Chapter Fourteen
The doorbell was far too loud for so early in the morning. The sound seemed to reverberate up the steps, through the door, and into Emily's entire body. Her eyes moved lazily from their unfocused view of the wall to the bedroom door, her cheek lifting several inches off of Sam's chest.
"Sam?" she whispered.
Sam hardly moved, he was so exhausted from the excessive practice and the long, all-night runs. It was barely four in the morning, and he had probably gotten in a half-hour ago. Emily would let him sleep.
She carefully untangled herself from his arms. Kissing Sam's forehead softly, she pulled on her robe. Emily hadn't been sleeping much lately, so the aspect of lost sleep didn't matter much. She had been lying there sleepless for hours. The doorbell wasn't interrupting anything like that.
Emily tiptoed down the stairs, tying the robe closed around her thin waist. Her eyes traveled down to the door. But the front door was already open.
Emily froze, chills running down her spine. She watched as the door swung to and fro, hinges creaking, pushed by a light morning breeze. Outside, the morning was still black, masking anything past the porch light. She was just about to call to Sam when she heard the tiny voice, quiet as a mouse.
"Emily?"
She jumped in the air, swinging to meet the voice. Leah.
She was seated on the couch, the back of her tank top covered in dirt. There were leaves and soil in her short, tangled hair.
"Leah?" Emily walked slowly to the couch. She couldn't figure out what kind of state Leah was in. But Leah looked up at her cousin with devastated eyes, biting her lip to hold back tears. Emily immediately sat on the couch, taking Leah into her arms. And Leah didn't resist.
"Are you okay? Where have you been? Sam's been so worried…"
"You don't have to lie," Leah said quietly.
"I'm not."
"Then I'd rather you not mention him."
Emily swallowed.
"Okay. I've been worried too, Leah. Everyone has."
"I didn't know where else to go. Sorry I just let myself in. I'll pay for the handle."
Emily glanced back at the door, and saw that the handle had been torn from its place and was rolling back and forth slowly on the porch.
"Its okay. I'm glad to have you back."
"I've been so awful to everyone, haven't I?"
Emily didn't answer. She slowly began running her hand over Leah's hair. The sediment tinkled down onto the couch cushions.
"I really have. I've been just awful. I've… I've just tortured Sam… And Embry, he's such a good kid, and I just force him to think about his father all the time."
"They don't hate you, Leah. None of them hate you."
"They do, Emily. You don't know, you aren't in their minds… They hate me. They wish I never joined the pack."
Emily couldn't answer. She could only imagine what those boys were thinking. Leah heard them every time she phased.
"I shouldn't part of this, Emily. I'm unnatural. I'm a freak."
"No, Leah…"
"Do you know why Sam thinks I phased? I caught him once, he let his mind get away from him for just a moment and I heard it. He thinks its because I'm barren." Leah scoffed, laughed, and sobbed at once. "Do people even use that word anymore? Barren. But I can't have children, Emily. I'm not a real woman if I can't pop a few babies out, right? I'm entirely masculine. I'm a fucking son of the Quileute tribe…"
"Leah, its just a theory. Who knows…"
"That's probably it though. Emily, he would have been with me. He would have imprinted on me if I could have had his children…if I could have carried on his legacy to the tribe… I would still have him."
Emily's arms slackened. She lifted her cheek away from her cousin's shoulder.
"Emily, wait!" Leah twisted in her arms, looking at Emily face-to-face. "Please don't go. Please. I don't have anyone else. The pack. My brother. My mother… Everyone else…"
"They don't hate you, Leah. Your family just wants to help you. And I just want to help you too. You can talk to me about anything, Leah. Anything but Sam."
"I know. I'm sorry." Leah's eyes fell to the floor.
"I would have… I would have made him stay with you if…"
"If he weren't so damn persistent, right?" A sad smile spread over Leah's face. "Don't worry, with Jared … And Quil… You know, I can feel it too. The way they feel about their imprintees. I know how much… Sam… feels for you…"
"You don't have to talk about it, Leah."
Leah's hand flew up to her face. Her dam had collapsed, and the tears were spilling over. Emily wiped Leah's other cheek. Leah let out an embarrassed laugh.
"I hate crying in front of people."
"I know," Emily said, smiling. Leah returned the smile. Emily had forgotten how well she knew Leah, even now, when things had changed so drastically.
"I should go home. I should go back and be with my Mom before… before today happens."
Emily's stomach dropped.
"I'm glad you came to see me."
Leah nodded. She stood, and Emily's arms feel down to the sofa cushions.
"I'll pay for the door knob, I promise."
"Its okay, really."
Leah stopped on the porch, picked up the knob, and placed it on the small table next to the front door. She looked at Emily again, took in a fortifying breath, then turned and left the porch.
Emily couldn't move from the couch, staring out the open door, trying to organize and control her thoughts into something understandable. Leah. Sam. The battle taking place that day. Little made sense anymore. Everything she could understand hurt too much, so she pushed it away until she was numb. She lost track of time. She barely felt the tangible change from night to morning, saw the ground outside turn from black to blue, but couldn't understand why.
"Emily?"
Sam's voice was frantic from upstairs.
"Emily? Where are you?"
"Downstairs, Sam," she whispered. Her voice seemed foreign. Everything seemed strange now.
She heard his feet hit the floor, hit the stairs painfully. He froze. The door. The most animalistic sound of pain escaped his lips. A low, bitter gasp.
"Sam," she said louder. "Sam, I'm right here!"
She twisted on the couch, looking up at his face. His terrified expression collapsed in relief.
"Jesus Christ!" he said, scooping her up as he fell onto the couch. Normally she would have laughed and teased him, but it scared her this time.
"What's wrong?" she asked, hugging his head closer to her heart. Now this felt familiar. It felt right.
"I thought… I had an this awful nightmare."
She didn't have to guess what had happened. The enemy vampires had come after her somehow. He had come back to find the house silent, empty except for her bloody corpse… She heard him mutter in his sleep the last few nights, whispering things that terrified her, but holding her so close that she couldn't possibly escape.
No, she hadn't slept very well the last few nights.
They remained tangled together, completely still, neither wanting to break the mutual hold. His arms around her waist were far too tight, but she'd rather have him too close than breathe. Especially this morning.
"What time is it?" Emily whispered into his hair. She felt his face move against her collarbone to glance at the television. 7:24 AM.
"I don't want to be anywhere but here."
Tears welled into Emily's eyes but she blinked them away. But she had no chance of masking the sob that racked her body.
"Don't cry, Emily. I couldn't stand it."
"I couldn't stop if I wanted to."
His strong arms tugged her lower. Slowly, he kissed the tear trails away, kissed the scars that those very tears flowed around.
"Its going to be fine," he said, but his voice sounded choked.
"If you say that one more time, I swear to God…"
She kissed him again, slow and gentle. He wrapped both hands around her waist. They lay there together, just holding each other, memorizing the feel of the other person so close.
Suddenly Sam pushed himself up.
"I have something for you. It's supposed to be for the wedding, but… well, just in case… I want you to have it now."
Sam sat up and bent over the side of the couch, opened the drawer that no one ever paid any attention to on the side table, and removed a black ring box. Emily sat up, her arms still draped over his shoulders. At the sight of the box, her hand flew to her chest.
"Sam, you didn't have to…"
"I wanted to, Emily."
Despite their precarious financial situation, despite their debts and money troubles, Emily knew she would never give up that ring.
Set on a thin band, the stone was small. She doubted it was a diamond either, but it looked like one and that was good enough. On each side of the cubic zirconium were two tiny yellow stones. They looked like Sam's eyes, that is, his mesmerizing wolfish eyes.
It was the most delicate thing she'd ever seen.
"Its beautiful, Sam."
He didn't answer, but simply took the box back from her gently. His hands seemed far too huge to handle such a ring, far too powerful for such a beautiful, thin little band, but he managed to pluck it from the box and slide it onto Emily's finger without crushing it. When the band hit the base of her finger, an uneven breath waved out from her lips.
The metal was cold. It felt strange when she reached up with that same hand and touched Sam's cheek, but his heat quickly melted the chill of the metal.
"Come back to me," she whispered. She kissed him again. She couldn't seem to stop doing so. Suddenly, a fist banged against the backdoor.
"I have to go," he said, resting his forehead against hers.
"I know."
His jaw jutted forward to kiss her again. The back door rustled again with the force of Jared's knocking.
"Sam?" he called.
"One second!" He turned back to Emily. He was suddenly frantic. "I'll be back soon. Lock all the doors…" He glanced at the front door. "Go to your bedroom. Lock the door. My rifle's in the closet. Bullets are on the shelf. I'll be back as soon as possible."
"Okay. Okay, Sam…"
"I love you. I'll be back soon." His eyes were low, sad.
"I love you too."
He kissed Emily's forehead, then disappeared into the kitchen. The sound of the screen bouncing in its doorframe was the worst sound in the world.
…
Where is Jacob?
Haven't heard from him since this morning.
Bella?
Yeah. They… Well, I'm sure he won't be able to stop thinking about it when he phases so you'll hear about it. The secondary memory, faded and incomplete, played within their minds. But it included the main elements. Jacob's trick. Her acquiescence. Their mutual kiss.
Sam sighed. I knew nothing good was going to come out of that particular position. I'm sure he'll phase soon though, and we can get in contact. But Seth is still there, correct?
Yeah, Seth's there.
This place is going to be fine. Can I please come down and fight with you?
Sam huffed.
In the middle of a report, Seth. Shh. Go on, Jared. Brady and Colin?
On the reservation. Opposite ends, where the main road comes in and out. They are ready for anything.
Perfect.
Yeah, we're both here! Nothing yet. I think the rez will be out of the way.
Yeah it's really quiet over here.
Hopefully it will stay that way.
By the way, this sucks. I just want you to know that. In case I haven't made that clear.
Seth, please be quiet.
Well it does.
Seth! Listen to Sam!
Sam stopped. The pack froze in place behind him.
Leah?
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. And not just about the door.
Leah pushed through the trees in front of them, her head low and her eyes on the ground. Her tail was curled between her legs, and she approached them with slow, deliberate, weary steps. The memory of that morning, of breaking the door and seeing Emily, her knowledge of the theory, then running to her mother's, played unbridled in her mind.
I'm sorry, Brady. I'm sorry for everything.
Distantly, Brady forgave her. It's okay, Leah. I shouldn't have said that.
Sam's eyes curved upward, his wolfish jaw relaxing into a smile.
It's good to have you back.
Just in time, Leah. The pack seemed to relax their prejudice on her for a moment. Their forgiving acceptance blasted toward Leah like a sand cloud.
She raised her head.
Thanks, guys. Her tone was still sad, but she trotted behind Sam. This was where she had to be, not where she wanted to be. But she really had no choice.
Now complete, except for the missing Beta, the pack followed Sam to the edge of the main clearing, back where they had watched Jasper and the others practice. Their Alpha changed back to a human quickly, throwing on his shorts.
"Let's go."
The sun was just rising over the trees' canopies when the wolf pack pushed into the clearing. The Cullens, with the exception of the one named Edward, stood together in the center. They moved simultaneously, turning together to watch the pack enter.
"Hello, Sam Uley."
"Dr. Cullen."
"The newborns are on their way," Jasper said, stepping forward. He was the leader today.
"They will follow the path?" Sam asked.
"Yes," said the small female. What was her name? Alice?
"Then we will leave you here and go north to ambush them from the rear, as we planned. We'll chase the stragglers into the meadow, then join you here to finish them off."
"Sounds good."
"Sounds good and short," Carlisle added with a weary smile. The Cullens had been glaring at Sam and the pack since they entered the meadow. Especially the blonde female. But at Carlisle's declaration, they glanced at him in approval.
"They should be arriving soon, so you better get a move on," Jasper said.
Sam bristled. He didn't care how much experience Jasper had. He had never taken kindly to brisk instructions. Especially from a vampire.
"We will meet you here soon." The rest of the Cullens nodded.
Sam jogged back to the pack. Once within the tree line, he phased.
Embry and Quil stay in the meadow. The rest of us…Let's go.
Jacob's on his way.
Where should I go?
Jacob! Finally! You should have been giving me the morning report.
Yeah, well, my morning was pretty intense.
So I've heard. Anyway, Stay here with Quil and Embry.
Yes sir, Alpha Sam!
Sam rolled his eyes. Don't call me sir. Focus, Jacob. This isn't a game.
May not be a game… but it is going to be fun!
Well I'm glad you're so confident. Let's get going.
The pack split, Sam's group sprinting through the woods, the scent of vampires growing stronger and stronger as the wind blew past their nostrils. Jacob, Quil, and Embry positioned themselves at the edge of the meadow. With Seth keeping watch over Bella up on the mountain, and Colin and Brady patrolling the rez border, the pack was feeling confident and prepared.
Sam, Leah, Jared, and Paul traveled in a huge arch, their strides together, their mind melding together. Many parts into one body. And that body had one singular purpose.
Any minute now. Remember, don't attack alone.
Then there they were, the uneven stream of newborns, ravenous for Bella's blood. They were racing ahead toward the meadow, dancing around the trees and ferns that Bella had touched the day before. The wolves closed in.
Strength in numbers! Charge them!
Paul charged ahead eagerly, launching into the air and tackling an unsuspecting male one from behind. His teeth clamped down on the vampire's neck, and soon the thing was in pieces. Jared joined him, ripping limb from limb in a bestial fury. The entire pack felt the kill, felt the power, the adrenaline from it.
Sam and Leah closed off four other vampires. The newborns screamed at the sight of the huge wolves. They twisted in place only to spot their former coven member's body in pieces on the ground, with two angry wolves among the pieces. The plan was working well. The pack had surprise on their side.
The newborns were fast, but the pack was right on their heels. Suddenly one stopped, her nose lifting in the air. She inhaled fully, her red eyes glowing in the opposite direction of the meadow. She smelled Bella. The real Bella. She went sprinting off, her legs moving so quickly that they were a blur.
She knows! She's going after Bella!
I've got her. Leah burst after her. Her need for approval, for acceptance, surged through her muscles as she ran. Her long, fast strides became longer and faster. Leah chased the vampire down, tackling her to the ground. By the time Sam arrived to help, the vampire was writhing on the ground, armless. Together they finished her off.
I could have gotten her myself. Leah launched herself back toward Paul and Jared. Sam scowled.
The rest have entered the meadow, Jacob informed them.
The four wolves surrounded the remaining vampires. Two women, one of them a teenage girl, stood hand-in-hand. The third, a large male, whipped around them with teeth bared.
Separate and annihilate!
The male suddenly jumped toward Sam. His stone-hard arms wound around his neck, his teeth bared. Sam rolled, desperate to crush this thing. He was not going to be taken down by one of these despicable amateurs.
The male's teeth sunk into Sam's shoulder, and the useless venom was cold into Sam's veins before the ancient magic in his blood vaporized it. But the pain was still there in the wound. It infuriated him.
The teenage one had run off and escaped for the moment, and Jared had destroyed the other. Leah and Paul ran to Sam and knocked the vampire from his death grip, grabbing hold of his legs and pulling. The limbs ripped from their sockets, and the vampire cried out in agony as he let go. Sam whipped around, snarling, and swiped his claws across the male's chest. Another cry. Whimpering.
"Please, please…"
Sam's jaws clenched around his head and pulled. The whimpering ended.
Sam spit the head out in disgust.
Sam! Sam!
Gather the pieces together. What, Brady?
Two vampires ran by here. I couldn't catch them. They're headed in Bella's direction!
Seth, did you hear that?
There was a pause.
Seth!
Edward was listening. Just ran off with Bella. I'm with them.
Fuck… Paul moaned.
Sam! Sam!
What?
One of them was a female. She had red hair.
Sam froze. It was her. The one they had been chasing all this time. Sam felt his blood begin to boil.
We have to go after them. Help Seth. Who knows if Edward and Seth can fend both of them off while looking after Bella?
Let's get to the clearing first, Paul. That's the plan. Then we'll head up to Seth, wherever he ends up.
Seth needs help! Leah growled. We need to go help him!
We are going to the clearing first, Leah. That's an order.
They raced to the clearing. Leah's mind was a mess of worry, praying for her little brother.
The meadow that seemed so huge back then was a definite battlefield, complete with a huge bonfire burning in the middle. But despite the crackling roar of the fire, the sound of the battling vampires was deafening. From the collision of their stony skin into the other's came the sound of crashing boulders. Then came their screams and battle cries, and the snarling of the newborn bloodsuckers.
Embry and Quil had together taken down one vampire and were currently surrounding and ambushing their second. Jacob had destroyed two as well. Carlisle was wrestling with one, the teenage girl from earlier, but obviously had no intention of hurting her. Maybe he was saving her to hear the whole story after the battle was over. Probably try to convince her to be the next Cullen, no doubt.
The rest of the Cullens were battling their own newborns. Emmett ripped his apart, then barreled over to aid the blonde one. Together they finished hers off too.
The pack had killed their half, and the Cullens needed no help.
Scout the perimeter, Sam ordered. Make sure we got every single one.
The pack sprinted to the edge. Sam trotted behind them, pivoting his head from side to side to make sure his pack was completely safe from surprise ambushes.
One after another, each vampire defeated their newborn adversary. The Cullens were throwing body parts in the flames. The smell was unbearable.
But despite the smell and the ache of the healing bruises in his back, Sam couldn't have been happier. They had fought them off without causality! There were bites and cuts and bruises, maybe a scratch or two, but the pack was whole and healthy. All the worrying, all the fear for he future, had been a waste. Relief melted throughout Sam's body.
Suddenly a howl.
Leah!
A vampire had burst through the foliage, toward the unsuspecting Leah. Jacob had jumped in his way. The werewolf and newborn went flying. Jacob's extended back legs crashed through a thick tree trunk. The crunch of a shattered bone.
I can't... I can't get him off me. His thoughts were slow, weighted with the pain from his leg.
Sam raced toward him. The vampire clung onto Jacob, a sadistic grin on his face. With all his strength, he squeezed. Sam heard the bones break as if they were his own. Jacob's tortured cry seemed to echo through their minds.
Jacob!
What's happened?
The vampire hopped from him and took off into the forest.
Follow him!
I've got him! He's mine!
Leah, not alone! He began to chase after her.
Sam! Help him! Seth suddenly screamed. Help him!
Sam growled in indecision, but finally turned toward Jacob.
Someone, go after Leah! Paul and Jared took off.
Sam wheeled back to Jacob. Blood was everywhere. White shards of bone had ripped through his hairy hide.
Jacob was unresponsive.
Get Carlisle.
Even since changing, the pack had always taken their power to heal for granted. Cuts and scraps were gone within the hour. They threw each other around all the time, and nothing had ever broken. Maybe a few cracked ribs, but the next day rendered them perfectly healthy. But Jacob was a mess of broken bones and blood and matted fur. He might not be able to live long enough for his body to heal.
The doctor appeared at Sam's side.
"What happened?"
Sam couldn't answer. Somewhere far away, Jacob's attacker was ripped to shreds.
"Carlisle! The Volturi are coming!" the one Alice shouted across the meadow.
The doctor, bent over Jacob's unconscious body, looked to Sam. "We need to get Jacob and the rest of the pack out of here." Sam didn't know what the Volturi were, but he didn't care at the moment. They needed to get Jacob somewhere safe to heal.
"Burn the pieces!" Jasper's order seemed to echo through the meadow.
"Bring him somewhere, and I'll come to you. He's healing quickly, but it doesn't look like the bones are going to heal correctly… I'll find you after this is all settled."
Sam didn't like the sound of that, but he had no ability to argue.
"Try as hard as you can to get him to phase back into human form. He'll be easier to treat that way. Easier to realign the bones. I'm not a veterinarian."
Carlisle stood quickly, patted Sam's shoulder, then rushed back to his family.
Sam, I…
We'll talk about that later, Leah. For now, you and Paul, go back to the woods and gather all the pieces of the vampires and bring them to the meadow. The Cullens will see that they are all burned. The rest, help me bring Jacob to Emily's.
…
…
…
A/N: Man that was a long chapter… Whew! I just wanted to quickly thank all of my wonderful reviewers… Its by your support and guidance that this story continues. Thank you:
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Thank you so much for reading, and please review! I would love to hear suggestions, favorite parts, anything. Thank you again!