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Chapter 2: Needle in A Haystack

The sky was overcast and dark as usual but not raining yet. I was tempting fate by wearing a cotton sweatshirt instead of my waterproof rain jacket but I didn't care. As my truck rolled down the highway toward La Push I barely even noticed what I was doing. The lump in my stomach got tighter with every mile that brought me closer to my best friend.

I pulled up in front of the Black house and turned off my beastly Chevy from the fifties, that Charlie, my dad, had bought from Jacob's dad Billy when I first moved to Forks. I took a deep breath and opened the door, as soon as I did this Billy rolled out onto the front porch in his wheel chair. He didn't look pleased to see me. Immediately my heart tightened involuntarily. This used to be like a second home to me, Billy like another father. I strengthened my resolve and marched forward.

"Good morning Billy."

"Morning Bella" he replied softly. "Jake isn't here."

"I figured that much, would you mind telling me where he is? I really need to talk to him."

"I don't think he wants me to tell you that, and it isn't my business to interfere."

"Fine then, I will just wait here until he gets back."

He looked like he was thinking very hard about something before he looked up at me and said, "Then I think you will be waiting a long time. Jacob has been gone for a while now." I noticed for the first time how sad his usually smiling eyes looked.

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Gone where?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"Gone… away for a while, to be alone, and think. He has been gone since we got the invitation in the mail."

"Invitation…" and it dawned on me. I was going to murder Edward for this; I told him I didn't want to invite Jake! Then again, he was probably just doing what he thought was right and fair, but why? Why didn't he listen to me? I knew this would be Jacob's reaction. "I'm sorry Billy, I didn't realize one was sent to you guys, but have you heard from him at all since he has been gone?"

"No, I haven't. Quite frankly I am starting to get worried, but I need to let him sort this out on his own, it's just, I think he is in his wolf form, and that scares me."

"Why?"

"After a while it gets harder to remember who you are as a human when you stay that way for too long. I just worry about Jake because he really is still new at this."

"Billy, I have to find him, I am leaving for a trip and when I get back… well I'm getting married and then I don't think I will be able to stay in Forks much longer." I looked at him meaningfully. He knew what my plans were, he didn't however know that I didn't really have much of a choice.

"I'm sorry Bella but I can't help you, tell your dad I said "hi", okay?"

"Okay, I will, bye." I gave up quickly. That was how conversations with Billy went. As soon as the necessary information was exchanged the conversation was over. I knew I wouldn't get anything more out of him. As I walked slowly back to my truck, dragging my feet, I crossed my arms over my middle as the pain began to sink it. It hit me that I might not see Jacob again for a very, very long time, maybe not ever again. No, I refused to think that, but if he didn't come back for the wedding, then it would be too late. We would get married, Edward would change me before my nineteenth birthday and then we would head for Alaska while I learned to control myself in my new life. I felt the tears welling up at the corners of my eyes. Why did this have to be so hard? I climbed into my truck and sat there with the radio on, reluctant to leave. I was glad that Emmett had forgiven me for ripping out the stereo he got for me and grateful that he put another one in. I smiled when I remembered how Jacob had known so much about me without me having to tell him, like how I didn't like music, when Edward was gone. How was I going to find him? He could be anywhere, and I doubt he was carrying a cell phone in his mouth. The idea made me giggle, before I thought about the sheer volume of places he could possibly be. It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Cell phone… suddenly inspiration hit! I turned the key in the ignition and my truck roared to life, startling me out of my daze. I put it in drive and headed for Sam and Emily's house. Sam was the alpha male of Jake's pack. Jake was his second in command or his Beta, but he was supposed to be the Alpha. He had werewolf blood on both sides of his family. His grandfathers had been Quil Ateara and Ephraim Black the last real chief the Quileute's had, but Jake hadn't wanted the responsibility of leading the pack.

As I made my way through the dirt roads of the reservation I thought of ways to convince Sam to do what I wanted him to. The pack could hear each other's thoughts and speak through their minds when they were in their wolf forms. I was going to ask, no I was going to beg Sam to change and speak to Jacob for me. I knew Sam wasn't going to be willing to help me unless I gave him a good reason. I searched my brain for anything that might work. When I pulled up at their house I was still empty handed but I had to try. I walked up the little walkway lined with white and yellow daisies. Being here again reminded me of all those days I had spent idling on the reservation while the werewolves were out roaming looking for Victoria, who was looking for me. I shivered in spite of the summer heat and knocked on the screen door.

"Come in!" Emily's voice called out. I could smell some kind of pie baking in the oven. I walked into the kitchen with the big round table in it where she fed all the boys. "Oh!" she said when she saw me her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Well I wasn't expecting to see you any time soon Bella Swan, what can I do for you?" She wasn't exactly friendly as she asked it but she didn't seem as angry to see me as I had expected she would be.

"Um, actually I am here to see Sam," I looked at her timidly, "it's about Jacob."

"Hmm, well, he is out with the boys, working."

"Oh are they still doing patrols?" I asked.

"No. They don't shift anymore, not right now." She looked down at her hands; she looked like she was trying not to get angry.

"Why not?" I felt nosy, like it wasn't my place to know about the pack's business anymore but I couldn't help it, I was curious.

"Well for one, they don't need to right now what with there being no current threats, but also… Because Sam ordered everyone not to so no one would bother Jacob while he is away."

"Oh," I mumbled. This was just great, my best friend was God knows where because I had hurt him so badly he had to run away from his family his friends and his pack to escape. I put my hand up over my eyes; I would never be able to make this right. I was surprised when I looked up to see Emily looking at me sympathetically.

"How about I make some coffee? Do you like blueberry pie?" She asked with a small smile.

I just nodded. I didn't know what to think about her sudden show of compassion towards me, so I simply took a seat at her table and waited while she made a pot of coffee and poured two cups. She cut two slices out of the steaming pie and sat one in front of me. I looked up into her marred but still beautiful face. The scars that covered the left half of her face were a constant warning about the dangers of being near werewolves. She looked at me sadly and took a deep breath, "You know I actually sort of know what you are going through."

I looked at her skeptically, "You do?"

"Well if you remember correctly I had to break the heart of my best friend to be with the one that I love. So yeah I have some idea."

I hadn't thought of that but it was true. Emily's cousin Leah had been her best friend and also madly in love with Sam, Emily's fiancé. It looked like Leah and Sam would be the ones getting married until Sam turned into a werewolf and then he imprinted on her cousin Emily. Imprinting was one of many "werewolf things" as Jake liked to call them. It wasn't something any of them could control, once they saw that person there was no way to deny the natural pull. Of course Emily had had to pay the price for Sam's love, the scars on her face and arm were proof enough of that. Leah actually ended up becoming a werewolf as well, the first Quileute female to do so, and she herself had since imprinted. Still, it didn't erase the years of hurt she had endured and I was sure Emily still lived with the guilt.

"It's just I want to say goodbye. I know I already did, but this time it will really be for good. I won't ever be able to see him again." I choked. It hurt so much to say this out loud.

"Don't say that Bella, maybe in a few years if Jake imprints he will be able to handle being your friend again."

The thought of Jacob imprinting on some girl and him loving her momentarily distracted me before I realized that Emily didn't know about my intended plans. "No after I get married I can never come back here again." I said slowly with meaning.

Emily looked at me for a minute and then she gasped, "Bella, no! You can't!"

I held up my hand, "I can and I will. I have already made this choice and it is the only one I can live with."

"No I mean you can't. It would break the treaty."

"Not if we go away," I said.

"Then the treaty wouldn't be broken for the rest of them, but you couldn't ever come back. Well… at least not in this lifetime," she said after consideration.

That was it. "Emily, thank you so much!"

"Um, for what?" She looked at me like I was crazy.

"Where can I find Sam? Is he within driving distance?" I didn't bother to answer her question, I needed to find Sam. The sooner I found him the sooner he could call Jake home.

"They are down at the beach. Congratulations on your wedding Bella, just think about it okay?" she asked softly.

I got up to go, but after looking at her kind eyes once more I leaned over and hugged her. There was a time when we were almost like family. "I'll see you later," I told her, and left.

When I got to the beach I saw the pack immediately. They weren't hard to miss, these boys seem to get bigger every time I saw them. They were sitting around a driftwood fire on logs bleached bone white. I walked over to the circle and cleared my throat. "Um, Sam could I have a word?"

"Sure, Bella" he said with his calm mask firmly in place. He didn't look surprised to see me, but then again Sam never looked like he was caught off guard. He got up and walked over to where I was and folded his arms across his big chest, "What can I help you with?" I noticed how he didn't say 'what do you want' he was clearly stating that there was still some level of cooperation left. The werewolves and vampires had come leaps and bounds since they had worked together to bring down an army of newborn vampires created by Victoria intent on destroying me. Up until now I had sort of been on both sides, but since Jake's departure it was slowly beginning to be clear that I had to make a choice, and of course I had already made it.

"I want you to call Jacob home for me, I need to tell him goodbye." I said a little defiantly because I knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"No. I will not."

"Please, Sam, this is different. This is the last chance I will have."

"I can't do that Bella. I promised him that unless there was danger that called our attention we wouldn't shift until he came home."

I sighed as I prepared to offer something I didn't want to, but something that I knew would work. "I can think of a reason you might be willing to break that promise."

He made a grunting sound as he said, "And what's that?"

"I need to say goodbye to Jacob because after I get married I am leaving Forks for good. In fact we all are. The Cullens, and I." I said this slowly so he would see where I was going with it, "If you call Jake back so I can tell him goodbye, I can promise you we won't come back." I looked up at him and waited for his answer.

"For how long?"

I was startled I hadn't thought of that, obviously I had meant never but I realized that wouldn't be necessary. "Until everyone who would remember us are gone."

"And you think Carlisle will agree to this?"

"I am positive." I wasn't actually, but I figured the Cullens would all want to stay together and what with Charlie and Renee not being able to know about me I assumed we would all go somewhere else until their human lives had ended. So it would only be a little longer until everyone else who would remember us would also be gone.

"I'll tell you what Bella, you get Carlisle to come to the border and agree to put that in the treaty, I will call Jacob back."

I felt the tears coming, "Thank you very much Sam, I'll go get him now, meet us at nine okay?"