An Animal's Soul- Chapter Twenty Five

Rating: M

Pairing: Bella/Alice

A/N: So, I have no true excuse on this update being so late. I would have liked to have it out on the aniversery of this story first being put up, but it wasn't even close to being finished by then. The only excuse I can give is that at the time of my late chapter, I was well into my seventh month of being pregnant, and I could not get comfortable for the life of me. Not long enough to sit down and type out a chapter like I wanted, so now that my Baby girl is here, I have some time to pump out several chapters (Which I have typed up, I just need to edit them all). On a personal note, I'm so happy that I can go back to wearing normal jeans and I can sit in one spot for hours without being uncomfortable.

With that said, on to the chapter!

Don't own anything related to Twilight. Pointless to sue, don't got money.

Enjoy! ^^

Leah yawned as she stretched, opening her eyes as the light from the window woke her up. The content smile on her face faded for a moment while she tried to figure out where she was. She took a deep breath and realized that she was in Jade's room. The bed still held a faint scent of Angela on it, and the thought alone made her frown. Angela was a nice girl and as far as Leah was concerned, she didn't deserve that happening to her.

"Leah! Breakfast!"

Leah rolled out of bed, stretching again as she made her way out of Jade's room, and into the Kitchen. Rayn was at the stove, flipping pancakes, while Jade herself sat at the table, a plate with four pancakes drenched in syrup on it. Leah looked around and frowned when she couldn't see Dragon.

"She headed over to the Cullens a few minutes ago. She asked us to tell you 'good morning' for her." Jade said, seeing the look on the wolf's face.

Leah nodded, taking a seat at the table, and thanking Rayn when she set down a plate with pancakes on it for her. A minute later, the tiger joined them at the table with her own plate, and they talked while they ate. Afterwards, Jade washed up the dishes while Rayn forced Leah into the shower. It was only ten in the morning, but Rayn insisted that she needed time to make Leah look perfect. The wolf had no complaints, knowing it wouldn't matter in the long run anyway, since she wanted to look perfect for her mate. It was mostly a feeling from her wolf, but part of her human mind wanted that as well.

She spent a long time in the shower, shaving everything that needed it, and washing her hair thoroughly. When she stepped out, Rayn was waiting for her with a towel, before pulling her into her room, and over to her bed. She spent the next several hours trying different types of make-up on Leah, while the wolf simply watched her. When she was finally happy with the results, she pulled out the clothes they had bought the day before.

Leah looked at the clothes with a small blush. It wasn't the clothes, but the lingerie that caught her eye. It was a red lacey set that Rayn insisted she wear. She wasn't sure if she should. But she put them on anyway. She then slipped into the designer shorts, and tank top. She would be wearing sandals with the outfit, so she simply stood up and heading over to the full body mirror in Rayn's room.

She stood there for several minutes while Rayn fussed with her hair. Then let herself be dragged out of the room and placed on the couch. Jade came around a moment later and nodded her approval at the outfit. The three of them sat and talked for a while, and when Leah asked, they explained that Dragon called Sue last night and let her know the plan. The woman wanted all the details when Leah got home, and the wolf blushed, knowing that her mom would get them and have blackmail on her.

It wasn't a happy thought.

After a time, they turned on the TV and flipped through channels while they waited. It was nearing noon when they heard a car pull up to the house. After a moment there was a knock and Leah got up to get it, opening the door to see Dragon standing there.

~o0o~

Dragon rolled herself out of bed early, taking a quick shower before heading into the kitchen. She smiled at Rayn and took the plate of pancakes that was held out to her. She downed them quickly, knowing that she needed to get to the Cullen's before Alice and Rose came looking for her. When she finished eating, she placed the plate in the sink, kissed Rayn on the cheek in thanks, and left the house. Before she pulled out of the driveway completely she asked Rayn to pass on a 'good morning' to her mate.

The drive to the Cullen's house was rather short, and soon, Dragon found herself in Alice's room, surrounded by clothes, make-up, and two hyperactive Vampires. Alice was the worst of the two, but it was the grin on Rose's face that really scared the Mystical Creature. The grin spoke of hours of fashion torture... Dragon was not looking forward to it.

The two vampires spent hours going through the clothes and making Dragon wear them, changing the tops and the pants every so often to see what worked best together. When they were finally done, they had settled on a pair of skin tight blue jeans, and a red tank top. She would be wearing a pair of hiking boots with it, but they were sitting downstairs next to the door for the time being. When she was dressed how they wanted her, Dragon was forced to sit in front of the vanity so they could work on her make-up. This took longer than the clothing, since Dragon refused to wear a lot. She hated the smell of make-up- having been Rayn's Barbie doll for years, and now only wore it when she really needed to- so the vampires had to find something that went well with the outfit without making Dragon sneeze up a storm. It was harder than they thought.

Soon, though, they had her all set, and the final touch was brushing out her hair and putting it in a high pony-tail. After that, she wondered down stairs, ignoring Edward- who had taken to bad mouthing all of them- and went about getting her boots on. Emmett sat on one of the couches, playing his games, but looked up when he felt his wife sitting next to him.

"Well, don't you look all dressed up?" He said, smirking playfully, "Did you have fun being a Barbie doll?"

"Not likely," Dragon stated, sitting on the other couch in the room, "But these two aren't as bad as Rayn. She gives me nightmares." She added, looking at the clock. She still had a little over two hours before she wanted to pick Leah up, so she grabbed a controller and played a few rounds of Halo with Emmett.

When it was close to noon, she said her good-byes and thanks, put on the brown leather jacket that Alice insisted she wear; and left the house. The drive back to the house was just as silent as last time, but Dragon had to keep telling herself to relax. She had been planning this date for a long time, and really hoped that Leah liked it. She pulled up in front of her own house and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Leah opened the door and- though they were both wearing simple clothes- their jaws dropped slightly. Leah looked beautiful in anything, but looking completely relaxed in a pair of shorts and a tank, made her look Gorgeous; more so with her hair styled in layers and resting at her shoulders. The little amount of make-up that she had on only added to the overall look of her, and Dragon was speechless.

For Leah, on the other hand. She knew that Dragon was gorgeous, but with how she looked now, the only thought that came to mind was otherworldly. The clothes she wore looked almost painted on, and the leather jacket looked warm and inviting, almost as if she was suppose to snuggle into Dragon. She snapped out of her thoughts when her imprint held out a hand to her with a shy smile.

"Ready to go, Leah?" Dragon asked softly.

Leah nodded, grabbing the woman's hand and following her over to the motorcycle that was waiting. Dragon got on first, and Leah sat behind her, arms wrapped around her waist tightly. Dragon started the bike, and after a moment, drove away from the house. The drive into Port Angeles was slow, since Dragon wanted to be able talk to Leah on the way. They talked about random things, and even though Leah asked several times, Dragon refused to tell her where they were going.

When they drove into Port Angeles, Dragon came to a stop by the Pier, parking the bike and getting off. She then turned to Leah and helped her off, letting her look around. There was a fair currently going on, so there were stalls of games, food and even a few small rides set up. Once Leah was done looking at it all, she turned to Dragon with a question on her mind.

Dragon grinned playfully, "I figured we could both use a day of being kids and acting goofy. When the sun sets later tonight, they'll set up a small dance stage and even a mini screen for some movies." She explained.

Leah laughed, "That sounds fantastic. So, what are we waiting for?" She asked playfully, grabbing Dragon's hand and pulling her towards one of the food stalls.

They grabbed some food, and then walked along the different games. They each played several, winning a few and loosing most of them. Dragon won a stuffed Husky that she gave to Leah, while the brunette won a brown teddy bear that she gave to Dragon. They giggled at the exchange, thinking themselves goofy for the whole thing. After they played another few games, they went for a few of the rides. The Fair had a small roller coaster that was meant mostly for kids, but they didn't really care and got on, laughing the whole ride before heading to another one.

They went to another food stall to get dinner before they walked along the beach, watching as teenagers laughed and played in the water. They were a good distance from others when they decided to sit in the sand.

"Tell me something about your past." Leah asked, leaning against Dragon's side, the woman's arm around her shoulders.

"Well... do you want a happy memory?" Dragon asked, a playful smirk gracing her face, "When I was thirteen, I teleported Bella's clothes off in the middle of the market."

Leah looked at her for several moments before bursting into a deep laughing fit, leaning over with her arms wrapped around her midsection. Dragon let her laugh for several minutes with a smile on her face.

"I'm serious." She said, not even letting her girlfriend recover, "She took me shopping for my birthday, said I could get anything I wanted. We left the house early in the morning so we would be there for lunch. We walked by every stall that was set up, looking at the different foods, clothing, and jewelry that was sold. They even had one stand for armor and weapons; it was meant mostly for soldiers and the like that passed through, but if you had enough money, you could buy anything they sold." Dragon looked out at the water, smiling at the memory. She looked over when she felt Leah's hand on her thigh and grinned lightly,

"So there we were sitting by the fountain in the middle of town, eating a lunch of cooked meats and some bread. Bella had gotten bored while I ate, and started paying with a few rocks that she had found on the ground. Tossing them and juggling to entertain herself. She eventually gained a crowd of people, all of them watching her with awed looks on their faces. She had been playing for about ten minutes when I finished eating. She showed no signs of stopping so I wondered off to look at one of the jewelry stalls. I'd finally found a necklace that I liked and asked the Stall owner to hold it for me while I went to get Bella. She didn't want to stop juggling, so I snapped my fingers and made her clothes disappear. It caused a mild amount of confusion, but since Bella could make them think it was a trick of their minds, no one ran screaming about witch craft."

Dragon smirked, "She was mad at me for nearly a week." She told Leah, laughing softly at the amused look on her imprints face, "After I put her clothes back, she bought me the necklace and we made our way home. When I told the story to my parents, they nearly cracked one of their ribs from laughing so hard. Once they got over it, they tried to scold me for doing that, but couldn't keep themselves calm enough to be serious. Bella had a blush for nearly three days because of their laughing."

Leah smirked, "Serves her right for ignoring you on your birthday." She said, before looking out at the water, "I don't have any good stories like that. My father was a very quiet man, he loved us, I know that, but he very rarely showed it. The only time I remember him smiling was when he went fishing, or when Seth and I caught him and mom having a 'private' moment. Mom could always make him smile. Besides that, there was one time when we went camping." She said her voice low as the memories ran through her mind.

"Tell me?" Dragon asked her voice just as soft. She leaned over and rested a hand on Leah's cheek, getting the brunette to look at her, "I want to hear about your life just as much as you want to hear about mine."

Leah nodded, "One year, dad decided that he wanted to show us how to camp, so he loaded up the truck and drove us into the woods. We sent everything up, and were in the process of cooking some food. Seth had wondered off to go to the bathroom, and when he came back he was scratching at her lower back and legs constantly. I couldn't help but laugh at him, but my dad calmly asked him what he wiped with, and Seth told him 'some leaves from the bush next to the tree'. My father got this big smirk on his face and quietly told my brother that he got Poison Ivy. Seth started freaking out, trying not to scratch at himself, but not being able to help it. Dad and I were laughing the whole time, until Seth bumped his leg into my arm."

Dragon smirked, "So you got it then, huh?" She asked, leaning back on her hands to look up at the sky. The sun was getting closer to setting, and she wanted to bask in the warm rays before it was gone.

Leah nodded, "I was not happy. I jumped up and chased him around the camp fire, screaming that I was going to beat him up. It was the only way I could ignore the urge to scratch. At some point in time, we both bumped into dad, and then he chased us down to the river nearby. He insisted that we all wash up as best we could, then we rubbed itching cream into the spots we could find. We went to bed and came home the next day looking like we had rolled around in the cream. Mom was still laughing days after we were all cleared of the Ivy. "

"Your dad didn't take you camping again, did he?" Dragon asked, using her magic to play around in the sand, building random objects.

Leah watched her, amazed at what Dragon was building without even thinking about it, "No, he didn't. He was laughed at when the council saw him the day after we got home, and even at work. He jokingly told us he wanted to be spared the humiliation. I wish we had gone on another trip, though. It was rare to see dad that care free and happy."

They both sat in comfortable silence while Dragon continued to show off. After a while though, she got to her feet and held her hand out to Leah, "I want to take a ride of the Ferris wheel before the dancing and movies start. Wanna join me?"

Leah nodded, taking the offered hand and letting Dragon lead her back to the Pier. They waited in the short line for their turn, and sat as close as possible on the seat while the attendant latched the bar into place. The guy smiled at them knowingly- causing Leah to blush a little- as they were slowly moved forward so the next person could get on. Once the seats were filled, the wheel started, and they watched as the sun set slowly. They talked quietly on the ride, and Dragon was even bold enough to kiss Leah on the cheek when they reached the highest point of the ride.

When they were off of the Ferris wheel, the music had just started for the night, and there was a kid's movie playing on the screen that had been set up a little further away. They decided to try another food stall and watch a movie before dancing, so they both got some nachos, a pretzel and a drink each, and even bags of popcorn and cotton candy to share. Then they made their way to the movie screen and sat in the far back so no one would notice how much they were eating. By the time they were done with all the food, the movie was half way over and they started to pay more attention to it, laughing along with everyone else at the end of it.

They sat and waited as more people came over while a few of them left. When the next movie started, they got up and made their way to the dance floor. A slow song started just as they reached it, and Dragon held out her hand,

"Can I have this dance?" She asked, smiling shyly.

Leah nodded, and allowed herself to be pulled onto the floor.

The strands in your eyes, they color them wonderful
Stop me from stealin' breath
Emeralds from mountains, they thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth

They danced slowly to the song, twirling around occasionally, and keeping as close to each other as possible. When the lyrics started, Dragon smiled at her imprint and sang along, her voice low so only they could hear her. Leah was shocked- though she really shouldn't have been- to hear the other woman singing. Her voice was soothing, almost as if she was caressing the words as she said them.

Tell me that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows or heartache that hang from above

Leah sang the next part of the song, grinning goofily at Dragon's shocked look. They went back and forth singing, dancing slowly around the other couples. When the song was over, they went and got some water, before going back onto the floor. They danced to the next several songs, laughing and joking as they went. It was almost an hour later when an upbeat song started playing and Leah laughed, singing the first strands of the song.

Tell me, baby, what we're gonna do
I'll make it easy, got a lot to lose
Watch the sunlight coming through
Open the window, let it shine on you

Dragon laughed, leaning down to whisper that she knew the best place to have the sun shine down. Leah laughed at her comment, smiling as she was twirled around in a circle before Dragon pulled her back into her arms. When the next part of song started, Dragon sang it, laughing as they both danced goofily to match it.

'Cause I've been sick and working all week
And I've been doing just fine (Hey!)
You've been tired of watching me
Forgot to have a good time, boy (Hey!)
You can't take it all these faces
Never keeping it real
I know exactly how you feel

When the song was over, Dragon gently guided Leah off the dance floor. They walked along the pier, slowly getting closer to the Forest that bordered one side of the beach. When they were deep enough in that no one would see them, Dragon removed her jacket and placed it around Leah's shoulders. At the brunette's questioning look, she smiled and took a deep breath.

The sound of something being ripped registered in Leah's mind seconds before she saw two wings hanging lightly behind her imprint. Her jaw dropped at the sight, and she watched as they flicked and moved about as if they were stretching. She dimly heard Dragon laughing softly,

"What do you think?" Dragon asked, letting her wings move to their full length,

Leah said nothing, moving forward to touch the skin of one of them. The skin held a sort of leathery feel to it, and the scales that she could see glimmered in the light of the moon. She stood touching the wing for several minutes, moving around to see how they rested on Dragon's back. They connected to the skin between her shoulder blades, the skin around the wings ripped lightly, and the muscles underneath were clearly showing.

"Does it hurt?" Leah asked, reaching out and stroking along the skin gently.

Dragon shrugged, "At first it does, but after a few seconds, the pain fades. Do you like them? I want to show you something."

Leah nodded, walking around to stand in front of her imprint, "They look beautiful, and the scales definitely match your hair and eyes."

Dragon laughed, gently pulling the brunette into her arms, "Thank you, and now hold on tight." She whispered. Leah nodded, wrapping her arms around the other woman's neck tightly.

She watched as the wings moved, flapping towards the ground to send them into the air. Dragon flew high into the sky, over the trees, and into the clouds. She stayed there for a moment, simply letting Leah get use to the feeling. After a while, she flew through the clouds, laughing at the screams that Leah let out.

"I won't drop you." Dragon whispered, looking at the closed eyes of her imprint, "I promise, just open your eyes, enjoy this with me."

Leah nodded, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes and looking into Dragon's. They stayed like that for a long time, just looking at each other. If asked later, neither would be able to tell who leaned in first, but soon, their lips were touching lightly. The kiss was slow at first, attentive to see who would pull back first, and when neither of them did, it was deepened.

It was nearly an hour later when they pulled away from each other, their breath labored. Leah finally looked around her and was awed by the sight; it was beautiful to see the world like this. Dragon smiled at her response, and flew forward a little, before twirling in a slow circle. Leah laughed at the display, and they spent several more hours flying around in the clouds.

Leah didn't get home till nearly three in the morning, and her mother insisted that she get all the details before she could go to bed.

Dragon, on the other hand, only got a few hours of sleep until Koran called her about something important.

A/N: So there you guys go. The next chapter. I do NOT own the two songs mentioned.

Hope you Enjoyed! ^^