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Chapter Fourteen: Found
I was lost in thought riding on Jasper's back as we ran towards Rio, and suddenly an idea occurred to me. It seemed simple enough, and yet nobody else had mentioned it.
"Hey, how come we didn't trace Edward the same way that Jacob traced us?" I asked.
"I tried," Jasper explained, "but Edward must be using cash to pay for everything. There have been no recent purchases on his credit cards."
"Oh, well at least you tried," I said.
After all of this time I had to admit that I was starting to feel frustrated with Edward for making himself so difficult to find. As we ran through the trees I noticed that the sun was starting to set, which was good because it had been a very sunny day, and the last thing we needed was three sparkling vampires running into Rio.
When we finally made it to Rio the sun was beneath the horizon, so we headed straight into town, but at a more human pace. We followed Alice until we came to the market place she saw in her vision; once we were there, Jasper helped me off of his back and we began to look around.
I noticed many stands set up, all with homemade items for sale, and many of the items did have the name "Rio" on them.
"Alice, where is his apartment?" I asked, after I had finished looking around.
"Um, over there," she said, pointing to a rundown building a little farther down the street.
"Do you think he's still there?" I asked, hoping this wouldn't turn out the same way everything else had.
"Yes, my vision has not changed. I still see you talking to him," Alice said confidently.
"Okay, then let's go," I said as I started to walk towards the old apartment building, and hopefully Edward.
When I reached the door I realized just how unsafe this building was; we were able to walk right in without being buzzed in by a tenant. I quickly stifled a giggle to myself. It wasn't like Edward couldn't handle any dangerous situation.
"Where is his apartment Alice?" Jasper asked once we were inside the building.
"I don't know exactly. We will just have to follow his scent," Alice said, and the three of them started sniffing the air.
I followed them up a staircase and down a hallway, until they came to a stop in front of a door at the end of the hall.
"So, this is it?" I asked, suddenly getting very nervous. My anxiety seemed ridiculous, though; I mean, it was just Edward I would be facing. It wasn't as if I hadn't been up against worse. I guess the thing that scared me the most was his rejection; what if I went through all this trouble and Edward really didn't want me?
I didn't have much time to ponder this, because Emmett started pounding on the door a second later. After a few minutes, my hope started to diminish.
However, just as I was about to give up, the door flew open.
Edward stood there looking as godlike as ever, and it took all my strength not to throw myself at him. As we stood there in silence waiting for someone to speak, I noticed how disheveled Edward looked. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and he looked truly miserable.
"Nice to see you again, Bro," Emmett said, effectively breaking the silence.
"What are you doing here?" Edward asked, and I could tell he couldn't see me because I was standing behind three vampires.
"Well, we are fixing your mistake," Jasper said as they moved to make me visible.
"Hi Edward," I said in a small voice.
"Bella," Edward gasped.
"Can we come in?" I asked, and Edward stepped aside so we could enter his apartment.
Once we were in the dingy little living room I dropped my duffle bag on the floor and turned to face Edward.
"You are a liar, Edward Cullen," I accused.
"What?" Edward asked, looking genuinely confused.
"That day in the woods, you told me you didn't love me. That was a lie," I said confidently, while praying I was right.
"You're right," Edward said quietly. "How did you know?"
"After all the times you've told me you love me, how could I not know you were lying?" I replied with a smile.
"That's true I guess, but what made you think I wasn't lying when I said I loved you?" Edward asked.
"I could see the love in your eyes whenever you said it," I explained.
"Well, you're right. I do love you. I love you so much that it's torn me apart over the past months," Edward said. Even though the torment he went through was obvious in his looks and his words, it made my heart soar to hear his admission.
"There was another reason I knew you were lying," I said.
"What would that reason be?" Edward asked, curious.
"I remembered you telling me that, if you could leave, it meant that you loved me more because you were willing to let me go to protect me," I explained.
"You remember that?" Edward asked, looking impressed.
"I remember everything you have ever said to me," I said looking deeply into his eyes. "Besides, it wasn't all that long ago."
"Bella, I am so sorry," Edward said, and I could tell he really was.
"I know," I said before launching myself into his arms.
Edward wrapped his arms tightly around me, and we held each other as if we were trying to fuse our bodies together. After a minute I looked up and pressed my lips to his, and he kissed me back passionately. We broke apart when Emmett rudely cleared his throat a minute later.
"As much as I hate to break up this love fest, I do have one question," Emmett said.
"Yes, Emmett?" Edward said, and I could tell he was upset that Emmett had disturbed us.
"What have you been up to? We have been chasing you all over the world," Emmett stated.
"I have been tracking Victoria," Edward explained.
"Have you been doing that since you left?" I asked. "Because if you have, then you need to stick to mind reading, because you might be the worst tracker ever."
"What are you talking about?" Edward asked.
"Victoria was in Alaska with us right after you left," I explained.
"What? Is she still there?" Edward asked, and I could tell he was upset that Victoria had been so close to me.
"I don't know," I replied.
"Why were you in Alaska?" Edward asked, and I could tell he was trying to figure out what had been going since he left.
"That was the first place I looked for you," I explained. "That's also where I met up with Alice and Jasper."
"Oh. So, what exactly have you gone through in the past couple of months?" Edward asked.
"It's a long story," I said. "Do you mind if I wait until we get home to tell you?"
"Of course not," Edward said. "We should leave in the morning, though, because it looks like you could use some sleep right now."
Feeling exhausted, I agreed and went into the bathroom to change. When I came out of the outdated and slightly grimy bathroom, Edward laughed at my choice of pajamas.
"That shirt looks good on you," Edward said as I went to lie down beside him on the couch.
"Thanks," I replied with a yawn.
I feel asleep quickly when Edward started humming my lullaby, and I dreamt peacefully about Edward and me together in our meadow. When I woke, Edward was gone and I started to panic, but Alice explained that he had gone hunting. She said he was reluctant to leave at first, but finally agreed once Jasper and Emmett told him that I wasn't allowed on his back otherwise.
By the time Edward returned we were all ready to go home. After a much needed hunting expedition, he looked much healthier and happier than when we found him the day before. After making sure nothing was left behind, I kissed him and climbed onto his back so we could leave. Luckily it was cloudy, so we were able to leave town without taking any extreme precautions.
As we ran out of town I smiled at the thought of seeing my family again, and prayed that our journey home would be smooth. I should have known I wasn't that lucky.
AN: Thanks to my beta fnmom68! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE :)