Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
So I was about three paragraphs away from the end last night when my laptop was taken away. I tried to sneak back on it but was caught so I got up early this morning to finish and post. That is way it is so late. Thanks for all who reviewed and put this story in their alert box and favourites. Each time I get a little email telling me this has been done it makes my day!
Sorry if there are mistake, I have not had the chance to check it properly. Enjoy!
Forever Bound
Chapter Thirty – Make This Go On Forever
"No. No. No. NO. NO! ALICIA!" Edward was jolted awake by Bella's screams.
Instantly, Edward threw himself out of bed and ran straight to Bella's side at their daughter's crib. The sight that met his eyes made his blood turn to ice. He could not breathe and he was sure that his heart had stopped beating.
Alicia was not in her crib and it was clear that Bella had no idea where she was. Although the fact was painstakingly clear Edward could not help but whisper, "Where is Alicia Bella?" His voice came out hoarse and broken.
"I do not know! I do not know! She was here, I fed her before I put her back to bed and now she is not. Where is she Edward? Where is she?" Bella sobbed, her hands knotted in Edward's nightshirt. In that moment, Edward knew he would give up everything he owned to give her an answer.
He tried to think rationally, knowing Bella would not be capable of such a thing in her frenzied state; Edward was finding it quite difficult himself. "Perhaps we are worrying too much. Maybe Angela has her, or Alice. It would not be the first time Alice has done something stupid." Edward thought out loud. Bella's sobs quieted a little as a small glimmer of hope rose within her.
Before Edward could blink, Bella was out of his arms and running through the door, no doubt about to charge down the stairs in search of Alice and Angela. Edward rushed after her.
He found Bella running from room to room, searching for Alicia; searching for anybody. Finding all the rooms empty, Bella finally made her way into the kitchen with Edward right on her heels.
They were not greeted by the sight they desperately longed for. Angela was standing over the hob, whistling as she cooked, with no Alicia in sight.
Bella burst into tears once more and sank to the floor, holding her midriff as if she was afraid she would break in half. Edward was sure if she felt half the way he did, it would literally feel as if she was being torn apart. But Edward could not give up hope yet. Angela had turned around at the sound of Bella's cries, looking both startled and deeply worried.
"Angela, did you bring Alicia downstairs this morning?" Edward asked desperately, wishing for the answer he wanted but subconsciously knowing it would not come.
Angela shook her head, "No sir." He could not give up.
"Did Alice or my mother come over and pick her up?"
"Not that I am aware of sir," Angela answered, "I am sorry sir."
Edward did not hear her. It was official; as much as he wanted to, he could deny it no longer.
His baby girl, his Alicia was missing.
Edward wanted nothing more than to join his wife on the floor and let out the screams and tears of despair that were threatening to take over him, but he knew he could not. He did not have a moment to lose. He had to find his daughter.
-o-
It was two hours to noon and Edward had been on the move for the past three hours. He had carried Bella back to bed, knowing that she would not be able to help while she was in the state that she was in. Edward could not blame her for her behaviour. She had not stopped crying since Angela had dispelled all her hope. Edward felt as if there were a hundred knives stabbing him in the heart each second he was away from his precious daughter, and although he loved Alicia more than life itself he knew his love could never rival that of a mother's. Bella must have been feeling a thousand times worse than he was and he would not wish that on his most hated enemy.
As soon as he knew that his child was not in the house, Edward had ordered Ben to ride into town on one of the horses and inform the police of Alicia's kidnapping. It was clear now that she was stolen; Alicia could not even hold her own head up, let alone jump from the crib and leave the house and if no family members or staff had moved her there was no other explanation.
Edward himself had jumped onto Theodore's back and ridden over to his parent's house, pushing Theodore harder than he ever had before. There was not a second to lose.
It was obvious his parents were devastated at the news of their missing grandchild. Carlisle had run into the yard instantly and saddled up his own horse, before jumping on his back and riding over to Emmett's house and Jasper's, promising Edward that he would bring them both over to the house as soon as he could so that they could all help in the search for Alicia.
Esme had been in tears but ordered Edward to let her up onto Theodore's back and take her to Bella. She needed her mother right now. Edward had simply nodded and helped her onto Theodore's back; he was not aware of anything going on around him. It was as if he was living in a bad dream and he prayed that he would wake up soon. He never did.
Edward had left Esme at the front of the house before he left once more. He began to ride into town, asking anyone he saw if they had seen anyone with a newborn child. Everyone he asked looked at him pityingly as the shock their heads, taking in his frantic appearance. Edward hurriedly thanked each one and went on his way, hoping against hope that someone would have seen his angel.
At nine hours past midnight there was still no sign of her, so Edward had directed Theodore home, wishing that the police had arrived. As he pulled into the house and jumped down from his trustworthy stallion Edward notice three police horses heading down the courtyard. He stood in his place as he waited for them to reach him.
The second one of the policemen had dismounted, Edward rushed over to him. "You have to help us. Our daughter has been kidnapped. She is only two weeks old and needs her mother's milk. You need to find her right now!" Edward informed the policeman, not giving him time to introduce himself.
"Edward, if you would calm down..." Edward registered Samuel Uley's voice but he cut across him.
"Calm down, how do you expect me to calm down?" Edward yelled, not caring about the fact that he was screaming at a member of the law enforcement, "My daughter is missing. I do not have time to calm down, I must find her. You have to help me find her!" He begged, tears falling from his eyes but he wiped them away impatiently.
"Yes Edward, you need to calm down. You will be no use to your daughter if you cannot tell us the information we need to find her." Samuel explained calmly.
Edward was infuriated, "What more information do you need! She is missing, she has been snatched from her home and now it is your job to go and find her!"
"No Edward, we need to know a lot more than that. Let's go inside and you can tell us everything you know." Edward huffed but led them into his home regardless, wanting them to be out on the road once more as soon as possible.
Edward sat himself down on the edge of the settee; ready to jump up all this nonsense was completed. Samuel stood at the door and took a notebook and pen out of his front pocket.
"Now Edward, when was the last time you saw your daughter?" Samuel asked calmly, looking Edward straight in the eye.
"Bella fed her last at four hours past midnight. I was awake as I always am whenever they are and I saw Bella put her back into her crib. We did not hear her cry again and when Bella woke up this morning. Her name is Alicia by the way," Edward added, not liking that fact she was only being called his daughter; she was her own person.
"Alicia, what a lovely name," Samuel smiled. Edward nodded numbly. Thinking about his missing child and the fact that he could not hold her in his arms physically hurt.
"Just find her please," Edward whispered as he met Samuel's gaze, his eyes begging Samuel to return Alicia to him, "We need her Samuel, we need her."
Samuel moved forward and placed his hand on Edward's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "We will find her Edward, I promise you that. We will find her." Edward simply dipped his head.
-o-
It had been seven hours since Samuel left and there was still no sign of Alicia.
Edward has returned to their chamber to comfort Bella, but he found her passed out; her head resting on his mother's lap.
Esme had quietly informed him that Bella had been crying so much she had made herself physically sick and passed out soon after.
Edward had thanked his mother for taking care of Bella while he could not. Esme had nodded and kissed her son on the head before she carefully transferred Bella into the arms of her husband. Although he knew she would be aching in the morning, Edward did not move his wife from her current position. He simply placed her head on his lap and softly ran his fingers through her hair, wishing with all his heart that it would be Alicia's hair he was rubbing his hands through tomorrow.
He did not sleep. He could not sleep. He passed the night watching the shadows shift across the room. Bella did not wake once.
Thirteen hours had passed since he last saw his precious child.
Fourteen hours.
Fifteen hours.
Sixteen hours.
-o-
It had been two days and the police still had no clue as to where Alicia had been taken. Edward refused to give up hope though. She would be found. She had to be found.
With every movement he made throughout the day, Edward was sick with worry; not only for Alicia but for his wife too.
When Bella woke up the following morning after her fainting spell, Edward had gently encouraged her to take a bath. She needed to be clean for when they were reunited with their child, Edward had informed her. As Bella made her way into the bathroom, Edward changed his shirt from the rumpled one he had been wearing for the past day and night. He could hear the water running in the bathroom and thought it would be a good idea to bring breakfast up for Bella. Edward knew she would probably not want to eat, he could not even think about stomaching food at the moment, but he thought he would give it a try anyway; she needed to keep her strength up.
When Edward entered the chamber once more, Bella had still not emerged from her bath. Slightly worried, Edward knocked on the door that separated them. Receiving no reply, he had instantly pushed the door open and had to hold back his tears back at the sight that met his eyes.
Bella was sitting in the bath, still fully dressed and was simply staring at the wall in front of her. As he made his way to her side, Edward noticed that her lips had a blue tinge to them. He quickly plunged his hand into the bath water. It was freezing cold, yet it appeared that Bella had not noticed.
Quickly, Edward had reached into the water and pulled Bella out from the tub. Placing her gently on the floor, Edward had picked a large towel up and wrapped it tightly around her body, trying to produce some heat and dry her body. Bella did not move.
Five minutes later, Edward carried Bella into their room once again and placed her on the bed. He moved over to the wardrobe and pulled out one of his large shirts and a winter jumper, ignoring the fact that it was now the beginning of July. Making his way over to Bella, Edward slowly removed the sodden clothes from her body, before covering her in the new, dry clothes. Bella had not moved an inch or uttered a sound through the entire process.
It was the next day and she had only moved once before resuming her position of a statue. Bella was now curled in the foetal position across their bed, holding her sides once more, but in her hand she held Alicia's beloved toy bear, a gift from her grandmother that she could apparently not sleep without already, at the tender age of two weeks.
Edward had tried to talk to her, he had tried to convince her to move, to eat, to drink, to sleep but it seemed that she was oblivious to it all. She would only lie there, staring at the walls and rarely blinking. The worry was pushing down on Edward; it was reminiscent of all those months ago when Edward had informed Bella of her pregnancy, she was comatose once more.
There was a knock downstairs, breaking Edward away from staring at his wife. He rushed down the stairs, hoping it was Samuel and his men, praying that they were there to deliver good news.
The moment Edward flung the door open and took a glance at the look on Samuel's face, he knew they had not found Alicia yet. He could not hold it in any more. He sank down to the floor in the middle of the lobby and began to cry heart wrenching sobs, yanking on his hair trying to expel some of the feelings from his body.
Edward felt Samuel kneel down next to him as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do not give up hope Edward, we will find her."
"It has been two and a half days Samuel. No child can go without their mother that long. She needs Bella to give her milk, she needs me to sing her to sleep, she needs her mother to hold her and she needs me to change her dirty cloths. It has been two days Samuel, two days." Edward sobbed, not all comforted by Samuel's words. He needed to let his emotions and fears out. He had been trying to hold them in, trying to stay strong for Bella but he could do it no longer.
With Alicia kidnapped and the real Bella missing, Edward felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest while still causing him pain every second of the day. He knew the pain would only stop and his heart would only heal when he had both Alicia and Bella safe in his arms, untouched by the evil that clearly surrounded them.
"Come on Edward. I know this must be the worst experience of your life but you need to pull yourself together, if not for yourself then for Alicia and Bella. They need you Edward," Edward shook his head. They did not need him. He was meant to protect them and yet he had failed them. Alicia had been taken and Bella was a prisoner of her mind.
Samuel began to gently pull Edward to his feet and led him into the living room, placing him on the settee. Edward let himself be guided, it was better than having to think of anything at all.
"Edward, we need to know of anyone that may have wanted to harm Alicia, how may have wanted to hurt you. Is there anyone you can think of who may wish to do such a thing?" Samuel asked quietly.
Edward shook his head slowly, "There is no one I can think of. Only James bu—" he stopped short.
"You will pay for this bitch! I swear you shall pay!" James' last words to him and Bella in the courtroom flooded Edward's mind.
"Edward? Edward?" Samuel called, pulling him away from his memories.
"James," Edward whispered, "James."
"Edward, James is dead. You know he is, you saw him hang. I examined the body myself and there was no pulse to be found. It cannot be James holding Alicia."
"No Samuel, he swore he would get his revenge. He said "You will pay for this bitch! I swear you shall pay!" What if this is his way of making us pay? He must have someone working for him. He must have told someone that Bella was pregnant and that once the baby was born they should take it away from us." Edward explained, piecing bits of the puzzle together in his mind.
"But who would do such a thing. He had no visitors during his stay –" Samuel began, clearly doubting Edward's theory.
"Tanya," Edward breathed, finally working it out. He looked at Samuel in the eye, "Tanya hated the fact that I handed her fiancé over to the police. She probably thought this was the ultimate revenge for his death. Taking one of the two I love the most in return for James' life."
"Edward, Tanya has not been in town for months." Samuel whispered.
"That does not matter! She has Alicia, I know she does. Please Samuel, please you must search her house. Even if I am wrong it can do no harm to look."
Samuel sighed and stared at Edward for a few moments. He did not blink. Finally Samuel rose from the settee and went to speak to one of the policemen waiting outside the door.
"George will visit the Denali house, but I would not raise your hopes Edward." Edward chose to ignore the latter part of the sentence.
"Thank you Samuel, thank you so much."
-o-
Two hours later and George returned. Edward had been staring out of the living room window waiting for his arrival. He had tried to explain to Bella the brainwave he had had but she did not seem to hear the words that escaped from his mouth.
Samuel hurried outside to greet George and hear the news. Edward felt his heart drop in his chest as he saw George shake his head. He had been so sure.
Slowly, Samuel entered the living room. "Tanya has not been at her family home for the last six months." Edward let out a shuddering breath, "However, Mrs Denali did inform us of a small cottage they had in the woods. It will be quite hard to locate with the vague directions she gave us but we will search for it." Edward felt hope explode in his chest once more but he tired to suppress it; he could not be let down once more.
"I am going to go with them as I am the best tracker." Edward raised his eyebrows at the term. Samuel smiled, "You could say I have the nose of a wolf; it is almost as if I can smell these places out." Edward nodded, still slightly confused. "Sit tight Edward. Never give up hope."
So Edward sat there. He sat there and prayed. He prayed for the safe return of Alicia, he prayed that she had not been harmed in any way. He prayed for Bella, he prayed that she would come out of this okay. He prayed for himself, that he may be blessed with the safe return of his family and better protection skills.
Fifteen minutes.
Thirty minutes.
One hour.
Two hours.
There was still no sign of Samuel or his team. Edward was starting to give up what little hope he had. Surely they would have been able to locate the house by now. Between the police, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett, surely they would have been able to find her by now. Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle had each taken themselves to one of the surrounding villages to see if they could locate Alicia there. Against his will, Edward's eyes began to slip close. He had not slept in almost fifty hours and despite his fighting, his body was finally taking control and forcing him to sleep.
Edward was woken, he did not know how much later, by the sound on feet hitting the gravel. Slowly he opened his eyes once more, building himself up for disappointment yet again. He did not even bother to look out of the window at the arriving guests; he did not want all his hope to disappear just yet.
Waiting for Samuel to enter the room and let him down, Edward listened to the noise coming from outside the room. He blinked. Surely he was imagining it. He was sure he could hear a whimper. Edward rose to his feet.
Slowly, painfully slow, Samuel opened the door with one hand; the other was holding a struggling, wailing little baby. In his arms he was holding Alicia.
Edward ran at him. He instantly pulled Alicia out of Samuel's arms and into his own and pulled her to his chest. Edward began to sob with relief.
"Oh Alicia. Alicia. Am I still asleep? Please God do not let this be a dream!" Samuel interrupted him.
"You are awake Edward. We found her; she is here in your arms." Samuel was smiling at him, watching the father interact with his daughter.
Edward nodded, his tears falling into Alicia's nose, causing it to wrinkle. He laughed a watery laugh and lifted his finger to wipe it away. When he removed his finger, he could not stop staring at his precious angel. She was here; she was really here in his arms! He kissed her forehead, "I love you Alicia. I am so so sorry I let her take you. Daddy will never let you out of his sight again I promise!" Alicia simply blinked at him, her wails now silenced.
Not wanting to let her go, Edward transferred Alicia into one hand and stuck out the other for Samuel to shake. "Thank you Samuel. I do not know how we shall ever repay you."
Samuel took it and shook it hard, "There is no need to repay me Edward, I was following your hunch. I will tell you more about Tanya, who is being escorted to the police station as we speak, when you return. I have a feeling you should take this little one to her mother."
Bella! Edward felt instantly guilty, he had forgotten all about her in his joy at holding his daughter once more!
"Of course. Thank you again Samuel," and with that Edward ran from the room and up the stairs as quickly as he could without worrying Alicia. He pulled the door open and noticed that Bella still had not changed position.
Making his way over to his wife, he spoke as he walked, "Bella, there is somebody here to see you." Bella did not move. Finally, he knelt down beside her and placed Alicia in her view. "She is back Bella. Alicia is back with us!"
Bella blinked and lifted her gaze to his for the first time in two days. He smiled at her and nodded towards the child in his arms. Slowly, Bella transferred her gaze until it was locked on Alicia. She stared.
Suddenly she shot up in bed, causing Edward to jump a little. Her arms reached out and took Alicia into her own and although Edward instantly missed the comforting weight of his daughter, he did not try and stop her. Bella was crying.
"My baby! My baby! You are here. You came back to us! Mummy is so sorry she fell asleep, but I promise I will never fall asleep again! No one will ever take you away from me again!" Bella cried into Alicia's small head. Alicia seemed to enjoy being in her mother's arms once more and had fallen asleep herself.
Carefully, not wanting to disturb his sleeping angel, Edward pulled himself into the bed next to Bella, wrapping his arm around her as she held Alicia. For the first time in two days, Bella lent into Edward's chest, accepting his support.
This is how they spent the rest of the day; holding their sleeping daughter, professing their love for her and promising to never let her go again.
Life was finally perfect once more.
---
This is not the end!
Like it? Alicia is back! What more could there be to come?
Until next time. :)
