1: Skinny Love (Ed. Cullen)

40

The sun begins to rise on an empty road as a sleek, black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows blasts along. Jasper drives, Alice in the passenger seat. Bella is in the back, sleeping with her head in Bambi's lap, Bambi's fingers stroking through her hair as she talks on her cell phone

"Mom, it's me again. You must have let your phone die. Anyway, me and Bells we're not in Forks any more but we're okay. I'll explain when you call" She hangs up, then faces back out the window, watching the green, misty Olympic Peninsula speed past.

..................

Edward, Connor, Rosalie, and Emmett dart in and out and around trees as the blast through the misty woods, Edward, the fastest, in the lead. Edward stops, trying to read his enemy's thoughts. Rosalie tears a tiny swatch of her shirt, leaves it on a flowering maple tree. And then they're gone.

...................

Esme and Carlisle crouch atop a hill, looking down at the river. In the distance, below, they Victoria as she jogs into view. She then looks in their direction. Once Carlisle and Esme are assured she has their scent, they continue over the hill's crest.

.......................

James blasts past the flowering maple -- then stops, backtracks to the tree, finds the tiny swatch of fabric. He starts off again but stops, smells the fabric. Something's not right. He runs back in the opposite direction... Uh oh.

........................

Bambi sits looking out the window of the hotel in Scottsdale, her legs pulled to her chest, her chin on the top of them, she's humming under her breath, subconsciously. Alice walks over to her.

"Here" Alice hands Bambi a musical note book, Bambi looks to her. "Edward text, he thought that you might be stressing out and that writing music helps" Bambi takes the book.

"Thank you" Bambi tells her and looks away.

"You know, It was pretty impressive" Jasper tells Bambi, she looks to him and frowns. "When you punched Connor"

"Oh" Bambi then smirks a little. "It wasn't even that hard of a punch" Bambi offers. Jasper and Alice share a look as Bambi looks to the book, she continues humming as she opens the book.

..........................

Bella wakes from where she was sleeping on the hotel bed, she looks around for her sister, Bambi sits on the end of the bed writing.

"Bambi" Bella whispers, Bambi turns to her closing the notebook.

"You okay?" Bambi asks, Bella nods a little and shuffles closer to her twin and looks around the room. The blinds are pulled. Alice and Jasper stare blankly at a T.V. set. Several plates of food crowd a table. Alice looks up as Bella looks at her cell phone.

"I wish he'd call" Bella states.

"You should eat" Bambi tells her. But Bella ignores the food.

"They could get hurt" Bella tells Bambi sadly. "It's not worth it"

"Yes. It is" Jasper tells Bella, she's taken aback. It's the first time he's engaged with her. "Connor's changed since he found you, Edward too" Jasper adds looking to Bambi. "Because of you. And none of us want to look into their eyes for the next hundred years if they lose either of you" he looks forward again, Bambi and Bella share a soft look. "It's worth it" Suddenly, Alice reels. Jasper goes to her, Bella and Bambi follow. "What do you see?"

"The tracker. He just changed course" Jasper quickly sets a pad of paper and pencil in front of Alice.

"Where will it take him, Alice?"

"Mirrors. It's a room of mirrors" Alice begins to draw at hyper speed, closing her eyes, trying to see it clearly.

"How do the visions work? Edward said they weren't always certain" Bambi asks looking to Jasper.

"She sees the course people are on, while they're on it. If they change their minds, the visions change" Bambi looks over Alice's shoulder to see the drawing.

"So the course James is on now will lead him to a ballet studio?" Bambi asks, Jasper, Bella and Alice look to her.

"You've been here?" Alice asks. Bambi motions to the drawing.

"We used to take ballet lessons" Bambi answers. "The school had an arch just like that"

"Was your school here in Phoenix?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah, around the corner from our house. But I haven't been there in ten years" Bella answers.

"Do you have any reason to go now?" Jasper asks.

"No. Hell, no. I hated the place" Bella then looks to Bambi. "But Bambi loved it, she went right up until we moved" Alice and Jasper share a look, trying to figure this out. Suddenly, Bella jumps as her cell phone rings. She picks it up. Sees the caller I.D. and exhales relief. She answers walking away from the others, Bambi picks up Alice's drawing. "Connor. Are you alright?"

...............

Bella taps Bambi on the shoulder causing her sister to turn to her, Bella holds out her cell phone.

"It's Edward" Bella tells her, Bambi takes the phone and stands moving into the next room.

"Eddie" she greets.

"Bambi" he whispers softly. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Of course I am" she answers. "I'm stuck in a hotel room with my twin and your brother and sister, sitting in the dark" Edward laughs a little.

"Me and Connor....we're coming to get you both" he promises. "We lost the tracker. The woman is still in the area but Rosalie and Esme are protecting your father" Bambi nods and bites her lip and sniffles. "Bambi" Edward whispers. "It's okay if you need to cry"

"No, it's not" she argues. "It's not okay, I need to be the strong one here, she needs me to be the strong one" Bambi looks to Bella who sits chewing on her finger nail. "She's scared and she needs me, so no it's not okay for me to cry. I'll cry when this is over" she sighs. "When will you get here?"

"In a couple hours. Then you, Bella, Connor and I will go somewhere. Together. The others will keep hunting. Everything is going to be okay" he promises.