The day of the meeting with the Cullens dawned wet and dreary. The vampires didn't mind, but soggy fur had most of the wolves in a generally grumpy mood. As the pack broke through the dripping trees, Carlisle seemed surprised to see Jacob unchanged. He recovered quickly. "Good call," he nodded toward the small sleek wolf he knew to be Leah. "Jacob can communicate with all of us."
With a couple of hitches, the training itself went smoothly. There were a few tense moments, notably when Paul cracked a gleaming incisor on Emmett's beefy bicep. Jacob and Carlisle jumped into the fray to separate the snarling duo and remind them of the task at hand. It was, of course, an accident, and no permanent damage was done to either of them. Leah decided not to intervene with an Alpha order to force Paul to stand down, since the vampires had no such mechanism for instant obedience.
There was some slipping and sliding in the mud, but the snickering was good natured. Watching Esme slide down the gully on her shapely butt was amusing to all those present, including Esme herself.
Jasper proved to be an accomplished instructor, and he made sure the pack would know how to take advantage of any loophole in the Volturi defenses. He warned them not to be taken in by Jane's innocent young face or her twin brother's apparent charm. Carlisle recounted their misdeeds in spine-tingling detail.
It turned out the greatest vulnerabilities were to crushing (for the wolves) and decapitation (for the vampires). The vampires' impressive speed made them difficult to catch, and in a thousand years they had learned to anticipate most tricks. Dismembered vampire bodies tended to re-connect, so the wolves were advised to have matches or lighters handy.
Seth made an ill-advised grab for Jasper and got one of the bones in his forearm broken, but the break was clean and healed by the end of the day. More importantly, they all learned to keep limbs close to their bodies when possible. "Remember," Jasper told them, "when you're in wolf form they're legs - not arms!"
At sunset the pack, exhausted and bedraggled, emerged from the forest. The boys phased and untied soggy shorts from their leg bands, stepping into them as steam rose from their warm bodies in the mist. Leah stepped behind Jacob's Rabbit and changed quickly.
"Good job, everyone. My mom has food for us at my place, and then you all deserve a good night's sleep. Jake and I will handle the early patrol in the morning." She looked at him and he nodded.
The pack made short work of the fried chicken, potato salad, fresh baked rolls, and chocolate cake Sue provided. She fussed over Seth's arm but had to admit it seemed as good as new.
"Thanks, Mom," Leah said as Sue packed up her casseroles and grabbed her umbrella. "Seth's going to ride home with you. We're all kinda beat."
Sue gave Leah a peck on the cheek and clicked off the TV. "Come on, Quil. I'll drop you off. It's been a long day." She winked at Leah. "You get some rest too, Honey. The rain seems to have stopped."
"She's right, Leah. Mind if I stretch out on the couch? I'm not sure I can make it home." Jacob yawned and threw her over his shoulder, She squealed involuntarily in surprise.
"Jake! What are you doing?"
He laughed. "Getting you out of my way!" He carried her into the bedroom and tossed her onto the king size bed.
Laughing, Leah kicked off her shoes and pulled a quilt over her. "Seriously, Jake, there's plenty of room for two." She motioned to the wide expanse of mattress behind her. Grabbing the other pillow, he retraced his steps and returned to the living room. She was too tired to argue with him and was sound asleep in minutes.
"C'mon, boss lady, rise and shine!" Leah opened one eye.
"Please tell me you're joking, Jake." He shook his head and returned the borrowed pillow to her bed. Then he sat down on the side.
"Leah, there's no way on earth you don't know how I feel about you." She turned to face him, her expression serious. "We don't have any secrets. None of us do."
She stood and straightened the bedspread. "You're right, of course. I'm sorry, Jake. It's a lifelong habit, treating you like a brother." He winced. "Okay," she amended, "maybe more like a best friend. Give me some time, though. We're all still adjusting to this new...reality. You're my right hand man, my confidante, my bff. That's all I have to give right now. Are we okay?"
She had walked around to his side of the bed. He stood, and she looked up at him waiting for an answer. He took her chin gently in his hand, leaned down and carefully placed a brief peck on her lips. "Sure, for now. But I plan to change your mind."
His touch was electric, and Leah wondered just when that had changed. She seriously didn't need any new complications in her life.
"Oh! Sorry, guys!" Emily stood in the doorway, a heavy casserole in her hands. "The door was open…"
Leah took a step back and landed on the bed. Jacob chuckled softly. "It's okay, Emily. We're on our way out for a run. I'll see you at the trailhead, Leah." He quickly made his way through the kitchen and out the back door. Emily plopped down beside Leah on the bed.
"Aunt Sue figured you'd be tired, so she made a pot of chicken and dumplings for you and the guys. It's still hot, so I didn't want to put it in the fridge."
"We were...uh…"
"Come on, Leah! You don't need to explain to ME!" Emily grinned. "I just hope some day a good looking guy looks at me the way Jacob looks at you. Pretty much the way Seth looked at this casserole!"
Leah sighed. "I know he's too young for me, Em, but look at him! It's easy to forget he's not quite 17."
Emily shook her head. "It's just a number, Leah. Seriously. That boy is gaga over you!"
Leah took the casserole from her cousin's hands and started toward the kitchen. "How about if we talk about YOUR love life for a change?"
"My what?" Emily followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "In case you hadn't noticed, the gene pool is a bit shallow in this neck of the woods. Sam still calls every once in a while, but your mom knows to tell him I'm not in."
Leah looked at her cousin. "Look, Emily, I really don't care if you want to date Sam. I'm not his boss. In fact, I'm not his...anything."
Emily was shaking her head. "Our friendship comes first, Leah. And we're family."
"I mean it, Em. You follow your heart. I was in a bad place when I threatened you, but I'm over it now." She knew Sam had a thing for Emily, thanks to the pack mind, and she actually didn't care any more. It felt good to let it go.
"Thanks, Cuz. I'll think about it. And I'll leave you to your run with Jacob." She winked and left through the front door.