ROAD TRIP TO SUMMER EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

Special Shout-Out to: ronOreds, without her wonderful idea I would never a started this story at all. Her story "Into the Wild" inspired this, please, please read it as well as reading this story. I will love u all forever for doing it!

Authors note: Ok so the rewrite is taking its time… so I've decided to give u a new chapter for the time being ^^ hope u all enjoy cuz I have had so much fun writing this…

As always all rights go to Stephanie Meyer.

Summary:

When best friends Rosalie Hale, Alice Brandon and twins Bella and Lena Swan get picked for a year's school exchange program and meet the Cullen brothers Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Jeremy anything could happen- Like getting lost in the middle of Canada whilst on their way back to where the Cullen's live… what else could possible go wrong-Right?

FLASHBACK:

If I could have cried then I would have, I hurried up to her and wrapped my arms tightly around her body. I placed little kisses all over her face as she laughed, then I kissed her mouth hard and she pulled me into her arms.

I broke our kiss and muttered, "I love you, Ria."

"I know, baby. I know…"

Bella's POV:

Thank god High school was almost over! We had 2 weeks left we leave School forever… well apart from going to college of cause. But now we had been accepted to an Ivy League University, were we could all stay together that was the least of our worries.

We were still worried that somebody would find out about our children and mistaken them for immortal children. Then we would have the Volturi after us, and that wasn't something that we wanted to happen. That would mean the death of us all… even Marialena and Carlie, the two last humans in our Family.

But on top of that, someone was creating an army of Vampires in a city close by. It started a few weeks ago, people going missing, others being bled dry. If it hadn't been for Jasper we wouldn't have noticed the signs. We were sat in the living room watching the news, when I saw Jasper look towards Lena and Carlie, it was only a flicker of the eye but I knew he was worried.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I asked, but voice quiet. But not quiet enough as Lena looked over to me, then turned to look at Jasper. As we all knew his story he didn't need to explain much.

"It has something to do with you upbringing, doesn't it?" Alice asked. She knew her mate, like the back of the Armani Jeans she was wearing. "It's an army, isn't it? Why didn't you tell me?"

Now I had noticed everyone had their faces locked on Jaspers, apart from Karson, who was staring at my sister, listening to every word, worried something bad was going to happen to my sister and her daughter.

"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because what is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Montréal? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to FIGHT for it. No one to defend it from," Jasper looked over to Carlisle and Esme who were thinking. "But I've seen this before and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborns in Montréal. Fewer than 20, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. I'm surprised they've let this go on so long."

Lena started at Jasper deep in thought, while the children were upstairs sleeping, we could talk openly, because our half vampire, our human children quickly noticed when something was wrong. Even more so, they knew what was going on.

Karson tore his worried look off Lena and looked at Jasper, "What can we go?"

"if we want to avoid the Volturis involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon." Jasper's face was hard. "I can teach you how. It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out."

"maybe we won't have to." Edwards's voice was bleak. "does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is…?"

"…us…" Lena finished Edwards's sentence, like she was sharing his thoughts.

Jaspers eyes narrowed; Carlisle's widened, shocked. Karson stood up and walked over the window to glare out into the night. Everyone seemed to be tense, thinking of the children and Lena made us all tense. They could get hurt, if not killed. And Karson would never forgive himself if something happened to my sister. I could see it in his eyes as the reflected in the glass. Edward went stiff next to me, even Alice frown worried. But no one said a word about it, and I knew it had nothing to do with the newborns in Montréal.

"Tanya's family is also near," Esme said slowly.

Lena stood up and looked at her, "Montréal and Anchorage are a long way apart. How would set up and army here to attack Tanya?"

Edward nodded in agreement, his voice was stiff, and it sounded like an underlying warning, and looked like one as well, as his eyes were on his brothers back, "I think we have to consider the idea that WE are the targets."

"They're not coming after us," Alice insisted, her visions would have told us this.

But Karson shook his head and turned towards her, "Not if they don't know that they are."

"What was that?" Edward asked, curious and tense. "What are you remembering?"

"Flickers." Alice explained. "I can't see a clear when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view…"

"Indecision?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

"I don't know…"

"Not indecision," Edward growled. "Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Some who is hiding from us? Playing with the holes in your vision."

"Who would know about that?" Alice whispered.

But no one knew, after all, the only other vampires we had seen in a long while were Tanya's family. The Nomads had vanished, hadn't bothered us since they had changed Alice. Everyone just stared trying to come up with a good answer, which no one seemed to have. Everyone but Lena seemed frozen with stress, even me.

Emmett suddenly moved, exchanging a look with my daredevil sister, "Then let's go," he almost roared. "what are we waiting for?"

Now it was Carlisle and Edward that exchanged looks. Edward nodded once, and then turned away, his eyes resting back on those of Karson.

Lena's POV

It had been decided that Jasper would train everyone, everyone about from me that was. After all I would be more of a hindrance then a help, as Karson yelled, when I said I could help. Everyone seemed to agree with him so I let I slide. For the time being.

And for some reason everyone cleared out and left me and Karson alone as soon as it was decided. Normally the only alone time that we had, was when we went to bed so I could sleep. I walked up to my vampire, who was staring out of the living room window. I went to touch him, but he moved away from me so quickly my hand touched nothing but cold glass. I turned and saw him looking back at me from across the room.

"Ok, what have I done?" I asked, sounding majorly pissed off. He had never done that before.

He took a deep breath, looked me dead in the eye and said, " You and Carlie going to Forks."

I glared at him, my mouth fell open in shock. He was sending me and Carlie away? I didn't understand. "Why?" I asked, when I managed to get my voice working again.

"Ria, it's too dangerous. You two can't stay here… the newborns, the Volturi… everything…"

He confused me. I didn't quite understand what he was saying, after all we had been together since we first met, since we got married just past December and now he was sending me away? I stared at him, trying to understand what was so dangerous.

He stared back coldly. Then suddenly along with the feeling I was going to be sick. I understood what he was saying. He wasn't just sending me away for a little while. He wanted me gone. Back in Forks with Carlie, all on my own.

"No." my voice shook slightly. "No, I'm not going."

"Yes, you are, Ria. You don't belong here, Carlie doesn't belong here… it's not the right place for you both."

"We belong here. This is the right place for us. With you."

"I'm not good for you, Marialena."

I laughed, shaking my head, "You've lost your mind. You're the best part of our lives."

"No, I'm not. I'm not for you, my world is not for you."

"What has gotten into you?" I snapped, walking towards him now that I had found my anger once again. "You promised me… you married me!"

"I know that, Ria…" he interrupted my rant, growling at me.

"You are not making me leave! I won't go back to Forks, just because of a little bit of danger!"

"Lena, you have almost been killed more times than I can count! I want what is best for you and Carlie. And that is not this life!"

"NO, KARSON!" I screeched at him. "I AM NOT LEAVING!"

He took a deep breath and stared past me, out of the window. It looked like someone was there watching what was going on, but I knew I wouldn't be able to see whoever it was. He looked pained, but with all the anger we had built up, I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want me and Carlie to go, or if it was because I was refusing to leave him. When he looked at me again, his expression was hard, the gold was frozen, making my heart sink to my feet.

He walked towards me, lifting my face with his gentle hand so that he wouldn't lose eye contact. "Ria, I don't want you to stay here."

The words were like a forty ton truck. They slammed into me, making me lose all of my anger, turning it into the worst pain I had ever felt. "You… don't… want… me?" I stammered, feeling tears fill in my eyes.

"No." was the cold reply from my husband.

I didn't, couldn't understand what was going on. I stared into his eyes, blinking, trying to keep the tears from fallings. But nowhere in the endless color of gold, could I see what was going on inside of him. Nothing to contradict what he was saying to me.

I forced out a breath, "Ok… that changes things…"

My voice still shook, then I realized it wasn't just my voice, my whole body was shaking. I felt numb, dead in a way, just like he was. Like he was sucking the breath out of me with every word he was saying. It just wouldn't sink in, that he didn't want me, didn't love me anymore. He was still staring into my eyes when he spoke again.

"I'm not human, Ria… I'm tired of pretending to be human. Once school finishes, Edward will take you back to Charlie's."

I felt the first tear fall down my cheek, felt the pain finally seep through. It was like what he was saying, had just struck me and in a way it had. "Karson, please… don't do this."

But he already had. I knew I could beg as much as I wanted, he wasn't going back on his decision to send us away. It was far too late to beg him for anything. I looked away, only for him to make me look at him again, making me pull out of his reach. None of us said anything for a while, I just stared into those amber eyes, wishing and praying this was just a bad nightmare. That I would wake up at any moment.

"If… that's what you want…" I surprised myself into sounding calm, collected even. Although I was breaking inside.

He nodded and I knew that he had killed me. I might not be dead, not be a vampire. But I was dead. I pulled away from him and turn away. My car keys were lying on the table near me, so I grabbed them. "I need fresh air…" was all I managed to say, before I walked away from him, leaving him to stare out of the window.

I reached the garage, climbed into my car and speed away from the house. Once I reached the Highway it hit me, the tears just fell and I couldn't stop them. I couldn't keep my composure. That's when I say the beaming of the headlights from straight ahead of me. I tried to get out of the way, but my car just didn't want to. The truck hit my side of the car, and that's when I blacked out.

Alice's POV:

I knew Karson would want to send her away, but I couldn't believe that she would let him. That she would believe what he was saying to her. I could see her reaction to everything, but after she went for a drive anything went black. I didn't realize what was going to happen, until I saw her decision to swerve, the headlights. I screamed out making everyone stare at me. Edward looked at me for a second before he started back towards the house. I followed leaving the others to wonder what was going on. I could hear Edward snapping down his phone, as he raced towards that house.

"Where's Lena?" I snapped as I shot through the doors, not noticing that Karson had trashed a cabinet in rage.

He looked at me and Edward like a deer caught in headlights. "She went out." He tried to sound like he didn't care, but none of us believed it. He looked at Edward then towards me, the sudden panic in his face was the same as in Bella's. "What did you see?"

"She's had an accident… I can't see her anymore…"

The others had reached the house by now. All angry that I hadn't explained what I had seen beforehand.

"What do you mean she's had an accident?" Bella asked, and I saw her face went paler then it already was.

I didn't have time to explain, the phone rang in the moment I opened my mouth and Carlisle answered it. We could all hear what was being said, Karson froze when he understood what was going on. How badly Lena was injured. They didn't think she would make it.

"Ok, I'm on my way…" Carlisle replied, and put the phone down, he then looked at us all. "You stay here, until I call." With that he left us standing in the living room…

Carlisle's POV (Hey first time here xD)

I raced to the hospital and arrived a second before the ambulance did. My unbeating heart dropped to the fall as I reached Lena. Her breathing needed to be assisted and she was covered in her own blood.

The paramedic looked up at Carlisle, "This is bad, Dr Cullen. The patient is unresponsive, breathing shallow and erratic, no breath sounds on the right side, possible collapsed lung. Pupils are fixed and dilated. Cranial swelling noted…Abdomen tender and hot, pulse and BP dropping."

"I gathered that from the phone call." I looked down to Lena once again as we rushed her inside. "What happened?"

"From the sights of things, a drunk driver… he ended up on Mrs. Cullen's side of the road, she tried to swerve and he hit the driver's door. The cars a wreck and she's lucky to be alive."

I could tell that Lena was lucky. Lena was the strongest girl that I knew, and I would have been very much surprised if she couldn't keep up the fight until the end. She was raced down to theatre and I followed. Not once did I leave her side, making sure she was going to live. If for one second i heard her heart falter, I would have panicked, but she fought against the pull to die, and I knew the pull was there. She could have just let go and went, but she was hanging on, even by a thread…

Karson`s POV:

It had been hours, and there had been no news. I felt guilty… my only thought being this was my fault. I shouldn't have left her leave, it should have been me who left her. I should have gone to Tanya's until she had calmed down and understood that I only wanted the best for her and Carlie. I stroked my daughter's hair softly before turning to look into Bella's accusing eyes.

"How could you, Karson?" her voice was caked with anger.

"I just wanted them safe…" my voice broke with tears that I couldn't let fall. "I didn't want them in the middle of things."

Bella just shook her head, "If I couldn't understand what you were saying… then I would rip you to shreds right now."

"Look after Carlie… I need to go to her… I need to be near her…"

Bella just nodded as I left the room and the house. Nobody dared to stop me, even though I was sure they wanted to. I raced across town to the hospital, but even there nobody could really tell me what was going on with my wife. If she died I would never forgive myself.

"I want to know what is going on with my wife?" I snapped, once again at the receptionist, although it wasn't her fault that she couldn't get through to theatre. It wasn't until I heard Emmett behind, that I knew Carlisle knew I was here. The last three hours I had been stood waiting for someone to tell me what was going on.

"Hey, Dad called to tell me to get you to calm down." Emmett said quietly, taking my arm and half dragging me away from the front desk.

"I've been here hours and they still haven't told me what is wrong with Ria, Emm…" I broke down slightly.

"Don't worry, Karson. I'm sure she's just fine." Emmett tried to smile at me, then he walked up to the receptionist and asked how long it would be before they could tell us when Marialena would be out of theatre, or at least tell us what was going on.

"The doctor will be with you in a moment, Sir. Please, just sit down and wait."

"You said that hours ago…" I muttered, Emmett smirked slightly, as he was the only one who understood what I had just said.

"Karson, Emmett." Carlisle's voice rang out from behind us, he nodded that we should follow him, which we both did without an instant thought.

Once we had reached his office, he shut the door behind him, and sighed. "I'm not even going to cut into you for what you did, Karson. But Lena's in bad shape."

"How bad?" I asked, automatically.

" She had some internal injuries…damage to one of her kidneys and a lacerated liver and she suffered some blood loss. But the most concerning injury is the one to her heart. The force of impact caused a tear in the main artery to her heart. But that's the least of my worries."

Emmett looked worried, "Then what is the biggest problem, Carlisle?"

"Well apart from the usual injuries, after an accident; she's took a nasty hit to the head. We don't know what damage that has down, and wont until the swelling goes down."

"I need to see her." I muttered.

"She needs rest, Karson. She's in a coma and I don't know if she'll wake up from it."

"You didn't induce her into one?"

Carlisle shook his head, "She was already a long way away, when she arrived, Karson. Its Lena's way of protecting herself I guess. Edward would be helpful, but i can't have you all in her room with her. Someone has to let Charlie know what's going on…"

Emmett looked at our father, "Esme was already on the phone to Charlie, when I left. I got the impression it's time to tell him the truth, well part of the truth anyway."

"We'll discuss this when I get home. Karson, you get five minutes. Lena needs rest." Carlisle said, standing up. "Just be warned, Karson. You might not realize it's her, under all the bandages and bruises."

I just nodded and followed him into intensive care. I stopped as we reached Lena's room, my undead heart fell to the floor and I just shook my head. "I don't know if I can do this, Carlisle. What if she…"

Carlisle looked at me, the pain that I felt reached across his face and he said quietly, just for me and him, "We can't change her until she comes back. She needs to get out of this coma and then the rest is easy, Karson."

I knew it was, but we still didn't know if she was ever going to come back out of her coma. Lena's way of protecting herself, like Carlisle said was to retreat inside her mind, and now that was exactly what she was doing. Carlisle reached Lena's door and repeated what he had said before, "Five minutes, Karson. Lena needs as much rest as she can get."

I took a deep breath and walked into the room, only to let it out again in shock. If it wasn't for the slight smell that I would always be able to pick out of a crowd full of humans, I wouldn't have believed the girl lying in the bed, was my Marialena. I reached the bed and touched her hand, a dry sob escaped my lips as I stroke of the back of her hand. Wires, bandages, tubes… they were everywhere. I leant down and touch my lips to hers, before mumbling in her eye, "Wake up, Ria… please wake up…"

I got no response, about from a unsteady beep when I kissed her lips again. Even when she was so fast asleep like now, her heart always gave what she was feeling away. I could hear it, without the machine, but I had to smile as I looked down at her, "That's going to be embarrassing when you come round, baby…"

Still I got no reply. A couple of minutes later, Carlisle reappeared in the room. He checked her stats before looking at me, "Five minutes are over, Karson. Come on the others are waiting at home. Carlie needs you."

I nodded and looked down to Lena once again, I stroked her hair before kissing her once more. Once again her heart jumped slightly, and I whispered, "We certainly have to do something about that, Ria."

One more kiss, one more touch and I followed Carlisle out of the room.

Three long weeks had so far gone by, and there was still no sign of Lena coming round. Even with Alice looking into the future and Edward listening to her thoughts. The best thought he had caught so far, was when she told Rosalie to get lost, after she rimmed into her. I only left her side, when Charlie and Renee were there. After we had explained some things to Charlie he seemed to blame me for everything, even though I blamed myself for the accident more than anyone else could ever. I hated myself and in the last weeks everyone seemed to be giving up at the hospital, that she would make it. But I couldn't bring myself to give her up. Being her husband I was the person who needed to sign the forms to unplug her life support, and even if I wanted to nobody would let me. Alice was getting stronger visions every day. Edward still wasn't getting clearer thoughts, but I wouldn't bet against Alice, when she said she knew Lena was going to come round soon. They had took her breathing tube away from her, a couple of hours ago, but some doctors still thought she still wasn't going to wake up, even if she was breathing on her own now.

Now I was sat next to Lena, stroking her hand and telling her stories. Carlisle thought she would like to hear more about our pasts, so we would all take in turns to tell her how we became a vampire and what had happened since. I had just got to the point where we landed in Seattle nearly a year ago. What went through my head when I first laid eyes on my beautiful wife, it wasn't so hard to say, as I had thought.

That was when I noticed a change in her, it was only a small twitch, but she moved. I looked at her, my eyes resting on her face as I eye lids fluttered. I grabbed hold of her hand, a pressed the buzzer to her room. Suddenly it was crowded. Family, nurses, doctors. Carlisle came into the room and looked at me, I nodded slightly as he and Edward emptied the room, so that only family was here. That even meant Edward and so on had to stay outside. I stroked Lena's hand again and spoke, "Ria, baby, come on… it's time to wake up now."

Once again her eye lids flickered. It was like she was trying to fight whatever was holding her and couldn't win. Carlisle was watching her like a hawk, his eyes were on the monitors when she suddenly groaned.

"Ok, she's coming back." He said, for the first time in weeks I managed to smile. "Lena, darling… come on, you need to wake up, Sweetheart."

Nothing.

Carlisle's frowned slightly then looked towards me, I touched her face, bent down to her and whispered, "Come on, baby… "

I could hear Edward laughing behind me and when I turned to look at him he spoke, "She's pretty much thinking down the lines of ripping you to shreds when she comes round, for treating her like a baby."

I looked down towards Lena, "That's my girl."

I had to stop myself from laughing, but she was on her way back to us. Even if it was slowly, she was coming back. My wife was coming back to the living, I looked at Carlisle who was still monitoring her.

It wasn't until I heard her voice, quietly barely audible with all the machines in the room beeping, "Karson?"

Lena's POV:

For days I was trying to fight through all this fog that was blocking my mind. I couldn't remember what had happened, after I argued with Karson, it was all a blur. But once I managed to get passed the fog, I tried to move. My body ached, I could feel the drugs in my system, so I figured something was going on, and this something I wasn't going to like very much.

It wasn't to a couple of days ago that I could hear Karson next to me, or whoever was visiting me at the time when I tried to push further through the fog. But today I managed to open my eyes. I was still drugged up to both eyeballs but I could see what was going on around me. I could see Karson, I felt the pain of remembering his last words to me before I ended up here. I could hear the beeping of the machines around me, and figured I was in hospital.

"Karson?" speaking hurt my throat. It felt dry, like I hadn't drunk anything for months. Every breath I took burned my lungs.

He turned to looked at me, and my heart hitched. Something I could now here thanks to the monitor that represented my heartbeats. Gone was the hard look, the one he used to try and send me away. Back was the look I loved to see, the one that made me weak in the knees. He bent down to me and kissed my forehead, "God, it's good to see your eyes, baby." He whispered.

I tried to smile but couldn't. I could still remember every word he had said to me when he wanted me to leave him for Forks. That he didn't want me anymore. Thinking of those words, my heart started to beat in panic. I didn't want to leave. "Karson…" I whispered again.

"Shhh, calm down, Ria. You`ll give yourself a heart attack." He stroked my face, trying to calm me. Then he seemed to realize what was making me panic. "Shhh, Shhh… you're not going anywhere, Ria. You're staying with me, you and Carlie. Esme`s built us a little house, while you've been sleeping. Just for us three."

Carlisle stepped into my line of sight and flashed his stupid flashlight in my eyes, making me shrink back against the pillow. Jesus, were those things always so bright? I couldn't remember, but it didn't matter. Someone pulled Karson out of the way and pulled me into a hug. I was hurting but I hugged whoever it was back.

It wasn't until she pulled back that I saw that it was Bella. And that it was more than one person. Rosalie and Alice had assaulted me as well. They were all sobbing tearlessly, as they looked down at me.