A/N- Only a few chapters remaining now... and maybe an epilogue or an alternative ending... I'm still not sure which ending I'm going to go with.

ElizabethPOV:

I put the key in the hotel room door. It was rather late and Jon tried to hide a slight yawn.

"Tired?" I asked.

"No. Not really. The concert was pretty good, eh?" he replied.

"Yeah. This whole indie music scene is really starting to grow on me… Oh, and if Alice had seen the little plaid shirt-fest in there…"

"She would have forcefully re-dressed everyone?" he completed with a laugh.

"Without a doubt," I laughed, dropping my handbag in the arm chair.

He was rifling through the duffle bag he had packed himself, pulling out a bit of chequered blue cotton. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself. And so, there I was. I just stood there for a few seconds. There I was; standing in a hotel room with a single bed, my love (and truly and somewhat inexplicably I did love him beyond most words I could use to describe it) was in the bathroom, presumably changing into his boxers or some sort of pyjama bottom. I swallowed, although there was no venom in my mouth. No, my mouth was decidedly dry, parched even, but not the way it is with the thirst. This was different.

Then, I thought, what the hell? Why not, really. I took off my coat and laid it next to my bag, and then I began to unbuckle my heeled boots. That's when he came out. Cotton boxer-style shorts it was. Well, and a white cotton t-shirt. He smiled. I froze; fingers stopped moving deftly over my shoe buckles.

"Need some help?" he asked.

He didn't wait for a reply. He knelt at me feet, where I sat on the edge of the bed. He started in on the buckles and I let him. He pulled one boot, then the other off my feet, kissing my shins as he did so. My boots removed, he still knelt there, placing his hands on my knees.

"I love you, Elizabeth. I love you so much… the word love doesn't even cover it. I adore you, worship you… I live and die for your every breath and every flicker of your eyes," he professed.

"What a silly thing to live and die for," I sighed.

"No," he said more forcefully. "There's nothing silly about it. There is nothing silly about the way I want you, need you…"

He pulled himself up and kissed me boldly. He had no fear. I kissed him back and his tongue made his way into my mouth. I found myself losing control as I laid back on the bed, still kissing him. I was losing control, but not of my power or thirst, but of my emotions. I stopped feeling afraid or concerned or guarded. I just felt his lips (warm human lips) and tasted his breath. He entwined his fingers in my hair and kissed down my neck, pulling my tank top off my shoulder to kiss there as well.

***

It was early in the morning (maybe 2 am) and Jon was asleep, with my cool body pressed to his bare chest, my head resting under his chin. He didn't even shiver. I wondered if he ever felt the cold or if somehow his sensory neurons didn't function properly. Trust me to think of something totally logical at the moment, like neurons and biology! I wondered what it was like to sleep, to dream, to actually rest. He looked so at peace; his brow unfurrowed and his chest rising and falling with each vital breath. Mortality was such a fragile thing, I mused, tracing the line of his handsome jaw with my finger tip.

I was awoken from that waking-dream by the dulled vibration of my cell phone from my bag on the chair. I was tempted to let it ring, but then I realised that only the Cullens and Jon had my number (and as the latter was asleep next to me, it had to be the former). They would only call if it was a very good reason. Curious, I hadn't seen them needing to call me. In fact, I though while checking ahead, I couldn't see them at all. Something was wrong! Or maybe they were just making plans involving Jacob Black or perhaps going back to Forks for a visit or something. Still, there was this awful nagging feeling in my gut.

The phone was on it third ring as I carefully rose from bed, not wanting to disturb Jon's sleep, and answered the phone.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Liz! Thank goodness! Can you see anything?" It was Alice and she sounded panicked.

"No, why? Should I? What's going on?"

"I got a few flickers… and now its all blank. And Jacob's here but it's not him causing it," Alice said very rapidly.

"You got flickers… of what? I didn't get anything."

"The Volturi. They're close… and up to something."

"How many? Close to where?" I said, concern growing it the pit of my stomach.

"Demetri, Jane, Aro, Caius, Marcus and three or four guards… near to us, I think. They're in a mountainous forest somewhere. They were looking for you from what I could see…" she said, sounding panicked.

Jon rolled over and stirred. His eyes flickered open, but he wasn't yet fully awake.

"Quickly. Have Bella shield you all. Get somewhere safe… leave as little scent trail behind you as possible."

"Okay, but Liz…"

"Alice, I'll make this better. It's me they want and it's me they'll get. I will make sure they never threaten any of you again, don't worry."

"But Jon… his future… it's not looking great," she said, frightened.

"I'll protect him. Now, go and keep yourselves safe," I said, hanging up.

I turned around and behind me, Jon was sitting upright in bed.

"What's wrong? Who are you protecting and who needs to keep safe?" he asked, almost calmly.

"I'm protecting you, and the Cullens are going to take care of themselves. For now, though, we need to get out of here. I'm so sorry," I apologized, looking at my feet.

Wordlessly, he got out of bed and tossed me some clothes while pulling on his own. Then, he kissed me on the back of the neck.

"I'll explain everything…" I said.

"In the car. For now, my love, let's just concentrate on packing up our stuff," he replied, hugging me from behind.

***

I drove almost blindly down the highway back to Canmore. I didn't look at the speedometer. I just concentrated on my slowly forming game plan, and talking.

"Remember how I told you about Herucio?" I asked.

"The vampire who changed you?"

"Yes. Well, as I said the Volturi were rather fond of him…"

"Aro, Marcus and…?"

"Caius. Yes, so they were rather more than fond of him. They respected him very much. He was, as they call it, Most High."

"Most High?" Jon questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. It's an ancient and mostly obsolete position within vampirical society. It dates back to the Romanian regime, and then it was more or less referred to as 'the one who judges'. Basically, it is the task of the Most High to judge whether or not the other leaders have surpassed the boundaries of their governing power. They intercede when the leaders ambitions might grow too great or if innocents are slaughtered. They are in essence, the last semblance of any check or balance to those in power."

"So he did all this?"

"More or less. However, there wasn't really much use for the position then, nor has there really been until now. You see, the thing with the position is that it only changes hands when the Most High names a successor or they are vanquished by another."

"And you killed Herucio, the Most High…" he said, putting it all together. "You are the Most High."

"Yes. And I dislike the job and avoid it at all costs."

"Why? Don't you want to maintain justice?"

"Certainly, but part of that job is spending lengths of time in Volterra where they lure and ensnared innocent humans to feed upon… and I don't think I could face Marcus…"

"Why not?" he inquired, urging me on.

"After I killed Herucio, I went to Volterra. They proclaimed me Most High, but that did not satisfy Aro's inquisitive mind. He could understand how I had done it… or what my powers fully meant. He assured me everything was safe… it was just a test. They put me in a great stone room wit Marcus' mate and told me to do to her what I had done to Herucio… In those days I had almost no control over it… I drained the power from her until she died, as others drain blood…"

"It wasn't your fault…" he assured me.

"Marcus said the same. He reads relationships. He could read the guilt and misery I felt for him. Still, I cannot shake those feelings…"

"So, then why do they want you? Wouldn't they rather you just stayed out of Volterra and they had control over their own affairs?"

"They can't harm me. It is law. Of course, one could break the law, but then I would kill them… If they were to break the law they would have to be certain they could win…"

"So then, why do you look so worried?"

"I think they intend to harm you…"

"You won't let that happen. It won't happen," he assured me.

"I don't know that it can be guaranteed. It's going to be difficult at best."

"So, change me. Pull over... gag me...bite me... and leave me in the trunk," he said boldly. He was serious.

"I..."