Twilight – No Second Chances

Author: L

Chapter 2 – The Mask

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Author's Note: I really want to thank everyone for their reviews. I honestly did not expect such a positive reaction. I know "Against All Odds" was filled with a lot of angst but this story will have some happy and sweet moments in future chapters.

Leah glared irritably at her brother. She had planned to inform them of this news later. This was not how she wanted them to find out. Her gaze lingered on the astonished expressions of her friends for no longer than two seconds before moving on but she found it travelling back to that same person each time. The bitter mask that had not been associated with Jacob Black for so long had now returned. He turned to Emmett and pulled Renesmee gently back into his arms, Leah wore a strained smile. She started to get pulled into hugs again but she didn't have the energy to reciprocate.

"He's great," Seth said in a bright voice, trying to hide the fact that his sister was not paying any attention to the questions she was being asked. "His name is Alex and he has sandy-blonde hair. He's tall and athletic as well. Leah could not have imprinted on a better guy. And the best thing about Alex is that I know I don't have to worry about Leah getting hurt when she's with him." The last part was obviously aimed at Jacob but the latter had allowed the power of the imprint to blind him again. Seth was about to continue his description but stopped when he saw his sister's pleading look.

Mouthing an "I'm okay" to Seth, Leah tried her best to tear her gaze away from Jacob but it was impossible. He had his back to them and he was now cradling Renesmee to his chest. She wanted to speak to him, to know that they were at least friends but she knew Seth held a lot of resentment for Jacob. Whenever she was with Alex, Seth was totally relaxed but just hearing the name "Jacob" was enough for him to unleash a snarl. Having gone out of his way to keep her happy and take her mind off of Jacob, Leah felt lucky to have him as a brother. He had left his entire life behind for her without even hesitating. She didn't want to be the cause of another fight between the two of them.

"Where did the two of you go?" Alice asked as her eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Did you stay in America? Did you stay on the continent? Did you go to Europe?" With each question, her voice rose higher in excitement until a wave of calm that Jasper had sent out washed over her, prompting laughter from everyone – everyone but Jacob who was still isolating himself in the living room. When Leah ripped her focus from him, she realised that she had missed the last part of the conversation.

When she didn't respond, Seth jumped in with his reply. "We ended up in Canada; Vancouver, to be exact. We settled in really well during the first week and by the second month, it felt like we were living there rather than having a vacation." Pausing, Seth thought happily about the events that had taken place after they had left. He wore a lopsided grin and added, "Well, after we got mom's phone call a few days ago, we decided that it was time to come back. We knew how much you were missing us." Laughter hung in the air as the Quileute boys hoisted Seth onto their shoulders.

She'd seen it. Emily had noticed Leah staring at Jacob, studying the way his arms grew tense at times; almost as if he could tell when she was looking at him. Leaving Sam's side, she took Leah's hand and gently tugged her into the Cullens' hallway. Shifting uncomfortably, Leah waited for Emily to finish examining her expression. "Did the imprint leave some room in your heart for Jacob?" Leah chose not to reply mainly because she didn't know how to. "Leah, I think you should speak to Jacob. I know he has Nessie but you saw the way he reacted to your return. He's missed you."

"Thanks, Emily," Leah murmured as she hugged her cousin. Taking a few deep breaths, she strode casually into the living room. "Hey!" If she had been too loud, they would all have turned in her direction which would make things even more uncomfortable than they already were. Finally, after much deliberation, he turned around to face her with his eyebrows drawn together, creating a shadow over his eyes. "Wow, look how tall Nessie is now. She's growing up really fast." He raised one of his thick eyebrows at her suspiciously and Leah knew she had laid it on too thick.

"Imprinting really does change you," he murmured in his husky voice, laughing with a bitter sarcastic edge. Cautiously placing Renesmee on the couch, Jacob straightened up with a hard expression. "Who would have thought it? Leah Clearwater has actually imprinted. On a guy called Alex. Alex. It's such a normal name. Did you tell him about the imprint? Does he know you're a furry animal?" Narrowing her eyes at him, Leah couldn't hold his gaze for more than a few seconds before dropping it to the floor guiltily. Realisation dawned on Jacob and he couldn't stop the sneer in his tone as he practically shouted, "I wonder how he will feel when he finds out his girlfriend is a wolf."

Flushed with anger and embarrassment, Leah muttered through her gritted teeth, "I'm not going to hide it from him, Jake. I will tell him the truth. What about you? When Nessie grows up, are you going to tell her bedtime stories about your love for her mother? Or are you going to discuss all the times you wanted to kill her father and his family?" Convulsions ripped through her arms for the first time in three months. She fought to control it but the satisfaction on Jacob's face sent a ripple coursing through her body. Sam had already stepped into the room while Seth scooped up Renesmee in his arms and passed her to Bella who gave him an appreciative smile.

"There she is: the same old Leah. The same Leah who still thinks she's better than everyone else but she's not. The same Leah who's still infertile; don't forget to pass that important piece of information on to your precious Alex. It'd be a huge bummer for the guy to find out that his girlfriend is a dog on the same day he realises that thanks to you, he's never going to have a family." It had left a scarring wound on Leah's heart and Jacob wished he could wipe those tears away. He had done it again; hurt the people that he cared the most about in order to protect himself from that same pain.

Jacob didn't back down although he didn't continue either as he watched Emily wrap an arm around Leah's shoulder. She glowered furiously at him while Bella wore a thunderous glare look but it was nothing compared to the vicious snarls that Edward and Jasper was trying to help Seth compress. He wanted to apologise but he just couldn't. Spinning away from Emily's grasp, she mumbled, "I haven't been home yet so I should probably go there now. It's been good seeing you guys again." Emily had no choice but to stay there while Seth, Quil and Embry phased and hurried after Leah.

A single solitary tear slid down Jacob's cheek but he hastily wiped it away. She wasn't his to cry over. She never was.