A/N- Alright, I'm getting further and further ahead of the posted chapters. Which is a good thing. Because soon I'll have no time whatsoever to write after the end of this week.
I'm glad that you enjoyed Bella's POV, but I doubt you'll see it again. Edward is back to stay, happily.
I do not own Twilight, New Moon or Eclipse. I only own Noah and any other characters that might come up in the final chapters of this crazy ride.
Edward's POV
I grimaced when I heard a beeping noise, waking me up from the fantastic dreamless sleep I had been enjoying. I suddenly knew how all those people with alarm clocks felt. Throwing that annoying machine out the window and falling back asleep sounded wonderful.
Then I realized that I was not sure I knew where I was. I had no recollection of trying to go to sleep. And I usually remembered because sleeping was always a trifle odd to me, after ninety years of consciousness.
I opened my eyes and glanced around the unfamiliar room. The curtains and bedspread gave away the general location: a hotel room. At my further perusal I noticed the heart monitor. That aggravating beeping noise was a response to my heart's beat.
Suddenly, it all came back in a crashing wave. The pain and grief. The very hole that seemed to be ripping itself through my torso. I gasped for a breath. The beep of the heart monitor sped up. A very small, logical part of me knew that the heart monitor was responding to the rise in my heart rate.
I had to calm down. But how could I? Bella—lost. Quite possibly taken by Noah. Noah was such a peaceful name—a biblical name. How could someone so vile end up with such a sacred brand?
We didn't even know if Bella could die or not. What if she could? What if I could? What if Noah still tried to drink from her? This line of thinking was not helping the maddening sound that the heart monitor emitted.
"Edward?" Carlisle's quiet voice made me look towards the doorway of the room.
"Tell me I was dreaming. Tell me it was a nightmare I was having." I choked out.
"I can't do that." Carlisle came closer, sitting on the side of the bed, "I can tell you that everyone is searching for Bella, except for me. It's easier now that they directed their path into the mountains. It doesn't matter whether the sun is out or not."
"Why am I here? What happened to me?" I couldn't remember. All I remember was the grief that I felt when the words tumbled from Carlisle's lips. That Bella was not with Emmett and Jasper.
"Your heart stopped. You went back into that sinister coma that you'd been in before. Eyes opened. Completely motionless. It's a good thing that we knew what to do this time. It took a little work, but we got everything together here and fixed you up. You have got to control your emotions." He scolded, "Esme was beside herself."
"How long have I been out?" I wanted to go search, too. Any amount of time was lost time. Time I could have been roaming the mountains with my family looking for Bella.
"About five hours. Alice has called in once. It's very difficult to find Bella. Her blood scent is so weak and she's not calling for help." Carlisle sighed. He was restless. I could tell.
"What about Jacob? I remember something about him being found in the woods?" I furrowed my brow trying to remember exactly what had happened.
"Jacob woke up and remembers nothing of what happened to him. Only that he was maimed by Noah. He's healed up." Carlisle frowned.
I scowled fiercely. The only person that could possibly tell us something about Bella was unable to. This was absolutely maddening. I had no time to blame Jacob. My—my life was out there somewhere. I had to find her.
Suddenly, I could hear Emmett and Esme's thoughts. They were close.
"Emmett and Esme are here. I want to go looking for her." I sat up and ripped the monitor pads from my chest.
"Is that wise? How do we know you won't short out again?" Carlisle gave me a pointed look.
"Because Bella is out there somewhere and she needs me. I can control myself." I threw my feet over the bedside and moved to stand up.
"Oh Edward," I heard Esme's voice, "I was so worried." She came over to examine me closer.
Worried enough that we came back. Emmett's thoughts assailed me.
Esme seemed satisfied that I was in one piece. Though I didn't feel like it. I pulled my shirt back on, physically covering the metaphoric cavern where my heart used to be. Something else was beating in its place. Some unknown organ that no human physician would recognize.
"Have you found any traces of Bella?" I asked.
"No." Emmett frowned, "But we can't find any evidence of Noah either. We can't find his scent anywhere."
"Come on, let's go." I moved to shove my feet into my tennis shoes, "Any minute we stand here talking is a minute we waste. I can get most of the details from your minds as we catch up to the others."
"Edward," Esme caught me by the arm and fixed a stern gaze on me, "You have to promise me that you won't get over excited. What if electrocuting you stops working? You will not do that to me again."
"As soon as we catch up with the others, you can attach Jasper to me, if you want." I assured her.
Promise me. Her mind almost screamed.
"I promise. If that's what it takes." I nodded.
"Let's go," Esme frowned at me, but led the way out of the room.
By the time we caught up with everyone, they were in the middle of the mountain range, combing through the forest. I had discerned that the entire search party was looking for Bella, no exceptions. Jacob had, in fact, healed completely and was searching with the rest of the pack a little further south that the rest of us. There was nothing else to know.
"Edward," Alice tackled me as soon as we were in their vicinity, "We're going to find Bella. I promise. Even if I can't see it. But until then, here is your new best friend," Alice grabbed Jasper and stood him beside me.
"Edward, if I'm going to be right here, you're going to have to do something about that." Jasper pointed at my chest.
"You feel it too?" I sighed, wincing against the pain. Had I felt this anguished when I left Bella last fall? I couldn't remember. Being back with her had dulled all memory of those baleful feelings.
"Try this." Jasper was careful not to touch me. He would feel the full onslaught of my emotions if he did, "Just take deep breaths. Deep cleansing breaths. We are going to find Bella, Edward. We will comb over the entire United States if need be. There's nothing to worry about."
I focused on a nearby tree. I knew that Jasper was right. I needed to take care of myself. I would be no good to the search if I was hysterical.
I breathed deeply.
We don't know that Bella was with Noah. Maybe she escaped him. Jasper's mind whispered at me.
I took another deep breath.
She may have gone into hiding so that Noah couldn't find him.
I pulled in another fresh batch of oxygen.
Noah's powers could be as ineffective on Bella as yours are. As Aro's were. As Jane's were.
I felt the hole in my chest close up a little. It was bearable at best. The positive thoughts helped.
But not much.
"Come on," Jasper touched my shoulder. It was then that I noticed the others had disappeared from sight, "We're going to start here and keep following a westward path. Stay within ten feet of me, ok? We're going to find her."
"Ok." I nodded.
We began walking slowly through the woods. Jasper called out Bella's name every twenty feet or so that we walked. I was incapable of speech. I focused on the positive thoughts that Jasper threaded through my mind, as well as the calming effect he had harnessed my raging emotions with. The emotions were effectively reigned in.
I was back in my mindless search mode, watching for a dark head of hair or the blonde spikes of Noah that I had seen in Jasper's mind. For the second time that day, I shut out all the worries and emotion and let my instinct take over. Bella had to be in this forest.
My heart beat sped up a little.
"Are you alright Edward?" Jasper pulled me out of my mindless reverie. He must have heard the irregularity of my heart.
"Yes. I think so. I just wish we could find her." I sighed. Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder and the contact earned me a clearer mind.
"Everyone is looking for her. We'll find her." Jasper nodded, "Are you sure you're alright? You were just comatose an hour ago."
"I will be ok as soon as we find Bella, Jasper." I barely murmured.
Rosalie appeared before we could go further into conversation.
"We found Noah." And then I saw the image her mind was focused on. It wasn't Noah at all, but a ten foot radius of trees singed by the fire and soot of a vampire's body.
"We identified him by the scrap of clothing we found in one of the trees." Rosalie held up a small piece of blue fabric.
"Any sign of Bella?" Jasper asked the question I wanted to. It was the answer to that question that I feared.
"None…. Which is a good thing—" she rushed to answer. She must have heard my heart speed up.
"Steady, Edward," Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder, slamming a wave of calm through me.
"It's a good thing because that means she's still out there." Rosalie tried to smile, "I would like to know how she killed Noah herself."
"Alice saw none of it?" Jasper asked.
"Alice wasn't there when I left. She was searching south of where we found the remains." Rosalie shrugged, "But, Edward, that means that wherever Bella is, she's safe. We just have to find her." She looked hopeful, "And she probably isn't far. I came to see if you wanted to search for her yourself in that area. Esme and Jacob already are."
While all this conversation was going on I was trying to pull the pieces together. Noah was gone. Bella had killed him herself. But she was nowhere to be found.
"Let's go." I nodded decisively. I wanted to look around where Noah had been destroyed. Maybe there would be a clue that would help us find her.
A/N- The chapters are beginning to get progressively longer. But if they're going to get edited and placed up, I'm going to have to hear some noise. So hit that review button and tell me what you think.