A/N – This is for obsessedwithwriting's twilight competition. It's an Emily/Sam one shot set when he's just after imprinting on Emily. He has to tell Leah then, that he doesn't love her anymore but feels guilty for loving Emily and has to find 'the road to happiness' and learn to accept what's happened. Pre-Twilight. Hope you enjoy. :) R&R anyways please.
Finding the Road to Happiness
"Leah, please, I'd no choice in this. It's not my fault that I imprinted on her." Sam told her, desperately trying to make her understand.
The moon was high in the sky, a sliver of silver that lit up the night with its luminescent glow. There was a soft breeze of warm air that made his short black hair look windswept. Leah, on the other hand, had her arms crossed and was sitting beside him with her legs dangling off the edge of the steep cliff, not noticing the beauty of the night around her. She was only concerned with her pain, totally self absorbed.
"Just leave me alone." She snapped at him, stalking away from the cliffs edge where they sat.
He pulled himself up with a grace that didn't seem human and walked forward, grabbing her hand. He yanked her back to him, noticing that he no longer felt a pull towards her like he had before he'd met Emily. Her shining grey eyes were reflecting the moonlight and he knew then that he could never reverse the effects of imprinting.
She was pushed against his chest and he was saddened that he could no longer feel a connection with her except as a friend.
Her eyes narrowed and he remembered a time when he would have found that expression cute and when he would have laughed at her and given her a quick kiss to make her forget about being angry with him.
Things were different now. He no longer felt the need to be with her, his whole world revolved around someone else now.
"What?" She asked him, trying to pull away from his vice-like grip.
"Can you try and forgive me?" He asked quietly.
She shook her head, tears starting to make their way down the sides of her face like tiny diamonds. She was stubborn, he knew that, but seeing those tears made him really hate himself. Though he didn't wish that he'd never met Emily, he wished that there could have been some easier way of telling Leah that he no longer loved her.
Knowing that he couldn't hold onto her forever, he let his grip on her grow limp and watched her pull her hand away from his skin as if it had burned her and push him back from her, running away from him, away from the pain he'd inflicted on her.
He could tell she was crying but knew that if he followed her he'd only make her even more upset. She didn't want to see him now.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He knew that he'd never be able to make things alright between them. He'd imprinted on the worst person he could have, her cousin.
He sighed again and looked up at the silver moon that lit up the night with its pearly glow. It reminded him of Leah's eyes, eyes that told him just how much he'd hurt her.
He turned away from the cliff edge and the steep drop that would plunge him into the turbulent waters of the pitch black sea, and walked back home to his new life.
As he walked, he thought over what he was going to say to Emily. He didn't want her to feel guilty about being with him. Leah was, after all, her cousin and she'd stolen him from her.
He decided against phasing, not wanting to get back to the house just yet. He needed to think.
He saw something from the corner of his eye and decided to go and investigate what it was.
Tall trees stood around him as he walked into their enveloping darkness and he looked for the glimmer he'd seen from the road.
He pushed back the branches that got in his way, their leaves scratching his hands and arms but he continued, ignoring the pain. He had an objective now, to find whatever he'd seen from the corner of his eye.
There was no light from the moon in that forest. He could barely see his hand in front of his face.
He began to worry then. How would he be able to get back? He looked around and everything looked the same. All the trees, everything, looked no different from the first one he'd seen. He was lost in the forest in the middle of the night.
He took a step forward, wondering where he should go next, and each route seeming exactly the same.
His heart began thrumming faster as a branch snapped, making him jump.
He looked around wildly, searching for the source of the noise. He couldn't see anything in the complete and utter darkness that the trees made and, just as his panic started to peak, he saw it, a bluish glow through the trees. He followed it, eager to have some light.
He trod on the almost dry ground in his bare feet, wincing when a stone dug into his foot. He looked down and brushed it off, it was only a little pebble.
He stood up again and continued following the light. He pushed back a branch out of his way and walked into a clearing where he could see the sky and the gloriously bright silver moon.
He grinned and looked at his surroundings. Trees surrounded the clearing with their threat of darkness and of the creatures that roamed its expanse during the night.
Then he saw the source of the bluish glow he'd been following. A small pond sat in the middle of the small clearing and glittered with the radiance of the moon.
He sat down at its edge and put a hand in its icy waters, letting it sooth his cuts from the menacing trees that seemed to stand there, watching and waiting for him to finish so that they could continue their fun.
As he let the water drift over his throbbing hands, he stared into their depths and thought about his current predicament. He'd hurt Leah by imprinting on her cousin but he wasn't to blame for that. He shouldn't dwell on it as much as he did, he needed to reconcile himself to the fact that he no longer loved Leah and wouldn't be able to be friends with her either. His life revolved around Emily now and he had to get his act together and just enjoy what they had. He loved her and she loved him back, that was all that mattered.
Having a new found purpose, he took his hands out of the water and stood up, turning around and making his way through the trees and back to the road.
He pushed back numerous branches and felt as if the trees were laughing at his pain and his attempt at leaving their cold darkness.
Finally he saw the orange glow of the street lights in the distance. He followed it and pushed away a branch that scraped at his face and made his eyes water in pain.
Emily would wonder where he got all of these cuts from.
As he looked ahead, he saw that there was only one last tree and then he'd be back on the road and on his way home.
He pushed back its branches eagerly, almost running out of the forest. As he began walking forward along the road, he grinned at the trees in triumph, he had beaten their attempt at keeping him from Emily.
Sam turned back to the road and quickened his pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible.
He whistled to pass the time and began singing an unknown tune, making it up as he went along and laughing at the stupider lyrics.
Finally he saw the house, the lights were on in the sitting room and he smiled, she was waiting for him.
He jogged over to the porch and took the stairs two at a time.
The door opened slowly, he let it creak and groan loudly, announcing that he was home. Emily was sitting on the sofa waiting for him to come back, knitting something to pass the time.
He saw the scars on her face and felt guilty immediately. He seemed to cause pain to everyone recently.
She looked up from what she was doing and smiled at him. He managed to give her a small smile back and then strode over to her and sat down heavily on the patchwork sofa that his mother had bought when she had moved there.
"What's wrong?" Emily asked, worry coating her voice.
"Nothing." He lied, not wanting to make her feel guilty about Leah.
Her eyes narrowed, "Don't lie to me. What happened with Leah?"
He sighed, "She wasn't very…pleased with us, to put it mildly."
"Oh. I'd thought you were going to tell me that you were getting back together with her. That's a relief." She smiled softly.
"I'd never leave you," He told her, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.
She grinned up at him, "I'll try to keep that in mind when Leah's around."
He put his arms around her and let her cuddle into him, knowing then and there that this was where he belonged, with his Emily.
They turned their attention to the TV as they watched reruns of the Simpsons together, laughing at the stupid bits and just generally enjoying each other's company. He'd found his place and had no more doubts about who he should be with. He belonged with Emily and she with him.
A/N – Hope you liked it. :) Any constructive criticism is welcome and I'll really try to fix whatever you think is wrong with it if you let me know. (unless of course it's the whole plot lol but I'm up for any little problems anyone finds in it.)
If you take the time to review or even offer advice I'll be seriously grateful. R&R please if you have the time to. :)