A/N: Exactly 1,000 words (the actual fic at least, lol). This is my first Jacob x Leah fic (I think people call the ship Blackwater, but I could be wrong). I was trying to stay somewhat true to the books, meaning of course Nessie and the imprint are still incorporated if only slightly. I've written a few other Blackwater fics since this one that deal with my interpretation of the relationships between the three (Jacob, Leah, Nessie), but I'm gonna give a little info on how I see it. I think their dynamic (Jacob and Leah's) Post imprint/Post Breaking Dawn might be a little touch and go…a kind of strange temptation even under his imprint. A kind of torn, indecisive desire (paralleled with the Edward x Bella x Jacob triangle. Bella has an uncontrollable longing for Edward but still finds herself attracted to Jacob. Unfortunately for Leah, she's the Jacob in the triangle, never getting quite what she wants). Jacob has a want for Leah, but is pulled away by the power of his imprint on Nessie. At least that's how I would imagine it, I thought it might help to know how I viewed it, Anyway, I'm done with the long A/N. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! -Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Breathe Again

Leah sat with her back resting against an old log. Her legs were laid out in front of her, one ankle crossed over the other. Her hands rested gently on her thighs, palms up and fingers curled inward. She tilted her face upward, basking in the spare few rays of sunlight that filtered into the clearing. A slight breeze flowed around her, moving through her hair and stirring the leaves of the surrounding trees. The air was wonderfully fresh, not a vampire around for miles. It was her new favorite place.

Leah had found the clearing just far enough away from the new Cullen stronghold within the first couple days after the grand arrival. The Cullens had packed up and moved away once Renesmee began to show more adult features. She was now just days from seven and they were likely to enroll her in the local high school soon—though no plans had been made about the majority of the youthful Cullens. Leah had casually joked to Jacob that soon enough they would be able to fill an entire classroom with the Cullens and their tagalongs. Jacob hadn't seen the humor in her joke. Leah wasn't sure how she had ended up as one of those tagalongs. The general accepted reason was that Jacob had to follow them because of the rather unfortunate subject of his imprint—Leah had followed him because the opportunity to be far away from La Push and Sam Uley was too good to pass up. The distance, and the rare company of Jacob, was the only upsides—hence her requirements for a place like this clearing. It was a place where she could be alone, and be able to breathe without the smell of decaying flesh filling her nose—unless someone chose to intrude on her peaceful clearing.

As someone had chose to this day.

Leah sensed his presence before he made himself known. She sighed and prepared herself for his appearance.

Jacob broke through the trees to her right and crossed through the clearing toward where she sat near the center. He plopped down rather unceremoniously next to her as he asked, "What are you doing out here, Leah?"

"It's peaceful? I can breathe," Leah responded, with a shrug. She pulled her knees up to rest against her chest. She kept her eyes off Jacob as she spoke, "An effort you're ruining by being here. I can smell her all over you."

"Sorry for wanting to give you a little company," Jacob replied, rolling his eyes. "Next time, I'll bathe first."

"I would appreciate it," Leah said with a laugh. She smiled at the rare lighthearted moment.

Jacob laughed along with her. He gave her a playful nudge, which she returned. Then he glanced over at her and his laughter died in this throat abruptly.

"What?" Leah frowned. The mood had changed instantaneously. The air around her grew tense.

Jacob reached over to gently stroke her cheek, "If you don't like it here so much, why did you come?"

Leah hesitated in answering the question, but, when she finally met Jacob's eyes, she felt compelled to answer.

"I needed to be away," Leah murmured, leaning into his touch without even realizing it. "And besides Seth and my mom, you're all I have."

Leah could feel Jacob leaning toward her. Instinctively, she angled her body toward him. The smell of him filled her nostrils until he was the only scent surrounding her. She felt slightly dizzy at the intoxicating quality of his scent. She couldn't breathe with him next to her, with him this close to her. As he inched closer to her at snail's pace, she felt his breath curl warmth against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed at the intensity of the moment. The air was thick around her. Her lips were parted ever so slightly and her breath was caught in the back of her throat. He was pressing in on her from all sides and it made her skin tingle with anticipation. She wanted to move this faster, pull him closer, pull him into her, but she couldn't. She let him take the control. She let him guide her to him—her Alpha. He was just a breath away from her lips when a melodic voice filled the air, "Jake!"

Jacob retracted his hand from her face sharply, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She could feel the shame and guilt wash over him as it radiated out around them. Even if she couldn't hear his thoughts, she knew exactly what he was thinking. He had been about to do something very wrong, very bad—a betrayal of his sweet Renesmee. Leah had to calm the flare of hatred for the half-breed that rose up in her.

"Renesmee is calling for her pet," Leah said cruelly, looking at Jacob pointedly.

There was an apology in Jacob's eyes, which Lean chose to ignore. She looked away, her only act of dismissal. Jacob finally pulled away and slowly began to move away. He pushed himself up onto his feet. He silently walked toward the forest edge, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the silence around them. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched him pause and spare her one last long glance. She kept her eyes focused on the trees in front of her, picking out each individual leaf and trying to make out the individual veins running through them, and soon enough he turned away. Without a word, he disappeared into the forest—off to seek out his precious Nessie.

Leah let her head hang forward. Her hair fell into her face, shielding her from the world around her. She was trapped there for a moment, and then she suddenly threw her head back, a rare bright ray of sun smothering her face in light. She closed her eyes as the air around her cleared. She could breathe again.