A/N: This is an AU story. There *is* some borrowed dialogue from Twilight and Midnight Sun in here somewhere. My story parallels B/E's romance. Please read the full disclaimer on chapter one.

Warning: POV changes will occur.

Disclaimer: The Twilight Series belongs to Stephanie Meyer. Mitts off Leia.

***********************************************************

Chapter Six

Leia's POV

As I watched the Volvo speed away through Alice's eyes, I felt something inside me break. My dearest brother, my mentor and my best friend, was leaving. As soon as the car was out of sight, Alice tugged on my hand and we ran back towards the house.

"What happened?" I had to know. Alice slowed and tucked me against her side with a sigh.

"He's afraid he might hurt the new girl, Bella Swan. I don't know what's going on, really, but the possibility is there. He'll either leave, or we'll all have to go." Alice's voice shook and I knew then that the vision she'd seen wasn't pretty. Or maybe it was just because it was Edward, whose self control we just took for granted. What was it about the Swan girl that would make him want her so badly it threatened to bring out the monster in him?

"I don't understand." My voice broke and for the first time in ten years, I wished that I could weep. Alice hugged me tightly and kissed my chin.

"Neither do I, little one. Neither do I."

The rest of the evening was torture as we waited for Carlisle to get home. When he did, he had only a little more information than we did.

"She's different for him, her scent, her blood is stronger than anything he's ever been close to. He said he had to leave, or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from...having her." Carlisle's voice was strained. I was sprawled on one of the couches in the room, staring at nothing of course since I wasn't touching anyone.

"He doesn't want us to go with him. She'll be gone in a year or two and he'll come back to us." I heard Esme's halting, dry sobs and I would have gone to her, if I hadn't been frozen in my own grief. I heard the crush of her clothing and knew that someone, probably Carlisle, had hugged her. Perhaps it was silly of me, an immortal, to be so distraught over the thought of a year or two without my brother.

"This is crazy. What's one girl gonna hurt? It wouldn't be the first time..." Emmett trailed off, probably because someone gave him a baleful glare. No, Emmett didn't understand how much it would hurt. Not just the Swan family, but our family. Edward would never forgive himself for taking the life of an innocent. If it was one thing I had learned in my ten years with the Cullen family, it was the way each of them felt about themselves and about human life.

Emmett was the most laid back of us all. He abstained from the normal vampire diet not out of self control, but out of loyalty to his family and love for his wife. He wasn't a complicated soul, but he was very protective of his own. Everything else took a back seat to the safety and love of his family, even the death of innocent human beings.

Edward, however, was Emmett's opposite. He had a deep, complicated soul and he followed the 'vegetarian' lifestyle because he truly believed that human life was worth preserving. Granted Edward had spent time early in his vampire life trying to rationalize the taking of human life by hunting down human monsters. In the end, however, he concluded that taking any human life, even the evil ones, made him into a greater monster than they were. In the ten years I had been a vampire, I had come to believe as he did except for one small detail. He didn't think he had a soul. I still believed as I had the night I had made my decision to become like him.

"It's Edward's decision and we must respect him enough to try and understand it. He was adamant that we leave Bella Swan alone and I promised. So I don't want to hear that any of you have broken my promise. Now, I think we've had enough of our little experiment. Everyone go hunting." Carlisle's voice was stern. There were murmurs of agreement before everyone scattered. I found myself alone on the couch. It was a bitter reminder of the fact that Edward was my usual hunting partner, a fact that everyone seemed to have forgotten.

I made a quick decision then, to go hunting by myself. It wasn't something I did often, but I was familiar enough with the game trails near our home to feel comfortable alone. Even if I did hit a tree or two, it wouldn't bruise anything but my ego. Well, the tree might not survive, but in the wilds around Forks, trees weren't an endangered species. I headed out in the opposite direction from my family, easily locating a small herd of deer not two miles south of the house.

Three deer and two small trees later, I was lamenting the mess I must look. I really did like the dress I was wearing, a pretty red gingham that I had picked out myself. It was torn in two places and more than likely covered in tree sap and heaven knew what else from the forest floor. I climbed a tree and curled up in a hollow, grateful to be completely alone for the first time in a very long time.

As I thought on the reason for Edward's abrupt departure from our lives, I began to get angry. I didn't believe, like Emmett and possibly Jasper, that she should die to convenience our family. I was angry at Edward for running away. He had never been one to back down from a challenge and yet he had fled this one. Okay, so I didn't know all the facts and just the memory of Edward's tortured face through Alice's eyes in the car was enough to cool my temper a bit, but I wanted my brother with me, here, not running off to Denali.

"At least you could have taken me with you." My unhappy words were lost in the quiet forest and I leaned my head back against the tree and tried to think about something, anything else but my own troubles. I didn't want to be a jealous, selfish little sister because I knew if I dwelt on it enough, I would channel all my frustration at Bella Swan. The poor girl would probably never have any idea of the havoc she had wrought on our family just by moving here from Phoenix.

Six days later

I was dancing when Alice made her announcement. Esme had designed a small dance studio for me, as part of my room. I had almost half of the top floor to call my own. Of course I wasn't the only one to use it, but it was officially Leia's room. My things were tucked neatly into one corner. I had left the bed behind in Denali in favor of a well padded couch and a half dozen floor pillows. One entire wall was shelves for my books and the sound system. I was choreographing a ballet to some of Edward's compositions. It kept my mind busy and working with his music chased away some of my melancholy. I had an entire act done. I just needed to ask Carlisle to help me out with the paired dances. He had studied ballet sometime in the late eighteen hundreds.

"He's coming home." Those three little words brought a cheer from Emmett and a squeal of delight from me. I heard Esme's joyous laugh and Carlisle's relieved sigh. Jasper and Rosalie didn't make any discernable noises. I danced downstairs on my toes and jumped off the stairs, fully planning to leap into the main room and continue dancing. Instead, I thudded into Jasper, who laughed softly and caught me mid-leap. I threw my arms around his neck and rained soft kisses across his jaw. I heard a mock snarl from Alice.

"Hands off the merchandise, you cheeky girl."

I put one hand on Jasper's face and snuggled into his arms, looking at my sister through his eyes. She was wearing a smile that probably rivaled mine, despite her words, so I stuck out my tongue.

"Hey, girls, no need to fight over me. There's enough to go around, I assure you." I felt his mouth turn into a lazy smile. I patted his cheek and sighed dramatically.

"Alas, I don't share. You'll have to choose." He threw back his head and laughed. I gasped when he threw me through the air. I hated when my brothers decided I was a tossing toy, because the on/off sight thing was a little disorienting. So I wasn't surprised to be caught by another strong pair of arms. I was surprised that it was Carlisle and not Emmett. Through his eyes, I watched Jasper sweep Alice into a dramatic kiss. I sighed.

"Rejected again. I don't know how many times he's going to break my heart, Dad." Carlisle chuckled and held me close for a moment. I enjoyed the contact.

"Not to worry, my girl. The right man will come along some day and he'll sweep you off your feet in the not so physical sense." I tucked my head under his chin and snorted softly.

"I'm afraid I'm ruined for other men. My brothers are all so perfect, every poor soul I come across doesn't hold a candle in comparison." I said this in a teasing tone, but in all honesty it was the truth. It would take an extraordinary soul to turn my head. I had once entertained the thought that perhaps Edward and I were meant to be a couple, but he had very gently disabused the notion before my adoration turned from platonic to romantic. I was a little sad about it, but it would have made him uncomfortable if I had looked at him that way, so I had settled happily into the baby sister role.

"When, Alice." Esme was the one to come out and ask what we were all wanting to. Alice didn't turn her face away from Jasper, but she did give us what we needed to know.

"Sunday morning. In time to go back to school on Monday."

Sunday evening

When Edward came home, we all gave him space. Well, all of us except Esme. I guess we were trying to act like nothing had actually happened. Of course, he could read our thoughts so I knew it was a stupid exercise. I wasn't sure what to say to him, myself, so I spent Sunday shut up in my room choreographing. I don't know if he was afraid to come to me or if the whole situation with Bella Swan had really messed up his head so much he didn't realize how much I had missed him.

"I'm going hunting. You coming?" Edward's voice interrupted my latest run through of the scene where the heroine was running through the woods, alone and frightened, looking for someone. I wasn't sure who yet. I paused mid pirouette and frowned. I thought I'd be happier when he finally came to see me, but I guess I was still harboring a great deal of lingering hurt.

"I can hunt by myself." It came out petulant. I winced.

"Ah, okay. Just don't wear your favorite dress next time, Lei. I hear you ruined it." His voice held just a hint of humor. I was going to kill Emmett for telling him. He'd been the only one to see me when I came home from my hunt last week. I hadn't been out again since. The dress was balled up under my couch, where I had thrown it in frustration.

"Yeah well, maybe I'll go naked next time. Give the squirrels the thrill of a lifetime." I growled his at him and then proceeded to ignore him. Maybe he would just go away. I held onto my anger for all of two seconds, until his scent faded from the room. Then I panicked.

'Don't go away again! I didn't mean it.' In my haste to run after him, I forgot that I had put a chair in the middle of the floor as a prop. I tripped over it and would have sprawled in the floor but he was there to catch me. He cradled me against his chest and I hid my face in his neck, clutching his shoulders with my fingers. I didn't bother to borrow his eyes. I didn't need to see, I just needed to hold onto him for a while.

"Come hunting with me?" He asked again. I wasn't really hungry, but I would go with him. Who knew how long he would stay for this time. I wanted every moment with him I could get.

"I'll try, Leia. That's all I can promise." His voice was full of confusion and even some anger. I sighed softly as he stepped out my window, jumped onto Jasper and Alice's balcony and then to the ground. As he ran, he slung me around onto his back. I clung to him easily. It had been a while since he'd carried me on the hunt and I decided to enjoy the moment. I did my best to keep my thoughts light and quiet. He had once told me I was better at keeping my thoughts quiet than the rest of the family. Maybe it was because during my months with him as a human I had practiced so hard at it. It seemed to make me easier to be around when he was tired of all the voices floating around him.

"Big cat north-north-east about a mile and a half." I suggested this helpfully, knowing my brother enjoyed the carnivores more than the herbivores or even the omnivores. I knew by the musk along the trail towards its heartbeat that it was a male, so we didn't have to worry about leaving cubs motherless. Edward adjusted his path to intercept and I smiled. Let the others think that my hunting relationship with Edward was only of benefit to me. I was the best long range tracker in the family.

An hour later, Edward had drank more than his fill and I had snacked. We were headed back to the house, this time just hand in hand, when Edward decided to bring up the delicate subject.

"Did she say anything?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I knew exactly what he was talking about. If Edward wasn't around to hear thoughts, I was the next line of defense against the humans who might suspect something wasn't quite human about the Cullen's. I had never been forced to use my extraordinary hearing for that purpose before, so this week had been a learning experience. I could pick out a single voice from the multitude on the campus and focus on it. Everyone in the family had the talent to a certain extent, but I was best at it and my range was easily three times theirs.

"Don't play coy, Lei. I know you've been watching her like a hawk since I left. You have a class with her and Alice said she had to head you off a couple of times from approaching her." His tone was heavy with sarcasm and I shrugged.

"All in the line of duty. Know thine adversaries and all that crap."

"She's been spreading rumors, then?" He sounded resigned, as if he'd been expecting that. I laughed.

"No, not a peep. Don't know why you're asking me, since you'll know the minute you get back to school tomorrow." He was quiet for moment before sighing.

"Not really. I can't hear her."

I was shocked. Did he really mean he couldn't read her mind? I sensed his nod from the way his vision tilted up and down. Well, this was a new development.

"Can you see through her eyes?" His question was hesitant. I nodded myself.

"She likes classic Austen, actually pays attention in class and she keeps her eyes on the ground a lot. She's shy, I think. She always checks our table in the cafeteria first thing and relaxes when you aren't there." I said this last softly. I felt him stiffen beside me.

"So she did notice." His voice was distressed, almost sad.

"What exactly did she notice?" I still wasn't sure what had happened between the two of them that would cause Edward such grief. Obviously he hadn't tried to bite her or anything too terrible or she wouldn't have kept silent about it.

"She's my lab partner in Biology." He said it like it was the worst torture in the world. And perhaps it was. What would I do if I had one of them next to me, my worst temptation ever? I couldn't really imagine it. Okay, maybe Roan last year. I could still taste the tang of his blood on my tongue, could still feel the rage when I had been pulled away before I could feast. I pushed it down viciously. Maybe I should have another deer or three.

"Imagine sitting beside Roan, bleeding, for an hour." I shuddered and could appreciate his self-control all the more. I had lasted all of five seconds, and luckily Emmett had only taken four to pull me away.

"Can you switch classes?" He snorted softly.

"Tried that. Almost had Ms. Cope convinced when she came into the office. But really, I refuse to take the easy road. I'm going to face this problem head on and conquer it." He sounded determined, but I knew what would happen if he failed. Either he would leave again…

"Or I'll become the real monster and we'll all be forced to leave again."

I squeezed his hand and leaned up on impulse to kiss his cheek.

"I believe in you, Edward."

"Thanks, Lei."