"Bring Me to Life" Chapter 12~Where Do We Go from Here?
Or read it HERE at ff.net
Title: Bring Me to Life
Author: Lindseyfair
Characters/Pairings: Edward/Bella mostly, some Alice/Jasper, some Emmett/Rosalie
Rating: Overall M for Mature, will designate chapters with more graphic content.
Category: Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Spoilers: None really, would be nice if you've at least read “Twilight” to get the basic character content.
This is Alternate Universe and is All Human.
Summary: 17 year old Edward has returned to Forks after spending six years at an exclusive boarding school. He's not the same Edward that his childhood best friend, Bella, remembers. He's changed and closed himself to almost everyone. Can Bella bring him back to life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. She is the goddess, so thank her.
Chapter 12-Where Do We Go from Here?
EPOV
We drove for only another half hour through the middle of nowhere until Demetri turned off on a dirt road. Once we broke through the trees, a huge estate appeared. The house rivaled mine back home. A huge garden out back next to a large swimming pool. A wrap around porch on the two story mansion. How did they ever afford something like this on Demetri's salary?
“Where are we?” I asked Demetri as we were unloading some bags onto the porch.
“Montana. We've been building this place for about three years. We knew this is were we'd want to be when we would start over.”
That was when I noticed a tall, dark man walking towards us from the side of the house.
“Don't get any ideas,” Demetri warned me. “Seth, I don't know how to thank you for getting everything ready for us so quickly.”
“It's no problem, Mr. Allen. Glad it's finally finished.” Seth shook Demetri's hand.
“Seth, you know you can just call me David. I'd like to introduce you to my brother-in-law. Seth, this is Ed.”
“Nice to meet you, Ed.” He shook my hand.
“You too.” I gave a quick smile as I picked up another bag.
“He's Izzy's husband, you know, Amy's little sister.”
A look of realization swept across his face. “Ya, right.”
“We figure we have more than enough room up here. Them being newlyweds and all, they're gonna help out.” Demetri clapped his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“Well, there's not much to do out here, but I think with everything you've got in there, you guys can keep yourselves entertained. I won't keep you any longer. I guess I'll just say, welcome to the neighborhood.”
I looked around in every direction. I didn't see anything of a neighborhood.
“Neighborhood? There doesn't seem to be another house for miles.”
“Ya, about ten. The nearest town is about fifteen miles north. You all picked a perfect spot out here though. Just be sure to call if you guys need anything.”
“Thanks, Seth.” Demetri shook his hand again before he walked off and jumped into a pickup truck.
“You did very well. See, if you behave, we won't have any problems.” He gave me a wink. It made me throw up a little in my mouth.
I made my way over to Bella who was holding Kenzie. I gave them each a kiss on the cheek as my arm found it's way around Bella's waist.
We got the grand tour. The house was already fully furnished. The girls had their own rooms and even a large playroom full of toys. I had a feeling we would be having lots of tea parties.
Demetri got the girls settled in their playroom while Anne showed Bella and I to our room. It was very large with a king sized bed in one corner. It was decorated in blue hues from the walls to the pillows on the bed to the carpet. Just like the last room they had given us, there wasn't much else. There was a walk in closet next to a small bathroom. In the corner opposite the bed was a chaise lounge. Mounted on the wall was a flat screen TV.
“We just need to go over the ground rules.” Anne pulled out the palm pilot and brought up the house security feed. “We've got cameras stationed throughout the house, including in here. Bella has already gotten the lecture on the ankle monitor.” I saw Bella had something peeking from beneath the hem of her jeans. I pulled my pant leg up to notice I had one of my own. “That's just to make sure we know where you are at all times and if you decided to be naughty, then...” Anne pushed a few buttons, sending an electric jolt up my leg and through the rest of my body. I fell straight to the floor. “You wouldn't want to be naughty, would you?”
I shook my head as Bella was down rubbing my back.
“Good. We also have those familiar shackles for when we need to keep you in place. I'll let you two get settled in, then I'll need Bella to help me with dinner.” Anne walked out, closing the door behind her.
Bella helped me to the bed. I laid back as she snuggled next to me.
“There is just one word for her... Bitch.”
I laughed as I turned to look my beautiful Bella in the eye. She knew exactly how to make me smile.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through my hair, her chin lying on my chest. “This bed is a little bit more comfortable than the other one.”
My body was aching for more reasons than just the shock I had received. I rolled her onto her back and crawled on top of her. I kissed the hollow beneath her ear as I felt her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of my neck. I heard the door creak open. I turned to see Demetri at the doorway. I rolled off of Bella.
“Don't stop on my account. I'm all about a good show.” He adjusted... himself as he walked over to the bed. “I'm sure you two will be very,” His tongue slipped out and moistened his lips. “entertaining.”
He had to go and ruin the one thing I actually enjoyed by making it something dirty.
“I've heard that Bella is quite the cook. I look forward to sampling some of your best recipes. We'll expect you down shortly.” He ran his fingers across my cheek before leaving the room.
“We gotta get out of here.” I laid on my back and put my forearm over my eyes. “How did we even get here?”
“I know why the FBI couldn't find us.”
I turned on my side to face her. “Why?” I swept her hair from her face as she turned to me.
“Demetri had sealed off the door to the basement. It's like it wasn't even there. After he gave you that shot, he made me help him carry you out. There was a door hidden in their bedroom closet. We pulled you put through there. Once we got in the car, he put the ankle monitors on both of us, then made me drink something. Next I knew, it was daytime and you were still sleeping in the seat behind me.”
“I can see they've gone to a lot of trouble to keep us here.” I pulled her close so I could whisper in her ear. “We're gonna have to be careful, but I know, somehow, we're gonna get out of here.”
/&/
BPOV
The first few days, Demetri and Anne pretty much left us alone. I think they got some sort of sick pleasure out of watching us together. Sometimes they would shackle our ankles at night, but they'd let us sleep in the same bed just to see what we would do.
We spent plenty of time with the girls. They were actually our salvation. I couldn't believe that those two monsters made those perfect little angles. I tried to keep one of the girls next to me at all times. I had a feeling that they wouldn't try anything in front of the girls. It was a relief because it made me believe they hadn't been abusing them. As sick as they were, I think they loved their children and were trying to be good parents in their eyes.
Edward and I were watching, waiting for any opportunity. Nothing had ever presented itself. They were watching our every move. The only time we were alone was at night in bed. That's when we'd take the risk to whisper our sweet nothings to each other. One night, we made a decision that would change everything.
“There's something I've been thinking about ever since we got here.” My voice was so quite I could barely hear myself.
“What's that, love?”
I pulled the covers over our heads to give us a little more privacy.
“The girls...”
“You've gotten attached to them, haven't you?”
“It's hard not to.” I ran the tip of my index finger across his bottom lip. “We have to take them with us.”
“I know.” He kissed my fingertip. “It's just going to be difficult. If it was just you and I, we could make a run for it. With the girls, we'd need to get the van, money, supplies. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.”
I kissed his nose as my thumb began rubbing the apple of his cheek. “We should start with getting the ankle monitors off.”
We spent the next few nights pretending to wrestle under the covers. I'm sure they enjoyed that. We would try to work on the locks, but nothing seemed to make them budge.
One night after a combination of liquid soap, shampoo, and my ankle joints moving the way God never intended, I had the thing half way over my heel. Instead of slipping it off, I actually triggered the damned thing. It shocked me for what seemed like eternity, then I passed out from the pain radiating throughout my body.
When I woke up, Edward was gone.
“You've been a very bad girl, Bella dear.” Demetri was caressing my cheek as the room came back into focus. “Now, Edward will have to be punished.”
For three days, I hardly slept or ate. The girls had been told Edward was sick and he'd be able to play with them when he was feeling better. Gracie even wanted me to help her make a get well soon card. I just kissed her forehead before taking off for the bathroom so I could let the tears flow in private.
During those days, Anne watched my every move. She slept next to me. She watched me take care of all the girl's needs. She even watched me in the shower, yet she never touched me.
On the third night, she finally let me go to my room alone. I flipped on the light to see Edward sitting on the edge of the bed. He was only wearing the pajama pants I had last seen him in. As I moved closer, I realized what Demetri had been doing to entertain himself.
“This is all he did.”
“All? Edward...” I knelt down on the floor in front of him to see the stages of red, purple, and blue welts covering his back and torso. My fingers gently made their way down his rib cage. I couldn't help but want to take away the pain. I placed my lips to his chest, just above his heart. He threaded his fingers through my hair as I trailed kisses all over his torso. I laid him down on his stomach and went to work on his back. Before I could finish, he was fast asleep. I pulled the blankets over us and snuggled into his side.
The next morning, I helped him out of his pants and into the shower.
“I'm not ready to let go of you yet.” He held my wrist in his hand as he stepped in. “Come with me.”
I slipped off my t-shirt and shorts. I took his hand and stepped into the steaming hot shower. I lathered him up, trying to wash away as much of the pain as I could. Edward would hold me, kiss me, but I knew whatever Demetri had done, it had left another scar on my Edward's soul.
The door to the bathroom opened and Anne stepped in. “The girls want to go swimming.”
Edward pulled me into him under the running water. I could see her her eyes raking over our naked bodies.
“I'll leave you something to wear.” She placed our bathing suits on the counter. She sucked on her fingertip while taking a final look.
“We will be down in a few minutes,” I declared. That pulled her out of her euphoric state. She left the bathroom and I traded Edward's arms for a fluffy bath towel.
/&/
EPOV
For three days, Demetri had me stuck in a dark hole. He visited me only to remind me how much control he really had over my ever me. Each time, I would receive another round of shock therapy. On the third day, he asked if I had enough. Only when I said yes in a tone that he accepted did he allow me to return to my room to wait for Bella.
After our shower the next morning, Bella was forced to display her assets out by the pool. Anne had given her a bikini, if you could even call it that. The top looked like two green triangles attached with dental floss. The bottoms weren't much better. A swatch of green fabric tied together at each side. In any other situation, I would have found her incredibly sexy. Just knowing how our captors would be ogling her made every part of me burn.
I was left with a pair of swim trunks and a t-shirt. I assumed that Demetri didn't want to show off his handy work to the girls.
“Bella dear, we wouldn't want you to burn. Edward...” Demetri threw me a bottle of sunscreen. “Why don't you put some of this on Bella. Make sure to cover every inch. We wouldn't want to harm her flawless skin.”
Bella stood up as I opened the bottle. I started on her legs, rubbing the lotion all the way up her thighs and across her exposed cheeks. I worked over her back and both her arms. She turned and I started to forget that there was anyone watching. I traced little circles across her stomach as I rubbed the lotion in. I let my fingers trail between her breasts and across her collar bone. I brought my hand up to her cheek and pressed her slick body against mine. I brought my lips to hers, getting lost in each breath.
Demetri cleared his throat as he pressed himself against Bella's back. He kissed her ear as his fingers trailed up her side. I was about to grab his fingers and break them when Anne came out with the girls. Demetri backed away as the girls came running towards us.
“Eddie, are you all better?” Gracie asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Well enough for a swim, but you're going to have to be gentle, okay?”
“Okay. Daddy, go jump in and make a big splash!”
I set Gracie down and she ran to the side of the pool to watch Demetri jump in.
“I really thought I was going to throw up. He was hard just pressing up against me.”
“I think this is his new game. He likes to watch us touch each other, turn each other on. That seems to get him going.”
“God. He's just sick.”
I was right, though. They did like seeing us together. They'd make us do seemingly innocent tasks and turn them into something disgusting. The sunscreen was just the first of many. They made Bella get down on her hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor while wearing only a tank top and almost non-existent shorts. I was made to clean the pool without a shirt on after my welts had almost healed.
Their favorite for some reason was seeing the two of us cook together. We actually became like a well oiled machine. They made me stand behind Bella while she was chopping ingredients. I would help her layer whatever needed layering into the sauce or baking pans. We were told to lick whatever parts got covered with food off each other. Sometimes they were fingers. Others times they were cheeks and lips. After the majority of the preparation was done, Anne would steal Demetri away. One could only assume to relieve the tension caused by our little shows. They always seemed to make it back in time for the main course though.
After several of those kind of meals, the perfect plan hit me. If we all were willing, it just might work.
/&/
Carlisle's POV
“Come to bed, darling. I know you're exhausted.” Esme motioned for me to come over to her.
My wife was still the vigilant caretaker she'd always been. She worried about everyone else before giving her own needs a thought.
I moved from the chair next to our bedroom window to stand with her next at the foot of our bed. Her skin was pale, dark circles matched my own beneath her beautiful green eyes. I let my hands rest on her hips as hers laid on my chest.
“I could say the same for you.” I caressed the apple of her cheek. “You look like you haven't had a good nights sleep in months.”
“Two months, two weeks, and four days,” she corrected me.
Had it really been that long? Edward and Bella went missing two days before his birthday and it was already the middle of August.
“We can't go on living like this. I just don't think this family can take it.”
I wrapped my arms around her as she started to cry against my chest.
She was right. Our family was breaking apart.
We laid down on our bed after I turned out the lights. I let my mind wander as we huddled next to each other, begging sleep to come.
Just like every other night, it didn't come willingly. My mind wandered to what Edward and Bella were dreaming about, if they were even sleeping at all. I knew after Demetri had disappeared just days after Edward, he must have had something to do with it all. I knew Anne had made a lot of money after selling a patten on some computer chip she had designed, so their resources were endless. They could be anywhere in the world and not one person I hired could find them.
Charlie was doing his best, working with the authorities and trying to keep us all optimistic. I knew the pain he was feeling though. Out of all my children, Edward had always been the most independent. Since he'd come home though, it was like he never wanted to leave. I felt so guilty for making him stay at Masen for so long. We'd lost so much time with him. I knew I would do anything to make it up to him, anything.
Esme had been trying to keep herself occupied. Her garden began to rival Martha Stewart's. She worked on it when she wasn't trying to keep the rest of us together. It seemed to be the only thing to distract her.
Rose and Emmett had set up a website for people to read our story and contact us with any information leading to finding the kids. We could hardly tear Rose away from the computer. Her laptop was on even while she slept.
Emmett had moved into the guest room. He was the only thing keeping Rose together. I think he was angry at me for not seeing what was going on with Edward in the first place. Then he was angry at Edward for taking his baby sister away from him. He channeled his anger into something positive. He went on TV, the radio, and the Internet, getting the story out to as many people as he could. He was on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and even BBC World News within the first week. He kept making sure that no one was forgetting about Edward and Bella.
As for Alice and Jasper... things had gone drastically the other way. At first, Alice locked herself in Edward's room. Jasper waited patiently, camped out at the door. She finally let him in, only to park herself on Edward's couch. He spent hours holding her, trying to persuade her to come out. She seemed terrified to lose her connection with Edward. Being in his room made her feel closer to him. She said she could see him in Bella's arms there, sleeping on that couch. Jasper got her to come out only to take walks like she and Bella had through the woods behind our house.
Now it was almost time for school to start again. All of them had adamantly refused to go. Alice swore she would just take her GED if she had to. The others said college wasn't going anywhere and that they'd worry about it when Edward and Bella came home. I could hardly blame any of them. I, myself, had to force myself to go to work every day.
If only we had anything to hold onto. There was nothing. No witnesses. Edward's car was nowhere to be found. It was like they vanished into thin air. I could only pray every day that they were still alive. I knew Demetri was no longer the man I knew, but I never thought he'd be capable of murder. That fact kept my hope alive. I needed my son home safe. I was beginning to fear for my family's future.
I rolled over to find Esme finally asleep. I laid my arm around her waist as I saw the clock reading two am. I let my eyes close and I sunk back into the blackness.
/&/
“The site has gotten over a million hits this week alone.” Rose stroked Emmett's cheek as he sat next to her at the kitchen table. “All thanks to my big man here.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“What's everyone in the mood for this morning? I can do pancakes or omelets, whatever.” Esme was pulling supplies out of the refrigerator.
“Nothing for me. I've got to go meet dad. Harry Clearwater is coming down today.”
My ears perked up at the sound of our favorite FBI agent's name. “Does he have something new?”
“They've finished going through Demetri's house again. I don't know if he's found anything, but he wanted to talk to dad. Maybe you should come too.”
“If that's alright with you.”
I looked to Emmett as his eyes met mine. It was the first time I had seen his eyes not clouded with hate. Something had replaced it, fear.
“I think you should.”
/&/
Jasper's POV
I had convinced Alice to come for a walk with me after she reluctantly ate her breakfast.
“I thought maybe you could tell me some of your favorite memories of you and Bella.” I swung our arms as our fingers were tangled together. “I know there's about a million that I know nothing about.”
I saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly as her mind went through the catalog of memories. “Well...”
“Come on.” I was dying to know what was causing her wheels to turn in that pretty little head of hers.
“She was the first person I told about us.”
“Really? What did she say?”
“That it was inevitable. She said she knew that I loved you since we were kids. I guess it was kinda how I knew she was always supposed to be with Edward. Then when I told her that we made love, she wanted to know all the details.”
“I see.” I licked my lips and nodded. “Go on.”
“She wanted to know how it felt, you know like... did it hurt and was it really worth it. I told her it got better after a while, but being with you was the most amazing experience of my life.”
I pulled her into my arms. “You've never told me that before.”
“I thought you knew.”
“Cause you make that little squeaking noise when you're about to...”
“Yes.” She patted my chest. “I only squeak for you.”
“It's been awhile.” I started kissing her neck.
“Here? Now?”
“Why not? Where far enough from the house. It'll be like when we snuck into the teacher's lounge during Prom.”
“You are such a bad boy, Jasper Hale.”
I pressed my lips to hers. “That is why you love me.”
I spun her around and backed her up to a nearby tree. We hit the tree so hard, a branch broke and it came crashing down next to us.
I went to examine the damage and what I found I would never forget.
“What is it?”
I picked up the small box and dusted it off. “It's some sort of camera.” I lifted my head to see where the branch had fallen from. “Looks like it was pointed towards Edward's bedroom.” I examined it a little further to find it was on a wireless system. Whatever pictures were being taken were being relayed somewhere, to someone.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed my father. I told him to bring Charlie and Harry to the house.
Within a few hours, FBI agents were combing the grounds looking for more cameras. They found four more hidden in trees and on telephone poles. They went to work trying to find where the images were being sent to.
“Can you tell us what kind of pictures they pulled from the memory?” I was spewing questions at Charlie as Alice clung to my side.
We had all gathered in the living room while we waited to hear back from Harry.
“I'm not sure. We'll just need to wait and see. What we really need to tell you is about why Harry came to see me in the first place.”
We all held our breaths as Charlie continued.
“They found a basement room that had been hidden in Demetri's house. There were two sets of clothes in the room. They're going ahead and doing some DNA testing, but Emmett identified them as what the kids were wearing when they left the lake that night.”
“At least now we are sure Demetri took them. Who knows what he's done with all of them. Anne and the girls must be terrified.” Emmett sat down next to Rose and took her in his arms.
Somehow knowing Demetri actually took them didn't make me feel any better. I clung to the hope that we could learn where those pictures were being sent to.
Charlie grabbed his phone instantly when it rang. We sat on the edge of insanity as he spoke with Harry.
I had my arms wrapped around Alice as I stood behind her. I had to stop her from pacing. She had a vice grip on my forearms, like if she let go, she would pass out.
“They've traced the signal. It was actually feeding video to the source. They're sending some agents out, but they don't want us to get our hopes up.”
“Where? Where was it coming from?” Alice's vice grip turned to a death grip as I felt the pain travel up my arms.
“Montana.”
/&/
EPOV
I had the idea, but it didn't all come together until Kenzie brought a bottle out of her parents room. She thought it was powder and was trying to dump it in her diaper when I caught her. I took the bottle and hid it, keeping it out of sight until I needed it.
Over the next few weeks, we had to use the girls to help us get things to where we needed them. Gracie got into Anne's dresser and found a stash of cash. She thought it was play money. I agreed to play grocery store with her if she would hide it for me with a couple of other things.
A four year old is smart enough to do what you tell them to and not ask too many questions. The answers I gave her for why I had her putting clothes in a trash bag and taking diapers and wipes from Kenzie's room seemed plausible to her. I told her we were going on a surprise vacation. We would tell her mommy and daddy but not until right before we were going to leave.
Everything was hidden. The bags. The cash. That's when we needed to distract Anne and Demetri.
“What's on the menu tonight?” Demetri came up behind Bella as she was looking through a few recipe cards.
“Manicotti with some garlic cheese bread and salad. I think the girls just want some mac and cheese though.”
“Perfect as always.” He brushed her cheek before leaving to go get Anne.
We quickly put our plan into action. I grabbed the bottle of fiber powder and we mixed it with part of the cheese filling for the manicotti. We had the fiber powder cheese filling in a few tubes of pasta before they even returned to the room. We filled the remaining tubes with regular filling for Bella and myself following our normal routine. They watched as we finished up the sauce and poured it in the baking dish.
“It won't take too long. I'll just make the mac and cheese for the girls while it's baking.” Bella was confident as she slipped the dish into the oven. She just knew the next time she cooked dinner it would be for her real family.
Soon, we had settled at the table. The girls were enjoying Bella's homemade mac and cheese, while Anne and Demetri couldn't get enough of the special manicotti.
After dinner, the girls wanted to watch a video. We all piled into the living room and sat down to watch Gracie's favorite movie, “Chronicles of Narnia.” It was a long movie and about half way through, I took Kenzie to bed. I made sure the girl's shoes and socks were right by the door. When I would make that decision to go, I wanted to get out as quickly as possible.
When I returned to the living room, Gracie was perched on Bella's lap and Anne was missing in action.
“Where's Anne?” I tried to ask innocently enough.
“She wasn't feeling good. She went ahead and went to bed. Actually, I'm not doing to well myself.”
“Me either. I'm guessing my stomach had enough cheese for one night.” I patted my stomach as I took my seat beside Bella.
“You think you guys would be okay to get Gracie to bed if I go up?”
“Sure. You'll let us tuck you in won't ya?” Bella's eyes went wide as she realized our plan was about to go into action.
“After the movie is over.” Gracie was very intense as her favorite scene was coming up.
“Go ahead. We'll get her up.” I nodded for Demetri to go ahead upstairs.
By the time the movie was finished, Gracie had fallen asleep. I left her with Bella while I went up to check on Anne and Demetri.
Demetri was moaning in their bathroom as Anne was curled up on their bed. There was no way they'd be making it out of there anytime soon. It took everything in me, but I put our plan into action.
I walked carefully to Kenzie's room and grabbed the bags from where they were hiding in the closet. I grabbed the cash out and stuffed it in my pocket. I got Kenzie's shoes on her before picking her up and taking her downstairs.
“You get the keys?”
Bella pulled a key ring from her pocket along with the infamous palm pilot. My eyes widened in amazement.
“How?”
“Let's just say Demetri's other bulge distracted him while I lifted it out of his pocket.”
I crashed my lips against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Let's go home.”
We got the bags and the girls into the van. We got them strapped in their car seats. I opened the driver's side door as Bella opened the front passenger door. I put the car in neutral and we pushed it as far as we could down the drive before jumping in.
We started it up and headed down the road. I had remembered the nearest town was about fifteen miles away. I headed toward the only lights in the sky. After about ten minutes, we made it to a truck stop. We gathered the girls and made it inside.
“Ed? What are you guys doing out this late at night?”
Seth must have been sent by God.
“It's a long story, but I need some help.”
“Anything, man. What do you need?”
“A cell phone and if you can drudge one up, a bolt cutter.”
“A bolt cutter?”
I raised the hem of my pants to reveal the ankle monitor still attached. He turned to Bella as she showed him hers.
He pulled out his phone immediately and handed it to me. “I know the manager on tonight. I'm sure I can find something.”
He ran off to find his friend as Bella and I took the sleeping girls over to a booth to sit down.
I could hardly concentrate as I punched in all the numbers. One ring... Two rings... Three rings.
“Hello?”
I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I heard a voice I thought I might never hear again.
“Dad... Is that you?”
/&/
A/N: Another long chapter, I know. I just needed to get to this point. I went through several drafts before getting it just right. Please, keep commenting and reviewing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your comments.
Thanks so much for all your support and stay tuned. This story isn't over yet.
Leaving you slightly satisfied but still wanting more, Lindsey
Title: Bring Me to Life
Author: Lindseyfair
Characters/Pairings: Edward/Bella mostly, some Alice/Jasper, some Emmett/Rosalie
Rating: Overall M for Mature, will designate chapters with more graphic content.
Category: Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Spoilers: None really, would be nice if you've at least read “Twilight” to get the basic character content.
This is Alternate Universe and is All Human.
Summary: 17 year old Edward has returned to Forks after spending six years at an exclusive boarding school. He's not the same Edward that his childhood best friend, Bella, remembers. He's changed and closed himself to almost everyone. Can Bella bring him back to life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer. She is the goddess, so thank her.
Chapter 12-Where Do We Go from Here?
EPOV
We drove for only another half hour through the middle of nowhere until Demetri turned off on a dirt road. Once we broke through the trees, a huge estate appeared. The house rivaled mine back home. A huge garden out back next to a large swimming pool. A wrap around porch on the two story mansion. How did they ever afford something like this on Demetri's salary?
“Where are we?” I asked Demetri as we were unloading some bags onto the porch.
“Montana. We've been building this place for about three years. We knew this is were we'd want to be when we would start over.”
That was when I noticed a tall, dark man walking towards us from the side of the house.
“Don't get any ideas,” Demetri warned me. “Seth, I don't know how to thank you for getting everything ready for us so quickly.”
“It's no problem, Mr. Allen. Glad it's finally finished.” Seth shook Demetri's hand.
“Seth, you know you can just call me David. I'd like to introduce you to my brother-in-law. Seth, this is Ed.”
“Nice to meet you, Ed.” He shook my hand.
“You too.” I gave a quick smile as I picked up another bag.
“He's Izzy's husband, you know, Amy's little sister.”
A look of realization swept across his face. “Ya, right.”
“We figure we have more than enough room up here. Them being newlyweds and all, they're gonna help out.” Demetri clapped his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“Well, there's not much to do out here, but I think with everything you've got in there, you guys can keep yourselves entertained. I won't keep you any longer. I guess I'll just say, welcome to the neighborhood.”
I looked around in every direction. I didn't see anything of a neighborhood.
“Neighborhood? There doesn't seem to be another house for miles.”
“Ya, about ten. The nearest town is about fifteen miles north. You all picked a perfect spot out here though. Just be sure to call if you guys need anything.”
“Thanks, Seth.” Demetri shook his hand again before he walked off and jumped into a pickup truck.
“You did very well. See, if you behave, we won't have any problems.” He gave me a wink. It made me throw up a little in my mouth.
I made my way over to Bella who was holding Kenzie. I gave them each a kiss on the cheek as my arm found it's way around Bella's waist.
We got the grand tour. The house was already fully furnished. The girls had their own rooms and even a large playroom full of toys. I had a feeling we would be having lots of tea parties.
Demetri got the girls settled in their playroom while Anne showed Bella and I to our room. It was very large with a king sized bed in one corner. It was decorated in blue hues from the walls to the pillows on the bed to the carpet. Just like the last room they had given us, there wasn't much else. There was a walk in closet next to a small bathroom. In the corner opposite the bed was a chaise lounge. Mounted on the wall was a flat screen TV.
“We just need to go over the ground rules.” Anne pulled out the palm pilot and brought up the house security feed. “We've got cameras stationed throughout the house, including in here. Bella has already gotten the lecture on the ankle monitor.” I saw Bella had something peeking from beneath the hem of her jeans. I pulled my pant leg up to notice I had one of my own. “That's just to make sure we know where you are at all times and if you decided to be naughty, then...” Anne pushed a few buttons, sending an electric jolt up my leg and through the rest of my body. I fell straight to the floor. “You wouldn't want to be naughty, would you?”
I shook my head as Bella was down rubbing my back.
“Good. We also have those familiar shackles for when we need to keep you in place. I'll let you two get settled in, then I'll need Bella to help me with dinner.” Anne walked out, closing the door behind her.
Bella helped me to the bed. I laid back as she snuggled next to me.
“There is just one word for her... Bitch.”
I laughed as I turned to look my beautiful Bella in the eye. She knew exactly how to make me smile.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through my hair, her chin lying on my chest. “This bed is a little bit more comfortable than the other one.”
My body was aching for more reasons than just the shock I had received. I rolled her onto her back and crawled on top of her. I kissed the hollow beneath her ear as I felt her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of my neck. I heard the door creak open. I turned to see Demetri at the doorway. I rolled off of Bella.
“Don't stop on my account. I'm all about a good show.” He adjusted... himself as he walked over to the bed. “I'm sure you two will be very,” His tongue slipped out and moistened his lips. “entertaining.”
He had to go and ruin the one thing I actually enjoyed by making it something dirty.
“I've heard that Bella is quite the cook. I look forward to sampling some of your best recipes. We'll expect you down shortly.” He ran his fingers across my cheek before leaving the room.
“We gotta get out of here.” I laid on my back and put my forearm over my eyes. “How did we even get here?”
“I know why the FBI couldn't find us.”
I turned on my side to face her. “Why?” I swept her hair from her face as she turned to me.
“Demetri had sealed off the door to the basement. It's like it wasn't even there. After he gave you that shot, he made me help him carry you out. There was a door hidden in their bedroom closet. We pulled you put through there. Once we got in the car, he put the ankle monitors on both of us, then made me drink something. Next I knew, it was daytime and you were still sleeping in the seat behind me.”
“I can see they've gone to a lot of trouble to keep us here.” I pulled her close so I could whisper in her ear. “We're gonna have to be careful, but I know, somehow, we're gonna get out of here.”
/&/
BPOV
The first few days, Demetri and Anne pretty much left us alone. I think they got some sort of sick pleasure out of watching us together. Sometimes they would shackle our ankles at night, but they'd let us sleep in the same bed just to see what we would do.
We spent plenty of time with the girls. They were actually our salvation. I couldn't believe that those two monsters made those perfect little angles. I tried to keep one of the girls next to me at all times. I had a feeling that they wouldn't try anything in front of the girls. It was a relief because it made me believe they hadn't been abusing them. As sick as they were, I think they loved their children and were trying to be good parents in their eyes.
Edward and I were watching, waiting for any opportunity. Nothing had ever presented itself. They were watching our every move. The only time we were alone was at night in bed. That's when we'd take the risk to whisper our sweet nothings to each other. One night, we made a decision that would change everything.
“There's something I've been thinking about ever since we got here.” My voice was so quite I could barely hear myself.
“What's that, love?”
I pulled the covers over our heads to give us a little more privacy.
“The girls...”
“You've gotten attached to them, haven't you?”
“It's hard not to.” I ran the tip of my index finger across his bottom lip. “We have to take them with us.”
“I know.” He kissed my fingertip. “It's just going to be difficult. If it was just you and I, we could make a run for it. With the girls, we'd need to get the van, money, supplies. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.”
I kissed his nose as my thumb began rubbing the apple of his cheek. “We should start with getting the ankle monitors off.”
We spent the next few nights pretending to wrestle under the covers. I'm sure they enjoyed that. We would try to work on the locks, but nothing seemed to make them budge.
One night after a combination of liquid soap, shampoo, and my ankle joints moving the way God never intended, I had the thing half way over my heel. Instead of slipping it off, I actually triggered the damned thing. It shocked me for what seemed like eternity, then I passed out from the pain radiating throughout my body.
When I woke up, Edward was gone.
“You've been a very bad girl, Bella dear.” Demetri was caressing my cheek as the room came back into focus. “Now, Edward will have to be punished.”
For three days, I hardly slept or ate. The girls had been told Edward was sick and he'd be able to play with them when he was feeling better. Gracie even wanted me to help her make a get well soon card. I just kissed her forehead before taking off for the bathroom so I could let the tears flow in private.
During those days, Anne watched my every move. She slept next to me. She watched me take care of all the girl's needs. She even watched me in the shower, yet she never touched me.
On the third night, she finally let me go to my room alone. I flipped on the light to see Edward sitting on the edge of the bed. He was only wearing the pajama pants I had last seen him in. As I moved closer, I realized what Demetri had been doing to entertain himself.
“This is all he did.”
“All? Edward...” I knelt down on the floor in front of him to see the stages of red, purple, and blue welts covering his back and torso. My fingers gently made their way down his rib cage. I couldn't help but want to take away the pain. I placed my lips to his chest, just above his heart. He threaded his fingers through my hair as I trailed kisses all over his torso. I laid him down on his stomach and went to work on his back. Before I could finish, he was fast asleep. I pulled the blankets over us and snuggled into his side.
The next morning, I helped him out of his pants and into the shower.
“I'm not ready to let go of you yet.” He held my wrist in his hand as he stepped in. “Come with me.”
I slipped off my t-shirt and shorts. I took his hand and stepped into the steaming hot shower. I lathered him up, trying to wash away as much of the pain as I could. Edward would hold me, kiss me, but I knew whatever Demetri had done, it had left another scar on my Edward's soul.
The door to the bathroom opened and Anne stepped in. “The girls want to go swimming.”
Edward pulled me into him under the running water. I could see her her eyes raking over our naked bodies.
“I'll leave you something to wear.” She placed our bathing suits on the counter. She sucked on her fingertip while taking a final look.
“We will be down in a few minutes,” I declared. That pulled her out of her euphoric state. She left the bathroom and I traded Edward's arms for a fluffy bath towel.
/&/
EPOV
For three days, Demetri had me stuck in a dark hole. He visited me only to remind me how much control he really had over my ever me. Each time, I would receive another round of shock therapy. On the third day, he asked if I had enough. Only when I said yes in a tone that he accepted did he allow me to return to my room to wait for Bella.
After our shower the next morning, Bella was forced to display her assets out by the pool. Anne had given her a bikini, if you could even call it that. The top looked like two green triangles attached with dental floss. The bottoms weren't much better. A swatch of green fabric tied together at each side. In any other situation, I would have found her incredibly sexy. Just knowing how our captors would be ogling her made every part of me burn.
I was left with a pair of swim trunks and a t-shirt. I assumed that Demetri didn't want to show off his handy work to the girls.
“Bella dear, we wouldn't want you to burn. Edward...” Demetri threw me a bottle of sunscreen. “Why don't you put some of this on Bella. Make sure to cover every inch. We wouldn't want to harm her flawless skin.”
Bella stood up as I opened the bottle. I started on her legs, rubbing the lotion all the way up her thighs and across her exposed cheeks. I worked over her back and both her arms. She turned and I started to forget that there was anyone watching. I traced little circles across her stomach as I rubbed the lotion in. I let my fingers trail between her breasts and across her collar bone. I brought my hand up to her cheek and pressed her slick body against mine. I brought my lips to hers, getting lost in each breath.
Demetri cleared his throat as he pressed himself against Bella's back. He kissed her ear as his fingers trailed up her side. I was about to grab his fingers and break them when Anne came out with the girls. Demetri backed away as the girls came running towards us.
“Eddie, are you all better?” Gracie asked as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Well enough for a swim, but you're going to have to be gentle, okay?”
“Okay. Daddy, go jump in and make a big splash!”
I set Gracie down and she ran to the side of the pool to watch Demetri jump in.
“I really thought I was going to throw up. He was hard just pressing up against me.”
“I think this is his new game. He likes to watch us touch each other, turn each other on. That seems to get him going.”
“God. He's just sick.”
I was right, though. They did like seeing us together. They'd make us do seemingly innocent tasks and turn them into something disgusting. The sunscreen was just the first of many. They made Bella get down on her hands and knees and scrub the kitchen floor while wearing only a tank top and almost non-existent shorts. I was made to clean the pool without a shirt on after my welts had almost healed.
Their favorite for some reason was seeing the two of us cook together. We actually became like a well oiled machine. They made me stand behind Bella while she was chopping ingredients. I would help her layer whatever needed layering into the sauce or baking pans. We were told to lick whatever parts got covered with food off each other. Sometimes they were fingers. Others times they were cheeks and lips. After the majority of the preparation was done, Anne would steal Demetri away. One could only assume to relieve the tension caused by our little shows. They always seemed to make it back in time for the main course though.
After several of those kind of meals, the perfect plan hit me. If we all were willing, it just might work.
/&/
Carlisle's POV
“Come to bed, darling. I know you're exhausted.” Esme motioned for me to come over to her.
My wife was still the vigilant caretaker she'd always been. She worried about everyone else before giving her own needs a thought.
I moved from the chair next to our bedroom window to stand with her next at the foot of our bed. Her skin was pale, dark circles matched my own beneath her beautiful green eyes. I let my hands rest on her hips as hers laid on my chest.
“I could say the same for you.” I caressed the apple of her cheek. “You look like you haven't had a good nights sleep in months.”
“Two months, two weeks, and four days,” she corrected me.
Had it really been that long? Edward and Bella went missing two days before his birthday and it was already the middle of August.
“We can't go on living like this. I just don't think this family can take it.”
I wrapped my arms around her as she started to cry against my chest.
She was right. Our family was breaking apart.
We laid down on our bed after I turned out the lights. I let my mind wander as we huddled next to each other, begging sleep to come.
Just like every other night, it didn't come willingly. My mind wandered to what Edward and Bella were dreaming about, if they were even sleeping at all. I knew after Demetri had disappeared just days after Edward, he must have had something to do with it all. I knew Anne had made a lot of money after selling a patten on some computer chip she had designed, so their resources were endless. They could be anywhere in the world and not one person I hired could find them.
Charlie was doing his best, working with the authorities and trying to keep us all optimistic. I knew the pain he was feeling though. Out of all my children, Edward had always been the most independent. Since he'd come home though, it was like he never wanted to leave. I felt so guilty for making him stay at Masen for so long. We'd lost so much time with him. I knew I would do anything to make it up to him, anything.
Esme had been trying to keep herself occupied. Her garden began to rival Martha Stewart's. She worked on it when she wasn't trying to keep the rest of us together. It seemed to be the only thing to distract her.
Rose and Emmett had set up a website for people to read our story and contact us with any information leading to finding the kids. We could hardly tear Rose away from the computer. Her laptop was on even while she slept.
Emmett had moved into the guest room. He was the only thing keeping Rose together. I think he was angry at me for not seeing what was going on with Edward in the first place. Then he was angry at Edward for taking his baby sister away from him. He channeled his anger into something positive. He went on TV, the radio, and the Internet, getting the story out to as many people as he could. He was on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and even BBC World News within the first week. He kept making sure that no one was forgetting about Edward and Bella.
As for Alice and Jasper... things had gone drastically the other way. At first, Alice locked herself in Edward's room. Jasper waited patiently, camped out at the door. She finally let him in, only to park herself on Edward's couch. He spent hours holding her, trying to persuade her to come out. She seemed terrified to lose her connection with Edward. Being in his room made her feel closer to him. She said she could see him in Bella's arms there, sleeping on that couch. Jasper got her to come out only to take walks like she and Bella had through the woods behind our house.
Now it was almost time for school to start again. All of them had adamantly refused to go. Alice swore she would just take her GED if she had to. The others said college wasn't going anywhere and that they'd worry about it when Edward and Bella came home. I could hardly blame any of them. I, myself, had to force myself to go to work every day.
If only we had anything to hold onto. There was nothing. No witnesses. Edward's car was nowhere to be found. It was like they vanished into thin air. I could only pray every day that they were still alive. I knew Demetri was no longer the man I knew, but I never thought he'd be capable of murder. That fact kept my hope alive. I needed my son home safe. I was beginning to fear for my family's future.
I rolled over to find Esme finally asleep. I laid my arm around her waist as I saw the clock reading two am. I let my eyes close and I sunk back into the blackness.
/&/
“The site has gotten over a million hits this week alone.” Rose stroked Emmett's cheek as he sat next to her at the kitchen table. “All thanks to my big man here.” She kissed him on the cheek.
“What's everyone in the mood for this morning? I can do pancakes or omelets, whatever.” Esme was pulling supplies out of the refrigerator.
“Nothing for me. I've got to go meet dad. Harry Clearwater is coming down today.”
My ears perked up at the sound of our favorite FBI agent's name. “Does he have something new?”
“They've finished going through Demetri's house again. I don't know if he's found anything, but he wanted to talk to dad. Maybe you should come too.”
“If that's alright with you.”
I looked to Emmett as his eyes met mine. It was the first time I had seen his eyes not clouded with hate. Something had replaced it, fear.
“I think you should.”
/&/
Jasper's POV
I had convinced Alice to come for a walk with me after she reluctantly ate her breakfast.
“I thought maybe you could tell me some of your favorite memories of you and Bella.” I swung our arms as our fingers were tangled together. “I know there's about a million that I know nothing about.”
I saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly as her mind went through the catalog of memories. “Well...”
“Come on.” I was dying to know what was causing her wheels to turn in that pretty little head of hers.
“She was the first person I told about us.”
“Really? What did she say?”
“That it was inevitable. She said she knew that I loved you since we were kids. I guess it was kinda how I knew she was always supposed to be with Edward. Then when I told her that we made love, she wanted to know all the details.”
“I see.” I licked my lips and nodded. “Go on.”
“She wanted to know how it felt, you know like... did it hurt and was it really worth it. I told her it got better after a while, but being with you was the most amazing experience of my life.”
I pulled her into my arms. “You've never told me that before.”
“I thought you knew.”
“Cause you make that little squeaking noise when you're about to...”
“Yes.” She patted my chest. “I only squeak for you.”
“It's been awhile.” I started kissing her neck.
“Here? Now?”
“Why not? Where far enough from the house. It'll be like when we snuck into the teacher's lounge during Prom.”
“You are such a bad boy, Jasper Hale.”
I pressed my lips to hers. “That is why you love me.”
I spun her around and backed her up to a nearby tree. We hit the tree so hard, a branch broke and it came crashing down next to us.
I went to examine the damage and what I found I would never forget.
“What is it?”
I picked up the small box and dusted it off. “It's some sort of camera.” I lifted my head to see where the branch had fallen from. “Looks like it was pointed towards Edward's bedroom.” I examined it a little further to find it was on a wireless system. Whatever pictures were being taken were being relayed somewhere, to someone.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed my father. I told him to bring Charlie and Harry to the house.
Within a few hours, FBI agents were combing the grounds looking for more cameras. They found four more hidden in trees and on telephone poles. They went to work trying to find where the images were being sent to.
“Can you tell us what kind of pictures they pulled from the memory?” I was spewing questions at Charlie as Alice clung to my side.
We had all gathered in the living room while we waited to hear back from Harry.
“I'm not sure. We'll just need to wait and see. What we really need to tell you is about why Harry came to see me in the first place.”
We all held our breaths as Charlie continued.
“They found a basement room that had been hidden in Demetri's house. There were two sets of clothes in the room. They're going ahead and doing some DNA testing, but Emmett identified them as what the kids were wearing when they left the lake that night.”
“At least now we are sure Demetri took them. Who knows what he's done with all of them. Anne and the girls must be terrified.” Emmett sat down next to Rose and took her in his arms.
Somehow knowing Demetri actually took them didn't make me feel any better. I clung to the hope that we could learn where those pictures were being sent to.
Charlie grabbed his phone instantly when it rang. We sat on the edge of insanity as he spoke with Harry.
I had my arms wrapped around Alice as I stood behind her. I had to stop her from pacing. She had a vice grip on my forearms, like if she let go, she would pass out.
“They've traced the signal. It was actually feeding video to the source. They're sending some agents out, but they don't want us to get our hopes up.”
“Where? Where was it coming from?” Alice's vice grip turned to a death grip as I felt the pain travel up my arms.
“Montana.”
/&/
EPOV
I had the idea, but it didn't all come together until Kenzie brought a bottle out of her parents room. She thought it was powder and was trying to dump it in her diaper when I caught her. I took the bottle and hid it, keeping it out of sight until I needed it.
Over the next few weeks, we had to use the girls to help us get things to where we needed them. Gracie got into Anne's dresser and found a stash of cash. She thought it was play money. I agreed to play grocery store with her if she would hide it for me with a couple of other things.
A four year old is smart enough to do what you tell them to and not ask too many questions. The answers I gave her for why I had her putting clothes in a trash bag and taking diapers and wipes from Kenzie's room seemed plausible to her. I told her we were going on a surprise vacation. We would tell her mommy and daddy but not until right before we were going to leave.
Everything was hidden. The bags. The cash. That's when we needed to distract Anne and Demetri.
“What's on the menu tonight?” Demetri came up behind Bella as she was looking through a few recipe cards.
“Manicotti with some garlic cheese bread and salad. I think the girls just want some mac and cheese though.”
“Perfect as always.” He brushed her cheek before leaving to go get Anne.
We quickly put our plan into action. I grabbed the bottle of fiber powder and we mixed it with part of the cheese filling for the manicotti. We had the fiber powder cheese filling in a few tubes of pasta before they even returned to the room. We filled the remaining tubes with regular filling for Bella and myself following our normal routine. They watched as we finished up the sauce and poured it in the baking dish.
“It won't take too long. I'll just make the mac and cheese for the girls while it's baking.” Bella was confident as she slipped the dish into the oven. She just knew the next time she cooked dinner it would be for her real family.
Soon, we had settled at the table. The girls were enjoying Bella's homemade mac and cheese, while Anne and Demetri couldn't get enough of the special manicotti.
After dinner, the girls wanted to watch a video. We all piled into the living room and sat down to watch Gracie's favorite movie, “Chronicles of Narnia.” It was a long movie and about half way through, I took Kenzie to bed. I made sure the girl's shoes and socks were right by the door. When I would make that decision to go, I wanted to get out as quickly as possible.
When I returned to the living room, Gracie was perched on Bella's lap and Anne was missing in action.
“Where's Anne?” I tried to ask innocently enough.
“She wasn't feeling good. She went ahead and went to bed. Actually, I'm not doing to well myself.”
“Me either. I'm guessing my stomach had enough cheese for one night.” I patted my stomach as I took my seat beside Bella.
“You think you guys would be okay to get Gracie to bed if I go up?”
“Sure. You'll let us tuck you in won't ya?” Bella's eyes went wide as she realized our plan was about to go into action.
“After the movie is over.” Gracie was very intense as her favorite scene was coming up.
“Go ahead. We'll get her up.” I nodded for Demetri to go ahead upstairs.
By the time the movie was finished, Gracie had fallen asleep. I left her with Bella while I went up to check on Anne and Demetri.
Demetri was moaning in their bathroom as Anne was curled up on their bed. There was no way they'd be making it out of there anytime soon. It took everything in me, but I put our plan into action.
I walked carefully to Kenzie's room and grabbed the bags from where they were hiding in the closet. I grabbed the cash out and stuffed it in my pocket. I got Kenzie's shoes on her before picking her up and taking her downstairs.
“You get the keys?”
Bella pulled a key ring from her pocket along with the infamous palm pilot. My eyes widened in amazement.
“How?”
“Let's just say Demetri's other bulge distracted him while I lifted it out of his pocket.”
I crashed my lips against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Let's go home.”
We got the bags and the girls into the van. We got them strapped in their car seats. I opened the driver's side door as Bella opened the front passenger door. I put the car in neutral and we pushed it as far as we could down the drive before jumping in.
We started it up and headed down the road. I had remembered the nearest town was about fifteen miles away. I headed toward the only lights in the sky. After about ten minutes, we made it to a truck stop. We gathered the girls and made it inside.
“Ed? What are you guys doing out this late at night?”
Seth must have been sent by God.
“It's a long story, but I need some help.”
“Anything, man. What do you need?”
“A cell phone and if you can drudge one up, a bolt cutter.”
“A bolt cutter?”
I raised the hem of my pants to reveal the ankle monitor still attached. He turned to Bella as she showed him hers.
He pulled out his phone immediately and handed it to me. “I know the manager on tonight. I'm sure I can find something.”
He ran off to find his friend as Bella and I took the sleeping girls over to a booth to sit down.
I could hardly concentrate as I punched in all the numbers. One ring... Two rings... Three rings.
“Hello?”
I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I heard a voice I thought I might never hear again.
“Dad... Is that you?”
/&/
A/N: Another long chapter, I know. I just needed to get to this point. I went through several drafts before getting it just right. Please, keep commenting and reviewing. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your comments.
Thanks so much for all your support and stay tuned. This story isn't over yet.
Leaving you slightly satisfied but still wanting more, Lindsey