A/N All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer with the exception of Morgan, Sophie, and George. No copyright infringement intended. I am not getting paid.

Musical inspiration for this chapter: "Love Remains the Same" by Gavin Rossdale

I must have listened to this song at least 100 times. There is a music video (starring Embry Call) running through my brain every time I hear this song. Chapter title does not belong to me. Obviously.

Thanks to my Beta readers as always… and

Chapter 25: Love Remains the Same

Leah Clearwater's point of view…

Previously:

I heard Blondie say, "Oh no! Oh no way! Not again."

My sentiments exactly.

"Leah, are you okay?"

How could I possibly be okay? He might as well slice me open with a dull blade and feed my heart to his precious little blood-sucking imprint. It couldn't hurt nearly as bad as this does.

I was gasping for air, but there wasn't any. Someone or something had sucked all the oxygen out of the atmosphere. Speech was impossible. "Go away Embry. Please. Just go away."

"Rose, Emmett, will one of you please take Sophie for a minute?" I heard the kid's ear-splitting scream so I guess Embry was able to pass her off to one of the vamps. "Leah, look at me. Please—just look at me." I felt his hand on my arm, trying to pry it off my face. Why? Does he want to torture me? His hand felt like a scorching brand on my skin, burning the print of his fingers into my flesh. I would be forever marked as his, even though he no longer wanted me. I could not stand the humiliation of his pity on top of the crushing weight of all this pain.

I never should have let myself believe for one minute that this was going to work out. I never should have let Embry Call anywhere near my heart—or anything else for that matter. A new wave of pain washed over me as another dream shattered. I tried to protect myself. I never planned to tell Embry the kid was his, but he figured it out. Hell, I wasn't even sure I was pregnant at the time but somehow Embry knew.

Previously… The morning of "the fight" (before Embry blinded himself.)

You're crazy Embry. How could I possibly be pregnant? Genetic dead end, remember?" Crap. How did he figure this out? I'm not even a hundred percent sure myself.

"I don't know how Leah, I only know that you are." He placed his palm on my belly and smiled. His eyes lit up and I knew I was in trouble. I never meant to fall in love with Embry Call. He was supposed to be my friend. Just a friend. Okay, a friend with benefits, but nothing more. I'm not even sure how this all started. He was just always so damned available. I went through some rough times when the majority of the pack imprinted. Embry does good impersonations of everyone "Isn't she perfect? Isn't she wonderful, imprinting is so amazing. I felt the earth move. Gravity shifted." It was hilarious and as long as I could laugh, I didn't have to cry.

I did cry when Emily got pregnant for the first time. Embry was there for me the night Sam shared the "great news". He was so sweet; he held me in his arms and let me cry all night. That was the first time we kissed. It was also the first time I considered seeking a different kind of comfort in Embry's arms. I fought it for a long time. I knew he wanted me, but he was shy and inexperienced so he didn't try to rush things. That all changed after we made love for the first time. Talk about cocky! Geeze. My shy friend turned into a regular Don Juan. He was insatiable. He also caught me at my weakest time of the year—when I'm insatiable. I don't know what it is about springtime. I have average self-control the rest of the year, but when the frost disappears and the flowers start to bloom, I just go nuts. (Think "Girls Go Wild During Spring Break" videos)

I was feeling the need and Embry was going to go bar hopping with me in Port Angeles. We didn't even make it out of La Push before I jumped his bones. He was surprised but in a good way. Unfortunately, I hurt him when I broke it off after just three weeks. He said it was okay, he understood, bla, bla, bla… We stayed friends and fell into a pattern of enjoying each other completely about once or twice a month. The boundaries were firmly in place. He knew I wasn't interested in a romantic relationship and he said it was fine with him. He liked the idea of all the fun but none of the responsibilities. We agreed to see other people but never actually got around to it. I insisted we practice safe sex even if I couldn't get pregnant. It was one way of reminding him we were not in a monogamous relationship.

Things were going great until springtime came around again. The poor kid didn't know what hit him. I just couldn't leave him alone. By that time, we were both in Jake's pack and Jake was not as tolerant as Sam was when it came to my extra-curricular springtime activities. Embry and I were MIA for a week—holed up in the Best Western outside of Seattle. Jake was so pissed when we got home. It's not like they needed us or anything. Sam's pack was huge and the only vamps around were the Cullens. They did a good job of keeping the stray leeches away; which meant we didn't have enough work to keep everyone busy.

Jake still chewed our asses off and made us do double shifts. That cut into our fun, but we managed to work around it. I let it drag on a little longer that year and it was much harder for me to break it off.

We were at the annual Fourth-of-July picnic and I casually mentioned, "It's time we slowed down again. People are starting to talk about us. I don't want everyone to start thinking we're a couple or anything." I had never seen Embry get so mad. That was the first of many "really big fights"…We didn't need to wait until dark for the fireworks to start.

"Why can't you just let things happen naturally? Why do you want to break up? Oh wait you don't want to break up, you just want to string me along like a dog on a leash. What is your problem? We are GOOD together and you know it."

"You know why I can't do this Embry. I can't get involved with someone that's going to imprint."

"I've got news for you, Babe. We ARE involved and we have been for almost two years. Why do you want to ruin everything?"

"You are the one ruining everything! Why can't you accept that we can never be more than just friends?"

"Maybe because my other friends don't jump in my bed when ever they get lonely or sad or just plain horny. We are so much more than 'just friends' and you know it. I can't do this anymore, Leah. Either you let me love you all the time or not at all. I can't do this half-assed on-again off-again crap."

That was pretty much the pattern of our relationship ever since. Incredible mind-blowing sex every spring followed by an explosive break-up every summer. By Halloween, we were good friends again and yes, that included frequent sleepovers.

This damn jungle trip screwed me over completely. When we got the call that Jake and Cullen were missing we dropped everything and took off in the fancy jet the Cullens chartered for us. I didn't even pack a toothbrush. Embry wasn't any better prepared than I was so it was impossible to practice "safe sex". I tried to go the abstinence route, but that didn't work out so well. I would bet a thousand dollars that flowers are blooming all across the Olympic Mountains and have been since the first day we got here.

Anyway… I wasn't supposed to fall in love with him. He was never supposed to be the love of my life and father of my children. I sure as hell was not supposed to feel my heart swell with joy when he placed his hand on my stomach over our growing child.

I yanked his hand off my belly, "This doesn't change anything Embry! I'm not going to fall in love with you." Too late, I was already head-over-heels in love with the pup and if I'm being honest, I have been for years. But I couldn't let it go any further. I had to find a way to stop loving him. He was going to imprint and the longer I let this continue the more it was going to hurt.

"Geeze Leah, you are such a liar. I know you love me." I'll be damned if his smile didn't light up the entire freakin' jungle. "You have to marry me, you're having my baby."

"I most certainly do NOT have to marry you just because I might be pregnant. Women have babies without husbands every day. I don't need a man to raise a kid; I can do it by myself!" I hated hurting him. Maybe if it were just me, I would risk it. Probably not, but there is no way in hell I'm letting my child be devastated when her daddy imprints.

Daddy… My cruel mind flashed the image of Embry cradling our newborn daughter in his arms... Embry staring into her eyes with reverence and awe… Embry kissing her soft downy head before placing her at my breast. Stop it right now! I can do this. I know I can. I can be strong for my daughter.

"Are you really that selfish. Leah? Do you want our baby to be a bastard? Because that's what he'll be called and not just by other kids. That's how he will be listed on the tribal records—just like me—father: unknown." Embry thought of our baby as a son. Our child is as real to him as she is to me. I almost gave in when he said that. He had tears in his eyes and it broke my heart, but it would hurt so much more if I married him. "Are you even going to tell him who his father is?"

"No Embry, I'm not going to tell our child that you are her father. It would hurt so much more for her to know you and love you and then be abandoned the day you imprint."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. I love you Leah, and I already love our baby. I won't leave you and I won't abandon my child. I am a better man than that."

"And how many times do I have to tell you I CAN'T MARRY YOU." That's when I lost it. Damn pregnancy hormones made me all emotional and weepy. "I love you too much already Embry—more than I ever loved Sam—but I'm not going to marry you just to have my heart ripped out, this is killing me."

"Leah?" His voice was suddenly soft and gentle with no trace of anger. "If there was a way to be sure I could never imprint—would you marry me?" He sounded so vulnerable; I felt something hard and cold shatter inside my chest. Damn, it must have been my heart.

"Yes Embry, if there were some magical potion you could drink or ancient ceremony we could perform that would prevent imprinting, I would marry you today. But there isn't; so I can't." I turned around and headed back to camp. Embry just stood there and watched me go.

I should have lied. I should have said, "No, I won't marry you no matter what." Maybe he would still have both of his eyes. Poor Embry. This wasn't fair to him either. He sacrificed so much to be with me… to be a father to our child. It was all for nothing.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" Aw Seth, it's too late. The damage is done. There's nothing you can do… except take me home. Please take me home.

"Seth? Can we go home now? Can you please just take me home?" My voice sounded so weak and timid, it didn't even sound like me.

"NO! You don't understand. I still love you Leah, don't leave me! Let go of me Seth!" Crunch, splat… That didn't sound good. I felt strangely detached from everything, maybe I was having an out of body experience or going on a spirit walk.

"Stop it! Let me go. Leah I love you!" Embry sounded like he had a bad cold… huh… that's the second time Seth's broken Embry's nose since we got here. I'm guessing Embry's the one dripping blood all over me… Again… I hear what he's saying. I understand the words, but they don't make sense.

"STOP IT! Both of you." You could hear the Alpha even in Jake's human voice. "Nessie! Go get Jasper. NOW!" I felt the air stir as Cullen took off. She didn't even make him ask "Pretty Please."

A huge wave of tranquility hit me in the chest. I was already having trouble breathing. Now it was impossible. The serene sensation lifted a little and I started gasping like a fish out of water.

"Now everyone, let's just calm down for a minute." He said that as if any of us actually had a choice. Stupid blood-sucking leech.

"Embry, stop saying you still love Leah. You just imprinted on Sophie." Thanks a lot Jake, would you like a little salt to rub in my open wounds?

"I know Jake, I don't understand it either. You know how you felt when you imprinted on Nessie? How everything tying you to everyone else was cut away—how you didn't love Bella anymore and Nessie was the center of your universe? She was the only one that mattered." I would spontaneously combust if I had to listen to Embry and Jake bond while sharing their imprinting experiences.

"That didn't happen to me. My love for Leah has not changed. Not one little bit. Maybe I didn't really imprint." He sounded so… hopeful. It made me love him even more. This is not fair!

"Embry, you definitely imprinted. We all felt it. What about Sophie? How do you feel about her?" I might have been catatonic and unresponsive, but my heart stopped beating while I waited for his answer.

Embry's voice got all soft and lovey-dovey. "I love her too… like a daughter. I am completely bound to her as well. It's like… I don't know… I feel like a moon caught between two planets. Gravity is pulling me in two different directions and I'm stuck. I can't live with out either of them… maybe I don't have to choose." I could see the gears turning in Embry's head… "We could be a family. Leah is my soul-mate… but Sophie could be our daughter." What about our daughter? The daughter you pried your eyes out for… the one that doesn't want to drink blood… did you forget about her already?

Blondie roared, "She's not your daughter. She's mine!" Jasper hit us with another blast of his magical, mystical mind waves. I was so relaxed my arm slipped off my face. I didn't want to look at Embry; but he was still the center of my universe so I didn't have a choice. He was looking at me with so much longing, love, and pain. Even with the mental manipulations of the leech, Embry was in pain. So was I. I'm such a fool. Why was it impossible to push him away after he imprinted? I never had a problem with it before. I broke up with him every year. So why didn't I push him away when he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me to my feet. Why did I have to cling to him and love him more than ever?

"I love you Leah! Please believe me. I love you. Everything else changed, but not that, not my love for you. That remains the same." Why does he keep saying that? He can't possibly still love me. What strange force has addled his brain? Oh, man. I sound just like Cullen, and Embry sounds an awful lot like Jake. Crap. Well, it's obvious he's confused and in pain. I'll be damned if I'm going to stomp on his heart when he is so vulnerable.

"Leah please say you believe me." He sounded so sincere and so desperate. This would probably turn around and bite me in the ass tomorrow but I didn't care. I would gladly trade all of my tomorrows for one more day of being loved by Embry Call. Just one more day.

"I love you too Embry, I love you too." Once I said it out loud, I knew it was true. I knew—that at least for now—Embry loved me. He grabbed my face and our lips crashed together with so much force it's surprising no one lost any teeth. The rest of the world disappeared as I lost myself in Embry's kiss. I'm sure we were completely inappropriate, but I wasn't aware of anything but Embry. His hands were roaming all over my body and I was practically climbing his, when the gods decided I was happy enough to throw me to the ground one more time.

"Non mi piace, mandala via." Sophie was tugging on the hem of Embry's shorts, and even though I don't speak Italian, I certainly got her message. Embry did too. He froze. Our lips were still smashed together but he managed to tilt his head to the side so he could see the little monster with his good eye. I could feel the opposing forces trying to pull him apart. Rose was trying to peel Sophie off Embry's leg but she wasn't letting go easily. Embry broke the kiss but kept one arm wrapped around my waist as he bent to pick up Sophie.

"Oh hell no! I am not doing this Embry! I am not Mia Freakin' Farrow and you sure as hell are not Woody Allen."

"Who are Mia Farrow and Woody Allen?" Embry looked confused, but it turns out I didn't need to explain anything. Emmett was all over that one.

"They're a couple of old actors, popular in the '70s. She had a bunch of adopted kids and her husband—Woody Allen—fell in love with one of them and married her…

A look of horror replaced the confused look on Embry's face. "NO! Leah, I would never!... She's just a little girl!"

"What happens when she grows up in… what?... another four or five years? What then?"

The confused look was back. "I… don't… I…I can't even imagine her as an adult. We've got at least four years to figure something out.

That was not what I wanted to hear. I was looking for something more along the lines of 'Don't worry Leah; she will never be more than a daughter to me.' I did NOT want to figure things out in four short years. Wait a minute… Hadn't I been willing to trade everything for just one more day? The gods were offering me a thousand days. Why was one day worth the rest of my life, but four years was unbearable? I had always been good with math, but this did not add up.

If we had four years together as a family, our child would know and love her father. She would be three years old when Sophie matured. Just thinking about it drained the blood from my face.

This didn't have to be an all or nothing situation. I could take the one day I so desperately wanted. Maybe even a week, or a month. No more than a year. That was my limit. Our baby would only be a few months old; she would not remember him. I would leave him one year from today; or when the pain of staying out weights the pain of leaving… whichever comes first.

I had to explain the rules to Embry. It wouldn't be fair to let him think I was going to stay for more than a year. Or worse, be his second rate wife in a polygamist marriage. It wasn't unusual for our ancestors to have more than one wife at a time. Crap. Is that what he's thinking?

"I am not going to share you Embry, so you can get that thought out of your mind right now."

That's when she bit me. The little leech actually bit me! She sank her teeth into the back of my thigh—shooting pain all the way down my leg to my ankle. It's a wonder I didn't phase on the spot. Every instinct demanded it, but I didn't feel even a hint of the normal heat and trembling that should have overwhelmed me from being bitten by an enemy. Maybe it was Embry's horrified look that kept me human. All he had to do was touch her cheek and she let go. His voice was much too kind and gentle, when he scolded her. She pushed her lower lip out in a pout and forcefully repeated her earlier order, "Non mi piace, mandala via."

Embry looked at Emmett and asked, "How do you say 'I can love both of you' in Italian?"

"Both children understand English as well as Spanish; they haven't spoken anything other than Italian yet, but just talk to her normally."

"Sophie, I want you to be nice to Leah. She is important to me. I love her. Do you understand?" The little freak looked at him adoringly and said "Si."

Embry beamed back at her and she jumped into the air reaching for him. He had to let go of me to catch her. I wasn't about to let her bite me again, the first wound was just starting to heal, so I stood there and watched the two of them. She placed her tiny little claws on his cheeks—turned his face so he had no choice but to look in her eyes—and claimed him as her own, "Embry. Mine." Rose and I were the only ones who didn't laugh.

Embry ran one arm around my waist and kissed the side of my head. Sophie hissed and this time Embry's voice was firm. "Sophie, if you can't be nice to Leah, I am not going to hold you." She leaned around him to glare at me, narrowed her eyes and warned, "Embry. Mine."

"Yeah well, he was mine first so deal with it." Embry gave us both a squeeze and laughed. I'm glad he was enjoying this because I sure as hell wasn't.

If you told me yesterday that Embry and I would be spending an entire day

with Blondie and Monkey Man, I would have said you were crazy. I could tell it was stressing Embry. It was impossible to get Mini-vamp to accept me as part of the package. You want Embry—you get Leah—take it or leave it.

I was as nice as I could be to the kid, but she wasn't buying it. She was too young to understand the rules of the game. I cooed, coaxed, and cajoled for all I was worth. Embry ate it up, even if his little monster didn't. Rose finally announced that it was bedtime for the kids. They immediately started howling. Embry picked Sophie up and said, "Be a good girl and go to sleep quickly. I will see you when you wake up." He tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.

"Wow. I wonder if we can get someone to imprint on Georgie here." Emmett grinned and practically shoved George's screaming face into mine. "Look really close George. Look in her eyes. Do you feel anything yet, Leah?" Emmett asked, hopefully. I don't know why I laughed. It wasn't funny, but I'm glad I did. Embry hugged me so tightly he lifted my feet off the ground.

"Is it any wonder that I love you as much as I do? You are one amazing woman, Leah."

"You're just saying that so I won't imprint on Georgie." He laughed, then kissed me. My knees grew weak and I melted as he pressed the entire length of his body against mine.

"Oh gag. Go get a room." Blondie was ready for us to leave. So was I.

"We'd love to, thanks. How nice of you to offer." Embry swept me off my feet, and carried me like a new bride toward the vamp's bedroom. Even Emmett didn't think that was funny. He was blocking the door with his huge frame before we were within three feet of it.

He crossed his arms over his chest and just shook his head back and forth. Embry laughed and punched him in the arm. "Just kidding Emmett. But seriously, where are we supposed to bunk?"

"How about in the dog house?" Blondie growled.

"Quil and Seth are sleeping in the commons and I noticed two empty sleeping bags on the floor in there. I think that's where you're supposed to sleep—but I'm pretty sure no one is planning on using the office in the top of the tree tonight." Emmett grinned and said, "Hang on a minute, I'll be right back." He was gone for maybe three seconds before he returned and handed me a home-made sign… "No Trespassing, Guard Dogs on Premises." I snorted and turned it around so Embry could read it. He laughed and said, "Hey, as long as it keeps everyone out, I don't care what it says."

Our first night together after imprinting was different. We were different. We made love with so much tenderness and reverence that it seemed almost holy. Embry looked into my eyes the entire time. He never blinked, not even once. He murmured my name repeatedly—telling me all night how much he loved me. I wept with joy and sorrow both. I knew I should have told him I was only staying for one year. He might not want me at all if he knew what I was planning. I promised myself I would tell him tomorrow. I couldn't ruin what might be our last night together. I needed this night of solace first. This night belonged to me. Embry. Mine.