XLIV. A Stupid Ass Decision

About an hour after my disastrous phone call with Leah, I was nearly ready for bed when I heard a series of rapid knocks against my window.

Quickly, I shut my door, before crossing the room and pulling back the curtain.

"What the hell, Edward?" I hissed, sliding the window open and ushering him inside before he was seen by one of the neighbors. As soon as I'd closed the window and slid the curtains back into place, I turned around and was met with Edward's frantic expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked, face instantly softening as I stepped close and took one of his hands in mine.

"Apologies for the intrusion," he said hurriedly. "You weren't answering your cellphone and I couldn't wait."

"Wait for what?" I asked, head craned back to meet his fraught gaze.

"Tomorrow, your future vanishes," he said, voice tense. "It's only for an hour, but it's the exact same as your approaching future. How…?"

"Tomorrow?" I repeated, with a frown. "…Oh."

Edward squeezed my hand. "You know what happens tomorrow."

"I got off the phone with Leah, not too long ago," I explained. "I'm not sure about everything that went down, but Leah incited one of the wolves into shifting in front of her. The council wants to speak with her, and since Sam is technically a part of the council, I assume he'll be in attendance. Alice is blind to the werewolves, so that's likely the cause."

Edward didn't relax at my admission. "But why are you attending?"

"My confrontation with Billy has been a long time coming," I confessed. "According to Leah, Billy is already aware that the guys know. Jacob easily fessed up, and none of them will allow her to face the council on her own. Billy technically doesn't have any proof that I know anything about the wolves, but Leah said he strongly suspects."

"Why prove his suspicions right?" Edward demanded.

"Because it's inevitable," I said. "One way or another, Billy does plan to confront me about my relationship with you. I can't avoid him forever. This way, I can at least do it on my own terms."

Edward frowned. "You're not telling me everything."

I sighed, and tugged him over, until we were sitting at the foot of my bed. "Kind of," I told him. "Leah won't say so, but when I was talking to her, I got the sense that she wanted me there. She's confronting the elders, her father, and Sam all at once. Even if she won't say, I know she needs the support."

"I don't like this," Edward murmured.

I tilted my head in question. "Why? As you said, I only disappear for an hour. I won't be gone for long."

"You vanish from Alice's vision," Edward repeated, voice strained. "How do you know it's not the werewolves who will hurt you?"

"I've thought of that," I admitted quietly. "But I don't believe that to be the case. What Alice sees is a premeditated decision. And she saw it before Billy knew about our relationship. There's no reason the pack would have had it out for me then. Or even now, when I'm still only human."

"I see."

"Do you disagree?"

"No. I'm merely frustrated," Edward heaved a sharp sigh. "…I'm sorry, I'll let you get some rest."

"Do you want to stay?"

For a moment, Edward stared at me, bewildered. "What?"

"You heard me," I teased. "Don't get any ideas though. As soon as I take my sleeping medication, I'll be out like a light."

Edward didn't smile. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I know you guard your privacy closely," he said. "I don't wish to intrude."

"I won't force you," I said carefully. "But I would like you to stay."

For a long moment, Edward's eyes flitted over my expression, as though searching for anything that would contradict my words.

When he found no such thing, his features relaxed and his eyes warmed. "I would like that as well."

"Perfect," I smiled and moved over to my closet. "Let me set up the heated blanket!"

"I can do that," Edward offered.

"Um, okay, I'll just go brush my teeth real quick," I decided and filed out of the room, being careful to shut the door behind me.

Downstairs, the TV continued to blare.

That's a relief. We weren't exactly being sneaky.

After I used the bathroom and washed my teeth and face, I returned to my room, to find the electric blanket spread out. Edward lounged on the side of the bed closest to the window, leaning against the headboard.

"All done?" he asked quietly, running a hand through his mess of hair and looking a little self-conscious.

"Almost!" I whispered, briefly turning my back to him and sitting on the other side of the bed, by my nightstand. Once I'd plugged in my phone and swallowed down my sleeping pill, I reached over to turn off my bedside lamp, and then turned to settle into bed.

"How long does it take for the medicine to take effect?" Edward murmured, still leaning back above me.

I hummed happily as he gently ran his fingers through my loose hair. "Usually a few minutes," I mumbled. "So, if you want to say anything, better be now," I said, lifting my gaze.

In the dark, I could see the outline of Edward's shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Very well," he whispered.

I closed my eyes again, and had nearly drifted off, when he finally spoke.

"In the future that you know, does anything good happen?"

I frowned. "Good?"

"You're always warning us of impending disasters," he said thoughtfully. "I just wondered if there were any good moments."

I hummed in thought, struggling to think of any good moments. Canon truly had been one disaster after the next. And I couldn't think of anything prior to Edward and Bella's marriage that was good.

Even the engagement had been tainted by Bella's obvious reluctance.

Finally, I mumbled, "Happily ever after."

"What?" Edward asked in disbelief, laughter edging his voice.

I buried the side of my face against my pillow, nearly out. "If Fate is going to be insistent about everything bad," I mumbled. "Then it better damn well be insistent about everything good."


Leah was already waiting by the road, when I pulled up to her house.

"Sorry, am I late?" I called, hurrying to shut off the thunderous engine before jumping out of the cab.

"Nah, you're right on time," Leah waved me over as she began heading back down the street.

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked as I jogged to catch up with her.

"The council is meeting at Billy's house," she explained.

"I could've driven us there!"

"No, we need a moment to get our facts straight," she said, shooting me a pointed look. "I already briefed the guys earlier, and now it's your turn."

"Oh, right. I'm all ears then."

"First off, I'm going to lay out everything that we will continue to keep secret: Obviously, all the shit about you having superpowers, or mutant powers, or whatever the guys are calling it at this point. If you want to share it, that's your business, but I'm not sure how receptive they would be," she said with a shrug. "The guys at least know not to bring it up."

"That means any information I've provided you with, is off the table," I reminded her. "Including the likelihood of you and Embry shifting."

"We already talked about it and agreed that's fine," she assured me. "Embry says he'd rather surprise them, than face their skepticism. Or even worse, their rejection."

I grimaced. "Understandable."

"Yeah and I'm with him there. It's bad enough they've all lied to me. If I have to deal with their disbelief as well, I might just snap."

"Right, let's not do that with your dad in attendance," I gently reminded her, as we crossed over to the next street in the twisting neighborhood.

"I'll be fine," she huffed a sharp breath. "Anyway, that also includes you informing me about the pack in the first place. Right now, Billy thinks it's the Cullens who must've tipped you off."

I shook my head. "No, they never would have. I already knew."

"Exactly. And we don't need them going to war over that," she said. "Ergo, I'm the leak."

"You want to take the fall?!"

"It's not like they aren't already pissed at me," Leah snorted. "I'll be fine."

I frowned. "If you're sure that's how you want to play this…"

"I am," she said. "Second," she continued, holding up two fingers. "I'll be the spokesperson. I've already told the guys to keep mum, so we don't get our stories twisted. But, if you feel the need to say something, I trust you to do so."

"Got it."

"And third," she said, pausing at the corner of the street and turning to face me fully. Her dark, long-lashed eyes burned with a fiery intensity that fueled me with confidence. "Billy is still bent on giving you a talking to about the whole boyfriend business. But with all the elders in attendance, you can expect a whole fucking inquiry to take place. Are you ready?"

I grinned. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Leah thumped me on the back of my shoulder. "That's what I like to hear, Swan! Let's go."

We walked the last street in pensive silence.

I couldn't help but feel relieved that Leah had made the executive decision to keep my secret, a secret. While I wouldn't have minded being forthcoming with the elders, who knew what kinds of questions they would've asked.

And if they ever found out about who I really was…

I only needed to remember Utlapa, to know that the tribe was no friend to body thieves.

When we arrived, Leah led me around the side of Billy's house and to the backyard, where we found them congregated around a smoldering firepit. Old Quil, Billy, Harry, and Sue sat in lawn chairs, bundled up in coats and blankets to keep the gusty chill at bay.

Standing to the side, Sam and Jared appeared to be making conversation with Jacob, Quil, and Embry, though from what little I could hear, it seemed they were giving Sam the cold shoulder. Paul was nowhere in sight.

As soon as Billy caught sight of us, he said flatly, "You're late."

"Sorry, had to pick up a straggler along the way," Leah called with a careless gesture in my direction as we walked across the mossy lawn to stand across the pit from them.

I waved, smile meek at the sight of their less-than-impressed stares.

"Hello, Isabella," Billy greeted me. "I'm glad we finally have the opportunity to talk."

"Of course," I grimaced. "Hello, Sue, Harry. And you must be Uncle Quil. My dad's mentioned you."

Though I'd caught a glimpse of Old Quil at Seth's birthday party, Charlie had never officially introduced us.

"Yes, Charlie talks about you quite a bit," he said, voice a thin tenor. His terracotta brown skin was deeply wrinkled, contrasting sharply against his white hair.

"I would say it's good to meet you, but under the circumstances…"

He snorted quietly. "Likewise."

"Isabella!" Quil grinned, waving as he walked over to join us, Jacob and Embry at his heels. "You made it!"

"I said I'd be here."

He squeezed between Leah and I to pull me into a side-hug.

"Ugh! Watch it, dork!" Leah snapped, stepping aside before she could trip.

On her other side, Jacob laughed. "He does it every time. Don't act so surprised."

"It's weird and annoying," she sniffed.

"We're cousins," Quil turned his head to grin at her, arm still wrapped around my shoulders.

"We're all technically cousins, you idiot."

"Yeah, but technically, only Quil is Isabella's cousin," Embry said, popping up on my other side.

"Hell yeah I am," Quil said, finally removing his heavy arm to high-five Embry above my head.

The brief, relaxed mood instantly vanished and became tense the moment we caught sight of Sam and Jared joining the circle, standing on either side of Billy.

"No Paul?" Leah sneered.

"Not after the stunt you pulled," Sam said tightly, eyes narrowed in her direction.

Leah shrugged, unrepentant. "It's not my fault if the amateur can't control his temper."

"You could have died―"

"Enough."

A single word from Sue had them both shutting up.

"We are not here to reprimand Leah for her actions against Paul," she continued, gaze switching between Sam and Leah. "That will be taken care of at home. Right now, what we want to know is how Leah knew to provoke him."

Leah gave her a long, exaggerated eye-roll. "I already told you, mom. I was just testing out my theory. How was I supposed to know he would actually transform into a big, furry monster?!"

"And why did you feel it necessary to share this theory with so many others?" Billy asked, eyes sweeping across our little group.

"You guys were the ones acting crazy, telling me to stay away from Jacob and Quil," Leah scoffed.

"That doesn't explain why Embry needed to be informed. He is not Quileute," Old Quil pointed out, mistakenly.

Embry shifted uncomfortably beside me.

"Are you kidding me?! The lot of them are pack animals! They don't come in ones," Leah snapped and then grimaced. "Pun unintended."

Quil had to muffle a snicker and I jabbed him in the side with my elbow.

"Leah, have you shared this information with anyone else?" Harry asked with a concerned expression.

"No," she said mulishly.

"Leah!" Sue snapped.

"What?!" Leah said, just as sharply. "It's not fair! What if Rachel comes back to the rez, and one of these blockheads imprints on her?! Does she not deserve to make that choice for herself?! Or would you force her to be saddled with a drooling, man-child following her around for the rest of her life?!"

At the mention of the word 'imprint' everyone grew uncomfortably quiet, and Sam cast his gaze down.

Meanwhile, I shot Leah a look of surprise. I had never outright told her that Rachel would be imprinted upon. With all the other information I'd shared with her, it had slipped my mind.

She had good instincts. I would have to confirm it for her later.

"The chances of Rachel being imprinted on, are not very high," Billy tried and failed to reassure her.

"The same thing could've been said about Emily or Kim. And look how that turned out," Leah reminded him dully.

For the first time, Jared spoke up. "How do you know about Kim?" he demanded, shoulders hitched into a tense line.

"Anyone could've deduced that from the disgusting way you two act at school," Leah scoffed. "Give me a break."

"Oh." Jared looked a little red.

"And if Rachel knows," Sue sighed.

"Then Rebecca knows," Bill finished her thought.

Leah rolled her eyes. "Your daughters knowing tribe secrets isn't the end of the world. They're tribe."

"And Isabella?" Harry asked. "Do you count her as tribe?"

"No, but I'm sure Quil does," Leah snorted.

"Very true," he cheerfully agreed.

"Besides," Leah continued over Quil. "Someone had to warn her that her boyfriend is an overgrown mosquito. I couldn't let the poor, innocent white girl fend for herself."

"She couldn't," I agreed solemnly.

"You broke the treaty?!" Sam demanded suddenly, unable to hide the flash of terror in his eyes.

Leah sneered. "No, dumbass. She already knew. But I had to check in with her despite that."

"I understand," Sam said tersely. "But she has no business knowing about the pack. I understand why you might've told Embry, but not Isabella." Here, Sam turned furious eyes in my direction. "Unless, it wasn't Leah who told you about us."

I shook my head. "If you're accusing the Cullens, then no, they never mentioned you. When Leah confronted me about the Cullens, I thought it was strange that she knew. It all came out then," I explained, trying not to implicate anybody as I flipped the script between myself and Leah. "But back then, it was only a theory. Not a secret."

Sam didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue further.

"And? Does this mean you've stopped seeing him?" Billy asked me, leaning forward in his wheelchair with interest, not appearing as concerned as Sam about the possible breaking of the treaty.

"You don't think Jake would be all over that if she had?" Embry muttered under his breath.

I dug my heel into his foot. "Shut up."

"Shit. Okay!"

"I haven't stopped," I admitted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "But from what I hear, the doctor plans on moving his family this summer. So it'll have to end then."

"Yes," Billy said, looking pleased. "He did call to inform us about that. But I would prefer it if you cut off all contact. It's not safe for you. Or Charlie."

"I understand," I assured him. "But this is my decision to make, Billy. Regardless, I see them at school every day. Cutting off contact will make no difference."

"I see," he grimaced, leaning back, seeming to understand that I had made up my mind already.

Huh. So much for an inquisition.

"Is that all then?" Leah huffed, crossing her arms. "You know everything we know," she lied. "Werewolves, vampires, unwitting imprints. I can give you the report on the cliff side mermaids next week."

Jared actually let out a snort at that.

"One rule," Billy said, holding up a finger. "Which you have already broken far too many times already. But no more, Leah. This secret must remain intact!"

For a moment, Leah looked like she was ready to agree with him, just to get him off her back.

But then, her expression twisted oddly and she said to Billy, "Hold on to that thought."

Leah turned to us, gesturing for us to back up. "Huddle up," she hissed, until we were all in a tight circle. "What do you guys think?" she whispered.

I exchanged a look with Embry.

"You actually want to have this argument with him?" I carefully checked.

"Duh," Leah said. "We're already here. Might as well."

"Alright…"

The guys and I made a few possible suggestions that she could present to Billy, completely ignoring the fact that Sam and Jared could technically hear everything we were saying.

I was just glad to help. While these were concerns that I personally had, I would never have presented them before the council so boldly.

Frankly, it was none of my business how they ran things here.

Once we came to a concession, we separated and lined back up.

As the spokesperson, Leah took a step forward.

"We recognize the council has made a decision," Leah said, actually having the nerve to quote me. "But given that it's a stupid ass decision, we've elected to ignore it."

"Leah, what―"

Leah held up her hand. "I am not talking to you as a daughter, mom. I am talking to you as a concerned member of this tribe."

"I am interested in hearing what she has to say," Old Quil said, appearing somewhat entertained. "Please, Leah. Proceed."

"Thank you, Uncle Quil," Leah shot him a sharp grin. "While I understand the importance of protecting our tribe by way of secrecy, I think it's extremely shitty to both the kids and parents involved in this nonsense. It's all well and good that you're all on the council, so you get to know when Jacob, or Quil, or Seth inevitably get caught up in this mess. But what about Jared's parents? Or Paul's dad? Or Sam's mom?"

Sam appeared shocked to be included.

Leah continued, "You think it was hell on me when Sam disappeared?! Allison was also flipping out! And I can't speak for Jared or Paul, but I can't imagine their relationships with their parents are any better."

"Jared, is this true?" Old Quil asked.

"Yes," Jared grimaced. "Sam, Paul, and I take turns missing school so we can patrol, but it's still hell on my grades."

"I see," Old Quil murmured, appearing to be deep in thought.

"Do you have any other concerns, Leah?" Harry prompted her.

"Yes. The point may be a bit moot, seeing as I already spilled the beans to these nerds," she said, gesturing towards Quil and Jacob. "But, it has to be said. Waiting until someone has already transformed to tell them the truth is absolutely fucked and too little too late. If someone is exhibiting werewolf symptoms, they have the right to know what the hell is going on."

Harry nodded. "We will discuss your concerns, Leah. And we will inform you of our decision at the next bonfire."

"I expect so," Leah said with a smug grin.

"Then you are free to go," Billy said. "And Isabella. Please. Be careful."

"I will be," I said.

"Leah―"

"I really, really don't want to hear anything you have to say," Leah bit out, cutting Sam short.

With a frown of a dismay, Sam nodded, and then turned away, gesturing for Jared to follow him as he disappeared back into the woods.

"Right then," Leah said, turning to us, looking both relieved and satisfied. "I'm going to walk our resident white girl back to her car."

"What?! You're not gonna stay?" Quil asked, expression twisted in betrayal.

"Didn't you hear?" Embry snickered. "She hasn't broken up with her oversized mosquito boyfriend just yet."

I sighed. "Please don't call him that."

"Would you prefer leech? Or bat breath?" Jacob sniggered.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know why I put up with any of you."

"We're all freaks here," Leah reminded me. "Let's go."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled and took off after her.

When we were around the other side of the house and back on the street, I turned to Leah with a startled grin. "That went way better than I expected."

"They didn't have a leg to stand on," Leah scoffed. "We sure showed them!"

Simultaneously, we high-fived.

"We sure did," I laughed.

"Although, we'll see about getting them to agree with any of the things I said," she groused.

"Well, it can't get worse than it already is."

"Yeah? Tell me something I don't know."

Though I knew her comment to be rhetorical, I couldn't help but think about Harry's hypothetical death. And how, in that version, Sue and Charlie would've found comfort in one another.

"In a different life, we were supposed to be sisters."

Leah turned to me with a sudden laugh on her lips. "Is that right?" she grinned, likely not understanding the context I meant it in. She threw an arm around my shoulders. "Well, thank your lucky stars, Swan. Who knows how long you would've lasted with me bossing you around!"

I smiled and thought, I'd probably last longer than Alice currently predicts.


A/N: I'm currently recovering from being sick again. I tried my best to edit, but the chapter might not be in the best state.

And thank you so much for over 1k reviews! Honestly, with the amount of spam/flames I delete on the daily, I'm surprised the number got that high x)

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