A/N: Hiya! Well, this whole uploading thing is becoming quite addictive because I have a lot of stuff finished so I can actually upload whenever I want... which is dangerous. Anyhoo, this is the second one I wrote... I think, all of my writing gets kinda muddled.

I disclaim: All Characters that you recognize belong to SM. But I have a few in there and they like to talk to me so please don't steal them :)

So this one is about my own character, Cooper Hall (cousin of Jared's) and Leah Clearwater. This is my last couple to imprint... as of right now. That may change but it's been a while since Coop's been back in town. I think I did okay... why don't you give me your input! That'd be very nice :)

"In retrospect I wouldn't do it again, stop talking shit to every one of your friends. I'm not the same boy you knew back then." - All Time Low, Walls

I should have never come home. I really shouldn't have... but Mom was all 'I'll come down there and drag you by the hair' so I packed a bag and drove all the way from sunny, warm, bright, beautiful South California to La Push, Washington. It was snowing. It had been at least four years since I'd even seen snow much less trek through it.

Back to the point. I should've never come back. One Goddamn look and that was it. I exploded into a wolf. Who does that happen to? Me, Cooper Andrew Hall, that is who that happens to. And then to top it all off, I imprint... all in the same day. I should've said I had mono... or The Black Plague, maybe. Surely mother wouldn't want me bringing the Black Death to her. She didn't have enough chicken soup to drown that shit.

Right, the point. So who did I imprint on? Leah Fucking-Bitch Clearwater. Mhm. We imprinted on each-other. No joke. It was the freakiest thing ever. It was like we were on the same wavelength all of a sudden and all I could see was her and all she could see was me. And the whole freaking pack witnessed it; those who weren't there were filled in with excruciating detail through the others' thoughts.

So now all of La Push was in a frenzy... well not all, just the ones that matter. I was currently sitting in Emily's kitchen watching as everyone ran around like chicken's with their heads cut off. It would've been quite amusing if I wasn't the one being lectured, fretted over, kissed, hugged, patted on the back, punched in the shoulder, slapped on the leg, given apologetic looks, etc. There were people buzzing about in all different directions like a million bees in the nest.

Emily and most of the imprints of the NIPM's (New Imprinted Pack Members) were cooking because that's what Emily does when she is nervous or at a lack of what to do and the NIPM's follow her around like lost puppies - excuse the pun. There were various kids running about and playing in the many rooms of the small house that, in honesty, was falling victim to shape-shifterism.

The OPM's (Original Pack Members) were sitting at the dining room table (because they get special privileges to sit there, apparently) with their respective imprints: Jared and Kim, Embry and Kayleigh, Seth and Lily, Paul and Rachel, Quil and Claire, the only ones missing were Jake and Renesmee who were galavanting around Spain with the family's zillions. They looked like they were in deep conversation but everyone knew that Jared was setting up a pool on how Sam would react. And they thought that I wasn't paying attention. Jared and Paul thought he was going to 'freak-the-fuck-out' as Paul so eloquently put it; Quil, Rachel, and Kayleigh thought he was going to be okay with it but give a long ass lecture. Seth, Claire, and Lily thought he was going to phase within thirty seconds of hearing; and Kim and Embry had refused to bet, them being good friends of Leah's.

Speaking of, she was sitting up by the cliffs...thinking, I suppose. I let her be but the constant nagging in my naval was starting to get painful. I rose from my chair and everyone stopped like I was the Messiah returning. Yup, it was that big of a deal. I shook my head and every pair of eyes watched me walk out the front door. They were all paranoid because, a: two wolves have never imprinted on each other and, b: a wolf has never printed in their wolf form. So now Leah and I are a phenomenon that needs to be monitored closely. I played along but Leah wasn't having any of it.

I didn't even look where I was going, I just went, the pulling sensation directing my every step. The pressure didn't lighten like it should've, it worsened. I found her sitting on a rock, her knees drawn tightly to her chest. She growled once and it was beautiful.

"I hate you! I never wanted this to happen to me. If you think that I have any intention of being in a relationship with you then you're wrong," Leah seethed at me. I didn't mind though. She was gorgeous with her eyebrows drawn together, her now grown out hair flying around her in the wind. She was crouched, ready to phase. I was confident that she wouldn't but as the conversation wore on, I wasn't so sure anymore. She let another growl rip out of her throat.

"I can help you," I said quietly; even though my voice was lost to the wind she still heard.

"I don't need help! Especially from a newbie." Okay, that stung a little. I kept my poker face though.

"So what? Just because you don't need it doesn't mean I won't give it. Who died and made you the boss of the universe? I have a say in this whether you like it or not." I crossed my arms and tilted my chin up. She started shaking all over. "Who's the newbie now? At least I can hold myself together during an argument. How long have you been a wolf now? Fifteen years at least." I knew provoking her was not a good idea at all but I was getting fed up with this stupid game. I loved her. She loved me. I see no problem but apparently she does. What is with women and their undeniable need to complicate things?

She growled again and lunged. I side stepped her and phased too. Stupid arrogant bastard!

Stupid hormonal bitch! I thought back as she circled me. She lunged again and I moved to the right, catching her back leg. She fell with a shriek of irritation and was back within seconds, snapping at my neck. She was hella fast but I was bigger.

I watched her as we danced--back and forth, side to side--and her beauty overwhelmed me. Even as a wolf she was amazing. She paused once and I pinned her but she didn't fight. She rifled trough my thoughts quickly.

You really think that?

Of course I do. I let images of her between the years when I was here and now pass through my mind and concentrated on her beauty and power. It wasn't enough apparently because she was up and snarling again. And then I sensed fear. Unbridled, undeniable, nearly tangible fear.

Why are you afraid?

Me? Afraid? Uh, no. Did you forget who I am?

No one could ever forget you. That's when the most awful thing happened. I started to remember exactly why I thought she was unforgettable.

I was drunk, that much was clear. But so was everyone else in my basement. Even Leah. She was sitting in a corner, watching me, watching her. In my semi-foggy haze and the dim lighting all I could see was her. She was gorgeous. Fierce. Breathtaking. And I wanted her. I walked over to her, not sure of what I was going to do, but feeling confident nonetheless. I smiled drunkenly and she smiled back. I knew this was wrong, taking advantage of her situation, I mean. She had just broken off her engagement to Sam Uley and had caught her cousin and him sucking face just hours after.

That's why she had come tonight, I think. She needed to get shit-faced and just forget about everything for a little while. I could help her. It was my last night here, anyway; I was moving to California tomorrow. She'd never have to see me again.

"Wanna get outta here?" My words slurred a little.

"Isn't this your house?" So did hers.

"Yeah, but my room upstairs is much nicer than the basement." That was the move, the attack plan. She'd either take it or leave it and I'd go find another girl. She downed whatever was in her cup, shook her head, and grabbed my hand as she walked towards the stairs. I smiled and followed her, taking the lead when we got to the last step. I ushered her into my room and let my young, horny hormones take over. Lust, desire, need.

I pushed her forcefully into the door and kissed her hard. She tasted like alcohol but so did I. There were clothes everywhere that needed to be removed and she didn't stop me. She was just as eager to make this happen as I was. We were everywhere, on the bed, on the wall, on the door. She was soft and firm underneath me and it felt just as good as I thought it would. She emanated need and, me having a 'Y' chromosome and all, I had a need to fulfill hers.

I collapsed beside her... or what I thought was beside her, but she had already left, clothes and all. That was disappointing; one of my favorite parts of sex was the post-intercourse cuddling... shut up. I fell asleep regardless and didn't worry about all the idiots getting wasted in my basement; my mom wasn't due back home for another week and I'd be gone by tomorrow evening anyway.

I remembered that night perfectly, her skin, her eyes, her hair, despite my alcohol induced near-coma. All of it. I remember how she nearly cried after we were done. I remember how she left me hanging. I remember playing it off even though it actually really hurt that she didn't stay... not that I blame her. We were eighteen, not exactly virgins but not really experienced, so it probably wasn't mind blowing. But I remembered nonetheless. And now she did too. That was fifteen years ago. She scrambled out from underneath me and put some space in between us.

I hate you, she whimpered. That stung a little...no, actually, that stung a lot. I was young...and drunk. And you...I don't blame you. That made me feel a thousand times better.

I'm not the same anymore. It-I don't know what the hell it meant. I was drunk too. I needed some...closure. I didn't mean to-I don't regret it. I don't regret it one bit but...I'm different now. It's different now. I love you now. I felt her heart rip in half.

You don't mean that! she roared through the pain as images of Sam saying that a million times, a thousand different ways, for a hundred different reasons that never meant anything anyway.

Give me a chance. I'm not the same anymore. You're not the same anymore. I was using my best coercion skills to just make her give me a shot. Just one second of hesitation was all I needed. It didn't matter how much she was in love with me because of the imprint, a lot of her was still broken. I didn't know if it was only detectable by me because I imprinted on her or if it was obvious. Either way, she was hurting. And now my need to take care of her wasn't just a male thing. It was a primal, primitive, instinctive need that ran deep within me. She could feel it. She didn't want to like it, she wanted to hate it-that need, I mean. She wanted to hate me. But she couldn't.

I walked over to her, no longer challenging. Just being next to her.

You don't have to be alone anymore. You don't have to do this alone anymore. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. You can hear me. You can see through my head; you know I'm telling the truth. Her thoughts stopped buzzing for a few minutes as she mulled over my words. The pain eased a little with every thought of 'he's right, he loves me. He can't abandon me now.'

It's not like there's any use fighting it anymore, she thought defeatedly, finally. A weight was lifted from both of our shoulders. We were undeniably connected. There was an electric current, a steel bridge between us now. She felt it too.

I phased back and grabbed my clothes, changing quickly beside her. She whined softly and, with a glance to her shredded clothes, I threw my tee-shirt towards her. She phased and changed too. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, being more of a friend and a confidant than a lover. Her knee-jerk reaction was to pull away but she leaned in after I made it clear that I wasn't letting her go.

"It's going to be okay, you know that right?"

"I don't know anything anymore."

"I do. I know that it's going to be okay. I am no longer going to be galavanting around with twenty-year-old dumb-as-sacks blondes in beautiful, sunny, warm California and you are no longer going to be a bitter, unhappy, bitch. Because now we have each other, and we're stuck with each other, whether you like that or not." That's just the way it was going to go.

"Yeah, I'm tired of that; it was getting old."

"Agreed. Now, why don't we go to your house, get changed, and go get Thai food. Methinks that noodles can remedy any situation."

"...I don't think we have a thai restaurant nearby. We don't exactly eat that type of stuff around here, if you remember." The bite in her words was gone.

"So we'll find one. Let's go to Miami or somewhere sunny without vampires. I'm already sick of this shit. I need a vacation."

"Try doing it for sixteen years," she laughed.

"Nope, I don't think I will. Like I said, Miami...or Mexico. Cancun sounds good."

"Yeah, okay." She was tired. She was tired of being hurt, of being rejected, of being hard as nails on the outside and completely broken on the inside, of having a fifteen-year-long migraine. I was tired of having my head in the clouds, of trying to fill some stupid void or need for warmth and sun, of having nothing to anchor me to this earth. It felt like sometimes I would just float away and I don't think I'll ever feel that again, now that I have her and she has me.

We both had something constant now. Something to keep us together and happy. I thought those sexcapades, those drunken frat parties, those loud late night concerts were keeping me happy. They weren't. I know what keeps me happy now. And that's Leah.