A/N: Thanks to Stephenie Meyer for the wonderful world of Twilight.

Chapter 1 – Betrayal

RPOV

"Seth, can you drop me off at Billy's and then take Quil home?" I didn't know what I was going to say to Billy yet, but I needed to be by myself when I talked to Jacob's father.

"Nessie, I don't – " I interrupted Seth.

"Seth, I have loved you as a brother from the moment I met you. I am touched that you don't want me to go through this alone, but I truly need to do this on my own."

Seth pulled up in front of Billy's house. Before I opened the door on my side of the car, I felt a large, warm hand on my shoulder.

"Nessie…are you sure?" I patted Quil's hand.

I took what small bit of comfort they gave me and stepped out of the car. I knocked on the door and heard Billy yell, "It's open. Come on in."

I took a deep breath and stopped in the house. I heard the TV, so I knew where Billy would be. I shut the door behind me and walked into the living room. Billy was in his wheelchair watching golf.

"Hey, Nessie! Is Jacob with you?" Billy was craning his neck, trying to look around me. Billy gave up trying to find Jacob and looked at me. I still hadn't said anything.

Billy softened his voice when he spoke again. "Nessie? Sweetie, sit here on the couch and tell me what's happened."

I sat down but couldn't find the words to tell Billy what had happened. How could I tell him that we had lost our Jacob? How should I tell Billy that our Jacob was being tortured?

I couldn't look at Billy's face. "Billy, I am so sorry…" I leaned closer to Billy so I could touch his face. I couldn't bring myself to talk about Jacob, because the raw pain in my soul had stolen my verbosity. I felt Billy stiffen at first; Jacob had told Billy that I could communicate through touch, but I hadn't ever touched Billy this way before.

I started at the very beginning – the bikini incident all the way through the point of Jacob disappearing. I didn't just give Billy images of what happened – I allowed Billy to "feel" the emotions that Jacob and I had shared – the irritation at Justin, excitement about discovering Jacob and I could talk when he was in his wolf form, the love that Jacob and I had finally discovered, my feelings of being completely safe and content in his arms…I showed Billy Jacob proposing to me and how much joy filled me and Jake as we exchanged promises to each other. I ended my communion with Billy by letting him feel my heart being ripped away from me. I pulled my hand from Billy's face and looked in his eyes. I waited for an angry outburst from Billy; after all, I had cost Billy his son.

"Billy, I am so sorry! I should never have been in his life. He would be safe at home if he didn't feel he had to protect me. I am so sorry."

I hadn't realized that I was crying until I felt Billy softly brush the tears off my face. "Nessie, Jacob was right where he wanted to be! Jacob loves you so much! I have never seen him so happy as when he left to ask you to marry him. Jacob once told me that knowing you love him gives him strength he didn't realize he had. Nessie, do you know how much Jacob loves you? Let his love for you be a source of strength for you." Billy's face soon lit up with a huge smile. "Let me see the ring."

I smiled and showed him my ring finger as Billy took my hand and looked closely at the ring. "Billy, it is so beautiful!"

"Did Jacob tell you about the ring?"

I nodded. "He told me that his grandfather was a strong wolf, but the grandfather knew his strength came from Jacob's grandmother."

"You are Jacob's strength. He will have the strength to fight his kidnappers, because he knows that you love and need him." I felt a little better than I had when I walked into the house. "So, Nessie, tell me how we are going to rescue our Jacob?"

"Well, we are getting ready to go to Italy. Poppy Carlisle is going to charter a plane. We will be leaving as soon as Jacob's pack has gotten packed for the trip."

"Wait…I seriously doubt any of them has a passport."

"Uncle Jasper came up with a plan to get the wolves in and out of the US: pet carriers." I was afraid Billy would be upset so I rushed through the explanation. "They wont have to be in pet carriers once we are on the plane."

"Hmmm…It sounds reasonable, I just have a hard time picturing the guys in carriers. Are all the boys going?"

"Actually, I don't know who all is going, Billy. Seth will go…Quil is not well enough to travel yet, so he will stay behind."

"What about Sam's pack?"

"I thought about asking him, but I don't know. I just let Seth handle talking to Sam."

Someone knocked on the door and the phone rang. I had gotten up to answer the phone when Seth came rushing in the house.

"Don't answer it!"

Billy answered Seth, "Hey, Seth. Come on in…and tell me why I can't answer my phone."

I was still walking towards the phone.

"Nessie, don't! You don't understand what is happening."

I looked at Billy and then we both looked at Seth. "OK, so what is happening and why can't I answer the phone?"

"Sam has declared that Jacob could not endure the forced separation between himself and his pack and would die before we could get to him. He says that Jacob is dead and that all of Jacob's pack must join his pack. He is forbidding everyone to leave Jacob where he is. Sam says that Jacob is the one that allowed evil to come to our reservation in the first place. He wants to cleanse the LaPush area of any vampires (and hybrid vampires). He said that if by some miracle Jacob comes back to LaPush, he will be exiled or killed."

I felt as though I had been kicked in the gut. How could Sam do this to Jacob? It didn't make sense. "But Seth, Jacob is the real Alpha…how can Sam get away with killing the Alpha?"

Seth had been walking around the den, looking out of the windows. "Nessie, we have to go now! If Sam finds you, he will kill you."

"But I don't – "

Billy interrupted me. "Nessie, you and Seth go. I will find out about what's going on…just hurry!"

"Oh no! The pack has the house surrounded. How are we going to get out of here?"

"Seth, you are fine…it's me they want. Just go outside and go home. I'll manage to get to the jeep and get out of here."

"Nessie, you don't understand. I refused to go back into Sam's pack and I want to help get him back. Sam is furious. He says that Jacob and me prefer the vampires to our family…more than the tribe…more than the pack. Sam says I am a traitor. He wants me dead, too."

Billy let out a growl when he heard that. "How dare that pup think he can take my son's heritage from him! Sam is way out of line. I will call a council meeting and get Sam tossed out. Who does he think he is?" I had never seen Billy this angry before. "Seth, Nessie, I will draw the pack to the front yard. You guys go out the back way and get off the res as soon as you can."

A loud, angry voice came from outside the house. "Billy Black. I know the traitor is in your house and that the half-breed is in the house as well. Turn them over to us and we wont hurt you Billy. I will give you my word as the alpha that no harm will come to you as long as you do what I say. We only want Seth and Nessie."

"You are not the true alpha. I do not recognize your authority." Billy motioned for me and Seth to come to him and be very quiet. In a soft whisper, he said, "You will have to move quickly to get out of here. Nessie, I love you as if you were my daughter. I know that you will find my son and bring him back home to me. Seth, my son loves you as a brother and I am so happy that he has you. I will tell your mother what has happened here. Keep in touch and let me know when you have Jacob. I'll go now, watch the trees so you will know when the pack leaves the back of the house."

Seth and I nodded to Billy. Billy was starting to leave us when I suddenly put myself between his wheelchair and the front door. "I love you, too. And I promise I will get Jacob soon!" I whispered as I kissed his cheek.

Seth and I crawled to the back door, far enough on the ground so that no one would see us and know we were about to run. We heard Billy calling for the pack to get in the front yard so that he could 'talk' to them. When we couldn't see anyone among the trees, we thought it would be safe to go to the car. We had almost made it when a wolf began to howl. Seth and I both ran as fast as we could. No reason for silence since the wolf pack knew where we were now. The only question was, could Seth and I make it to the jeep before the wolves…