Disclaimer: I don't own them. Even though I wish I did.

I know the first chapter was long. It was one of the longest I've written. Ironically enough I am watching the first movie as I am writing this. As usual, let me know what you think.

Edward stood in Bella's room taking everything in. He saw her camera and photo album on her desk. He opened the album seeing a picture of Mike, Jessica, Angela, and Eric. He turned the page seeing a picture of Charlie. On the oppisite page was the picture that Alice had taken of them. He sadly pulled the picture from the album and slipped it in his pocket. Carlisle didn't say that he couldn't take anything for himself. If he was never going to see her again, he was going to need something to remember her by. As if he could forget her. He could live a thousand years and he would never forget her.

He glanced at his watch, realizing that she would be home from school any minute. He heard the familiar sounds of her truck from five miles away. He made his way down the tree to stand beside the house. It would be best if he did this in the woods. That way she wouldn't be able to follow him. He wouldn't lead her far, he didn't want her getting lost. He hadn't even planned on taking her off the path that led back to her house.

Bella's truck pulled into the driveway, and he smiled when he saw her. It wouldn't do him any good to give himself away. She walked up to him and stared at him trying to guess what he was thinking. She was better at it than he was. Right now, the pained expression let her know that whatever it was couldn't be good.

"Come take a walk with me?" he said gesturing towards the woods.

"Sure." she said with a nod.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. All she saw was his back until he finally stopped. He couldn't bare to see the look in her eyes if she realized what was going on before he could tell her. He slowly turned towards her. She was looking at him with questioning eyes.

"What I am going to say is very difficult, and you won't want to hear it."

"Whatever it is it can't be that bad."

"I can't see you again."

"Why?" Bella asked giving him a panicked look.

"I'm leaving."

"Then I'll come with you." she said with a sob.

"It isn't that simple."

"Don't you love me?"

"No."

"Liar." she said as tears clouded her vision.

"I want you to know that I will not be back."

"Is this about what happened last night? Because if it is that can easily be rectified."

"No, it can't."

"I'll ask Alice." she said threatening him.

"She is already gone. I stayed behind so that I could tell you goodbye."

"So you're breaking your promise to me?"

"Yes. Once I leave, it will be as if I never existed."

"Yes you will. I will never forget you. Do you really want to break my heart?"

"I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do. Stay with me. Please?" she said pleading with him.

"I have to go." he said walking away.

"Edward wait!" she said, going after him.

He was gone before she turned the bend in the path. She turned to walk back, realizing she had walked off the path. She was lost. If she kept going in the direction she was going, maybe she would come across the path. She couldn't hear anything but birds, twigs snapping beneath her feet. Where were the cars? The sounds of other people? Could she have wandered that far from the house? All she could see around her was darkness. When had the sun gone down? She fell to the forest floor in a panic.

She let the tears that she had been holding back flow. Visions of Edward swam through her head. The first time she saw him, their first conversation. Their first date, the meadow. Would it eventually get easier? How could he have left her? She shivered from the cold as the wind whipped around her Her mind was numb by the time she fell asleep.

XXXXX

Charlie knew something was wrong when Bella wasn't there when he got home. Her truck was in the driveway. She wasn't supposed to leave the house seeing as she was still grounded. He checked her room and searched the woods near the house. After an hour he went back to the station and got a search party together. Billy, Jacob, and Harry huddled around his cruiser while Sam, Paul, and Jared helped search forBella.

Jacob felt useless. He blamed his dad for telling him to stay behind. He wanted to help look for his friend.

XXXXX

Bella heard someone call her name, and when she tried to open her mouth to speak she found her throat raw. She grabbed the first thing she could grab onto and tried to pull herself up. Maybe she could walk and try to find the person who was calling her name. She fell back to the forrest floor on weak knees. She had to think of something else.

All around her rocks, acorns, pine cones lay within easy reach. Maybe if she could throw something far enough, it would get the person's attention. She grabbed the closest thing to her and chucked it as far as her arm could throw. She sighed in victory when she heard the rock hit a tree a few hundred feet away. Hard. The voice got closer and Bella grabbed for something else. She threw a pine cone, and it landed in the grass not far from where the rock had hit the tree. She heard footsteps a few yards to her left. She turned her head to see someone come out of the trees.

"It's okay. I've got you. You're safe now." he said picking her up.

She wrapped her arms around his neck taking in his warmth. How could he be warm? It was freezing and he was only wearing shorts. She wanted to ask him his name, but passed out from exhaustion.

Charlie heard Sam call his name as he came out of the words. He ran to him, stopping a few feet away.

"She's okay." Sam said handing Bella to her dad.

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"She just passed out. She used all of her energy trying to get my attention."

"Has she said anything?" Harry asked as Charlie carried Bella into the station.

"No." Sam said with a shake of his head.

"Dad I'm going inside to see if I can help." Jacob said before walking away.

He didn't wait to hear Billy's reply. Paul and Jared came out of the woods a minute later, and Sam suggested that the three of them head home. Harry got his things together knowing that things were drawing to a close. It had been a long night. He wheeled Billy into the station before telling Charlie that he was leaving.

"If you need anything, you know that I'll do it."

"You've done enough. Thank you for asking Sam and the boys to help. If you hadn't, she would probably still be out there."

"I only did what you would have done if one of my kids were missing."

"Lets hope that never happens."

Harry nodded before turning to walk away. He saw Jacob in the corner enveloped in a blanket with Bella. His arms were wrapped around her and she was finally awake. He was whispering in her ear and she looked like she was starting to regain her color. He was glad that Bella had a friend like Jacob. He was a good kid. He hoped that his son Seth would turn out to be just like him. The boy worshiped Jacob, even if his older sister didn't like him. Harry smiled to himself knowing the situation was under control.

XXXX

After a week of being confined to the house because she had caught phnemonia Bella was ready to go back to school. She was tired of being fussed over. She had been adamnent that she didn't want her friends over. So she had spent the week alone, in her room. Charlie didn't come in to see her unless he had to. Even he could tell that she wanted to be left alone. She had gone to the doctor yesterday and he had cleared her to go back to school on Monday. But that wasn't for two more days. She was tired of being closed up in the house. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened with Edward. Her new doctor had told her that Carlisle had put in his resignation the day before they left. That he had been offered a job in California. Were they really already gone? There was only one way to find out.

Since Edward was out of the picture her dad had taken her off of groundation. Which Bella was grateful for. She quickly got dressed and grabbed something for breakfast, a Pop Tart, before heading out the door. She never heard the phone ring. She was in her truck and pulling out of the driveway as she ate. It didn't take long for her to find the turn off. She could have found it blind folded. She slowly drove down the tree lined lane, turning at exactly the right bend. The house loomed before her, big and dark. On the outside, it looked like nothing had changed. She stopped the truck a few feet from the front door.

She looked up at the house as she finished her breakfast. It gave her a few minutes. Enough time to pull her thoughts together, just in case there really was someone inside. The door sqeaking as she opened it was the only noise in the quiet forest. It was erielly quiet. Her feet crunched on top of dry leaves. She wished that there, were, at least birds. So far she hadn't heard a single one.

The noise stopped as she stepped on the bottom step. She slowly walked up the stairs. Light shined through the windows, casting light across the front room. The room was bare. It couldn't be. When had they had time to move their things? Without anyone noticing? Tears formed in her eyes as she pressed her fingers to the warm glass. She said a silent goodbye to the family who had welcomed her with open arms.

XXXX

She sat at her desk, hunched over her lap top. She was angrily typing the keys as she wrote a e-mail to Alice. She hoped that she would be able to plead her case. If she could get through to anyone, it would be Alice. Alice would never be able to tell her no. She clicked send, only to see a message pop up a few seconds later. 'Address does not exist. Please try to send message again.' They had done a good job of making it impossible for her to get in touch with them. She shoved herself away from the desk, only to turn to look out the window. Her dad was outside washing his cruiser. It was a nice day outside. She should go outside. Yet she couldn't make herself move. The pain in her chest was getting worse. It had started when Edward had walked away from her. Now it felt hollow, empty, like nothing was there. He had taken a piece of her without her even knowing it.