An: Just want to thank everyone for their feedback and reviews. It's nice to know something written specifically for SF's birthday is received well by others. You guys are super sweet. Note though, my view will always be biased, and always favour my girl, Leah. Anyone who knows my writing, should know this already. I'm team Leah and team Wolf first. I do not dance in the realm of canon pairings, so it shouldn't be expected (for the most part). Let us keep in mind that I am 'allowing' Bella to entertain the possibility of a relationship with Jake, who is my fictional (and daydream) husband (don't tell my actual husband). This sacrifice is very painful for me and my Blackwater heart. Lol. Anywhoo - enjoy.
[ IV ]
There were times when I was with him and it was too much. Does that make sense? When someone stirs a world of emotion in you and it's so intense you can barely stand to be with him. During those moments, I wanted so desperately to leave - to go home, walk into my bedroom, and shut the door behind me. Crawl into bed and lay there in the dark, tracing the outline of my lips with my fingers replaying everything he said, everything we did. I wanted to be left alone - with nothing other than my thoughts of him.
Thoughts of You - Lang Leav
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(14th & 15th of June 2006)
Edward waited on the mountain top for Jacob and Bella to arrive. Taking a moment of solace he let out a deep breath as his eyes lay gentle abandon on the breathtaking view before him. The scent of the pine and the fresh air coerced inviting memories to seep through his mind's eye. Somehow after being in this very spot a dozen times he could never understand its true beauty, until now. The snow-capped mountains in the distance, the sprawling tree tops, and the bluish grey clouds which hovered dangerously low; all of it was a beauty personified, and all of it reminded him of only one.
Leah.
His knuckles twisted inside his parka, fingertips threading and grasping the material in disdain. Knowing she would be miles away from him at the bottom of the mountain, in the midst of the first wave of defence, unsettled every bone under his marble exterior. Having lived as long as he had, he had never truly known fear. Not until this very day. Even after Jasper had explained the intent for Jacob's aroma to mask Bella's as they travelled to the peak where he now stood, he only had thoughts of the Quileute girl who would not be by his side. She was still a conundrum to him, still as mysterious as a stranger one would pass on the street in the middle of the night, yet the connection he felt inside him, knew there was something - divine - about her. Something he promised himself he would uncover, even if it took the rest of his existence.
"Jasper," he had whispered as soon as the wolf and human began their trek. "I know it is much to ask, but I need you to promise me something."
His brother's blonde brow had raised in suspicion. As an empath, he would have surely felt the shift of emotions over the last few days. "You want me to protect the wolf-girl?" he drawled in his southern twang, not as a question, but rather a statement.
"If you could."
"She has a whole pack. They will not leave her unguarded." His brother had countered.
Edward closed his eyes briefly before looking back at Jasper. "She is important. And I need to know she will be protected. Otherwise I will send another in my stead to the mountain top to protect Bella."
Jasper frowned but nodded slowly.
Just before Edward could turn and run towards his designated position his brother grasped his wrist tightly, halting him in his place. "Edward, I will do my best."
Hearing the soft rolling sound of loose rocks in the distance, he shook himself to focus back on the task ahead. Taking swift purposeful steps he walked towards the tent and waited. Having heard Jacob Black's thoughts draw ever closer he laid out the sleeping bags and readied the area for their arrival. With bad weather rolling in and snow forecast overnight he had already decided on the proceedings for the evening. A human could never last the night in the freezing depths of the Washington wilderness so there would be no fight as to who would be inside the tent with Bella. Jacob's warmth would keep her comfortable for at least the dark night that would pass over them.
He hoped, given their conversations the night before, it would be more than just the one night.
.
Leah stood side by side with Embry and Quil, purposely as far away from Sam as she could. Both boys towered over her in their bulky forms, their fur bristled in anticipation for the arrival of the Newborn army. The ground shook as they heard the rapture of what sounded like a thousand heavy feet running towards them.
"They're almost here," Jasper whispered to Jared, causing the echo of his voice to bounce through the mind link of the pack. "Remember what I said. Don't let them get your arms around you. Never turn your back on them, not even when you think it's over."
Sam snarled, flashes of red hot anger building inside him as he imagined the Newborns getting through their lines and making it to the Reservation where they all had family and friends.
'That's not going to happen,' Paul snarled, his dark grey wolf ready to pounce and tear apart anything that moved. 'They won't get through us.'
Leah's thoughts shot to her brother who was up the mountain, being used as a go-between with Edward and the pack. He was too young to be at the centre of a fight like this and even though she had agreed with Sam and Jasper that he would do better being away from the vast majority of harm, she felt unnerved about him being unprotected by another wolf.
Just as the Newborns broke through the trees, hungry mouths snarling, wild on the scent Bella had left on the clearing by smearing blood and leaving clothing items around, Leah caught a snippet through Seth.
"Seth, go," Edward said, worry shining through his golden eyes, pointing towards a higher peak for her brother to stay behind.
His nostrils flared picking up another scent. "She knew we weren't going to be there, but she caught my scent."
Bella tugged Edward's shirt, clinging to him like a plague.
"She knew you'd be with me."
The girl trembled as Edward pushed her behind him.
"She found us." Bella whimpered, her body pressed to Edward's like a trembling flower clinging to it stem in a hurricane.
"She's not alone."
'Seth, get out of there!' Leah growled, instinct pulling her to run up the mountain to protect both her brother and imprint.
Seth whined as he watched the saga unfold; a young male vampire stepping towards Edward as he shielded the human girl. Her brother was waiting, ready to pounce forward and help Edward should he need it. While valiant, Leah hated the thought of her brother being put in danger. A feral growl ripped through her throat, but she didn't have time to do more than watch. Not now that the fight was in full swing.
'Leah, your brother will be fine. Try not to get killed will ya,' Jacob shot out at her as he raced to join the fight as he tumbled down the mountain, his large russet form dodging vampire claws before pulling one back and tearing its head from its withering body.
Forcing herself to block her brother's thoughts she steeled herself before she leaped and ran towards the fight as well.
There were so many at first, but as the moments ticked by her side seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Taking down the first leech had been easy enough, having grappled the female's throat before tearing it out, severing its head in the process.
However, the second was much bigger and stronger than she expected. Granted she was only a small wolf compared to her brothers, she did have the upper hand of speed on her side. Every time it reached out its meaty hands she was able to dodge them, snarling and gnawing as she circled it to try and gain the advantage. Leaping on to its back had been a good idea in the beginning until it easily reached over, fisted her fur, and threw her forcefully onto the grass. She felt her shoulder and ribs pop on impact but she had no choice in continuing the fight.
Somehow she had managed to push up, grasping its whole head in her mouth as her paws dug into its chest. It wailed and clawed at her, tearing strips of both fur and skin, but she didn't dislodge. Quil had quickly come up behind them, shoving the vampire into a better position for Leah to finish it off. Shredding her claws into the Newborns shoulder, she tugged and snarled until its head separated from its shoulders, shrieks still filling the air even as the body split in two parts on the dewy grass below her paws.
'Thanks, Ateara,' she shouted, busy dismembering the rest of the huge pale creature.
She gagged as the taste of human blood squirted through the tissue of the Newborn in particular places.
'Urgh, gross! So that's what Carlisle had meant when he said they were stronger because their human tissue lingered in their body,' she thought to herself.
Glancing up she found another leech lingering near the edge of the clearing, hissing directly at her with its blood red eyes. She bounced up and darted toward it, vicious thoughts swirling through her mind. It looked exactly like the male leech who had appeared on the mountain. The thought almost derailed her as she leaped and sailed through the air towards the blood-sucker. What she didn't expect was for the leech to be so quick. Still in the air it had grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, throwing her across the clearing. She hit the trunk of a nearby tree hard, splintering the wood, as well as shattering her front paw.
'Leah!' Jacob called frantically, running towards her. She could feel his worry flooding through her like the gates of a large quarry opening. Honestly, she didn't even think Jacob Black would care. He was always so bitchy and hostile ever since Bella had come along, he had almost forgotten how close the Black and Clearwater kids had been as children. She hadn't though, and every step of the way she missed the bright-sunny disposition he once had. Broken hearts really did make people assholes.
'Jake, wait! He's fast!'
Leah watched in horror as Jacob fought the Newborn, but it was all in vain. The leech was so fast and had Jacob in a vice grip before anyone knew what was happening. The sheer horror of listening to his ribs break made her whimper in pain (even though some of hers were also broken). Luckily, Paul had watched the scene unfold and had also moved with lightning speed, tearing the creature off of Jacob before finishing it off.
Wolf melting away, Jacob hit to ground as human, screaming in pain as he clutched his right side.
Leah melted into the grass, being weighed down by the guilt of him having to save her and then him getting hurt. She never intended to force his hand to help her, and she was drowning in the misery of watching him wither in agony.
Suddenly he was surrounded by both the pack and the Cullen's. Even Edward and Bella had appeared, meaning that they (or at least Edward and Seth) must have taken out the male and the redhead, Victoria.
"The bones on the right half of his body are shattered." Carlisle said in a concerned manner as he hovered over him, his cold fingers pressing into different places over his russet skin. "I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in."
"There's no time," Alice gasped, her pretty eyes wide with concern. "The Volturi, they're coming."
"We will take him back to Billy's," Sam announced as the boys began to lift Jake on their shoulders. "Let's go Leah," he said pointedly, a scowl covering his face, his glance flicking to Edward in smug satisfaction. She whimpered in response and tried to get to her paws. Even with the shattered limb she hobbled slowly after the pack, wincing with each breath she took. While the pain was great, it was no way comparable to Jake's. He'd gotten hurt trying to save her.
"She's hurt," Edward hissed at Sam, causing both men to stare each other down. "You can't expect her to make it back to the Reservation in her condition. She'll be lucky if she walks again."
"She'll live. It's her arm," Sam snapped back, urging Edward to take the first swing.
Leah knew how much Sam wanted Edward to give him a reason to kill him and she hoped he wasn't stupid enough to fall into Sam's clutches.
"Edward, we must regroup. The Volturi cannot know about the wolves. They must leave now. I'll tend to both her and Jacob once this is over." Carlisle urged.
The bronze haired man turned to his father with a look she had never seen before. Rage pulsed through every corner of his frame. "If a single hair is not put back into place, there will be no need for a Treaty. I will kill Sam myself." He hissed defiantly.
.
Leah sat in Billy's small kitchen as her mother tended to her. With each scream from Jacob's room down the hall, Leah flinched, pressing her eyes shut. She didn't even notice the hot tears rolling down her face until her mother wiped her face with a warm damp cloth, revealing her pretty face under the dirt, grime and blood.
"He'll be fine, baby." Her mother cooed as the cloth trailed along her skin, cleaning away the facet of war with each smooth stroke.
"Jacob's an idiot."
Her mother sighed, gently laying her hand over the arm Leah had pressed protectively to her chest. The bones ached under her skin, each splinter of bone trying to heal and reform. She knew Carlisle would have to re-break her bones as well, because under the skin, the mess of bone and cartilage felt all wrong.
Before her mother could speak, the door was flung open and there stood Carlisle, holding a large black medical bag. But that's not what caught Leah's eye. It was the dollop of bronze hair shimmering behind the good doctor. Her insides were swirling, causing her to gasp then wince at the pressure on her ribs. The shattering sound of Jacob's moan alerted the blonde haired doctor to a more imminent need.
"Go," Leah instructed. "He needs you more than I do."
With a nod, Carlisle disappeared, leaving Edward burning with rage in front of her. She held her arm tighter to her chest as her fingers wiggled, feeling the rip-roaring pain sweep through her limb. She stuttered as she sucked in a breath, her eyes still drawn to the man in the doorway.
Suddenly, Edward's anger dispersed, leaving him only full of worry. Instantly he was by her side, gently taking her arm and tenderly running his icy fingers over her warm skin. Her whole body trembled at the closeness of him. Even his scent was different to the others, still sweet like toffee, but the deathly incessant smell the others possessed, did not include him.
"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes flicking from his to his hands.
"I'm looking for breaks," he told her softly, crouching down in front of her.
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
He raised an eyebrow at her sharp question but answered anyway. "I have many degrees, Leah. Medicine is just one of them. Now please, tell me when the pain is unbearable. I am going to try my best to not hurt you."
Leah looked down noticing his hand. She didn't think vampires could get hurt but Edward's hand looked odd (kind of bruised maybe).
"I fought with Jasper." he replied, obviously reading her thoughts (something she wasn't sure she would even be comfortable with). "As soon as the Volturi left I slammed him into a tree. Probably not the wisest of decisions though." His eyes crinkled as he laughed softly. "Jasper is much stronger than he looks."
"Why?" Leah asked, hissing just as he found a tender spot lingering around her wrist. She tried to yank her hand back but he held it securely, making sure she wasn't going to injure herself further from the quick movement.
"He broke a promise to me, which by all accounts was unreasonable to ask of him. Still, it didn't make me any less angry to see how hurt you were. I - Leah. I'm sorry I wasn't there. That I didn't protect you. You will never know how truly sorry I am."
She couldn't help but look away from the sincerity in his eyes. She felt abashed and exposed under his stare and it was still a little bit freaky that this was her imprint. Her potential, forever. She shuddered when his eyes flicked to the marks on her shoulders, bruising covering the most part of them.
"Are these from the fight?" Edward frowned, his fingertips brushing over the strange shaped marks.
When Leah's thoughts flicked back to the memories of the night before with Sam, Edward stiffened, his nostrils flaring. Before he could stand Leah reached out and stopped him by grabbing onto the collar of his shirt.
"Don't." she whispered with a shake of her head. "He's not worth it."
Edward bent back down, his hand resting on the spine of the chair behind her. With his face angled in such a way, their eyes were level. His golden orbs flicked from each one of her eyes, searching for something.
"He hurt you. He should be taught a lesson about putting his hands on a woman. Men like him always choose to enslave those who are weaker, brandishing their power and authority over others. He is not fit to be your Alpha, or in your life."
Leah shook her head. "Edward. Leave it alone. I don't want to give him a reason to kill you."
Edward smirked. "You think I can't handle one wolf?" When she didn't respond he sighed and lent even closer to press his lips against her temple. "Okay. I won't do anything. Not yet."
"Thank you," she shuddered, not merely a breaths-whisper away from the column of his pale throat. "Now, can we fix my arm because it's really starting to suck?"
He chuckled as he pulled away and crouched down in front of her again.
"As you wish."
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