Disclaimer – I don't own Twilight nor have any rights to anything associated with Twilight. I do enjoy toying with the lives of the characters and appreciate that I am able to do so. No copy write infringement is intended.

Chapter 17 – From Home to Hell

EPOV

By the time we woke up, the ship had already docked in Los Angeles. Bella and I rushed around making sure everything was packed and ready. We really should have done that the night before but we were a little preoccupied. I love being preoccupied like that with Bella. She is by far the sexiest woman I have ever met. I think what makes it even hotter is that no one else suspects just how sexy she is.

Thankfully Bella thought to buy two duffle bags from the gift shop on the ship to carry all of our souvenirs. Looking at it all, I was beginning to wonder if we would be able to fit it all in the car. My Volvo has a pretty nice size trunk capacity, but not that nice.

It took us longer to get off the ship than I expected. The boat makes people debark according to the floor their room is on, so Bella and I exited before Jasper and Alice. Customs was a nightmare. We had to itemize the things that we purchased and list the value of the items. That's really tough to do when you don't remember how much you paid for things. We ended up giving rough estimates on the prices. It took a long time to get through the line to see the customs agent. Thank god they didn't ask to look inside our luggage because there is no telling what we actually had in there.

Bella and I sat on a bench outside the terminal and people watched while we waited for Jasper and Alice to make it through customs. We had to wait 45 minutes for them to join us but somehow it didn't seem that long when I was waiting with Bella. She was keeping a runny tally of men wearing Hawaiian shirts while I counted women wearing sunglasses and big hats. When Jasper and Alice finally made it through customs and came out to find us, Jasper was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Alice had a big hat and sunglasses. We almost fell off of the bench with laughter.

Luckily the wait for the shuttle to take us to our car wasn't that bad. Loading everything in the trunk of my car took the creativity and organizational skills that only Alice can possess. I have no idea how she did it, but she managed to get it all inside the trunk and still have our overnight bags for the stay in Mt. Shasta on top so they would be easy to access.

When it was time to leave, Alice and Bella decided to sit in the backseat together. Alice had given us a scrapbook kit as a wedding present. She had also taken the camera and had a bunch of the pictures printed before we left the ship. The two of them sat in the back seat of the car working on the scrapbook together. It was kind of cute listening to them discussing what caption should be written for each picture.

Jasper and I sat in the front listening to them and laughed. It was comfortable. Jasper and Alice had been my best friends for years. I was glad that Bella seemed to be getting along so well with Alice. I knew she and Jasper were already friends, but Alice can be a little hard for some to take. She is a compact little ball of energy waiting to explode and when she does, there is no stopping her. Bella didn't seem to mind, though.

Since it took so long to get off the ship, we were running several hours behind schedule. I probably could have made up some of the time by going a little faster, but I didn't really feel like I was in a hurry. To me, it felt just like we were a bunch of friends on a road trip, having a good time, not worrying about where we were going and when we could get there.

The drive to Mt. Shasta was nice but we ended up arriving at the bed and breakfast later than we originally planned. I was looking forward to spending some time wandering around the town and enjoying the scenery with Bella, but it was already dark outside when we arrived so we missed out on the scenery.

The couple that owned the place was really friendly. Alice told them that Bella and I were on our honeymoon so they went out of the way to make sure our room was nice. Bella was thrilled when they showed us to our room. They had given us one of the largest rooms. If it wasn't so dark we would have had a breathtaking view of the mountainside.

The place looked like an old lodge. Our room was cozy and comfortable. It had a fluffy queen size sleigh bed with a matching dresser and a cushioned bench seat in the windowsill. I thought it was charming. Bella said it was the kind of room that she dreamed of having when she was young because she could sit in the window and read. Only Bella would judge a room based on her ability to read in it.

When it was time for bed, I reached in our overnight bag and found that Bella didn't bring in anything to sleep in. This excited me because I assumed that she was interested in… not exactly sleeping, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Bella was absolutely exhausted from the trip. When I took my t-shirt off, she put it on to sleep in. She said that she liked it because it was already warm, it was comfortable, and it smelled like me. Sometimes simple things like that can really make you feel good. I know it was probably nothing to her, but it meant a lot to me. I think I fall more and more in love with this woman each day.

Bella fell asleep as soon as she climbed under the blankets. It was chilly up in the mountains, so I added a quilt to the bed before I snuggled up next to her. I lay there watching Bella as she slept. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful. I must have done something really good in my life to deserve someone like her. She was every thing I needed and so much more. I couldn't help but smile and kiss her softly.

I tried to relax and get some sleep, but it wasn't working. I just couldn't get my brain to slow down. I stared at the ceiling for a few minutes thinking about how I would love to come back here for a vacation someday, and then I heard Jasper and Alice in the room beside us. Alice was talking. I could almost make out what she was saying. I concentrated on her voice and finally realized she was reading from that damn book! I tried to ignore her, but certain words were coming in loud and clear. I could hear Jasper saying something and Alice giggled. Apparently the book was rather inspirational, because a few minutes later, I heard their mattress squeaking and them moaning. I put my fingers in my ears and tried to wait it out. We are definitely NOT vacationing here - the walls are too thin! With my fingers in my ears, the sounds were muffled, but my overactive imagination knew exactly what was going on in the next room and wasfilling in the blanks with images of Bella and the big guy downstairs was pointing out that Bella was not wearing any panties. He was standing at full attention trying to convince me that I should wake Bella up but I wasn't going to do that. She was sleeping so soundly…

Bella shifted in her sleep. Does that count as being awake? Can I touch her now? She snuggled up to me, with her head on my chest and her arm draped across my stomach. I took deep breaths trying to think of something that would kill my raging hard on but nothing was working. She mumbled something and threw her leg over my thigh just inches away from brushing against my… she shifted again. Ooops, she hit it. I remove my finger from my ear and slid her leg back down my body, away from the big guy.

She made a face when I moved her leg. The sounds generating from the room next door were still going on strong. I could punch Jasper for his stupid stamina. Couldn't he just finish up and be done with it, already? Bella made a face and shifted again, this time her hand slid down my stomach. I tried to lie perfectly still. Her hand slid even further, bumping in to the big guy. Shit! She mumbled something and moved her hand again, cupping me through my sleep shorts. Oh god yes!

I could tell by her breathing that she was still asleep but her hand started to move stroking me just slightly. I bit my lip to keep from moaning and waking her up. Her hand kept moving. It felt so good. Apparently my wife gives hand jobs in her sleep! Who knew? I pulled my fingers out of my ears. I wrapped one arm around her, stroking her back while I used the other to untie my shorts and slide them down just a little. When her soft hand came in contact with my skin, I think my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Her strokes started getting longer and he fingers wrapped around my shaft. I noticed her eyes flutter open when my hips involuntarily thrusted into her stoke.

In a scratchy voice, she said, "I'm sorry. Was I teasing you? Here let me make it better." Then she slid under the covers and down my body so she could take me into her mouth.

"Fuck, Bella that feels so good!" She didn't hesitate. She took me all the way in and started firmly sucking as she teased the head of my dick with her tongue before taking it all the way in again. "Fuck! I'm close!" She started sucking even harder and faster while she ran her fingernails gently along the underside of my balls. The sensation pushed me over the edge and my entire body tensed. "I'm cumming, Bella! I cumming!" I bit lip and my body shook with my release. Bella swallowed it all down and pulled my shorts back up before sliding back up my body and appearing out from under the covers.

"There, now maybe we can get some sleep." She said as she turned over, pulling my arm with her so I was snuggled up against her back. The room was silent. Jasper and Alice had finally settled down for the night. I held her close and within minutes, I was out for the night. I definitely love this woman!

The next morning, we awoke to the smell of bacon. The lady that owned the bed and breakfast had fixed bacon, eggs, toast, and pancakes for us. It was wonderful. We sat around the table enjoying breakfast like a large family. It was nice.

We were loading up the car to leave when my cell phone started vibrating. Shit! It was my father! I had no choice. I had to answer it or he would just keep calling and calling and calling. I took a deep breath and answered the phone. I hadn't even had a chance to say "hello" when he started in on me. I figured mom would break down and tell him!

"Edward, what is this I hear about you tying the knot over spring break! Is it true son?"

"Yes, it's true dad." I said as I walked away from the others. "Her name is Bella."

"Is she pregnant?"

"No, dad, she's not pregnant."

"I take it she is one of those poor local people? You always did have a soft spot for the underprivileged." He said sounding more like he was talking to himself than to me.

"Yes, Bella is from Forks. Her father is the Chief of Police."

"Oh, that's nice. People like that need boundaries." He can be such an ass!

"Everyone needs boundaries, dad, especially the wealthy!" I snapped at him.

"Oh Edward, you always were the passionate one. So back to this…Bella. You said she's not pregnant. I assume she has small town morals. Is her father pressuring you two to get married? Is that what is going on here?"

I felt my blood start to boil. "NO, DAD! Her father is just as clueless as you are. No one is pressuring me to doing anything against my will." I was pacing back and fourth outside the car.

"Then I don't see what the rush is. You are only 26 years old. You could wait another 10 years or so. Have you really thought about this? Maybe we should sit down and talk about it before you make a rash decision and throw away your life."

"Dad, I love her and that is all that matters! We were married last Wednesday, in Mazatlan, so there is no point in discussing it now."

"You should have told us, son. You know your mother and I would have dropped everything to go down there for your wedding. You are our only son! It hurts your mother's feelings that you didn't even send us an invitation."

"No one was invited, dad. We eloped. When we get everything settled, we may have a small reception for our friends and family. We haven't decided yet. I will let you know when we decide."

"So, when do we get to know our new daughter-in-law? You know your mother can't wait to meet her."

"Bella mentioned something about having the two of you down for Christmas." It was only March, so that would give me nine months to talk Bella out of it and make arrangements to do something else, instead.

"That's too far away. How about summer? We can get that nice place in the Hamptons again. The two of you can come spend a few weeks with us."

"I don't know, dad. I will have to talk to Bella about it and see what she has planned." I had no plans on actually going, but I knew it would shut him up.

"OK then… I guess I will let you get back to your little…bride."

"Bye dad." I said as I hung up the phone.

Jasper, Alice, and Bella were already waiting in the car. Jasper was going to be driving the last half of the trip. Alice was sitting up front, so I sat in the back with Bella. No one asked me about the phone conversation with my father. I am sure Jasper probably knew who I was talking to, so he knew better than to ask me about it.

Bella still looked tired, so I put my arm around her and covered her with the little blanket so she could nap while Jasper drove us home. I must have dozed off, because next thing I knew, Alice was tapping me on the leg asking what I wanted for lunch. They were just pulling into a drive through to pick up burgers.

The afternoon drive was pretty uneventful. Bella and I talked about where we could get boxes and tape so she could move. We played Jasper's trivia game, which Jasper won, of course. Bella plugged her iPod in and let Alice pick music to play. Alice was impressed with Bella's music collection. When she played "The Panties" by Mos Def, I almost choked on my drink! Alice looked back at me and gave me a suspicious look while Bella giggled and blushed. "I take it this song has a little history?" She said looking back and forth between the two of us. We didn't even have to answer. She laughed and said, "Ok, let's pick a different song then." Of course, the next song she picked also had history. Bella and I just laughed.

We stopped at a truck stop near the border between California and Oregon to fill up with gas and take a necessary bathroom break. I was standing outside filling up the car and talking to Jasper while Alice and Bella went inside.

"Alice really likes Bella." Jasper said, "She is really happy that Bella is moving next door. I have a feeling that those two are going to be inseparable." He said as he watched the two women through the window.

"I think you're right, Jazz. Look at the two of them in there." I said watching them laughing and carrying on inside the store. "They look like best friends already." Alice looked up at us and stuck out her tongue while Bella laughed and blew us a kiss.

"Come on, we had better get in there before they buy out the store." Jasper said laughing.

We went inside and bought some drinks and snacks. Alice bought a magazine because she thought the actor on the cover was good looking. Bella picked up a postcard to add to the scrapbook and asked if I could get two dollars in quarters. When I paid for our stuff I handed her the change. She went over to one of the gumball machines by the door and made her selection while I stepped outside to talk to Jasper. She came out wearing a victorious grin.

"What are you so happy about?" Jasper asked.

Bella walked over to us and said, "I got what I wanted." She took my left hand and slid a fake gold band on my ring finger. "Now we have temporary wedding rings." She held her hand up and showed me her identical ring. I looked down at the thin golden band on my finger and was surprised at just how right it felt. I was never one to wear much jewelry, but this simple little ring made my hand look complete.

I pulled her into a kiss and whispered, "Thank you, Bella. I love you. You don't know how much this means to me. I promise not to make you wear this fake ring very long. I will buy you a real wedding ring when I get my check in April."

Bella's eyes sparkled. "No rush, Edward. We have all the time in the world."

Jasper interrupted, "You two may have all the time in the world, but I sure as hell don't. I'd like to make it home early enough to relax before work tomorrow, so do you mind getting in the car so we can get out of here?"

I pulled Bella into my arms and kissed her one more time before we climbed back in the car. Jazz made some pretty good time as he flew down the highway. We managed to make it back to Forks at 7:30 pm.

Bella insisted that she be dropped off at her apartment, so she could pack up some essentials and go see her dad while Jasper, Alice, and I went home. She gave me a kiss and said, "Wish me luck with my dad. I don't think he's going to take this very well."

"I can always come with you, if you like." I offered.

"No, this is probably something I should do on my own. I'm just going to run inside and grab a few things then head to dad's house. I will see you at home in a few minutes." She called my place home!

I gave her one more kiss and told her that I loved her before she climbed out of the car and we headed to the house. I made the quick grocery store trip, started laundry, and finished moving things around in the closet, so I tried to call Bella's apartment phone at 9:00 pm but got the answering machine, "Hi, it's me. Sorry I'm not able to come to the phone right now, so please leave a message and I will call you back when I get a chance." Maybe she's still at her dad's place. I tried her cell phone but got no answer on that one either. Hmmm. That's strange. Maybe he was really upset.

At 9:15 pm I called again… Still no answer. I was starting to get worried.

At 9:30 pm I tried both phones again but still got no answer. It's been two hours, where could she be?

9:40 pm – Nothing.

9:52 pm – Still nothing.

10:07 pm I got in my car and headed to her apartment. I had no idea where her dad lived, but this was the best place to start. When I pulled up, I was relieved to see her car parked outside. Maybe she just didn't hear the phone. I ran up to her apartment door.

The door was partially open. There was a foot print on the door and the door jam was splintered in like someone had kicked it. Oh shit! What is going on? I pushed the door open so I could see inside the apartment.

"Bella? Bella are you here? Bella?" I yelled into the door. Her purse was on the floor and her cell phone not far from it. No, this can't be. She has to be alright! I quickly stepped inside to see if she was in her room. Nothing looked out of place. I noticed that the chain had been latched on the door and was ripped from the doorframe.

She must have been inside the apartment and had the chain locked when someone kicked in the door! What the hell is happening? My heart was pounding and the world was spinning. I looked at her cell phone. I could see that she dialed 911 but hadn't hit 'send', so the call didn't go through. My head was spinning. What is going on? Where the hell is Bella? I saw the light blinking on the answering machine. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I hit play. There were two hang ups, a telemarketer, and then a message from Heidi.

"Bella, this is Heidi. Please call me as soon as you get this message! It's very important! Someone broke into Aro's office at the club. It's really weird. All they took was your file. They didn't touch anything else. They even left the money that was sitting on the desk. I don't know for sure, but I'm worried that it was your client… You know the creepy one we threw out. Anyway, call me when you get this message. I'm worried about you."

The next two messages were from Heidi just telling Bella to call her back. The next four messages were hang ups. The next message made my hair stand up. "Izzy, pick up the fucking phone and stop avoiding me!" A man's raspy voice came across the line. "Do you really think some steroid jockey at the club is going to keep me away? I'm not one to give up that easy. You are mine! Pick up the fucking phone, Izzy!"

The messages after that were all ones from me. I started crying. With shaking hands, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed 911. When the operator came on the line and asked what my emergency was, between sobs, I told her, "I think my wife has been kidnapped! She's gone! Someone kicked in the door and she's gone!"

"I need you to calm down sir. You said your wife has been kidnapped?"

"Yes. She's gone. Someone kicked the door in and took her." I said frantically

"I am sending an officer right away. What is your address?"

Suddenly I couldn't remember Bella's address. I looked around and found a piece of mail sitting on the kitchen counter. "The address is 210 Fir Avenue, apartment 618. It's the Peninsula Apartments."

I heard the dispatcher say the address on her microphone to the squad cars. "They'll be there is just a minute. Did you see the person that took her?" The operator asked.

"No. I just got here and she was gone. The door has been kicked in and her purse and phone are on the floor. I looked at the phone and it looks like she was trying to call the police but didn't get the call to go through. Then there was a message on the answering machine…"

"Calm down sir. You need to take a deep breath. The officer just radioed that he just pulled into the complex. Can you go meet him outside so he can find the unit?"

I got up and ran out the front door. I made it to the parking lot just as the police car turned the corner, heading my way. I stepped out into the driveway waving my hands in the air. "They're here! They're here!" I told the operator.

"Ok, I'll hang up the phone so you can talk to them. Good luck."

"Thank you." I said as I hung up the phone. Two officers approached me as I tried to wipe the tears from my eyes. "She's gone. Someone took her."

There was an older officer with blondish white hair and a young one with sandy blond hair. The older officer said, "Hold on a minute, son. What seems to be the problem?"

"Someone took my wife. The door has been kicked in and she is gone."

The old man pulled out a notepad and said, "What is your name, son?"

"Edward. Edward Cullen."

The old man wrote it down. "And what is your wife's name, Mr. Cullen?"

"Bella. Her name is Bella Swan. We just got married, so she hasn't had a chance to change her name yet."

"Wait a minute! Did you say Bella Swan, as in Police Chief Swan's Daughter?" I nodded my head.

The younger guy picked up his radio and began talking on it frantically. The old man and I quickly walked to the apartment so he could see the damage and take my statement. He seemed to be rushing through as many details as he could in a hurry. He sent the younger officer to the car for a camera. In the meantime, he started snapping pictures with the camera on his cell phone.

He took pictures of my hands and my face. "Wait, why are you taking pictures of me?" I asked as he snapped the pictures.

"Believe me, son, this is for your own good. Charlie is going to go ape shit when he finds out you eloped with his baby girl. This is proof that you were in good shape when we got to you. Not much can get old Charlie riled up, but where his daughter is concerned… Well, let's just hope and pray he is going to jump straight into the investigation and not straight on your ass."

Within a matter of minutes, the entire police force was standing outside the apartment. No one dared to enter and mess with the crime scene. Some guys from Port Angeles had been called to look for evidence of who might have taken her but they weren't going to be there for a couple hours. Officers knocked on doors and asked everyone in the neighborhood if they saw anything suspicious.

Charlie Swan flew into the apartment looking pale and disheveled. He had been asleep when someone called him to tell him the news. He wasted no time asking the older officer for a full report.

"Mr. Cullen called dispatch to report his wife's kidnapping. At the time of his call, she had been missing for two and a half hours."

"Wait," Charlie interrupted, "They said Bella was missing."

"Yes, sir, it is Bella." The old man said giving me a nervous glance.

"But you just said…" Charlie's words trailed off as he turned to face me. I could see a combination of fear, anxiety, anger, and betrayal. "What the hell are you trying to pull here, son? Is this some screwed up practical joke you are playing on the police department? I don't know who you think you are but you have some nerve feeding my officers some line of bullshit…"

"It's not like that, Chief. We corroborated his story. Apparently your daughter and Mr. Cullen eloped in Mexico earlier in the week."

Charlie looked dead into my eyes and said, "What the hell have you done with my daughter? Why did you wait two and half hours to report her missing?" I could see his face turning red.

"I didn't know she was missing sir. We dropped her off here at the apartment so she could pick up a change of clothes, then she was going to go to your house to tell you that we got married. I wanted to come with her but she insisted that she do it alone. She was supposed to come back to my house after she left you. When she didn't call or show up, I started to get worried. After calling a few times, I stopped by here to see if maybe she came back here to get more stuff. I found the door kicked open, her phone and purse on the ground and a creepy message on the answering machine so I called the police right away." I stood up so I was standing face to face with him.

I am sure all my anger and frustration was obvious in my tone. "Sir, I am sorry you had to find out about it this way, and I will gladly go into more detail later, but can we please just go look for Bella? It seems like the entire fucking police force is standing outside the apartment. Shouldn't they be out trying to find Bella? I would be out there myself, but they tell me I can't leave! What the hell is up with that? They won't let me fucking leave to go look for her but they won't go look for her either!" I was so upset tears started running down my face again. "I just want my Bella back! Please…" I sobbed, "Please bring my Bella back!"

I collapsed back onto the couch. Charlie barked orders to his officers. There was a flurry of commotion and people scattered everywhere. The younger of the first two officers on the scene drove me to the police station to take my finger prints for elimination samples. He put me in a waiting room and brought me a cup of coffee.

Jasper and Alice showed up a few minutes later. They brought the camera with them so current pictures of Bella, taken just today, wearing the clothes she went missing in could be downloaded from the camera and distributed to all the officers.

The young officer took their statement. They corroborated my story about our marriage, the time that Bella was dropped off, and what she was planning to do when we left her. They even showed the officer our wedding pictures.

Jasper sat beside me with his arm around my shoulders. "Edward. I think you need to call your dad. I know they aren't accusing you yet, but it doesn't hurt to have someone ready if they do."

"No, Jazz. He will just make everything worse. That's all I need is for him to come down here spouting off about the poor people and how unruly they can be. He would cause even more problems than he's worth.

Alice came over and sat down on my other side. "Edward, you said that there was a message from Heidi, right?"

"Yes, she was calling to warn Bella about her personal information being stolen from the club." I said nodding my head.

"You know they are going to try to get in touch with Heidi. They are going to ask why Heidi has Bella's information. It's going to come out that Bella was performing at the club."

Jasper covered his face with his hands and said, "Fuck! If this information gets out, she is going to lose her job at the school. They have a morality clause in her contract. They could keep her from ever working with kids again, at least in this town, anyway."

"Oh shit!" I said shaking my head, "What am I going to do? Bella loves her job!"

We sat in silence for a few minutes trying to come up with some ideas when Alice suddenly spoke up. "You need to tell Charlie everything. Get him alone and tell him in confidence. He doesn't want his daughter's good name drug through the mud. Besides, he is an elected official. This could be bad for him if this gets out, too. Let him decide how best to approach this from the legal end."

"I can't do that Alice! He hates me enough as it is! He'll shoot me if I tell him that!" I said giving her a crazy look.

"It's the only way, Edward. Trust me!" She said with determination. "He's not going to like it, but it's the only way it will work. Play up the part that you talked her into quitting when you got back. Leave out the part that you were a client. Play it up that you were trying to save her from that life."

"But if they go poking around at Heidi's they will find my information. They kept a copy of my application and my driver's license…. OH SHIT! Alice, you are the best!" I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Heidi has the info on the guy that took Bella! I have to talk to Charlie!"

A/N – Happy Tuesday!!! I hope you weren't expecting a happy ending quite yet. You can't have a great story without a little drama.

Stats update – 1152 people following the story through alerts and favorites and growing by the week. We are now at 972 reviews. We are almost to the 1,000 review mark! I am so excited! Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read and review my little story. I am glad that most of you seem to like it.

I have been asked by several people if I am posting somewhere else if I get pulled from this site. I have started cleaning up and posting the previous chapters to Twilighted and The Writer's Coffee Shop. I will continue to post on this sight until I am asked not to. Hopefully we can make it through the entire story with no interruptions.

A special thanks to NoWayWithWords for being my beta and helping me go back and clean up my punctuation errors. She is the library to my Sony E-Reader and the cord to my IPod. Without her, my life would be a much quieter place… literally.