A/N: As requested, here is the follow up to the cliffie from last chapter. Thanks again for all the awesome reviews, I was nearing 100 last time I checked for this chapter alone, which was awesome, although I think the influx of reviews came from the fact that I pissed you all off by making them so happy and then ruining said happiness. Ah well, I'm a masochist, what can I say?
MaggieMay14 is also a masochist and a fan of fuckhot rob on a motorcycle with tattoos :) She's also helping me with a new story, yes I said a NEW STORY, which will be more smut than I usually handle. So, play nice with her or I'll only show her the story, LOL
Anyways, as per usual, I'm thanking flightlessbird11, weasleyweakness, lysvia (where are you girl?), lovebuggkiss and the rest of the coldplaywhore gang that reviews on a regular basis! I love you all in a very platonic fan fiction sort of way, except you addictedtotwlight79, I love you like I used to love Jared Leto. LOL
Ok, I don't own twilight, but I do a crazy amount of useless knowledge and dream of appearing on Jeopardy.
EPOV
As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up on the couch, I immediately stretched my arms over my head and let out a long satisfying yawn. After the events of the day, I wasn't surprised by how quickly I had fallen asleep on the couch. Unfortunately, my back was probably going to be aching later, both from the move and the couch. As I stretched my body again, I couldn't help feeling the sheer excitement coursing through my veins. Bella lived with me and as far as I was concerned, she would be with me for the rest of my life, if she would have me of course, which she kept insisting she would. A smile crossed my face as I ran my fingers through my hair haphazardly and yawned once more.
I turned my head slowly to the left and the bright blue letters of the clock on the microwave read 1:12 and the entire room was pitch black. I flipped on the light on the end table and reluctantly stood from the couch which had been my bed for the past four hours. Bella clearly had the common sense to crawl into bed instead of to remain lying with me on the couch, which was where she was when I felt asleep a while ago. I was suddenly surprised by the realization that she hadn't woken me to go to bed with her. I shrugged my shoulders as I got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, drinking it down greedily as I noticed the small slip of paper on the counter, covered in her hand writing.
Went to the store for milk and eggs. Be Right Back
Love,
Bella
I quickly picked the paper up from the hard grey granite counter and crumpled it in my hand, tossing it in the garbage as I went back towards the living room to shut off the light. As I passed the front door though, I realized I was awake enough to notice several things at once; Bella's keys were not on the counter where she always rested them, even before she lived here, but her wallet was there. Only the deadbolt was locked, not the chain lock and her shoes were gone.
In a blind panic, I bolted into our bedroom and saw that the bed was still impeccably made from earlier in the day. The new red comforter which Bella had picked up only days ago from Bed, Bath and Beyond lay flat against the bed, all the pillows still in place and everything looked untouched. Oh fuck, I muttered to myself as I ran through the apartment, desperate to find her curled up on the couch in her office or doing a load of laundry. Nothing. Every room I stepped into was void of Bella. Even the balcony, which still housed the empty Corona bottles from my afternoon with Emmett was empty. What fucking time did she go to the store?
I stepped out into the hallway and looked in each direction, but there was no sign of her again, so I grabbed my keys as I slipped on some sandals and ran down to my car, hoping to find her on her way back from the store, grocery bag in hand. The moment I sat down in the car, I was feeling completely at a loss, as though something major was missing from me, like my heart. I scoffed to myself as I turned the key and slipped out onto our street, still petrified yet hopeful. She couldn't have gone far, I reminded myself.
The store we usually frequented for such late night needs was closed. Of course, it was fucking closed its twenty after one in the god damn morning. I drove around the block for a few minutes as I picked up my cell phone and dialed her number. It went to voicemail. Shit.
As I sat in my parked car in front of the store I hoped she would be at, I called 911 to see if I could report a missing person. I was transferred to a detective at the local precinct who told me that until she had been missing for twenty four hours, there wasn't much that they could do. I had twenty more hours to wait until I could report her missing, how fucking stupid was that? I cursed as I threw my head against the steering wheel in frustration. I didn't know what else to do, so I drove back to our apartment and ran up the stairs, hoping that she would be sitting on the couch waiting for me.
"Where have you been Edward?" she would say to me calmly as my face would break out in the biggest smile in my life.
"Looking for you sweetheart. Always looking for you," I would reply as I would lean forward and take her face into my hands gently, showing her all the love I had for her through my expressive eyes.
When I walked in, everything was the exact same as I had left it and there was still no sign of Bella.
I picked up the land line and immediately called Alice. Not that I thought she had gone to see her, but I hoped that Bella might have mentioned something earlier in the night that I had forgotten or wasn't aware of. I was starting to grasp at straws and I knew it. If Bella was playing some sort of game, I was fucking pissed.
"Edward, it's almost two in the morning, this better be fucking good," said Jasper groggily into the phone as I begged to speak to Alice. I could hear him muttering curse words as he woke Alice who seemed just as angry that I had called and woken her from what I guessed was a peaceful slumber.
"What?" she snapped into the phone as my heart sunk again with worry.
"Ali, have you talked to Bella tonight? I fell asleep on the couch earlier and when I woke up, she was gone. Her keys and shoes are gone, but her car is here. She left a note saying she was going to the store, but the store she would have gone to closed almost four hours ago… I need help Alice," I said in a panicked tone. Alice was silent as she no doubt tried to think of an explanation for Bella's absence.
"Edward, calm down. It's not unlike Bella to go to the store for things at odd hours of the evening," said Alice, sounding both calm yet concerned.
"Alice. If she went to the store it was probably hours ago. What if she was hurt or kidnapped? What if she is lying somewhere dying and I'm not with her," I said quickly, my voice cracking out of pure fear. I tried not to think of the things I had mentioned to Alice, but when the words came from my mouth I knew I was going to start crying.
"Have you called the police?" asked Alice, now starting to sound more worried. Alice and Bella had been friends for so long; even Alice knew this wasn't standard Bella behavior, no matter how much we wanted to think that she had headed to the store for a pint of ice cream. I could hear her talking to Jasper in the background and he seemed just as worried as I was.
"I called on my way back to the apartment. I drove around for a bit hoping to find her with no luck. The cops said they couldn't do anything unless she had been missing for twenty four hours," I explained to her in frustration. "My next plan of attack is to call all the hospitals."
"Jasper and I are on our way over. Sit tight for a few minutes and we'll do that for you okay. If her cell phone is there, I think you should check her previous calls and maybe called Rosalie or Emmett. She and Rosalie spent a lot of time together today; perhaps she can give you some insight. Stay put Edward," chastised Alice as she quickly hung up the phone and I ran through the apartment again. I couldn't think of anywhere else she could be.
I was pacing nervously around the room when Alice and Jasper finally showed up at quarter after two. "Any word man?" asked Jasper as I shook my head from side to side and enveloped myself in a hug from my baby sister.
"Jasper's gonna go into the office and start calling all the area hospitals to see if Bella has been admitted okay?" asked Alice as I simply nodded my head and she led me over to the couch. I saw Jasper leave the room from the corner of my eye as Alice helped me sit down and then grabbed the phone beside her to call Rosalie.
They chatted for a few moments and I could hear the paranoia dripping off of Rosalie's voice on the other end of the phone, even though Alice had it held tightly to her ear. As I bent my head forward, my face now resting in my hands, I felt Alice's hands on my back, rubbing small soothing circles in an attempt to comfort me. I wanted to push her away and treat her harshly; like she had treated Bella and I in the early days of our relationship, but I didn't have the energy. I wanted to crawl up inside of myself until Bella walked through the door, mumbling about how she walked to twenty different stores in an attempt to find a pint of 'Phish Food'.
I somehow managed to fall asleep even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. My uneasy dreams were more like nightmares filled with disturbing images of Bella alone in the dark. In some she was walking, calling my name and in others she was simply standing still, unsure of her surroundings or of me. When I finally awoke, I jolted forward and looked at Alice in frustration for letting me sleep in the first place. I immediately felt empty and my body ached for her.
"Jasper called them all and they haven't had a Bella or Isabella Swan admitted within the past twenty four hours. Did you want me to call mom and dad?" asked Alice nervously as I turned my head around to the clock on the microwave again. It was almost six in the morning and Bella had been gone almost nine hours, if my math was right about when she left. I nodded my head as I wandered into the bathroom, her eyes on me the entire time.
When I wandered out a few minutes later, Alice was still on the phone with them and Jasper was greeting Emmett at the door. "Dude," was all Emmett managed to say before I threw myself down in one of the chairs in the living room, listening as Alice spoke to my dad.
"He's on duty at the hospital, so he's going to look into possible accidents and stuff from last night," said Alice reluctantly as she glanced between jasper and Emmett and then back to me. "Do you want something to drink or eat? Rosalie is coming over later, once she has found someone to watch Logan."
"No Alice…" I said bitterly towards her as I stood from my seat, my pulse positively racing. "I don't want anything to fucking eat. I want my god damn girlfriend back." I grabbed a vase from the mantel and tossed it against the wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces. That vase was like a metaphor for my fucking life if she was gone, I thought to myself angrily. My knees began to buckle as I slipped to the floor, glass from the vase digging into my knees and hands as I unsuccessfully tried to steady myself.
"Jesus Christ," I heard Emmett mutter as I heard him run to my side and felt his hands slip under my arms as he pulled me up and put me on the nearest chair. Alice was at my side moments later, cleaning up the glass and blood that was now covering my hands with a wet washcloth. I began sobbing quietly as Alice gingerly touched my hands, the blood subsiding somewhat.
"Can I make a suggestion?" said Alice once she had finished washing my hands and knees. She had tea towels wrapped around each of my hands, which took the brunt of the damage. I looked up at her, tears still streaming down my face and simply nodded. "I think you should call Charlie."
"Alice, I've never even met Charlie," I said succinctly as I wiped my tears from my face with my tea towel covered hands.
"Just fucking call him Edward. He's programmed in Bella's phone, which has got to be around here somewhere. He's a cop for christ sakes. If the Seattle police won't do anything to help you, perhaps Charlie can throw some of his weight around and get some information for you," said Emmett as he threw himself on the couch beside me, clearly as frustrated as me at the situation. Jasper was cleaning the glass from the floor quietly and I shot him an apologetic glance. He nodded his head, as though to tell me not to worry about it, before he went back to sweeping.
Alice was back at my side a moment later, thrusting the phone in my face as I searched through the directory and found Charlie's number. I hit send and waited impatiently for him to pick up.
"Bella, what are you doing up so early?" he asked casually into the phone. His voice was tired and gruff, but that was to be expected of a veteran of any police force.
"Umm… this is Edward Cullen. I'm Bella's boyfriend," I said quietly as Alice kneeled beside me, urging me on. "Bella probably hasn't mentioned me because I know you guys don't talk very often, but I could desperately use your help Chief Swan."
The phone was silent for a few moments before I heard some shifting in the background. I was about to speak again, but Charlie spoke before I could get the chance.
"She mentioned you in passing last time we spoke, although she did mention you guys were no longer together," said Charlie flatly as I ran my hands through my hair before gripping my fists tightly on my knees. I watched my knuckles turn white as I wished there was something closer to me than my sister to throw across the room in frustration.
"Yeah well, we had a short break up, but we've been back together for several months now. Anyways, Chief Swan, Bella went out for an errand last night and never returned. It's been almost ten hours now and I contacted the Seattle P.D. but they say I can't report her missing until it's been twenty four hours and I thought since you were a Police Officer you could be of some assistance," I said formally. I hated that I had to talk to Bella's father this way; that I had to break the news to him that she was missing, but it was unavoidable.
"Did you just say she was missing?" stuttered Charlie quietly. I could hear his voice cracking on the other end of the phone. I knew that whatever issues he and Bella might have had in the past certainly didn't mean he didn't love her. That was clear the moment I began talking to him.
"Yes sir," I replied anxiously. There were several more moments of silence before Charlie spoke again.
"I'll be in Seattle within the next three hours. I have a contact at the southwest precinct, not far from her apartment that I will call on the way. Keep me posted with what you find out Edward… and thank you for calling." Charlie was about to hang up the phone when I called out to him again.
"Oh, Chief Swan. Bella doesn't live at her place anymore. She lives with me, directly across the street on the fifth floor. She moved in yesterday sir. She left a note saying she was going to the store…" I started to say as my voice began to fracture and tears started to fall again. Alice snatched the phone from my ear and began to talk to Charlie, although I couldn't hear any of the words being said.
Once Alice was off the phone, the pacing began again, except this time I was joined by both Emmett and Jasper. Alice had taken it upon herself to cook breakfast for us, but immediately began complaining that we had no eggs or milk, so she sent Jasper down to Einstein Bagels on the corner to get us something to eat, even though I had no appetite whatsoever.
The moment he came back in the apartment, I was practically pulling my hair out with worry. I felt helpless sitting here, unable to do anything, while god knows what was happening to Bella. I stood up and grabbed my car keys as Alice grabbed my arm and looked at me in disappointment. "I can't sit here doing nothing Alice. I'm just going to go for a drive around the neighborhood, maybe see if someone saw anything," I said matter of factly.
"I'll go with you," piped up Emmett as he shoved the last bite of his cheese bagel into his mouth and grabbed another one for the road. I wasn't exactly feeling up to company, but I could tell that either he came with me or I had to stay put and there was no way I could stay in our apartment any longer. Just as I was about to relent to Emmett, Alice's cell phone rang and she stepped into the bedroom to take it.
"Edward, wait," called Alice as I opened the front door, Emmett close behind me, both of us eager to leave. "Dad wants to talk to you," she added as she thrust her cell phone at me and turned to hug Jasper. This already didn't look good.
"Edward, I think I've found her," said my father quietly as my heart practically leapt from my chest. I opened my mouth to speak but Carlisle wasn't finished. "I was trying to see if she had been admitted to the hospital last night and Sue down on admitting told me about a Jane Doe that was the victim of a hit and run last night. She was brought it around ten thirty. I went to see her and even though she's unconscious and in very rough shape down at the ICU, I think its Bella."
I'm sure there were other words that came from my father's mouth, but I didn't hear them. I tossed Alice's phone on the counter and raced out of the apartment with Emmett close to my heels as Alice called out for us. "Where are you going?"
"Southwest Hospital. Dad found her," I screamed in response as I ran as fast as my legs could carry me down to my car. I whipped open the driver's side door, practically pulling it all its hinges as I jumped in the front seat and Emmett eased himself into the passenger side of the car. We raced through the streets of Seattle as Emmett tried to get me to snap back to reality.
"Dad said it might be her, but what if it's not Edward?" asked Emmett as we sat at a stop light a mere two blocks from the hospital.
"That's not fucking funny Emmett. I'll cross that bridge when we get there, now call Alice on my cell and have her call Charlie," I said angrily as I tossed my cell phone to him and he glared back at me.
"You should just be prepared for whatever you see Edward. She might not be Bella," he said calmly as he held the phone to his ear and began talking to Alice. His words kept ringing in my ears and I shuddered as I thought that he might be right. She might not be my Bella.