Disclaimer: I do not own any of Stephenie Meyer's characters – only my own.
(Although, I wouldn't mind claiming dibs on any of the wolf Pack if they were real...)
Offshoot: Dwelling in the Dusk
Story: Me Te Aroha (with love)
Leah Clearwater's POV: 2006, September 1st
"Did Sam send you?" Jacob asked with a foul disposition.
"Sam doesn't even know I left," I grumbled matter-of-factly, eyes as challenging as my new Alpha's.
The piercing howl somewhere in the distance clarified they were aware of my absence, they knew I was no longer a part of them, and I felt a sense of satisfaction. I had deserted Sam; I was the traitor in the Pack...it felt great. The thought of Sam missing me brought more pleasure than I expected, but it certainly wasn't happiness. However, considering Sam only missed me because I was an advantage to his Pack stained the back of my throat with explicit words.
"I think he just figured it out," Seth remarked apprehensively, staring into the woodlands with worrisome eyes.
Jacob continued to scrutinise me distrustfully, for reasons I knew weren't to do with Sam or my old Pack. He thought I was here just to sink my claws into those bloodsuckers and that unborn demon spawn. Maybe, if I was in a bad mood, I would've been to do just that. But not today, not after I'd felt the embrace of freedom after fleeing the clutches of obligation.
"You can't stay here, Leah," Jacob stated with that chilling look of new authority. "You can't be trusted with the Cullens."
"I don't have anywhere else to go!" I countered, wide-eyed. If he expects me to get down on my haunches and beg like a bitch...he's got another thing coming! I thought.
"Go back to Sam," He growled, jaw clenching.
"I don't expect him to take me back after I tell you his plan," I smirked playfully, my hands on my hips.
"You'll really tell us?" Seth gasped.
"Shut-up, Seth," Jacob ordered, momentarily glancing at his optimistic beta.
"Of course I will." I raised my eyebrow, dismissing Jacob's last remark. "Look at your advantages, Jake! You have Seth's superior hearing, which Sam is now missing." I gestured to Seth and he proudly puffed up his chest before I pointed to my Alpha. "You're the strongest fighter. And me, the fastest. Plus, the only one who bothers deliberating our enemies' moves instead of charging forward like cavemen. We can help you, Jake. Let us."
10th of September
I sat in the corner, as tensed up and uncomfortable as always, feeling their presence penetrating me to the very core. I was protecting bloodsuckers and, that in itself, made me want to throw up the lunch our motherly leech had just made us twenty minutes ago. If I wasn't going to be a bitch about it, it was a pretty good meal...but that's beside the point.
It was either watching Jacob's heart break at an agonisingly slow rate...or experiencing my own heart shatter all over again if I bit back my pride and returned to Sam's Pack. What can I say? I'm a selfish being, and I chose watching a friend's suffering over experiencing my own.
I fell into a half drowsy, half attentive state; my muscles clenching at every sudden movement and then relaxing once I noticed no threat. Jacob claimed we now had to be prepared to take a bullet for the Cullen Clan–theoretically–and I grudgingly agreed. But if my hyper senses didn't ease up and allow me a few hours rest, I would literally give myself a bullet!
Stress had overwrought everyone in the Cullen household.
If I was on my best behaviour, I was staying quiet, keeping a stony expression and solid disposition. Inside, however, I felt like a balloon; having pins stabbed through my fragile skin so slowly, steadily almost, and I never burst. The pain is horrifying, yet my body never succumbs–and I remind myself of Mum's saying: "females were created to endure."
I sighed sleepily, repositioning myself in the comfy armchair I had claimed as my own in the Cullens' home. It was doused in my scent, so I suppose the bloodsuckers were too repulsed by my pungent, wolfish odour or too scared of my Leah-ish rage to step near it now. Today, no matter how much I tried, my mind wouldn't let my body shutdown. I think I would've preferred sleeping in the woods!
"Hey, Bella," I heard Seth greet as he entered the living room. My eyes flew open, darting to my little brother, who was approaching Bella with a bright smile. Seth glanced at me and waved cheerily. I returned an acknowledging nod, making eye-contact with him before my gaze dropped to my hands.
"Hi, Seth," Bella answered feebly and Seth's contagious grin spread, causing a weak smile to grace her pale face. "How are you? Are you hungry? Esme just made some lunch."
"I'm fine." Seth chuckled, sitting next to Bella, slouching nonchalantly against the cushions. "How 'bout you? You need anything, Bells?"
Edward and Jacob were outside discussing the matters of Bella's upcoming labour with Carlisle and Alice. I sensed Seth's urgency to take Bella's mind off things; he was sensitive to matters such as these and had taken a peculiar shine to Bella in the two weeks we'd been here.
"I could use some company...if you don't mind," She whispered with a shy expression. "Jacob and Edward are outside...and I feel a little lonely."
"Sure, I'll stick around." He flashed a blinding smile. "Besides, you got the two polar-opposites in the room here." Seth glanced at Blondie and then at me. I scowled, glaring at him from my little corner. "No wonder you're feeling lonely. I think I'll stay out of the battlefield with you, in case they start throwing grenades."
"Rose and Leah have never said anything to each other, Seth." Bella giggled and gave him a sickening look of fondness.
I see that as a good thing, leech lover, I thought with a roll of my eyes.
"I know, Bella, but if looks could kill." My brother gestured to me, leaning into her space as if it were a big secret. He lowered his voice in a mock mysterious manner and giggles began escaping Bella's lip when he hissed, "My sister would be a serial-killer."
I'd start with you first, idiot puppy, I thought, infuriated.
Bella laughed again, her eyes touched with a hint warmth and gratitude that Seth shared so much of his optimism with her diminishing soul. I didn't know if I hated or loved how Seth made people feel so much happier, whilst I made people feel plain miserable. Seth yawned, looking as exhausted as I felt. Bella's eyebrows furrowed and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You should sleep, Seth," She whispered in worry.
"Nah, I'm fine." He shrugged off her concern. There was a long, pregnant pause that occurred as Seth glanced around awkwardly and then shot Bella an anxious look. He bit his lip, his eyes downcast for a split second and I knew he was taking a glimpse of Bella's hideously bulbous tummy.
Bella instantly noticed Seth's fretful expression and placed a protective hand over her tummy, her frown deepening. "He's not going to eat you, Seth, you know."
"It's not me I'm worried about her eating," Seth muttered darkly, a trait which contradicted his true character completely. He's spending too much time around Jake and me, I thought in annoyance.
Bella's expression hardened, losing the warmth and its pleasantries. Eyes narrowed, she said: "What did you say?"
"I'm sorry." I could see the regret flash through his widened eyes. "I didn't mean to say that, Bella. I'm just really tired...and you look pretty terr-"
"No, not that," Bella snapped. "I've already heard enough sly remarks from Jake, it doesn't offend me anymore. But you called him a...a her. I'm amazed you didn't call him an 'it'; that seems like the current trend at the moment for my baby. You called her a girl, Seth. Why?"
Seth was thrown by Bella's observation, but I wasn't. As much as I disliked Bella and the decisions she made, I knew she noticed extraordinary things and I supposed I respected that in her; that and her blind faith in monsters.
Seth rubbed the back of his neck, his face scrunching up in bewilderment. "Oh..." He trailed off, averting his eyes from hers. "I don't know." Glancing at Bella's tummy, he took in its horrible appearance and his lips revealed a tiny smile. "I just think it's a girl."
"Why?" Bella pressed, looking absolutely amazed.
So he called it a girl. Jeez, woman, it's still a creature made from demon sperm! I thought angrily.
"I can't really tell why." He continued to stare at Bella's pregnant tummy, his expression shifting slightly from confusion to...could it be, awe? "I just have this feeling...you know?"
Bella rubbed circles into her tummy, smiling and gazing down at it. "I can't imagine him as a girl," She murmured and hopefully looked up at Seth. "Do you think she will be?"
"I can't be sure." Seth shrugged, blushing. "I'm probably wrong."
"No," Bella disagreed, glancing down at her tummy and patting it affectionately. "No, you're right, Seth...it could be a girl. Oh, this is going to be difficult!"
"What is?" Seth asked, his blush reddening.
I heard a round of footsteps and noticed Edward's presence in the room; he was curiously staring at Seth. Frowning, he took a spot next to his wife on the couch, leaving Bella perched between her husband and my brother. Bella leaned into Edward as he snaked one arm around her shoulders and draped the other around her tummy, almost protectively.
"Girls names, of course!" Bella stated matter-of-factly. "I need to think of them." Edward laughed, eyes glistening with amusement, though he remained wordless on the matter. He stared at Seth for a long moment, observing my brother gaze at Bella's tummy. Seth was virtually mesmerised, it made me feel even more uncomfortable and I cleared my throat to grip his attention, but he seemed too awestruck. "Seth," Bella began with a small smile, "do you...do you want to feel?"
Seth's eyes shot up to meet Bella's hopeful ones, his fascination broken. "Feel! What?" He asked, bemused. "What do you mean?"
"Here." She gently took Seth's hand and placed it over the bottom of her tummy, where its head should be positioned. Seth and I tensed as Bella patted his hand encouragingly, grinning. For a few moments, Seth remained very still and awkwardly silent. Suddenly, he gasped with wide-eyes and Bella laughed as Seth pulled his hand away. I was thankful of that; I didn't like what she was doing. "She kicked!" Bella beamed excitedly, her hand flying to the spot where Seth's had been. "She kicked for you, Seth!"
"And a very soft kick, mind you," Edward remarked, half-smiling. "A real kick would probably break one of Bella's ribs. She must know what she's doing now."
How can you talk about this so lightly? That thing is killing your wife and you're laughing about it like ignorant fools! I thought critically.
I then caught a blur of inhumanly fast words, inaudible to human ears, as Edward's response: "It isn't easy, Leah."
Bella simply rolled her eyes at Edward's playful tone, oblivious to his previous comment towards me. "She must like you, Seth."
Seth stared at her tummy, agape at what he saw. "Really?" I saw something revolting and unnatural growing within Bella, draining her of life and humanity, something not worth the protection it was given. And yet, my brother, he saw something incredible; something magical and earth-shattering. I couldn't comprehend 'why'...but, damn it, I should have! The way he looked at that thing, when it hadn't even been born yet, I should have realised what it all meant.
Bella looked at Seth and whispered hopefully, "Do it again, Seth, and see what she does."
Seth shook his head cautiously. "Uh...no, it's okay. I-I'm fine."
"You're afraid Jacob will be angry with you." Edward frowned, clearly reading Seth's thoughts.
"He will be," Seth fearfully muttered. "It's alright...I got my feel of Bella's tummy." Seth shook his head, flushing red, adding offhandedly to himself: "Yeah...that makes me sound like a real pervert."
"Please, Seth," Bella pleaded with innocent eyes. "Let's see what she thinks this time. Edward can read her thoughts, remember?"
Seth contemplated this for a moment and then reached out reluctantly. I growled under my breath. I didn't want Seth getting all lovey-dovey with a leech's daughter – that, I wouldn't be able to handle! Seth's hand clasped Bella's tummy and stilled. The atmosphere was motionless, as if we were all expecting a reaction.
Suddenly, a disturbing sound sliced the silence like a vampire's fangs pierce human flesh. I expected Bella to start screeching in agony as the baby thrashed ferociously in her womb or hear a few bones shatter whilst Bella began regurgitating blood. But, thankfully, neither occurred once the sound did; Bella remained unharmed and smiling. The sound was actually quite musical – it was a short flitter of a heartbeat, an erratic and excited drum.
"I can hear her heart! She must she nervous...is she afraid of me, Edward?" Seth gasped and I, in suspicion, noticed how his heartbeat was in-sync with the thrilled one in Bella's womb.
"She's made curious by you, my friend," Edward corrected with a helpful smile, reading its thoughts, also calling the thing a her. "She didn't expect him to be so warm, she likes feeling new things through Bella's tummy. Seth's touch is the most exciting yet. She's never felt the heat of a werewolf before, it's foreign and intriguing."
Bella cupped her belly between two hands, stroking as if it were an angel. "My little one's already made a friend," She cooed.
And I'm already gagging, I thought disdainfully and Edward shot me an angry glower as I thought, I'm going to be sick!
"She likes me?" Seth asked incredulously.
"More than I would've ever expected." Edward chuckled, nodding. "There must be something about you, Seth; you've always had a friendly air. And, though you're a werewolf, your open-minded nature is quite appealing to even vampires."
Seth flashed his leech BFF a toothy grin, his hand still clasping Bella's tummy. The thing's heartbeat lingered in its frantic state because of Seth's warm touch. Finding another person to connect to the hybrid gave Bella a sense of joy and accomplishment and she remained in a good mood for the rest of the day. She believed that Seth would be its friend and that left a familiar rage blossoming in my chest.
Why does that thing in Bella's womb like Seth? Why does Seth even want it to like him? I thought in frustration.
Standing to my feet, I dismissed the confused faces of others in the room and stormed out of the lounge. I missed my little corner in the Cullen mansion, but I craved to release some of the fury and my outlet was wolf-form. Was it jealousy, betrayal or misunderstanding that was driving me from the house? I still don't know. Leaping off the front porch, I effortlessly phased, needing to escape the mindboggling situation unfolding before me.
11th of September
"Bella...didn't make it..." Seth murmured, tears streaming from his eyes.
Jacob melted into a mess after we heard the final heartbeats of Isabella Swan. My Alpha had never looked so lost and anguished. On his knees, he wailed helplessly, holding his head in his hands, cursing and weeping. After all he'd fought for, he had lost his best friend...and to the one thing he could never win from her: Bella's righteous will to fight any battle. Now, Bella had ultimately lost the war.
I gripped Seth's hand and clutched it tightly, my body shuddering at the heartbreaking scene before us. Tears welled in my eyes, but I fought them back with a stubborn soul. Enough tears would be shed tonight; there was no need for my own. At first, I thought Jacob would do something reckless and, unfortunately, I was right. I heard him mutter something terribly dark: "It...will...pay."
Jacob abruptly stood to his feet, his face furious, and his behaviour entirely vicious and detached from reality. Jacob took his first step away from us, approaching the house once more, and Seth immediately responded.
"Jake, stop. It's not her fault!" He bolted forward, out of my grasp. I jerked after him, prepared to defend my brother.
"The monster must be destroyed. I'm going to finish it off. Sam was right, that thing is uncontrollable. Who knows how many people it'll kill? From the moment it was born, it was a murderer. It was born to either kill or die." Jacob growled in a low, animalistic voice. His jaw was clenched as he stalked up the steps, madly grumbling, "She loved her mother's heartbeat...and then she crushed it like a feather."
"Jake!" Seth cried, frantically following his Alpha as I did. "You're not seriously going to hurt little Renesmee, are you?"
Jacob ignored Seth's pleas, entering the living room with revenge on his breath. "I'm going to kill it," He concluded, smiling sadistically. His malicious, pitch-black eyes stared into the eyes of Bella's seemingly innocent child. Or, in Jacob's mind, Bella's murderer.
His breaths became fast and ragged as he began to fiercely shake, his skin a landscape of tremors and fury. Seth's eyes widened, his cheeks flushed red from terror and stained by tears of grief. Jacob lunged forward, a rage-filled roar ripping from his chest. His arms outstretched, heartily prepared to phase into wolf form and shred the hybrid and its fair-haired guardian to pieces. I should have stopped him, but it was fate that restrained me.
"Jake, NO!" Seth yelled, charged by concern for the child's safety and our Alpha's sanity. Leaping forward, he managed to tackle Jacob to the ground and I hastened to Seth's aid.
Blondie shot up like a bullet, now aware of our presence. Snarling at all of us, she cradled the child in her arms, shielding it like a piece of gold. Jacob fought Seth and me as we dragged him to his feet, pinning his arms behind his back. He growled and screamed, trying to violently wrench out of our grip, like a convict avoiding the cell. "Let go of me!" He bellowed commandingly. "I need to finish this!"
"Think about what you're doing, Jake," Seth begged earnestly. "You're about to kill what Bella died for! It's just a baby, Jake. Give it a little mercy, please."
"You're starting to sound like a leech, Seth! Whose side are you on?" Jacob barked back and Seth's eyes shone of hurt.
"No, Seth's right. Jake, you need let it go," I breathed and, though I didn't sound very composed; I was trying to soothe him. But it was difficult since Jacob was trying to throw punches at his Pack! "We're all grieving the loss of Bella. But...but murder, Jake, isn't the way to deal with anything!"
"Get him out of here!" Blondie screamed and I cringed at the sound of her shrill voice, like a thousand shattering crystals. "You're disturbing her. She's tired." She gazed down at the little being in her arms, smiling dreamily, her gaze enamoured. "And hungry, I notice," She cooed, stroking its tiny cheeks.
I turned to Rosalie Cullen and sneered. "You. Make. Me. Sick!" I hissed and tugged at Jacob's arms desperately, attempting to control his thrashes with my imprisoning grip. "You thrive in happiness while an innocent girl lies dead! How can you smile at that repulsive thing?" I mightn't be letting Jacob kill a demon's daughter, though I could definitely badmouth the demon itself.
Blondie's black eyes darted up to meet my brown ones and they narrowed into slits. "Who asked you, dog?"
"I'm asking how you can sleep at night. You must be some sort of sociopath. Oh, wait, you can't sleep! Sorry, I forgot that's all a part of being a soulless monster!"
"Get out, mutts!" She ordered viciously. "Your useless services aren't needed anymore, you genetic dead-end!"
I felt her words stab into my tough surface and pull out something painful and tender. For a moment, I was frozen and couldn't breathe. How dare she?
I retaliated immediately, "I'm not the only genetic dead-end in this room, Blondie! You're a selfish, heartless, childless bitch. No matter how much love and affection you give that kid, it will never be yours and it will never love you the way it loves its mother. You don't even care about Bella Swan; you just care about what you can gain from death. Because, when you died, you didn't gain one darn thing!"
I smirked triumphantly when I glimpsed the horrified, grief-stricken look on Blondie's face.
I subsequently shoved Jacob outside with a new sense of strength, down the porch steps once more, and watched in relief as he phased and shot off into the darkness; out of sight and away from the Cullens.
I heard a long, snakelike hiss from inside the house and Seth stared at me with a disappointed expression. "You're in the exact same position Rosalie is, Leah; you should apologise," He said once our Alpha disappeared into the woods. "I never thought you'd stoop that low."
I actually felt pretty horrible after what I said to the blonde bloodsucker.
I knew how hard it was to imagine a life without beautiful grandchildren playing around you as you sit in the sun and laugh about old memories with your elderly, doting husband. It was difficult to imagine my undeniable fate; a life chained to a spirit of legends, a fury that could only be quenched by transforming into a monster and an oath to slaughter those deemed more demonic than my species. I could only imagine how painful it must have been for Rosalie; for all vampires who didn't choose that way of life.
It hurt to realise I wasn't yet strong enough to face my own destiny and accept it.
I will never fall in love. I will never have children. I will never be happy. I will only kill and fight.
Deep down, I think I secretly envied Blondie – at least she had the doting husband, Emmett.
"Seth, where are you going?" I demanded once I noticed my little brother was no longer in front of me, but walking up the steps into the Cullen mansion.
Seth turned around, giving me an upset look. "I'm going to pay my respects to the Cullens, Leah. Edward's just lost his wife...and his daughter has just lost her mother. I'm not gonna sit around here and sulk. Jacob needs some moral support, why don't you go and find him?"
My eyes widened. "Did you just give me an order?" I snapped. "I'm the beta in this Pack, buddy, not you. I'm coming with you! What would Mum think if I let you enter that house alone?"
Seth rolled his eyes and grumbled, "They're not going to hurt me."
I dismissed his reassurance with a scowl and followed Seth into the living room. If I wasn't being so arrogant, I would've taken Seth's advice and went to seek out Jacob – not only to comfort him, but to flee this wretched house. It stunk of blood and leeches; it was making me queasy.
We found Blondie perched in the armchair once more, she seemed utterly composed and oblivious to our proximity. The hybrid, Renesmee, was leaning against her chest with its head tucked into the crook of Rosalie's neck. Blondie was patting its small back, humming an unfamiliar lullaby to appease the child.
The hybrid was wide awake, however, and its eyes were focused on something right beside me. My eyebrows furrowed, I'd never seen a newborn with such concentration in its eyes before. Maybe it really is some sort of demon, I thought sarcastically, and it's clearly trying to possess someone!
When I shifted my gaze to see who this thing was trying to 'possess', I found my little brother frozen right beside me, instead of searching for Edward to offer his condolences. Though, when my stare met the side of his face, it wasn't really Seth. The expression on his face, the emotions in his eyes and the stillness in his posture – something had happened to him, something irreversible.
I heard my brother's heartbeat, it was strong and steady. So he wasn't dead, but I soon realised he had something else to live for entirely. I couldn't mistake that enraptured, mesmerised look on his face! I inwardly begged for this to be a simple, horrific nightmare. Maybe Jacob knocked me out once we dragged him outside and this...this isn't real! I thought to myself in desperation.
"S-Seth...?" I stammered as I glanced at the hybrid baby again. It was still staring at him with a hint of recognition and, when I looked back at Seth, his gaze was just as captivated. No, I thought fretfully and tears began welling in my eyes. This can't be happening! Not to my little brother...please, God, anyone but him! "Is...Is something wrong?" There was no use asking because I'd already figured out what happened to my brother.
That look on Seth's face, it was unforgettable.
It was the look Paul had given Rachel after meeting her at First Beach.
The look Jared had given Kim after returning her lost diary at La Push High School.
The look Quil had given Claire after offering her a popper-juice at a bonfire.
The look Embry had given Angela after spilling coffee at a restaurant in Port Angeles.
The look Jacob had given Sienna after weeks of arguments and separation.
It was the very look my ex-fiancé, Sam Uley, had given my best friend and cousin, Emily Young, on my nineteenth birthday at a barbeque at my parents' house.
When I first glimpsed her, I jokingly thought the hybrid daughter of Edward and Bella Cullen was trying to 'possess' someone with that focused look on her tiny face. Unfortunately, I was actually right; she had possessed someone. My kind-hearted, open-minded, younger brother: Seth Clearwater.
On his knees, Seth was now and forever a servant to the will of his imprint: Renesmee Cullen.
A/N: This is an offshoot of my main story, Dwelling in the Dusk. But I guess you could read this without reading DITD pretty easily. Please review and thanks for reading :)
Please review :)
