Okay, sorry for such a delay, my grandpa passed away only a few days into the new year and I was out of town for a week. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandpa. He doesn't know a thing about Twilight, but he always used to tell me to reach for my dreams no matter where they might take me.

So this is a look into what's been happening with the Cullen's while Bella/Sophie is getting acquainted with the Irena and the Denali's. I do not own Twilight, no infringement intended.

Alice's POV

In one short month, an entire year will have passed since I saw my best friend for the last time. It was August and never in a million years would I have thought are family could have been torn apart any more thoroughly, in such a short time. I have never wished more than I do now that I could cry. The entire family was turned upside down and we were still struggling to bring ourselves together again.

After reluctantly leaving Forks, the family traveled to Denali while we had our new home prepared on the East Coast. We were only there two days before Edward left, saying he needed to be alone. A few days later the rest of the family made the trek to our new home in New Hampshire, but a dark cloud had descended over us. It took me weeks to convince Jasper that Bella was not mad at him, but I knew he blamed himself for everyone's unhappiness. It was his loss of control that sent Edward over the edge demanding we move away, because we were putting Bella in danger. He even made me promise not to look for her, saying she needed a clean break to put the time she spent with our family behind her. Sometimes I wondered if he knew Bella at all…because I knew Bella would not let go as easily as he thought. They were made for each other; they were as close as any other mated pair of vampires and yet he thought she would forget him. I knew this was a bad idea, I yelled at him all the way to Denali up to the point where he left. But I could see he was warring with himself as well. Yes, we had brought danger to Bella's life by involving her in our lives, but Edward had also been there to save her from non-mythical dangers as well.

No one was happy in New Hampshire, Esme and Carlisle threw themselves into their distractions, barely taking notice of anyone else. Rosalie and Emmet fought more often and so did Jasper and I. Everyone's despair was getting to be too much for him…he wanted us to spend some time on our own for awhile. I refused to leave seeing how much we needed to be here for our family, but we were so broken. In my efforts not to look for Bella, I had stopped looking for the future almost altogether. The only one I allowed myself to look for was Edward. Every hour of every day he was going back and forth in his head, trying to decide whether what he did was right. He always seemed to be in agony over whether to return to her and beg her forgiveness. I had been so hopeful that he would finally cave and we would all go home. I wanted to so much to know what my best friend…my sister…was doing. She needed us, no matter what Edward thought and I was more than tempted on a number of occasions to just go back for her myself, but I was afraid it wouldn't be enough. She needed Edward as much as she needed the rest of us so it needed to be him…his decision to keep her. So I waited…and I watched for Edward to go back until the day I watched what I never saw coming.

Flashback

I was flipping through a fashion magazine while Emmet and Jasper blankly stared at the television, when suddenly I felt my body go cold as my mind drifted back to Forks. I sucked in an unnecessary breath as Bella approached the cliff. She looked so frail, thinner than before and paler. There were dark circles under her eyes like she hadn't slept for weeks and her arms were wrapped around her middle like she was trying to keep herself in one piece. The water was choppy and violent below, but Bella seemed so calm as she looked over the edge. Then she took a step back, but her face contorted with a mix of emotions I couldn't quite understand. It was almost as if she was in pain suddenly…I was confused, but I saw Bella take a breath as her expression shifted to one of determination.

Without warning, Bella stepped forward quickly and jumped! "No!" I shrieked and I couldn't stop myself from standing up and reaching out for thin air. I could feel Jasper grab my shoulders, but ignored his questions. I couldn't take my eyes off Bella's form as her body plummeted into the ocean. Ever so slowly I watched as she rose closer and closer to the surface. Even in the storm, I could still see the light at the surface as she floated towards it, but the waves rolled in one by one pushing her back down. She was nearly out of air, but it seemed like she was just within grasp of the surface when she stopped swimming. Her eyes were open, looking toward the surface but she wasn't swimming anymore, in fact it looked like she was smiling. Then her eyes squeezed shut as the last of her air bubbled out of her mouth and she let herself sink.

"Fight! Don't stop…Bella please…Fight, don't give up!" I was shaking so uncontrollably I couldn't hold myself up. I felt hands on me and I could hear them speaking but their voices all sounded like whispers as I watched in pure horror as Bella's body sunk further and further into the darkness of the water until it was too dark to see her anymore. I think I tried to get up as I fought to look for her, but the vision was black…black like there was no more future to see…black… I was still shaking and sobbing, when I started to come back to reality. Five pairs of golden eyes were on me as I took in my surroundings.

"Alice?" Jasper whispered as I shot off the couch with a vengeance.

"No…no…no…" I sobbed as tried to get up but fell to my knees in front of the coffee table. Sorrow, anger, guilt…I couldn't stop the emotions stirring as I continued to pray for some miracle that I would have another vision of Bella alive and well, but it didn't come. Fury raged through me and I couldn't stop myself from shattering the innocent table in front of me, before I turned to the rest of my family.

"Call Edward! Tell him he got his wish, Bella lived out the rest of her human life and died miserable and alone!" I yelled at my family. Esme gasped and Carlisle reached out for her.

"When Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"It's already happened…she's gone." I whispered as Jasper came forward and reached out to hold me.

"But how?" Emmet asked.

"She looked awful, like a cancer patient. She threw herself off a cliff into the ocean and didn't even try to swim" I told him as I closed my eyes seeing the scene pass through my perfect memory. It was then in between the silence and the muffled sobs of my family that I vowed not to see the future again. I did not want to see, if this is what it would show me. No, I didn't want this anymore.

Since that last vision, I have had no others. But the events of that day have weighed heavily on my family. We all tried to contact Edward, but he never answered and he never called back. Minus Edward the rest of the family tried to morn the loss of Bella, but it was too hard. The emotions around the house had been hard to bare when we only left her and now she was dead, never to be seen again. It seemed that more than just me was hoping Edward would come to his senses and return for Bella. So when Jasper asked me once again, I couldn't refuse him. With news of Bella's death the family was worse than before and now we were always fighting; with our mates and with each other. I knew that if we had any chance of getting over Bella's death, it would not be together; somehow we all needed to come to terms with it on our own. So here we are now. Jasper and I are currently living near Chicago, Rosalie and Emmet went on an "extended hunting trip" in Africa and Esme and Carlisle remained in New Hampshire to continue with their distractions.

I was still having trouble keeping my emotions in check every time I saw something that reminded me of her. I had been trying my very best, for Jasper's sake to keep it together, but the weight of her death was heavy on my heart. It felt like this was never going to get easier and every where I turned something reminded me of her. I was just wondering how everyone else was fairing today, while watching Jasper immerse himself in yet another book on the civil war when he faded from my sight. I froze as Edward's face passed into my mind, he was huddled on the floor in a dark room. His face was torn between sadness and pain. It was just like all the other visions I had of Edward before I gave up looking… but this time he got up. Suddenly, the vision shifted and Edward was running through the streets, staying to the shadows as he moved at an inhuman pace. Soon the streets faded and I could see Edward running through the woods. Woods, that I knew all too well and then just as quickly as the vision came it stopped as Edward caught sight of Bella's house.

I felt my heart breaking as I closed my eyes. He looked so desperate trying to get to her, but I knew he would not find her. If I thought I was broken from losing Bella, it would only be the tip of the iceberg for Edward. When I finally looked up Jasper was staring intently at me, waiting for me to tell him what caused these emotions to be stirred up.

"It's Edward" I said as I shook my head. "He's going back to Forks, right now."

"What should we do, Alice?" Jasper asked.

"It will be too much for you, Jasper. You should stay…I will go and try to help him as much as I can."

"I will go as well, I can be of some help and I can't bare to be apart from you. Besides, knowing Edward it will take both of us to stop him from doing anything stupid" Jasper said as he raced around gathering up a few things we may need. I called the airport on our way there and within minutes of arriving we were able to board the first plane to Seattle. As soon as we were settled in our seats I dialed Carlisle.

"Hello Alice, are you enjoying Chicago?" he asked.

"Yes, well we were. Carlisle, its Edward I saw him going back to Forks. Jasper and I are already on a plane to Seattle right now. I can't see what he will do until he finds out she is dead, but I know it will not be good" I told him as my vision replayed through my mind.

"We can come right away. I will call Esme and make sure we catch the next plane out as well."

"No, I think you should let Jasper and I try to handle him first. We may need to bring him there depending on his condition, once we tell him. I will call you as soon as I have more to tell you."

"Good luck Alice, you will need it. I hope you succeed in convincing him to come here and I will contact Emmet and Rosalie and let them know what is happening" Carlisle said.

I said good bye to Carlisle quickly, as the pilot asked that all transmitting devises be disabled. I looked over at my husband as he squeezed my hand and tried to smile. I knew that there was nothing I could have done to save Bella that day, but now I had the chance to hopefully save Edward from himself. I just couldn't lose another member of my family…I was going to fight to keep Edward alive. So after months of cutting myself off from my gift, I embraced it again.

We arrived well before Edward and waited in the woods behind Bella's house. It was already pretty late, but Charlie wasn't home. I couldn't help myself as I entered Bella's home and took a look around. Apparently, Charlie had given up on keeping the house clean in Bella's absence. It wasn't a complete disaster, but I knew Bella would not be happy to see this way. I partially entertained the idea of cleaning the whole place and leaving a note saying something like you were recommended for one of those shows like Clean Sweep, but that quickly left my mind as I walked up the stairs at a human pace towards Bella's room. Jasper was right behind me as I pushed open her door and stepped inside. Her room was neat, the bed was made, but it felt so empty. Her smell was hardly noticeable anymore, even as I sat on her bed and put my head on her pillow. I just couldn't feel her presence here anymore and then I started to notice that some of Bella's things were out of place. There were pictures missing from frames, empty spots on her shelves where her favorite books used to sit and it made me wonder. Did Charlie give away some of her things to her friends, like Angela for a way to remember her, or did Renee take something home with her that reminded her of her only daughter. I was just about to look through her closet or dresser for clothes that still might have her scent on them when a vision of Edward getting closer, faded into sight.

I turned to Jasper and he held me close as I tried to choke back a sob. Then a moment later, Edward slipped through the window and glared at us. He looked ragged; his clothes were wrinkled and it looked as though he hadn't hunted in months.

"What are you doing here?" he rasped angrily.

"We came, when I saw you coming back. To be here for you…Edward" I said sadly. I tried to keep my mind steady and focus; the last thing he needed was the entire story to bombard him at once.

"We shouldn't be in the house Edward, let's go back into the woods" Jasper said confidently.

"Her scent it's almost gone…did she go to Florida to be with her mother?" Edward asked. Jasper and I didn't answer but exited through the window and walked into the forest a few hundred feet before stopping. Edward didn't move from Bella's room for almost two minutes before he came out to meet me.

Edward's POV

The last year had been a torment…a nightmare where all my worst fears swirled through my head day and night. Without my Bella, the sun never rose, nor did the stars come out. It was like I was locked in darkness; a darkness I created in order to protect her. The sheer emotional and physical pain I felt when I left my life in the woods that day was insurmountable. It was worse then when I was turned; and grew everyday I was without her, but I was keeping her safe by not being with her and that was more important or at least that was what I was trying to convince myself over all these months. Bella was safe as long as I didn't complicate her life with mythical dangers. Day by day the struggle to stay in Brazil on that dirt floor got harder and harder. I was constantly at war, wondering if I had done the right thing…wondering how her life would turn out without me. Would she go away to college? Would she meet anyone at college who would love her the way I loved her? Would she get married someday? And then there was the other thinking…would someone be there to catch her when she falls? Would Charlie be enough to protect her?

On more than one occasion I had made reference to the fact that Bella was a danger magnet. It seemed that even though she was human, she always needed supernatural powers to keep her safe. Would she fall victim to another group of men in a dark alley or would another van have their sights set on crushing my Bella? What hurt the most was the perfect memory of Bella's face as she accepted that I didn't love her when I left. I had told her thousands of times that I loved her, but in just a few words I convinced her it meant nothing to me. It hurt me more than I thought it would and now after all this time had past it wasn't getting easier. I couldn't do this anymore, Bella was my life… how could I just abandon her like that? I loved her more than anything and I knew I had to make this right. But what if she did really move on, what then? I wanted Bella to be happy more than anything, even if it meant I could only be a friend to her from here on out. As long as I could be in her life I would take whatever she gave me, no matter how small. But would she forgive me? I wasn't sure but if she let me, I would spend the rest of my existence trying to make it up to her.

So that is how I found myself standing in Bella's room a mere 24 hours after finally making my decision to return. Only it was not my Bella waiting for me. Alice and Jasper both were translating different books in their heads, trying to keep me out. Panic was setting in as Alice and Jasper went out Bella's window expecting me to follow. Her scent wasn't here anymore, which means Bella wasn't here anymore. I glanced around her room quickly noticing empty picture frames and her favorite books were missing and then went to find my siblings. Not far from the back of the house Jasper was trying to soothe Alice and I knew that whatever they were hiding wasn't good. I felt weak and shaky, but I held my ground waiting for Alice to speak. Jasper sent wave after wave of calming influence at me, but it only caused me more turmoil as my imagination ran wild with what could be wrong.

"Alice…just tell me!" I yelled.

"I'm so sorry Edward" she said as she came toward me with her hands out stretched. "She's gone Edward" Alice whispered.

"Gone…because she went to Florida, right?" I choked out. She has to be okay, wouldn't I have felt something if she wasn't. But all this time I had been in such pain would there have been anything left to feel if something did happen to her?

"No Edward, she's dead. There was nothing I could do, I was too far away when it was decided. I tired to call you months ago when it happened…" she trailed off.

"She can't be dead Alice, NO! I left to keep her safe so that nothing would put her in danger, no I don't believe you! Show me…" I pleaded with her. Suddenly, I was hit with an image of my Bella, but she looked so different. She looked so fragile and weak, nothing like the beautiful girl I left in the woods that day. And then with shock I watched as she jumped, smiling as the last of her oxygen was used up and then it all went black. "No…" I whispered as I crumbled to the ground. My Bella was gone and the world suddenly grew bleak. I had once had this nightmare before, but this time there was no saving her. I failed her…she wasn't able to survive without me and now her death was my fault. Love, life, meaning had just left me and but I knew what I must do. The moment I made the decision to seek out the Volturi, the vision passed through Alice's mind. I heard her yell at Jasper to grab me, but I was still fast enough to get by him. I thought I would be able to put some distance between us, but I was weak with hunger. I felt as Jasper had finally gotten close enough to hit me with a wave of lethargy bringing me to the ground. I took down a tree in my attempt to stay standing before Jasper's arms encircled me. I twisted and pushed against Jasper's grasp as waves of calm washed over me.

"Edward, it will be okay…" Alice whispered as I succumbed to Jasper choking and sobbing. I heard Alice gasp, but I didn't move. "Our futures are about to disappear!" she said. In the distance I could hear something traveling toward us, but it was not the swift feet of my family like I expected. Instead, it was something traveling on four legs, but I couldn't think of where I recognized that sound before. Bella's face was all I could see and her voice was all I could hear as my memories flashed before my eyes. And then, I heard a voice I didn't recognize. "Could it be them? The Cullen's? They are so close to Bella's house…it has to be. God, I miss her. But if its not I need to warn the others." I heard a long howl and then I was suddenly bombarded with others thoughts, but they weren't close by. I was hearing them through whoever was close. How strange it was to hear so many of them and have them think differently and identically at the same time. I looked up as Jasper released me. "We should run, let's go" Jasper said as he grabbed my arm and Alice's hand.

"No, he is thinking about Bella. It's the wolves…" I told them as I pull my arm from Jasper. Just then a huge russet colored wolf slowly approached. He didn't want to startle us, but he was also on guard in case we were 'human drinkers'. Suddenly, I recognized his voice, "Jacob Black!?"

"Did she find you? Why have you come back? Where is Bella?" Jacob's mind was screaming out questions left and right, but I didn't understand. If she was dead how would she find us? I think I stood there for a whole minute listening to all of the memories going through his head as he started to picture her face. Suddenly, I was startled from my reverie, "Hey mind reader! I know you can hear me, so answer me!"

"I don't understand. Alice just told me Bella was dead, that she jumped off a cliff" I told the wolf. Then through Jacob's mind I saw her at the top of the cliff, but I was far away…on the beach. I was seeing what he saw! I watched as he saved her and pulled her to shore. "Then what happened?" I asked him. I watched as he showed me someone talking about a worried phone call with Charlie and then an envelope addressed to Jacob in Bella's handwriting, before it went blank. "So she's alive, she didn't drowned after jumping, but what is the letter about, what did it say?"

"She said she was leaving and asked me to take care of Charlie, but the way she worded it. She sounded like she was in trouble; she would never take off and leave Charlie like that. She loves him and she fought him when he tried to get her to move to Florida to stay with her mother. It doesn't make sense for her to up and leave like that. I tried to go after her, but the trail was cold. We had a fight, I didn't know until two days after she was gone and it rained" the Jacob wolf said. Then Jacob started to think about the time they spent together before and after it seemed that he became a wolf. I saw the letter she wrote him; he loved her very much. My heart ached as I wondered if she had developed any feelings for this boy, my mortal enemy when Alice chimed in.

"Edward, what is he saying? Is Bella truly alive? I can't see anything because of him! Is that why she disappeared? Edward!" Alice screamed.

"She's alive, Alice, but she took off in a hurry only a week after Jacob saved her from drowning. He said no one has seen or heard from her since before Christmas, not Charlie…not even Renee. Alice I need you to try and look for her." Four other wolves finally approached and took up next to the Jacob wolf. I was trying to process all of what Jacob had told me and what it could mean, but I was hit with images of Bella coming from the wolves. It seemed Bella had found new monsters to be friends with and they cared greatly for her. Jacob and the others knew I could hear their thoughts and Alice could see the future; clearly Bella had trusted them, but not enough to tell them what made her leave. If Bella was in trouble I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. It was a miracle that she was alive, but I never wanted to feel the loss of her again. I will find her and hold her in my arms soon.

"I can't see when they are so close" Alice said as she wrinkled her nose. The smell of wet dog was overwhelming. "I want to know what you find" Jacob said. "I swear, I'll find her and bring her home when I can" I told him. Jacob nodded his head and retreated with the other wolves close behind him.

"What do you think happened, Edward?" Jasper asked. "I'm not sure, but I want to go through her room to see if we can get anything leads." We raced back to Bella's house and I took inventory of what I could tell was missing. Alice sat on Bella's bed, closed her eyes and held her knees and she rocked back and forth. All the images coming through were dark and hazy. There were light flashes and some faint flickers of colors, but nothing was clear. I couldn't even make out her face. Alice groaned on the bed. "I can't see anything that can help us, it's been too long…I've lost my connection with her" Alice said as she stifled a sob. "We'll find her Alice" Jasper said trying to sooth her. "She did a thorough job of packing anything of value to her it seems, but did she do that because she would need those things or did she do it so no one would worry?" Jasper asked.

"If she was in trouble she would protect Charlie. I saw in Jacob's head that Charlie did a credit check on her and there was nothing. She drained all of her bank accounts the day before she left, so she must be using cash only which he can't track. I don't understand what would make her leave, unless she was looking for us, but that doesn't seem likely for how quickly she ran away." Frustration clear on her face Alice got off the bed and started to pick through Bella's closet, finding her stereo and a few other of her birthday presents in a black plastic trash bag shoved in the back. "She must hate me!" Alice wailed as she stepped back from the closet, placing her hand on Bella desk. Alice breathed in sharply, as a vision of Bella writing letters on lavender paper flashed before her. "How is that so clear?" I asked…and then I realized I recognized some of the words on the page from Jacob's memory. "Wait! Those are the letters Bella wrote before she left, I saw the one Jacob got."

"That doesn't make sense…I have never seen the past before. But how can I have lost my connection to her if I can see her in the past but not in the future?" Alice said.

"Maybe something is disrupting her from your visions right now, like the wolves made your visions go black" Jasper suggested.

"I need time to think" Alice said as she sat at Bella's desk, holding the purple paper and closing her eyes.

"I am going to make some phone calls Edward and see if we can find any paper trail on her. Do you want me to inform Carlisle and Esme?" Jasper asked.

"Go ahead, but tell them to stay where they are until we find some kind of lead" I told him.

Alright, so the next chapter is what happened to Irena, Laurent and Sophie after they left Denali. The next chapter after that should be the Denali's and the Cullen's finally catching up so everything is happening at one time I hope. I am sorry if anyone is confused about the time line, but it has been difficult trying to organize what is happening to everybody when they are in different places. Also I want to say thanks to my few devoted reviewers, I love your encouragement and I am lucky to have you! Now if only I could come up with my own original idea and write a book about that, lol. Anyone want to collaborate? I will try to update again in a week or two, thanks for your patience!