Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.

ooooo

Chapter 5: Laurent- Ithaca

I'm usually more aware of my surroundings, I can't believe the police were able to sneak up on us. At a time when I should be at my most alert after I had just eaten, I was more concerned about Bella. It just threw me. She was right, of course, and I had all but exposed us to the humans. I didn't need the Volturi coming down on me. And because of the Volturi, Bella really didn't have a choice about being turned, it was an inevitability if she chose to avoid death.

She didn't know what she was asking for. She didn't know how hard it would be to resist the blood. I placated her and told her I would help her with her aversion to killing humans. I would try, but once she got the taste of human blood, it wouldn't be an issue anymore: problem solve. I would be an idiot to stand in the way of a newborn and blood.

I considered biting her in her sleep, but she still hadn't given me a final decision. Although, it would make finding Edward easier. I warred with my self as we ran towards Ithaca.

It's funny how I thought of it as 'us' running. If she were a vampire, we would be running.

I knew that Edward was against turning her, but she wanted him and he wasn't the only one that could change her, and for now, that's where my offer would stand unless she told me otherwise. Sleep soundly, Bella, I wont be biting you tonight.

About an hour after down she woke up.

"Good morning," she said groggily.

I was a rough night, she cried for her father in her sleep, she had said it wasn't fair and apologized to him. That was yet another thing she would give up if she became a vampire. It's funny how love could make you forsake everything.

I wasn't telling her to turn away from everything she knew, I just wanted her to know that I would give her the option if she wanted it and that Edward wasn't the only reason she should consider. I had told her that, right? Sometimes it's hard to express my thoughts in words. Did you ever fret over what to say, only to find that you'll never get the chance to say it? I would make sure she knew, but for now it just seemed like beating a dead horse. I didn't want to seem like I was pressuring her.

"So, where to next?" She asked.

"Ithaca, hopefully the entire coven, including you know who, will be there."

"Coven?" She half-asked in a questioning tone, "I guess I just never thought of them that way."

"It's not a bad thing. It is what it is."

After some time her stomach gurgled. I thought of the piece of toast that I threw from her hands as I ran through the night. That might have come in handy.

Don't judge me, it looked slimy.

"I threw your toast."

"That's okay, I think I still have another granola bar in my bag," she told me.

Then she giggled, "Want a bite?"

"Eh, I'll just have your leftovers," I joked, but sure enough, she left me a bite. I scowled at her.

"Please," she begged, "It'll be funny."

"Okay," and I took that last bit and brought it to my mouth and grinned down at her. I opened my mouth, but at the last minute I tossed it to the side.

"Cheater!" She said as we crosses the Pennsylvania state line.

This place had more cows than should be legal in any one geographical location. Farms, acres upon acres of grass to roam in. In a way, it reminded me of home.

I remembered when I was little. I had few memories that remained solid but the one that came to mind right now was when my mother showed me how to milk the cows. I had just got a few inches of milk in the bucket when there was a loud noise that spooked the cow and it kicked over the bucket, spilling the contents.

"Chomp, look what you did!" I yelled at the cow that I was allowed to name.

I later learned why you shouldn't name cows. They get slaughtered. That was another memory that ended similarly to this one.

I ran out behind the barn to where the hay was baled and slipped in between two piles and cried until my mother found me.

"Laurent, dear," my mother said softly as she bent down and held my chin in her hand, "sometimes life on the farm wont be easy, the cows will kick your milk bucket, they will kick you, you'll step in manure, but at the end of the day, you have to remember all of the good things that happened, too."

Although she had a hold of my chin, I didn't look at her. I wish I had because I can't remember her face anymore, just the sound of her voice.

"Tell me something good that happened today," she prompted as she tried to pull me out of funk.

"That old gray mama cat let me pet her kittens this morning," I said proudly.

"You're not going to, right?" Bella asked.

"Huh?"

"I've been talking to you for the last couple minutes and you didn't hear any of it?" she said sounding a little hurt.

"I got lost in a memory," I explained. "Now, tell me, what am I not going to do?"

"I was asking about when we got to Ithaca if you planned on leaving me with the Cullens."

"Well, if everyone is there, that wont be an issue. Just know that wherever you are, I'll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you're safe. I told you, it's like you're my little sister."

"And if they don't want me?"

"Not possible."

~o~x~o~x~o~

We stopped in a little town in Northern Pennsylvania to grab a late lunch. Well, Bella ate and I crinkled my nose at it. We took our lunch to picnic tables that we had passed so that I wouldn't have to pretend to eat. As far as I'm concerned, that was a task to be avoided at all cost.

"We only have about eighty miles until we get there, it wont be long now."

She climbed up onto my back and we took off.

As promised, it wasn't until I picked up the first trail. I followed it until we ended at a very large, eerily quiet house. There was no one here. It was the scenario that I had not planned for and that Bella feared most. I didn't know where to go next.

"Bella, there's no one here," I told her when it was not as immediately apparent to her as it was to me.

I felt her grip loosen on me, so I put her down and she crumbled. She sat with her knees to her chest and she was just... gone.

I picked her up and carried her over to a tree and sat down with her in my lap as she just cried. She looked so confused and so lost. I think she really though we would find him right away. I didn't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.

We sat for an hour and she cried, and of course, I was sad for her, too.

"They're gone, they don't want me. Alice would have seen me coming."

I didn't know what to tell her other than that we would find them. Sure, we were mainly looking for Edward, but I knew that finding the Cullens would be the key to finding Edward.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes, eyes that held no hope anymore. It reminded me of the day that I found her in the meadow.

I don't know what came over me but lifted her chin up and I kissed her. It started as a soft peck to perk her up, but she kissed me back. It was desperate and sad and she still cried and none of it was right. It wasn't right for me to comfort her in that way, but I did. We pulled away at the same time and without a word. She buried her face in chest and cried even harder.

"I just want him."

"I know." I hugged her tighter, she needed it.

We sat there for a long time. It started to thunder. Through the storm, I heard the sound of a cell phone ring. I thought it was at a neighbors house until I remembered how secluded the house was. The phone kept ringing.

"I hear a phone," I said as I got up, taking her with me.

I followed the noise to the end of the long driveway to the mailbox. I pulled the mail box open and pulled it out. Examining the screen, I saw that the call was from Alice. I didn't know who it was for, but I answered it anyways.

"Hello?" I said cautiously.

"Laurent, I need to speak with Bella." She spoke fast.

I looked down and Bella and told her Alice wanted to speak with her. Her eyes lit up, she looked hopeful again and I hoped that it wasn't for nothing.

I handed her the phone.

"Bella, I missed you so much! When we left, Edward told me not to look for you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to keep Laurent from taking you."

I scoffed at her statement, of course I could hear her talking on the other end of the line.

"-But I see you guys are getting along well, now. What did you say to him to get him to not kill you?" She talked too fast for Bella to have a chance to answer, "The family is in Forks, we were looking for you... I couldn't see you half the time! Sometimes I saw you coming to Ithaca and then sometimes I saw you dead and then there were even times that you were writhing in pain, bitten," she continued on and on.

"Bella, we saw your father, he's a wreck. He hasn't been to work since you were taken."

"Alice," Bella said, speaking for the first time "slow down, I wasn't taken."

"I... I just assumed. You went with Laurent on purpose?"

"We're looking for Edward, is he with you?" She sounded surprisingly composed now that she had a glimmer of hope.

"Bella," she was hesitant, "about a week ago I had a vision of you and Laurent kissing. Edward happened to see it as it came in and on top of all his hurting, he assumed that you just wanted him because he could give you immortality. He began to doubt everything. He left that day, I don't know where he went. He didn't decide, he just went!"

"Argh!" Bella screamed in frustration, "Why is he doing this? Shouldn't he know better?" She was starting to sound defeated again. She handed the phone back to me.

"I can't do this, he just doesn't want me." She sunk down again and curled up, leaning her head against my knees.

"Laurent, I'm sorry about the bad news. I can tell you that he left on foot and there must be a trail. Or you can bring Bella back to Forks-"

"Bella doesn't to go back to Forks," I said, cutting her off, "She wants to find Edward, or at least she did, she's losing hope. He crushed her, you know."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'm sure I'll know now that I'm watching. Just keep this phone on you just in case and we'll keep you informed. Oh, and there's a charger and money in the mail box. Please take it."

"Okay, we'll keep in touch." I hung up.

Scooping Bella up, I began to walk around the house looking for a week old trail. Finally I found one that started in the middle of the back of the house. I guessed he probably jumped right out of his window.

"Bella, we're going to just follow his trail until we find him. I can't lead anywhere but to him."

ooooo

A/N: The response to this story has really been unexpected! I forgot to mention last chapter how thankful I am for everyone that takes the time read, review, alert, and favorite my story, but I am. I'm making it a point to respond to each review, which is not a difficult task at the moment. I know how annoying it can be to sign on to a story so early on, but I'm glad you have and I can't wait for you to see what's next!