Just finished watching the new episode of Vanderpump Rules! I figured I'd try to write before I fall into the rabbit hole of trying to curate Stassi Schroeder's closet.

Also, holy shit! Over 100 reviews! Thank you so much! This is absolutely insane to me. I honestly didn't think anyone would care that much after like almost 10 years. I lost my love for writing a long time ago and it feels so good to be able to use it as an outlet again and I appreciate the support. Especially letting me mold and bend these characters in ways that I don't even think I would have been able to do when I started this in 2012. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!

XXXXXXXXX

And well…it happened, you guys. She turned. Jacob and I had been on our way back to La Push when we got the news and turned right back around to spend a little more time in Canada. It was better that way for Jacob's sake. According to Sam, Mrs. Cullen had been frequently asking and looking for Jacob since she woke up. Now that she was a vampire, Sam had to school her again on the treaty line and remind her that her kind weren't welcome on our land. Apparently, she didn't take that too well.

I wondered if I should go back and let him take some time to himself. He was very adamant that he was worried that if I left, he'd be a wreck. Instead of going straight back to La Push, we wandered a bit. We stopped in Calgary and Vancouver before finally crossing back into the States. Then we hung out in Seattle for a day until he was certain that he was ready to go back. I worried for a while that he was going to ask me if we could just leave. I could tell every time we stopped, he was wondering what it was like. What was it like to be away from La Push? What was it like to be away from the drama of the supernatural? It was written all over his face like a tattoo. But he never asked. And I never prompted him.

5 days. We were gone for 5 days. One night, I couldn't sleep again, and I asked Kaya if we were being irresponsible for being away for so long. She told me that, in order for us to take care of everyone else, we needed to take care of ourselves. I didn't really know how I felt about that. She tried to reassure me that everything was taken care of there. Except it wasn't. Because Edward and Bella were still in Forks and I wanted them gone. I wanted them to take themselves and their baby and start a life somewhere else. I don't know what she wants with Jacob, but the best thing for him would be for Bella to leave.

"It's about time," Sam huffed as we phased back human in Kaya's backyard. He was peeking out of the backdoor as we approached. I could hear all of the guys inside laughing and talking.

Jacob handed me his t-shirt before pulling on his gym shorts. Walking through the door, I slipped it over my head. He had been pretty quiet the whole time we were running back to La Push from Seattle. But I could tell he was still handling it as best he could. Every 25 miles or so, he'd stop to phase and just hug me to settle his agitation. Jacob has always been one that needs physical touch, but I could tell he needed it more now than ever.

I pulled down Jacob's shirt as everyone bustled around me. Jacob kissed me on the cheek before going to sit on the couch. Seth, Colin, and Quil were playing video games in the living room. Grand Theft Auto. Embry, Brady, and Jared were watching them play, not even noticing Jacob and me walking in. Sam ruffled my hair before brushing past me. "Good to have you back," he shot me a friendly wink. I gave him a tight smile, feeling a little out of place.

Paul strolled up to me, shoveling a spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth. "Well, look who decided to show up," he smirked. Then he sniffed the air. His face contorted as he sniffed again, closer to me. I looked at him funny and took a step backward. "Whoa. You smell different," Paul looked at me suspiciously as he circled me. He leaned in and sniffed me again.

I swatted at him, pushing him away from me. "Rude," I scolded. Pushing past him, I took a seat on Kaya's sofa between Jacob and Seth. Seth's smiling face contorted as he faced me. His eyes kept darting between me and the tv. "What?" I asked, incredulously.

"Why do you smell different?" Seth asked, shifting his focus back to the screen.

I rolled my eyes, "I do not smell different!" I lifted my arm to sniff under my pit. It wasn't the freshest; I hadn't had a nice proper shower in a few days, but damn!

"It's probably just those seedy motels we were staying in. We both need a shower," Jacob interjected, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

"Nah, I don't think that's it…" Seth mumbled, looking at me closely. He eventually shrugged and turned his full focus back to the game.

"Yo, Sam, what time are my dad and the others getting here? I thought they'd be here by now."

"When you called out to us, Billy was on a fishing trip with Charlie. Said he wanted to distract him as best he could. They should be showing up soon," Sam said, plopping into a chair. "Are you guys doing ok?"

I looked at Jacob to gage how tired he looked. I let him sleep in the whole time we were away; he was very restless throughout the night, but anytime I stroked his arm, he would calm down. He looked like a little boy when he was asleep, it was sweet. It was as if when he was sleeping, that was the only real relief he got. Looking at him right now, his eyes were a little empty. I wasn't expecting for him to get over it in a day, but I hoped that he would bounce back quickly. That feels selfish…it all feels selfish…

"It's just been a long few days," I answered for both of us, sliding my hand over Jacob's. He immediately entwined our fingers and kissed the back of my hand. I moved our connected hands into my lap and started to fiddle with his fingers. "But we wanted to make sure that everyone was up to date on the situation before anything else happens."

"Are we also going to talk about why you smell different?" Paul asked, his mouth full.

I glared at him and sniped, "Just tell me I need to take a shower, Paul."

The front door swung open and Kaya and the Elders walked in. My mother pushed Billy in his wheelchair into the living room. "Well, welcome back," Kaya beamed at us. Her eyes darted down toward our conjoined hands and bit her bottom lip, suppressing a wider grin.

"We gotta put a tracker on both of you at this point," Billy chuckled as he pulled off his hat. "I'm starting to think you both are a flight risk."

Jacob let out a light laugh, "I actually think we'll be staying put for a while, Dad; don't worry."

"So, do you want to talk about what happened with Bella first or do you want to talk about your little vacay first?" Kaya asked, sitting next to me. "I've always heard that Vancouver was beautiful this time of year."

"With all due respect, Kaya, I think our Alpha pair should attend to the more important business before we start talking about Granville Island and the suspension bridge," Billy said cautiously. I could tell he was still nervous around Kaya; she had been his teacher after all and his grandfather's life partner. He looked at her like she was still an authority figure.

"Ugh," she palmed her forehead. "You're absolutely right! Ok, little wolf, get us up to speed. You tore Edward's arm off and then what happened? Go."

The pack snickered. I shrank down in my seat and grimaced hard. "You did what?" my mother asked. I opened my mouth to respond and came up with nothing. Looking at my mother, I just shrugged. "Aileah Sage Clearwater!"

I shrugged again as the boys continued to laugh. "I'm sorry?" Once they settled down, I began to explain what happened that day. Confronting Edward about his bullshit behavior, Bella going into labor, meeting their daughter, and my final decision regarding Edward and Bella's remaining days in Forks. Jacob watched my face the whole time I spoke, sending me waves of love and adoration the entire time. They never once asked me to justify my decision, but I felt like I owed it to them anyway. I twisted my ring on the chain around my neck as I spoke, "I think…we've made so many allowances, so many exceptions, for them. I just didn't know what else to do. I ran out of things to say; I ran out of ideas to somehow make us able to coexist. If I'm being honest, I don't know if it was the right thing to ask them to leave, but…it would damn sure make me breathe easier if they did…"

"I think you did the right thing," Sam interjected. "When she came to the treaty line, it was like looking at a new person. She was beautiful, yes, in that creepy way bloodsuckers are. But she looked volatile. I was afraid that I would have had to fight her; she became so angry and unhinged when I told her Jake wasn't around."

"Where was Edward?" Jacob asked. His voice startled me a little. I couldn't quite place the edge in his voice, but it was very present and very unsettled.

Sam said he didn't know. "She was definitely the only vampire around at that time. I was surprised that there was no one around to watch her. I told her she wasn't allowed on Rez grounds though, so, Jake, if you really wanted to talk to her, you'll have to go to the manor. She did keep saying she wanted to see you…"

"Yeah, that seems to be the consensus…" Jacob mumbled.

"…asking why you won't talk to her…"

"I feel like I just had this conversation…" Jacob ran a hand over his face. I lifted my hand to rub the back of his neck and felt him relax under my touch.

"…and then when I mentioned that you and Leah were gone, she just lost her shit." Sam finished. "She started growling and saying some shit like things could have been different and that she needed you and that everything was wrong. It was fucking weird—excuse my language," Sam nodded to my mother and Kaya.

I rolled my eyes. She needed him, huh? "So, what happens now?" Seth piped in.

"Jack shit," I remarked. "We're protected by the grounds; Bella, Edward, and their baby girl can fuck off wherever they want to build their new life; and we can get on with ours. That's what happens now. She threw a temper tantrum like a child; I'm sure once she gets used to being mommy, she won't be so pissy about Jacob."

"It's just time for everything to go back to normal," Jacob sighed. "You guys deserve that. That's all I have to say about it."

Jacob stood up and that was the end of that. He started to head for the door before stopping in his tracks. Then he shook his head and detoured to the kitchen. While we were away, I told him that we both needed to work on not walking away when we were fed up with the conversation. I watched on as he rummaged through the fridge. "I think what Jacob's trying to say is that there's nothing else we can do for them. Even if they don't adhere to my request, we have no more obligation to them other than to uphold our end of the treaty. Since she wants to act like a psycho, we might have to double up patrols for a bit. How does that sound?" I turned to Kaya for confirmation. She nodded once, still suppressing a wide smile. "What? What did I do?"

"Oh, nothing," she crinkled her nose and beamed at me. "It's just good to have you back, little wolf. You're…positively glowing."

XXXXXXXXX

We doubled up wolves on patrol for weeks and nothing happened. Well…nothing important happened. Every single day, Bella would show up at the treaty line demanding to see Jacob. She was smart enough to never show up when I was patrolling, but everyone got their own personal ounce of Bella crazy on a regular basis. We learned that Renesmee was growing at a rapid rate which just added how bizarre the whole situation was. Jacob finally found himself so fed up with her harassing the pack that one day, as we were driving back from the grocery store, he veered off toward the manor and told Edward and Bella that he wanted nothing to do with either of them.

"I thought we told you both to leave," he growled. His voice was a little muffled; I was still sitting in the Rabbit on the edge of the bench seat just in case I had to hop out to grab him before he lost his temper.

Edward held up his hands in a calming manner, "Trust me, we are working out the details now. We've talked about it extensively and Bella and I both think leaving Forks will be good for us. Right, honey?" Edward placed a gentle hand on the small of Bella's back.

Bella rolled her eyes before turning her full attention to Jacob. She started to tell him how much she missed having him around and I felt my agitation spike. Jacob just stood there, shaking his head with his arms folded over his chest. I could see how tense he was; his back was so rigid. Bella told Jacob that she just wished things could go back to normal. "I don't see that happening," Jacob said, casting his eyes to the ground.

We had talked extensively about how he was ready to move on from having any kind of personal relationship with the Cullens. I felt like that was fair; he had put himself through so much to make sure that they were protected. At one point, he was willing to walk away from all of us to keep her safe. And now, he felt like he had wasted his time and wanted to pull his focus back to the pack fully.

Bella reached out to touch Jacob who recoiled from her touch. "Keep a level head, Jacob," I mumbled as I watched them. My stomach turned as her blood red eyes whipped in my direction. She glared at me with nothing but unadulterated hatred. Sam was right, she was beautiful. But it was so weird and sick to see. Her skin was a little too clear, her hair was a shinier, prettier brown instead of that mud shit mop that sat atop her head when she was human. The sun decided to show itself in that moment and I watched as her and Edward's skin began to sparkle. It was just that final reminder that she was, in fact, a vampire now. The sun hid itself again behind the perpetual clouds, but Bella didn't bother to look away from me. I raised an eyebrow in challenge and scowled.

In all of the ramblings of Bella at the treaty line, not once did she ever directly say anything about me. Smart girl. She knows well enough that if she was to say anything about me in relation to Jacob, I would happily march my way over to the manor and rip her apart. No matter how strong she is as a newborn, I'm stronger and that's a fact. "Jacob, we're just asking for a little more time to finalize our plans," Edward pleaded. What a spineless piece of shit. Has he always been this timid?

"Look, I don't really give a shit how long it takes, as long as you are planning to leave," Jacob said. "Bella, you need to stop stalking the treaty line or it will become a problem. This is a warning; leave us alone."

"Stalking the treaty line? What are you talking about?" Edward asked, turning to Bella who finally stopped burning holes into my face. She avoided Edward's eye and grumbled something under her breath.

"There's no way you don't know," Jacob chuckled mirthlessly. He threw his hands up in surrender. "Look, that's a conversation for you all to have. Just leave my family alone."

He walked away from them and climbed back into the Rabbit. He didn't even say anything to me before he aggressively shifted the gear into reverse and backed out of the drive. I was still watching Bella and Edward; he started to pelt her with questions about what Jacob was talking about. She brushed him off and began to walk into the house, but not before throwing me one last stare of death over her shoulder.

A couple of days after that, Jacob and I decided to live together at my house. I guess everyone thought it was a good idea! Seth told me that this was the perfect excuse for him to move in with Colin and Brady in an apartment on the Rez. My mother just chuckled and said it was about time. Billy and Kaya were both completely on board. Billy said that it was ridiculous that Jacob would spend 6 nights a week with me and then pop his head in to grab a shower and some fresh clothes. And Kaya was just short of packing up his bedroom herself and dropping them off in my living room. When we told her that we were thinking about living together, she bounced up and down, clapping her hands. "This is just the best idea ever," she grinned. Every time she looked at me, she looked like the cat that caught the canary. I couldn't figure out what she knew; she was so good at keeping her thoughts to herself.

After Jacob moved into the house with me, Bella somehow found my house number and would call incessantly. She'd hang up every time I answered the phone. But I didn't let that get me down. The more we unpacked boxes, the more I saw the sunshine come back to my Jacob's face. He, effortlessly, carried one of his cardboard boxes into the living room, bobbing his head along to the music. He glanced up at me and winked before tearing the tape. We worked in quiet harmony; it was strange how we worked together in sync. As he unpacked and broke down boxes, I organized and made space for his things. "I feel like this is so grown up," I commented, shifting some picture frames on the mantle. One of them was my parents' wedding photo; they looked as happy as they did in this photo every single day until Daddy died. The other photo was a pack photo at some random bonfire. It had become a recent favorite of mine. Everyone was laughing, everyone looked so content with life. I had my head resting on Seth's shoulder while my hand was resting on Jacob's leg. Normal.

I still yearned for normal, but I think we were getting closer to a new normal. Bella and Edward would leave town and we could all rest easy. "What does?" Jacob chuckled.

"Moving in together. This feels, like, next level," I said.

"Turning into a werewolf, fighting vampires, Bonding, watching a human give birth to a half-vampire baby, and watching an ancestor literally fall out of the sky," he listed, playfully. "All of these things and this feels next level?"

I pretended to think about it for a second. "Umm…yeah," I giggled, walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around his waist. I relaxed my head between his shoulder blades and sighed contently. "It's a step in the right direction, for sure. All of those things are…supernatural. This feels so normal; I like it."

"I like it too, Lee," I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Just think about it this way," I started, moving away from him to clean up the coffee table. "We can go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and get one of those cute little holders for our toothbrushes. Or we can wake up Saturday morning and have breakfast in bed." I paused. "We can walk around naked whenever we want."

"Now you're talking," he smirked at me over his shoulder.

There was a double knock at the door before it swung open to show Bianca's smiling face as she entered. "Hi!" she exclaimed.

"We might have to actually invest in locks for that last one, then, babe," Jacob remarked lowly as he broke down another box. He nodded toward Bianca and smiled, "Hey B."

"Em's waiting out in the car for you, Jake. He's on his way to the garage and figured you wouldn't turn down a ride," Bianca said, settling herself on the couch. She mindlessly started to fold the loose clothes sitting on the cushion. "I'll help our Leah with the rest of the unpacking. You're about to be late for your shift."

Jacob glanced at the clock on the wall before snatching a shirt. "Shit, she's right." He placed a sweet kiss on my cheek before jogging out the door. The guys had given him a lot of shit for missing so much work. But, in the effort to return to normalcy, Jacob picked up some extra shifts. It would be good for him to have his mind focused on something other than what was really plaguing him. I was hoping that Jacob's love for fixing everything could be set on just his cars today. I was hoping that Embry, Quil, and Paul weren't stupid enough to talk about Bella and the baby.

"Leah girl," Bianca called. I looked up at her to see her curious eyes. "You doing ok?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice an octave higher than I intended. I cleared my throat. "Why do you ask?"

"You just look a little distracted. And…a little pale. Are you sure you're ok?" she scooched herself and patted the seat next to her. "Here, come sit."

I sat next to her and sighed a little. "My stomach has been bothering me. I think it's just residual nerves from the past few weeks. This is the first time in a while that things have felt settled."

"So, Bella, Mr. Bella, and baby Bella are gone?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "I could only wish. She's been calling here incessantly. It's driving me crazy."

Bianca giggled, "Em and I were watching that Obsessed movie with Beyoncé the other day and I was like 'oh my gosh, Ali Larter is just like Bella.' She's like textbook crazy girl. Obsessed, Fatal Attraction…Single White Female. You're definitely the Beyoncé in this version."

"Doesn't she almost die in that movie?" I asked as I started to break down another box.

"No," B drawled. "She kicked ass in that movie. And they lived happily ever after! I thought that's what you were all about!"

The phone started to ring in the kitchen. "I get enough thrill in my everyday life," I sighed as I made my way over to answer it. "Romance movies don't have stalking and killing and not very single, white females that are obsessed with my boyfriend." I picked up the phone and clicked the receiver, "Hello?"

There was no answer. Just quiet. Bella. Again. "Hello?" I tried again. I heard the click and a dial tone. "What a fucking psycho…" I mumbled.

"I don't get it. She made her choice. Why is she all of a sudden vying for Jake?" Bianca asked.

I shrugged, feeling my stomach turn again. "It's actually the simplest, sickest thing you'll ever hear. She wants the duality of Jacob and Edward. The sun and the moon. The gentleman and the best friend. Edward can't be that for her, and she's only now figuring that out now that Jacob's moving on with his life. She needs him to feel whole." The phone started ringing again. "Which is why she won't stop calling my fucking phone." I picked up the phone again. "Hello?" Click. Dial tone. Again.

"Oh boy," Bianca huffed. She ran a hand through her curls and shook her head. "She might be past Single White Female. That girl is straight Misery."

"What's that?" I asked. I stacked the flattened boxes and perched them near the front door. Scooping up the pile of Jacob's clothes on the couch, I dropped them in a nearby laundry basket and kicked it toward the laundry room.

Bianca rolled her eyes at me, lightheartedly. "You really need to expand your taste in content, Lee. Misery? Stephen King novel? They made it a movie with Kathy Bates in like the '90s, I think. She plays this insane woman who's obsessed with this writer. It's a classic!"

"And which class did you read that for?"

"It was for my Books into Movies class. But that's not the point. I saw the movie when I was 16. You have been watching Pretty Woman and Sleepless in Seattle on an endless loop forever."

"Are we really having a conversation about my movie choices right now?" I chuckled, tossing a ball of tape in the trash.

Bianca lightly smacked her forehead. "Ugh, no. You got me sidetracked. We were talking about Bella. What are we going to do? Are we going full she-wolf on her ass or what?" She made claws with her hands and bared her teeth. I raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Ok, I'm not scary. But she needs to get a grip, seriously."

The phone started to ring again. "Jesus Christ!" I yelled as I picked up the phone. "Stop fucking calling, Bella!"

"Leah?" my mother's voice came from the other side. "Is everything ok?"

I sighed, leaning against the kitchen wall. "Hey mama, I'm sorry. I'm fine."

"Something you want to talk about?" she asked.

"No, mama," I shook my head. "What's up?"

"I'm an idiot. I was supposed pick up my car today from the shop and I have no way to get there. Charlie's at work and—"

"You need me to come pick you up and take you to the garage?"

"Yes, please, if you're not busy," she asked.

I nodded, "Yeah, of course. I'm on my way."

When I hung up, I turned to Bianca who was checking out all of the books on our bookcase. I couldn't help but think about what she said. She's right; Bella needed to get a fucking grip in some way or another. This wasn't a movie, it's my life. Everything doesn't always wrap itself up in a bow. If she kept this act up, we would have to take some serious precautions. Life isn't a movie. "Hey, I have to go pick up my mom really quick. You want to ride with me, or do you want to chill here?"

"I'll just hang out for a bit. Embry said he's only working a couple hours today, so he should be off soon," she said picking up my worn-out copy of Valley of the Dolls. "Is there food?"

"Of course," I answered, picking up my car keys. As I walked toward the door, I felt myself pause. "Hey B, what happens in that movie? Misery?"

She doesn't look up at me as she opens the book in her hand, "She kidnaps him."

XXXXXXXXX

After my mom drove off from Wolf Motors, I decided to sit around for a bit and keep Jacob company while he worked. Embry and Paul went home for the night, so it was just me and him. I sat crossed legged on top of the metal table and watched as he mouthed along to the J. Cole song playing softly on the speakers. Admittedly, I was feeling a little tired, but I felt bad that he was all by himself.

First things first rest in peace Uncle Phil
For real, you the only father that I ever knew
I get my bitch pregnant I'ma be a better you
Prophesies that I made way back in the Ville
Fulfilled, listen even back when we was broke my team ill
Martin Luther King would have been on Dreamville…

He looked content. Working on cars was like doing a puzzle to Jacob. He loved finding the problem and fixing it. He liked how satisfying it was to hear an engine come back to life. We had already been there for a few hours and I could tell he was in a zone. "Can you hand me my torque wrench, baby?" he asked from under the hood of the Corolla he was working on.

I grabbed the wrench and handed it to his waiting hand before leaning on the car door next to him. His jeans were tight on his ass and I could see the contours of his biceps glisten from sweat. "Honey," I sang. He made a small noise in acknowledgment, working to tighten whatever the fuck was broken under there. "Why don't you take a break for a second?"

"Hold on, baby, I'm almost done," he grunted. Something loud clanked under the hood and he cursed. He stood up straight and grabbed the dirty rag from his back pocket. "It's just going to need a new part…" he mumbled under his breath. He looked up at me and smiled. There was that twinkle in his eye that I missed so much. "You're beautiful."

"So are you," I winked as I hopped back on the metal table next to his toolbox. I beckoned him closer to me. He moseyed over, standing between my legs. He placed his hands on my hips and pressed his lips to my mark. I think it was his favorite spot on my whole body. He froze for a second. Jacob took a deep breath in before leaning away from me, his brows furrowed. "What?"

"I…" he started before leaning into my neck again, breathing in.

"What, Jacob?" I asked, pushing on his chest.

"You do smell different," he whispered. "I don't…I don't understand."

I rolled my eyes. "I do not smell different."

He nodded his head furiously. "Yeah you do, Lee. You don't smell like lavender right now." He dipped his head to my neck again. "How did I not notice that before?"

"Well…what do I smell like?" I asked, lifting my shirt to my nose.

"No, it's not your clothes. It's…you." He looked at me with his head cocked. "Are you feeling ok?"

I shrugged. "I feel fine." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'd feel better if we went home right now. So, you can get some rest before your patrol tonight."

Jacob looked into my eyes, riddled with concern. "You sure you're ok, Lee?"

"Yup," I smiled in an attempt to reassure him. "Can we go?"

He nodded and then we went home. When we got there, Jacob went straight to the kitchen to whip something up for dinner. Domestic life was pretty nice. But, as sweet as he is to offer to cook, Jacob is not the best in the kitchen. I watched him for a second as he struggled to flip the burgers in the pan. Giggling, I walked behind him and gently grabbed the spatula from his hand. "I'll do it. Go get the movie set up. Your pick tonight."

He walked into the living room and called out to me. "Hey, babe, what's this on the table?"

"What?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

"It's some movie with a post-it note on it. It says, 'you need to watch this!' It's underlined three times." I heard the slight rustle of paper. "Misery?"

"Oh, yeah, Bianca and I talking about that movie earlier," I said, turning the stove off. I quickly fixed our plates before setting them in front of the couch. I picked up the note that she signed with a B and a heart and chuckled a little. "She says it's a classic."

Jacob shrugged and popped it into the DVD player. We ate quietly before assuming the best cuddling position on the couch. I could barely focus on the movie—which was fucking horrifying, by the way—because of Jacob and his hands. He was running his hands through my hair and up and down my arm. It was interesting. Walking through life with someone. Always having someone next to you was one of the best and strangest feelings ever. I don't really know when the moment was when I realized I couldn't do this without Jacob. I felt my eyes flutter shut as his fingers massaged my head. "Jesus…she just broke his ankles with a sledgehammer. Why are we watching this?" he asked lowly.

"I have no idea," I grumbled, my eyes opening. "Remind me to never listen to Bianca ever again."

His chuckle rumbled against my back. He kissed the back of my head before nuzzling it. "Maybe we should talk to Kaya about why your scent is different."

I turned my body until I was facing him. My cheek was pressed against his hot pec. He was propped up on an elbow, looking down at me. "Do you think she'd know something about it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

I nodded before turning back to the movie. It was disturbing. So, Kathy Bates kidnaps this author that she's obsessed with and forces him to write his next novel. She ties him to a bed, breaks his ankles, and then shoots this detective who's investigating his disappearance. And I guess it ends ok; he ends up escaping, killing Kathy Bates, and moving on with his life. But it was so fucking weird.

We ended up falling asleep on the couch and my dreams were filled with this movie. After hours of restless nightmares, I finally woke up by myself on the couch. I glanced at the clock to see it was 5:30 am; Jacob's patrol shift should be over soon. Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I heard what sounded like a door closing and it made me jump up. "Jacob?" I called. Listening to the floors creak under my feet, I tip toed toward the noise. The back door. When it came into view, I watched as the screen swung in the wind, occasionally slamming against the frame. That's strange.

Walking up to the door, I pulled it closed before I noticed a gaping hole in the wood where the chain lock was supposed to be. On the frame, there was the chain, still attached to the track. "What the hell…" I whispered. Stepping out of the frame, I looked out to the edge of the woods, but there wasn't anything there. It was just dark. The perpetual rain thumped against the porch and the roof, distracting my ears from picking up anything else. But that didn't stop my nose from picking up the faint, old, sweet smell of vampire. My stomach flipped as I crossed my arms over my chest. Something wasn't right. Closing my eyes, I channeled Jacob's energy to find that he was still running his patrol. He was focused, unmoved. Following a trail. How's it going out there? I projected out to him.

Caught a scent on the Rez. I was keeping up with it for a while, but it went up into the trees. He answered. Are you ok?

I think someone was here, I kept scanning the outside, not entirely sure what to do. The lock on the backdoor is broken, but I don't think anyone was in here.

Shit…Jacob cursed. Ok, stay alert. Keep me posted. I'll be home soon.

XXXXXXXXX

Jacob and Paul were muttering to each other as they both studied my backdoor. "It had to be. There's no other answer," Paul said, his face hard as a stone.

I walked up to them with two mugs of coffee, holding them out. "Here, guys," I said. They mindlessly grabbed the mugs from my hands as they continued to study the door. "What's the verdict?"

Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It definitely smelled like a Cullen, but I don't know why they would come here," he pursed his lips. He looked at Paul. "Can you fix it?"

Paul shrugged, "Of course. Wouldn't be the first time, right, Lee?"

"Paul the hero," I remarked, smirking. "Kaya's on her way, Jacob."

"Oh, are you finally going to ask her why you smell different?" Paul quipped again.

"Shut up," I droned, rolling my eyes.

After finding the door broken, I was on high alert until Jacob came home. And even when he came back, I couldn't bring myself to go to sleep. Pairing my house being broken into with an awful movie about a psychopath, my nerves were shot. "Aww, Leah's just a little cranky," Jacob squished my face in his hand. I growled a warning and smacked his hand away from my face.

"Just fix it," I sniped. I paused before softening a bit. "Please. And thank you, Paul."

He snorted and smirked at me, "You are so welcome."

I felt Kaya as she got closer to the house. I walked over to the front door and swung it open as she raised her hand to knock. As usual, she looked so unmussed and perfect. "Good morning, my little one," she grinned at me, pulling me into a hug. "Ok, I'm ready. Let's do this."

She squeezed past me, saying hello to Jacob and Paul. They waved before turning their focus back to the door. "What happened?" Kaya asked, concerned.

"Someone broke into the house last night," I explained. "They said they smelled a Cullen, but I don't think there's any way to know which one."

Kaya walked over to the door and examined it. She glanced back at me and asked, "You didn't hear anything?"

I blinked in surprise. My mouth opened and closed. "Um…" I started, "I don't think so. I was asleep."

"That's strange," she murmured. "I would think it would still wake you up."

I shrugged. "Heavy sleeper, I guess." That was actually an interesting point. Why hadn't I woken up when the break-in happened? Usually, we all had to be on high alert in case of attack. I was downstairs; my ears should have picked up that anyone was near my house or breaking down my door.

Kaya watched Jacob and Paul work for another second before walking back over to me. "Ok, I'll talk to them in a bit about this. You might not be able to stay here by yourself while Jacob is on patrol. You'll come stay with me," she decided. Then she flipped, her excited smile finding its place back on her face. "Ok, tell me. I'm ready."

I let out a small laugh. "Ready for what, Kaya?"

"The news," she emphasized, pulling me over to the couch. "You surely know by now."

"Know what?" I asked, my eyes searching hers.

Kaya's eyes widened and her tan skin paled a bit. "Oh…oh no," she bit her bottom lip. "I must be mistaken. What did you want to talk about?"

"No, no, no, what are you talking about?" I asked. Jacob and Paul got really quiet at the door. I could tell they were watching.

Kaya's face contorted as she mentally kicked herself for her mistake. "I've never been good at secrets…" she whispered to herself. "You really don't know?" she asked me. I shook my head, incredibly confused. She cursed. "Jacob, do you know?"

"Nah, I don't know what you're talking about, Kaya, sorry," he said, wandering closer. "Does it have anything to do with her scent changing?"

Kaya smiled wide and pointed her nose as if to say, 'spot on.' "So, she does smell different!" Paul exclaimed from across the room.

I threw a glare at him before turning back to Kaya. "You can tell me," I assured her. "I didn't know we kept secrets."

Her face crumbled a bit and she scooted closer to me. "Of course, we don't, little wolf. But this is something you should have found out on your own. Not from me," she said. "I thought you knew and that's why you invited me over this morning."

"The suspense is killing me! Just tell her!" Paul said, completely abandoning my broken door.

"Come on," she squeezed my hand. "Your scent changing, you've been sleeping heavy, I know your stomach has been bothering you lately. None of these things feel related at all?"

"It's just nerves," I reasoned.

"Or it's not," she countered, meeting my eye. She watched me unblinking until my eyes widened in realization.

Oh my god.

Why didn't I realize this before? Why else would Kaya be so abnormally excited about something as mundane as Jacob and I moving in together? For weeks, I'd been trying to swallow every single turn of my stomach because I chalked it up to my anxiety. Everyone with a super nose had told me I don't smell like myself. I thought they were just being rude! Or I even thought it was something in my wolf hormones changing or something. I didn't think that I was… "Pregnant…" I whispered. "I—I'm—me?"

Kaya nodded, trying to turn down her excitement. Four years. My body had been dormant for so long; I was always excited about the possibility of children with Jacob. We had never used protection; we never even thought about it. There was part of me that felt like my body was still dormant until I had proof of otherwise. And here we are. With proof. "Congratulations, little wolf. You're carrying an even littler wolf."

"She's pregnant?" Jacob breathed from a few feet away. I whipped my head to look at him. His hands were gripped hard on his hair and his eyes were wide with shock.

"Whoa, I did not see that coming," I could barely hear Paul. His voice was muffled. My mind was reeling.

"H-How did you know?" I swallowed, turning back to Kaya. Jacob slowly made his way over and planted himself on the ground in front of me.

Kaya watched me for a second before shifting herself. "Well…" she started. "I can still see your aura. All of your auras. It's the color that tells the absolute truth about you. Paul, yours is a brilliant red color and it tells me that you're passionate and full of energy and competitive. Jacob's is more purple. It represents his bloodline within the tribe and also, he is a natural visionary and leader. And yours, little wolf, is a beautiful forest green," she smiled at me.

"What does that mean?" I asked quietly.

"You're a healer," she explained. Her eyes darted down. "A few weeks ago, I noticed a break in your aura. Right around here," she poked at my belly button. "It was white. A pure white. Over time, it started to grow. Right now, I can see…" Kaya circled a couple of inches around my belly button, "…this much of your aura is this pure white. That's the indication of purity and newness. Also known as…"

"A baby," Jacob whispered. I glanced down at him and caught him staring at my stomach, completely gobsmacked.

"That's right," Kaya twinkled. "Not only that, but it's very rare for an aura to be pure white even in the womb. Theoretically, every baby has a mainly white aura, but it'll always have tinges of their true aura. This baby is the first born of two shape shifters; therefore, he or she is likely brand new to life. A new soul."

My hands were trembling, and I urged them to stop. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Kaya continued, "Now that you know, you need to be extra careful, especially with this whole break-in fiasco. If it was a Cullen, there's only one person we know it could be and we don't know what her intention is. You could have gotten hurt last night, Leah. You too, Jacob. So," Kaya clapped her hands twice and stood up. "Pack a bag. You'll come stay with me tonight."

I sat frozen in my seat. A baby? A baby. I felt a hand slide over my belly and when I looked down, I saw Jacob still looking at it in wonderment and awe. His fingers started to stroke around my belly button, and he let out a big breath. "We made a baby," he whispered. He shifted himself to his knees to lean closer to me. Finally pulling his eyes away from my stomach, Jacob met my gaze and his face broke out in the biggest smile I'd ever seen. "Leah, we made a baby."

My brain was working into hyperdrive to try to answer him, but all I could do was stare at him with my mouth open. All of the images of our children were flashing through my mind, but it wasn't enough to pull me out of my freeze. "I…" I stuttered.

"I don't think I've ever seen Leah speechless before," Paul commented in a low voice to Kaya. "I think you broke her."

I blinked twice before feeling myself deflate. "I'm pregnant…" I said mostly to myself. "I'm—we're having a baby," I nodded, looking at Jacob. He reached up and ran a hand through my hair, nodding with me. "We're having a baby," I said a little stronger. He cupped my cheek, still grinning up at me. I swallowed as my stomach flipped. Jacob pulled me into a hug, placing small pecks on my shoulder and neck. "Holy shit…"

XXXXXXXXX

You know that thing they say about waiting for the other shoe to drop? And that other thing about things that come in threes? Emily's pregnancy, Bella's, and now mine. It's like everything comes to a head in this life. For every good thing, something…else comes along like a fucking wrecking ball. And this one knocked me out harder than I ever imagined.

Just past midnight, Jacob and I were laying down in the guest room at Kaya's just as ignorant and blissful as ever. It took a while for me to get over my shock, but once I did, Jacob was already in full Daddy mode. He lied with his feet resting on the footboard, face to face with my belly. He lifted my tank top and blew a raspberry into my belly, making me giggle. "Do you think she can hear us?" he asked, walking his fingers up and down the soft flesh around my belly button. "Hellooo."

"She?" I repeated, a small smile playing on my lips.

"Do you think it's a boy?" he glanced up at me. "I just…my mind automatically decided like it was a baby girl."

"She'd be spoiled, that's for sure," I said, looking down at my belly. It was completely flat. "I hope that, whatever it is, it's sweet and compassionate and loving. Just like her daddy."

"And smart, selfless, and empathetic…and beautiful, just like her mama," he placed a kiss just above my belly button. He started to stand up. "Speaking of her mama, she needs to get some rest."

I grabbed his hand, "Wait, where are you going?"

"I have to pull a double shift tonight. Especially now that you're carrying precious cargo, you can't run patrols." He leaned down and crushed his lips to mine. "It'll go by fast, I promise. Just get some rest and I'll be home before you know it."

He turned to walk out the door before I called out to him. He turned around and raised his eyebrows, expectantly. "I love you," I said.

"I love you too, Lee."

After he left, I took a minute to reflect. There wasn't a tv in the guest room which wasn't ideal, so it was just me and this little seed and my thoughts. I talked to it for a bit. I told it—her, him, it didn't matter—that I would always try to do right by them. I hoped Kaya was right about me being a healer. I hoped that whatever life brought us, we'd handle it as a family, first and foremost. I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember going over everything that I hoped and prayed in my head to lull me.

Jacob and I were lying in our comfy, large bed in the late hours of the morning. The light illuminated around us like we were in an actual heaven. He snuggled me closer as he smiled and mouthed 'Good morning, beautiful.' He planted a kiss on my lips just as we heard the light wail of a baby next to us. I looked over to see a bassinet draped in pure white lace and a delicate pink bow on top. I felt Jacob's arms release me as I stood to pick up a little baby girl. She was beautiful with a head full of black curls and flawless tan skin. She looked up at me with big, brown, curious eyes and a cute little dimple in her cheek. I watched as the baby reached up at me to pick her up.

When I didn't immediately pick her up, she started to cry again. Even as her russet skin started to turn red, she was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I picked her up and held her close to my chest, rocking her back and forth. I began to sing to her the lullaby my mother sang to me my whole life.

…you gotta hold on

Hold on through the night

Hang on, things will be alright

Even when it's dark and not a bit of sparkling

Sing song sunshine from above

Spreading rays of sunny love…

I lost all sense of time, holding her. When I turned around, I was met with a massive glass pane. And my stomach dropped. In place of our bed was a small twin sized bed with a single lamp and an old school television with antennas. Jacob lie still in the middle of the bed, his body completely strapped down. My heart started to pound as I used my free hand to knock on the glass. I opened my mouth to call his name, but no noise came out. Baby girl continued to cry while I pounded on the glass. My eyes pulled to the door as the movement of another person caught my attention. It was Bella with a blue checkered, thick strapped dress on over a white long-sleeved shirt. Her sensible shoes squeezed on the floor as she effortlessly swung a sledgehammer in circles. Her red eyes met mine and my blood curdled as her face spread into an evil grin.

"No!" the word ripped from my throat as she raised the sledgehammer above her head and swung it down to Jacob's ankles. He silently cried out in agony as she broke his other ankle. So did the baby.

And then, I was ripped out of my sleep by something even more horrifying.

LEAH!

XXXXXXXXX

I've been kind of playing around with the idea of writing another one. Someone asked me in a PM if I was going to do a Kaya/Ephraim story. I'm not sure. Would anyone want that? If I do one of those poll thingies, would people vote on it? Let me know in the reviews. I love the feedback.

Love you,

M