Unexpected Ties
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
She was standing at the edge of the cliff. She looked beautiful.
Her back was straight, her face tilted slightly upward taking in the wind and rain. She looked like a Goddess of the Earth. The wind was blowing in my direction, so I didn't need to be afraid that she'd catch me staring at her and I felt secure enough to move slightly closer.
Enhanced vision was a good thing and I couldn't be more thankful then I was right now. I watched as a single drop of rain rolling over her shoulder blades, down her back and over the curve of her hips. The wind was whipping her hair back, twisting and turning it into shapes in the wind. Her face moved to the side, showing me that her eyes were closed. I was afraid she'd caught my scent but then she smiled. I couldn't have cared less if I would be discovered here. I hadn't seen Leah Clearwater smile in over two years, but now, in her solitude on the edge of this cliff in the middle of the elements, she smiled. And she looked at peace. It was breathtaking to me.
"I know you're there."
The words were just a whisper but it was enough to reach my ears and I stepped out of the woods onto the cliff. She didn't turn around to face me. Her eyes were focused on her hand, watching a drop of rain run down her thumb to elbow, she lifted her arm, watching it roll to her shoulder and smiled until she couldn't see it anymore. I could still see the drop rolling over her upper back and stopping behind her, I trailed the path of the drop with a single finger down her back causing her to shiver slightly.
"I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You aren't."
Up close this version of Leah Clearwater was beginning to scare me more than her old self. I was used to the verbally abusive, bitter wolf. I was used to her tongue lashings, her cold shoulder and her glares. This calmer, more peaceful Leah was like the eye of a tornado, you know it can't last and just wait anxiously for the storm that is going to hit you…while expecting it to be twice as bad.
"You look content."
She hummed softly, nodding.
"This is my cliff," She turned her head, meeting my eyes briefly before they went back staring at the vast ocean. "I am always content here."
"There's been a development."
The muscles in her back stiffened, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Something she'd do frequently. I came to think of it as a way she would always try to keep herself together.
"I don't want to talk about it."
I put my arms on her shoulders, causing her to freeze up on me even further, I understood. She was content a moment ago, but now I was here, forcing her to deal with the reality of her life again. A reality she's tried to escape for two years, but because of me, of my family, she couldn't. I turned her around to face me, her usual frown was back in place and it was strangely comforting.
"Jasper, not here. I don't want to know what is going on. I don't care."
"It's not my family Leah, it's yours." The best thing I could think of was ripping off the band aid quickly. With me here she could feel what she needed too. She could be angry and devastated; she knew I would help her through it. And when it was all said and done I'd send her calm and courage and she would go back to her reservation.
Already I could feel the waters of her inner turmoil starting to quicken, the content emptiness she so carefully constructed started to waver. "Sam and Emily have gotten engaged."
I took a step back and kept a careful watch on both her, and her emotions. On the outside all that happened was that her eyes widened slightly, inside shock registered and she fought it. She fought to stay in control, to stay standing even and then my work began. I was pushing back against her control. When I picked up a slight hint of anger, I would send more of it, when I picked up shame, hurt, sadness, I would all multiply it and send it to her. This had been our arrangement for a year now, because all Leah Clearwater knows how to do is fight. Fighting against herself nearly destroyed her, so she could fight with me.
When my family had moved here two years ago, everything for the local population had changed. The gene in the Quileute tribe had been triggered and the shape shifters had been reborn. The most affected by it was Leah Clearwater. Even before I knew who she was, her emotions were so strong that they reached me all the way at our house causing me to endure her heartbreak for a long time before I finally found out what happened and to who. It left me feeling immensely guilty. This was a way I could repay. Make her fight me, make her feel and experience her emotions in a safe environment. It was this way ever since I found her here, on this very cliff. Her emotions had screamed to me, so filled with self-hatred, with anger, pity but most of all there had been a dark blank in her emotional state. A darkness that I hadn't encountered before. Later I had found out that it was a resolve, a resolve to take her own life.
This is why I would keep an eye on the tribe. My wife Alice couldn't see the wolves in her visions, but I could sense their emotions loud and clear. Wolves were strong creatures, feeling deeply for others and their people. It was engraved in their DNA. So I had no problems keeping up with the dealings of the tribe through my powers.
Leah crouched to the ground, baring her teeth at me. I pulled my shirt from me, knowing Alice wouldn't be impressed if another one got ruined, and I waited. Sometimes Leah would attack, she'd phase into a grey wolf, as big as I was and she would attack. But sometimes she just stared at me until she passed out. Which usually ended up with me taking her to our home and putting her in bed, giving Carlisle a chance to examine her and make sure that she was alright. We'd always leave the window open so she could easily run out.
I stood straight waiting for the she-wolf to make a move, when suddenly a new scent entered my nose. I whipped around as fast as I could but it was too late, the position of the wind, which I had been thankful for before was now what caused me not to notice the other wolf. I got knocked to the side, causing a tree to fall over as I got swung toward it. I regained my balance just in time to duck as a huge black wolf jumped for me. He had every right, I was on their land.
"NO."
The bloodcurdling cry came from Leah, still human, now standing again, the rain still rolling of her naked form. I raised my hands in the air as a sign of surrender, my eyes on the black wolf. I growled menacing knowing as well as I did that I wouldn't let them kill me.
I saw movements out of the corner of my eyes and suddenly Leah was in front of me, crouching again, growling at the wolf. Her voice was strained, but clear.
"I invited him here."
I wasn't sure if it was the best thing to say in this situation as the emotions of the black wolf spiraled so fast I could barely keep up. Shock, a sense of betrayal, jealousy, anger, a lot of anger and most surprisingly love. Then it all clicked. The black wolf was Sam Uley, former lover of Leah, the cause of all her suffering. Surprisingly that didn't sit well with me at all and before I knew it I was crouching in front of the she-wolf. Baring my teeth at the Alpha that had ruined my friends life. Yes, Leah had become a friend in the past years.
My eyes trained on him as I multiplied his feelings of guilt and regret, his feelings of doubt about his new fiancé. I know it wasn't the right thing to do, but vampires were more animal then human. Just like the wolf in front of me, only were they were build of nobility, loyalty and love. Vampires were built of brutality, cruelty and self-gain. A smile curled my lips when Sam raised his head and let out a blood curling howl. It was filled with all the feelings of self-loathing that I send gladly to him.
A growl beside me answered the howl as the silver wolf leapt forward. She was angry, angry because Sam dared to feel that much guilt, love and regret. It spurred her on as she went for him, filled with fury her jaws closed around one of his front paws. The loud sound of bones braking was carried through the forest, Sam dropped to the ground his jaws finding Leah and he took her with her as they rolled down a hill, snapping at each other, teeth causing fur and flesh to tear. The scent of blood hit me full on, causing me to stagger. Like everything about wolves, the scent of their blood was equally strong, making me waver. All I wanted was to run after them and finish them both off myself.
I stared at the wolves below for a second, the hate and love pouring out of them, their jaws snapping, bodies slamming into another, their claws scraping the others flesh. Even though Sam had a big advantage with his height and weight, nothing is as strong as a woman who's been wronged. I couldn't do anything for them any more except not kill them, and with that thought I sped around and hurled myself off the cliff and into the water. The water immediately restricted my sense of smell.
I swam to the north, deciding to wait a while before resurfacing. My thoughts on Leah, hoping I would see my friend again.
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