Dani heard raised voices from downstairs as soon as she stepped onto the faded, teal bathmat in front of the Clearwater's shower. She couldn't make out the words being said but she knew it was two female voices. Her mind automatically jumped to the conclusion that Sue and Leah had started arguing again and she hurried into her room to throw on whatever she could find in the jumbled pile of laundry cluttering the bottom of her closet, finding a pair of denim shorts and a tank top.
Once she's dressed, she rushes downstairs and nearly skids into the kitchen only to freeze. Emily was standing in front of Sue, tears streaming down her face as her lower lip trembles with soft, hiccuping sobs. "You all told me the imprint was unbreakable! That's the only reason I went along with this, and look what's happened to me! My cousin hates me, my mother refuses to talk to me, and half of my face was torn to shreds! For what? A few weeks of unconditional, forced love?"
Sue glances at Dani before hugging Emily, trying to comfort the distraught young woman sobbing in front of her. "Dani, take Leah and get out of the house for awhile."
Something in Sue's eyes warned Dani not to question it, and she felt an unexplained chill running up her spine. "Uhm...okay." Dani frowns as she turns to head back upstairs, her mind racing with thoughts. An imprint? What the hell is an imprint? Whatever it is, it made Sam leave Leah...
She was still confused when she walked into Leah's bedroom, sitting down on the edge of the older girl's bed and watching her trying to bend down to tie the laces on her favorite, worn out Converse. Finally, she gave up with an aggravated sigh and stuck her leg out for Dani to tie them for her. Dani did so in a daze, her eyebrows furrowed as she stares at the drawings hanging above the desk across from her. "Dani? What's wrong?" Leah frowns as she plops onto the bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"Nothing...Just thinking, I guess. You ready to go?" Dani manages a small smile as she wraps her arms around Leah's waist, hugging her gently.
"Yeah, let's go. Want to walk or take the Bronco?" Leah stretches as she stands up, smoothing her fluttery, navy blue sundress over her legs. "I really need some new clothes, I can't keep squeezing into my old ones."
"Maybe we could do that after lunch? I'm up for a trip to Port Angeles." Dani smiles as she stands up and walks towards the door, running a hand through her wavy, damp hair.
"I guess we're taking the Bronco then." Leah chuckles as she grabs her keys from the desk on her way out of the bedroom.
ooooooooo
Leah was talking about the latest developments in her pregnancy when Dani froze just outside of the diner, staring at one of the booths by the window. "Fuck."
"What is it?" Leah frowns as she follows Dani's gaze then chuckles. "Oh, Lover Boy is here."
"Leah, I can't...I can't ignore him, but I can't look at him after last night!" Her voice was high pitched and desperate as she tugged on Leah's hand as if to pull her away from the door.
"Dani, calm down. You can't exactly avoid him for the rest of your life, and it's only going to get more awkward the longer you wait. We can just pretend like we don't notice him and see if he comes over to us, alright?" Leah opened the door to the diner and Dani followed closely behind like a frightened deer, her head lowered to hide her flushed cheeks.
The bell above their head chimed as they entered and Seth let out a heavy sigh, passing them with a tray piled high with empty coffee mugs and breakfast platters in his arms. "Please help me."
"Should've come home with me last night, little brother." Leah shrugs, leading Dani past the very frazzled Seth and over to a table in the corner. Dani dared to glance towards where Embry sat, a notebook opened in front of him as he chewed on the eraser of his pencil. Her eyes met his and she jumped slightly, dropping her eyes to the tabletop as she reaches for a menu. Leah watches Dani hide for a moment then sighs, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand, drawing her attention from the menu. "Dani, you told me yourself that you didn't regret doing it. If that's true, why are you acting like you're about to have a heart attack?"
"I just...I don't want anything to change." Dani sighs, looking over at Embry once more, noticing he had ducked his head back down, scribbling in his notebook.
"Was anything different last night? Or this morning?" Leah glances up and smirks when she sees Seth sending her pleading glances from the counter.
"Not last night really...but this morning was awkward. I don't want us to be awkward with each other, especially because of last night." Dani sighs as she looks down at Leah's darker hand in hers, a soft blush darkening her cheeks.
"Like I said, waiting to talk to him is only going to make it worse. That's why I'm going to do this. Yo, Embry!" Leah hollers across the diner, making Seth jump and slosh coffee on himself on his way to a customer. He heaved a sigh, scowling at his sister as he turned back to the kitchen to refill the cup.
Embry looks up, his cheeks flushed as he raises one eyebrow, looking directly at Dani as if questioning whether she wanted him or not. Dani hesitates then nods her head slightly, her blush deepening as he immediately shuts his notebook and stands up, walking over to the two girls. "You rang?"
"Dani wanted to talk to you," Leah says, smiling sweetly at Dani before burying her head in her own menu.
Embry bites his lip softly as he sits down in the chair beside Dani's, clearing his throat softly. "Hey, Dani..."
"Hi, Embry..." Dani murmurs, playing with the frayed hem of her cutoff shorts as she crosses her legs, trying to seem normal.
"Um...do you feel better?" He asks, his eyes drawn down to her legs as he fiddles with his pencil awkwardly. "I mean, since this morning you were sore..."
"I feel a little better...uhm..." Dani bites her lip softly, then sighs as she looks up at Embry and leans to the side, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, breaking through the barrier of awkwardness.
He immediately wraps his arms around her slim waist, smiling softly as he leans down to kiss her forehead, whispering, "Are you really okay?"
Dani nods as she hugs him for a long moment, then pulls away smiling. "Yeah...are you?"
"Of course." A dark blush forms on his cheeks as he keeps an arm around her waist, looking down at her.
"See? Everyone's happy, let's eat." Leah waves at Seth, ignoring his irritable glare as he finally approached their table, holding his order pad to his chest. "Let's make Seth hate his life just a little bit more."
"What do you want, Leah?" He mumbles, staring at her mournfully, the dark circles under his eyes only adding to the pitifulness.
"I want a chili dog with extra cheese, a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, onion, tomato, and extra mayo, and a large cherry Coke, please and thank you." She beamed up at her little brother as he scrambled to write down her order without missing anything.
Once he had finished with that, he turned to Embry and Dani with tired, imploring eyes. "And for you two?"
Dani smiles as she glances at her menu and bites her lip softly. "I think I want the...bacon cheeseburger with fries. Onion, lettuce, extra bacon, pickles, and honey mustard, with a large Sprite, no ice." Again, Seth struggled to write down the entire order as she rattled it off before turning to Embry, his pen poised over the notepad.
"I just want a glass of lemonade, Seth." Embry chuckles, playing with a lock of Dani's soft hair as he looks down at her.
Seth sighs in relief and scurries back to the kitchen to put their orders in, making Leah laugh and Dani shake her head. "We're horrible to him, you know that?"
"Eh, it's fine. I'm his sister, I'm supposed to be mean." Leah shrugs as she puts the menus back in the tiny stand at the end of the table.
oooooooooo
After lunch, they parted ways with Embry and headed in the Bronco to Port Angeles, the radio playing an old indie folk song as Leah hummed softly to herself. Dani laid her head against the seat, gazing out the open window as she let her mind wander.
"And so it is, just like you said it would be. Life goes easy on me, most of the time...and so it is the shorter story. No love, no glory. No hero in her sky..." Leah sang softly, her voice soft and gentle as she laid one hand on her stomach, the other on the wheel.
I wonder what Emily was talking about this morning...about giving up everything for nothing. Did Sam leave her too? If so, she couldn't find it in her heart to feel sorry for the older girl. If she was stupid enough and downright sleazy enough to steal her own cousin's fiance, why should it surprise her that another woman could catch his interest just as easily?
Still, she felt horrible for Leah. The older girl had a tough exterior, but it was easy to break through to the softer, kinder layers underneath. And she had been there for her since they were children, running around in the yard with water pistols and water balloons, pelting Seth and Paul with them as a team. Sam had known her for just as long, he had grown up not 4 blocks away from the Clearwater home.
"Lee?" Dani says softly, turning her head and smiling as Leah hums softly in response. "You know you're my best friend?"
"I better be." Leah chuckles, glancing at the younger girl. "Why?"
"I just want you to know I love you." Dani smiles as she plays with the slightly frayed edge of her seatbelt.
Leah smiles softly as she pulls into the parking lot of the Port Angeles Baby Store, leaning over and hugging Dani tightly once she parks. "I love you too, Dani. Now let's go spend all of my savings." Dani pretended not to notice Leah's glassy, watery eyes as they exited the vehicle to walk into the small store.
oooooooooo
"What do you mean the imprint is broken?" Sue frowns as she sits on the couch with Emily, clutching her niece's hand in her own.
Emily sniffles, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin as she looks down at the faded couch cushion between them. "I mean the imprint bond is dead. Last night, I felt it while Sam was out with Jared. It pulled really tight, then it kind of just popped and was gone. When Sam got home, I tried to..." Memories of her poorly thought out seduction filled her head, making her blush and stammer, "I tried to um...talk to him...and he pushed me away. This morning he spilled the beans about seeing her at the beach and he sounded so in love. It was like I didn't even exist anymore."
Sue frowns as she listens closely, reaching for the phone on the end table to call Harry at the Black's. If neither of them knows anything, we've got our work cut out for ourselves.
The phone rang twice before Billy answered the phone, the sounds of a baseball game on TV in the background. "Hello, Sue."
"Hello, Billy. We need to have a meeting, immediately. It's about Sam and Emily."
15 minutes later, the Clearwater living room was crowded with Old Quil sitting in the recliner Harry always sat in, earning him a hearty glare from Harry, who had settled beside his wife instead. Billy positioned his chair between the recliner and the couch, setting his beloved black cowboy hat on the coffee table in front of him.
"Alright, Sue, what's wrong?" His dark eyes drifted from Sue to Emily, seeing the fresh tear tracks on Emily's cheeks.
"My imprint is broken," Emily whimpers, her breath catching as she tried to stop the new round of tears starting down her face.
Harry's eyes widen as he looks down at his wife as if to confirm it. Sue nods, whispering, "He saw Leah at the beach and poof!"
"Yeah, poof goes my happiness," Emily mutters, looking forlornly down at her black skinny jeans as she crumples her kleenex in her fist.
"There is no record of this in the history books that I know of." Harry frowns as he looks to his right at Billy for his input.
Billy sits back in his chair, musing quietly, "I've always been led to believe that imprinting helps the wolves find the most suitable mate to produce the healthiest offspring. Perhaps when Sam's wolf saw Leah pregnant, it broke the bond since there was no longer any need to breed with her?"
"I was nothing but a wolf concubine?" Emily shrieks, stomping one foot on the hardwood floor and crossing her arms petulantly, staring at the Chief in disbelief.
Old Quil spoke up, casting Emily a look of disapproval, making her blush as she toned down her pouting. "Or it could be perhaps that Leah demonstrated a greater need for Sam. After all, she will be the mother of his child and she will need a father figure for that child. His wolf may have sensed that need and attached itself to Leah instead."
"But what does this mean? Am I supposed to just leave like nothing ever happened? Where am I supposed to go?" Emily looked at the solemn faces surrounding her, pleading for one of them, any of them to give her a solution. Her mother had told her she was no longer welcome after finding out about what had happened to Leah, and she was two years out of high school with no college studies or work experience to fall back on. She had supported herself working odd hours in her mother's flower shop on the Makkah rez.
Sue exchanged a sad, puzzled look with Harry as she reached out to pat Emily's hand comfortingly. "We'll figure something out..."
oooooooooo
"So you don't want to know the gender?" Dani stood on her tiptoes to peer over the rack of maternity tops at Leah, frowning slightly in disbelief. "Why?"
"Because I want to be surprised. I want that big 'It's a blank' Hollywood cliche moment." Leah shrugs, grabbing a couple more of the simple wrap-style tops, tossing them into the basket hanging from her arm. "Besides, if I find out now then you know I'll get overloaded with enough pink or blue to last until my kid is in junior high and I just...I want my baby to be neutral I guess." She sighs as she looks over the rack at Dani, biting her bottom lip softly as she fiddles with the hanger in her hand
"I get it." Dani gives her a reassuring smile and steps away from the rack to walk back to the baby section, perusing the used cribs and strollers. "When are you going to start getting the stuff for the baby's room?"
"I dunno. Mom and dad haven't mentioned anything about it yet, so I'm guessing they're still upset." Leah shrugs as she explores some of the racks of baby outfits, a tender smile on her lips as she lifts a tiny, newborn sized bee costume. "I was thinking about it a lot actually...If I got my own place, I'd be set. I'd be able to do anything I wanted with the nursery, I wouldn't have to fight Seth for a shower in the morning. Mom wouldn't harp on me all day."
"How would you get your own place though?" Dani picks a pastel green rattle toy up from a shelf, smiling softly as she shakes it a couple times.
Leah puts the bee costume back, sighing softly. "I have some money saved up...and my aunt and uncle told me that if I needed anything, just ask. I guess they feel guilty about what Emily did."
"Well that's good, I guess..." Dani trails along behind Leah, the rattle still in her hand as Leah stacks her clothes on the counter to ring up and pulls out her debit card.
The cashier rings up the clothes, folding them and laying them in a giant paper bag, then handing Leah her card back. She looks over at Dani and smiles softly, gesturing at the toy. "Did you want to buy that?"
Dani hesitates a moment before nodding and laying it on the counter, reaching into her small, crossbody bag to pull out a couple dollars. "Yes, I do."
Leah chuckles as she slings her bag onto her arm, letting it hang from her elbow as she waits beside Dani. "Planning a family already?"
Dani's cheeks burn as they turn bright pink and she takes the bag, thanking the woman before turning to Leah. "Shut up, Lee."
"Aw, I'm just teasing. I just never took you as someone to get attached to a baby toy." Leah throws an arm over her shoulders as they walk out to the Bronco. Dani shrugs then let out a gasp as she bumps into a man walking past with his eyes on his phone.
"Oh, I'm sorry..." She mumbles automatically, crouching to pick up her bag from where it had fallen, hoping the concrete hadn't damaged the plastic rattle.
"It was my fault, I apologize." The man clears his throat softly and Dani looks up, finding a pair of stunning emerald green eyes peering down at her. "Is anything damaged?"
"Uhm...no, I don't think so." Dani looks into the bag, shaking her head as she finds the toy intact and returns her gaze to his.
"Good. I should've been watching where I was going..." The man trails off, his dark, chocolate brown eyebrows furrowed as he stares down at her. Dani shifts her weight from one foot to the other, feeling like a rat under a glass jar being scrutinized. "You look so familiar..."
"Well, my fourteen-year-old friend and I need to be going." Leah grabs Dani's arm and pulls her away from the man, hurrying to the Bronco and tossing her bag into the back seat just as the first few droplets of rain splattered onto the windshield of the vehicle. Dani allows herself to be led away, though her eyes linger on the man who was still standing on the sidewalk, wearing a pair of nice, black suit pants and a cream-colored button-down shirt. He couldn't have been much older than 30, and she felt something niggling in the back of her mind as she finally turned around to get into the vehicle.
Alright, so I know this chapter wasn't the best. I've honestly been dealing with some personal problems, but I thought that if I pushed through this chapter, the next chapter would be easier because it's more interesting. I hope it was alright, and I promise next chapter will be better. The song playing in Leah's car is The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice. Not going to lie, I giggled the first time I saw the title.
I wanted to address a few reviews as well, hope you don't mind.
To Seda: I had always intended for this story to be darker, but sometimes I can't be serious even in writing *cue the sweat-drop emoji*. I also agree about the sex at 14, it's actually something I considered not doing as I was writing it, but I think having sex that young is more prevalent than I originally thought, even if it's not right. It'll get better though, promise.
To LLyvers6: Don't worry, Embry will get his chance ;)
To the guest V: I always hated the treatment of Leah as well, I think she could've been a totally badass character if SM wanted. Plus the way it was handled always got on my nerves.
To see-me-clearly: I'm trying to keep it interesting :) I guess perhaps it was more of a loose ends/catch up chapter than a filler haha. I always hated the way Leah was treated as well, maybe you're onto something with that grudge idea.
To Sapphire12985: Please don't die hahaha sorry for the wait :)
I'd also like to thank everyone else who reviewed, and for those who have reviewed every chapter so far. It truly means a lot to me every time anyone favorites, follows, or reviews! If I didn't reply to your reviews, I'm sorry. I tried to reply to anyone who had reviewed multiple times or had concerns, etc. I also noticed that How Do You Want It? has reached over two hundred favorites, three hundred follows, and one hundred reviews! Thank you guys for making this my most popular story, I'm really trying to make it good.