, all right? I love you, Mom. Bye."

Little did I know that that message was going to be the downfall to our plan and bring all of the trouble our way.

A/N: Cliffy! Sorry guys, I know that this was a boring chapter, but it had to be written. I couldn't just skip all of it or none of the next few chapters would make any kind of sense. But either way, I hope you like it!

If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will respond to them on my next Author's Note!

Check out my other stories!

'Attempting to Covet'
'Dhampir'
'Far Fetched Realities'
'Mirror Image'
'Other Worldly Beauty'
'Perplexing Revelations'
'Pretexting'
'The Heart's Desire'
NEW!
'The Major'
'Twilight ReVAMPed'

If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will make exceptions on the characters depending on the plot. PM me for details!
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