A/N: Thank you for your amazing comments! You guys make this so much fun. As always, I'd love to know what you think.


Leah was making a chip and salami sandwich when Mom came into the kitchen and crossed her arms in that way that said they were going to have a Talk.

"I'm supposed to be at work in, like, five minutes," Leah said, clutching her sandwich and edging toward the door. She had no frigging clue why she was in trouble, but it didn't matter; she recognized the look on her mother's face. It was a look that said, you're not going to like what's about to happen to you, but for me it will be perversely satisfying.

Mom rolled her eyes, but she uncrossed her arms and started fidgeting, looking almost as guilty as she had last week when she and Charlie had returned from their first official date and Leah had opened the front door to find them full-on making out under the porch light.

Oh, shit.

"We don't have to talk about you frenching Charlie," Leah promised. "I'm over it. Really. I probably won't even need that much therapy."

"Cool it, kiddo," Mom said, regaining her stern demeanor. "This discussion is not about my personal life."

"This is a discussion?" Leah asked dully. Great. Might as well take a seat.

Mom cleared he throat, preparing for something Leah was pretty sure she was going to hate.

"The Council is considering lowering some of the restrictions on Renesmee Cullen."

Leah was back on her feet in an instant.

"You're what?"

She had to hand it to her mom. Leah was at least a foot taller and about twenty times as strong, not to mention she turned into a wolf when seriously pissed, but Mom didn't even flinch at her daughter's outburst. She never had. Maybe that was why Leah had gotten so good at having them.

"You heard," Mom said, voice calm. "Are you going to listen, or do you need to shout at me first?"

Leah glowered for a moment before slumping back into her chair, her mind already spinning with dark images of the future. The leeches driving right onto Quileute land, dropping Thing off at Jake's door. The Cullens at the next cookout, maybe with a dead deer in tow. Or, worst of all, a Clearwater family dinner with Charlie and the monsters he called in-laws.

Leah's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Tell me this is not about you trying to get it on with the Chief."

"Leah Elizabeth!" Mom yelled, and Leah knew she'd gone too far. She'd inherited her mother's temper, and she recognized the signs of an incoming bitch-out. "I think I have been pretty damn lenient with you for the last few years, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes," Leah muttered to her knees, feeling about five years old.

"I have put up with your sullen behavior, your door-slamming, not to mention your rudeness to your brother and to Charlie and to me. I understand that things have been very hard for you since your dad died, but they've been pretty hellish for me too, and you can be as angry with me as you like, but as long as you live in this house, you will show respect to me and to any man I choose to date, is that clear?"

"Yes," Leah said again. Her stomach twisted with fury and resentment and guilt, but she didn't raise her eyes.

"Good. Glad we cleared that up." Mom seemed to gather herself before she went on. "In light of how well things have been going with Renesmee's visits these past few months, Old Quil suggested that she be allowed to cross the treaty line with only one escort. Billy agreed that it would be nice for Jacob to be able to look after her by himself. I said I'd have to check with you."

Leah's head snapped up to see Mom watching her with one eyebrow raised.

"You did?" she asked when it didn't seem like Mom was going to explain.

"I did. I couldn't think of a fairer judge of the situation."

"You didn't think very hard, then." Leah almost winced at her rudeness, but Mom just smiled.

"I was hoping you'd agree to spend some time with her and Jake. Decide what you think, and I'll make a recommendation to the Council."

Leah's mouth dropped open as the full injustice hit her.

"Wait. You want me to hang out with Jacob and Rosemary's baby?" she demanded. "On purpose?"

Mom laughed, and Leah ground her teeth.

"That's right," Mom half-sang, heading out of the kitchen. She was enjoying this way too much. "Don't make me regret it!"

Leah growled. Yeah, right. She'd regret it enough for the both of them.


"So what's up with you, Leah?" Jake asked as they pulled onto La Push Road and headed toward Forks.

"What?"

He gave her a look like she wasn't fooling him. For both their sakes, Leah really hoped she was.

"You didn't suddenly wake up with a burning desire to smell leech stink today, so what gives? I know you don't actually like Nessie. You don't hide it that well."

Leah fixed her eyes on the trees flicking past outside.

"Sorry," she muttered. She didn't owe the Cullens a damn thing, but she knew it hurt Jake that his pack loathed his imprint. Though Leah had to admit that "loathe" was too strong a word for whatever she felt for Thing these days. Bit by bit, Jacob was getting what he wanted. They'd be overrun by bloodsuckers soon enough.

Jake frowned, his eyes back on the road. "You should just give her a chance, Leah. You might actually like her. And I'm not just saying that because I think she's the best thing since gravity."

Leah smiled. She appreciated him making light of the imprint. Especially since she knew how serious it was for him.

Of course she couldn't tell Jake what she was really doing here. She'd make a fair and honest assessment of Thing, like Mom had asked, and if she didn't think the little half-breed was safe for the rez, she'd tell the Council so. And if she had her way, Jake wouldn't know about it until the next time they phased together. Maybe not even then, if she could keep her thoughts to herself.

"I am giving her a chance," she said instead, avoiding his eyes. "That's why I asked to come with you."

She felt Jacob's eyes on her face, and she could tell he wasn't buying it. He'd let her come along, though. That was all she needed.

Leah was only doing this for Jacob, and she guessed Mom knew that. Maybe that was what she meant by Leah being a fair judge – her hatred of all things Cullen was balanced by her fondness for Jake. It was up to Thing to tip the scales one way or another.

They reached the half-hidden entrance to the Cullens' property sooner than Leah would have liked, and then Leech Manor was looming up ahead, unchanged in the three years since Leah had spent sleepless nights running laps around its perimeter, waiting for the bloodsucker's spawn to chew its way of out of Bella's uterus.

"Remember Edward can hear your thoughts," Jacob warned, almost like he could hear hers. She supposed it wasn't that hard to guess what she was thinking, though, and she tried to wipe the grimace off her face.

They were barely out of car when the front door banged open and Thing streaked towards them, a blur of green and red and white.

"Jacob!" Thing's cry was jubilant as she threw herself into Jake's arms. He laughed and twirled her around as she hugged his neck and kissed his cheeks. Leah looked away.

"Hi, Leah," Thing said.

"Hi," Leah answered, suddenly uncomfortable. Thing looked different and it wasn't hard to tell why: she was relaxed here in a way she never was on the rez. Leah was on her territory now.

Thing looked at Jacob with a frown. After a moment, he kissed her cheek.

"No, we're staying here," he said, and Leah realized that Thing had been "talking" to him in that freaky-ass way of hers. "Leah just wanted to hang out with us today."

To her credit, Thing only looked blank for a moment before she smiled like nothing could make her happier than spending the day with someone who actively disliked her.

"Great!" she enthused, dropping back to the ground and taking Jake's hand. "Mom made tons of food."

As they entered the mansion, the sickly sweet stench of vampire hit Leah full on, so thick she could taste it on the back of her tongue.

"Uh, I already ate," Leah mumbled, trying not to gag. Jacob smirked at her.

Most of the vamps were gathered in the kitchen, which explained the concentrated stink. Leah tensed instinctively in the presence of so many enemies, but she forced herself to relax and follow Jacob into the room.

"Hey, Jake," Bella said with a smile. "Leah, it's good to see you again." She was stirring something on the stove, but Leah couldn't tell what it was – her sense of smell had apparently shut down in protest.

"Hey, Bells," Jake said. "Hey, guys." He plopped into one of the tall chairs at the kitchen island and pulled Thing onto his lap.

"Hey, bro," greeted the big vampire, whose name Leah had happily forgetten. His blonde wife just glowered.

"How is your family, Leah?" the mom one asked, her pale eyes warm. She had always been Leah's secret favorite of the clan, but Leah couldn't quite manage to return her smile. Everything about being here felt wrong.

"Fine," she muttered. Then, because Mom would've been appalled even if they were the undead, she added, "thanks."

"That smells delicious, love," Edward said, entering the room so fast that Leah almost didn't see him. He bent to kiss Bella's marble cheek.

Bella grinned and her teeth glinted like knives.

"No it doesn't," she teased. "It smells awful. But Jake seems to like it."

"I'd like it better if Rosalie served it to me," Jacob said, turning his best shit-eating grin on the blonde. Her face, if possible, got even deadlier.

"Don't push me, mutt," she growled. "This is hard enough as it is."

"That's what–"

"Jacob," Bella warned.

"She said!" Thing finished brightly.

"Jacob!"

Edward was glaring daggers and Bella was clearly horrified, but the big vampire roared with laughter, and Jacob's face – torn between triumph and shame – was pretty damn priceless. Leah snorted and bit her lips to keep from laughing out loud.

"Somebody's in trouble," the big leech taunted, his yellow eyes sparkling.

"Oh, please," the Pixie leech said, gliding into the room with her morose blond shadow. "Don't pretend to be innocent, Emmett – we all know you're the one who told her what "tool" means."

"That was you?" Bella cried, and Rosalie smacked Emmett upside the head with a sound like a breaking tree branch. The Pixie grinned at her husband, pleased with the havoc she'd caused, and they both disappeared up the stairs.

"Hey," Emmett complained, wincing and rubbing the back of his head. "Remember what Jacob did? He taught her "that's what she said"! We're mad at Jacob now."

Leah was pretty sure that Embry and Seth had taught Thing "that's what she said," although not on purpose. She'd have to tell them about this later – they'd be so proud.

"Jacob," Edward sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in that long-suffering way of his. Leah assumed he thought it looked human, and maybe it did, if you were eighty. Edward shot her a glare, but let his hand drop to his side. "I'm sure we don't have to have another discussion about age-appropriate subjects…?"

"I can think of some other discussions we'll be having," Bella said, her cat-like eyes narrowed.

Jake ducked his head and looked embarrassed until Bella relented and served him a bowl of stew. The vampire stench was turning Leah's stomach, but Jacob didn't seem to mind, and he had no trouble wolfing down three helpings while grilling Thing about her day.

The little leech had hopped off Jake's lap and into her own chair while he ate, and she sat between Leah and Jacob, chattering happily about everything she'd done since Jacob had left her last night.

"…And then Aunt Rose brushed my hair and I practiced the piano. This morning, we went hunting, and I caught the biggest buck."

"Nice one," Jacob said, high-fiving her. "Did you outrun Edward?"

Thing grinned at her father where he stood with his arms around Bella, and they both smiled adoringly back.

"Only for a moment. But he let me."

"I didn't!" Edward protested with a smile. "You're just that fast." He reached out and tweaked Thing's nose, which she allowed with an affectionate grimace.

"Sure, sure."

Jacob laughed and ruffled Thing's hair.

"And then Auntie Alice helped me order new clothes, and then we watched The Little Mermaid," she said, suddenly a child again. "I know it's Claire's favorite, but I prefer Mulan."

"Why's that?" Jacob asked, listening like she was explaining the answer to some complex problem for the first and only time.

Thing gave him a look that very clearly said, duh. "Because she's the hero."

"Ah, of course."

"I always liked Beauty and the Beast," said Bella.

Jacob shot a significant look at Edward.

"Shock me, why don't you?"

Thing giggled and Jake winked at her. Leah was surprised the joke wasn't over Thing's head; obviously, she understood more than she'd ever let on at the rez.

Edward just chuckled and wrapped his arms around Bella, who rolled her eyes theatrically at Jacob.

It was hard to believe how different they all were from the last time she'd seen them together. Jake and the Cullens did more than just tolerate each other now, and Leah struggled to put this strange new relationship into words. As she watched Jacob exchanging jokes with Emmett and teasing Edward, being gracious to Esme and antagonistic to Rosalie and always, always watching Thing like he relied on her for his next breath, it dawned on her.

Jacob was part of their family. Not as much as he was part of the pack family, but maybe not so far off. She knew the Cullens pretended to be a family as part of their human charade, but it had never occurred to her that they actually were one. But here they all were, joking and laughing and irritating each other, just like… like they were normal.

It was fucking weird.

She knew Jacob had been here nearly every single day since Nessie was born, but she'd assumed things had stayed more or less the same, with Bella and Edward just barely allowing the imprint and Jacob desperately trying to be their lapdog. She hadn't expected Esme to be asking about baby Andrew, or Bella to be laughing over Billy and Charlie's latest fishing misadventure, or Rosalie and Jacob to be exchanging grease monkey tips in between insults.

Leah shook herself. She was here to assess Renesmee. That was what Mom had asked her to do, and going home and saying, "did you know the leeches can smile like real people?" wasn't going to cut it.

She turned her focus to Thing and saw the littlest leech basking in the glow of her – okay, her family's – happiness. Thing followed the grownups' conversation easily, throwing in comments and jokes that were far beyond her years. Emmett tried to pinch her cheeks once and she snapped at his fingers. She missed on purpose, but she put up with Emmett ribbing her for being too slow. She patiently accepted the kisses and cuddles and pats of her family, although Leah could tell she was old enough that the coddling was starting to grate. Most interesting of all, she hung on Jacob's every word.

Leah began to see why Thing had learned Quileute. As much as Jacob watched Thing and responded to her every move, she did the same to him. She smiled when he did, laughed at his jokes and eagerly sought his praise.

This, Leah realized, was what imprinting looked like halfway between the Quil-and-Claire stage and the Sam-and-Emily stage. Jacob was still Thing's best toy, but she was old enough now to realize that he was something else, too. Something special. A whole person, just for her.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked as Leah bolted to her feet.

The vampires had fallen silent, watching her like cobras.

"Nothing," Leah managed. "I should just… get going, you know, leave you guys… yeah."

"Do you want me to–?"

"I can run," she cut him off. She tensed, trying to figure out the right etiquette for this moment. Thanks for not having me for lunch? I appreciate you not eating me? Sorry I'm so obviously trying not to gag on your disgusting leech stink?

"Thanks," she said finally. "For having me."

"Any time," Esme said, her voice achingly sincere. Somehow that made it worse.

"See you later, Leah," Bella called after her retreating back.

Leah was outside and past the first row of trees before she let herself take a breath, glorying in the fresh smell of leech-free air.

"I'll only stink up your air for one more moment, I promise."

She whipped around to find Edward lounging against a tree like she'd kept him waiting all day.

Leah's mind flipped frantically through scenarios, but Edward only watched a few of them before he interrupted her with a laugh.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you, Leah."

When she could only gape at him, he went on.

"I know you haven't made your decision yet, but either way, it means a great deal to me – to all of us – that you'd consider allowing Nessie to become part of your family. As Jacob has become a part of ours."

Of course. He'd been picking through her brain the whole fucking time.

"That's not exactly what we're considering," she snapped, emphasizing the plural so he'd know it wasn't just her decision. The leeches were under the scrutiny of the Council and both packs, just like always. Nothing had changed between them.

"I know," Edward said, and she wasn't sure exactly which of her thoughts he was responding to. Maybe all of them. "It still means a great deal."

"Okay," she said coldly, wishing he'd go away. But of course he knew that.

He gave her a sardonic smile.

"It was nice to see you, Leah," he said, pushing away from the tree with serpentine grace. "Give my regards to Seth."


When she got home, Mom was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the TV, surrounded by photos and scissors and paste.

"Hey," she called as Leah banged into the house. "Come give your opinion on this."

Leah dropped onto the floor next to her, hoping this would be easier than the last opinion she'd asked for.

"It's a photo montage of the graduates for The Talking Raven," Mom said, naming the tribal newsletter. "Tell me it's not too Seth-centric."

Leah looked at the array of grinning teens wrapped in ceremonial tribal blankets during QTS's tiny graduation ceremony last month. Seth had finally finished high school, just a year and a half late. It was better than a lot of the wolves had done, but then, a lot of the wolves didn't have Sue Clearwater for a mother.

"Your maternal pride stays secret for now," Leah assured her, turning her eyes to whatever crappy soap was on TV. She hesitated. "I went to Forks today."

Mom's head snapped around.

"And?"

Leah struggled for a few moments before she could spit it out.

"She won't put a toe out of line around Jake. So you can say what you want to the Council."

After a moment, Mom began stroking Leah's cropped hair.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

They sat in silence for a long time, letting the sounds of the TV and the surf and the gulls wash into the corners of the room.

"He's happy there," Leah said at last. "I guess that's a good thing."

"I guess so," Mom agreed softly.

Leah chewed her lips, willing her throat not to tighten and her eyes not to burn. It almost worked.

"When they leave, he'll go with them." Her voice didn't sound like hers, and she hated it, and hated herself for being stupid enough to care. Jacob had never been hers to keep, but somehow, she'd come to think the pack was. Without Jake, there was no pack. Just a bunch of angry delinquents who could turn into wolves. She'd been so worried about the leeches taking over La Push that she'd never stopped to consider what could be worse. Or even that anything could.

Leah wanted to fight. She didn't want to sulk here, trying not to cry, being petted by her mom while Jacob drifted away into some eternal, frozen future. She wanted to bite someone. Probably Jacob. Possibly Thing. Definitely Bella. In the face.

But she couldn't do any of that. So she just sat on the floor and let her mom stroke her hair as the TV glowed and the sun went down outside.


A/N: Sorry for the angst - I promise things will be a bit brighter for Leah in the next chapter. Let me know what you think!