AN: It's been a while. I apologize for the late update. It's been very hectic in my life. Balancing a new job, dealing with the death of my maternal grandfather, trying to keep my mom from following him…You name it. To get my mind of off things for a little bit, I found myself writing and it totally helped. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks so much for your patience and I hope I have not lost my readers.

'Thoughts'

The next day, Leah found herself in bed, unable to move. Ever since Seth brought her home, she had not moved except to go to the bathroom and then she came right back to bed. She was still in her clothes from the day before. Her whole body, from the crown of her head, to the soles of her feet, was aching. She was in so much pain physically and her mental state added to it tenfold. She was barely able to eat; Seth had to force her to eat something to keep her strength up. She was laying on her side, facing the window. A shiny, silver-stuffed wolf was clutched to her chest. It was a gift Jake gave her; he told her it reminded him of her because of it's shiny coat. The eyes were also a bright silvery-gray color, the same exact shade of Leah's when in wolf mode. She clutched the wolf tightly, remembering where and when Jake gave it to her. His scent still lingered on it and she pulled it closer to her and inhaled it deeply.

Leah knew she messed up and she wondered how she would fix this. She kept replaying the scene in her head over and over again. Everything happened so fast and she wished she could've controlled the situation a little better. She wished she could've been able to make Jake understand everything that happened. She wished she could've been able to make Sam understand too. No matter what happened, she did not want Sam out of her life. She still loved him of course, but not the same way anymore. Besides, Sam would never leave Emily and she knew that now. She just wished she knew that sooner. But what is she going to do about Jake though? Jake was her life and she needed to make things right with him, but how? Jake could be so stubborn…'Just like me.' She thought as she smiled weakly and sighed.

Seth came into the bedroom to check his sister; he hated seeing her like this. When they got home last night, their mother took one look at Leah and knew what happened. She only called Billy to confirm it. She never rubbed it in or told Leah the 'I told you so' line; she just wrapped her in her arms and comforted her the best she could. Seth just stood there watching his sister; this was not her at all. Leah was always strong-minded, rebellious, and brave about getting her way. He was used to Leah getting right back up as soon as she was knocked down. He had enough of this so he sucked in a deep breath and marched over to the bed. When he got in front of her, he yanked the blanket off of her.

"Alright! Enough of this! Get up!" Seth said loudly as he pulled off yet another sheet.

Leah only shook her head.

"Come on Lee…Get up! There is just too much sulking going on and this is so not you. I hate seeing you like this."

"Why? It's what I deserve." Leah answered.

"No you don't. You made a mistake and now you're learning from it." Removing the covers did not even make Leah change her position so when he saw the stuffed wolf, he grinned mischievously. 'This will make her get up.' He snatched the stuffed wolf from her and Leah couldn't have gotten up fast enough.

"Hey! Give that back!" Leah shouted as she tried to take back one of her most priceless possessions.

"No! This is what made you get up eh? Now that I've got this guy, you are going to get your shit together Leah. You need to shower, comb your hair, and eat. After you've done all those things, then will you get this back." Seth said as he smiled at her innocently.

"You're not the boss of me and you're not mom or dad to bribe me! I just want my damn wolf back, lie down on my bed, and sulk for the rest of my life because I've lost the best man in the whole world." Leah cried out, forcing herself not to cry again.

"No! This is not the Leah I know. The Leah I know would not sulk and accept this so easily. The Leah I know would fight for what she wanted. She would fight until she couldn't fight anymore. She would never give up on the people she loves and she would fight until she took her last breath if she had to! So get your ass into gear and handle your business Leah cause I am sick and tired of seeing you like this!" Seth shouted with a slight growl. He hoped he made his point across. He loved his sister dearly, but she needed a firm talking to now and then and now was as good a time as any.

Leah looked at her brother in shock. Seth has never spoken to her like that before and she wondered where it came from. 'I guess this has affected him more than I thought.' Of course it did. Seth had to carry the burden of this secret for a while and she knew it killed him to not tell Jake and they were best friends. 'Have I ruined that friendship too?' She inhaled sharply and she knew her brother was right, but instead of replying, she turned her back on him, gathered a towel and some clothes, and walked out the bedroom toward the bathroom. "Hmph." She had a slight grin on her face the whole time while she walked, but she never turned around. She was so proud of him and whoever he ended up with would be lucky. As she walked toward the bathroom, she refused to acknowledged that her brother got to her.

Seth smiled at her retreating back and shook his head. He started making her bed and picked up all of her scattered belongings from off of the floor.

Jake walked into his father's house at the break of dawn. After his talk with Emmett, he felt a lot better and he couldn't thank him enough. After he apologized to Esme for his behavior, he left, phased, and went for a run. He ventured up north and also wrestled some more with the mountain lions just for the hell of it. He never killed them, but just messed with them a little. When he saw that it was getting close to the next day, he decided to head back. He would've gone home, but he felt like he owed his dead an apology for his actions and he also wanted to spend some time with him. Being with Billy always brought him comfort and joy. He headed straight to the kitchen and into the fridge and started pulling out left-overs from the day before.

"Jake?" Billy asked as he wheeled into the kitchen.

Jake paused. "Yes dad, its me. I hope I did not startle you."

"No. You're the only one besides Quil who has a key and he left a couple hours ago. I had a nap, but had him put me back in the chair and I was in the living room when I heard the door open."

"Oh." Jake piled a ton of food onto a plate, placed it into the microwave, gave it three minutes, then turned to face his dad. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Billy put up a hand. "There's no need to apologize son."

"Yes there is. I always told myself that I would never lose control like that in front of you. And what's worse is that you've seen nothing yet." Jake announced.

Billy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Oh is right." Jake chuckled.

"I don't know if I should be scared or proud." Billy admitted.

"You can be both." Jake grinned and then beamed when the microwave beeped. He grabbed his plate, sat on the table, and began eating.

"I think I'll settle for scared first because the way you were earlier was just whoa." Billy wheeled over to the table. "Jake slow down; you'll choke." He chuckled.

"Oops…Sorry." Jake forgot his dad was there for a moment. The food was so good. His dad made his famous macaroni casserole with chunks of ground beef, thick Prego sauce, and melted cheddar cheese. "Delicious!"

"I knew you would be hungry when you came home." Billy got serious. "Son…Are you alright?"

Jake sighed. "I won't be alright until I get the love of my life back."

"I know son and I'm sorry about what happened."

"What are you sorry for? You did not do anything." Jake asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah but it's not easy seeing your child in pain. Jake…You were so angry and hurt to the point where I almost couldn't recognize you." Billy said quietly.

"I'm truly sorry about that dad. You know how I am already anyway. If someone hurt you, I'd probably react worse." Jake laughed.

"I hope to God that doesn't happen." Billy paused. "Have you given any thought as to what you're going to do?"

"I had a great conversation with Emmett and he helped me see some points from Leah's side, but that still doesn't make what she did right. I'm not going to be anyone's second choice and I'm not going to trail behind anyone either. I did the best I could and for what?" Jake asked firmly. "For what? Look where it got me. This is way worse than what happened with Bella, even though I wasn't all that serious about her."

"I know son, but you can't let your emotions take control of you. You've got to be rational and not do things on impulse; you might regret it. Speaking of Bella, I'm so glad to hear you say that. You have no idea how much relief I got from that statement." Billy confessed.

"I only pursued Bella to piss uptight, self-righteous Edward off and boy was it worth it." Jake laughed in remembrance of all the stupid things he did. "On a serious note, I do love Leah and I have thought about retracting the claim…" He trailed off.

Billy's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, but I decided not to. I realized that I'd be even more miserable if I let her go and she ended up with someone else. I love her with all of my heart and soul, but I just can't get past her sleeping with that …That…I don't even know which word to choose. I've got so many. Shit!" Just thinking about Leah and Sam made Jake's blood boil. The alpha in him hated knowing it's mate was touched by another wolf, a lower-ranked one at that.

"Language Jacob." Billy said sternly.

"Sorry." Jake said sheepishly.

"Look…I know the wolf in you is angry and wants to tear Sam apart, but you've got to remember that there is a human side to you too. You are the one who controls your wolf and your feelings. You control your actions. You lead the wolf, not the wolf lead you. Remember that." Billy advised.

"Right." Jake confirmed.

"And I also know you can be real stubborn when you want to be." Billy shook his head and smiled weakly. "Just like your mother."

"Mom was stubborn?"

"Like a mule. You not only look like her, but you act like her too. You have so many of her characteristics that it scares me sometimes. You wear your feelings on your sleeve just like her. You put others before yourself too and you're so passionate about the people you love and are fiercely protective. Yep…Just like your mother and I couldn't be any more proud. I know you will do the right thing son." Billy gave his son a pat on his shoulder.

Jake nodded, his mouth still full of food.

"Oh and I know Leah is stubborn too so one of you must give in." Billy chuckled. "This will be quite interesting to watch. No wonder the chemistry between you too is explosive. You both have so many things in common." He began wheeling himself to his bedroom and chuckled again. "Interesting indeed. Don't forget to clean up after yourself."

Jake's mouth hung wide open at his father's words, processing what he said. His dad was a lot more observant than he thought. He smiled, feeling better than when he walked in. "Love you dad." He shouted at his retreating back.

"Love you too." Billy responded.

Sam woke up in bed alone and it hit him that he was in the guess bedroom. The events from yesterday and last night replayed in his mind. The imprint bond throbbed and was pulling him towards Emily, but he refused to move…At least not yet. He really did love Emily. Hell she was his world, but he would never forget Leah or the love they still shared. Leah would always have a piece of his heart, whether she liked it or not and Emily would just have to accept it.

He glanced at his cell phone, tempted to pick it up and dial Leah's number. His hand reached out and his fingers started to dial, but at the last second, he hung up. 'What if she's with Jacob?' Jacob…What is he going to do about him? He loved Jacob like a little brother and wanted him happy, but with Leah? His Leelee? 'Isn't there some kind of guy code that a friend is not supposed to be with their friends' exes?' Sam sighed and flashes of Jacob and Leah in each other's arms the day before flickered through his mind. They looked so happy and he did not know how to handle Leah being happy with someone else. He knew it wasn't fair, but he couldn't help it. That was just something he had to get over and soon or else he would lose Leah and Jacob.

Sam stood up, pulled on some boxers and left the bedroom in search of the bathroom. He found it was unusually quiet. Emily was normally up around this time, cooking in the kitchen and soft music would be playing in the background. He missed that already and he looked toward their bedroom door and wanted to go to her badly, but he needed time. In fact, the both of them needed time. After he freshened himself, he proceeded to the kitchen and went about making breakfast. Him and Emily may be mad at each other now, but that would never stop him from doing anything for her. Sam began making scrambled eggs, hash browns, buttermilk pancakes, sausages, and bacon. The kitchen smelled awesome and after everything was prepared he ate his share and then put a plate aside for Emily. That would surely bring a smile to her pretty face. He cleaned up the kitchen by wiping the counters and washing the dishes, then got ready for work and left for the day.

Later that evening, Jake returned home to his place in Forks. The garage had a total of twenty cars so the garage was very busy. He was grateful for the work so he could take his mind off Leah and his other issues. Before he could even sit on the couch to take off his shoes, his nose caught a scent and his ears twitched. Quil and Embry were outside the door.

"I would know those scents anywhere! It's open so come on in!" Jake called out.

"Jake!" Embry bellowed out loudly at his best friend. It felt like days since he's seen him because he was accustomed to seeing and talking to Jake all day, every day.

Jake grinned. "Hey guys."

"What's up cuz?" Quil fist bumped Jake and sat on the couch next to him.

"I'm good. I worked very hard today and I got hit on by every female customer. It was crazy!" Jake answered.

"I hope you at least took one of their offers." Embry said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…I hope you took a number." Quil added.

"What for? I got…" Jake paused.

"You got what? What were you going to say?" Embry prompted.

"I know you're not talking about Leah. You broke up with her remember?" Quil reminded.

Jake growled lightly. "Yes I know."

"So why didn't you hook up with one of the girls?" Embry could not help but to tease him. Jake ended things with Leah so abruptly and he felt like he deserved a little torment. It was one thing to tell a girlfriend not to touch you, but it was another to break things off with her because of anger.

Quil kept quiet, waiting for Jake's answer.

"I don't want any other girl, I want…" Jake stopped again.

"Who do you want Jake?" Quil asked playfully.

Jake growled and went into the kitchen. "I don't have to answer you anyway."

"We know who you want so there's no need to say anything. Your face is guilty as hell. I hope you came to your senses and are going to look for her today." Quil admonished.

Jake growled again and whirled on him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"So you're still angry. Why am I not surprised?" Embry sighed as he sat down on the couch. "Well I'm not going to beat around the bush anymore. We came to tell you that Seth knew."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Exactly what I said. Your admirer or should I say, "protégé" knew all along about what Leah's been doing. Not that I'm being a snitch, but I'm tired of secrets coming out and our lives being blown apart because of stupid decisions being made." Embry said, unflinching. He was as serious as a heart attack. What his brothers and sister did was their business, however, when it came to things that affected him, he was going to damn sure get to the bottom of things. He sure as hell did not want another confrontation like what happened before to happen again.

Jake would be lying if he said he wasn't pissed, but damn. "Seth? Seth of all people? Out of anyone to keep things from me, he would be the last person I'd expect." Jake said with a growl as he pounded his left fist into his right palm. "Seth tells me everything and I do the same with him, so why? Seth knows me better enough to know I'd be pissed."

"Well before you get your boxers in a twist, Seth has his reasons. Before you go all ballistic and look for him, you better sit and think from his point of view." Quil added.

"To hell with his point of view! This is my life we're talking about, not only his and Leah's! This is pure bullshit!" Jake shouted and he started to pace. The alpha in him angry and wanted to tear something apart.

"Dammit Jake! You're asking him to choose between you and his sister. How would you feel if you had to do the same thing for Rachel?" Quil said firmly. Jake needed a firm talking to sometimes. His head was a s hard as steel when he wanted to be.

Jake paused. Ever since Rachel came back, they have gotten very close and he would do anything for her. She was the reason why he was able to leave the rez and go to college to get his degree. Not that he wanted to leave his dad, but she was the motivator and pushed him to follow his dreams and for that he was so grateful. "Fine! But that does not mean I like it!"

"Come on Jake…Seth adores you, but he adores Leah too. Knowing Seth, he hasn't been easy on her trust me. He was so quiet yesterday and let you do your thing. You think if he was deliberately keeping this from you to hurt you, he would've just stood there and did nothing? Psh…He would've jumped right in when you were on ragging on Leah." Quil said.

Jake looked at his two best friends and sighed. He was outnumbered. Deep down, he knew they were right, but he was very stubborn and the alpha in him hated losing. He remembered his father's words. "You're right. When I see Seth, I won't bite his head off. But I still owe him for jumping me when he found Leah and I together." He cracked a grin.

"Hey…if that was my sister, I would've done the same thing." Embry chuckled.

"You forgot the ass-whopping you gave Paul when he told you he imprinted on Rachel?" Quil reminded.

Jake laughed. "Yeah and boy did I feel good afterwards. I've wanted to beat his ass for a while and him imprinting on Rachel gave me a good reason." He turned serious. "You guys know I would do anything for you and the others right?"

Quil and Embry nodded.

"I just hate secrets. They have a way of coming out at the wrong time and ruining everything. I love that girl so much and…It's hard not being with her. This bond is killing me, but I'm still standing. I just need some time. Is that too much to ask?" Jake's voice was melancholy.

"No Jake…Not at all. Take all the time you need, but still don't take too much time okay?" Embry asked.

"Yeah."

"We'll be heading out for patrol now. If you need us just call, better yet, howl." Quil grinned.

"See you guys later and be careful." Jake waved as Quil and Embry left.

After the door closed, he locked it, and went into his workout room. He needed to let out some more steam and to figure out way to get Leah back. He understood her side, but still…He felt he was at least owed a little courtesy. He couldn't forget about the imprint either. That was Leah's biggest obstacle and he knew he needed to break it if he wanted to make Leah sincerely and truly happy. He put on his boxing gloves and went to work.

AN: Finally another chapter done! Took a break from the angst and wanted Jake, Leah, and Sam to have a little time apart from each other. All of them needed to think and needed to hear some words from their friends and fam, especially Jake and Leah. Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think. I'll try to update as fast as I can.