Skyjacked

Extra AN: This is a replacement chapter not a new one and I have to thank princeselisa, who picked up an error. Paul did indeed die and it was Alec who was helping them get onto the raft.

AN: Not much to say this week. Old job winding down and I go on vacation in less than a week for 3 weeks and then I'm back to my new job.

My thanks to SarcasticBimbo and MeteorOnAMoonlessNight for their stellar work on this chapter, which I hope you all enjoy.

I do have another chapter waiting for next week and another half done but after that I'm completed ones.

Next week, I'll upload a day or so early, and since my mum has no internet where she lives, it's likely there will be a short break.

I will, however, use my time wisely and get writing!

Also, as always, my thanks to my reviewers who faithfully comment despite my epic fail in answering, and also to my followers and favoriters.

Disclaimer: SM owns the characters I'm playing with and no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just thankful for her dreams.

Skyjacked

Chapter 20 - Escape

Edward

I awoke by degrees, becoming aware of the warmth of Bella's body in front of mine. Light was only just beginning to seep into the shelter as the sky lightened in preparation for the day to come. Bella had rolled over at some point in the night, her back to my chest, her backside nestled in the cradle of my hips.

Being an early riser, I knew Bella would be awake soon but for the moment, I was reluctant to do anything to disturb the tranquility. She felt so good to me and I realized that the words we had exchanged last night were the truest I had ever spoken. All we had to do now was to survive this time here and see where it took us.

I drifted for a while, half listening to the sounds of the camp awakening and before long, Bella, too, was stirring, her breathing changing to tell me she would be awake soon. Still unwilling to move, I pulled her closer to me, groaning softly when she wriggled against me. Turning in my arms, she snuggled closer to my body, her hot breath drifting over my bare skin.

"Hmmm," she sighed. "Do we have to get up today?"

"There's nothing I would like more than to spend the whole day in bed with you, but I don't think anyone will let us, do you?" Lifting her chin, I brushed my lips over hers, before adding more pressure.

Bella lifted her arms, curling them over my shoulders for her fingers to tangle in the hair at the back of my neck. Goosebumps chased each other down my torso and my cock hardened as she pressed herself even closer to me, fire running through my veins.

Some minutes later, Jasper's voice sounded from outside the shelter. "Edward, can we meet as soon as you're done with breakfast, please? We need to make some decisions about Jacob and the others."

I sighed and answered. "Be there in about half an hour, Jazz."

"I guess it's been decided for us," Bella giggled, not making any move to get up. Instead, she slung her leg over my hip and rubbed herself against me, returning her lips to mine.

Dragging my lips away from hers so I could breathe, I slid my hand between us and cupped her heat, really wanting to carry on from where we left off last night. Encouraged by her movements, I slid her panties to one side and stroked her clit with the back of my fingers, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from her.

"That's just mean," she whispered breathily, bucking against my hand. "You know we can't continue; Jazz will be back if we don't appear soon."

Sighing, I stood and held out my hand to pull Bella to her feet, and together we made our way to the bathing area next to the waterfall. The day was early as yet and the sun had not risen over the trees. I could hear sounds from the kitchen where Chelsea and Charlotte would no doubt be beginning to prepare breakfast as Bella and I crossed the newly created log bridge to the other side of the pool. It wasn't in use, so we piled the clean clothing we had brought with us on one side away from the spray and slid into the water, gasping at its coolness. It was in permanent shadow so never really heated, although it was fed from the warm pool of water on the other side of the waterfall.

It was too cold to stay in the water for too long, despite the warmth of the air, so we made quick use of the water to wash up and brush our teeth. Both Bella and I, being the 'always prepared' individuals we had grown up to be, had a small towel and washing items in our backpacks that we had managed to grab and bring with us from the plane.

Having returned our things to the shelter, we walked across the camp to the kitchen to grab breakfast and then made our way to the head shelter, where Jasper sat eating his food. Garrett and James were with him and no one spoke while we all finished eating. Sam joined us shortly after.

It was destined to be an uncomfortable talk and Jasper was the first to speak. "Okay, after that meeting yesterday, we have to decide what to do with Black, Riley, and Demetri."

I decided to make a stand here and now. "I know that there are a few out there," I pointed in the direction of the center of the camp, "who are shouting that we should kill them, but we cannot condone what would be cold blooded murder. We don't have that right, it cannot be justified under US law or morality, and we are hardly an unbiased or impartial jury."

Bella spoke next. "I totally agree with Edward and repeat what I said yesterday. They haven't murdered anyone, even if their actions have resulted in indirect deaths."

"It might not be much, but if anything, we are the murderers now that Paul and Caius are gone, even if they were both self-defense." Garrett made a valid point and no one had an argument for him.

My mind flicked back over Eric, Tyler, and more recently Shelly, and the guilt over my part of the reason for their deaths. Cerebrally, I knew there was nothing I could have done to change the outcome of each, but emotionally, it was hard to let go of that guilt. I zoned out for a moment and Bella's voice brought me back to the discussion. "I know Heidi was hit by a bullet from Paul's gun, but the others shouldn't be scapegoats for his actions now that they're both gone."

"Alec, surprisingly enough, had a valid point that any one of us could identify them, which could cause problems in the future, but there's no way we can judge them on what they might do, no matter what anyone says." James was adamant that we could not be judge and jury.

"Unfortunately, that does leave us in a difficult position, doesn't it?" Jasper said. "What the hell do we do with them? We can keep them tied up, but for how long? We have no idea when we are likely to be rescued and making them part of our camp strikes me as inviting danger. We'd have to watch them all of the time, especially Black, who seems to think he has a right to Bella."

I growled at the thought of his hands on her, knowing that he didn't particularly care if she was willing or not. Her hand on my arm brought me back to the present, her smile soothing my emotions.

"There could be another option," Sam spoke hesitantly. "We could always force them to leave on their own raft, giving them enough supplies to keep them going for a few weeks. I'm pretty sure they had no idea we were here and probably just stopped to see what they could find. I've had a look at it and it's reasonably sound, but they arrived here with nothing; no food or water. Maybe they intended to stay here, maybe they were just passing and trying to get to a larger island, we don't know."

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes. "How do we make sure they stay away? What's to stop them from coming back?" I questioned. "And more to the point, why can't we do just that; use the raft to send three or four of our own to find another island, maybe an inhabited one?"

"Who would go?" Bella asked. "No matter who was chosen it will cause dissension because everyone would think they had a right to go. Those left behind would survive, of course, but we would worry for those who left, always wondering if they were safe. Isn't it better for us to stick together? Anything could happen out there." I could see the fear on her face as she contemplated who might be sent out into the ocean, knowing that I would be in that line-up.

Jasper stood to stretch. "Not to mention we would still have to deal with Jacob and the others somehow if we decided to use the raft ourselves. As Bella says, we'd likely as not have a riot on our hands in choosing who would go." He stopped speaking and paced before adding, "On the other hand, if we forced them to leave, we would still have to keep lookouts everywhere, at all times; we just wouldn't have enough backup to keep them off the island if they chose to return."

"If they returned, they'd have no weapons and with three of them, the chance of them being able to overwhelm us again would be pretty slim. The only reason they managed it before was because we weren't expecting them. If it happened again we would be better prepared," Garrett added to the discussion.

No one had anything else to add at the moment and both Jasper and Sam were dog tired after being on the last watch. "Well, for now, we should leave it as it is and maybe talk to the rest of the camp about what we should do. They have as much right as we do to make any decisions."

Jasper yawned widely and I added, "Jazz, why don't you get some rest, and you, Sam, and I'll wake you after lunch. Maybe we can set up a group meeting later this afternoon?" I suggested.

Agreeing with me, Jasper yawned again and left the shelter, heading toward the one next door. Sam followed and headed out to see Emily and said he would let Bella know if she needed anything.

Later that day, the camp discussion had no conclusions; no one thought Black and the others should be entitled to leave and any talk of a group of us doing the same led to raised voices and arguments. Of course, almost everyone thought they had the right to go, even though the fact was that only those who had the best chance of survival would be considered.

After a compromise between throwing Paul and Caius' bodies off the cliff into the ocean and their burial with Heidi and Shelly, it was decided that they would both be buried further away from the camp. Nobody wanted them anywhere near either of the girls and everyone said they didn't deserve it. All through that afternoon, people had taken turns at digging those three graves.

As the sun set, Heidi was wrapped in palm fronds and laid to rest next to Shelly. It was the quietest the camp had been all day and even Black, Riley, and Demetri were talking quietly.

James said a few words as she was lowered into the earth and each of us had the opportunity to speak. Heidi was well known and liked by everyone and she was a great loss. It also brought home to us that our lives were not only intricately bound to each other but that there were dangers that we had to be looking out for; we had to band together if we were to make it out of this situation.

As the darkness infiltrated the camp, the group of mourners broke apart, each returning to their tasks or to their shelters. Bella and I walked slowly toward ours, holding hands, the electricity between us alive and humming. There was no need for us to speak and all of my attention was drawn to her, which is why the blow to the back of my head took me by surprise.

Some sort of sixth sense must have warned me, however, as it glanced off when I moved sharply to one side. I had no doubt that had it hit straight on, I would have been down and out for the count. Bella's short scream was cut off and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Demetri with his hand over her mouth and arm around her waist, dragging her toward the trees.

I knew that if he managed to get away and I didn't, Bella was done for; I could see their plan clearly in my head. They were going for the raft and they would take her with them. My anger at Black tripled in one second and I turned to find his angry face sneering at me.

As always, he had to open his mouth. "I told you she would be mine, Cullen. While you were away, she loved my touch; couldn't wait to visit me every day."

My eyes narrowed and I tried not to be drawn by his words, knowing that the last thing Bella would have done would be to encourage him.

"She came to me yesterday, did you know? Cuddling up to me on my lap. It wouldn't have been long before she was in my bed and I would have shown her such a good time she'd be coming with me—in more ways than one." His laugh grated on me as the picture of him and Bella invaded my mind. I knew she would have done whatever was necessary that morning to make sure we had our chance, so he was exaggerating, but it didn't help my anger and I threw myself at him, taking him to the ground.

He was taller than me and outweighed me by a fair few pounds but my anger lent me strength and I battered him with my fists, blood beginning to flow. In the back of my mind, I knew I had to finish this quickly and make sure that they didn't leave the island. I hoped that the noise would bring me some help soon as I felt Black push back against me. Before long, positions were reversed with his weight on my chest. My memory of this same thing happening on the plane flashed through my mind and I was aware that it had been Bella's interference that had made all the difference.

"You have no idea who you've messed with, Cullen. Aro will not be pleased when he hears about how you killed his brother; he will have his revenge somehow, someday." Jacob was slowly winning, his hands now around my throat. As my vision began to fade, I prayed that the noise of our fight would bring someone. Vaguely I heard a shout from the camp but I was too busy fighting for my life; Black wouldn't hesitate to take it.

Black must have heard it, too, and thankfully the pressure on my throat eased and I could breathe again. My vision returned just as he rose to his feet. I couldn't totally avoid the boot coming my way but flinching backwards caused the blow to hit my ribs instead of my head.

I watched him from my hands and knees as he grabbed my gun, which had come loose from my waistband, and then disappeared down the trail toward the beach and staggered quickly to my feet. Surprised that he hadn't shot me, I shouted to Jasper, pointing toward the trail, and he led the way as we flew as fast as we could toward the beach. I could hear Black stumbling in front of us and thanked the Lord that I knew this trail far better than he did as I renewed my efforts to catch up with him.

As we ran, my mind flew over the possibilities; someone had to have helped them and I would bet on Alec at the very least and maybe Laurent, since he and Alec were always together. That meant that there were possibly five of them against two of us. Felix had volunteered to watch the raft earlier knowing that Alec was disgruntled enough about the discussions over who would be leaving the island and I wouldn't have put it past him to be involved.

Bursting out of the palms onto the beach, I watched as Demetri dragged Bella over the side of the raft. Felix was already lying on the ground, though at this point I couldn't tell if he was alive or dead; I only knew that made the odds against us greater.

"Get moving," Black yelled at Alec and Riley, who were pushing the raft deeper into the water. As I suspected, Alec was doing his best to help them; fucking traitor. I knew he was a loud mouth but I never suspected he would betray us in this way. Laurent was on his knees at the edge of the water, watching as Alec and Black raced toward the raft.

Furiously, I pushed myself harder, slowly gaining ground on Black; for a big fucker, he was fast, but I was determined Bella would not be going with them and if necessary Black would not survive if that was what it took to keep her safe.

Jasper raised his gun. "Stop right there or I will shoot you."

I didn't know who he was talking to but it deterred none of them. Alec and Riley were now waist deep in the water as the raft drew away from us faster, taken by the outgoing tide. Black and Alec were now both in the water. I continued to run, hoping that something would stop them, while Jasper stood still and aimed; watching as Demetri dropped out of sight, freeing Bella for the moment.

Alec was lagging behind, but Black, who had managed to reach the raft, pulled himself over the side just after Riley, who had already managed to get himself over the side; disappearing out of sight into the bottom of the raft. Two seconds later, Riley stood and my blood ran cold as I saw the gun in his hand. He fired, and Alec's scream echoed into the night and he sank beneath the waves.

Saved me the job, my mind said as I leapt into the water, praying I would somehow manage to reach them before they were out of my range. Jasper was shooting from the water's edge, keeping Black and Riley down, hopefully enough to deter them from trying to shoot me.

Neither one of them paid any attention to Bella, and I had no idea if Demetri was dead or only injured. She had seen, just as I had, that the raft was pulling away faster as the strength of the tide dragged it away quicker than I could swim.

"Bella," I shouted. "Jump."

With my heart in my mouth, I watched as understanding of the danger she was in flooded her face. If she waited too long, she would be in danger of being out too far and both she and I knew that if Black managed to take her off the island, I might never find her again. Understanding turned to determination and she quickly stepped up on the the side of the raft and launched herself into the water.

Black's enraged scream told me he had seen her jump and I could hear him yelling at Riley, encouraging him to paddle in her direction. Fear lent speed to my arms and legs as I began to swim in her direction. Under the bright moonlight, I could see Bella struggling to stay afloat with her hands still tied, her head dipping below the waves too often for my liking.

Losing sight of her for a few minutes terrified me until I realized that the tide was on the turn, the waves increasing in height and hiding her from view.

"Edward," I heard Bella's voice closer to me than I expected and I renewed my efforts to get to her long before Black. I knew how much he wanted her and that his pursuit would persist so I was happy to finally hear him tell Riley to head out.

Within minutes I reached Bella, who looked exhausted but had managed to get herself floating on her back. I had nothing with which to cut the rope that tied her hands and I could see that she was growing increasingly tired.

Unable to stand because the water was too deep, I moved behind her, speaking quietly in her ear. "Hang on, Bella. I'm going to tow you back toward the beach, so keep still, it won't take long." The closer we got to the beach, the smaller the waves were and eventually we were both able to stand and stagger from the water onto the sand.

Jasper squatted silently beside Bella and cut the ropes on her wrists, hugging her tightly and whispering something in her ear to which she nodded. Getting to my hands and knees, I crawled to her and pulled her into my arms; the heat from her tears wetting my shirt.

When her sobs slowed and I felt her relax against me, I asked, "Did he hurt you, Bella?"

"No, Demetri just tied my hands and slung me over his shoulder." Her voice broke. "I was so afraid that you wouldn't get there in time."

"Shh, don't think about that now, I would have followed somehow, my Bella. You're safe now and they're gone." I hugged her tightly, watching as Garrett and Sam, who had followed us from the camp, picked up Felix between them and left the beach.

Jasper squatted beside us as Bella got herself under control again. "Jacob has food supplies and one of our desalinators. Alec brought all of it, the traitor. He even took the emergency fuel we had." Her voice was bitter. "He was the one who cut the ropes on Jacob, Riley and Demetri. I heard him say he wanted off the island and that he would do whatever it took to go with them." She stopped for a minute. "I'm glad he's dead." Her voice was small and quiet.

"I understand, Bella, and it's probably for the best, so there's no need for you to feel guilty for feeling that." Jasper's voice was calm and soothing. "Let's get back to camp."

"How's Felix?" I asked.

"He'll be okay. Just a nasty bump on the head. See you back there." Jasper smiled faintly and headed away from the beach to the trail.

Bella stood stiffly in front of me, the exhaustion clear on her face. Stepping toward her, I lifted her into my arms. "Come on, let's go. We should get rid of the salt and sand and you look like you need some sleep."

Without a word, she leaned into me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she buried her face against me. Slowly, we climbed the trail toward the camp, finding everyone awake and gathered in the center around the main fire.

Bella didn't lift her head, so I nodded as we passed them on our way to the waterfall. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" I said, sitting her on the side of the pool behind the waterfall. It took me only a few minutes to get back to our shelter and grab some towels, clothes and toiletries before returning.

Bella had taken off her shorts and t-shirt and slipped into the water, sitting neck deep in its coolness. Removing my clothes as quickly, I slipped in behind her, wetting her hair, washing and rinsing it, before she spoke.

"I didn't thank you for coming after me, Edward."

"There's no need, I couldn't have let him take you." Turning her body to face mine, I whispered, "I'll always be there for you."

Straddling my lap, she flung her arms around my neck, her hot center rubbing up against me. My eyes rolled back in my head at the inappropriate reaction but I couldn't help it. I wanted her in every way.

Once again her tears branded me over my heart. "I'm not a weepy person, Edward, I'm really not, but I was absolutely terrified I'd never see you again."

"I know, Bella. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met and it isn't surprising that after all you've been through with Black, it's become too much. Everyone needs to let go and I promise that no matter what happens between us, I will always protect you."

As her tears died away, her movements against me became more pronounced. "Come on, you need to rest," I said, trying to keep in mind that Bella had just been through a traumatic experience. Standing, we separated to dry off and put on clean clothes and made our way back to our shelter.

Chelsea followed us across the camp, handing us a bowl of food each as we had missed the evening meal, and even though I could see Bella was exhausted, I encouraged her to eat a little. Before too long the events of the past few days were catching up with both of us, and as the fire outside our shelter died down to a faint glow we settled down, her back to my chest as we had done every night since we made it to the island.

Someone had thoughtfully placed one of the thermal blankets over the woven palm fronds that made up the bedding, probably thinking that Bella would be in some kind of shock. We curled up close together and I pulled the blanket up over us despite the warmth of the night.

Within minutes, her breathing had evened out and she was asleep, but my mind was too active as it sped over each thing that had happened. Black's surprise attack, Demetri disappearing into the dark, his heavy hands around Bella, the raft moving ever further away from me, the gunshots fired into the darkness, lit only by the moonlight. I felt again, the terror as all my efforts at fighting the water to get close enough to rescue her, came to nothing and my fear that Black would take her away.

Pulling Bella closer to me, I rested my head in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent, grounding myself; reassuring myself that she was still with me. She was so brave and trusted me when she jumped over the side of the raft, but I could have so easily lost her. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that somehow our future would be together, though there was a lot that could happen between now and then. I must have drifted off when a sound brought be back to full wakefulness. It couldn't have been for long as the fire was still alight.

Bella had turned so she was facing me, her head buried against my chest and when the sound came again, I realized it was coming from her; small sounds of distress. I looked down expecting to see her eyes open but she was still asleep, in the grip of a nightmare. Even in her sleep, tears leaked from the corner of her eye, wetting my chest.

"Help me, Edward. Don't leave me, please." I hugged her tighter to me, hoping that the feel of my arms around her would help calm her and stop the dream. "No, Jacob, no. Please, don't hurt him."

Her words and the absolute fear in her voice tore at my heart and I couldn't listen any more. Lowering my face to hers, I kissed the top of her head, her forehead, and eyelids gently and pulled her closer to my body as if somehow I could protect her from her dreams. "Shh, my Bella. It's okay, I'm here. Shhh, I'll always be here."

My hands moved over the skin on her back, rubbing and soothing. After a few minutes, I heard her breath catch and knew she was awake. "Are you okay?" I whispered.

Instead of answering, she kissed the underside of my jaw and down over my collarbone, eliciting a shiver of desire. Hitching her leg over my hip, I could feel her heat against my hard cock but despite how much I wanted her right then, I knew she was in a vulnerable state. I couldn't take advantage of her, no matter what I wanted, so instead I searched out her mouth, kissing her hard and letting her know that it wasn't rejection that stopped me.

After an initial hesitation, she accepted my wordless apology for not giving in right now, and kissed me back just as hard, her nails scraping down the skin on my back. Hissing in pleasure-pain, I acknowledged her desire, my kisses promising later.

** Skyjacked **