Chapter 21: The Absence

Author's note: Tissue warning.

Edward

The crisp autumn air caressed my skin as I stepped out from the house, the promised bottle of cider nestled securely under my arm. A detour had drawn me into the home office—an unexpected call, a file urgently needed. The mundane nature of such interruptions had never felt so jarring as it did now, with the night's tranquility shattered.

As I made my way through the garden, I couldn't help but notice the rose bushes, still blooming defiantly against the encroaching chill. Their vibrant colors stood in stark contrast to the subdued hues of fall. Twice I had cut roses from these very bushes for Bella—a dozen white roses on our first "official" date, and a single red rose for a romantic dinner we shared. Each petal, a testament to the moments we cherished, now seemed to echo the fragility of those memories.

Yet, upon returning to the backyard, an unsettling void greeted me. The Adirondack chair, once Bella's sanctuary, stood desolate. Memories of her laughter mingling with the rustle of leaves flooded my mind, a stark contrast to the eerie silence that now enveloped me. A wave of disquiet washed over me, the night's silence weighing heavy like a portentous veil.

"Bella?" My voice shattered the stillness, a desperate plea that hung unanswered in the air. The fire crackled with a taunting life of its own, while the leaves whispered secrets they would not divulge. Panic took hold, my heart hammering as I dropped the bottle, the sound of shattering glass piercing the night, a stark echo of my fracturing composure.

Bella was gone, whisked away into the night's embrace, and I was left grappling with the void her absence had carved. The house, once filled with the soft melodies of her favorite piano pieces, now echoed with a haunting silence. It was as if the music had been a delicate thread weaving through the fabric of our lives, now abruptly cut.

Fumbling with my cellphone, I dialed the one number I had prayed would remain unused. Before I ascended the stairs, a sliver of light from the ajar door of the home office caught my eye. The security detail had made it their command center, and now, it stood eerily open, the monitors aglow with the live feeds from the cameras they had installed around the property. A silent sentinel array, now unattended.

I ran up the stairs, thinking maybe Bella had slipped up them while I was in the office. She wasn't in any of the rooms, and neither was security detail. Bo Frakes's voice, steady and calm, answered after the third ring.

"Bella's gone. And the security detail is too," I blurted out, skipping past his initial greeting.

"Edward," Bo began, his voice eerily composed. "Tell me exactly where she was."

I inhaled sharply, trying to steady my thoughts. "In the backyard, by the fire I made."

"And your location?" he probed.

"In the house, getting cider. There was a call... needed a file. The security team was here," I managed, my words tumbling out in fragments.

"Understood," he replied. "Now, please go back outside and describe what you see. Get as close as you need to without disturbing the scene."

I obeyed, heading downstairs and stepping back into the night. "Everything appears normal," I reported, though my voice trembled.

Bo's sigh crackled through the phone. "Examine where she was sitting," he instructed, a note of urgency in his tone. "I need to know if she left on her own or was forcibly taken."

My gaze fell upon the chair, and my breath hitched. Icy dread clenched my heart as I reported what I saw. "There's blood on the armrest."

"The ground, Edward. Is it disturbed?" His voice was a lifeline in the chaos.

"Yes," I choked out. The hand gripping my heart tightened. "There's more blood, a trail leading into the woods. Drag marks."

"Thank you, Edward. I've relayed the information to Sam. He and the security team are already looking. Return inside; I'm dispatching additional security. I've sent a message to your parents and Bella's father."

At the mention of her father, I interjected, "But isn't he on a deep space mission?"

"He returned this morning," Bo informed me, his voice betraying nothing. "Currently in debriefing."

~~ Black Cat ~~

The world outside the kitchen window moved with a precision that seemed alien to the chaos churning within me. Crime scene tape cordoned off the backyard. An officer stood by the open backdoor preventing unauthorized people in the yard. Delta squad, a blur of motion and purpose, was a stark reminder of the reality we faced. Their silent storm was a dance of shadows against the backdrop of our fears.

Bo Frakes, ever the eye of that storm, was a pillar of strength amidst the swirling doubts. His orders, crisp and clear, cut through the night like a beacon. "Secure the perimeter," he commanded, his gaze anchoring me for a fleeting moment before he returned to the task at hand.

The history of Forks, with its tangled web of secrets and silent grievances, loomed over us. Samantha's uninvestigated death, the past negligence of the sheriff's office, and Jacob's unchecked transgressions that had Bella fleeing at the tender age of fifteen formed a backdrop to our current crisis. It was a tapestry of past failures that we could not afford to repeat.

Bella's status as a high-ranking Star Command officer brought both gravity and urgency to the search. The local sheriff's involvement, the potential for the FBI's arrival—it all pointed to a situation escalating beyond the town's quiet facade.

Bo's assurance, his grim smile a mask over the concern etched deep in his features, was a lifeline in the storm. "We'll find her, Edward," he promised, his voice a steady drumbeat against the fear. "Charlie is on his way. He is on a shuttle making his way from Nevada."

The tears that clouded my vision were a testament to the stakes we faced. Charlie, a man I knew only through Bella's stories, was now a pivotal figure as the search for his daughter continued. The thought of meeting him, not as a future son-in-law but as a co-combatant in a battle for Bella's safety, was daunting.

"Why?" The question was a whisper, a crack in the dam holding back my despair. It was more than a query; it was the voice of every fear that had taken root in my heart since Bella's disappearance.

Bo's response was a balm to the raw edges of my panic. "Charlie understands the risks. We need him as a father, not a security officer. The flight will give him time to prepare for that role."

I nodded, the logic a cold comfort against the warmth of emotion that threatened to overwhelm me. "And what about us? What's our next move?"

"We wait for the Black Cat to report back," Bo said, his gaze unwavering. "They're the best at tracking, and they're already on Jacob's trail. We secure the perimeter and gather evidence. We're doing everything we can, Edward."

His assurance was a small comfort, but it was something to cling to in the swirling chaos. "Thank you, Bo," I managed to say, the weight of gratitude heavy in my voice. "For everything."

He clapped a hand on my shoulder, a silent vow passing between us. "We're in this together, Edward. We'll bring her home."

I nodded, a silent acknowledgment of Bo's strategy. A part of me—a fierce, primal part—screamed to join the search, to comb through the woods and bring Bella back myself. But I was anchored by a promise made during a quiet conversation just nights before. Bella had looked me in the eyes, her own gaze fierce with conviction, and made me swear to trust in those trained for such crises.

"If anything ever happens, promise me you'll let them do their job," she had said, the unspoken plea louder than her words. "Promise me you'll stay safe, for me."

Her fear of losing me had been palpable, a silent confession that she needed me to remain where I was safest—at home. And now, as every instinct urged me to act, I clung to that promise. It was all I could do to honor her wishes and keep faith in the team Bo had assembled.

Bo seemed to read the turmoil in my eyes. "She knew you'd want to search for her," he said softly. "But she also knew the best chance she had was with both Black Cat and Delta squad. She trusts them, Edward. And she trusts you to stay here, where you're out of harm's way."

The reassurance, though it did little to quell the storm inside me, was a balm to the helplessness that threatened to consume me. "I know," I whispered, the weight of the situation settling around us like a shroud. "I just... I need her to be safe."

"And she will be," Bo affirmed, his hand firm on my shoulder. "We're bringing her back, Edward. That's a promise."

Rising from the depths of my despair, I left the kitchen behind, each step up the stairs resonating with the weight of my sorrow. The bedroom door was open, revealing a space haunted by Bella's absence, her essence lingering in the faintest traces—a necklace from her father resting on the bedside table, her slippers standing guard by the bed, as if awaiting her return.

~~ Black Cat ~~

A lone tear breached my defenses as I reached for the ring's hiding place, its black velvet box a jarring note amidst the soft tapestry of our intertwined lives. My fingers trembled as I lifted the lid, revealing the diamond ring that sparkled with a defiance that belied the gloom encroaching upon my world. The question hung heavy in the air: would I ever have the opportunity to slip this ring onto her finger, to ask her to be my wife?

The diamond captured my gaze, each facet reflecting a fragment of our past, scattering beams of light that played upon the walls, a silent ballet of the joy we had known. The reflections brought to mind the depth of her eyes, those pools of rich brown that once brimmed with the promise of a shared tomorrow. Now, that promise trembled on the brink of an abyss, the specter of the unknown looming over me.

Clutching the ring, I found solace in its unyielding nature, the cold metal a testament to the strength of our connection. It was a bond as enduring as the gemstone itself, a treasure beyond measure, anchoring me to the hope that love, like the diamond, could withstand the pressures of the darkest times.

As the tears continued their silent descent, my mind wandered back to the day Bella first walked into my life. Her style was unassuming, yet it carried an elegance that was effortless. The navy sweater she wore accentuated the rich color of her hair, elegantly coiled to unveil the delicate curve of her neck. Her face, free of makeup, radiated a natural beauty that was both striking and sincere, and the jeans she donned spoke volumes of her self-assured ease.

There was an authenticity in her simplicity that immediately drew me in. I found myself charmed by her puzzled expression as I asked for her license after our carts bumped into each others. When I saw her again, chatting with Angela at the diner, there was this joy to her. As she made her way over to join me for breakfast, there was a lightness in her step that matched the lightness in my chest.

Outside the diner, as we spoke, I surrendered to an impulse I hadn't wanted to give in to. My intentions to kiss her cheek were abandoned, and instead, I found my lips meeting hers in a moment of unexpected intimacy. The shock of my own boldness had me reeling, but she remained composed, her gentle words anchoring me when instinct urged me to flee. In her calm, I found courage, and in her acceptance, I found home.

Envisioning a future devoid of her radiant smile, the sweetness of her kisses, and the warmth of her touch, I found myself sinking to my knees. The ring, a symbol of my dreams, was now clutched tightly against my chest. The thought of reverting to the hollow man I once was, before Bella's light filled my world, was unbearable. I had shunned the joy in my parents' eyes, believing such happiness was beyond my grasp, forbidden to me—until destiny intervened.

As more tears threatened to fall, I willed my mind away from the darkness, focusing instead on the memory of Bella in my arms, swaying to piano in the kitchen, our bare feet gliding across the cool tiles. I remembered the soft glow in her eyes, illuminated by candlelight as we shared quiet dinners, and the playful bite of her lip as she gazed upon my bed. My own voice echoed in my memory, a whisper of reassurance—"Remember, I'm taking care of you tonight. My arms, and only them, are yours tonight."

The mornings I awoke with her nestled in my embrace were treasures I held dear. Our bond was profound, transcending the physical—it was our unique narrative, unfolding at our own pace. Gazing once more into the ring box, the diamond caught the light, its brilliance a beacon of hope amidst the shadows. In that moment, the ring transformed, becoming a testament to the enduring strength of our love, as resilient and everlasting as the diamond it cradled.

Gathering the shards of my resolve, I rose to my feet, wiping away the tears that betrayed my inner turmoil. As I pocketed the ring box, a symbol of a future I refused to let slip away, I turned to find my parents seated on my bed. Their silent presence was a bastion of support in the tempest of my emotions. My mother stood, her arms outstretched, and I found myself walking into her embrace, regressing to a time when a broken toy felt like the end of the world. It was a crude comparison, yet the only one that came close to describing the chasm opening within me.

In my mother's arms, I discovered a comfort that was both achingly familiar and strangely foreign—a blend of childhood simplicity and the complex grief of adulthood. My father's hand rested on my shoulder, a reminder that no matter the depths of my despair, their love would always be there to draw me back from the brink.

Surrounded by my family's love, the ring's weight in my pocket grew more pronounced, each ounce a measure of the uncertain future that lay ahead. But even in the depths of my fear, a spark of determination ignited within me. The love that filled my home was proof enough that the bond I shared with Bella could endure any challenge. Clutching onto that belief, the ring became more than just a symbol of hope—it was a vow, a pledge to fight for the life I wanted more than anything with Bella.

"Star Command is searching, as are the local officers. The FBI is enroute from Seattle," my mother's soft whisper cut through the silence. "She will be found."

Her words, echoing Bo's earlier reassurance, wrapped around me like a warm blanket, easing the tightness in my chest. Their touch was a tangible reminder that I was not alone in this.

The knock at the door pulled me from their embrace, and I faced the newcomers. Two silhouettes stood in the hallway, one bearing a striking resemblance to Bella. Could it be Charlie?

"Charlie?" My voice was a mere whisper, a stark contrast to the fortitude I sought to project.

"Yes," came the gruff reply, laden with unspoken emotion. "You must be Edward."

I nodded, introducing my parents. Charlie acknowledged them with a nod before introducing Daniela.

"Bella sent us a video message about you. She wanted us to meet over dinner." Daniela's voice faltered as she alluded to the current situation, her smile a small beacon of warmth in the gloom.

I couldn't help but laugh, a sound that felt foreign yet necessary. "Bella would insist we make the best of it, regardless of the circumstances."

Charlie's laughter joined mine. "She's always been one to find the silver lining."

His statement prompted me to share a piece of Bella that had become a part of our daily life. "She's taken to singing 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes' lately, a counterpoint to Jacob's looming threat."

Charlie's stern look softened into a smile. "Disney songs are her refuge. It means a lot that she's shared that with you."

I feigned shock, then admitted to not just enduring but embracing Bella's musical coping mechanism.

Charlie's approval was evident as he declared me worthy of his daughter. His strategy to lighten the mood had worked; the weight of my worry had lessened, if only slightly.

He suggested we move downstairs, an opportunity to share the story of how Bella and I met and to discuss my intentions. It was a step forward, a momentary respite from the fear, and a chance to honor the love that Bella and I had nurtured.