Chapter Fifteen – Part 2

Song inspirations for this chapter:
Small Bump - Ed Sheeran
Unconditionally - Katy Perry (Who just announced her pregnancy!)
Boy - Lee Brice
Daughters - John Mayer

Unfortunately, Leah got a call around 10 A.M. the next morning just as she finished urging her stomach to behave on the bathroom floor again. It was Jared. Apparently, Paul had caught a scent of a vampire in the woods behind Sam's house. Leah, although really wishing she could stay home until the nausea completely subsided, was forced to get up off her bed and grab her coat. Since stopping phasing, she felt all the normal temperature changes of a human, had lost her appetite, heightened temperature, and her sense of hearing. Unfortunately, she could still smell extremely well – which her stomach used to torture her. She called out to Seth, who was on her heels as they left.

When they got outside, she knew the vampire threat would force her to phase - she had no choice. She ran into the woods by her house with Seth and took their regular trees before she took a deep breath in, undressing quickly. She tried to force the familiar shiver in her spine that initiated her phasing. Seth exploded into his wolf quickly and waited for her at the edge of the woods.

When she didn't feel it, she started to worry. Not phasing for the past couple of weeks shouldn't affect her response if there was danger. They could all phase on a dime if required - this should be no different. She tried again, willing her body to explode, taking deep breath in and focusing on her grey wolf alone.

Unfortunately, it still didn't work. She tried for another minute, envisioning everything that made her angry - Jacob's imprint to Renesmee and them in bed together came to her mind quickly, and although the thought felt heavy in her chest, even that didn't cause the red to flash in her eyes or the chill to go up her back. What the Hell?

"Leah?" Seth had phased back when she was taking so long and came back, avoiding looking at her.

Leah grabbed her clothes and quickly dressed. "Seth… I can't phase."

Seth heard her re-dress with his wolf-hearing and opened his eyes, looking at her. "What do you mean?"

"I tried… my body… it won't phase."

"That's impossible."

"I can't, I tried everything…"

"Maybe it's because you're sick?"

"I'm fine," she rolled her eyes quickly. "You go ahead, I'll run over and meet you-"

"Get on my back," Seth ran behind a tree, undressed again and phased before coming back to his sister.

Leah hesitated before he crouched down.

"Grab my fur!"

Leah held on tightly and Seth ran - but not too fast to buck her off, through the trees. It definitely did nothing to help her nausea, but they got to Sam's quickly and Seth let Leah off before changing back and redressing at the edge of the woods before they met the entire pack in the backyard.

"Why didn't you run here?" Jacob asked, having seen Seth let her off his back through the trees.

"She's phased out. Maybe that has something to do with it," Sam said.

"Shouldn't matter in an emergency-"

Leah wasn't up for arguing and she rolled her eyes, not appreciating him questioning her pack-loyalty in front of everyone. "You think I don't know that? I can't phase. I tried everything, including picturing you and that leech in bed together but guess what? Nadda." Maybe taking her stewing anger out on Jacob wasn't fair, but the words were out of her mouth before she could even think about them and she was extremely tired of feeling sick and tired the past few days, further increasing her irritability.

"Let's not do this now," he said, his voice low, fists balling. "What do you mean you can't phase?"

"I told you - it isn't working."

Sam frowned, "Are you still not feeling well? Emily told me about brunch…"

"You shouldn't still be sick, you should have called me," Jacob started before Leah cut him off. He had tried to go see her the next day after dinner to check in but had seen Jeremy's car in the driveway and decided against it. Rachel had assured him that it had been completely platonic, but it still bothered him.

"I'm fine." She crossed her arms. "Can we get to the point here?"

"The scent is gone," Paul interrupted. "It was fleeting… it belongs to one of the vamps that came to the field New Year's Eve. I recognize it, but I can't place who it is. They all smell as equally revolting."

"What are they doing here?" Leah asked quickly.

"Probably looking for the Cullen's," Jared pipped in. "Maybe they didn't know that they left."

"Or maybe they know they're gone and they're not a fan of the Cullen's having mingled with wolves," Paul replied. "And decided to come attempt to rectify the situation now that the Cullen's have left."

Suddenly, Leah felt a blast of air, as did the others. Immediately, every wolf except Leah felt the chill up their spines and quickly shredded their clothes, the small clearing behind Sam's filling with a pack of large wolves - and a familiar face in the brush.

Marcus.

Immediately, Sam and Jacob stood in front of Leah, who felt extremely ill at the vampire's scent. She thought she may hurl there and then - and she was still standing there, as a human, incompetent to phase. Luckily, she was far enough away that she didn't get caught in the crossfire of them phasing. She stayed behind Jacob and Sam, Seth off to her side.

"I come in peace," The ancient vampire put his hands up. "I didn't realize that I would cause so much concern. I was just passing through to find the Cullen's."

"Why did you come through here?" Leah asked strongly, stepping under Jacob to get to the forefront.

Sam growled her back, knowing she couldn't defend herself, but Jacob shook his head, knowing he could spring forward in an instant if he had to protect her. She was the only one who could communicate, as a human, and they needed answers. Every wolf was tense; ready for a fight, but it was very clear that there was only one vampire scent - and that was Marcus', and he seemed nonthreatening right now and extremely outnumbered, age aside.

"I've left the volturi guard," Marcus said strongly, leaning against a tree to avoid at coming off as harmful. "I've come to see if the Cullen's would consider a truce with myself, and possibly others."

"The Cullen's moved," Leah said strongly. "I have no idea where," she looked back to Jacob, taking off her sweater and throwing it to the ground before him since they all shredded their clothes when they phased. She turned back to face the vampires and Jacob phased back, throwing her sweater over his manhood quickly.

"They're in Canada," Jacob said easily, emerging beside Leah. At least they could still put up a united front in the face of danger, even if she couldn't phase. "I'm not really sure they'll want you to know where, though. How do we know this isn't some trick? You've been indebted to Aro for… well, ever."

"Only by force," Marcus said finally. "I've made my decision, and I'd like to warn the Cullen's that others are making theirs, too."

"Why did you suddenly leave?" Jacob asked. He had known that Marcus had been joyful for his death in Alice's vision. Marcus hesitated, which caused Jacob to react. "Now, or we can tear you apart-"

Marcus didn't look scared, but he sighed. "Jane and Demetri… They have begun a romance. When Aro found out, he asked me to verify their relationship - I have the power to see emotional ties. I confirmed it, and Aro wanted me to keep an eye on it and for Chelsea to break it, if it grew too strong - if their loyalty was stronger for one another than the volturi guard. I let it go on for as long as I was able… Aro kept close tabs on them and demanded once things got very serious between them for me to break the tie. He feared losing them both and everyone could see how smitten they were together. I refused… I barely got out, but not before warning Jane and Demetri. Now that Jane and Demetri realize Aro is going to break them apart, I believe they, too, will be revolting. Possibly more. I need to let the Cullen's know… and ask them for their mercy."

Jacob took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I can call them."

"I would greatly appreciate that."

Leah reached down onto the ground, where his phone laid, and passed it to him. He dialed the familiar number. After only one ring, Carlisle answered.

"I'm so sorry, Alice just had a vision, are you all okay?"

"We're fine," he said quickly, sighing. He gave them the quick rundown of Marcus' admission and Carlisle hesitated.

"We're in Canada - BC." Carlisle proceeded to tell Jacob their address. "Tell him we will be waiting for him - and only him. I will decide where to go from there."

Jacob conveyed the message and Marcus thanked them profusely. "I will be on my way - thank you."

The vampire left quickly, and the wolves stayed phased until they heard him hit the water off the cliffs. Jacob was half torn to follow to ensure Renesmee was safe, but he had more pressing matters here, with Leah - and Renesmee had a lot of lethal forces protecting her already.

"I'll get you some clothes," Leah said quickly, running in to Sam's house. Emily was there, looking out, a little shaken up from what she saw in the backyard.

"Everything is fine," Leah said quickly, seeing her alarmed face. "Do you have some clothes I can give them? They all shredded them."

"Why didn't you phase?" Emily asked before going over to grab an armful of clothing that she kept in the linen closet for the boys.

Leah took them quickly. "I don't know, I'll be back okay?"

She ran out and threw the clothes on the ground between them before going back inside to let them all phase back.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked as Leah came back inside.

"Fine," she lied easily, not wanting to rehash this again and also fearing if she said too much, she wouldn't be able to choke back the nausea anymore.

"The bags under your eyes tell me differently and you look kind of green, Lee."

Her nausea was bad; the scent of the vampires overcame her and wouldn't leave. She sighed, "I…" Immediately, she turned and grasped the garbage near the back door in the kitchen - right as Jacob and Sam walked through it.

"Leah!" Jacob exclaimed, looking to Emily.

"She's still sick?" Paul asked quickly as the rest of the guys flooded through the doors and hung around the kitchen and living room.

Emily frowned, "It appears so. You need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine," Leah said finally, tears running down her face. She stayed hovered over the garbage until she felt strong enough to stand up. Emily handed her a cloth and she thanked her, running it over her face quickly.

"You look a lot less than fine, Lee," Jacob said softly, worry filling his features.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious."

"On another thought, if members of the volturi are breaking apart, that means we may very well have more vampire activity around here if they're coming to find the Cullen's," Paul jumped in, bringing them back to the issue at hand.

"Jane hates the Cullen's," Jacob replied. "If they do break off like Marcus said, they won't be coming to find them, but increasing the patrols seems like a smart idea in the meantime, at least until we hear from Carlisle again and get some more information. I'll do a new schedule up later today and increase the patrol numbers." He turned to Leah, "But right now, we need to talk. Can we go out back? Are you feeling okay enough?"

"I think I'm just going to go home," she said, feeling her stomach continue to stir. "Let me know if there's any way I can help, okay?"

"I'll come over after-"

"I'm fine," she promised. "I just need some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

He kissed her hair gently, and let her go.

The next day, Leah took the SUV and pulled up to Rachel's house the early next morning, ready to get today over with but also excited to see Rachel as a bride. Sam dropped Emily over earlier and Leah was the designated driver since her mom was the only one with a vehicle to fit everyone.

Rachel, Billy, Emily, and Jacob came out and piled into the car. Billy had gotten into the front because it had more room and was easier to get in and out of, and the other three got into the back. She was surprised not to see Kim, but Rachel told her she wanted to keep her entourage small – just like they suggested in Say Yes to the Dress, which Rachel had been watching non-stop.

Leah pulled up to the small bridal store and they all got out. Once they got Billy into his wheelchair, Rachel pushed him inside with Emily and Jacob hung back.

"Leah?"

Leah was feeling her familiar morning nausea but tried to ignore it until she got home. "It's really not a good time." She turned to go inside, but Jacob reached out and grasped her wrist.

"You avoiding this conversation isn't going to make me stop bringing it up. You look terrible-"

"Why, thank you, how sweet and romantic."

"You know what I mean. Let me call Carlisle and ask him to examine you."

"I'm fine-"

"Where you sick this morning?"

"No," she said proudly, not attesting to her choking back the nausea currently. Technically she hadn't been sick, though. Yet, anyways.

He sighed, "I'm worried about you."

"Well, worry later – Rachel's waiting."

Jacob gave up, knowing she was right, and he sighed as Leah went inside. He took a few deep breaths before going inside himself and sitting down beside his dad. Emily and Leah were following Rachel around who was wide-eyed at the white gowns surrounding them.

"Are you sure about your choice?" Billy asked, catching him by surprise as they both watched the girls.

"I love her, dad."

Billy was still unsure how his son could fight his imprint so easily. Well, maybe easily wasn't the right word. He thought back to his conversation with Sue and sighed. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," Jacob said as the girls started picking dresses for Rachel to try on.

Billy looked to his son and frowned. He was an adult now and had tough decisions to make. Leah was stubborn – much like his son. As Jacob looked back to the girls, Leah was gone, and Rachel was disappearing into a change room. Emily came back to sit next to Jacob to wait for Rachel and Jacob's brow furrowed. "Where's Leah?"

"Not feeling well," Emily said, frowning. "She just stepped outside for a minute to get some air."

Jacob got up and went to find Leah. He exited the large, glass double-doors that they just entered and saw her sitting on the steps, her head against the rails, eyes closed. When she heard someone behind her, she looked up and sighed, "Jacob, please, go-"

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere. Let me help."

"I appreciate your concern, but you really don't have to be here for this." She felt her head spin again and she took a deep breath, wiling it to stop. It wasn't necessarily the first time in the past few days that she felt weak, but it was the first time her head felt like it was spinning. She put her face in her hands, elbows resting on her propped knees. "I hate this," she groaned. "Why am I the only one that's sick?"

"I don't know, Lee," Jacob sighed, sitting beside her. "Have you told your mom that you're still sick?" Sue was a nurse, after all.

"I've played it off to her. She'll worry too much and drag me to emerge. It'll pass," she said hopefully, opening her eyes again and looking over at Jacob. Her head was feeling a little better, as was her stomach.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," she admitted. "We should go back inside."

"If you're sick, I can take you home. Rachel will understand."

"I'm fine, really." She got up, but she felt the familiar spinning sensation come over her and he reached out to steady her as her empty stomach churned. "Or not," she said softly, willing herself not to throw up in front of Jacob. She took some deep breaths in as her body got used to being upright again and once the spinning went away again, she felt her stomach sober up again.

"New Year's Eve all over again," he teased, evoking a small smirk from the she-wolf.

"Except not as fun."

"I can ask my dad if he's heard of anything like this post-phasing," he offered.

She nodded and went back in, Jacob following, to sit next to Emily just as Rachel came out in the first gown. Jacob sat by his dad as Rachel beamed. Jake saw the tears in his dad's eyes and smiled.

"You look beautiful, sis," Jacob said proudly.

"It finally feels real," Rachel said, teary-eyed herself. "I can't believe I'm getting married."

She was in a ballgown, which suited her tall and lean frame beautifully. It had a sweetheart neckline, a big, flowy skirt of tulle, and rhinestones adorning the top. "It's beautiful, Rach," Leah said honestly, feeling a little overcome herself with emotion seeing everyone else choke up. Emily's pregnancy hormones didn't allow her to control the tears already streaking her face - happy tears, and Jacob and Billy were staying strong, but both visibly affected. Leah gulped back the lump growing in her own throat, not wanting to make more of a skeptical of herself.

"Is it the one?" Emily asked tentatively.

Leah thought that if Billy spoke, he would lose all resolve staring at his baby girl. After all, Rebecca had a shotgun wedding, so this was Billy's first time really getting to be a part of the wedding planning process for one of his children.

"I want to try on everything," Rachel said happily. "Something a little more fitted, too."

Thankfully, the rest of the afternoon went by quickly. It was a little bit of a whirlwind as Rachel tried on dress after dress. The girls laughed, picked out different styles for her, and Jacob and Billy observed peacefully.

"Dad?" Jacob asked as the girls scowered the small shop for another dress. "Leah hasn't been feeling well - do you think that has anything to do with her stopping phasing?"

Billy's brow furrowed, and he shrugged, "I don't know, son. I've never heard of anything like it before, but, well, she's the first female wolf, so it's hard to say how it will affect her."

"You mean her… hormones," Jacob said awkwardly.

"If her body is trying to adjust to being fully human again, then there's a possibility her hormones are trying to… regulate, I guess, and they can cause some pretty strange things to happen. Has she told Sue?"

"No," Jacob said, trying to process the information. Likely, Leah already considered that reasoning, but it didn't sit well with him. "I'll talk to her after."

"Sick how?"

"She told me she's nauseous and lightheaded."

Billy nodded, his eyes going over to the familiar she-wolf as the girls laughed. "Well, she should tell Sue."

"I'll see what I can do," Jacob said easily. "But she's so stubborn."

Billy laughed, "That's probably why you keep butting heads."

"I'm not as stubborn as she is," Jacob argued.

"Whatever you say, son."

The girls came back and Rachel took another dress into the fitting room. Emily sat beside Jacob, Leah on the other side and he tangled his fingers through hers. When Rachel came out, this time, Leah couldn't help the tears filling her eyes - and everyone else's.

"I love it," Rachel breathed, looking at herself in the mirror.

The ballgown made Rachel look beautiful, but it was almost like she was playing dress up. This dress? She looked like a woman. It was a mermaid style and it hugged her hips perfectly before flaring out at the bottom around her knees. The top had thin, off the shoulder straps, a sweetheart neckline that appropriately covered her chest, a chapel train, and the entire dress was white, with soft embroidery all over, and a frosted glimmer shimmer. It was stunning and had an open-back that focused the beauty of the dress into a slightly sexy number, too.

"Okay, this is my favorite," Emily choked out.

"Rachel, you look beautiful," Billy's voice was choked up and Jacob smiled, taking a deep breath.

"My favorite, too," Jacob added.

Rachel turned to face them, looking at Leah, who had tears on her cheeks like Emily. Extremely rare for Leah to be so emotional, and it caused more tears to spill over.

"I love it," Leah replied, misty-eyed.

Jacob heard the emotion in Leah's voice and looked over, seeing her wipe away tears. It was nice to see her express herself, but it felt off to Jacob for some reason. He had seen the complete range of Leah's emotions thus far, but she wasn't usually one to show her emotions so plainly.

"I think this is the one," she said happily.

"How much is it?" Billy asked.

"I have the money," Rachel assured him.

"I told you already, I'm getting your dress," Billy protested.

Rachel protested, but Billy ended up getting the dress. The lady measured Rachel and told her it would be six to eight weeks, which considering they still didn't have a date, was perfectly fine. When Billy and Rachel came back from the counter, Leah and Emily - who had been talking prior, stood up, along with Jacob, and Leah felt the familiar dizziness come over her and immediately sat back down.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, coming over to her.

"Fine," she lied. She looked over to Jacob and threw him her keys. "Can you drive?"

"Of course," he said easily, going over to her to help her up.

She pulled her hand away from his and got back up - slower this time. What the fuck was going on? They all went out to the car after she protested a million times that she was okay, and half-way home, she felt her stomach flip.

"Pull over," Leah said from the back, head pressed against the glass.

"We're almost home," Jacob said.

"Pull over now or I'm going to throw up in this car."

Jacob pulled in to the side of the road quickly and Leah got out immediately, shutting the door as she walked behind the car and her stomach urged. Considering she hadn't eaten all day, her attempts to feel better were futile and the nausea stayed, ever-present, her skin coated with sweat. Jacob got out a minute later and came back. She knelt on the grass and he went over to her.

"If you won't let me call Carlisle, I'm taking you to the hospital," he said finally as she looked up to him.

"I'm fine, I think it was just motion sickness-"

"Don't give me that crap," he said forcefully, finally forcing her into what he had been trying to get her to accept willingly for days. "You need to get checked out. You can be stubborn all you want, but here's what's going to happen: I'm going to drop dad, Rach, and Emily off, and then I'm going to ask my dad to schedule a tribal meeting. We can see what they have to say about why you've been sick and then decide from there if I should call Carlisle or if your mom can take you to the hospital in Forks."

"Jacob, seriously, I'm-"

"If you say fine once more, I'm going to vomit," he tried to joke, evoking an eye roll from the she wolf. "Are you feeling okay enough to get back in the car?"

She nodded and got back in. The rest of the short ride home was extremely quiet save for whatever latest pop song was playing through the radio. Jacob dropped Emily off before driving back to his house.

"I can go home until you arrange this meeting," Leah said dryly as Rachel got out by her and Jacob helped Billy back into his wheelchair.

Jacob ignored her and once Billy was situated, turned to her. "Is your mom off?"

"Yeah, still on vacation. Most people would think that meant sandy beaches and sun, but apparently, she'd rather spend her time off at Charlie's."

"Call her and tell her to come over to my place in," he checked his watch. "An hour? I'll start the fire out behind the house." It was starting to get dark, but the light and warmth of the fire would keep everyone warm and cozy. It was finally starting to warm up anyways. "I'll run over to get Sam now and you can stay with Rachel."

"I'll call Old Quil," Billy said helpfully.

"You're overreacting," Leah stated unhappily, leaning against the railing of the wheelchair ramp attached to their house.

"Better safe than sorry," Billy replied warmly, taking her hand to give it a squeeze. "Our legends don't exactly encompass the female anatomy, so maybe a meeting now that you're phasing out is a good idea regardless and see where to go from here since you've been ill."

Leah wasn't about to argue with Billy and was honestly thankful for his help considering she knew he disapproved of her and Jacob's prior relations. She nodded politely as Rachel ushered her inside with her father. Jacob told them he would be back shortly and ran over to Sam's.

Once he got to their place, he went inside without knocking, the door unlocked. He called out to Sam, not seeing him in the main kitchen area and he heard laughing coming from the living room before Sam called for him to come inside.

"Hey," Jacob poked his head into the living room, seeing Sam and Emily both wide-eyed with excitement and happiness, smiles plastered on their faces.

"Do you want to feel the baby kick?" Emily asked softly, Sam's hand positioned under hers on her stomach.

Jacob felt rude to decline, so he went over and Emily removed Sam's hand, putting Jacob's where it was. It took a second, and Emily moved his hand a little, but he did feel a slight movement under his hand, which surprised him. He pulled his hand back quickly and Emily laughed. "That's…"

"Exceptional," Sam beamed, kissing Emily proudly.

"Uh, yeah…" It was a little nauseating feeling her stomach move, if Jacob was being honest. A human being was in there, moving around, and it unnerved him a little at the entire thing – much like it had with Bella. He saw her stomach move frequently, but it still felt crazy that there was a human inside. "Does it hurt?" He had been present during most of Bella's pregnancy but, well, it wasn't exactly a normal one and he had to imagine a human pregnancy was a little, well, more normal.

"Nah," Emily said easily. "It's nice, actually. A little weird at first when I was just feeling the flutters, but now that I can feel her it's nice to know she's alive and well."

Sam smiled and put his hand back on her stomach, rubbing it over her shirt before looking back over to Jacob. "What's up?"

"Uh, yeah, can you come by for a tribal council meeting?" Sam stood in for his absent father, Sue for Harry, his dad, and Old Quil. Jacob would be attending because of his Alpha title and concern for Leah.

"Yeah, no problem, what's it for?"

"Leah," Jacob said awkwardly. "Where she's been sick. She hasn't been getting better and needs to see a doctor, but we're unsure if it's… well, safe, to go to a normal hospital or if I should call Carlisle in. I don't want to drag the Cullen's back here though unless it's necessary, so I want to see what the elders have to say."

"She wasn't well earlier," Emily told her husband. "At the bridal salon."

"I'm worried about her," Jacob admitted.

"Alright," Sam kissed Emily quickly before getting up. "Let's go."

Both men got back to Billy's quickly, seeing Charlie's cruiser in the driveway. She must have been at the Clearwater's and not Charlie's. When he went inside, he saw that Old Quil was already there, too, along with Charlie. He greeted everyone quickly before they all piled out back, around the firepit. Sam assisted him in starting the fire and Sue held onto Leah's hand as they sat on the log – Rachel and Paul tucked away inside with Charlie.

"Thank you all for coming," Jacob said, standing in front of everyone. Jacob gave them a quick run down of Leah's inability to phase and her symptoms thus far that he was aware of and how he worried about her health considering her pack involvement.

"I've had some lower back pain, too," Leah added onto the end as Jacob summed up the events the past few weeks. "And I'm tired a lot, but it's probably nothing."

"Why didn't you tell me that you were still sick?" Sue asked, turning to her daughter.

"I just thought it was a bug, but it's been about a week now and it's only gotten worse."

Old Quil took the information in quietly, hearing it, like Sue, for the first time. Billy and Sam knew a little of what was going on up until now, but Billy had few resources to go on about why Leah was sick other than his speculation to his son earlier and Sam was hoping it would pass on it's own.

"Dehydration can cause the exhaustion and dizziness since you've been so sick," Sam stated, taking in her appearance, trying to be helpful.

"Are you thirstier than normal?" Sue asked. "Decreased, colorful urination?

"Mom," Leah groaned, not really wanting her entire medical history on display.

"We're here to help, Leah," Sue insisted.

"A little thirstier, but it's probably only because I've been so sick. No to the rest."

"She may be a little dehydrated," Sue spoke. "But I don't think it's anything critical. I'd probably just put it off to the vomiting. As for that, I'd need a bloodwork panel to see if your white counts are elevated to confirm or rule out a stomach virus."

"I feel good sometimes, though," Leah said to her mom. "The nausea… it's not like… a stomach flu. If it was, it'd be gone by now, right? It's not there all the time. Some days I feel fine, and other times it won't go away at all."

"It could be hormonal," Billy supplied, thinking back to his conversation with Jacob earlier that day. "Where she stopped phasing. Maybe her body is returning to normal?"

"It's possible," Sue confirmed. "Hormones can be… quite unpredictable. If your levels are off, they can make you sick, and if everything is going back to normal since stopping your phasing, they probably aren't in regulated levels. Again, I'd need bloodwork to check."

"Which brings me back," Jacob said. "To the question of, do we think it's safe for her to go to a human hospital, considering this started once she stopped phasing, or will I call Carlisle and let the pack know to expect him?" He thought he may be pre-occupied with Marcus, but well, he didn't have any other options here. He had already communicated Marcus' presence to the elders to notify them and Carlisle had let him know that Marcus was staying with them for a while and if he had any more information he would communicate it – Alice was watching all of the volturi's decisions closely.

Old Quil hesitated as a knowing look spread across his face. "I'm not sure if the question is correct, Jacob. Did this start when she stopped phasing, or did she stop phasing because of this?" He hesitated and continued, "Call Carlisle to get the bloodwork done. Whatever comes back then, we can investigate further, but I… I've had some dreams lately. Weird, weird dreams. I thought I understood why, but now…"

"What kind of dream?" Sam asked, turning to Old Quil.

He waved it off, "Nothing to alarm you. Get the bloodwork done, and we can go from there."

"One other thing," Jacob said uneasily. "Leah and I spoke to Carlisle before he left-"

"Jacob, this really isn't the time," Leah groaned.

He ignored her and continued, "It's common knowledge that Leah and I have feelings for one another, and how those feelings emerged, but… Leah approached me about the sporadic intensity of our connection before the Cullen's left. Carlisle did some research for us, because she was insistent that there was something… off about it."

Billy looked confused - and annoyed that his son had went to a vampire for help and not him, but he listened idly. Sue had a knowing look on her face, but was focused on Jacob's words and Sam, having known Carlisle's findings already, really didn't want to re-hear it considering it was his ex. Old Quil, however, looked genuinely intrigued.

"I'd like to… well, keep Leah and I's interactions private, but the packs involvement of this is too big to ignore."

"How is you and Leah caring for one another relevant to the pack?" Billy asked finally, mirroring Paul's speculation before. "And how did the vamp figure it out?"

"It's just a theory," Jacob said quickly, feeling as awkward as Leah felt. "But, Carlisle believes that Leah and myself became involved because of, uh, more primal reactions; because I'm the rightful Alpha male and she's the Alpha female."

Sue's brow furrowed and she finally spoke, "You're saying you and my daughter are involved because of your wolves?"

Jacob shifted uncomfortably under Sue's gaze, but Old Quil was the one who spoke. "Continue, child, I'd like to hear more about this."

Jacob nodded, and he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided their gazes - which felt penetrating. "Carlisle said only the Alpha male and female traditionally mate in a pack. With our primal natures, that… sense of duty called to one another, even though pregnancy wasn't an option because of Leah's human traits. Carlisle believes that's why I'm able to fight my imprint and why we began a physical involvement in the first place. He believes our pull to each other - to extend the packs roots, is an opening to nullify an imprint. Because of our humanity, though, our emotions also got tied in on a less-primal level."

Billy sighed, "Carlisle may be a good doctor, Jacob, but this is a stretch."

"You haven't felt it," Leah finally spoke up in a small voice. "It's… like an imprint, but not. There's this strong pull, or well, was."

"Was?"

Jacob sighed, "The mating season for wolves starts in January - right when Leah and I… well, it ends around this time of year. It primarily occurs in female wolves, so Carlisle's assuming it's over now because Leah doesn't feel the same intensity anymore."

"When did you stop feeling this?" Old Quil asked.

Leah felt like she wanted to curl up into a ball and she sighed, "About three weeks ago."

Old Quil nodded speculatively, trying to piece it all together. "Have you phased since?"

"No."

"It's awkward," Jacob said suddenly. "Obviously, but if more female wolves phase in the future and there's merit to Carlisle's claims, which I believe there is, the pack and the legends must pass down the Alpha male and female's connection for future knowledge so that they're not… unprepared."

"There's no worry of that," Old Quil said finally. "Trust me. Go get the bloodwork done and when you're aware of the results, let's call another meeting. We should all sit on this information, do some research ourselves, and try to come to our own conclusions but I believe Leah's bloodwork will prepare us more in coming to those conclusions. Carlisle is the safer option for now, until we know the entirety of this situation."

Everyone was a little concerned, but all got up and Old Quil went over to Leah before they all dispersed and took her hand. Billy was talking to Jacob and Sam to Sue. "Child… you've got a special gift."

"What?"

"I thought it was meant for someone else, but I was wrong. You're going to provide an extraordinary strength to the pack. Your blood… The spirit in you, it's going to be incredible."

"My blood?" Leah asked.

Old Quil gave her a knowing smile and kissed her forehead. "Prepare for a difficult, but joyful journey - a wonderful legacy." With that, he walked away, and Leah was more confused than ever. Unfortunately, she had little time to process when Jacob and her mom came over, Sam wheeling Billy back inside.

Leah was immediately concerned when she saw the look on her mom's face, "What's wrong?"

Sue ignored her daughter momentarily, "Jacob, can you call Carlisle now? Sam will communicate Carlisle's return with the pack. In the meantime, I think both of you should come back to the house."

"What's going on?" Leah asked again, clearly unnerved by her mom's face – it looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Just call Carlisle and get in the car," Sue said finally. "I'll go start it."

Jacob's brow furrowed, "Your mom was acting weird."

"You're telling me."

He shrugged, "She's worried. So am I."

Jacob took out his phone and called Carlisle. The older vampire obliged to his ask, stating that he would be there within the hour. Leah and Jacob got into her mom's SUV and Charlie left in his cruiser. Leah got in the front, and Jacob in the back.

"We should go to the Cullen's," Jacob said as Sue started toward her house. "Carlisle said he would be there in about an hour."

"I think we need to go back to the house first," she stated simply, turning to Leah. "What else have you been experiencing?"

"I told you, just nausea, my back, and the dizziness."

"Have you noticed any physical changes? Anything weird with your period?"

"Mom!"

"I need to know," Sue said fiercely.

It occurred to her that, as a nurse, there was nothing that she hadn't heard before and her awkwardness on the topic was unfounded in her mother's eyes, but that didn't mean Jacob had to hear it, too. She flushed a little before answering, kind of wishing she made him stay home now.

"I haven't gotten a period," she said awkwardly. "Not since I phased. I… well, I bled a little bit a few weeks ago but it was probably nothing; just the hormones unbalanced. It only lasted a day or so, just some minor spotting." It was no use trying to keep her voice down, Jacob would hear everything anyways.

Sue continued driving, clearly worried about her daughter. She wished she was in the loop before now - as usual, and now that she was, she couldn't help the overwhelming clarity she had. The others didn't connect it – didn't suspect it, but she had. At least everyone beside Old Quil, because he had warned her before she left about Leah being fragile. She had already put two and two together before that, but his words had solidified her assumption. She had been a healthcare practitioner too long to avoid the obvious answer to things, no matter how plausible, and this? It was definitely plausible. "No other typical menstruation symptoms?"

"Just the sore back, and well, uh, my…"

"Leah," Sue sighed, exasperated.

"My boobs are really sore, okay, happy?"

Sue looked over at her daughter for a moment before turning her attention back on the road. She didn't say anything else and the short car ride felt extremely long considering her mom's weird behavior. If she didn't already feel sick, she definitely did now. Her original nausea accompanied by nerves.

They finally got to the Clearwater's. Seth was out with Abigail and Sue was grateful for the empty house. They went inside after Sue grabbed the medical kit that she kept in the trunk of the SUV, and she told them to sit in the living room. Jacob and Sue both sat beside Leah, and Sue opened the medical kit, going through it, clearly looking for something.

"You're scaring me, mom," Leah finally said. Instinctively, Jacob reached over to take Leah's hand to try to soothe her. Sue took a deep breath in, trying to find the resolve. "Please tell me what's going on?"

"What did Old Quil say to you?" Sue asked softly, knowing he had a strong connection to the Gods – or so he thought.

"He said the spirit in me… it was going to further the pack or something, why?"

Sue frowned and looked between her daughter and Jacob, feeling both unease and awkwardness rise in her chest. She should have asked Billy to come, but she didn't want to alarm him if she was incorrect - but was almost certain that she was. Likewise, she was thankful that she had turned down Sam's request to come with them to the Cullen's for back-up. This was going to be a whirlwind evening and they didn't need anymore of an audience than what was necessary. "I have a question to ask you both, but I think I already know the answer." Leah and Jacob shared an uneasy glance before Sue took a deep breath. "Were you safe?"

"Safe?" Leah asked, confused.

"Did you use any kind of birth control when you were together?" Sue rephrased. She had gotten Leah's birth control prescription refilled, as she promised, but it was still in her purse.

When Leah failed to find words, Jacob's face fell, "No." After all, the pull out method wasn't a real method and although the thought came to his mind immediately as a nervous reaction, he figured a simple no would suffice.

Sue gulped back the growing lump in her throat and reached down, into her kit, taking out a small, white stick from a bag with others. She worked a lot in the women's health clinic and ended up adding pregnancy tests to her collection of medical supplies. "Take this."

"Mom…" Leah said uneasily, her heart pounding now. "I'm not-"

"I think you are," Sue said softly. "When did you bleed?" Leah still couldn't piece together a sentence. Sue had put the stick in her hand, but she felt ill. "Leah?" She prompted.

Leah felt like a deer in headlights, but she shook her head. "Three weeks ago."

"Were you intimate then?"

Leah nodded deftly, remembering back to the night she told Jacob about her feelings and the spotting that happened afterwards, and Sue sighed. "Go in the bathroom and take it. We can do blood work after, but this will give us much quicker results. I wanted to give you the option to find out here before being blindsided with Carlisle."

Leah's limbs felt like they weighed a ton and she avoided Jacob's face as she got up and disappeared into the bathroom on the main level of the house. She looked at the white stick and took a deep breath before taking it. She remembered doing it once before - when she was eighteen and her and Sam had unprotected sex at a high school party. It was super dumb at the time, but they were so in love and she really didn't care if she had gotten pregnant - they were destined to be together and talked about marriage and kids all the time. It would have been reckless and irresponsible, but they would have made it work – or so she thought at the time, anyways.

Her period had only been a day late, but she was both worried and a little excited at the thought, so she asked one of her older friends at the time to get her a test. It had been negative - rightly so, in hindsight, but she had still been a little disappointed. Now, she was just positive that it would be negative, just like then and although she desperately wanted the opportunity to have kids someday, she knew this, like the first time she was in this position, was not the right time.

She placed the stick on the counter and washed her hands, looking at herself in the mirror. She had large bags under her eyes from not sleeping well. She also looked clammy, feeling her nausea come back - but this time, it was because of her nerves. There was no way she was pregnant. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but she finally took a deep breath and looked down. She could barely comprehend anything.

Two very strong, very visible, pink lines.

Positive.

She was pregnant.

/ Some of you guessed many chapters ago! I've tried to drop little seeds along the way (multiple chapters ago), but I guess I'm not as good at secrecy as I thought – or maybe you're all just way too good at reading between the lines.

ALSO- In addition to the 'Marcus, Jane, Demetri' fiasco mentioned above, I'm actually working on this story separately from this one written in Jane's POV. When I upload the first chapter, I'll let you guys know here, but also follow me for story updates! If you remember Paul and Rachel's pregnancy scare in a prior chapter, too, I'm also working on a Paul/Rachel story from Rachel's perspective, so follow me for all story updates!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my newest twist. Stay tuned for the next chapter and let me know your thoughts on everyone's upcoming reactions in your review!

- Becca