A/N: I seem to always fight for the ship that can never really happen, but I can't help but ship Blackwater. This is my first Twilight story, I hope you like it!

Prologue

Jacob Black never imagined his life to turn out like this.

A lovesick puppy with his first love, the young Alpha vowed to never let himself be ruled by petty emotion. He had responsibilities, he was a protector and trustee, he needed to think with his head and not his heart.

So after Bella married that godforsaken leech family, he turned his back. The Cullens and the Quilete pack were on amicable terms, but the personal friendship between groups began to fade away. Last he heard, Bella had given birth and turned into a bloodsucker herself.

He never bothered to keep in contact, the pain was too much. He felt abandoned, betrayed by the one person he felt he would love. But now there was nothing. In place of the warm boy was a hardened man, unwilling to let himself get carried away by his feelings.

So the irony of the situation couldn't sting any more than it did, when he realized he had fallen irrevocably head over heels for the most unlikely girl in the land. Yet instead of self-disappointment and resentment, he could only feel happy. He was still guarded, but a small light of his old self shined through the crack in his armor.

His dark eyes never left her curled form beside him. She was facing him, her head resting on nook of his shoulder as she slept peacefully. It was strange to see her like this, so innocent, so vulnerable. Her breathing was soft, her chest rising with every new breath she took. Staring at her face, he wondered how it could have taken so long for him to realize her beauty.

Straight on, her features were so different. Perhaps too strong for her face. The sharp, straight nose, the piercing eyes, the defined chin, she wasn't the typical pretty girl. But she was a rare beauty, unconventional but stunning. Her raven tresses fanned over his arm she used as a pillow, her hands balled into light fists as she slumbered on.

After their first night together, he found it hard to fall asleep. Actually, it was impossible. His blood was pumping, rushing through him without sign of slowing. His heart was beating so loudly, he was surprised it hadn't woken the brunette next to him. Without thinking, he fingered a lock of her hair, pushing it behind her ear and out of her face.

He'd felt dead for a long time after the whole Bella debacle. He'd been empty, hollow, and angry. He would tell his pack was growing more and more weary of his presence, but it wasn't until a certain Leah Clearwater returned to La Push two months ago that he realized how different he'd turn.

She'd been gone for half a decade, but she looked the same the very day she left. He knew he looked the same too. Shifting, werewolf youthfulness, all of it kept their kind young. But the moment their eyes first met, she could see he'd aged. Something icier, more removed, something cooler about the way he carried himself.

She'd come back for Billy's funeral. La Push had been devastated as a whole, the community broken after the passing of one its treasured leaders. Jacob had seen it coming for some time, with his father sick for so long. As the last male member of the Black clan, he stepped up without hesitation. He took Billy's responsibilities with grace and steadiness, the respect people had for his late father dropping immediately to him.

The antagonism between old friends picked up new chemistry. He'd been so distracted by other matters before that he never really saw how wondrous she was. It caught him off-guard, the attraction between them. Her pull was so strong he couldn't concentrate. But now, he realized just how similar the two of them were. She was meant for him.

Two lost souls, hurt and left behind by the ones they loved blindly. He questioned her sanity, finding it impossible to conjure how she'd managed to remain sane while she watched her beloved wed someone else.

She told him, straight up and without go-around, that she hadn't. She was crazy, crazy for suffering in silence, saying nothing to anyone and suppressing it all within her chest. She told him that it wouldn't be easy. And for the first time in the lifetime he'd known her, she put her hand on his chest. She held it there, standing closer to him than he ever thought a person could.

She told him his own heart would take time to heal.

Little did Leah Clearwater know that all it took was that short instant for him to forget about the past, and concentrate on the woman in front of him. Imprinting might have pulled someone against their will, to an individual he held no prior affection for. It was dark magic, maybe a curse.

But Jacob was sure that if he imprinted on anyone else, that he would have been willing to fight through it if it meant he could keep Leah. Sam Uley was an idiot for giving her up so easily, but an idiot that finally gave Jacob the chance to find what he'd been searching for him.

They fought like cats and dogs, never-ending arguments about every issue possible. Movies, Seth, the pack, her stubbornness, his temper. Even her hair: he liked it long, she didn't. It seemed like they couldn't agree on anything at all.

The only force keeping them together was love, and perhaps that was all that was necessary. He would stand up for her, sacrifice his life for her. And she would do the same for him in a heartbeat.

They ran together in the pack that night, the first night they spent together. The rest of the pack was off finishing their rounds, and Jacob caught up with her near the border. She had already shifted back, pulling a tank top over her human form. She caught him standing behind her like an idiot, frozen and too dumbfounded to turn away or run in the other direction.

She laughed at his reaction, jokingly asking him if he liked what he saw. She swiveled on her heel, bending over to put her shoes back on, when she felt the air knocked out of her lungs.

It was all animal instinct here. He had her pinned against the trunk of a nearby tree, deep warm eyes looking at her in a way she never expected before. When their lips met, both submitted to the inevitable.

He sighed to himself as he caressed the side of her visage with the back of his knuckles, drinking in her appearance one more time.

God, did he love her.

She was infuriating, but infuriatingly perfect. She understood him better than anyone else. She showed him the light again, even when she hadn't found her way back either. They made each other better. He could honestly say that she was his better half. And as he gazed on at her again, he didn't think there was a more fitting place in the world for her than right beside him.

She stirred slightly, nuzzling closer into him. He wondered whether or not she was aware of their positions. He had no doubt she would try to worm herself out of this one, try to forget the night they spent together. He pictured her waking in the morning, eyes wide, jaw slacked, trying to sneak out of his house before he woke up. He chuckled at the thought, only because he would never let that happen.

She was finally his, and he was hers. There was no going back at this point.

He promised to love her forever, and he meant every word. She thought he was kidding, brushing him off just like he knew she would. He could live with it for now, because he knew she was the one for him.

There was no one else.

He was never going to let her go.

Chapter 1

Leah was independent, maybe too much for her own good. While the rest of her friends wed their perfect husbands, she made a point to keep an open mind. She doubted that there would ever be an ideal match for her.

She'd given up looking for Mr. Perfect the day she found out about her cousin and first boyfriend. She had been so young, so innocent, so naively optimistic. She remembered throwing a vase at Sam, screaming at him. She remembered yelling at Emily, watching her shy and quiet cousin shrink away from her venomous insults.

The next few years she turned into, as her little brother so politely put, a 'raging, frigid bitch.' She was snappy, foul-mouthed, and so very angry all the time. She had good intentions, but somehow everything got lost in translation.

With her mother living with Chief Swan, and Seth finally finding his place in the pack, she was free to leave. She skipped out of town as soon as she could.

She never stayed in one place for long, wandering around from place to place, packing up and leaving whenever she found herself growing too attached to anything or anyone. She couldn't risk making ties with anyone anymore. It would be irrational and self-inflicted harm.

But when she got the call about Billy Black's death, she knew she had to return. Her hometown would be in shambles, and no doubt the new Alpha would need some help to whip up morale. Besides, she would never admit it, but she was beginning to miss the feeling back home.

Leah still remembered the first time she saw him when she got back. She was surprised by the way he looked, so much older, so much more mature. No more was the whiny young boy who pined for a vampire-loving teenager, but a man mourning for his father's death. At the closing of the funeral service, she stood, dressed in a tailored but tight black dress, the backs of her stilettos digging into the back of her ankle. With a drink her in her hand, she sipped the beverage carefully, her line of vision never straying from Jacob.

He'd always been big for his age, but this was the first time he looked like an adult to her. She was less than a year older than him, but the mental picture of the little kid who used to chase her around her backyard never ceased. Well, not until now.

Handsome even in his dark suit, he accepted the many guests' condolences with a stoic nod. She was taking another sip of her drink, when their eyes connected through the crowd. An electric pulse ran through her spine, and she winced, nearly spilling her drink all over her outfit. She almost lost her balance in the deathtrap shoes her mother had laid out for her, when she felt someone catch her elbow.

She looked up, almost shocked by his speed. It was nothing new, especially not new of an Alpha. Werewolves moved fast, it was simple logic. Yet somehow, she couldn't get over his sudden nearness.

"Hey, Leah," he greeted, his angled jaw tensing as he looked down at her. When had he grown so tall?

"Hey," she managed to breathe out, before recovering like the pro she was. "Jake," she swallowed. He dropped her elbow, letting her arm fall back to her side.

"You're back." He stated, at a loss for words.

"Yeah," she paused, "You look different," she let out without thinking. She watched his eyebrows furrow together, before correcting herself, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah,"

She breathed, "I'm sorry," she stopped, "About Billy. Your father was a great man,"

"He was," the boy agreed, his shoulders slouching only enough for her to notice. He didn't say much to her for a moment, remembering the eerily familiar scene between them nearly ten years ago. They had been barely adults, almost children when Leah lost her father. Car crash.

The words they exchanged were few, but the tension between them already spoke volumes. They just stared at each other for a while, not really knowing what to say.

"You look good," It was his turn to comment on her appearance.

She looked down, suddenly thankful to her mother's insistence in dressing her that day. "Thanks,"

It was then that a few members of the council approached Jacob. Leah excused herself as the two elderly men whispered into his ear. Maybe with further condolences, or with some exclusive information about council business.

Whatever they said to him, it only made Jacob's eyebrows pull further over his face. He didn't look pleased, and if anything, he looked more irritated. Leah's interest peaked, but she didn't dare eavesdrop. If what was wrong was any of her business, she was sure she would hear of it in time.

About a minute later, Leah had finished the wine in her glass, and the trio had finished their discussion. She glanced in his direction, as he nodded, and assured the older men that he would handle the situation.

The dynamic between them amazed her. The council leaders accepted his informal tone, nodding at him almost as if they were the ones showing respect to him. She guessed that was what happened when a Black became an Alpha. There were always rumors that the family had more power and weight, but she hadn't really seen it until now.

The brunette was lost in her own thoughts, when she saw the shadow over her feet. She looked up, only to see Jacob loosening his tie. "I'm heading out,"

She understood him without having to ask. He was going on a run.

She would have offered to go with him, if she wasn't dressed in such restricting attire. Her mother would have a fit if she ruined this piece of clothing, so she passed. But Leah stopped herself for a second. Why was she inclined in the least to run with Jacob Black? She hadn't even seen her brother yet, so why was she so drawn to spend time with someone she hadn't even been that close to before. She might have stopped breathing, because she felt Jacob step closer.

"You okay, Leah?"

She bit her lip, not liking the sensation that pricked her skin when he uttered her name aloud.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Sounds like a good idea, blow off some steam."

She lifted her eyes, wondering if he noticed her strange behavior. But if she didn't know better, she would have thought he was acting strangely as well. His stares were a bit too lingering, more so than the platonic gaze he looked on at her with before.

"Yeah, sure." He grunted in agreement.

She nodded, waiting for him to take his leave. But his feet remained planted securely in place. When she saw he wasn't moving, she decided to leave first. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and she couldn't help but want to get away from him. But before she could take one step back, his hand caught onto her arm.

"Don't let it be another five years before I meet you again," he looked up at her, the ghost of a crooked smirk on his lips, "I'll see you around, Clearwater."

And with that, he took off.

Leah didn't know whether she should jump in the air of run away. She didn't know if it was a good idea to come back after all this time. But, only time would hold the answer to that question.

End Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks for reading! If you'd like me to continue, please leave a review!