Sorry to all the people I talked to earlier, I know I said I'd have this story up sooner, but I got busy and forgot for a couple of days. anyway, hopefully you enjoy this story, I worked hard to make it as close to perfect as possible.

Also, thanks to bellabriggs who talked this story over with me and helped me develop my plot more, this story is for you. :) and for everyone else who has been a fan of my stories from the beginning.

now for the disclaimer. this goes for the whole story cause I don't want to repeat myself: I do not own Twilight and never will.

ok, now on with the story!

Ch. 1

I threw my face up toward the sun, feeling the warmth against my cold skin. I laughed quietly as I realized the irony of this peaceful moment. In a world both aware and unafraid of vampires, I hardly went outside anymore.

Edward was much more careful. He was back at our home, an old shack long ago abandoned. He thought it would be safe to stay there while I hunted, he could easily warn me if someone appeared. This was an almost unnecessary precaution, but we couldn't have a human finding the shack. Not when so many things in it led back to all of our family.

I sighed and stepped out of the sun. I didn't want to sparkle anymore, to stand out in this dense forest. Two hundred years ago, I wouldn't have seen myself here. Maybe Alaska, or even Antartica. Not hiding for my life in the middle of Brazil, especially not from humans. No, things had definitely changed.

A growl rose in my throat as I thought of the vampire that had wanted to "stand up to the Volturi". He hadn't known what it would mean for the rest of us, and gave away our kind eagerly. Of course, then no one thought of the Voturi as protecting and wise. No one imagined that the humans would create something with the power to destroy us...

Two hundred years and everything had changed.

I made my way back to our home. It wouldn't take long, I never went very far. In minutes I was at the front door. I tried to hear what Edward was doing on the other side of the door, but silence met me. I opened it and whispered, "I'm back."

Nothing.

I walked around, searching. "Edward, it's me. Where are you?"

Silence.

I walked into our room and spotted a note. I recognized Edward's elegant script at once:

I'm sorry, love. Look after my heart,
I will try to find a way back to you.

Look after my heart. It reminded me of our honeymoon. But the last part was what caught my attention. Did it mean he was gone? there was no sign of anyone being here. Nothing missing, even the smell was just the same.

What happened to him? Had he left on his own? It seemed likely, but why? My still heart ached. It longed and worried for Edward. Nothing added up, he was supposed to be here. He never left without talking to me first. It had to have been an emergency. Then a thought crossed my mind. Had Alice called him?

That would explain it. She must have seen something. A picked up my cell-phone no bigger than my pinky finger (just when I thought they couldn't get any smaller, they had) and dialed her number.

Alice picked up emmediatly. "Bella, I haven't seen Edward. Why are you asking? Aren't you with him?"

So she hadn't called him. "Edward's gone. I came home and he wasn't here. I don't understand, there's no sign of humans anywhere. He didn't even have a reason to leave."

Alice was silent for a minute. "I can't see him. I just tried looking and no matter how hard I try, I can't find him anywhere in the future."

"What do you mean he's gone? You're a freaking psychic for God's sake!" Panic warped my voice until it was hysterical.

"Calm down, Bella! We'll find him. Why don't you come to my house? Jasper and I would love to have you visit. We can talk about what to do then."

I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. "Ok. Where are you living now?"

"For the past five years we've been in Arizona. We live in the desert, so it's safe. No one comes here unless it's at night when the heat isn't deadly."

I knew what Arizona was like. Even now I remembered the sun and warmth that was ever-present in Phoenix. Maybe that was the best place to be right now. "I'll take the first plane there."

I could almost see her wide grin. "Good. I'll call you when you get off the plane and give you directions to our house. See you soon!" Then Alice was gone, leaving me in the shack alone. I wished Edward were here. I wondered how I had survived my human years without him. My other half. My love.

~* ~* ~*

I stood in front of Alice and Jasper's house. In the pocket of my jeans I carried the note Edward had written me. I decided to show it to Alice, maybe she would find something.

Would I ever see him again?

Before I had time to consider knocking, the door swung wide open. In front of me stood my sister and closest friend. Alice. "Bella!" She almost screamed, as if she weren't expecting me. Alice hugged me and smiled. "It's crazy awesome to see you again!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Crazy awesome?"

"Sorry, that's what people are saying these days." Her expression grew apologetic.

This caught me off guard. "You're still in contact with humans?"

Jasper appeared behind her. "Of course, you think she'd wear the same outfit twice?"

I gave a half-smile. "No. I guess not." Even without an excuse, I had a feeling Alice would still talk to humans. She loved socializing too much for her own good.

"Well, are you going to come in or just stand there?" Alice teased. I followed her into the house and she closed the door behind me. "And anyway, talking to people is how I found out what happened to your mom."

I spun around to look at her. "What did you find out?"

"Her and... um, what was his name?"

"Phil?"

"Yes, him. Her and Phil lived a long and happy life." Then she walked over to a strange-looking couch and sat down. I followed after her. I marveled at how soft the couch was. Alice continued casually. "I saw her great-great-great-great-great grandchild a few weeks ago. She was planning a wedding."

"Wait, are you saying Phil and Renee had a child?" Had I been an older sister this whole time? The thought distracted me from the reason I had come.

Alice smiled widely. "A little girl. And now her ancestor is getting married. Congratulations, you're an aunt!"

"Wow. All this time...." I thought of the sister I would never see. I wished I would have heard sooner. But Renee had thought I was dead, so I wouldn't have been able to see her even if I had known. The thought saddened me.

"Bella, I'm seeing a faint vision of you visiting her. I'm not letting you go, it's too dangerous."

"How is seeing my family dangerous?" She was my relative. And, she was getting married. I had to see her.

Alice gave me a meaningful look. "For one, you look like the vampires they despise. Minus the red eyes. And it's going to be outside. In the middle of the day. Second, you have to be invited. What are you going to tell her when she asks why you're at her wedding?"

I nodded sadly. "I guess you're right." Then I remembered why I was here. I carefully pulled out the note from Edward and handed it to Alice. "He left me this."

Suddenly the room grew solemn. Even with Jasper beside me, I felt no better. His gaze was focused on the slip of paper in his wife's hand.

"It doesn't make sense. Edward wouldn't leave without telling you where he went. At the very least he would have left some sort of clue." She scrutinized the paper as if a secret message was hidden in invisible ink.

Then something on the back of the paper caught my eye. Jasper noticed my dramatic change in mood. His head snapped up from the note, his eyes holding confusion. "What is it, Bella?"

"I think I know where the clue is."

I know, cliffy. Sorry about that. I promise I'll write a longer one, too. I just changed a lot from my first draft.

The good news is, if I get a ton of reviews I'll post lots sooner! so go ahead, tell me what you think! :)