Author's Note: Listen, the fact I updated this, even if it's five months down the road from when I last posted, makes me pretty happy. I hope you're happy too, whoever is still hanging in there and sticking with this story. CHAPTER TWO HAS BEEN REWRITTEN AND REUPLOADED. I encourage everyone who's interested to re-read simply because there was a lot of dialogue that's switched around, but if you choose not to it won't affect the major storyline.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do not lay claim to any - NONE OF IT. However, I do own all of my own thoughts, plots, and O/Cs.

So please, read on and enjoy.

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Chapter Twelve

Leah leaned forward, elbows on the wood of the table and her head in her hands. She watched as her baby brother ate his morning breakfast, eyes trained intently on the vibrantly colored comic book in his free hand. His face was still so young - the baby fat in his cheeks stubbornly hanging on despite his advanced physique. Even if his body technically no longer looked like a child, he still was one - at least to her. She wondered if he would always seem that way - like he was someone that she needed to protect.

"Stop staring at me - it's weird." Leah snorted at Seth's words. He put down the book in his hands, raising an eyebrow at her. "What's up?"

"I was only about to ask what your plans were for the day," she told him, relaxing back into the chair.

He sighed, seeming a little disappointment. "Colin, Brady, and I were supposed to meet some guys at the beach, but I guess everyone ended up going to Port Angeles instead." He suddenly smiled, all negative emotion gone. "So instead, I'm going to Oliver Freeman's house to play video games."

Leah groaned, rolling her eyes. "More video games, Seth? That's all you do. You're going to rot your brain."

He grinned, shaking his head. "Mom said as long as I keep a B average until graduation, I can do pretty much whatever I want," he proclaimed, seeming rather satisfied with himself.

The she-wolf frowned, grumbling quietly. "How nice of her."

Sue had become far more laidback in recent years. In the past, she wouldn't even allow Leah to watch television for more than an hour a day after getting home from school - and that was only after homework was done.

Apparently, her thoughts were clear on her face, because he held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, if it makes you feel better, I'll try to cut back a little," Seth chuckled.

She couldn't help but laugh at his plea bargain. Even after two years apart, Seth still knew her better than anyone.

Her brother could read her like a book. She did her best to keep the pages closed when he asked her the following question:

"What about you, sis? Doing anything interesting today?"

Leah hesitated before answering, just a little too long.

"I'm going over to Sam's," she finally said.

Instantly, her brother furrowed his brow. His brown eyes seemed concerned.

"Why?"

"You."

Leah's heart hammered in her chest. It felt like the hits just kept coming, knocking her down, over and over again. So far, she kept up with each one, getting back up everytime, but for how long could she keep this up? How long until she was broken again, unable to do anything except run away from here and hope that her pieces would find their way back to her?

The news that Paul delivered was unwelcome and unsavory. She took it bitterly, like cough medicine.

"We need you back." Sam's next words ignited an angry fire up her spine. She almost growled, but kept the sound at bay. Instead she stood rigid, her arms crossed tight over her chest to keep herself together.

"I don't…" She swallowed, keeping her emotions in check. "I don't want to come back."

Sam's dark eyes belayed his words as a command, not a question. She was sure an Alpha order was soon to follow if she gave him any more refusal.

Paul stepped forward. He stood directly in front of her, blocking her view of Sam completely. Something about his presence calmed her down some, although she wasn't sure why.

"I know it's not fair, Leah. But we can't do this - not without you." He truly sounded apologetic, as if this was as painful for him as it was for her. "We need you to stand with us."

She closed her eyes, understanding that this wasn't something she could so easily run away from. Escape was an option, but it wasn't an easy one to take. This was her duty. This was why she was born - to protect others and die for them. It was in her blood. She couldn't deny her responsibilities to her pack, to her tribe.

Sam spoke next, authoritative and clinical. "With how low our numbers are now, I don't know how this fight will go. But with you, Seth, Colin, and Brady we can-"

Her eyes opened and a lone word spewed forth from her lips.

"No."

"Leah-" Paul started.

"No," she cut him off. Her blood boiling, feeling overly protective towards her brother, towards all of the other young boys who'd had their childhoods taken from them, she couldn't help but fight for them to keep their youth a little longer. "Leave Seth out of it - leave all of them out of it. I'll come back. I'll follow you and I won't cause any problems." Leah took a deep breath, feeling sure of her decision. She wasn't readily willing to relinquish her freedom, but she would do it. If it meant that Seth could keep his, she would do anything. With conviction, she told Sam, "If you can do that for me, I'll do whatever you want."

She wouldn't let another second of her brother's life slip away into this madness. He would agree readily - so would Colin and Brady. They would risk their lives readily - despite being only children.

Unlike Bella - unlike Sam - Leah wasn't selfish. She could be stubborn and pigheaded, but she wasn't selfish. She wanted them to have a chance to grow up and live long, happy lives - lives that didn't involve werewolves or vampires or death.

Leah wasn't afraid to die - not if it meant keeping her brother safe.

"I want to start phasing again."

Seth shot up from the table, his chair screeching back on the linoleum.

"What!" he nearly shouted, clearly shocked. He opened and closed his mouth, before doing it all over again. "That doesn't make any sense, Lee," he finally said. He looked straight at her, eyes searching. "Why would you do that?"Anger, so unlike him, crossed over the soft lines of his face. His fists clenched. "If Sam is making you-"

"No," Leah denied instantly, only halfway lying. "No, he's not. This is my choice. I made it - not him. "

Her brother slowly sat back down, seeming rather confused and off-kilter.

"Your choice…" he trailed off, clearly uncertain if that was true or not. "But are you sure, Leah?" She tilted her head in yes.

"I promise, this is something I chose to do," she said convincingly, but Seth still appeared doubtful. "And it'll be good for me - I hope," she added, sincerely wishing that to be true.

There was a quiet between them, both of them mulling over her decision. Leah hoped that falling back into her old life wouldn't ruin her new one. She hoped that she could seize this opportunity to do better - be a better person - than she had before.

She was different now. The old weaknesses in her still remained, but they had been molded and shaped into something more useful to her. Anger no longer fueled her drive for vengeance and blood. She was wiser, more calculated - more calm. The she-wolf could do whatever needed to be done - even if it meant yielding to Sam - without her weaknesses hindering her.

If she was different, then this time things would be different too. This time, Leah would do her best to be a better pack member, a better sister, and a better friend. In the end, after all was said and done and the blood shed and the wounds tended to, she would change, yet again, into another version of herself. She wanted that version to be even more resilient than before. She wanted to be able to take these hits that fate and the spirits and life kept giving to her and keep going, without even a stumble in her step.

She wanted to be strong.

Finally, Seth relented.

"Maybe you're right…" He spoke slowly, thinking through his response. He met her gaze, seeming reflective. "You know? The pack missed you when you left."

She was left surprised by his words.

"Really?" Leah asked, completely surprised.

He nodded. "Yeah, none of the guys really said anything, but-" he paused, furrowing his brow. "I could just tell. I could feel it," he said, his words revealing a truth she had long remained blind to. "With Jake gone - with you gone - it was different. The pack link wasn't the same. It felt less complete." He closed his eyes only briefly, before giving her a sweet and sad smile. "It really took a while to get used to, especially for me."

She always considered herself a burden to her pack. She viewed them similarly in return - nothing but a burden to her. It astounded her to finally realize that despite how much they had seemed to hate her at times, they all also cared for her as well.

It took her a while to understand it, but she cared for them too. She even longed for their company once more, despite telling herself she despised it. They were her pack.

Although they were all separate, they moved and thought as one unit. They relied on each other's presence heavily, not just physically, but mentally.

At that very moment, Leah realized she was not completely whole without them. They were a part of her - one that had been missing for over two years.

XXXXX

It was much later in the day when she left for Sam's house. Lingering onto her human form for a while longer, she chose to make the walk there without phasing.

The familiar smells of wolves and Emily and food and incense filled her nostrils long before she arrived. Everyone was here today - even Jacob.

There was a thrum of discontent as she walked into the backyard. Jacob and Sam were uncomfortably sizing one another up, standing in the middle of everyone else. Testosterone was thick in the air as each male battled for dominance over those around them.

Leah huffed and rolled her eyes immediately upon taking in the scene before her. She went to stand beside Embry and Quil, as far away from Sam - and also Paul - as possible.

"I'm not rejoining your pack, Sam. I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'm an Alpha now - it's in my blood. It's not something I can ignore - not anymore," Jacob Black decreed, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Sam's forehead vein throbbed and he splayed a hand towards all the wolves waiting at standby. "How are we supposed to run as a cohesive unit? We won't be able to communicate. We can't anticipate your every move Jake."

Jake smirked and shrugged. "Then you can back down," he suggested, as if it was as easy as that. "I'll be Alpha."

Sam snarled viciously, the idea clearly unfavorable.

"And what's going to happen when you run off with your bloodsuckers again? The pack goes with you? Or it falls apart?" the other man spat, spittle flying from his mouth.

There was truth to Sam's words that Leah reluctantly agreed with.

Jacob would follow his imprint, anywhere that she went. He wouldn't be able to effectively command a pack from thousands of miles away. His responsibilities would find him elsewhere everytime he was needed here. If he took over now, there was a good chance the wolves would never bow to another Alpha again. His bloodline was as the Chief of our tribe and the leader of the shifters. It was never meant to be another way. Sam was only a placeholder. If Jake took over now, Leah's instincts - her wolf - didn't feel like it was something that he would be able to take back.

The younger male was able to see reason, likely coming to the same conclusion she just did. "Fine," he said. His voice was resolute as he added, "You need to know that I'm a lone wolf, Sam. I can't bow to you - and I won't."

Sam didn't seem to like the idea, but he didn't immediately deny it.

"How will we communicate?" he asked.

Jacob shrugged. "We won't."

"But-"

"I'll run left flank and I'll cover you and Paul, when it's necessary. If anything else comes up, I'll handle it," he stated simply, leaving no room for argument. The young Black then looked to the she-wolf standing nearby, giving her a hint of a smile. "Plus, I'm sure with Leah as my Beta, I'll have all the backup I need if anything goes wrong - which it won't."

Leah suddenly felt guilt. It was betrayal borne deep within her veins, coursing through her blood.

She almost felt sick as she told him, "I'm sorry, Jake. I can't be your Beta." She swallowed back a sour taste in her mouth. "I'm going to be part of Sam's pack."

The betrayal was not only inside her, but clear to see on Jacob Black's face. He faltered - for only a moment - before he responded.

"If that's what you want," was all he said, unceremoniously.

It wasn't - it wasn't what she wanted - but she agreed to it. It was her choice. Regardless of the circumstance surrounding it, she'd made it. As much as she wanted to take Jake up on his offer - to accept his rightful role as Alpha over her - she couldn't. She made a deal with Sam, binding it with her word.

Leah Clearwater didn't go back on her word.

The Alpha she reluctantly sided with seemed rather smug at the moment, as if he'd won her like some prize. She couldn't help but glare in his direction, feeling a prickle of anger.

Sam didn't have the one up on him for very long, because Jake's next words had him reeling once more. "There's something you should know," he began. He spoke louder, with the candor of someone completely sure of what they were saying. "I told the Cullens about what's happening here." A vicious series of growls leave out of human mouths, including Leah's own. Jacob held up his hands, begging patience. "They offered their help."

Discontent and uneasy murmurs were quiet, yet loud, each person having their own opinion and thoughts on the idea.

Sam surprised Leah by being somewhat open to the suggestion. His aptitude as a leader was often eclipsed by his ego and emotions, however he seemed to know that saving lives was the priority here.

"What can they do for us?" he grit out.

Jacob crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Fight," he answered simply. "They owe you - owe the pack - and I say you collect. Let them help."

Leah felt surprised as Paul stepped forward. She caught his dark eyes, for only the briefest of moments, before he focused his attention on his Alpha.

"Jacob's right, Sam. If there's going to be a battle, then we'll need all the fighters we can get."

"I don't like it." Sam closed his eyes, shaking his head. "But I agree." His baritone was heavy and loud as he spoke to everyone in attendance. "If anyone has an issue with this, speak now." Jared glared, but said nothing. Quil shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, but he was quiet. Leah thought to herself if her mother - of Seth - and she too stayed silent. "It's decided then."

Seven wolves - that was a tough fight against a whole army. There would be blood. There might even be death.

Seven wolves and eight vampires - that was a fairer fight. That was something that could ensure everyone would come home safe - alive.

They discussed a few more things as a pack. Or really, Sam and Jacob argued back and forth some more as everyone looked on uncomfortably. Paul occasionally intervened, strangely being a calming voice of reason amongst the anger and hot temperaments. Eventually, conclusions were reached.

As far as patrol went, two wolves would remain on patrol at all times, running six hour shifts in pairs. As the oncoming attack approached, that number would up to three. They would be stretching themselves thin, with little sleep or rest to be had in the coming two weeks.

It reminded her of an earlier time - a different battle.

"Now," Sam said poignantly. It caught her attention that he was suddenly staring at her. She couldn't help but bristle underneath his overly domineering eyes. "If we're discussing strategy, then it's going to involve you, Leah. We need you to pull this off. You're the only one who can do it."

She instantly disliked the tone in his words.

"What is it?" she asked defensively.

A hushed quiet fell over everyone here as he answered blatantly and honestly.

"Bait."

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I'm honestly wondering how many people are still into this story. I hope there are still some, because I do have more planned to come. Bear with me please, I beg you, and I will finish this story yet.

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