Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine.

Demetri left Autumn and Eve to carry out such mundane human tasks as brushing teeth and bathing. He had other plans in mind. He still felt bad about reacting to badly to Autumn's innocent kiss, and had sworn to make it up to her. This should do the trick nicely.

The day was depressingly cloudy, but perfect for what he had in mind.

Tall, stunningly handsome, and well-dressed, he was surrounded by dealers the instant he stepped through the door of the glass-walled building. Smiling a little, he brushed most of them away. The bravest stood straight and spoke clearly to him, determined to make a sale.

"Welcome, Sir, and thank you for choosing Aston Martin, where you can get the best cars at the best prices! We model for endurance, for speed, and for overall comfort in your driving experience, and-" he rattled off, his brown eyes hard and his grin determined. Demetri laughed softly to himself. He rather liked this kid. He looked just out of college, and perhaps working his first real job. Well, he'd be sure to give him a hell of a sell.

"Look, ah..." Demetri checked the name tag quickly, "David. I think I have an idea of what I want. I'm no expert on cars, but I'm looking for something big, fast, strong, and expensive. I mean, really throw it out there. Give me the sale of your life." The young man stood perfectly still for a moment, disbelief seeping through his features. He swallowed slowly.

"Uh...well...if-if you're looking for quality...at good pricing..." he whispered, struggling to stay on the safe tracks of his pre-written lines. Demetri put his hands on the kid's shoulders and leaned closer, grinning. Hope and shock silenced the boy as he imagined the sale of his career.

"We...also offer the latest model...the...the 2009 Aston Martin...DBS," he stuttered, breaking to temptation. Demetri laughed and pulled away, smiling like the devil.

"Let's see it!"

It was sleek, it was pretty, and it sure as hell looked fast. Gleaming midnight blue and wicked and alone under the harsh light of the overhead lights, it was practically snarling while completely motionless. Demetri sighed in admiration and ran a hand along its sleek side. He turned back to the salesman.

"How much?" he asked eagerly, and the cool composer that all salesmen could call to their aid dropped from David for a split second. He cleared his throat, his voice cracking in disbelief.

"Three...three hundred thousand," he managed, his eyes popping. Demetri flipped open his checkbook and wrote up the number, tearing it out and stuffing it into the speechless man's hand. David sputtered and spoke again, trying to find some measure of sanity in the outrageousness that was Demetri.

"Don't...don't you want to take it out for a test drive? Or maybe work out a payment plan?" he asked, panicked, but Demetri smiled and opened the door.

"Nope. I'm paying in full, right now. If it runs like shit I'll buy something else somewhere else. No harm done," he said casually, while David seemed to be of the opinion that the loss of three hundred thousand dollars was certainly harm done. He was again rendered unable to speak. Odd, huffing sounds came from his throat as he tried to make sense of the situation.

He hung around the car for a little bit, after giving his information to David and letting him write up the sale, tracking and wandering a bit mindlessly about the car. His eyes caught the gleam of new paint and the graceful curves of the car, but his mind was plucking at the mental threads that he kept neat tabs on. Aro, Caius, Marcus, Felix, Jane, Alec...!

Alec and Jane were not in Volterra.

Demetri froze, a statue carved in the image of horror. Muscles taut, eyes wide, and lips parted slightly in shock, he tracked the twins frantically. They were somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, though closer to Europe than Canada. Demetri couldn't move for a moment, stiffened by surprise and, initially, fear. But as David raced back with the papers, he calmed himself. The twins were hours away, and it only meant that he would have to move a little faster than them, and stick in public places where Jane and Alec wouldn't risk the publicity of an attack.

"Y-your signature, please, Mr. Norman," gasped the salesman, his face flushed with excitement. Demetri signed the fake name smoothly, having done it enough times. David seemed ready to explode; the realization had finally hit.

"Your check has been approved, now, we only have this one and an ivory one in stock, mostly for show...no one really buys them, you see," he panted, and Demetri nodded curtly. He was running out of time. The salesman sensed the change in attitude and hurried to sew up the sale. "But if you'd like a different color, we can order it and you only have to wait two to three weeks for the job!"

Two to three weeks...Demetri shuddered. Then he smiled widely at David.

"No, thank you, I'll take this navy one here," he said, and David handed him a set of keys, almost as sleek and glossy as the car. David stepped back and opened the wide, clean white garage door, and Demetri started the car; it purred like a kitten. He rocketed off into the glare of the sun. Demetri cursed for a moment, then remembered the darkly tinted windows. If anyone saw anything, they'd think if the reflection of the sun on the midnight glass.

It drove like a dream. Completely silent and accelerating at impressive speeds, the luxury car satisfied Demetri's taste completely. He whipped through traffic effortlessly, his sharp mind calculating distances and width more accurately than a supercomputer. He was back at the hotel in minutes. But, as he pulled the butter-smooth car into the parking area, his mind buzzed a warning. Jane and Alec were closer every second that he wasted. Instead of taking the stairs or the elevator, Demetri went around back and scaled the wall with his powerful hands.

Stopping at the open window of his Royal Suite, he swung in, promptly terrifying the girls. With a gasp, Autumn dropped the shoes she'd been carrying, and Eve shot like a bullet from the couch, where she'd been watching TV, to hide behind her sister. Demetri detected the frantic beating of their hearts, but he had worse news. He needed to get them out of there.

"We need to leave. Now," he snarled, barely waiting for their response before he was in motion. Dashing from room to room, he packed their things with light speed. Within seconds, the bags were neatly filled and zipped. He carried all three with one arm. Autumn caught the drift and snagged her sister's hand, racing for the door. They ran down the stairs as fast as they could, but it wasn't fast enough. Demetri knew that they had to reach the Cullens before Jane and Alec reached them.

Catching Eve from her sister, he swung her onto his back with his free hand, landing her as gently as he could. Her breath gasped out anyways. Demetri tipped his head back and sniffed; no one was in the staircase, luckily.

"Hold on," he warned her, still timing Jane and Alec's arrival in the back of his mind. They were about four hours away, but they didn't have to use cars. Not that Demetri needed to, yet, but he knew that Autumn and Eve wouldn't last long if he ran the whole way; the wind would begin to strip their skin after about an hour, and if he smelled Autumn's blood...

He scooped Autumn into his arm and ran.

It took half a second to get down the stairs from the top floor. Eve held on well, pressing her face against Demetri's back and clenching her little arms in a stranglehold. Autumn, too, covered her eyes, and this time she kept her breathing even. Good, she was beginning to trust him a little, at least.

He placed them onto their feet and handed a luggage bag to Autumn before they strolled casually into the lobby. The receptionist glanced up and smiled, her eyes moving over Demetri's body in a familiar rhythm that he cared little for. He walked over and smiled only long enough to drop the keys into her waiting hand.

"Have a nice day! Come again!" she called as they strolled through the door. He heard Autumn snicker a little, her expression lighting up despite the dim circumstances.

"Desperate hussy," she giggled, but stopped when she caught sight of the expensive car that Demetri was throwing their things into the trunk of. Her gaze was admiration and accusation simultaneously. He waited until they were safely packed into the car before explaining. Eve was draped across the back seat, writing in her 'diary' again. Autumn sat cross-legged, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes out the window, sulking. Demetri sighed when he imagined how he had planned on telling her that it was for her. Well, that was ruined.

"Happy birthday," he muttered sullenly, and Autumn's head whipped back to face him. She seemed incredulous, indignant beyond words. She sputtered angrily, trying to find the appropriate way to phrase it in the presence of her little sister. She only managed a few mangled phrases.

"You...I...you...a stolen...for my...not even!!" she choked, her hands curved into claws. He sighed again and rolled his eyes. Really, was it so hard for her to believe how much money he had, and how little he needed?

"I didn't steal it," he grumbled irritably. "I bought it. It's for you."

Autumn was again stunned into silence, but for different reasons. She sat quietly, staring at the road ahead as it whipped by her. Demetri's throat itched a little. The gorge kept him from being too affected by her scent, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. He dreaded the thought of doing it again, though. It was terrible, taking so many for selfish reasons. He listened intently, but Autumn didn't reply. She fiddled with the radio for a few minutes, until finally giving up and turning it off. She twisted slowly in her seat and sat with her back to the door, facing him, with her legs crossed.

Even she understood the absurdity of wearing a seatbelt. If he was driving, an accident was the last thing she should worry about. He could probably navigate them safely down a cliff, if it was Autumn's life at risk. She sat comfortably, her head resting against the cushioned dark gray chair. She stared at him, her brows knit in mild confusion and her mouth puckered. Demetri stayed very still, not completely sure what she was doing. He kept his eyes trained on the road, refusing to look at her. But they both knew that his attention was nowhere near the black asphalt, no where near Alec and Jane.

She reached out one hand tentatively, leaning forward to touch his face. He felt her warm fingers dance along the bridge of his nose, smooth his forehead, and slide down his cheek to run along his jaw. She stroked his lips gently, dragging her hand down his neck and back up to caress his face again. Demetri couldn't breathe; he was terrified that any motion could upset her sudden boldness and scare her away. She was a lamb, petting the lion's mane.

Finally, her hand pressed lightly against his left cheek, and it was a relief to turn his face and drink in her eyes. She was confused, so confused...and something else. He felt a thrill at the unabashed wonder in her expression, something that she had never before exhibited to him. She pressed her fingers against the crease between his brows, his worry-lines. She stared and stared, trying to understand. Frustration edged into her list of expressions. She pulled her hand away, and he felt a deep disappointment in the loss of her touch. But, during the entire strange moment, he hadn't moved a muscle besides to turn his head for her. He hadn't blinked, he hadn't twitched, too afraid to startle her.

Autumn sat back against the chair again, but didn't tear her gaze from his. Though he wasn't looking at the road, he turned the wheel perfectly for a smooth curve. The car never swerved a centimeter.

"You've changed." It was a statement, not something to be challenged or discussed. It was as simple as that; he'd changed. Yes, Demetri knew that he had changed since he had first met Autumn, it simply couldn't be denied. She had changed him in so many ways.

Demetri now had something like respect for life. He regretted, however slightly, the killing of humans. His new life goal was to protect and defend the weak, not to empower the strong. He was weak, too; he had a new reliance on his human charges. He nodded at Autumn's declaration. It was obvious to anyone how he had changed.

But it wasn't complete. Demetri still drank human blood, and never swerved from his belief that it was right and natural. He was a killing machine, already planning the complete deaths of the twins who chased him. He was cold and didn't like his reliance on humans, a little disgusted at how he'd come to depend on them. And he knew he did. If Autumn died, he might as well throw himself to the rage of the Volturi, for nothing mattered more to him. She was perfect and beautiful, body and mind. The flavor of her mind was something he wouldn't be able to bear being without. If she ran from him, her flavor would always be in his head, whenever the mood may strike him to track her. But if she died...

Demetri was selfish. The right thing to do would be to send her away and to return to the Volturi. If they couldn't force him to track her, they probably wouldn't be able to find her. If they killed him, they'd lose their tracker anyways. Either way, Autumn was safer if he left them. But he was a selfish creature, and didn't like to think of that.

They drove in the silence for a little longer. The only noise was the scribbling of Eve's pencil. She was a quiet girl, but she so loved to write. She, unlike Autumn, didn't seem bothered by Demetri's strange stillness or his red eyes.

"Tell me about your family," murmured Demetri, sincerely wanting to know more about this intriguing female. He knew so little about her, but somehow he loved her desperately. He needed to know what she had done to make her mind so fragrant. Autumn didn' t answer, and Demetri turned a little towards her. She was smiling.

"Tell me about yours first," she said, grinning, but Demetri didn't smile back. Instead, he frowned deeply.

"I don't remember mine," he said softly, turning back to face the road. Autumn stopped smiling and looked down, embarrassed. When she looked up again, she had a sheepish look.

"Oh yeah...you told me that already," she said quietly, taking a few breaths. "My family...well, my mom died last year, just in time for me to be able to watch Eve by myself. If she'd died earlier...she'd have gone to my dad, in Florida." This was punctuated with a shudder, and Demetri could take a guess towards her dad's character. "My mom was...well...she pampered me and Eve. She cooked our food, she drove us to school, she worked a few jobs to buy us whatever we wanted, you get the picture. She struggled to make sure we had the life that she didn't. She was pretty sick most of the time, probably from working all the time. It was terrible, but I can't really say I was surprised when she died. She'd been sick for a long time."

Autumn went silent, and Demetri could see a few tears sparkling in his peripheral vision. But he didn't move, he didn't try to comfort her. He waited until she could continue.

"I was granted Guardianship over Eve. She was eight. I took an after-school job, and spent the money that my mom had been saving for my college tuition, to send her to school and to buy her food and clothes. My dad's monthly checks helped. I didn't care if I was throwing my life away for her. I guess I'm more like my mom than I thought. I just loved to see her happy, to see her able to have friends and wear pretty clothes and not worry about things like bills and food.

Maybe it's lucky you came along, maybe it isn't. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about bills or food or losing my job," she laughed, her voice shaky. Then she was serious again. "But I worked hard to send Eve to school and to give her a home. That's all gone now, too." Demetri didn't interrupt. This was where he came in, and he wanted to hear it. Autumn seemed ready to tell him, anyways. She took a deep breath and checked his expression warily; it hadn't changed.

"You...when I first saw you, I'd never been more scared. You looked like a monster, straight from my nightmares. All I could see was your frightening smile, your red eyes...yes, you were handsome," she admitted, though blowing it aside quickly with a wave of her hand. Demetri's ego bruised sharply. "But I felt no pull towards you, I wasn't hypnotized, as I can see that many people are by you. All I felt was the urge to run as far away as fast as possible. My fear held me still, even told me to listen to you when you called me. I'd have done anything to escape you, even to come to you.

It's been like that for so long...I haven't been able to look at you without shuddering, I can't bring myself to touch your deathly cold skin...but now, only recently, it's changing. I'm not so bothered when you're nearby, and I can almost see you like everyone else does."

Autumn tucked her feet up under herself, and curled her arms close to her chest. Her eyes closed, and she rested for a while as Demetri pondered over her words.

Well, he'd gotten what he wanted to hear. She was a good person, a protective sister, and a loving daughter. She was an all-over good person. And...there was something about her, something that puzzled him immensely. How had she been able to resist his charm, his looks, when by all standards, she should have been putty in his hands?

Her heart rate slowed, and she breathed a little more loudly. Asleep, again. Demetri snorted softly.

Eve followed soon after, leaving Demetri alone to deal with his thoughts. He tracked Jane and Alec, hissing when he saw how soon they would land. Only a few minutes, and they'd be after him.

His thoughts were interrupted with a blur of panic when the Cullens disappeared, but after only a few minutes, they returned. He tried not to think too much into it at first, but gasped a little when they started moving towards him.

Alice snarled and leapt to her feet, shock ripping across her features. Edward and Bella were at her side instantly; Jasper was already there, having been hovering over her all night. Renesmee and Jacob took longer, yawning and stretching together. But Alice had no time to spare.

"Bella, cover us!" she hissed, and Bella quickly threw her shield over the group. Renesmee and Jacob were on their feet at the warning, alert and searching for the danger. But, at the moment, there was nothing in the clearing.

"What is it, Alice?" snarled Edward, holding Bella close to him. Jasper was mirroring Edward, his arms around Alice protectively. Alice took a few breaths.

"Jane and Alec are on a plane to Canada. They're almost here," she whispered, and the whole circle was silent. They knew what it meant...but what should they do? Their quick minds leapt into action.

"We take cover and leave," insisted Jacob, his arms tight around Renesmee, "we can see what they're up to when we're all together. We don't want to risk the rest of the family getting hurt over this. Carlisle and Esme are left with no protection against Jane or Alec, don't forget." As if to enforce the disturbing thought, he pointed a big finger at Bella, their best defense.

"Edward and I stay and let Demetri find us. They might not be coming for a fight," said Jasper, thinking in military strategy. "Bella, Alice, Renesmee, and Jacob can go and protect the family."

"I am not leaving Edward," shouted Bella, her thick, dark hair wild in her anger. Jasper didn't back down, though.

"Protect the family," he snarled, his golden eyes fierce. "Take Alice so you all know what's going on. Renesmee is too fragile to fight, she doesn't have the the same vampiric defenses. Jacob can stay, if he wants."

"We all stay here," Bella growled, "if the Volturi are coming, they're not coming for Carlisle and the others. They're coming for us, the talented. And, if they are coming for the family, we high-tail it back there. Alice can keep watch for clues."

They all turned to face her, but Alice had once again attained the blank stare of a vision. They clustered around her, anxiously awaiting her return. When her eyes refocused, she didn't seem surprised by the sudden proximity. But she was confused by her vision.

"I see...Demetri. He's driving. It's a nice car, a DBS like you wanted, Edward," she added, smiling a little. But the confusion didn't leave her expression. "He's with two human girls. They're sleeping, and he's just...driving. Towards us, I think." The six stood silently, digesting this new piece of information.

"He's...driving? Not running? But that's so much slower!" said Renesmee, her brow furrowed. "Why would he drive?"

"If he's driving, it's clearly not to his own preference. But that would mean that either he doesn't care that Jane and Alec are following him, or that...he's driving to the preference of someone else," suggested Edward, thinking hard. He browsed through Alice's head, digging through the vision again. "He's driving pretty fast, though, for someone who isn't worried about pursuers. So that would mean..."

"He's driving to the preference of the humans. And apparently he's trying to reach us before Jane and Alec catch up."

They all stood together, thinking hard. Bella slowly pulled her shield back. Demetri was fleeing the Volturi...but why? And would they accept him?

"Let's go," murmured Alice, grabbing Renesmee's heavy bag. Edward and Bella nodded, but Jacob didn't understand.

"Where are we going?" he asked fiercely, his limbs trembling as he began to take on his much faster wolf form. The Cullens were already running, Renesmee only slightly slower.

"We're meeting him halfway."

Please R&R!

And comments, questions, or suggestions are welcome and encouraged! I want to know how I'm doing, and if I'm doing anything wrong. Reviews also inspire me to write more, so as many as possible would be fantastic!