

Without You



2. It Was About Them...

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I was taking it calmly, very calmly. I was going to leave my family, and here I was, packing my clothes, no more tears on my face. I understood that to keep them safe, to keep Victoria from coming to my town, I'd have to leave.

Laurent was looking around my little room, his nose scrunched.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. He was the first vampire I'd seen in months, that must have been why I was so eager to impress him.

"It's harder... indoors," he sighed. I froze, understanding what he meant. My scent was pressed all over the room. The smell must have been driving him crazy.

He noticed my hesitation. "Oh, I'll be fine," he smiled.

I moved past him into the bathroom, throwing my toiletries into my bag. He gave me fifteen minutes to pack.

I was packed, ready, and had written Charlie a goodbye letter, in ten. We stood in the entryway, my heart pounding faster and faster by the second.

"Ready?" he asked, taking my bag from my hand and swinging it onto his shoulder. He didn't even seem to realize he had committed a friendly deed.

"Yes," I murmured, starting to re-think the decision to leave in the first place.

He sensed my reluctance to move. He stopped walking and grabbed my hand. The gesture shocked me, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. I guess my first impression of him had been wrong, he wasn't that bad a guy after all.

"Bella, you're doing what's right, you really are. It's going to be okay. you'll be safe, I'm here," he said, sincerity ringing in his every word.

"I'm right behind you," I sighed. I couldn't help it, my mouth worked before my brain did.

I followed him outside, my truck was parked in the driveway. I started to walk towards it, thinking it was the obvious way to travel.

"Where are you going?" he asked, amusement coloring his tone.

I turned around and saw where he was headed. In front of the house sat a small black car, expensive by the look of it. It seemed like all vampires were made of money.

"Oh," I said, laughing shakily. I had to get a better grip on my emotions. I was coming apart at the seams!

I turned around and walked to the passenger side. Laurent held the door open, acting like the gentleman I had come to find out he really was.

He was in the drivers seat within seconds and started the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea where we were going to go.

"I figure we'll drive on up to Canada. If we drive, there will be no plane paperwork that Victoria could find," he explained. It seemed logical enough to me.

"Why Canada?" I questioned.

"Well, we'd be very near to Alaska." That was all he had to say. I knew why it was good to be near Alaska. If we needed help, we'd have the other "nice" clan only a few hours away. Well, technically a few days away, but since vampires didn't abide by the traffic laws, I didn't think it'd take long.

"Alright," I sighed.

I think part of the reason I was going had to do with the lack of Edward's voice in my head. I was embarking on one of the more risky journeys of my life, and not even so much as a whisper had sounded in my head. Perhaps that's why I thought it was so safe to leave with Laurent.

The minutes in the car blurred into hours, and I slowly drifted to sleep.

As I slept, I dreamed.

I was in the sea of ferns, the place where Edward's house was usually placed. It was routine. Half of the time, this was where I was when I slept. The other half was spent wandering through the empty forest.

There was something different though, something dramatically different. The Cullen family was situated all throughout the huge field, but I didn't look at a single one of them. There was one person there who wasn't in the Cullen family... Laurent.

I headed towards him, dazed. He held out his arms, waiting for me to reach him. Edward stepped behind him and gave him a pat on the back. Edward didn't look at me. When I finally reached him I stopped, not indulging in his embrace yet. It was then that Edward saw me. His face twisted into a look of pure disgust. He stalked towards me, eyes narrowed. I ran to the refuge of Laurent's arms, but Edward yanked me back.

I screamed into consciousness, my seatbelt keeping me from smacking my face against the dashboard. I shook my head, clearing away the dream.

"That was interesting... I've never watched a human sleep before. Are you okay?" he asked after his observation.

"Yeah, sorry," I muttered. I didn't want to go into this subject with him.

"What's it like to dream?" he asked. He was not even remotely paying attention to the road.

"It depends," I said my answer short, sharp.

"On?" he urged.

"On whether you're having a good day. On whether you're happy. On lot's of things, okay Laurent?" He was grating on my last nerve.

"Sorry," he said, lowering his voice.

"No problem," I croaked, watching the landscape speed by my window.

"One more question," he said, pulling me away from the very boring world outside.

"What?" I snapped.

"What were you dreaming about? It sounded like it scared you," he noted, eyes intent on my face.

"I can't remember," I lied.

He could tell. "Please?" he breathed, leaving me dazed. Only one person had done that to me before.

I gave in easily. "I dreamed about them," I whispered. "I had to choose between... him and... someone else."

"Who was the someone else?" he asked.


He looked away, his eyebrows furrowed. I knew he would be irritated if I told him.

"And who did you choose?" he questioned through clenched teeth.

"Are you sure you want to know?" I hoped he didn't say yes.

He nodded curtly.

"You," I mouthed, knowing he heard. He frowned, his eyes scanning my face.

"What did... he do?" He strangely knew not to say the name.

"He glared at me. It was like he hated me, like he wanted to rip me to shreds," I explained, shuddering.

"They left forever, didn't they?" He asked, cutting right to the point.

"Yes." I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

"Jasper, he isn't very good at restraining himself yet. I got a paper cut, he attacked. He figured It would be better for my health if they all left."

"Idiot," growled Laurent. He was gripping the wheel so hard I was afraid it was going to break. "If he really loved you, really truly loved you, he would have stayed. No matter if his 'brother' tried to attack. If he was any kind of man at all he could have protected you. You deserve someone better than that," he ranted.

I was shocked, yet again. Laurent was becoming more human by the moment.