Bree POV

Fred would need to hunt by tomorrow, and we needed to have a serious talk; we had decisions to make.  We'd been with the Cullens for a whole month.  Carlisle had given us guidance and advice, but it was time for us to start our own lives.  In all honesty, I was waiting for Fred to make the decision.  I didn't have any plans; if he was happy to have me tagging along, I'd stick with him.  Despite Edwards’s reassurance, there was the very real possibility that his future plans didn't include me.  I was not his responsibility.  I knew I'd persuaded him to come with me, but I had to stand on my own two feet again sometime.  I had to let Fred know that he could make his own plans; he didn't have to include me out of some misguided sense of obligation.

I wanted us to be alone when we had this conversation, plus I could finally find out what he was keeping to himself about Rosalie.  He was surprised I had hunted without him the last time, insisting I should have just come and got him, as he and Carlisle weren't talking about anything important.  I got the feeling there was something about Rosalie's behavior I was missing, but I shrugged it off; there was no way Rosalie could know what we were going to talk about, and she was always so good to me.  I was closer to her and Emmett than the others; I felt like they hung around with me because they wanted to, not just to make sure I didn't screw up.

Emmett had come over earlier with some more of the materials Esme had ordered to complete the renovations.  At least that was the excuse he gave when he arrived to relieve Alice, who had popped over with some magazines the previous evening.  I don't know why they bothered with the excuses any more.  We knew they were just keeping an eye on us, well me particularly.

The arrival of the building materials pressed home the need for us to move on.  Edward would need his home soon. 

“Would you care to be my guest for dinner this evening?”  Fred interrupted my thoughts with his invitation.

“I'd be honored,” I replied.  It was our little pre-hunting joke. Fred knew I felt bad asking him to go with me every time I hunted, so he made sure it was him that did the asking.  He thought of different ways to ask, and I always replied in kind.

“Shall we stay in the state, or would you care to go further out?”

“I don't mind.  You decide, but let me know if I'm expected to dress up.”  I continued to play along with his formal invitation.

“Hey, you guys planning to hunt tonight?” Emmett asked the obvious.

“Yeah, I still can't get past four days,” I said ruefully.  I wondered if Fred would have been able to extend his time between hunts if he didn't accompany me every time.

“Why don't you come with Rosie and me?” Emmett invited.

Fred and I glanced at each other.  We always felt bad turning them down, but neither of us was keen to try their diet.

“Listen, before you knock me back again,” Emmett persisted, “we're going to Montana.  We'll take the Jeep and then take a short run before we set up camp; then the fun can begin.”

“Set up camp, what for?” Fred asked.

“'Cause it’s fun of course.  We don't need the tent and stuff.  However, it would look odd if any humans came across us and we didn't have the appropriate gear.  Don't worry,” Emmett added in response to Fred's anxious look.  “We don't camp anywhere near the trails, but you never know when some dumb human is going to wander off track.  The woods are a dangerous place even without us there.  I should know,” he concluded, giving us his dimpled grin.

Emmett was a great storyteller.  Fortunately we were outside when he acted out the one about him and the bear.  The poor cottage would never have withstood the frantic thrashing around that was Emmett demonstrating his fighting prowess against his eternal nemesis. 

“Do you want us to sing songs around the campfire too?” Fred joked.

“Well, that's up to you,” Emmett shot back.  “But we will have a fire.  It’s kind of nice to watch the flames and stuff.”  He paused for a moment.  “Rosie's eyes are amazing, but they're never more beautiful than after a hunt with the reflection of the flames dancing in them.”

We were both staring at him.  His observation was more like Edward than Emmett.  He must have realized why we were staring and ran his hands roughly through his hair as though trying to regain his carefree persona.

I'd never been camping.  Apart from the few field trips I’d taken at school, I'd never been anywhere really.  I was tempted, but I didn't fancy the food much.

“Isn't the fire a bit dangerous?” Fred asked, concerned.

“Well, I wasn't planning on throwing myself on it,” Emmett responded with a roll of his eyes. “I do know how to set a fire safely, thank you.”

Was Fred actually considering going?  The camping thing sounded like fun; Emmett would probably tell some great stories around the fire.  But I wouldn’t get to talk to Fred on our own, and I didn't want to wait another four days.  A plan took shape in my mind.  We could go with them and pretend to be willing to hunt animals.  Once we got there, we could just say we changed our minds.  Hopefully they’d leave us alone and we could talk.  It seemed like a good enough plan to me, but I had to get Fred to play along.  Getting Fred’s attention without Emmett noticing was easier said than done.  Emmett was very observant.  He was a bit like Fred in that respect.  He was carefree and fun to be around, but he seemed to pick up on every look, comment or mood.  Distraction would be the key, so I got up and went over to the small TV.

“I don’t know how you can bear to watch that tiny thing,” Emmett grumbled.

“It’s okay,” I shrugged as I exaggerated fumbling with the dial to get the right channel.

“Here, let me do it,” Emmett offered.  “I think I can remember how these old boxes work.”

As he turned his attention to the TV, I quickly mouthed ‘play along’ to Fred.  He quirked an eyebrow but thankfully didn’t have any other reaction.

“So, about this trip,” I asked casually, “where exactly were you thinking of going?”

Emmett turned sharply; his stunned expression made way for a grin that went from ear to ear.

“We're heading out to Flathead this time.  There’s always plenty of moose and bobcats; lots of black bears too,” he replied excitedly.

“Well, we were going out anyway; I guess we could join you.”  Emmett's mouth hung open, but I didn’t wait for him to respond.  “What do you think?” I asked Fred.

He didn’t even flinch; he was good.  “I don’t know, Bree.  You know I’m not keen on this animal blood thing.”

“But we could try.  It couldn’t hurt, and the camping might be fun,” I pressed, hoping I wasn't sounding too keen.

Emmett’s eyes darted between us.  I prayed he hadn't caught Fred’s brief facial movement.

“Sure, it'll be fun, and the hunting won’t be nearly as bad as you think.”  Emmett was definitely excited that we were finally going hunting with them.  “We'll head back and tell Rose.  She'll be stoked,” he added, pulling out his phone.

Having established that Bella would be leaving soon, he filled us in on their plans.  “We plan to leave late this afternoon.  Just grab a bag with a change of clothes; we'll take care of everything else.” 

Fred and I made our way to the room at the back where the few clothes we left at the cottage were stored in a trunk.  I quickly pulled out some pants and a couple of long-sleeved shirts for both of us.  When I looked up, Fred was staring at me, arms folded and his head tilted to one side, waiting for my explanation.  I quickly whispered my plan to him.

“If you wanted to go camping you should have told me, and I could have taken you,” he whispered back when I'd explained why I wanted to go in the first place.

“Yeah, but you probably wouldn't have built a fire, and you don't tell funny stories,” I retorted, keeping my voice as low as I could.

“Fine,” he agreed.  “But if I end up with a belly full of moose, you’re gonna owe me big time.”

“Agreed,” I acquiesced, shaking his hand.  “But it won't come to that.  I have a plan, remember.” 

“Hey, are you guys coming or what?” called Emmett.

“Yeah, we’re ready,” I replied.  “I couldn't decide which shirts to bring,” I explained as we made our way back to the main room to be greeted by an impatient Emmett.

“I would say it doesn't matter, as no one is going to see it, but I know you'll just come up with a ridiculous response as to why the blue one is a better choice than the brown one,” Emmett griped as he held the door open for us. 

--00--MC--00--

I'd seen all of their cars, but Fred and I hadn't been in any of them since we'd been here.  There was no point really.  We didn't go anywhere we couldn't run to quicker.  This family loved their cars.  Fred had declared them environmentally unfriendly, but Carlisle had insisted they were necessary for their charade.  We joined Emmett and Rosalie by the least environmentally friendly vehicle of the lot.  The Jeep was a monster, but it was also Emmett's pride and joy.

“Why don't we sit in the back?” Rosalie suggested, grabbing my bag and tossing it into the vehicle. 

I shrugged and hopped in, ignoring the strange multi-clipped seatbelt.  “We need to buckle up 'til we're out of town,” Rosalie said, deftly clipping her harness in place.  I watched how she did it and copied her.  Fred climbed into the front beside Emmett, fastening his belt like a pro.

At the sound of the last click, Emmett put his foot down, and the vehicle lurched forward, heading along the drive.  I turned and caught sight of an unhappy Alice, standing on the porch with a hand on each hip.  Oh crap, I'd forgotten about her.  Had she seen my decision to dump them and hunt traditionally?  She obviously hadn't said anything, so maybe she hadn't seen it yet.  I could only hope that their cell phones would be too far out of range to get a signal if she did.

Emmett was obviously familiar with the route.  Had I still been human, the break-neck speed he was driving at would have terrified me.  Rosalie seemed to know exactly when he would deviate off-road, as she grabbed the roof handle seconds before Emmett made the sharp turns. She still managed to keep up a stream of conversation as we traveled, while Emmett sang along to the radio.  Fred didn't say much, but he tapped his fingers in time to some of the tunes.  I tried to focus on what Rosalie was saying while trying to think of the right words to let them know we had no intention of joining them for their hunt.  My distraction must have been more obvious than I thought.  Emmett glanced at me a couple of times, eventually asking, “You okay, Bree?”

Fred's head snapped around to look at me before I answered, “Yeah, I'm fine; just thinking about the hunt, that's all.”  Now that I'd put it out there that the hunt bothered me, maybe they wouldn’t be surprised when we decided not to join them after all.  There was still no call from Alice either, so I hoped she was concerned about something else.

It was close to midnight when we arrived.  Emmett headed off road for about fifteen minutes before he stopped and parked the Jeep.  We distributed the bags and equipment before starting to run deeper into the forest.  After another half hour, Emmett declared he had found the perfect spot.  The trees had thinned out, leaving a flattish area about fifteen feet wide.  The bags were set down, and Emmett started to set up the tent.  I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was huge, with two individual bedrooms and a dining/seating area that could be left open or zipped closed if the weather was bad.  They even had fold out chairs, metal dishes and cutlery.  The whole set up took less than five minutes.  Rosalie and Emmett carried out the task like clockwork. It wasn't until Rosalie went to set the pots and pans near the little stove that she realized we were staring at her.

“What?” she asked, glancing down to take in her clothing, as if there could be something out of place.

“Pots and pans?  You just drain the animals, right?  You don't actually try to eat them or anything?”  I knew it sounded ridiculous, but I had to ask, hoping that they were overplaying the charade and I hadn't just dug myself into a very deep hole.

The nauseated look on their faces brought out a sigh of relief that was echoed by Fred before Rosalie answered, “Don't be ridiculous, of course we don't eat them.”

“Have you ever tasted cooked meat?” Emmett asked, not actually wanting an answer.  “It's worse than it smells.  Believe me, we only eat if we absolutely have to.  All this stuff is just for show.  Anyway, we're all finished here,” he stated, clapping his hands and rubbing them together.  The sound bounced off the surrounding trees, echoing in the enclosed camp.  “Let's hunt.”

“Now?” My strangled, high-pitched cry sounded alien to me.  I daren't look at Fred; we were supposed to have bailed by now.  I wasn’t expecting to hunt the minute we got there.  I’d wanted the campfire stories first‑ so much for my first camping trip.

“Bree dear, what's the matter?”  Rosalie came and stood in front of me, placing a hand on each shoulder.

“Nothing, I just thought we were going to get the fire going first,” was my weak response.

“Good idea,” Fred said quickly.  “Bree and I will go and get some wood.”  There was no time for excuses now; we'd just have to get going.

“Nah, you can't leave a fire unsupervised,” Emmett dismissed Fred’s suggestion.  “We'll hunt now; see what's out there.  If we all feed well, we can just enjoy the rest of the trip.  If not, we'll come back, light the fire, give it a few hours then head back out in another direction.”

“Are you worried about the hunt?” asked Rosalie.  More like worried how I was going to get out of it.  Perhaps Fred could come up with something else.  I looked at him but wished I hadn't.  His face didn't give much away, but his eyes told me what he was thinking.  I tried; your turn to come up with something.  I hadn't responded to Rosalie, and she carried on speaking, oblivious to my turmoil.  “Animals can be tricky at first.  Their instincts kick in the minute they detect us.”

“Not like humans.  By the time the human brain registers what's happening, it's over,” Emmett chimed in.  “With animals it's either flight or fight.  I prefer the latter; it’s more fun.  You know they're going to lose, but it's nice to toy with them for a bit.  On the other hand, chasing them down can be a hoot.  Either way I always win,” he concluded with a devilish grin on his face.

“Is there anything about this life that doesn't amuse you, Emmett?” Fred teased.  Even though they got on well, Fred still didn't get how he could be so happy in this life.  The others accepted it, but Emmett seemed to embrace it.

Emmett rubbed his hand over his chin, apparently in deep thought.  “Well, crazy newborn vampires trying to kill your future sister-in-law isn't funny.  But other than that, I can always find something to amuse me.”

“Emmett,” snapped Rosalie.

It was the first time either of them had mentioned the fight.  I didn't know if they deliberately avoided the topic or if they considered it closed.

“What?  They know I don't mean them,” he protested.

“It's okay, no offense taken.  After all, we weren't fighting anyone,” Fred told him.

“See, jeez Rose, if you start overreacting to every word that comes out of my mouth, you're going to end up like Edward.”  Emmett's retort brought forth a low growl from Rosalie, and I braced myself for another one of her rants, but Emmett just carried on as if he hadn't heard her.  “Can we get going now?”

“I think it would be best if we split up,” suggested Rosalie.  “I'll go with Bree, and you take Fred.”

“Okay, okay, let's just get moving.” Emmett seemed very keen to get started.

“Don't you think it would be best if we all stick together, or I could go with Bree,” Fred countered.  Oh thank you, thank you Fred.  At least he was trying to get us out of this; I was wracking my brains, but I had nothing.

“No, you're both new to this,” Rosalie insisted.  “You know how territorial you get when you hunt?   Well, the urge is magnified if you are chasing your prey.  Trust me; it's much safer in pairs.” 

“She's right,” Emmett acknowledged.  “Anyway, Rose is all about technique and how to keep your clothes clean.  I'll show you how to do this the fun way.”  With that said, he clapped Fred on the shoulder, and another loud crack echoed off the trees as he urged him forward.  Fred glanced at me over his shoulder, and I met his eyes.  “Sorry” I mouthed.  It was inadequate, but it was all I could come up with.   

I followed Rosalie reluctantly, practically dragging my heels like a child denied a treat and refusing to leave the store.

“Come on, Bree,” she urged.  “Let’s get back to camp before them.  I might even start the fire.  Em likes to do that;I think it’s the residual caveman in him.  He's so cute when he sulks.”

She was always going on about how cute he was when he did this or that, or the way he looked at one time or another.  He was a nice enough guy, but I never thought of him as cute.  Funny, warm, and fiercely protective, yes.  Cute, no.

I quickened my pace, and we ran deeper into the forest.  There were no trails here, just thick brush underfoot, but it didn't slow us down.  Rosalie raised her hand and I stopped behind her.  There was a small herd of deer in front of us; they stilled as if sensing our presence.  At least I think they were deer, but they were bigger than the one Alice had brought me that first day. 

“Don't think about it,” Rosalie whispered in my ear.  “Just focus on the sound.”  As she said it the multiple heartbeats grew louder, rising to a throbbing drumming in my ears.  Venom pooled in my mouth, and I was moving forward before my brain registered the movement.  I zeroed in on a large beast at the edge of the herd.  He turned to run, but it was too late.  I had already grabbed an antler in each hand, and his neck snapped as I pulled him to the ground.  I sunk my teeth into his neck and began to draw in his blood.  It flowed freely over my tongue and soothed my throat as it made its way down to my stomach.  I had taken several long draws before I became aware of the sour taste.  It was unpleasant.  But it was blood, and I couldn't stop feeding. 

When the bloodlust receded, I became aware that I was on my own.  I pushed the huge carcass aside and scanned the area for any sign of Rosalie.  What now?  What was I supposed to do with it?  I was used to disposing of humans, and although the beast wouldn't be heavy, he was bulky and might be awkward to carry. 

“Here, let me help you with that,” Rosalie offered as she approached slowly from my left side, making sure she was well within my eye line.  Apart from a few strands of loose hair, she looked immaculate.  I went to run a hand through my hair and noticed a few blood splatters on my palm.  Looking down, I found my shirt and jeans were blood splattered too.  I didn’t usually get that messy when I hunted.  Maybe it was their size or the volume of blood that made the difference.

We dug a large hole and buried the carcass.  When we finished, Rosalie was sporting a few smudges of dirt on her top, but my jeans were muddy from ankle to knee.  “Didn't you find anything?” I inquired, hoping that would explain her almost pristine appearance.

“I took down a couple of moose when you drove them my way,” she informed me.  “I'm done for now.”

I wished I was done.  The moose had taken the edge off my thirst, but it wouldn't keep me going for four days.

“Come with me; you could use that blood to your advantage.”  I had no idea what she meant but followed her anyway.  “If there's a bobcat around, he may catch the scent of the blood and come looking,” she explained.  I wasn't sure I wanted to tangle with a bobcat; they looked kinda dangerous.  I knew it couldn't hurt me, and I was silly to worry about it, but I couldn't help it.

Sure enough, we soon spotted one stalking in our direction.  Once again the animal froze as it got closer to us.  Now that I was less thirsty it was less appealing.  Rosalie gave my shoulder a gentle nudge, and I tried to focus on the animal’s heartbeat as I leapt forward.  Unlike the moose, the bobcat took off.  The moment it started to run, my instincts kicked in, and I was after it without a second thought.  The chase barely lasted ten seconds; my mouth was soon at its neck and I snapped it and began swallowing simultaneously.  The blood was richer than that of the moose; it flowed thickly down my throat and the thirst receded.  I had to admit they were right, the blood of predators was better, but it still didn't compare to the exquisite taste that was human blood.

When I finished, Rosalie helped me bury the body again.  As I threw it into the hole, one of my sleeves fell in with it.  It was only then that I noticed the slashes across the front of my jeans.  Rosalie pointed out the matching ones on the back of my shirt.  I guess he had put up a bit of a fight.  I hadn't even noticed.

As we arrived back at our camp, Rosalie began muttering obscenities under her breath.  The guys were standing watching the fire; both of them had changed their clothes. 

“Hey.” Emmett waved at us as we approached.  “We got the fire started; go and change, I think Fred's ready to start the singing.” He laughed loudly at his own joke.

“How come you're back so quickly?  Didn't you find anything?” asked Rosalie.

“Well the party pooper here,” he started, tilting his head at Fred, “came across a black bear straight away.  Had it down and drained in less than two minutes.  He didn't even bother to get it riled up or anything.  I got two moose, but I'm gonna go out again later and see if I can bag something with a bit of fight in it.”

Fred rolled his eyes, and I gasped as I saw them.  They were no longer deep red. There was a slight orange tint to them.  I wondered if it was the light from the fire catching them, but on closer inspection his eyes had definitely changed.  It was almost unnoticeable, and I found myself moving closer to him to get a better look. Fred backed away slightly from my intense stare.  “You okay?” he asked.

“Do my eyes look like that now?”

“Like what?”  How stupid of me, of course he wouldn't know.

“Your eyes have an orange tint,” Rosalie told him.  “It's barely noticeable.  Most of your human blood has been used up, so they will change over time if you feed from animals.  “Bree's haven't changed as she still has a lot of her own blood left.”

“By the state of your clothes, I'm guessing you got a mountain lion,” Emmett said, reminding me of the jagged tears in my jeans and top.

“Bobcat,” Rosalie and I answered in stereo.

“We'll get changed, and then we can see what Fred has on his play list,” Rosalie quipped while guiding me into the tent.  Emmett's laugh reverberated through the trees.

This trip was not going according to plan.  We had ended up hunting animals, and we still hadn't gotten away to have our talk.  I needed a new plan, but I couldn't come up with anything.  If we didn't get away before morning, I was just going to grab Fred's hand and run.  Little did I know Emmett was going to provide our means of escape.