Chapter 21 – Chaos

Sam's POV

I froze for half a minute staring at the phone before moving into action.

"Emily, try to call your uncle's house. Something just happened, I don't know what, but I think it has to do with Leah and Seth. We need to leave now." I said looking at my pack of brothers before turning back to Emily, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

We ran into the back of yard quickly phasing and I heard two new voices.

"What's going on…oh god, Dad," Seth cried.

"Sam's engaged, Sam's engaged," I heard Leah's voice over and over at the same time. She must be in shock.

"Sam?" Leah's voice broke through her daze.

"Seth, Leah, we're on our way."

The pack quickly found them. Sure enough when we reached the siblings, there they both were. Seth was a sandy brown wolf. And Leah…Leah was a light grey wolf.

"I'm a wolf?" Leah asked in surprised.

"What the hell do you think just happened?" Paul sneered.

"Shut up Paul," I yelled before looking at Seth and Leah. In a gentler voice, I said, "Explain what just happened to you."

Leah's mind went suddenly blank as though the pain was too much for her to think about. Seth on the other hand replayed everything in vivid detail.

Leah and Seth were walking down the hallway towards the kitchen when they overheard their father telling their mother that I was engaged to Emily. I felt sharp pain from Leah as her memory took over and she began to finally replay what had happened.

She had heard her father say that I was engaged. Her mother was upset, but her father said that Emily and I were meant to be together. Leah became so furious over her father's defense of me that she felt like she was going to explode. Her skin had felt crawly and started stinging badly and she found herself lunging for her father.

Seth's memory took back over. He saw Leah explode into a wolf and she started to go after their father. He felt fear and fury intermingle and before he knew it, sharp heat and pain radiated from his body and he felt his skin explode off of him. Right before Leah could get close enough to either parent, he had head-butted her into the wall. Their mother screamed and quickly ran to the back door, opening it.

Seth told Leah to leave and Leah listened. Seth looked over to see her father dialing the phone. He heard his father say my name and then their names before collapsing. Their mother screamed as Harry fell and Seth quickly ran out of the house after his sister.

"Okay, I want you both to listen to me very carefully," I told them and proceeded to tell them about our legends. When I was done, Seth seemed slightly calmer. Leah on the other hand was freaking out.

"So I'm a fucking wolf? Not just any wolf, but the only female wolf known in our history? I'm a freak among freaks?" She screamed, before switching gears, "Is this why you dumped me, because you were a wolf?"

Before I could stop myself, an image of the first time I saw Emily flashed in my mind. They saw how I imprinted. They felt how strong the bond was. They saw that after I imprinted Leah was out of focus and I could no longer see her clearly. It was odd that I could see her now clearly in wolf form. I wondered briefly if I'd be able to see her from now on, now that she was in my pack.

"I don't want to be part of a pack. I don't want to be anywhere near you, Sam Uley," she cried as dozens of memories flashed in her mind before she could stop them. Memories of me promising to love her forever, of our going on dates, of looking for engagement rings a few months before I saw Emily, of having sex for the first time.

"Oh sick, please stop Leah," Seth gagged. Leah's thoughts immediately stopped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to think that," Leah said, horrified.

"Dude, I never want to see you like that again," Jared said, not even looking in my direction.

"So you could tell Emily all about this wolf thing, but you couldn't tell me, right?" Leah shrieked. Jeez, a woman's mind shifted gears way too fast. I heard Leah's scoff at my random thought.

"I can tell my imprint anything," I told her truthfully and felt her pain again still mixed in with humiliation.

"So you had no choice?" Seth questioned.

"Imprinting is just part of what we are," I answered, because my love for Emily didn't feel like it was something forced on me. It didn't feel like a choice. It felt more like a gift.

"So you don't have any regrets," Leah said bitterly. "You don't wish it could have worked out differently."

"I regret that you were hurt," I told her as guilt and sorrow for what I had done to her plagued me. I felt Leah fill with answering pain.

"What really happened to Emily?" Seth asked. I felt the rest of the pack move restlessly, but I showed them what happened during the attack. I felt a softening from Leah as she realized that her cousin hadn't been disloyal and had tried to resist me.

"Sam…Sam, what about our father?" Seth asked, still shaken.

Worry over their dad and Leah's anger and pain would not allow either Clearwater to change back. I decided to phase back and get an update on Harry. I asked the pack to stay with them until I got back.

"Wait, let me go with you," Jacob said. "I'll need to tell Billy. And then I want to go to Bella's and stay with her. With the bloodsucker running around, I need to make sure she's safe."

I didn't even hesitate. "Fine, let's go."

We ran to Emily's house first and quickly phased. I ran through the house yelling Emily's name. Emily stood in the kitchen, the phone next to her hand as she stood clenching the edge of the counter. She looked up when I walked in.

"I got through to my aunt. Harry's being taken to the hospital. They think he's had a heart attack."

"Jake, let's go pick up your dad and we'll get going," I told him before quickly running in to my room for a shirt and shoes.

We hopped into the truck, Jacob getting in the backseat, and we drove quickly to the Black house. We pulled into a road that led along the side of the house. I stopped the car so that Jacob could go through the home's backdoor entrance. Jacob jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped moving and ran indoors. He soon ran out, pushing Billy in his wheelchair.

Emily got out of the front seat and climbed in the back. Jacob hopped in next to her, after first assisting Billy into the front seat. We took off along the side of the house, out the main drive, and onto the road. In the chaos, neither Jake nor I noticed the red truck parked out front, half hidden by some hedges.

We quickly drove to the hospital, filling Billy in on everything that had happened. We parked the truck and ran into the hospital. Sue was there, pacing up and down the waiting room.

"How is he?" I asked, as Emily reached out to hug her aunt. Sue didn't hesitate and quickly pulled Emily into a tight hug.

"It's bad. He had a massive heart attack. He's in surgery right now, but they don't know if he's going to make it." Sue said, her voice breaking. She released Emily and sat stiffly in her chair. Billy went next to her and grabbed her hand.

"My children…where are they? Billy, I don't understand what I saw. Harry was telling me something and Leah overheard us and got upset and before I knew it, it was like she exploded. She was coming towards us, but it wasn't her, it was a wolf. And then Seth was there, but he turned into a wolf too."

"Why don't Sam and I explain everything to you," Billy said, nodding to me meaningfully.

"Do you remember last year when I disappeared for a couple of weeks," I asked and continued when she nodded. "It was because I became a werewolf. The stories of our tribe are true, every one of them."

"And now my children are wolves too? Even Leah?"

"Apparently, although I don't recall ever hearing about a female wolf before," Billy said cautiously.

"Is that why you broke up with her, Sam?" Sue asked.

"It was part of it. In truth, the main reason was because I imprinted on Emily," I said, reaching out and grabbing Emily's hand as she stood next to me. I went on to explain imprinting to Sue.

"How did you really get hurt Emily?" Sue asked. Emily looked at me, before looking down.

"I did that to her," I told Sue, feeling sick still about it. "I got too close and lost control and you know the rest."

Sue stared at me for awhile and then at Emily. "I guess I misjudged a lot here."

She got up and walked over to Emily. Sue reached out and wrapped her arms around her niece, hugging her again.

"I'm really sorry, honey," Sue said.

"Oh, Aunt Sue," Emily said softly and held her tighter.

"Sam," Sue said, reaching out to pat my cheek. "Sam, will you please go get my children?"

I looked at Emily still in her aunt's embrace. She nodded and I got up.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I told them, reaching over to grab Emily's free hand and kissing it gently.

"Can you drop me off at Bella's on the way Sam?" Jacob asked.

"Shit."

Both Jacob and I turned and looked at Billy in surprise.

"I forgot with everything that happened. Bella is at our house. She's waiting for you on the beach."

Jacob and I stared at Billy in horror before running out of the hospital.

"Oh God, if we're too late…Sam, we chased that bloodsucker into the water. If she grabbed Bella…" Jacob panicked as we hopped into the truck and raced out of the parking lot.

"We'll get there," I told him. Jacob was shaking so badly that he was beginning to blur.

"Jacob, I'm going to let you out here," I told him as soon as we got out off the main road. "Phase and tell Jared and Embry to check the beach for Bella."

"Right," Jacob said, jumping out of the truck. He ran into the woods, kicking off his shoes and quickly tying his pants around his leg before phasing. I put the truck in park and grabbed Jake's shoes before hopping back in the vehicle and racing back to the reservation.

I pulled into Billy's house, but Bella's truck was no longer there. Jacob ran up to me in wolf form soon after I arrived. I stripped out of my clothes and phased.

"Jared and Embry didn't see her, but they caught a faint trace of her on the beach." Jacob told me. "They weren't able to catch the leech's scent, so I'm hoping that the bloodsucker didn't get her. I was about to head back to Forks to double check, but I think I can smell the tires from her truck. It's going in the direction of the cliffs."

"Let's go check it out," I told Jacob and we began to head towards the cliffs.

"Sam, what about our father?" Seth asked. I was about to give the pack an update, when we heard a scream in the distance. We picked up our pace, and we made it just in time to see Bella Swan's tiny figure jump off the cliff.

"BELLA…NO!" Jacob screamed running faster than I had ever seen him go. I saw him reach the cliff and jump off after her still in wolf form. I raced to the beach, phasing back to human form where I waited anxiously for any sign of them.

Jacob broke the ocean's surface in human form, dragging Bella's lifeless body. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something red flash on the surface of the water, but when I looked more closely it was gone. As soon as Jake got closer to the shore, he carried Bella out of the water. He was wearing his sweats and I was amazed that he even thought to put them on.

He turned her on her side and hit her in the back several times. Water began to pour out of her mouth. She was very pale and lifeless though.

"How long has she been unconscious?" I asked Jacob.

"I don't know, a few minutes? It didn't take long to tow her to the beach," Jacob replied. I watched as Bella's chest began to move up and down as her body began to take in air again.

"She's breathing. She'll come around," I told Jacob looking back out at the water to see if I could locate the mysterious flash of red again. There was nothing there. I glanced down at Bella. She was whiter than any bloodsucker I'd ever seen and seemed to be getting paler. "We should get her out of the cold, though. I don't like the color she's turning.

"You think its okay to move her?" Jacob asked.

"She didn't hurt her back or anything when she fell?"

"I don't know," Jacob responded. We heard Bella whisper Jake's name.

"Oh! Oh, Bella! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Do you hurt anywhere?" Jacob asked anxiously.

"J-Just my throat," Bella said, barely able to speak.

"Let's get you out of here, then," Jake told her and picked her up carefully.

"You got her?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll take it from here. Get back to the hospital. I'll join you later. Thanks, Sam."

I nodded and quickly ran back to the woods, phasing as I did.

"Leah, Seth, your dad has had a massive heart attack. I need to get you two to the hospital."

I could feel the anguish build in both of them which slowly wiped out their anger. I had Paul show them how to change back to human form. Seth was able to phase after a short period of time. Leah took a little bit longer. I figured it would help Leah if I wasn't around so I told Paul to take Leah back to the woods closest to the Clearwater property and to meet us there. I quickly phased back to human. Seth and I ran through the woods on foot and made our way back to the Black house where we got into my truck.

I drove back to the Clearwater house and pulled up almost to the backyard so that Seth could get into his house without being seen as he was naked. He soon came out in some jeans and a t-shirt and was carrying some clothes for Leah with a pair of her tennis shoes. He got back in the truck and I put the vehicle in drive, pulling it along side the forest where we waited. After an hour, Paul came out of the woods in human form saying that Leah had finally been able to phase back but she didn't want to come to the truck naked.

Seth quickly jumped out and raced to the area where Leah was waiting to give her the clothes. I looked up at the sky as I waited, surprised to realize it was twilight. Soon Leah came out, dressed, her hair a tangled mess. She climbed into the back and looked out the window not trying to speak. We reached the hospital, but by the time we got there it was already too late.

When we walked in, Emily had her aunt wrapped in her arms and Sue cried into her niece's neck. Billy and Charlie Swan were sitting in the corner of the waiting room. Billy had tears running down his face. Charlie was gulping every other second and his eyes were staring straight ahead not focusing on anything.

When they saw us, Sue stood up and raced over to her children, hugging them both tightly as both began to cry. I went over to Emily and hugged her close. She buried her head into my chest, but she didn't cry. When she looked up at me, her eyes were blank, dead. I pulled her closer to me, hoping that my warmth would somehow reach her.

A nurse came out and told the family that they could see Harry and say their goodbyes if they wanted. Sue and her kids were taken to the room where they had moved his body. An hour later they came out. All three had red puffy eyes and desolate expressions.

"Em, you and Sam can go in and see him if you want," Sue said.

Emily nodded and reached for my hand. We walked slowly into the room where they had placed him. Harry's body was covered from the neck down in a hospital sheet. His eyes were mere slits. Emily reached over to close them shut, but they wouldn't close completely. We both stared at the lifeless body of the man who had meant the world to us.

"No Uncle Harry, please no," Emily finally said, her voice cracking as she leaned her head against his forehead.

I let Emily have her moment as I reached out and grabbed Harry's exposed hand, looking down at it, trying to memorize every line and freckle on it. Soon this hand and the rest of this great man would be buried underneath the earth. My mind couldn't wrap around it.

Emily finally lifted away from the body and looked at me. She still wasn't crying, but her eyes held such pain that it broke my heart all over again. I grabbed her and held her close as we looked back at the face of the man who was like a second father to both of us.

"You know, it's not him anymore, Em. He's in a better place now," I said trying to comfort her. Isn't that what people always say?

"But it's still him," she responded despondently.

"I know," I replied, sighing.

"Goodbye Uncle Harry," Emily said, leaning down to kiss her uncle's pale cheek. I reached out and squeezed his hand again and then we turned and left the room.

We walked back into the waiting room. Leah got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Emily.

"Em, I…I'm sorry," Leah whispered. "I didn't understand before…you know, about you and Sam. A part of me still doesn't understand, but I'm not mad at you. Sam told me how you got hurt. That you didn't want to betray me."

"Oh Leah," Emily responded by hugging Leah tight.

Leah hugged Emily back, but not before glaring at me. I looked away, while still feeling a slight hope that Emily would have her family back. It was as if Harry's last gift to his family was forgiveness. The Clearwaters' had forgiven Emily for what they had thought she had done, and Emily was released from the guilt she had been carrying. Leah forgiving me, however, would be a whole other case.

Sue still had arrangements to make and the kids didn't want to leave her. Emily decided to stay with her family and with Charlie who had volunteered to stay behind in case Sue needed assistance. I drove Billy back home, neither of us speaking.

We pulled up to the darkened house. I got Billy's wheelchair out from the back of my truck and pushed Billy into the his home. He flipped on the lights and we saw Bella and Jacob jerk from the couch. We had obviously just woken them up. I let Billy explain what had happened at the hospital, my mind feeling too numb still. When Billy mentioned the word "arrangements" I spoke up.

"I'd better get back there," I told them and quickly left.

I made my way back to the hospital, trying to hold back the tears as a thousand memories of Harry came rushing into my head. I spent a lot of time with Harry when I was dating Leah. In some ways, he was more of a father to me than my own father had been. I could remember, Seth, Harry, and I going to Mariners games in Seattle. I remember having long talks as we had barbeques at the Clearwater house. I thought of all he had done for me and Emily after I had changed, and my throat began to hurt as I forced back the tears. I pushed away all thoughts of Harry as I pulled into the hospital and welcomed the numbness that seemed to settle over me.

I walked into the waiting room. Sue was signing some paperwork while Leah stood behind her mom placing a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder. Seth was sitting on the couch with Charlie Swan. Charlie had his arm around Seth's shoulder as Seth quietly cried into Charlie's chest. And my poor Emily sat alone. She had her arms wrapped around herself tightly. I walked over to her and as soon as she saw me, she stood up and hugged me close.

"Can you take me home? I need to call my mom and update her," Emily said. She was so stiff.

"Yeah, let me talk to Sue real quick," I told her, kissing her on top of her head. I let go of her and walked over to Sue and Leah. Sue had just finished signing the paperwork.

"Sue, can I give you a ride home?"

"Thanks, but Charlie offered to take us all home."

"If you need anything, you let me know," I told her.

"I will. Thank you Sam for everything."

"Okay." I looked over at Leah and as she looked back at me, my heart hurt at the anguish I could clearly see on her face.

"This has been a hell of a day for you…I'm sorry," I reached over and squeezed her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. She shrugged my hand off. I couldn't blame her. If she hadn't learned of my engagement, if she hadn't gone into the rage that transformed her into a werewolf, who knows if Harry would still be here. I knew she blamed me for that.

I went over and kneeled next to Seth who was now sitting by himself on the couch. Charlie had left him and was now talking to Sue. I gently grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a quick hug.

"If you need anything, anything at all, you call me, okay?" I told him. Seth sniffed and nodded his head. I gave his shoulder a squeeze and let him go. I walked over to Emily who had joined Leah, Sue, and Charlie.

"I'll call my mom and let her know what happened. She and my father should already be on there way though." Emily told her aunt.

"Thank you honey," Sue said hugging Emily one more time before letting go. Leah also reached over and gave her cousin a quick hug. Emily turned to me and we walked side by side down the hall, out of the hospital. As soon as we reached the parking lot, Emily grabbed my hand and held it fiercely.

We drove home in silence. I was worried because Emily had yet to speak and her expression was so tight that I wondered what would happen when she did let go. We pulled into the driveway and I was surprised to see that Jacob Black was waiting outside the house.

"Sam, I need to talk to you," Jacob said.

"Now's not the best time Jake," I replied, wrapping my arm around Emily's waist as we walked towards the house.

"It's really important," Jake implored.

"It's okay Sam, I need to call my mom anyway," Emily said, not looking at either one of us before entering the house.

"What's so important?" I demanded impatiently.

"One of the Cullen's is back in the area."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the leech was waiting when I dropped Bella off at her home a few minutes ago."

I sighed. "Well, this changes things. We'll only be able to guard our treaty border from now on. I'm sorry Jacob, but we won't be able to protect Bella anymore."

"I know, I told her we would only protect our lands."

"Listen, I'm putting you as my second. Tell the rest of the pack. I need you guys to patrol the border tonight. Make sure that redheaded leech and the Cullen bloodsucker stay off our land. I'm going to stay with Emily tonight."

"Okay," Jacob said stiffly. He wasn't expecting to be moved up to second, but I knew Jacob was the best to act in my place. He had proved it over and over again today.

"Oh and Jake, either tomorrow or the following day, I'll need you to talk to Bella. See if you can find out what the Cullens are up to and if they're planning on moving back to the area."

"Sure," Jake said solemnly.

I turned and walked back into the house. I wasn't able to locate Emily right away. I moved quickly into the living room and saw that the slider leading out to the backyard was open slightly. Glancing out, I noticed Emily on one of the lounge chairs outside. She was sitting in the middle of it with her legs pulled up to her chest and her head on her knees. I turned and grabbed a blanket off the couch and walked outside.

I moved carefully and sat behind her on the chair, stretching my legs out on either side of her and put my hands on her shoulders. She turned on her side and wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face in my chest. As though a dam had broken, Emily began to cry, deep, heartbreaking sobs. I reached down and put the blanket over her.

When she finally fell into an exhausted sleep, the cool night air let me hold her close throughout the night. As I held her, I stared up at the sky watching the stars up above whenever there was a break in the cloudy overcast. My exhausted brain thought briefly about how both Clearwater siblings had changed into wolves the day the elusive vampire and a Cullen came back to the region.

Finally around dawn, I felt tears seep down my face as I quietly mourned Harry. I glanced down at Emily glad that in sleep she found peace. I held her closer and kissed the top of her head as I watched the sky turn light. For the first time in our relationship, I had held Emily in my arms all night.

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