AUHTORS NOTE: THIS IS AN EXTENDED VERSION OF SKIN DEEP. SCROLL DOWN TO CARLISLE PERSPECTIVE IF YOU HAVE ALREADY READ THE INITIAL. ITS ABOUT A THOUSAND THREE WORDS AND DIDN'T MAKE SENSE TO GIVE IT ITS OWN CHAPTER…
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LEAH CLEARWATER
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SKIN DEEP
"Keep the pressure on his neck…" Carlisle murmured, his calmness seeping into my skin and pushing the edginess of my natural instincts away.
"Good heavens, his bones are healing too fast…" he whispered, tensing as Sam moved through the trees, black towering wolf snarling and growling.
"He saved us" I said quickly looking up at his yellow furious eyes. "There was another vampire and…"
He growled, snapping at me and I didn't need to be in wolf form to know what kind of colourful language was being hurtled my way, Jared and Paul emerging on either side of him radiating aggression.
"Jacob phased… first time, I am sure" I said too fast, the words tumbling over each other as I watched Carlisle's suddenly still fingers hovering unsure over Jacob's leg, his dark eyes wide and anxious. "He was with Bella… the vampire attacked them-well him, and the Swan girl bolted… it pulled Jake here-don't know what it was going to do with him and I was alone… and then Carlisle… I mean, Doctor Cullen…"
"This is only a few metres into my territory" Carlisle said slowly and Paul growled. "I saw them Sam… and I sought to pull Laurent away from the boy, he was going to well, feed of him and then kill him. Or worse, take him to the red head woman-she has a vendetta against both your tribe and my family"
They all emerged from the forest, forming an arch around Carlisle and my self's crouched forms over Jacob, growling, snarling and shaking. All it would take was one wrong word from Carlisle, one trigger happy wolf and he would be snatched from the ground and ripped to tiny marble pieces.
"Its true you guys" I hissed. "We don't have time for this, Jake has been bitten. Carlisle… we have to get him to our land. Maybe the elders know something…"
I looked to Sam quickly and he frowned-a pulling of the upper lip to reveal glistening daggers burrowed into his wolf gums-before nodding tersely once and snapping his head left and right; orders to his two goons. They backed away slowly, lowering their heads and never letting their eyes leave Carlisle.
"You won't be able to keep up Leah" Carlisle murmured, lifting Jake too easily from the ground and carrying him bridal style, my yellow dress tied around Jakes neck. "Shouldn't you turn into a wolf…?"
"I'll manage" I grumbled ignoring Paul's not-so-subtly wolf glare and walking over to an obsessively composed Seth. Like hell I was going to phase after being near Carlisle, I wasn't in charge of my thoughts as yet…
He shot me one last frantic look; his deathly white top half cradling a too big Jacob Black comically before zooming past Sam and Paul-who immediately bounded after him, Jared in tow.
"I guess I am going to be going on Seth express" I whispered to Seth and he bent his front legs slightly, allowing me to jump on his back.
"I tell you these woods…" I muttered, closing my eyes tight as he leapt through the forest, the winds hissing and whipping my face ruthlessly and I was grateful the shirt Carlisle gave me this time around was slightly longer to cover the 'necessary' when riding on ones wolf-brother "I tell you these woods are damned!"
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"I need to suck the venom out, Sam" Carlisle murmured, a sound carried easily over the sound of the thundering rain and his phones insistent vibrating.
"Hmm" Sam grumbled, his huge arms pulled tightly over his chest and eyes a narrowed line of distrust. "Answer the phone… Cold One…"
"Cold…" I began and then pulled in a deep breath, moving stiffly towards Seth and Embry and squirming between them. Was he seriously pulling a 'Lost Native American' dictation right now…?
The Blacks lounge had always been small and clustered with different kitsch mementos from Jacob's mothers days and the twins days. It was like walking into a time warp fleeting between the eighties and late nineties. It had always been small but now with Sam, Paul and Jared crowding around Carlisle and Jacob's form on the couch, Billy and his huge wheel chair situated permanently right in the middle of the room and another two oversized boys-namely Embry and Seth squeezing into the heating up room; it was unbearable. Instincts were pushed up, Carlisle's every movement sent a wave of bleached juniper and something minty into the stuffy air and made the other wolves groan and scowl. I had had time to get used to it under my bed, and his shirt on my skin-cool and breezy-felt comforting in the terrorizing fear Jake's darkened veins sent into us.
"Something came up" Carlisle murmured-impossibly fast-into his silver phone. "I am on Quileute land"
"I am fine" he said coolly. "No, don't come to the boundary. I will be home. Do not worry Rose… I am okay, they have done nothing to me, I am helping with a young injured… boy"
"Rose I have to go" he closed the phone, stuffed into his pocket and kneeled by the chair, angling Jacob's head slowly to the side. The wound were the venom was wouldn't heel, the tendons sticking out in darkened tints under his russet skin-the veins leading away from the messy bite all appeared filled with tar under his skin. And his leg… Carlisle stressed the venom was more concerning.
"If the venom is poisonous to us" I whispered and Sam turned his scowl into my direction "Wont our blood be…"
"We don't have time Leah" Carlisle whispered, lowering is mouth slowly to Jacob's neck, ignoring the soft growls that erupted into the room like a warm applause of violent warning.
"What is happening?" Charlie asked, pulling on Seth's hand.
"Jake was hurt" Seth said quickly and Sam nodded his head in the doors direction. "While… motorcycling… let me tell you about it outside, Chief Swan"
"Where is Billy" Charlie asked softly, trying to peer over the too tall massive bodies but Billy was hidden in the wolf-circle with Carlisle and Jacob.
"He is with Jake on the couch…" Seth murmured. "Let me tell you about it outside…"
"Right" Charlie murmured. "Carlisle is there…?"
"Yes Charlie" Seth whispered hurriedly as the inaudible sound of Jacob groaning as Carlisle sucked back his blood filled the ears of every supernatural being in the room-our instincts going into override on how wrong this was…
"He is a good doctor" Charlie muttered, exiting after what seemed like eons. "The best…. He treated Bella you know…"
And then Carlisle groaned ever so slightly, a too low difficult pleasured sound and Sam growled taking a step forward as Embry and Paul began shaking.
"Easy" I whispered, placing a hand on Embry's arm. "He is in control"
"Control…"Paul scoffed, but Carlisle was already done, moving swiftly away from Jake's neck and working on his legs again-his lips a faint pinkish colour although they had been in contact with Jake's bloodied wound.
"I need to break the bones…" Carlisle said quickly over the sound of his vibrating phone. "The neck wound is healing…"
"Then break them" Paul stated and Sam growled at him.
"What do you need?" Sam murmured.
"I need my medical bag" Carlisle said smoothly squeezing Jake's leg lightly and causing him to groan, his head lolling to one side and Billy gasped. "I need… morphine too and painkillers"
"Why can't you just…"
"Paul shut the fuck up!" Embry roared and they faced of from across the little room glaring at each other.
"Do you really think now is the time for this?" Billy asked, his rich voice shocking us all-he spoke louder than anyone in his dulled human senses. "Give… Doctor Carlisle whatever he needs"
"We don't have a medical… whatever…" Jared mumbled.
"I can ask Rosalie to bring it to me" Carlisle said quickly. "And morphine… she can get it easily from the hospital in large quantities I think and have it here in the next ten minutes…"
"Ten minutes?" Sam said suspiciously.
"Or less…"Carlisle sighed. "Do you permit it Sam?"
"I…" Sam began and then looked at me with wide eyes.
"Do it" I hissed. "Is this really the time for prejudices Sam?"
"A 'yes I agree' would have sufficed Leah" Embry said in morose humour nudging me and I groaned tetchily.
He flipped the phone open, speaking too quickly this time for even wolf hearing to catch and snapped it shut, moving from foot to foot once-as though the air around him-and exhaling sharply. I could imagine what the heat in the little circle allowed to him, Jake and Billy felt like to his cold skin; a sauna, an oven like imprisonment with violent aggression radiating on his back instead of barbed wire tipped walls and the looming possibility that at any second now, someone would turn into a giant fur ball of teeth. I wanted to go there and tell him he was safe, that he could fix Jake and walk out free of harm-but even I couldn't be certain of that with the narrowed sets of eyes begging for an opportunity. Even I knew not to court Sam's temper and show more than my normal dose of compassion-and for a blood drinker no less-even I knew to stand on the outskirts of the anti-vampire wolf support group and hold myself together in his soft shirt.
Jake was injured and being so near him made me think of his grey toned office and the soft cool kisses I had stolen. How utterly messed up could one person be…
"She is here…" Seth announced, walking in quickly and sending me one uncontrolled look of distressed. We could barely manage one vampire so close, what more of two…
"Send her through" Sam announced. "Jared, take Embry and go patrol the border… just make sure Charlie doesn't see you or anything. I have a feeling he is going to be hanging around for a bit"
"Leah, go check on the Swan girl" Sam finished, eyeing me distantly.
"Her name…"Jacob croaked and then groaned before wheezing. "Is… Bella…"
"No one gives a damn" Paul sighed heavily, shifting beside Sam as the room gained a few more cubic feet of air with the disappearance of Embry and Jared. "Why can't I …"
"Because you would take this opportunity to fight and we need to keep things calm around the reservation" Sam hissed. "Stay by my side, in case of anything… Leah why are you still standing there"
"I am wondering why I have to go to the Swan…"
"Bella" Jake coughed.
"…girl's house" I whispered, trying not to look at Carlisle's composed face.
"Because you have a uterus" Paul said in an isn't-it-obvious tone. "Or had one… do you have one still?"
"Seriously dude…"Seth hissed as a vampire-who thank the heavens didn't have billowing red hair-walked in behind him.
They all stood there momentarily and it was obvious there were no thoughts in their minds as she glided stiffly over Billy's unvarnished wood, her hair flowing liquidly through unmoving air like yellow silk and skin smooth and supple looking in its marble quality. They watched as what could only be describes as the most beautiful woman in the world walked into the Black's crappy badly decorated lounge and lighted everything up in stammering incoherent awe of ethereal beauty.
"I brought the bag" she said coldly, her face twisted in obvious disgust and eyes yellow and frantic. "And Morphine"
"Hello to you to" I muttered and she snapped her eyes at me-giving me a death glare that I had invented.
"Emmett was unwilling to let me come alone" she said quickly, everything directed to Carlisle. "I shall leave now. We are by the border… they say they understand what you are doing and we shall be waiting for your return"
The last bit was a threat to us… if he didn't return… we would have this Miss World and Carlisle's other children to deal with.
"We won't harm him…" Paul murmured, finding his diplomacy so suddenly and mystically in the face of boobs and legs.
"You have my word as Alpha that no harm will come to C…" Sam said.
"Hmm" she scoffed-interrupting him and exiting swiftly. She threw me one last aversion bleached reproachful look-which I returned gleefully-almost tempted to tell her I had grinded up on her 'dear father's' lap but quickly deciding that I wanted to see another sun rise again and wouldn't taint such a beautiful memory of mine for this blonde beautiful breezy bitch.
"Leah…"Sam said in a daze and I sighed-unable to stop myself from looking up to Carlisle, Seth nudging me violently in the ribs.
"Can I go with Seth, then" I sighed, peeking up at Carlisle. His gaze remained fixed on Jacob as he laid out different instruments and bottles.
"Yes…"Sam said thoughtfully. "We should all be in pairs…"
"Come on, Leah" Seth said quickly pulling me out of the room and through the passage leading out to the door. "Let's get this done with…"
"While there is still chaos?" I murmured, rushing into the woods with him.
Xx~xx~xX
"He whacked Jake…" Bella spluttered, pacing the kitchen floor in a daze, her eyes wild. "So hard, there is no way he survived because he is a… strong man"
"Right" I grumbled, leaning over the kitchen counter top in disdain. I needed to be at the Black's, making sure Jake was okay and that Carlisle was…
"So, what were you doing in the woods again?" Seth asked.
"Uh, you two sound like the police" Bella laughed uneasily.
"Jacob is okay" I muttered, surveying her skinny form with mild interest. "Just so you know"
"He is okay?" she whispered. "I thought for sure that v…uh, man… was going to …"
"He is okay" I said more sternly. "You didn't see any one else there?"
"No" she whispered, wringing her hands over each other. "It was just… him"
"And you were in the woods doing what, again?" Seth asked, his eyes winning Oscar's for their innocent and interested concern.
"There is this place…" she sighed, taking a seat on the stool and pushing a bowl of chips over to Seth absently. "A place…"
"Yeah?" Seth prodded his voice cool and warm-the opposite mine had on any traumatised person I imagined.
"Edward showed it to me" she finished, clutching her centre so abruptly and knocking over her glass of juice, the red pooling over the table too fast. I grabbed a towel quickly, watching worriedly as both her and Seth's face contorted in different yet distinctly similar variations of pain.
"He… "Seth tried and then gulped once, throwing me a frantic look with pained eyes before braving his voice again "A place… your… boyfriend showed you?"
"Yeah" she whispered, her eyes far gone and settled in her memories. "He showed me this… place once, when we went hiking and I asked Jake if he wanted to go with me when I went out to search for it"
"Did you tell Jacob this; that you were looking for your runaway boyfriends secret place?" I asked and Seth groaned when Bella bumbled in a moist voice. I hadn't exactly made her cry, she was already on the road to that destination before I got there…
"No" she said finally in a tiny voice. "If you don't mind guys, I would… I have to prepare Charlie's meal. Thank you for coming to check on me and inform me on how Jake is doing"
"Cool" I sighed, stretching a little and punching Seth out of his confounded stance. "Let's head back to the Black's before something unfortunate goes down with that idiot Paul"
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He wouldn't phase after that visit to the Swan girl. One little sigh and hands shoved in his pockets told me there was no 'super Seth thought control' left in him to brave our wolf telepathic link. What could he have that was a lot harder to hide than making out with a dreaded 'Cold One'. What could he have that was worse than getting butterflies for an ancient man while in a room full of your pack mates, ex boyfriend, a bleeding teenage venom infected boy and ones brother.
Being gay couldn't really be worse than all of that surely? Or could it….?
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CARLISLE CULLEN
It would have taken me zooming through the trees, fleeing my responsibilities with a heavy heart and cutting through the thrashing waves of the sea-it would have taken me having no conscious to the decision I was about to make and consequently dooming Leah and the young Jacob Black.
Deliberation had saved them; saved us-her Vendetta had come to light earlier than she would ever have expected.
Victoria-the red haired vampire.
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"Your idiotic compassion would have cost you your life!" Rosalie hissed, her hands balled into titanium fists and hair thrashing violently as she paced the dining room.
"It was chance…" I whispered, looking at my hands, remembering the feel of Jacob Black's impossibly hot blood sliding over them in its dark crimson value.
"I wanted to hunt alone, after all" I muttered.
"You weren't going to leave us?" Alice whispered her eyes wide.
It would destroy too much to say it out loud, it would cost more than their uneasy acceptance that I had no prejudices against the wolves and they had to follow suit in some way-it would cost their relationship with Edward in the end, knowing I was unable to be away from him. Unable to let him be…
"No" I lied, looking away from her-denouncing her vision, hurting her to keep her from feeling a more intense pain.
"The wolves' interference must have messed with the vision" she sighed, looking up at Jasper who had her secured by his side. "Emmett rushed to your office when I told him I saw you swimming to Canada-possible to fly to through to Italy from there"
"I thought about it" I murmured. "It was an uncontrollable deliberation… it isn't easy to let ones…son go… but I stayed"
"He stayed" Emmett breathed, his hands folded uneasily over his chest. "He is here… there are more pressing matters"
"Like Victoria" Jasper growled.
"She wants the wolves" Rose said closing her eyes haughtily, and pursing her lips "She can have the wolves. Edward is in Volterra with Aro-if she wants to hold a case against him, she'll have to brave the Volturi"
"They wont take both Edward and I killing her mate for a wolf lightly" I whispered, already seeing the sadistic twinkle in Caius eyes at a chance to prove there was nothing holy about 'Carlisle' except his ignorance to his nature. Holy fool was what he had called me…
"A werewolf no less" Jasper murmured thoughtfully. "They hate werewolves. Any involvement with them about wolves would be disastrous to the Quileute tribe"
"Since when were you 'for' the Quileute?" Rose breathed.
"I am not against them" Jasper said defensively. "I just don't see any need to interrupt their existence"
"We are after all" I sighed, looking at her-she never did take anything impeaching on her solitude lightly "The ones who came onto their land, Rose"
"Hmm" she breathed.
"Victoria… has a vendetta" I said coolly "Not only against the Quileute but against us. She is however, one vampire…"
"And I would see immediately if she formulated a plan against us" Alice said confidently. "That's one thing I still have under control"
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Pretending that the previous night had not happened seemed easier than I had anticipated after long hours of obsessing over every little detail that had passed. I dispelled the uneasy feeling-the liquid fear-that remained in my stomach at the violent distrust of the wolves; they had no reason to trust vampires and I needed not make it a concern of mine to gain their trust. All I had to do was uphold the treaty, protect my family and go to work…
If I happened to think of Leah Clearwater on the way-it was simply for concern on her well being. If I happened to wonder what she would do with my shirt, or the other shirt I gave her… it was… I would come up with a reason for that sooner in the day, I was sure. If I recalled how she looked in my shirt-another reason to come up with during the day too.
I could call her –to find out about Jacob and if his thigh bone had settled just right. I could ask her to bring him to the hospital so I could make sure it was set… and then maybe find out if the wolves fear of us had subsided somewhat, if Sam understood now how atoning we 'Cullen's' were. Wouldn't it be prudent for all of us to come to some sort of understanding that Victoria was not a threat as yet, but this didn't mean that she couldn't become something formidable against the both of us-Cold Ones and Wolves.
"School starts at eight-thirty Carlisle" Emmett grumbled from beside me in the passenger seat while Rose groaned. "This is when I miss Edward's obsession with control and time… 'Punctuality is Precision'"
Jasper chuckled at his odd gravellier imitation off Edward's fluid eloquence while Rose scowled out the window and Alice chirped a little giggle. They missed him, it was evident-no matter how horrid the last days had been. They missed him and I had to speak with them of the dangers of any one of them going to Volterra…
"Could you increase the speed" Rose sighed. "We have never been late and all these precautions are wearing thin on me, I would be better of running to school in my Alexander's than this"
"Sure thing" I chuckled winking at Rose through the rear-view mirror "I wouldn't have you running in heels, lovely Rose"
"That was once" she grumbled.
"You run in heels even when you go hunting" Alice said thoughtfully. "I haven't bought you flat shoes in about three years actually"
"Emmett likes me in heels" she said coolly.
"I do babe" he laughed. "Don't listen to these flatfoots, they are just jealous…"
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The difference in my equilibrium was never more pronounced. Surely I should feel some form of chaos at the trauma Laurent had shown to me of what a vampire could do-what a vampire was capable of doing when lost of a large quantity of his humanity. Surely I should be worse of; surely I should be more desperate to ensure Edward's safety…
Surely I should be shocked into stillness that Leah was a wolf… little Seth too.
I was lost; the information and emotional surplus allowing some form of stagnancy inside me were I could be happy or depressed simultaneously. I was lost because the one person I wanted to share this with, the one person who would understand the shock of such events and be able to explain them easily and pour cool light on my own easily obsessive nature of wanting to fix every distress in the world-every little flicker of distress that had run over Leah's face while we were in that little lounge and her… fellow wolves had shown a very hostile acceptance of her-every distress I had witnessed had formed a twisting concrete rope inside of me to wipe it away from her mind. To understand it and fix it.
You can't fix everyone… I could hear him say. You can't pour venom on it and think it would make God see you as any less a monster.
If I poured venom on Leah's distress… it would poison her, and if I sucked on her blood, would it taste as rich and be just as thick as Jacob Blacks. Would it contradict the slight animal aroma it gave to the nose and surprise the tongue with sweet powerful glory… with a little hint that this too could be poison. Addictive poison. Was she…
Such Dangerous Thoughts Carlisle. He would say. Have you forgotten your control for a wolf… such dangerous thoughts…?
Such Dangerous Thoughts. I should not seek her out; my guise for wondering on her was as feeble as my inability to discipline my compassion. She would see right through it-I was calling on the old Leah-the human Leah, and she seemed lost in her increased height, leaner body, cold perpetually narrowed chary dark eyes and permanent violent scowl under choppy dark hair.
We were unnatural born enemies now.
AUTHORS NOTE, again…:
I thought the initial SKIN DEEP was quite tense and it would have been a bit dramatic to move from that atmosphere to something else-enter the extended version.
So, after reading all your reviews and pm's-I realise that quite a few people don't take well to Edward, who I admittedly wrote to be quite the brat initially, hehe. Yep, his little love thing for Carlisle might seem weird (okay, it is weird) but it kind of intrigues me in a weird way. A lot of use of the word weird…
My bio page isn't working for some reason so I can't add news feeds there so bear with me while I abuse you with overload of bold writing.
Anyhow, Edward will obviously return-maybe we will get to see if the grass really is greener for him in Volterra? Poor little Seth and Leah-they got the short end of the stick with phasing. It seems obvious that Seth and Edward are to be paired of, but… don't denounce a possible soap opera like spin on things. I am a bit of a sadistic dictator with the complicated angst I have looming over these poor characters-that belong to Stephanie Meyer, blahblibah disclaimer and watnot.
Ooh, yes-again I do try to make the distinction between a 'vampire's' way of thinking and a 'wolf-human' way of thinking in my writing. Vampires over think, back track, deliberate and ponder because of all the space in their pretty heads I would imagine and again-their emotional intensity, which I have mentioned, don't know how you missed that... But because they are superior beings it would seem like I am writing out a thought process that would take a few hours but in fact, it takes seconds… so, yeah. I hope that answered that.
Uhm, I didn't think a description of Carlisle's torso would be appropriate while Jake is bleeding and convulsing on the ground-possibly dying. Lol. And obviously his shirts are expensive-he is the richest fictional character on Forbes's list! And no, I don't think it would be very 'Carlisle' like to demand his shirts back, although it would be funny to see how Leah would take that!-hmm, this would be interesting to implement somewhere soon…
Leah is nineteen or(hides, because she doesn't really know Leah's age), basically nearing the end of her teen years.
Is this the end of Bella? I don't know-should we leave her in peace on in pieces…? hmm, this needs a vampire deliberation.
NEWS FEED
Avatar: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ZUKO is about a third done at two thousand and something words-it might be a long one guys, if you are reading that. Random Spa Day scenes with mother and daughter's, Zuko meeting Toph's intended and a possible little training between the Fire Lord and Earth Nation Prince. The whole Gaang has to arrive right, and I missed Katara somewhat, lets see how she likes the new Azula. Hope it doesn't become a two part thing, I am being hounded for some Toko hot moments, .