This idea has been eating at me for a while, so I'm going to have a go at putting it on paper. SMeyer is all about the imprinting, but what happens if the imprint is taken away long before it should be? Can the other half of the severed bond be pulled back from the brink of total destruction. It will probably end up a Leah/Sam fic... we'll see how it plays out.

Spoilers/Setting: Post-Breaking Dawn, Potential BD spoilers.

Disclaimer: Twilight and subsequent characters belong to S. Meyer. I'm just playing with them. Reviews are love.

Inspiration: Title is from The Atari's record of the same name, Welcome the Night Chapter title and cut is a track from Less Than Jake's record 'In With The Out Crowd' Leah and Evan's home

WELCOME THE NIGHT

Chapter One : Landmines and Landslides

Leah woke up with a start. Her human senses might not have been as sharp as when she was a wolf, but they were still twice as strong as most people. They were certainly strong enough to hear someone in the bushes, even though their bedroom was on the second floor.

She slid noiselessly out of bed, not really worrying about waking her husband, Evan had always slept like a rock. Her concern now was for her family and on days like this she was glad that she hadn't given up the wolf completely.

After pulling on panties, she grabbed a cotton nightgown that wouldn't devastate her, on the off chance that she had to phase quickly. A glance confirmed that Evan was still sleeping and she cocked her head slightly, also confirming that what ever she heard earlier was still out there. More often than not it was a deer or other small animal, but Leah had seen too much in her life to leave the lives of people she loved in the hands of their gated community and fancy alarm system.

She padded down the hall, sticking her head first in the room with the princess nightlight, pink walls and cinderella sheets and then the second, decked out in the blues and greens of the Seattle Seahawks. Both children were sleeping soundly and even though their fair skin and light eyes made it obvious that they weren't her children by blood, she didn't doubt that the relief she felt would easily rival their biological mother.

When she reached the backdoor, she turned off the alarm before going outside, her senses on full alert for anything that could pose a threat. She heard the noise again, not hesitating to move in the direction it was coming from. Her first instinct was to phase, but if it was human? That could be difficult to explain. She heard the noise again, but this time it was louder and much more obvious and after a few moments she could clearly make out a shadow of a man. He was large - more than twice the size of Leah but even in human form she would have no trouble causing him significant pain.

Of course, even that would be hard to explain so she spoke first, quietly but firmly. "Do us both a favor and leave. I don't want to hurt anyone tonight." She got no response, but it didn't sound like he'd made a move to leave, either. "This is your last ..."

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before she saw the man stumble, maybe even fall to his knees. It was probably stupid but she rushed over toward him. It only took a few steps in his direction before a scent hit her, causing her to stop dead in her tracks and her heart to drop to the pit of her stomach.

"...Sam?" She asked tentatively.

Again, she got no response, but she didn't need one, she would know him anywhere.

She resumed moving toward him, crouching down beside him when she realized that he was close to collapsed on the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked him, a hand on the side of his face as she forced him to look at her. It was dark but her eyes were made for the dark. What she saw when she looked at him caused a wave of fear to wash over her. Sam was the strongest person that she knew ... well, not that she really knew him anymore, but right now... he looked awful.

He was naked, which didn't bother her, but let her know that he had been a wolf only moments before... and from the look of him, he'd run all the way from La Push, if not further. She didn't understand it, Seth had stayed, even after Leah and Sue left and though he wasn't a member of Sam's pack anymore they worked together constantly... if something happened, he would have told her.

And then she remembered the calls that she'd ignored during the birthday dinner for Evan's mother. The calls she'd ignored while putting the kids to bed. The calls she'd meant to return before getting distracted and ending up naked and tangled with her husband. The calls which would probably explain Sam, Sam who she hadn't seen in almost five years, showing up in her backyard looking like hell.

Finally he spoke, though it was quiet and choked and more broken than she had ever heard him.

"She's dead."

Leah didn't need to ask who he was talking about.