Edward drummed his hands on the steering wheel. He had left Kettle Falls just in time to catch rush hour traffic at 5:00, twenty miles out of Seattle. Great. So close to her, and yet so far.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Edward said under his breath bouncing up and down in his seat a little. Why wasn't the traffic moving faster? Can't we all move a little faster than five miles per hour?

Edward had never prayed before, not in a hundred years. His human life was a faint memory, one, that no matter how hard he tried, could never grab. But there he was, a vampire, one that as far as he knew was damned by God, and probably the last person that He would want to hear from, and he sat there praying.

Dear God, please keep her safe.

Please let me keep her.

You don't understand how much I need her.

Please let me find her, unharmed.

I honestly don't know what I would do

if I had to stand over her broken body, again.

I've contemplated suicide before, even though it is

impossible. But it would be a comfort.

Keep my beloved in your arms until she can be in mine.

You of all people know that I'm not in the right path.

I'm a damned being. I believe my soul is lost, and that

I will never be able to reach your gates. But I need to save Bella's.

I can't do it on my own. I need you guidance and grace.

I'm so lost without her, I can't find myself.

Just keep her safe. Please.

Amen

Edward took a few breaths to ease away the sobs that had formed in his throat. His beautiful face contorted, keeping the sadness at bay. Chin wobbling, he inched his car forward. Traffic is letting up a bit, he thought, distracting himself from his prayers; he would be in Forks in no time. His next prayer was to Bella.

'Bella, baby, just hold on, hold on as tight as you can. I'm coming to get you and everything is going to be fine. We're going to get married, live in a cottage if that's what you want. I'll take care of you when you're old…' the sobs returned, and he made no effort to stop them. 'I'll be with you forever. As long as you're here, I'll be with you, just hold on Bells. If anything, hold on for me. I'm coming to get you, I love you so much.'

Edward eventually came to the ferry port and growled out loud. It was 6:30 and the next ferry didn't leave for the other port until 7:00.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit." Edward said getting out of the car, saying both of his prayers while pacing back and forth. It had become ritual to say them every thirty minuets. He was going to rip Victoria apart. If anyone got in his way, they wouldn't stand a chance. If anyone was helping her, he'd rip them limb from limb.

The ferry arrived at last, Edward let out a big sigh. Finally. He boarded with a few admiring looks from the female passengers. Edward smiled back at them when he caught them looking. He didn't mean to dazzle them, not on purpose. In the corner of his eye he could have sworn that a teenage girl had taken his picture.

Edward stood to gather his things when he felt a tap on his shoulder. It felt like déjà vu. He turned to look into the green eyes of Shelbie, a big smile planted on her face. Her skin looked darker,that beautiful red-brown color, than when he had seen her. Probably a couple hours in the sun had done the job. Edward gained his composure and gave her a swift hug.

"Hey what are you doing here?" Edward asked nonchalantly, even thought his thoughts kept straying toward Bella, urging the ferry to move faster.

"Apparently there's a big pow-wow going on near La Push. My dad and I are going." She said pointing at and old man on one of the chairs. His face was lined with years of hardship and wisdom. He had a cane in his right hand; he looked old enough to be her grandpa. "I was thinking about going down to Forks for a quick visit while I was down here, it wouldn't be that hard to find you right?"

Edward smiled, but his attention was still on Shelbie's father. Her keen eyes followed his gaze. "Didn't I tell you that my dad was older? He just celebrated his 75th birthday about a week before you came to town."

He was born in 1931, Edward thought. It was odd seeing it that close; he had only been a vampire a short while when this man was born. Was this how he would have looked if he had survived the Spanish Influenza, survived old age? He changed his gaze to look at Shelbie, she still sat there smiling, ignoring the glares coming from almost every woman in the passenger area. There was something that Shelbie reminded Edward of, besides Bella. Was it her eyes? Those green eyes that seemed to gaze down into his soul, knowing all the secrets he'd ever kept? Yes. It was the deep green color; his mothers face drifted in front of Edward's eyes for a brief moment, the only thing that lasted when the image disappeared was the green of his mother's eyes, now in Shelbie's. That was it. It was his mother.

"Oh, that sounds great. I think you would have fun." Edward smiled. He had the sudden urge to tell her to be careful, to watch out for a woman with wild red hair, to save her and her father.

"I'm not planning on having the greatest time." She said her eyes down cast.

"Why is that?" Edward asked curious. He needed to distract himself from the pain overwhelming him, the pain of Bella, waiting for a rescue, a rescue that wouldn't happen if this damn boat didn't hurry up.

Shelbie looked at his for a while, indecision clouding the sparkle of her eyes. She was deciding whether or not to tell him. Shelbie heaved a big sigh, "My dad's got this idea, utterly rediculess that he wants to pick my future husband." She blushed at this. "His sister was promised to her husband when she was thirteen. They got married when she was sixteen, he was eighteen. Anyway, we're going down to the La Push rez for a while, looking for marriage prospects. 'I want to find you a nice Indian husband to keep the bloodlines pure'" she said, mimicking her father's voice and making a face. "After this, I'm going to live on the Isabella reservation down in Michigan for the rest of the summer, looking for a boyfriend." She eyed Edward for a moment; she didn't understand why he had flinched when she said Isabella. "Doing what will make my father and the tribe happy, the story of my life." Shelbie sighed, slapping her hand to her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I don't see how that is fair." Edward said actually paying attention. It would be horrible not being able to decide your love.

"Yeah. Holy crap, we're almost there. I've got to go help my dad out of his chair; I'll talk to you later. Give me a call when you think you have time to hang out." She gave him a quick hug and ran over to her father's side.

Edward jumped into his car and was off to Forks as soon as he was clear of the ferry docks. He had no idea where he would start looking, or what he would find. But he pushed that into the back of his mind, 'focus on the goal at hand, Bella, Bella.' He repeated over and over in his head driving on, saying his prayers. He through another one in though.

'Please keep Shelbie and her father safe in La Push.'

And that was how Edward went to Forks, praying and driving to lord knows what, without a glance behind him. All he saw was Bella's face. That was enough motivation.