Author's note; Many thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter and to those of you who have put this story on your Favourites/Story Alerts List. Some of you have also put me on your Favourite Author's List. I am truly amazed by all of you and how kind and generous you are. You inspire me to keep going. I must say, I was more than a little shocked at the response to the previous chapter. It seems that one reviewer, luv4jake, was right in saying that I had got my 'drama mojo' back. I was asked a little while ago as to when I would write another Edward POV. Well, here you are. Enjoy.

Disclaimer; I do not own Twilight but I thought of this story.

COOK WANTED

Friday Continued.....

EPOV

I finally stopped pacing, convinced that I had worn a shallow groove, into the marble tiles that constitued the flooring of the large hallway.

I held up my phone, yet again, impatiently checking it for the umpteenth time in the last hour, for some kind of evidence of contact from Bella. It had been five hours since I recieved Bella's message, that she had arrived safely in Forks. I little more than an hour ago, I'd sent a message to her, that I'd arrived at the Forks house.

I was surprised not to have seen her truck parked outside the garage, when I arrived. At first I thought that she may have gone to the store in town to pick up some groceries.

No, of course not. Angela always made sure that the freezer was stocked, and the necessary basics were in the fridge.

Maybe it was something else that she needed to get or she had just decided to take a look around town. Such as it is. If that was the case, then she should have returned by now, surely.

But the fact that she hadn't acknowledged my message, made me feel a little irritated, at first. Was the battery in her phone dead? Was it buried so deep within the confines of her purse, that she didn't hear it chime? Was my message not important enough, for her to bother to reply? My thoughts were verging on the ridiculous. Bella was far too organised not to have her phone fully charged or not to have it within easy reach, for that matter. There had to be another explanation.

Anything with regard to the reliability of the truck, drew a blank. The truck was basically brand new. It had been given a test run before it was presented to her. Everything on it had been doubled checked at my insistance, much to Rose's annoyance.

An accident? But surely, if such a thing had happened, someone would have contacted the family by now.

I then decided to do just that. Contact the family, to see if perhaps she had spoken to any of them, during the time that I was travelling on the road.

I contacted mom first.

"Hi Edward! I take it your in Forks?" She asked, cheerily.

"Yeah. I got here about an hour ago. Listen, mom. Has Bella rung you?" I was trying desparately not to sound worried.

"Well, no. Why? Is she not there with you?" She chided, her tone sounding a little surprised.

"No, she isn't. I sent her a message over an hour ago now, when I arrived. As yet, she hasn't answered." As I spoke I could feel my stomache churn. Panic was beginning to take hold. I had to keep it under control. Remain rational.

"Well, that doesn't sound like Bella at all. Have you spoken to Alice or Rose. She may have contacted one or both of them." Quick thinking mom, as always.

"I thought I would ring you first. I'll give Rose a call, just in case there was a problem with the truck." I reasoned.

"Yes, that sounds like a sensible thing to do. Let me know what Rose says, won't you?" She insisted.

"Yes, of course, mom. I'll speak to you soon." I shut my phone, took a deep breath and dialled Rose's number.

"Hi Edward." She said, cheerily.

"Hi, Rose has Bella rung you?" Pleasantries were no longer my priority right now.

"Uh, no Edward. Why, what's wrong?" Her voice taking on a serious tone, mimicking mine.

"I arrived in Forks over an hour ago" I begin to explain. "I sent Bella a message straight away. I haven't heard anything from her since she sent a message five hours ago now, saying that she had arrived in Forks."

"That doesn't sound good, Edward. Bella wouldn't just go off shopping or visit someone without letting you know. Where the hell could she have got too?" She mused.

"I need to do something, Rose. Waiting around is driving me mad." I finally confessed.

"Have you rung the Police yet?" She asked, hurriedly.

"No.I want to go out and have a look for her, myself. I'll allow myself half an hour. If I don't find her in that time, then I'll ring the Police." Voicing my thought process to her.

"Okay, Edward. Make sure you keep in contact. Em and I will make our way down shortly. Have you rung Alice?" She asked quietly.

"No, I thought better of it. I didn't think it would be a good idea if she started to stress about the situation. I'd rather she didn't know, just for now." I answered.

"No problem, Edward, I think your right. Alice and Jazz are staying in Seattle for the weekend. As soon as we've shut up shop here, we'll make our way down. We'll see you later, okay?" She said, trying to reassure me.

"Yes, . I'll ring when I've got any news." My mind was made up. I would go and look for her, now. I grabbed my car keys fron the hall table and made my way out to the car, locking up the house behind me.

I brought the car to life and drove to the end of the long drive, halting abruptly, when I reached the road. I looked to my left and then to my right. I decided to head into town. If she had stopped at one of the shops then at least I might be able to get some sort of idea as to where she had been. Turning left, with my phone resting in it's holder, I put my foot down.

When I arrived in town, I parked up, slipped my phone into my pant's pocket and made my way to the grocery store. Giving a brief decription of Bella to the store owner, I drew a blank. She had not been seen in there. I then walked over to the gas station. I described the truck to the attendant as well as giving a description of Bella. Another blank. Maybe she had gone for something to eat. It had been a while since we went to the diner. Thinking logically, she could have gone for something to eat, there. I headed to the diner straight away.

The diner was busy which was good, as there would be more of a chance that someone may have seen her. The waitress approached me, menu in hand. Before she could ask if I wanted a table, I asked her if she had seen Bella. She didn't need a description. She remembered Bella from the last time the family had dined there.

"Yes, your financee was here today. They came in for lunch. Mr Cullen." They?! What was she taking about?

"I'm sorry, did you say, they?" I asked, frowning at her.

"Yes, Mr Cullen, your financee and Jacob Black. He runs the repair shop..." I cut her off.

"Yes I know where he works. What time did they come in here?" I asked sharply.

"A little after twelve."She replied a little taken aback, by my urgent questioning.

That was about half an hour after Bella sent me the message, that she had arrived.

I took a deep breath and shot her the next question. "How long were they here for?"

"About an hour and a half, I think." She replied quietly.

"Did they leave together?" I think I was beginning to make the poor girl feel uncomfortable.

"Umm, yes. A large black truck. It's not one that I've seen around here before." She answered nervously.

"It's my financee's." I replied thoughtfully.

I didn't even realise that they had been in contact with each other. In fact, the last time I spoke to him, I thought I had made it clear that he was to stay away from her.

I nodded rather sharply at the waitress and without another word, left the diner.

I rang Bella's phone again. No answer. Breathing deeply I made my way back to my car and rang Rose.

"Edward, have you found her?" She asked anxiously.

"No, I've just come from the diner. She was in there earlier, having lunch with Black." I spat out.

"Oh, she probably wanted to show off the truck to him. I take it you want his number?" She said calmly.

"Yes, Rose. And his address." I tried to keep the tone of my voice under control. The process of keeping control of myself, was becoming extremely difficult as I was beginning to get more than a little aggitated at the thought of the two of them, spending time together. Why would she do that? He had made it quite clear as to how he felt about her and had made far too many inappropriate suggestions and physical contact, as far as I was concerned. As I remembered the last time that I had encountered him, holding onto her arm the way he did, my blood began to boil.

"Here you are, Edward. Have you got a pen and paper?"

"Yes, hold on, just getting back into the car." I answered, as I sat in the drivers seat and found a pen and piece of paper.

"Go ahead." I instructed Rose. I quickly wrote down the details and brought the car to life again.

"I'm going to head down there, now."

"Okay, Edward. Just make sure you keep in contact. We're on our way." She assured me.

"See you later, then, Rose." Shutting my phone, I placed it in my pocket, for the journey to La Push. I certainly wasn't going to waste my time ringing him. As I drove I could feel my jaw setting firm. I had to keep my temper under wraps until I had least established the time that he had last seen her. I pushed the thought that she might still be there with him, out of my head. Bella wouldn't do that to me. Surely. Not unless she was forced. Surely, not out of choice.

I only passed one or two cars en route and a car that was parked up, I presumed broken down, in a rather precarious place, on the opposite side of the road.

I arrived at the reservation. Black's place was fairly easy to find. As I pulled up on the gravel drive, I sat for a moment and scanned the area. Bella's truck was nowhere to be seen. Had she parked it at the back of the house? My mind was beginning to go into overdrive. I had a struggle keeping my thoughts logical. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, to help uncloud my thoughts.

I took two deep breaths, secured the car and made my way to his front door. A light was on in the front room and the hallway. I took a moment to stand still and listen for voices, as I stood on the front porch. Nothing. The silence put even more ridiculous thoughts into my head. Could it be that was she in there, with him?

I knocked, loudly, training my eyes on the closed door. I heard footsteps approaching, in the hallway, too heavy to be Bella's. I hoped for everyone's sake that she wasn't in there.

The door opened and we both stared at each other. I think he could read the anger on my face, by his reaction. His eyebrows shot up, making his eyes wide in surprise.

"Is Bella here?" I demanded, shifting my eyes to the right, to scan what I could of the living room.

"No." He asnwered. His stance changed from relaxed to resolute, in an instant. What was he hiding?

"Mind if I take a look?" I said between clenched teeth.

He stood firm, his huge frame, filling the doorway. "Yes I do mind, Cullen."

"Is. She. Here?!" I demanded again, almost growling. Automatically my fists balled at my sides, the tension building in my arms, ready to fight. Ready to fight for what was mine. For the woman I loved and cherished.

I took one step forward, bringing us uncomfortably close to each other. I eye-balled him, not letting our difference in height, deter me. He had the advantage over me, yet I had the advantage of pent up frustration and anger.

He reached up an outstretched hand, between us, to halt me.

"Bella's not here, I said. What the hell is going on Cullen?" His voice was steady.

"What time did you see her last?" His face fell at the realization, that I knew they had been together. Then his expression changed again. To one of concern.

"We had lunch at the diner. She dropped me off here about two. What the hell is going on, Cullen? What's happened?" He demanded.

"I was hoping that you would know the answer to that question. Why d'you think I'm here? Not out of choice that's for sure." I barked. He took half a step back. That slight movement was my cue to step forward again. I shoulder barged him, knocking him off balance and pushed my way forward to the living room.

"What the hell, Cullen?!" He shouted, as I stood just inside the living room doorway, giving me an easy view of the small room. No one was there.

"Where is she?!" I shouted, turning around to face him square on, again.

The house was on one level, so the idea of searching every room was not going to deter me, by any means. I reached out with my arm pushing him to one side again. I was met with little resistance, as I made my way down the hallway opening a door on my right first. The bathroom. the door on my left. The bedroom. Again empty. I turned on my heel and paced back to where he stood, obviously perplexed at my actions.

"Are you satisfied?! I said she wasn't here!" He stood with his arms outstretched, palms up, as a sign of his honesty.

"Then where is she?!" I bellowed in his face. I shut my eyes for a moment to concentrate on breathing. I didn't want to calm down right now but if Black really didn't have anything to do with Bella's disappearance then maybe he might have an idea as to where she might be. I wasn't going to get any answers out of him if he were unconsious right now.

"So, she's not at home?" He asked, frowning.

"No! Why do you think I' m here?!" I answered, becoming more irritated with his questions.

"Hold on!" He began, putting his hands up again, to halt my advance on him. "When was the last time you had contact with Bella?"

"I got a message sometime after twelve, to say that she'd arrived in Forks. Since then, nothing." I replied, desparately trying to keep my voice steady. I had reached the point now, that I wanted to ring the Police.

He reached for his jacket, on the coat stand behind him. His eyes were still fixed on my face.

"Where have you searched?" He asked, fishing a set of keys out of his jacket pocket.

"I've been through town. There's no sign of her truck." I answered, calming down somewhat. He had told the truth. I could tell by the look on his face that he was now very concerned.

"Have you rung the Police?" He asked as he put on his hacket.

"Not yet. I thought I would do my own search first, to give me some idea as to where she had been and who might have seen her." I explained.

"Okay, I'll take my bike and take a look along the road back to 're a couple of bends that catch drivers out" He didn't need to embelish his thoughts. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

He looked at me pointedly. "Ring the Police, now. Too much time has already passed." He was right. If she was hurt, then the clock was ticking, against her.

We left the house, swiftly. By the time I was back in my car and dialing the Police station direct, he was already on his bike, negotiating the gravel drive. He pulled up next to the open driver's door.

"What did they say?" He asked as he straddled the bike.

"They want to meet me at the house, to get details." I answered, annoyed. I wanted to go and look for her, not go back to the house.

"Okay, then. Here give me your phone." I handed it to him without hesitation. He punched his number into it and pressed the dial button. His phone rang in his pocket.

He ended the call on my phone and handed it back to me. "I have your number now. I'll ring if I find anything." He nodded and started up the bike. I nodded in reply, relieved that I now had help in my search for Bella, albeit from an unexpected source..

I watched in my rearview mirror, as he drove off down the road, heading for town. I brought the car to life and backed up, to pull back onto the road. By the time I had reached Jacob's bike, parked up at the first dangerous bend, he was already in the wooded area scanning it with a flashlight. Tempted as I was, to stop and help in his search, I had to get back to the house ready for when the Police arrived. I would be able to resume my search, after they'd gone. Where I was supposed to look next eluded me.

I had no further clues.

I rang Rose and updated her on the situation.

"Are the Police there yet?" She asked, sounding a little more anxious than the last time we had spoken.

"No. I don't suppose they will view this as we do. She's an adult after all, and therefore free to come and go as she pleases. I'll just have to convince them, that this is totally out of character for her." I stood at the large window in the living room, looking out at the now darkened sky.

"Edward, you don't suppose..." I cut her off.

"Rose enough thoughts have been going through my mind the last couple of hours. Just hurry up and get here. The more people we have down here, the more area can be covered." I pleaded.

"Yes, of course Edward. We'll be there as soon as we can. Just stay in contact." She encouraged. I shut my phone, not wanting to have the line busy, if Bella were trying to contact me.

The door bell chiming, made me jump. I was wound up like a spring at the moment. The sooner I was able to get back out to look for her, the better. The feeling of being useless was not something I was familiar with. Managing to keep my head in a crisis, was something that I was used too. Dealing with emergemcies was part and parcel of my job. But this was different because this situation centered on Bella. The most important person in my life.

I answered the door, ushering two uniformed Police Officers, into the living room. They quickly scanned the hallway and the living room as they entered, no doubt to assertain if there had been some sort of domestic situation, that might have caused Bella's disappearence. I was all too aware, of the line of questioning that these Officers would take.

I motioned for them to take a seat. Only one did. I looked at the other Officer, realising that all he wanted to do was have a good look around the other rooms in the house.

"I suppose you want to have a look around?" I began, as I sat down, gesturing with my hand, in the general direction of the living room door. "Be my guest. I doubt if Bella even got as far as the house. When I arrived, there was no sign that she had even stopped to make a cup of coffee or unpack her weekend bag." I added, without being prompted.

The Officer sitting opposite me looked at me a little surprised, and then turned to his collegue and nodded for him to go ahead.

"So, Mr Cullen. I have the details that you gave over the phone. I just need to have some further questions answered, before we can make a decision as to how to proceed." He nodded to me and I nodded back.

You are Edward Cullen. Is that correct?" He began writing in his note book.

"Yes."

"Is there anyone else in the house, at the moment?" He asked, with his head down.

"No."

"What time did you arrive here, Mr Cullen?" Finally, he looked up at me.

"About four o'clock."

"And you travelled from?" His head was down again.

"Seattle. I work in Seattle." I answered, irritation in my tone.

"And what is your occupation?" He continued writing.

"I'm a surgeon at Northwest." I pinched the bridge of my nose, as I willed this interview to be over.

"So, this is the family home?" He looked up again and nodded.

"Yes, at the weekends and holidays."

"What does Miss Swan do for a living?" He asked, with his pen poised.

"She's currently employed as the family cook."

"Currently, meaning that she will not hold this position for much longer?" He narrowed his eyes.

"We're engaged to be married. When, if not before, we're married, she will no longer be cooking for my family." I huffed.

He raised an eyebrow, as he continued to write.

"How long have you been engaged?" He asked, not looking up.

"Since wedding is planned for next June." I knew that would his next question.

"Do you have a recent photograph?" He finally looked up again

"Yes." I pulled out my wallet and took out one of the small pictures, I'd asked mom to print off for me, on the day we got engaged. "Here, this should do." I said, handing it over to him. "It was taken on the day of our engagement." I added. He took the picture from me and looked at it for a moment.

The other Officer walked back into the living room. The two men nodded at each other. As I thought, there was nothing that had aroused his suspicions.

"When can we start a search?" I asked, rubbing my temples in frustration at the lack of activity. The clock was still ticking, against her.

"Well, Mr Cullen. Miss Swan hasn't been missing for twenty four hours, as yet. I would have to speak to my superiors before organising a search party. Besides it's dark now, so nothing would happen until daylight."He said, almost robotically.

"But, what if she's hurt?" I pleaded, perched on the edge of the seat.

"Mr Cullen, I do understand that you're feeling very anxious right now, but we really cannot do anything until the morning." He insisted.

I stood up and walked over to the window, looking out into the darkness. Bella was out there.

Somewhere. Possibly alone. I had to put any thoughts of another person being involved in her disappearance, out of my head, before it drove me mad.

And I needed to go and look for her. I turned back to face the Officers, who were already getting ready to leave.

"If you have any contact from Miss Swan, please contact me at the station." The first Officer requested.

"Yes, of course." I answered, still irritated. I walked with them to the front door. As I watched them leave in the patrol car, my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, checking the caller ID. I didn't recognise the number. It had to be Jacob. I immediately answered the call.

"Have you found her?" I asked hurriedly.

"No. Nothing. I searched all the areas, but didn't find anything. There was an abandonded car though. I've rung the Police about it." He answered, sounding defeated.

"I saw that car there, earlier. Do you think it may have sometihing to do with Bella missing?" Hope that it might be a led, began to rise within me.

"I don't know Edward. People don't usually leave their cars in a place like that. It could just be that the person ran out of gas or something. I didn't check the car out. I thought it best for the Police to do that." He explained.

"Okay. So, where do you think we can look next?" I asked, wanting to leave immediately.

"I think it would be a good idea to start looking on your side of town. It would be good if we had another person to help." He said, reflectively.

"Emmett and Rose should be here soon. Come over to the house. We'll wait till they get here and then we can work out where we're going to search." I stated.

"Okay, I'm on my way." I cheked my phone once again, for either a message or a missed call from Bella. Nothing. My head was beginning to hurt. As I rubbed my temples, I realised that I hadn't eaten anything since before I left Seattle. I made my way to the kitchen and opened the fridge to see what Angela had left us for the weekend. I pulled out some ham and cheese and quickly made a sandwich and poured myself a glass of milk. That would be enough to stave off the hunger pangs and keep the headaches at bay. I needed to have a clear head in order to think straight and keep focused. It would probably, turn out to be a long night.

Rose and Emmett arrived.

"Edward!" Emmett's voice boomed from the hallway.

"In the kitchen!" I replied.

As they walked through the doorway, Rose came over to where I was standing. She placed one arm around my shoulder, pulling me towards her and kissed my cheek. She pulled back from me and looked into my face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, quietly.

I nodded, unable to speak for a moment. The overwhelming feeling, of finally having family members at my side to comfort me, was just too much. Emmett came over to me and pulled me into a hug.

As he released his grasp, I brought them up to date with details of the Police Officer's visit to the house and that Jacob had been out searching some of the wooded areas, close to the main road.

"When he gets here, we'll get organised. Where's the map of the area?" Emmett asked.

"There should be one in dad's office." I replied. Emmett immediately left the kitchen and made his way to the office.

Rose busied herself making some more sandwiches and putting on a pot of coffee, ready for Jacob's arrival. We would all need to eat and drink before we set out to begin our search. Rose agreed that she would stay at the house, to take any phone calls that may come from the Police or if by any chance, Bella. She also agreed to ring mom and explain the evening's events. She thought that it would be a good idea if they made their way down to Forks, so that dad could help with the search, in the morning.

Jacob arrived sometime later as Emmett and I were deciding on where to start the search. The large map of the area, was spread out across the breakfast table. Until this moment, I hadn't realised how vast the forest was.

"Three people searching, won't be enough." Jacob stated. He took out his phone and immediately rang his friend, Sam, from the reservation. He quickly explained the siutuation to his friend and was assured that they would get together as many men as possible to help with the search. I could hardly believe that with all the animosity between Jacob and myself, this was now firmly set to one side in order to make sure that Bella was found. I couldn't begin to think that there was more to their relationship than just friendship, at the moment. Finding her safe and sound, was the most important thing, on all of our minds.

Rose made sure that by the time the six extra men arrived, some twenty minutes later, more food was prepared and another pot of coffee was brewing.

We drew up our search plan, leaving Jacob and his friends to dictate, as to the areas, that we should begin our search. After all, they had lived in this area all of their lives and therefore had far greater knowledge of the forests, than Emmett and I did. I had finally begun to settle my emotions into emergency mode, feeling a lot calmer, now that we were finally going to do something, rather than sit around and wait for daybreak.

Having eaten and drained the coffee pot, we armed ourselves with maps, flashlights, spare batteries and fully charged phones. We exchanged phone numbers, between us, quickly, before leaving the house. As Emmett and I said goodbye to Rose, I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that I had not contacted Alice. She wouldn't have reacted well, to the whole situation. Rose had been a tower of strength and I knew that she would remain calm enough to handle things at the house.

With five of us, piled into Emmett's jeep and the rest in Sam's car, we headed out to our starting point, to begin our search for Bella.

End of Chapter

Author's note; So, Edward and Jacob are working together in their search for Bella. I wonder how successful they will be and how much longer Edward will hold it all together. While I construct the next chapter, you know what you want to do, show me how much you love this story and REVIEW!!! Take care.

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