Chapter 21: Montana

Paul slept for almost the entire drive to Montana. I'd demanded that I drive so he could rest for the duration of the trip and he'd only put up a little bit of a fight, eventually admitting that he was so exhausted that he probably couldn't be trusted behind the wheel, so he'd reclined his seat and fallen asleep almost immediately.

The drive itself was beautiful—I watched as the lush forest greenery switched to more urban environments and then back to the thick forestry as we neared our destination. Just as I was turning onto the road where our cabin was located, Paul began to stir in his sleep.

"Did I really sleep for the whole trip?" he asked groggily, shifting in his seat and returning it to its' original position.

"Pretty much," I said. "You're lucky I didn't need you to read directions."

He chuckled and grasped my hand. "I wouldn't have done it anyway."

I pulled onto the cabin's property and gazed up at it. It was huge—much larger than necessary for just the two of us—and the trees around us hung over the cabin like a cocoon. The exterior had been stained a warm mahogany colour and the front of it had multiple large windows to let the natural light in.

Most importantly, though—it was completely secluded.

As I'd driven along the gravel road to get here, I'd noticed how spaced out the cabins along this stretch were and I appreciated it. It was a lot sunnier in Montana than it was in Forks and the last thing I needed was humans getting too close.

We exited Paul's car and grabbed our bags out of the trunk, making quick work of getting everything into the cabin.

The inside of the cabin was warm and inviting. There was a huge living area with a couple couches and a fireplace, next to a dining room with a long dining table and eight chairs. The kitchen had all the necessities and Paul was especially excited to see the coffee maker on one of the counters. He put away the groceries that we'd bought prior to leaving Washington, while I took our luggage up to the bedroom that we'd be sharing. The bedroom took up basically the entire top floor, creating almost a loft space. There was a huge oak bed with two matching nightstands on either side, facing what was basically a wall of windows looking out onto the lake and giving a stunning view of the mountains.

On one side of the room was a large dresser and on the other side was a door leading into the bathroom. I set our luggage down on the floor and quickly unpacked everything, storing it all in the dresser.

I went back downstairs to see that Paul had gone out onto the deck, so I opened the door and joined him outside, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.

"This view is unreal," he said.

"I'm glad you approve," I said. "Did you get enough rest on the drive here?"

"Not really," he admitted. "But it's fine."

"Paul…"

"Nat, it's fine," he assured me, turning around and wrapping his arms around me. "I'm not going to waste this time with you by sleeping through the whole thing."

"Okay, then what do you want to do?"

"Why don't we go down to the dock?" he suggested. "Maybe we could go for a swim later on."

"Fine by me."

We walked down the stairs of the deck and down the trail to the dock. There were two patio chairs on the wooden dock and Paul settled himself into one. Instead of sitting in the chair next to him, I curled in his lap and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and held me flush against him.

We watched as the sun set over the lake and we were able to just enjoy the serenity of the moment between us. Knowing that we were able to be completely alone without any interruptions made the moment feel even more special.

Paul told me he'd basically threatened Sam with death if he tried to contact him over the next four days and that he was turning off his phone so Sam couldn't get a hold of him. I was grateful that Paul had set those ground rules for our time away from La Push—I wanted him to have a chance to completely relax without worrying about what was going on back at home.

I'd already noticed a small change in him—he seemed much calmer since our arrival to Montana. I could feel the ease in his stress from the way he held me in his arms; it felt like all the tension he'd been holding onto had melted away from him.

"This is nice," he noted, stroking my hair.

"It's been a while since you've been able to just relax, hasn't it?" I asked gently.

He nodded. "Sam's usually a bit more lenient on those of us who have imprints, but it's been so chaotic lately that he hasn't been able to give us some balance. I'm honestly shocked he has me off for such a long stretch of days."

"I'm glad he does, though," I said, pressing a kiss against his neck.

"Four whole days with no distractions," he murmured. "It almost doesn't feel real."

I laughed. "Well, it's definitely real."

"Thank you for planning this whole thing," he said. "I don't think I realized how much I needed it until we got here."

"I guess I can just sense these things."

He laughed. "We should make a fire tonight. There's a fire pit out front we could use."

"Do you wanna roast marshmallows?" I teased.

"I do love a good s'more," he said.

"Aren't dogs supposed to stay away from chocolate?" I asked.

He laughed. "Very funny."

He shifted slightly and I felt his arms tense around me, but this time I was prepared. When he tried to toss me into the lake like he'd done in the water at the Olympic National Park, I held on tight to him, pulling him into the water with me.

"Did you really think you'd fool me again?" I asked once we'd resurfaced.

He laughed, shaking out his wet hair. "You have a point."

We spent over an hour in the water, swimming laps around the lake and racing each other. Once we'd had enough of swimming around, we went back into the cabin to change out of our wet clothes and Paul prepared something to eat while I started to build a fire outside.

Building a fire for Paul and I reminded me of all the times Will and I had had to make camp when we were travelling together. We'd spent many nights curled near a fire together on the occasions when we'd stopped somewhere with no hotel in sight.

Sometimes, though, I'd become paranoid about the Volturi and I'd demanded that we hole up in a cave somewhere that would be more difficult for them to track us down.

Deep down, I'd always known that my attempts were in vain—the Volturi wouldn't be watching my credit card activity to see where I was staying. Not when Aro could just send Demetri after us at any moment and he could just use his power to find me.

It was exactly what had happened the last time they'd found us.

"What do you think of this, Nat?" Will asked, approaching the mouth of the cave.

I glanced around us, seeing nothing but trees for miles. We'd been staying in a lovely hotel in Antwerp, but I'd seen what had looked like one of the Volturi's hooded robes as we'd gone back to our room for the night and I'd demanded that we pack our things and leave immediately.

I was sure he'd thought I was being ridiculous—I hadn't even been sure of what I'd seen, but he knew that I wouldn't be able to rest easily if I thought they were close.

"Looks good," I said. "Very secluded."

We entered the cave together and Will set down his bag. He approached me to take mine from me, gently pulling my duffel bag off my back and setting it down next to his, near the fire pit from previous inhabitants and visitors of the cave.

"Do you want to start a fire or should I?" he asked.

"You're so much better at it than I am," I said innocently.

He laughed. "Lazy."

"Who, me?" I asked, feigning offence.

"Yes you," he said, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

He sat down on the ground and started to get the fire going. I paced the length of the cave as he poked and prodded at the fire, still feeling uneasy. I felt his eyes on me and I tried to smile at him but I could feel how disingenuous it was.

I couldn't help it, though—I was sure that I'd seen them and I couldn't risk them getting any closer.

Once Will was pleased with the fire he'd built, he held out his arms for me and I curled into his embrace, listening to the fire crackling and watching the flames flicker.

"They're not going to get you," he murmured against my hair. "I won't let them."

"Thank you for putting up with me," I whispered. "I know it's annoying when I make us up and leave a place out of nowhere, but—"

"You have no reason to apologize," he said. "I want you to feel as safe as possible and if that means spending a few days hiding out in a cave, then so be it."

I pressed a kiss to his cheek, but he held my chin and kissed me on my mouth. I knew what he was doing; trying to distract me from my thoughts about the Volturi, so I was happy to kiss him back.

He pulled my shirt off over my head and I began to unbutton his shirt, breaking away from his mouth and peppering kisses down his neck and along his collarbone. He gently pushed me backwards until I was laying flat on my back and he began to trail kisses down my neck and along my collarbone, his hands working their way up to my bra to begin to unclasp it.

We were so distracted by each other that we didn't hear the slight shuffling at the front of the cave. It wasn't until Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix were standing just a few feet away from us that Will noticed them.

"Shit!" he hissed, swiftly pulling us both to our feet and shielding me from their view.

I hadn't actually seen them yet, but I knew what had happened. I'd been right—they'd been on our trail and they'd found us.

"What do you want?" Will demanded, keeping me behind him. I quickly re-clasped my bra and cowered behind him, fear gripping me.

"You know what we want," Jane said, voice sounding sickly sweet. "And it isn't you."

"Well, I'm not about to let you get to her," he snapped.

Jane clicked her tongue in disapproval. "We're just here to talk to our dear Natalia."

"Please tell Aro that my answer is still no," I said, peeking at them from around Will's shoulder. I met Demetri's eyes briefly, seeing the excitement dancing in them and needing to look away immediately. I'd been able to avoid coming face to face with him for so long that I'd forgotten how unsettling it was to be in his presence.

"Aro so wishes that you'd reconsider," Jane said. "You wouldn't have to stay in…places like this."

"The answer is still no," Will said firmly. "Leave her alone."

Jane's eyes flickered to Will. "I was not speaking to you, William."

Will stiffened slightly at Jane's words and I stepped out from behind him. "I don't care what Aro wishes—what Will said is correct: my answer is still no."

"Aro does wonder, though…what would it take for you to agree?" I watched as Jane's eyes slowly moved from me back to Will. I understood what she was thinking as her eyes settled on him. "I know how much of my unique gift you can withstand, however I wonder how much pain you'd let him endure."

"Don't," I practically begged. "Please don't."

She smiled sweetly at me once more before turning her eyes back to Will. In an instant, he'd fallen to his knees, jaw clenched in pain. I felt fury burn through my veins and I couldn't stop myself from lunging at Jane.

Felix's arms were around me in an instant, stopping me from attacking the tiny figure. I tried to fight against him for an instant, but his arms were locked in place around me and it was no use.

"Jane, please stop," I begged as Will writhed in pain. "This has nothing to do with him!"

"How much are you willing to let him suffer?" she asked. "You can make it stop if you just agree to join us."

I'd known this would happen—at some point they'd find us and use him as leverage. They knew that it would work; they knew that I wouldn't allow him to be hurt—or worse— because of me. Somehow, they knew how deeply I cared for Will and they knew that I would do almost anything to protect him.

"Don't you dare, Nat," Will said through gritted teeth. "They'd never kill a vampire who hasn't broken their laws. Too much bad press."

Jane glared at him and he shouted in pain. I knew that she'd increased the intensity of her power on him.

"Is that all you've got?" Will asked, making me want to punch him for being a smart-ass in such a serious situation.

Jane broke her concentration on Will and looked at her brother. "Can you shut him up?"

Alec smirked and turned his attention to Will. "With pleasure."

Will's body went rigid as Alec cut off all of his senses and Jane turned her attention back to him. The combination of Jane and Alec's powers were deadly and I was sure that she was making Will feel as much pain as she possibly could, while Alec cut off every one of Will's other senses.

There was nothing I could do except whimper my pleas for them to stop their assault on him.

"You can end this, Natalia," Demetri said. "Just say the words."

"No," I whispered. "No…I can't—I won't."

Jane smirked, keeping her eyes on Will. I knew that Will couldn't feel anything except the pain that Jane was causing him—I'd suffered multiple hours of their torment when I'd been captured by them and it had almost felt worse than my transformation from human to vampire.

Jane and Alec continued their torture on Will as I continued begging them to stop, until Demetri sighed. "She's not going to give in. Perhaps we'll be luckier next time."

Next time.

How many times were they going to come after me? Would I ever fully escape? Would I ever get to a point where I wouldn't be living in fear of them coming after me?

Jane and Alec both broke their concentration on Will and I watched as his body relaxed again. I wanted nothing more than to hold him in my arms and make sure he was okay.

"Let her go, Felix," Demetri said lazily. "She won't do anything."

As tempting as it was to attack them as soon as Felix's hands came off of my arms, I couldn't do it. I went straight for Will and held his face in my hands. He looked almost groggy as he opened his eyes again, the numbing effects from Alec's power slowly easing away from him.

"We will see you soon, Natalia," Jane promised, smiling wickedly at me.

I glared at her once more as she and the rest of them left the cave.

"Are you okay?" I asked Will, voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded. "I'll make it."

"I'm so sorry, Will," I said. "I didn't think they'd—"

"It's okay," he said, brushing a piece of hair away from my face. "I'd rather suffer through that than lose you to them. They wouldn't have done anything to me—they can't just go around killing vampires because they won't agree to join them. They need a real reason or they'd be fucked."

"What do you mean?"

"If word got out that they'd executed a vampire for a stupid reason like that, other vampires wouldn't hesitate to revolt against them and attack," he explained. "They're powerful, but they wouldn't be powerful enough against a mob of angry vampires."

"I guess you're right," I mumbled. "I just…I didn't think they'd give me a choice."

"They can't force you, babe," he said, sitting up straight and holding me close to him. "They know that."

Will held onto me for the rest of the night as we sat by the fire together. I was completely shaken by our run-in with the Volturi and I was completely unwilling to let Will out of my sight. I never wanted the Volturi to find us again, and I wasn't going to let them hurt Will again.

I would do whatever I could to keep him safe, even if it meant agreeing to joining the cult-like group of vampire authority.

Paul exited the cabin and joined me outside with his food just as I got the fire going. "Is there anything you're not good at?"

I laughed. "I can't really cook—I haven't had to in decades."

He chuckled. "I'm sure you'd be fine. You probably wouldn't have to actually measure anything."

"So you think I could make Sue's famous stew?"

"Definitely not," he said without missing a beat. "Sue's the only one who can make that recipe."

"Have you tried?"

"Maybe," he admitted. "I couldn't make it taste like hers, though. There's just something about her cooking."

"Yeah, there's nothing like mom's cooking, right?" I said, unable to keep the wistfulness out of my voice.

"I know how hard it is for you," he said gently. "I do want to let you know, though—Sue really likes you."

I smiled. "I'm glad."

"I hope you realize that she'll see you as a daughter now—as part of the family."

I was quiet for a few moments—it was strange hearing those words coming out of his mouth; to hear him saying that Sue would consider me as part of her family nearly made me overcome with emotions.

"You're gonna think I've lost my mind, but I felt that when she hugged me."

"Felt what?"

"Her motherly love," I said. "The few times that she's hugged me, it felt like I was being held by someone who truly saw me as their daughter. She…she really loves you, you know. I can tell by the way she looks at you."

He shifted slightly. "I know and it makes me feel worse that I haven't been able to be there for her."

"She knows that you're trying your best," I said. "And I'm sure she appreciates you taking care of Seth and Leah."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he mumbled. I reached over and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly. He sent a small smile my way before letting go of my hand so he could finish eating while I tended to the fire.

Once he was done his dinner, I got up from my spot and curled into Paul's arms. We sat together by the fire until it fizzled out and then we spent an hour gazing up at the stars together, pointing out all the constellations our heightened vision could pick up.

We ended the night wrapped in each other's arms in the huge bed inside the cabin.