Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.
Revised
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The sleep following her brief phone conversation with Marek seemed short-lived to Aubrey. She awoke as Bella was getting off of the bed, walking into the other room. Aubrey slipped a foot out of bed as well, but merely sat up rather than following her. She let out her breath in a sigh and stared at the floor.
Marek was confusing her. He kissed and embraced and flirted like any normal person, immortal or not, would do if they had an interest in a significant other at a level higher than friendship. But every time he got even remotely close to crossing that boundary between friends and together, he would deny himself and step back to a casual relationship.
Did he even really love her that way? Or was it what she wanted to think? Aubrey reviewed their interactions briefly in her mind. No, he had definitely been leading her on. What else would explain his attitude around the Cullens or the trackers? But then why wouldn't he make the leap to a higher relationship? Was he nervous to? Hadn't she shown that she wanted to?
Aubrey mused on this. Had she shown him that she felt strongly about him? Did she come off as uninterested? She paused. Did she even love him? She quickly explored her feelings. How were you supposed to tell if you loved someone? It was such a strange question to suddenly have to ask herself. Did she love Marek the same way that Edward loved Bella, or Alice loved Jasper, Carlisle and Esme, Emmett and Rosalie; it was so obvious how deeply they loved each other. Why wasn't it so with them? She couldn't imagine Marek showing his affection for her any other way without it seeming horribly out of character. She tried to imagine him in a life or death situation and simulate how she would hypothetically feel. It was no use. Aubrey eventually gave up in defeat and retreated into the other room where Alice had been speaking. Bella looked worried, and Aubrey almost immediately caught on to the high-strung tentsion coursing through the room.
"What's going on?" she asked. Nobody seemed to hear her.
"I can't win, Alice. You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I lover...Alice, I can't--"
"We'll catch him, Bella."
"And what if you get hurt, Alice? Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?" asked Bella. Her eyelids suddenly began to droop. She resisted, turning her eyes to Jasper, walking away from him. "I don't want to go back to sleep!" she snapped, marching back into the bedroom and slamming the door.
"What's happened?" repeated Aubrey.
"James is targeting Bella's mother," said Alice. "The others are on their way to the airport and they're going to meet us tomorrow to take Bella somewhere else. I think we're going to split you two up."
"You mean...you're giving up the hunt?" asked Aubrey, confused.
"We're going to regroup first, and then we'll decide what we want to do, but it is possible that we'll spllit into two groups and attract the trackers in two different directions."
"What will happen if we do that? Can you see?" asked Aubrey.
"I can't see for sure," said Alice, frowning. "I can see where James is headed though, and that's a start."
"Have you seen anything of Roger?" asked Aubrey. Alice shook her head, frowning.
"Strange that I haven't seen any of his decisions yet..." she said.
"It is strange..." said Jasper slowly. Aubrey felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as realization swept over her. Marek was still blocking Roger from Alice and Edward. She watched Jasper and Alice avidly for any sign they had also been enlightened. Their eyes were connected and their lips were pressed thin with concern. They did know.
Jasper moved towards the phone, but Alice shook her head.
"It won't do any good," she said. "There's no way he'll back down."
"Does he know how much danger he's putting her in?" said Jasper darkly. Alice nodded.
"He knows full well, but he has his reasons," she said. "He won't give up the block." Jasper frowned and looked away, glaring at the phone. Aubrey did not want to be present in this tension any longer.
"Well, if you would help, I'd like to sleep now. It's better than being worried to death in horrible consciousness. I can't imagine how it is for you both," she said. Jasper obligingly reached over and touched her shoulder, and an immediate and strange calm set over her, compelling her eyelids to close and her mind to blank with sleep. She felt herself slump to the floor before falling completely unconscious.
The sound of the phone ringing woke her up several hours later. The pale light of oncoming dawn was seeping under the curtains, and the television was off. Aubrey sat up, looking around. Jasper was no where to be seen, and Alice was handing the small silver phone to Bella, mouthing something. Aubrey rubbed her eyes sleepily, yawning. Alice walked over to her, sitting beside her on the couch.
"What's going on?" she asked mid-yawn.
"Edward and Carlisle are on their way. Their plane is taking off now and will be here at nine-forty-five," said Alice. "Jasper's checking us out of the hotel. We're going to relocate nearer to Bella's mother."
"What about Marek and Emmett?" asked Aubrey. "Any news from them?"
"Last we heard they'd picked up the trail again and were following him to the coast," said Alice. "It's been about three hours since they called."
"My mom was worried, she wanted to come home. But it's okay, I convinced her to stay away," said Bella, reentering the room.
"We'll make sure she's fine, Bella, don't worry."
"Alice," started Bella, sitting down. "If I write a letter for my mother, would you give it to her? Leave it at the house, I mean."
"Sure, Bella," said Alice hesitantly. Bella took the hotel stationery and a pen and walked back into the bedroom, closing the door once more.
"Do you think she's alright?" asked Aubrey, looking at Alice. Alice opened her mouth to answer, but instead a glazed look crossed her face and her hands shot out, gripping the table. Aubrey stood up in shock, staring at her in fright. "Alice?...Alice are you alright?"
The bedroom door opened to reveal Bella, her expression changing from sadness to shock.
"Alice?" she said. When there wasn't an answer she rushed to Alice's side, moving her hand to touch Alice's.
"Alice!" came a cry, and suddenly Jasper was beside her, his hands on hers, prying them from the table. Aubrey looked at the front door just as it closed.
"What is it?" Jasper was demanding.
"Bella," said Alice, putting her face in Jasper's chest.
"I'm right here," said Bella awkwardly. There was a pause. "What did you see?" she asked.
Jasper's eyes were flicking from Alice to Bella, confused and sharp. Then, from the other side of the room, Aubrey felt a sudden calm fall upon herself, the panic disappearing.
"Nothing, really," said Alice eventually. "Just the same room as before." Her eyes turned to Bella. "Did you want breakfast?"
"No, I'll eat at the airport," said Bella calmly, walking into the bathroom to take a shower. Aubrey looked at Jasper and Alice.
"I'm going to go...get my stuff together..." she said, walking into the bedroom and closing the door. As slowly as she could, she began picking up her clothes and shoving them into the bag she'd brought with her from Jack's house. The little silver cell phone suddenly rang as she moved to put it on the bed out of the way, and she answered quickly. Neither vampire entered to see who it was.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Aubrey, it's Emmett." Aubrey's heart sank a little.
"What's up?"
"We lost him. We haven't been able to call...well I haven't been able to call, because Marek has been running like a madman through the states without stopping ONCE." It seemed he was aiming the statement at someone else nearby. Aubrey heard a voice in the background.
"Well if you weren't so slow we could stop once in a while, but NO!" It was obviously Marek. Emmett sounded exasperated when he spoke again.
"We're near Salt Lake City and we're catching a plane to Phoenix now. We'll be there in an hour and a half. Ah, I've got to go. Marek's barreling his way through security. Attracting a hell of a lot of attention. Bye."
"Bye..." said Aubrey, hanging up awkwardly. She finished packing her bag and returned into the other room, handing the phone to Alice. "Emmett called. He and Marek are coming too. They lost their prey."
"Thanks, Aubrey," said Alice. Bella walked out of the shower and Aubrey took her place, taking her time in the soothing warm water, thinking things over.
A while later they were all piled into the big black car, driving along at a reasonable speed of 115 mph. Reasonable by vampire standards of course.
"Alice?" asked Bella after a while.
"Yes?"
"How does it work? The things that you see? Edward said it wasn't definite...that things change?" Aubrey felt another peaceful wave fill the car and cursed Jasper's talent. It was making her nervous in her mind since she couldn't feel a single real thing while he was around.
"Yes, things change," answered Alice. "Some things are more certain than others...like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course they're on while they're on it. Once they change their minds, make a new decision, no matter how small, the whole future shifts."
"So you couldn't see James in Phoenix until he decided to come here?"
"Yes."
The rest of the drive proceeded in silence, Aubrey's mind drifting over random subjects such as a man on the side of the road or where her tracker was now. The calm feeling was maintained all the way up until they arrived at the Phoenix Airport, parking on the fourth floor of the parking garage and heading out, following Bella inside.
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