Black & Gold

by Katrina-H-Creates

Bella and Leah flee Forks the night before Bella's wedding after learning Edward had no intention of turning Bella into a vampire. To make ends meet the pair start working in a violent nightclub across the country. When Edward and Emmett ultimately track them down, they buy the bar and set out to deal with the murderous clientele.

Black & Gold

Chapter One: Time to Go

Bella Swan

I stood by my bedroom window and watched Edward disappear behind the tree lines by the side of my house. I remained frozen to the spot until I felt for certain that he was gone and that the time had finally come to escape. Less than an hour ago, Edward had proposed to me in the woods, only mere moments following his altercation with Jacob. While Edward had driven me home, I had used the time to my advantage and quietly constructed an elaborate plan to not only save the Cullen family from the Volturi but also show Edward that I was far from the naive girl he abandoned in the woods seven months earlier. If he actually believed that proposing to me would somehow make me forget about the horrors we faced in Italy and my past few months as a complete basket case, then he had another thing coming. He wanted everything to go back to the way it was before, as if nothing had happened, and sadly for him, this was not going to be the case at all. By the end of today, I would be gone from Forks, Washington, never to be found again.

I shut and locked the window, completely closing the curtains, and turned on the nearest table lamp to give the room a warm glow. I made my way over to my bed, crouching over the side of it to retrieve an old cell phone of my mom's that I brought with me when I moved back to Forks to live with Charlie. After I plugged it into the charger, I quickly searched around my room for my own cell, finding it in the top drawer of my nightstand under my copy of Romeo and Juliette. A deep sadness penetrated me mercilessly when I was unable to recall the last time I even cracked the spine of it. I took a pen from the same drawer before picking up the book and turning to the inside cover, where I wrote a message I was certain would be discovered that night when Edward realised I was gone for good.

You did this to yourself.

Pressing harshly upon the page as I wrote the truth, what was done could never be undone, and he had to live with that now just as I had. After returning the book to its place, I returned to the work at hand and quickly located Leah Clearwater's cell number, a number I had never used before but one that Jacob believed I should have for emergencies. With enough power in my mom's old cell, I patched her number in and prayed that she would answer the call. I had picked this phone especially as it was the same phone my mom used to contact Phil while they were dating; it was untraceable so the press didn't get wind of their relationship before they were ready to go public.

Now it was an important weapon in my arsenal; I couldn't meet Leah in person because if I did then Alice would know, my future would disappear as Leah was a werewolf, and if this happened then Edward would know something was up and come running. He might think I was going to see Jacob to apologise and that I might be in danger of him. This would no doubt result in him breaking the treaty and causing unnecessary chaos. I had to be smarter than him; I had to outthink him in order to escape him.

"Hello?" a rather unimpressed Leah answered.

"Leah, this is Bella Swan; please don't hang up."

"I'm not in the mood for any more sympathy calls, especially from you, vampire girl."

Leah was grieving for her father. She didn't have the nicest nature at the best of times, but right now she was vulnerable and understandably not interested in anything I had to say. I had to come at this from a completely different angle to keep her on the phone long enough to hear me out. When in doubt, honesty was always the best policy, so I dropped down onto the side of my bed and pressed my lips together hard before telling her.

"I'm a woman asking for another woman's help."

There was no denying the desperation in my voice. Leah's silence told me as much then.

Although she didn't speak, I could still hear her breathing, so I decided to take my chance and explain things further.

"I know we don't know each other and you don't like me, but I'm begging you not to hang up the phone." You don't have to say anything, just please stay on the line.

I squeezed my free hand together tight as Leah remained silent. I stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed as I waited for her to come out.

"I'm listening"

I was about to thank her, but instead I held myself together and focused on the task at hand.

"You could easily hear me out and then run and tell Jacob and whoever else you wanted about what I'm about to tell you, leaving me open and defenceless.""I'm fully aware of this, and yet I'm taking the chance." I inhaled deeply, closed my eyes, and cleared my mind: "I'm running away; I'll be gone by tomorrow; I'm leaving Edward, and I'm never coming back." I opened my eyes then and continued, "Before you say anything, this isn't the result of a bickering match or breakup; this is about me finally seeing him for who he is, not as a vampire but as the man I thought I loved." "I want to leave him, and you know the Cullen family well enough to know that I won't get out of Forks without help." I took a breath then before I explained, "Whether you know it or not, Alice Cullen can see the future. She can see my future, and so she can see where I am all the time. But it turns out that whenever I'm in the presence of a werewolf, she and her family have no idea where I am."

I took a seat on the end of my bed and stared at the wall before me.

"I'm guessing right now that all you're hearing is that I need your help as a blanket or shield of sorts, to protect me from all the mistakes of my past. I'm asking for your help to protect me from someone I was warned not to fall in love with, and that's exactly the case. If you don't help me, then I won't make it out of Forks tonight, and let me answer your next question before you ask it: "I'm not asking Jacob because... I huffed and ran my hand over the top of my head before dropping it hard down to my lap. "I know how he feels about me, and asking him to come with me would give him the wrong impression."

Leah remained silent, so I bravely continued on just a little longer, hoping there was some deeper meaning to it.

"I know you have your pack, that this town is all you've ever known, and asking you to leave it all behind is the most evil and selfish thing that I might ever do in my life." I paused and closed my eyes. "I'm not asking you as Bella Swan, I'm-"

Tears formed behind my eyes, and I found myself getting choked up as I attempted to explain myself.

"I'm just a woman asking for another woman's help to get herself out of a bad situation."

When I finally did open my eyes again, tears escaped and coursed down my face and neck. I stopped myself from pleading any further, which took a lot of will. Leah remained silent for nearly a minute, my hope dwindling with each second. I was about to start contemplating another plan when she finally broke her silence and put an end to my misery.

"What are you going to need?" She asked.

"Thank you," I mouthed before I cleared my throat and put my mind to work.

"I should have everything I need to get done here for about seven this evening. We'll need a car, but we'll need the plates removed, so if the Cullens review any CCTV footage, all they'll see is the car. That's not much to go on. Also, if you know of any back roads out of Forks, or any roads at all that you think will get us out of Forks faster, that would be great."

"Erm, yeah, ok, I can manage that."

I began to pace back and forth as the discussion continued.

"Leah, I know about the scents for wolves, so you'll have to come up with a way of disguising yours."

"I'd thought of that too. I'll take care of that; the boys won't be able to track me by the time I'm done. "I'll leave the house around five, get out of their earshot so they can't hear my thoughts, and I'll go into town and steal a car from behind the movie theatre car park, something that will blend in well around town as I make my way to your place."

"Leah, the second I get in that car, you'll need to drive like your life depends on it."

I heard Leah inhale deeply then, but she quickly agreed.

"Alright, I'll take a look at a few maps; I'll get us out as quickly as possible." "That's on me now."

I nodded in agreement as I passed the reins to her; if I were the one yelling directions at her as we escaped, it might affect her concentration. But even with her devotion to seeing the plan through, I needed to give us that extra edge.

"I'll convince Edward and the rest of the Cullens to go hunting tonight."

"How will that help?"

"Their house is five miles east of town; they'll take to the mountains and forest areas behind them, if not even further." "Those extra miles are gold to us; we use them to our advantage by escaping Forks from the other side of town at that precise moment."

"...That's pretty good, actually."

"Even if it buys us nothing more than a few minutes, then it's still worth it."

"What else?"

I liked the enthusiasm in her voice; it made me feel more at ease, but at the same time I was almost sweating, my heart was beating out of my chest, I was fuelled with adrenaline, and I was grateful for it; I was going to need all the energy I could muster in my efforts to vanish.

"Is there any way you can get a hold of any gas cans?" I asked her

"Maybe, but what for?"

"We shouldn't risk any unnecessary stops." "Stopping at any gas stations is a risk; not only does it slow us down, but there are cameras too, and all it takes is one."

"You're right. I'll see what I can do."

"Every minute matters."

"No, you're right." "I'll work something out; we won't stop; no unnecessary risks."

There was passion in her voice now; she wanted out of this town, which wasn't surprising given everything that had just happened. But some small part of me believed that Leah did want to help me too. We were going to need each other now and rely on each other to make it out.

"You'll need to ditch your phone," I explained.

"The battery is low already; I will leave it behind when I go so it will just appear like I forgot it; I'll put it into the back pocket of some pants I have in the laundry like an accident, and no one will be any the wiser." By the time they find it, it will have been destroyed in the wash."

"Good idea," I said.

"And you?"

"I'm going to keep mine on until the last minute; if anyone calls, I don't want to raise any suspicion."

There was a moment then when neither of us said anything, and I found myself taking a moment to look around my room, taking it all in one last time as it was.

"Are you sure about this?" Leah asked me then, almost as if she were standing in the room with me, witnessing my little moment.

"I'm only sure if you're sure," I told her.

"I've been thinking about taking a break for a while, and after everything, I can't think of a better time to leave." "Get the distance I need."

"Please don't back out on me," I blurted out of nowhere with zero context.

"I'm not going to back out." "Do I have to give you my word?"

"No," I replied softly.

"Are you really that nervous?"

"They have strong connections everywhere."

"We'll disappear"

"...ok"

Leah sighed into the phone, then said, "Look, go to a clock."

"Excuse me?"

"Just hurry," she moaned impatiently.

I walked over to my desk, looking down at the small silver alarm clock beside my closed laptop.

"Got one," I said.

"It's now exactly seven a.m.," Leah explained, "and you're on a countdown." "You have to see this through."

I began to nod to her instructions, almost as if she were my drill sergeant and I was her deputy. It amazed me how Leah knew what I needed in that moment—a harsh reality check as to our situation.

"You know you can do this." You've already set the wheels in motion. "Now you have to help me so I can help you." Leah continued, "We've got this." She assured me

"Seven"

"Radio silent until then, I guess."

We ended the call at that, and I brought the phone up to my chest like a teddy bear, holding it close before taking one last deep cleansing breath, releasing my fear and focusing on the task at hand.

First, I went into the phone's recent call list and deleted my logged last call to Leah's number. Before taking the flip phone between two hands and snapping it in half, taking out the sim from inside and break it too. The broken sim card was flushed down the toilet, followed by an immediate courtesy flush to be sure it was gone for good. I left the broken pieces of the phone in my room to be properly disposed of later. Next I collected my phone, texting Alice and telling her that I was home safe and going to go to sleep for a few hours. She texted me back right away, wishing me sweet dreams. I quickly returned the text and asked her if she would tell Edward that I wanted to have a bath tonight and a quiet night in with Charlie, but in reality, I just don't want Edward knowing that the reason I want a night in and to go to sleep right now is that I actually have period cramps, so maybe they could all go hunting tonight, including Edward, because they must have been hungry.

Alice again was quick to respond; she told me not to worry about Edward and that they would head out hunting probably after six tonight, so it was dark enough for them; as for me, I was to rest up with a heating pad and enjoy dinner with Charlie. I set the phone back down on the counter, my face blank, as if I hadn't just lied to a girl and was slowly considering my sister. I needed to block out all those thoughts and stay focused in order to spare her the agony of constantly worrying about what vision the Volturi would bestow upon her next.

Next, I went down into the kitchen, where I retrieved a box of latex gloves from beneath the sink. Any house with a cop had plenty of latex gloves to spare, and I was going to put them to good use today. Since I had already eliminated the threat of Alice's visions, it was time to fill concrete into all the other holes in my plan, starting with the primal side.

I made my way upstairs to the bathroom, gathering the bleach and all manner of disinfectant supplies from the cabinet under the sink. Then, sinking down to my knees in front of the tub, I poured an equal amount of both into the seemingly clean tub, and with the help of a Tampico brush and some hot water, I began to scrub every inch of the tub, putting in a generous amount of elbow grease to shift any of my scent that might be lingering within it, before finally scrubbing the corners of the tub, which included the faucets and the plug. I rinsed out the tub with a very generous amount of steamy hot water and was delighted with the result. The bathroom stunk of disinfectant, and I was thrilled. Now that I knew the tub was clean, I began to fill it with hot water, adding a half bottle of bleach and the remainder of the multi-surface spray bottle until I was practically choking on the smell of the fumes.

I entered my bedroom, gloved hands at the ready, and began gathering my underwear from the top drawer of my dresser, then all of my pyjamas, and finally my t-shirts and jumpers from the next drawer. Carrying all that I could, I took them all into the bathroom and dumped them all into the tub without thinking, returning quickly to my room and retrieving all my remaining clothes, including my leggings, jeans, jackets, and shoes. Taking them into the bathroom and placing them in the tub, I submerged them beneath the hot water with my gloved hands before deciding to add the other half of the bathroom bleach. I opened the window above the toilet; the more fresh air that came into the house, the better; anything that could help remove my odour was now beneficial.

I couldn't spend the entire day washing clothes; the washing machine would already have my scent on it, defeating the purpose of doing it in the first place; no, this was a wise plan; they would all take a long time to dry, and there might be some damage, but I wouldn't be wearing these clothes again anyway. After they were stinking of bleach and not me, I would take them outside to dry them off. The fresh air would work to my advantage, and since it was still early in the morning, they'd have all day to dry off properly.

My next step in the plan took me out of the house—across town, actually—and my next stop was the school. No one was at the school yet but the office staff, who were working amongst themselves and unaware of my presence. I had dumped half of my mom's old cell phone in a trash can outside someone's house on the way here, dumping the other half inside a dumpster at the firehouse before finally coming to the school. I had run the phone under cold water, ensuring it got into the charging port and damaged the inside beyond repair, before finally scrubbing the phone clean of my scent.

When I finally got to the school, I felt like my plan to escape was truly on the move now. Using a grocery bag, I emptied out the entire contents of my locker, not even leaving behind my old test flashcards; everything that was in that locker went right into the bag. Then, armed with new gloves, a bleach-soaked cloth, and lemon-scented multipurpose wipes, I went to work cleaning my locker and removing any lingering scent.

I wasn't stupid; I knew vampires could hunt on just the hint of someone's scent, so I couldn't even put into words the levels of elbow grease I was putting into scrubbing every inch and nook of that locker, as I planned to do with any place I believed would hold my scent. No, I would ensure that Edward and his family would not be able to track me down like a dog. I was going to prove to him and to myself that I was beyond measure now; I wasn't naive; I was focused, driven, and ambitious to succeed in my task and meet my set deadline. After the inside of my locker was scrubbed and shining, I closed the door and set to work cleaning the outside of it too; gosh, it was dirty.

After cleaning my locker, I went into the cafeteria and scrubbed the table we sat at every day for lunch, cleaning every inch of it, especially my usual chair. I snuck around the rest of the school, into each of my classrooms, cleaning my table and chairs as if it were a crime scene. I didn't care how dramatic it might have looked to me; it was necessary, and therefore it got done to my standards.

By the time I was done with my tasks, of course, it was after nine o'clock and school was starting; luckily, since I had parked in the back, I knew my truck was out of sight. I crept around the back of the science building, finding Edward's Volvo. Although they hadn't been home but a day, I knew Esme Cullen would work quickly to ensure the Cullen teens as they were would be right back at school in order to keep up appearances. No doubt it cost them a pretty penny to get them all re-enrolled so quickly, but money wasn't an issue for the Cullen family. I moved as quickly as possible, using my copy of Edward's car key, which he had returned to me, to unlock the car. Using an old can of soda from my locker, I coated the passenger seat with it before unwrapping an old candy wrapper and using the wrapper to wipe and coat the back and headrest.

When I got back to my truck, I drove off the school grounds completely and began searching for the nearest pay phone. When I found one, I wasted no time in contacting the only towing company in the Forks area, claiming to be an office administrator from the high school who had been tasked with calling them for assistance. I claimed that Edward's car had been parked on the school grounds for over a month, it wasn't the property of a facility member or student and now that it appeared this morning that a camera had been added to the dash board, they could no longer park there for the safety of the students.

Now the car would be picked up and taken somewhere; when Edward eventually got it back, he would merely assume that one of the employees had been inside the car and spilled the drink themselves. I was completely unaware that I had used these items to cover my own scent beautifully.

On the way home, half of my locker contents went into the dumpster of a pizza place, the other half in the alleyway beside the butcher shop, after each item had been smothered in cleaning solutions, of course. When I got back to the house, I emptied out the contents of my truck—a few old candy wrappers, my homework, empty soda cans, etc. The truck was another big ticket item, of course, and I cleaned both the interior and exterior until I was a sweaty mess for all my neighbours to see. When I got back inside, I changed my gloves for new ones and gathered all the cleaning supplies from beneath the kitchen sink before grabbing a hair net to keep my hair out of the way—and for good reason, because the hard work was just getting started.

I went around every room of the house, opening up every single window to help shift the scent from inside. I retrieved all my wet and bleach-scented clothes from the tub, taking each item outside to the laundry line and hanging up each piece by hand, over and over again, until my fingers were numb from the cold. Returning inside and right back upstairs, I once again scrubbed the bathtub until I practically lost all feeling in my arms. As strange as it sounded, I was glad; I wanted my body to be aching from head to toe by seven tonight, for it would mean that I had done literally everything in my power to get myself out of town, spare the Cullens from Aro, and of course give Edward a harsh lesson in reality.

I began in my bedroom, of course, first with the bedding, removing it completely: the duvet, the pillow cases, the fitted sheet, mattress protector, throw, and dust ruffle. Bringing them all down to the washer, making sure to clean out the machine, run a clean bleach rinse cycle, and empty the lint tray before loading the linens.

Continuing to outsmart them, I opted for a different fabric softener also. I had never used this particular pack; it was a cheap brand bulk pack I got on sale, and it just smelt like the most basic detergent you could find in the store. I put in double the necessary amount to ensure the results I wanted. I went upstairs as the machine got right to work, returning to work on my bed, first removing it from its spot in my room and completely off the wall so that I could vacuum beneath it and really work hard into the carpet below, then hovering the base before covering it in carpet cleaner powder, letting it rest as I went to work on vacuuming the mattress, before covering that too in carpet cleaner in an effort to cover my scent, and finally holding my breath.

Then, from the linen cupboard at the top of the stairs, I gathered new bedding, fresh out of the package so it wouldn't have even a whiff of my scent on it, replacing my pillows and blanket with new ones I had purchased and planned to use after I decorated my bedroom; it was supposed to be part of my getting over Edward movement, but now it was just another item in my escape from Forks.

I rushed downstairs after this armed with every single towel and washcloth from upstairs, and after emptying out the bed linens, they were next to go in, along with the dish towels from the kitchen, and again, anything that was washed went right outside to be air dried; anything that could help shift my scent was done. I went upstairs to my bedroom and scrubbed everything in there: every piece of furniture from top to bottom, every item in every single drawer was scrubbed with a bleach-soaked cloth, my windows were cleaned with bleach and white vinegar, my curtains and lace net were the next thing to be washed and hung outside to dry, I scrubbed the inside of my closet, I scrubbed every light bulb and light shade, I cleaned my bedroom door, I scrubbed the door handle and light sconce, following that was my laptop, which I moved all of my documents, pictures, and media files onto a terabyte device before cleaning my cookies and deleting my browser history before finally turning it off and removing the hard shell cover. Some odourless clear nail polish droplets down some narrow little areas you couldn't see without the aid of a flashlight took care of the rest, and after securing the back cover of the laptop I attempted to power it on to find it had successfully I kept the laptop where it was on the desk; nothing could appear anywhere out of the ordinary.

The rest of the house was scrubbed top to bottom, of course, and all my products in the bathroom were scrubbed and left in the sink to soak in steaming hot water for over an hour. I even replaced the blades on my razor. I took care of Charlie's bedroom, which was nothing out of the ordinary for me and would add to my evidence that I had left town rather than fled it.I never took off my latex gloves once or refused my hair net despite how itchy it was making my forehead; Edward would not catch me out. After I finished upstairs, I made my way downstairs, removing all the cushion covers from the sitting room to be laundered, before scrubbing, spraying, and vacuuming the sofa and armchair in the sitting room. My entire body ached, and I was becoming so tired that my eyes were starting to sting and burn, but when I looked at the clock and found it was already two o'clock in the afternoon, I went mad with energy. I scrubbed all the harder and faster; every surface was clean, and every room was freezing from the windows being opened all day.

After checking that all the laundry was finally dry, I dashed upstairs, and with a bottle of bleach and a new cloth, I scrubbed every coat hanger in my bedroom so I wasn't returning fresh clothes to hangers still containing my scent. I took my time with every single item, keeping it away from my body as much as possible as I folded and returned each item to my bedroom, hallway closet, kitchen, and sitting room. Despite the cold, I kept the windows open as I made my way down to the kitchen, knowing the house was finally clean from top to bottom—you wouldn't even find my finger prints on any door handle or window anymore. The house had never, and I mean never, been so clean. Charlie was on a weekend shift, so he wouldn't be back tonight, but I still wanted him to return home to some nice food. I put a chicken in the oven, and the smell made its way throughout the house as I worked on preparing Charlie some meals that I would freeze and leave cooking instructions for him. By the time I was done, I had frozen two chickens, a tray of lasagne, and some vegetable soup, wanting to make good use of the vegetables that would have spoiled otherwise.

I made up a few items for our escape; stopping at gas stations was a no go for us tonight, which meant not stopping for food as well as gas. I made and packed up some sandwiches, some ham, tuna, and chicken, some biscuits, some packets of chips, a packet of painkillers I would eventually need and no doubt Leah would also need, a large flask of black coffee and two cups, bottled water, two cartons of fresh orange juice, eight medium-sized cans of energy drinks, and another mask of the remaining vegetable soup with two plastic spoons. Leah and I were big girls; we would pee outside in the woods when the time called for it. I took all of these items upstairs and placed them in my already prepared hold all, then stripped down to my underwear and began packing everything else I needed completely naked, not wanting to transfer my scent any further.

I changed into a pair of new black leggings still containing their tags and a new soft grey hoodie that my mom had sent but that I never got around to wearing as it was an oversized style. I was sure to pack my passport; I wanted Charlie to truly believe that I had wanted to go travelling and not just escape Forks. I collected the money I had saved up since coming to Forks, which amounted to just under nine hundred dollars, which wasn't a lot, I know, but enough for now. Besides, there was no chance in hell I would take any of Charlie's money; this was my plan and my circumstances. I secured all of my luggage, which amounted to two full black holdalls, both of them sitting on top of plastic bags on my bed. I couldn't believe the steps I had taken to keep my tracks covered, and I was truly proud of all my efforts.

I left my cell phone on my nightstand, right next to my car keys; they paired well together, for it appeared that I had merely forgotten to lift my cell on my way out the door. My next step was writing my farewell letter to Charlie, which wasn't easy. I explained in depth that I was sorry for not telling him this in person, but I wanted to go and travel now that I was eighteen, be brave, and set out at the exact same age my mom had, wanting to experience a new life for myself. I told him I was sorry that this meant saying goodbye and dropping out of high school, but it was my life now and I was old enough.

I told him I wouldn't have been so brave if it weren't for the example he had shown me every single day. I explained that I would keep in touch with him and my mom and that neither of them should worry; I wasn't a naive little girl anymore, and I would keep my pepper spray on me and keep myself safe as I ventured on. I told him how much I loved him and how much I was going to miss him. I left the letter on his nightstand for him to find; he always placed his phone there after his shift before hanging up his gun belt on the hook behind his bedroom door.

I removed my hair net, setting a match to it over the bathroom sink and letting it burn inside before rinsing the evidence away forever. I swept my hair up into a cotton hat to keep my head warm on the drive. I took my clothes from today and, with gloved hands, carried them downstairs and put them in the washing machine, again overdosing the fabric softener and bleach along with the cleaning cloths too. My heart was going like a train. It was now quarter past seven. I raced upstairs and collected my holdalls, bringing them down to the foot of the stairs and into the spot I had arranged in my head. The prepared food and drinks were inside the smaller of the two bags; I didn't take anything more than what was necessary, and all my photographs were saved onto my storage device, which of course was packed safely, as was my money. I made my way upstairs at exactly seven minutes to seven, and at this time I turned off my cell phone, keeping the sim and the phone in tact so I wouldn't look like I had fled; I had merely left it behind by accident.

At five minutes to seven, I was standing by my front door, waiting, with my bags in hand and at the ready. I had removed the gloves and put them down the garbage disposal. Both hands are covered with my long sleeves now. I didn't look around and take one last look at my home; my heart couldn't take it, for it might just break me.

There were no words to describe how much my heart swelled and how quickly my stomach muscles relaxed at the sight of Leah pulling up outside my house, but my nerves quickly returned too. Tears pricked my eyes, but I cleared my throat and lifted my chin, using my free and covered hand to open the front door and close it behind me. I kept my eyes on Leah, who was looking right back at me with both hands on the wheel at the ready as I quickly made my way down the footpath, leaving behind the only life I had ever known. Leah had gotten a station waggon for our getaway car; it would blend in with other cars easily around these parts. She opened the passenger seat for me, and I quickly got inside, hoisting the door shut as Leah hit the gas. I didn't even look at her; I tucked both my holdalls into the back seat, making a quick note of Leah's bags and the gas cans already back there. I didn't even look in the rearview mirror; I was already stuck in panic, Leah was hitting the gas hard, which I was truly grateful for, and I was glad neither of us were talking. I merely put on my seatbelt and kept my eyes fixed on the road.

The next few minutes were what it was all about. I was sweating through my clothes in fear, thinking that just any second from now Edward or any one of the Cullen family would jump out in front of us or land on the roof of the car. I caught a glimpse of Leah out of the corner of my eye; both hands were gripped on the steering wheel, and she, too, had chosen warm clothes that smelled clean and were possibly new given the condition they were in. She had clearly made the same level of effort I had; she wasn't naive either; she was smart, and by the look in her eye right now, she was just as focused and fearful about the next few minutes. The further we got out of town, the more nervous I became, which was odd; you'd think I would relax the further we got to the town line, but I didn't. Neither one of us said a word; nothing was being done that might distract us from the task of keeping an eye on the traffic and anything out of the ordinary.

We hadn't said anything for over twenty minutes. Finally, the sign was in our sights, the sign wishing us farewell from Forks and wishing for our return soon. As we drove past it, Leah and I finally exchanged a brief look before we both returned to our work. Over an hour later and a few dirt roads that kept us off the highways and away from cameras, I was finally starting to relax. I didn't even blink when Leah pulled over to the side of the road. What Leah did, I did. I was going to follow her actions like a loyal dog. I had done my part of the plan, and now it was time for me to put my faith and my life in her hands. I trusted Leah; she had arrived at my house at the exact time we had agreed, which brought a tear to my eye, as it did for many women. There was no greater joy on this planet than when another woman shows up for you right on time.

Leah got out and opened her passenger door, just like I did; she slung her bags up and crossed them over her shoulder and chest; I did the same, feeling the weight of them on both my shoulder and hip; she picked up a large gas can, just like I did.

"Wipe the handles," Leah instructed without looking my way.

I covered my hand and used the sleeve of my hoody to scrub both handles hard. Leah and I walked side by side for almost a mile through woodlands, hearing the distant sound of aeroplanes taking off in the distance. We finally came across a large car park and cut through a broken part of the fence. We were close enough to the airport to hear the planes, so it had to be the long-term parking lot for vacationers. Leah and I kept our voices low, and I stood back and watched Leah hot wire not one but two cars.

"You take that one, I'll take this one. Stay close to me, but leave at least two cars between us until we get off the freeway," she instructed me next.

We went through an open exit with no security in sight; my stomach was in my pants driving in a stolen car, especially when we hit the motorway and there were more cars. I followed Leah's directions to the letter, staying within the speed limit and keeping at least two cars between us at all times. Twenty minutes later, we pulled off the motorway and I followed

Leah into the city; the older the buildings became, as did the number of street lights. Leah pulled into an alleyway by a takeaway and got out of her car as I did mine; she made her way to me as I got out of the car; we got my luggage and added it to the backseat of her car with the gas cans; we wiped down the handles on the car I had taken; and then Leah instructed me as to our next move as we got into her car and she began to drive. I left the car I had driven with the windows rolled down and the engine still running.

"If we had taken one car at the airport, they would have tracked us easily. We took two, which means they need to track down two stolen cars as opposed to just one. That car back there will be stolen in ten minutes in this neighbourhood, stripped and melted down by morning. When we eventually run out of gas, we'll ditch this one too."

I was thrilled by how organised she was about this whole thing; she had clearly put in a lot of thought, which I was so grateful for. She was there for me, and I was going to be there for her too. When we got onto the highway, I reached into the backseat and unzipped my bag, retrieving my heavy cotton dressing gown and draping it over both of our laps before turning on the car heat on low to provide us with some minor comfort at a time when it was desperately needed. Leah looked at me from the corner of her eye; she didn't seem the type to show emotion, but I knew in that moment we connected, two vulnerable and terrified women together, with no one to rely on but each other.

"I packed us some food; there's even some vegetable soup."

With that, Leah looked my way, and I half smiled before telling her softly.

"It's warm"

Leah nodded in response and focused her attention back on the road. I was focusing on the road too when, out of nowhere, Leah broke her silence.

"Everything will be fine."

A tear out of nowhere escaped my eye then, and I wiped it away just as quickly as it had fallen.

"Could you do me a favor?" Can you just hold my hand for a minute?" I asked her

I was suddenly aware that I was no longer with my parents and that I was now completely alone without Leah. She didn't look my way, but a very reluctant Leah took my hand in hers, and I delighted in the warmth of her skin as I was chilled to the bone with anxiety.

"I know I must seem like a scared little-"

"There's no question of that." "You're terrified," Leah announced.

I choked back some tears at that.

"Can you please just say it again?" I begged.

"We're going to be okay," she repeated, giving my hand the tiniest of reassuring squeezes.

After a few minutes, the heat coming through the vents had helped dry my face and eyes, and

I was starting to feel warm. Leah had taken her hand away when I had settled, and the dressing gown remained over both our laps like a welcome blanket of sorts.

"What do you want?" "Where do you want to go?" Leah asked me then.

"How about you tell me?" "I just want somewhere different, somewhere away from everything else."

I looked her way then and watched as she searched her mind for places that might just suit us in this venture. We were on a long stretch of road with only tree lines on either side of us. Something deep inside told me in that moment that we had truly done it, we had gotten away, and it was going to work out for us.

"We're going to go to Montana, get a ranch out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but mountains, no neighbours, and nothing but vast empty fields for as far as the eye can see,"

Leah announced, her voice soft as she described our future, almost as if Montana were but a magical place found in the pages of a fairytale.

My eyes filled with tears as I listened to her. Leah finally looked my way, and she half smiled, seeing the joy in my eyes despite the tears.

"Thank you," I said then, as I wiped my eyes.

Leah looked at the road then back at me. "How about we tuck into that soup now?" she asked.

She was being nurturing to me in my obvious distress, which I deeply appreciated. Leah turned up the heat in the car to help calm me down even more as I prepared our flask cups of soup; we didn't stop driving, of course; we simply sipped the soup because we couldn't stop even for a second. But we appreciated the flavours regardless, especially now that it was getting darker and there were fewer cars.

We ditched the car we had in a twenty-four-hour Walmart and stole another station wagon; once inside, we both got everything back to the way we had it before, with the dressing gown pulled over our laps to help keep us warm; this time, however, we put on warmer clothes, and I let Leah borrow one of my hats too. We took turns driving, although neither of us slept for the entire journey. Both of us ate and drank enough. We only stopped to pee twice, and only when we were both at our limits, taking no more than a minute to get out and return to the car again. Soon enough, the lights of the city were but a memory, and there was nothing surrounding us but mountains. The vehicles passing us now were trucks carrying large, striped tree trunks, tractors, and horse boxes. The radio broadcasts changed quickly too; there was no longer the type of music it appeared neither of us could stand to hear but rather soft instrumental music; broadcasts spoke of community classes, town events, and which roads had cattle crossing them at that moment in time. The beauty of our new Montana surroundings brought tears to my eyes; there were just no words to describe how alive everything was, even with snow here and there. There was so much life and so much sky.

The front seat was clean; we discarded any trash and kept everything nice for each other. Our laps were covered in our heaviest jumpers. We had made this car our little home away from home. I let the window down slightly and breathed in deeply. We had done it; we had made it out of Forks.

Now we could begin again.

Emmett Cullen

I pulled my trousers up from around my ankles before helping Rosalie to her feet after a morning delight after my shower. My beautiful girl truly was one in a million, so why did my mind keep wondering back to a certain werewolf girl? I didn't know much about Leah Clearwater, other than her name and her ability to get in the face of a vampire and live to tell the tale. But she was becoming a regular in my fantasies, and a part of me wanted to explore the meaning behind it. I wasn't sure if she'd be attending the wedding, but if she did, I already planned to ask her to dance.