All characters except for Annabelle Causley and Frederick Randal Laskaris and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.

This story starts three years after Jacob heads to Italy to rescue Annabelle in the GoodAs Gone AU. Technically, this is not a sequel to Good As Gone but it does take place in that alternate storyline.

Chapter Thirteen

"And don't you get it into your head to sneak out in the middle of the night," Harry tucked the blankets around Leah, knowing that if she were feeling normal, she wouldn't allow him to treat her like a little girl, "You'll just get lost and make more work for the rest of them."

Leah nodded as she turned to look out her window, wishing her dad would hurry up and leave. She had managed to tuck the sleeping pills under her pillow and as soon as she knew both her parents were asleep, she planned on doing exactly what her father had warned her not to do.

She just had to find Sam…because she knew if she didn't, she was going to die without him.

As she heard the door of her bedroom close behind her father, she turned her head to stare at the ceiling, straining to hear the sounds of her parents in the room across the hall from hers. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, they finally settled into bed. Now all she had to do was wait until her father started snoring, then she would be able to sneak out the window and go look for Sam.

Leah hadn't meant to fall asleep, but waiting for her father to start snoring plus a combination of physical exhaustion and emotional numbness had her lose consciousness without her realizing it.

It was sometime around two in the morning when a noise woke her up. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and turned towards her window, watching in silent surprise as Sam climbed in, holding the window with one hand so it wouldn't come crashing down.

Leah's mouth opened in a silent sob as Sam moved across the room, sitting on her bed and reaching out to cup her face. Looking into his tired dark eyes, she couldn't help but start crying softly as she reached out to touch him.

"Please tell me it's not a dream," she whispered softly as she gripped his arms, "Please tell me you're really here."

"Lee-lee," Sam leaned down to kiss her gently before wrapping his arms around her, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Oh God Sam," Leah lifted her head, kissing him with a desperation that she had never felt before, "Don't ever do that to me again."

"I won't," Sam pulled her closer, "I promise."

Leah fell back on her bed, pulling him along with her, her arms tight around his neck as she continued to kiss him with an edge that revealed the fear she had been living with for the past three days.

Sam stretched out next to her, pulling back the covers so he could be closer to her, his hands sliding under the T-shirt she slept in, wanting, no needing, to be with her in the most elemental way, needing to remind himself that he still had something normal in Leah.

His whole life had just been turned upside down and he didn't understand how or why, but one thing he knew was that he still loved Leah with an all consuming passion and that was one thing he knew with certainty wouldn't change, something he could no longer say about himself.

Leah shoved at his T-Shirt, which he quickly pulled off before grabbing the hem of hers and pulling it over her head, leaning down to kiss her breasts, his tongue tracing the lines on her body caused by the moonbeams that came in through the window. He could almost swear that he could taste the moonbeams themselves as he pulled off her boy-cut cotton underwear, pulling back to look down at her naked body.

"You are so beautiful Lee-lee," Sam whispered against her mouth as he moved over her, realizing he was still wearing his jeans. Standing up, he quickly shed them, returning to Leah's side, wrapping his arms around her, closing his eyes at the cool feel of her skin against the hotness of his.

Moving a leg in between hers, he moved until she was on top of him, wanting to look into her eyes and remind himself that as long as those eyes continued to be his world, then he could handle what was going on with him.

"I was so scared," Leah whispered as she looked into his dark ones, reaching up to trace the dark circles under his eyes with her fingertips, "I was afraid I'd lost you."

"Never," Sam lifted his head to kiss the tears leaking out of her beautiful brown-green eyes, "I had no idea what was going on or what to do, but one thing I knew was that I had to come back to you."

Leah moved against him, her legs falling either side of him as she lifted herself onto him and slowly took him into herself, both closing their eyes simultaneously at the feeling of connection and belonging this simple act brought to them.

Lifting his hips, he buried himself deep inside her as he brought down her face, moving his mouth over hers in a deep and slow way that she emulated with her body.

The fire in both of their bodies burned slow and hot, keeping them enthralled with each other for what was left of the night.

Leah sat up in her bed, tears streaming down her face as she hugged her body, willing the ache to go away. Their last time together had seemed like the beginning of a beautiful forever for them.

But not only was Fate a bitch, it also seemed to hate Leah Clearwater. And now that she looked back, Leah realized that the feeling of desperation that simmered below their passion for each other had really been a warning.

And although Leah would like nothing better than to spit in the face of Fate, she realized that she had some blame on what happened…she had ignored the facts staring her in the face.

Because although Sam had returned to her, the Sam she had held in her arms that night had not been the same Sam that she had held a couple of days before he disappeared. And when change of that magnitude happens, nothing, absolutely nothing remains the same.

"Why won't you tell me where you were?"

Leah glared at Sam, her arms crossed tight across her chest, her anger at his refusal to say anything of the time he had disappeared growing as she kept looking at him.

"Look, I have no idea what the hell was going on, okay," Sam shoved his hand into his hair, "It's not like I planned on what happened. I came back to you. Isn't that enough?"

"What the hell did happen, Sam," Leah pushed herself away from the side of the little house they were planning on buying, walking towards her car since they had decided to meet there instead of driving together, "Why did you even disappear in the first place?"

"Dammit Leah! I don't know," Sam fisted his hands, not liking the familiarity of his angry feelings, "Can't you just let it go?"

"No, I can't," Leah turned to look at him, shaking her head to clear her vision because for a second there, Sam was looking blurry, "Because while you were off God only knows where doing who knows what, I was in the hospital, worried sick about you."

"Look, I'm sorry okay," Sam breathed through his nose, willing himself to calm down, "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry that I fucked up. Once I figure out what the hell is going on with me, you'll be the first to know. Can we just go back inside and tell the real estate agent we'll take the damn house?"

"No," Leah turned away from Sam, "Because maybe the reason you took off is because you're not sure about this…about us."

"No Leah," Sam reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her hard against him, "It had nothing to do with us. The wedding is ten weeks away and I have every intention of being there. Please. Just trust me, okay?"

Leah looked up into his eyes, noticing the tired strained look on his face. "Okay. I'll trust you. Just tell the agent we'll call her once we make a decision, k? I have to meet Emily to do some last minute fitting for my dress."

"Lee-lee," Sam leaned down to kiss her lips, brushing his fingers against the side of her face, wanting to reassure her of his devotion, "I love you. I really do. And ten weeks is too long of a wait for you to become my wife."

Leah smiled up at him as she kissed him back, squeezing his hand before getting behind the wheel of her little Toyota, "It'll go by in a flash. You just wait and see."

Leah looked around as she leaned against her car, holding the gas pump as the tank filled up. She had stayed in Toronto for three days, doing some sightseeing for the sake of getting good pictures for her mother. For some reason, she herself didn't really like Toronto…it was too big, too busy…she shook her head as she realized that she was comparing this big sprawling city to La Push.

She really did miss the overcast days, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, the driftwood bonfires they had occasionally put together at the last minute.

She missed her mother and her little brother…and as crazy as it may seem, she missed the pack. As for Sam, well…that was just a given.

Sam walked into the store, wishing Leah was with him instead of with Emily in Port Angeles doing the dress thing they had to do. Heading towards the back of the store looking for Harry, he still couldn't figure out what to say as an explanation for what had happened a few weeks back.

"Oh sorry, Mr. Ateara," Sam reached out to hold Quil Ateara Sr. on his feet before he fell from almost running him over, "I didn't mean to run you over like that."

Quil Ateara Sr. stared at Sam with big eyes, his frail hand gripping Sam's with a strength that was surprising considering the man looked to be over a hundred, "Sam Uley, right?"

"Yes sir," Sam nodded as he pulled back his hand, wondering why the man was staring at him in that knowing way.

"You're here to see Harry, aren't you," Quil Sr. cocked his head to the side, knowing that he needed to talk to Harry and Billy Black about Sam Uley and he needed to do it soon.

"Yes sir."

"Aren't you dating his daughter?"

"Actually, Leah and I are engaged. The wedding's in ten weeks."

"Ah," Quil Sr. nodded his head slowly before stepping around Sam, his decision made to go to Billy Black first, "Sam, I think that after you tell Harry what happened in the woods, both of you need to come to Billy's. I'll be there waiting for both of you."

"How did you know I was in the woods," Sam's eyebrows lowered over his dark eyes as he turned to look at Mr. Ateara, "You know what happened to me, don't you?"

"I do," Quil Sr. nodded his head again, giving him an almost compassionate look, "Tell Harry what happened. He won't think you're crazy. Then tell him Billy and I will be waiting for both of you at Billy's place."

Sam stood there as Mr. Ateara hobbled out of the store, slightly confused but mostly angry that someone had known what was going on with him but had never told him, warned him before it happened. Instead, he had to deal with it on his own.

The rest of Mr. Ateara's words sunk in and Sam spun around on his heel, moving to the back of the store in search of Harry, wanting an explanation of everything. Harry Clearwater was in on the secret and Sam felt that after the hell he went through, he deserved to be told what was going on.

Quil Ateara Sr. looked out the window, watching his grandson and Seth Clearwater walking towards his home, both of them deep in what looked like a serious discussion.

He shook his head as the door opened and he caught part of their conversation.

"-she's heading towards Jacob," Seth moved into the house, heading straight to the living room as if he lived there, "I've been plotting the places she calls from and that's the only logical destination."

"What the hell would she want with Jacob, though," Quil followed right behind Seth, bypassing the living room and moving into the kitchen, "Those two were never friends…sometimes they couldn't even stand each other. Besides, she wasn't all that nice when he decided to leave the pack to go after his bloodsucking imprint."

"I didn't say I was reading her mind, I said I was plotting her trip," Seth growled as he grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl in the center of the table, "I have no idea what she would want with Jacob or why she's heading that way, I am just theorizing that's where she's heading."

"Seth?"

"Yes sir," Seth walked out of the kitchen, followed by Quil, joining Mr. Ateara in the front living room.

"Where was Leah the last time she called," Quil Sr. couldn't help the feeling of concern as he looked at Seth and saw the evident worry over his sister that the boy carried around with him.

"She was in Michigan City. Mom said that Leah was heading up to Canada. At least, that's what mom told her to do."

"Canada?" Quil turned to look at his pack brother, "Considering that Jacob is in New Hampshire, which he may not be at, Canada's a little out of the way, don't you think?"

"I talked to Dr. Cullen –"

"You what?!" Quil sat up from the couch he had fallen back into a while ago, "Does Sam know?"

"No he doesn't," Seth rolled his eyes as he dropped to the floor, "But he will eventually. Anyway, I really meant to talk to Edward but Dr. Cullen answered. They are definitely in New Hampshire so I let him know that Leah may be heading that way. You know, just to give Jacob a heads up."

"Did you talk to Jacob?" Quil asked with a hopeful look, missing his brother and best friend like crazy. Even after three years, he still thought of Jacob that way.

"No…I said I talked to Dr. Cullen. Try to keep up," Seth shook his head as he finished peeling the orange, shoving it whole into his mouth.

"You know, Seth, even though you can shift into an animal, you don't have to eat like one," Quil's face was serious for a second before it split into a grin. He couldn't really say much because they all ate the same way, it's just that he enjoyed teasing Seth. The kid couldn't take a joke to save his life.

"Oh please," Seth grumbled after he swallowed the chewed up orange, "I've seen you swallow an entire hamburger without chewing."

"Seth?"

"Yes sir?" Seth turned to look at Mr. Ateara, noticing how old the Quilette elder looked. He couldn't help but pray that they wouldn't lose another elder…losing his dad had been tough on all of them.

"How is Leah doing?"

"She won't say. Mom tells me she just sounds more and more depressed every time she calls but she won't tell mom about what she's feeling or anything like that," Seth looked down at his hands before looking back at Mr. Ateara, "But I know my sister. A long road trip with nothing but music to distract her…she's making herself miserable by thinking back on her relationship with Sam. I wish I had gone with her. I would have kept her distracted."

"Yes you would have," Quil Sr. gave a reassuring smile to Seth, "But maybe that's what Leah needs. To look back on what she had before she lets go of it."

"What I'm afraid she'll end up doing is driving herself off a bridge," Seth looked away from both Atearas', looking out the window, wondering where his sister was, "It's not as if she hadn't tried killing herself once before. But this time, there won't be anybody there to stop her from dying."

"What do you mean I can't tell Leah," Sam looked at the tribe elders, fisting his hands as he fought for control, "She's going to be my wife in ten weeks. She has a right to know about this."

"Sam," Harry reached out to grab his future son-in-law's shoulder, "I agree with you. But this must be kept secret. The only one you tell is your imprint. And you would know if Leah was your imprint."

"Imprint?" Sam turned to look at Harry, his dark eyes looking wary and slightly scared, "Aside from the fact that I can phase into a werewolf because there's a coven of vampires in Forks, there's more weird stuff involved?"

"Yes," Quil Sr. nodded his head, understanding Sam's anger and fear. Their duty as protectors of their people had never been easy to understand but it had to be fulfilled, "There is much involved with being a werewolf. And imprinting is one of those things. It's rare, and it doesn't happen to everyone, but when it does happen, which usually occurs after you phase for the first time, you will know."

"What the hell is imprinting," Sam pushed himself out of the sofa, walking away from the elders as he stood by the window.

"If you have to ask, then you haven't imprinted," Harry said softly, his eyes slightly sad as he hoped and prayed, for the sake of his daughter, that Sam would never imprint.

"It's when you meet that one person you were made for," Billy spoke up, moving his chair so he could see Sam's profile, "She becomes the center of your world, your gravity so to speak. Everything that defined you ceases to exist and she alone becomes your definition. As Quil said, it is a rare thing that has only happened once or twice from those times we have had wolves."

"Leah is my everything," Sam turned to glare at Billy before turning to look Harry in the eye, "I have no intention of leaving her. To hell with this imprinting thing and to hell with not telling her. She's going to be my wife and she needs to know about this."

Sam walked out of the house before any of the elders could stop him, his head reeling with all the legends and information they had given him. He would not be alone. The others would eventually join him, but because he was the first one, he would be the Alpha of the pack.

Sam shook his head as he recalled Billy's words, "That is, unless Jacob phases. Being that my father was the last Chief of the Quilettes, it is Jacob's rightful place to become the Alpha."

Sam didn't wish his hell on any of the other Quilette boys but if he had to be honest, he hoped Jacob would phase soon, that way he could just hand over the responsibility of being the Alpha. Apparently because he was a Black, Jacob was supposed to be able to handle it.

Sam didn't care either way.

Knocking on Leah's back door, he waited until she opened it, exclaiming in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her, his lips crashing into hers, reassuring himself that this, what he had with Leah, was what defined him. She was his heart, his world, his everything.

"Sam," Leah pulled back, touching her bruised lips, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sam brushed his lips against her forehead, "I need to talk to you."

"Come in," Leah stepped back, her left hand in his as she lead him to the kitchen table, "I was working on the seating chart. Emily should get here in half an hour after she closes the store so we could finalize the menu."

He grabbed the chair and turned it around, straddling it as he played with Leah's engagement ring, turning it around her finger again and again, "I want a steak. Medium rare. With a baked potato, honey baked beans and corn on the cob."

"Silly," Leah leaned over to kiss his cheek, "The choice is between chicken and beef. The rest of the food is decided by the caterer."

"Is the caterer going to be eating it," Sam mumbled as he looked down at the table, his eyebrows rising as he took stock of everything, "What's all this?"

"Well," Leah pulled out a magazine and flipped through it, which was a little hard to do because Sam refused to let go of her left hand, "I am trying to make up my mind about the wedding cake. Which one do you like best?"

Sam stared at the two pictures that Leah pointed out, his brain short-circuiting as he tried to figure out which one Leah liked because he honestly didn't care as long as it tasted good.

"This one?"

Leah smiled up at him as she grabbed a marker and circled the one he had pointed out, which was a beautiful four tiered butter cream cake with vibrant colored sugar flowers at the base, "Good choice."

"So I picked the right one," Sam sighed with relief as he ran his hand through his long hair, suddenly realizing that he was going to have to cut it off so he wouldn't be so shaggy when he phased.

"It was not about picking the right cake, silly. I asked you which one you liked." Leah looked at him, smiling as she watched him play with his long hair, "We need to get your tuxedo next week. Your cummerbund is going to be a deep blue. Or would you like another color?"

"Blue's fine," Sam lifted their joined hands, kissing the back of hers, "I was thinking I could cut my hair for the wedding."

"No!" Leah gave him a look of horror as she reached out to run her fingers through it, "Just tie it back in a ponytail. I like your hair like this."

"Oh," Sam shrugged as if it had just been a sudden idea, "Just thought it was a good idea."

"Well, it isn't," Leah leaned over to kiss his mouth, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something, remember?"

"Yeah, I did," Sam took a deep breath as he wondered how to start with this bizarre story that was now his life, "Remember how I told you once I found out about –"

"Leah!"

"Oh, that's Emily," Leah exclaimed as she jumped from the table, dragging Sam along, "She's a little early. Guess it must have been slow at the store. Anyway, wait until you see the bridesmaid dresses. I'll have Emily model it for you."

For some strange reason, Sam didn't want to go into the living room, although something other than Leah's hand was pulling him that way. Locking his jaw, he turned the corner of the hallway after Leah, fighting this strange pull that reminded him of a magnet. What the hell was going on?

"Sam! It's great to see you again," Emily smiled over her shoulder at her cousin's fiancé, dropping her purse on the couch, three dress bags on her other hand, "I just picked up the bridesmaid dresses, Lee. They look great! I think Sam will like them."

"I think he will too," Leah looked up at Sam, a smile on her face before she turned to look at Emily, "You willing to model one of them?"

"Of course," Emily turned around to face Leah and Sam, her brown eyes locking with his dark ones.

"Emily."