A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! I have had this chapter done since a few hours after I put the last one up, but my dang connection wouldn't allow me to post it *sad face*.

*** This chapter is dedicated to all of you for being so wonderful and patient with me while I have been writing this. It is my first fanfiction and I have really enjoyed writing it. I will be starting on the sequel soon, I just have to finish figuring out exactly how I want to go about it. Don't worry, it will be a reasonable wait…lol.

*** Please read and review. I love hearing how you are taking the story. If you are confused about anything please just let me know.

*** Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight related and I hate that fact. Shoot if I was Stephenie M. I would be stoked!


Previously….

I remembered that Ruby was here as well and looked over to her. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me. After a few moments she blinked and looked at me with curiosity and fear in her eyes and whispered, "Vampires?"


BPOV

I looked at Ruby with widened eyes. How do I explain all of this to her? Humans aren't even supposed to know. If the Volturi found out about a human knowing then it would not be good. God only knows what they will do once they find out about me. I have had visions of them but I am hoping to find a way to change those visions. Neither of them ends well.

"You heard that?" I asked sheepishly.

"Yes, was he being serious?" She asked curiously.

"Umm… yeah, he was." I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, forgetting about the injury to my back. I hissed in pain and shut my eyes tightly until the pain faded some.

"Bella, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked worried.

I took a few deep breaths and opened my eyes. "I'm fine" I told her even though we both knew it was a lie. She looked at me sternly. "Okay, so perhaps when he threw me into the stairs, something cracked in my back." I tried to sound nonchalant but I didn't pull it off well. Ruby got up and quietly made her way to me. She sat down next to me.

"I need to look at it, Bella. May I undo the back of your dress?"

"I suppose" I sighed as she began unzipping the back of my dress. Her gasp didn't sound all too encouraging. "Bad, eh?" I asked imagining what my back looked like.

"It seems that you have a cracked vertebra. You're lucky that it didn't move any farther into the spine or you probably would be paralyzed instead of just in pain. Try to lay still and curl into the fetal position again." She told me as she zipped the dress back up.

"You sound like a doctor" I joked.

Through the light that filtered down from the open door at the top of the stairs, I could see her blush. "No, not yet anyways. My father is one, though."

"What kind of doctor is he?" I asked to keep her attention on something other than our situation.

"He's a neurosurgeon in Port Angeles." I could hear the pride in her voice as she spoke of her father. She must really be close to him.

"So he taught you about medicine then?" I asked.

"Yeah, he did. He also let me intern at the hospital he works for. I spent the past three summers there with the different fields of medicine, learning all that I could." She said sheepishly.

"You must have enjoyed it if you want to pursue medicine" I commented.

"Definitely! I love the thought of helping people. I can't wait until I can do just that." She said with a broad smile.

"I think you will do great with it" I told her sincerely.

She blushed and a silence followed. I could tell that she was deep in thought so I left her to her thoughts. A minute later, she looked back up at me with a curious gaze. I sighed internally because I was certain of what was going on in her mind right now despite not being a mind-reader.

"Who was that…vampire?" She whispered.

I couldn't look at her while I told her about Phil so I turned my gaze to the concrete floor before I began. "He's my step-father." I couldn't help but spit his relation to me.

"Your mother married a vampire?" She asked incredulously.

I laughed humorlessly. "No, she married him while he was still human. He only recently became a vampire. He never acted kindly to me and would torture me in every way imaginable. I presume that is why I am here right now, actually. He's always had a twisted obsession with me." I told her as the shame flooded my system.

"Oh, Bella…" she said softly while resting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I lived with him for years until one day he left me for dead. Luckily, someone alerted the authorities and I was found and taken to the hospital. Carlisle was the doctor on call and he saved my life. After I healed some, Carlisle asked me if I wanted to come live with his family. I've been with them ever since" I said as a smile spread across my face at the thought of my true family.

"Carlisle… Dr. Cullen?" She asked. I nodded and she seemed to think about something for a moment. "Where was your mother?"

I chuckled again without humor. "My mother was with her husband. I lived with her and her husband. She knew about everything that went on in that house. She didn't care though."

"What? " Ruby shrieked but remembered to keep her voice down as she did it. "How could any mother know her own child was hurting and being abused like that and do nothing?" She asked rhetorically. I just shrugged a little, even though it moved my spine and I winced.

"Stay still, Bella. You don't want to injure your back any further." She told me in a soft tone that held authority. I just nodded and laid my head down on my arms.

Ruby was silent for several minutes while she was lost in her thoughts. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked, "What are you thinking?" This is what Edward had always asked me since he couldn't see into my mind the way he did with others. I had to fight down the pang of sadness that came with realizing that there is a good chance that I would never see my Edward again.

Ruby looked at me with a look in her eyes that told me she wanted the truth to whatever she was about to talk about. "The Cullens are vampires, aren't they?" She asked me. I am sure I looked as visibly shocked as I felt. How did she make the connection?

"Why do you think that?" I asked, while trying to avoid giving my family's secret away.

"They are all very pale just like the man who came down, they are inhumanly gorgeous, they never eat during lunch but just pick at their food, and their movements always seem controlled and calculated."

"You are quite perceptive, Ruby" I sighed.

"It's true?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"If I answer that, you cannot tell a soul, Ruby. You don't know the very grave consequences that come with that knowledge." I warned her and I even heard the seriousness in my voice.

"I will never tell a soul. I trust you, Bella. You have to trust me as well." She begged me.

I heard the honesty in her voice so I confirmed her thoughts. "Yes, they are. The new students, Peter and Charlotte, are as well. They are currently living with us."

"What about you?" She asked curiously. "Are you a vampire as well?"

I laughed this time with humor. "No. I am simply human" I assured her.

"So how do you live with them if they are vampires?" Her questions reminded me a little bit of Seth's questions.

"They are vegetarians of sorts. They survive on the blood of animals and refrain from drinking from humans. The one who was in here, Phil, is a human-drinker. He kills his human victims. I am assuming the rest of the vampires around here are also human-drinkers." I said as I bit my lip.

"Human-drinkers equal red eyes?" She asked with pure curiosity now. I was surprised at her reaction to be honest. I thought she'd either deny everything I told her or she would freak out but she's calm about it. How odd.

I looked at her shocked. "How did you guess that?" I asked.

"Well, the Cullens all have that gold color to their eyes most of the time but Phil and the girl in the car both had red eyes. You said that the Cullens drink from animals and Phil drinks from humans. I just put two and two together" she said with a smile.

"Wow, no wonder you're AP everything as a junior." I chuckled.

"I try" she smirked.

I saw Ruby yawn and realized that we should be sleeping while we can. "Hey, why don't you try to sleep some?" I suggested.

She looked at me slightly panicked. "It's okay, Ruby, I'll stand guard, or so to speak. I promise to wake you up the moment anything happens." I assured her.

She looked at me slightly unsure of herself. I could guess that she didn't know if it rude for her to sleep instead of me. I decided to ease her conscious. "I'm not tired. Please rest".

"Okay." She said as she crawled up next to me and lay down in front of me. Within minutes she was asleep.


JPOV

"Okay we'll be to the stop in five minutes." I said to Edward as well as the rest of the team that were listening in by phone. "I want just Edward and me to go in. I am going to ask Maria leading questions and Edward will pick Phil's location from her mind. I want the rest of the team to stay at the stop. Edward and I will run from there to Maria's camp."

"Jazz, I don't think that's such a good idea. Perhaps we should all go. There is strength in numbers." Peter said with worry in his voice.

"I know, Peter, but we don't really have a choice. If something goes wrong in there, we need you guys to continue looking for Bella. Peter, you know some of Maria's hideouts. If something happens start searching every one of those hideouts."

I could hear him sigh. "Yeah, okay. You aren't called the God of War for nothing, I suppose." He chuckled to lighten the mood some.

"That's the spirit" I chuckle. "Okay, we're pulling up on the stop so I guess I'll see you guys later." I said as cheerfully as I could. I just couldn't stop the worry of knowing how aggressive and dangerous Maria's army is. Even the bodyguards she keeps are dangerous. I just hope everything will go smoothly.

"Don't worry, Jazz. We'll get in and get out." Edward tried to reassure me. I gave him a small smile and got out of the car.

I took off running and Edward was right behind me. Normally he is a faster runner than I am but he knew I needed to lead this time.

We ran four miles before I could see the opening to the camp. I crouched behind a rock and watched for sign of movement. Edward crouched beside me and began scanning the thoughts inside.

Hear anything? I thought to Edward.

"Nothing about Bella but there are two guards on the outside of the entrance and approximately ten throughout the rest of the camp. There also appears to be eighteen newborns."

Do you know where Maria is? I asked mentally.

"Someone is talking to her right now. I can see the conversation through his mind-eye. They are in a large room that is filled with antiques and stone walls."

I know where that is. Follow me. Thankfully, this was the last camp that I was in with Maria so I knew exactly where that room is.

We stayed out of the sight of the guards as we made our way to the side wall of the compound.

It will be easier to take these guards and enter this way than to try and find another way in. We were here right before I left her army. The newborns are kept at the other entrance.

He nodded his head in understanding and I focused on the guards that were just around the corner of the wall. I pushed the largest waves of lethargy that I could onto them. I know that it wouldn't make them sleep but it would definitely disorient them enough to sneak by.

Once they were disoriented enough, Edward and I carefully made our way by them. It appeared that they didn't even see us go by. This will definitely work in our favor. We both kept our senses alert and I made our way to the room that Maria was in.

We saw the male leave the room where Maria was so we waited until he was fully out of sight to make our way to the room. To keep up appearances so that she wouldn't alert anyone of our presence, I knocked on the door as if I were one of her lackeys who needed to speak with her.

"Come in" she said distractedly. Oh it hasn't been nearly long enough since I heard that voice last. I could feel disgust and anger start to bubble but quickly squashed it down.

Follow my lead. Edward nodded his head and I opened the door.

Maria didn't look up from the map on her desk until there were a few moments of silence. Once she realized who I was, she smiled broadly at me as if I were giving her a present.

"Ah, my precious Jasper Whitlock. How nice it is of you to come see me. And you brought a friend! Have you decided to rethink your resignation?" She asked as if this was a damn job interview.

"No, Maria, we are not here to join your army" I tried to be polite but kept a hard edge to my tone.

She pouted at this and eyed me up and down while licking her lips. I felt disgusted and fought to keep a grimace off of my face. "Then whatever would bring you here, lover?" She asked and again I fought the grimace.

"Isabella Swan" I told her.

"Ah, I take it this Isabella is important to you?" She asked with a laugh.

"Cut the crap, Maria, where is she?" I was tired of politeness. She sure as hell didn't deserve it.

"What a sassy tone you have Jasper. I don't remember you ever speaking to me like that." She said disapprovingly.

"Time changes things" I told her while pushing wave after wave of persuasion on her.

She looked me up and down again. "Yes, I suppose they do. It seems that you are a runway model now with your designer clothing and all. You're still as handsome as ever though, dear." She chuckled.

"Maria, tell me where Bella is." I told her.

"You come into my house and demand answers?" She asked while feigning shock.

In an instant, I was beside her and had her held up to the wall by her neck. "I will ask you one last time, Maria, where is Bella?" I growled at her and I could feel her surprise and her fear. I pushed more fear onto her and I could see the effect it was having on her.

"What does it matter to you?" She hissed at me.

"It matters" my tone was clipped by now.

"She's not here" Maria assured me.

"Who has her?" I asked her.

"That is none of your business, Jasper" she hissed at me again. I glowered at her and I felt her fear spike a little more. Internally I was chuckling at the reaction I was getting from her but on the surface I had my perfected 'God of War' face on.

"Wrong answer Maria. Now, I will give you one last chance to tell me where she is. I know that you have been helping someone and that someone was able to get to Bella. Where did he take her? I know for a fact that you put Emma in the middle of all of this. Therefore, I know that you are partially responsible right now. Where is Bella? I growled at her.

I saw Edward nod at me and knew that her thoughts revealed Bella's location.

Call them. Tell them the location.

Edward pulled out his phone and called Peter. "She's in a brown abandoned house outside of Welsh, Louisiana-"

Just then, someone came in the door and saw their leader being held by me. He called for help and ran towards me. I had to drop Maria as I took care of this guard. Thankfully he didn't seem to have any gifts so I took care of him pretty easily. After I finished with him, I saw three newborns come crashing into the room.

"Destroy them" Maria ordered. I hissed at her and she just shrugged her shoulders while sitting down on a couch to watch the show.

Edward had the advantage of reading their thoughts so he easily took down a newborn quickly. And since I had the advantage of my war years, I was able to take down the two remaining newborns just as five more came in the room. I growled in frustration.

Edward took down two more while I took down two of my own. Under normal circumstances, I would enjoy this fight, but the severity of the situation calls for focus.

Just as I was about to decapitate the remaining one, I became immobile. I looked up and saw a girl standing in the doorway with her finger held out to me and a smirk on her lips. Apparently this was her power. Great. What now?

Luckily she had to keep concentration with her gift and apparently only one target can be held immobile at a time since Edward wasn't restrained by her power.

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to what he had to offer in order for me to help him?" Maria asked me rhetorically. She walked over to me and kissed my forehead before she whispered in my ear, "You".

Edward, run, now! Don't worry about me. You need to go find Bella!

I could feel his indecision so I thought of how much I love my best friend and I focused on her smiling face in my mind. NOW!

He nodded and disappeared from the room just as Maria's laughter filled it.


BPOV

I nudged Ruby awake as I heard someone approaching the opened door. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes wide and looked around until she saw me. She relaxed some after seeing me beside her but tensed as I held my finger over my lips-signaling her to remain quiet.

I turned my eyes back to the figure walking down the stairs. I rolled my eyes at his dramatics but kept a composed face otherwise. The pain in my back was increasing but I fought to keep any evidence of it far from Phil's sight. I knew from experience that he would only increase the pain if he thought I was already hurting.

"Ah, good morning, Isabella" He sneered at me.

"Phil" I said in acknowledgement.

He laughed and shook his head. "No, not Phil." He said and when he saw the confused look on my face, he laughed some more. "Actually, it's James, not Phil." I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled some more. "Oh, well I suppose that you could use a story to occupy your time" he nodded and continued as if I was actually asking him for a story. I refrained from rolling my eyes at him.

He grabbed a crate and brought it over near us to sit on. He clasped his hands together as if debating where to begin. "I was born James Hunter III in Shelby, Montana. I was raised in a very small town near the Canadian border. It didn't suit my personality or my wish for privacy so I decided to span my horizons." He paused for dramatic effect-truly causing me to roll my eyes again. He narrowed his eyes at me but continued on with the story ignoring me otherwise.

"On a road trip up north, I came across this woman that I became infatuated with. She was beautiful and I wanted her as my prize. There was one small problem however, she was currently dating someone. She was still in high school at the time and I knew that it would be nearly impossible with my… 'history'…" he chuckled to himself at some private joke. "…to be able to claim her as my own."

He sighed, "So, I found someone insignificant, Phil Dwyer, and I murdered him to steal his identity. It was like a clean slate, you see. Now I had a new identity and could use it to get her. I tried for a long while to get her to like me but the problem was that she ended up marrying that fool who she was dating when I first saw her. Can you guess who that woman was?" He looked at me with a curious gaze.

I swallowed and whispered. "Renee". It wasn't a question but a statement. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall in place. I was starting to feel lightheaded as a thought occurred to me and I turned my angry glare on him. I could hear the venom dripping from my voice as I accused, "You killed my father!"

He just laughed and nodded his head. "Oh, yes. I killed that fool. How else could I get your mother's attention? I offered her my shoulder as she grieved for her poor dead husband. Boo-hoo." He feigned a pout which just added more anger to my system.

"It never was a robbery gone wrong. It was you all along." I said as I continued to glare at him.

"Yes, my pet, it was me." He said smugly.

"You're psychotic" I told him with a hard edge to my voice.

"Oh, I have been told that. Oh well." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Now that I have told you a story, I want you to tell me one in return".

What could he possibly want to know? "What story?" I hissed.

He chuckled at my hiss but his eyes were guarded. He could tell that something was off about me since he still thought of me as a mere human. His instincts were most likely telling him to be wary of me. "Tell me about the Cullens"

"How about not?" I retorted.

"No?" He asked feigning disappointment.

He came over to me and knelt in front of me. I was currently in a semi-sitting position with my legs in front of me and my back resting against the wall in an attempt to relieve some of the pain. He looked me in the eyes as he pushed down on my leg. He could feel the resistance that shouldn't be there for a human and pushed harder until all three of us heard my leg break.

Ruby put her hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp which I appreciated. I couldn't imagine Phil turning on her. She wouldn't survive, I am sure of it.

Luckily, it was my paralyzed leg that he broke because I am not sure how much more pain I can handle without totally losing it.

"Next time, pet, I will not be so thoughtful as to break a limb that you can't feel" he looked at me with narrowed eyes. I knew he was serious so I decided to humor him.

"What do you want to know?" I said in an eerily calm voice despite the pain I was feeling from my injuries.

"So the nice doctor took your pathetic self into his home after he nursed you back to health?" He asked as if the mere thought of kindness repulsed him. I am sure, however, that it did just that.

"Yes" I responded.

"Well isn't that all domestic of him? Did he treat you like a daughter too?" He asked mockingly.

"I am his daughter" I said confidently.

"Hmm… apparently you should read on inter-species familial relations. A human cannot be a vampire's daughter." He chuckled.

"The Cullens are my family whether you agree or not, James" I slightly growled at him.

He just patted my broken cheek. I closed my eyes shut in pain but remained otherwise unaffected by his attempt to hurt me.

"Why do you have a male's scent all over you? I know that it isn't just a brotherly thing unless you are into that kind of thing…" he trailed off suggestively to which I had to roll my eyes. "Whose bed have you been in Isabella?" He asked with an instantly angry tone to his voice.

"You already know that answer" I told him. He knows for a fact that Edward and I are together just by how Edward defended me after the baseball game.

"Humor me" He demanded with a small growl.

"My fiancée, if you must know."

With that confirmation, he shot up and pulled me up by the hair. I couldn't help the cry of pain that left my lips. The pain in my back was too severe. He threw me across the room and hit the wall. I crumpled to the floor with shallow breaths. I couldn't breathe right and realized that he threw me with enough force to break a rib.

He flitted over to me and leaned down till he was in my face. "You should know better than to allow another man to touch you. You are mine!" He hissed at me while grabbing my head and hitting it against the floor.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I will remind you of the rules. For now though, I think I will let those reminders set in while I go have some fun upstairs." He winked at me and patted my head before he turned to flit up the stairs.

Once he was gone, I heard Ruby rush over to me. "Bella, are you okay?" she whispered.

"No, not really" I groaned as the pain spread throughout my head. He hit my head so hard against the floor that I felt it crack. "I think one of my ribs is broken and he cracked my skull" I told her.

She tore off some of her dress and I looked at her questioningly. "I have to wrap your rib Bella. We don't want it putting pressure on your internal organs." She explained.

I nodded at her and she unzipped my dress and pulled it down so she could examine the area. She felt around the break and pulled her hand away as I gasped.

"I'm sorry but its two ribs that are broken. I'll wrap them both and that should also help with the pain. I wish there was more I could do" I could hear the helplessness in her voice.

I smiled reassuringly at her and said, "This is more than enough, Ruby. Thank you" I assured her. She began humming a soothing tune to me and it calmed me down enough to feel the lids of my eyes getting heavy. After about ten minutes, I was asleep.


EPOV

I ran from the room, despite my instincts to save Jasper. The only thing that moved me from that room was his thoughts of his love for my precious Bella and her smiling face. He wants us all to be able to see it again and the only way was for me to leave and find her.

I was able to outskirt the guards by hearing their thoughts and knowing their locations. After a few minutes, I found myself outside the compound I was just inside of. I continued running until I reached the others.

Their thoughts were instantly on guard once they saw me alone. They all jumped out of the cars they were in and waited for me to reach them.

"Where's Jasper?" Seth asked concerned.

"She got him" Peter stated instead of asked. I nodded my head and told them what happened while we were in there. "Let's get going, Bella needs us" Peter said.

"What about Jasper?" I asked torn between saving Bella and saving Jasper.

"Don't worry. Maria wouldn't dare to kill him. The Major has always been her obsession. He's powerful and she wants that power. She may try to convince him to rejoin her in… persuasive ways, but she won't kill him." I saw in his mind memories of Maria's persuasion and it tore me even more between my brother and my mate.

"Trust me, Edward. If Jasper said to go and find Bella, that is what we need to do. Now, let's go!" He ordered, officially taking leadership in Jasper's absence.

I nodded my head and got into the Volvo. Peter, Charlotte joined me while the Seth rode in the Mercedes and Jacob drove.

While I was driving, I had Peter call the other teams and fill them in on Bella's location. They were too far away to be of any assistance but I told Carlisle to have the house ready for either an injured Bella or a changing Bella. He assured me that he would have everything ready for when she returned.

I also told him of Jasper's situation and assured him that we would figure out what to do. He said that he would contact the rest of the teams to pull them back from their searches.

I tried to focus on driving to take my mind off of the two incredibly horrible situations we are in at the moment. My mate is being held captive by her a psychotic vampire who has as sick obsession with her and my brother is being held captive by his sire who has a sick obsession with him.

As if reading my thoughts, Peter turned to me and said "Don't worry, Edward, we'll get him back and we will find Bella in time."

I chuckled humorlessly. "I thought that you couldn't read minds?"

"No, but I can read anxiety when I see it. I may not be an empath but I can tell that you are stressing and as of this moment, those are the only two stressful things in your life."

I gave him a small smile and nodded my appreciation. I turned my focus back on the road and tried to clear my mind, though I knew it was hopeless. Now that we knew where Bella is, we just have to make sure we get there in time. That was what was making me feel like I was being crushed alive was the 'what If' associated with not knowing for sure if we will make it or not. It was like a ticking time bomb with each second bringing us closer to detonation.

We crossed the border into Louisiana and I started to feel a little hope begin to flare inside of me. All we need now is to find Welsh and then I am sure my hope would soar.

"Take the next exit on the right." Peter said. I looked at him curiously.

"Maria has a safe house outside of Welsh. I am assuming that is where they holding Bella." He explained. I just nodded and took the next right.

We drove in silence since all of us were consumed with our own thoughts. The thoughts circulating the cars seemed to match my own: Bella and Jasper.

"Take the highway directly into the town. We need to drive through it until we hit Montague Road. Take a left and it's the only house on the road. We should park at the beginning of the road and run the rest of the way. It's about a five minute run." Peter directed me to where we needed to park and I pulled over to wait for the other car pull over. They pulled in behind us and got out of the car.

"We're running from here, so wolf boys get all wolfy" Peter smirked.

"Har-har" Jacob rolled his eyes but Seth just laughed.

They took off their shoes and phased without removing their clothing-knowing they'd have more to use afterwards. I suppose that is what the little black anklets were for; to hold clothing.

"Okay, so this is how it goes down." Peter began. "Edward and I will lead. Char baby, I want you in the middle, and I want the two dances-with-wolves at the end. This way, if the wind changes, hopefully our scents will overpower yours and the guards will just assume that we are part of Maria's crew. I am sure she lent some of her guys to Phil. Once we get there, don't move until I think it to Edward. He will give direct Jacob and Seth where to go while I direct Char."

He took an unnecessary breath before continuing. "Well, this is it. Bella is just down this road. We'll save her" he said with so much emotion that I believed him. We would save her. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

We ran in formation down the road and as I watched the house get larger, the hope inside grew. Once we were close enough to hear Bella's heart beat, my hope flared. She was still alive. Her breathing and heart rate were shallow, but still there. I mentally sighed as we crouched behind a fallen log to survey the area. There were two guards in view but I could tell that there were two on the other side of the house as well.

How many? Peter asked silently.

I held up 4 fingers and pointed to the two in front of us and flipped my hand around to show him there were two at the back of the house as well.

I'll take Char and run around the house. We'll run back a little ways and around to avoid the eyes of these guards. Let the wolfies here take these guards down and you go find Bella. Phil is probably still in there so be careful and good luck. Peter said to me through his thoughts. I nodded in acknowledgment.

I motioned for Jacob and Seth to take out the two front guards. They nodded their heads and once Peter and Charlotte were in position, he told me to go ahead. I motioned for them to attack and they took off as if I lit a fire under them. I didn't wait to see if they were successful or not because only Bella was on my mind now.

As I entered the house, there were two people watching television, oblivious to the happenings outside. I realized it was because this part of the house was soundproof. I assumed it was so that no human from the outside could hear while someone screams.

When they saw me, they leaped into defensive crouches and went to attack me. I could tell from their thoughts that they worked for Maria and were skilled fighters but of course they didn't realize that I could hear every single tactic they were going to use before they even used it.

I took out the first one easily and danced around with the next one. Neither one of us were willing to make the first move. Just as I thought he was going to give up, he lunged for my throat but I caught him off-guard by sidestepping him and grabbing his hair. I held onto his head firmly while I bit into his neck and removed his head.

I followed Bella's heartbeat to a door. I opened it and saw that it led to the basement. I surveyed the minds around to find that the team outside was nearly done and were just finishing up throwing the severed limbs of the guards into the fire.

There was nobody downstairs apparently but my Bella so I flitted downstairs. I looked around for Bella and found her lying unconscious in a pool of blood just like Alice's vision. Next to her was her friend Ruby. There was no heartbeat so I knew that Ruby was dead.

I ran to Bella's side and cried out at what I saw. In an instant, Peter and Charlotte were standing beside me growling once they saw how Bella looked. Her face was covered in bruises and cuts. I could see that her cheek was broken and one eye was swollen shut from trauma to that area. Her both legs were bent at the wrong angels and bones were penetrating her skin.

I heard her wheezing and lightly touched her ribs. Sure enough, I could feel several breaks in those as well. As gently as I could, I turned her over onto her back. I listened to her pulse and her heart beat which both told me that what Carlisle tried to prepare me for was actually about to happen. I had to change Bella. There wasn't much time left.

I smoothed the hair back from her face softly as I placed a kiss to her forehead. "My sweet, sweet, Bella. I was hoping I would find you before this were necessary but unfortunately I failed you, my love. I'm so sorry."

Peter placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I turned Bella's neck to the side and bit into it. Her blood tasted so sweet and succulent and this would be the last time I would taste it but I was okay with that. As long as my Bella was with me, I couldn't care less about anything so trivial.

I injected my venom and sealed the wound shut. I then moved to bite both wrists and ankles. For extra venom, I also bit the crooks of her elbows and behind her knees. Once I sealed the wounds I gathered her in my arms and held her as tightly as I could without further hurting her injuries. As I held her, I felt a lump on her back and unzipped her dress to see what it was. I growled at what I saw. That pathetic lowlife broke my Bella's spine.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Charlotte asked concerned. She came around me to look at Bella's back and growled just as I did.

"What?" Peter asked warily. He was curious to know what caused our reaction but was afraid of what he would see if he looked.

I decided to spare him the sick sight while I zipped her dress back up. "That psychotic bastard injured Bella's spine" I hissed in anger.

Edward, you need to get out here, now. I heard Seth call to me mentally.

"Seth needs us outside" I announced and we flitted outside. The moment we exited the door, I was nearly face to face with the psychotic bastard himself. All three vampires growled at him and I could hear the panic in his mind. He knew he was in trouble.

"You" I hissed at him.

He tried to keep a calm façade by smirking but his thoughts showed his actual terror. "Me" he said smugly. "Missed out on the fun?" He asked with a wink. Jacob who currently had his teeth in his right arm and Seth who had his teeth in Phil's left arm both began biting down harder and Phil's face contorted in pain.

Despite my reluctance to let go of Bella, I handed her to Charlotte so I could take care of this piece of filth. Peter joined me and I grabbed him by the neck.

"Have anything to say for yourself?" I asked as I slowly increased the pressure around his neck. I couldn't choke him of course but I could hurt him.

"Yes, actually" I raised my eyebrow expectantly so he continued. "She was the best I ever had" He said with a cocky smirk. I growled at him for that and Jacob and Seth pulled his arms off. He cried out in pain and I looked smugly at him as he fell to his knees in pain.

"What, don't like pain?" I asked. "You sure do seem to have a fetish for inflicting it but you cannot handle it? What a shame. I was hoping we could play some. Just like you played with my fiancee'." I said as I kicked him in the chest. He flew into the tree behind him and caused it to crack and fall backwards.

"Tongue-tied?" I taunted him. "That's no fun." A pout graced my lips as my eyes held an evil glint.

"What are you going to do-kill me-for screwing your girl over there? Trust me, she thoroughly enjoyed it." He began replaying memories in his mind of every time he violated my Bella. I glared at him and slapped him across the face so hard that it dislocated his jaw. "Ouch" he said once he put his jaw back in place. "That hurt" he said with that damn smirk of his.

"Oh, I'm just getting started" I told him with a smirk of my own. To prove my point, I stomped down on his leg until I heard the sickening cracking of bones. "Stand up!" I demanded.

He looked at me with defiance and remained where he was. I nodded to Peter and he went behind Phil to hold his neck and pull him up from the ground. "Whatever shall we do to punish you for those memories?" I mused allowed. I grinned at him as I kicked him as hard as I could in the groin. He would have fallen to the ground if it not for Peter's hold on his neck.

I chuckled at his pained expression. "Doesn't feel good, does it?" I asked rhetorically. "What did you do to Bella while she was in the basement?" I asked hoping to pull it from his thoughts even if he didn't tell me allowed.

"I played with her like the little pet she is" he chuckled despite his hectic thoughts. He knew he was going to die by my hands but he was too proud to go down without a fight, even if it was only verbal.

I saw in his mind, everything he said and did to Bella. I growled as he was replaying his memories to himself, unaware that I could read his thoughts. He looked at me confused.

"You made the biggest mistake when you tried to take my Bella from me. I'm going to enjoy killing you though. How dare you touch a hair on her head. She's mine!" I hissed at him as I grabbed his head in my hands and ripped his head from his shoulders.

I watched as his head fell to the ground and rolled to my feet. I kicked it into the tree behind his body and returned to Bella's side.

"How is she doing?" I asked desperately as I looked at her still unconscious form.

"It's working but I don't understand why she isn't screaming. I remember how painful the venom is." Char admitted.

"I don't know either" I told her as she handed Bella back to me.

"You bit her, didn't you?" Seth asked with a pained expression as he took in Bella's battered appearance.

"You did what?" Jacob growled as he ran to my side. He glared at me until he saw just how Bella looked. "What…oh my god." He said as gazed at my beloved. He looked like he was going to be sick as he gazed at her broken body.

"Jacob, I had to. There was no other choice. I was hoping that we'd find her before it became necessary but unfortunately it was necessary. She was nearly dead when I found her." I tried to explain.

In his mind, he was wavering between loyalty to his tribe and his loyalty to Bella. He was supposed to be an enemy of the cold ones but he couldn't begin to think of Bella as a monster. She would always be Bella to him. Finally his warring emotions came to an end. He sighed and nodded. "I know."

"Thank you, Jacob. I mean it." I told him as I began walking to the car.

I was afraid of jostling Bella any more than I must until the venom heals her ribs and her spine. I wasn't able to tell which spot she injured without taking an x-ray and was afraid it might paralyze her entire spine which would not be a good thing. I was also worried about moving her ribs in case it was touching a lung.

I got into the backseat of the Volvo with Bella lying across my lap while I supported her injuries. She has still yet to make a sound and it is worrying me. Peter drove the car while Charlotte rode passenger and Jacob along with Seth took the Mercedes again.

After we hit the edge of town, I pulled out my cell phone. It rang once before someone picked up. "Edward?" The voice asked hopefully.

"We have her Carlisle."


*** A/N: Please do not hate me for the cliffy. You all know by now how much I use them.

*** How did you like the chapter? Good, Bad, Ehh? Review and let me know please.

*** I am already partially done with the next chapter so I will have it up as soon as my connection will allow me. I have decided to just one or two more chapters with this story and will start on the sequel. Thanks to the suggestion from: morggs2013, it will be called "Power of the Soul". Thank you for that suggestion-it's perfect!

*** OMG, I just saw Eclipse. I loooooved it. What did y'all think of it? I was a little sad that we didn't see more Seth though. He is officially my favorite Wolf. Also, Jasper is like my favorite Cullen but his hair was a little odd to me. He was still awesome though. I loved the fight scenes. Anyways, if you haven't seen it yet, then why are you on fanfiction? GOOOO see it!