Dedication: Oh, dear. It's tellingmelies's birthday and I asked her what she wanted me to update. She wanted me to update this story. So, my lovely, happy birthday. Your wish. My command. I love you.

A/N: But on that note... well... *holds everyone's hands*

"You're doing everything you can, Mr. Cullen. You're actually doing much more than you need to."

Agent Ricci's patience was wearing thin. Edward had been in his office often in the last ten days. As much as Edward kept trying to tell himself not to be a pain in the ass, to stay out of the way, he couldn't stop.

There was limited information Agent Ricci could release seeing as Edward wasn't family or even a close friend. It was a huge point of contention. Even Rosalie wasn't privy to all the information she wanted. Most of what he knew for sure was what the FBI had used his company to discover.

Mike had visited Bella's profile an unreal amount of times - obsessively. He'd logged in from no less than fifteen computers - all of them public, most of them in Seattle. According to Rose, he'd told Bella he was from Tacoma. Their on-site chat history was innocuous. Mike seemed to think they were a match made in heaven because they'd both disliked some little movie, or both enjoyed tea over coffee. He suggested they get together several times before Bella finally gave in.

"My fault," Rosalie had said, her eyes brimming with guilt and tears. "I was standing over her, arguing." Her laugh was somewhat maniacal - a painful sound. "I told her it couldn't hurt."

Mike had filled out every single survey the site had and had subsequently been granted access to sixty women.

That was sixty women Edward had likely never met that he'd unknowingly put in danger.

Bella's face haunted his dreams when he managed to fall asleep. It was a ridiculous thought given that he'd never met the woman, but from talking to her friends, he felt like he knew her.

At least, he thought he understood - on a shallow level, he was sure - what the world stood to lose if she wasn't found.

That was what drove him to visit Agent Ricci's office offering whatever help he could. He'd already purchased nationwide airtime, had posters distributed, and done whatever he could to get both Mike and Bella's faces out there.

"There must be something else. Anything," Edward growled, pacing the office.

Agent Ricci sighed. "Please have a seat a moment."

Edward did, if only because he would do anything the agent told him, imagining it would help Bella somehow.

The agent looked indecisive, but leaned across his desk, his voice low. "I'm going to trust that this conversation remains private," he said slowly, his eyes intent on Edward so he knew how serious this was. "It was only through your efforts that we got a break in the case, a young woman who may have known Mike Newton in the past."

Edward sat up straighter in his chair. This was another tidbit he'd gleaned from speaking to the agents and Rosalie. At first, Mike Newton seemed to have just appeared out of thin air. There was no record of the man existing until he'd rented a room in a house in Tacoma - paying in cash.

"Apparently, a Mike Newton did attend high school with this young woman in Sacramento, CA. There are no guarantees of course, but we're following this lead. A lead we likely would have found much later without your assistance - which I will deny admitting if this conversation should ever come up again." He looked at Edward pointedly.

"I'm not going to rat you out," Edward murmured distractedly.

"Waiting is difficult, Mr. Cullen. You know I understand that. You've done what you can."

Edward grimaced and almost laughed. He knew the agent was trying to be soothing, but the man's voice was naturally flat.

"We'll let you know if you can be of help. You have my word," Ricci continued. "I hope you'll forgive me for saying so, sir, but maybe the best thing you can do is pay attention to your own company. You employ a lot of people, and I know it can't be easy to weather the media storm this has created."

This was true, and something Edward wasn't at all sure how to deal with. After learning of what had happened - how Mike had targeted Bella - it was Edward's first impulse to shut the site down. But how could he? As Marcus had pointed out, he employed quite a number of people.

"Back to business," Edward muttered, rubbing the back of his neck restlessly. "It's just difficult. I can't imagine what she must be going through."

Marcus's eyes tightened, his smile sad. "That, Mr. Cullen, is my business."

~0~

It was the tenth day when Bella's time ran out. Whatever timeline Mike had in his head, apparently, the countdown was complete.

That morning, he looked so chipper when he came down to untie her, she was instantly ten times as nervous. He'd kissed her cheek and taken her upstairs to a breakfast of waffles with all the fixings.

He pulled her down on his lap to eat, feeding her bite by bite. As they ate he nuzzled the side of her neck, her hair. Bella managed only a few bites before she couldn't force herself to swallow anymore. Her stomach was made of stone, her insides twisting uncomfortably around the solid mass so she heaved, only barely managing to keep her breakfast down.

Luckily, Mike accepted her explanation that she wasn't very hungry with good grace. He set her on her feet and looked on her adoringly, tracing the shape of her face with his fingertips. She wondered what he saw. She knew her cheeks were tear streaked, and she trembled constantly. Though she played along as well as she could to his game, she knew her smiles were only half formed, and it wasn't possible she could hide her revulsion constantly.

What did his deranged world look like?

When the breakfast dishes were cleaned and put away, he led her to the couch in the living room, again pulling her down onto his lap rather than letting her sit on her own. "I've got so many plans for you, pretty Bella," he said against her ear, sending an unpleasant chill down her spine. His right hand was brushing her waistline, beginning to snake down between her legs, caressing, rubbing.

Despite the wounds around her wrists that never healed, Bella could never stop herself from tugging at her bindings, trying to free her hands, though who knew what she would do if they were free.

He took away so many of her options. As desperate as she was to get away, if only in her own head, she had to keep herself in the present. She couldn't risk his anger if she missed another cue, another question he expected an answer for.

What could she do but endure? She'd never felt so utterly filthy in her life. It took every ounce of her willpower to keep her body relatively still when what she wanted was to do something, anything, to get his hands off her.

His fingers slipped under the hemline of the sweatpants she wore, and Bella bit the inside of her cheek, whimpering quietly.

"It's going to be so good to be inside you, baby." His voice was a rumble, gravelly, dripping with lust. "I've been waiting a long time for you, so long." He thrust up so she felt his erection easily. "You feel that? That's all for you, pretty Bella. You see what you do to me?"

Bella was on the verge of hyperventilation, her breath coming in gasps Mike conveniently took as pleasure. Her head space was chaotic, a tirade of furious, frightened, repulsed words echoing over and over again as he rubbed her clit in slow circles.

You sick fuck. Get your fucking hands off me. Fucking lunatic. I loathe you. I can't stand the sight of you. Get away, get away, getthefuckawayfromme.

"M-m-mike?" The voice in her head was pissed the hell off. In reality, she had so little air in her lungs, the word was a mere squeak. "H-honey, please. I need to..." She gulped and tried again. It was difficult to speak when she was shaking so badly. "I need to go to the restroom. Please? I'm sorry."

He grumbled, but his hand slipped out of her pants and he stood. Rather than let her go, he looped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, rubbing his erection against her ass. "It's probably better. You need to get ready." He kissed her shoulder, the side of her neck through her hair. "It's going to be so good. So, so good."

Bella pressed her tongue up against the roof of her mouth to keep from screaming. She kept her jaw clenched tight as Mike led her to the bathroom, held her body rigid as he dug his pocketknife out and cut the rope from around her wrists. She looked studiously down at the floor as he patted her cheek.

"I'll bring your clothes." He leaned close to her, his tone teasing as he whispered in her ear. "Not that you'll need them for long."

Bella's stomach churned, but she managed not to lose what little breakfast she'd eaten until she was safely in the shower with the water running to cover her retching.

In the shower, her legs gave out and she sunk to her knees, hunched over, quivering as she sobbed uncontrollably.

When the door to the bathroom opened, she clapped her hand over her mouth to cover the noise of her weeping.

"Don't be too long now, pretty girl. You know I'm just going to make you all dirty again."

There was nothing left in her stomach, but that didn't keep her from dry heaving as the bathroom door closed again.

Bella rested her forehead against the floor of the tub, letting the hot water cascade over her naked body. It didn't matter how long or hard she bathed, the filthy feeling never left her skin. She could only imagine how much worse this was going to be.

It was minutes before she had the strength to stand. Even then, her legs were wobbly at best. She had to lean against the wall to keep herself upright.

What she wanted was to stay in this shower forever, but she knew better. He would only come get her then. He was probably already getting impatient. The thought made her mewl - a whine at the back of her throat.

Wrapping herself in the towel he'd provided, Bella stepped out of the shower, stumbling forward to catch herself on the edge of the counter. She was trembling, and it was another minute before she could lift her head to look in the mirror.

The girl there was a shadow of the woman she'd been. She was gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes that suggested it'd been years since she'd last slept. Her pallor was a sickly gray-green color. Her throat still carried the fading purple bruises from where his fingers had gripped her tight. And the fear... the fear was etched into her features, clear in her eyes.

Bella bowed her head again, biting her lip to keep from sobbing again.

There was one choice left: submission or death.

She could try to fight him, but he was twice her size, strong, and absolutely lethal when he was angry. And she was sure, even in this act of 'love', he would probably tie her up - since this was what one did with their consenting, willing partners in his warped little world. She could try to fight, but she would likely fail, and if she failed he would kill her.

Bella had no delusions about the others anymore. The others that had come before her had all made a mistake somewhere and had paid with their lives.

For a moment, Bella felt dizzy.

Death was preferable, wasn't it? To this? If she fought him - even yelled at him - maybe it would be over in minutes. It would all be over. She would never have to feel his hands on her body, his voice in her ear again.

Escape. Death was escape. Maybe it was her only escape.

Bella took shallow breaths, her head spinning wildly.

It was tempting, and that frightened her maybe more than anything. The instinct toward self-preservation, survival, was wavering - shaken to the bone.

The thought sparked the fury in her again.

Fuck that.

She was going to survive. She was going to live to see this sick fucker burn. She was going to be the one to hold his head under the water and watch until his face went slack.

What she needed was his trust. As much as the idea made her want to scream, he was in it for the long haul. This was forever for him.

He had to untie her at some point.

He had to let his guard down sometime.

And even if he didn't, surely someone was coming. They had his name, after all. Rosalie knew who'd she'd been out with. His picture was on his profile.

Not that he'd ventured far from this hellhole since he'd kidnapped her.

Shaking that thought away, Bella's eyes flicked up to the mirror again.

I'm not going to die here. I have things to do, and I'm going to do them.

~0~

She could see the trees from his bedroom window.

In retrospect, it seemed like a strange thing to fixate on, all things considered. But she hadn't really seen the outside for ten days. When she wasn't in the basement, Mike kept the blinds drawn, but in his room there were curtains, and she could see outside through the slim crack where they met.

It was a little surreal watching the clouds roll by above the treetops like the world wasn't completely upside down and insane.

Like it wasn't crumbling to pieces all around her.

The clouds rolled by, threatening rain like it was any other day.

And Mike was on top of her. His weight was crushing and his grunts filled her ears.

But her head was turned to the side watching the clouds and the trees swaying gently in the wind.

There were tears hot on her cheeks, and the ever present bite of the rope on her wrists as Mike's movements jostled her, tugging as her arms were bound tightly above her head to his headboard.

Her mind was blank.

It was over in minutes and then he lay on top of her, his head resting against her shoulder, panting. The calm inside her was eerie, like she was shut off - a fleshy robot made of parts and nothing else.

Her soul was floating somewhere above her head, thoughts suspended.

Because if she started thinking, it was over.

Some part of her was well aware she was on a precipice. Below her was a craggy canyon littered with sharp edged rocks. If she thought, she would fall and her body would be dashed - twisted and broken and beyond anyone's reach.

Mike's fingers at her chin made Bella start. She closed her eyes as he tilted her head away from the trees.

She could not look at him.

Sated for the moment, he didn't seem to care, didn't protest at her lowered lids. He kissed her - soft, lingering - as though he were a lover.

Bella's mouth and throat were absolutely dry.

"I knew it would be good, but that was..." He chuckled and kissed her again.

After a moment of this, he rolled off of her, out of her, and into a sitting position on the bed. Bella opened her eyes, only vaguely aware of what she was seeing.

His back was littered with scars - long, raised welts criss-crossed his skin telling a story that might have sickened her if she wasn't so entirely dead inside. He'd been tortured once. He'd suffered a lot.

He twisted, turning to look at her with a serene smile and patted her cheek.

"I have a few things to do. You rest." He leaned down to kiss her once more before he mumbled against her lips, "I want you again. Soon. Very soon."

Then he was gone.

The room was silent save for her little gasps, wheezes as her breath came and went, strangled through the tightness in her chest and the lump in her throat.

Gradually, Bella became aware of other sensations besides the ache between her legs.

Her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, the air chilling her body as she lay nude on top of the bed. Her tears left a trail of heat as they fell, one by one, from the corners of her eyes - a stark contrast to the otherwise cold temperature of her flesh, her insides.

As the minutes went by the weight on her heart and shoulders grew heavier, the invisible grip around her lungs tighter until she could barely breathe.

Degradation began to seep in, the emotion too strong, too loud to ignore. And once that emotion began to creep in around her psyche, the rest clamored for her attention.

Fury. Fear.

Shame.

Violation.

It was too much to withstand. Too much, and she was helpless to combat it, completely impotent to fight.

Tied up and entirely pathetic.

Helpless to do anything but weep as she fell from the edge and shattered against the unforgiving rocks below.

~0~

Edward couldn't sleep.

It shouldn't have been a surprise. He hadn't really slept in the eleven days he'd found out who Bella Swan was. His mind was always too preoccupied, wondering what horrors were being inflicted on this innocent woman. His body was too tense, waiting for officers to knock on his door again or for his phone to ring in the middle of the night.

He'd been waiting for it, but still, when his phone rang at three in the morning on the 13th day Bella had been missing, Edward jumped a mile. His heart leapt up into his throat, his breath became labored. He fumbled for his cell and dropped it twice before he was able to connect the call.

"Hello?" he answered gruffly.

All he heard on the other end was crying.

Taking the phone away from his ear only long enough to see who was calling, his stomach twisted, and he immediately broke out into a cold sweat, grief poised to drive a spike right through his heart.

Was this it?

"Rosalie?" His voice was raw, like metal grinding against metal. "Oh, God. Is she?"

"They found her," Rosalie managed between sobs.

For such a stoic woman, she was beside herself now, and Edward wanted to cry right along with her.

They found her body? Was she dead? God, no. She couldn't be. Not after all this.

"You wanted to know. She's in the the hospital."

Relief flooded through him, and Edward sunk back against his pillows. He swallowed hard, his eyes brimming with tears. "Tell me," he implored, knowing there was more.

"It's bad," was all she said.

Of course it was. It wouldn't have been easy - couldn't have. Edward closed his eyes tightly. "I will be right there."

A/N: Everlasting thanks to GinnyW, barburella and Cris for getting me through this chapter.

How we doing out there, lovelies?