So, sorry about the last two cliffies, lol. I really don't plan it that way. I wrote this chapter and the previous chapter in one but due to the word count had to cut it somewhere.

Let's find out if Bella gets herself out of this mess…

B POV

"Bella!"

I hear Jake shout as I surface and I manage to grab onto the side of the rock again, my foot finding the same hole.

"You have to get up here now!" he shouts, panic evident in his voice as his eyes jump between me and the oncoming wave.

I can do this, I chant in my head over and over as I force my fingers as deep as they'll go into the crack. My fingers burn as the rocks' rough sharp edges bites into my skin but at least I have a better hold than the first time.

I look up to Jake, his hand outstretched again, his eyes focused on me, that frown I love so much crinkling his forehead. I take two deep steady breaths and ready myself.

"Now Bella!" he yells and I push up as hard as I can, at the same time swinging my arm around and toward his eager hand.

As soon as he grips onto me I let go of the rock with my other hand and grip onto his arm as he pulls me up with ease. I don't have time to recover before Jake almost throws me down on the somewhat flat, hard surface and covers my body with his own just before the wave crashes against the face of the cliff, water pouring over us, threatening to take us with it, but Jake somehow holds firm.

As soon as the water subsides he jumps up, taking my hand and pulling me up, but as I stand a hot fiery sensation shoots down my legs and a strangled moan escapes my lips as I start crumbling back down.

Jake bends and lifts me up in his arms carefully. I'm out of breath and so tired. I lay my head against his chest, watching as he carefully walks the slippery rocks and into the cave, every step he takes reverberating up my spine.

"Right at the back," I say as I point feebly towards darkness ahead. "It's the only way we'll stay dry. The big waves will still come in here until the tide starts pulling back."

He walks quickly through the darkness towards the back, finding the most even piece of surface before kneeling and laying me down. I wince as the cold rocks touch my aching body and fresh tears start running.

"You're bleeding," he says as he lifts my hand, my fingers bloody and cut badly from forcing them into the crack. He unzips his wetsuit, pulling it hallway down before taking off his rash vest. He tears off a strip at the bottom and bandages my hand as best as he can.

"Now," he says as he stares at me. "Where else are you hurt?"

I sigh before I start telling him what happened. By the time I'm finished relaying my mishap and subsequent symptoms, he's beyond furious.

"Why didn't you tell me this out there Bella?" he asks angrily. "I wouldn't have let you do the swim. You know how dangerous spinal injuries are. You saw what happened to Alistair three games ago Bella. He might never walk again."

I know he's right but I feel so vulnerable right now his anger gets my tears going again and I turn my head, looking away from him. I'm freezing but I'm too sore to move.

It's not long before I feel him sit down next to me and I turn my head again, looking up at him as he reaches out and strokes my shoulder with his fingers.

"Bella…fuck, you're too cold," he says. He stares down at me for a while longer and lies down, facing me. "I shouldn't be moving you at all, but if I leave you like this hypothermia is a sure risk. I don't know what to do," he confesses, looking to me for guidance.

My teeth clatter noisily as my body is involuntarily afflicted by shudders and I try to hold back new tears but it's no use.

"Move me Jake," I beg; the pain of the cold hard rocks beneath my back almost unbearable. "Please…"

He seems torn as he evaluates me for a little while longer. I know he's weighing the pros and the cons of moving me. I can't bear it any longer and before he can stop me I grab onto his arm and quickly pull myself towards him which turns me onto my side.

"You're the most stubborn person I know," he grumbles as he gently wiggles his arm under my side, wrapping it firmly around my waist, his hand resting on my shoulder blade. His top arm snakes around my ass and he grabs my hip.

"I'm going to roll with you Bella. I'm trying as best as possible to keep you straight but I'm going to need you to try and keep your legs lined up with hips as much as possible, okay?"

I nod and brace myself for more pain. He doesn't warn me before he rolls over with me on top of him, keeping me straight as much as possible. I try and internalize the pain as much as possible but a low groan escapes my lips anyway.

His skin feels hot against my cold body and once again I think of how warm he is in every way.

I lay my head on his chest, his arms around me, holding me carefully yet safely cocooned against him.

"Silly girl," he whispers against my hair. "You should have waited for help. You could have been killed."

"You would have done the same for me. I...all I could think of was getting to you. I was so scared Jake, scared of what I'd find when I found you. But what really scared the hell out of me was that I might not find you at all."

He doesn't answer; he knows it's the truth. He would walk through the fires of hell to keep me safe.

My eyes close even though I try to keep them open. Jake's body slowly warms me up a bit, even though the shivering doesn't stop. The pain in my back has subsided fractionally to a dull ache, throbbing on a rhythm of its own.

Edward, he must be beside himself with worry, I think and the thought of him hurting brings on the waterworks again. I sob into Jake's chest as he rubs soft, soothing circles between my shoulder blades.

He starts humming a random tune and his voice coupled with the vibration in his chest against my cheek comforts me a little bit.

It's not long before I lose myself in the darkness, shutting out the fear and the pain for a while, Jake's voice fractionally calming my soul.

EPOV

I check my watch again. Ten more minutes and it will be two hours since Sam, Paul and Embry went after Bella.

I push my hand through my hair as I turn my back to the water, taking in the scene before me.

Emmett, Rose, Alice and Seth had arrived about fifteen minutes after Bella went in the water. Seth had gone with Alice, not wanting to leave her to run the dark beach alone to Emmett.

They had run into Mike and Jessica on their way and quickly relayed what happened. The worried couple arrived about ten minutes ago armed with dry towels, a few blankets and three thermos filled with steaming hot coffee along with a back pack I saw Emmett rummaging through filled with a couple of torches and some first aid stuff. I've never cared much for Mike, but I can't find anything but gratitude in my heart for him right now.

Jessica had put a blanket down on the sand and all four girls are now sitting atop it, another blanket covering them. Leah is trying really hard to put on a brave face, but every time she catches my eye she starts crying again so now I try not to look her way.

Jasper is on the phone with the coast guard again giving them an update. The water is too rough this close to the Bluff to deploy a boat and their helicopter is en route to a boat off the coast that's in trouble. They've sent a few divers our way in the meantime but the driving time is three hours, which means it will take them another hour minimum to get here.

I close my eyes for a few seconds, willing myself to stay positive. I have to believe that Bella will be okay. She's a strong swimmer, she's been surfing these waters all her life. And she has the best possible group of guys helping her.

A splash to my side has my eyes flying open and I almost sag in relief as I see bodies emerge from the water one by one.

"Thank God," I hear Leah cry as the girls get up.

She runs to them but comes to an abrupt halt when she notices what I saw just before she did.

My relief is short lived.

No Bella…and no Jake.

Questions whirl around in my head but I can't voice them. My mind has shut down and my body won't move.

"Sam?" Leah says her brother's name softly. He reaches for her, tears forming rapidly in his weary eyes, but she steps back.

Paul steps into view from behind Sam and then I see it. And I know everyone else does too because Alice and Rose start crying uncontrollably and I hear Emmett's soft unbelieving "no" as he steps up next to me. Jasper comes up on my left, our eyes glued to the piece of clothing hanging from Paul's hand.

My hoodie, the one Bella was wearing.

I slowly walk forward, my hand outstretched and Paul hands it over to me. I look up to him dumbly, my eyes searching for any sign that there's still hope. That maybe I'm wrong, that they've found her but she's waiting out the tide safely on one of the higher rocks. But I find no hope in his tired brown eyes. His face portrays that of a heart broken, beaten man. A man that has just lost a friend he's had since before he could walk. A friend that he loved dearly, a friend that he would have died for, just like me and every other person now surrounding us.

I try hard to stay upright but my knees give in and I drop, clutching the drenched hoodie to my chest like a lifeline. I bury my face in the wet fabric, inhaling deep and slow, trying to find any scent of Bella in its saltiness, but I come up empty handed.

I feel the stares of everyone on me and I try for a while to contain the building scream in my chest, its fierceness bubbling and brewing, begging for release as I rock back and forth, begging myself to wake up from this nightmare. I try desperately to hold myself together as I listen to Leah's wails of grief at losing Jake.

I'm not sure how long I sit like this, rocking...rocking...rocking...I can hear myself mumbling but I don't know what I'm saying.

And then, suddenly, I can't keep it in anymore. I let go and allow the fact that I've lost Bella forever to flood my system. It explodes in my heart and my chest constricts with bone crushing grief.

I throw my head back and look up to the stars as a feral scream rips loose from deep inside, filling the night air around us and echoing off the Bluff.

She's gone. She's gone again. But this time, she's not coming back.

So…technically not that much of a cliffie as we know for the time being Bella is safe with Jake. But Edward…my heart is breaking for him right now.

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