Description- Post Eclipse, Bella goes to find Jacob.

Disclaimer- All characters and already created plotlines belong to Stephenie Meyer.

A/N- This is just an idea I had. I love Jacob and in my world at least, he won't get the shaft. This is not a Bella/Jacob story (I am being realistic here) but there are some moments, so diehard Bella/Edward fans may not appreciate it. But if you love Edward and Jacob give it a chance. It's not completely done yet, but I'm going to try to have it finished before Saturday (cause if I don't everyone will be too busy to read it...lol...).

--

It had been over half a century since I'd been back to this place; Forks. It still looked almost exactly the same. I was surprised they hadn't done much remodeling. I drove past an abandoned building and it took me a moment to realize it was my high school…or the high school I had spent my most life changing years; And my last years of life.

It had taken me a while to see why Charlie had loved this place, but now I could see it. Even in this century it remained virtually untouched by the outside world. I'd been all over the United States, Asia, Europe, and South America but there was no place in the world like here.

I knew I was getting close to my destination now. Sixty years was a long time and I didn't know if this trip would go the way I wanted it to, but I hoped that it would. It had taken me years to get up the courage to come back to this place, but I couldn't put it off much longer or it would be too late. With a last glance in the rearview mirror I brought the red mustang to a stop in front of the reservation.

Ten days. 240 hours. 14,400 minutes. 864,000 seconds. And then I would be married. It was an odd thought, one that still made me grimace. I really didn't want to get married…at least not yet. I was too young. Charlie had made sure I knew that. I could still remember the conversation.

"I'm getting married."

He spit out the coke he'd been drinking. "What?!"

I attempted a smile and shrugged.

"You're joking. I hope to God that you are joking. You're only eighteen."

"I know."

"You just got out of high school, Bella. You're so young."

"I know," I repeated.

I winced as I waited for him to yell at me; to tell me that I was making the biggest mistake of my life and that he would never allow it. But the words never came. I glanced up at him and tried to read his expression. His next words surprised me.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, dad, I'm sure."

But was I sure? Not entirely. I loved him, no question, but was I ready to make such a commitment? And suddenly it seemed like I wasn't really talking about marriage anymore. I was talking about a much bigger, much longer, commitment. It was what I wanted…really it was…but maybe Edward had been right about waiting. Maybe a few more human years would do me good. If the Volturi didn't come looking for me that is.

A year and a half ago I never would have believed someone who told me I would be getting married and becoming a vampire before I was nineteen. It seemed insane, and I was well aware of that; too aware.

And I thought of Jacob. The new hole in my heart ached. I would probably never see him again. He said we could still be friends, even if I was a bloodsucker, but I wasn't even sure that I would still be me, and I doubted that the tension between vampires and werewolves would disappear for me. I was not that lucky.

The worst part about dying was losing him. And I knew that no matter how hard both of us tried, things would never be the same. We had had what could possibly be our last conversation and that bothered me more than I wanted to admit. It was times like these that I was really glad Edward could not read my mind. He said that he understood, but did he really, or was he just saying it for my benefit? He always seemed so sincere, but how could a guy be okay with the fact that his girlfriend had feelings for another guy?

I tried to shake the thoughts out of my mind and listen as Alice talked about flowers and dresses and cake, but I couldn't.

I couldn't not see him one more time. I knew that it was probably a bad idea, but suddenly that didn't matter. He was my Jacob and as much as I wished I didn't, I loved him. And worse…I needed him. I had to talk to him even though I had no idea what I was going to say.

--

When I got to La Push I parked my truck in its usual place. It seemed unusually quiet outside today. I made my way to the front door and knocked. After a few moments it opened to reveal Billy.

"Hello Bella." He didn't look happy that I was here, but he didn't look mad either. Instead he looked sad almost. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I need to talk to Jacob," I said.

"He's not here," Billy told me.

Not here? He had to be here. Where else would he be? 'A number of places,' my brain told me, 'probably with Sam and the others.' I followed Billy into the house and closed the door. He had his back to me so I walked around to the other side of his chair.

"When is he coming back?" I asked.

Billy looked at the floor without answering. When Billy was silent, it worried me. I felt my heart speed up. There was something going on. What was he not telling me?

"Billy?" I asked, "Where is he?" My voice sounded somewhat panicked. Maybe it was the way Billy was acting, or maybe it was the thought that something may have happened to him.

He shook his head, still not answering.

"We don't know."

I turned to see the owner of the voice coming into the room. It was Embry.

"You don't know?"

"He took off a couple of days ago."

Took off? Where, where would he go? Why wouldn't he tell anyone? Then a thought occurred to me. If he was in werewolf form that meant the others could hear what he was thinking.

"Couldn't you just…you know…turn and listen for him?"

"We tried that, Bella. He's doing a good job at keeping us out. We did hear enough to know that he doesn't wanna be found right now."

"Oh."

"There's something else," he said. "Sam was near him when he took off. He sort of…heard him thinking something."

"What?" I demanded.

He hesitated, as if afraid to tell me.

"What?" I tried again, more forceful this time.

His eyes met mine as he answered. "He was thinking about staying a werewolf…forever."

The reservation looked even more the same and I was reminded of the many days I'd spent here in those months of my depression; the time when he'd been the only one who could make me feel anything but sadness.

I pulled the car to the side of the road and got out. It wasn't sunny out today so I wasn't worried about "standing out" from everyone else. I could have driven to the house he used to live in, but I wasn't sure he even still lived on the reservation, much less in the same house. Not to mention I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself and driving around in a brand new mustang might do just that. I spotted a girl skipping down the road. I quickly moved after her and called to her.

"Hey."

She stopped and turned back towards me. She gave me a suspicious look.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone and I was wondering if you could help me out. His name is Jacob Black."

She thought for a moment and then answered. "He's on the beach with all of the other stinky boys," she said wrinkling her nose.

I stifled a laugh. I supposed she was still in the 'boys have cooties' faze.

"Thank you."

I headed to the beach, but took my time walking at normal human speed. I wanted to take in the surroundings. When I finally reached the beach I saw a group of boys kicking around a ball and yelling at each other. I stepped closer and tried to make out any faces.

And then I saw him. He looked exactly the same…only smaller somehow. I wondered why he'd decided to stay a werewolf when there were no vampires around.

'Because of you,' my mind yelled at me, but I managed to suppress it. This trip was not about making myself feel guilty.

I planned to watch them play a little longer before approaching. It was getting dark and I assumed they would be heading home soon. Unfortunately, my plan was squashed when they saw me. All of them stopped and stared. It had taken me a while to get used to that; the staring. Now I knew how Edward and his family had felt for a hundred years.

They began whispering amongst themselves and finally one was pushed out in front of the crowd. Thankfully the very one I had come here to see. He approached me slowly and I noticed all of the boys behind him still staring, but now in anticipation as to what would happen.

"Hello," he said when he reached me.

"Hi," I replied.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Jacob…Jacob Black?"

My stomach dropped.

"What do you mean forever?" I wanted to know.

"I mean never transforming back into a human again."

No…no, no, no, no. He couldn't do that. He wouldn't.

"Can he do that?'

"He wouldn't be the first," Billy said.

I turned back towards Jacob's father.

"When…when did he leave?" I asked him.

"A day or two ago; after I gave him that." He point to a letter sitting on the table. "Now I wish I hadn't."

I walked over and picked it up. My whole body froze. It was the wedding invitation. The one I told Edward not to send. Then I saw the letter with it. I scanned over it.

"I…I'm sorry. I told Edward not to…"

"Well he did, didn't he?" Embry asked rather perturbed. "Nasty bloodsucker."

I ignored his comment. At least the letter didn't say 'Haha I won.' He was just trying to do what he thought was right.

"Why would he want to stay a werewolf?"

Though I could understand why it would hurt him to receive the invitation and letter, I still didn't know why he would want to stay a wolf. How would that fix anything?

"When we're in wolf form…it's easier to quiet our emotions; especially pain."

Of course. I felt sick. He wanted to stay a wolf so he didn't have to hurt. Why did the world have to be so unfair? I couldn't let him do this. I had to do something.

"I'll find him," I told them.

They both looked at me skeptically.

"And I'll bring him back."

"Bella, I don't think…" Billy began but I cut him off.

"I'll find him." Before either of them had a chance to say anything else I left the house and headed back to my truck.

There was a wedding to plan, and I was supposed to be meeting my mother at the airport Wednesday morning. I had so much to do and not a lot of time to do it in. And yet the only thing I wanted to do was look for my friend. He was out there somewhere alone.

I had to find him.

The boy looked at me in confusion.

"Yeah, do I know you?"

The words stung me more than I would have liked. But why should I expect him to remember me? It had been almost sixty years.

"I'm Bella," I said hoping he would remember. The look on his face told me that he didn't.

"Nice to meet you…Bella."

"You don't remember me do you?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Sorry no. But are you sure we've met. I think I would have remembered someone as pretty as you."

If I could have blushed I probably would have. It wasn't like people didn't tell me that all the time, it just meant more coming from him.

"Oh, well, I guess I should be going then," I said slightly defeated.

I wanted to talk to him some more. I wanted to tell him about all of the things we used to do together. I wanted him to remember. But what was the point? Maybe he didn't remember for a reason. I turned and started back to the road when I heard his voice behind me.

"Wait!"

"Bella, you can't go."

"Let go of me," I said failing to pull my arm out of Edward's grasp.

"I'm not letting you drive off to God knows where. Anything could happen to you, or did you forget who you were for a moment?"

He smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

"How could you? How could you send that to him? I knew it would only hurt him."

He sighed and let my arm drop. "I just wanted to give him the choice that I would want. I didn't know he would run away. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know."

This time I let him put his arm around me.

"Billy said they don't know where he is. He's blocking his thoughts."

"I'm sure he'll come back," he said.

"But what if he doesn't? His dad needs him and I…" I couldn't finish because I didn't want to hurt Edward.

"You need him too. I understand that, Bella. He's your best friend."

Why did it seem like he always understood? Maybe it was a vampire thing.

"I'm glad that you understand. And I hope you'll also understand why I have to find him."

"Bella…"

"Please. There's no way I can concentrate on the…wedding…not until I know that he's okay."

He sighed.

"Fine, but I'm going with you."

"No, you're not."

He looked surprised.

"And why not?"

"Because…" I searched my brain for an answer. "Because you have to help with the planning. You want everything to be perfect right?"

"Everything will be perfect as long as you're there."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks…but seriously."

He gave me a look. "Why do you really not want me to come?" he asked.

I didn't figure he would fall for my planning bit. "I just think it would be better if you weren't there when I found him. It might upset him even more and I don't want there to be a fight…of any kind."

I didn't want either of them to get hurt and I was afraid that if Jacob was in wolf form he might be the first to attack. And of course Edward would defend himself. I didn't need that to happen.

"Well, you're not going alone. It's too dangerous."

"I think I can handle it."

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"You're taking someone," he said.

"Fine, I'll ask Alice."

"She is busy planning our wedding you know."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask."

--

"I still have a lot to do here," Alice said. "But if you really need me to go…"

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure? I mean you really can't go alone."

"One of us can go with you," Emmett said pointing to himself and Jasper. "Tracking down a dog…it could be fun."

He looked excited by the prospect. I looked around at all of them. Who did I want to take with me on my Jacob hunt?

"I'll take Rosalie."

All five vampires looked at me with mouths agape. They clearly hadn't expected that. I can't really explain why, but I wanted her to go with me.

"Me?"

"Yeah."

She looked at me skeptically. "Okay."

I was relieved when she agreed.

Now I just had to make up an excuse to give my dad. Edward drove me home and I packed a bag. I told my dad that Alice wanted to have a sleepover so we could finish sorting out wedding details. He eyed Edward when I told him this and he quickly told Charlie that he, Emmett, and Jasper were going camping for the weekend. He agreed but reminded me that I needed to be back in time to pick my mother up from the airport. I promised I would but wasn't sure that I would be able to follow through. When we got back in the car Edward was the first to speak.

"You're getting really good at lying to your dad."

"Yeah," I replied absently. I was and that was a good thing. In a few weeks I would have to make him think I was away at college.

We drove in silence a moment. I was lost in my own thoughts. It had seemed like such a good idea to run off and find Jake, but I hadn't really stopped to think that I had no idea where to start looking.

"How are we ever going to find him?" I asked.

"I don't know," Edward replied. "Maybe you should call his wolf friends and see if they've heard anything."

I nodded and he tossed me his cell phone. I dialed the number to Jacob's house and after a few rings someone answered. I could tell right away that it wasn't Billy. The voice was of a younger male.

"Hi, it's Bella."

"Oh, hey Bella. This is Quill."

"Hey. Look, I was just wondering if you'd heard anything."

There was a pause on the other line.

"Quill?"

"Yes."

"Yes, you heard something?"

"Earlier today. Sam picked up his thoughts."

"Where is he?" I asked. I noticed Edward looking at me from the corner of my eye. He could probably hear everything Quill was saying.

"He doesn't want to come home. He doesn't want any of us coming after him. Sam thinks it would be a good idea for us to leave him alone for now. All of us."

I knew that this 'all of us' included me. They wanted me to leave him alone. But how was I supposed to do that when I was the cause of his leaving in the first place. Of course I had to do something.

"Where is he?" I asked again hoping he wouldn't put up a fight in telling me.

"I don't think…" he started but I didn't let him finish.

"Please Quill. I have to do something."

I heard him sigh. "Fine, but don't do anything stupid okay? He is still in wolf form. We're more dangerous that way."

"I know, I know," I said trying to get him to hurry up and tell me.

"He's in Utah, near Salt Lake."

"Thanks."

"Bella," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful okay? And try to understand that he's not trying to hurt you or anyone else by being away."

"I will." I hung up the phone before he had the chance to say anything else.

"Bella is it?"

I nodded.

"Are you sure you're looking for me?"

Yeah, I was pretty sure. He looked like Jake and kind of sounded like him. He was just smaller than I remembered.

"Are there any more Jacob Blacks around here?" I asked.

"Well…my grandpa."

"Your grandpa?"

"Yeah, his name is Jacob Black too. I was named after him."

I perked up at that. Maybe Jacob hadn't stayed a werewolf, maybe he had lived his life and now had a grandchild that looked scary similar to him. He seemed to pick up on my change in mood.

"So is your grandpa…"

"He's still alive if that's what you're asking."

"Can I….can I see him?"

"How old are you?" he asked suddenly. I supposed he thought it was strange that I thought he was his grandpa.

"Older than I look."

He studied me for a moment, and then shrugged. "Okay. But you'd have to be really old to think I was him. My dad says I look a lot like grandpa when he was younger."

He looked over his shoulder and called out to the other boys that he was going home. They were all still staring at me. Jacob led me back up the beach and then to a house that I knew very well.

"He still lives here?" I asked.

He nodded. "All his life. My dad grew up here too." He opened the door. "Grandpa," he called as we walked through the house. "You have a guest."

"In here," I heard a voice say.

We walked into the kitchen. A man was standing at the sink with his back to us. He was tall, taller than the average man his age, and lean. He turned to face us and the moment I saw his dark eyes I knew. This was my Jacob. His face was wrinkled and his hair was grey, but his eyes were the same. He crinkled his brow as he looked at me. I wondered if he would still remember who I was.

"Bella?"

--

A/N- Review and let me know what you think.