Twilight – No Second Chances

Author: L

Chapter 1 – The Rumour

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Author's Note: I deliberated over this for several months before I finally decided to write a sequel for "Against All Odds". I apologise sincerely if the first chapter does not live up to the expectations set by the previous story.

Over half a year ago, the vampires and werewolves in Forks were sworn enemies; now, they were almost like family. It became natural and not the slightest bit unusual to see members of the Quileute pack wandering in and out of the Cullens' house. Jacob was always there, always playing with Renesmee. Today he was joined by Quil, Embry, Rachel and Paul. Being in the company of vampires who have the abilities to read minds and detect feelings meant that their tense behaviour had not gone unnoticed. In fact, the only people who were oblivious to this were Jacob and Renesmee.

They heard multiple footsteps approaching the house and they all looked up in time to see Sam and Emily walk through the front door. Knocking was an action that the pack had grown to ignore as their friendships strengthened but the Cullens didn't seem to mind. Tight smiles drew across the couple's faces and they murmured a polite yet brief greeting to everyone. Emily glanced towards Rachel who hastily got up with a worried expression. Shooting a quick look around the room, Sam's gaze landed on Edward who nodded in response to something that the former had asked.

Rachel walked into the Cullens' kitchen followed by Sam and Emily. She stole a quick glance at Jacob as a mixture of relief and concern radiated from her. Relief that her brother's imprint had managed to keep him preoccupied; concern as she turned away from him to face Emily. "Is it true? Is the rumour true?" she questioned in a panicked tone, trying to keep her voice down at the same time. To be honest, Rachel didn't understand the need for any secrets because she was fairly certain that even if she mimed the words, it wouldn't escape any of the pack and the vampires' super-hearing.

"What's going on?" Paul whispered, joining the three of them and wrapping his arms around Rachel's waist. Silence hung awkwardly in the air and Sam nodded in Jacob's direction as Paul stared at him with a confused expression. "Wait, it's true?" He didn't require an answer. The looks they exchanged made it clear that there was no miscommunication. Nevertheless, Paul still needed to hear it in order to really believe it so he opened his mouth to repeat the question but Quil and Embry interrupted him as they, too, moved from the living room into the kitchen wearing enquiring looks.

He was evidently becoming frustrated by the lack of the progress they were making with the news so Sam muttered with a hint of irritation, "Yes, it's true." A few seconds later, Edward had ushered Bella and Alice into the kitchen per Sam's request. Edward had quietly asked Emmett and Jasper to ensure that Jacob remained distracted with Renesmee. "Okay, I really don't want to repeat anything more than once because we don't have much time. We've just talked to Sue and she confirmed that Seth and Leah are returning today." Grimacing, he added, "At three o'clock."

As he stopped, Emily instantly picked up the story. "Sue and Charlie are becoming quite serious now and she wanted Seth and Leah to have a family dinner with them tonight." Hearing that her father was happy put an ecstatic smile on Bella's face but it was overpowered by the shock of Seth and Leah's return. Their names had rarely been mentioned although they all longed to hear from them. Emily continued speaking, snapping Bella out of her thoughts. "The problem is that Sue doesn't have a clue what happened with..." She paused, clearing her throat with unease. "She's also becoming increasingly suspicious about the real reason behind Seth and Leah's two-week-turned-three-month vacation; especially since they told her about in a voicemail message."

"Are you planning on telling Jacob?" Edward murmured in a low voice. Hesitant voices filled his mind and he nodded once to show his understanding. Edward turned abruptly to fix his gaze on the clock and then subsequently faced them again. The movement was so fast that Emily and Rachel – the only humans in the kitchen – had completely missed it. "Sam, you said that they will be arriving at three o'clock which means that in approximately ten minutes, they will be back in La Push. Do you really think that it is a good idea not to tell Jacob?"

"I'm not saying it's the best option," whispered Rachel in a defeated tone. "Okay, you guys know I think that Nessie is the most adorable little girl ever and I absolutely love her to bits but this imprint has completely messed up his mind. He can't seem to be honest to himself about his feelings. One second, he was totally distraught and the next, it was like it never happened. I don't want him to be reminded of it because it will just hurt him again and he doesn't deserve the heartbreak."

For the past ninety days, Jacob had spent almost every waking second with Renesmee and the Cullens. Edward and Jasper had both become attuned to his thoughts and feelings in this time. "On the outside, Jacob may appear to have forgotten about Leah but he runs over that moment – that specific moment when they kissed and he made the mistake of pulling away – all the time. He may seem happy and carefree with Nessie but the guilt and longing that Jacob desperately tries to hide hasn't gone undetected by Jasper. He misses Leah."

It was quiet now except for Jacob, Emmett and Jasper's voices as they played with Renesmee. Rachel replayed Edward's revelation of Jacob's pain a few times and eventually murmured, "You're right; he needs to know. I'll tell him now." She had barely entered the living room when a loud knocking sound rang through the air. Every pair of eyes locked on the front door; even Jacob broke out of the trance that he had always seemed to be in. Only Edward knew for certain who was at the door but Bella, like everyone else, was slowly piecing it together. As the familiar smell drifted in through the open window, they carefully avoided eye contact with Jacob.

Alice was the closest to the door so she rushed to open it and, never missing a beat, she threw her arms around the person who was nearest to it. Even though she was constantly 'blinded' by the presence of the pack, in that moment, Alice didn't need a vision to know it was them. Smiling as she released Seth from the hug, she pulled Leah into one as well and to her surprise, she felt her return it. The Clearwater siblings stepped into the house to find themselves surrounded by more people than they had expected to encounter but they were thrilled to see everyone again. It took several minutes before Jacob was able to divert his attention away from Renesmee and look up.

His breath caught in his throat and, forgetting that Renesmee was in his lap, Jacob stood up clumsily. Emmett swore loudly as his arms reached out instinctively to catch her. Jacob didn't see Bella shoot him a dirty look and he didn't see Edward wince at the barely coherent insults she was muttering under her breath. He didn't notice Seth watching him murderously, obviously not ready to forgive and forget, as Jacob's legs unconsciously led him towards them. However, he did see the flash of pain, of hurt, of sadness in Leah's eyes. He didn't miss the small smile that was lighting up her face. Was she happy to see him? Did she miss him as much as he had missed her? Jacob took another step forward but Seth's voice cut dangerously through the air.

"Jake, back off! She's imprinted."