Edward's point of view:
"Is there a reason you have two vampires sitting on your front porch, Billy?" The one I could only guess to be Sam Uley spoke almost as he wrinkled his nose at Emmett and myself. Wow. They seem pretty calm. Maybe we won't have to have a war after all.
"Yes. Actually, I came here by mistake and may have lost my temper with Jacob. I admit to having been irrational, and I came to apologize. Emmett came because he cannot turn down a fight. But I hope we can work this out so that we do not need to engage in war."
"I hope so too. Jacob, do you accept this young man's apology?" Sam was standing awkwardly, as though he was about to pounce in an instant. This made me keep my guard up as Emmett eyed him carefully.
"No." Why should I accept your apology? You took everything I love away from me and now you're trying to be friends? No. This is not how we deal with our problems. We get rid of them. At this, Jacob crouched and I could see the change upon him.
"Jacob, calm down and be careful. We do not want to start more trouble than necessary." Sam reached over and touched Jacob's shoulders with both hands, pulling him to a standing position while pushing him back a few steps. This led me to believe that Sam and the others had no idea that I was reading all of their thoughts. That they had no idea that I could. Jacob wasn't being honest with his pack, in more ways than one.
"Please, Jacob, I wouldn't want to be your friend. I just want to make Bella happy. I seem to be doing a fairly nice job at it because each time I leave her side, she beckons me back. So do not judge me as though I took her away. I actually pushed her away in the beginning for her own safety. Then, when we both let our guards down, we fell in love." I paused, watching him cringe up as I said Bella's name. "You cannot lose what you never had."
As soon as I said that, he charged at me. I jumped up to meet him in the air. "I did have her! You took her away from me when you decided to kill yourself! Why should she have stopped you?! You have no feelings! No heart! Nothing! You are a worthless leech and I am more than happy to do away with you!"
This enraged me. Not that he insulted me but that he actually believed that I couldn't love Bella. I used all the force I could and pounded him into the ground. He hadn't changed yet and I thought this odd, but took advantage of it.
I'm not going to change. I want to stay human so that I can watch you die! So I can enjoy the pleasure of killing you myself.
"I love Isabella Swan and there is nothing you can do about it because she loves me!" I roared at him, punching him over and over again as he tried choking me. "I don't need to breathe, asshole! You have no chance of winning!" Emmett then jumped on me and pulled me off of Jacob just to jump onto him himself.
You talk. I fight. NOW! Emmett screamed at me. We could take just Jacob. Probably three more, but they have six. We are alone. No matter how self confident I am, I must be realistic and say that I do not believe that the two of us can take on five werewolves. I don't know how many more of them are hiding in the bushes. But they're all around, I can smell them.
Throughout that little blow up, the other boys just watched. So much for pack. They were watching him get himself killed. I paced around in circles controlling my temper.
"Why did you just let that happen?" I turned to Sam picking his brain in case he was going to lie to me.
"Billy just told up how he broke the Treaty. We decided that his getting a beat down was a good punishment. Besides, he's too arrogant to make the change. He wants to watch you die. He wants to feel the pleasure of knowing he killed you. He wouldn't be able to do that if he changed. Then, he would just rip you to shreds not knowing what he was doing, besides killing a vampire."
"I know. He told me. But he's going to get himself killed if you guys don't help him out a bit. Emmett's on a killing rage right now. He's very upset about Bella's diagnoses and he wants something to take his anger out; Jacob is the perfect specimen."
"When did Jacob tell you he wants to watch himself kill you? I didn't hear him say anything aloud."
"He didn't. I heard him think it. His thoughts were directed at me anyway."
Those tales are true? You really do have extra powers?
"Yes. They are true. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to help my brother with this kill."
Oh no, we're not going to let you kill him. Just beat him up a bit. Maybe he'll stop thinking so highly of himself.
I ignored him and pounced on Jacob who was really taking a beating from Emmett. He hadn't let up on Jacob at all since he took over. I pulled Emmett off him and grabbed Jacob by the throat, holding him in the air.
"If you so much as come near Bella one more time, I swear, I will kill you. I do not want to start anything I cannot finish, but I swear to god, I will not hold back. I know she wants us to at least stand each other, but you've done too much damage. I will not tolerate anymore. Understand?"
"Go... to... HELL!" He spoke between clenched teeth which was probably making his breathing much harder than he showed. I threw him like a football into the forest beside his house, listening as he took out seven or eight trees along the way.
Two of the boys, Quil and Embry as Sam referred to them, went running to Jacob as soon as we heard his final crash landing.
"Excuse me, I must go see how Bella is doing. Beating the crap out of Jacob was interesting; I hope to do it again soon." I started to walk away but I was detained by a loud ripping sound and a foul smell. I turned in time to see that one of the other boys, Paul, according to the thoughts surrounding me, had just changed into his wolf form.
Emmett's face went from content to eager in less than a second. He was more than excited for this part. I caught a piece of a shoe that flew my way and threw it at Paul, which couldn't have been a good idea because he then charged at me.
I knew he could rip me to shreds in a heartbeat, not just any heartbeat, either. That of Bella when I kissed her. I knew he could and the only thing holding him back was the enclosing space between us as I ran to a field near the reservation for more space. Emmett was right on Paul's tail, ready for my say-so, but before I gave him the okay, he jumped on Paul's back and ripped at the side of his throat.
I jumped, too, as soon as Paul tore his gaze from me. I lunged at his underbelly, open and exposed. Emmett and I tore and ripped and dodged as Paul tried to fight back. But Paul had so many things against him. First, he was alone and second, Emmett and I weren't just killing to kill, we had bottled up rage inside us that we used with every part of us.
As if we had called him, Jasper showed up on the opposite side of the clearing. He saw us in the entanglement and raced to our defense at once. Within a few more seconds, Paul was down.
None of the others had showed up yet. Things could not be going good among the pack if the let two vampires beat the hell out of one of them, and let three of them kill another. They must have poor communication skills or just plain hate each other. But then, I saw Sam and Jared walking towards us. Emmett had just finished off Paul for good and Jasper backed away from his dead body, satisfied.
"We do not want to harm you anymore. We did not expect him to spring upon us like he did and we did it all in self defense." I said calmly to Sam as he came within hearing distance. "Please, let us be on our way."
"No." Sam said slightly afraid that I was about to rip him to shreds as he saw what we'd done to Paul. Jasper made a move toward him but Emmett held him back. "We want to make another Treaty. One that specifies consequences when broken."
"We had one. You broke it and I do not feel that we need another Treaty to be broken seventy years from now. I suggest we live our lives and not interfere with each other's. We can make a deal. But I see no need for another Treaty. We, the Cullens, do not kill a human within state lines, and you do not attack us or expose us in any way."
"That's the same as the other Treaty." Jared pointed out as though I didn't know this.
"I know. I was there when it was made. I just think that taking the time to write it out and have everyone sign it is not the best option right now. I haven't the time. We will return to make it official, once Bella is okay. I trust that you will not break it, and I know that we will not. End of discussion, I need to go talk to Bella right now." I walked away and heard Emmett make a very rude comment to Jared and Jasper thanked them as they turned to catch up with me.
I sped up my walk to what Bella would consider fast, but was still slow to me, as Jasper came to my side.
"We can't find Bella or Carlisle." He stated this as though it was common knowledge and I was some wise man who knew exactly where they were.
"What?!" I fumed and started to run.
"Well, Esme and Rosalie went home. You and Emmett were here and Alice and I were... um... well, we were busy. Apparently, Charlie was having lunch with Mrs. Pelt; she was telling him all about brain cancer so he knew the treatment options and Bella's chances. Esme came back to the hospital to see Carlisle and when she asked for him, no one knew where he had been. Alice and I went to ask Bella but when we got in her room, it was empty. It had been cleaned and made the culprits completely untraceable. The cops came in and in the security videos, there are chunks missing. Someone thoroughly covered their tracks."
"Well, who? Carlisle wouldn't let anyone touch him and he loves Bella like a daughter and wouldn't let anything at all happen to her."
"We think it may have been Victoria. With some help, obviously, but we have no clue where they all could have gone. Alice has been trying to see, but she hasn't turned up anything yet. We're all looking for her though, Edward."
I ran as fast as my feet would let me. I needed to see Alice. She'd probably had a vision since Jasper left to find me.
"Alice!" I gasped breathlessly as I saw her running towards me across the hospital parking lot.
"Edward, look."
She closed her eyes and replayed the vision in her head. Bella was being hurt, beaten. Someone was teasing her. They were making Carlisle watch as she was beaten almost to death. "Oh, god." I sighed. "Alice, go get money. We've got to find her."
"We don't know where she is. That room could be anywhere. Where are we going?"
"But the room isn't just anywhere. It's in Volterra. We've got to go. I'll meet you at the airport in ten minutes, can you get there then?"
"Nine and a half." She ran back home as Jasper and Emmett approached. I told them that we were going to Italy; I couldn't bear to tell them what Alice had seen.
"I'll stay here and cover for you, but you have to go make a scene. You've been off somewhere organizing your thoughts, but Charlie has to see you break down or he'll assume the worst." Jasper nodded along with Emmett.
I went inside the hospital and put on the panicked face I felt. "Where is Bella? Jasper came and told me she's not here! Where is she? Where's Carlisle?" I asked the receptionist and jogged past her, making my worry known to the whole waiting room.
The receptionist must have been new because the next thing I heard was, "Sir, you have to sign in and take a seat. We'll be with you in a little while; we're a bit tied up at the moment."
"No! Where is Bella? I need to see her! I need to know she is okay!" I stormed up the stairs and ran into Charlie coming out of her room. "Where is she?" I didn't hide any of the anguish I felt.
"Odd that you don't know." Charlie was beyond upset. He was stressed and worried by this point. You know, Bella didn't do anything wrong until she met you. Then, she started going missing on me for days at a time, ending up in the ER more often than not and now, she's been kidnapped. "I thought you were with her."
"No. I was out by the river clearing my head. Jasper came and told me just a little while ago that Bella and Carlisle were missing. I came as fast as I could. Where do you think they are?" I showed every emotion I felt. Anger at myself for leaving her here. Fear for what might be happening to her. Worry that I would be too late. Sadness because of her recent diagnoses. Love, because that's all I wanted to do was to be with her and love her, and now she was being beaten to a pulp for my stupid mistake.
I called Alice to tell her to book the flight and I would be there when it left, I continued to act as though I had no idea where Bella and Carlisle were. People were blaming Carlisle and saying that he had taken her, but I knew better. An hour before my flight, when I was convinced that Charlie believed that I was clueless, I told him I was going out to look for her. I went straight to the airport and waited for my flight to be called.
Take off was the worst. The flight seemed to drag on for days and Alice told me that this was how the flight felt for Bella went when they were on their way to stop my suicidal attempts.
Once we finally reached Volterra, in another stolen Porsche, Alice let me out and I went into the city and down the dark alley. I knew the way into the castle during the day. It was overcast today so I didn't have to creep along the sides of the buildings to stay hidden. I ran through castle until I turned a corned and smacked into Aro.
"Let me see Bella." I didn't bother being polite. A promise was made and broken on my account. If I had been polite, he would have considered me a kiss ass.
"Ah, I have been waiting for you. It's about time you arrived. Follow me."
I did as he asked not bothering to care where we were going, as long as Bella was at our destination. She was. I could smell her blood all the way down the hall. I picked up my pace and Aro slowed me down. He stopped me in front of a large door.
"Please, go into there and wait. You are not to speak with Isabella for another few days. Stay calm; this is your own fault. You lied to me and broke a very definite promise."
I walked into the room and smelt Bella's blood so strongly I would have sworn she was there with me. I looked around and the room was entirely empty.
Then I saw Bella. Through a large glass window. In fact, the whole right wall had been a huge window. I ran with as much force as I could straight into the wall of glass. I just wanted to touch Bella; to tell her I was with her and that I loved her.
I screamed to her but she couldn't hear me. I could hear her though. Crying in pain, yelling to Carlisle that she loved me and wanted to see me. That she was so sorry that things ended like this.
She was going to die. That's all I knew. Whether she would be changed into a vampire, or just killed was not released information. I just knew she was going to die. Soon. And I had to watch. And listen.