Author's Notes (December 12, 2011): Sorry for the wait on this one, guys! Life has been busy on most all sides. I've been trying to write ahead a bit so there will be no major delays between these final updates, though, so fingers crossed! You can thank the usual culprits, Aleeab4u, duskwatcher2153, GreatChemistry and smexy4smarties, for keeping me in line and holding my hands a lot lately.

Chapter pic: No time for it! :(

Chapter music: bit(dot)ly/sotpm30-music

"SINS OF THE PIANO MAN"
CHAPTER 30: NOW WE RUN

You can run for a long time,
Run on for a long time.
Sooner or later, God'll cut you down.

"God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash

EDWARD MASEN
Cell phone clutched in my left hand, I sat in the rocking chair in Bella's room, watching the bed sheets move up and down with her steady breathing. Lucky lay at my feet; he'd wandered upstairs, as if sensing we all needed to be together. The mood in the house had been bleak ever since discovering the news of Angela and Ben.

Lucky and Bella's heartbeats, their breathing, the occasional growl of their stomachs, these were the only sounds in the room. In the distance, I listened to dreaming thoughts: of people running through dark mazes, of teens finding themselves nude in a classroom, of fear and love and lust. All was silent, otherwise, to both my ears and my mind. All was silent—right down to the phone in my hand.

The Cullens hadn't checked in, nor had they replied to my plea for their speedy return. Had Maria caught wind of their work and attacked them? Had they gone to save Jasper from his foolishness? Were the Volturi here? Their punishment was rumored to be swift and permanent… I pushed those dark thoughts to the side.

Perhaps I was over-thinking everything. Perhaps danger wasn't lurking.

But one doesn't live for a century without developing some level of foresight, or at least highly evolved intuition. Angela and Ben's deaths, the Cullens' sudden silence: I didn't believe these to be coincidences. The only problem was that I didn't know how to react to them—or when danger might arrive or what form it might take. Were there vampires waiting to ambush us if I tried to remove Bella from Washington now? Dare I even try at this point? Why would anyone care? I wasn't important—a loner, a musician.

The problem was Maria wanted me, for whatever reason, and in my experience what Maria wanted she often got—or was willing to go to great lengths to have, at least. It was her way of passing through eternity. I'd managed to avoid her for a time, but Jasper's relationship with her was proof that once she'd set her sight on someone, that was it. It was an eternal relationship, whether one wanted it or not.

So I sat, still as a rooted oak, waiting and listening and trying to make a decision. If my intuition was correct, Maria—or, worse, perhaps the Volturi—would try to flush us out at some point. Or surprise us. One or the other. I felt it coming. Fight or run? Now or later?

When Bella woke, we'd leave, I decided finally. I wouldn't take no for an answer. We'd tried it Bella's way, but Maria would come now—might already be on her way or nearby. It was time to leave. I resisted the urge to whisk Bella away immediately. I couldn't bring myself to disturb her sleep. She'd had so little of it lately, and her nightly murmurs bespoke of nightmares.

Sighing, I stared at my phone, willing it to vibrate with an incoming call. Where are they? They were supposed to be here. I wasn't supposed to be alone anymore.

Of course, I wasn't alone, I thought, glancing at Bella and Lucky. Being alone would have been far easier. No, there were other lives to consider, lives far more important to me than my own existence.

I counted minutes and hours. I counted heartbeats and breaths. I listened to a doe walk in the woods, to an owl screech in the night. I sifted through more dreams. The clock on Bella's bedside table showed it was nearly six in the morning. Her temperature was rising, heating the room slightly; she'd wake soon. I wondered if she would dislike how I'd reorganized her backpack. Either way, we were leaving, even if I had to drag her to SeaTac and buckle her into a seat myself.

Unfortunately, none of this was to be.

It was a quarter past six when I first heard them, the subtle thought patterns I'd been carefully listening for and yet desperately hoping I wouldn't encounter. I stood, fear rippling through my body. Too late. It was too late.

There was a male, determined. Should be there in five minutes. Now if I can just keep the kids in line… He was excited, too. This was the most interesting "game" he'd played in centuries.

A female was with him, her thoughts the disjointed and rapidly cycling tangle of a newborn's brain. So thirsty. Why won't he let us stop? I need more blood. It tastes so good… I'm so thirsty.

Two other ravenous thought patterns joined hers, and I knew then that there were too many to stand against. I had no chance of winning a fight, not against a potentially skilled vampire and three newborns who might be loosely following his command—and certainly not with Bella in harm's way.

I took a moment to cling to the thread of thought belonging to the vampire I assumed was at the lead. If nothing else, I would try to be a step ahead of him.

It was time to go, and it'd have to be on foot. I did my best to ignore my fear and dread as both escalated. I forced myself to become an automaton as I rushed to Bella's bedside and lifted her into my arms.

"What…"

"Shh," I hushed. "It's time to go now."

At my words, Bella's eyes shot open in alarm; her eyelids were still swollen from crying hours earlier. She adjusted quickly, bringing her arms up around my neck. She looked at me, a question in her eyes that I suspect she already knew the answer to. For once, I knew we were on the same page, that she knew this wasn't any typical wakeup. I nodded. Yes, they're here, I was saying with my eyes. No, I won't let them have us.

Her heart beat roughly against her chest, through to my own, but she nodded again, her eyes trusting. I considered how her trust was both humbling and burdensome as I walked swiftly and quietly down the stairs.

Sensing anxiety, Lucky rose from his place on the floor and let out a high-pitched whine; he scrambled to follow us. I paused in the kitchen, my hand on the knob to the back door. What was I to do with him? Bella had to take priority. I had to get her out of the house. My mind was in overdrive, juggling a thousand different scenarios, while also listening to the coming newborns.

Lucky would need to have access to the outside. If we couldn't return soon, he'd… Well, I had to be realistic. He would have to find a new owner. I couldn't have him follow us outside now, though, not when doing so might put him in the newborns' warpath.

My throat hurt and my eyes burned as I turned to him and said roughly, "Stay."

He cocked his head to one side and whined.

"Stay," I repeated and began to walk outside with Bella, who was watching Lucky, her face screwed up in sadness.

Lucky made to follow us again. There was only one way to make him understand. I leaned toward him, over him, and let out a low, reverberating growl. Both his and Bella's hearts picked up at the sound, but he moved away, just the same, his ears and tail drooping as he walked backwards. Eventually, he'd venture outside, but not for a while—not until long after Bella and I, and the newborns, had all moved away from the area.

I kissed Bella's hair and whispered into her ear, "Close your eyes and hold on tight."

With that, I ran, shooting straight into the depths of the woods that lay behind Charlie's house. Bella gasped at the sensation of frigid, January air beating against her skin, and I realized that in my rush, I hadn't thought to wrap her in a blanket; she only wore sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. At least she had on socks. Christ, why didn't she say anything? I'd give her my shirt as soon as I could, but I couldn't stop at the moment, no matter how much the sound of her chattering teeth made me want to do so. I had to make sure I had a strong lead.

Behind me, the vampires reached the house. From a mile away, I listened to their conversation, cataloguing their physical attributes as I shifted from one thought pattern to another.

"Only a fucking dog's inside," one of the newborns grumbled as he recognized the sound of Lucky's heart beat.

"Where are they, James?" whimpered a short, dark-skinned newborn. "You said the girl was mine. I want her. I smell her here. She smells so good." She pulled in a deep breath, her nostrils flaring.

"The girl's mine!" the other newborn snapped.

Through their thoughts, I saw their leader, the one the female had called James. He had dirty blond hair that was long and stringy, matted as it was with dirt and blood. "I never said she was either of yours, and you know it. And who the fuck tipped him off?" he asked, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the house. They didn't bother entering. A dog was of no use to them. Thankfully, Lucky wasn't coming out of the back door I'd left open.

James sniffed the air, his attention homing in on the path I'd taken. "That way," he told his entourage, pointing, "but don't get ahead of me." This was his game, after all. He wanted to win.

Win? I wondered, my shoes pounding the damp earth as I ran. Win what? How did this lead back to Maria? I was sure it did. He must be working for her.

I pushed my legs harder, weaving between trees. If there was any other skill I possessed as a vampire, it was speed, but carrying Bella slowed me down. I couldn't plow through thorny thickets with her fragile body. I was forced to look for clearer paths, often needing to take a left or right where I would have preferred to go straight, continuing toward the Southeast, into the belly of the Olympic National Park.

This direction wasn't ideal, but in the first moments I'd heard our attackers' thoughts, I knew it was the best I could choose. Heading north or south would have put us in the water or in more populous areas, come daytime. West sandwiched me between the attacking vampires and the wolves of La Push. While the latter were supposed allies, I had my doubts; they weren't fond of the Cullens, and they were even less fond of me. South and eastward, it was.

No way I'm letting him get away. Do you hear me, mind reader?

He knew of my gift.

Too slow. I was running too slowly this way. They were gaining on us.

"Bella?" I risked calling above the wind my speed created. "If I put you on my back, can you hold on?" At the sound of my voice, two of the newborns spread out, creating wings in the hopes of trapping me eventually. I could barely control my panic but managed for Bella's sake.

"For a little while," Bella whispered, her voice raspy from sleep and cold. I didn't like how her skin felt so near in temperature to mine.

I came to an abrupt halt and gently set her on her socked feet. Tearing my sweater off, I pulled it over her head before she knew what was going on. "It's not much," I said, "but at least it's extra fabric. As soon as we can stop, I'll get you something warmer."

She nodded while flexing her fingers. Blood rushed to her extremities, making her fingernails pink. Shuddering, she pulled my longer sleeves over her fingers as makeshift mittens.

Ignore it, I commanded myself. There was no time to worry. I should have changed her.

I bent and let her climb onto my back, making sure to lock her arms and legs into place. I knew from experience she wouldn't last long this way, but I could make better headway for a little while without having to carry her in front of me.

"Let me know when you're too tired to hold on. Give me plenty of notice."

I felt her nod against my shoulder as I leapt forward, this time allowing myself to go through the thick branches and wintry, forest undergrowth, rather than around. As I ran, I used one hand to send text messages to each of the Cullens again. I didn't expect them to reply. Something had happened to them, I was sure of it. What, exactly, I had no way of knowing.

At the moment, I didn't have much room to care. I was made numb by my determination to survive, to ensure Bella's survival. I would run for as long as it took. I would run until the half mile that separated us from this James and his small group of newborns grew to a hundred miles. I wouldn't tire. I would keep running.

But could Bella hold on?

For half an hour, I ran, and Bella, trembling, managed to keep hold, but if I thought I could lose our assailants, I'd been mistaken. While James' mind slipped in and out of the range of my ability, the newborns were always near, ignoring his command to let him take the lead. They were made strong by the blood their recent transformations had drawn from their own, formerly human bodies, so their speed was much closer to mine.

I should have fed last night. But how could I have left Bella alone to do so? I longed to be stronger, faster, to go back and make different decisions.

The sky lightened into early morning, but there was no warmth provided from the change. Fog lay thickly, and there was a light dusting of icy snow on the ground that my feet crunched through. I worried about Bella. She'd shivered, her breath on my skin not nearly as warm as it should have been.

One of the newborns changed directions a quarter mile away, his thoughts set on the chase and the scent of Bella's blood that wafted behind me like an enticing perfume. The longer the chase continued, the more we became cornered by them and the transforming landscape. The directions the newborns were coming at me from meant I would have to go straight up a mountain ominously known as Mount Deception.

Perhaps I could scale it and go down the other side before they could catch up with us. But then what? I couldn't run with Bella forever, no matter what I'd believed when I'd first set out. She was human. She had needs that couldn't be ignored. Even in her state of extreme cold, her stomach growled in hunger. She didn't complain—it wasn't her way—but I knew she needed food and rest.

As if to bring this point home, Bella groaned and began to slip from my back. I stopped running and knelt for her to climb down. I caught her as she nearly collapsed to the ground, her legs too stiff to hold her upright. "Bella!"

"I'm fine," she whispered, clasping onto my arms for support. "It's okay." She didn't seem fine or okay to me. Her lips were a horrible shade of blue. "Are they still coming?"

I nodded. "They're near." Nearer by the second.

Bella said nothing, only lifted her arms for me to take her. I scooped her up, instinctively tucking her body as close as I could, though I knew I could provide no warmth.

"I'm so sorry," she was mumbling into the crook of my neck as I began running again, the newborns and James closer than they'd ever been. Warm tears rolled down to my skin, only to be swept away by the wind. "I should have let you take us away. It's my fault. I've gotten us killed. Oh, God…"

"We're not dead yet," I said close to her ear. I sounded less convincing than I would have liked.

"You could leave me, you know," she continued. "Put me somewhere safe, and you can come back when you've lost them. You can't get hurt because of me. You just can't."

She wanted me to leave her in the woods? To save myself? Did she really think they couldn't smell us everywhere we went? I didn't bother replying, only squeezed her gently; she wasn't thinking clearly. The normal, less scared Bella would at least find our situation tragically romantic.

The longer I ran, the more I learned about James. Even if I could lose the others somehow, he would be trouble. There was something about him, the way he thought. He had an ability, I suspected, something that instinctively drew him in our direction, as if he were a compass needle and I true north. A tracker? That would appeal to Maria, certainly. Was he the one who'd located Bella's old address and killed Angela and Ben?

Bella's teeth chattered as we gained altitude along the mountainside. With a sinking feeling pulling at my insides, I realized there was no way I could take her to the very top without putting her at risk of dangerous frostbite. I veered to the right slightly, rerouting away from Mount Deception's peak and in a direction that would eventually put us face to face with a newborn.

We were trapped. Even as I ran from danger, I was barreling us toward disaster. The newborn whose path we'd cross had but one thought: blood. In his memory, he saw it running down his fingers, leaving a trail of burgundy, and tasted it thick and heavy on his tongue. He smelled it in the crisp winter air—Bella's blood, spiked with adrenaline.

Bella gasped when the newborn burst into her line of vision behind us. He was small—a short teen boy with shaggy black hair and pale skin that made the red of his eyes stand out. Bella's fingers pressed against my unforgiving flesh, seeking purchase and comfort where I could give none.

Don't stop. Don't look back. Keep running.

Was I merely delaying the inevitable?

Leaping off of the trunk of a fallen tree, I changed direction again, angling us up the mountainside once more. Behind, I could hear snarls and frantic, thirsty panting. I saw myself in a newborn's mind, the way Bella's hair flew out over my shoulder as one long, inviting rope, the way he imagined himself catching up to me…just close enough to grab and yank her from my hold.

Don't stop. Don't look back. Keep running.

Closing Notes: Awful cliffhanger, I know. The next chapter is mostly ready and beta'd. I'll post it in 5-7 days. Just making some important, final edits.