Authors Note:

Sorry for the long wait; work has been crazy lately. This chapter was the one that inspired it all. Also, can you believe it's been over a whole year since I started writing this story, Wow time flies. Anyway, buckle up and hang on tight because this is going to be a bumpy ride. I don't own Twilight or Amalee's cover of "Isabella's Lullaby."

Dead Leaves

Lily POV

(June 3rd, 2006)

"Let me sing a lullaby

As you close your eyes

And as you're drifting off to sleep

How I hope that the dreams that you find

Are bright"

A haunting melody was playing in my head. Lyrics of a song I don't know were gently sung to me. It was a bell-like voice, chiming and clear, but the words were scaring me.

"Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies?

Where a tomorrow waits for you and I

So hold me tight one more time, but don't kiss me goodbye

'Cause I know that I'll see you on the other side"

Flashes of red blotted my vision, and screams of pain echoed in my ear. The feeling of cold encompassed my body. I couldn't escape it, no matter how hard I tried. I was trapped in this nightmare.

"I will think of our song when the nights are too long

I'll dream of you for that's where I belong

Love, can we meet again soon in the bluest of skies

Only, in my dreams, do we meet again."

What did it mean? What could prompt these flashes of mine? Why are these words being whispered into my ear?

I felt my body shake violently. I sat up with a scream, eyes popping wide open. I wasn't expecting the touch of another person.

"Ana. Ana. It's okay. It's just me." I heard Sam's comforting baritone voice. I panted, trying to shake off my fear. "Are you alright? You were whimpering. Did you have another bad dream?"

"Yes. I'm fine, though. Just give me a little bit." I croaked out. It was another nightmare. I had been having them for the past couple of weeks. One night would be typical, and the next, that troubling melody would ring in my ear.

Sam sat down on the bed next to me and rubbed my back while I tried to get my breathing in check again. I felt the sweat on my forehead start to dry, and the heat compass me. "I got you something. It's downstairs if you feel ready to go down there."

I nodded; my thoughts suddenly changed to what he could have gotten me. But, unfortunately, he had been so busy working on trying to catch Victoria that we hadn't really spent time together.

I slid from under the covers and straighten my tank top and shorts. Sam's warm hand engulfed mine, and he led me out of the room and down the stairs.

Sam covered my eyes when we got to the bottom.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"It's a surprise," Sam said with a bright tone.

I smiled at his enthusiasm. "Alright then, you better not let me trip on something, though."

Sam kissed my cheek and started leading me towards the kitchen. I was brimming with excitement. "Keep your eyes closed. I'll be right back."

"Okay," I responded.

I heard crinkling of plastic, and a sudden creamy, clove–like smell waft over to me. "You can open your eyes now, Ana."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Sam standing in front of me, holding a dozen white lilies in his hand. My face lit up, it had been a while since Sam had gotten me flowers, and I sincerely appreciate the small efforts he put in to show me he loved me more than the world.

"Oh, Sam, they're beautiful. A little on the nose, though, don't you think?"

Sam chuckled at my statement. "I couldn't help it; I saw them and thought of you."

I walked up to him and stood on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the chin. "Let me go get my great grandmother's vase. We put it in the attic, right?" It was one of my favorite family heirlooms. It was a light clear crystal pink with flowers etched into the glass. It was highly delicate from being so old, but it was perfect in my eyes.

"I think so," Sam replied.

Turning to head up the stairs, I called out to him with my back turned. "I'll find it; how about you start pulling out everything for dinner. We're have stuffed chicken. Is anyone else coming?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay then. I'll be right back."

"Sam, slow down. You're going to choke." I laughed as I watched Sam stuff his face. He was eating like it was his last meal on earth.

"I'm not the one that regularly chokes in this house." He said with a wink, and I just blushed at the implication.

"So you go back to the day shift tomorrow?" Sam asked after taking a sip of his beer. Although he couldn't get drunk, he still enjoyed the taste of beer.

"Yep," I replied as I got up to put my dish in the sink.

"Are you going to come to the bonfire? You should be off in time."

"We'll see how I feel. Depending on the day I have, I might just want to come back here and sleep."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Everyone can understand that. I hope for your sake it's not too busy."

"Definite-" The front door slammed open before I could get my response out in stomped an furious Jacob.

"Did you know?!" He screamed at me as he came into the kitchen. "Did you know?!.

I shrunk back. I had never seen Jacob this angry before. "Know what?"

"That Bella's going to become a bloodsucker after graduation!" He said, shaking with fury, glaring at me with death rays. Sam immediately got in between us.

The revelation was like a sucker punch to the gut. My worst fear had been realized. Sam was instantly put into alpha mode. "What are you talking about? Explain. Now."

Jacob straightens up his spine. "Bella told me that she's being changed after graduation. Come on, you must have known from Liliana."

"Jacob, I swear this is the first time I've heard about this. I mean, I had suspected that she might be changed, but I was hoping that I was just reading things wrong. But if you haven't noticed, Bella kind of hates me, so I would be the last person she would tell." I said as I walked forward, still keeping my distance.

"You should not have been such a bitch to her then. Maybe she would listen to you then. But, instead, you made being with Edward desirable." Jacob roared.

"Jacob, watch yourself." Sam snapped in my defense.

"It's true, she's been nothing but a bitch to Bella, and it's Liliana's own fault that Bella hates her. While I hate Edward with every fiber of my being, I don't' constantly nag her about it like Liliana does." Jacob defended.

"I won't just play pretend and act like I approve of her decisions. That's not who I am. She needs someone to tell her the truth, no matter how harsh it is." I yelled.

Jacob's body seemed to vibrate even more viciously. I had no clue how he hadn't changed. "Still, you should have told us that she was going to be changed. Even if it was just a hypothesis."

"I did. I told Sam." I replied sharply.

Jacob stepped even closer to me; if Sam wasn't in between us, I had no doubt he would be chest to chest with me. "No, that's not good enough. You should have told me. I'm her best friend!"

"Why?! She's not your imprint! You have no claim over her! You need to get your head out of the clouds and accept that she's not the one meant for you! You keep holding on to hope that one day you'll magically imprint on her and ride off into the sunset, but it's to going to happen! She is not the one the fates want you to be with!" I announced loudly; I wouldn't be surprised if mom could hear the argument at her house.

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say at that moment because, in an instant, Jacob grabbed my great grandmother's vase from its resting place on the table and hurled it at my head. If it wasn't for Sam's quick reflexes, the vase would have nailed me in the head, but instead, it hit the cabinets behind me. The glass shattered into tiny fragments from the force and showered over the floor and countertop. I felt my heartbreak, and a little gasp slip from my lips.

After doing a quick check that I was alright, Sam snapped forward and grabbed Jacob by the nape of the neck. Pulling him out the backdoor and to the forest. I stayed in the crouched position for a little bit, stilling my shaking adrenal-fueled nerves.

When I was able to move again, I surveyed the damage. The vase was shattered entirely; there would be no repairing it. I felt a tear slip down my cheek at the fact that it was gone. But I sighed and pushed my turbulent feelings aside, and went to get the broom. I couldn't leave the glass laying around, not with Sam's constant bare feet.

It took a while to clean up the mess. The floor was filled with tiny undetectable shards, and there was water and flower petals strewn across the kitchen. Then, just as I was finishing up, Sam came back.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked while walking up to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't really know. I don't really want to think about it."

Sam wrapped his arms around me. "Okay, we'll talk about it another time. Do you need any help getting up the glass, or have you got it all?"

"I think I got it all. I'm sorry about the flowers. They were stunning." I sighed.

Sam leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I'll get you new ones tomorrow. I snuggled into his chest and relaxed as his scent soothed me. "Come on, let's get to bed. I'll even give you a massage; maybe that'll keep the nightmares away."

"What about the dishes?" I asked, turning my head to look back at the sink as he leads me upstairs.

"Don't worry about the dishes. I'll wash those tomorrow." He replied.

"Alright."

Lily POV

(June 4th, 2006)

"Ana. You need to wake up."

I groaned as I heard Sam's voice in my ear. "Five more minutes."

I was suddenly not underneath the warm covers as they were ripped off of me. "Nope, not happening."

I let out a whine as I sat up, giving Sam a fake glare. "I hate you."

"No, you don't. You love me." He said, chuckling, leaning down to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I checked the clock and sighed. I still had a lot of time before I needed to leave for work. "Did you wake me up this early on purpose? I still have an hour and a half before I need to leave."

"I just wanted to spend time with you before you leave for work, Ana. Besides, you don't even have to cook breakfast; I'm going to spoil you while I have you."

I smiled. Sam very rarely cooked, mainly cause he sucked at it, but the one thing he can do is make a proper breakfast. "Okay, let me hop into the shower. I'll meet you downstairs."

Sam gave me a devilish smile and turned to go out the door as I headed to the bathroom.

"Something smells great, babe," I said as I walked into the kitchen. My hair still damp from the shower.

"I hope so; I really gave it my all." He replied with a chuckle.

I walked over to Sam before sitting down and gave him a kiss on the jaw. "I appreciate it, love." He handed me a coffee mug filled precisely how I liked it, and I could even smell that it had a splash of vanilla syrup in it. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You were yourself. Your kind and sexy self." Sam winked.

I couldn't help but giggle as I sat down to eat. I immediately felt hunger rush over me and began to dig in. Sam matched my enthusiasm, well, maybe a bit more excited than me in reality, but I think I was giving him a run for his money today. Soon enough, the food was gone entirely, and we just sat there in silence, our hands wrapped around our individual coffee cups.

I leaned my head back and stretched with all might, my joints popping with the action.

"Why don't we go sit in the living room? Watch some news before you go?" Sam suggested as he got up, offering me his hand. I took it and allowed him to yank me up from my seat. I followed him into the living room and sat down on the couch, but apparently, I was sitting down wrong because Sam lifted me up to sit on his lap.

I snuggled back into his chest and relaxed as he embraced me into his arms. He turned on the TV to the morning news, and we watched in silence for a while.

But soon enough, a devious thought popped into my head, and I couldn't help but follow my instincts. I slowly ground my hips down against his crotch, elasticizing a moan to come out of his lips.

"What is your goal here? Do you really wanna start this game?" Sam said huskily in my ear.

A smirk graced my lips, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just trying to get comfortable."

"Sure, like I'd believe that. You're a devious woman."

I pressed my hips down again, and his hands immediately grabbed at them, his body instinctively bucking up to meet me.

In a flash, I found myself lying across the couch with Sam on top of me. "Now you've done it." His lips viciously attacking mine, leaving me breathless. Although I eagerly responded to the kiss, the force between us was bruising. The need for air bubbled up, and we broke apart.

Sam's hands trailed up my sides, thoroughly caressing every inch of my body. "You're going to be late for work."

"Not if we make this quick," I replied breathlessly.

Sam nodded and let me up for long enough to strip out of my clothing while he did the same. As soon as we were both naked, Sam grabbed my hips and sat me back down on his hips with my front facing the TV. His hands tracing the lines of my figure so slowly, agonizingly slow.

I leaned my head back into the crook of his neck, jutting my breast forward and arching my back. His hands went up to my breast, his fingers expertly rolling my nipples and sending shudders down my body. He knew how to play me like a fiddle, every movement dedicated to bringing me pleasure.

My own hands snaked down to my clit and started to rub it.

"Now who said you can do that? I don't think I gave you permission. Now, did I?"

I knew that tone of voice, Sam was feeling dominant today, and I would never deny him the opportunity to show me his wild side because it turned me to no extent when he did. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"If you want some more attention given to you, then I'll give it to you, but don't say you weren't prepared." He said while knocking my hands away, and his rough fingertip started to circle around the sensitive nub.

I mewled out in pleasure, loving his actions, his voice, and the pleasure he was giving me.

I could feel his extreme ridged member from beneath me, and all I could think about was how bad I wanted it in me. How I wanted to feel whole and entirely his.

As if Sam could read my mind, he slowly said, "You want this. Don't you? Answer me, kitten. Use your words."

I nodded my head, but apparently, this wasn't good enough. "I need actual words if you want me to give it to you."

"Yes, Sam, I want you."

"What exactly do you want? Come on, Ana, tell me all about what you want. Be specific." He continued but pressed his fingertip down even more, and his fingers began to enter me at an agonizingly slow speed.

I flushed red both out of embarrassment and out of the need to gain more feeling. "I want your cock, Sam."

"And what else?"

I whined at feeling so exposed. "I want your cock in me. Please, Sam, please fuck me."

"Good answer, little kitten. Now I wanna hear you, don't hold back anything." He said as he took his hand off of me to line up with my entrance. I felt his head slip into me, and just that little bit of contact made me shiver, and my body seemed to increase in heat.

I tried to press myself down to have him fully in me as quick as possible, but Sam was having none of it. "Oh no, I'm the one in control here, but I promise I won't make you late for work."

I whined but was soon choked up as he rammed fully into me. His pace was lightning fast, I felt my breast bounce with each time he thrust into me, but his hands came up and covered them, roughly pulling at my nipples.

I was in pure bliss; no thoughts were coming to my brain; I was entirely in tune with my body. I felt every nerve ending firing at full speed, and I just wanted to stay like this forever. I heard the couch scuff against the floor out of the movements of the two of us in the haze of feeling, but I didn't have the sense to worry about the now probably damaged floors.

"God, you feel like heaven. I could stay forever buried into you." Sam growled out.

I couldn't talk, but the sounds of pleasure coming from my mouth had to signal my agreement. My nails scratching against his thighs also showed that I was lost in the clouds.

His hips started to jerk erratically, and I knew he was getting close, and to be honest, I was soon on edge myself. Grinding my hips back and forth, trying to relieve the pressure building up inside was the only escape from the overwhelming tightness in my stomach. However, this movement only seemed to encourage him as he somehow spurred him to move even faster and harder.

One of his hands snaked up into my hair, and he pulled my neck back, beginning to roughly bite at the skin on my shoulder. I knew I would be walking into work with bite marks, but I didn't care if anyone saw me at this moment.

I shuddered as a fingertip began to rapidly play with my clit. I knew he was almost there and wanted me to go with him, so I just let myself be enveloped by the sensations.

I reached my breaking point and jumped off that cliff. My whole body clenched, putting a vice grip on Sam in me, and with one last thrust, I felt Sam empty himself against my barrier.

I slumped back against his chest and tried to even out my breathing, just enjoying the weightless feeling that encircled me. It took a few moments before I came back to reality, but I was jumping up and rushing to get my clothes on when I did.

I planted a quick kiss on Sam's lips and rushed out the door. "Love you!" I said as I closed the door.

I heard a simple muffled "Love you too" in response.

"Lily, do you have any plans for your day off?" Helen asked me while I stood by the nurses' station doing paperwork.

"Oh no, not really, more wedding planning, I think," I replied without looking up. "Or maybe go to the beach; tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day."

"I certainly hope it is," Helen stated. "Here's the charts for room 15. Another logger getting caught in the machine. The poor man lost an arm."

I nodded and headed to the room. I shook my head. Unfortunately, these were common with the logging community, but it never stopped making me feel bad for the men and women who it happened to.

Knocking quietly on the door in case he was asleep, I calmly walked into the room. "Mr. Hernandez? I'm Nurse Swan. I'll be your nurse for today."

A large man sat in the hospital bed; he was almost as tall as Sam and definitely was a worker with his muscular frame and weathered face. His deep tan skin stood out against the pure white sheets. He looked to be around the same age as my father, and taking a quick glance at his chart confirmed it. He was sitting up in bed watching TV with unfocused eyes. But the most prominent thing standing out was the now-missing right arm. He was now missing his entire forearm, and his now remaining limb was wrapped in gauze and bandages. They would need to be changed soon with the spotting of blood that was peeking through.

"Hello, Nurse Swan, what's your first name? I rather be more personal, especially if you're going to be taking care of me." He replied in a raspy, slow voice.

"It's Liliana, but feel free to call me Lily. Now, how's your pain? On a scale of 1 to 1-10."

"Well, Lilly, I would say it's about an 8; I'm figuring the pain medication is wearing off. But, honestly, it'd probably be worse without it." He answered with a wince.

I nodded, "Okay, well, I'll definitely be giving you another dose of painkillers. We want you to be as comfortable as possible. I'll also be changing your bandages." I checked his vitals, but they were all pretty stable, so I turned to go grab his medication from the supply closet. "I'll be right back. I'll also call down to get some food sent up for you."

"That's fine. I'll just be here watching TV." He said with a smile. I was shocked with how upbeat he was, but I just guessed that you have to accept the risks that come along when you sign up for a job.

I quickly made my way over to the supply closet, unlocking it with my card key and grabbing the proper dosage of meds. Then, starting on my way back, I just sighed; today was going to be a long day. I just knew it.

"Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Yang, I'm clocking out for the night, but Nurse Carson will be with you in a few moments," I said as I checked over the tall Asian woman lying in the hospital bed. She was recovering from childbirth; they were only half paying attention to me, still absorbed in watching their sleeping newborn daughter. I simply smiled at the couple and took my leave.

"Lily, can I talk to you for a moment? It won't take long." I heard as I emerged from the room.

I turned my head to see Carlisle standing to the left of the door. I let out a sigh; I had been avoiding him for a while and nodded my head in agreement. "Let me just grab my things. I'll meet you in your office."

I quickly rushed down to the locker room and grabbed my bag. I couldn't help but worry about what he wanted to talk to me about. I made my way to his office, opening the door slowly and closing it behind me.

"Lily, please sit down." I complied and sat down on his dark chocolate leather chair, placing my bag on the other chair.

"What do you want, Carlisle?" I asked hesitantly.

"I just wanted you to pass a message to Sam for me."

"Alright," I replied, waiting patiently for what he was going to say.

"There was a break-in at Charlie's house Saturday. Some of Bella's stuff was taken, and apparently, the same scent was found in your old room. I'm begging you to talk to Sam to allow us to cross the border." He said with his eyes pleading with me to understand.

"His answer is not going to change Carlisle. The pack is staunch about keeping the treaty in place." I replied.

"But if we were to adapt it to allow us to pass, we could finally get Victoria."

I took a deep breath. "I understand that, but it doesn't negate the fact that the pack and the people of La Push look to the past to find the answers. Besides, there's the fact that the closer you can come, the more young men will change."

Carlisle leaned back in his chair. "So you're saying that it's our presence that causes the shifters."

"Yes. The presence of any cold one will start the change in those with the bloodline."

Carlisle nodded his head solemnly. "We'll be leaving the area soon enough, and we won't ever be returning."

My blood ran cold. "I'm guessing it's so you can change my sister. If you change her, you will be breaking the treaty."

"That's why we plan on changing her away from Forks." He replied.

"I can't sit here and say I agree with you changing her. In fact, I think it's a giant mistake."

"It's ultimately her decision," Carlisle said with a firm tone.

"She's not old enough to make those decisions. So I doubt she even realizes all she's giving up."

"She – "

"INCOMING 45-YEAR-OLD MALE. SUSPECTED HEART ATTACK."

We both looked up at the intercom, Carlisle shooting to his feet and starting running at human-like speed. I sighed and started on my way to the car, weaving out of the rush of nurses running towards the med bay doors.

Walking out, I could see the last lights of daylight slowly inching away. I rummaged in my bag trying to find my cigarettes when suddenly I felt my body flying through the air and slamming against the brick wall of the hospital.

I tried to breathe, but the wind was thoroughly knocked out of me. Had I been hit by a car? Through the pain shooting up my back, I blurrily tried to look around.

Ice cold hands gripped my hair, pulling me up to gaze into blood-red eyes; I let out a small scream as my roots felt as if they were being ripped out.

"Oh, she's as beautiful as you said . . . for a human that is." A seductive voice chimed in my ear. My eyes quickly flew over the figures standing in front of me. A woman with wild bright red hair was the one holding me in a vice grip by my hair and beyond her was a sight I never wanted to see.

It was Luke, only he didn't really look like Luke anymore. His baby fat face that had haunted me in my dreams was now gone and left with chiseled features. His hair was unnaturally white now, and he was at least 3 inches taller.

The only similarities were their vibrate red eyes and a smug grin on their faces.

I tried to rip free, but there was no use.

"Oh, look, the little human wants free." The woman said, leaning into my face. I whimpered out of fear and pain. "But you see . . . I have no intentions of letting you just walk away."

Through the pain, I spoke, "Why, what did I do?"

She dropped me, crumpling to the ground, my head screamed in relief, but soon I felt those icy hands underneath my chin forcing me to look up. "You didn't do anything. It's your sister that you have to blame for what's going to happen to you. Oh, and those disgusting dogs."

I scooted back into the wall, trying to get away from the woman. "I don't understand," I said breathlessly.

She slowly walked forward closer to me, and I felt trapped like a bug in a spider's web. "She killed my beloved, so I thought it's only fair that I make her pay. She's been too protected for far too long, so I figured that I will make her suffer a little more before I kill her. Which led me to you. I have Luke here to thank for that. He turned out to be very valuable."

As his name was said, he stalked closer, a wild look in his eyes as if he was unhinged.

"Don't worry, he's not going to drain you. He's got a little more control than the others. Perhaps because he's older, but he's still useful. Besides, that would be far less painful than what I have planned." The woman chuckled.

All the color left my face. I was going to die here. I didn't want to die. "Please don't do this. Bella doesn't even like me. We haven't spoken in weeks. You'll get nothing from this." I rushed out.

She leaned down to get on my eye level. "But if I don't, then those dogs won't give up their hope. You seem awfully important like the queen in chess, and this is checkmate."

Cold hands ran down my body till they stopped on my ribs; my body vibrated in fear; I had no were to run, and even if I could, they would catch me in an instant.

"Ahhhhh!" a shooting pain went through my body; my body felt like I was a mouse being eaten by a snake.

I couldn't breathe anymore; the pain was increasing every breath I took. But, unfortunately, the breaths I took were quickly becoming shorter and shorter.

I started to cough and tasted the metallic taste of blood fill my mouth. I couldn't speak as with every cough, blood would spew out. But the most worrying this was my heartbeat which started to run rapidly.

"You're a nurse, right? I wonder if you know how long a human can survive with a punched lung."

I felt tears run down my face.

The redhead placed her finger on her chin as if she was thinking of something. "I've had my fun, you're going to die soon, but I don't think this is enough. Besides, I promised Luke he could have some fun too."

She stepped away and let Luke come closer. I shook my head, trying to wake from this nightmare, but even that wasn't working. This was reality.

"Liliana Swan, how I've dreamed of seeing you like this. Broken and weak before me." Even his voice had changed to be silky smooth. "Oh, what can't talk, little Lily?"

I felt myself grow weaker and weaker, the need to fall asleep became overwhelming, but I knew I couldn't.

"All you had to do was accept we were meant to be together, but no, you didn't do that, did you? So now I think I'm going to mark you one last time. To show everyone who you belong to." He leaned down and whispered into my ear and what he said sent shivers down my dying form. "I'll own you forever now. You'll always be mine."

A sharp pain came from my face. It was like a jagged knife was being plunged into my cheek. I tried to scream, but all that came out was blood.

"Luke, we should leave. This has taken longer than expected, and I'm not getting caught till I kill that other bitch. Besides, it's not like she's going to be alive much longer."

"Right. Well, goodbye, little Lily, have fun in your last few moments."

I could only see shapes now, but I felt their presence leaving me. I couldn't do anything anymore. The pain was as if I was being dipped in the fiery pits of hell. Finally, I slumped against the brink.

I gave in to the fatigue. My eyes shutting for the last time.

If this was dying . . .

It wasn't painless.