Immediately I was running through the trees. I had to have Bella in my arms.

I became aware of six sets of footfalls trailing close behind me. My family. For a moment I wondered why they were following me, then I disregarded it.

I began to think of the future. Soon Bella would marry me. I still couldn't entirely wrap my mind around the concept that she was going to be mine. Every time I thought about it, I swear I could almost feel my heart jump. I had no idea how I would react when I saw her walking down the aisle. To me.

Then I thought about after.

Bella expected, no, demanded that I sleep with her. The man within me rejoiced and couldn't wait to have his way with her, to make her moan and scream my name. My mind, however, was terrified. I never wanted to hurt her, yet I had agreed to something that could possibly kill her. She had complete confidence in me, saying I could never hurt her, but I disagreed. I didn't have nearly as much faith in myself as she had in me. I had spoken with Carlisle and my brothers as well. They also had more confidence in me. :"If you could stop drinking her blood even after you removed the venom, you should have no trouble making love to her. Then again, maybe you just don't know how. Maybe you won't even be able to make love. You are a prude." Emmett had joked. Despite their advice and reassurances, I was still terrified.

My train of thought was broken by an angry, anguished howl in the distance. My head snapped toward the sound. The wolf was still too far away for me to hear, but the howl was so powerful in its anguish that I came to an abrupt stop. What could cause that much sorrow?

I began running again, my thoughts trying to figure out why the wolves were so worked up. A while later, I heard many paws pounding into the ground in the distance. Dread and worry spread through my veins like ice as I realized they were going in the same direction as I was. Of their own accord, my feet sped up.

The wolves' minds were just beginning to come into my range as I broke through the trees into the clearing. Their minds were beyond angry, unable to form any coherent thoughts. One of the wolves, Leah, also had unfathomable sadness.

Before I could think of any of this anymore, I saw the clearing. My mind instantly went numb. The tent I had put up and attached securely to the rock was in tatters around the clearing. Huge cracks had appeared in the cliffside. Trees had been snapped and shredded. Seth lay in a crumpled heap, not moving and not breathing. Where was Bella? my mind screamed. She was no longer in the clearing. I didn't see any signs of her. I had failed her. I couldn't protect her. Where was she? Was she still alive? That thought immediately reminded me of a few months ago, when Rosalie had called me and told me she was dead. The hole that had ripped itself into my dead heart was threatening to reemerge and I quickly stopped that train of thought. I knew I would die if she did. She was my heart, my life. I knew what it felt like to lose her, and I didn't want to go through that again.

As I continued to stare around, my family came up behind me, silent. Emmett was dumbstruck, in complete disbelief. Carlisle and Esme were worried, realizing Bella wasn't there. Carlisle immediately went over to Seth. Jasper was taking in the destruction with a practiced eye. There was more than one vampire here. An older one as well as a newborn. Alice's mind was full of so much anger, worry, sadness that her thoughts were unfocused. Rosalie, as per usual, was being completely self-centered. We fought the newborns for nothing?

I sniff the air, trying to find... something. Maybe a scent of Bella. Maybe a hint of where she is. I don't know. As the scents in the air register in my mind, my lips immediately pull back as a snarl leaps from my throat. "Victoria." The name is like acid on my tongue. Immediately, I begin to follow the trail she has left, noting the floral scent that is intermingled. She took Bella. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice follow me. Emmett is pissed. He wants revenge for his sister. Jasper's thoughts are similar, but a more controlled. Alice is also pissed, but is more worried about Bella than she is of killing Victoria.

We run for an unknown time, before the scent disappears. We are at a major highway. I growl in frustration and punch the nearest tree, splintering the bark. Where did she go?

Soon, though, my anger melts into worry, then pure fear. Bella. Her name repeats endlessly in my mind. I sink to the ground, my head in my hands.

"Edward, we'll find her." Alice's voice is full of confidence, but I can sense her worry.

"How?" I beg, needing reassurance.

"Edward, pull yourself together. Moping isn't going to help Bella. You need to be strong for her. She needs you. You need to be the man she thinks you are. For her." Emmett's voice was hard and left no room for complaining. I stared at my brother silently for a moment, surprised, before I slowly rose to my feet.

"She knows we will do anything to get Bella back. She's expecting it." Jasper mused. "Alice, can you see anything?" He turned to his mate.

"No, she keeps changing her mind." Alice's voice was full of frustration.

"Can you see if Bella is still alive?" I ask in a quiet voice.

"Yes. She's alive. For now." She adds the last part darkly as a vision of Bella lying on the floor, cold, pale, and unmoving flashes across her mind. I flinch, her unseeing eyes staring into me.

"What can we do now?" Emmett is ready for action. He is fiercely protective of Bella and is conjuring up vivid images of ripping Victoria up slowly, painfully.

"Let's go back to the house. Maybe Carlisle will have a suggestion."

Carlisle's face becomes grave and Esme's full of worry as we fill them in. Rosalie remains indifferent as she listens.

"There is nothing we can do right now," he says slowly, his mind full of worry for Bella and Seth. The werewolf is barely alive. His entire left side was crushed and his neck was broken. Carlisle was barely able to save him. He was still alive, but he was still in really bad shape. He runs over possible ways to find Victoria, but to no avail.

"Victoria is vindictive. She won't kill Bella anytime soon. She wants revenge and she wants it to be as painful as possible. And she wants us to know about it. She'll find some way to tell us." Jasper said, his thoughts strategical. My heart sank as I realized that he was dead on. His musings fit Victoria to a "T". I knew she wanted revenge, but I never truly realized just how sadistic she was.