9. Temporary Goodbyes

"If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

How many times have you heard this riddle, the answer popping up so easily in your mind, and coming out of your mouth so effortlessly, without you thinking about it and yet not giving it a second thought? After all, it's such an obvious question, not worth paying attention to for even a moment, so don't. And you shouldn't.

Maybe though, the significance of the question is lost. Maybe the real answer is more complex and requires more thought and means much more when the question is asked correctly. Maybe the real question is something like:

"When a tree falls, how much noise does it make?"

This question has much more packed into it, and is a little harder to answer. Maybe it's a lot harder, when you really think about it. Maybe the tree was huge, and crashed devastatingly to the ground, shaking everything within miles of it, and scattering the animals in the woods. Maybe the tree was small, barely even a tree at all, and barely made a disturbance when it hit the ground and no one even noticed when, or if, it happened.

When you think of it like this, you start to question a lot of aspects about the tree. How thick was it? Was it old, a long-time habitant of the forest, and home to many animals, its failure in sustaining an expected, yet still melancholy event? Was it relatively young, just getting to its peak when it suddenly falls, shocking everything? When you think of it like this, it's much more difficult to think of the answer. But maybe you weren't ever meant to know the answer. Maybe you were just meant to watch or hear about it falling and react however you may. Because the tree is a tree, and though it can't control when it falls, someone has to decide whether or not it matters.

I was just waking up when I heard the knocking at my door. It was quite insistent, and quickly grew from questionable to irritating. I glared at the door, knowing fully that I wasn't scaring anyone who was on the other side, just wanting to make my displeasure known. Half a second after I started glaring, Alice walked in, smiling brilliantly at me.

"Morning Sunshine!" she said brightly, walking over to the window and yanking the string to open the curtains. I blinked, giving her a confused look. Why on earth did she do that? It's not like it was sunny, it actually looked quite freezing out this morning.

"Alice, first of all, you know I hate it when you call me that. Second of all, what were you doing knocking at my door like that? It sounded like a hyperactive woodpecker on drugs," I told her as I got out of bed, grabbing my robe on my way to the bathroom. She followed me.

"I just wanted to make sure you got up in time to catch your flight," she replied innocently.

"I think that's what alarm clocks are for," I teased her. "Besides, you knew I wouldn't miss it, you just wanted to pick my outfit."

She stuck her tongue out at me before answering. "FYI, oh sarcastic one, I already picked your outfit."

I stopped and stared at her. "When did you do that?"

"When you were sleeping. I came in and arranged it while you were mumbling about some InuYasha. Whatever that is."

I blushed, then rolled my eyes to play it off. "Of course you did. And what will I be wearing during the 21 hour flight, that'll I'll be sleeping most of the way on?"

"Oh, just this little number," she said just as offhandedly, showing me the most gorgeous cashmere dress I had ever seen. I ogled it shamelessly, and then shook my head to gather myself. That purple dream would adorn my skin soon enough. I just had to be patient and hurry and get ready.

"Thanks Alice, I love it," I smiled at her before shooing her out of the bathroom. "Now go, I have to get ready."

She rolled her eyes, that little self-satisfied smirk still on her face. "Whatever. Just be sure to wear black peep-toes, and don't forget the stockings. And hurry up, I still have to beautify you for your big send-off."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Now get out." I closed the door as soon as she stopped on the carpet in my room, before turning and sighing.

"Okay," I said to myself. "Here we go."

As soon as I came down the stairs, I made a bee-line for the kitchen. The aromas of Esme's cooking were making me realize that I hadn't eaten anything of hers since Friday, and I was eager to amend that. I sighed happily when I saw the food at the breakfast bar. Someday, I swore, I would learn how she made every single thing on that counter. For now though, I would have to settle for eating it. Oh the horror. Wink, wink.

Esme came over to me from the sink, and hugged me as I started eating.

"Oh honey, this is the first time you'll be going on a trip without us. And so far! Are you nervous?"

I shrugged. "Not really. It's just like when we usually go on trips. Except Alice won't be talking nonstop in my ear, and Emmett won't be there to keep poking me in the side."

She laughed, then kissed my forehead. "Well, at least you'll be able to relax on this flight."

I nodded, and then smirked. "Unless I get the seat next to the lady with the baby."

She laughed again, shaking her head as she walked away. I ate the rest of my breakfast, my thoughts going back to the boy in my dream. Who was he? It was as if I knew him so well. Well enough to feel safe enough to start running towards him and call him name anyway. And the look he gave me…

I snapped back to reality to realize I'd been poking at the same spot on my empty plate with my fork for a while. I dropped it and got up to wash my dishes. When I was done, Alice was suddenly there, gripping my elbow and dragging me back up the stairs. She brought me to her bathroom, sitting me in the chair and starting to grab at cosmetics. I blinked, frowned at her.

"A little warning would've been nice. As you saw, my mind was elsewhere, and you nearly gave me a heart attack."

She ignored me, instead focusing on getting everything opened and ready. I sighed and closed my eyes and relaxed, resigning myself to let her work. So I just thought.

By the time she was done, I was thinking about how convenient it was that Earth was the only habitable planet that we know of, even though eight other planets existed in the solar system. She tapped my nose lightly, and I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me.

"You're ready."

I practically broke my neck walking down the stairs. The strangest feeling had just gone through me. It felt as if something huge was about to happen, and not entirely in a bad way. I tried to shrug it off as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I had to hurry, or I was going to be late for my flight.

To my surprise, Edward was waiting by the door with my coat. He smiled at me and helped me into it.

"I'm driving you to the airport," he told me, opening the door.

I raised an eyebrow as I stepped out into the cold morning air. I was right. It was freezing. Damn it. Edward had my door open and waiting for me by the time I got to the bottom of the steps, and I stuck my tongue out at him as I got in. Our little private joke. He was immediately in drivers' side and had the ignition turned on, pulling out of the drive all in less than 3 seconds. I rolled my eyes. Showoff.

It was silent the first few minutes of the ride to the airport in Seattle. After a while, I wondered randomly if the plane was going to be selling any good food. The last time we were on a plane, I had gotten sick from some spoiled chicken they were serving, and vowed to never get on a plane to a place that would take more than 3 hours to get to. Now here I was, about to get on another ride halfway around the world, being on a plane for almost the equivalent of an entire day, I wanted nothing more than to smuggle food on with me and be sure that I wouldn't be sick. Call me paranoid, but I just didn't trust airports anymore.

Edward chuckled suddenly, and I turned to look at him questioningly, and he smiled at me.

"You know, most people would be more concerned about the people and safety of the plane than the food's edibility."

I smirked. "Edward, we've been over this. I'm not most people, and I am much more complicated than what you will probably ever think me capable of."

He laughed. "True. Very true."

"Besides, why would I worry when Alice has already assured me that everything would be just fine? I'm not so sure why I'm even doubting the food," I tapped my chin, staring at the roof of the car thoughtfully. "Habit, I guess."

"Just stay away from the chicken this time, to be safe," he teased me, looking back at the road.

I was about to make a brilliant retort when his phone rang. I watched him pick it up and glance at the screen before flipping it open and answering.

"Hello Alice," he said politely. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, his voice a bit perplexed.

"What about the car and hotel?" he asked, frowning a bit. I looked out the window at the passing scenery that I wouldn't be seeing for the next 6 or so months. I had started to tune out the conversation Edward was having when his voice suddenly turned hard and urgent.

"Well, just make sure that it happens that way. She can't be there alone and unprotected."

Vague enough for you? I intentionally thought at him. His expression softened a bit at that, and he smiled at me before he began to talk more quickly, effectively shutting me out of the conversation.

I sighed and leaned my head back, once again closing my eyes. I was almost asleep when I heard him say goodbye to Alice and flip his phone closed. I didn't open my eyes, and though I knew he knew I was still awake, he didn't try to explain what he and Alice were talking about. Finally, the silence and my curiosity got the better of me, and I turned and looked at him.

"What did Alice call for?"

He glanced at me, then back out to the road. "Oh, she just made some last minute preparations for your trip. She wanted me to let you know that the car that was waiting for you was going to be taking you to a shrine, so you wouldn't be alarmed or anything."

I raised an eyebrow. "So who's going to be alone and unprotected?"

He glanced at me again and smiled crookedly. "Don't worry. A few last minute preparations, like I said."

Though I didn't outwardly respond to this, something in the back of my mind screamed quite blatantly, "Bullshit".

I turned away from him and stared out at the trees and greenery. I had a feeling I would miss my forest when I went out running in the mornings.

When we got to the airport, Edward carried all of my bags inside in one trip, refusing to let me help. Once it was time to part, I teased and joked around with him, and he gave me a hug. I closed my eyes and silently savored the moment. It was really a wonderful thing to be in the arms of the one you loved. Even if it was unrequited. And I deserved this little piece of heaven, since I wouldn't know it for another 6 months.

So it took me a moment to realize that Edward was trying to pull away. When I did, I pulled away slowly, then leaned forward again to peck his cheek. He smiled and handed me my carry-on bag, finally.

"Happy travels."

I grinned and said, "I'll be back before you have a chance to miss me."

Then I turned and walked to my plane, looking back once to wave. Still, as I said that, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen on this 6 month trip, and I was going to have a lot more than simple pictures to show when I got back.

If only I'd known how very right I was…

So so so so so so so SO SORRY!

I know it's almost been a year, and I really can't blame anyone but myself for my writers' block and pure laziness. And the fact that I started really getting into Dragon Ball Z again. (I don't own that or anything associating to it except story ideas that will never be published. -semi-colon/open parenthesis-)

Layel.C: You are so loyal to this story I thank you so much for reviewing. Even when no one else seems to think I deserve it. Your review always gives me the motivation to keep writing. As for Jazmine and Jake... I dunno. I'm kinda playing around with a bunch of different ideas with this story. You'll just have to stick around and see. :P

As for everyone who is more of the seen not heard types, please review this chapter and let me know that more than one person thinks I should continue. Until next time!