Chapter Twenty Two

BPOV

I don't know how long I cried for, but eventually I fell asleep. I was thankful that Jacob did not return, though I could hear him out in the main cabin area. I dreamt that night. I dreamt of my wedding, but it wasn't Jacob who I pictured as the groom. It was Edward. The dream started out pleasant, but suddenly it switched and I found myself in the middle of a nightmare. Edward morphed into Jacob and my beautiful dress turned into a black funeral dress. I was struggling in Jacobs arms, trying to get free and he was sneering at me.

I screamed and sat bolt upright in the bed, confused as to my surroundings for a minute before the previous day's events flooded through me making my tears turn into sobs. I curled myself into a ball, my knees up against my chest and my arms locked around them. The pain in my chest cracked wide open and the empty space where my heart was throbbed painfully. I rocked back and forth as my entire body shook with the force of my sobs. The door flung open and I raised my head just enough to see Jacob's silhouette frame the doorway.

"You know anyone would think you don't love me." he snarled

"I don't." I snapped back

Faster than I thought was possible for his size; he strode over to where I was on the bed and slapped me. Hard. I gasped at the pain I felt in my cheek and glared up at him.

"You can hit me and hurt me all you like, Jacob Black, but it will never change the truth." I said quietly.

Again, he slapped me but this time he followed it with a backhander too.

"You may not like me, but you will learn to respect your husband." He growled.

"I will not marry you, Jacob. Why are you doing this? Please, just let me go." I pleaded. He laughed harshly.

"I am doing this because you are mine to do with as I please. Get dressed; we're going to the courthouse to pick up our marriage licenses."

With that he left the room, slamming the door closed behind him. I stared at the door for a moment, processing what he had just said and then sprung up from the bed. If we were going out, it meant we were going into the town or the city and that meant chances of escape for me. I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue shirt.

Ten minutes later I was sat in the passenger seat of Jacob's Rabbit, my mind swirling with possibilities and scenarios of escape. I kept my face turned to the window and ensured that I had a blank mask on so that he could not read my intentions. We drove for an hour before he finally pulled into a parking garage and turned to me once the car had stopped.

"Don't try anything, Bella. If you do, your pretty boy, Cullen will suffer the consequences and you know that I don't make idle threats." He warned me. I swallowed the fear and panic that I could rise within me and nodded mutely.

I followed him from the car and out towards the front of the courthouse. There were many people around and as I looked up in the foyer I noticed a camera. A plan formed in my mind. I may not be able to escape, but I could leave clues for Edward to find me.

I trailed behind Jacob towards the counter and stood to the side, but behind him so the attendant could see me. I caught the attendant's eye and sent him a pleading look, my eyes flickered to Jacob's back and back to the attendant and I started to mouth.

"Help. Kidnapped. Call Police."

The attendant's eyes widened as he looked from me to Jacob, who thankfully at the time was looking down as he filled out the forms in front of him. I shook my head pleadingly at the attendant.

"Please? Help me." I mouthed. He nodded slowly and relaxed his face into a calm mask again just in time for Jacob to look up at him.

I waited while Jacob continued to complete the procedure of gaining a marriage license. He handed me my own form to sign, I quickly signed it and peeked a glance at Jacob. He was staring at something behind us so I scribbled a note:

555-780456

Call Edward; tell him JB cabin in woods.

I slid the form back over to the attendant who scanned it and nodded once he had read the note I had written. He stamped the form and stashed it under Jacob's to prevent it being seen.

After a long wait we were called in for our joint interview. Jacob grabbed me by my elbow and leaned into my ear to whisper.

"Don't try anything in your single interview, you know my promise. Cullen will get it if you mess this up."

I shivered in fear and nodded once to show my understanding. I had a feeling Jacob would be listening in on my interview to prevent me saying anything so I would just have to do this the hard way. I would not marry him. Never. I feared for Edward's safety, but maybe I could somehow get a message to him that I was safe and unharmed. Next to that I also could get a message to my father or Emmett or someone on how to find me before this deranged ex-friend of mine managed to carry out his sick, twisted plans.

The joint interview took half an hour as the officinal asked us a manner of questions relating to our relationship and living means. I stayed quiet through most of it, only answering when I really had to. Finally the official asked Jacob to step out whilst I had my single interview. Jacob shot my one warning look and a smile at the official and then slipped out of the door, leaving it open I crack without the official noticing. I quickly leaned over and whispered urgently.

"I need you to carry on with the interview as your normally would, but I also need your help. Can you pass me a pen and paper please?"

The official looked confused for a moment and then slid over the items I had asked for. I motioned with my hands for him to continue. He paused for a brief second and then started to talk about how marriage was a huge step in anyone's life and it should only be taken if I was absolutely certain. He asked me questions on my life and career and family and anything else under the sun. The entire time he was talking, I had been scribbling away with an explanation and a plea:

Help me, please!

This man has kidnapped me and threatened to harm my boyfriend unless I marry him.

He is keeping me in his cabin in the woods, off of Route 92-B. please call the numbers I give below and follow my instructions:

Edward – 555-780456

Please tell him to stay away, but that I am ok. Tell him I love him and will see him soon.

Charlie Swan – 555-342438

Please tell him to speak to Billy and get the information on the location and provide it to NYPD, Officer Twain. Tell him to hurry. I have only a day and a half left!

Please, help me!

I finished my note just as the official was wrapping up the interview. I slid the piece of paper over to him and he understood from my expression that it was not something he could not read in public. He folded it up and slipped it under some files by his left arm. I gave him a tiny smile in gratitude. I only hoped he would take it seriously. I had done all I could now. Now, I would simply have to wait for my father.

EPOV

We left Bella's apartment several hours later and made our way back to mine. Emmett drove, having returned from meeting with Josh down at his office, as Charlie sat in the front seat beside him and Jasper and me in the back. I may have broken myself out of the fog of despair but I was still in no way, shape or form ready to drive. The pain in my heart at her separation from me throbbed intermittently causing me to double over and grab my chest to hopefully ease the ache. It would fade to a dull throb and then return with a vengeance as I spotted something that reminded me of her, which, lets face it, was almost everything. The café around the corner from her apartment, where we sometimes met on a Saturday before deciding what to do; the bookstore where I had picked up a new copy of Pride and Prejudice for Bella when her covers fell apart rendering the book useless to hold and read; the courthouse steps where I had first seen her after eight long years; the park where we had had our picnic on our second date all of it served to tease and torture me with images of her.

We arrived at my parking garage and Jasper gently nudged me. I slowly moved my head round to look at him and his face changed from one of concern to sympathy. I felt something warm and wet splash down on my hand and I looked down, surprised to find several other wet spots. I hadn't realised that I had been crying silent tears that streamed down my face and onto my hand. I reached up and wiped my wet face.

"We'll find her, E. don't give up on her." Jasper said quietly, his arm around my shoulders.

"Never." I replied hoarsely.

And I wouldn't. As much as I hoped to find her and get to her before she married that slime ball, even if I was late and still found her, there was no way in which I would give up on her. It wasn't so much the fact that she would be married to that jerk that made me desperate to find her before it actually happened, it was the after that scared me. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she loved me and wanted only me but this meant that if he married her, he could claim her, both literally and physically. The literal sense I could deal with; we could always annul the marriage afterwards. No, it was the physical sense that frightened me. If she was against marrying him then I knew she would also be dead against sleeping with him, which would mean that if - and it was a big if – he managed to have sex with her, it would not be consensual and the fallout for her on that was too painful to even contemplate. There was no option; I had to find her before the wedding.

I trailed behind my brother, Jasper and Charlie up to my apartment. Part of me was well aware of my surroundings and the conversation going on between Charlie and Emmett and the other part was still locked in a fog. I tried to shake myself out of it, but no matter what I did, the fog remained. Emmett unlocked my door and strode in and straight to the kitchen, Jasper and Charlie hot on his heels, I assumed to grab a beer. I headed into my lounge and flopped down on the couch; the earlier determination ebbing out of me, leaving me exhausted. I hadn't slept last night. The most I had managed was half an hour before a nightmare woke me, leaving me in a state of catatonia.

The dream had started out fine. It was me and Bella, walking through the park hand in hand, talking and laughing and occasionally sharing a kiss or two. But somehow it changed and I felt her release my hand and step away from me, smirking evilly.

"I don't love you Edward. I never have. This was all about revenge, nothing else. I love Jacob and I am going to him now." She snarled.

"No, no, no, no. Kitten, no. don't say that, you don't mean it. Tell me you don't mean it, baby." I pleaded with her.

"Oh, I mean every word. I belong to Jacob, not you." she reiterated.

She then turned and walked away from me, towards a waiting Jacob. I watched as they embraced, twining around one another until I couldn't tell where one began and the other ended. I sank to my knees, shaking and crying out to her, calling her back.

And that was when I awoke, shaking, sweating and sobbing into my brothers' very large chest as he held me, soaking his shirt with both my tears and my sweat. I don't know how long it took him to calm me down, but eventually I fell into a pit of darkness, seeing and hearing nothing, my eyes open, but not seeing, my mind whirling, but not registering anything. I felt dead; useless.

Sighing I leant my head back on the back of my sofa, closing my eyes to drown out all other sounds. I considered for one moment if I could go take a nap in my bed before the memory of my dream hit me again and I decided against it. I don't think I could take another one of those. So instead I rose to my feet and trudged into the kitchen, stopping just outside the doorway when I heard the murmur of voices from within. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it when I heard my name.

"Will Edward be ok?" Charlie asked.

"I honestly don't know, Chief. This time seems so different to the last. One minute I think he's ok, but then I look into his eyes and I see the pain and emptiness there and then I realise maybe not. It's frightening to see him like this and this time it's so much worse." Emmett replied quietly.

"In what way?" Charlie returned.

"He knows he loves her this time." Jasper stated in a matter of fact tone.

"And he didn't last time?" Charlie said incredulously.

"No, he didn't. We could all see it, but he himself couldn't. I think part of what sent him off the deep end was the fact that he couldn't understand why he felt like he did when she left LA." Emmett answered.

I was surprised at how perceptive my brother had been. He understood a lot more than I thought. I had, in the last few months since reconnecting with Bella, wondered what had provoked my downfall eight years ago and why it had affected me for so long. It wasn't until Kate had pointed out that I had loved as more than my best friend all along had I started to even consider that as a factor.

"Shit, I thought he had always known and that was why he acted out the way he did back then." Charlie muttered, still surprised.

"No, but I think he knows now. I know that he struggled for a long time to try and understand why. Why she left, why he felt so empty, why it hit him so hard; he knows it now, but not then. He may not spiral as he did then this time, but if we don't find her and bring her back safe and sound, you can sure as hell expect the downfall to be a thousand times worse this time round." Jasper said his voice full of sadness.

He was right. My downfall would be so much worse this time if couldn't bring her back safe. Losing her could very well be the end of me.

I was still pondering this when my doorbell rang. I did an about turn and headed to open the door. I found Officer Twain and his partner, Officer Mac standing on the other side, grinning like fools. I motioned them in and shut the door behind them. I turned and faced them, folding my arms over my chest, my eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"We have some news."