A/N: FYI, there's 4 more regular chapters plus an epilogue. Thanks for all the awesome reviews. I've been an epic fail at responding back to them. I have no excuse. Well, that's not true. I have a ton. Lol.

EPOV

I woke up Monday morning with a smile on my face. I had one of the best weekends of my life. The highlight, of course, being the dance that Alice and I had orchestrated. I had been thrilled when Bella went along with it, and I could definitely say that the Swan/Cullen dance had been far better than any school dance I'd ever been to.

"Hey, Edward? Don't forget you have a dentist appointment at eight-thirty," Carlisle said as he poked his head into my room. "I already called the school and told them you'd be late."

In all truth, I'd totally forgotten about the appointment. Grabbing my phone, I sent a quick text to Bella letting her know that I wouldn't be riding with them, and I'd see her later.

By nine, I was grumpy, my jaw ached, and the last thing I wanted was to go to school, but I headed there anyway. I'd had to have a cavity filled, and I wasn't too happy about it.

When I got to school, I ended up parking in the boondocks and trudged my way toward the building.

"Did you hear? He totally broke up with her. That's why neither of them showed up to the dance," I heard a girl say to her friends as I walked by.

I didn't really pay much attention seeing as how the halls were always filled with gossip.

"He looks pissed," another girl whispered, not so quietly.

"That's because he caught her cheating."

At that I whirled around and looked at the girls who were hovering a bit too close to my locker.

"Told ya. He caught her cheating with some guy and broke up with her. Can you believe that? She cheated on him, on Valentines."

As much as I wanted to say something, I couldn't actually prove that they were talking about Bella or myself.

Turning back to my locker, I grabbed my books and headed down the hall. I spotted Bella walking toward me, and the minute she was within reach, I wrapped her up in my arms and laid one hell of a kiss on her.

"Well, good morning to me," she said, when I finally let her up to breathe.

"Good morning, love."

"Not that I minded, but you're not usually one for PDA. Let me guess? You heard the rumors and decided to lay them to rest?" she asked.

"Something like that," I said with a grin, leaning down for one more kiss.

"Knock it off, you two," Emmett growled from behind me.

Reluctantly, I let Bella go and said my goodbyes before heading off to class.

I had thought the kissing the hell out of Bella would get rid of the rumors, but I was wrong. It only seemed to fuel the fire so to speak. It seemed that everywhere I turned someone was whispering about how Bella had convinced me to take her back or how I was an idiot for accepting her apology. Blah, blah, blah. It was never ending, and it was beginning to piss me off.

At lunch, I caught up with Bella and the rest of the Swans, and they looked just as angry as I felt.

"When will people learn to mind their own fucking business?" Rosalie growled.

"Never. You know that this school and the pathetic morons that go here have nothing better to do," Jasper told her.

"Yeah, well it's pissing me off," she snarled.

"You and me both," I told her.

Bella had been quiet during our exchange, and I turned to her, worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just doing my best to ignore the idiots that surround us," she said, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze.

"How the hell did all this start?" I asked, a bit curious to know.

"It's probably because we didn't show up to the dance," Alice said. "So, people decided to jump to conclusions and concoct some story as to why we weren't there."

It was moments like that that made me dislike small towns. Who freaking cared that we didn't go to the school dance? Apparently, the whole freaking school.

"Well, hell. Here comes trouble," Alice said, and I looked over to see Jessica and Lauren heading our way.

However, they stopped short when they noticed that Bella and I were holding hands. A few whispers between them, and they began coming our way again.

"Hey, guys!" Jessica said with false enthusiasm which none of us bought.

"What do you want?" Bella asked in a bored tone.

"Well, you guys didn't show up to the dance. Are you all okay?"

I rolled my eyes at her fake concern.

"We're fine. We had our own dance," Bella said, not even turning around to face the girls.

"Your own dance?" Lauren scoffed. "Yeah, right."

Alice stood up and walked over to Lauren. "We did have our own dance at Edward's house, but we didn't bother to invite anyone else because let's face it, the rest of you aren't worth our time."

"Why would Edward let you have a dance at his house when your sister is cheating on him?" Lauren asked, trying to look superior.

I looked at Lauren with disgust. "You're pathetic, you know that? Bella has never cheated on me nor will she. If you think that your stupid lies and rumors are going to break us up, you're wrong. And if you keep spreading your hateful lies, I'll report it to the principal. Hell, I'm sure my dad wouldn't have a problem if I wanted to sue you for slander."

I had no idea if I could even do that, but Lauren blanched at my words.

She grabbed Jessica's arm and they stalked off, but I could already hear more whispers starting. Man, I was so ready for high school to be done with.

"Nice, Ed!" Emmett said, holding out a fist which I bumped.

"Stupid girl really pisses me the hell off," I said, pushing my tray away.

"Me, too," Bella said, resting her head on my shoulder.

I'd love to say the rest of the day passed without incident, but it didn't. I was approached by girls on the way to class where I explained time and time again, that Bella and I were together. I was harassed by guys in the locker room during gym and finally had to leave or else I would've hit someone. I was so tired of all the crap. Just tired of it.

By the time the bell rang, indicating the end of school, I'd never been so glad. I grabbed my crap from my locker and headed outside to wait near Emmett's Jeep for Bella.

"Want to come over before you head to work?" I asked her as she approached.

"Definitely."

After unlocking the door, we headed up to my room where I was sure to leave the door slightly ajar. No one was home, but I didn't want to incur the wrath of Esme or Carlisle if I was found with Bella in my room and the door fully shut.

After dropping our bags on the floor, we climbed onto my bed and immediately, Bella curled herself around me. Her head was resting on my chest and her tiny fingers were playing with the buttons on my shirt.

"Want to watch a movie?" I asked her, even though we both knew that we wouldn't really be watching it.

"Sure."

Because I was feeling lazy, and I was enjoying the feel of Bella against me, I just hit the play button on the DVD player.

"I'm not sure what's in there, but I'll guess we'll find out because I'm too lazy to hunt for something else to watch," I told her.

"It's not porn, is it?" she joked.

I snorted. "I don't leave my porn in the DVD player."

She sat up quickly almost butting me with her head, and she had a shocked look on her face.

"You have porn?"

I felt my face turning bright red and found that I couldn't look her in the eye.

"I'm a teenage guy, Bella. Of course, I have porn," I said, trying to be all casual about it when in fact I was dying of embarrassment on the inside.

"Seriously? You have porn?" she asked.

I flopped back on the bed, covering my face with a pillow.

"Don't your brothers have porn?" I asked, my voice muffled.

"Well, yeah, but I expect that from them. You just seem too gentlemanly to have porn."

"Are we really going to talk about this?"

"Yes," she said, pulling the pillow away from my face. "I just found out my boyfriend watches porn. It's a bit unexpected."

This was not a conversation that I ever wanted to have with anyone, much less my girlfriend.

Heaving a sigh, I studied the pattern on my ceiling. "Yes, I have porn. Yes, I watch it once in a great while. Can we please stop talking about this now?" I begged.

"Fine, you big baby. We'll stop talking about it. So, what movie are we watching?" she asked, settling down next to me.

"I don't know," I told her as I hit play on the remote.

Turned out, the last movie I'd watched was Sweet Home Alabama. That was almost as embarrassing as having Bella learn that I watched porn.

"You own this movie?" She asked.

"I like it, plus Reese Witherspoon is hot," I said in defense.

As per usual when it came to us and movies, we ended up making out throughout most of it. Our kisses started out sweet and delicate but quickly escalated into something more intense.

Our hormones were obviously in charge, and it wasn't until I found myself underneath Bella as our kisses hardened and our hands wandered, that I realized we needed to stop.

"Sweet girl, we have to stop" I managed to get out between kisses.

"I know," she said with a moan as she reluctantly climbed off of me and then cuddled up to my side.

We were still breathing rather heavily when I heard the front door open and Esme call out my name.

"Bella and I are upstairs!" I called back.

Moments later, Esme popped her head in my doorway.

"Hey, kids. What have you been up to?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Watching movies," I told her, which wasn't a complete lie.

I could tell Esme didn't buy it but thankfully, she didn't call me out on it.

"Why don't you two come downstairs for a snack and tell me about your day?" she suggested, even though we both knew it wasn't a suggestion.

We agreed and followed her into the kitchen.

Over cookies and milk, we told her about the rumors going around and how stupid and annoying it all was.

"What the heck is wrong with people?" she asked.

After our snack, I took Bella home so that she could do some homework before heading to work, and I ending up playing video games with Jasper and Emmett until Bella left.

After saying goodbye to the Swans, I headed home to start on my own homework. I had just walked in the door when I heard Esme talking to Carlisle.

"Have you talked with Edward about sex?" I heard her ask him.

Oh, God. Please don't make me sit through that again, I thought.

"Yes. He knows to be safe if and when he and Bella are ready to take that step. Why? Did something happen?"

"Not that I know of, but I have noticed that they seem to be getting closer. I just want them to be safe."

No, no, no. I didn't not want to go through that again. I shouted out that I was home, then took off running up the stairs toward my room. Once there, I closed the door and flopped face down on my bed.

"Are you okay, son?" I heard Carlisle ask through the door.

"I'm fine. I've got a ton of homework to do," I told him.

My door opened a crack, and I saw him look in. "I hope that you're not upset with Esme. She's just concerned about you," he said, stepping into my room.

I sat up and looked at him. "I'm not upset with her, Dad. A bit embarrassed maybe but not upset."

We talked for a few minutes before I told him I really did need to get working on my homework.

I was so immersed in my homework that when my phone rang, it scared the crap out of me.

"Hello?"

"Hey, handsome. I just wanted to let you know that I got home safely," Bella's sweet voice said.

"I'm glad to hear that," I told her.

We talked for about thirty minutes before my yawns overtook me, and we said goodnight.

By the end of the week, most of the rumors had died down, something I was extremely grateful for. I hadn't been kidding when I'd told Lauren I'd take it up with the principal if I had to.

After school, I headed over to the Swan house with everyone where we spent the evening watching horror movies and eating pizza. Renee had been kind enough to let us order in.

"This is such a horrible movie. There's no plot at all," Bella said as we watched some cheesy horror flick.

"That's the point, Bells. It's supposed to be horrible," Emmett told her.

We were halfway through our third movie of the evening when Charlie came home. He looked tired, but there was a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Can you guys pause that for a moment?" he asked.

It was done so immediately, and we all turned to face him.

He explained that the Port Angeles P.D. had caught the two other guys that had attacked Rose, and that tomorrow he'd drive her and Emmett over to the station to identify them.

"You two okay with that?"

They both nodded, and we all felt a sense of relief that they'd been caught. The hard part was still to come and we all knew that, but I think we all felt safer knowing the three of them were behind bards. Now, if only catching James was so easy.

"Do you have any news regarding James?" I asked Charlie later that evening when I'd gone to the kitchen to get some water.

"Not yet, son. Not yet. Bastard is a slippery devil, but he'll make a mistake sooner or later. His father's car was reported stolen last week, but I have a feeling that he lent it to James. We've put out an APB on it."

"APB?" I asked.

"All Points Bulletin. If the car is spotted, we'll be notified."

I appreciated all that Charlie was doing to get James, and I let him know that. He waved me off, telling me I had nothing to thank him for.

I headed back into the living room where a fifth movie was playing. It was absolutely ridiculous, and my eyes began to burn just watching it.

"C'mon," Bella said, tugging me up off the floor, and we headed toward her room.

"Door open!" Charlie hollered.

"Yes, sir!" she shouted back, saluting in his general direction. "Like I'd have sex in this house with all my family around."

I snickered at her, stopping when she pressed her lips to mine.

"Boy, I love kissing you," she said a little while later as we lay on her bed, both a bit breathless.

"Same here. It's become an addiction that I can't go without," I told her.

"Yeah? You're addicted to me?"

"Sure. You're like my own personal brand of heroin," I said with a grin.

She snorted out a laugh. "Well, that's romantic."

Saturday night, I found myself hanging out with my parents watching some black and white film. It was so boring, but I was too lazy to get up and leave the room.

"Why aren't you out with Bella?" Carlisle asked, after I'd gotten done complaining about the movie.

"She got called into work at the last minute. Otherwise, I'd be with her and leaving you old people to your old movies."

"Watch it, son. I can still kick your butt," Carlisle said with a grin, tossing a pillow at me.

"Yeah, right," I said with an eye roll.

A little after nine, I checked my phone to see if I had a text from Bella, but I didn't. Figuring that she was just running a bit late, I didn't worry too much. However, when I hadn't heard from her by ten, I gave her a call. It just went to her voicemail which wasn't like her. I tried again and again, and when I couldn't get a hold of her, I gave Emmett a call.

"What up, Eddie?"

"Is Bella home? She's not answering her phone."

"I thought she was with you," he said, causing me to become even more alarmed than I already was.

"No, she worked at the diner tonight, and she always calls me when she gets off work, but she didn't tonight."

"Calm down, dude. I'm sure it's fine. I've been in my room most of the night. Let me check with the 'rents."

Moments later, Charlie came on the line.

"Edward?"

"Charlie," I said with relief.

"Bella's not here. I got a text from her saying she was stopping by your house after work."

"She never mentioned it to me, and I haven't heard from her at all. I've called her several times and there's no answer," I told him, my voice rising with panic.

"Edward. I need you to stay calm. I'm going to drive over to the diner and talk to Mrs. Stanley. I'll call you when I know something, okay?"

I nodded even though he couldn't see me, then hung up the phone. I headed back downstairs and told Esme and Carlisle that Bella was missing.

"What do you mean missing?" Esme asked.

I explained that she hadn't called me or answered her phone and that Charlie had gotten a text from her saying that she was coming over here.

"Edward, son, you need to stay calm. Maybe Bella's phone died, or she got a flat tire," Esme said. "Don't get yourself all worked up until we know what's going on."

But, I knew. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it, and I didn't know how to explain it. If Bella's phone had died, she would have found a way to get ahold of me or her dad. If car had a flat, she would have called someone. No, something was seriously wrong.

For thirty minutes, I paced back and forth across the living room. I kept glancing at my phone, praying for it to ring and for Bella to be on the other side.

Thirty minutes became forty minutes, and I was growing more and more panicked with each passing second. Finally, my phone rang, and I fumbled to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Edward? It's Charlie," he said, and I knew by his voice that Bella was gone.

"Did you find her?"

"She's not here. Her truck is here along with her cell phone and purse, but she's not. I've organized a search party, but I'm certain that Hunter has her," he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.

I didn't remember sitting down, I didn't remember Esme taking the phone from me, I didn't remember the tears falling. All I remembered was that my girl had been taken. That some crazy asshole had her, and I had failed to keep her safe.

"Edward! Look at me please," Esme begged.

Slowly, I looked at her as she cupped my face before pulling me into a hug.

"You need to be calm and stay strong for Bella, okay? You won't be any help to anyone if you're a mess. Do you understand?"

I nodded, knowing that she was right.

"Okay. Now, let me tell you what Charlie told us."

I nodded again, pulling the pocket watch that Bella had gotten me, out of my pocket. My fingers traced over it as I remembered the pure joy on her face as she'd given it to me.

"There wasn't any blood at the scene, which is a good sign. It means that Bella is most likely unharmed," Esme began.

That was good. She'd better be unharmed or heaven help me, I would tear James apart.

"Charlie also said that he's brought in the Washington State police as well. They'll be manning the roadways, and Charlie has released pictures of Bella and James to the media."

"What can we do to help?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Nothing," she said, and I made a strangled noise.

"Edward, listen to us," Carlisle said, speaking for the first time since Esme began. "There is nothing we can do but keep an eye out for her. We don't want to interfere or hinder the police in anyway. Charlie said that if you want to help, then to stay strong and be there when Bella comes home."

When Bella comes home. She was going to come home. She had to. I couldn't survive if she didn't.

Sleep didn't come easily and at around three, I gave up. I sent Emmett a text asking if I could come over, and he agreed. Apparently, the Swans weren't sleeping either. I woke Esme and Carlisle up, letting them know where I was going before driving over to the Swans.

Renee greeted me at the door and pulled me in for a hug, which I returned. Her eyes were red and there were tear tracks on her cheeks.

I followed her into the living room and was surrounded in hugs by the whole family. We spent the night trying to kill the time, anxiously awaiting for any news from Charlie. So far, there hadn't been any.

A little after six, Esme and Carlisle came over. Esme and I were decided to make pancakes for everyone. We needed something to do to stay sane, and I knew that even if we weren't hungry, we should eat.

I had just put the some batter on the grill when the phone rang, startling all of us. Renee grabbed it, and held on with clutched hands as she listened to whoever was on the other end.

"Thanks for letting us know. I love you, too," she said, hanging up the phone.

"What did Dad say?" Jasper asked.

"They got about a girl matching Bella's description being seen at a gas station outside of Seattle. Your dad and the state police on on their way there now."

Time passes slowly as we waited to hear if Bella had been found, but there hadn't been any word. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned into hours, and still there was no news. They say no news is good news, but I wasn't sure about that. No news meant that James still had Bella, and that the police hadn't caught him yet.

Twenty-one hours after Bella had gone missing, we got a call from Charlie. Bella had been found, but James was in the wind. At that moment, I didn't give a shit about James. All that I wanted was my Bella.

"Oh, thank God," Renee said before breaking down into tears.

I rode with Esme, Jasper, and Alice, while Carlisle drove everyone else. The drive to Seattle had never seemed so long.

When we pulled up in front of a hospital, I about lost what little was in my stomach. Why were we there?

Esme turned the car off before turning around to face us. "Before you work yourselves into a frenzy, listen to me. Bella is going to be fine. She's got some bruises, cuts, and a broken leg."

I swallowed back the bile that was threatening to erupt. The fucker had hurt my girl!

Fifteen minutes later, we were gathered outside of Bella's room. The doctor had informed us that she was doing okay, but that she looked worse for wear.

"Visiting hours are over at nine," he told us when we asked if we could see her.

I followed the Swans into Bella's room, and I could barely hold back a gasp when I saw my girl laying in the hospital bed. There was a nasty cut above her left eye that was held closed with stitches and butterfly bandaids, several bruises on her face and arms, and her leg was in blue cast.

I couldn't have stopped the tears had I tried. She looked so small and fragile.

Bella's eyes slowly opened and she let out a cry when she saw Renee.

"Mom!"

Renee rushed over to Bella and gently wrapped her up in a hug, tears falling from both of their eyes.

After Bella and Renee parted, I slowly moved forward and took my turn hugging Bella. She clung to me, her small hands fisting in my shirt as her tears soaked my shirt.

Despite the fact that visiting hours ended at nine, Carlisle managed to convince the doctor to let Renee and Charlie spend the night with Bella. The rest of us made do with the plastic chairs and couches in the waiting area.

It was a long night, and despite the fact that I knew Bella was safe, I couldn't sleep. Every little noise had me jerking awake thinking that James had snuck into the hospital and was going to kill her. Charlie had assured us that the hospital was well guarded and there was a manhunt for James that was ongoing. I just hoped that they caught him before he hurt anyone else.

a/n: Next update will be next Saturday since I'm going out of town on Thursday, and we'll get to see what Bella went through.