Chapter Twenty Four – Try Something New

Sam's old pick up truck pulled into the Cullen's driveway, just in time to see Edward shut the door behind him and Leah storm down the front walk. LEAH! Sam growled to himself. He drove up alongside her and leaned over the passenger seat toward the open window.

"Get in the truck Leah" He said through clenched teeth.

"NO" she spat back.

"Please Leah, just get in the truck" Sam asked as politely as he could. She didn't even bother to answer him, just ran into the woods. Shit. Sam cursed to himself. He put the truck in park and looked at the Cullen's house. He was already here, might as well see what kind of damage Leah had just done.

Sam took a moment to clear his mind. He knew he shouldn't be here. He should go back to the reservation and discuss this with the Elders before jeopardizing the Treaty. But he was trying to think like Jacob right now. The Alpha had a bad habit of acting first and thinking later. It always seemed to work for him though. Sam took a deep breath and opened the driver's side door.

****

Skylar sat on the beach surrounded by frolicking children. She'd recruited a few elementary school aged kids to help her build Cinderella's Castle. The two boys were busy digging the moat. She and her new little friend Allison were busy piling sand bricks along the perimeter. The last little girl kept running back and forth to the ocean bringing them more water.

She hadn't had a fun day like this in a long time. It was hard being so far from home. She knew better than to complain to Lashly about it. He'd lived in three different countries and managed to adjust to each almost immediately. He was unsympathetic to her homesickness.

"Who's your favorite Princess?" Skylar asked Allison.

"Princess Cami" Allison smiled. "She's beautiful"

Skylar smiled in return. She meant Disney Princess, not Harper's daughters. "Cami is very pretty." She agreed.

"Who's your favorite Princess?" Allison asked her.

"Cinderella, silly" Skylar reached out and tickled the girl's neck. Allison giggled in response. Skylar felt that familiar lump in her throat. She wanted a baby so much.

*****

"The Rogues, Lashly. Why don't you just recruit from the Princes as well?" Prince Elban laughed heartily at the Team Leader.

"With all due respect, Elban I feel that she is the most qualified of all the legion soldiers" Lashly replied as he cheeks burned with rage. It was difficult to keep his temper in check, but he had to. He knew he was the bigger person in this meeting.

"She's a Rogue and she will stay that way." Prince Elban said smugly as he tapped his pen against the desk.

"Thank you for your time." Lashly said as he got up from the chair and made a hasty exit. As he walked down the hallway thoughts churned in his mind. There was no second choice. He wanted Aislin.

"Yo Lash" A familiar voice called out to him. Lashly turned around to see Nelson following behind him. "Got a minute?"

"Barely. I'm on my way to Ranger Testing" Lashly replied as he paused waiting for Nelson to catch up to him. "What's up?"

"Didn't know if you heard about this yet, but uh" Nelson looked around to see if anyone was listening, "I have something to show you" Nelson pulled his iPhone from his pocket and quickly scrolled down to his e-mail showing the screen to Lashly.

"What's 30 Second Booty Call'?" Lashly asked.

"Your "discreet" affair" Nelson replied as he clicked on the video link. Lashly was shocked as he saw the image of himself naked pounding into Mia that day in the barracks.

"Where did you get this?" Lashly said angrily.

"Cloisonne sent it out to a bunch of us yesterday" Nelson replied.

"How did HE get it?" Lashly snarled. "Jesus Christ, like I don't have enough to deal with today."

"I just thought you should know in case Skylar finds out" Nelson said sympathetically.

"Thanks for watching my back, man." Lashly replied.

"No problem. Oh and on a lighter note – We all think it's pretty hot" Nelson said giving Lashly an elbow to the ribs.

"Yeah, It was pretty hot, hence the 30 seconds" Lashly grinned at the memory. "Actually, let me see that again" He said taking the phone back from Nelson.

*****

"Daddy, did something happen to Jacob?" Nessie asked Edward, her lower lip quivering. Edward looked at Bella before he responded. Bella wrung her hands uneasily as she looked back at him.

"He doesn't love me anymore does he?" Nessie's voice cracked as she began to cry. Edward hastily scooped her up in her arms while Bella smoothed her hair.

"He loves you, of that I am certain" Edward cradled her small frame against him. "He can just be very stubborn sometimes."

"Don't cry, Ness" Bella said kissing her forehead. "We are going to find him, bring him back here and cook him a big dinner, ok?" She wiped the tears from Nessie's eyes with her thumbs and kissed her forehead again.

"You're sure he still loves me?" Nessie sniffed as she rested her head on Edward's shoulder looking down at her mother.

"Of course I'm sure" Bella smiled.

The doorbell rang once again. Alice pulled the curtain back and glanced out the window. Sam Uley paced back and forth along the front step. "It's Sam" Alice said quietly.

"What does he want?" Edward grumbled. Bella opened the front door and invited Sam inside.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Edward asked as he lowered Nessie to the floor.

"I apologize for coming by without calling first." Sam began as he looked around the room at the three vampires surrounding him. "I'm concerned about Jacob"

****

"So no one has reported anything out of the ordinary?" Leah asked the Forest Ranger at National Park.

"Nope" The heavyset man replied as he chewed his lunch. His desk was littered with mass amounts of paper covered by a layer of crumbs and what appeared to be coffee stains. Leah's eyes scanned the small office for any clues that might help her find Jacob.

"What about tracks? Has anyone seen any bear tracks?" She inquired.

"Nope" he said smacking his lips together.

"Thanks. You've been so helpful" Leah said with cynicism as she left the Ranger Station. She went down the driveway and stepped onto the wide trail that led into the park. How far away from the reservation would Jacob go? He couldn't go much further north than the bays. East was the National Park and south was the other reservation. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. She had to think harder. There must be some critical piece of information she was missing. If she wanted to get away where would she go. Far, far away from here, that's for sure. Maybe Hawaii. Palm trees, luaus, crystal blue water, maybe even some hot surfers if she was lucky.

She walked along the wide trail into the park keeping all her senses alert. She knew she wouldn't find much along the main route, so she veered left into the woods. When she was close to 100 yards in she hid behind a tree and began undressing. She could cover more ground in wolf form. Carefully checking to make sure no one was nearby; she phased and began a slow jog through the forest. Her gait was smooth and steady as she agilely navigated through the dense woods. After close to twenty miles of nothing out of the ordinary she began to get discouraged. She made a wide circle and headed back to the tree where she'd left her clothes. Where the hell are you hiding Jacob?

Thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story. I will be updating again very soon.