~A/N Glad to see the responses to last chapter. Here's one you've all been waiting for since Edward started his descent into madness.

Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" is my voice for Bella in this update. The threat of Edward has loomed over them for far too long. I suspect Bella would be fed up and she's determined to get her life back once and for all.

Chapter 22: Fight Song

The notepad was a lifesaver. She and Gabriel had agreed upon a plan which was by no means full-proof, but it was a stroke of genius if she really thought about it long enough to pat herself on the back. She had some pretty toxic supplies in the ceiling courtesy of Gabriel within hours. He was going on a nighttime supply run because Edward needed him to procure a few items from a nearby surgery center. He would be able to get the final items on her list, he was confident. She knew something could definitely go wrong. She barely had any time available the day of the surgery even though, both Edward and Caius would be distracted setting up for this ridiculous operation they had planned. Bells knew damned well Edward never went to medical school. She didn't know Caius's qualifications, but she assumed she was pretty much one of his many experiments.

Just in case, her plan was a bust, she needed backup so she wrote out a message and instructed Gabriel to leave it at the 24 hour pharmacy he frequented. She asked him to include any details he could like an address or a crossroads. Bella didn't hear from Gabriel again the rest of the day. Edward and Caius kept him busy with something the majority of everyday. His duties must have doubled since they planned to flee.

Edward brought in her food tray which was filled a little more than normal. She needed her strength so she dove in. He sat down to watch her which was out of the ordinary and bothersome, but she used the time to fish for some answers.

"So, you're going to wake me up bright and early just to put me to sleep. Most likely, permanently. I doubt you two psychos have the slightest clue what you're doing. You break that mark open and I promise, that's the moment I'll die." Bella believed it. She couldn't let it get that far. Jacob would also die and their children would be orphaned. Earlier, she considered ending herself in some manner if she and Gabriel weren't on the same page, but that was only a fleeting thought. She couldn't allow herself to perish. Her children deserved better. She was fighting to the bitter end. She considered getting out through the ceiling when she learned she could access it, but she was pretty certain it couldn't happen without the distraction she planned. The two vampire's super senses would alert them quickly she was on the run and Edward would catch her.

He studied her, did he know she was playing him? She used to have a certain manner with him and he didn't know she was working him. Bella rarely let her shield down to him even when they were married. She'd almost forgotten it still existed because it was always down for Jacob. He eventually answered her, "Not exactly, we'll probably be set up by ten, but no more eating after this meal, so enjoy."

Edward, then gave her a sedative with her dinner. He insisted she take it with her food in front of him. She took it because there was no way to fool him if she really didn't. Being drugged wasn't going to work with all the plans she had, but he mentioned before he left her, he'd be busy making final preparations for their departure. He said she'd have a day to recuperate before they started their journey to destinations unknown to her.

The second he walked out, she rushed to the bathroom. She made herself vomit as quietly as possible and sure enough, the pill came up intact. She was thankful he didn't give her an injection or it would've ruined everything. Of course, most of her food came back up with the sedative, but she'd only eaten half her tray. Bella decided to finish the rest even though her queasy stomach lurched at the thought only minutes after hurling. She needed her strength, so she chewed small bites slowly. The mark was starting to itch and sting once more. That meant a new infection was flaring up again. She needed to be as close to 100% as she could be, so hopefully, her health held out one more day.

She started the bath, but climbed up the cases to see if her note was taken or still there. It was dark so that meant Gabriel would be leaving soon. He had to take that note. It was crucial. Her hand ran across the boards of the crawlspace and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. The note was gone and she was one step closer to Jacob.

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Jacob was actually grabbing a nap in the back of a police SUV. They decided the search mission would go round the clock until Bella was located. It was the eve of the full moon and that meant one thing to him, today was the day. He was finding her before that moon appeared in the sky the next night. Pounding from all directions alerted him something happened. Jacob kicked open the door. Charlie was there with Carlisle, Paul, Quil and Seth.

"What? Somebody spotted her?"

Charlie told him what just came across the wire. "A clerk in the middle of Oregon just got a note passed to her from one of her frequent customers."

"And?"

"It was from Bells."

Jacob fell back against the vehicle. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. Yes, finally, a break. He had to know all the particulars. Charlie told him what he knew so far. His guy was trying to make contact with the first officer on the scene. All he knew was a guy, that didn't fit either Edward's or Caius's description passed the note to the clerk. He was buying bandages and antiseptic, and also filled some prescriptions for pain killers and antibiotics. The clerk remembered him. He'd been in several times late at night over the past few weeks. They were one of the only 24 hour pharmacies in the region. She described him as very quiet, a bit awkward, but with a pleasant face. She said he was average height but muscular and that he had bright blue eyes that seemed to glow. He didn't tell her anything other than passing the note. She said he never spoke a word.

Finally, the call came through. Charlie put the other officer on speaker. He read the note to them.

Please open was on the outside. Inside, it read: I am Bella Black. Please call my husband, Jacob or my father, Charlie Swan. I'm okay, but I need them to find me ASAP. She included their phone numbers and there was a very primitive map to a house in the woods close to Hills Creek Lake. The local authorities said they aren't sure what it's pointing to since there's no road in that particular spot. Charlie begged them all to hold back. They had specific forces to deal with the man that abducted his daughter. He'd escaped capture before. The chief of police in the region agreed. There was only one more thing to do and that was get to Oregon as fast as they could. The command center they'd chose was roughly three hours away by car. They searched the maps to make sure there was coverage for those supernatural beings that wished to run instead. There was. That meant most of the pack, including Jacob and the Cullens would be traveling at ultra fast speeds. Just after three AM, they embarked on the rescue mission that couldn't fail.

Jacob was instructed by Charlie to go to the police station first just to see what the plan was. He was barely an hour out since they'd come sirens blazing and broken all speeding laws that existed. It took more than two hours at the police station going over the map comparing it to the rural road maps. Jacob only needed the general area, her scent or her presence would be enough to guide him, but these regular cops didn't realize that. They kept trying to over-analyze everything. He told Charlie he'd start at the pharmacy, maybe there would be a unique scent. As soon as he arrived with his guys, they all knew immediately, they didn't need any other directions. The stench was powerful. They'd never come across it before, not human and uniquely different from their own.

He didn't have time to wrap his mind around how Bella got an honest to God werewolf to carry messages for her, but that was his girl. She had ways of persuasion and she always got her way. Jacob alerted Charlie to keep the police force two steps behind them. Between him, the pack and the Cullens, they'd do what needed to be done.

Before he hung up with his father-in-law, he had a few parting words for him, "You got this, son. You're going to bring her back. I'm not even worried anymore." Jacob thanked him for his confidence. Charlie was still worried, Jake heard it in his voice, and rightly so. There was still a lot that could go wrong. They were about to head into unknown territory with no clue what was waiting for them. It could be these three and Bella or a whole army of bloodsuckers and werewolves. They had no way of knowing that, but Jacob already promised himself, Cullen was about to meet his fate and it wasn't good. Hell was upon him.

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Bella did a part of her work while she pretended to take a bath. She decided going to sleep early and getting up super early was her best bet. She had a hard time sleeping, but it was necessary. She was startled awake in the wee morning hours. Gabriel never stopped by at that time. He said Edward had run out to hunt. Caius was occupied with something in preparation for the surgery. A terrible thought crossed her mind. She asked him where Caius fed.

"He goes off frequently, to the woods."

"For animals, like Edward?"

He shook his head. "No, transients, campers, wanderers. He knows how not to draw attention."

"Oh." The quicker they rid the world of both these two, the better.

Bella told him what she started and was surprised he'd already followed all her instructions. All she had to do was rig the door when she thought it was the right time. Gabriel gave her specific instructions how to go through the crawl space. He said there was a small round window in the gable. He was leaving her an emergency fire ladder to make her escape. First, she'd climb up the ladder to make it into the ceiling and then she'd need it to get down but it might be tricky hanging it on the window since there wasn't a flat surface, but the jump would be like jumping off a roof. He didn't think she could do such a thing without the ladder to make her getaway. The landing was going to be the toughest part.

He told her more about his plans for the rest of the residence. He was prepared to use Caius's experiments and flammables against him. "Don't worry about us. Damien and I will do our best to get out before the fire takes hold but society has no place for us. You are good, Bella. I only care that you make it back to your family. Don't look back, run as fast as you can. I really want to thank you for being so kind to me. You're the first human I've ever spent time with since being cursed."

"Gabriel, I would be dead for sure if it wasn't for you. I owe you my life. Chances are Jacob is already on the way. You delivered the note, correct?"

He shook his head up and down.

"See, trust me... the cavalry is coming. Do you know what that means?"

"A rescue."

"Yes, the best of the best and remember that I have a close friend, a doctor. He can help you and your brother, so none of that crazy talk. We're all getting out of here."

"I told Damien all about you. He says you sound like our sweet sister. We loved her so, but she was met with a tragic ending. She didn't survive the attack, but then what happened to us might be a fate worse than death."

"I'm so sorry. I've experienced great loss in this supernatural realm as well. The pain is real, I carry it with me, but all we can do is live the best life possible to honor their memory. Does that make sense?"

Gabriel had never touched her purposely, but he extended his arm and stroked over her cheek. "I would gladly die to save you, but I'll try my best to survive if that's your wish."

"It is." He told her he'd pushed their luck. He needed to get a little sleep as well after he filled his brother in on all the plans. He mentioned he overheard Edward say he was coming at 9:30 for her. She would need to set the trap before that, but not too early. He told her the wires wouldn't be visible across the door until it was too late. Edward expected her to sleep late because of the medication, but she informed Gabriel what she'd done about that.

"You're feeling warm again." Gabriel didn't think he could get to the other medication to help bring down her fever. He wanted to avoid any contact with Edward because he risked being read. It was a mental struggle to keep things from him.

Bella assured him she could survive a few more hours and he accepted that. Gabriel told her everything was ready then and waved goodbye. Bella tried to doze a little more, she was pretty sure Edward stopped in again around seven, but left quickly.

At exactly 9:25, Edward opened the door. She tried her hardest to pretend to be sleeping, but instead as he moved forward, Bella took her own figurative step at taking her life back once and for all. Edward was met with roughly 5,000 volts of electricity. She knew it wouldn't kill him or slow him down too long, but it should give her the chance she needed to do her worst. His solid body hit the wire she'd rigged with every outlet in the room. His face froze in a twisted contortion. He was experiencing extreme pain. She didn't hesitate. Bella ran to the bathroom. She opened all the drawers to block the door temporarily. She'd already set up her getaway right before rigging the door. She shoved the closet door shut and twisted the sheet she stripped from the bed and fastened it to the knob in a tight knot that was connected to a metal hook on the other side of the closet. She only needed thirty more seconds.

Her feet hit the metal rungs of the portable ladder one step at a time. She couldn't afford a single slip. Just as she was making it to the top, she heard all the drawers disintegrate under his forceful push through the door. Bella wasn't distracted. She was already counting in her head as she crawled as fast as possible through the small enclosed space. She held one item in her hand and pulled the ladder along with her foot. Twenty more seconds elapsed and the closet door was annihilated, but he was exactly where she wanted him at the perfect time.

She'd timed it exactly right, the last five seconds ticked by in her mind before her finger hit the trigger. The explosion shook her like an earthquake, but the crawlspace held up. The closet shouldn't be so lucky. Edward was in there, when Bella's homemade bomb went off. Hopefully, a small fire ignited, lighting him up like a Christmas tree.

Gabriel was in charge of the rest of the house. They burnt her house down, now she was returning the favor hopefully with Edward and Caius in it. She was lucky to have found the strength to make it because her fever had been on the rise since the middle of the night. The adrenaline was what kept her going, but Bella was experiencing pain and dizziness as she crawled to the window, her only chance of escape. Just a few more feet and a long drop to freedom. She called to him in her mind, please be here Jake. I need you for the rest.

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They'd followed the scent, sometimes it faded a little because of the forest and lakes in the area, but at least one of them was always successful at picking it back up. The last mile had been promising because he swore the scent was stronger. The also heard running water, maybe there was a creek located off the lake. They had to be close. He made the decision to split up and go in all directions. Just as they started to fall out of formation, a loud boom and shake to the earth rattled their senses. They knew then, it had to be coming from where Bella was being held. Jacob worried about what that explosion might be. He was still running so she was still breathing, but one of them was experiencing a huge surge in stress and adrenaline. It made sense that it was both of them.

The scent that filled the air gave Jacob flashbacks to the worst day of his life. He smelled a fire. The air was hot and thick with smoke. He spoke to his pack and told them all to spread out. The flames were putting out an added pungent odor. It made it much easier to pinpoint the location.

Finally, a very out of place house stood out in the middle of nowhere. The house seemed far too fancy. Most lake houses they passed on the way out, appeared more rustic or simplistic. Jacob honed in on what was going on near the roof. He saw her, almost immediately. Bella was climbing or attempting to climb out a small round window in the side of the house. She tried to latch a ladder-like apparatus to the outside frame but it slipped and fell to the ground in front of her.

About that time, the blonde demon rushed out the front door. He was ablaze but still upright. He jumped off the porch in a dead roll, extinguishing the flames in the process. He crouched on the defensive and hissed, but it would be his last effort, because the wolves came together, with one common mission. They would avenge their lost pack brother, Linx. Jacob phased back to human and ran towards the house. Bella was going to jump even without the ladder.

He yelled to her. "Wait for me, Bells."

Her head swung around and she located him, "Jake!"

"Jump, baby. I'll catch you."

As soon as she hit his arms, he felt their souls connect. He had her, she was in his embrace and he didn't want to ever let go. The fire was unstable, being fueled by something highly flammable. Jacob smelled the accelerant from his own house fire. He needed her a safe distance from the house, so Jacob ran towards a side yard area.

The Cullens were waiting. Carlisle held his arms up but was met with a feral growl from Jacob. "I just want to examine her."

"Geez, dog, get a grip and Alice, where are all the damn pants? These mutts are about to start flashing their bits when they phase back." Blondie threw a pair of shorts at him after Alice emptied her bag on the ground, but he was too focused on Bella to care if he was giving Blondie an eyeful. Jacob's eyes roamed back and forth between Bella and the burning house. He needed to know whether or not the guys took the leech completely out, but more importantly, he needed to find Edward. He turned towards the inferno and saw they had destroyed Caius.

He shouted, "Cullen!"

Bella wasn't saying much, she was going into shock. Alice jumped up screaming, "There he is!"

Edward, or what was left of him appeared in the very window Bella had just emerged from. "Stay by her side. I'll handle this."

Edward jumped lithely from the upper floor despite looking like he'd been through war. His skin was all blackened and charred. He was missing pieces like his right arm, maybe other parts but Jacob was only focused on shredding the rest of him. He phased into his wolf. He told the others to stand down unless he needed them.

Edward attempted some counter maneuvers but he was truly a walking disaster. Jacob imagined he could phase back and relish the feel of tearing him apart with his bare hands. He quickly latched onto a leg and ripped it from his body. He tossed it towards the fire that was already burning for Caius. The leech screeched in agony. The wolf launched himself onto the vampire that had caused him so much misery through the years. Jacob wanted to look in his dead eyes one last time. His heavy paws were digging into his chest, but Edward still had some fight left in him. He was disastrously disfigured, but somehow managed to throw Jacob off. The wolf was back in an instant. The two enemies rolled around in a massive pile.

The pack enclosed the two of them in a circle. They knew Jacob wanted to be the one to end his existence, but they weren't going to allow their alpha to sustain an injury or allow Cullen a chance at escape. After a short battle of wills, Jacob proved his was far stronger. He was glad Edward was not in top form, that blast had done it's job. His powerful jaw latched down on the vampire's throat and clamped down hard. A splintering crack rang out as the granite outer coating was broken. The head was almost completely severed in one bite from Jacob.

He didn't even think about the next step, he just acted on instinct. He phased back like he wanted, stared in those cold, dead eyes one last time. "Bella is mine! Burn in hell, motherfucker." Edward's eyelids closed as Jacob's face was the last thing he ever saw. Bare human hands ripped the very last resistance apart and the head rolled. He pushed off and walked away with no intention of looking back. The pack descended on the body and took care of the rest.

Rose tossed the shorts in his face. That time, Jacob pulled them on, but he was extremely worried Bella had yet to sit up.

"Bells, honey. You're safe. I've got you. It's done, he'll never hurt you again."

"Jacob," her voice cracked.

He brushed his hand over her cheek. "Yes, baby. It's me. Everyone's here to take bring you back home. Carlisle needs to get your fever down."

"Help them."

"Who?"

"Gabriel and Damien. You have to save them." He looked at Alice. She nodded and told Bella, they would find them.

"See, hear that, Jasper and Emmett are on it. Don't worry about anything but getting better. Just relax and let us take care of you." As Jacob said the words, he also started to feel strange. His mark burned under the surface and he felt like his core temperature was starting to rise. The world started to spin.

"Dog, you okay? You're sweating buckets." Rose pulled at his arm, but Jacob couldn't answer. "Carlisle, do something. He's absorbing her infection." He heard muted voices around him as he collapsed on the ground.

Everything was a blur but Jacob heard them make a few assessments. They needed them next to each other. He felt Bella's tiny body curl against his. He really breathed her in and felt some of his strength return. Without thinking, he reached to her shoulder and placed his hand over her heated mark. She did the same thing, warm, soft fingers gripped the skin where Bella had made that mark on him years before when they were a confused, unlikely pair. They were both so broken when they made that initial step back into one another's lives. Jacob felt some stability return in both their bodies from the contact. He wasn't paying any attention to everything else around them. There was noise and confusion, but he knew the Cullens and the pack could handle the rest. He only needed her to be okay.

Her breath ghosted across his chest, "I love you, Jake."

His arms enclosed her completely and he pulled her tighter against him. "I love you too, honey." They still had a ways to go, because Bella had obviously gotten very sick and needed some time to heal, but they were back together. He knew they were far from broken, because for the first time in weeks, they were whole again.

~Thanks so much for reading.

Please, let me know your thoughts. Three more updates to go including the Epilogue.