Chapter 4

Renesmee sits on the bed in her mother's old bedroom at her grandpa Charlie's house in Forks. The car ride from Vancouver was long and not very comfortable. She laughs to herself remembering how she'd knocked Embry over in an attempt to get out of the car as fast as possible.

She laughs to herself. She scrolls through her phone, without many friends the extent of her time on her phone consists mainly of reading both fiction and non-fiction, and learning about the human world. She scrolls past yet another story of a celebrity breakup. Ness rolls her eyes. Humans were utterly idiotic for being so obsessed with celebrity relationships. She turns her phone off and puts it on the bed next to her.

Renesmee's face lights up at the sound of tires on the semi-paved road coming toward charlie's house. She jumps up and goes to the window catching the tail end of the car stopping in the driveway. The only person it could be would be Seth.

Renesmee turns and heads out of the room, down the stairs, and meets Seth at the door. "Seth!" She laughs throwing her arms around his neck.

He stumbles in surprise catching her, "Hey Ness." He sets her on her feet and pulls his backpack on his shoulder higher, "Where is everyone?"

"Oh everyone went for a run about thirty minutes ago. Grandpa and Grandma are in the kitchen getting dinner ready." Ness turns and heads into the house with Seth following behind.

Just as Seth steps over the threshold there is a howl so loud and urgent that Seth falls to his hands and knees. His eyes screw shut and he groans at the force of the howl.

Nessie is immediately on her knees at his side, "Seth! What's wrong?"

He shakes his head trying to clear his head, "Jake… he's calling all of us. I don't understand." Seth takes a deep breath.

"Go. Hurry. See why he's calling. They just left they wanted to race to the Rez." Ness tells him hoping it will help him get to Jake and the others faster.

Seth nods and stands up leaving his things there by the door. He runs outside, straight to the tree line, and disappears from Nessie's sight.

Jake felt like his world was imploding.

Embry and Leah had been gone for over two weeks and they were no closer to getting them back. He and Paul adamantly refused to return to Vancouver and Nessie remained in Forks as well. They all felt she would be safer with the pack for the moment.

Jake sits on the back porch of his dad's house thinking about the day Leah and Embry were taken.

(Two and a half weeks ago)

Jake and Paul dig their paws into the ground and push their wolves as fast as they could go to get to Leah and Embry. They felt the connection to Embry break first, he'd lost consciousness when he slammed into the tree. Paul feels a sharp pain go through his heart and he pushes himself to run faster.

Leah! Say with us, Talk to me. Jake had tried to think to her. Tried anything to keep her in their heads.

Lee, talk to us! Paul had said in a panic.

They were so close when they lost Leah's thoughts. They saw the red eyes and pale face of one of the vampires that captured them.

Demitri.

Jake had thought to Paul and like someone had flicked a switch they lost Leah. A few moments later they arrived at the fallen tree, Leah and Embry's scents were everywhere. They sniff around trying to figure out which direction they went but the scent stops in that area.

Paul and Jake walk around the area and Paul freezes near one of the trees, glancing at Jake over his shoulder.

Embry's hurt bad, Jake, Paul had said quietly, his wolf whimpered at that moment, seeing the pool of blood near where Embry had landed. The leech stench is gone only on the ground in a few spots. Jake throws his head back and howls, a sound so gut-wrenching that Paul's wolf immediately submits, his chest touches the ground, his ears flat against his head, and he whimpers at the power his alpha is radiating.

Jake paces back and forth waiting for Sam to phase in. It takes Paul a few moments to get to his feet. He sniffs around the fallen tree and catches Leah's scent. They must have used the tree tops, they know we can't climb.

Jake turns his head in the direction of La Push. Sam has phased in and he says Quil and Jared are with him. Jake quickly relays everything that just happened to Sam who relays it to the others. Jake and Paul feel Seth phase in a few moments later.

What's going… Seth starts to say but then sees what happened and instantly the happiest pack member is out for blood. We have to find them!

Everyone is now gathering by the fallen tree and Jake snaps and growls to tell everyone to shut up. He couldn't think and they needed to hurry. Enough! We need to figure out which way they went. Seth, you need to phase and get Nessie to call Alice, and ask her if she's seen anything. And the rest of us need to split up and try to see if there is a tail we can follow. The Volturi have Embry and Leah and Em were seriously injured. We need to find them fast. If they got in a car or in the air we'll never catch them.

They all picked their direction and fanned out. Seth was gone for about 20 minutes before he phased back in and let them know that Nessie had called Alice but that she hadn't seen anything until it was too late. She hadn't been watching all the members of the guard, there were too many and only saw just before they were taken. She can't see anything passed because the wolves have always been her blind spot. Even with her abilities developing after Jake imprinted on Nessie, she still had so many blind spots.

The pack ran for hours before having to stop searching for the night. They knew they'd lost Embry and Leah's trail and there wouldn't be anything they could do to get to them fast.

(1 Week ago)

Jake slams his fist into the tree in front of him, instantly breaking his skin and cracking the large trunk in half. The anger he felt at not being fast enough to stop the leeches from taking his pack still burned brightly. He and Paul had run as fast as they could to try and get to Leah and Embry in time, to kill the bloodsuckers and save them, but the vampires had been faster than the pack that day. They'd knocked them out and cut off anyway for Jake and Paul to see where they were taking them.

The guilt had been eating away at Jacob since that day. It was his fault they were taken, his fault that they'd been caught by surprise. How could he as an alpha not know that there were vampires in the area? How could he allow his pack to be hurt and taken? Why didn't he hear them? Smell them? Why didn't he run a patrol first before running off back to the Rez?

"Jacob?" Nessie's quiet voice says breaking the silence.

Jake closes his eyes, the imprint not allowing him to just turn and demand Ness leave him alone. He takes a deep breath keeping his eyes closed he answers her, "What's up, Ness?"

"My parents are about five minutes away. They said they might have a plan." Ness knows not to ask Jake if he's okay. He hasn't been okay since that day. She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. The contact gives her the ability to show him rather than tell him what Alice said. She shows him how Alice had been watching Aro and how he'd been playing with the holes in her visions again, but that something slipped.

An image of Leah and Embry.

They were still alive.

Jake's eyes snap open and he's looking at Ness with the first ounce of hope he's been willing to have in almost 2 weeks, hope she thought he was losing completely, a little every day that Embry and Leah were gone. "They're alive?"

"Yeah, Jake, they are. She can't see much else, only that Aro keeps them locked up." She pulls her hand back from his shoulder and reaches out to take Jake by his uninjured hand, "Come on, I think they have more news that they won't tell me because I'm 'just a kid.'"

Jake nods and follows Nessie through to the edge of the treeline where she releases his hand. They walk through the backyard, up the steps, and head into Charlie's house through the back door. Jake smells Bella and Edward before he hears or sees them. He and Ness walk into the living room and Bella stands to hug her daughter.

"Hey mom," Ness says, returning her hug.

"I've missed you," Bella says as she pulls back. Her attention goes to Jake, "Hey Jake, where's Paul?"

Jake nods in greetings to them both. "He decided it would be best for him to run patrol while we talk. He's out with Quil and Seth." Dark thoughts take over with every breath he takes, the smell of vampires increasing his guilt, his pain, his anger.

Edward frowns at Jake's thoughts. "It wasn't your fault, Jacob. They could have taken any of you."

"But they took Leah and Embry and it -is- my fault. I didn't see them, didn't smell them. I'm the alpha, it's my job to protect them, to keep them safe, it should have been me that they took." Jake says out loud for the first time since they went missing.

Nessie gasps her small hand going to her mouth. "Don't say that, Jake," she whispers from behind her hand.

"Jake, you couldn't have known what they were planning. I don't think they were even looking for you or the pack in the first place," Bella says in a rush.

Nessie chimes in again, worried about Jake's well-being, "Jake you can't think like that. If they'd taken you I…" She stops herself, even knowing that she and Jake aren't a couple she can't imagine a life without him in it. She swallows the lump forming in her throat and turns to her mother, "Mom, what do you mean by that?"

Edward and Bella glance at each other and then at Jake and he knows instantly who they had really been after. It's not hard to guess. The Volturi wouldn't have even been in the area if it wasn't for them. Neither Bella nor Edward wants to say the truth out loud.

"Ness," Jake says after a few more moments of silence, not afraid to voice what they couldn't. "They were after Nessie, weren't they?" He balls his hands into tight fists. He could have lost all three of them that day. Who knows what they would have done to Leah or Embry if they'd managed to find Nessie out there with them?

"Jacob," Edward says. It's a warning because he's so close to Nessie.

He grits his teeth, "I'm fine. What else do you know." Jake demands as Ness moves to sit on the sofa across from where Jake is. She is still trying to process the fact the Volturi are still trying to come after her. She thought they were done with Aro when she showed him she wasn't an immortal child.

"We don't know why but yes. Alice has been able to see more since that day. They keep asking where Nessie is but Leah and Embry won't tell them." Edward explains. "I could see them in her vision. They couldn't find Renesmee so they took Leah and Embry as a tool, a bargaining chip, to try and lure us out to trade them for our daughter."

Are they trying to torture it out of them? Jake asks in his head. He didn't want or need Nessie to feel more guilty.

Edward nods his head and Jake's heart sinks. Bella sees their silent conversation, "We have to find a way to get them back without handing our daughter over to them."

"Is that even possible?" Charlie asks, coming down the stairs. "Sorry kiddo, you can't keep me from this one. I've been trying to find them the human way. I've put APBs out on them both and there wasn't even a tiny hint of them anywhere. Sue and Jake asked me to help."

"Dad this is dangerous, remember 'need to know'?" Bella reminds him.

"Sure, sure. Danger. I think we are beyond that right now though, Kiddo. You've tried to hide me from the truth long enough."

"Bells, we needed him. I'm sorry." Jake apologizes, then continues, "People were starting to ask questions. Embry and Leah are supposed to be back at work 2 days ago. It was starting to look suspicious. We couldn't just tell them they'd been kidnapped."

"Look it's fine, but I just don't want him or Sue in danger," Bella replies.

"Can we say they went missing on a hike? That can buy us some time right?" Sue asks as she comes down the stairs behind Charlie. Her eyes were still red-rimmed and shining with unshed tears.

"We could but that would only buy us maybe a day or two, then it would become an issue when we don't have anyone out there searching for them. Maybe missing on a boat since that is harder to search for, but like I said people will wonder why there isn't a bigger search party," Charlie explains.

Nessie steps in this time, "What if we tell people they ran off together? Eloped or something? Wouldn't that buy even more time? It's not like people haven't seen them hanging out together. So people wouldn't really ask questions. Would they?"

Charlie shrugs, "I don't think it will buy us as much time as we need. If they ran off or eloped, why would they leave their whole life behind? Their phones, cars, clothes, and money? Their bank accounts haven't been touched since the day you all drove out to Forks. People would start to question things even more because they don't and won't understand why they disappeared without any word to anyone."

Jake growls low in his chest frustrated at the idea that his beta and his brother would run off like that. He knew how close Leah was to Paul and Embry, but he didn't even want to entertain the idea that everyone would even think Leah and Embry possibly eloped.

The room is thick with tension, no one wants to break the silence because it might just break more than that. Charlie and Sue stand at the bottom of the stairs, their hearts hurting more for Jake than Edward and Bella because their daughter is sitting there in the room with them. Completely safe. Sue's heart aches even more because her daughter has been kidnapped, is hurt or is being hurt, and is half a world away.

"Bella, Jacob. This isn't easy on any of us. We did what we thought was best and now we know for sure that they are alive, and at the moment, safe. We need to come up with a different plan to explain their absence." Sue explains, "We have to be smart about this. I want them home safe but we have to work together."

Everyone nods at her words. They all wanted the same thing: to bring Leah and Embry home... alive.

(Present day)

"This is taking too fucking long." Jake growls in frustration, "I've already had to field questions from Leah and Embry's bosses. Everyone is asking questions and I can only come up with so many excuses before I start looking like a damn suspect. We need to go get them back. Now!"

"Jake, you know we can't just go over there and storm the castle and demand they turn them over. It's more complicated than that." Bella tries to reason with him, but her words do little to calm him.

"The hell we can't! It's been almost three weeks, Bella!" Jake says pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. "I know you don't have to worry about the human world anymore but we still do."

He had come back to Vancouver for the weekend to discuss their options because having Bella and Edward back in Forks ended up creating a new pack member. Thankfully it had been just one but they didn't want to risk more kids turning into wolves. Nessie remained in Forks with Paul, Seth, Sam, and his pack. It was where she was the safest and for the moment at least a little happy.

"Jacob, you have to understand the Volturi are well guarded; they have many members with many gifts. I'm not certain how many have gifts anymore. And you need to be careful with the ones that I do know of. Their gifts are very strong." Carlisle says adding to the rational side of the conversation.

"You all don't seem to understand how on edge this is making me. I literally feel like I could tear every member of the Volturi apart, by myself. Without even phasing." Jake states firmly, his voice taking on a deadly tone.

Bella stares at Jake, she's never seen him so on edge or so close to phasing without actually doing it. Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme all stand still as statues in a small way afraid that if they move Jake will phase. Carlisle sighs at their behavior and Edward feels like his head is going to explode.

"He's not that damn close." Edward rolls his eyes at his family members, "What Jacob means, and I have to agree, is that he's willing to tear them apart for his loved ones. Which is what any of us in this room would do for our family."

Jake nods at Edward, I can't wait anymore. It's killing me not being able to get to them. He can't say the words out loud, his control wearing thin. They are my family, don't you understand that?

"I do understand Jacob, but Carlisle is right. Aro had several new members seven years ago. With everything happening at the time I couldn't look too closely at them. I don't know if any of them have gifts, but I've come up with an idea. I will send word to Aro asking for an audience with him. Bella and I will go see them, without Renesmee, and try to negotiate their release." Edward explains to everyone.

"What is that going to do?" Jake retorts, "If you're going over there, Paul and I are coming with you."

Edward starts to reply and Bella shakes her head jumping in first, "No, you are not. Who's going to protect Renesmee? You have to stay here Jake. We will go alone."

"I'm not a child, Bella. Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Jake questions.

Rosalie steps forward surprising everyone with her reply, "Bella, I think you're overreacting. Renesmee is in good hands with your dad. As much as I detest the mutts, the wolves will protect her too, she's not vulnerable there. She's more protected there than she is here. The wolves have proven themselves so many times over that I'm surprised you don't have more faith in them."

Everyone turns to look at Rosalie as she talks. Jacob is confused by it. She has never been one to defend Jake or the pack. She usually keeps to herself when it comes to them. Jake settles himself in a chair leaning forward, elbows on his knees, and head in his hands. The world was turning completely on its axis if Rosalie was helping him.

Logically, Jake knew Nessie would be okay staying in Forks, Sam and Seth would make sure she was safe, but it did make him feel extremely guilty that he would rather run headfirst into the vampire's den than stay behind in Forks to protect his imprint. He groans as the thought crosses his mind and snaps his attention up to Edward, guilty marring his features as he makes eye contact with him.

Edward shakes his head, "I understand what you mean. More than you know. We will prepare for the four of us to travel soon, I'll go up and write the letter to Aro now and send it out first thing tomorrow." Edward turns and leaves the room, heading for the office upstairs.

"Rose, do you really believe she's going to be okay with us gone? Without Jake here to protect her?" Bella questions when Edward is gone.

"Look, Bella, I may not always agree with you and Edward and how you've raised Renesmee, and I know that I don't always get along with the pack, but I know that next to everyone in this room, the pack in Forks and your dad are the best people to protect her while you're gone. Emmett and I can go down to Seattle, and that way we are close if they need help but we don't risk turning any more kids. If you really need that much reassurance Alice and Jasper can come too." Rosalie glances at Jake with a smirk on her lips, "We definitely don't need any more dogs around here. And anyway their stench will overpower any scent from Renesmee so they can't track her there."

"Rose," Esme warns.

"Rosalie, this isn't a joke…" Bella starts to say.

Rosalie cuts her off taking a step toward her with her hands balled into fists at her side, "No, you're right, Bella. This isn't a joke. Just like it wasn't a joke every single time we had to do a protection detail for you or Charlie or had to protect you against a vindictive red-headed bitch and her newborn freaking army or the time we had to ask our friends, our family, to protect you and Nessie from Aro when Irina went to him thinking Nessie was an immortal child." Everyone is staring between Rose and Bella, "So yes, I do understand that all of this is not a joke, but you and Edward need to come up for some metaphorical air once in a damn while and realize that the world doesn't actually revolve around you, Bella. As crazy as it sounds I do actually care if we bring Embry and Leah home -alive-. They didn't deserve to be dragged into -your- mess."

Rosalie turns and walks out of the room not giving Bella a chance to say anything back. Emmett stands and follows his wife out of the room. Jake raises a brow at Alice and Jasper, and Esme follows Emmett and Rosalie.

"I'm so sorry Bella, she shouldn't have spoken to you that way," Esme apologizes to Bella on the way out of the room. Bella huffs and lets herself fall back in the chair behind her.

"Am I really that selfish?" Bella asks quietly.

Jasper steps forward this time before Alice can coddle her as she tends to do, "I do not think it is intentional, Bella. You just care for your husband and your daughter above all others." He feels the hurt radiate off of Bella and adds, "It's not that you do not care for anyone else, Bella, you just seem to have a blind spot when it comes to anyone other than them. You know that Leah and Embry are extremely important to Jacob. They are just as important to him as Nessie is, but you have to realize that while Nessie has all of us and is currently safe with your father and the rest of the pack, Leah and Embry are in more danger now than they have ever faced."

Jake rubs his face, telling Bella the truth after so many years was not an easy thing to do. Every time they had faced a problem it had been because she'd put herself in that situation. Just like the time she went cliff diving alone, almost died which caused a chain reaction where Edward almost died. Embry and Leah had been innocent in all of this. A wave of guilt washes over Jake as they continue talking without him listening. He feels a hand on his shoulder and instantly feels some pain and guilt ease off his shoulders.

"Thanks, Jasper," Jake says as he looks up at Jasper gratefully, "But you shouldn't have done that. I don't want you to take it away."

"Jacob, you need to understand that none of this was your fault. It wouldn't have been any better had you or Paul been taken and in that same way of thinking they could have taken all four of you and we wouldn't have known as quickly. The Volturi are vicious, they most likely would have killed two of you on the spot because they do not have a need for all of you. Two is enough to get what they want." Jasper pauses, not taking his hand off Jake's shoulder when he frowns, "They only need two because there is one to motivate the other to do whatever is asked. Any more than that is just unnecessary. A liability."

Jake just hangs his head in defeat because he knows that Jasper is right, they could have just killed Leah and Embry but they didn't. They took them and he and Paul could have been killed too. It doesn't do anything to quell the guilt

"I'm trying to see them, Jacob," Alice speaks up cutting the silence, "but it's always been so hard to see anything with the pack. When I do it's like little snapshots. Not any real context. And it's things that could happen. I know some of it actually is happening but…" Alice trails off, she's been running herself ragged trying to see what Aro is doing.

"It's alright Alice, you're trying," Carlisle says, trying to comfort Alice.

"Jake, I'm sorry, I just don't want to lose my daughter," Bella says to Jake. Jasper pulls his hand back feeling the hostility in the room growing.

Jake scoffs, "And you think I do? I don't want anything bad to happen to Nessie, and I would give my fucking life up for hers, you know that! I wouldn't let them harm one hair on her damn head, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about my -pack- Bella. They are -my- pack! My responsibility! My family!" Jake says getting to his feet. Bella is instantly on hers in defense, not out of fear but out of instinct.

"I know they are your family Jacob, they have become ours too. I don't want them hurt either…" Bella starts but Jake cuts her off.

"And yet, I don't see you doing anything about the fact that they -are- getting hurt Bella! They are being tortured because Aro wants Nessie for whatever sick reason he thinks he is entitled to because of who he is. Do you not fucking see how hard a decision this is for me! Between my pack and my imprint! Because no matter what I am to Nessie, she will still win out my attention because she is my imprint! My pack and the tribe, have always come second to her, even now when I know she only sees me as her brother, her best friend! So no, you don't understand anything going on in my head… At all." He growls out the last two words.

Jake turns and storms out of the front door and heads straight for the woods behind their house. He suppresses his first instinct to phase not wanting to lose himself in his wolf tonight. He keeps walking as fast as he can through the trees to find a place that is out of their hearing ability and finds a large clearing. He sits at the base of a large tree and pulls his knees to his chest. Without the resources, the Cullens could provide there is no way for him to get to Italy on his own.

There in the woods for the first time since Embry and Leah were kidnapped, in the silence and privacy, he finally lets himself cry and feel everything he has been trying to suppress. He didn't need to see their pity, or the pack's worry, didn't need Ness to comfort him and tell him things would be okay because they wouldn't be until he brought his brother and the woman he was falling in love with home.

(Back in Forks…)

Renesmee sat curled up in the bed that was once her mother's, a similar feeling to when they first arrived in Forks. For the last two weeks, she felt completely useless. Leah and Embry had been attacked and taken to Italy all because she wanted to get away from her parents. She'd been blaming herself since that fateful day.

She reaches up and wipes the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand for was seems like the millionth time. She pulls her knees to her chest tighter and wraps her arms around her legs.

She hears footsteps coming up the stairs. Her grandpa Charlie and grandma Sue tried every day to get her out of her room. They'd only been successful a handful of times when it meant that she could go to Emily's or Billy's houses.

There is a light knock on the door, "Ness?"

Renesmee's head turns to the voice, "Come in," she calls softly, but she doesn't move from her place on the bed.

The doorknob turns and the door hesitantly opens. Seth smiles when he sees her. "Hey Ness, mind if I come in?"

Renesmee lifts her head and nods, "Of course."

Seth walks into the room and sits on the edge of Renesmee's bed. "You can't stay in this room forever Ness."

Renesmee sighs, "Yes, I can. You don't understand."

"No you can't." Seth says firmly, "None of this is your fault. You have to know that." Seth has been just as heartbroken as Renesmee. Leah is his sister, Embry his pack brother, and none of the last two weeks had been easy.

"Yes. I. Can." Renesmee clapped back. "You don't get it. None of you do. It's my fault they were kidnapped. It's my fault for wanting a life outside of my parents. It if wasn't for me begging Leah we wouldn't have come down to Forks!" By the end her voice is raised, and her heart beating faster. She stretches her legs out in front of her, her hands slipping to her sides, and her hands balled into fists.

Seth reaches out placing his hand over her closed fist. "I do get it. It's not wrong for you to want a life. You couldn't have known the Volturi were looking for you or that they would be waiting." Seth squeezed her hand willing her to relax. She slowly uncurls her fingers.

Tears well up in her eyes again and she hates herself for wanting to cry in front of Seth again. Her voice cracks when she speaks, "But they want me."

Seth moves closer to Renesmee, lifting her hand in his he gently pulls her towards him. She goes willingly, sliding her legs over the side of the bed and leaning against his side. Seth wraps his arm around her shoulders, "The Volturi want power," He says softly. He knows Renesmee trying to hide her tears. He holds her tighter, "They want vampires with gifts, but they can't get to you here. I promise we won't let them. I won't let them."

Renesmee continues crying softly against Seth's chest. She wishes she could go back to before she ever begged Leah to help her. Before she threw that fit about wanting to be out on her own. Before she had to worry about the Volturi or boys or hiding who and what she is. Nothing anyone said could seem to comfort her and she didn't feel like it was right for them to comfort her in the first place.

And so Seth sat with Renesmee holding her listing to her soft sobs and letting his own silent tears fall hoping against all odds that his sister and pack brother were still alive.