Chapter 25

Edward stepped out of the shower and quickly dried himself, anxious to get back to Bella. For the first time in months, he felt entirely relaxed, and more connected to Bella than ever before. He knew they both had a lot to work through- they both felt a lot of angst and had the habit of blaming themselves for things that they knew were logically not their fault. They overanalyzed everything to the extreme, to the point they were both feeling distance between them.

But the night before was perfect- not just their lovemaking, but their whispered words and the connection they felt between them. The heaviness of the world lifted as they lost themselves in each other.

The memories of the night before still at the forefront of his mind, he pulled on a pair of cargo shorts and jogged to the back door where Bella said she would be. He peered outside and saw her little paperback book and cellphone on the grass next to one of the lawn chairs. That's odd, he thought. Bella wasn't one to carelessly leave her things on the ground like that. In fact, Bella was very particular about leaving her space neat and things put away, so much so that Edward wondered if it was a habit she picked up from prison. She had never been sloppy as far as he remembered, but she was neat to the point of being obsessive.

"Bella?" he called out, scanning the property. He saw only the lake and forest- no sign of Bella.

Assuming she went back inside and he missed her, he walked back into the house, calling again, "Bella?" The cabin wasn't that big- just a living room and kitchenette, and the bedroom and bathroom that he just exited. Just in case, he checked the bedroom and bathroom again- no Bella.

Anxiety started to build as he confirmed that she was definitely not in the cabin. He even checked both of the closets, just to be sure she hadn't gotten stuck there for some reason. He then went out the front door and saw his car was still there. He peered inside- the car was empty and the doors were locked, just as he left them. "Bella!" he frantically screamed into the trees.

When he heard nothing in response except birds chirping in the distance, his heart began to pound. Something was wrong. He stumbled over his own feet as he hurried back into the house and grabbed his cellphone. His first call was to the police, who said they would send a car soon. As an afterthought, he called the park service as well- even though they weren't on the national park property, they agreed to send a park ranger to the property to get Bella's description.

He resumed his frantic search, entering the woods looking for a clue as to where she might be. Bella loved the outdoors- would she have gone for a walk without telling him where she went? He found it very unlikely. Even if she did, she would have at least taken her phone, not left it on the ground.

After fifteen minutes of frantic but fruitless searching, he returned to the property, disheartened to see the police still hadn't arrived. Don't they know how urgent this is? he wondered, pacing back and forth.

His phone began to ring in his pocket, and he scrambled to answer it. "Bella?" he asked in answer, not looking at the screen.

"Edward?" his sister's voice answered. "What's wrong?"

"Alice… she's gone. What did you see?" he asked, knowing she was calling for a reason- that something had triggered her psychic tendencies.

"It's just so dark…" she whimpered.

"Alice!" he shouted. "What did you see?"

"Edward?" Jasper's voice was on the line now. "Are you still at your parents' cabin?"

"Yeah. They took her, Jasper, I know it," he said, looking up as he heard the sound of gravel crunching in the front. He saw a black pickup truck with police lights parked out front. "I've got to go- the police are here."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Jasper told him.

"Shut up," Victoria hissed, pressing the sharp end of the knife against Bella's throat. "I suppose you are wondering why I'm here. We're going on a little trip. James' hearing is next week. It would be a real shame if you didn't show up to testify."

Bella clamped her jaw shut tightly, having no doubt that Victoria would not hesitate to slit her throat if she made another sound.

She allowed Victoria to guide her forward, stumbling as she went, struggling to keep up with the demanded pace. She wasn't sure how long they walked through the trees, and wasn't sure what blind path Victoria was dragging her on, but it wasn't terribly long before they were at a road where a small sedan waited for them. Victoria popped the trunk and Bella's heart stopped.

"Get in," Victoria commanded.

Seeing the small space, Bella began to protest hysterically. "Don't make me go in the trunk. I'll stay down, I won't say a word, just please."

"Would you just do as you're told for once in your fucking life?" Victoria growled, shoving her forward so that her upper body was in the trunk. She heard the sound of tape ripping, and her hands were then bound tightly behind her. Victoria struggled to position the rest of Bella's body in the trunk, but once she did, Bella found herself face down with her hands and ankles bound behind her.

The trunk was cramped and uncomfortable, and the way she was positioned put heavy stress on her joints. Lost in her panic, Bella had no idea how long they drove, but it was at least an hour. She felt like there were a lot of turns, but she wasn't entirely sure. Victoria could have been driving in circles for all Bella knew. When they finally stopped and the trunk opened, Bella found herself in a secluded area with a rundown cabin surrounded by nothing but trees.

Victoria pulled her out of the trunk by her hair, and Bella yelped in pain. A sharp kick to the ribs brought her mentally right back to the prison- she had been in this very position before.

"Shut the fuck up," she said. "Not a sound. Don't make me tape your mouth shut."

Bella nodded to let Victoria know she understood. Victoria cut the tape at her ankles with her knife, and pulled Bella around the side of the house, and down a steep hill to another door at the side of the building. Victoria opened the door and pushed her inside. Bella rolled down the few stone steps, feeling a searing pain in her ankle when she landed at the bottom. She lay catching her breath as Victoria dragged her a few more feet into the room, then cried out as she pulled her injured ankle together with her other and rebound her feet together.

"What do you want from me?" Bella gasped. "What are we doing here?"

Victoria crouched in the corner across from her and wrapped her arms around herself as if she were freezing. "We're waiting for James," she said shakily.

"What did I ever do to you?" Bella asked desperately. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"You didn't do anything to me," Victoria admitted. "I'm just doing a favor for James. Frankly I don't know why he is so obsessed with you."

"Why are you helping him?"

"I have my reasons," she said. "Suffice it to say, if James goes away, I'm going to have some big problems to deal with."

Bella hoped that she could reason with Victoria, as hopeless as it felt. "What problems? Maybe I can help you. You don't have to be his pawn anymore."

"You wouldn't understand. You're too fucking naïve- too perfect, aren't you? You make me sick."

"Victoria, please. We can both go home now. Whatever it is, I can help you. Is he hurting you?"

"No- just… shut up!" Victoria reached for the roll of tape at her feet.

"I'll shut up. I'm sorry," Bella said, knowing that Victoria intended to tape her mouth shut if she didn't quiet.

Victoria threw the tape down and Bella breathed a sigh of relief and looked around.

The basement was small, almost a crawl space. There were ten steps that led to a higher door, and the small side door with three small steps that they had entered through. The windows on that door had been blacked out with what looked like shoe polish. The only light from the room came from a lone window near the ceiling.

Victoria remained in the corner of the basement, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if she were cold. She was rocking back and forth, occasionally scratching her forearms, and often checking her phone. The basement was mostly empty, save for a few pieces of scrap, but nothing heavy enough to use as a weapon or sharp enough to cut the tape on her wrists and ankles- that is, if she could even get to it.

Bella lay facing Victoria, watching her carefully. Her ankle was throbbing and she could feel her hands and feet beginning to go numb. After at least an hour, when Bella couldn't take anymore, she pleaded, "Please loosen the tape. Please, I won't go anyway. I think my ankle's broken- I can't run. Please."

Bella was shocked when Victoria actually rose to her feet, her knife in her hand. Bella closed her eyes tight, fearing the worst, but was shocked when she felt her ankles being released once again. "There- now shut the fuck up."

"Thank you," she cried, feeling the blood rushing back into her lower limbs. She didn't dare ask her to unbind her hands as well.

Her ankle still throbbing, there was nothing more she could do but wait and hope that someone would find her soon. Edward would certainly know by now that she was missing. In prison, she became used to long hours going by with nothing to do but wait.

James arrived some time later- she didn't know how long- and greeted her with a sinister smile. "Well hello there, Swan."

"I brought her to you," Victoria said anxiously, stepping between James and where Bella was lying. Bella noticed that Victoria's hands were shaking. "Give it to me."

"Shut up!" he screamed in her face. "I'll deal with you in a minute," he told her, pushing her to the side and hovering over Bella like a vulture.

"I was in the woods all night!" she shrieked. "I'm dying here!"

"Fine- get upstairs, now," he said. Looking at Bella, he added, "You keep your fucking mouth shut. I'll be right back."

Bella let out a quiet whimper when she heard the door at the top of the stairs slam shut.

Alone for the first time since Victoria took her, she struggled to free herself, her shoulders and wrists aching from the effort.

"Fuck," she whispered, still having no success. Hearing a noise upstairs, she stilled and focused hard on listening to what was going on upstairs. She could hear both James and Victoria, their voices gradually rising in volume until they were screaming at each other. She had trouble making out most of the words.

She flinched hard and began to shake uncontrollably when she heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Then it was so deathly quiet for a few moments that Bella could hear her own heart beating.

"Damn it!" She heard James' voice clearly now. "Why couldn't you just shut up?"

Hearing no response from Victoria, Bella had little trouble putting the pieces together. James had just shot Victoria, which meant that he was armed, and more than capable of killing. A heavy dragging sound above her head confirmed her fears.

Then the door at the top of the stairs creaked open.

"How long has it been?" Edward asked again.

"About six hours," Jasper answered patiently. "They'll find her, Edward."

"I should be out there looking."

"They've got helicopters, dogs… Let the police do their job. They will find her."

Edward did have to admit that the police and park rangers seemed well organized. The officer who showed up first was initially skeptical of Edward's claim that Bella had been abducted, but after learning about her history, he didn't hesitate to escalate their resources. Within an hour, the cabin was flooded with police and park rangers, all of whom were out searching except one, Officer Samantha Wells, who was assigned to stay at the house.

As promised, Jasper and Alice arrived just a few hours after their call, no doubt exceeding the speed limits on the way. Jasper was still wearing his uniform, having just gotten off work that morning. Alice was still in her pajamas, looking absolutely frantic. She had barely said a word since arriving, but Edward found her presence comforting. Jasper was calming as well, keeping his composure and offering a constant voice of reason. They were the only thing keeping Edward from running blindly into the woods in search of Bella. Not knowing the area, he was more likely to get lost, and then would be no help to nobody.

Emmett and Rosalie arrived not long after Alice and Jasper. Edward had never seen Emmett so despondent, and Rosalie wasn't looking much better- she and Bella had become very close over the last few months. Nobody had been able to reach Charlie yet- he was away on a fishing trip with Sue, and neither of them were answering their cells.

"You shouldn't go running off as upset as you are right now," Officer Wells told Edward. "She'll need you when they find her. And she'll need you in one piece."

Edward looked up sharply when he heard her radio crackle. The staticky voice said, "We've got a report of a gunshot in the wooded area behind Mill Road."

Emmett jumped to his feet and began pacing, while Edward tugged anxiously at his hair. Indistinct voices continued on the radio.

"Mill Road is only about two miles long, about 20 minutes from here. We should go," Alice said, speaking for the first time in hours. She turned her phone around showing a short blue line on a map that appeared to be mostly woods.

"They'll tell us if they find her, Ally," Jasper said gently. "It's safer if we stay put."

"What if it was her?" Edward asked. "What if she's hurt, Jasper?"

"Edward's right," Emmett agreed. "I'm tired of waiting around."

"Mr. Cullen, while I can't legally stop you from heading out there, I strongly advise that you stay here. We'll get radio updates as soon as they know something," Officer Wells said calmly.

"If she's hurt, I want to be there."

"We don't even know that it's her," Jasper argued.

"Well, I'm not waiting around to find out," Edward said, grabbing his keys and storming out the door.

"That's what I'm talking about!" he heard Emmett shout from behind him. A second later, he was coming out the door after him, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper all trailing him. "Let's take my Jeep in case we need to go off road."

Edward agreed and jumped into the passenger seat. The rest piled into the back, still closing the doors as Emmett peeled out.

It wasn't hard for the group to locate the police and park rangers convened at the site. The trees were glowing blue and red from the lights of at least fifteen police and park service vehicles. Emmett pulled off to the side of the road.

"What the hell are they doing standing around?" Emmett growled.

Rosalie, who was sitting behind him, put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There was a gunshot heard. They have to assume there is still someone armed out there. They can't just go blindly charging into the woods."

"Well, I can," Emmett responded, removing his seat belt and exiting the Jeep. Edward followed, then Jasper. The cops didn't seem to notice them as they scrambled out of the vehicle. As Rosalie and Alice tried to follow, Jasper stopped them.

"We might lose our cell signal in the woods. You guys should stay in case someone calls. It might not be her."

"Okay," Alice agreed easily. "Just be careful."

Edward became annoyed as the two couples took a few moments to say goodbye, and stormed into the tree line alone.

"Wait up!" he heard Jasper call from behind him. "You know this is really stupid, right?"

"I don't care. I just need to do something. I can't sit around and wait anymore."

Jasper held his hand over his sidearm as they trekked as quietly as they could through the woods. Edward and Emmett followed his lead, as he seemed to know a little about tracking. Edward had no idea what he was looking for, but every now and then Jasper would bend down and examine the ground, then shake his head and continue.

Finally, they found a spot where the trees were thinner, and Jasper motioned for them to stop. He scanned the ground and moved forward a few feet. "Here," he said quietly. "This looks like it might have been a path at some point. It's grown over, but it was there."

"So?" Emmett asked.

"So, that means we might be close to an old structure." They followed the overgrown path until they came across a dirt road. Like the path, it was overgrown, but it obviously led somewhere. Jasper pointed to something in the ground- it was a tire track in the mud, and it looked fresh. "We should call this in and wait for the cops."

"Fuck that," Emmett said. "My baby sister could be hurt. Call it in if you want, but I'm going that way."

"Just let me see if I have enough of a signal to get GPS coordinates. Just wait one damn minute," Jasper hissed at them.

Edward paced impatiently as Jasper fiddled with his phone and made a call. He could hear the other person on the line telling them to stay where they were, and he actually had half a mind to listen, knowing that they weren't far away.

Then they heard a scream. The three men went running at full speed toward the sound.

"What do you want from me?" Bella asked James as he approached her. He looked like a man possessed.

"I had to kill Victoria," he said. "All she cared about was the fucking drugs. Goddamn Junkie. And then there's you- ever since you came into my life, it's been nothing but hell."

"I'm sorry," she lied. "Please, if you just let me know, I will disappear. You will never hear from me again. I won't testify. They won't convict you if I don't."

"Yes they will," he said. "I'm not a fucking idiot. My life is over, and it's all your fault. Ever since you walked into that place, you've been like this obsession. I don't know what it is about you, but I can't get you out of my head. You're like a disease." He pulled her to her feet and she cried out in pain when she tried to put weight on her ankle. Standing behind her, he held most of her weight as he pulled her back into his chest, his lips coming to her neck. He pressed the cold steel of the gun firmly against her side.

Bella screamed as James bit down- hard- on her neck. What the hell? she asked herself. He's fucking crazy. She could feel a trickle of blood running down her neck, and was desperate to wipe it away.

She took a sharp breath when she saw the door at the top of the stairs creak silently open. James was so fixated on her, that he didn't notice the noise. She saw Jasper appear, and he put one finger on his tips to silence her, then began creeping silently down. She didn't know Jasper very well, and was always a little leery of him, mostly because of his affiliation with the police department, but right now, as far as she was concerned, he was her best friend.

"Drop your weapon and back away from her," Jasper commanded as he reached the last couple of steps. His own gun was drawn and pointed at them.

James froze immediately, but didn't let Bella go right away. Terrified, she felt the room spin and she started to feel dizzy.

James's body was stiff, but he muttered under his breath as if he was having an an argument with himself. She felt herself suddenly being pushed forward, on her face.

"I'm not going to jail," she heard James say with finality. "I'm dead anyway."

"Drop your weapon," Jasper commanded again. "You don't want to do this."

There was silence, then Bella cried out as she heard another shot. She felt James' heavy body collapse forward on top of her. She struggled to roll herself away from him, but he was too heavy. She felt as if she were suffocating. She could hear shouting now, multiple voices, none she recognized.

Then finally, she felt the weight lifted, and then she was gently rolled over on her back. Edward was on his knees next to her, his eyes panicked.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his hands frantically searching her for obvious injuries. "Are you okay?" he kept asking. Bella couldn't find the words to answer him. Her breath was coming out in panicked gasps and whimpers. "Are you hurt?"

"My ankle," she managed to say. She could feel his hands there, then, and winced.

"Sorry, baby. So sorry. Here, let me help you." His fingers began working on loosening the tape around her wrists. She looked around her and saw the dingy basement was now full of police officers. Jasper was at the center of the commotion.

"Suicide by cop," she heard Jasper explaining mournfully. She saw two paramedics entering from the side door, carrying a stretcher down the stone stairs. As the police parted to give them room, she saw James' lifeless body, face down on the dirt floor.

"Is it over?" she asked, as Edward pulled the last of the tape from her wrists.

"He's dead. It's over, Bella. It's finally over."

A/N- Just the epilogue left now- thanks everyone for reading and for sticking with me!