Forgiveness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters.

Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person.

Tennessee Williams

Jacob arrives at home, the day at the shop seemed more stressful than usual; parts hadn't arrived on time, the guys were slacking off and getting their asses in gear was proving to become more and more of a challenge since the whole 'return of imprinting' horrors had started. Whenever he prepared to say something about it, there was always someone, mainly Paul, ready to throw his error back in his face. At least he was living at home with his family, the quads were always full of surprises, so excited to tell him about what they learned in school, arguing and fighting over who was going to go first.

A smile and a sigh of relief escapes him as he pulls inside his garage. Cutting the engine to the car, Jacob climbs out and takes in a deep breath preparing to pretend that everything is fine between him and Leah. The idea that all the hugs and kisses that he and Leah exchange are fake and forced cuts him deeply. For the last month he's been spending his nights on the couch, making sure to get up early in the morning to climb into bed to complete the farce of a happy family.

Walking up the back steps Jacob opens up the door and walks into the kitchen. His heart plummets to his feet as he looks up to see Leah wrapped in a tight embrace with Embry Call, his best friend. It wasn't just a hug either but they were kissing each other, their lips pressed feverishly into each other, Embry's hands roaming over the body of his wife, rubbing the fully extended belly that was housing his next set of children.

A furious growl rumbles from Jacob's throat as his teeth gnash together, hands clench into tight fists and his body begins to tremble with rage. Leah was his mate and no one had the right to touch her body; she belonged to him. That was his neck to kiss and suck on and the swollen breasts that Embry gropes and even has the gall to lick the top of belong to him and his soon-to-be-born babies. The growl becomes louder and more demanding snapping Embry and Leah out of their moment.

"You're home." Leah states simply with a look of annoyance.

"Leah," Jacob calls out, his voice softening along with his eyes and the trembling ceasing at her callous attitude. "Baby, I," Jacob begins but is interrupted by Leah.

"You what?" Leah asks as her head tilts to the side giving Embry easy access to her neck. "You thought that I'd forgive you for fucking Renesmee and continue playing the 'good wife'?" Leah asks with a cold laugh.

"I – I still love you, Lee." Jacob states as he looks up at Leah with hurt eyes. "I never stopped loving you and I never will. Please don't, don't do this." He pleads.

"Well…alright Jacob I'll be good." Leah says with a sigh as she pats Embry's hand that has been slowly inching towards the underside of her belly. "But once the kids are born," Leah implies as Embry begins to chuckle.

"The next set will definitely be mine." Embry adds darkly.

Jacob sits up quickly waking up from his sleep, his heart pounding, sweat covering his body and unshed tears in his eyes. His hands move to cover his face, blocking out the light as he tries to control his breathing. Nightmares have been plaguing him since he was confronted with the pack's anger, disappointment and threats. Every night he went to bed he was either plagued with dreams of Leah leaving him and whilst comparing him to Sam. She'd walk out on him with the kids in tow and reality would set in, he'd be reminded of the week that he was alone without his beautiful wife and his loving children. Sam would show up and try to comfort him, convince him that this is why he shouldn't have fought his imprint because in the end the person that really wound up hurt was the wolf.

Other times he just witnessed Leah leaving him, she'd start packing up her things and the kids' things. No matter how much he beg, bargain and plead with her he couldn't stop her from leaving. Her eyes were cold, distant and so determined; she was determined to leave him. The pack would even help her all leaving him not only without a family but without his friends, his pack and brothers.

The worst of his nightmares were the ones just experienced; Leah cheating on him with Embry or leaving him for someone else; the guy, most times Embry, bragging about how much of a better father and role-model he'd be for his kids. The sheer torture that she'd stay in La Push but would live with someone he knew. The mocking thoughts and visions of some other man running around and playing with his children; someone else teaching Harry how to fix up cars, Sarah would be hugged by a complete stranger. The simple idea of someone else consoling his 'sweetness' would eat up at him like some giant cancer. The twins wrestling with –

"Daddy! DADDY!" Jacob comes out of his thoughts as he feels tiny hands shaking him and Harry's voice.

"What? What is it?" Jacob asks suddenly feeling panicked. The quads were always good sleepers and Leah would've woken him up if he slept too long; not that he had on the couch recently. After a month and a half of this strain on their relationship, Jacob jumped at every chance to be as close to Leah as possible.

"Mommy needs you." Harry says his eyes wide with worry as the twins quickly nod their heads.

"Lee? LEAH!" Jacob calls jumping up off the couch and racing up the stairs to their bedroom. Leah wasn't due for about another week but it's not as if babies followed a strict schedule. "Leah?" Jacob calls his heart racing and his stomach knotting up when he finds their bed empty.

"In here." Leah answers from their bathroom. Walking into the bathroom Jacob breathes a sigh of relief when he finds Leah sitting in the bathtub.

"Oh, thank God you're alright." Jacob says putting a hand over his heart as he kneels down next to her. "When the boys woke me up…I – I don't know what I thought." Jacob admits his voice barely above a whisper.

Leah quickly snatches his hand and squeezes it tightly causing the bones in his hands to crack and strain under the pressure. Jacob's eyes widen as he suddenly realizes that Leah isn't completely naked in the tub and there's a lack of bubble bath. The muscles in her face and hand relax as the contraction ends and she takes the moment to breath.

"Lee, are the babies coming – now?" Jacob asks his fingers brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yea," Leah breathes out as she nods her head.

"When did the contractions start?" Jacob asks, his hand quickly moving to her belly and finding that one of the twins has already dropped.

"Maybe about…30 minutes ago, I think." Leah says as she tries to recall in her head.

"Jesus, Lee, why didn't you call me sooner?" Jacob asks as the kids all gather in the doorway.

"I've been having the pain for a few days now, I didn't think," Leah begins but a growl from Jacob silences her.

"A few days? Why – why, you should've told me, Leah." Jacob scolds before turning around and asking Taylor to bring him the phone. "Sorry, sorry." Jacob apologizes as Leah fixes him with a cold glare.

Truth is the pains were something normal from Leah's last pregnancy. She was experiencing slight contractions for two whole weeks before the quads finally came and during that time Jacob was a complete wreck worrying about every little expression of discomfort crossing his wife's face. Jacob had practically dragged Leah into the hospital when he confused her 'gas' face for a contraction. The pack had laughed about the whole thing for weeks until Leah finally went into labor and even the seasoned pros such as Sam, Jared and Paul were all at a loss of what to do for their pregnant Alpha Female.

"Do you want me to call your mother?" Jacob asks his fingers automatically finding Sue on the speed dial but a quick shake of the head from Leah stops him.

"Just call Maggie." Leah says as she hisses through another contraction.

"Okay…so they're already what; 3-minutes apart?" Jacob asks as he dials the number.

Jacob talks to Maggie quickly and calmly on the phone the moment he hears her voice. Maggie was Leah's midwife for the quads and she was so impressed that she decided to keep her on; plus, Maggie knew about the wolf thing as she was Collin's sister.

"Maggie's on her way. You sure you don't want to go to the hospital? Or maybe I should call Sue?" Jacob offers as Leah, again, squeezes his hand with such a strong force that if he wasn't a wolf, as well, she'd easily break it.

"I'm sure," Leah breathes out. "That was just too many damn people." Leah states with a frown and Jacob chuckles.

When the quads had been born every wolf, imprint, child, parent, sibling and Elder had been in the room. The alpha pair was too wrapped up into the child birthing process to care about the multiple eyes that were fixated on Leah and her birth canal; the hospital staff couldn't reason with them and Harry had come so quickly that they just decided to continue on.

The two of them had discussed just keeping the birthing, this go round, to a small immediate family experience. After Renesmee, Jacob was afraid that Leah would cut him out of the experience completely as that would be a very sufficient punishment.

But he wanted to be here for the birth of their two newest babies; he wanted to see the tiny head covered in black hair peep out before the face made its first debut followed by the rest of the baby. The whole birthing process amazed Jacob that Leah's body could stretch and expand to house so many little lives and then they'd all squeeze out that tiny hole. Leah hated being reminded of the size of her 'hole'. In short, the whole process made Leah seem even more beautiful to him because she was carrying the perfect combinations of him and her; the proof of their love and devotion to one another.

Jacob's shoulders sag at the thought of 'devotion' as that it is an ironic word to throw out considering what he did.

"Is Mommy going to be okay?" Jack asks holding his blanket and looking on with worry.

"Yea, Mommy's going to be fine." Jacob answers him with a reassuring smile before turning to look back at Leah. "The babies are ready to come and they just really upset Mommy's tummy." Jacob says as his hands strokes Leah's belly.

"The babies are coming?" Sarah asks as she darts into the bathroom followed by her siblings. "In the bathtub?" Sarah asks with a frown.

"The warm water is good for the babies," Maggie says walking into the bathroom with a huge smile on her face. "Sorry it took me so long but I had to give Collin an excuse for why I was leaving." Maggie says as she puts her black bag down on the toilet seat. "I figured you guys didn't want anyone or everyone knowing what was going on. So I lied." Maggie finishes up as Jacob chuckles and Leah attempts to but a contraction puts an end to that.

"Alright, how are we going to do this? Jacob you're kind of blocking me." Maggie says as Jacob sits up quickly and looks around lost for a moment.

"Don't leave me." Leah pleads and the tone in her voice, the sadness, mixed in with worry and desperation stabs him in the heart – he's put it there.

"I won't leave you, baby. Never." Jacob reassures her. Without a second thought, he gently pushes Leah forward and slides in behind her, joining her in the bathtub.

"That'll work." Maggie says rolling up her sleeves and smiling at the pair. Maggie knows what happened between Jacob and Renesmee; how it affected Leah, their relationship and even their family and friends. She was, needless to say, disappointed and hurt by the news when she heard it but she had to give Jacob a lot of credit for coming back at all. Leah Black wasn't exactly the kind of person you wanted to run to after making a mistake or pissing off; so he having the courage said a lot about him and how he really felt about Leah.

"Will Mommy be okay?" Jack asks softly, his eyes showing his concern as Leah's face constricts with pain and she bites back a cry.

"Mommy did this for you four; she's got this just for the two newest additions." Jacob says as he gently combs his fingers through Leah's hair.

Another contraction begins again as Leah bites her bottom lip through the pain while Jacob holding her hands and whispering in her ear words of encouragement. Maggie keeps the couple updated on Leah's status and reassures the kids that their Mommy will be okay.

Throwing her head back after suffering through another contraction Leah lets out a big sigh. Her face is covered in sweat and she feels exhausted; despite being a shape shifter it certainly didn't make birthing any easier. The quads had been sent downstairs a while ago as seeing their Mommy in pain was becoming too much for any of them to bear.

The water is warm and he can't help but wrap his arms around her, his hands resting on her stomach before burying his nose into her hair. Her scent has changed; it's sweeter now as her estrogen levels have increased during these last few weeks of her pregnancy. He's missed her, this, them, so much that he tightens his hold on her – never wanting to ever let go.

Jacob's quiet revelry is short-lived as Leah is hit with another powerful contraction, her stomach contracts suddenly and her muscles tighten. He can hear her heart racing as her body and instincts take over to expel the babies out. Her grip on the porcelain tub tightens as she grits and endures the pain, her knuckles begin to pale and her only mild relief is the concentration on Jacob's warm body behind her, his hands resting on her thighs and his hot breathe on her neck.

Life hasn't been easy since Leah and the kids moved back home. She had forgiven him but it did nothing to take away the memory of what he did. Secretly, Leah cursed herself for still loving him despite everything and wasn't sure if she was actually being strong or being weak. Was she the better person to forgive her 'imprinted' husband? Or was she being a pathetic fool for letting him back in? Truth was he didn't belong to her, never did and probably never would entirely. What kind of example was she setting for Sarah? Sarah was the second female shape shifter in their tribe's history and although it's obvious that she'd adjust to this life so much easier than her mother, love was still a whole other matter altogether.

Leah comes out of her thoughts as the contraction subsides and she falls back against Jacob. Maggie and Jacob, both, congratulating her and reassuring her that she's doing a wonderful job.

"I think you'll have these two cubs out within the hour, if you keep this up." Maggie says offering Leah a huge smile as she breathes out a shaky breathe that's mixed in with laughter.

"That's music to my ears." Leah says back.

Jacob gently brushes the hair away from her face and neck, not saying a word in fear that Leah's anger will appear during this lull. The simple fact that Leah has allowed him to be here for the birth of their twins is more than enough for him at the moment. Not being here was a recurring nightmare that he had been having over and over again.

"Thank you," Jacob breathes out finally overcoming his fear of Leah's rage and willing to take the chance.

"For?" Leah asks before she's hit with another contraction. Jacob's explanation catches in his throat as he feels Leah's hands grip onto his knees suddenly. He bites back a cry of pain as her nails dig into the flesh and winces as he, not only, feels but hears his bones slowly cracking.

"Alright, Leah, here comes the head." Maggie says with a huge smile on her face. "Just keep pushing." Jacob feels his heart racing as the pain is pushed aside and is replaced with excitement. He's seen the first four born and although this is nothing new for the couple, he still can't help but feel excited, anxious and bursting with joy over the new life that is about to be born.

"And we've got a little girl!" Maggie cheers as she quickly pulls the tiny baby out the water and works on suctioning out the water and fluids from her nose and mouth.

Husband and wife's eyes both light up at the tiny, pink bundle that is screaming her head off, fists and eyes clenched shut; there is a head full of silky black hair, with a tiny button nose.

"For this," Jacob whispers in Leah's ear after placing a huge and loving kiss on her neck. Leah smiles up at him as he hugs her body, snuggling into her as much as he can without putting any more pressure on her stomach.

"Here, I think you'd like to hold her for the time being." Maggie says handing over the baby girl wrapped up in a huge light green blanket.

Leah takes the baby into her arms, trying to keep the blanket from getting wet and pulling the material back to look at the tiny, round face underneath. Jacob feels his heart swell up with so much love for his new baby girl and he tries to think up a little pet name for the latest little princess in his life.

"She's just as big as Harry was." Leah comments after placing a soft kiss on the baby's head.

"Well I'm not surprised, not so much competition in there." Jacob chuckles as he lightly strokes the baby's cheek.

"Thank you," Leah sighs out as she nods at Maggie giving her the okay to take the little girl back. Jacob looks down at Leah in confusion before his eyes instinctually shifts to watch the baby be carried away. "For coming back – waking up, is more like it actually." Leah clarifies as her eyes close feeling the next baby coming. "I know how hard of a time everyone has been giving you," Leah says letting out a slow breathe. "Making you feel like shit, not listening and then – then throwing Embry in your face." Leah says before she's cut off with the need to focus on her pushing.

Jacob holds Leah's hands as he feels himself begin to cry. Leah was thanking him and in her own way almost apologizing; but he knows it's more so empathy than an apology.

"Despite all the shit, the anger and hurt feelings you still managed to do something that no one else has been able to do." Leah continues as the contraction passes. "You managed to still fight it even after falling so deep into it." Leah sighs softly as she feels Jacob's lips placing kisses all along her neck and side of her face. She can feel his warm tears and fights back the urge to call him a pussy for crying when she's the one actually giving birth.

"I just want you to know that I'm really proud of you, Jacob." Leah says as she feels herself close to the brink of tears.

Damn hormones.

"And that I love you and only you. No one will ever be able to replace you in my heart or in our children's hearts."

The rest of the birth passes by without any trouble as the little boy is greeted into the world with tears of love, happiness and forgiveness from his parents.

Seth sits with a small frown on his face across from Leah and Jacob as they each hold one of the twins. He had gotten the call a few minutes ago that Leah had gone into labor and brought his newest niece and nephew into the world. He was a little bit jealous, angry and frustrated that Leah hadn't wanted him there for the birth and instead had allowed Jacob.

Looking around Seth sees a mixture of emotions on everyone's face; a few are angry but majority seem to have a small look of relief upon their faces. The heavy tension that has resided over the family has finally lifted and he can't deny the fact that even the quads seem to notice the change as they are all smiles, talkative and are now bickering amongst themselves over who will hold the baby's first.

Leah had at least taken the opportunity to talk to Seth alone, first, about why he hadn't been called when she had gone into labor. He had growled at her when she told Seth that she had forgiven Jacob and what she had told him. A part of him felt that she was letting him off too easily but the other half of him had to agree with her.

'Nobody's perfect, Seth,' Leah says to Seth as she shakes her head. 'We all make mistakes and do stupid shit that we regret. The main thing is that he came back and he knew that he was in the wrong. Just between you and me, that's still more than what Sam ever did. Besides I still love him.' Leah had finished up.

"So have you two thought up names yet?" Sue asks finally had enough of just looking at her grandbabies from afar and taking the little girl from Jacob without a second thought.

Seth watches as the proud parents exchange glances and Jacob smiles before nodding his head. "Yea, we have. You've got little Kaya Diana there," Jacob says nodding at Sue, "and this is Shiloh Alexander." Looking over at Leah, Seth finds himself smiling at her before nodding his head. Together the twins meant 'gift of forgiveness'. If Leah was willing to offer up the gift that she has been able to withhold from others for so long – then so can he.

A/N: Alright so here you go. Sorry for the long hiatus but I've been having a hard time updating my stories. -_-; I think it's the stupid books that I've been reading – they're alright but that's it. But I am working on them so just bear with me and be patient.