Edward POV

For the first time since I met Bella, I could say with absolute certainty that the blame for this could not be laid at my door. The knowledge of that however offered me no peace nor did it dampen the torturous agony that ignited within me the moment I spotted Bella's blood so carelessly spilled on the ground; blood that was as sacred to me as any blessed religious icon to a devout follower of Christianity. I tried to stop myself of conjuring the images that would have caused it to be there. It would serve no purpose but to emotionally cripple me. I could not afford to be hindered that way.

Charlie ordered the search party teams to go off in various directions. He too was trying to detach himself emotionally from what had to be done but he was meeting with as much success in that as I…absolutely none. Unlike myself, Charlie had no idea who had taken Bella. He wouldn't want to know…he wouldn't believe it if he did. After all Bella and I had been through, the latest going against the Volturi and winning only to be bested by an immature, volatile wolf made me almost physically ill, if that were possible.

Hours had gone by and by this point it seemed like we were literally running in circles. I couldn't get a handle on Jacob's scent. It seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The sky was getting darker, the winds picking up, the temperature dropping. Someone had mentioned there was going to be a blizzard high up in the mountains and they were fearful of it reaching the lower grounds where we were. I prayed the mutt had the forethought to have something warm for Bella wherever he took her. She was such a slight little thing, I feared the barest whisper of a cold breeze would make her ill. God may have mercy on the wolf if anything was to happen to Bella but I would not.

Charlie was looking at a map of the area, circling in radius' going outward from where we were and trying to establish a possible distance that could have been travelled in the time that had passed. It would have been a good method if we were dealing with a normal human but we weren't. I had opted to be on the search team with Charlie hoping I could covertly use what knowledge I did have to guide him in the right direction. He had needed a break though, so now we were standing on the border of my family's property; Alice's party lanterns hanging from the trees providing some lights.

"You should tell Charlie what you know. It will help with the search." Carlisle told me glancing over at Bella's father.

I snorted at this. "He doesn't want to know."

"It doesn't matter. He is her father and has a right to the knowledge. What he does with the information is up to him."

Deep down I knew Carlisle was right. I couldn't delay this conversation any longer. Walking over with trepidation to where Charlie was, I stood in front of the light casting a shadow on his map. Annoyed that I was hindering him, he looked up at me.

"I believe it's Jacob Black that has Bella." I informed him matter-of-factly, bracing for the denials that I was sure would come.

Jake…naw. I don't believe it. Charlie scratched the shadow of beard on his jaw. "Jake would never hurt Bella. Sorry, Edward. I just don't see it." He shook his head. The gesture angered me.

"You don't want to see it, Charlie. It's a big difference."The words came out harsher than I intended but he needed to see the blatant truth.

Who the hell does this kid think he's talking to? Charlie's face reddened in anger. "Don't think I don't see what's going on here. Just because you're jealous that Jake was a serious contender for Bella doesn't mean you can accuse him of this." He thought I was saying this out of jealousy? Precious time was being wasted because he wanted to deny the truth of my words. "Jake loves Bella. He would never hurt her, not like this."

"He's obsessed with her. Don't confuse it with love." I told him. From behind Charlie, I caught the intense dark glare of Billy Black, Jacob's father. I didn't see any fear in his gaze or any sign of malevolence in his mind just a determined resolve to do what was right. "If you don't believe me, why don't you ask your friend?" I nodded in Billy Black's direction.

Charlie turned around to look at his best friend. "Billy?" Charlie questioned, his tone was uncertain and confused.

"I'm sorry Charlie. As much as I have prayed that it is not so, what the Cullen boy says is true." He handed Charlie a crumpled piece of paper. "I found this in Jacob's room. You'll notice that most of the items on that list match what has been stolen recently."

Charlie saw it then, the truth written all over Billy Black's face and scrawled on the paper before him like a beacon of light over a dark sea. "Aw, hell, Billy." Without questioning him further, Charlie took the radio from his side holster. "I need an APB on one Jacob Black…6'8" approximately 270 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. Consider him armed and dangerous. He will have my daughter with him so handle with extreme caution." He gave a sympathetic look towards the somber Quileute man he always considered his closest friend. "If possible, bring him back alive."

"Thank you for that." Billy Black was fearful of the outcome as much as he was ashamed that is some could commit so abhorrent an act as kidnapping an innocent. "I'm not making any promises." Charlie muttered. "I might as well get the Mounties in on this too. He may have found his way into Canada by now.

I thought differently. Where ever they were, I knew it was not too far away. Jacob had too much with him to travel too far. But we head searched every square inch of the area and found nothing. I urged myself not to give up hope. Sam had informed Carlisle and I that due to Jacob's withdrawal from the pack, even if he did change into wolf form they wouldn't be able to merge with his mind to find out where he was. Jacob was his own pack now. A terrifying thought to be sure.

I would not fool myself into thinking that the wolves, regardless of Jacob's actions, would not do everything in their power to prevent actual harm to come to Jacob at the hands of my family. No, his downfall, no matter how much I hated it, would have to be done at the hands of the humans or the pack.

That rationale would break into a thousand pieces however, should Bella not survive. No amount of pleading by Carlisle would stop the bloodlust that I knew would consume me if that were the outcome. I would kill Black and enjoy it. She was alive. I had to keep repeating that to myself. She might be hurt but she was still alive.

Bella POV

The first thing I became aware of was the jackhammer like pounding on my skull. I reached up, my hand trying instinctively to go towards where the pain was emulating from only to find I had limited use of my arms. I drew a sharp intake of breath as I realized my hands were tied. At further examination, I found my legs were tied up as well. I struggled against the tight bonds. The attempt was futile. What the hell happened to me?

"I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

I heard the gruff words and the memory suddenly returned…my truck, Jacob, the gun, darkness. My eyes snapped open and I scooted backwards away from the voice only to back into a cold nylon wall. Jacob sat, legs folded watching me cautiously as he whittled a piece of wood with a small knife. A wave of nausea rolled in my stomach and I tried to fight off the dizziness that threatened to pull me into unconsciousness once again.

"What did you do Jacob?" The words came out panicked. I wanted to rub my arms to ward off the cold. It was freezing in here, wherever here was.

"I told you, Bella. Preventing you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

"By k...k…kidnapping me? You tr…tr…truly are ins…s… sane." My teeth were chattering as my body was convulsing in shivers. The dress I was wearing was not made to insulate against this bone chilling weather. I heard the wind whip around outside the tent and as I eyed the distance between me and the opening, I knew my chances out there were no better than the ones in here.

"Oh, for heaven's sake Bella, even if you did manage, tied up as you are, to escape me, you wouldn't last 10 minutes in that. In case you haven't noticed, it's a blizzard out there. No one is coming on or off this mountain. Now get in the damn sleeping bag." Jacob told me as if he were reading my thoughts. He saw my hesitation. "Unless you don't want all ten toes."

It was awkward but somehow I managed to crawl into the sleeping bag not because he ordered it but because I knew if I were to survive this night and try to get away, I would need to keep warm.

If I couldn't talk him into taking me back, I may have to take my chances. I needed to sit here and bide my time, to allow my body to rest for what was to come. Though even at my full strength, I feared I wouldn't be able to get away and survive. "Edward is going to kill you for this."

Jacob actually laughed. Was this a joke to him? "Oh, Bella. You really are too funny. Edward is probably dead by now as well as all of your leech friends. They would have crossed the treaty line as soon as they realized you were missing and the pack would have attacked and killed them."

No, I thought. It couldn't be true. The pain was overwhelming; drowning me. Think logically Bella. It was dark now. That would have been hours ago. Edward would have known I was missing soon after Charlie discovered I wasn't by my truck. Oh God, Charlie. What he must me going through right now.

"You're lying. If that were the case, you would have returned me hours ago."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe , not. You'll never know will you?"

Never know? Was he planning on keeping me forever? Forcing the idea of Edward being harmed out of my head because if I believed that all would be lost for me, I spoke again. "How could you do this to Charlie? I can't believe that Sam would condone this either."

"Charlie? He would thank me if he knew the truth." He chuckled humorlessly then. "And Sam, well let's just say that a Black was never meant to follow a Uley."

I tried to recall all the stories I had heard from my days spent on the reservation. I knew that Sam was the alpha by default because Jacob didn't want the responsibility. If Jacob wasn't following Sam anymore that could only mean that Jacob was acting on his own. That was not good.

"I can see you finally figured it out. That's right Bella. I went rogue so to speak. I don't follow anyone now."

If I thought Jacob was dangerous before, that danger just increased a hundred fold. He was not bound by any rules or ethics anymore, just the ones created in his own mind to justify what he had done and whatever he was going to do. He had truly crossed the line from sanity to something else. My Jacob, the one who helped me through the worst time of my life, the one who had such an easy smile and a light heart no longer existed. In his place was this cold, calculating monster. Was it possible that somewhere in there the old Jacob still existed and if he did, could I bring him out?

"Jake, you don't have to do this." I pleaded with him.

"Sure I do Bella." He seemed almost cheerful.

"You could bring me back. I'll convince my dad not to prosecute you."

"And your precious Edward?" He sneered. "Surely you don't think he'll be as agreeable even if you could convince Charlie, do you? If he's not already dead that is."

No, he wouldn't be. Edward would be in a rage, killing Jacob would be the foremost thought in his mind and nothing I could say would stop him. Not that I wanted to at this point.

"How long do you think you can keep me here Jacob?"

"For as long as it takes."

"As long as it takes for what, exactly?"

"For you to realize you love me and not that bloodsucker."

Love him? As if that could be ever be possible, especially now. All my pretenses of trying to bring out the old Jacob disappeared. "If you really love me as you claim to, you wouldn't be doing this. How could I love someone who had taken me from my home, Jacob? Someone who bashed me over the head and kidnapped me, taking me to only God knows where? Tell me Jacob, how could you think I could possible love you after this?"

Jacob POV

I shrugged. "For argument's sake, let's say you're right." I could tell I surprised her with my comment and she looked at me with distrust. If she didn't believe harm had come to the Cullens, I had to break her another way. Knowing Bella as I did, I knew she would care nothing for her physical safety. After all, this was a girl that dove off cliffs and rode motorcycles not so long ago. No, I needed to lay bare her insecurities. It wouldn't be that hard considering they were so blatantly obvious.

"I know I'm right." She claimed indignantly, her chin going up in a stubborn tilt.

"Well then this must get pretty tedious for your precious Edward."

"What gets tedious?" I could tell my statement confused her. Good.

"Saving you. I mean how much longer can he keep this up before it becomes boring, constantly bringing you back from the edge of death? I don't think he'll be able to do it much longer. In fact," I drawled getting ready to go in for the proverbial kill. "I'll bet that's why he abandoned you in the first place…he couldn't take being with such a weak human."

Bella's bottom lip trembled and I watched as tears started to spill from her eyes. Bullseye!

"No." She shook her head violently. "You're…you're wrong!"

"Am I? Am I really?...Think back to all those conversations we had when you could barely hold yourself together to even function. You had even said so yourself…you weren't good enough for him. He told you didn't belong in his world. He was right." I let the words sink in, saw the wheels turning in her mind as she mulled over what I had just told her. "And when he found out you didn't succeed in killing yourself like he thought, he felt obligated to take you back. I mean you tried to commit suicide over him, what was the guy supposed to do? He's just stringing you along now, pretending everything is great. Then he'll start dropping little hints when he feels your getting strong enough and when the time is right he will leave you again.

"So…what …I belong in your world? Is that what you're saying? If I am so damn pathetic why would you want me?"

"But I do want you. I love you Bella. You do belong in my world. You wouldn't have to change for me Bella, like you do for him. You could remain human, we could get married, give Charlie those grandkids he wants so badly. Your bloodsucker can't give you that Bella."

"I. Don't. Want. You. " She said fiercely, her hands clenching into fists causing her knuckles to whiten. "Even if you were right about Edward. Which you are not. I could never love you."

Rage, swift and sure flowed through me at her words. I threw the knife I was whittling with to the ground and I watched pierce the earth inches from where Bella sat. She flinched and stared back at me with horror in her eyes. I didn't care. She wasn't listening to reason. My body started to tremble. I needed to calm down before I phased. In this close proximity to Bella, I couldn't risk it.

With a growl, I exited the confines of the tent which suddenly seemed suffocating. The wind blew hard flakes of snow at me. Instantly they melted as soon as coming in contact with my heated skin. I hadn't lied to Bella about the storm at least. The weather really was wicked out here. I couldn't even see 2 feet in front of my face which meant it was doubtful anyone else could if they somehow managed to figure out where we were.