A/N Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all are enjoying it! It's just before 10am my time and I'm posting the chapter like I promised you. I actually finished writing it at 1:30 this morning but was too tired to proof it, so I decided to get a few hours sleep before posting it. :)

You will not get all the answers to your questions in this chapter, but it's a start. I know some of you were upset that I left the last chapter with a cliffie, but come on... I've only done it once or twice before and that's what keeps the story interesting! Anyway, here is the chapter. I hope you enjoy it and get some of your answers! Please take the time to send a review and let me know what you think... even if it's to yell at me for something you didn't like!

Chapter 57 – Carjacking and Quick Thinking

Everything was going so well. Bella and Edward had met with Pastor Webber and he approved of their union. He seemed so pleased with the answers they had to his questions and jotted down in his book what time and where the ceremony was to take place tomorrow.

As Edward led her toward the door of the church, she couldn't help the smile that took over her face while her mind wandered a bit. This is really happening! I'm going to marry the perfect man tomorrow. A man who loves me for who I am, who respects me and adores me. I will be Mrs. Edward Cullen in a day and a half.

Her smile grew even more when they reached Edward's car. Instead of opening her door for her, he spun her around and trapped her against his car, a heated, hungry look in his eye. With a hand on each side of her head and his body pressed up against hers, he slowly leaned forward and touched his lips to her ear.

"Bella, I love you so much," he softly whispered. She could hear the sincerity in his voice as it nearly broke with emotion. "Can you believe this is all happening? That you'll be my wife in just over thirty hours?"

She was just about to respond to his question – just about to tell him that she had been thinking the same exact thing – when he pulled back suddenly and kissed her hard, his tongue seeking immediate entry into her mouth.

Their tongues danced languidly with each other for several minutes in a passionate, heated kiss and she felt herself flush slightly realizing they were still in the parking lot of the church.

She wasn't sure who broke the kiss, but when they separated slightly, they were both breathless and panting for air. As she drew in several deep breaths, her eyes never left Edward's. She could see his desire for her burning within their depths with so much intensity it was almost overwhelming. She wanted him to kiss her again; she needed it like she needed air to breathe.

Just as he was leaning back in to her, a siren sounded in the distance. A sound so familiar, yet not, that it sent her into a panic. Her eyes darted around the parking lot and down the road as she asked, "What the hell is going on?" She knew it wasn't an ambulance they heard, nor was it a fire truck. They both had unique sounds that were permanently engrained in her mind.

No, this was something different. "That sounds like dad's crui…" she began but the words died on her tongue. There, looming behind Edward, stood James Ellsworth with a baseball bat held firmly in his hands. His face was twisted in an ugly sneer as he raised the bat and took a step towards them.

Panic took over in that moment and she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Edward, watch out!" She had to warn him; she had to try to save him. Just as she pushed herself off the Volvo in an attempt to shove him out of the way, James swung the bat as hard as he could. "NOOOOO!" The word wrenched its way out of her throat with no sensible thought on her part. She fell to her knees in front of Edward as he collapsed to the pavement unconscious. The sound of the bat impacting with the back of his head brought back the terrible scene from that fateful afternoon a few months ago – the afternoon when her mother was ripped from this world.

She felt herself hyperventilating as she replayed both scenes over and over again in her head; the accident that took her mother away from her forever and the bat connecting with Edward's head, shock clearly on his face as he fell to the blacktop.

"No. NO! Edward! God this can't be happening! Edward, you have to be okay. Please baby, I need you so much. Don't leave me." She wasn't even aware that James stood lurking over her as she sobbed to Edward. He had to be okay. God wouldn't be that cruel, would he? She had never done anything to deserve this. Sure, she didn't go to church, but neither did a lot of people and they lived full, happy lives.

As the police sirens grew closer, Bella began to realize her surroundings again. James had moved up to stand right behind her, the bat all but forgotten on the pavement. She didn't care though at that point. Edward was on the ground, blood pouring out of the back of his head, staining the asphalt. It didn't matter anymore what happened to her.

Silently she prayed to whatever god was listening. Please God. Don't let him die. I don't care what happens to me, but please let Edward be okay. I'll do anything.

Without warning, she felt James grab her hair and yank her to her feet. "Get up you little Bitch! You're coming with me," he said as he dragged her over to the only other car in the lot; it was a blue older model Toyota Corolla. As he led her to the driver's side, she noticed that the window had been broken. It seemed as if James was adding grand theft auto to his list of crimes committed.

He reached forward and jerked the door open and then shoved her into the car as hard as he could. She immediately felt the broken glass cut into her hands and arms and she braced herself from the force of his shove. "Sit the fuck down," he screamed at her before yanking her feet off the pavement and shoving them into the car. Once she was fully in, he slammed the door and ran around to get in.

Think, Bella! Think! Her dad was the Chief of Police; he had taught her a few things about self-defense. As she thought back to all their discussions on the topic, a plan began to form in her head although she wasn't sure she'd be able to pull it off. She hadn't driven a car since the day of the accident. Charlie understood and so did Edward, but James knew nothing about her or what had happened.

As he slammed the passenger door shut, he reached into the glove box and pulled out a gun, causing her to gasp. This must have been the reason he wanted her to drive; he needed to be able to shoot at any pursuers. "Drive goddammit! What the hell are you waiting for?" he shouted at her. Only then did she realize the car was running, several wires hanging out from underneath the dash. She quickly reached for her seatbelt and fastened it, as James looked even more irate.

He brought the gun up to her head, pressing the muzzle into the flesh at her temple. "Get us the fuck out of here now or I'll put a bullet through that pretty little head of yours. It'd be a shame because then I wouldn't be able to have my fun with you!" There was no bluff to his words and she knew that even if they got away, he would still kill her after he was done with her. That thought solidified her resolve to follow through with her plan as best as she was able.

She put the car in gear and slammed on the accelerator. When she got to the main road, she headed away from where she knew her dad would be coming. James wasn't stupid; he knew where the station was and where the sirens were coming from. If she had any chance of surviving this for Edward, she couldn't piss him off any further.

From the corner of her eye, she glanced over at him. He was sitting sideways with the gun in his hand, pointed directly at her, while he watched out the back window for any sign of the cops that had to be close. She didn't care what he saw or where he was pointing the gun. What she cared about was what she saw; James hadn't put on his seatbelt.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she pushed on the accelerator even more, gaining speed. When she reached eighty miles an hour, she began looking around. A quarter mile up the road, right where it started to curve to the west, she saw exactly what she needed and veered the car slightly toward it. James didn't notice the small change in course as he continued to watch out the back window.

Aiming the car to where the impact would be on the passenger side, she took in a deep breath. I love you, Edward! She prayed that she would be able to do more than just think the words as she felt the car collide into the tree with extreme force.

For a moment, she was in Phoenix again in the middle of a monsoon storm. Then she was back in the parking lot of the church watching as Edward fell to the ground. The thoughts swirled around and around before the darkness took over and she couldn't see or hear a thing.

…..

Charlie was frantic as he called the Cullen's house. He needed to warn Edward that James was still in town. He needed him to know that he needed to keep an eye out for him. Edward wasn't home though. Emmett said that Edward and Bella had been gone for about a half hour.

"Emmett, they may be in trouble. Call your dad and have him meet me at the church! Now!" Without any further explanation, he disconnected the call and dialed Bella's cell phone.

Come on, baby, pick up. The phone rang once… twice… three times. On the forth ring, Bella's voicemail picked up. Was she still in with Pastor Webber? Had James already gotten to them? "Bells its me. I need you to call me as soon as you get this, okay! I'm serious." He disconnected the line again and searched the Rolodex on the desk for the number to Pastor Webber's office; it was his last hope.

Pastor Webber answered the phone after only two rings. "What a blessed morning! This is Pastor Webber speaking."

Charlie didn't wait for him to finish. "Pastor Webber, this is Chief Swan. Is my daughter there? It's urgent."

"Charlie?" the pastor sounded confused at the urgency in his voice. "No, Bella and Edward left here about five minutes ago. Is everything okay?"

Panic tightened his chest as he replied. "I don't know. I hope so. Listen, I've gotta go," he said as he disconnected the line once more, pulling his keys from his pocket.

He quickly walked back in his office to find Lauren sitting there crying still. "Lauren, I have to go. Heidi should be here any minute, okay? You won't be alone for long, but I don't want you to leave this office until I get back. Is that understood?" He hated the tone he was using on her, but felt it was necessary.

Sniffling, she answered him. "Yes, Sir. I won't leave, I promise."

Without a second glance, Charlie flew out of the office and to his cruiser. Once he was in a buckled, he switched on his lights and sirens and peeled out towards the church house. Bella had to be okay; she just had to be.

He was about a minute and a half from the church when his cell phone went off. Thinking it might be Bella he fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open without even glancing at the screen.

"Bella?" he asked frantically.

"No Charlie, it's Carlisle."

"Where are you Carlisle? Are you at the church yet?" He knew the hospital was closer to the church than the station and he had been delayed by dealing with Lauren. He only hoped Carlisle had good news to share with him.

The other end of the phone was silent for a minute before his friend spoke. "I'm here, Charlie. I called the hospital right before I called you. An ambulance is on its way."

He felt his heart drop in his chest at Carlisle's words and the silence that followed them. He would die if Bella were hurt; there was no way around it. Speaking around the lump in his throat, he said one word – knowing Carlisle would understand. "Bella?"

"That's why I'm calling Charlie. She's not here. As I was about to pull in, I saw a blue, Toyota Corolla screeching out of the parking lot. It looked like Bella driving, but I can't be sure. Whoever it was took off going south."

Charlie was about to tell Carlisle he had to go so he could focus on finding the Corolla, but then something his friend had said stuck out in his mind. He felt the air rush out of him as if someone had punched him in the gut. "Wait, Carlisle. You said you called for an ambulance. If Bella's not there, why would you need…" He let his sentence trail off, knowing Carlisle would explain.

His heart sunk even further in his chest at Carlisle's next words. "When I pulled into the lot, I found Edward lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of blood. It looks like James knocked him in the back of the head with a baseball bat before grabbing Bella."

Charlie tried to clear his throat but it was no use so he spoke around the lump in his throat. "Oh god, Carlisle. Is he going to be okay?" He had no idea what Bella would do if Edward didn't make it through this. He didn't want to think about it but he had a sinking suspicion that if Edward were gone, she would be quick to try to follow and this time, she'd make sure she was successful.

Carlisle's voice pulled him away from his depressing thoughts. "From what I can tell, he'll be fine. I won't know for sure until I get him to the hospital and have an MRI of his head run, but I've got high hopes. Edward is tough. But Charlie," he said hesitantly, "please find Bella! I know you're the last person I need to say that too, but I don't think Edward can live without her. You can't either."

"I'll do my best Carlisle," he whispered through the tears streaming down his face as he flipped his cell phone closed. Carlisle had said the car headed south, so he figured he would keep heading the same direction and prayed he would be able to find her.

As he passed the church, the ambulance was just arriving but Charlie didn't ease up off the gas. James already had a head start; he wasn't going to waste another second on anything. With his sirens still blaring, he sped down the wet road at almost a hundred miles an hour. Two miles past the church he saw it. A blue car was wrapped around a tree on the right side of the road.

As he got closer to the scene of the accident, he picked up his radio. "Sam, are you there? Come back."

Almost instantly, Sam responded. "What's up, Chief?"

Charlie never bothered with police jargon; there just weren't enough calls to warrant it. "Looks like we've got an accident. A car wrapped itself around the tree outside of Sterling Savings Bank. Call it in and have them send an ambulance – it looks pretty bad."

"You got it, Chief," came Sam's quick reply.

"Oh, and Sam? I don't know for sure, but I think Bella was driving. Tell them to hurry."

Charlie brought the cruiser to a stop about ten yards behind the accident and killed the siren, leaving the light bar running. Slowly, feeling like his boots were filled with lead, he approached the driver's side of the mangled car; Carlisle had mentioned he thought Bella was driving. When he got within a few feet, he saw a head with brown hair tossed up in a bun, slumped over the steering wheel. That was all it took for his brain to kick into action. It was definitely Bella and she needed his help. The driver's side window was shattered, so getting to her was easy.

"Bells!" he shouted in the window while shaking her shoulder. "Bells, I need you to wake up!" As he continued to shake her gently, he glanced in the car and shuddered at what he saw. The car had made impact with the tree on the passenger side and immediately, Charlie knew that James hadn't been wearing his seatbelt. It looked as if he had been thrown forward and his head hit the windshield hard, possibly breaking his neck. On the floorboard was a .9 mm Beretta. He shivered as he thought about James holding the gun to Bella's head, forcing her to drive. He didn't have time to worry about James right then though. Bella needed him more.

"Isabella Marie Swan, you wake up this instant! Do you hear me?" he shouted at her. He wanted to shake her with all his might, but he was afraid she had sustained a neck or back injury from the accident, so he kept to mildly shaking her shoulder.

"Dad?" he heard her croak and breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Is that you?"

She started to turn her head towards him, but he restrained her as best he could. He could hear the ambulance approaching quickly. "It's me Bells. I need you to hold still, okay? Help is on the way." The tears running down his face were making it hard to see, but he stayed by Bella's side the entire time.

"Daddy," she whispered. "I remembered what you taught me about carjacking's." Her voice was raspy and very shaky as she spoke to him. "I ran the car into a tree on his side, Daddy, just like you said."

Charlie cried even harder at that, knowing full well that what Bella did had probably saved her life. "You did good, Baby," he whispered back. "You did real good."

The ambulance pulled up seconds before the Fire Department and Charlie stepped out of the way to let them do their job. Within minutes, Bella was free of the car and being loaded into the back of the ambulance. The firemen immediately started working to free James, looking to Charlie for direction.

"I don't care what you do with him, I'm riding to the hospital with my daughter." He paused a minute before adding, "Don't touch the gun on the floorboard. Have Sam bag and tag it when he gets here." The fireman nodded and Charlie quickly jumped into the back of the ambulance with Bella, reaching for her hand. "What are you waiting for," he asked. "Let's go!"

Bella was more coherent on the ride to the hospital and she looked up at him with her doe-like eyes. "Dad, is Edward okay?" she asked, worry saturating her every word.

Charlie smiled down at her and answered her honestly. "I don't know for sure sweetheart, but Carlisle said he thinks he is going to be just fine."

He heard Bella sigh deeply. "So much for getting married tomorrow," she said before closing her eyes again.

A/N I know... I know... I warned you that you wouldn't get answers to everything, I just didn't tell you I'd create more questions. Please don't hate me! I promise you'll get more answers next chapter!