You Know That I Could Use Somebody
Summary: "We'd be good together, you know?" Jacob whispered, and Leah smiled back. "Maybe," Leah said, standing up and brushing off her jeans, "Or maybe I'd kill you. It could go either way,"
"...I told him a story of two people. Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other."
― Jojo Moyes, Me Before You
Jacob was sitting on the edge of a cliff, staring up at the stars. It was the same cliff that Bella had jumped off all those months ago. The place where he'd saved her from drowning. He always what would have happened if he got there sooner. If he stopped her from jumping or if he jumped with her. Would Edward still have come back?
He heard the sound of someone coming behind him and he didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
She dropped down beside him, a determined look on her face.
"Leah," he acknowledged, with a nod of his head.
"You're thinking about her again," she stated, her tone calm, and Jacob didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't.
"Sometimes, I can't even remember why I loved her so much," Jacob said, "It's not like she was the most beautiful girl in the world or anything. It's just that she was…"
"Special." Leah finished for him.
"Yeah," Jacob muttered, looking down into the water.
Minutes passed with only silence between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Jacob glanced over at Leah, who was staring up at the stars with a lonely look on her face. Jacob wondered who she missed more; Sam or Emily. She didn't just lose her boyfriend, she lost her best friend too.
"You know," Jacob spoke before he could stop to think, "I admire you,"
Leah's face twitched but she didn't look at him.
"I know that Bella loved me but I also know that she loved Edward more than she could ever love me…but that's not the case with you," Jacob took a deep breath, "Sam thinks about you just as much as he thinks about Emily. His love for you never faded, and I know that you could probably steal him back if you really wanted to." Jacob rubbed the back of his neck.
He wished he was like Embry, who always knew the right thing to say at times like this or Quil, who would have a joke ready to break the tension.
"You think I could break the bond between them?" Leah asked, emotionlessly and Jacob shrugged.
"I…" he thought about how last night, during patrol, Sam had run through some leaves and how he'd paused, a memory of him and Leah raking leaves together playing out.
He remembered the bittersweet longing he'd felt and how much pain he'd felt when the memory ended, one of Emily coming to mind.
It hadn't had the same feeling to it. A cheap imitation of the first.
"I think that Emily will never be able to take your place in Sam's heart," he finished, and Leah smiled.
"Just like no other woman will be able to take Bella's?" she asked, and Jacob thought about it.
"I don't think-" Jacob broke off, "I don't think there's just one person for everyone,"
Jacob thought about how much Bella loved Edward, but she'd eventually fallen for him too. With a little more time, she could have grown to love him more than Edward but in a different way.
"What do you think?" he asked her and Leah shrugged.
"I think that if you're truly meant to be with a person then you'll be with them. No matter the obstacle," Leah sighed, a wistful look crossing her face.
Jacob stared at her, wondering how Sam could have ever chosen Emily over her. Leah was…a beautiful disaster.
Jacob stared at Leah and Leah stared back.
Jacob looked away first.
"Do you ever feel like maybe Sam was taken from you for a reason? Like maybe there's someone better for you out there and he would have stood in the way?" Jacob paused, his brow crinkling as he thought of Bella. "Like maybe the reason you can't have what you want is because it wasn't what you needed?"
Leah seemed to consider his words for a moment then nodded.
"But sometimes it's hard to know the difference," Leah muttered, and Jacob thought about it.
He wanted Bella, more than he'd ever wanted anyone but…
He stared at Leah again, and remembered the way she looked in Sam's memory.
He sees her bright eyes, hears her vibrant laughter, as he runs his fingers through her long black hair, getting rid of the stray leaves.
That painful clenching came back, making Jacob press his hand to his chest, and he chuckled.
"I think that when you meet them you'll know," Jacob stated.
"You mean when you imprint?" Leah asked, bitterly, and Jacob scoffed.
"Please, imprinting is just another way of getting your choices taken away from you," Jacob scorned, "When I fall in love again, it will be my choice, just like a normal person"
"You don't want to imprint?" Leah questioned.
"Hell, no!" Jacob exclaimed, then calmed down. "Do you?"
Leah deliberated for a moment then shook her head.
"No," she admitted, "I want to fall in love again someday but I want to know the person who I love. I don't need the spirits to point him out to me,"
Jacob nodded, and thought of all the people who imprinted in their pack. Sam on Emily, Quil on Claire, Paul on his sister. They were all happy but there was a fragility to it.
It didn't feel real.
"At least Sam is happy." Leah suddenly said, breaking Jacob out of his thoughts, "I love him enough that I want that. I want him to have what's best for him," she sighed, "I just don't want to watch,"
"Sam misses you," Jacob says, "That's why he won't let you out of the pack. There's more than enough of us to take on any stray Vamps that come in the area. There's no real reason to force you to stay. He just wants to keep you in his life anyway he can, even if he won't admit it,"
Leah gave him a sad smile.
"Just like Bella wants to keep you in her life, Mr. Best Man?" she questioned and Jacob laughed.
"Yeah, we're quite a pair aren't we," Jacob joked, "Both in love with selfish people,"
Leah laughed too.
"I wish I could leave," Leah confessed, "Just take off and not have anyone forcing me to come back,"
Jacob placed his hand on her knee.
"I wouldn't mind getting out of here myself," he said, "Too many memories,"
Jacob thought about the wedding invitation sitting on his kitchen table.
"Too much temptation," Jacob admitted, and leaned back so he was laying down, looking up at the stars.
Leah laid down too.
"If you could leave, where would you go?" she asked, and Jacob considered if for a moment.
"Yuma, Arizona," Jacob said, "That way I wouldn't have to worry about any Vamps coming to ruin my life,"
"Good point," Leah said, "Find a nice job in a shop somewhere-"
"A cheap apartment-" Jacob jumped in.
"And we'd have to get a pet," Leah added, and Jacob agreed.
"A cute little puppy to remind us of the glory days," Jacob suggested and they laughed.
Until they realized what they were doing.
"We?" Jacob questioned, and Leah wouldn't meet his gaze.
"You really think you could survive on your own? No way," Leah grinned, and Jacob lifted himself up to rest on his elbows.
"Where would you work?" Jacob asked, deciding to continue the game.
"I'd probably waitress and try to take some classes at Arizona Western College," Leah lifted up on her elbows to, "What about you?"
"I'd find a job at an auto shop and maybe follow your college plan," Jacob started really thinking about it.
He could picture living in a small one-bedroom apartment, eating at the diner Leah worked at for lunch, arguing over who would cook dinner.
He smiled softly.
"We'd be good together, you know?" Jacob whispered, and Leah smiled back.
"Maybe," Leah said, standing up and brushing off her jeans, "Or maybe I'd kill you. It could go either way,"
Jacob grinned, "I'd take those odds,"
"You're an idiot," Leah shook her head, amused and Jacob stood up to join her.
"I know," Jacob states, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they head home.
Author's note: If Stephanie had any brains then she could have used Leah/Jacob to redeem her series. After reading Breaking Dawn, I believed Sam and Bella were obstacles to the love between the Alpha female and the (Real) Alpha leader. They had a lot of development and were planning to start a life together after Bella died (stupid mutant baby-imprint).
I left off on a good note. You can decide for yourself whether it's a love story, a pre-love story, or if just a story about two friends.
My Ending: Jacob kisses Leah on the walk home and they run away together to Yuma :)