Lost and Found

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thanks for the kind reviews!

Part Seven-The Cub

"Come on, kiddo." Charlie knocked on the door to his daughter's room tentatively. "You can't hide in there forever. I've brought you some cookies and warm milk. They're your favourites." He held his breath as he waited for her to respond.

Nothing…

Charlie knocked again. "Bells, come on now." Still nothing. Charlie balanced the glass of milk on the plate of cookies and edged the door open. "I'm coming in, kiddo." He strode into the room and looked toward Bella's bed. The quilt with the cover was spread evenly across the bed. There was not a wrinkle to be seen. The bed was empty and hadn't been slept in. Bella was gone.


"You alright, sweetie?" Sarah asked her son as she watched him eat his breakfast. Normally Jacob would have ploughed through his meal and asked for seconds by now. Instead he slowly stirred the cornflakes around the bowl and dribbled the milk from his spoon. "Aren't you hungry?"

Jacob shook his head as he pushed his plate away. He glanced up at his mother from under his long eyelashes and with a sad expression on his normally sunny face. Being so down wasn't like him and Sarah was getting worried. "Can I see Bells today?" He asked in a small voice.

"Oh, Jake." Sarah reached across and touched his smooth cheek with gentle fingers. "Not today I'm afraid." Jacob's face fell and tears welled in his dark eyes. He slipped off his seat and ran to his room.

Sarah sighed as she rubbed a hand over her face. It had been a week since the incident between Billy and Charlie. Sarah had tried to do damage control. She had phoned Charlie and apologised profusely for her husband's bizarre actions but Charlie was not in a forgiving mood. He demanded to know the reasons behind Billy's odd behaviour but she couldn't give him a satisfactory explanation. The call had ended with Charlie stating that he needed time. Bella was still distraught and he thought it best if they stayed away for a while until the memory faded. It had been a week now. Every day Jacob asked if he could see Bella, and each day Sarah had to make up some lame excuse. It was all getting silly.

"Jake, come back out here." Sarah called out to her son. "I think it's a good day to go for a trip to Fork's, don't you?"

The sound of Jacob's bedroom door squeaking as he opened it made Sarah smile. Seconds later she heard the patter of his bare feet on the wooden floor as he dashed into the front room and straight into his mother's open arms. "Really, mommy? We go see Bells now?"

"Yes." Sarah said firmly and was rewarded with Jacob's sunny smile.


"What am I supposed to say?" Billy lamented to Harry as he loaded up his truck with his friend's tools. He was due in at work but had been delayed when he found that his own set of tools had been stolen. It was just another disaster on top of the many that had befallen him in the last few days. Charlie wasn't speaking to him, Sarah was still angry at him. The twins kept accusing him of favouring Jacob over them whenever he tried to discipline them. Jacob had become withdrawn because he missed Bella, and now his expensive set of tools, which he had spent years building up, had been nicked. He was just lucky that he was able to borrow Harry's as he didn't have the money to replace his own.

"Have you tried talking to Charlie face to face?" Harry asked the obvious.

"He won't answer the damn door to me." Billy complained as he shut the back of his truck. "And I can't even blame him. I scared the poor child." He didn't think he would ever forget the sight of poor little Bella's face as Charlie carried her out of the house. He could empathise with his friend. He wouldn't forgive him if it was the other way around. Billy had essentially broken his trust.

"It's not your fault, Billy. You were acting under extenuating circumstances. I would have reacted just the same." Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's just a relief that Charlie has decided not to go and see that therapist again. Otherwise…." He left the rest unsaid.

Billy's face became drawn as he looked at Harry. The two men were thinking the same thing. It couldn't be coincidence that Charlie and Bella would come across another cold one mere weeks after Billy had seen Carlisle Cullen outside of Bella's apartment in Seattle. "I'm worried Harry." Billy confessed quietly.

"Me too. Sue thinks I'm going around the bend checking on Seth's health every five minutes. Leah's getting jealous that I'm focusing on her little brother so much rather than her. You know how vocal my little angel can be." Harry chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Leah definitely takes after your Sue." Billy smiled wearily and slapped Harry on the shoulder. "I have to go, but I think it's time we called another meeting with the elders. I'd like Old Quil's take on things, I mean his grandson is affected too."

"Yeah, even though the old man doesn't show it. I bet he is as jumpy as we are." Harry mused.

"I expect so. Well thanks for the tools, Harry. I owe you." Billy climbed into his truck and wound the window down.

"A few beers should do it." Harry called out to him as Billy switched on the engine. "And don't worry about Charlie, he'll come around."

Billy waved at his friend before he pulled away. Harry's jovial expression disappeared as soon as Billy's truck was out of sight. As much as he tried to hide it he was deeply worried. It wasn't often that things got Harry Clearwater down, but something in his bones told him that trouble was coming.


Charlie was frantic. He couldn't find Bella anywhere. He had torn her room apart searching for her, thinking she may be hiding in some small space like she had at her old apartment, and gotten wedged again. But there was nothing. He tried his room, then the bathroom; there was no sign of her. He was in the midst of looking around the front room when he heard a car pull up outside. He peered out of the front window and saw Sarah park behind his cruiser in the drive. He could see she had Jacob with her. Instead of being angry at the intrusion he was relieved. Jacob had seemed to know where Bella was before when she had gone missing in Seattle. He still didn't understand how the little boy knew. But he wasn't going to question it. Maybe Jacob could locate her now.

"Sarah." Charlie flung the front door open, startling Sarah as she helped her son out of the car.

Sarah put her hand over her racing heart. "Charlie, I know you said to give it time but I…"

"No, that doesn't matter. I need your help…I…I need Jake's help. I'm so glad you're here." Charlie hunkered down in front of Jacob and took his hands. "Son, you found Bells before." Jacob nodded his head slowly. "Please, Jake, help me find her again."

"Bella's missing?" Sarah questioned in alarm.

"Yes."

"How long?"

"I went to wake her up but her bed looked like it hadn't even been slept in." Charlie replied hurriedly.

"Shouldn't we call for help?" Sarah could see how harassed Charlie was looking. His face was haggard. It must be like reliving the nightmare of her disappearance all over again. Sarah put a hand on his arm. "Charlie, as much as I would love Jake to help, there is no way he could know."

"He knew before." Charlie reminded her.

"That was a fluke." Sarah said dismissively. "We should call for help. Get some search parties organised."

Jacob wasn't listening to his mother or Charlie, he was already searching. He could smell Bella's scent but it was very faint. She hadn't come this way. He began to march off toward the side of house which led to the Swan's back garden. Sarah finally noticed her son had moved. "Jake, wait. Where are you going?"

"Find Bells." Jacob didn't wait for his mother's response. He kept moving, using his keen eyes to scan the area.

"He knows, Sarah." Charlie began to charge after Jacob. "I don't know how but he knows where to find her."

Sarah frowned as she followed more slowly. She thought everyone was acting crazy, first her husband, now Charlie and her son. She couldn't allow herself to believe that Jacob could intuitively find little Bella. It wasn't rational. Jacob must think this was some kind of game of hide and seek like he and Bella had played in the past. She pulled out her cell phone as she rounded the house. The police needed to be informed. Bella's safety was at stake. Sarah hung back and dialled 911.


"Hush." Bella put her finger to her lips to quieten the big wolf cub which was lying shivering beside her. They were both hidden under the porch at the back of the house. The wood along one side of the high porch was rotten. Bella had used this place to hide when she had visited her father when Renee allowed her to visit in the past. It had been hard for the wolf cub to squeeze its bulk inside. The poor thing was shivering like a leaf. Its rough black fur was matted with mud and leaves. Bella had thought the animal was dead when she had found it hidden in the trees at the bottom of the garden.

She had come across it by chance the night before. Charlie had been mowing the grass at the back while she wandered around the end of the garden, using a long stick to poke at the leaves which had fallen from the overhanging trees. Bella had seen some kind of black mass; curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had nudged the black mass with the end of her stick and was surprised to see it move slightly. It was only on closer inspection that she realised exactly what it was. Bella never questioned why she wasn't scared of the wolf cub and she didn't stop to think why she never told her father. All she knew was that here was an animal who seemed as scared as she was. Its eyes, ringed with yellow, stared at her with fear. It was obviously panicked. Somehow it had become separated from its mother. Bella was determined to care for it until its mother came back.

So in the middle of the night when she was sure Charlie was fast asleep, she had snuck outside dressed in her thin pyjamas with a dish filled with water and some left over chicken from the fridge. The wolf cub was still there, lying in exactly the same spot. It appeared exhausted. Bella had fed the cub some chicken, and then helped it gulp down some water. She felt so proud of herself. Helping the wolf cub made her feel confident and for the first time in forever she didn't feel scared. After the cub had eaten and drunk the water Bella had urged it to get up on its legs. The poor thing wobbled and shook as it tried to stand but eventually it managed to remain upright. The cub was bigger than Bella realised. It towered over her, but still she wasn't afraid. Maybe the wolves in Washington State were bigger than the ones she had seen on the television. With a lot of coaxing she had led the black wolf cub to the hiding place under the porch and there it had collapsed again.

Bella held her breath as she heard footsteps approach. She listened intently as her father spoke. "Where is she, Jake?"

Jake was there? Bella hushed the wolf again as it looked at her pensively. The cub was scared of discovery too. Bella knew that Jacob would find her, he always did. "I'll be back." Bella whispered to the wolf as she stroked behind its ears. The black cub whimpered before dropping its head onto its front paws. With a last glance behind her Bella crept out of her hiding place and went to meet Jacob and her dad before the wolf was discovered.

A/N-thanks for reading!