Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.
A/N: Apologies for the delay. I've been agonizing over this one. :(
They decided, while still in bed that morning, that they'd go through Billy's things that day. It was Saturday, so he wasn't in school and she wasn't working. He had lined up some work, but it was nothing he couldn't put off to the following day. Seth, the poor kid, had run out of the house somewhere during round two, earlier. She couldn't bring herself to feel any guilt; not when she was lying curled up with Jake in her bed, like she'd been dreaming about for a year. She'd speak to Seth later. They spent the early hours of the morning curled up, talking in low tones about everything; her fight with Sam; his conversation with Emmett; the changes in the Pack. There was so much to say and so many unanswered questions that, eventually, Leah decided they needed to do something and not just talk about it. They showered- separately- and got dressed, walking slowly to the Black house. They got there early, when Becca and Ben were still sleeping. Rachel was up, reading the newspaper, and Paul was out, running patrol. He'd volunteered, which Leah was still kind of amazed by. Jake had been right to pick him- a little responsibility seemed to be all he needed to get himself sorted out.
"Morning Rachel." Leah offered, ducking her head around the door to the kitchen. "How you doing today?" Rachel smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked tired.
"I'm okay, I guess. I didn't sleep well, though." She stood up, following the she-wolf back into the living room, where Jake was standing, staring at their Dad's desk and wondering where to start.
"Do you need help, Jake?" He glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded slowly.
"I'm not even sure where to start." They kept their voices low, and Leah quickly filled Rachel in on what they were looking for. It didn't take long to sort through the mounds of paperwork, quickly organizing it into piles. Jake took all the council stuff and shoved it into an old backpack, hiding it under the couch to take away with him later- and just in time, too, as Becca emerged from his bedroom with Ben in tow.
"Morning guys. Jake, Leah- when did you guys get here?" Rachel had filled her in the night before on the suddenly-not-a-secret relationship between her brother and her old friend. It freaked her out, a bit, but she didn't think anything she said would make a difference. They looked kinda sweet together, in any case. Like a messed up advertisement for Native Pride- all tall and tan and gorgeous. Add that to the kinda scary air of confidence they were both carrying, and Becca really had to admit that they were perfect for one another. That said, as soon as she had the chance, she'd be teasing them about it.
"About an hour ago." Jake gestured to the papers, scattered across the floor. "We needed to go through Dad's things and make sure there are no surprise expenses hiding in there." Becca nodded, biting her lip to hold back her hurt that they hadn't waited for her. She understood, of course, that their concerns weren't exactly the same as hers. But understanding something and feeling it aren't quite the same thing.
"Have you had breakfast? I was thinking about making pancakes?" Maybe she was trying to bribe them with food, but something had to work, right? Had to bring them back to her the way they'd been as kids.
And it sort of did- they all agreed, at least, that they'd eat her pancakes, and she chose to see it as a positive start. Unfortunately, it left her in the kitchen alone and the rest in the living room. She hadn't thought that far ahead when she'd made her offer. It didn't take long, though, and they sat in comfortable silence at the kitchen table. Paul had arrived back, ambling in the back door, shoeless and shirtless, and slotting himself onto Rachel's stool behind her. Jake didn't even blink at it, although it was something that would have driven him up the wall only a week before. Besides, there were only five chairs at the table, and no way would Leah sit on his lap like Rachel did Paul. He bit back a grin at the thought that Leah might let him sit on her lap. He met her eyes across the table and she raised an eyebrow at him, amused, and he knew she was thinking something similar.
"What is with you guys wandering around with no clothes on all the time?" Ben asked. Becca had blushed a little at the sight of Paul, and averted her eyes. She loved her husband, very much, but… damn. All eyes turned to Ben at that- they hadn't even noticed. Rachel actually glanced behind her to check and, sure enough, Paul was half-naked in her kitchen.
"Its part of our attempt to revive the old ways- traditionally, Quileute men wore no clothing at all unless there was snow on the ground." Rachel grinned; smugly it seemed, at her fiancee's words.
"And let me tell you Becks, there are very few women in La Push complaining." Both herself and Leah broke into laughter and even Becca grinned, ignoring her husband's scandalized glare. Paul and Jake just shrugged, and kept eating.
"What does this 'revival' I've been hearing so much about comprise of, exactly? Because apart from Paul wearing no shirt, I have yet to see any evidence." Darn. Sometimes Rachel forgot her sister was smart. Luckily, her brother was, too.
"Well, the drumming at Dad's funeral was one way- that hasn't happened in years. And Old Quil has been sharing our legends, passing them down to Quil and the rest of us, so that when he dies, our history will be remembered. Quil will be taking his place as record-keeper, of course. And we spend a lot of time in the wilderness, reconnecting with the earth and air that keeps us." It sounded just a little pretentious and out-there for the girl who'd been living in civilization for years.
"Seriously? You're all going back-to-nature? What's the next cliché? Spirit quests and shamanic visions?" There was a thread of incredulity and disbelief in Becca's voice that Leah took exception to. Sure, Jake was mostly lying and covering their tracks- but seriously? They were shape-shifters, and the sage thing had freaked out the Vampires, so she wasn't ready to discount the rest of their legends.
"Jake's Spirit Quest will be before the election, actually- so, sometime next weekend, I suppose. And I suppose I'll have to do one, too, because I'll be joining the council while he's in school." She glanced sideways at Rachel, winking. "We'll need to order in some Peyote, because it hasn't been grown around here in years. I think Emily knows the guy in Makah that grows it. Can you ask her?" Rachel's eyes widened, just a little, but she nodded. Becca and Ben looked kind of stunned.
"Seriously? Are you shitting me?" Jake went back to his pancakes, and Leah left Rachel to answer.
"Um, kinda? Well. No, not really. I mean, Jake's gonna be chief and we all know that means a Spirit Quest. Dad did one too, years ago, when he became chief. I think he did more than one, actually- didn't he?" Jake nodded, agreeing.
"He took one after Mom died." He finished his food and lifted his glass, "It's not that big a deal, Becks. If you want to take one, you're welcome to." He thought her head might explode at the idea. He made it want to grin, which he knew was juvenile and petty, but… meh. He didn't care.
"You guys can't really believe all that crap, can you? I mean, a revival is one thing, but… spirit quests? Peyote? Are you really going to perpetuate this cycle of idiocy that is keeping you stuck in this stupid town?" Ben, sitting next to her, recognized the tension her words were creating and reached out a hand, silently asking her to be quiet. Unsurprisingly, she ignored him. "I don't get it- you guys are all pretty smart, and you've all been through school. Rachel- you've been to college and have a minor in biology. Surely you know this is all just… myth and fairytale?" There was real heat in her voice; genuine disbelief.
"Well sure, if you're not open to it, it might look like crap. But isn't it enough that we believe in it? What does it matter to you?" It was Paul who spoke, and the matching grins on Leah and Jake's faces meant nothing to the second Black sister. Rachel, however, saw them and grinned broadly herself.
Becca was working herself up to a rant when her husband tried again, grabbing her hand this time and directing her attention to him.
"Let it go Becks. You don't rant at my Mom when she goes on and on about Fa'a Samoa and how her Matai was so upset when she left the island. Take a breath; let it go." She flushed dark at his words, recognizing them as the truth. Even after years of marriage, her husband's culture still fascinated her, but her own? She bit her lip, embarrassed. She was embarrassed by it. She hated this town and everything it stood for, and he knew that. She'd told him as much. An awkward silence followed his words, and Jake finally took pity on his sister, and asked Ben about Samoa.
His mom had moved him and his sister to Hawaii when he was ten, following the love of her life (not his father) and had spent the years following wishing she was back home. He kinda thought she'd move home, eventually. He wasn't sure yet if he wanted to follow. But they visited, often- strange, realizing that he'd brought Becca to Samoa every year since they'd been married, and this was her first time back here. Different, he knew, because she thought his home was exotic and exciting and she thought her own home was a shithole and her siblings stupid for staying. They'd had that fight, many, many times. So instead, he kept her hand in his as he told her brother all about his home and their culture, laying it on thick so that Becks got the point. She'd berate him for it later, he knew, but it was worth it to ease the tension.
They spent an hour that way, exchanging stories and legends. Ben, it must be noted, was intrigued by the idea that La Push and the Quileutes were protected by the wolf spirit. His own home was a little short on natural predators- being a tropical island paradise and all. Jake took that to mean that the combination of sunshine and isolation meant that Samoa, and probably Hawaii, too, had little to fear from Vampires. La Push, however, was a haven in comparison. He was vaguely jealous, hearing about Ben's visits home- rugby and dancing and celebration. He could easily see why Becca loved it, and why La Push paled in comparison.
Eventually, the conversation died. Becca hadn't said another word since, sitting and stewing in silence. Rachel watched her, closely, to see when she'd explode. It was coming; her sister could almost feel it. But the volcano obviously wasn't ready to erupt yet, as they cleared the table and Jake mentioned starting to clear out their father's things. His clothing had been burned, but tradition dictated that his things be removed as soon as they could, and the house cleansed entirely, to ensure that his spirit, if it lingered, was released to be reborn. It was funny, Rachel thought, that her sister could easily accept that aspect of their heritage, but had trouble with questing.
She diverted Becks and Ben to the living room, to finish reordering the paperwork, supervised by Paul (although, Becks didn't know it was supervision, as Paul lay on the couch in silence, just watching them) as she and Jake tackled Billy's bedroom, with Leah watching them from the corner. It was hard. Really, really hard. Jake hadn't realised how many photos of his mother his dad had kept around him- they were hidden away in places Jake wouldn't see them; the top drawer on his bedside locker; the inside door of the wardrobe. It was heartbreakingly sad, for both of them. Leah stayed quiet, leaving Jake and Rachel to their grief, only talking when Jake handed her items they needed to hide- paperwork; notebooks. Anything that they had to ensure Becca didn't see.
The tension was evident- a strain between living room and bedroom that she could feel along her spine. It was to her great relief when her cell phone rang and she had an excuse to dash outside, to talk to her mother. She hadn't spoken to Sue properly since Billy died, and she felt a quick flash of guilt- Billy was one of her mother's oldest friends, and Charlie's, and she hadn't even bothered to check on her; too absorbed by the Jake and the pack drama.
"Hey Mom, how you doing?" She was aiming for concerned and caring, but wasn't quite sure she'd made it. Her mother, in return, sounded tired and old. It was unusual.
"Leah Clearwater. When, exactly, were you going to tell me that Jacob Black has taken to sleeping in your bed?" Seth was a dead man- as soon as she got her hands on him, he was going to die a slow and painful death.
"Uh. Probably around about now?" Of course, that was presuming that Sue didn't actually kill her, first. It was possible. For a tiny woman, Sue Clearwater was scary. Her mother sighed down the phone, exasperated.
"How's he coping, sweetie?" She only sounded concerned, and Leah's guilt grew. She glanced back at the house, quickly, and moved a few more feet away, outside of Jacob's hearing range.
"He's okay. They're all okay. I don't think it's really hit them, yet. They're going through his things, today." Leah paused and heard a sniffle on the other end of the line. "And you, Mom? How are you and Charlie coping?" Another sniffle.
"I'm okay sweetie. Charlie… he's not doing too well. He's asleep, now, but I think he's in shock, a little." On top of losing Harry, and then Bella, and then the drama of Renesmee and Bella's big reveal as a Vampire, Leah wasn't surprised to hear that the Police chief wasn't coping too well. He hadn't got a Pack to fall back on- all he had was Sue, now. And Bella, who might eat him. So, pretty much just Sue.
"Bring him over for dinner, tonight? I'll cook. You, me, Seth and Charlie- it'll be good for him to get out of the house." That was an echo of what Sue had told her, multiple times, in the aftermath of her own father's death, so she could only agree, promising to be home at six.
"But Leah- I'll be in that house tonight, and Jacob Black better be sleeping on the sofa." Leah sighed- so much for getting used to waking up wrapped around him.
"Yeah, about that Mom… I have some stuff to tell you, about me and Jake." She hesitated, and her mother made a non-committal grunting sound. "We'll talk about it later, okay? But just… don't flip out on me, please."
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Leah almost choked.
"No, Ma- I'm not. I'm pretty sure that's still not possible."
"That's alright then. I'll see you at six." And she hung up. Leah snapped her phone shut and shoved it back in her pocket, half relieved and half mortified. Jesus. The last thing she needed right now was her mother worrying about babies. Actually- scratch that; however much the idea might appeal, the last thing she needed right now was a baby, never mind her mother's worrying. The seed of doubt had been planted though, and suddenly Leah's heart clenched. She absolutely, one hundred percent, was not ready to be a mother. It might be time to let the Vampire doctor examine her; make sure it really, really wasn't possible. She took her phone from her pocket again, and dialed Forks General quickly, asking to speak to Dr. Cullen. No time like the present- and, with any luck, a doctor's appointment would get her away from the Black house. Paul could handle anything the twins and Jake could throw at him, right? She sniggered, a little, half-hoping for a drama to test the other wolf. Dr Cullen agreed to meet her in twenty minutes- in the hospital, not at the house. She refused, outright, to go to the house without backup, and she really didn't want to let Jake know what she was doing until she knew the outcome.
The house was silent as she approached and she ducked back into the bedroom, where Jake and Rachel were flipping through a book of photographs.
"I have to head out- my Mom needs me for a while." Jake looked up, surprised, but Rachel's eyes stayed trained on the photos- Leah could see from where she stood at the door that they were mostly of Sarah Black and her children, and Rachel's face was flushed and her eyes filled with tears as she stared at them. Jake walked her out, waiting as she called goodbyes to the others.
She pulled him into a hug outside the front door, and he pressed his face into her hair, nipping lightly at the lingering mark on her neck and a shiver crept up her spine.
"Call me if you need me, okay? Mom and Charlie will be over for dinner tonight- you're welcome to come, if you want?" He pulled her closer, taking a deep breath and breathing her in.
"No. You should spend some time with you Mom and Seth. I'll come by later? After patrols?" He was on the midnight runs that weekend, alone with Quil.
"Sure. Just, be warned- Mom expects you to sleep on the couch, so come wake me, okay?" He nodded into her shoulder and she pulled back, easing his arms from around her waist.
"I'll see you later. Try not to fight, okay?" He grinned, sheepish, and let her go.
She was three minutes late for her meeting with Carlisle, but he led her to his office without mentioning it.
"I won't bring you into an exam room, because then we'd need to create files and charts, and I think we'd both prefer to keep this quiet?" She nodded. Quiet was definitely a requirement. She took a seat in the chair by his desk, and he pulled a hypodermic needle from his desk drawer.
"Why the change of heart, Leah? I've been trying to get you down here for weeks." His eyes flitted briefly to the mark on her neck, but his expression remained calm.
"Yeah, well, before now it was a non-issue. I wasn't having sex, and the only chance of babies was Immaculate Conception. Well, not so immaculate, but you know what I mean."
"And this has changed, I take it?" He was holding her arm, looking for a suitable vein, so he felt her nod her agreement.
"Yeah, it has. When Nessie's whatever it was lifted, things between me and Jake, uh, happened. Things that we kinda think were always supposed to happen, so… suddenly, babies are back on the table. And I don't want any, for at least another decade, even if I somehow can have them, so we need to do something, Doc." If he was surprised, he didn't show it- but he did murmur another apology about the part his family had played in the ruination of her life. She shrugged it off and told him it was okay.
He drew blood- finding it difficult to break her skin without serious force- and then offered her a lollipop in exchange. He didn't bother with a band-aid, as the hole sealed over as she watched. It was scabbed over in seconds. She answered his questions, sucking on the lollipop contentedly. He did a quick physical exam, but told her he'd wait for her blood tests to come back before considering a more detailed physical exam. Somewhere, deep down, she knew that was for the best- Jake was likely to go batshit at the thought of another man (or vampire, whatever) so much as looking at her, never mind poking around inside her. And she wasn't too enthralled by the idea, herself, regardless of the doctor bit.
"I'll run these myself, this afternoon, and call you when I have something to tell you." She could only nod, and thank him and wave goodbye as she sauntered out the door, crushing the last of the sweet between her teeth and tossing the stick in the garbage. Before she left, she turned back to him, briefly, guilt gnawing at her insides.
"Will you tell Bella that her dad could use some company? He's, uh, not coping too well. She should call him." She continued on her way before he could respond, and she considered that her good deed for the day.
Outside the hospital, she paused, considering the rest of the day. It was early; barely afternoon yet. She glanced around her, considering her options, before getting back into her mother's car and heading to the grocery store in Forks. She needed to pick up food for dinner and maybe, if she was lucky, she might even have time to finish her assignment. The sun broke through the clouds and the ground shone with the recent rain and Leah could only smile.
Marianne slammed her car door shut, frustrated. The house in front of her loomed, almost, despite it's small stature. She really, really wasn't looking forward to this. It was dark, and late, but she could see her brother standing on the porch all the same. He looked amused. She couldn't help but groan. He stepped off the porch, sauntering toward her. He was her height, just over five foot eight, and slightly built- wiry, he'd say- but his small stature belied extraordinary strength.
"Evening sis. You'll be delighted to hear that everyone is inside, eagerly awaiting your report." She groaned again, half annoyed, half angry.
"Seriously? They couldn't have waited till the morning to ream me out?" She'd phoned ahead- they all knew just how big a mess she'd made of it already.
"Apparently not. But, chin up! You know this means that you won't get sent on another fact finder without backup. I.e. me. And we know you're more fun when I'm around." Her brother grinned widely, eternally cheerful, and grabbed her hands. "Come on- time to face the music."
"They'd better be prepared for me to go apeshit in front of everyone- this is not my fault. I was told- supposedly, reliably informed- that I was going in to talk to an eighteen year old kid whose only remaining parent had just died, alpha of some half-assed fractured pack! And what did I find? No fractured pack, to start, and a guy who is built like a house who wanted nothing to do with me- and he has no trouble sending out those freaky Alpha vibes, by the way. And his friggin' mate- who I didn't even know existed- was blocking me at every turn! What I want to know is how we fucked that up so badly? We watch. It's what we do! How'd we miss it?" Daniel, who'd known his sister from the womb, could tell she was building herself up into a snit on purpose- entering the meeting riled up and angry instead of submissive and weak. It was a tactic he was familiar with, given his family. He glanced back at her, seeing the genuine irritation in her eyes, and re-evaluated a little. Some of her anger, at least, was real- she'd really, really fucked up, and was kinda humiliated because of it. If she wasn't his sister, it would be funny. She had no choice but to go on the offensive and save face. He hesitated for a beat, waiting for her to catch him up and walked through the door with her, side by side. He'd be the one helping her clean up the mess, so he might as well stand with her from the start.
As it turned out, they hadn't needed to worry. Their mother and father, and the twenty others (seven couples and their assorted offspring) listened to her rant for a moment or two before hushing her.
"We have to go back there and get this sorted out, of course- and it's got to be soon." Diana West was clearly their mother- slim and wiry, sharing their nose, eyes, and impatience. "We've had word from the south that the half-vampires are moving. About three hours ago, they crossed the border and we expect they're heading back to Washington State, to the Cullen coven. The Pack there need to be warned. We all know the stories- we know what these things are; what they can do." She met her daughter's gaze firmly. "From what you know of them, now, do you think they will remain with their unorthodox alliance with the Cullens if it comes to a fight?" Marianne bit her lip, thinking. She'd seen some of the Cold Ones at the funeral- they hadn't stayed long. But they'd been there long enough for her to see the child they carried with them- a half-vampire. She told her family as much, but Diana was not surprised.
"I think… their Alpha seems quite close to the child. He will be protective of her, but… the others. I don't know. Only three of them were invited to the funeral." It was little, but enough that they could assume that there was a fracture in the alliance. They should have paid closer attention; disregarded the dismissal of Billy Black and their banishment from Quileute territory. The banishment, clearly, had ended when the man died. Diana couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for his death. She nodded, considering her daughter's words.
"Contact Gwen in New Mexico. Tell her to have them followed north- alert all the flocks between there and Washington. They won't slip past us this time."
The last time the abomination had trekked north, accompanied by two of the Cullen coven and the Crow Nation hadn't spotted them until they were crossing California. As Diana instructed her son and daughter to return to La Push, she vowed that it wouldn't happen again. Theirs was the task of watching; of spying and secrecy. They'd failed only once, recently, when the La Push pack emerged for the first time in generations, and they hadn't spotted that until it was too late and people had begun dying. It was… aggravating. Their numbers had dwindled- where once, there had been nearly a thousand in their extended flock, there were now merely dozens, and the strain was showing.
Diana really, really needed to get the Pack in La Push on their side. It was about time that the Natives of the Olympic Peninsula got involved, again, in the task of controlling the Cold Ones. They, too, had grown complacent. The time for that was at an end.
She gave her instructions, telling her children she would see them in Forks, stood up from her chair and leapt, upward, into the air. Her feathers settled in seconds and she was gone, out the open skylight and toward Washington state.
"So, do you want to drive, or will I?" Marianne was staring, open-mouthed, at the place where her mother had been standing, seconds before, and she barely even heard her brother's words. Around them, their people were scattering- some, leaving through the open window and others the more conventional front door. It wasn't long until she was alone with her father and brother, both staring at her.
"That's it? I spent hours in the car, going over and over all the ways she was going to tear me to pieces, and that's it?" Her dad grinned, a little, reaching over and patting her on the head patronisingly.
"Don't worry sweetie. I'm sure you'll do something else to piss her off between here and La Push, and she can yell at you then." Unsurprisingly, Marianne was not amused. She fell silent again, gnawing on her lower lip until she drew blood.
"Do we know why they're moving north? Has anyone heard anything?" Joseph shook his head.
"No, we don't. But they're already carving a path across the country- the male; his sisters and his Vampire Aunt. We expect… we expect that he's aiming to charm the female half-vampire that you mentioned. Why now, and not anytime before… well, I hope that the Alpha in La Push can tell us that."
She nodded, slowly, and turned to her brother.
"Let's get out of here. We'll need to get there before Mom."
Dinner was awkward, a little, but Charlie seemed relaxed enough- apparently, Bella had come to visit him that afternoon with Nessie and he'd loved getting to spend time with his granddaughter. Sue had directed a suspicious gaze at Leah, but the she-wolf hadn't even blinked. She definitely didn't want people thinking that she cared if Charlie Swan was happy or not. No way, no how, no siree. She ran her patrol after dinner with Seth- finding nothing, unsurprisingly,- and she'd even managed to finish her assignment for college. Overall, the evening wasn't too bad, then- except maybe for the realization that Charlie Swan would be, in fact, staying over with Sue. That fact made her want to vomit and from the look on Seth's face, she assumed he felt the same. Luckily, the adults were in bed long before the siblings returned from patrols and both seemed to be sleeping heavily, so there was question of icky night-time sounds keeping them trapped in a living nightmare. Charlie's continued presence, however, meant Leah didn't really get to talk to her mother about the Jacob situation. Seth, of course, had spilled the beans earlier and then proceeded to tell their mother that Leah was Alpha too, now, so Sue had some idea of what was going on. In fact, Leah got the impression that her mother approved, except for the minor factor of Jake's sleeping over.
In fact, the elder Clearwater had made up a bed on the couch specifically for Jake, as a pointed warning to her daughter. Leah, on returning from patrol, had settled herself onto it to watch TV and wait for Jake. Seth had muttered something about turning on his stereo and trying to get to sleep before Jake got there and disappeared into his room.
She was asleep when Jake finally arrived, long after four am. He'd doubled the night- patrols over the weekend, stretching it to four hours so that only two people missed out on a decent night's sleep. The glow from the TV lit up the room and she looked so peaceful, genuinely resting, that he hadn't got the heart to wake her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead instead and, with a grin, headed to her room to get some sleep. She could kick his ass in the morning about it.
A/N: Okay, so I'm agonizing because the only logical place I can go with this involves OC's, and generally, I don't even LIKE OC's. If you have opinions, please share.
