AN: This is the story based off of my one-shot Second Best. The setting is near the end of Eclipse and all of the main things from Breaking Dawn still happened I have just changed a few of the relationship dynamics. This story will continue on past Breaking Dawn as well. I plan to keep all the chapters about this length and I will be up dating regularly (actually Chapter 2 should be out later today).
Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and so therefore I do not own the Twilight franchise.
Forgiveness?
She looked really happy standing at the stove slaving away to make food for a bunch of starving werewolves. I don't know why it surprised me; I guess that I just always thought she would be miserable. Of course she got Sam I don't know why she would be miserable, wait he's horrible in bed that could be a reason. Reminder to self: don't think about this later when in wolf form there would be a strong possibility of double patrols with Paul. Maybe to make myself feel better I had just always assumed that Emily would be miserable most of the time, hell she got the guy it was only justified she not be happy 85% of the time. I also have no clue why I am here first I have my own house with a kitchen, but of course I'm feeling a little too lazy right now to actually cook my starving ass some food. That explanation doesn't really explain why I'm here before anyone else though. We'll go with the idea that I wanted the chance at food before the behemoths that are my pack gets here. I imagine there is actually a race in progress to see who will get here first, well too late bitches I got here first. That thought made me chuckle causing Emily to look over at me with a bemused expression.
"Sorry just thinking how funny it's going to be when the rest of them realize the lost the first spot in line to a girl." I explained with a smile on my face.
"You should smile more Leah it really suits you." She told me with beaming smile on her face, maybe Sam got better at lasting longer than a few minutes because there's no way she would be that happy otherwise. Yeah I definitely shouldn't think about this conversation while I'm in wolf form.
"Well I haven't had much of a reason to smile." I knew I had fucked up when I saw her face fall into a frown. Now I know what can make Emily unhappy, me and my bitchy ways. "I'm not attacking you, I just…Well you know my dad, this wolf stuff and mom has been MIA for days at a time." Come to mention it I haven't seen mi madre in a few days now, she must be at Charlie's getting 'comfort'.
"Oh" she replied obviously not believing my explanation.
"Really Emily it doesn't bother me that much anymore. Now that I think about it the whole thing seems kind of petty and childish. You're happy and he's happy and I'm happy just knowing that you get to deal with his short problem in bed." Shit I did not mean to say that out loud; okay quickly where is all the emergency exits, it's time for me to bail and cook my own damn food. The next she did surprised the hell out of me. She laughed, she fucking laughed. I'm over here panicking that she going to hate me and tell me to never come back here again and she's fucking laughing.
"I know right, I was actually thinking about buying these pills I saw on an infomercial once but I was pretty sure his hyper-smelling would be able to tell that I had crushed them up and put them in his food." She told me, the smile back on her face.
"Yeah he could probably smell them." I said dumbly, it almost sounded like a question.
"Don't look so surprised Leah it's not always sunshine and rainbows over here in Camp Uley." I guess that answers my question on her perpetual happiness.
The opening of the front door quickly ended our little conversation. Twenty bucks says that Seth beats them all, he is related to me after all and I am the fastest. Jared comes into the kitchen all smiles until he sees me; I guess I am really that much of a bitch. There must have been some sort of play fight because there is no way Jared out ran everyone else, he's good but he's not that good. Slowly the rest of the pack trickles in, their happy mood dying at the sight of me.
"Damn guys I'm not that much of kill joy am I?"
"Yeah Leah you are, what the hell are you doing here anyway." I can always count on Paul to speak his mind no matter what.
"Well thank you for the honesty Paul and I'm here first so that I can get first dibs on the food." I told them sharing a smile with Emily. That last bit though them for a loop.
"No, that's not fair I finally beat them." Poor Jared, oh well I 'm not giving up my rightfully earned spot in line for deliciousness.
"Jared quit whining you're getting fed no matter what." I see that Jacob is the first to recover from my personality 180. Not long after the boys had joined the pow-wow in the kitchen was the food done. Now I know why I liked Em in the first place, she can cook really, really well.
After we were done devouring everything laid down on the table the guys head to the living room to play video games. Emily has a frown on her face and the only thing I can contribute to it is that she didn't get any of the food she just cooked.
"Sorry if you wanted some food, I can make you some if you want." I tell her getting up and begin looking through the cabinets.
"Why are you so nice to me?" I guess are earlier conversation wasn't completely over.
"You're family and its time that I stopped forgetting that." I tell her with a shrug and sit myself across from her at the table. She keeps looking down at the table and twisting around a napkin in her hands.
"You should hate me, but you're sitting here offering to cook me food and making fun of Sam with me." Great now she wants to get serious, lovely just what I needed right now. Not to mention everything I say the boys will be able to hear.
"Em…I just…I was never in love with Sam and I realize that now. I liked the idea of being in love and just assumed that that was where our relationship was going. I 'm not going to lie to you, I hated that you didn't come to talk to me when it happened. I hate that you two didn't have the decency to wait until me and Sam were broken up for at least a month before you started flaunting your relationship around town. Emily life's is too short for me to continue to hold a grudge against you or Sam for something that you both had no control over." By the end of my spiel she has finally looked up at me.
"I'm sorry I'm so sorry. There's nothing that I can say that will ever be able to justify the reason I did the things I did." Emily told to me with tears in her eyes.
"Stop Emily just stop, no many how many times you say sorry it doesn't change anything. Sorry's can't change the past and they don't make the present any better. I'm over it and its time that we put it behind us and move on with our lives." Hopefully this can end this conversation because I sure as hell don't want to continue it.
"You're right, you're right. Thank you though for forgiving me."
"I didn't say I forgive you I just understand the situation you were put into." Please let this conservation be over with or I am walking out of here.
"Oh, well that's okay. So I'm going to do the dishes you can go and hang out with the pack if you want to."
"I can help with the dishes, besides I wouldn't want to damage their pride by kicking their asses on those stupid video games." I yelled the last part so as to make sure that they heard it in the living room.
"Leah you're all talk and no action" Embry yelled from the living room.
"Taunting isn't going to make me want to come in there; I'm not ruled by testosterone unlike the rest of you guys." I received no answer after that. Me and Emily worked in peace for a while doing the dishes until she broke the silence.
"So do have any suggestions on dealing with Sam's problem." I snorted at that, it was almost like that entire conversation a minute ago never happened; which is the way I preferred it to be.
"Not really but I definitely think you should try the pill thing anyway maybe he'll be too hungry to worry about if the food smells a little different." We did the rest of the dishes talking about inconsequential things and catching up on each other's lives.
"I'm telling you Emily she isn't going over to Charlie's just because of his gun collection."
"Leah! How can you say that and I highly doubt that she's moving on that quickly." Emily responded as we washed the last of the dishes.
"You know what's weird, I'm not even that bothered by it. I know that my mom loved my dad and she always will. I also know that she's been lonely lately with both Seth and me in the pack. I've met Chief Swan a few times and he seemed like a great guy, not to mention the few times I've seen her she seems really happy." I said with a small smile on my face, it was good to be able to talk about stuff with another girl.
"That's good. Won't it be awkward though; being a step sister to vampire girl, I mean Bella." Emily asked as we sat at the kitchen table so that we could finish our conversation before heading out to the living room.
"From what I figure she won't be around that much. I mean if she's going to stay in a relationship with the vamp then he will most likely turn her and we won't see much of her for a really long time."
"I never really thought about it that way."
"Yeah." I knew we wouldn't be able to get through this without the awkward moment.
"Leah I want to thank you for letting me in, even though I don't deserve it. I missed you and I'm really happy we got to connect again."
"Don't mention it, you've always been like a sister to me and Seth isn't much of a conversationalist. So are you ready to go join the stupidity in the living room." I asked her as I made my way toward the hallway that leads to the kitchen.
"That sounds like a good idea." She answered with a smile. Once we got into the living room I realized that Seth, Quil, and Embry were already gone. That meant that I got to walk home by myself, finally alone time.
"Where did Seth and the others go?" I heard Emily ask as I made my way to an empty chair in the corner.
"They left to go do something and Embry's house. Oh and Leah, Seth said not to expect him to be home until really late." Jared was the one to answer Emily's question.
The rest of the night was uneventful except for the weird looks I kept receiving from Sam all night. Most of the time he looked away when I caught him staring but sometimes he would just stare right at me like he was trying to say something with his eyes. Too bad for him I don't speak eyeanese. It was close to 11 when I decided to head home.
"Well you all are boring me so I am heading home I guess I will see you guys tomorrow at patrols." I got up off my chair and headed to the door when I heard Jacob speak up from behind me.