All characters except for Annabelle Causley and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.

This is an AU out of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. This story starts after Eclipse, two weeks before Edward and Bella's wedding.

Chapter Thirty-One

Annabelle stood still, surrounded by ostentatiously beautiful automobiles, her eyes moving from one car to another. Walking slowly so she could admire every detail, she walked around a shiny red BMW, her fingers trailing over the metal.

"That one's Rosalie's," she looked over to see that Edward was no longer alone. He was flanked by Emmett and Jasper, all three standing in identical postures, arms crossed with legs slightly spread. Turning around, she approached a yellow Porsche, unable to keep herself from imagining the speed that little sports car could achieve.

"Alice's car…a gift from Edward," Jasper moved from where he was standing towards Annabelle, taking her elbow to lead her towards a shiny black and silver motorcycle, "And this is my Ducati…also a gift from Edward."

Annabelle shook her head as she looked around in admiration as Jasper pointed out Carlisle's black Mercedes, Edward's silver Volvo and black Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, lifting the tarp of a vehicle in the far corner of the large garage to show her Bella's after car, a red Ferrari.

She gasped in awe as Jasper led her to a sleek black car with tinted windows that practically matched the paint, "Whose car is that?"

"That's also Bella's," Emmett chuckled as he moved to join Annabelle and Jasper, "Her before car. It's a Mercedes Guardian…it has missile proof glass and is able to withstand bullets, explosions, keeps poisonous gas out…"

Annabelle turned to look at Edward, her eyebrows drawn low over her eyes, lips pursed as she tried to keep herself from laughing.

"You may think its funny, but I don't," Edward shifted from one foot to another, "Bella attracts danger and while she's human, I am doing everything possible to keep her alive."

"Oh, I understand," Annabelle turned towards the car, unable to stop herself from touching its smooth surface, "But missiles and poisonous gas? Is her bad luck that bad?"

"She's married to a vampire…what do you think?"

"Well, since you're that vampire, I think she's pretty damn lucky," Annabelle grinned at him before turning back to look at the Guardian, "How fast does this one go?"

"Zero to a hundred in sixty seconds flat," Emmett's voice had a similar tone of reverence as his eyes moved over the car. None of them had gotten the chance to drive the car and he would have loved nothing more than to get that vehicle out in the open road.

"Oh my," Annabelle couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to go that fast without her feet touching the ground, "I sure would love to feel that."

Edward shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, fingering the key, needing to find a way to tell her his surprise.

"So, tell me. Why did you bring me out here," Annabelle looked up at Edward, knowing he had something to tell.

"Well," Edward grinned at her, "I realized that your birthday is coming up…and I owe you like, hundreds of birthday gifts. So I thought I'd get you a car to make up for all the past birthdays I missed."

"My own car," Annabelle stared at Edward before turning to look at the Guardian. She hadn't wanted a car before she learned to drive but now that she got to experience the joy of being in control of an intricate piece of machinery, she couldn't help but feel excited about having her own car, "Do I get to pick it?"

"Yes," Edward turned to look at Jasper and Emmett, all three beaming with excitement, "There's a car show in Seattle tomorrow evening…we can all go and you can pick out your car."

"Is there a price limit," Annabelle smiled at Edward, knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"No," Edward shook his head, "You can pick the car that you want the most without having to worry about the price."

Annabelle couldn't help showing her excitement the way she used to as a child…she began jumping up and down, releasing a shout of joy, "I'm going to get the fastest one there…and the prettiest, of course. I can't wait!"

The boys laughed as they watched her display of excitement. Edward pulled a key out of his pocket, tossing it at Annabelle, watching as she caught it in a blink of an eye with a look of surprise, "You can take the Guardian out for a spin, if you want. I asked Bella and she said she wouldn't mind."

"What!" Jasper and Emmett gaped at Edward, both shocked at what he had just offered Annabelle without being asked…which they had been doing since he got the car for Bella.

"Really," Annabelle looked down at the key in her hand before moving around the car towards the driver's door in seconds, "Yes!"

Without hesitation, she placed the car into drive and pulled out of the garage with such smoothness that belied the fact she had learned to drive several days before.

The boys watched as she headed towards the road, turning right as she hit pavement. As one, Jasper and Emmett turned to look at Edward, sporting identical scowls.

"So not…fucking fair," Emmett growled loudly, his scowl turning murderous, "We've been literally begging to drive that car and you said no…and now you just handed her the key?"

"She knocked down a tree last time she was behind the wheel," Jasper snapped, "I can't believe you just let her drive a multi-million dollar car out of your sight!"

"You two said she was an expert driver by the time you finished with her," Edward shrugged, unperturbed by the display of anger from his brothers, "This is clearly a display of my trust on your teaching abilities."

"No," Emmett snapped as he stomped out of the garage towards the house, leaving behind deep imprints of his steps, "This is clearly a display of you being an ass!"

"I'm with Emmett," Jasper turned and stalked after Emmett, muttering about unfairness and disloyalty.

Edward shook his head as he realized he would have to find a way to make it up to his brothers…he could let them drive the Guardian but he didn't think that they would be placated with that…not after he gave the key to Annabelle first.

He slowly walked towards the house, wondering what he could do to make both of his brothers happy. He smiled as he realized that the solution was simple…instead of returning the Guardian as he had told Bella he would do, he'll keep it…and give copies of the key to both Emmett and Jasper so they could use it anytime they wanted.

That should shut them up.


Annabelle melted into the leather seat as she drove through Forks at a speed that reduced the scenery into a blur. She had no idea where she was going but one thing she knew…as long as there was a road to follow, she was going to keep going.

Within seconds (fifteen minutes if she had been going the speed limit) she had driven across Forks. Seeing a familiar silhouette in the middle of the road, Annabelle turned her wheel to the left, her foot on the brake, turning the car on a dime several feet away from Jacob Black in a maneuver both Emmett and Jasper would have been very impressed with.

Stepping out, she walked around the front of the car, her eyes locked onto Jacob's, breathing his scent deeply, disturbed at how much she had missed his scent…his touch…his kiss…his hands…

Jacob stepped towards her, his shoulder length hair moving in the evening breeze, the setting sun giving his russet colored skin a glow that tempted Annabelle to run her hands over it.

Looking up into his dark eyes, she held still as he lowered his head and captured her lips with his, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. She moaned as her body started to hum with anticipation, her hands reaching out to grip his upper arms.

Pulling back, Jacob ran his fingers into Annabelle's hair, watching as she closed her eyes in an obvious display of pleasure. Burying his face into her neck, he breathed in deep, wanting to stop thinking about his obligations and responsibilities. As much as he hated it, he was developing an addiction for Annabelle.

"I want to take you somewhere," Jacob whispered into her ear, his hot breath over her cold skin causing her to moan again, "Will you come with me?"

"Yes," Annabelle handed him the key to the Guardian, not at all thinking about whether Edward would be alright with having Jacob drive the expensive car.

Jacob moved around the car towards the driver's seat as Annabelle got into the passenger seat. Within seconds, Jacob had driven them back the way she had come and he continued driving.

The silence was oddly comfortable as they sped along the road, racing the setting sun.