Leah sits at the dresser at her hotel room, frowning. The table is covered with her makeup, hair products, top-of-the-line curling iron, and assorted skincare products.
She feels a little fake, if she's being honest. What's the point of dressing up and hiding herself for the sake of a group of men who have seen her naked?
But then again, all this - she thinks of the makeup, hair, dress and shoes - it's all armour. And even if she doesn't usually wear makeup, she's still got a healthy collection, and a fair amount of skill, from premiers of her collections, and social events.
So she picks up her tube of moisturiser and squirts some into her palm, smoothing it gently into her skin. Her hair is still wet, and falling straight down her back, the water soaking into the fluffy robe form the hotel.
Sighing, she picks up the primer, then the foundation. What a hassle this is. She feels bad that she's thinking of her baby brother's wedding as such an ordeal, when it should really be a happy occasion. After all, the little boy who stole her chocolate and cried when he'd held an earthworm too tight and it died, was grown up, and maybe there would be more little boys with big eyes and bigger hearts in her family.
She would be a good aunt, she thinks as she dusts the deep brown shadow into her crease, blending it into the shimmery gold shadow on her lids. LA is a fun place for kids to visit, with the Walk of Fame, and Disneyland would be fun. She smiles as she imagines it, and a pang of melancholy suddenly hits her, out of the blue, as she pops a little bit of shimmery cream-coloured shadow on the inside of her eyes.
It occurs to her that she could be a mother, if she so wished. Her menstrual cycle has started again, after all, which means she's fertile. She closes her eyes halfway as she paints the cool eyeliner on, fanning her lids lightly to help them dry. It's not like there's any lack of good-looking, willing guys in LA. She can barely leave the house for a cup of coffee without being hit on, something which perversely pleases her, because it's nice to know that the guys in the pack were wrong, that she's still desirable after all.
She carefully sticks the false lashes on. These were sent to her by a new company, who'd hoped she would be the new face of their product. She wants to try them before she puts her name on these, but they look good, dark, dramatic lashes with a little bit of sparkle from the small rhinestones stuck onto the base of the lashes. After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? Even tiny, fake ones count, she decides magnanimously.
She quickly dusts a faint sheen of coral blush on her cheeks and smooths a matte apple red lipstick on, turning her head as she carefully inspects her makeup to make sure that it's perfect. Then, satisfied, she spritzes some setting spray onto her face, fanning her hands over her face lightly to make sure it's dry before she picks up her heat protectant and starts on her hair.
Sam stands in front of the mirror in his bedroom, fixing his tie. Nerves make his palms sweaty and his fingers clumsy as he makes a mistake and has to start over again on his tie. The men in the pack are supposed to go early to have a drink with Seth before the reception, but he won't be on time if he can't get his stupid tie on.
"Work with me here," he mutters as he struggles with it. An unbidden memory pops into his head, of Leah smiling at him as her dexterous fingers nimbly manoeuvre the tie into a classic Windsor knot for his high school graduation. This was followed closely by a less pleasant memory of Harry's funeral, where it had been Emily knotting his tie for him, murmuring quiet words of consolation to him about how it hadn't been their fault.
It's probably wrong, and he knows it, but he couldn't help but compare the two women in his mind, and for something as mundane as tying his tie, for fuck's sake. And even at seventeen, Leah had been way better than Emily, anyway. Without the influence of the imprint clouding his mind, he can finally realize and admit all the ways in which Emily hadn't measured up to Leah in his mind.
Then he almost starts tearing up because he's only just beginning to realize the magnitude of his loss, of what he'd wasted, thrown away because of the stupid imprint, and his own weakness. Now that he knows it's possible to break the imprint, he can't regret not having done it enough. He'd been so complacent about it, assuming that it was fate, kismet, whatever, and that he'd been completely incapable of being swept away in the maelstrom that is the imprint.
And in doing so, he threw away real happiness, that had everything to do with actual feelings and not some stupid werewolf legend.
To distract himself, he wonders what Leah will be wearing tonight, as he finally get the knot right and straightens his suit jacket. Leah had never really made a big deal out of her fashion choices, but she always looked good, and he's seen some of the pictures of her when she dresses up for her art gallery premieres or whatever, and his girl cleans up good.
Well, she will be his girl if he doesn't screw up tonight anyway. With a deep breath, he turns away from the mirror and picks up the car keys to his truck.
Showtime.
Sue Clearwater stares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She appraises herself carefully; the small laugh lines in the corners of her eyes, the slight sagging at her jawline, all evidence of a life well lived.
She purses her lips at her reflection. "Oh Harry, if only you could be here tonight," she murmurs. She needs all the strength she can get, dealing with seeing her baby boy getting married, while simultaneously worrying herself silly about her only daughter. Tonight is going to be full of emotional turmoil. Even though Charlie is wonderful, and has brought so much light to her life in a time when it seemed that everything was turning on its head, they both know he is sadly inept when it comes to dealing with Leah. After all, how can he, when he doesn't even know the entirety of the situation?
She grimaces because it didn't have to be that way. None of this was necessary in the first place, all this heartbreak, and even Harry's death. With the fierce love and protectiveness of a mother, she feels a sense of unadulterated hate and resentment for the Cullens, and for Emily and Sam. The Cullens because if not for them, the imprinting wouldn't be a problem, and Sam and Emily because, well, they chose to cheat on Leah, to disrespect the love she and Sam had shared. And to think, she'd once stood by and happily welcomed Sam into her family, into her baby girl's life. Her lip curls and she shakes her head. How did things change so much?
Her phone rings, vibrating against the sink countertop for a moment, notifying her to a new message. It's an iPhone 5S, one of the best on the market, and certainly the best anyone on the rez owns. She'd protested against the extravagance when Leah took her to get one in Seattle, when she was there for a charity event, but Leah had insisted.
Picking up the phone, she sees the message Leah had left for her, informing her that she was with Seth. A moment of panic flares as she remembers that Seth had offhandedly told her that he was going to have a drink with the pack members before the ceremony begins, and she quickly bolts out of the ladies'.
Hurrying down to the hotel bar, she heaves a sigh of relief when she sees her two children standing next to each other, chatting. She takes a moment to admire her two beautiful children, her son looking so dapper in his wedding tux, her gorgeous daughter fully made up, her thick curls spilling down her back, a waterfall braid weaving its way through her head from her temple. She's wearing a beautiful cocktail dress in ash grey, a short dress with a halter neckline and a loose, gauzy layer of lace over a formfitting shift. The only colour in her ensemble is her red lipstick, nails, clutch and the bottoms of her black Louboutin heels.
She can't help but smile as she sees the way Leah carries herself, tall, strong and confident. That was how she used to stand, before everything happened. It's wonderful to see how much LA has changed Leah for the better, and she loves it, even though she misses Leah and worries about how she's doing in a big city all by herself.
She turns slightly, about to walk away, when she sees none other than that Lahote boy walking up to the siblings. Her eyes narrow and she starts making her way there to intercept him, warn him off her daughter. She knows how awful he'd been to her Leah while she was still in the pack, and she doesn't want him anywhere near her baby girl.
She isn't fast enough, and she sees Leah go rigid as he joins them. But as she watches, Seth turns to glower at Paul, and she knows that he's got things under control.
"Hey man, chatting up your last conquest before the old ball and chain come on?" Paul jokes as he approaches the couple.
Seth watches as Leah abruptly stiffens, looking mildly panicked and wildly uncomfortable. He gives her arm a reassuring squeeze, and turns to glare at Paul, silently telling him to shut up. Paul, being Paul, doesn't obey, and braces his elbows on the counter, peering up flirtatiously at Leah.
"Hey, if you're tired of this loser here, I could show you a good - Jesus fucking Christ, Leah?" The horror and shock in his voice make him sound almost comical, and Leah bursts into laughter, breaking the awkward moment.
"Very nice to see you too, Paul," she says dryly. "Well, I see you're doing your boy bonding thing, and this is my cue to leave," she continues, picking up her clutch from the counter.
"I'll see you later, Seth," she says, leaning in for a hug. "And… it was nice seeing you, Paul," she offers politely, before turning and exiting the bar, her clutch tucked under her arm and her phone in her hand.
Seth scowls as he watches Paul watch Leah walk away, a clear leer on his face. "Stop it," he orders, annoyed, as he takes a big gulp of the beer that the bartender plonks onto the counter in front of him.
Paul orders his own beer, and laughs as he looks at Seth. "I don't know what you're talking about," he says in his blasé manner that makes Seth want to punch him. The smile evaporates as Seth growls at him.
"Jesus, calm the fuck down, alright? I was just admiring, no harm done," Paul says defensively. "She's always been good looking, but she looks so different now with the hair and the lashes… and the way she carries herself is so different…"
Seth smiles. "Yeah, LA has really been good for her," he shares. "And no, you may not flirt with my sister tonight, or ever. Jesus, Paul," he quickly heads off the remark he knows is coming. "It wouldn't go anywhere anyway, she's headed back tomorrow morning."
Embry and Sam seem to materialize beside them. "Who are we talking about?" Embry asks, gesturing towards the bartender for beers for himself and Sam.
Seth hesitates, looking at Sam, who holds himself perfectly still, his face devoid of any expression. "Just Leah," he says, trying to feign nonchalance, while watching Sam like a hawk.
Paul jumps in enthusiastically. "Yeah, and I saw her just now, she looks absolutely smoking now!"
Sam scoffs. "She was always beautiful," he contradicts.
Seth stiffens and glares at Sam, trying to warn him off without saying anything that could spark off an argument in front of the other pack members. Sam stares back at him impassively. Paul and Embry, noticing the tension between the two men, shift uncomfortably.
The awkward silence is broken by the appearance of Jared and Quil, who join in, all abuzz with excitement after seeing Leah outside. Apparently, she had been sitting in the lobby of the resort, busily talking on her phone about what sounded like a new premiere, they reported.
"And dude, let me tell you this, Leah was always hot, but she looks amazing now. Like, off the charts hot," Quil concludes.
Seth glares at him. "Stop looking at my sister that way, shouldn't you be unable to because of Claire, anyway?" he snaps irritably.
Quil blinks at him, slightly surprised, then laughs. "Have you guys been teasing him about Leah? He looks like he's about to fly off the handle." To add insult to injury, he picks up Seth's half-full beer and downs the rest of it in two gulps, slamming the empty bottle back down onto the counter in front of Seth.
When Seth's eye begins to tick dangerously, he laughs. "Can't have you getting too drunk before your wedding, you need to be able to stand straight and sign the registration," he defends his actions, smirking.
"Stop acting like Paul," Seth orders. "Actually, all of you, stop acting like Paul, including you, Paul," he declares slightly irrationally. "And don't look at my sister that way," he adds as an afterthought.
Instead of taking offense, Paul doubles over in laughter, then stands up and slaps Seth on the back. "You're losing your edge bro, good luck for the wedding. As nervous as you are, you'll need all the luck you can get not throwing up all over yourself and your blushing bride," he teases.
"Thanks a lot," Seth grumbles, picking up Paul's beer and finishing it off in retaliation.
Emily stops short when she enters the lobby and her eyes land on Leah. Even looking distracted and having what looks like a very intense discussion on the phone, Leah is the most beautiful woman Emily has ever seen. Her thick curls frame her face and tumble down her shoulders, the false lashes adding a gorgeous sparkle to her eyes.
Envy rises in Emily, that Leah has always had everything she could ever possibly want: the guy, the grades in school, the gorgeous looks. And now, apparently, a successful career as a photographer. What kind of photographer becomes as famous as she has, anyway? Shouldn't photographers be on the other end of the camera?
But then Emily remembers the times that she and Leah had spent together, giggling under the covers as children, gossiping in the malls in Port Angeles as teenaged girls, and all the times in between that they'd shared.
She remembered Leah telling her so excitedly about Sam when they'd first become official in her freshman year and his sophomore year, and being simultaneously thrilled for her cousin and best friend, and jealous that something so romantic as finding her own soul mate had not happened to her. She remembered all the beautiful smiles and hugs that Leah had so generously given her throughout their childhood years, and the gifts they'd shared with each other.
But most of all, she remembered the look of unadulterated hatred and betrayal that Leah had given her when she'd found her in bed with Sam; the knowledge every time they'd spent time together since that day that Leah was only humouring her because she was polite and kind, and didn't want to do something like renounce her relationship with Emily.
But she'd known, even then, that the only thing that kept their relationship going was Emily's perseverance, her determination not to let Leah slip away, and her resultant clinginess.
It had been a stroke of spite, she knew, to have Leah be so involved in her wedding to Sam. She'd known it when she'd done it, and she didn't quite know why she had been so cruel to Leah. Maybe it was because she'd always been jealous of Leah, maybe it was because she'd wanted to reinforce the message that Sam belonged to her now and that he was off-limits to Leah, no matter that they'd shared such a special bond in high school, and maybe it was that she'd needed the acceptance from the pack, for being such a kind and trusting person, letting Leah be in her wedding.
Maybe it was all three.
She wondered how Leah would react if she saw her now. Would she scream and make a scene? Come up to her and pretend like nothing had happened, like they were still friends? Act like an acquaintance and smile politely?
She didn't expect what actually happened in the least. Glancing around the room, Leah's eyes settled on her for a mere second, then shifted and looked through her like she didn't remember her at all, like she was just another stranger milling around in the lobby.
She was stunned for a moment. What the hell was that? No reaction at all? She didn't warrant any sort of notice?
Shocked and somehow embarrassed by the complete lack of concern that Leah seemed to display towards her, she started forward.
Yay another chapter is up so soon I'm kind of impressed with myself hehe. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please do review to let me know what you think!
Also I'm really sorry for dragging this on for so long, I honestly had not intended to turn this into such a long story. I'll try to finish up in the next one or two chapters.
Love,
Peachy Hikaru