A/N: Hey guys! Back at the writing game again! Look for more chapters this week! HAPPY READING!

CHAPTER TWENTY - SIX

(JPOV)

We ran for miles and miles... the trail making us run circles and becoming a maddening game of cat and mouse. When midnight drew near, I began to grow desperate... every scent of Charlie making me run faster.

My lungs burned with exhaustion as we crossed over state lines, my head whipping back to Paul as his thoughts were made known.

"This is fucking crazy, Jacob! If we cross state lines... it leaves the Res... and Forks... without needed protection. What if he's toying with us like this on purpose! We'd be playing right into his hand!"

I huffed loudly at his words, seeing the wide glances from the rest of the pack as they circled in around us.

"I can still smell his blood..." Seth whined beside me. "He's gotta be close... and hopefully still breathing."

"Or one of them." Leah barked. "Then what?... maybe we should call off the search for tonite... come back out again in the morning."

" No way! We don't know where he is or that he's still alive... we don't know anything! It would be neglectful to stop looking now." Jared added with a nod.

"We keep going... until we find him." I yelled.

"Jacob...-" Paul hesitated.

"I said we find him!" I roared, taking off ahead of them and still following the trail.

I couldn't leave Charlie out here like this... Abandon him...

As the nite wore on, my mind was filled with the memories of my childhood... Memories of Charlie taking care of us after my mom died. My father wouldn't have pulled through without him then. So many times he had stepped up for our family... paid bills when we couldn't... put needed food in our fridge when dad struggled to... taken us kids out for ice cream just to give my father a break from it all. Charlie had always been there for me... I had to find him.

We had covered every trail... crossed over every stone and then some and yet... there was no sign of him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

When dawn broke on a new day, we headed back for home, feeling defeated and lost.

"We can come back out tonite." Leah sighed, as we trudged up over the steps to Emily's.

"What do we tell Bella?" Paul asked, stopping me short by the door.

"I don't know." I sighed to him in reply, seeing the concerned look on Emily's face as she welcomed us in.

"You can't keep this from her, Jacob or give her false hope. She has to know." Sam added, sinking down into the warn kitchen chair.

"She'll be crushed..." Emily whispered.

"... Keeping it from her is wrong."

"What would Edward want with Charlie anyway!" Paul huffed. "A trade for Bella..."

"Exactly." Sam asserted from across the table to us.

"He's not gonna get her... he'll have to kill me first." I fumed, feeling the heat weave its way around my every limb at the thought of him getting to her.

"I gave them a ride back to your house a few hours ago. She looked awful when I dropped them off. Billy called here just a moment ago- Said Bella hasn't slept all night and he was getting worried about you, Jacob."

I nodded, feeling my chest ache at the thought of going home to tell Bella that we hadn't found her dad... and that there was no sign of him.

"I have to go... talk to her." I sighed, heading out without looking back, my thoughts full of Bella's heartache.

How could I tell her this?

My run home was short, as I tried to make good time. When I graced the border of my back yard, my pace slowed while I tried to put off the inevitable.

This would break her heart...

"Jacob..."

I heard her small voice cut through the silence as I phased back to human form and pulled on my cut offs, slowly emerging from the tree cover and struggling to meet her gaze.

"Bells..."

"You ... can't find him..." She stammered, her words running together with emotion strong in her tone.

"We looked-... all night..."

"There's no trail of him?"

"No honey-"

Her body shook as I took her in my arms. "He's... gone- they've... taken him."

"I promise, I'll find him Bells. We're not gonna stop looking until he's back home... safe."

"He wants me... Edward... he wants me back. I have to go to him-" She replied, pushing away from me and heading for her truck.

I caught her by the wrist before she could get far.

"No!"

"Let me go, Jacob!" She yelled. "This was all a mistake!"

Her words made me release her instantly, meeting her gaze as her tears began to fall.

"A mistake-" I countered.

"Yes... a horrible mistake. I should have listened to him... gone back to him from the start. If I had... he wouldn't have taken Charlie!"

"Bells- you can't mean-"

"I do!" She yelled, fumbling for her keys.

Her anger hit me heavy... like a brick to the chest... leaving me stunned as she threw open her truck door, hurriedly climbing in.

I ran to her, catching the door in my hand and taking the keys from her before she could run.

"Let me go!" She yelled to me in protest, trying to get the keys away from me.

"You're not going back to him!"

"He has my father!"

"We will find him, Bella. I promise."

"You can't make that kind of promise to me." She cried, pulling away from me further.

"Yes I can."

She shook her head, looking at me like a stranger now. Her body tense and her words whispered.

"I should have waited for him to return. Coming here... to you... was wrong of me. I'm sorry. Just let me go, Jacob."

"Bella... please."

"No, Jacob. could have spared Charlie. If I had just listened to Edward-"

I took her face in my hands, seeing her heated words fade the moment I touched her.

"You don't mean that. I know you don't- You're scared... for Charlie."

"You shouldn't have fixed me, Jacob."

"I love you, Bella. I'll always fix you-"

"Well you shouldn't have-"

She shook her head and pulled away from me then, her tears still falling as Billy wheeled himself out on the porch.

"Bella dear, come on back inside. I know you're afraid for Charlie. I understand but you need to keep your faith. Come inside-"

"I'm sorry Billy but I can't sit here any longer. I need to go to him... to Edward... Before he-"

"Is that what you really want-" Billy asked, wheeling himself closer. "To go back to him?"

"It's what has to be done to save Charlie. I'm not staying here... just let me go."

I felt my insides go numb as she reached out for the keys still tightly clutched in my hand.

"You want to leave?" Billy asked, his tone grave when he spoke.

"Yes... Please."

"Bells...-" I pleaded.

I could hardly think as she spoke this aloud.

"Jacob... give her the keys, son. We can't keep her here against her will. It wouldn't be right- you know that."

I didn't budge as she pulled the keys from my hand, her eyes meeting mine only once before she turned and hastily climbed into her truck.

I made a move to go after her again, but stopped short upon hearing my fathers voice.

"Son... wait. Don't-... Just let her go."

I watched her as she roared the engine to life and took off.