Disclaimer: All things Twilight Belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Hey There. This is my first fic and I'm super excited about it. Please leave commentary and let me know what you think, what you like, what you hate and what you love. I am always learning and listening.

Please note this fic contains foul language, limes, maybe lemons in future chapters and a sweet, slow burn. I will attempt to post chapters weekly, but no promises. Enjoy!

SPIRIT WARRIOR

"Sweet sixteen and we had arrived. Walking down the streets as they whistled 'hi-hi!' Stealing police cars with the senior guys. Teachers said we'd never make it out alive. There she was, my new best friend, high heels in her hand, swaying in the wind. Then she starts to cry, mascara running down her little bambi eyes, 'Lana how I hate those guys.' And this is what makes us girls. We don't stick together cause we put love first."

-Lana Del Rey, This is What Makes Us Girls

Golden

Leah Clearwater was not beautiful. Beautiful was the silhouette of an ageing swan, gliding along the surface of a blue lake; or the sophistication of peacock feathers, ruffling bold and effortlessly in the autumn winds. Leah Clearwater was not pretty or beautiful in any traditional kind of way. Leah Clearwater was a hurricane.

The rooms into which she walked had no choice but to pause and take notice of her; of the discord in her laugh, of the sureness in the tilt of her head, of her long raven hair that fell like the waves of a waterfall. She had inherited her mother's iron will too, using it shamelessly to mask what she wished was a cold heart of stone. And so for years no one dared approach Harry Clearwater's daughter without knowing exactly what they were all about. Until that Samuel Uley came along.

That cocky, dark-eyed Uley was never fazed by the natural self-assuredness Leah carried around like armor. Her jibes, that so often scared away the other teenage boys, never deflated his confidence. So no one was much surprised the day Samuel strode his long legs to the freshman, placed a hand on Leah Clearwater's teal locker, and winked away.

'Hey Sam.'

'Hey Jules, pretty as always.' Sam said while barely noting the tiny bleach-haired thing adorned with various facial piercings. And how could he when his prey of choice was ignoring his existence, stuffing a book on Da Vinci into her locker.

'Lee-Lee,' he breathed, making the words sound like a taste of honey. 'Hey.'

'What do you want Uley?' Leah spat.

'Billy's Bonfire tomorrow night,' Sam smirked, leaning against another locker and crossing his feet at the ankles. It made him look like some lead star in an eighties movie. 'You going with someone?'

'Well… Elijah Smallwood did ask.' Leah said, smiling into her locker as she pretended not to notice Sam's discomfort. She shuffled a few more books slowly before adding. 'He's a real cutie, but I already planned on going with Julie.'

The Julie in question was still standing awkwardly behind her best friend, blowing large bubbles of green gum while pretending she wasn't hanging on to every word of Leah and Sam's conversation. Her eyes were conspicuously wandering over the boy's body, taking in the casual stance, the polished shoes and even the long, lean arms. No doubt she approved.

'While I can't say the same about a guy as dull as Eli but... I'm pretty sure Julie wouldn't mind if you went with someone a little bit more worth your time. Sam sent Leah a smile that no doubt would have melted any other girl's panties right off. But Leah Clearwater studied him carefully, so carefully in fact, that Samel Uley might have broken out in a sweat.

She sent him a quick smile. 'Pick me up at six.'

Dreams weren't supposed to be lucid. Lucid dreams were visions, and visions were different from regular sleep, at least that's what Elder Quil Sr. said during the bonfires. So Leah assumed she was in the clutches of such a vision when she took in the wide ocean of azure trees.

Her mouth had dropped wide open with shock, startled by the otherworldly beauty of a bright neon pink sky and a menacing, pale yellow moon. Suddenly an eerie hush fell over the forest, sending a shiver up her spine as the wind began to howl and dance around her.

Leah shut her eyes as her head spun, her body flushing with unbearable heat as a sound like crunching bones filled her ears. When she finally found the courage to open her bright blue eyes, she realized that she was in the eye of a tornado, her feet floating lightly off the ground. Her hands flew to her scalp as her hair was ripped out at the roots, and she screamed as she watched her beautiful raven hair fly away into the darkness.

What a strange dream.

She might have become frantic, but the wind became frantic, distracting her. Calming herself, Leah did what elder Quil had always said one should do if the Great Spirit decided to grace their sleep. She chose to listen, and that was the first time she heard the voice in the wind.

Kaheleha sings.

The storm painted pictures for the girl. The first was of a long-haired woman who looked like her mother standing in a lake, searching for a gift that had been lost and would never be found again.

Then she saw a man, or rather a boy who looked like a man. He was the one who would betray his people and anger the ancestors by claiming his own blood too late.

Then as Leah watched she saw a beautiful white woman with glittering pale skin and eyes the color of blood. The woman would be the cause of all suffering, and her choices would lead to curses on the Quileute.

And then there was the fourth vision. Leah watched in dread as a caramel-skinned man with friendly eyes and a handsome face walked into the old forests alone. He would be followed by death.

"This next song is dedicated to Leah Clearwater, from the love of your life Sam."

A familiar chord progression rung throughout the rez's local high school, followed by a round of drums before a charismatic male voice serenaded: I've got sunshine on a cloudy day, when it's cold outside I've got the month of May…

'Bold of him to assume he's the love of my life.' Leah muttered to herself while trying not to blush at the thought that it was true. Shaking her head free of all the gushy, mushy feelings thoughts of Sam Uley always brought forth, she stepped into the boisterously frenzied cafeteria.

At least half a dozen eyes fell on her. It was usual. She didn't care what they thought. Round towns as small as hers everyone felt entitled to opinions about other people's lives, and everyone had an opinion about her an Joshua Uley's son. Despite his father's shortcoming he had become the rez's golden boy, the boy with a bright future and an even brighter smile. And she had become the girl everyone linked to his name. She was happier than all of them, and round this time next year she knew that she and the love of her life were going to be married and living together in Port Angeles.

She'd be in college with him, UW, studying art while Sam completed his degree in Business Management Studies. They'd always talked about settling near home. Sam wanted to be near his mother Allison, and she loved the idea of living close to her family. Maybe in a year or two after graduation they'd have kids. They always talked about having kids, had their baby names picked out and everything. Though Leah didn't love children as much as Sam did, and nothing made her happier than the idea of children who had her eyes and Sam's dark skin. Soon she'd be living the most amazing life, with the doting man she loved with all of her heart, in the most beautiful place in the world.

Her life was perfect. Absolutely perfect. And it had barely begun.

But she was still going to kill him.

They'd agreed nothing fancy this year, and though Sam was prone to flashy, extravagant displays of love all Leah had really wanted was to see him. Between his college classes and her upcoming finals it seemed they hardly found the time to be together these days. Sure her mother complained all the time about the phone bill but talking on the phone for hours wasn't the same as holding Sam's hand while they walked down the beach. A hunk of plastic pressed against her ear was a lame substitute for the feel of Sam's lips on her face, of the long nights she wished she could spend falling asleep in his arms after making love.

She ignored a table of whistling hockey jocks as she made her way to her usual table, but she took special care to glare at Paul Lahote on account of his beef with Julie.

The Black twins were already seated when she reached their usual table. Rachel barely noted her arrival, but Rebekah dropped her cell phone immediately, her freckled hands flying to her face in excitement. 'Oh Leelee, Sam is so dreamy! How do you manage to get everything?'

'Yeah, pray tell.' Rachel said in a dull tone as she pushed her reading glasses higher on her nose.

The less likeable of the two twins was scribbling math equations onto yellow flash cards, but Leah was surprised at Rachel for talking at all to be honest. Rachel was notorious for being a bit stuck-up, a teacher's pet, and she never dated or even bothered to build friendships with the other kids. Most days she didn't say a word all through lunch. And though the identical twins sometimes did that eerie thing where they spoke like two parts of one brain, they barely had anything in common.

'Right? He's literally perfect!' Becca squealed, not seeming to have noticed her sister's sarcastic tone. 'He convinced Seth of all people to deliver you those red roses, then snuck Teddy Bears into your car. And Suzanne Smallwood said he left you chocolates on the table of your chemistry class too... Lee...' Becca's voice fell to a scandalous whisper, 'What if... what if tonight's the big night?'

'I'm claiming maid of honor!' Julie squeaked as she dropped onto the open seat beside Leah, placing an envelope in front of her friend. 'I'd declare Godmother to your first three kids, but I'm pretty sure Emily will be way more of a good influence.'

'What is this?' Leah's asked as her eyes fell onto the small card.

Julie rubbed her hands in a maniacal way, a dark smile on her face. 'How it all begins...'

'Stop being creepy,' Rebekah said before turning back to Leah. 'Quickly, open it, so we can all go ooh and ah.'

With a roll of her eyes Leah opened the card and read it, unable to hide her blush when the words planted themselves into her mind: "Our spot." Sam had signed the card the same way they ended their phone calls. "Always."

'That's it? No date, no time?' Julie said, grabbing the card and turning it to see if Sam had left any other clues at all. 'That's not very enlightening.'

Leah didn't respond.

It was then that Paul Lahote walked by their table, followed by his usual bulky hockey squad. Leah didn't miss the glower he shot at Julie as he walked past their table. Julie's happy mood shifted, her smile faltering as she sighed, and Leah glowered back at that squinty face, hating Paul more than she hated anyone else in the world. Leah didn't like it when people messed with those she loved, it made her feel protective.

'Every time I see his face I wanna punch it just a little.' Leah said through gritted teeth.

Rachel made a non-committal sound that might have been an agreement.

'Don't mind that boy.' Julie shrugged, 'He's just scared cause I see him for exactly what he is.'

'And what's that?' Rebekah asked absent-mindedly, no doubt texting the hot Samoan guy she'd met only days before.

'A coward.'

Even on cloudy days La Push beach was a fascinating and mystical place. The sands were a pale grey that shimmered incredible blues and reds on bonfire nights, the sky an infinite chasm that enthralled not only the moon but also the sun, so that the fabled brothers always seemed to stay a bit too long in the heavens, clashing during summer from time to time.

But it was the stars that Leah loved the most about walking the lands of La Push beach at Twilight. In La Push, stars started glittering during sunset, lending an air of magic to place. It never failed to take her breath away.

Tourists were drawn to the magic that lingered there; reverent to the elders who frequented the rocky lands to tell ancient stories to eager children. The bonfires were many, recurring as frequently as the fibs from the local gossip, and more often than not served an opportunity for teenagers to meet and sneak off to hold hands and share first kisses without the conservative adults commenting.

Leah could still remember how Sam had convinced her to sneak off with him three years ago, how he'd twisted her sandals in his hands and nodded towards the woods near the beach. (There were scary stories that warned youngsters against roaming the woods without adult supervision, but Leah and Sam hadn't much cared about those superstitions).

Sam was standing right at the place where she'd had her first kiss, at the edge of the forest, and the brilliance of the setting sun was breathtaking as it cast a halo around his face. But that beauty was nothing compared to the look on his face when he finally saw her walking up to him. Leah ran into his arms like the blond white women in the movies ran into the arms of heroes, and Sam picked her up as they kissed, flinging her around in a circle before they both fell to the grey sand, laughing. When he kissed her face next, with little pecks that sent happiness and tingles all through her body, she forgot that she was supposed to be mad at him for embarrassing her in front of the whole school with his gifts.

Instead she wrapped her arms around him in a way that said: 'Welcome back home.'

'Are we there now?'

'Nope.'

'How about now?' Leah asked, itching to just throw the damn blindfold off already so she could see where he was taking her.

'Leah…' Sam sighed, though she could hear the amusement in the way he said her name.

His voice was so deep, almost too deep. It had matured a lot since the last time she'd seen him. He was bigger too, so big she was convinced he was taking steroids, but she didn't mind that as much as she minded that he'd said he'd been having trouble sleeping. Weird dreams, he'd said. Weird dreams and lots of headaches. But even with shadows of exhaustion underneath his eyes he'd planned all of this for her. Her man was amazing.

'Fine!' she crossed her arms. 'Maybe I'll learn to like being a hostage.'

Sam laughed just as he made another turn. Her stomach lurched as he took a quick dip in the road, and she realized she had no idea where they could possibly be. She couldn't recall many roads in or around Forks that dipped that way. They'd been driving for a long time, but her desire to know what he'd planned was being overdriven by her desire to see him, to sink into his body and feel his heat.

Leah slipped a little bit of the blindfold off to steal a glance at him. She caught the sight of a large hand on a steering wheel, an arm that was coiled with new muscle and she meant to look away, to put the blindfold on before she was caught, but she couldn't tear her eyes away once she'd started looking. When she realised she'd been caught staring, her cheeks burned.

'Someone's cheating.' Sam grinned as he made another turn, the car going uphill. 'See something you like Lee-Lee?'

'Maybe an ogre or two.' She quipped, though the flush in her face only made him grin wider. 'Are you kidnapping me or something?'

'Don't tempt me.' His hand found hers in the darkness, and he drew hers to his lips, sending tingles through her body. 'I suppose you can take the blindfold off now. We're almost there.'

The path they had taken took them uphill for only a few more minutes before the car broke through the thicket of trees surrounding them. Leah gasped in awe. They were on a mountaintop overlooking the bright lights of Forks, and not far ahead she could see a small cottage, waiting for them under the splendor of a dark sky filled with millions of glittering stars.

Sam kissed her fingers again, and for a moment he might have forgotten his headache. 'Happy anniversary my love.'