*** WARNING:: BREAKING DAWN SPOILERS!!! *** A/N: Hey, It's other again! Okay, so I never actually thought I'd ever write a Twilight fan-fic, because honestly while I love the books I just don't think that way with regular books... maybe with Manga but not with BOOK books... so honestly I never had any intention of writing a fan fic based on the Twilight series. But after Breaking Dawn, I realized (actually after seeing a Piece of Flair on facebook) that everybody there got their happy ending... except for Leah. And seriously, Leah got MAJORLY screwed over; she really got the short end of the stick especially after Jacob imprinted. So I got to thinking about what might have happened after the conclusion of BD... annnd next thing I knew I was typing like crazy trying to get the idea out. So here it is: part 1 of Leah's story. My view on it, at least. I don't know how many other people tried to give her her happy ending and I'm not going to pretend to be better, I just thought this idea was something Stephenie Meyer would likely come up with.

In case you DIDN'T notice, though-- You shouldn't be reading any part of this document if you haven't read Breaking Dawn. This kind of takes place after the conclusion and assumes you know what it's talking about, so you'd be lost, anyway, even if you didn't care about spoilers.

One final warning:: I curs'ded just a little ^.^ Not horrifically, though, but if the F-bomb causes you discomfort... well it's not censored. =\

In keeping with Stephenie Meyer's tradition, I placed a quote from a classic text at the beginning. It's actually the poem in its entirety; it's called "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and it's written by Robert Frost.

Hope you enjoy!

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

-Robert Frost

Part One

The only word that repeated in my mind was really much too vulgar and quite unnecessary. But I couldn't help it.

Of course. Of course this would happen. Of course the one doe I decide to tackle, the one time I decided to spare the pathetic herd's leading buck and pick off a smaller doe, I take down the pregnant one. Go freaking figure. These days, symbolism seemed to skip hand-in-hand with the little demon that held the puppet strings to my life.

I couldn't keep the infuriated growl from escaping as I tore into the shoulder of the downed doe, eyeing her swollen abdomen bitterly.

Just don't think about it, Leah. Embry encouraged me; I could hear the crisp leaves crunch beneath his paws as he ran somewhere south of me.

It wasn't as if I couldn't hunt like a wolf. I'd learned years ago how to let the wolf in me control this part of my life. Most of the time, the human stepped back and looked away. This was easier, though, when it was a beefcake buck I had killed. Not a freaking pregnant doe.

I hadn't even thought about it past saving the buck. I was just hungry. Did I really have to be punished for that? Clueless animal was probably in some serious pain anyway, she was so huge. At least the stupid thing could get pregnant. Great. Now not only did I feel guilty about taking down my dinner, I actually envied it.

That's what you get, you stupid girl, a smug, bitter voice taunted me cynically. It was the human inside me that would always despise what I was, the part of me that, these days, controlled my every whim and word. It was the 17-year-old girl whose heart had been broken because she, for once, had let it win. That's what I got for giving in. That's what I got for letting myself be happy. And this was what I got for simply trying to get my fucking dinner quickly before I went on duty.

Stupid fucking deer.

Relax, Leah. Came Embry's voice again, less sign of irritation present than usual. Just eat.

The last thing I wanted to do now was eat the damn thing. But my stomach protested, and, since I'd had to take the impregnated kill, I was forced to eat around her sorry ovaries and pray I didn't penetrate it lest I puke. I ignored the squealing human voice in my head, as well as the tantalizing one, as I dug into the hot flesh.

That's the way. Embry urged, seeming proud.

Yeah, geez, no need to go all General Hospital on us. Seth snorted. He was taking the perimeter opposite Embry, sprinting along somewhere on the northern half of it.

I suppressed another growl as my snout dug deeper into the doe's shoulder. Can it, lover boy, it's not like your thoughts are any less hurl-worthy.

That shut him up; he remained silent now as he ran.

At first, this new pack had seemed like a gift from the Powers that had hated me for so long. I had finally escaped that circle of torture that was Sam's pack, got out of his mind and for once was able to think on my own, without my every thought drifting back to him and his unendurable love for Emily. That, mixed with undisputable guilt for abandoning me, and my own shame, then, at knowing that he knew my every disgust with him, and that made him feel even more guilty, and I was all the more twisted for having caused him more pain… But at long last, my head had been cleared. I had a leader who understood me, who knew what it was like to be rejected. For a fleeting time, it didn't matter that I had to inhale vampire stink 24/7. I was, rationally speaking, roughly 65% happy, which was more than I'd ever reached since Sam's imprinting. And I'd grown comfortable with the idea that maybe I could stay this way until death wanted to take me…

And thus came the downfall. Naturally, nature had had its sensor on me and decided I'd become far too content. One blink and poof! Jacob's troubles, the only thing connecting me with him, were obliterated, and what was worse: it was at the hands of a half-vampire infant. That's what I got for trusting him; trusting him to be the one person who might be as miserable as I was. That's what I got.

Just like that, things began to again barrel downhill. Next came the wedding, the almost lethal affair that had me running as a wolf for weeks after. I'd dolled up in the most hideous magenta gown that would have made Stacy and Clinton piss themselves with pride, put on a smile the entire evening, and for what? For Sam Uley, that slimy son-of-a-bitch, to stand in front of his friends and family (all of whom knew well the werewolf secret) and announce that his life as a pack Alpha was over. He was quitting the werewolf life to grow old with dear Emily. I almost burst into wolf form right then and there; had I allowed Sam to come within biting distance I very well might have. I'd run from the scene, too furious to risk taking someone out who might not actually deserve it. It still made me tremble, the very thought of that evening…

But what was done was done. The Alpha-ship went to Paul, the transition of power passing without a hitch.

Anyway the blows didn't stop there. A year later was the announcement (one we only managed to receive because Paul had mentioned it when meeting briefly with Jacob) that Sam's darling Emily was pregnant. She gave birth nine months later to a perfectly healthy baby boy they named Ian Stanley. Yeah, it was enough to make me vomit. Of course, plenty of the others wanted to see him and coddle him and all that fun stuff but I never bothered, and no one else ever bothered me about it. They knew as well as I that I couldn't take it. Not now. Not ever. So they kept their thoughts in different directions when they ran with me.

I grimaced inwardly as I tore my prey apart, prodding deeper to find the more tender flesh. That was all behind me, anyway. It wasn't so much that those things had happened period, it was that they were perpetually there, like a mosaic taped over my face constantly reminding me of what I couldn't have, what I never would find. Because in the end, everybody had found their happily ever after-- except me. Sam and Emily now had their own family with a son; Jacob's little monster had stopped aging at the maturity of an 18-year-old, breathtakingly beautiful and immortal as any bloodsucker; Quil's Claire had grown up and he, too, had stopped transforming so he could age with her; Jared had stopped transforming for Kim; and even the leeches had found their own closure to the circle of happiness. And then, on top of it all, even my brother, my imp brother, had found his soul mate, the mass object whose gravity was meant to capture him for all eternity. The mutt had imprinted upon his first day attending the community college at which he'd studied part time, and the girl now lived with our mother on the reservation, there waiting for him every time he returned from his patrol.

I supposed this was where my random camaraderie with Embry had sprung from. He and I were the only ones left in the pack who had not hooked into the soul mate trend. We had both been running alone since the standoff against the Italian Blood Drinkers… how long ago was that? I tried to stop my mind from answering but it had already calculated it; I knew already that I knew the time down to the day. Eighteen years, eleven months, and fourteen days. Ugh. I grimaced at myself. That was pathetic.

Yeah, it was. Seth mumbled, rolling his eyes. And I wouldn't mind it if you quit referring to Amber like she was a planet. That's really insulting.

Sorry, I thought sardonically. I'll work on my metaphors while you're on break.

I felt him roll his eyes at me.

If you two are done squabbling you might want to come up here. Embry cut in, his eyes and nose deep in a strange path astray from our well-run-in perimeter. There's a trail here you might want to see.

I hadn't even noticed his tangent during my absence in thought, but now that I paid attention I realized he was buried snout-deep in a strange trail that crossed our perimeter on the eastern side. I was alert at once, forgetting completely the immediate hunger that had driven me to hunt as a wolf tonight. For reference, I was rather good at sucking it up long enough to accept food from the vampires, though most nights I took my meal at home before I ran out to patrol, but this evening I had been in a hurry.

My head jolted up and I hastened to get the blood from my snout as I took off running south. Seth was not far behind.

What is it, Embry? He asked urgently, his thoughts strained. Is it vampire? Human?

Definitely vampire. Embry answered stiffly, his entire face scrunched from the burn of the scent. But I don't recognize it. It's not even remotely familiar; I've never smelled it before.

I was at his side long before Seth could bound his way to us. Without a word, I dipped my own nose into the scent. My nose immediately wrinkled, the sweet burn searing down my throat. I don't recognize it, either. I looked up at him, my eyes serious. What's a strange bloodsucker doing on our land?

Hold on! Seth panted, almost to us. Let me smell!

We waited and seconds later Seth barreled into view. He skidded to a stop and immediately shoved his nose into the new trail. His face didn't even distort, but his great parchment-colored head wagged back and forth. Nope. Never smelled it before in my life.

So we've got a total stranger running around near the house… This thought didn't sit well with me.

Wait, how does that work? Seth scowled, looking at me. If a vampire was coming to visit, why didn't Alice see it?

Embry cocked his head. She has been a bit out of it, lately. What with Jake and Nessie getting hitched.

I snorted. Oh yeah. The wedding. Yeah she's got other things on her mind.

But still… I feel like she really should have seen this even if she was busy. Seth was still looking at me. As if I had the answer.

It doesn't matter if Alice saw it or not, Seth, the point is we have an unknown vampire running around inside out territory. I told him sharply.

What's the plan, Chief? Embry looked at me, too, now, this time alert rather than expecting.

I hesitated. Can you tell which way it came from?

We all sniffed the trail again, concentrating. We all withdrew at the same time.

No. We uttered together.

Embry, run north a bit and see if the trail gets fresher. I'll check South.

Embry trotted a ways to the north and I turned the opposite direction with my nose to the ground, scowling inwardly. Of course, waiting and watching had never been Seth's forte. He shifted his weight in place and glanced anxiously between Embry and me as we each made our way in our respective directions.

Suddenly my ears were flat against my head and I yelped in surprise, my head popping up.

What is it? Seth was at my side in an instant, sniffing the trail curiously.

It's still fresh here. But it's not the same scent.

Embry's own nose came up from his trail. Two vampires?

I nodded my head. Two vampires.

Embry cursed silently.

Where'd they come from, though? Seth, His ears pricked forward as I addressed him. Run back to where the trail met ours and see where it came from.

He did so quickly, a bit too eager for my comfort. I'd never get used to his being an active part of the unit. After a second of snuffling around he found the entrance of the new scent into our perimeter. East. He answered sharply.

So they came in from the east… I thought it through, my eyes distant. I trotted back towards Seth and Embry followed suit. We converged and stopped again at the beginning of the split vampire trail. And they split up… but why? I glanced down, scrutinizing the trail. Oh. That's why. Huh. They smelled our trail. So they split up to find us.

Embry seemed surprised by this. What makes you think they split up for us?

I shot him a knowing look. What would you do if you encountered a ring of vampire stench?

He considered it. Good point.

So we've got a pair of vampires running our perimeter trying to find us? Seth seemed jazzed now; there was a bit too much enthusiasm to his thought.

Easy, mutt, that's just a theory. But yes, I expect that once they sniffed our scent they were so taken aback they split up to hunt us down.

So what do we do? Do we fight them? Embry asked, the same unsettling excitement thrumming in his mind.

I wanted to groan. You know how the Doc hates fighting. Let's just find them and try to explain we're just here to protect, not to hunt, alright?

Seth gave me a reproachful look. Look who's all for 'bloodsucker' diplomacy.

I knew what he meant. A decade ago I would have jumped at the opportunity to take down a vampire. Even within the last couple years, I would definitely not have been opposed to a fight with them. But these days it never seemed worth it, and I just was not in the mood for that much conflict right now. Admit it; you won't kill a friendly one.

He grimaced, but didn't argue.

Okay. I looked pointedly to my brother. Run back and tell the Cullens and Jacob. We don't need backup yet, but they should be prepared for conflict should it ensue. Embry, I turned to the other wolf. I'll chase the trail going south. You follow the scent going north. Hopefully we'll both be able to talk them into coming back together and discussing this like civilized beings. If you get as far as having to phase back to talk to them… well make sure they're not going to ambush you, first. Otherwise stay as a wolf and keep in touch.

Ay, ay, Captain! Seth darted off to the west, heading headlong for the Cullen house. Embry gave me a sharp nod and took off after the trail headed north. I took a deep breath and bolted south, following the strange but familiar scent.

It occurred to me that I should feel powerful right now, considering I, being Jacob's Second, was in command of the first bit of excitement we'd had since Jacob's Loch Ness had stopped growing. The power was hollow, though, and I felt no true thrill. This was not much more than routine. All the real power was Jacob's anyway; those in the renegade pack were here because of him. It was hard not to like the guy, considering I hadn't heard his Alpha voice since he'd given Sam the finger all those years ago. Either way, the honor and duty of being the Alpha's Right Flank had meant little to me after Jacob no longer belonged to his pack first. He was always that little hybrid's, first and foremost.

I streaked along the trail, barely noticing the trees and other wildlife that flashed by me in a blur. Since my first transformation I had defined myself by my speed; it was really the only remarkable thing I had left to my name. While all else that had ever meant anything to me had perished, this one tiny ability was left to me. The speed; the ability to outrun anything and everything I'd yet come up against. Even my brothers in the pack. I may not be beautiful or strong or irresistibly charismatic, but I was fast. Very, very fast.

The trail stayed just outside our invisible boundary that was marked by our scent, curving in a parallel circle around the side to the southernmost tip of our perimeter. I had my nose close to the ground, my eyes up, not really paying attention. Suddenly everything in me, down to the arteries in my oversized paws, froze over. My limbs bolted out in front of me and my heels dug into the soft mud. I jolted to a stop, my limbs frozen, my disbelieving senses trained on the point I'd just crossed. Slowly, I turned myself around and stepped back, my nostrils brushing the grass beneath me. I half expected to find only the burning vampire scent, what had frozen my senses being completely of my own fabrication. But there it was.

Guys, I managed, my eyes wide. There's another trail.

What?!! They both thought simultaneously.

There's a third trail. It runs right into the trail going south.

THREE vampires? Seth choked.

No. I corrected, my nose still taking in the scent. This one is… animal like. Almost like a… a wolf.

There was a shocked pause, then Embry sprang in with his doubt. Did some lost wolf wander into here or something?

No, I mean, not so much a wolf, but as in a Wolf-- like us. I took in the scent again. It had a human hint in it, but it was definitely fur and hot blood; canine.

What do you mean, like us? As in LIKE us, like us? Or genuine, I-only-change-when-the-moon-is-full werewolf? Seth questioned. He was in the vampires' living room; I could hear the song-like voices surrounding him.

I think he's a shape-shifter, I concluded, feeling the function returning to my limbs. It's got something really familiar about it, but I know I've never smelled it before. It was really familiar, actually. It felt like I was looking into the face of someone I really should know, but was tongue-tied for that person's name. I smelled the extreme familiarity of the scent, but I could not find a face to go with it. Not even a wolf face. I knew for a fact that I'd never smelled it before.

Now, of course, the question remained of what to do. I hesitated there, my thoughts twisting in incoherent knots. I really had to keep going; those vampires were still chasing our trail and would at any moment trace it to one of us. But this ringing familiarity… no, I had to keep going. I turned to the west, ready to keep running, but everything in my body screamed in protest, aching to follow the mysterious trail that sprinted south, towards town. I debated silently. My pack was in danger. But I couldn't leave this scent. After all, this could be as much of a threat to us as the vampires. If the wolf was hostile or perhaps from some unknown pack that sought to annihilate all others of its kind. Something like this, of course, sounded far fetched and frankly the result of too much free time and a lot of daytime television, but knowing our luck something that ridiculous had a good chance of happening to us. I couldn't turn away; I had to follow this trail. Finally, my mind flitted to Seth.

Seth. His head sprang up, finding in my thoughts my newfound necessity for him. Tell Jake to phase so we can tell him what's going on. He can stay with the hybrid but he'll have to hear for himself what's going on. Then come take this southern trail and find the vamp it belongs to. I've got to follow this. I indicated the new, animalistic trail.

Seth leapt to his feet, turning to Edward to let him know the new order.

I willed myself to calm down as I waited for Jacob to jog away from the house to transform, and then return for Seth to leave. I could feel the unexplainable pull towards the south, the absolute need to find the owner of this wolf-like scent. It was a draw that could only be instinctual: the undeniable need to protect what was mine, and that could only mean that the owner of this scent was trouble. Big trouble. A catastrophe I had to stop.

It was the first sense of true purpose I'd felt in a very, very long time. If for no other reason than to marvel at this feeling longer, I'd follow this trail as far as I'd have to.

Seth finally made it to my side, his eyes alight and excited. 'Luck, sis! And with that he bounded off to the west, continuing along the circle where I'd left off. I watched him go, then turned to face southward, my eyes afire with focus. I rolled onto my haunches and launched myself forward, tearing away through the trees after the unseen, unknown wolf.

A/N: I really hope you like it so far-- Like I said it might be already written but I wanted to let my imagination go on this one. All comments welcome; flames, too, if that's all you have!