A/N: Set during New Moon when Bella chases Edward through the woods in an attempt to find him after he leaves her.

Chapter 19

Sam's POV-

"Find her yet?"

I shrugged, waving a hand in air, a tinge of sadness visible in my eyes, as I attempted to look as undefeated as I could.

But the fact remained. I was defeated.

It had been a little over three months since I had left home on the pretext of roaming the country before I proceeded towards the path of further studies; my motive being clear. I had to find Bella. I had immaturely believed that finding a single person in a population of over three hundred and thirty-one million wouldn't be as difficult; even the Gods laughing at me as I went ahead with my idiocy. It was a plan destined to fail from the conception…or so it seemed.

So far, I had seen New York, Boston and Maine, before heading towards New Jersey and Washington DC, covering parts of Ohio and West Virginia, finally setting my base in Detroit, Michigan. I had yet to tour parts of Wisconsin and the state of Illinois, namely Chicago, and another month before I gave up and went home, accepting my defeat. My parents were kind enough to sponsor my expenses, but I couldn't in good faith waste their hard-earned money in this manner. I took the bus when I was terribly tired to walk, staying in the cheapest of motels, or if the weather permitted in a public park. I survived on one good meal a day, working odd jobs when I could. It was hard. But Bella was worth it.

Always would be.

I just didn't know how to find her.

It was nearly impossible, it seemed.

I had, of course, futilely tried searching for her on the internet, coming up blank. Bella Swan did not exist, and if she had any other name in this universe, I wouldn't know of it. Hence, finding her the old-school way was my only and last resort. If I couldn't find her…I guess I would have to accept my life in this universe, and hope that one day our paths would cross. I would try to search for the tunnel. But without Bella by my side, it was simply too risky to jump in. I had no way of knowing which universe was coming next. What if it was worse than this one? At least I had a supportive family by my side!

"So, what comes next?"

I came back to the present, looking up and meeting eyes with Mia. Some would say that she was cute, with her baby blue eyes and wavy, shoulder length blonde hair, and a killer smile with the perfect set of teeth. But she wasn't Bella. And she wasn't who I was searching for.

"I don't know." I let out a sigh. "I must move on, I guess. She isn't here, or if she is, isn't social enough to visit a mall or a bar or any crowded place that I have searched for her at."

I had followed a simple policy. I visited the popular locations, sat in the cafes that the local youth could be found at, spent my time in malls and in the bars that permitted over eighteen. Surely, it was no sure-shot way of finding her, but it was the best I had.

"You love her a lot, don't you?"

I smiled, shutting my eyes briefly. "Took me quite a while to accept it."

"She is a lucky girl." Mia whispered.

I shook my head. "I am the lucky one. She is worth it."

"Will you come tomorrow night?"

Mia worked at this eighteen and up bar that had gained quite a reputation with the local youth, and without having any photo of Bella to present, Mia was the staff member I had shared my worry and details of my search with. She didn't know everything- of course. All she knew was that Bella and I had been the best of friends up until a few years ago, with her moving states in my first year of high school. Her phone number had changed, and she wasn't traceable on social media. All I wanted was to have my friend back in my life.

"No." I answered Mia's question. "I should leave in the morning tomorrow. If she hasn't made an appearance in this bar in three nights, it is unlikely that she will make an appearance tomorrow."

"I hope you find her."

I smiled at her concern, finishing my drink, before heading towards the cheap motel I had booked for the night.

Bella's POV-

"A bar, seriously?"

I laughed at Jasper's suggestion, unable to believe that he could come up with something as ridiculous as that.

We were not human; what purpose would a crowded bar oozing with sweat, booze and lust solve for us?

Jasper offered me the duh look; self -control, right?

I was the dumb one, or so it seemed!

"Jas…" I pleaded with him. "Don't you think I have passed enough tests? We have been to a mall, to a supermarket on a Sunday morning, to a movie theatre- and I have passed all these tests with flying colors! Let's just let this one go?"

I had no particular problem with a bar; just that they were so dirty and filled with sweat and gross teenagers…ew.

"My sweet Bell." Jasper pushed a strand of stray hair behind my ear, his eyes filled with adoration. "I am so proud of you, sweetheart. You are doing so well…"

I let out a sigh, not having the heart to stop him when he got this way. 'My sweet Bell' was what he had often referred to his wife as. Lately, he had started calling me that. I could see the love in his eyes. He had fallen in love with me. Not with his wife of this universe. But with me. He knew that I didn't feel the same; he could sense it. I liked him. He was my good friend; I could even term him my best friend. But I wasn't in love with him. I loved Sam. And I guess I always would.

"Jas…" I frowned. "Okay, let's do this! We will go to this stupid bar you believe will help in strengthening my self -control."

He grinned, caressing my hand in his.

Detroit was like any other city I had already visited; and trust me being a vampire with no need to sleep, I had seen a lot of those. It was huge with these massive skyscrapers, and a beautiful scenic feel to it. We visited a few museums, malls- and the local zoo, our plan to head to New York next in the pipeline. I liked traveling with Jasper. He was witty, had a sense of humor, and was immensely caring. He knew exactly how much to push me and waited patiently when I slipped. Those incidents were fewer in the past month, yet I always fed with caution, never letting my senses get the better of me, that one incident when I had lost control while feeding and had unknowingly exposed our kind always on my mind. Luckily for me, Jasper had done damage control- a good way of saying that he had killed all witnesses. I could not have a repeat of that ever again.

This bar that he had been so keen on visiting was like any other bar in the country, and while I saw no charm to it, I was aware that the purpose of our visit wasn't enjoyment. I hadn't fed in over two weeks, and Jasper wished to test my control in such a restricted environment, with hormones running high.

I could do this, though.

I had to.

Sam was waiting for me. I had to master my control before I headed his way.

"Bella."

I smiled, waiting for Jasper to continue, tuning out the loud music that blasted from the speakers in this disgusting, sweaty space.

Gosh. It was so loud here!

"I…I wanted to talk to you about something." He seemed hesitant, a first for him. "It is important."

"Go on." I curiously stated, sticking a smile onto my face. I knew Jasper well enough to know that confidence was one of his strengths; he was never shy or hesitant.

He sighed, shutting his eyes briefly. "I like you."

Okay.

"I know that you don't feel the same…and I respect that…"

"Jas…"

Please don't do this.

"Please let me finish." He pleaded. "I want you to give us…me…a chance. We could be so good together! We are having fun, aren't we? Life would be just like this. I promise. I will always love you. We will discover the world together. We will have our beautiful, small family, a cute home that is ours. I will never let the slightest of sadness come your way. Please…just one chance."

I would have cried if I could. Oh, Jasper.

I wish I could return your wife to you!

I am sorry.

I am so, so sorry.

"Jasper…I…"

How was I supposed to break his heart?

But my heart already belonged to Sam!

"Oh my God! Is that you, Bella?"

I frowned, noticing this strange human that had taken my name. How did she know who I was?

"You look just like he had described you. Oh, this is so exciting! Wait, till I tell him that you are here!"

"Excuse me?" Jasper frowned. "We were in the middle of a private conversation…"

The girl looked slightly miffed, but her spirits hadn't dampened. "You are Sam's Bella, right?"

Sam?

How?

What?

"He has been searching for you." She softly added. "He loves you so much."

"He…he is here?"

No.

This couldn't be true.

My hope was futile.

Sam…was looking for me?

But we were so far away from Philadelphia? And was I even ready to be in front of him?

I could never risk his safety!

"Yes." She grinned, my eyes noticing the sudden loss of hope on Jasper's face. He knew that he had lost me forever in this moment. "I have his number. Just wait here. I will call him."