A/N: Please check the end of the chapter for Trigger Warnings.
"Take it easy, I'm not trying to go against you. I can be a lone wolf witcha. Gotta get up out of here and you ain't leaving me behind. I know you won't cause we share common interests. You need me, there ain't no leaving me behind."
-Rihanna, Desperado
A Perfect Storm
Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel ali-i-i-ive!
What the hell?
And the world, I'll turn it inside out, yeah.
Embry?
Floating around in ecstasy so-
Don't. Stop. Me. Now.
Quil, don't encourage this.
Don't stop me cause I'm havingagoodtime!
HAVINGAGOODTIME!
Quiet! The Alpha yelled. Immediately, three wolves went quiet. Like running a bloody daycare center…
Sorry. Seth chirped, racing past Quil towards the part of the boundary line nearest to the Cullens. You gotta sing along if you know the jam Sam. That's the first rule of all things Queen.
I'm sure he wouldn't mind the singing if it was half decent squirt. Kim's toothy smile. On the real Em, how are even your thoughts off-pitch?
I make up for my lack of musical expertise in other departments. A woman's moans. Euphoria.
Ew. Jared said. Who was that anyways?
Mind your business Jared. Blackness.
...only two days and then I see Claire. Only two days and then I see Claire. Only two days and then I see...
You're in a good mood Embry. Seth said. A fork in a wall. Pain in the shin. Amusement. Any particular reason?
Yes. Sam said. Any particular reason you're five hours late and in an unnecessarily annoying mood?
A pause. Blackness. Nope.
Sam sighed. Where's Leah?
Where's Paul? Jared interrupted. I really need to go check up on Kim.
She mentioned something about having to visit her best friend.
You'll have to lie better than that Call. Joshua's face. Embry's face. Fear. Emily's visiting family.
Leah's best friend is Julie, Sam. Annoyance. Blackness.
Jared frowned. Am I missing something?
Yep. Seth and Quil said together.
Only thing missing is popcorn. Quil added. Oh shit I almost forgot. Em, did the shoulder heal up alright?
Yeah, good as new. Soft hands. Citrus. Bliss. Jared is Kim okay?
Legs kicking bedsheets. Kim screaming. She's shaken up, but she'll be fine. Thanks for yesterday man, I really appreciate it.
Don't mention it.
Tiny, sticky hands. Panic. That leech is hunting Imprints, isn't it?
I don't know Quil, but it's starting to look like it. Sam said coldly. Kitchen tiles. Blood. Terror. We'll draw up a plan as soon as Jacob gets back.
That's if he doesn't bring another war with him. Paul said as he joined the link. A twirling dress. Annoyance. Can't believe Baby Chief's still not back. What gives?
Paul! Finally! Alright, I'll be back in twenty.
Wait a bit Jar. Sam ordered. Just until Jake gets here. I'm getting a real bad feeling about this.
Isabella's back Chief. Paul rolled his eyes. Honestly, I'd be worried if you weren't getting a real bad feeling.
Paul... Seth said suddenly. You're not shouting anymore. Why aren't you shouting anymore?
What?
He stopped fighting the Imprint. Jared answered. The brain clears out when you stop fighting it.
Embry frowned. I thought the shouting was how all Imprints go?
It's not. Leah's smile. Emily's eyes. Pain.
Oh the shouting! Paul said. Yeah it hurt like a bitch at first, but I told Rach I was… Jockeys. Panic. Boobs… about everything, and she was really understanding about it. Billy scared her with the whole soulmates thing, so she was really relieved when I told her I'd be anything she needed. Her boyfriend's a bit weird about her having a new guy best friend, but he'll get over it.
Jared stopped running. Boyfriend?
Yeah Matt. Nice guy, boring as fuck but she seems to like that. Rachel trying on a dress. Happiness. She's happy.
Quil frowned. Your Imprint has a boyfriend?
Yep. A boyish face.
And you're... not Jealous? Sam asked, wary.
What do I have to be jealous of? We're friends.
Jared snorted. For now.
Nah man. We sealed it. Rach said she needed a friend, so that's what we are. Forever.
Silence.
A really long silence.
What? Seth growled. Leah's face. Anger.
That doesn't make any sense.
Kim's diary. Kim's name. Jared's surname. I think it makes perfect sense Jared.
No Embry it doesn't. Sam replied curtly. Paws ripping through flesh. Emily screaming. Shame. I didn't want this. Neither did Emily.
You're supposed to say that.
What's that supposed to mean?
Leah's face. Blackness. Nothing.
Joshua's face. Embry's face. Rage.You would do well to remember your place, Call.
Leah's face. A ringing phone. Irritation. And you would do well to remember yours Uley.
If shit gets anymore ominous and confusing I'm leaving. Jared said.
Short people are so cute when they get angry. Leah said cheerfully as she joined the link. Rainbow-colored hair. Yelling. Amusement. Sorry not sorry to keep you all waiting. I just had literally nothing else to do.
Leah. A sunset.You were supposed to be here hours ago. I don't want to order you, but I will if you keep acting like this.
You're not my father Great One. Emily's hand on her belly. A hospital ward. Grief. So fuck off.
WHERE IS JAKE?!! A toothy smile. Agitation. I have to go check up on Kim.
Maybe they ate him. Seth said. Jacob's face. Fear.
Leah laughed.
A surge of lust. Blackness. Two hundred degrees, that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit. I'm travelling at the speed of light I wanna make a supersonic man out of you. Don't. Stop. Me. Now.
Did the harpy just make a happy sound? Paul frowned. And why am I suddenly turned on?
Oh, this makes sense now. Jared said to no one in particular.
!
What the hell?
What the -
Jacob Black crashed into the mind-link like a meteor, an ear-splitting howl sending shockwaves through the telepathic link like bomb, and hackles rose as every wolf witnessed for themselves what messing with bloodsucking demons did to teenage girls. Brady and Colin phased involuntarily, shredding through a small bathroom and a mattress respectively as the others froze, completely shocked by what they saw. For once, no one knew what to say.
Abomination! Paul thundered. And then life as they knew it fell apart.
Somewhere between Sam's panic attack and Jared's failed attempts at keeping everyone calm, somewhere between Embry and Paul's vicious brawl after the Third lunged at Seth for his betrayal, Brady went comatose and Colin started screaming. Through the haze of excruciating agony, Leah had a sudden flash of memory: a smaller Seth curled up against a wall and The Bull working over her father's dead body.
She was the first to realize what had happened; Leah intuited that the pack members' inner wolves could not tell the difference between the death of a family member and the disappearance of a packmate from the telepathic link. The spaces Jacob and Seth had taken up in the mind were suddenly empty, and their wolves had gone into shock at the absence.
Just as when her father had died, Leah went into damage-control mode.
Jared. She ordered over the howling cubs and Paul's stream of curses. Get Sam to his Imprint, now. Then go check on yours.
If they had not all been in such unbearable suffering, they might have realized that Leah was not the one who should have been giving orders to Jared. But the younger wolf tugged at the Alpha's collar anyway, dragging the oldest wolf like a cub towards Neah Bay.
For the first time since her first phase Leah realized that Sam was just as vulnerable as the rest of them. He had not been born to lead, he had been forced into the role of Alpha by chance, just like the rest of them had been forced into theirs as wolves. Something in her softened towards him for the first time in months.
Leah shook away the sudden emotion before lunging for Paul, sinking her teeth into his hind leg and yanking him away from her mate.
Stop it! The she-wolf bared her teeth at the growling beast. Enough Paul! Your brothers are scared. Brady and Colin need you. Stop fighting your brother, and help them!
Paul growled. Seth's face. Pain. How could he do this to us?
Jake was there after dad died Paul. Seth worships him. But your pack needs you to forget about yourself long enough to help Colin and Brady, just like you help your mother every time your father puts his hands on her. We need you to be strong. So be a protector Paul. Please, go help them.
I'm going to kill him. Jacob's face. Hatred.
Without another word the Third flew off into the darkened forest, heading towards the reservation.
Leah turned to the last two wolves. Quil was watching her carefully, and Embry was pacing furiously.
Sam's right. This half-breed is dangerous. Tiny hands. Blond curls. What if it can't control itself? What if-
We don't know that for sure. Embry interjected. Bella's drained body. A blue belly. Uncertainty. It's half human, maybe it's craving for blood will be subdued once it's born. Jake might be right.
Jake is not right. Leah said, sternly. Blackness. The newborns had blood in their systems Embry, and they were stronger than the other bloodsuckers. Jake is wrong. His love for Bella is clouding his judgement. He was always going to die for her, and now he's going to risk the lives of everyone we love too. We have to stay and protect them. Tiffany's face. Sue's face. Blackness. Promise me Embry. Interlinked hands. I need you to promise me that you will do everything you can to stay and keep them safe.
Of course Lee. Tiffany's face. Leah's face. Of course, I promise. Are you okay? It feels like... it feels like Seth and Jake-
I know. The she-wolf sighed. Grief. Can the two of you keep patrol going for now?
Where are you going?
Guilt. Blackness. Billy and the other elders need to know what's happened. We'll meet at dawn, Old Quil's place. Tell your brothers as soon as they phase back. Blackness. I need to find my mother and tell her what's happened. If anyone can convince Seth to change his mind, it's her.
Leah made off into the forest before she could start thinking too hard about the other things she'd realized that night.
It all happened so fast she didn't even notice the link to her dreams: in her last vision, she had found out that it was Jacob Black who would incur the wrath of her ancestors by claiming his blood for all the wrong reasons.
And it was that claim that would lead to Embry's premature death.
It was the night from hell.
After a horrible argument with her parents about her unplanned pregnancy and her engagement to her cousin's ex, Emily had come home only to spot blood on her underwear. With shaking hands she cleaned up the mess, only half-aware of what she was doing as she tried not to panic. She was interrupted by a sudden crash from the kitchen, and she ran out of the bathroom to find Jared hauling a hollow-looking Sam through the front door.
'What's wrong?' She asked, and her dread only grew worse when she saw the look on the young wolf's face. 'Jared, what happened?'
'Isabella's pregnant.' Jared said quickly, dragging Sam into a chair. 'It's the Cullen's. She's dying.'
It was as though her very breath was knocked out from her. Emily pictured the girl - a sweet, kind teenager who had gotten herself tangled in all of this because of some poor life decisions - and felt a wave of sadness. She didn't agree with Isabella's choice; if she had gotten a choice she would have left Forks the day Sam had turned up at her door and told her they were now bound together for the rest of their lives. But Isabella was the only one besides Kim who talked kindly to her after her engagement to her wolf. Emily didn't want to see harm come to the poor girl.
'I'm so sorry I can't stay Em.' Jared said as he made his way to the door again. 'I need to go check on up on Kim. She's not okay.'
'I smell blood.' Sam said suddenly, his deep bass resounding through the empty house as he jumped out of his trance like he'd come out of an electric chair.
His best friend stopped at the door just as the Alpha ran across the kitchen to catch a green-looking Emily in his arms, his nose running over the stiches on her head, over her chest, her belly…
'Oh no… Emmy, no, no, no...'
'What's going on?' Jared asked.
'Emmy.' The Alpha said, tilting her head upwards gently so she would look at him. Emily's eyes were full of sorrow. 'Em, how long have you been bleeding?'
Emily shook her head and then burst into tears.
Jared gasped. 'Shit. Sam, we need to get her to the hospital.'
The Alpha forced down his worst fears, cradling Emily in his arms gently before picking her up and heading for the door.
'Call Leah' Sam said, his voice strained. 'Please. She's gonna need Leah.'
Jared heeded his Alpha's instructions quickly.
It wasn't just Emily who would need Leah, he thought. After tonight, they all would.
Leah needed a drink.
Then she remembered that a drink wouldn't work, so she worried the wooden floor of her bedroom yet again.
She knew Jacob's integrity would be his greatest strength, and his most predictable weakness. His unwavering love and loyalty to Isabella fucking Swan would be his undoing, and Seth's honorable ethics and morality would be his. They would need her. The Alpha was sure to snap out of his meltdown soon, Sam was remarkably resilient if nothing else, and then she knew what would happen. Sam would not hesitate to kill if he thought it would protect his Imprint from threat, imagined or real. He would go after Seth, he would go after Jake.
He would go after her only chance of escaping him.
Amazingly, it was Sam's complete devotion to her cousin that gave her the strength she needed; the realization that those she left behind would always be protected. Sam would watch over Emily, and the boy who loved her would take care of Sue. Quil would watch over Embry better than anyone else could too.
She had already made her decision. Her fate had been sealed the moment her wolf had felt Seth vanish from the link. Or maybe it had been sooner; surely the flood of unwavering devotion she'd felt towards Jacob Black had happened the very moment the boy had claimed his birthright. Leah'd had an epiphany: she would never Imprint. She would never feel the wholehearted loyalty she felt towards Jacob Black, her true Alpha, towards anyone else. She would follow him anywhere, forsake everything to protect him like he had once protected her. And he would be her emancipation.
Leah finally understood why her wolf had never truly yielded to Sam's authority. She had not been born to obey Samuel Joshua Uley. But she would follow Jake without hesitation. It was right.
Now, if only she could figure out how she was going to make stubborn, hot-headed Jacob Black believe it.
Surely, if she could find a way to live with her father's death; find a way to ignore the pebble of guilt and grief lodged in spaces meant for breathing, surely if she could choke down the memory of Sam's arms clutched around her naked body like she was every breath he breathed, only for him to do the same with her cousin - then she could do this. She could take the cosmic joke that was her life, the universe's slap in the face, and turn it into a liberation story.
The perfect storm could become serendipity.
Leah charged out of her bedroom, not even thinking to take extra clothing as she made her way down the stairs. What was clothing when faced with freedom anyways? She'd eat raw for years if it meant she got to leave this bloody place, if it meant she didn't have to spend another miserable moment tied to Sam. A sudden, brilliant high burst through her when she made the decision, and for a moment she was on a cliff again, gazing down at the ocean. Only this time she felt no fear.
Ring!
For the first time in months Leah looked at her shrieking telephone and felt no anxiety. Without answering, the she-wolf burst out of Sue Clearwater's back door, and didn't look back.
The night had gone by in a blur, dawn came too fast.
The Ateara residence was humming with strain and activity by the time Sam Uley stormed through the front door, his best friend shaking with grief and fury at his side. The Atearas were one of the wealthier families on the rez, and their house was the most spacious compared to Sue and Billy Black's. It had been a good call, Sam thought, for Leah to order everyone to meet there. It was the only place big enough to shelter what was left of their pack and the four members of the Tribal council.
'Sam,' Billy Black sighed his relief when he saw the Alpha. 'Is Emily alright?'
The Alpha gave no response, his face hard as he took in what was left of his pack.
Paul and the cubs were squeezed onto the largest couch; The Third's arm was looped around an unmoving Brady, and Colin had dark shadows under his empty eyes. Kim was seated on the smallest couch and biting her nails; her Imprint's presence seemed to calm her a little, but her heart was still beating far too quickly to be healthy. Sam knew she hadn't had enough time to mentally recover from the leech's attack before having to contend with Jared's grief and Emily's hospitalization as well. She needed to talk to someone, fuck they all did. But all they had was each other. It wasn't nearly enough.
Sue entered from the kitchen with Quil, the two of them dropping a tray of tea and biscuits on the table before the nurse joined a brooding old Quil on the loveseat. Quil remained standing behind his grandfather, throwing cautious glances towards his best friend every few minutes. Embry hadn't stopped pacing since he'd phased back to human form, and if not for the sudden wall of determination and resolve that he'd slammed into place the moment they had felt Leah leave the link, Sam would have sworn the grey wolf was dangerously out of control.
'Now that everyone's here.' The Alpha began. 'We're gonna need to come up with a plan.'
'Easy.' Paul said darkly, his voice filled with malevolence. 'We storm into that place and-'
'We need a plan, not a suicide mission.' Jared said.
Old Quil sighed. 'You are heavily outnumbered son, and from what I've heard Jacob Black is the most skilled fighter of your pack.'
'He's not pack anymore.' Paul spat.
'Even so,' Old Quil continued. 'He will be difficult to challenge, and don't you underestimate Leah either. She is fierce, and she has powers of which you do not know.'
Paul growled so loudly it shook the glasses. 'Don't get me started on that little bitch!'
Quil's hand was just fast enough to stop Embry from lunging across the room.
Sue glared at the wolf; her eyes like the very wrath of God. 'You will not talk about my daughter that way Lahote, or you will have me to deal with.'
'Sue's right.' Sam said, forcing down far too many emotions to make any clear sense of right that moment. Thoughts of his first love elicited feelings of gratitude, disbelief, betrayal and deep pain.
'We all would have fallen apart if Leah hadn't taken charge last night. The issue is Swan, not your brothers, and certainly not your sister. It is Isabella's delusional decisions that continue to threaten our tribe. What she and that… monster have bred will not be able to control its thirst, our first priority is the safety of our tribe, not the destruction of our pack.'
'The destruction's already happened Sam!' Paul yelled, startling Kim and Brady. 'Look at us! We're a fucking mess!'
'I hate to admit it Chief,' Jared said, his hand reaching out to steady his Imprint. 'But Paul's right.'
'So what? What are you going to do? Rip it out of Isabella's womb?' Sue asked, distressed. 'It is half-human. It is a child. You are choosing to kill a child, and Isabella. She is just a girl and Charlie-'
'I didn't take you for the pro-life type Ms. Clearwater.' Paul interrupted, narrowing his eyes at the older woman. 'And keep your boyfriend out of this.'
'Maybe we won't need to fight.' The Alpha said suddenly, and for a moment his careful mask of authority and strength broke, exposing the twenty-one-year-old boy who had never been ready for any of this. 'Judging from Jacob's memories the…offspring is incompatible with Bella's body. She'll be dead by the end of the week. And if it is still alive I have no doubt Jacob will destroy it himself.'
Billy Black clicked his tongue. 'That boy… he brings me shame.'
'So that's it? That's the plan?' Embry ground out. Every head snapped to him at the threat in his voice, and only then did they all seem to realize how tightly wound up he was. 'The plan is to stand by and watch while Jacob becomes a murderer?'
'What the hell is wrong with you?' Paul jumped out of his seat.
'Paul.' The Alpha warned.
'No. What the hell is your problem Call?' Paul said, closing the distance between him and Embry in a nanosecond, and pushing the boy's chest. 'You think we can't see how badly you want to leave too huh?' He pushed again, and Embry clenched his fists at his side. 'You fought me - me - for that traitor! And you didn't even bat an eyelash when that bitchy little slut left-'
Kim and Brady screamed and Billy dropped his mug of coffee as Paul flew across the room, crashing into Old Quil's Television set with a loud smash. Glass shattered and wood splintered. A brown wolf burst out of Paul's skin with a low, threatening growl, but it was Embry's quiet power that caught and kept the room's attention.
'Let me make one thing very clear!' Embry said slowly, his eyes flashing an inhuman shade of green as his body shook. 'You say another word against my mate, and I will kill you myself.'
Sue frowned. 'What do you mean... mate?'
'No.' Sam shook his head slowly, disbelief and fury washing over the Alpha, hardening his face. 'Embry. Embry what have you done?'
Embry's low, warning growl shook the room, throwing it into captivated submission. If Leah had been there, she might have recognised Kaheleha's regal strength in the way the bastard boy held himself.
'She's mine.' he said slowly. 'And I don't take very kindly to threats on what's mine, Paul. You would do well to remember that.'
Trigger Warnings: Violence. Perceived Deaths. A Miscarriage and other pregnancy-related angst.
A/N: Writing this was too much fun. I do not apologize for the angst, however I do genuinely feel bad for Sam and Emily. But it had to be done. It had to be!
Wish there was more Callwater in here but I'll be making up for that soon, I promise. Until then, I hope you're enjoying the festive season. Stay safe everyone!