A/N: Thanks to my beta and prereader, OnePushyFox and Erikasbuddy. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this month (it's all about the zombies, baby) so Chapter 13 will be up in the beginning of December. Thanks for reading and passing the word along.

Chapter 12

BPOV

A chill crept slowly up my back, making me shiver even though the front of my body felt like it was on fire. Sweat poured down my face, dampening the collar of my shirt. What once was a raging fire had died down into a few strong flames licking at the greyish-black wood. But the less intense heat was no comfort to my sweltering form.

I wasn't sure how long Mike had been gone. Being left alone, tied to an uncomfortable dusty old chair a few feet from the fireplace, left me few options. I prayed, hoping someone would hear my pleas and I would be rescued. And I thought about the people I love, Charlie, Renee, and most of all Edward. What would they do if I didn't make it home?

The dirty rope grated against my already raw skin as I tried to set my limbs free. A small trickle of warm liquid slowly ran down my shin towards my foot, making me flail even harder to be free. I desperately needed to scratch the itch that was left in the blood flow's wake.

"Someone, please help me," I whimpered, knowing that I was doomed to wait for as long as Mike saw fit to stay away.

The heat from the fireplace had become unbearable and my mouth grew drier by the second. The clothes I wore seemed to burn into my skin. I tried to scoot the chair away from the heat source just to get a little relief for my overheated body. Leaning my weight forward in the rickety four-legged prison cell that I was bound to, I flung myself backwards. Momentum carried the chair and me back a few inches. But the balance was unsteady since one chair leg was shorter than the others and I finally toppled over onto the dusty wooden floor. I was still attached to the chair and now doomed to rest on the dirty floor boards. At least the front part of my body was no longer facing the flames. The cold air from the backside of the cabin chilled my sweat soaked body quickly.

Mike had been smart in the way that he had bound me to the chair. The rope was wrapped around my limbs in such a way that everything was intertwined. Even if I could break free of the chair somehow, I would still be tied with my arms behind me and my feet behind me as well. Going limp, I finally surrendered and lay still in silence.

EPOV

"We're getting close to the cell phone, Edward," Alice said as she walked quickly beside me.

Charlie glanced at the GPS device from the other side of Alice. "About another half-mile and we'll be there." He was getting winded, but he continued to hike next to us without complaint.

It had taken much longer to go this far into the dense forest than it would have if it was just Alice and me. Charlie insisted on coming along and I wasn't going to deny his request. I needed to stay on his good side. We were both desperate to get Bella back safely. If worse came to worse, the presence of two potential human meals would distract Mike enough for us to rip him apart before I burned his body.

An unpleasant smell blanketed the area, the air filling with the scent of wet dog that grew more intense as the seconds ticked by. Approaching the location where the GPS tracker told us Bella's cell phone was located, Jacob Black appeared, falling into line with our search party as he walked next to Charlie.

"Thanks for helping out, Jake," Charlie said as he clapped Jacob on the shoulder.

"Dad said you could use the help to find Bella, so I came right away. I want to see her safe. Plus I might get to kick some vampire ass while I'm at it," he mumbled.

"Hey, we heard that," Alice said offended.

The four of us walked along in silence, making slow progress towards our goal. I fought the urge to snatch the GPS receiver out of Alice's hand and make a run for it, leaving everyone behind in the dust. While I was content to pass the agonizing time in silence, the others weren't so inclined.

"That new lady vamp tried to eat me in the Newton's parking lot," Charlie said, acting like it was no big deal.

"Sorry about that, we can't take care of her when she's not on our land. We almost had her a few times, but she was so quick and really unpredictable," Jacob explained.

"Our family will take care of her," Alice said. The rest of our coven had gone in search of Lauren while we left to find Bella. Alice spoke so confidently while she showed me her vision, one with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie ripping Lauren apart while Carlisle and Esme started a fire to incinerate her.

"We're almost there," she said, slowing in pace and looking around. The area was dense with coniferous trees; their needles formed a brownish green blanket over the terrain. But there was no sign of Bella.

Charlie leaned down and plucked something from the detritus on the ground. "I found something," he said as he picked it up. "It's Bella's phone."

I closed my eyes, frustration building to an explosive maximum. "Let me see that, please." He handed over the phone and I hit the power button. The screen lit up like a spot light in the dark night, revealing a picture of myself. "Damn it. It is Bella's."

"It must have fallen out of her pocket when Mike brought her through here," Alice answered.

Jacob sniffed the air before turning to Charlie. "I can smell the blood sucker that took her. I can find her for you."

I concentrated on the various odors surrounding us. The strong stench coming from Jacob even in his human form, the aftershave Charlie used, Alice's various perfumes and beauty products were comingled. But I could isolate Mike's scent with a hint of Bella's essence. Both were fading fast and we needed to act now.

"There are two different trails here. One leads further up the mountain and the other leads west." Jacob added.

"We should split up," I offered. "Alice and I will follow the path into the higher elevations. You two will follow the trail west."

My decision was met with resistance from Charlie. "I should go with you two."

Alice stepped into the conversation. "I'm not sure how far up the mountain we have to go, Charlie. It will be too cold and the air too thin for you to adjust quickly. I'll contact you if we find her."

Charlie begrudgingly accepted Alice's advice. The wolf and Bella's father hurried away towards the west with Jacob's nose leading the way.

I stood motionless with my eyes closed, reaching out with all of my senses looking for a whisper of Bella.

What the hell is he doing? This is no time for meditation. Alice thought.

"If you'd be quiet, you could listen for a sign of Bella too," She shut her eyes tightly and concentrated just like I was.

The forest was completely still. Animals had a natural instinct to avoid us and they had fled long before we reached this area. After a few minutes of quiet focus, I opened my eyes. "Did you hear that, Alice?"

Her expression brightened. "It's faint, but she's nearby."

"Exactly," I said. "Why do you think I sent Charlie and the mutt away? It was much too loud with their hearts pounding in their chests for me to listen for Bella's."

The quiet, even beating of Bella's heart was a sound that I would recognize forever. I dashed off towards the source, knowing that I would find her very soon. Alice could easily catch up with me.

Jasper POV

We caught up with the newborn female vampire just inside the wooded area at the far end of Newton's parking lot. The five of us formed a semi-circle some distance inside the tree line, not wanting to scare her into running away. As we slowly closed the distance, I noticed that she sat on the dirty ground, cradling her left arm to her chest. She must have awoken all alone, with no one there to guide her through the transition from human to vampire. I actually felt a little sorry for her, even though she had been the biggest bitch at Forks High School.

When we were within one hundred yards of the newborn, we quickly closed rank on my command and formed a tight circle around her. Lauren jumped to her feet, still holding her torn off arm to her chest with the other one. A large stain of her leftover human blood spread across the thin shirt she wore. The crimson liquid slowly ran down from her shoulder socket and from the unattached limb in her hand. Her head whipped from side to side as she turned in a circle, realizing that she was surrounded.

Lauren's pain and anxiety mowed me over like a steam roller. I felt a twinge of pity for the girl and wanted to ease her suffering, and subsequently my own. I directed calming waves at only her since we all needed to be alert enough in case she panicked and attacked.

Carlisle took a tentative step forward. "Lauren, do you know what's happened to you?"

"Some crazy girl ripped off my arm and ruined my favorite shirt, for starters," she said, shaking her dismembered limb at Carlisle for emphasis.

My gift apparently didn't affect her innate bitchiness. "Alice was protecting Chief Swan from you. You're lucky you aren't a pile of ash right now."

Lauren looked stricken for a moment, but her face returned to the normal icy expression she had always worn as a human. Emmett and Rosalie snickered loudly, but a stern look from Esme shut them up quickly.

"We can help you reattach that, if you'd like," Esme offered.

"Why would you help me? Lauren asked. "I don't even know you."

Carlisle took another step towards the newborn, closing the distance inch by inch. "We like to help people. I'm a doctor at Forks Hospital, remember?"

"Doctor Cullen?" she asked with a spark of recognition in her eyes. "What has happened to me?"

"First things first, dear," Esme said as she walked over and took the bloody limb from Lauren. "Let's get you fixed up."

Carlisle and Esme helped Lauren fuse her arm back onto her shoulder with her own venom, talking quietly to Lauren as they worked. They explained what she now was and what options she had in choosing a new way of life. The rest of us spread out and covered the space that Esme and Carlisle vacated, still prepared for anything.

"But I'd have to eat animals?" she said curling her upper lip in distaste. "That doesn't even sound good."

"It's an acquired taste," I lied.

We were safely tucked away inside the tree line, but I had a clear view of the Newton's store front. Unexpectedly, Mike Newton casually walked out the automatic sliding doors into the dimly lit parking lot. I tensed and everyone else followed suit.

He immediately spotted Lauren amongst the trees and appeared before us in the blink of a human eye, keeping a cautious distance outside of our circle.

"Get away from me, you bastard. You tried to kill me," she yelled at Mike.

"I gave you a new life. On accident of course, but a better one none the less," he answered from the edge of the trees.

Emmett turned his angry gaze to Mike. "Where's Bella, you asshole?" he growled as he started to advance towards Lauren to get to Mike, who took a few steps towards the parking lot behind him.

Lauren shrank backwards thinking Emmett was coming for her. Her overwhelming fear and need to flee soaked into me in a rush.

"You can either trust them or you can trust me. But I'm not staying here to die and I recommend running," Mike warned and took off along the parking lot and into the woods on the opposite side. Lauren wasted no time in following behind her classmate, whom she thought was trustworthy.

"Damn it, Emmett. We could have caught Mike and made him lead us to Bella," Rosalie scolded before taking off in pursuit of the two newborn vampires. Within a few seconds, the five of us were trailing behind the escapees, weaving around trees and over fallen logs.

We pursued them until we reached the boundary line drawn by our treaty with the Quileutes. A shallow stream ran through the middle and gave a physical cue to where we were not supposed to travel. As we followed them for the last several hundred yards along the rocky terrain, it was clear that neither Lauren nor Mike knew about this boundary line. With an easy leap, they soared over the stream and landed with a light thud on the other side of the water. The five of us skidded to a halt, not willing to break the treaty and start a war with the wolves at this point in time. The air was thick with the scent of the wolves. Their loud heartbeats signaled that several were on the other side of this frothy stream.

Lauren and Mike looked at each other after noticing we didn't pursue them. "See, Lauren? I knew they'd be too slow to catch us," Mike taunted from across the water.

"I don't get it," Lauren said to Mike. "Why aren't they chasing us?" Lauren continued to look at the five of us across the creek. "And what is that awful smell?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. His eyes grew wide as he looked over Lauren's shoulder. "But it probably has something to do with those giant wolves heading right for us!"

Right on cue, three wolves launched themselves at the newborns. While Mike must have decided that he'd take his chances with us by jumping back over the water, Lauren screamed and tried to make a run for it on the Quileute's land. The wolves latched on to Lauren's head and legs, playing a quick game of tug of war until her body broke apart with a loud fracturing noise. I turned my head away, the cracking noise reminding me of my oppressive time under Maria.

Mike sped off into the forest with Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle in pursuit. Esme and I stayed behind to make sure that Lauren was taken care of before we followed the others towards our goal.

EPOV

The thumping of Bella's heart grew louder with each step I took up the mountain. Within minutes a cabin appeared on a flat and heavily wooded portion of the slope. Smoke poured out of a crumbling brick chimney, but I couldn't see any light spilling from within the structure.

I couldn't hear anyone inside, just the steady hum of Bella's breathing and the thumping of her heart as it pumped the life force through her veins. I ran straight to the door and shattered it into a thousand pieces with one swift kick. The cabin shook from the impact, but only Bella was occupying the space to feel the rattling boards.

Bella yelped from her prone position on the floor but smiled when she saw me standing in the doorway. "You found me!"

"You doubted I would?" I walked across the creaking wooden floorboards to the area of Bella's imprisonment. The chair she was anchored to broke easily with a simple twist of my hand. I quickly removed the pieces of splintered wood from the loops of rope, but paused when I saw how deeply the coarse rope had cut into her wrists and ankles.

"Bella, removing this is going to hurt."

"I don't care, just get them the hell off of me. I need to move."

I peeled back the first section of rope that was wrapped around her wrists, binding her hands together. Thick clumps of dried blood ripped away from her skin as I pulled the rope out of the valleys hollowed out by friction. She gasped as the rope was ripped free from her flesh.

Fresh streams of crimson oozed from her wounds, immediately surrounding me with the most intoxicating scent. I bit back the urge to latch onto her wrist and drink deeply. Venom pooled in my mouth, doing nothing to quench the intense burning that had fired up within.

She waited impatiently while I freed her shaking legs and helped her stand up. "Thank you," she said as she rubbed her hands together, trying to restore circulation. "I love you, Edward," she said before raising her mouth to mine. Our lips met hungrily, a manifestation of our desperation and relief all wrapped up in one intense meeting of our bodies.

Alice poked her head inside the now door less entry way. "Mike didn't hurt you, did he?" she asked before walking further into the room and forcing us to end our kiss.

"I'm fine, Alice. Just have a bit of rope burn," Bella understated as she raised her arms to show her the extent of damage.

"There's a bit too much blood in the air. Give her this, Edward," Alice said as she tossed a full bottle of water to me. "I'll just step outside and call Charlie to tell him we found Bella."

Bella practically chugged the entire bottle and threw the empty plastic to the floor. She tucked her head into my chest and I held her tightly against me. "I was so afraid that Mike had killed you," she said as her tears started to soak through my shirt.

"Whatever gift he has knocked me unconscious for about half an hour." I stroked her back gently, feeling her shiver under my touch. The coat I wore just for appearances was just what she needed. She accepted it readily and wrapped it around her tightly.

"What was it like, being asleep after all this time?"

I returned to her and took her hands in mine. "I actually dreamt while I was under," I said as my finger dipped into the blood slowly drying around her wrist.

"Was it a good dream?" she asked expectantly.

"It was a complete nightmare. And one I'd rather not repeat right now."

"Edward," Alice called from outside.

"Wait here and warm yourself by what's left of the fire," I directed to Bella and went outside to see what Alice wanted.

"We have a big problem heading our way."

I looked up at the cloudy night sky and clenched my fists. "What the hell is the problem now?"

"Something must have changed because Mike is running here with Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle in pursuit. There's no sign of Lauren. We've got about twenty minutes before they arrive."

"Good, I want to deal with that bastard myself," I seethed.

"No, it's not good. Both Bella and Charlie will be harmed if they don't leave this mountain."

"Then I'll go back inside with Bella and we'll leave with Charlie when he arrives." I wanted a chance to confront Mike myself.

"I'll meet Charlie and Jacob and bring them here, it will be easier than meeting them somewhere else. Be back in ten," Alice promised and disappeared with a cell phone held to her ear. I turned and returned to Bella, who was now standing in front of the fire with her hands outstretched towards the warmth.

As I approached, she turned around so that her back was to the fire. "It's nice to be able to turn around. I was sweating to death on one side only while I was tied up."

I pulled her close, the warmth of her skin and clothes from the fire soaked into me as we touched. "Mike will pay for this."

She put her finger to my lips. "I don't want to talk about Mike right now," she said as she cupped my cheek with her outstretched hand and scrutinized my face. "Your eyes are so black."

She'd noticed that I needed sustenance and I wasn't taking care of myself. I should be the last thing she was worried about right now. "It took a lot to run up almost an entire mountain to get you back." Not to mention the fact that the scent of her blood filled the air and that was enough to transform my eyes into a different hue.

"And you're here with me now," she whispered. She quietly said something else, but I found concentrating on her words increasingly difficult.

Blood slowly trickled down her upstretched arm and I could smell every drop that spilled into the coat. I licked my lips, remembering the taste of Bella's blood on my tongue. "Charlie will be here soon and we have to leave. The rest of my family is chasing Mike to this location as we speak."

She bit her lip before pulling the jacket up to her elbow, exposing her bleeding arm. "Are you strong enough to protect me and my father against anything?" she asked.

If I was completely honest with myself, I'd have told her that we would make it just fine. But the bloodlust took over my thoughts. "No," I lied.

"Then let me make you strong," she said and offered her raw wrist to me.

I stared at her offering, bright red and inviting with the liquid I craved so intensely. My resistance waned and I quickly brought her wounded wrist to my lips, pulling in the sweet nectar and feeling the strength fill every crevice in my body.

Bella grabbed onto my waist to steady her balance. The warmth of her body so close to mine, combined with the immediate effects that her blood had on my physique, urged me to push her wrist into my lips and other parts of my body to hers more tightly.

"Edward," she said breathlessly. "I'm starting to feel faint." She pushed at my chest as hard as she could, but her touch felt like a mere tickle to my stone chest. I continued to drink deeply and ignored her shoving against my chest.

"That's enough," she commanded, trying to pull her arm out of my grasp. Finally realizing that I could hurt her, my feeding induced haze cleared and I released her arm.

"I'm so sorry, my love. I forgot myself," I said as she yanked the wool sleeve back over her wrist. "I don't know what came over me. I'm strong enough to protect you and Charlie now. Thank you." I pulled her close to me once again, placing a light kiss on top of her head.

After a few seconds, the tension left Bella's body and she melted into my embrace. We remained in that position in the fire light, Bella's head tucked into my chest and her arms wrapped tightly around my waist while I stroked her back, until Alice returned with Charlie.

"Where's the dog?" I asked as they walked into the cabin.

"Jacob will be along soon. He said that he needed to check in with the other wolves." Charlie rushed over to Bella as he spoke to me and plucked her from my embrace. His fatherly love and concern overflowed, resulting in a tight hug between them. While Charlie spoke with Bella and checked her over to make sure she wasn't injured too badly, I took the opportunity to quickly speak to Alice.

"How much time do we have to get out of here?"

"I'm not sure since I can't see around the mutt," she replied. Alice stared daggers at my face while a look of pure anger blanketed her expression. "What the hell did you two do while I was fetching Charlie, Edward?" She continued in a quieter voice. "You're eyes are red."

Oh shit. I had forgotten about that. "Bella insisted, since I was running on empty after this entire ordeal."

"You know that I don't approve," she said quickly. "I should tell Carlisle all about this. And you certainly can't let the wolf see you with blood soaked eyes. You two will start a war."

"Please don't do that," I begged. "We've got it handled."

"I don't like keeping secrets from the others, especially when all of us have no secrets from you," she said as she jabbed a hard finger into my chest.

"I know, but do it for Bella. Please?" She reluctantly nodded her head in agreement, but the look of disapproval twisted her face.

"Bella, Charlie, we need to go now." I really hoped that Charlie didn't know what the change in hue of my eyes meant or the darkness of the forest would conceal the truth. He would definitely be against this entire situation. We had enough on our plate after Bella's abduction and Mike Newton's involvement.

We started our descent just as Jacob Black arrived in human form and fell in step beside Charlie, who held Bella protectively under his arm. "I see that Bella is safe," he said to her father.

"She needs some first aid for her injuries, but she'll be okay physically," Charlie responded.

"I can get her down the mountain quickly if you'll make sure Charlie gets down safely," I said, hiding my eyes from Jacob while we walked. "I'll have Carlisle meet us at the house and treat her wounds at home, rather than at the hospital."

"That's probably a good idea," Bella responded.

Charlie reluctantly released Bella from his arm, looking like he didn't want to let her go. "I'll go straight to your house. Take care of my daughter, Edward."

"I will protect her with everything I have." I pledged an oath that I was prepared to sacrifice my life to keep.

"It didn't work so well a few hours ago at our house," he said.

Alice stepped in. "Charlie, we didn't know what Mike was capable of. Edward can easily protect Bella from anyone."

I gently hoisted Bella onto my back and made sure she wasn't in pain as she wrapped herself around me before I sped down the mountain. We dodged trees with little effort, her warm body pressed against mine as we headed towards safety.

Alice POV

The silence was welcoming as I stood motionless in the dilapidated cabin where Bella had been tied up and held against her will. I easily saw the others arriving here in my mind. My visions became clearer the further down the mountain the wolf went with Charlie. Two other figures popped into my vision and they were not a welcome sight. Victoria and Laurent were most definitely responsible for Mike's behavior.

Mike ran into the cabin at full speed, wild eyed and disheveled with mud splattered up and down his jeans. He quickly scanned the tiny room before his eyes settled on me.

"What a naughty boy you've been, Michael," I scolded. "Did you really think that you could take what belongs to us and there would not be a price to pay?"

Panicking, he ducked outside the cabin, which was now surrounded by members of my family. I took my place in the circle formed around Mike by Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle.

Mike turned in circles, looking for a way to break through our boundary.

"Don't let him touch you," I instructed my family.

"Such an interesting power that you have, Michael," Carlisle said.

"What are you talking about, what power?" he answered and continued to look for an opportunity to escape.

"What you did to Edward," I replied. "Vampires can't sleep, but you certainly put him out like a light."

"I don't know how I did that," Mike said. "He tried to kill me, so I defended myself."

"Why are you bothering to question him?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah," Emmett added. "Let's make with the killing instead."

Esme spoke next. "The Volturi certainly can't find out about his power. They would use it to their advantage."

"The Volturi shouldn't know about what?" Laurent asked as he and Victoria appeared from behind the cabin.

Carlisle recovered first. "I'm sure that the Volturi would love to know that you've created a newborn that is drawing a lot of attention to himself."

Victoria continued to walk towards our circle. "What do you want with my Michael? And why do I smell humans? Have you not been sharing?"

"He decided that kidnapping Edward's mate was a good idea and kept her imprisoned in this shack." Jasper added a warning. "This isn't taken lightly by our coven."

"Is this true, Michael?" Victoria asked him coldly.

He remained expressionless and silent in the middle of our circle, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Carlisle reinforced our position, just as he had when we ran across these nomads in the past. "This is our territory and your actions are drawing unwanted attention by the authorities. You need to leave this area."

"But it's so nice here," Laurent said. "We've grown to love all this part of the world has to offer."

"We'll take care of Michael," Victoria said with a sneer. "He is mine so release him to me, or suffer the consequences."

"If there is one more death or even one more scratch on Bella, you all will pay." Emmett threatened.

"He'll be dealt with, I assure you," Laurent said.

Esme and Rosalie didn't move as Mike brushed between them to join Victoria and Laurent.

"Wipe that smile off of your face, boy," Laurent directed.

"You are in so much trouble," Victoria added.

The six of us left the non-vegetarians behind on the cold peak to deal with Mike. Closing my eyes, I saw that he would be punished and the Volturi would not find out about his power, for now. Being stuck with Victoria would be a far harsher sentence than death.