***Twilight is owned by Stephenie Meyer. I'm just renting it for a weekend holiday.***


"They'll notice I'm not there," Bella argued.

"Not my problem," Aaron replied as he stirred the pot on the hot plate in the corner.

Although there was no clock where she was being held captive, Bella could mark the passage of time by the faint hint of dawn seeping in through the curtain covering the tiny window. She knew that this would be the latest possible time Aaron would have before Siobhan and Maggie noticed she wasn't in the tent, if they hadn't woken up earlier to find her missing.

"They'll search for me, you know. Your best bet is to let me go before they find us," Bella said bravely.

Aaron put down the ladle he was using and turned to her with a sneer on his scarred face. "They won't find us. Karon will make sure of that. And when they find your sweater torn to shreds near a bear's nest, they'll assume the worst."

"My father's a policeman. He won't fall for it. Not without hard evidence."

"Well maybe if I cut off one of your legs and add it to the evidence, he'll believe it," Aaron retorted.

Bella kept quiet after that, afraid of riling him up. She let her thoughts drift to Edward and prayed he would be able to find her.

~{0-o-0}~

BBBRRRRRIIIIINGGGGGGG!

The sound of the phone jarred Edward out of a troubled and fitful sleep. He'd had bizarre but vivid dreams about being on the beach which had kept him tossing and turning most of the night. A quick glance at the clock indicated it was only 8:30 in the morning. Edward groaned and reached over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said groggily.

"Is this Edward Cullen?"

Edward rubbed his face. "Yeah. Who is this?"

There was a great deal of static as the voice cut in and out.

Edward tried again. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Can you speak up?"

"I SAID, my name is Dr. Kevin Marcus. I'm the site supervisor at Nootka Island…"

Edward instantly sat up. "Is everything okay?" he asked, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

Dr. Marcus hesitated before replying, "Isabella is missing. We've sent out search parties but so far have found no trace. I've made the calls to get additional ground and sea rescue help, but this site is fairly remote and it might take some time before-"

Edward cut him off. "You lost her? YOU LOST MY WIFE?! How the fuck does that happen?" he yelled.

"I'm very sorry Mr. Cullen. This has never happened before. I would advise you to get to Tahsis as soon as possible. There will be a boat waiting for you there," Dr. Marcus replied with a shaky voice.

"You bet your ass I'll be there!" Edward screamed and hung up the phone.

Edward quickly dialed another number.

"Forks PD, Chief Swan speaking," said Charlie's gruff voice.

"Charlie, Bella's gone missing…" Edward's voice cracked on that last word.

He managed to hold it together long enough to relay to Charlie every bit of information he had. As soon as their conversation was done, Edward broke down in tears as he forced himself to pack a few things for the journey. He vowed he would find Bella no matter what it took.

He was just locking the front door when the doorbell rang. Edward considered not answering it at first, then realized he would have to see the person when he left the garage anyway. He grudgingly opened the door and was shocked to find Jacob standing on his front stoop.

~{0-o-0}~

"Bella, you have to be strong. We're doing everything we can," Katie said soothingly.

Bella cried, "It's not enough! He's going to kill me, Katie, and that will probably kill Edward too. There must be something you can do! If not for me, then for Edward's sake."

"I know this is hard to hear, Bella, but help is on the way. You just have to stay strong. You can do this. Think of everything you've overcome so far, from your mother's early passing to the car accident. You have grown so much over the past couple of years and become a willful, independent woman. Don't let all that slip away. I promise you that nothing will interfere with your fate."

"But I'm so scared…" Bella's voice trailed off as she was thrust into consciousness.

"Wake up you little whore! I never gave you permission to sleep!" Aaron bellowed as he slapped Bella across the face. Bella winced with the blow which caused Aaron to grin evilly. "Ah, that's better. Now where were we? Oh yes, I was telling you about my years as Genghis Khan…"

~{0-o-0}~

"Alright Jacob, tell me everything you know," Edward demanded.

Jacob gripped the door handle as hard as he could. "Okay but could you please slow down a bit first? This crazy driving in the rain thing isn't a good idea," Jacob pleaded.

Edward released a minute amount of pressure on the gas. "Now, talk."

Jacob grimaced. "Okay, okay. I was out in the waazh last night when your… erm, a spirit came to me asking for help. She said Bella was in trouble and I had to find her, and if I told you the word arrow you would know what that meant."

Edward paled. "Not a word. A person: Aro. Was it Katie who spoke to you?" Jacob nodded. "Did she tell you where to find Bella?"

"That's the weird part. Katie said she didn't know exactly where she was being held. But then my grandfather, Ephraim, appeared and said I would know where to look," Jacob said quietly.

Edward let out a gust of air. "So she's alive?" Jacob nodded again. "Thank God. How would you know where to look?" Edward asked semi-accusingly.

Jacob held up his hands in defense. "I honestly don't know. I've never been there before. They told me to get to you or Charlie as quickly as possible, and when I couldn't find Charlie I came to you. That's all I know."

Edward nodded. "Charlie's meeting us at the coast guard docks. Might be a little while since he's all the way in Forks, but maybe we can look over a map of the area while we wait."

It was good that Jacob had shown up. Having to be in someone else's presence kept Edward from completely losing his mind with worry. And Jacob's revelations had given Edward some hope that Bella would be found, preferably unharmed, with all their help. He sent up a silent prayer for Katie to find Bella and keep her safe until he could reach his beloved wife.

~{0-o-0}~

"Okay everyone listen up. We're going to do a systematic grid search of the island as far as we can. We'll go in groups of three off in different directions. Each team take a flashlight and hunting knife just to be safe. We've got boats going around the island and a helicopter overhead, so if you find something or get lost just head for water and you'll be picked up. Any questions?" Dr. Marcus said. Everyone shook their heads in unison and were sent on their way.

Maggie and Siobhan were scared out of their wits. They had woken up hours earlier to discover Bella was gone – without her boots or winter clothing. Maggie had run to Dr. Marcus' tent right away without hesitation only to be told they couldn't do anything until the sun rose. Everything since then had been a whirlwind of activity and planning as the digging was suspended to find their missing friend.

They trudged forward through the thick brush, tripping over tree roots and hidden rocks. They searched under bushes and in hollowed out logs, all the while calling Bella's name. They could hear the other groups from a distance doing the same thing.

"What do you think happened?" Maggie asked, trying to make conversation. "BELLA!"

Siobhan shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but I hope she's okay. It's really cold out here," Siobhan replied sadly.

About an hour after they began their search, Siobhan and Maggie came across a large fallen tree branch covered with moss. They eyed the small entrance warily, afraid of wild animals that might be nesting, when a distinctly human-sounding whimpering filled their ears.

Maggie dove right into the natural hut and cried, "Siobhan, get in here! God, he's dying!"

Siobhan crawled through the hole to find a very dirty, semi-conscious Mike Newton curled into the fetal position. Maggie was already removing her clothes and urged Siobhan to do the same with him so that her body heat would raise his temperature. Once they were snuggled together in the enclosed space, Siobhan left to run back to camp for help. She was surprised how close they were; she and Maggie had not gone very far in their search.

Upon hearing the news, Dr. Marcus and the site doctor followed Siobhan back to where she had left Mike and Maggie. With all their combined effort, they managed to get him back to the camp and in a heated tent within a matter of minutes where, luckily, he recovered quickly. Dr. Marcus ordered everyone outside while he talked to Mike.

"Tell me, boy, how did you end up out there?" Dr. Marcus inquired.

Mike's teeth chattered as he spoke. "I… I heard a noise near B-b-bella's tent and… and w-went to see what h-happened when I saw… I saw… oh God!" Mike broke out in tears.

Dr. Marcus' patience was very limited by this point. "Yes? What did you see?" He pushed.

"Brown hair, b-b-blood, an ugly man. They were d-dragging Bella through the t-t-trees, so I followed until… I t-tripped and fell. Everything went b-b-black after that," he sputtered. A shiver racked through his entire body as he closed his eyes against the memory.

Dr. Marcus sat back for a moment, shocked by this news. Then something occurred to him. "You said you saw a man, but then said they dragged her… who was the other person?"

Mike opened his eyes and stared directly at Dr. Marcus as he spoke, "Karon McNeil."

~{0-o-0}~

"Well, it seems as though the wife is late," Aaron growled. He was pacing up and down the cabin like a madman. "I wonder what's keeping her."

Bella knew better than to say anything. Each time she tried to make conversation he became increasingly intolerable; he wanted Bella awake but acquiescent. The last two times she'd challenged him ended with her getting beaten.

Although she was scared, Bella was surprisingly far from panicking. She was aware of the adrenaline flowing through her body that kept the fight-or-flight instinct at the ready, but was able to calm her mind enough to keep it in check. Thinking of Edward helped a lot. She pictured his glowing green eyes, the way his untamed bronze hair caught the sunlight, how happy he looked on their wedding day. She held these good memories close to her heart and fresh in her mind for the times she felt the fear bubbling out of control. Bella knew she had to stay in control of her body if she wanted any hope of escaping this situation alive.