CHAPTER 19

I landed on my feet in waist deep water and looked around, glad of my extremely enhanced vampire sight as I inspected my surroundings. I heard a sudden skittering of rocks and spun to find the source. The rest of our search party was coming down the side of the ravine along a thin trail.

"Bella! How could you do that!?" Emmett reprimanded when he arrived at my side and took my face in his hands to make sure I was okay.

I shrugged, "it was easier and faster than the way you came down. Jake, where is the cruiser?" I asked, easing myself from Emmett's arms.

He jerked his head and started walking against the flow of water. I immediately followed him and listened intently to the sounds around us. A few minutes later we came to the cruiser, which now resembled no more than a twisted piece of metal laying crossways in the water. Every window was broken and the doors were all smashed, the driver's door and the back right door were ajar and mangled. I could tell that it had rolled at least twice because of the damage done to the roof and body itself.

"Oh Charlie," I groaned almost silently as Alice said, "oh my god."

"Carlisle," Emse asked beseechingly, "could he have…"

"I don't know Esme, he could have gotten out, but I don't know if even Charlie would have been strong enough to survive a fall like that," Carlisle replied.

"Let's just look for him," Sam commanded. Edward was the only one to hiss at being ordered around by a "dog". The rest of us nodded, broke off into our couples, and headed off. Emmett and I stood and waited as Alice and Jasper and Esme and Carlisle scaled the walls on either side to search up above for signs that he might have climbed out. Rosalie grabbed Edward's arm and began pulling him upstream, giving me one sympathetic glance before leaving. Sam and Jake stayed with us as we began walking downstream. I had chosen this way because I had a feeling that if he had gotten out or if something else had happened; downstream would be the way he'd go.

We walked for a long time, silent, listening for sounds. We pretty much knew we wouldn't be getting any smells, since we were in water, unless Charlie had tried to climb up the wall. After several hours, we came upon Seth, Quil, and Paul. Sam and Paul transformed in front of us, not even caring that they were naked in front of me. I was too much in shock to even be interested in looking at them.

"Paul says they haven't found anything yet Bella. They've been looking but there's no sign of him," Sam said, regret filling his voice. Behind him, the huge russet wolf that was Jacob whined softly. "I…I think we need to take a break Bella."

I shook my head, frowning, "no, I'm going to look for my father until I find him. This has nothing to do with you. If you don't want to help, go home, but I'm not giving up on him. He didn't give up on me."

"I don't mean to sound heartless Bella; it's just…most of us have been awake for at least three days for one reason or another. We're dead exhausted."

"I told you to leave!" I snarled. "I don't care if you're here! I don't care if you leave and don't help us search! I don't need you here! I can find my father just as easily as you could have! Go home you mutt!"

He looked taken aback but put a restraining arm on Paul's chest when the anger prone young Indian looked murderous. "I know what you're feeling Bella, and it's killing me that you have to feel that way. I know you won't apologize now, but I know you don't mean what you say. I will leave the choice up to the pack, if they wish to stay, they can, if they wish to leave, I will not stop them."

A moment later, Jake phased back, pulling his jean shorts on so fast that even us vampires barely saw it.

"The pack has decided Sam," he informed.

"Let us hear their decisions so that we can get back to the search," Sam instructed.

"Everyone is staying," Jake said simply. "I asked each of them individually Sam, and every single one of them is going to search until we find him. It's not just because we all know and love Charlie. It's because we all know and love Bella, and we know what this must be doing to her. Even though she's the "enemy", we can't help but love her. She was a part of the pack before she was a vampire, and to us, she'll always be one of us."

Sam nodded and turned to me. "There you have it Bella, we're staying. We will look for him until he is found. We will not abandon you and Charlie so easily. I just thought…I didn't realize how committed the pack would be and I am sorry for what I said before."

I gave him a curt nod before heading off again, Emmett at my side and the pack members trailing us.

We searched all that night and part of the morning to no avail. By six that morning, the rest of the police force was out looking too, having gotten a report of Charlie's cruiser in the ravine. But we were all far out of human searching distance, miles and miles up and down river. It was almost one in the afternoon when we heard the howling. Jake let out a wail of grief and I knew they'd found Charlie. I gave a cry and put on a burst of speed that was matched by Emmett and Jake.

Several miles from where we'd been searching, and almost twenty from where the cruiser had been found, Leah Clearwater and Collin were waiting. They were both in human form now, both kneeling in the mud and water near a very still object.

As we got closer I could see the tears streaming down Leah's face, the grief in the set of Collin's mouth. As we got closer, I realized that the still object they were guarding was Charlie, and he was not getting up. Even from where we were still walking I could smell the difference from this Charlie and the old one.

When we arrived at the scene, I let out a heaving sob and fell to my knees beside my father. I threw myself on him, hugging him close, sobbing dryly into his clothes. "Dad," I sobbed against him. "Please."

Emmett sank to his knees beside me and hugged me as I hugged Charlie. Suddenly he let me go and sat up very straight. "Bella," he whispered. When I didn't answer he jerked me back, "Bella!"

"What?" I asked around my crying.

"He…he's not dead! He's alive!" Emmett said.

I stared at him incredulously for a moment then looked at Charlie. He looked very dead to me. "Emmett I don't think—"

"You just can't tell the difference Bella, because you're so new to all this, but he's alive. Barely, but he's alive. We need Carlisle." With that Emmett whipped out his phone and began talking faster than I could comprehend. After about a second, he closed the phone. "Carlisle will be here in a few minutes."

"What are we going to do Emmett?" I whispered, holding Charlie's hand.

Emmett gently pried my fingers from Charlie's and held it, "I'm sorry Bells, but I don't think it'll help him if you're touching him. You're so cold…and he's so far gone…"

I nodded almost absently, not taking my eyes off my prone father. As I watched, Jake and Sam walked forward and lay down on either side of him, giving him their body heat.

"Thank you," I whispered on another sob, this time of gratefulness.

About five minutes later, the rest of the Cullens were there, so fast and invisible that some of the wolves jumped to their feet in fright.

"Carlisle," I gasped out in relief, stumbling to my feet.

"Bella," he said absently, going to his knees beside Charlie after Sam had moved. After examining him for a moment Carlisle stood up and went to stand by himself, looking up at the sky. Finally he turned around again. "Sam," he said. "I…I need to…I need to ask you for permission to break the treaty."

Instantly Sam had phased back looking worried, "Carlisle, that…you can't do anything else for him? There is no other way?" he asked pleadingly.

Carlisle shook his head, looking genuinely sorry about this. "He's too far gone to go the hospital. There, he would die in a matter of days, right now, if he doesn't go, he will die in a matter of hours. He lost a lot of blood and has hypothermia. Please Sam, let me save him."

Sam looked torn between wanting to help Charlie and wanting to uphold the treaty. Finally he sighed, "I give you permission to breech the treaty and hold you to your word that after this it will be put immediately back into place."

Carlisle turned to me immediately, "Bella, it must be you," he said.

My mouth dropped open and I stared at him. Rosalie voiced what I could not, "but Carlisle, she's a newborn. She won't be able to stop."

Carlisle looked deep into my eyes, "she'll stop, because it's Charlie, because he's more important to her than everything except Emmett. She'll save him, it has to be her."

I looked back at him and knew that he was right, it had to be me. I finally nodded, "I'll do it. Carlisle, if…if I can't stop…"

He nodded in return, "we'll help you Bella. You must do it now, before it's too late."

I got down beside Charlie and happened to look at Jake. He'd phased while I wasn't paying attention and was now watching me intently. After a moment I looked away, back at Charlie. I almost sobbed again at how dead he looked, how mangled and fragile. I gently lifted his wrist, unwilling to bite his neck, and bit before I could make myself pull away. I wasn't sure when I was supposed to stop so I looked at Carlisle for guidance. The taste of the blood barely fazed me, it was like it was just there, it didn't cause me to go into a frenzy like it did the others. Finally Carlisle nodded his head and I pulled away.

I sat back on my heels as we watched Charlie for signs that he was changing at all. I refused to look at anyone, afraid of what I might see, that my perception of what had happened and theirs might be different. Suddenly, Charlie let out a scream that made all of us jump. I reached out and clutched his hand tightly in my own.