DISCLAIMER: All characters and story world belong to SM. All lyrical references and quotes are property of their original artist. No copyright infringement intended.

[Beta'd by: UnBeta'd]
Special thanks to: Ocdmess

Last chapter I asked you all for a song that screamed SEX; whether because of the mood, or because you've had it while the song played.
My answer: Pantera - Cemetery Gates.
I'll leave this one without a description. LOL

Chapter Playlist:
Snow Patrol – Set The Fire To The Third Bar

http:/ /www[dot]youtube[dot]com/user/BeautifullySacred

* Mild Violence *

Chapter 23
EPOV
Monday, August 28th, 2006

For the third time in my one-hundred-six years of existence, my feet hit the ground with an extreme sense of urgency as my mind raced with only one thought in my mind: Bella.

The first time was a year and a half ago when the newest student to enroll in Forks High had the most delectable scent to ever cross my path. I ran, cursing the name Bella Swan, until I found myself in the snowy covered state of Alaska. I was irritated that a simple, plain, and un-important human girl could cause something so strong to stir within me, and test my strength and dedication to my father's lifestyle that he had instilled upon me nearly a century ago.

The second was when I heard, and saw, her life come to, what I had perceived at the time, its end. For six months I grieved and struggled to find a way to walk through the world as if I had something to live for. For twenty weeks, the only thing on my mind was the name Bella.

Now, only a month after discovering that she still walked this earth, my feet carried me away from Bella, with only her on my mind, and the thought of protecting her.

The wind whistled past me, creating a constant hum in my ears as my shoes beat a steady rhythm into the dirt beneath them. I listened for any possible life form around me as I flew past the trees, pushing my way closer to my destination with every chant of the word, Bella.

Alice had seen it – she knew that I would make it to Victoria's base of operations, and I would consider multiple options when I saw exactly what the woman had planned for me, my family, and my love. Alice had also seen that I would cross her scent before entering Alaska. Just south of Kamloops there would be a stronger trail than the one coming directly from the Denali's. If I went to the Denali's, it would take me an extra two days of tracing the coast lines before I would come across her scent again.

I reminded myself to buy Alice something amazing, and expensive, if I made it out of this alive.

As if on cue, my phone vibrated in my pocket. My hand dug into my pocket, and without slowing down I pulled my phone out and pressed accept in less than a second.

"I think a car would be wonderful," my sisters light voice said on the other end of the line.

I rolled my eyes and waited for her to get to the point.

"Anyway. We just crossed into Saskatchewan. We're going to drop the gear off at the hotel in Calgary, and stow the RV. We're taking the red eye out to Kamloops, British Columbia, and we will land at nine-thirty-one in the evening on Wednesday due to delays. It's the earliest flight with the shortest delay we can get. Edward, I still can't see what you'll decide when you get there, but so far you're on the right path. Just continue west, and jog south a little when you pass Kamloops. You'll hit her scent within an hour of leaving city bounds. When you smell blood, stop. If you get any closer, someone will notice you, and I can't see what happens next. Be careful." Alice finally stopped speaking and exhaled loudly into the receiver.

"How is she?" I asked.

I could almost hear Alice's smile. "She's doing okay. Her talent is amazing, Edward. Who knew a defensive ability could be so… amazing. Seriously."

"That's not what I meant, Alice," I said, sounding almost as frustrated as I felt.

Alice sighed again and paused. "She's hanging in there. She's really anxious; she keeps using my ability to check your future. I think she just likes to see you, but sometimes she catches glimpses of you being caught and it destroys her all over again. Jasper has to pull her back out of it, and… Edward, just be safe, okay? Wait for all of us to act. You don't know how to deal with a newborn, let alone an army of them. Be careful, for Bella. Okay?"

I nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I will. Can I speak with her?" I asked.

Alice hesitated and I heard mumbling in the background. "I don't think that would be a good idea right now. She's still trying to calm down from the last vision. I wish I had a way to block her, Edward. She's torturing herself."

"Please, Alice. Put her on. I'll try and calm her. I just need to hear her voice."

She sighed and I heard the phone rumbling around. "Edward."

The pain in her voice pulled at my heart and I almost stopped running. "Bella."

"Edward, I swear to God if you keep going when you get there, I'll… I'll." She broke out into sobs, not able to finish her sentence.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay. I promise you. I'm just going to find their location, and see how many there appears to be, and then I'm turning around to meet you at the hotel in Kamloops, alright?"

"That's only one of the possibilities. Your curiosity gets the best of you in the other two. Please," she pleaded. She sighed into the receiver before speaking again. "Please, Edward. Promise me. Find it, and turn around," she whispered.

"I promise. I swore to you I wouldn't leave you, and I'm keeping that promise."

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. Give me a call if either of you see anything new, or if the plans change, alright? Two days. I'll see you in two days."

"Alright. Be careful."

"You too," I whispered before hanging up. I slid my phone back into my jean's pocket, and pushed my feet faster.

./.

It took me nearly an entire day to run from the south-east corner of Ontario to the east border of British Columbia. Just as Alice had said, once I exited Kamloops city line, I caught Victoria's scent. I could only guess she had come here to hunt, or recruit. Jasper suggested that we get a hotel room there, figuring that she wouldn't hunt the same area twice so soon if she were playing it smart.

He was probably right; being positioned so close to the Washington state border, she had dozens of cities to choose from, and plenty of her victims would be travellers who wouldn't be declared missing for days, if not weeks.

Jasper and Garrett were working on the plans for how to attack, and strategizing our forces – making sure we used every advantage we had. Somewhere deep in the recess of my mind, I knew that Bella would be one of our strongest assets, but it terrified me too much to linger on it for very long. I was going to have to let her fight her own battles, but I wouldn't let her do it on her own. My family and I would see to that.

I dropped my phone off at the base of a tree because I knew I was going to have to swim if I wanted to cover my tracks. I turned directly south from Kamloops, and ran into Washington, cutting west just before hitting Oregon and headed straight for the shore. I swam north toward British Columbia, and once I reached what I guessed was roughly the middle of the west shore, I hit the ground running again. The plan was to make it look as though I had come from Alaska, but my scent would never show up anywhere north, appearing to be a dead end. I doubted Victoria would think to look any further south than Washington.

I continued south-east and prayed to hit her trail from this direction soon. It would take me another day to backtrack; swim down around to Oregon and run to Kamloops. By sundown Tuesday, I crossed her scent and felt relieved that it worked. Another forty-five minutes of running, and the smell intensified.

I came across a clearing filled with uprooted trees, and the scent of multiple vampires hit me. I heard their thoughts, and came to a stop, ducking behind a large tree for cover. I stepped carefully as I worked my way around, just outside the clearing. I had no idea how their base was laid out, and the last thing I needed was to come across a scout. I leapt onto a nearby sturdy branch in a tree along the edge of the clearing, and prayed that no one heard me.

I climbed further up the tree in hopes of getting a better view and being less visible. I scanned the clearing and spotted a few wooden dwellings that looked like they could have been old houses decades ago. Half of one wall was caved in, and the other two buildings weren't in that great of shape. There were wood chips everywhere and a few lifeless bodies discarded off to the side by a pile of charred lumber.

I focused on their minds, attempting to count the newborns. A large group of voices were bickering with each other about some outing they had returned from. One male was particularly upset about the count being down, and I wondered what they were referring too. I counted five in that particular conversation before shifting to others.

There were two discussing the encampment, and they sounded more focused than the first five; possibly not as new to this lifestyle. I counted four more random minds that were simply thinking various things from the training to blood, and two that sounded as if they were bored – possibly scouts.

I listened for another ten minutes before I heard one of them bring up the "gold eyes". It immediately caught my attention, and I realized it was the two who had been previously discussing the encampment. The female was talking about the rules, and how Victoria was concerned that the "gold eyes" might come searching. I smirked at the irony, but didn't make a sound.

I double checked my count, and determined there were thirteen minds, but no sign of Victoria. I slowly climbed out of the tree, scanning the area before dropping to the ground. I kept my senses keen as I slowly and silently walked back the direction I had come. I knew that they would pick up on my scent, and decided to make the quickest route back to the shore in hopes of dividing their forces when they searched, and keeping them confused for a few extra days.

Just as I made it far enough away from the clearing to break into a run, a thought caught my attention.

'This smells like a different one.'

I realized that it was one of the scouts I had heard earlier, and immediately went into defensive mode. I saw via their mind that they were just leaving the clearing and following my trail. The second scout noticed them leave their position and turned to follow.

Do I run for the shore, or fight? I could probably outrun them, but they could still see me swimming. If I stayed and fought, I could take two out now, weakening the camp, and we could strike sooner than later. Shit I wish I had my phone to call Alice. She had said that she couldn't see the outcome if I got caught because she wasn't sure what I would chose.

I made a split-second decision and leapt into the tree beside me, and waited. The girl's thoughts were filled with confusion as to why Jason would leave his post, and mild fear of being attacked. Jason, the male scout, was eager to prove that he could fight and win.

Stay focused, stay alert. Don't turn to the side, and never expose your back. Jasper's advice from the night I left rang clearly in my head as I waited. As the scout passed beneath me, I dropped down. He skidded to a stop and turned around, wide eyed and grinning. I crouched and waited for him to make the first move, waving him forward. He snarled and lunged toward me, leaving his sides exposed. He's definitely a newborn with little fighting experience.

I read his moves in his head, slipped to the side, and waited for him to plan his next action. He rolled across the ground and sprang back to his feet, turning to face me. I sidestepped slowly – waiting for his next action and listening to the girl get closer. I hoped she would distract him, and give me a chance to strike.

He lunged again, this time twisting to go for my arm. I spun to the side and leapt around him, grabbing hold of his wrist as he hit the ground. I spun and tossed him against the tree that I knew the girl would be passing in a moment.

She froze in shock, her mind exposing exactly how terrified of fighting she was. I glanced at her as I crouched down, waiting for the male get to his feet. She gasped, and recognized my gold eyes. She played through all the warnings a girl named Christy had given them about my family as she slowly backed up.

"Wait," I called out, but I heard the male's thoughts just before he lunged for me again.

I ducked and turned, grabbing his foot as he passed over me. He hit the ground hard and growled, cursing me in his mind. I pulled him up as I stood and threw him into another tree. There was a loud crack and the tree shook violently, his body falling to the ground once more. I sprang toward him, one foot landing in the center of his back and grabbed his arms. I pulled them back, snapping them at his shoulders, and tossed them beside the tree.

He hissed and cried out as he arched his back. I grabbed him by the back of his hair and pulled him up. I fisted his shirt and held him as I slammed him against the tree again. I pushed his head to the side and in one quick motion, bit into his neck and ripped it off.

I dropped him to the ground and turned toward the girl. If vampires could have panic attacks, she would have been. All that was running through her head was pure terror.

I slowly stepped toward her, my hand out, palm up, like you would approach a stray animal.

"What's your name?" I asked calmly.

She gasped, matching my steps with her own as she tried to back away.

"B-B-B…" she stuttered, but I heard her name in her head.

"Bree, I'm not going to hurt you if you don't try to hurt me," I said as I stopped moving.

"How'd y-you—"

"I can read your thoughts." I stopped and held my hands up, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. However, my words caused her to panic even more.

Her eyes were wide as she trembled. She backed into a tree and gasped, looking behind her.

I took the split-second distraction to run to her, and grabbed her by the arms. I held her to the tree, uncertain if I should spare her life or end her now, and not take the chance of her turning against me.

Screaming flashed across her mind, but I covered her mouth a second sooner than she managed to act on the thought, both of her wrists being pinned with one hand above her. She was so petite and fragile looking, she couldn't be any older than fifteen.

"Bree, I need you to trust me. Victoria has been lying to you. My family, the ones with the gold eyes, won't hurt you, as long as you don't try to hurt us. I know you're afraid of fighting,"

Fear and curiosity crossed her mind as to how I knew.

"I told you, I can read your thoughts. Do you not believe me?"

Several different thoughts crossed her mind before she managed to pull herself together and answer clearly. 'I believe you, but why did you kill Jason then?' she thought.

"Because he tried to kill me. I came here to see how many newborns Victoria had. I didn't plan on being spotted. If I let go of you, do you promise not to run or scream?"

She was confused by the name Victoria and the word newborns, which struck me as odd. 'I promise. Just don't kill me.'

"I won't kill you." I slowly uncovered her mouth and released her hands. I took a step back and stared at her. "I need to get out of here, before someone else happens across my trail. I'd like it if you came with me. You don't seem to like it much here, anyway. Am I right?" I asked, smiling softly at her.

She nodded, the fear still ringing through her mind but she took a step toward me. "Where are you going?" she whispered.

"The long way home." I turned and collected up the pieces of the newborn known as Jason, and turned to Bree. "Can you help me carry these pieces? We have to burn them, but not here."

She was utterly confused, but nodded.

"Carry his arms and his head – I'll take his body." I pointed to the pieces by the tree and threw his torso over my shoulder. It was like carrying a slab of stone.

"I'm trusting you, Bree. Please, don't break that trust. We can talk once we know we're far enough away."

She nodded and cradled the arms, the head resting on top. It wasn't the most natural sight, and it only made her appear younger. I frowned and broke in to a run. She managed to keep up, but I wasn't going my full speed. We cut straight across toward the shore, just barely on the outskirts on Vancouver.

"Can you handle your thirst yet?" I asked.

She swallowed, doubt running through her head but nodded. I smiled and dropped the torso on the ground by some trees. I tapped my temple and smiled, but she frowned and looked down. "That's fine, it just means we need to be careful. Will you stay here while I slip into the town to get some fire? We should burn him soon."

"Yeah, just hurry," she said quietly, swallowing again.

I nodded and ran full speed toward the city. The first gas station I came across, I bought a Zippo. I was in and out in less than a minute, and running back to where I had left Bree. She was crouched against a tree with her arms around her waist, looking terrified.

"Hey," I whispered as I came around the tree.

She jumped and squeaked before noticing it was me. She berated herself in her head and I didn't bother to interrupt. She would calm down soon. "Toss those into that little clearing there. This is going to be a pretty big fire, but we're close enough to the shore it shouldn't do too much damage."

She did as I said and stood there waiting, with wide eyes. I put the largest piece on top and held my arm out to her, backing her up. She stumbled backward but remained next to me. I flicked the zippo open, struck it, and tossed it onto the pile. She shrieked lightly and grabbed my arm, her constant fear and confusion still ringing in her head. I pulled her to me, shielding her face against the side of my chest and stroked her hair. "Hey, it's going to be alright. My family and I will take care of you," I whispered.

She sobbed gently against my shirt, her hands fisting the material. I slowly pulled away and smiled down at her. "Come on. We need to keep moving. Can you swim?"

She nodded slightly and wrapped her arms back around her torso. She looked so tiny and scared.

"Come on then, let's make it a race." I grabbed her hand and bolted toward the shore. A slight smile crossed her lips as she dropped my hand and tried to outrun me. She didn't really stand a chance, but I let her think that she did.

We made it to the shore within minutes, and I led the way south. We had to stay under the surface, especially while weaving through all of the ports, but we made it to the open ocean within a few hours and headed toward Oregon. I knew with Bree still being a newborn that she wouldn't be able to pass through the populated areas so I would have to change the route accordingly.

I decided to get back on land bellow Barview, Oregon, and we crossed the freeway in the early hours of the morning, entering the Elliot State Forest. I slowed down once I knew there were no humans around for miles, and decided to have my talk with Bree. She was confused as to why we had stopped, but decided to not ask in fear of getting in trouble. She sat down at the base of a tree and swallowed – her thirst was getting to her.

"Hey, I think we're in the clear now, and we should talk," I said softly as I sat across from her, leaning against a tree as well.

She nodded and swallowed again, her nose wrinkling slightly from the burn in her throat.

"Let's start with why my family have different eyes. Did anyone tell you that?"

She shook her head as the conversations from the camp ran through her head. She had been warned that we have talents that make us stronger, but not much else.

"My family doesn't believe in killing people for blood. We refuse to drink from humans."

'But then you'll starve,' she thought.

I shook my head and smiled. "No, we drink from animals. It doesn't taste as good, but it works just the same. Did anyone ever tell you the rules of our world?"

'Kill or be killed. Fight for the territory. The strongest gets the most blood.'

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. They aren't teaching them anything. They're teaching them to be an army, not how to survive. "No, those are the rules they made up to turn you into an army with a suicide mission. Bree, whoever was running your group, didn't plan on any of you surviving. There is one rule in our world and that is: keep the secret."

"But why would they lie to us?" she asked.

"Because they are out for revenge, and they know that my family is strong. Let's keep to one topic at a time though, shall we?" She nodded and I sighed. There was so much more to explain than I had anticipated. "Alright, my family believes in the goodness of humanity. We don't approve of killing humans for blood. There aren't many that share our opinion in this world, but there are a few, and we all have a strong friendship. Others of our kind would call us a Coven, but we like to think of ourselves as a family."

The idea of family ran through her mind, and images of abuse and starvation lingered before she wrapped her arms around herself. She never really knew the feeling of family or love. My heart broke even more for the poor girl.

"I'm sorry for the life you've led. You must not have a strong faith in mankind, but please understand that not all of the humans are that way, and not all family is the same. We look out for each other, and we have our mates. You're welcome to come back with me to my family, but you must understand what that means. We don't allow killing humans for blood, you would have to abstain, and drink from animals as we do. If you don't think you want to come with me, that's fine as well, but I'd like to ask you more questions about the camp before you leave. The choice is yours."

She thought hard about her option. She was used to being alone, and fending for herself, but it's also what got her into this mess. She didn't like having to kill innocent people, but she wasn't sure she could abstain either. She looked up at me and swallowed. "I can try your way, if you'll show me how," she said quietly.

I smiled as I stood and walked toward her, offering my hand. "Let's get you something to drink then."

./.

Bree was shy about hunting. She wasn't used to letting her instincts take over; they had usually brought humans back to the encampment for the youngest of the newborns. There was no hunting involved and no need to learn how to be silent. She had alerted the first of her prey and had to chase it, but by the third she had gotten better at being quiet. She had made a mess of her shirt, so I offered her my button up, leaving me with just my t-shirt. I showed her how to bury the bodies, and explained the importance of not killing too many of the same thing in the area and covering her tracks. We buried her stained shirt as well before heading for Kamloops. She had decided to come with me.

As we ran, I told her of my family, and explained their talents so that she wouldn't be caught off guard. She was genuinely surprised that so many of us were talented. I saw in her head that only one at the encampment had been talented, and she was basically their leader. She suspected that our talents could be why they continued to change more humans, insisting on having more numbers.

The fact that they were still changing humans really bothered me. They were down to eleven, and surely they would seek to replace the numbers they had lost soon. I knew that Jasper would want to wait until we were all trained properly before attacking, but I didn't think we could waste much more time.

Bree slowly opened up, and verbally asked more questions. I was pleased that she wasn't acting so shy or timid, but still concerned about her thirst and bringing her into a town.

By noon on Wednesday, I grew concerned that the sun could cause a complication. I had Bree wait on the outskirts of a town as I ran in to buy a cheap cell phone, a map, and a few t-shirts. I barely managed to slip out of town before the sun broke through the clouds completely. We found a large boulder that could shield us from the sun while I activated the phone, and called Alice.

"About time you thought of buying a new phone," my sister's familiar voice said.

"Don't start, just tell me what I need to know," I said.

"Since you took a different route to avoid cities, you'll have to wait until sundown before you can continue across the border. You'll make it here a few hours after us."

"Is she going to be okay coming into the town?" I asked as I glanced at Bree.

"She'll be okay. Hunt again before you cross the border, and that should be good enough. We'll have to take turns hunting with her every day, but she'll adjust fine. Don't leave her alone in a city, no matter what you do, though."

I nodded and smiled at Bree. She sighed slightly and hugged her legs to her chest beside me.

"How's Bella?" I asked.

"She's better. She thought of running after you when you decided to stay and fight, but she saw the outcome and Jasper helped her calm down. Her having access to my talent isn't the safest thing for all of our nerves, you know," she said lightheartedly.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. It took you years to learn how to control it, she's still learning. Give her time. Can I talk to her?"

"Sure, we have to get on the plane in a couple of hours, so you have time, just don't kill your battery."

"Thanks, Alice. I'll see you soon."

"Edward?" Bella's voice whispered on the other end.

"Hello, Love. I'm sorry I worried you."

"I'll scold you for it later, but right now I'm just happy to hear your voice."

I smiled and closed my eyes as I exhaled. "It's good to hear your voice too."

"I've been staring at this map, tracing your route. You look so close, but I know you're far away."

I pulled out the map in my pocket and found Calgary. I rubbed my finger over the spot on the map and imagined her smile. "It's not that far. I'll be with you soon. Less than a day," I whispered.

"I know. I miss you, Edward."

"I miss you too. Be safe," I whispered, wondering if she would remember when I wrote the words on a note for her.

"I kept it, you know," she said softly.

"I know. I saw it the night I came back, looking for you."

There was a long silence before Bella spoke again. "Take care of her, alright?"

"I am." I smiled at Bree again and her lips lifted at the corners slightly.

"Jasper is worried about her being too much to handle, but Carlisle told him to not worry about that. I think he and Esme already care for her, and they haven't even seen her yet. They're proud of you. I am too."

I smiled wider at her words and nodded. "I love you. We'll be there soon. I should go, though. This phone isn't fully charged."

"Yeah. Alright, be careful, Edward."

"I will."

"I love you. You should write some music while you're stuck there. I know you have words floating around in your head."

I furrowed my brows, curious as to how she could know that, but then I remembered Alice and sighed. "I think I'll do that. See you soon, Love."

"Bye, Edward."

I hung up and slipped the phone back in my pocket. I glanced at Bree and she was smiling wider than I'd seen before. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said quietly as she turned her head away. Her mind gave her happiness away though. She was touched at how much I seemed to care about the girl on the phone, as she called her. I reached over and rubbed her back gently in circles.

"I told you. We're a family."

She turned back and furrowed her brows. She was concerned that my family wouldn't accept her.

"Carlisle and Esme are already excited to meet you, and Bella, my mate, and Alice, my sister just told me to look out for you. Don't even worry about them not liking you, it's not in their nature to dislike people."

Her lips lifted slightly and she nodded before resting her chin on her knees. She looked a lot like a younger Bella, and it made me want to protect her even more. I looked back down at the map and sighed. She was so close, but still further away than I was comfortable with. I remembered Bella's comment about writing music while we waited, and turned to Bree.

"Do you like music?" I asked.

She nodded and laughed quietly. "Who doesn't?"

I laughed and shrugged. Stupid question, I guess. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Soft rock, mostly. My favorite band is A Perfect Circle."

I nodded; I'd heard of them. "My family and I are in two different bands. We're actually touring across Canada right now. Perhaps you would like to come to our last two shows?"

She nodded eagerly and sat up against the tree. "Of course. That is, if I can manage to be in a room with so many people."

Right. Hadn't thought of that. "Well, our last show is actually at a Vampire only club, so I'm sure you'd do fine there." As long as the blood doesn't bother you.

"That would be awesome. What kind of music?" she asked. I hadn't seen her open up this much in the past day. I smiled at the progress she was making and thought of how to respond.

"Hm, that's a tough question. Rock, definitely, but more electronic sounding than you typical band these days. Alice, her mate Jasper, and I are in one band, and Bella and her friend Garrett are in the other."

"Just two people? How does that work?" She was more relaxed now, and I was glad to have found an easy topic for her to be herself.

"Bella sings and plays piano or the synthesizer, and Garrett plays guitar. They mix drum tracks on the synth and play them in the background on a programmer. My band does a similar thing for some songs, but Alice also plays the box-drum."

She thought about it, trying to imagine a box-drum and what kind of sound it would make. "So, kind of like techno stuff then, how it's all electronic programming?"

"No, not quite. It's hard to explain. You'll just have to hear it to get it, I guess."

She nodded and then wondered about our band names.

"Virulent Disease, and Beautifully Sacred," I said, answering her silent question.

"I think they sound familiar, but I can't remember my human memories that clearly," she admitted.

I nodded. "That's common. Our popular song on the radio is The Reason. It's mostly played in Alaska, and some major cities in Canada. We aren't that big or anything."

She tried to think back, but she kept coming up blank. "Sorry. Maybe when I hear it I'll remember."

I chuckled. "That's alright." I thought for a moment about the lyrics I had swimming around in the back of my mind. "Hey, you feel like making some music while we wait?" I asked, turning back toward her.

She furrowed her brow, thoroughly confused as to how we could make music in the middle of nowhere.

"We don't need instruments. You can make a rhythm using your hands." I demonstrated, beating a gentle rhythm on my jeans. She smiled and nodded.

"Alright. What kind of beat?"

"Well, let's start out slow. How about three beats and a pause, like this." I tapped slowly against my legs. It was a simple one-two-three and a long silence. After a few repetitions, she tried to match the tempo. "Good. See, you're a natural. Alright, so let's use that for everything except the chorus. Let's make another rhythm that's a little faster; maybe something like this." I tried a slightly more intricate beat with no pauses, moving my hands at different speeds.

She watched for a while before trying. She kept stumbling over which hand to use for which beat, but eventually got the hang of it. I smiled and chuckled. "Good! See. You could be a drummer."

She laughed a real laugh and I smiled wider. It was good to see a side of her that wasn't so shy and scared all the time. "Alright, so let's practice the beat first before we add words. Just follow me, when I speed up, you switch to the faster beat."

She nodded, still smiling and watched my hands. She stumbled when I switched the first time, rolling to her side and laughing as she apologized. I chuckled and shook my head, insisting that it was okay, and to try again. After the third run through, she seemed to notice the length between the shifts, and switched between them seamlessly.

We started the slower beat again, and I closed my eyes as I focused on lyrics. I pictured the map in my head, and thought about how much I missed Bella. "I find the map and draw a straight line over rivers, farms and state lines. The distance from A to where you'd be; it's only finger lengths that I see."

Bree gasped quietly, her hand skipping a beat as I sang. She was slightly taken aback that I could sing. I smiled and glanced at her quickly before continuing. "I touch the place where I'd find your face."

We continued the rhythm as I sang another verse. I added a few extra beats to the mix just before shifting into the chorus. "And miles from where you are, I, lay down on the cold ground and I, I pray that something picks me up, and, sets me down in your, warm arms."

'His voice is amazing. He really does miss her a lot. I wonder what it's like to love someone that much,' Bree thought as she shifted back into the slower beat.

I smiled warmly at her and nodded. She smiled back timidly before looking back down at my hands. I sang a few more lines as I closed my eyes and pictured Bella in my arms again – the taste of her skin on my lips, and the sound of her breathing against me. "Your soft skin is weeping. A joy you can't keep in."

Bree started the faster tempo again and I followed her lead this time. She surprised me by joining me on the chorus. She had a very young, gentle and quiet voice, but she pushed the last line up an octave, singing "warm arms" louder and letting it linger.

I turned toward her quickly, shocked that she could sing, but she just continued with the chorus again. We sang together, our voices harmonizing rather well, and smiling at each other. I held my hands up as the chorus came to its second end and she giggled as she stopped the rhythm a couple of beats later.

"You're pretty good," I said, chuckling softly.

"Thanks, I guess," she said quietly as she grinned. "Can we do that again?" she asked, and I laughed louder.

"Sure. We got a few hours to kill," I said, elbowing her gently.

We played the song over and over again, the beat getting more intricate with each repetition. After the third time through, she started singing the entire song with me, and by the eighth time, our timing was nearly perfect.

The afternoon passed quickly, and by the time the sun had set, we had the song perfected. I nudged her and pointed up at the sky. "Looks like were clear to continue."

She looked up and frowned slightly before nodding. She was worried she wouldn't get time with me again like this. She glanced at me, knowing I had heard her thoughts and apologized silently.

"Hey, it's okay. Just because we're going home, doesn't mean we won't hang out. You're a pretty good musician," I said, elbowing her again in an attempt to get her smile. He lips crept up slightly as she nodded. "Come on, I know they're dying to meet you. Let's hunt, and head out."

She nodded and got to her feet. I pocketed the map, grabbed the bag of t-shirts, and started running. She drained three more prey and changed shirts again before we got to the Canadian border. We had to go a little further east than I had planned to find an unguarded area, but it wasn't too far out of the way.

By midnight, we had reached the place I left my phone. I grabbed it, slipping it into my pocket and began running again. As my feet hit the ground in a familiar rhythm, the only thing on my mind was Bella.

Song question for the chapter: What was the very first Album you ever remember owning? Time to get a little embarrassing! You'll all laugh at mine.