A/N: This is from Embry's POV.

Also, I own nothing.


Embry Call

Leah lived through the operation, but just barely. While the injury was extensive as far as flesh wounds go, it turned out all her internal organs were okay. It was the massive loss of blood that nearly killed her and consequently it was the reason her body was unable to heal. Once Leah received Seth's blood the color in her cheeks returned and her body temperature started to rise, although she did not regain consciousness.

Dr. Cullen took the time to inform everyone that things were looking better but Leah was still in critical condition because her blood pressure was still dangerously low. Everyone in Emily's tiny home was relieved to hear that Leah seemed to be doing okay, even the guys from Sam's pack. Seeing their reaction to Leah's condition reminded me that, regardless of pack loyalties, we were still connected to each other – we were still like family. I wondered how Leah would feel if she knew how many people really love and care about her. After all the trouble she caused, Leah considered herself a pariah and she was for the most part but she was still part of the family and now it was evident she always would be.

Sue surprised all of us when she walked over to Sam and slapped him across the face a few times. Obviously Sam didn't feel a thing, but Sue got her point across, nonetheless. Sue also balled Sam out in front of everyone, saying stuff like, "You're lucky she's doing okay because I would have killed you otherwise!" and, "How dare you hurt a woman, especially one that's so much smaller then you?" and then my personal favorite, "You should be neutered!" Sam took it like a man, in the sense that he let Sue have her say, besides you don't mess with Sue Clearwater, everyone knows that. I imagine it was strange for Sam to have both Clearwater women attack him in one night, as they both used to think he could do no wrong.

After Sue's outburst, most of Sam's pack said they needed to go home because of various reasons, although I'm sure they were uncomfortable after witnessing Sue Clearwater emasculate their Alpha. Once the place had just about cleared out, I realized that it was late and I needed to call my mom before she got in her car and went looking for me. Honestly, it's humiliating being the only older member of either pack that still has to report in every night. I left Leah's side, reluctantly, so I could make the call.

"Hey Emily, you mind if I use your phone?" I asked a forlorn looking Emily.

"Yeah sure. You probably have to call your mom, don't you."

"Yeah, I do."

"Hey Embry, I'll call her for you, okay." Emily kindly offered.

"Really? That would be great, actually." My mom loved Emily and if Emily made the call, she could probably get me off the hook for the rest of the night. "Thanks Emily, I really appreciate it." I said as I was about to return to Leah's side.

"Embry?"

I turned back to face Emily, "Yeah."

"I'm really glad that Leah has you." Emily said with hint of accusation in her tone. "Although, I have to admit, I never imagined you and Leah would get together."

"We're just…friends." I tried to assure her.

Emily gave me a knowing smile because she heard me admit I loved Leah. "Leah tried to tell me the same thing earlier today and I was dumb enough to believe her, but Embry, you can't fool me."

"No really, we aren't together. I know I said that I love her but-."

"I see how you look at her." Emily interrupted my lame attempt to deflect her well-grounded suspicion. "You spend every moment of every day with her. You love her." Emily said, confident in her assessment.

Aw hell, what's the point of denying something I already confirmed earlier tonight. "I-I do. I really love her - I'm in love with her." I admitted to a smiling Emily, "But she doesn't know how she feels about me." I repeated what I accidentally discovered earlier in the night while rummaging around Leah's head. "But even if she did love me in return, we could never be together."

Emily gave me a questioning look, "Why not?"

"I don't want to hurt Leah. She couldn't handle it. Heck, it's obvious she still can't handle how things ended with Sam." Emily winced but I continued. "I couldn't break her heart like that, Emily. I love her too much."

"Oh…" Emily looked down at the ground, her cheeks bright pink with embarrassment.

Emily was sort of like my second mom, or a cool older sister and I didn't like that she was blaming herself for something that was clearly not her fault. "Look Emily, no one blames you, you know that right? Leah doesn't blame you. It's not your fault that Sam imprinted on you. Imprinting is an instinct."

"I know Leah doesn't blame me, but it still doesn't help me feel better about the situation. Plus, I hate knowing what Sam and I have isn't real." Emily told me quietly.

"Emily, it is real. Sam loves you, he's devoted to you, and he would literally die for you." I assured Emily.

"Yeah, but it's not the same as how you feel for Leah. You love her because you choose to love her, not because your instinct forces you to. I know that Sam still wants Leah, that he's still in love with her, he still dreams about her. Sam chooses to love Leah, despite the imprint and I am so jealous of Leah because of that."

I scoffed, "You're jealous of Leah? If Leah heard you say that, she'd probably die laughing."

Emily gave me a weak smile, "I might have Sam's soul but Leah still has his heart." She said sadly.

I finally understood what she was getting at, Sam's heart did belong to Leah and everyone in both packs knew it, although it never occurred to me that Emily would know, let alone be jealous. "Emily, please believe me when I tell you that Sam really does love you. Sam's love for you is one hundred times stronger then how he feels for Leah. I know what I'm talking about and I wouldn't lie to you." I said with all the sincerity I could muster because I wanted Emily to feel at ease.

Emily nodded her head and looked up at me, "I believe you Embry."

"Good."

"I'm going to call your mom now, okay."

"Thanks Em." I said as I gave her a quick hug before returning to the bedroom.

When I got there I found Sam - of all people - sitting in my chair, holding Leah's hand. I glared at him and quietly walked to the opposite side of her bed and sat in the empty folding chair that was there. I fought the urge to reach out and strangle him. He had no business being in the same room with Leah let alone hold her hand. The worst part is that it was happening under Emily's roof, with Emily in the next room. The guy had some nerve.

Sam was the first to break the silence. "I heard what you told Emily." He said without looking at me.

"Yeah...and?"

"Thanks for telling her how I feel. I tell her the same thing every day but I think it means more coming from someone else, someone who has no reason to lie to her." he quietly murmured at me.

"Yeah, whatever. She's going to think I was lying to her if you don't get the hell out of here." I said angrily.

Sam gently caressed the back of Leah's hand one last time before letting go of it and then looked at me. "I need to speak to you."

"I think you've said enough." I said boldly, unaffected by his status as an Alpha.

"I have more to say."

"Fine. Go at it." I urged him to start talking because I couldn't wait for him to question me about my relationship with Leah so I could tell him it's really none of his damn business, even though he already overheard everything I just told Emily.

Sam leaned back in his chair and stuck his legs out, his heels resting on the floor. Then he rubbed his eyes, folded his arms across his chest, sighed heavily and finally looked me in the eye.

"My mom and I had a pretty long conversation the other day about some important stuff."Sam looked at me as if I would know the connection he was trying to make.

I had no idea what his mom had to do with the situation so I didn't say anything, I just defiantly returned his stare and shrugged.

Sam looked at the ground, "Yeah, well...she told me some stuff," He paused clearing his throat and shifted in his seat, "she told me some stuff about my dad."

I had no idea where Sam was taking things so I stayed silent.

"He didn't abandon us, like I always thought. It turns out that she kicked him out when I was a little kid because he really was a no good bastard. The thing is, she also told me something else." Sam didn't continue, he just sat there and I was left wondering if that was all he had to say.

"Yeah, and..."

Sam cleared his throat again, "And...my mom told me that my dad is your dad."

I wasn't sure if I heard him right, because I never expected to hear those words. "What?"

"We have the same dad." He said quietly before looking directly in my eyes again.

"How would your mom know?"

"She knew what he was up to. She told me that he admitted to the affair after she confronted him about her suspicions. He said it was a woman from the Makah tribe and admitted she was pregnant with his child." Sam said matter-of-factly.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I didn't want to believe it. Although, why would Sam and his mother lie about such a thing? It had to be true, or at least Sam's mom had to think it was true because she'd always been standoffish with my mom. "If your mom kicked him out, why didn't he move in with my mom?" I questioned him skeptically.

"She said he didn't want the responsibility of another family, or at least that's what she assumed."

"Why would my mom move down to La Push after he took off?"

"My mom always assumed it was so you could know me and be raised Quileute."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think you deserve to know."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because...because you're my br-my brother." Sam told me, although the word 'brother' had a whole new meaning now and it sounded odd, almost foreign. "I'm proud of you. You've been Leah's friend and you stood up for her. You assured Emily of how much I love her even though you didn't have to."

"I didn't do those things for you."

"I know but that's not my point. You've been going around, undoing my damage because you're a good person."

"I did it because I love them." I said shrugging.

"I love them too but I keep hurting them."

I didn't know what to say, what could I say to that, 'yeah you're right, it looks like you inherited the asshole gene from our dad'? In the end I didn't say anything.

Sam stood up and held his hand out, wanting to shake hands. I thought about it for a moment, not sure if I wanted to shake his hand. I wasn't in the mood to write off his attack on Leah and I was feeling weird about the whole 'half-brothers' thing since it was something I still needed to question my mom about, although I didn't doubt it was the truth.

"I'm not going to shake your hand." I finally said.

Sam dropped his hand to the side, embarrassed. "Oh, that's cool. I understand."

"Look Sam, I appreciate you telling me, but I have to get used to it and I'm not okay with how you've treated Leah. You've egged her on by loving her when you didn't have a right to do so."

"You love her." Sam said as though I was just as guilty as he was.

"Yeah I do but there's a difference, I love her enough to not hurt her."

Sam looked at me as though I'd just punched him in the gut. "Embry, you have no idea of what it feels like to lose her."

"Neither do you, not really. The closest you've come is when she abandoned your pack but even then, she still loved you.

"I don't think she loves me anymore." Sam said quietly, almost mournfully.

"You're going to have to ask her about that, but I hope you're right."

Sam looked miserable when he said, "Me too."


More to come!

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