Chapter Fourteen

It's been two weeks. Two long exhausting weeks, and the case against my mom and her so called husband is still pending. I clench my hand in a fist, I just want to yell or scream. How could then not have enough evidence to put them away for a very long time. How much more proof do they need? While they await trial, they're aloud to just roam free. I'm afraid to leave the house, afraid I might run into them, or worse. Even though the judge filed a restraining order against them for me, I know a piece of paper won't stop them.

"Babe, where's your head?"

I smiled at Edward, not wanting to worry him.

"Everywhere. Just wishing they'd put my so called mom and 'step-dad' where they belong already. Kinda freaks me out that they're just roaming around Forks."

"Don't worry. They'll be in prison before you know it. I'd stand guard for you, but after what happened the last time. I can't go two weeks without seeing you again. It killed me."

I sat down beside him, resting my head against his shoulder. I was quite possibly falling in love with Edward Cullen, and there wasn't a damn thing that I could do about. There wasn't a damn thing I wanted to do about it.

"I'm sorry. I told you that you didn't have to do that."

"I know but I promised you that you wouldn't have to face them again. It was the only way I knew how to keep my promise."

"I know, and it was nice having someone take care of me for a change."

He smiled softly at me, as he ran his thumb over my cheek.

"Well, my dear, I'd gladly take care of you for the rest of your life."

I couldn't control the giggle that escaped my lips. Edward was a heartfelt romantic, and I knew exactly what he meant, and what he was talking about. However, I am about the opposite of the marrying kind. Not after what I saw what it did to my mom. I knew that Edward would never do that to me, but I couldn't even think of marriage. I looked down when the power of his love for me became too much to bare. I couldn't tell him that, not yet. Not when he looked at me with such seer force of love.

"What's wrong? I've said something that upset you."

"It's nothing Edward, really."

"It's something, please Bella, tell me."

"It's just--marriage isn't an option for me. Not now, not ever."

"I understand the not now part, but how can you say you'll never want to get married?"

"I can, because it's a decision I mad long ago. It's not anything about you Edward! It's me. It's my screwed up head. I just, can't do it."

"Maybe I should go. Obviously your not thinking clearly."

"Edward, don't do this. It's not my fault."

"It might not be, but it hurts the same Bella. I'm not saying lets get married right now, right this second, but I can't go any further in this relationship without knowing that marriage is a possibility."

"then maybe you should go. I love you Edward, but I can't marry, not now, not ever. I'm sorry if it hurts you, that is not what I wanted, but you can't force me to change my mind either."

"Look, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. Otherwise, maybe, eventually, we can be friends."

The look of utter devastation on his face broke my heart. His emerald eyes were almost liquid and the tears he was trying to hide were very noticeable. Here I thought my broken past would scare him off, break his beautiful heart. Who knew it would be my fear of marriage, of commitment that would break his heart so badly.

"Your ten minutes out? Okay, I'll go wait out back for you."

I smiled at the phone as I hung it up. Should it make me this happy to love a parent that up until a few months ago, I hadn't even known? If being this happy about that is wrong, then hell, I don't want to be right. Everything else in my life was in the shitter, literally. Edward is pissed at me, and apparently we're broken up, crazy one and two are roaming town free as birds.

I collected my shoes, and tied them tightly onto my feet. Grabbing the key for the locked shed in the backyard, and a light jacket I headed for the backdoor.

"Well, we've been waiting for you."

I didn't have to chance to look up, let alone scream before my world went black.

"Edward. I know that marriage is priority number one for you, but you have to see this from her side of it. Look at what she grew up with. Would marriage be your first priority?"

"I don't know Alice. It's just, you know me. All I've wanted, well besides to be a doctor, is to get married and have a big family. How can I be with someone who doesn't want the same thing?"

"Well Edward, here is marriage lesson number one. Compromise. It's what marriage is built on."

"I just, I don't know Alice. Didn't' seem like she was willing to compromise about anything. She seemed to have her mind pretty much made up."

"I'm not exactly the perfect person to talk to about marriage, maybe you should wait for--"

Alice paused when a loud knock sounded at the door. I looked down at my watch, while Alice just stared at me in a dumbfounded way. We weren't expecting any friends to come over. Jasper is out of town with his parents, and Rosalie is upstairs doing god only knows what with Emmett. Then it hit me, and I tried to keep the knowing smile off of my face.

"See, maybe she is more open to compromise than you thought."

Apparently I did not succeed. I pushed myself up off the couch, lightly shoved against Alice's arm, as I made my way toward the door. As soon as the door opened in front of me I knew something was wrong. There was no reason for Chief Swan to be standing in front of me. No reason at all--unless.

"Please tell me Bella is with you."

His voice was shaking, like he already knew something that I didn't, and was begging me for it to not be true.

"No sir. We got into an argument. I left a little over an hour ago. Why?"

"She's not at home, and there are signs of a struggle in the backyard, where she was waiting for me."

If Alice hadn't come up behind me, I think I might have fallen to the floor. Bella had disappeared, and signs of a struggle, what exactly did that mean? I knew what it meant, deep down inside, I just didn't want to admit it. They had grabbed her, they were waiting, and they grabbed her and it's all my fault. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my cheeks, I just hoped that they left some sign of where they had taken her. That we could find her before they--I couldn't even think the word. I gulped back the bile that rose in my throat and forced myself to be strong.

"Can I help you look for her?"

"Of course. Do you think that Emmett and Jasper can help out as well?"

"Jas is out of town with his family for the week. He won't be home till the weekend. I'm sure Emmett will help though, and my dad will help too, when he gets home."

"Thank you Alice. Edward, grab you brother and come over, we're looking for clues now."

I nodded, before I took off up the stairs, trying my best to not trip. I pounded on Emmett's door, and tried to not listen to the sickening sounds coming from the other side.

"This had better be important. In fact someone better be hurt or dying, otherwise, little brother, you will be hurt or dying."

His blue eyes were made of steel, I had caught him at a bad time. Oh well, I didn't care, not when Bella's life hung in the balance.

"It's Bella, they have her."