Disclaimer: I own the plot, SM owns the characters. Copyright 2009-2010 isakassees

A/N: I'm continuously amazed by the love I get for this fic. Thanks to all who review, I love hearing your feedback, even if it's short. I appreciate all those out there rec'ing it on different forums, thank you. Big things are coming! This chapter is pretty angsty, but hopefully not annoyingly so. It was pretty difficult to write, so please drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

Stay tuned!

My poor friend EBT's computer died, so I'm posting this one unbeta'ed. She's the only reason my punctuation makes any sense, so please forgive any mistakes.

Chapter 12: Day 21 August 6th, Part 1

EPOV

And surprisingly, I felt nothing. It was slightly vindicating to have her not portrayed as a victim, as I anticipated her to try to do, but rather as the abandoner that she was. But seeing her, seeing her for the first time in almost five years, I realized if I felt anything towards her at all, I felt pity. Pity that she had missed out on Lily's life and love and personality. And I was glad she wasn't in our lives. Lily was better off with no mother at all, then a viper like Tanya.

I tuned the rest of the program out, uninterested in anything else they had to add. After our segment was finished, I excused myself to go back up to my room.

That night, I fell asleep reading Bella's book, and for one all too brief night, my dreams of Bella and Lily did not morph into nightmares, but instead were of us, altogether, laughing and playing as a family.


Three weeks

They had been gone for three fucking weeks. Twenty-one motherfucking days. Five hundred and four hours. Thirty-thousand, two hundred and forty minutes. One million, eight hundred and fourteen thousand, four hundred seconds. In the first week, almost sixteen thousand phone calls on the hotline. Since then only fourteen thousand more had come in. That made around thirty thousand calls total, and just as many dead ends.

Sharon wanted to develop a fucking 'media plan' to help continue our exposure. It was a six week fucking plan. That was how long we had until the lines would be shut down for the case. After that it was up to us to privately fund any resources we chose to use to continue our search. They didn't come out and say it, but basically they would be moving on to the next case. It took both Charlie and Emmett to calm me down when they told me that little piece of information.

I kept my phone with me constantly, always on the highest volume, waiting for a call to come through. Secretly, I was holding out hope that Lily might find a way to call from wherever she was.

The Dateline interview had launched a hailstorm down on Tanya apparently, and I really almost felt sorry for her. She had taken off for an extended vacation to escape the attention. She was not cast in the most positive light. I didn't give a shit about any of it. It was totally irrelevant to finding my little girl. Tanya had nothing to do with us.

Bella's ex Jacob also proved to be quite a nuisance as well. He actually had the gall to show up again, this time with his girlfriend in tow. The same fucking girl he cheated on Bella with. As soon as Charlie saw them, I thought he would explode. I had never seen someone turn that shade of red before. I almost felt pity for the girl Jacob was with, for how uncomfortable she seemed during the confrontation. But then I remembered she had been their wedding planner, and the tramp probably had it coming. Only Alice had been able to bring Charlie back down to earth.

My days dragged on and on, and my family began to worry for my sanity. However he managed it, my father somehow convinced my Chief of Medicine to bring me back on at the hospital. Since I wasn't exactly what one could call stable I was left to handle administrative work and mindless gophering. I wasn't technically reinstated for my residency, but I wasn't climbing the walls at my parent's house anymore, and I think that was their objective.

I couldn't stand how life seemed to be carrying on in their absence, as if they were never here at all. They were just another story on the nightly news, in between segments on how to lower your heating bill, and where the best coffee in Seattle was. Charlie had been called back to Forks to fill in for a deputy whose wife recently gave birth, and as much as it killed him to leave the city, I thought it was good for him. Renee hadn't been joking about his blood pressure.

My mother had gone on a cleaning frenzy. She had scrubbed the entire house from top to bottom at least three times, rubbing her fingers raw trying to find something to fill her time, when her days used to be filled with Lily. My dad resumed making house calls for his elderly patients, and Alice, Rose, Jasper, and Emmett had long since returned to their daily jobs. They still came together each evening at my parents', but they each went home to their own houses at night.

I had not been able to bring myself to go home yet, nor had I entered Lily's room at my parents'. Tension ran high in the house, before they sent me off to the hospital. Now there just seemed to be a lingering sadness. No one really expected to hear any news when they came by each night. I could tell. There was an air of resignation festering in the house that made me nauseous.

I was on my way home from the hospital now, hating that this drive would lead me to my parent's, where Lily would not be waiting for me to pick her up. There would be no flash of bronze curls bouncing in the window by the front door. Food was tasteless to me. I ate on autopilot, to appease my worrying mother. Most of my days felt as though I were in a trance, responsive, but only on reflex. I was slowly turning into a zombie. My thoughts were interrupted by the phone.

Hitting the button on the dash to answer, I called out, "Hello?"

"Edward! Come to the police station right away! It's Victoria! She's called!"

No fucking way. I don't know whether to thank her or kill her for taking so goddamn long.

"Dad! Are you fucking serious? Who called you?"

"Your mother and I were already here to pick up some more fliers. I'll tell you more when you get here. Just get here!"

"Five minutes." I hung up without another word, desperate, a man on a mission.

I busted a u-turn to make my way in the opposite direction to the police station. Luckily for me, I was closer to the station than home. Luckily for the other people on the road, there was little traffic and green lights all the way. Zooming into a space, I flew inside the precinct and down the hall. Once there, I was met by my entire family, crowded around Jonathan's desk, where he sat, hunched over with the phone close to his ear.

"Is that her?" I mouthed to Jasper.

He shook his head. "No, he's trying to return the call while they work on tracing it. When she called, she didn't stay on the phone long enough for them to locate it, so they're trying to call back to get a lock on it."

Jonathan's hand slapped down on the desk. "Bingo!" he mouthed, pointing his fingers at an officer I wasn't familiar with, who immediately began typing away on a laptop.

"Miss? Is this Victoria? I know you tried to call us, ma'am. We're just trying to help you. We need your help to find two people that your ex-husband took. You're not in any trouble. You're not in any danger from us. We can protect you. I just need you to tell me where you are, so we can come to you."

There was silence for a moment, and Jonathan frowned, listening to the receiver. He shared a nod with the other officer, and resumed talking.

"You don't want to talk to me, but how about I talk to you? I need you to understand how important you are for our case. We need to speak with you. Is Abigail with you? Is she alright? Can you let me know if you need any medical attention?"

After another beat, he sighed, and hung up. Turning back to the officer at the computer, "Please tell me you got it."

He nodded, printing out a map as he spoke. "Yes, sir. Sir, the call is coming from an address in Mount Vernon."

"Mount Vernon!" he exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing the map as he headed out of the room. "If we leave now, we can be there within an hour. I need a medical team to meet me at that address by the time I get there. Notify the local authorities to inform them we're coming. See if they can send someone over to make sure she doesn't bolt before we get there. We have no idea the state either one of them are in. Be prepared to have the child advocacy psych consult available, just in case."

"Wait!" I called. "Can we come?"

"No, Edward. You and your family will need to wait here or at your home until we've made contact. Call Charlie to inform him of this development. We'll get back to you as soon as we can." He turned away, running from the room for the parking lot.

We were left standing there, I with my heart pounding furiously in my chest. My mother grasped my shaking hands, as I tried to control my emotions. I felt like a live wire. Finally, there was something. Something to go on. I wished it could have been Lily and Bella, but I would take what I could get at this point. Hopefully, this Victoria would have information to help us. Surely she would be able to give us a good idea where he could be.

Shit, Charlie.

Flipping open my phone, I hit number seven to speed dial him right away. He answered on the first ring. "Chief Swan speaking."

"Charlie. Hey, it's Edward. The police got a lead. Victoria called in to the station, and Jonathan's-"

"I'll be there in two hours. Where did the call come in from?"

"Mount Vernon. We should hear back from them within the hour."

"Well, I'm driving as we speak. Reception from here to Seattle's pretty sketchy, but you'll be at the station, correct?"

"Right. We'll be here. See you, Charlie. Er, drive safe." Two hours is really quick time.

"That's what the lights on top of the cruiser are for. See you, bye."

He hung up immediately, and I turned back to my family. They all wore matching anxious, yet hopeful expressions, that I was sure mirrored my own. "He's on his way now. There's nothing to do but wait, I guess. God, somebody distract me. I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin," I pled.

Ever the therapist, Jasper piped up. "Let's talk about what this could mean. If they are able to make contact with Victoria, and she's able to lead them to where James has Lily and Bella, we need to be prepared for anything."

Hesitantly, I nodded at him. "Go on."

"Well, obviously the first matter to deal with is their physical wellbeing. We've no way to know what state they'll be in. Three weeks is a long time to go without nourishment, we've got no idea what he's been doing with all that medication he stole, and he has a history of sexual abuse. Edward, you may need to prepare yourself to not being able to see Lily at first."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Even if she's confused, I'm still going to see her. There's nothing that will keep me away from her once she's back."

"Edward, what I'm talking about is the chance that your presence might be upsetting to her. You've got no way of knowing what she's been through or seen these last few weeks. She may be afraid of you," he explained.

"There will be other doctors and nurses around, Jasper. I don't understand how me being there is going to frighten her," I argued, irritated.

He rubbed his face down with both hands. "What if she can't be around males? Don't make me say why, Edward. Or have you given any thought to what he might have been telling her about you, specifically? If she tried to ask any questions about you, what he might have said? We already know he's calling her by another name. There's no way to know what he's said about you. She could be confused about who you really are, who she really is, she…Edward, she may believe that he is her father."

I opened my mouth to rip him a new asshole, but Alice was in his face before I had the chance. With her finger pointed right at him, he actually cowered back a little bit. "Jasper Whitlock! Stop automatically assuming the worst! This is not some unknown patient we're talking about. This is Lily! Your niece, whom you have known since birth. She is the smartest little girl I've ever known, and she would never believe that trash like him could be her father.

"Besides, Bella would never let her. Or have you forgotten about the adult who is with her? You don't really think he could have brainwashed her, too, do you?"

A bit pale in the face, he tried to argue. "But, Ali, you don't even know Bella. You don't know her-"

Completely red now, she raised her voice. "I do know her! I know her through her stories, I know her through Charlie and Renee and even Phil. She's smart, and she's strong, and I hope she beats your ass when she gets back for you doubting her! And you'd better let her, because she and I are going to be best friends."

Calmer now, she continued. "As a matter of fact, I think you should probably think over how your apology is going to go, while you sleep on the couch tonight."

Completely contrite, albeit a bit petulant, he replied, "Yes, Alice. I was just trying to help."

Giving him a scathing look, she retorted, "Well, then help by being a member of this family, instead of an overanalyzing pessimistic asshole. Forget Bella, I bet Lily's going to kick your ass."

I fucking love my sister.

Snorting, I held my hands up. "Ali, ease up on him a bit. Don't get me wrong, man, you're pissing me off royally, but I know you mean well. I actually have given plenty of thought as to whether or not Lily will be confused. Even if she is, she's my daughter, and I'll do whatever it takes to get her better again. But I have to believe that no matter what state she's in, she will get better. You know?"

He nodded, apologetic. "I do, man. I'm sorry. It's how I channel my own worry, does that make sense? The only way I can help is to step outside the box and look in through all sides. Otherwise, I just feel helpless."

I nodded back. "We all do, Jazz. We are. But hopefully Victoria will know something."

"Bitch better have a damn good story as to why she waited three fucking weeks to speak up, though," Rosalie snapped.

I totally agreed. "No shit. She's only an hour away, and we've been on the news every other night, along with a fucking national publication and night program. I didn't know there were any caves in Mount Vernon, but clearly that's where she's fucking been."

"Edward, Rosalie. You've no idea what she's gone through with that man. We already know she's got problems, too. Please don't be so unkind," my mother admonished.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Esme, c'mon. You can't tell me you're not the slightest bit pissed at this woman for not speaking up before now?"

My mom rolled her eyes back. "Well of course I am, dear, but I'll listen to the woman's explanation first before I pass judgment. Especially if she ultimately leads us to them."

My dad put his arm around her shoulders. "Of course. And I'd personally like to offer her any help we can to aid her in recovering herself. For the sake of her daughter, at least."

At the mention of the child, Rosalie softened. "Yeah, I do feel bad for that little girl. There's no telling what she's been through."

My phone ringing halted the conversation. "That's weird. It's Jonathan already. It's only been what? Fifteen minutes?" Flipping it open, I greeted him confused, "Hello?"

A heavy sigh came through the other end. "We're on our way back. The call was a hoax. I'll explain when we get to the station. We'll be there in about twenty minutes." I heard a click, and then silence.

All the air seemed to vacuum out around me as I stared at my phone stupidly.

My dad approached me cautiously. "Edward, son? What's going on?"

"It wasn't her," I whispered hoarsely. "It was a hoax. That's all he said. He said he'll explain…How could someone?...Who would do?..." I broke off into dry sobs, not realizing until that moment how much hope I was putting into this meeting.

I felt arms wrap around me, basically supporting me entirely, but didn't know who it was, or what they were saying. They were still surrounding me when the detectives arrived, looking really pissed off. Upon seeing me, Jonathan and Marcus' faces almost looked pained. They started apologizing to me, but I held my palms up to stop them.

"Just explain," I rasped.

With a resigned tone, Marcus began, "The local authorities arrived first, and located the source of the call. A couple of teenagers decided it would be a funny prank to call in a fake lead, but they weren't counting on us checking it out. Some sixteen-year old decided to put his girlfriend up to it, and the police on the scene called to alert us about the situation once they had ascertained that Victoria and Abigail were not on the premises.

"I'm sorry, Edward. We should have gotten the lead checked out before we called you and your family. I suppose we were just a little overzealous to finally have a lead. Or so we thought."

"What's being done about it? Are those kids going to be in any trouble?" I asked emotionlessly.

Detective Aro actually growled. "They'll be dealt with, but they're underage, so it won't be much. Probably some community service and a fine. Punk kids."

I nodded blankly, drained completely. Sinking into a chair behind me, I rubbed my forehead roughly, feeling a massive headache coming on.

"Those little brats! I would take them over my knee if I got my hands on them!" my mother cried out.

I looked up, surprised. Esme had never spanked or struck anyone before in her life.

"Alright, Mom!" boomed Emmett, laughing.

She blushed in response, with a determined look on her face. "Well, honestly. Their parents ought to watch them better. It's disgusting that they would find that sort of behavior funny. I've got a half a mind to call them myself, but I doubt the detectives would allow that."

Jonathan tried to contain his smile. "No, Esme, I'm sorry. We can't allow that. But remind me to never piss you off."

She nodded to him in acknowledgment. "I do happen to be quite scrappy."

My father stood behind her, with his hands on her shoulders. With his eyes wide, he nodded exaggeratedly. Everyone around them broke into small chuckles, and I finally felt able to take a breath. I was so lucky to have my family. Otherwise, I would have lost the weak hold on my sanity long ago.

Sighing, I asked, "So, what now?"

Just as I spoke, a man walked into the station. He was tall, and I couldn't determine his nationality from his skin tone, but his waist-long dreadlocks gave him away instantly. Laurent Eamon, Victoria's half-brother. He was looking around nervously, and his eyes narrowed in on me when he spotted me. Approaching slowly, he held his hands up in surrender.

"I am Laurent," he announced in a French-Canadian accent. "I am here to help."

We all stood there, staring at him in shock for a moment. Marcus recovered first. Clearing his throat, he gestured to the chair next to his desk. "Please sit down. Thank you for coming."

"Took you long enough," Emmett growled.

Marcus gave him a withering stare. "Emmett, if you can't let us talk to him and do our job, I'll have to ask you to leave."

Laurent waved him off. "No, no, no. He is correct. I should have come forth before now. I apologize. I feared for my safety, but I can stand by no longer."

Jonathan looked at him quizzically. "You were afraid of being arrested? We could have worked something out for you."

Laurent laughed bitterly. "Jail is safe compared to James. No, I was afraid of him finding me, and causing me harm. He has done so many times before."

"But he hasn't contacted you? Do you have any idea where he is? Are you aware of Victoria and Abigail's whereabouts?"

Taking a breath, he answered. "No, he has not contacted me for some time. The last time I saw him was about six months ago. I am sure you are aware of my dealings. I was Victoria's supplier, and she asked me for an extraordinarily large amount of product."

"What product?" Marcus questioned.

"Her preferred painkiller. Oxycontin."

Marcus and Jonathan exchanged a weighty look. "Go on."

He nodded. "I saw her six months ago, at their home in Sequim. She was begging me to take herself and Abigail with me, but at the time, I did not have the resources to support them both. He came home while we were talking and overheard us. He attacked me, and we fought. I left, barely alive, and have not seen her since."

"Fuck, that idiot's nuts," Emmett said.

Laurent's eyes shot to him, ablaze. "Do not underestimate him. When enraged, he is crazed, yes, but he is unnaturally controlled otherwise. He is not just some simple lunatic. He is remarkably intelligent and skilled. Victoria told me he was working on construction of a home for them, that he wanted to build a place completely self-sufficient. Over the years he learned how to put together all the necessary skills to do so. That was why she wanted to get away from him. She feared if he moved them away, they would never be free of him."

"Do you know where it's located?" Jonathan asked.

"Not exactly, no. But Victoria told me that it was past Port Angeles, deep in a wooded area. She was not always lucid, because of the drugs, so she couldn't be sure of it exactly."

"So you've never been there?" I asked, disappointed.

He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, no. I do not know if what I have told you will help at all, but I had to try. Upon hearing of the kidnapping of the woman and child, I began to worry for my sister and niece. I do not know where they could be, for I am sure if she had gotten away, she would have found me somehow. We are each other's only family. Our mother, whom we share, passed many years ago, and she never knew her father. Mine abandoned me when I was younger."

Rose cut in, "How could you support your own sister's habit? Weren't you worried for her daughter at all? Didn't you ever think she would be able-"

"Do not speak of what you cannot understand," he interrupted, angry. "I did what I had to do to make money. After her accident at the construction site, which I believe James caused, she became addicted. I didn't enjoy seeing my sister in such a state, but James encouraged it.

"And you never saw what he could do to her when he was angry. He would track her misdeeds during the day, and make her pay for them each night. Being addicted to the pills made her body dependent, yes, but she would have gone insane without the relief. And regardless of what you may think of her addiction, she cared for Abigail a great deal. I didn't only bring her pain medication when I saw her. It was the only way to get birth control to her without James' knowledge. Abigail's conception was not her choice.

"James is a manipulator. He didn't start beating her until she was already pregnant, with no job, and no skills to work. She wanted to leave him for years, but was afraid of what might happen to her daughter if something happened to her. As time went on, she felt it was too late, and that she was stuck. The one time she tried to call the police for help, he threatened to rape and kill them both.

"I had been working towards trying to put some money together to support them, but it took time. I knew James would come after her, so I had to make things untraceable. That is why you have not seen me before now, as I am sure you have been looking for me. I tried returning to their house in Sequim two months ago, but didn't find a trace of them. That was when I feared it might be too late.

"Once I saw the news programs, I couldn't stop thinking about it. As I said, I am very worried for my family, but it may be too late for them. If so, I hope it is not for yours."

After a moment's pause, he said nothing more, and Marcus looked up from the notes he'd been taking of the conversation. "Do you know of any friends or family that might be harboring James?"

He scoffed. "James has none of those. The only person he has ever shown kindness towards is his daughter, but even she proved to not be immune to his threats. He has always been a drifter, a nomad of sorts, moving from place to place picking up new skills, and leeching resources from those he deems weaker than himself."

"Were you familiar of any acquaintances he had in Kent? Does the name Alistair Carson sound familiar to you?"

Shaking his head, he replied, "No. I have told you. He had no friends that I knew of."

"Alistair Carson was the owner of the van he used to abduct Bella and Lily," Marcus explained.

Laurent shrugged. "Then I would guess that Alistair Carson is no longer alive. James doesn't leave loose ends."

"We weren't holding out much hope at this point," Marcus sighed.

"I suppose it is time now to place me under arrest?" Laurent inquired.

Marcus nodded, and stood to handcuff him, but Jonathan stopped him. "Wait. You said that James has no friends or family, and you are Victoria's only living relative, right?"

Laurent nodded slowly.

A dark smile crossed Jonathan's face. "Then I believe you are of more use to us out of jail, than in."

Laurent's eyes widened, panicked. "You will leave me out there in the streets for him to find? He will kill me if he sees me."

Jonathan shook his head. "We would never leave you unprotected. You would be under surveillance twenty-four hours a day, with a police patrol waiting right outside."

Confused, Laurent sputtered, "Outside of where? I have no home. I am a drifter like James…"

Marcus clapped his hands together, smiling and nodding now. "The home we're going to put you in of course. All we need for you to do is make sure the word on the street knows where you're at. You said that his house is somewhere beyond Port Angeles. That's the logical first stop for him if he needs supplies or anything else. If he hears you're there, he'll come find you, don't you think?"

Laurent closed his eyes, resigned. "Most likely, yes. I…"

Leaning forward, Marcus prodded. "Yes?"

"I did used to live in an older apartment there for a time. It is a dilapidated shithole, but I was well-known there as a dealer. I can give you the address."

Giving him a stern look, Marcus ordered, "You do understand that your cooperation could reunite you with your own family, not to mention the Cullens and Swans, don't you? If you felt safer in jail, then why didn't you come to us before now?"

Laurent looked up with pleading eyes. "Please, you must understand. Even for all my crimes, I would never stay in jail for long. If James thought I had helped you, he would never hesitate to kill me. He would kill me regardless, but he knows how to draw out pain. He takes great pleasure in it. You have never seen what he can do. He enjoys torture. It is his most favorite game."

"Oh my god," my mother whimpered behind me.

My head jerked in her direction, having forgotten that anyone else existed in this room except for the man in front of me. As I tried to absorb everything I had heard him say, I knew that I had never been more afraid for Lily and Bella than in that moment. To see this grown man's obvious fear of James terrified me.

My father grasped her shoulders tightly as she sank against him in sobs. Looking at Alice and Rose, they both had silent tears streaming down their faces. Emmett and Jazz looked much like I felt as they embraced their wives. Angry, helpless, afraid. But at least there was hope that felt tangible. For me, anyway. In spite of the shitty turn the day had taken with the hoax, which I was still really fucking pissed about, we had finally caught a break. We could use Laurent, and he could very well be our only link to James.

Marcus gave my family a sympathetic look, then turned back to Laurent. "You have to understand. The woods are dense in that area, running all the way to the ocean. Sending in a search party with an unknown radius from an unknown starting point would most likely prove to be completely fruitless, and waste valuable manpower. This is our best chance."

Picking up his tape recorder of the desk, Jonathan pressed stop. "We need to get a copy of this tape and your notes to Kate as well. She needs to hear it. It'll help in her profiling," he nodded to Marcus.

Marcus and Jonathan both stood, motioning for Laurent to follow suit. "If you'll come with us now, we can get started on setting this up as quickly as possible. We'll speak with the Port Angeles police department on the way while we get our precinct started on the necessary paperwork. They can sort through the hoops while we drive. With any luck, we should have you set up with your detail by tonight. Are you ready?"

He heaved a deep breath, but nodded. Addressing me, he spoke, "I am sorry for not coming forward sooner. I hope some good will come of this. Until I see you again." With that, he left with Jonathan and Marcus.

I turned to look to my family, all of us still reeling from this new development. Laurent's words echoed in my mind. "He enjoys torture." "Even his daughter proved not to be immune." "Tracked her misdeeds and punished her each night."

What was he doing to them?

My mind envisioned a million different scenarios, each one worse than the last. Bella, bound and beaten each night. Lily, starving and crying. I pictured medieval torture chambers, whips, and James' evil leering face. "Rape and kill them both."

Oh my god.

Remembering those words, they resounded through my head, and they were all I could take. I blindly reached for the nearest trash bin, and heaved what felt like my soul's entire contents from my body. Cool soft hands ran threw my hair, but they brought me no comfort. In that moment, it felt that nothing ever could. Not until I could see her again. Hold her in my own arms, and see with my own eyes that she was alright.

After what seemed an age, my dry heaves finally stopped, my stomach long since empty of everything it had ever eaten. Something damp was pressed against my forehead, and I registered my father's fingertips pressed against my pulse-point. Trying to regain control of myself, I shook him off, yanking on the neck of my t-shirt, which was stuck to my body from my cold sweats.

I need to get out of here.

As the thought entered my mind, Charlie ran into the station, looking disheveled, yet hopeful. I had completely forgotten about him, and realized he had no idea about the way the day had gone. The look of pain on my face startled him, and he misunderstood it, because his own face crumpled, and he started shaking his head back and forth.

"No. No. She's okay. They're okay. You're wrong. No. No!"

Alice approached him slowly. "Charlie, stop. It's not what you think. The call was a hoax. It wasn't Victoria. Just some stupid teenagers."

"What?!" he roared, his face turning a dangerous shade of red. "I oughta…" he trailed off, shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

"Charlie," I croaked. "Laurent came in."

His eyes grew slightly hopeful again as he looked around the room for him. "And? Does he know anything? Where is he? Are they still questioning him? I want to observe. Why didn't he come forward before now? Son of a bitch sure took his time…"

I yawned, feeling the exhaustion of the day's events on my mind. "He was afraid. Not of arrest, of James. He gave them a general idea of where he might have taken them, but it's not good. He said that James had been working on building a house that was completely isolated, somewhere outside of Port Angeles, deep in the woods."

He frowned. "Port Angeles? Are they going to organize a search party of the woods there? I know the chief there, he and I could start putting together a team…"

Feeling that headache come back with a vengeance, I rubbed my forehead. "No, they're not making any kind of search party. They said it would be nearly impossible to scour the woods effectively, when they have no idea how far past Port Angeles the house is, if that's even for sure where they are."

Angry now, he shouted, "Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Utterly exhausted, I sighed. "We're not, Charlie. They're going to set Laurent up in Port Angeles at his old apartment. They're hoping James will come to find him. Either for help and supplies, or to kill him, maybe both, I don't know. They're going to survey him around the clock. But I don't know what else there is to do. I want to search for them, I do, and if you want to do it, we can, but where do we even start? Those forests are huge, Charlie."

Defeated, his shoulders sank. "I just can't stand knowing they could be so close by and do nothing. I could never forgive myself if we found them too late, after he…" his voice broke off, cracking with the strain of his words.

Hearing what he could not say, I felt my anger rise again. How could I sit back and do nothing? Even if we searched fruitlessly for months, it would be better to be actively doing something, then just sitting back and hoping James would find Laurent. I was sick of waiting and hoping. Waiting for Lily to call, for Victoria to materialize, sick of going through the motions of everyday living, when my reason for life was missing.

"Let's do it, Charlie. I can't sit by anymore. Let's look for them." I commanded in a strong voice, finally feeling like I had an outlet for my frustration.

His eyes lit up, as did Emmett's, Jasper's and my father's. My mother looked at us warily, probably worried about mountain lions. Rose was nodding her head approvingly, while Alice was looking at us all nervously, unsure.

"But what about what the detectives said?" she implored. "You could be searching forever and not find a trace. And what happens if they turn up while you're stuck deep in the woods? Aren't you worried about something happening to you while you look for them?" Turning to Jasper for support, she tried, "Jasper, talk to them."

"Sorry, baby. Therapist Jasper is on vacation until further notice. Uncle Jasper says we go find our girls and bring them home."

Charlie beamed at him, while Alice looked at him in surprise. Jazz smiled down at her lovingly.

"We're all in this together. This whole fucked up situation has brought our families together, and I can't stand feeling so helpless while our family is out there. Edward's determined, Ali, you can see that. I can't let him go alone."

Emmett smirked. "Besides, somebody's got to watch out for Eddie. Can't have his pretty ass stepping on puddles and shit." He clapped me on the shoulder hard, making me wince. "I'll keep the bears away, bro. When we leavin'?"

"You'll need to get some clothes together, but no more than a backpack's worth. Do you have any hiking equipment?" Charlie asked.

Dad clapped his hands, then pointed at Mom. "Ha! I told you! I told you it would be useful someday!"

She rolled her eyes, patting his hand. "Yes, dear. The hiking equipment you bought eight years ago because it was on sale, that has sat unused and collecting dust in our basement ever since, was definitely, now that I think of it, an excellent purchase. Silly me." Huffing, she turned to Charlie. "Charlie, please tell me you at least know how to use it and pack it all up? Someone ought to have experience in this…expedition."

He smiled at her. "Unfortunately, I've had to do search parties for Bella before. The girl has no sense of direction. And I was born and raised in Forks, and with my best friend down on the Quileute reservation. I've been camping and fishing since I could walk. What all have you got?"

My dad lit up like a Christmas tree. "Everything! I've got these backpacks that attach sleeping bags to them, and tents, water bottles, walkie talkies, GPS navigators-"

"Wait, what GPS navigators? They didn't have those eight years ago! Carlisle Cullen, what else have you bought without my knowledge?" my mother glared at him, but her lip twitching gave away her mirth.

My father replied, looking sheepish. "Um…I may have purchased a few extra add-ons over the years. But only when they were on sale! And see? Now they have a use!" He grinned at her like a kid waiting for his pat on the head.

So she did. "Oh, Carlisle. Well, there you go, Charlie. Anything we have is at your disposal. We can go to the house now if you like, or if you need to start calling your department to arrange them to meet you in Port Angeles, that's fine. We can meet you there."

Confused, he cocked his head at her. "We? Are you ladies coming along? It's going to be pretty rough…"

"Charlie, I like you, so I'm going to stop you there, while you're behind," Rose snapped, arching her eyebrow at him. "We are not about to sit back twiddling our thumbs while you boys go out there and get yourselves mauled by wild animals and lost. I'm in better shape than half the cops in this station, I'm sure I'll have no trouble keeping up. I can't speak for Esme or Alice, but I can't imagine they want to sit around here in Seattle waiting for word. This family sticks together."

Alice bounced up to him. "Well, I doubt me or Mom could hike to save our lives, so how about we set up a home base in Port Angeles? If anything happens, we can let you know right away, or just keep you updated while you're out there."

He grinned down at her. "I can start making calls while we go to your parent's. This is going to be a volunteer search, so I can't order my deputies away from their posts, but I know plenty of people that will be willing to come help."

"Do we need to call the detectives to let them know what we're planning?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but they shouldn't be too surprised. Just last week I was talking to Marcus and he admitted he was actually surprised we hadn't started a search for them yet. I was just waiting for a general area to work with, and he understood that completely. Let's head out, we can discuss more on the way."

We all agreed and stood, walking out to our cars, the air thick with the excitement bursting from all of us. By the time we had reached the house, Charlie had already spoken with the detectives, and gotten the go-ahead to form the search party. It was going to need to be kept secret from the media, to ensure that James didn't have a heads up that we were in the area, if that was where he was. We could have gathered more volunteers if we could make the search public, but no one wanted to take the chance of alerting him, and possibly frightening him into doing something crazy.

Well, crazier, seeing as the whole psychotic mistaken identity kidnapping at gunpoint was pretty fucking crazy unto itself.

My mother stood back and shook her head as my dad revealed his treasure trove of camping and hiking equipment. Charlie and Emmett wasted no time packing everything up. As I came downstairs with my backpack packed, I thought we were all set to go. But what I heard next from Charlie froze me in my tracks.

"Um, Alice? Do you still have any of those clothes you gathered from Bella's?"

She nodded questioningly at him. "Of course, Charlie. I would never throw away anything of hers without permission. I was just keeping them out of sight to help…encourage her to update."

He smiled at her adoringly. "Well, I'm going to need some of them to bring with us. My friends at La Push will be bringing their wolves down to help sniff them out. They're going to need to be able to track their scent." Noticing me frozen on the stairs, he dropped his smile. "Edward, you'll need to bring some of Lily's things as well."

I felt the blood rush from my face as I considered opening the door that hadn't been touched in three weeks. I hadn't even allowed my mother in their during her cleaning frenzy. She stepped forward, offering to help. "Edward, I can go get some things if you'd like…"

I held up my hand, halting her in her steps. "No. I will….Just here. Take my pack and put it in my car? I just need you to give me a minute…"

My family nodded in understanding. Charlie spoke, "You know where we're headed. We'll go ahead and head out. Just give us a call once you're on the road, unless you'd like someone to stick around here to wait for you…"

Briefly considering the very real possibility that I might not be able to drive safely after seeing her room, I decided ultimately this was something I needed to do alone. Shaking my head, I told him, "No. I'll be okay. I'd just like some privacy."

Jasper studied me appraisingly. "I'm going to have my cell on me. We'll start off slow. If you need us to turn around…"

I nodded quickly, gulping. "Yeah, I got it. I'll call you if I need you."

I hated the look of pity my mother gave me as she ran forward to hug me fiercely. If Charlie could recall Bella's entire life to us, I could walk into my baby's room to pick up some clothes, right? Patting her back gently, I pulled away, and headed back up the stairs, as I heard my family and Charlie leaving out the front door.

Stopping outside Lily's door, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. This is just a room. These are only things. I need to do this to find her. Repeating this mantra in my head, I opened the door slowly, and was assaulted by the smell of her lavender soap and Tinkerbell perfume. Breathing in heavily, I could almost see her jumping on her bed, trying on dresses in front of her wardrobe, drawing at her desk…What's this?

On her desk lay a crayon sketch of two stick figures, one tall, and one very short. It was us. She always drew us. We were holding hands, outside at the playground, with butterflies behind us on a sunny day. Picking it up with shaky fingers, I crushed it to my chest, staggering back to her bed, where I sat down amongst her teddy bear collection. Reaching over, I picked up Snuffles IV, the fourth duplicate of a polar bear she couldn't live without. Snuffles III stayed at our house, and I had a V and VI hiding in my closet for the inevitable day they got lost or ruined somehow. Snuffles I had died a horrific fate after a bad run in the washing machine, and Snuffles II disappeared on a grocery trip once.

Squeezing it tightly, I wondered if Lily missed him. Selfishly, I wondered if she missed me, as well. My chest hurt at the thought of him convincing her I was the bad guy somehow. I shook my head of the thought. She knows how much I love her. She knows she is my whole world. Feeling the tears burning in my eyes, I shut them as tight as I could, desperate to rein in my emotions. Rubbing my face dry of my tears, I stood and walked to her wardrobe, then thought better of it, and went to her hamper instead. Clothes that she had recently worn would carry her scent better, wouldn't they? I snatched it up, unsure of exactly how much of her clothing they might want, deciding to just bring them all. As I started to leave the room, I swiped Snuffles off the bed.

I'm saving this to give to her as soon as I find her.

Flicking the light off, I shut the door behind me, filled with determination.

Lily, Bella…I'm coming for you.

Please review!

Fic rec's

Normally I just list what I'm reading or have read, but I feel this one needs an intro:

I don't know whether to slap myself for just now finding this fic, or congratulate myself for finding it two chapters away from completion, but I COULD NOT STOP READING IT! I may be the last person on the planet to find it, but you must must must read Bare by stella luna sky. It is the most imperfectly perfect Edward I have ever seen. Ever.

Tropic of Virgo by In..bathrobe

The Rain Season by elusive twilight- Edward. Kilt. Tattoos. I believe that's all that needs to be said.