"Give it to your sister and never wonder if the same pressure would have pulled you under."

-Surface Pressure, Jessica Darrow

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The Tale of Two Sisters

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The downpour wouldn't let up for days. The worst incoming storm the reservation had seen in a decade.

Leah would have preferred to stay with her mother. The loss of Sue's comforting touch hurt worse than the poison consuming her. But in true Sam Uley fashion the perpetually shirtless man had gathered her in his damsel-in-distress-loving arms and carried her away. "It's for your safety and wellbeing," he'd said.

There were other things he said on the way to shelter. Soothing, comforting words in the tones he'd often used when they were children. For a slight moment, she almost forgot that she no longer liked him.

"Sue's right behind us, driving with Colin and Brady." His voice sounded raspy as he ran in the rain. "Don't be angry. It'll be easier to keep you and the Imprints all safe if you're all in one place."

That could only mean one thing. She'd be hidden away in her cousin's house where she wouldn't be allowed to breathe or do anything.

Leah turned weakly to face him, "Em… Tiffan…"

"Quiet Leah, please. Save your strength." When she didn't stop, he said, "If you can't trust me, trust Jake to take care of it."

She did trust Jake. He wouldn't stop at anything to hunt that thing down and take care of business, but that didn't mean any of them would be safe. She had no idea where Embry was, had no way to ensure he was unharmed and in a good way. And so, she begged and pleaded for Sam to take her back, to let her go. She didn't have the strength to scream, so instead she muttered in Quileute. By the time the twinkling lights of Neah Bay came into view Sam looked distraught at the sight of her rare tears.

A streak of lightning struck across the sky, and a roar echoed across the forest. She was coated in water, Sam's skin hot against her own, and yet she couldn't seem to find any warmth.

When they reached the house, an echo of shocked gasps surrounded them. Immediately, Leah was swathed in concern and blankets as the newest group of cubs swarmed around them.

"Is she okay?"

"She doesn't look so good…"

"What can I do to help?"

"Why didn't Paul and Em call for us?"

Sam had barely caught his breath and shooed them away when Emily appeared in the doorway ahead of them. Another time, Leah might have noticed the haggard look on her cousin's face and unkempt hair. The way her dark doe eyes seemed to hold no light in them. "Good grief, she must be freezing. This way," She hurried, leading Sam into the guest bedroom. "We need to get her out of those clothes before she catches pneumonia."

The soft press of linen was warm across her back, and layer by layer Sam and Emily worked away the layers of clothing strangling across her body. Her cousin smelled of lavender. Of comfort food and childhood promises… a little like her own mother did. It was getting harder to keep her eyes open.

"Esme Cullen called a few minutes ago. She said the doctor and one of the others were on their way. What do I do to keep her awake?"

"She's lost a lot of blood. Sue's almost here." He paused, "I can stay with her. You… You should go get some rest."

Emily's voice seemed to drop two octaves. "She's my sister. I'm not going anywhere."

"Emily-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sam." She said, angry. Leah felt when Emily gripped her hand. It felt like a lifeline, distracting her from the pain that had become more acute and specific.

Suddenly, Embry came into her line of sight, dressed in a plain white shirt, his face bright and open. He wore his smirk in the usual way; smug and self-satisfied. And Leah laughed as he dragged her, laughing, into their favourite hammock. "I really should thank her for buying this thing…" he whispered, his lips tickling against her ear.

Giggling, Leah wrapped her arms lightly around his neck, her lips playfully seductive on his neck. Embry's arms wrapped tighter around hers in the sunlight, his hands trailing up against her dress, "It's about time you made an honest man out of me." He grinned.

Thunder wracked across her vision. Bile rose up her throat. Leah turned to her side, retching.

"Carlisle…" Rosalie sung.

"She's going into hypovolemic shock; we're going to need more blood."

Leah gagged as more fluids made their way out of her. Emily stroked the hair out of her face, her grip still fierce. "You're going to be okay."

Daddy says you have fire and I have wind and that is why we will never be separated. It had been Sakari who'd said that to Chenita once, hadn't it? Why did those words come back now when she least wanted to remember them? "You're going to be okay," Emily whispered again, almost chanting, "You're going to be okay. I promise."

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The otherworld was cloaked in darkness.

Leah's heart fell as she eyed the once-brilliant azure trees, now bare and dying. The shock of pink sky seemed to be fading into dull grey clouds. And there was no whistle of wind or melody of chanting. Everything around her seemed to be on the precipice of destruction.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The dead leaves yowled as she made her way barefoot across the stillness. Kaheleha was nowhere to be seen. The lone peal of an eagle pierced the silence.

"Why did I know I would find you here?" A voice said, and Leah's heart skipped a beat. She turned slowly to face him; half-afraid he would disappear.

He was younger than he'd been when she'd last seen him. Fuller around the face. Taller than Seth, who she could see now was his spitting image. He looked full of vitality and strength. Happy, the way her mother had always told her to try and imagine him. And so… so majestic, like royalty. Without a beat she flew into her arms, her eyes filling.

"Dad!" she said. As she realized he'd been the eagle to guide her in this strange world. That as he'd always promised, even in death he'd been the one to watch over her.

Laughing, Harry kissed her head. He still felt like warmth and safety. "My girl," his arms tightened around her, "how I've missed you."

She could have stayed that way for hours. She didn't care if it was simply a dream or if she was losing herself to a world her mind had conjured. She'd never imagined she would see him again. But she was so glad she was wrong.

Too soon, Harry pushed her away. "Leah… you already know we don't have much time to chat. You already know-"

"He's in danger." She finished.

"Yes."

Leah glanced around. "Where is Kaheleha?"

"You are asking the wrong question." He said. Leah watched as Harry Clearwater held out his hand in invitation. "First, Blood Calls."

"Embry?" she asked.

"No. We need to talk about your sister."

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Carlisle and Rosalie stepped into the quiet living room, and over a dozen pairs of eyes shot up to meet them. He held out a placating hand, perhaps unaware of how gory the blood splattered across his hands and clothes made him seem. The cubs, barely struggling to restrain themselves at his wretched smell, had been Alpha ordered to not harm them. The Imprinted wolves kept their mates closely protected, as though they expected the wild vampires to suddenly attack.

"She's stable for now. But she will need a lot of care for the next few hours. I recommend that Rosalie stays and keeps an eye on her - if you will allow it."

"We'll allow it." Sam said, speaking up in place of a silent Jacob.

"The venom in her veins… I've never seen anything like it. You are certain a vampire did this?"

It was Jared who growled in answer. "Considering you've been inviting a red-eyed swarm onto our lands you should know all about it."

Rosalie snarled, ever protective of her adoptive father. "We are not expecting any more company, mutt. And none of our allies would hunt on your lands. Or take sick pleasure in provoking puppies."

It was then that his colleague, Nurse Sue, broke the grim tension permeating the room. She looked from Carlisle to Jacob with eyes every bit as strong and defiant as her daughter, her rain-dampened gown barely reducing her level of intimidation.

"You said it was the same leech that attacked her the last time? The one that hurt Claire and Emily?" her voice rose. "How did this thing manage to evade the pack long enough to play a game of cat and mouse with my daughter?"

Jacob's face fell, swallowed by anguish. He looked like a man twice his age. "Embry and Paul were on patrol. They're our strongest fighters besides Sam and me. Experienced. By all counts, they should have been able to handle it."

"So why didn't they?" Sue asked, and it was only then that both she and Carlisle grasped what Jacob hadn't said.

One quick scan of the room's occupants confirmed it. There were a dozen familiar faces before them, a few new ones, but certainly two missing shapeshifters he had trained with in preparation for the battle against Victoria.

Sue's hand flew to her mouth.

Jacob's eyes filled, "We found… Paul's body was ripped to shreds. We found pieces of him all around the forest."

The young woman nearest to Jared, his mate, immediately covered her face with her hands.

Jacob wasn't finished, "Seth found him, and we… searched every stretch of land for Embry. The storm's washed away everything. No one's heard from him in hours. There's no sign of him."

Sam rubbed a hand over his face, "Sweet Jesus."

Carlisle turned to the Alpha; concern etched across his face. "This vampire sounds old and exceptionally skilled at evading your pack. We have been preparing for a war against the Volturi."

Rosalie stepped forward, "Carlisle, it could be a spy for the Volturi."

Carlisle nodded, "Why have we not been informed about this?"

"It has been hunting our mates, on our land." Jared snarled, "We don't answer to you Cullens."

Rosalie clenched her fists, But Carlisle shot her a quelling look. "Of course." He turned back to Jacob. "A lone vampire couldn't have made recurring trips to this area without picking up our scent, or at least Renesmeé's, and becoming curious. Why do you think it would only be hunting out female members of your pack? And Leah specifically?"

Shaking, Seth stood up and left the room.

"Maybe she killed a mate?"

Sam shook his head at Rosalie as Emily followed Seth out of the room. "It's been too careful. Leeches mourning their mates aren't usually so meticulous or restrained."

"Victoria was."

Jacob shook his head, "No. She wasn't. Something's not adding up. That thing… when it was talking to Leah… it was too familiar. Like that leech with the dreadlocks, how it looked at Bella."

"You think it knows her?" Carlisle frowned.

"Only one person knows the answer to that." Jacob answered.

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She walked with the grace of a woman who'd been born to lead. The surety of her steps however, and the scars streaked all along her skin, were a testament to her years of service to her people. Sakari smirked at her sister's formal entrance. Only Chenita could make walking into a forest clearing look so grand and regal.

"You look like our father," she smiled, in lieu of a more traditional greeting.

"And you look like your mother." Chenita returned.

"Is that really what you think of me?"

"Well, that depends, have you lured me here to spare my life or to take it?"

Words could not express how deeply her sister's words wounded her. How little her sister had come to think of her since finding out about the extent of Daka's powers and Sakari's own influence. Chenita had never liked Kaheleha either, more on the principle of his using magical advantage rather than anything to do with his character. It seemed her hatred of magic would make no exception for her own sister, no matter how much she was needed.

"Where is your husband?"

Sakari smiled wryly. "You know, for someone who hates magic you sure do know a lot about it. How come? Why would this lake open itself to you if you had no desire to serve it?"

"So that's how it works, then."

Sakari nodded, "Yes, you must feed somehow into its wicked intentions." The sorceress glanced out over the near metallic waters, and the white flowers floating over the surface. Despite its ethereal allure, there seemed something slightly portentous about it, a jarring insidiousness that seemed to invite all manner of beast and demon. "I prayed I would never have to return to it. But I've come to pay my debt. This place… it always takes more than it gives."

Chenita turned to her. "Why bring me here, then? Am I the gift you give to it?"

"No Cheni. No," Sakari turned to the waters and lifted her arms, and a slight wind began to blow across the surface. Leaves seemed to swirl around them, and voices – so many voices – cried out around them. "Do you hear them Cheni? The voices of all of those it has stolen from our people. Yesterday, Kaheleha and I completed the spell that will give the Quileute and the Makah protection through devotion. Today, I finally understand how to break my mother's spell. I will free you and your people from imprisonment."

The howl of the wind had grown louder. Chenita stepped back as waves began to grow upon the waters. A sharp stone cut sharply across her arm, and a trickle of blood fell to the waters. Chenita's heart began to drum, "Sakari, stop this! Stop this madness!"

Her younger sister ignored her, perhaps unable to stop as cuts ravished across her fair skin. Blood fell in streams from her skin to the ground. The water seemed to come alive around them.

"Sakari, please! This will kill you! Think of Kaheleha and your daughter. Think of what this will do to them."

"The only alternative is your death, and I will not have your blood on my hands. Do not worry sister, I will finish it. My spirit will not rest until I complete this work. I will save our people the only way I know how, even if I must do it from the place of resurrection."

It was then that Kaheleha broke through the trees, his hair wild, his face fierce. His eyes went wide at the sight of his mutilated wife, and he jumped forward to stop her. As though he had anticipated she would try something like this.

But Chenita was faster.

The young warrior grabbed her sister at the critical moment, as the spell came to its peak.

And the sun hid behind heaven's curtains. And a cold, cruel wind cut across the land. And the rain fell upon the Quileute for many years, and in fact never left. It was said that no one ever heard from the three again. That no one ever knew if Daka's curse had lifted. Or what the price demanded had been for the destruction of the Lake of Lilies.

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Leah came awake with a shock. Someone had left the window wide open.

Leah tightened the soft, mink sheets around herself, vaguely aware that a hoard of police sirens was wailing in the distance. The drench of rain hadn't let up, and it was ominously dark, the sound of heavy raindrops pelting heavy across the roof of the old, wooden house. She rose shakily from her bed, disgruntled to find that her cousin's attempts to bleach the overripe reek of bloodsuckers away was otiose, but content with the fact that she'd been doused with enough morphine to sedate an elephant.

In almost slow-motion, her eyes crawled up from her wrists to the drip hanging over her bed. Someone had expertly stabbed multiple times into her wrist, "What idiot couldn't find a vein?"

"You're most welcome, you ungrateful puppy." Rosalie glared as she strode in from the kitchen. "Look at that. You've re-joined the world of the living. I'm finally free."

Before Leah could respond, Seth and Jacob all but ran into the room, looking literally like two, overgrown puppies. Without hesitation, Seth crossed the distance and caught her in a fierce smothering embrace.

Leah, relieved at the sight of him, kissed his head. "Hey kid."

"Don't do that ever again, okay?" Seth said.

Leah glanced over his shoulder to Jacob, who said nothing but looked as relieved to see her breathing. "I'm glad you're awake, Leah."

"Well, isn't this touching." Rosalie drawled as she turned to leave. "I'll take it upon myself to call your mother. She'll be miserable she missed your grand awakening on her way to get you more medication."

Leah pulled away from Seth long enough to take in his ragged appearance. The shadows under his eyes spoke of days without any rest. She touched his cheek, seeking out any signs of distress. "You okay?"

He nodded.

It took only a moment before she remembered - before it all came flooding back. The horrible smash of thunder, the sound of bones and bark breaking. That red-eyed leech. "Where is he?" She asked her brother and Alpha, though she was terribly afraid she already knew the answer. That ominous feeling… that sense that something sinister had happened, it hadn't left her for a minute. "He's not dead. I would know if he was. Where is he?"

"Leah…" Jacob said, crossing the distance to crouch before the bed. He looked at Seth, the two seeming to decide something privately, before he turned back to his Second. "We think he's been taken. And..." His hand took hers, "I need to tell you what else has happened."

He did, and the first loss of a brother was more than any of them could bear.

Over the next few days, it became clear that none of the others believed they would ever see Embry again. Taken, Jacob had said, when he'd meant 'killed off-land'.

But taken wasn't dead. Taken didn't mean ripped irreparably to over a dozen pieces. Taken wasn't left all around the forest for the wild animals. She wasn't fool enough to think anyone would let her help with anything in her current state, and so she waited until Sue had a shift and Sam was at work and Seth and Jacob had left her to the care of the new cubs.

"What are you doing?" Emily asked from the couch as she limped towards the front door. Bunny slippers peeked out from under the comforter wrapped tightly around herself, and she looked well beyond the realm of exhaustion. Her eyes might as well have been dead.

"Leaving."

"Carlisle said you need to stay in bed for the next few days."

Leah leaned forward, not in any kind of mood to argue with her cousin. "Look I get it. You've had the luxury of being treated like an authority ever since you Imprinted, but you have no idea what it's like out there, looking death in the face... He is my mate. You are not going to get in my way."

Emily watched calmly as Leah made her way to the door. She laughed when her cousin grabbed the handle.

"Train smash Lee, I let vampires into my house, for you. And unlike you, I didn't have to strength to protect myself. I've washed your blood, and the blood of your brothers off of my hands and sheets more times than I care to count. I am not your enemy. Despite your self-righteous indignation, you're the one who never knew me at all. You want to go ahead and get yourself killed in the process? Fine. You'll notice I'm not blocking the door."

Leah's mouth dropped in shock. Emily had been carrying the weightless look of a wraith for months. It seemed there was some fight in her cousin after all.

Leah hesitated before she grasped the handle and swung the door open. "You wanna come along?"

From the look on her cousin's face, she'd knew Emily was completely floored. "What?"

"You talk a big game. Get in the car."

Emily scoffed, "I have nothing to prove to you."

"It would seem so..." Leah shrugged, "Look. I'm high on drugs, it would probably be a Bella-level of stupid to go alone. And besides, when's the last time you left the house?"

Leah took a step towards her cousin, but the months of betrayal stood tall between them. Leah could no longer pretend that she was the only one who'd been hurt. Her cousin had suffered more than any woman ever should.

"Well?"

For a moment, Emily's eyes hardened and Leah was certain she'd say no. But then her cousin shook her head, her lips tilting up in a small smile. "I guess every escaped convict needs a hostage."

Leah snorted at that. For once, it was good-humored.

And that was how Emily found herself dragged along to Daka's reunion party.