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 Good As Gone AU. Technically, this is not a sequel to Good As Gone but it does take place in that alternate storyline.

AN: I am giving you all these next chapters because I am officially at the mid-way point of Leah's story. There will no longer be any more memory flashbacks, since you have seen the relationship between Leah and Sam start and finish by now.

Now, my new character will be coming into the story but I have to observe him and Leah for a while first before it starts coming, although they are already interacting. Enjoy what I have posted and keep looking for the new chapters...what would happen in Leah's life now? REVIEW! If you have ideas, share them!!! REVIEW!

Chapter Twenty

She was several miles outside of Montreal and so ready for a break to stretch out her body, get some caffeine and use the bathroom. Of course, the bathroom would be first, then the caffeine.

Her memories were getting interesting, more self-reveling. She finally understood the misery, agony and pain she had unnecessarily caused the others and how unfair it had been of her. Once she had the chance, she planned on apologizing to each one of them, but especially to Sam, Embry, Quil and Jacob…although whether she would see Jacob to apologize was a whole different thing.

She had used the information that Sadie had told her concerning her and Embry's father as a means to taunt all of them, because she never came right out and say that Sadie believed Sam's father, Joshua Uley, was her father.

She cocked her head to the side as they all watched the Cullen's sparring, teaching them how to fight newborn vampires. Oh, she had just remembered something interesting…Embry Call.

Why was it that she was the only one interested in knowing who Embry was related to…obviously, he was related to one of them since his mother was from the Makah reservation. Otherwise, Embry wouldn't be a werewolf…so the question is whose father was screwing around on his wife? Could it be Billy Black? Or perhaps Quil Ateara Sr…or maybe, and here's the possible kicker because we all know what a loser he is, just like his son, Joshua Uley?

Sam: Leah, pay attention.

Leah: Oh sorry. It's just that the idea of vampires giving me tips on how to fight other vampires kind of seems a little…fishy to me. So my mind tends to wander.

Jacob: You're just being a bitch.

Paul: As usual.

Seth: Hey, lay off Leah. We should all be paying attention.

Leah: Seth, how many times have I told you? You don't need to come to my rescue every time these morons start mouthing off. They're just upset because I bring up nasty little things that they would rather pretend weren't true…such as Embry.

Embry: Would you back off?

Leah: Mmm…that's what your mama should have told your daddy, then you wouldn't be here, now would you?

Embry: I swear to God, if you weren't a girl…

Leah: What? You'd teach me a lesson? You know I can have you on the ground in less than three minutes.

Sam: Okay, you two. Stop it. Need I remind you that we are here to learn how to take out newborn vampires? Besides, there's a mind reader among them and I myself don't like having our dirty laundry aired for him to see.

Leah: Oh yes 'cause we must impress the Cullen's. We all know that if Jacob finally figures out a way to get it on with Bella, as if that will ever happen, he's probably going to have to get the Cullen's to like him. Aren't they, like, her adoptive family by now?

Jacob: Just shut your mouth Leah.

Leah: What do you think she sees in him that you don't have, Jake? Granted, he's way cuter than you…but still, I mean…he must have something that intrigues her. How sad…Bella picking someone without a heart over you.

Jacob: I don't have any problems with kicking your ass just because you're a girl, Leah. So unless you want to be limping around for several weeks, just shut your fucking mouth.

Leah:Oh, I'm scared now…you don't even have a strong enough character to take on being Alpha…I doubt you'd be able to do anything to me.

Seth: Leah, maybe you should just be quiet.

Quil: I second that.

Sam: Leah, you are no longer allowed to talk for the rest of tonight.

Seth: That's a little harsh.

Sam: It's necessary. Now, I think it would be smart for us to get the Cullen's scent so we don't mistake them for the newborns. Seth, stay between me and Leah.

They had moved together out of the forest towards the Cullen's sniffing each of them in turn, their noses wrinkling in pain at the sick sweet scent of each of them.

Leah was pissed, unable to spew off her anger, wishing she could bite someone, or something, just to release the anger in her. Moving down the line of Cullen's, she growled angrily when Jacob broke ranks to head to Bella, acting like a stupid puppy.

What a moron.

After the Cullen's invited them to return the next night, Leah walked off with the rest of them, noticing how Quil and Embry hung back to wait for Jacob.

Leah headed off towards her house, having already done her patrols and fulfilled her werewolf duty at being present during the vampire taught fighting lesson.

Sam: Leah –

Leah ignored him as she reached the back of her house, refusing to talk to him, not that it mattered since she couldn't talk anyway. Phasing back, she removed the gym shorts and tank top from her ankle, dressing quickly before opening the back door of her house, closing it just as she felt a shimmer in the air.

She ignored the knock, giving her mother a nod before heading upstairs to her room.

She didn't want to talk to Sam, and she hoped he got the point but knew he hadn't when there was a knock on her door. Rolling over to her stomach, her feet hanging off the bed, she ignored the knock, knowing that he would eventually find a way to let himself in.

Sure enough, several minutes later, her bedroom door opened and Sam ducked just as Leah hurled her bedside clock at him. Moving quickly into her room, he grabbed her wrists just as she was reaching for another object from her bedside table.

"You need to stop, Lee," Sam looked down at her as she struggled to pull her wrists out of his grasp. She was strong but he was stronger, "We all know you're hurting and we know you're mad, but you can't keep doing this. You're tearing the pack into pieces…hurting them just because you're hurting isn't going to help…it'll just make things worse for you. Please understand –"

"No, you understand," Leah hissed at him as she continued to tug at her wrists without success, "I told you I didn't want to be a part of this pack. I have no interest in protecting Bella Swan or anybody else. I can barely take care of myself Sam, but here you are, forcing me to take care of others. Just let me go. You don't need me. You have Collin and Brady now –"

"Leah," Sam gave her a hard look, "You phased. Therefore, it is your responsibility, along with all of ours, to protect your tribe, your people…your mother, Leah. Why do you keep fighting this?"

"Because it's not fair!" Leah sagged against him, her arms going limp, tears spilling over onto her cheeks, "It's not fair that I lose you and now I have to be in your head all the time. I can handle not having you, somehow, but I can't take having to feel what you feel for her. I don't want to see that much less feel it. How can you ask me to put up with you? You left me. So shouldn't that mean that I don't have to have you in my life anymore?"

Sam wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head as she cried, her hands balled into fists against his chest, "I'm sorry, Lee, but I need you. We all do. You're a part of the pack; you're a part of us. Without you, our pack isn't complete."

"Oh please," Leah pushed him away, clambering off the opposite end of the bed, "I bet if you take a vote, they would all be for getting rid of Leah 'The Bitch' Clearwater."

Sam shook his head as he stood up, looking around her room, realizing with surprise that it looked completely different from the last time he had been here…all the pictures on the walls were gone as well as the posters. There was no longer a mirror over her dresser and the little knick knacks she had been a fan of collecting were no longer visible. The peach colored carpet she used to have had been replaced by a wooden floor, which lacked rugs to make it homier.

Turning to look at her, he watched her open the bedroom door, holding it open for him.

"I don't want you here," Leah looked at him, her brown-green eyes flat and curiously empty, "Please leave."

Sam walked around the bed, realizing that it wasn't the same one he had last made love to her in before he walked out the door, turning around just to have her close it on his face.

Leah liked Montreal. She had decided to spend a week there so she could relax, have some decent sleep and be able to walk about. She couldn't help but laugh as she realized that her butt would be very grateful it wouldn't have to sit for hours for the next few days.

Walking around the streets, she took pictures of buildings, flowers, people, the horizon. Anything, really, that she thought her mother might like. She was on disposable camera number eight and it had finally hit her how expensive it was going to be to develop all of them at once.

Oh well, she was just going to have to deal with it, she supposed. Walking down a busy street, she saw a sign for a beauty salon and decided at the last minute to go in. Her usual page-boy cut had grown out to her shoulder blades and although she didn't plan on cutting it as short as it last was, she needed a trim…or maybe a new look…

Leah let out a howl as Jacob shoved her aside, leaving himself open to the newborn that she had found. She watched in horror and shock as the vampire wrapped his arms around Jacob, crushing his right side by the time that Quil and Embry had reached him and ripped off his arms, quickly dismembering him.

Sam: What the hell were you thinking Leah? Did you want to get yourself killed?

Jacob: Yes.

Leah turned to snarl at him but stopped as she saw his misshapen body. Carlisle Cullen was already there, with Jasper at his side, encouraging Jacob to phase.

Sam: Go home Leah. You're not needed here.

Leah turned to look at him, a sharp pain at his words tearing through her chest before she turned away and ran home, getting to the back door just as Seth burst out of the forest.

Seth: What the hell happened?

Leah: Jacob got hurt…

Seth: I know that. I saw it. What I meant was what happened with you? You promised Dad you would never try to kill yourself again and yet you went after the newborn alone?

Leah: I thought I could take him by myself…you know, prove that I was just as tough as the rest of you.

Seth: Bullshit Leah. You were hoping the bloodsucker would kill you. Be glad I won't tell mom.

Leah phased, pulling on her gym shorts and T-shirt before walking into the house and heading up to her room, tears running down her face as she realized that Jacob had gotten hurt because she was being stupid. She hadn't planned on that, hadn't expected him, of all people, to jump in and save her from herself.

Now she felt like she owed him…she hated that.

Jacob dropped the admissions paper work on the table, running his fingers through his hair before he walked to the back of the house towards the family den where he could hear Annabelle's clear voice.

"So I was thinking that maybe we all four could take dance," Annabelle was sitting on the couch, her long legs tucked under her, "You know, have some girl time together."

Jacob couldn't help but laugh at the horror that crossed Bella's face, "Dance? Me? No way in hell!"

"Come on Bella," Annabelle gave her a begging smile, "You're much more graceful now than you were before…it'll be fun."

"It will be hell," Bella shook her head, her chocolate brown hair swirling around her face, "No."

"I talked to Alice and she said she already foresaw you in the dance studio with us so you might as well skip all the no's and just agree to do it," Annabelle gave her a look that they had all dubbed her "Alice" look…the one that let you know you were going to be doing what she wanted you to do.

"Ah damn, that's not fair," Bella exclaimed, burying her face in her hands, "Why do you two gang up on me like that?"

"Because we know what's good for you," Alice spoke up, walking in through the sliding doors that lead to the backyard, "Anyway, school starts in two weeks. Have you four decided on your majors?"

Annabelle grinned up at Jacob as he jumped over the back of the couch to land next to her, his arm going around her shoulders, "I just got back from the admissions office. I went to declare my major."

"Which is," Emmett looked up from the book he was leafing through. He was thinking of building his own motorcycle, with Jacob's help of course, so now all he needed was to figure out what kind of motorcycle he wanted.

"Automotive engineering."

"Oh great," Rose muttered as she continued to leaf through the most recent fashion magazine.

"That's Rose's major," Annabelle grinned up at Jacob, giggling at the look of horror on his face, "You two are going to have classes together."

"Thankfully, no" Rose dropped the magazine on the side glass table; "Because he's going to be a freshman and I'm a sophomore…he needs to get his basics done first."

"My basics are already done, Blondie," Jacob grinned at the look of disgust on her face, "I took double credit courses the last two years while I was finishing high school. God bless the New Hampshire home schooling system."

They all laughed as Rose sniffed, turning away to ignore Jacob for the rest of the conversation.

"What about you, Annie," Edward looked up from the school course catalog that he was looking over, "Have you picked a major."

"Music," Annabelle smiled at all of them as they rolled their eyes at the obvious answer, "With an emphasis on the violin."

"Of course," Jacob murmured as he leaned over to place a kiss behind her ear.

"Stop that," Edward glared at them before turning to Bella, "Have you made up your mind what you want to do, Bella?"

"You mean aside from being forced to take dance," Bella glared at the girls, but she looked too much like a pissed off kitten that they laughed, "I was thinking English Literature. What about you, Edward?"

"Medicine, of course," Edward smiled at her as he leaned over to kiss her, whispering something into her ear low enough that the rest couldn't hear.

"Again?" Emmett shook his head as he closed the magazine, "You and Jasper are the same. Medicine and psychology…every time."

"It's the only two fields where you can actually learn something new," Edward gave his big brother a condescending look, "But what about you Emmett? What have you picked?"

"I'm still undecided," Emmett shrugged as he pushed himself to his feet, "Hey Jake, want to go hunting?"

"Sure," Jacob leaned over to kiss Annabelle's lips, "I'll be back in an hour, k?"

"Okay," Annabelle smiled up at him, watching as the "Black" brothers walked out through the sliding doors, Jacob stepping out of view for a bit then back in view on four legs.

It was a strange habit of his, going hunting in his wolf form. She supposed it was because it made him feel less of a "leech" but she wasn't sure. One thing she knew was that he was the only one out of all of them that actually enjoyed hunting for animal blood.

Jacob and Bella had spent two years away from people, along with Annabelle and Edward, but it hadn't really been necessary. Bella was able to fight her desire for human blood and Jacob…well, human blood made him queasy. They had actually tried an experiment by giving him donated human blood but he had puked it all up…not a pretty sight.

"Why are those two always together," Rose muttered darkly as she stared after them although they were no longer visible, "It's truly disturbing."

"Well, Emmett has always wanted a dog," Alice laughed at the look that Annabelle gave her, "Just kidding."

"They connected in Italy, remember," Jasper closed the book he was reading, something about the civil war history, "When it became obvious they both think the same way."

"Ah, you mean their mad grab and dash plan," Bella laughed as she returned to the book she was reading. She had gotten into the habit of borrowing Annabelle's books, since she had early editions of so many early writers, among them the Bronte sisters, Jane Austin, Mark Twain, and so many others.

"So I was thinking we could all take the same electives," Alice moved from the sliding door where she had been standing, to sit next to Annabelle, "So we can all have some classes together."

"Sheesh Alice," Annabelle turned to look at her, "It's not as if we don't stand out when we're alone, you want us in a big group? Might as well put a sign over our heads that let's everyone know we're not human."

Edward laughed in agreement despite the frown Alice send his way, "Sorry Alice, but Annie's right. You can't have all of us in the same classroom…that may cause problems."

"Fine, whatever," Alice shrugged as she leaned back into the couch, "I was just thinking it would be nice to foster a sense of family."

"More than what we already have," Bella looked up at Alice, a smile on her face, "We all live together and get on each other's nerves…well, that's mostly Rose and Jacob, but anyway, I think we are pretty much doing the family thing right…even without Carlisle and Esme living with us."

"I just think it's important, what with all of us being at Dartmouth at the same time," Alice shrugged again, looking at her fingernails with intense concentration, "People are bound to notice our similarities so I think we need to establish our relationships to each other from the beginning."

"It will be immediately established, Ali," Jasper moved out of his chair, walking through the family den towards the second floor, which had two bedrooms, one for Alice and Jasper, the other for Rose and Emmett. Edward, Bella, Annabelle and Jacob had their rooms on the third floor, "We tend to gravitate towards each other after all. Even Rose, whether she will admit it or not, tends to gravitate towards Jacob."

"I do not," Rose glared at Jasper before she turned a questioning look at Annabelle.

"Sorry, Rose," Annabelle lifted her shoulders then let them drop, giving her an apologetic smile, "But you do. It's like you're addicted to the blonde jokes."

"I have another one," Jacob walked in, followed by Emmett, both looking flushed, "I just thought of it while we were out."

"Oh God," Rose let her head drop back in a show of annoyance, "Do you ever think of anything else but how to annoy the hell out of me?"

"Nope," Jacob grinned as he moved further into the room, easily picking Annabelle up to sit in her place, situating her on his lap despite Edward's dark glare. That guy sometimes took the older brother thing too far, "Anyway, what do you call a blonde with half a brain?"

Alice chuckled along with Edward as Rose narrowed her eyes at Jacob, reaching out to punch Emmett who was already laughing.

"You call her gifted."

They all laughed, except for Rose of course, because it had become such a normal part of their lives, the constant bickering between Jacob and Rose…it seemed to distract her from wallowing in how her life had turned into something she didn't want.

It was interesting, the relationships that had formed among them. Jacob and Edward still got on each other's nerves, Emmett and Jacob had bonded in a way that was seen only in brothers, Jasper and Annabelle tended to spend time together to talk about all sorts of things, Bella and Alice were still best friends, with Alice driving Bella crazy with her constant make-overs and wardrobe overhauls, Edward and Annabelle spend time together, getting to be better friends, Bella and Jacob were still the best friends they had always been, Jacob and Rosalie bickered constantly, trading insults as often as they could.

But the most surprising relationship was the one between Rosalie and Annabelle. They weren't best friends the way Annabelle and Edward were or Alice and Bella but it seemed that the friendship between Jacob and Emmett had somehow tossed them together, pushing a friendship onto the two of them that they had come to realize they didn't mind.

In other words, they were all happy with the way things were and were not expecting any changes to come their way and disrupt what they had…but sometimes, what is expected and what really happens doesn't always coincide.