~~Chapter Two~~

The car ride for the next hour was in a tense silent affair and frankly, it was driving Kate nuts, she didn't mind long car rides but what she hated was silence in long car rides. It reminded her too much of a time when she was growing up in Russia and her father refused to listen to anything on the radio, they had to sit in tense silence for the whole drive or suffer her father's wrath.

It made her and her sisters uncomfortable and since then they could never sit in a quiet car without thinking of their father. The only thing that broke through it was the sound of soft snores from Paul who was dead to the world and as she glanced through the mirror, she could see that Bella and Peter were asleep and Maria was reading quietly.

"She will not stay mad at you for long moy dorogoy." She stated softly, taking the hand of her love in her own when she realised, he was still awake.

Garrett sighed and turned to Kate as she returned her eyes to the road, kissing the palm of her hand briefly. "I know sweetheart but…" a harsh sigh escaped his lips.

"But you could have said it nicer," Kate replied when he trailed off, understanding completely. "Garrett, I know you mean well but she is hurting. They had been together since high school and she found out he had been cheating on her for just as long with her supposed best friend. It will take time and we both know that if she didn't want to go, she wouldn't have, and no amount of blackmail or bribing would have made her."

And ain't that the truth, Bella and he had only been siblings since she was 14 and he 16 when their parents married but they clicked like a house on fire and he knew how extremely stubborn she could be if she didn't want to go anywhere. His sister may be shy and quiet, but she was a cunning devil in disguise with a mouth of a sailor or as Charlie always stated, the mouth of a cop.

But still, he felt bad for what he said and how he said it, yet it needed to be said.

With a sigh, he turned his attention back to Kate. "You're right and we've been on the road for a while now, let's stop at the next rest stop so we can stretch our legs, feed the slumbering beast and change drivers."

"Sound's like a plan, I could use a nap. We're only a few more hours away from Rose as well." Kate explained with a laugh as she eyed the spare seat between Peter and Paul. "Either she'll demand to drive or force someone else to sit beside Paul."

They say speak of the devil and he shall appear, well the same could be said for Paul and the mention of food for that was the moment Paul decided to wake. "What time is it and can we get food soon, I'm starved."

"When are you not hungry?" Garrett replied with a snort. "You and the Pack are the only ones I know who eat like it's their last night on earth. I feel for Emily and the girls, I do."

Paul laughed, jolting Peter and Bella awake before patting his stomach. "It's the genes. All us Res boys got fast metabolisms."

"That's because you all are gym junkies," Bella muttered from the backseat.

"Hey! It takes time and maintenance to look this good!" Paul replied while flexing and smoothing back his hair.

Peter shoved Paul laughing and ruffled his pristine hair, thus causing Paul to strike back and a small fight to ensue. Pete's hat went flying and nearly smacking Maria in the face and a sharp kick to the back of Garrett's chair had him swinging around and punching the first calm muscle he saw. Kate cursed in Russian and then thanked every deity she knew as the rest stop came into view.

The instant the car came to a stop Kate was out the door and opening the back door with a grin, watching as Peter and Paul tumbled out and landing on the ground with a thud. "We have arrived at the place of food, so if you two are done being children and can move so we can let out Maria and Bella."

Peter and Paul cast a look up sheepishly and muttered apologies as Kate stepped over them and pulled the latch to let out Bella and Maria who looked like they very much wished to get out and stretch their legs too.

"How much longer until we reach Rose?" Bella asked as she stepped out and hooking her bag over her shoulder, completely ignoring the boys at her feet with practiced ease.

Kate laughed as she looped her arm through Bella's. "Only a few more hours, then the real fun begins."

All three of the girls who knew Rose well let out a laugh and continued towards the main building of the rest stop while Garrett stayed behind and helped the two idiots off the ground, sighing in exasperation as Paul stopped to fix his hair in the mirror.

"Really?" Garrett asked brow cocked.

Peter snorted as he shook his head to set his own hair right and place his hat back on. "You know how he is."

"I got to look good for the ladies," Paul replied with a grin.

Both Peter and Garrett facepalmed and shook their head at their friend's antics as they followed behind the girls. Garrett couldn't help but smile fondly as he watched Kate and Bella interact, it always warmed his heart how those two got along so well considering Bella didn't get along with both of Kate's sisters.

It was a much-needed break, the tensions from before were no longer an issue as they all laughed and Bella shoving basically all the ketchup she had onto her brothers' fries. By the time they got back on the road with Peter driving and Bella in the passenger seat with her sketchbook in hand drawing the scenery that caught her eye.

"I spy with my little eye…" Peter started earning groans from every single passenger.

"No, you swore after the great disaster trip of '19 that you'd never play this wretched game again." Bella hissed furiously, her grip knuckle white on her pencil as she recalled the last long road trip.

Her, Paul, Peter, Rose and Jasper all drove from Texas to Forks and ended up playing hours of eye spy to the point they repeated objects and it flew into a massive argument about how stupid the game was. Cabin fever in a small cramped car with nothing to do was just… it was torture and it ended in literal bloodshed as Rose clocked Paul for using her breasts as a clue and Peter swore never to start the game ever again.

It was a rule that was upheld and enforced when new people joined their friend group. Everyone, everyone, instantly agreed when they were told the full story.

Peter winced and nodded before flicking the radio on and then promptly shut it off as a Justin Bieber song blared out through the speakers, earning laughter from all in the car. Peter frowned and pushed the eject button on the CD player and gazed at the CD in distaste. "What the fuck K?"

"Your face!" Kate laughed with a gasp. "That was the best five bucks well spent."

"Where did ya even find this crap?" Pete drawled while rolling down the window and tossing the offensive disc out the window.

"From the two-dollar store back home, swapped it out when we got to the dorms and made the driver roll," Kate replied with a chuckle as she snuggled up to Garrett. "The road trip songs are on the USB setting."

Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf blared to life once Peter got to the right setting and he cheered as the beat filled the space. Bella laughed and put her book away and pulled out her instant camera as they all began to sing along to the song, Garrett passing up a bag of pretzels for her and Pete to share.

She felt something within her loosen as she rocked out to the song and snapped away, for the first time in a long time she felt happy and thought to herself maybe coming along wasn't a bad idea at all.

Author Note: Okay, so hopefully one more chapter this time with Rose on the road trip and then can start to get into the meat of the story!