A/N: So here it is, the beginning of the sequel of Stupid Volvo Owner. We hope you all enjoy, and thank you for coming along on this ride with us as well. :)

Edward

It was never supposed to be this way. If I had just stayed away from her as I should have, Bella would have had a safe and happy life; a normal life. Regardless of how long or short it would have been, she could have married, maybe even had a child before the cancer appeared, and her time on this earth would have been full and worthwhile. Yet, because I was selfish in my need and desire for her presence, death was knocking at her door at the age of eighteen, without ever having enjoyed some of the simplest pleasures that life had to offer. I did this to her—all because I was weak.

My thoughts ran through my mind at breakneck speed; everything I refused myself to voice. I also knew, even without the ability to read her mind, that Bella still harbored similar thoughts of her own, despite my attempts to convince her otherwise.

However, in our hearts, we both knew the undeniable truth that no amount of self-condemnation on either of our parts could change—it truly would not have mattered if we had tried harder to stay away from one another. I loved Bella with everything in me, and I knew she felt the same in return, but it was more than that. It had always been more than that. She was destined to be my mate. Every part of her was bonded to me, as I was to her. The deep love we shared was just a beautiful bonus.

Still, as I watched her clean up after the dinner we had just shared with her father, I could not help the thoughts and feelings rearing up again. I had to give Bella credit—for someone who was notoriously bad at lying, she had put on quite the performance that evening. No one who was unaware of the situation we were facing would have guessed that she was anything less than a blissfully happy, newly engaged young woman. Charlie certainly hadn't suspected anything was amiss, which honestly surprised me. All that was in his mind was the joy at seeing his daughter so happy, even if part of him still felt that we might have been a little too young.

The mind's eye can be so blissfully ignorant when it sees what it wants, and Bella's happiness is paramount to Charlie.

The true picture now presented itself, though, from the moment Charlie had left the kitchen to watch some football game on that evening. Bella's shoulders were tense, yet defeated, and I could hear the powerful thrumming of her heart increase. The knowledge that she was going to be the cause of her father's heartbreak so soon after having her back in his life was tearing Bella apart. She knew it would happen someday, when her change took place and he would have to believe her dead, but he hadn't even gotten a full year with her.

I watched her hand rise to her face to swipe away a tear and immediately stood to make my way over to her, and her head leaned back against my chest as I rested my hands on either side of her waist. She took hold of them with hers and drew them around her middle, gripping my forearms firmly as if to lock them in place. We stood unmoving for several moments, silent until she could seemingly take it no longer. "How long do we have?"

I brought my lips to press a kiss to her shoulder at her whispered words. "We're meeting them at midnight. I still wish you would consider changing your mind and stay here where it's safe."

Bella straightened and shook her head adamantly. "Whatever we have to face, we need to face together. I'm no safer here, with you out there somewhere."

I reluctantly agreed, knowing she was right, and whatever transpired that night would pale in comparison to anything else that was to come.

After spending the remainder of the day following Alice's vision, deciding exactly how we were going to handle things, Carlisle finally made the call to Aro. On the phone, he'd seemed cordial as Carlisle explained to him about Bella joining our family and gave him the assurance that she would be the last, as I was the final one to have found my mate. Since it ultimately did not change the final outcome of Alice's vision, we decided to keep the details as minimal as possible. We all knew that informing Aro that Bella was human would not only fail to prevent our demise, but it might actually hasten it.

I couldn't do that to Bella, or her mother and father. They deserved every moment they could possibly get.

Yet, the hope that perhaps Aro's reaction on the phone might change the vision and buy us some more time was dashed the instant Carlisle ended the call. His decision was no different—Jane, Alec, Demetri and Felix would be arriving in seven days' time. The weather was only partially to blame; the sadistic side of Aro also wanted to give us a false sense of hope that perhaps we were safe.

It was then that Carlisle announced the next state of affairs we had to attend to—the wolves. Once the guard arrived, more Quileutes would phase, and they needed to be warned. Not only because of the upcoming changes to their tribe, but to stay away from our territory. It would prove fatal if they became involved. Though Alice hadn't seen them dying in her visions, she did however, see the aftermath. Charlie beyond devastated as all his friends had been brutally murdered and stumbling upon the scene that would cause his own demise. It wasn't an outcome anyone would want.

After Bella's lapse into despair, she straightened up her shoulders and breathed deeply, her body moving against my own. I pressed a lingering kiss to her shoulder, earning a sweet little sigh. I found it much easier to share those tiny moments of intimacy with her, my hunger far from my mind. Perhaps the part of me that knew there was a chance that I would never get to experience them again made it easier; I wasn't positive. Neither of us wanted to go farther than what we'd already experienced, considering how hard it was to think of such things when your life was on the line, however unnatural it was for me and my family.

She turned to face me, draping her arms over my shoulders and doing her best to smile. "I feel awful pasting a grin on and pretending to be all excited about college when it may never happen." Her gaze flashed momentarily to the piles of brochures and paperwork for our college scholarships we'd "earned" through a dummy corporation Jasper had set up. It was something Charlie was proud of his daughter achieving, but it also gave him a sense of relief, as he had already inquired about getting another mortgage to help pay for her education.

I understood where she was coming from. Deep down, we both wanted to believe that there was a semblance of hope that it might not be the end, but no matter the choices we made, nothing changed Alice's vision. The Volturi Guard would come and the chances of surviving their visit were less than one percent.

"I'm still struggling with how they'd cover up our deaths." She shook her head, moving away and running a hand to through her head. Her feet carried her from one end of the kitchen to the other as she paced, shaking her head and grumbling under her breath. "You all said, you turn to ash if burned, so how are they going to explain how there's only one body among the smoldering remains of your house?"

I winced, having pictured the scene as she described it. It took quite a bit of control not to pull her into my arms and run. Run from all of it, even my family, if meant we'd only buy ourselves a few weeks at most with our sudden disappearance.

"Bella, please." I closed my eyes and tried to envision anything else but the picture she painted in my mind. Soft, warm hands slid up my jaw, the steady pulse on her wrists taunting me just inches from my lips. Teasing me, yet reminding me that she was alive and well…for the moment.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her soft lips peppering small kisses along my chin and lips. "I'm not only scared. I'm angry and I can't help it."

My hands fisted for a moment on her hips, the fabric of her sweater threatening to give way in my grip. The fragility of the threads reminded me to ease off, to remember that she was still human and could not withstand the brunt of my own anger.

It wasn't fair.

.

.

.

At the stroke of midnight, we gathered in a small clearing where our territory met with the Quileute's reservation line. I stood to the right of Carlisle, Jasper to his left, while the others flanked us on either side. Bella stood beside me, choosing to show herself against my better judgement.

Carlisle agreed that the wolves would see us as less of a threat with Bella still human among seven vampires. I didn't agree, and Jasper even doubted it would matter to them; they'd likely see Bella as someone no longer needing their protection.

"The mongrels are coming," Rosalie hissed softly under her breath, wincing as the stench the light wind carried toward us.

"There are more of them," I whispered, glancing at Carlisle and then Jasper. We had believed there to be only three tribal members that had changed, instead there were five.

Along the tree line, the rustle of leaves caused Bella to move closer to me, her hand slipping into mine. "Here we go."

Hopefully we will have an update for you mid next week. Til then!