Alice knew what would go down with this encounter as she saw the three vampires approach them. She wasn't hopeful that Bella would get out of here without being the target of the blonde-haired vampire. The air was soft but also rustling and it would take just one small breeze for the hunter to take her scent, Bella's human scent. Alice looked longingly to Jasper to see if he could possibly help in making Bella not stand out with his powers. He gave a slight nod and felt Alice's hand on his left wrist. He was focused and channeling his powers to make it so that Bella wasn't the only mundane one, but also Alice and Esme. He also heightened Emmett's brute strength, Rosalie's beauty, and Edward's fierceness so that the rogue vampires would focus on them. The lead vampire with long black hair, brimming red eyes, and a dark complexion looked to the Cullens with a slight smile.

"We heard you playing as we were passing through, have room for three more?" he asked with a slight French accent.

Alice was taken a bit aback by his pleasantries but she knew that it was a ruse and that he wasn't even the leader, the blonde hunter was.

"We were just wrapping up actually. Perhaps another time." Carlisle spoke calmly.

Alice really just wanted to take Bella out of here but any sudden movements would only make the hunter more excited.

"Such a shame. It's rare to see others on our travels. I'm Laurent, and these are Victoria and James." Laurent introduced.

Alice wasn't focused on the present moment as Carlisle introduced them all to the three vampires. She was looking in the future to see if Bella would make it out of this alive, dead, or perhaps even as a vampire. During her vision searching, she did see a slight glimmer of a female vampire that appeared to be familiar to her. She was about to explore that future when she heard Laurent say,

"Permanent, how do you manage that?"

This had to be referring to their hunting range, which would surprise any rogue vampire. The red head, Victoria, glanced over at Bella and Alice let out a low hiss towards her. Jasper heard Alice's protective hiss and tried to calm her down.

"Why don't you come back to our home and we can talk about it comfortably?" Carlisle invited.

"That is rather interesting and welcome. We've been hunting all the way down Ontario." Laurent spoke.

Alice had been hearing and seeing a string of murders down Ontario and now she knows it had to be these vampires. This was even more of a reason they needed to get Bella out of here. James's gaze never relented on Bella despite Jasper's powers and Bella was scared of what was going on. The air was tense and the Cullens didn't want to lose Bella, especially Edward and Alice. She wished she was strong enough to take down James herself but she was wise enough to know it would be a death sentence.

"We do appreciate that you don't hunt in this immediate area, we are trying to be inconspicuous." Carlisle told them.

Laurent and Victoria chuckled at the statement but Laurent did nod in agreement.

"We won't encroach on your territory, but we will take your offer about returning to your home." Laurent spoke.

"Very well. We'll show you the way. Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to the jeep." Carlisle told them.

Alice wasn't hopeful and it was all but confirmed when a light rustling breeze moved Bella's hair. The scent was alluring to James and he was on the offensive. Edward and Emmett blocked off James from getting close to her while Alice went behind Bella and held her hand in hers. Bella was terrified but took some solace in Alice's tight grip on her hand. The world seemed to drift ever so slowly as the whole exchange on protecting Bella was taking place.

"I'm so sorry." Alice apologized to Bella in a whisper.

Bella's soft brown eyes met Alice's and whispered,

"What's going to happen now?"

"Edward, Emmett, and I will figure out what we are going to do with you. I vow with my life to protect you, Bella." Alice declared.

That made Bella's heart skip a beat. She had heard from Edward countless times that he was her life and that he would protect her, but hearing Alice say those words soothed her. Bella didn't want any of the Cullens to die because of her, especially Alice. Edward heard Alice's words and got even more hostile and protective of Bella. Alice meant well, but Bella was his mate and it was his stupidity of letting Bella come here that would probably kill her. He needed her away from James and quick.

"Let's go Bella." he growled.

Bella nodded and Edward dragged her away from them. Bella looked behind her and felt some ease as Alice was following behind her as well as Emmett. Edward was hurting Bella as she could feel his grip on her wrist tightening. She let out a cry in pain but Edward didn't care. Her eyes went to the wrist and bruises were forming. Bella knew this was a tense moment, but Edward was hurting her. Bella didn't get a chance to talk to Edward about her pain when they got to the Jeep. Swiftly, he opened the door and almost pushed her in the back seat, annoying Alice greatly.

"Strap her in." Edward growled.

Bella didn't get a chance to protest as Emmett buckled her in. Alice got in the driver seat as Edward slid in the seat next to Bella. Alice drove at breakneck speeds and she was trying to think of the best option for Bella. Alice honestly thought turning Bella would be the best one since it would get James off her scent and not kill her. Edward saw this plan in Alice's head and he growled,

"We. are. not. turning. Bella!"

Alice gripped on the steering wheel tightly. Of course, he would be reading her mind, always wanting to know the future. At this point, Alice needed to focus and Edward spying on her mind wasn't helping her.

"Stop reading my mind and focus on your girlfriend!" Alice yelled.

"I need to know what you are seeing Alice so we can protect her! Oh, would you rather be the one to protect her as you put it!" Edward shouted.

So, he had heard her and Alice groaned in annoyance.

"We all want to protect her Edward! Now stay out of my head and calm Bella! She's afraid and terrified and that last thing she wants or needs us fighting! Stop being such an asshole right now!" Alice defended.

Edward growled at Alice and Emmett had to be the voice of reason.

"Look let's just try to think of a way to stop James and save Bella, alright." Emmett spoke in a calm voice.

"He's committed to hunt her! He's a tracker and he won't stop!"

"Then we will find a way to kill him, Edward! Until then, let's think of how we will protect Bella and fit in with the humans." Alice told him.

"Well, what do you suggest?" Edward asked.

"I told you my option!"

"That isn't an option Alice!" Edward yelled.

Alice stopped the car and stared down Edward quietly. Emmett looked at his two siblings and never saw them so tense and at odds. There was a very tense silence and Bella knew she needed to speak up since it was her life on the line.

"Doesn't anyone want to hear my plan?" Bella asked quietly.

"No!" Edward snapped.

Alice glared at him and softened her gaze when looking at Bella. It was her life so she wanted to be an agent in the decision. Alice smiled and asked,

"What is your plan, Bella?"

Bella felt supported and liked that Alice was open to her idea unlike Edward, who was supposed to be her love.

"You will take me back..."

"No." Edward shot down.

"Edward, I swear to fucking god that I will have Emmett kick your ass if you interrupt her again. Now let her talk!" Alice exclaimed.

Edward gritted his teeth and Alice sighed.

"I'm sorry Bella, continue."

"Well...take me back and I will tell Charlie that I want to go home to Phoenix. This way, your family won't have an FBI search to look for me. Alice will take me anyplace that she thinks I will be safe while some of your family protects Charlie, some of you get James off my trail, and maybe even kill him to protect me. I care about my life, but I'll be damned if my father dies because of me Edward." Bella affirmed.

Alice looked over the plan and it did have a lot of hope of everything turning out okay and having Bella remain human. Plus, her being with Bella made Alice happy since she specifically wanted her in this tense time.

"That plan can work wonders Bella. We can't leave Charlie unprotected and you know it, Edward." Alice told him.

"I don't want that psycho within a hundred miles of her. Besides, why can't I be with her while this all goes down?"

"Because if you're not here, Charlie thinks maybe I would be cohoused into going with you and you will be hunted down. I don't want that for you. I want Alice and Jasper to take me away from here so I can be calm and not be scared for my life."

"I don't like this plan, Bella." Edward growled.

"It's either we go with my plan or Alice turns me right now." Bella demanded.

Everyone's eyes widened, especially Alice's. Those sweet words of Bella wanting to be turned by her would have made her blush if she could. Edward clenched his fists and hung his head back in agony.

"You know exactly what to say to piss me off Bella. No way you're ending your life yet." he growled.

"Then. take. me. home." Bella demanded.

Emmett liked Bella's ballsy nature while Edward despised this. This was partly Alice's fault he thought and he pressed his fingers against his temples. He didn't want Bella to be hunted but he was at his wits end.

"I'm not leaving you alone." Edward protested.

"She won't be. Jasper and I will be with her. Plus, you think James will believe her going to Phoenix, her home really? Jasper and I will stay indoors to maintain our cover and Bella will be safe with us." Alice told him.

Edward didn't want to be apart from Bella but she was right about Charlie being a nervous parent. If he wasn't in town, it would be a red flag for them. He groaned in annoyance and in defeat.

"One week and I am going to track you down Bella so I can protect you. James will regret coming after my mate."

The word mate sounded off to Bella. She liked Edward a lot, but it didn't seem to have the same love at first sight feeling that had been in their relationship. She did crack a smile that Edward was listening to her. She kissed his cheek which Edward sighed.

"You missed."

He kissed her lips and Bella had this strong feeling everything will be alright. James will be taken down and, in the meantime, she will be under the protection of Jasper and her dear friend Alice. She just hoped no one would lose their lives because of her.

-Phoenix-

Cynthia knew Julian wouldn't leave Phoenix without her but he needed a place to crash in the daylight. She reluctantly allowed Julian to stay in her hotel room until things in Phoenix showed themselves to her. He was stubborn as she was, but it would calm Julian's mind if he was in on her short stint here. Both hated sunny locales and this was their hell, but they would endure hell together for better or worse. He was relaxing on the bed while Cynthia was on the couch playing solitaire.

"You know I wish things would come to pass sooner." Julian chuckled as he was flickering channels on the tv.

"Again, if you don't want to be patient, it's dark out now and there's the door. I have a plan I want to see through before heading to my next location." Cynthia informed him.

Julian sighed and shook his head.

"I don't want you to skip town on me without knowing where you'd be next. If I leave, who knows how many days, weeks, months, or years it will take for me to find you." he professed.

Cynthia smiled just a tad since that was a sweet sentiment. However, would things work out between them. In some ways they were all right for each other; same creator, a shared and deep history, and he did make her laugh at times. Other times she hated his wandering eyes, his thirst for human blood indiscriminately, and his immature ways weren't what she wanted in a vampire lover. She checked Julian's eyes and they were red, which both relieved her and upset her.

"Who's the sad human's life you took earlier? Your eyes aren't black anymore." Cynthia asked.

Julian scoffed and shook his head.

"More like heinous. There was this awful yet somewhat attractive women who was running a prostitution ring. I charmed her, dined with her, took her to a back alley thinking she would talk business about getting me a hooker but she was the one I wanted so to speak to." Julian recounted.

Cynthia was taken aback by Julian's choice of victim since his target did sound horrible. There would be one less monster on the streets harming women and it would be thanks to Julian.

"That's new for you."

"It really isn't Cynthia and you know it. Yes, I prefer drinking the blood of women, but only if their behavior contrasts their outer beauty. If I have to, I do go after male criminals, drug dealers, and scumbags. It's my way of making the world better like you saving lost souls or liberating them." Julian expressed.

Cynthia smiled a bit and that made Julian chuckle.

"The goddess graces me with her smile, will thou sing to me or comfort me with an embrace. Will you perhaps have your long fingers travel along my body and lavish me with your lips."

Cynthia chuckled since his words did manage to charm him. She glanced over to Julian to see he was wearing a very well fitted tank top, a leather jacket, and some jeans with some rips on the upper thighs. Cynthia hated to admit it, but Julian was looking rather sexy tonight and maybe to humor him, they could have a bit of fun. Cynthia sighed and glanced at her outfit. She was wearing a mini skirt, blood red heels, fishnet stockings, and a black blouse, and a rose red cardigan. Plenty of clothes she thought since she did want to tease Julian by throwing a hand or two.

"Solitaire's getting boring. Want to turn on some music and play poker with me?" she asked.

Julian raised an eyebrow at her and questioned,

"Regular poker or..."

He stopped when he saw a playful smirk on Cynthia's face and that made him smirk as well.

"Strip poker? Really? You're not jerking me off?" he asked.

That made Cynthia chuckle since she wasn't jerking him off on both counts, metaphorically and physically. Though Julian maybe would make it hard for her to keep her cool when clothes would be shed. Last time they played they almost had sex in a moment of her weakness. She was able to stop since she was thirsty and needed to hunt. However, she was calm and wanted to have some fun with him.

"I'm not no and I really want to play something to excite me."

He purred in delight and shut off the television. He grabbed his leather satchel and pulled out a CD labeled 'erotic and sensual version 6' and put it in the stereo in the old hotel room. Cynthia smiled as the first song played and started to shuffle and deal the cards. Julian smirked at his cards and thought he would win handily, only to be floored by Cynthia's hand.

"Pants off." she ordered.

"You know I'm more of a jacket off first guy to show the gun show." Julian sassed.

Cynthia chuckled as Julian started to take the jacket off. She shook her head and got behind him with quick vampire speed. They locked eyes with each other as she took the jacket off him. She gazed a bit at his body and enjoyed the toned and sculpted body that was hiding behind the fitted tank top. Cynthia grazed her fingers on his chest, causing him to moan. Julian stole a kiss and planted one on her cheek causing her to scoff.

They played another hand and to be fair, Cynthia threw hand and took off her cardigan. She teased him by slowly removing the buttons.

"Don't be a tease Cyn, let me see what you're covering the girls with." he said with a husk in his voice.

That almost got a moan out of Cynthia since his low husk drove her to a frenzy, to her primal instincts. She got off the last button and threw the cardigan across the room. He ogled at her C cup breasts that were resting cozy in her tight-fitting open sleeve black top. Julian wondered if she was wearing a bra since it was honestly hard to tell with her breasts fitting so well in the shirt. Cynthia chuckled and shook her head.

"My heels will be next if I lose another hand Julian. Just thought to give you a show to distract you." she teased.

"It will take more than those melons to make me lose focus Cynthia. Keep dealing darling."

They played a few more hands in which Julian had to take off his tank top and jeans, leaving him in his satin black boxers. Cynthia had taken off her heels and was about to take off her blouse from the round that passed when she was struck with many visions at once, causing her to gasp. Julian went to her side since it had been a while since Cynthia had a bit of a vision overload and laid her on the bed. She had to close her eyes and gripped tightly on the bed with one of her hands while Julian held and comforted the other.

"On the move... Alice is on the move...taking a human with her to protect her from a tracker...my tracker." Cynthia rambled.

Those last words made Julian very protective since it was the same bastard that tried to kill Cynthia in her human life and killed his father figure Hamish.

"Where the hell is the son of a bitch!? I will kill him myself." he growled.

Cynthia shook her head before gasping out in pain once more.

"He's trying to find her, find the girl... the girl matters to my sister...it makes sense, this city and state is the human's home... trying to escape but he will find her..."

Julian kissed her hand to try to calm her down and ride through her visions. Julian often thought since the visions were her secondary power, they took a lot more of Cynthia and caused her pain since it wasn't her natural gift. If Cynthia could cry, she probably would be from the intense pain in her head and body.

"A ballet studio nearby...is where he will lure her soon...we can't interfere, in time I will meet her as well, both my sister and the human girl. When the vision comes to pass, we need to go get their scents so we can find them easier." Cynthia gasped.

The visions teetered out and Julian kissed her hand once more. Cynthia's pain subsided and looked at Julian with soft longing eyes.

"Thanks Jules." she spoke softly.

"Anything for you Cyn." he murmured softly.

She hung her head back and sighed.

"We have to cut the poker game short." she said as she went on her side.

"It's fine, I know better to push you when you have these episodes. Do you know when we have to go?"

"Two days, maybe three. We can't interfere, things need to happen as they are. They might think we are with the tracker and take us down too. It's a very precarious scenario, one I don't want us to lose each other in."

Julian grinned and she could feel it despite her back being turned.

"Don't get hyped up Jules. Just want you to find someone you'll make happy someday and I don't want to have the world be without a hot sexy vampire."

"Yet you calling me hot and sexy makes me think I make you happy and you don't want to lose me."

"I wish I could sleep so we can drop this conversation. Being a vampire sucks at this moment." Cynthia groaned.

"Okay fine I will yield, but... can I help you finish what you were starting?"

Cynthia looked at him and cracked a small smile.

"Well, I let you win that hand so... fine take off my blouse gently since it is my favorite."

He slowly removed her blouse with his firm and soft hands to strip Cynthia to a strapless black camisole bra and top. He groaned at the modest lingerie and kissed the top of her chest.

"Tease." he muttered.

"Yeah, I know better that I wear a modest bra with you around, and you can't handle me being topless or braless. Maybe another time we can go a bit more if you're a good boy." she flirted.

Julian will never understand why Cynthia won't just admit to herself they are mates since the way she acted tonight gave him all the signals that they were meant to be together. Julian had been told by Hamish that sometimes it takes a while for vampires to realize who their mates were and maybe Cynthia was still taking her time. They had forever he thought and he would wait however long it took for her to be his.