It should be clear by now that I don't own anything...but it sure does own me!

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I'm not sure if I even finished what I was saying, sleep over took me quickly and painlessly.

But the peace didn't seem to stay too long, nightmares took over. It was a dark world without Edward's warmth nestled next to me. I heard his cussing and frantic movements. I swear at one point the sound of a gun cocking and another man's voice filled the air.

And right before everything went completely dark; I could have sworn I heard Alice's frantic voice.

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My stiff, sore body pulled me from a very deep sleep. It took me a moment, in my grogginess, to remember why I was in so much pain. But a shift of my hips brought back the hours that I had spent on the back of Edward's horse.

Edward!

Without opening my eyes, I could sense that he wasn't lying by me anymore.

With a groan, I rolled over onto my back. I stiffly stretched as much as my muscles would allow.

I finally cracked my eyes open, the small room of the abandoned house that we stayed in last night looked even more dilapidated in the morning light.

"It's about time you woke up," a melodic voice yanked me from grogginess.

"Alice," I gasped, shooting up right causing me to about yelp in pain.

I had to still be sleeping; it was the only thing that could explain my best friend sitting in the chair across from me.

"In the flesh," she said with a small smile.

She looked tired, her normally perfectly coifed hair was braided tightly behind her head and she was wearing pants and a man's shirt.

"I have to be dreaming," I said with a laugh, there was no way Mary Alice Brandon would be caught dead in that outfit.

"I could see why you would think that," she replied with a laugh. "But you're not."

It was then that I noticed Edward was nowhere to be found. Alice noticed the anxious look on my face.

"He's outside with Jasper," she said answering my silent question.

It came back to me, the sounds that I had heard in my sleep last night.

Yelling, a man's voice, a gun and Alice.

"You showed up last night," I said putting the pieces together.

"Yes," she said slowly, cocking her head to the side.

"I heard yelling and a gun," I said. "And you, I heard you yelling."

"Well someone had to stop your man from shootin' mine," she chortled.

"Edward tried to shoot Jasper?"

"Well, in all fairness, he didn't know it was Jasper," she explained. "It's our fault for busting in the way we did, with it being dark and all."

"So you startled him?"

"To say the least. Let's just say that he is very protective of you," she said with a smile.

I couldn't go one more minute without hugging her. Just last night, I thought I would never see her again and now here she was.

I stiffly pulled myself from the makeshift bed on the floor, my cheeks heating when I realized that Alice must know that Edward and I slept there together.

She must have sensed that I was coming for her because she jumped up and had her arms around me in a tight hug before I could take a step.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she choked out.

"Me too," I said, biting back tears.

We held onto each other for a long moment, letting each other be a lifeline to the girls we were just a few days prior.

"Now tell me everything," she said as she steered me to one of the wooden chairs.

"Well I'm sure you know some of it," I said, gingerly lowering myself onto the hard chair.

"Yes, Jasper told me what went down in town," she answered me as she dug through the bag that held the food Ms. Katie had packed us. "But I want to know what led you here."

"Well, Michael was at my house," I started at the beginning filling her in on everything that had happened before Edward rode up on his horse.

"Do you think he was going to propose?" She interrupted me.

"I think it was his intention," I said, thinking about Michael and his nerves that day.

"Your Pa would have allowed it," she said as she pushed some of the left over bread towards me.

"Yes," I answered honestly.

"Anyways, go on," she prodded.

"Well Edward showed up to tell me that he was leaving town, that he needed to see me one last time," I said, my heart beating faster just thinking about it. "I almost let him go, but once he started to leave I knew that I couldn't live without him."

"I know that feeling," she said reaching out to grasp my hand.

"Nothing else seemed to matter but him," I said as a tear leaked out my eye. "So I yelled for him and he came back for me. I left without another thought."

"Jasper showed up right after my Pa went to town," Alice explained. "My mama was in back hanging the wash and I was thankfully out front picking weeds. He told me he was leaving and I just dropped my basket, walked out the gate and stuck my hand out to him to have him pull me up."

"And?" I said with a laugh, Alice was always more brave than I was.

"He looked at me like I was crazy, tried to tell me no," her shoulders were shaking with laughter.

"He thought that would work?" I said around a mouthful of bread.

She rolled her eyes and laughed some more. "I just told him that he either took me with or that I'd go get my horse and follow him."

"Which you would have," I said laughing.

"Of course I would have," she said boldly.

And she would have, Jasper didn't stand a chance.

"Do you think they are looking for us?" She asked after a minute, her voice becoming serious.

"I'm sure they are," my gut clenched at the thought of my Pa worried about me. There was no doubt that the word had spread about Alice and me both missing.

"They can't find us," she said desperately. "They would kill them both with no thought."

Of course they would. No one would believe that Alice and I choose to go and even if they did it wouldn't be admitted out loud.

I nodded my head in agreement just as the front door opened.

"You're awake," Edward said poking his head in the doorway.

I ducked my head as I smiled at him, I couldn't help but feel a little shy after last night.
"I am," I said with a shy smile. "And to a nice surprise too." I nodded my head at Alice.

"Nice surprise in the daylight," Edward said with a laugh. "If you two are done eating, I'd like you to join us outside."

"We are," I said, turning to tidy up our mess but Alice had beat me to it. She was soundly tucking the food items back into the pack.

We both stood to follow him outside. We emerged from the small house into the tree muted sunlight. Thankfully the stiffness in my hips seemed to be loosening with movement. My eyes easily found Jaspers lean frame adjusting the saddle on his horse, tightening straps and checking bags.

"Japer," Alice about squealed as she launched herself from the dilapidated porch.

"Darlin'," he replied as he easily caught her.

"Isabella," he acknowledged me with a tip of his head.

"You can call me Bella," I said softly, slipping my hand into Edwards.

"Bella it is," he said with a genuine smile.

"I know you're sore," Edward said softly only addressing me. "But we really need to move on."

"I know and it's okay." Staying here, no matter how far into the forest we were wasn't a smart idea. It would only be a matter of time before one of the search groups came along.

"Are you sure?" he asked, squatting slightly to make eye contact with me.

"It's something that I am going to have to get used to," I reminded him. "We have a long way to travel, so babying me isn't going to help at all."

I might be sore but my will is strong. Growing up on a farm wasn't for the faint of heart. Neither was being raised without a mama. I survived both of those things and I will survive this too. I wasn't a wilting flower that needed to be dotted on. If I wanted that life I would have married Michael.

And no thank you for that.

Edward squeezed my hand before stretching back up to his normal height.

"Alright then," he said turning towards Jasper. "I think it's best if we stay off of the main roads for a while, only taking them with we need supplies."

"I agree," Jasper said with a nod. "The Calvary is going to be out in force looking for us with Emmett shot up."

Edward tensed up at the mention of their oldest brother.

"And not knowing if he made it…" Jasper tapered off.

"How about James?" I asked since Edward had never said.

"Last I saw him, he and Jacob were headed to get Rosalie," Jasper replied.

Rosalie, my heart clenched at her name. How scared she must be. Even though Emmett seemed mean and ornery to me, she had such a deep love for him.

"Oh Rosalie," I gasped out, not able to stop it.

"It's okay," Edward murmured, pulling me into his chest. "James won't let anything happen to her."

I couldn't imagine Edward's Brother James watching out for anyone besides himself but it wasn't my place to say such a thing, he was his brother and he knows him much better than I did.

"Jasper and I both agree that it's best to head for our Uncle Carlisle's homestead," Edward swiftly changed the subject. I'm sure that the talk about his brothers was too much given the uncertainty there. "He's our mama's brother and not many folk around here know about him."

"So he's not a Cullen?" Alice asked trepidation evident in her voice. Edward and Jasper aside, most Cullen's were to be feared and for good reason.

"No, he's a Masen. My mama's kin all live out in Greenwater. Washington," Jasper filled us in. "Good people. God fearing and hard working. They didn't much approve of my mama marrying our Pa, thought she could do better. Uncle Carlisle was the only one to stay in contact with her after she got hitched."

I realized that I could relate to Mama Cullen. My own pa would string Edward up in a tree if he found us. But I still hoped that one day he would come to accept us. Maybe when the dust settled and I had a few children of own.

Children.

My cheeks heated with that thought and I was glad that Edward was looking at his brother, so he didn't notice my wayward thoughts.

"He offered for us to come live with him when mama died. His wife had an accident at an early age and can't bear any children of her own," Jasper went on. "But pa kicked him off our property, angry at the world for the loss of his wife. But before he left for good he told us boys that his door would always be open to us."

"He won't turn us away," Jasper added after a moment. "It'll be a safe haven until we can get some money and supplies together."

So it was decided and we were on our way.

The long days of riding came and passed. Thankfully my body adjusted to the rough saddle and movements of the horse. We stuck mostly to the denser part of the woods, only chancing coming close to town for food and supplies. Alice and I learned quickly how to manage in the woods, making small dinners over the fire and keeping our few clothes items clean in creeks.

The journey brought us closer to each other and in the ten day time it took to get to Greenwater, we had become a family of sorts.

Not that my kin strayed far from my mind, it would be a long time before my heart didn't ache at the thought of Abby's little face and Benjamins' smile. But I knew and prayed that they would be okay without me.

Not far out of town we hitched the horses near a creek to clean up. There wasn't much Alice and I could do with ourselves, having been traveling for so long with no real womanly supplies but we made do. We took turns combing and braiding one another's hair while Jasper rode into town, to check everything out and to make contact with their uncle.

Edward was tense while Jasper was away, pacing back and forth with his gun ready in his hand.

It was the first time that I had really thought of him as a Cullen, a real Cullen. His frame taut and ready for a fight.

I didn't have too long to dwell on it because within an hours' time, Jasper was back with us and he had company.

More in 2 weeks! I promise! I am on a really good schedule now and have a few chapters stored up

As always please let me know what you think in a review!

XOXO-

Symphiann