Author's Note: I know it's been a while since I updated, but I am who I am, and who I am is someone inconsistent in their writing. I haven't abandoned this baby though. I suffer at the whim of my creative conscious, which sometimes likes to produce a lack of material. However, I have another chapter for you guys and I really hope you enjoy this one.

ALSO, HELLO, I HAVE ANOTHER LEAHXPAUL STORY OUT! It's called Battle Scars of Love and I'm fixing to add the second chapter right now. It's basically a bunch of connected drabbles/smut centering around all things unholy of that nature. (So don't you go clicking on it if you're not prepared for some nasty!)

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, so please no one call their lawyer. I only lay claim to my own thoughts, plots, and O/C's.

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Chapter Eight

"So that's about it, what do you think?" Paul finished his story nonchalantly, taking a large gulp of his iced tea. Mrs. Fox's eyes crinkled as she stared him down, a frown on her face. So quick he almost missed it, even with his supernatural senses, she reached over and swatted him on the arm. "Hey, what was that for?" he asked defensively.

"You Neanderthal! You scared the poor girl. Honestly, you men know nothing about women!"

Her tone was scolding, but still caring and it enticed no anger from him. Instead, he smiled and chuckled. "Okay, well explain it to me in terms I can understand, because you're a woman and I'm a man, so there's a bit of a gap in my understanding here," he said with a quirk of his lips.

She grinned toothily at him before reclining in the chair opposite of his. A cool breeze drifted into the enclosed porch they were occupying, bringing with it the smell of oak and dirt.

"My husband was the same way. Too quick. Can you believe he tried to get fresh with me on our third date? I socked him right in the nose for that." She smiled, her eyes glazing over as memories overcame her. Suddenly, she snapped into the present with a glare. "And, oh my! You haven't even asked this girl on a date yet have you?"

"Well…"

"You haven't!" she accused, stabbing a finger at him.

Despite Paul's typical indifference or irritation when anyone thought badly of him, having this old woman, who was like a grandmother to him, berating him only made him feel sheepish and embarrassed. He ducked his head, sucking on his teeth and considering her words.

Asking Leah on a date… It was something he couldn't fathom doing.

After all the history they shared, being wolves and fighting side by side against the supernatural, going on a simple date seemed almost too normal. Even picturing himself doing the act was like a scene out of a movie, far too casual and synthetic.

"I don't know about that," he said with a sigh. He couldn't exactly explain his reasons why.

Mrs. Fox didn't ask why though, she just gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Well, honey, why don't you start with something easy. Go to her and say that you're sorry." This was actually something he didn't need to be told. Paul already knew that an apology was due for his behavior, but he wasn't exactly someone who did that kind of thing. Tackling the new concept made him want to succumb to anger so that he could brush aside the responsibility altogether. Anger was an easy thing to give into, allowing him an out when he was forced to try and sort through other complicated emotions. Paul worked to control his breathing, in and out, a tremble already starting at his spine. "At the very least, that's something you can start with. Work your way towards a date later. There's no need to rush," she finished, reaching over to pat his hand comfortingly.

The old woman never reacted to his overly hot temperature. In fact, whenever wolf-like aspects were involved, she stayed instinctually clear of asking any probing questions. He suspected she knew, or at least had an inkling, of what he was.

He mulled over her words - no need to rush. He'd been an idiot trying to kiss her up on the cliffs. After all the suffering and pain Leah had experienced, he couldn't expect her to give him a chance so easily. It only made sense, now that he was thinking calmly about it, that she should be scared of what he was offering her. Her trust needed to be earned.

He was foolish to believe otherwise.

Paul had harbored a crush on Leah for a long time. Since before they'd come together in the pack mind, before Sam's betrayal, before high school even.

She was unattainable back then.

If he thought that was true in the past, then it stood even more true today. Just because she had returned to the Rez, wiser and happier, a version more reminiscent of the girl that existed before Sam's betrayal, didn't mean that all that heartache had suddenly vanished. She still held it, it's permanence settled in her heart, just as anger and resentment forever resided deep in his. Overcoming the nature of those emotions took a lot more effort than a simple kiss.

"You know, you're pretty good at giving advice."

She cackled suddenly, grey eyes sparkling. "I would hope so, I've been alive nearly eighty years on this earth."

He winked at her with a smirk. "You don't look a day over thirty," he said, a flirtatious lilt in his voice. This only caused her to laugh harder.

He watched as Mrs. Fox stood up, grabbing both their empty glasses. "You're gonna make this old woman feel like a blushing high school girl, you rascal," she commented, warmth in her voice.

Their moment was cut short as a howl echoed in the distance. Paul tensed up, his eyes meeting the woman who remained frozen in her doorway.

She looked at him knowingly and he felt she could see into the very depths of his soul.

"I think you should probably be going now." She said it casually, as if only excusing him for the day with no particular reason in mind. He swallowed. He couldn't ask her if she knew, despite how desperately he wanted to. The alpha command prohibited giving anything away that might indicate their secret, even if that secret was already under suspicion.

So he simply nodded and Mrs. Fox turned to enter the house without another word. He got to his feet and headed in the direction of the woods at a jog.

Leah would have to wait.

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Vampire hybrids were fast, with sharp senses that allowed them a leg up over humans. They had better vision, smell, and hearing. So it wasn't exactly surprising that Renesmee knew someone was waiting at her house.

As impressive as a hybrid's senses were, they didn't come close to a real vampire's, nor to a wolf's. That was why Leah knew that the girl had arrived far before Nessie could realize her own presence in the house.

That was also why Leah could detect the distinct crunch of a second pair of feet, as well as the quick pitter patter of another's heart. Nessie's companion didn't sound or smell human.

As soon as they caught onto her presence, both feet and hearts fled back in the direction they came from.

Leah had been casually flipping through channels for the last thirty minutes, doing her best to ignore the two bloodsuckers who constantly shot her uncomfortable looks. She was content to wait for the girl in order to uphold her loyalty to Jake, if nothing else.

At the abrupt arrival and departure of the two individuals, she instantly shot up, her nostrils flaring as intense anger overwhelmed her. This rage was far more potent than usual and she couldn't help as her hands began shaking, a familiar course of energy running from her stomach throughout her body.

Renesmee and her accomplice had turned tail and ran after no doubt coming to the realization a wolf was nearby - in her home.

Both Edward and Bella moved to stop her, maybe calm her down, but it was too late.

"What the fuck?" Leah asked in a snarl, before taking off, bolting out the front door and into the yard.

It didn't matter that years had passed since she last phased. It didn't matter that the people she chased were beyond the speed and agility of normal humans. It simply didn't matter, because Leah was faster, stronger, than the two combined.

She caught up with them, her long legs pounding into the ground. Bella and Edward were hot on her trail, calling out and trying to reason with her.

There was no reasoning with this though.

Leah was barely able to hold her wolf at bay and it howled with agony inside of her. From the tip of her spine down to her lower back a fire ran hot, itching to spread to the rest of her body. She refused to ruin her life with this anger that sang loudly in her blood though. As determined as her inner beast was, Leah was even more so. This wouldn't be the downfall of her.

But it would be damn close.

It didn't matter whether her wolf took over or not, because she still couldn't resist the urge to attack, even if she was only in her human form.

Leah lunged forward, tackling the tall man to the ground. He tried to roll over and kick her off, but as soon as he made it onto his back, her fist connected with his nose in a sick crunch.

Again and again, Leah propelled her arm forward, bloodying up the overly handsome face of the man underneath her. Renesmee screamed, rushing towards them to intervene, but Bella cut her off. The vampire was a blur of movement and hissing as she came to stand protectively in front of her daughter.

Icy hands ripped her backwards by the shoulders and Leah growled loudly, the sound echoing through the trees. Her whole body vibrated as the sickly-sweet stench she was born to hate washed over her.

"Let me go, asshole, before I go and declare war on your whole pathetic family!" she yelled.

Leah wouldn't do that. Edward probably knew it. There was nothing in the world, short of an actual threat to the reservation, that would make her go crying to Sam. Still, he held her tightly.

"Calm down," he said in a hushed voice. It still seemed far too loud and abrasive in her ears and she fought to escape his hold.

Her body became a searing blaze and she knew that if he didn't let her go right now, that she would phase and then she really wouldn't be able to stop this inferno of fury brewing inside her, aimed at the man and woman who were going to be the ultimate downfall of her Alpha.

Because she could be smell them, all over each other. That could only mean one thing.

"How could you?" she cried, suddenly feeling an overwhelming amount of sadness and pity.

Bella had beaten Jacob's heart black and blue, but this would surely break it.

Edward abruptly let go of her, knowing that she wanted answers more than she wanted a fight, even if the two desires were nearly equal. Leah ran a shaky hand through her hair, pulling it out of her face.

Then it was quiet, nothing except for their combined breathing, harsh and loud in the quiet forest.

"It- it's not what it looks like," Renesmee said quietly, clearly unsure of what to do. Leah snarled loudly at her.

"Bullshit."

Bella responded to all this by crouching lower to the ground, her eyes nearly feral as they pinpointed on the she-wolf's body.

Leah met the vampire's golden gaze with her own fierce black. "Fucking relax, Swan. I would never harm an imprint. Even a shitty one like her." She finished the insult with a jerk of her chin toward its intended target. Bella hissed and Nessie looked close to tears. "I want an explanation though. And now," she demanded, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

The man who had, smartly, not moved from the ground where he laid, suddenly moved to stand up. Leah's body tensed and her lip instinctually curled up in disgust.

"The easiest explanation," he began, his voice smooth like silk, "is that I love Renesmee. And I believe she loves me as well."

It took a moment, Leah studying him intently, an inkling of remembrance in the back of her mind, before she finally realized who he was. His name was Noah, no wait, Nathan? She puzzled for a minute before it clicked.

"Nahuel, the halfbreed that showed up the day the Volturi came," she stated with certainty.

He nodded, his long, dark hair draping to frame his face. Truly, he was just as attractive as a vampire, though human elements softened out his features considerably. An underlying hue below his pale skin belayed a race originating somewhere in South America. His face was already beginning to heal from the wounds she inflected; crimson blood smeared across his nose and cheeks would be the only reminder of their brawl.

"Yes, since that day I have stayed in contact with Renesmee and the Cullen clan for the sake of pleasantries. Upon meeting with them once more, I fell deeply in love with their daughter."

Leah turned an accusing eye on Edward. Though she could admit Bella wasn't inherently a bad person, the young vampire was selfish. It was something she carried with her from her human life, whether she realized it or not. In the past, she wormed her way into Jacob's heart only ever desiring to make herself feel better, regardless of how it affected him. She chose a life of blood over the bonds that tied her to her family. Bella truly did love Edward, but if that love had been unselfish, she wouldn't have let it overshadow all of her connections and choices concerning other people.

That was why it didn't surprise her that Bella had decided to ignore Jacob's heart once more, because that was what she had always done and what she would continue to do.

But Edward, she knew, from seeing his experiences with Jacob in the pack mind, felt guilt over his wife's actions. He had wanted to make up for all the trauma caused, even if he didn't particularly care for the alpha. After all, the day he'd lent Jake his car, urging him to find happiness elsewhere, was only proof of this.

Leah took a deep breath, trying to ignore the overwhelming smell around her, before directing her next question at him.

"How could you let this happen?"

For the most part Edward remained impartial, but she thought she might have seen the telltale sign of guilt flash in his amber eyes.

"Renesmee's life is not my own. I cannot choose whom she loves," he responded truthfully.

Leah sighed, irritation prickling at the back of her neck.

"Does Jake know?" No one answered. "Does he know?" she repeated forcefully through clenched teeth.

After having chosen to remain mostly quiet throughout the conversation, Renesmee was the one who finally answered.

"No."

Leah threw a hand over her face, rubbing at the corners of her temples. "Shit."

The young girl, who was in no uncertain terms beautiful, stepped out from behind her mother's protective stance. Bella didn't seem to approve, but didn't immediately move in front of her again. Not even a ringlet of hair was of place on the halfbreed, but a shameful red coated her cheeks.

"I think… I think he might suspect something though. We just haven't talked about it," she explained meekly.

Leah pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath.

Then she pointed at Renesmee, a threatening scowl on her face.

"You are going to fucking tell him."

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And another chapter has been added to this story! I'm sorry for the slow updates, but thank you to each and everyone of you for sticking with this story. What do you think about this whole development, huh? Poor, Jake. He just can't catch a break. And poor Paul, he needs to work on his shit with Leah. I do have a course of action in mind with all of this by the way, but I'm sorry for all of you diehard JakexNessie shippers who may or may not be let down in the end. Anyways, I hope you still liked this chapter!

If you did enjoy it, then please follow/favorite/review! Have a wonderful day and stay safe in these troubling times!