Disclaimer: All characters and the like belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Full Summary:

Edward is an overworking detective, trying to balance the time he has between closing a major case which involves the Volturi gang, finding his missing son, and keeping his relationship with his wife intact.

After arresting various leaders, Edward now awaits the trial, however a group of gang members plan on getting their leaders out of jail by bargaining with Edward. How? By kidnapping his wife and threatening to kill her unless he does what they say. What will his decision be between the city's safety, or his love's life…?

Preface

I had never felt so helpless in my entire life.

As I looked at the screen before me, I began to regret any decisions I had made that had lead me to this situation, that lead me to become a detective, and that lead me to take that particular case. It all inevitably lead to this moment, watching my beloved on a screen, her skin battered and bruised, a gun pressed to her head. I could do nothing to help her right now but internally punish myself for being on this side of things. The side were it was safe, when instead it should be her, and I should be on the floor battered and bruised at the feet of a group of gang members with a gun pressed to my own forehead. What I would do to be able to swap positions.

All I could do was wait as patiently as I could for the other officers in the room to connect the video call, and track down the position of the whereabouts of my wife's kidnappers.

I glanced quickly up over the TV where a partner of mine held up his hand with three fingers out. 3 minutes.

Why do I get the feeling these are going to be three long minutes?

I looked back down to the screen which was broadcasting the live image. It had been the first time I had seen her in over two months. My Bella. I would ask myself why they would take someone as innocent as her. It was me they wanted, it was me they needed for this plan, yet they decided to take my biggest weakness, the one person I swore to protect.

The gun pressed more forcefully to her head, and her small whimper brought me back to the present. I ran my hand through my hair nervously and forced myself to look away from her face back into the menacing face of the sick person who decided to take her.

"So, has it been completed?" The voice said from behind the mask.

"No, I need more time." I answered as I looked down to my Bella's face. As much as I didn't want to leave her with those men, those killers, I was currently assembling a team that would help find her.

"Well you don't have more time, we said a month, and a month is nearly up."

The guy behind the television rotated his hand in a circular motion to tell me to keep the conversation going.

"I…I know that, but something like this doesn't take a month, and I'm just one man, I can't supply you with what you want in that amount of time."

"Well tough luck, it's either a month or…" he pushed Bella forward closer to the screen, grabbed her hair to tilt her head back and then pressed the gun under he chin, "…your little mate will suffer the consequences."

"No!" I shouted, standing up from my seat.

"What?" he said calmly as he brought the gun back and smacked it across her head causing her body to fall slightly to the side. My fist clenched by my side as I watched some blood trickle down her skin, "Do you want to reconsider that answer? Don't think I won't do it." She lifted her hand up and placed it gently to her head and winced slightly, but her eyes pleaded with me to just follow the orders, to not make things worse for myself.

"Okay, but please," I looked directly into the man's eyes, "Give me an extra day or two, to make sure everything is finalised and in place."

Through the slits in the balaclava, I could see his eyes were slightly apprehensive as he thought over my extra proposal. Whilst he was thinking, I took another chance to look back up to the group of men who were finding the location to see them bustling around each other, and looking intently on the screen as the possible location got closer and closer to were my wife was. The man lifted his hand up again but showing 1 single finger.

1 minute left, not long now.

Unfortunately, my subtle attempt wasn't so subtle, and the man on the screen had his head cocked to one side and asked, "What are you looking at?"

I looked back down to the screen and tried my best to cover it up, "What? Nothing, I'm nervous that's all, you've got my wife as a hostage before my very eyes." As I mentioned the word wife I saw Bella smile slightly. We were going through a hard time at the moment, but right now we are together and to get through this, I knew we had to be as one.

The man nodded slowly once, as if he didn't truly believe my answer, and he opened his mouth to say something when one of the officers behind the screen shouted, "Triangulating position, estimated time 30 seconds."

My breathing stopped and the officer realised his mistake as the whole room was suddenly silent. I kept my eyes facing the screen whilst mentally hoping he hadn't heard we were tracking their position.

"What was that?" He shouted, "Are you tracking us?" He pulled Bella back to him and pushed the gun's barrel into her temple, "Call it off now otherwise I'll shoot her!"

"20 seconds left Detective." The officer shouted again, knowing now there was no point in keeping quiet knowing the kidnappers knew what we were doing.

"Do it!" The man shouted, pushing the gun harder against her head.

I looked at Bella whose eyes were glistening as she fought with herself not to cry. Her eyes met mine, and in that moment the kidnapper's shouts and the noise of the officers in the room seemed to quiet down and become simple background noise, as we connected in a way that allowed us to understand each other, to communicate to one another, to represent the love we feel for one another.

"You have till the count of three to call it off." He demanded once again.

"10 seconds left Edward." The officer called out.

"One…." The man started.

"Look, stop, please, if you kill her we won't help you anymore." The man moved his gun from Bella's head briefly to point at the floor where the gun shot into the floor a few inches away from Bella's legs.

"Two…" He continued, pressing the now burning gun into Bella's neck were she cried from the burn of the barrel. Her body now starting to shake from sobs she could no longer hold in.

"Please, for the love of God, please don't do this," I kept my voice calm to try and reason with him, but my own body started to shake, as I realised I was crying also. "Please don't." I pleaded, as my sobs became heavier and I looked down, ashamed for not being the strong person right now.

"Edward?" A small, fragile voice spoke up, and my head lifted quickly to see Bella looking at me with love and somehow even pride, even though she knew I had let her down. "I love you." She whispered, her hand lifting up slightly as if she was going to reach out for me.

I placed my hand on the screen where I imagined she would have placed hers and responded, "I love you too." I whispered back. She smiled at me, and then her eyes closed as if she expected what was going to happen.

"Three."

And then a gun was fired.