AN: Happy New Year! Surprise! Surprise! I worked really hard since the last update to get this ready for the new year. Consider this an apology for my infrequent updates and, even though I can't promise more frequent updates, I am continuing with the story. Thanks to all who alerted and favorites, glad to have you on board. Special thanks to those who continue to review (I'd give you shoutouts by name but the system seems to be down,) you guys really make my day and encourage me to keep going even when real life is kicking my $$.

DISCLAIMER: OWN NOTHING BUT MY CREATIONS

TRANSLATIONS:

mia testarda: my stubborn one

lupa mia: my she wolf

nostro figlio: our son

sciocca ragazza: foolish girl

bellissima lupa: beautiful wolf

Leah didn't wait for Demetri. Knowing he would follow her, she took off at a swift run that took her deep into the forest and far enough from the Cullen compound so that they wouldn't hear the conversation. The cool air slapped at her cheeks and whipped through her hair as she sped around trees and leapt over logs, but the chill shock helped defuse some of the ire that she couldn't help feel toward her Imprint.

Sometimes she and Demetri were so in sync she would swear that every breath they took was shared. The eye color that they now shared with their son seemed to suggest their connection was mystical, supernatural… whatever. Then he would pull shit like this and she wanted to strangle his Italian ass. How could he believe, on any level, that it was a good idea to surrender himself to the Volturi? As far as Leah was concerned, they had beaten the Bloodsucker Mafia once and she was only too eager to do it again. If only she could get Demetri to share her confidence.

She could feel Demetri not too far behind her but didn't halt until she came to what she considered their spot. She hadn't been back since the day Leandros had been conceived but she felt that if there was anywhere that would be conducive to Demetri seeing things her way it would be this place.

When Demetri caught up to Leah he didn't speak at first, content to just drink in the sight of her while he still had the chance. He knew eventually he would have to tell her that he had no intention of changing his mind, regardless of how loudly she screeched at him or how hard she hit him.

"Do you recognize this place?"

Demetri reluctantly pulled his gaze from devouring Leah's form to glance around the clearing. When their eyes met again there was a slight upturn to his lips. He seemed to blur for a brief second, then he was a hair's breadth away from Leah, lightly cupping her right cheek.

"How could I not, mia testarda? If I close my eyes I can still see you beneath me. My fingers itch to immortalize you on paper… among other things."

His head bent to capture her lips and Leah stepped quickly out of his reach, turning her back on him to stare at the horizon.

"You speak as if what happened here meant something to you Demetri. One might even be persuaded that you care about the result of our little interlude."

Demetri followed her with a frown, vaguely surprised that Leah had not commenced yelling.

"Lupa mia, you know as well as I that what we shared was no mere interlude. Do not attempt to trivialize our past or twist my intentions to manipulate me. You are aware that you and nostro figlio are more important to me than my own life. I will not risk either of you. Once I return to Volterra with Caius and the others you will have nothing to fear. Both you and Leandros will be safe."

Leah shook her head, she could feel the sting of tears but refused to let them fall.

"Don't you get it Demetri? I… I still have nightmares about you walking away from me. Didn't you promise me that we were a team? That we would face everything together? Yet, at the first hurdle you're ready to throw in the towel and leave me behind again!"

She turned to face him with heartbreak in her eyes.

"I understand how you could leave me. I get it. I'm a loud, evil, bitter bitch of a wolf that you can probably smell coming a mile off. As a result of one indiscretion, your entire life has been changed and your family is now out to get you. Regardless of whatever the Imprint is attempting to do to you, I get how you can walk away from me again. But what I don't get is how you can leave our son. What am I supposed to tell Leandros when he asks me about you? You heard what Nessie said… not even a day old and he already misses you when you're gone!"

Demetri pulled Leah into his arms with a grip of iron and gave her a shake.

"Sciocca ragazza… It is you who does not understand. The Volturi has never been my family. I was existing before you came into my life… the perfect combination of fire and ice… and dared me to drain you."

He lifted her, effortlessly, so that they were eye level and dropped a hard kiss on her lips.

"When I left you behind I became a mere tool that Aro continued to wield in his war against anyone daring to oppose him. I had no idea what family was until I held you in my arms and felt our son move within you. I hadn't realized, until that moment, that despite the new life I had been given as a vampire, I remained a corpse until I saw you in this very spot last year. The thought of anything happening to you or Leandros makes me want to paint the world with the blood of anyone who would dare touch either of you."

He released her, carefully setting her on the ground and turning away as if the sight of her pained him.

"My heart beats only for you and our son, any distance between us…"

He slammed a trembling fist into a tree and it thundered to the ground with a crash.

"This beast inside me seems to fight against every step that takes you away from me… but I can't let him win! Do you have any idea what Aro will do to you if he gets his hands on you? What he would turn our son into? I would die a thousand times over before I stand by and allow that to happen."

Leah wrapped her arms around Demetri's back and hugged him with all her might.

"What you don't realize, my stubborn, foolish Imprint, is that your death would be mine. You heard the legend of my ancestors."

She took a deep breath and released him so she could turn him to face her.

"What I didn't get the chance to tell you is that after the baby was born I… I had a vision of them when you took me into the forest and fed me your blood."

Demetri looked down at her in disbelief and Leah punched his arm lightly.

"Don't look at me like that. You, an ancient vampire, made a baby with a barren werewolf and can now turn into a werewolf yourself but you find it hard to believe that I communed with dead ancestors? Really?"

Demetri shrugged but admitted with a slight nod that she had a point.

"Okay, my beautiful medium, tell me what your friendly ghosts revealed and what that has to do with my logical and irreversible choice to return to Volterra."

Leah glared at him.

"Basically, I was told that we were chosen to Imprint on eachother and… um… my ancestors are… not possessing exactly, maybe sharing would be more accurate… Basically they're kinda along for the ride."

Demetri's raised eyebrow negated any need to verbalize his skepticism, but Leah continued speaking.

"And, well… it turns out the Imprint has not just made you a werewolf but… you need my blood in order to survive."

Demetri actually recoiled at Leah's words and took a step away from her, even as his brilliant blue gaze dropped hungrily to her wildly beating jugular.

"No…"

Leah grabbed his hand.

"Listen to me Demetri! I know you don't want to hurt me but this is something you have to do to survive."

Demetri's azure eyes glowed with emotion.

"This is yet another reason why I should just turn myself over to Aro. Do you really think I want to spend the rest of my existence as a parasite?!"

Leah almost pointed out that technically he had already spent the majority of his life as a parasite but doubted he would see the humor. Demetri was shaking his head emphatically.

"Never! How the hell could I face our son with his mother's blood on my lips?!"

Leah refused to release Demetri when he would have pulled away from her and, even though he could have easily broken her hold, he allowed her to pull him close to her.

Leah stood on tip toe but still had to crane her head back to look Demetri in the eye. She wanted to yell, shout, and shake some sense into him but she knew it would do no good. So she did the next best thing.

Demetri was prepared to be screamed at and probably smacked but the last thing he expected was for Leah to kick him in the shins hard enough to drop him to the ground then straddle him the moment he hit the dirt. When he was flat on his back Leah leaned forward with a predatory smile that had Demetri's wolf purring in approval.

"This is much better don't you think? I was getting tired of looking up at you. Now, as I was saying, I am extremely loathe to see you give yourself up to the tender mercies of your Volturi brethren."

She bent forward and just barely brushed her lips against his.

"I also find it rather insulting that you would rather die than take just… a… smidge… of my blood."

The last few words were punctuated by light kisses that had Demetri's newly beating heart racing. He brought his hands up to pull her away but instead circled her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Leah moaned at his touch and trailed encouraging kisses from his lips to his erratic jugular.

"Can't you see that we are one, Demetri? Everything that is mine is yours, including my blood."

Another slow lick of his jugular caused a growl that was more wolf than man and Leah smiled. Perhaps Demetri might be able to let her go reluctantly… but his wolf never would.

Demetri tried to pull away. With every fiber in his being he longed to shove her slight weight off of him but the animal within him had taken firm control. With another growl he rolled over so that Leah was beneath him, catching her lips in a deep kiss.

"Must you ever be my sweetest temptation, cara mia?"

Leah grinned, kissing him again, using the edge of his fang to slice her tongue open.

Demetri's senses suddenly became sharper and he unconsciously tightened his hold on Leah as each drop of blood exploded in his mouth. His tongue dueled with hers as he drank the precious drops of her essence before trailing kisses to her neck. Each drop seemed to rejuvenate him and take him back to a physical peak that he had not realized he had slipped from.

Leah arched against Demetri and wrapped her legs around him to pull him closer on the slight chance that he might try to move away from her. Demetri groaned in response and nipped her neck sharp enough to draw blood which he immediately licked away.

"I am your strength, Demetri. Don't turn your back on what we can do together."

Demetri's smile could only be described as wolfish before he pulled her close for another deep kiss.

"Believe me, bellissima lupa, I am absolutely focused on what we can do together… and feeling very creative."

To Leah's pleased surprise, Demetri slipped one hand under her shirt to cup her breast. At her gasp of pleasure he kissed her earlobe and whispered,

"I have dreamt of this place and our time here every moment of every day since I left you all those months ago. It has been the sweetest torture to be near you and unable to worship every delectable curve of your luscious body."

He rolled again so now she was above him, and as she sat up with a roll of her lips, Demetri's eyes closed in ecstasy. When they reopened they were glowing blue and contained more than a hint of warning.

"Stop me now if you do not want to go any further, cara mia. My control around you is… weak… at the best of times."

Leah's only response was to pull off her shirt and toss it over her shoulder.

AN: Hope you all enjoyed! Drop me a line with your thoughts, suggestions, flames, kudos... it's all good :) Happy New Year!