A/N: Yay, the end of Part III is finally here! "Monsters" reached 30 favorites, 44 follows, 76 reviews and over 7280 views on this site. Thanks for reading:)

Finally, Something Takes Her Away

Monday, June 20, 2005

"Leah Clearwater."

Leah rose on shaky feet. They were a small class but the journey from the front row to the stage behind them felt long. On the platform, she shook hands with the principal and paused for the picture. Her face hurt from smiling so hard.

She had done it. She'd graduated high school. Her life would finally begin.

As she sat down, Leah looked at her family. Harry wiped the tear from his eyes and clapped even harder. An outsider might judge Sue as a smug woman, sitting very still with crossed arms and a sly smile. But she was proud and beyond that, she was relieved that her daughter believed in herself as much as she did. Leah locked eyes with Seth. He pumped a fist in the air and she copied. It was half of their "tradition". Whenever the two passed each other at home they would do the Mario jump. In public, they would just do the fist part, mostly because Sue hated them jumping around in the grocery store.

No one would push the luck of having a few hours of good weather, so the reception afterwards was held inside the school. It wasn't as much a dinner as it was a gathering. Snacks and drinks were put out but people still wandered in and out of the gymnasium, as it was too small to contain such a group.

Leah posed for a thousand pictures with her family. When she was finished, they went right back to hugging her.

"My baby graduated!" Sue cheered.

"We have another genius in the family," praised Harry.

"I knew you weren't stupid," Seth agreed.

Leah elbowed him out of the group hug then gently pried away from her parents. It wasn't sunny and the lights were kept off, but that only made it minimally less muggy.

Harry frowned. "We need to get you ready for school. You need paper and pencils and books."

Sue squeezed his hand. "Relax, Harry. She's got a scholarship to cover half those things. Just let her enjoy the summer."

Leah shot her mom a thankful glance, then her eyes caught movement behind them. Her heart rate spiked and her eyes flitted around. "Oh, no! I left my purse outside!" she lied. "Let's go look for it."

Harry held up the handbag. "I got it! You gave it to me before the ceremony."

Leah clenched her jaw. "Thanks, Dad." She pointed. "Hey, Mom, isn't that the hairdresser you cussed out last year?"

Sue spun around in the complete opposite direction. "Who - oh, Billy!"

Billy Black approached them, a peaceful look on his face. He was accompanied by a tall, thin boy, his son Jacob. Neither of his daughters were in sight. Apparently, Rachel couldn't get time off from work and Rebecca was busy with wedding plans. The two families greeted each other with familiarity.

Jacob gave Leah a relaxed smile. "Congrats, Leah!"

"Thanks." Leah kept a neutral expression. She hadn't seen him in a while, and now it hit her how much he resembled his sisters. She wondered if he was more of an artist or an intellectual, which one he was more like.

"That'll be you up there in a few years," Billy teased him. "You ready?"
Jacob fidgeted. "No!"

The adults laughed in that way when they think a kid is unintentionally cute. Leah herself was still subject to it sometimes.

Seth rocked back and forth on his heels like a puppy. "Jacob, I got a new Gameboy, want to see?"

"Sure!"

At the approval, Seth looked like he was going to cry. Leah held back a laugh as the boys huddled over the device.

Billy cleared his throat. "Actually, Leah, I wanted to discuss with you that summer internship with the tribal council, if your parents don't mind."

Sue clapped her hands together. "An internship already? You are so ambitious!"

As the pair walked away, Billy's face hardened. He didn't look angry, only grave and serious. For a generally nice guy, he sure knew how to bring the gloom and doom.

"Leah," he started. "I think it's extremely important that you choose to ally yourself with your home and your people."

"Billy, can we just ignore the supernatural business for a day?"

"Last week, the pack found two vampires on our land. Two, Leah."

Her mouth fell open. "Two?"

"It's more than they've found all year. If your vampire friends were the cause of Sam's transformation, then I fear this development will only cause many, many more."

"But…" Leah frowned, trying to work out the problem. Then she understood. "You want me to kill all the vampires that arrive here before more boys transform."

"Yes."

"How many boys could?"

"It's dependent on their bloodlines. It only affects the descendants of the last pack. But I estimate, up to a dozen young men, between the ages of fourteen and twenty. Including your brother."

"Seth." Leah crossed her arms tightly.

"You share my concern."

"Yes. But understand mine. Billy, you want to use me for the same purpose that Ella does. I'm sure she'd have no problem with that. Yet you didn't reach out to her over this. So you have to assure me that you two aren't going to turn on each other for any time soon. Otherwise I'd be caught in the middle and painted as a traitor. Which could make things worse for my family and the rez."

Billy fiddled with a leather bracelet on his wrist. "I didn't inform Ella because she didn't inform me. To be honest, I'm a little afraid of her. I worry it will be exactly as you say. That she'll instigate something."

"Why?"

"Look at how she broke from her friendship with our tribe simply over that troublemaking fairy girl." He leaned closer. "Tell me, Leah. Have you ever seen something that made you doubt the queen? Have you caught her in a lie? Has she ever gone back on her word? Can you truly vouch for her good character?"

Leah started to say 'yes', but stopped. She didn't know much. Ella couldn't lie, but she could hide things. She'd forced Echo into a marriage and barred her from visiting Leah. What was going on there? Was Ella holding something over the princess's head? Leah remembered the miserable look on Echo's face at the engagement party. Echo was noble, but there was no way she'd put herself through that anguish just for the good of the crown.

Echo had told her she suspected Ella was plotting to kill an innocent human woman. If Echo could say that of her own grandmother, who could doubt its truth?

Leah answered carefully. "You're right. I trust the queen...to an extent. I fully trust the people who trust her, though. She's a complicated person, but no more unethical than the men on our council. I don't agree with every choice she makes, but I can say she will prioritize the safety of innocent people."

Billy looked at her admiringly. "You fear no man nor beast," he teased.

"Not true. I fear my mother."

His laughter was booming, but barely startled the large crowds around them. Calmly, he said, "I will have a new agreement drawn. One that will keep us all safe."

Leah lowered her voice. "The Cullens, too?"

Billy considered her. Then he nodded curtly. "It's as you said. I'm trusting the people who trust them."

The family decided to celebrate at an experimental restaurant Leah had been begging to try since it opened. It was an upscale place, so they dressed up. Leah finally got a chance to wear her white belted sleeveless military-style dress. The irony was not lost on her.

Harry and Seth immediately started daring each other to try the beet noodles and space tacos.

Sue's eagle eyes searched the dim room and found something out of place. "Leah, do you know that kid?"

Leah turned. The stranger was more of a man. (Her mother called everyone under thirty 'kid' as if she were much older than her forty-two years.) He sat alone by the wall by the windows. With a strong jaw and dark curls, he looked handsome in a crisp suit. But what drew the most attention was his expression. He looked back to Leah and smiled stupidly, like a kid trying soda for the first time.

"No," Leah lied. Because she was locking eyes with Major Troy Berry.

"I think he's got a crush on you!" Seth laughed as if this were the most unbelievable, hilarious event in the world.

Harry joined in. "Your sister is a beautiful young lady. But she won't be dating guys that old anytime soon."

"Actually, I recognize him now," Leah declared. "He was on that college tour we went to last summer, remember, Mom? He said he was thinking of going into nursing and you and him chatted briefly."

Sue frowned. "I don't recall -"

"I should go say 'hi'!" Leah rose and half-jogged to her friend.

Troy stood when she arrived and she feared he'd hug her. That'd be weird with a so-called acquaintance. They shook hands and she scooted into the seat across from him.

"Leah! I'm so relieved you're here," he gushed.

"How is it you tracked me so easily? Is it the sense of smell thing?"

"Ha. That's not as foolproof as people brag. My gift is - sort of - granting my own wishes."

"Oh." She paused. "What?"

He looked down, bashful. "Don't go spreading that around. People tend to be cautious when they think you're going to manipulate their future."

"Don't you?"

"I just call it 'conviction'. If I set out to do something, I can do it. It's like I plant a seed and it keeps growing and growing up and outward. The trunk gains layers and branches and leaves form. If I keep believing, the tree will reach maturity and I'll accomplish my goal. If my belief wavers for even a second, the tree will wither and die. Then I have to start my journey all over."

"That's amazing," she remarked. It surprised her more and more just how big the fairies' world was. "But how do you know you're not just insanely driven?"

He laughed. "For one, while a fairy woman is pregnant, she'll experience the talent her child possesses. And the child will naturally experiment with it as their magic grows." He toyed with his napkin. "My gift is a rare type, since it's not related to nature. For my own safety, very few people know I have it."

"Why?"

"Some people get jealous or scared." He grimaced. "We both know what that can lead to."

Leah nodded thoughtfully. "They get upset because it isn't about helping the earth. It's about helping yourself."

"Not exactly. My cause has to be selfless. As a kid, I used it mostly to grow plants faster or bring lost baby animals back to their parents." He shrugged. "I can't will myself to become a millionaire. I can't even force myself to track down my father. Why? Because it'd benefit me and me alone. The only reason I could find you was because Echo also needed me to do it. So did you."

Leah reached across the table and squeezed his hand.

He gave her a wry grin. "There's something you need to see."

She glanced back at her family. "Is this going to be a short message or a long one?"

"I'm sorry. If I'd known you'd be here celebrating -"

"This is more important." Leah stood before he could stop her. At the edge of her family's table, she sheepishly pleaded, "Hey, guys I'm sorry but can I please eat with my friend?"

Sue looked like she'd been slapped. "You barely know that guy!"

"Actually, we've hung out a few times at the track at Forks. Because...we're dating!" she explained. Lies, lies, lies. "Troy's shy so I haven't introduced him to you guys yet."

Her parents stared at her like she was nuts. For a long moment no one spoke.

Finally, Seth's eyes narrowed. "You're so weird!"

"Can't he eat with us?" Harry suggested.

"No." Leah took a deep breath. She was going to burn for this. "His mother just passed and he can't be alone tonight."

Her mother leaned forward, drilling her inquisitive gaze into Leah. At the last second, her eyes softened. "Alright. But please, introduce him to us when you're done."

"Thank you!" Leah kissed both her parents on the cheek and ruffled Seth's hair.

Then she remembered someone had 'died' so she slouched mournfully as she trudged her way back to Troy.

As she sat, an image occupied her brain against her doing. A long face, a strong nose, and alabaster skin creased by a frown. Echo. It seemed like a memory, faded and cloudy until the image sharpened and the lips moved.

'Hello, Leah.'

Leah nearly jumped, but relief outweighed confusion. "Can she hear me? Or just my thoughts?"

Troy nodded. "She can see both our faces and hear our conversation. I thought it'd look weird if we sat here staring at each other."

"I didn't know you could do this."

His face twisted with a mix of emotion. "It's a very difficult type of mind link to create. You need a lot of practice and compatibility. And hey, conviction helps, right?"

"You're powerful. Too powerful," she teased.

He sighed, looking uncharacteristically tired. "Not enough."

They leaned back as the waiter took their orders. Immediately after, Leah couldn't even remember what she asked for as she toyed with her utensils.

Echo cleared her throat and both Leah and Troy focused on the woman in their mind. "I don't suppose either of you would like to be here all night?"

"Of course not," Troy agreed. "How are things?"

She touched her hair, which was pulled into a complicated updo. Her eyelids shimmered with bronze makeup. She looked little changed from how she'd looked at the engagement party. "Last night, after Troy left his unit's post-recon debriefing, Grandmother had a one-on-one meeting with General Foxfeather."

"Head of the Protectors," Troy explained to Leah.

"Yeah, he has some sway with her, but it doesn't matter. They've got the same goals politically. They both grew up in a time where fairies could barely leave the realm without attracting a vampire. Through magic or fighting, they'll do whatever it takes to preserve the clan," added Echo. "Anyway, I had a listening vial hidden in the study. I collected it today and played it." She took a deep breath. "They're planning to move Leah's mission up to August."

"August!" Leah hissed. "That's crazy! We haven't even been training together."

Echo nodded slowly. "I know."

Troy rested his chin on his fist. "It must be about the recon. We found nothing out east, but an ally from down south claimed a woman matching the target's description passed through a few months ago. The Troeon sleep in meadows. Those on the night watch saw her. They were prepared to hide, but she turned in the other direction when she got close. So a few of them tailed her for a few days."

"What was she doing there?" Leah pressed.

"Not much of anything. She didn't hunt or meet up with anyone. Just wandering around like she was looking for something. She probably knew they were following her. But a vampire could have taken four or five fairies. We did catch her current alias: Naomi."

"What's even stranger," Echo said, "is that she was there at all. A vampire would avoid the sun at all cost."

Troy huffed. "For the last time, Coco, Colorado is not that sunny."

Leah caught Echo's meaning. "Is this your theory about Naomi being a human?"

The princess dismissed it. "There's no way she would've been able to get away with all her murders and there's no way anyone would've been able to pin them on an innocent human woman. Plus we have a few eyewitness accounts of her from other fairies."

"Then is that 'don't aim to kill' still solid?"

"Yes. Grandmother may want her dead, but we should hold off." She took a deep breath. "She has Sapphira Stone."

Troy nearly dropped his wine glass. "Sapphira Stone, the Quileute fairy girl who died while fleeing their land? How could she survive? Her hunters snatched her away as soon as she was off the reservation."

"No one saw it happen," Echo insisted. "She disappeared that night. Imagine, guys, if the vampires didn't want to feed from her, but to keep her."

"Why would that?" Leah questioned. "Wasn't she the singer to one of the vampires?"

"Supposedly," Echo frowned. "But she had immense power. Some say it was the magic from both sides of her bloodline, being part-Quileute and part-Cosaint. I can imagine that for a fairy like Sapphira Stone, someone would at least try to resist. Her power combined with Naomi's would be an unstoppable pair."

Troy looked irritated. "But why would she betray us like that? Sapphira was loyal to the clan! She wouldn't help someone like Naomi hunt us down."

"Some people will do whatever it takes to survive." Echo bit her lip. "Besides, she and my grandmother parted on poor terms. She was something like a lady-in-waiting to her, though there was a friendly rivalry between the two of them. Until Grandmother became queen."

"Then it was all out snubbing and bickering," finished Troy. "Everyone knows this. It sounds catty, but really, Coco, do you think it's something a person would kill innocents for?"

Echo considered him for a moment. "I think when there is a long stretch between an argument and reconciliation, minor wounds can be infected, if you know what I mean."

"Gross analogy, but yes," Leah agreed. "Echo, what about Naomi and Ella's relationship? Was she telling the truth when she said she met Naomi as a human?"

"I'm not sure. I've no other source. Apparently, Grandmother gave Naomi her powers but Naomi failed to prove herself. So she ripped them out of her."

Troy winced. At Leah's confusion, he explained, "Sharing your power with a human is dangerous. With time, your powers become intertwined with your soul. So if someone were to take any from you, even just one thing…" He shuddered. "It would be like being slowly pulled apart. It could probably kill you."

Leah remembered what it felt like to find her light, that intense feeling like her body was trying to balloon itself in order to contain the newfound power in her spirit. Pretty uncomfortable. The idea of that magnifying to the point of pain was a sickening thought.

"Don't worry," Troy assured her. "The queen only did that to Naomi because she was a monster. She didn't care about anything or anyone but herself. You could never do anything bad enough to be punished like that."

Echo glared. "Unfortunately, Troy, you don't know what the queen's capable of. I barely do. We can't even tell her any of this. She wants to pretend Naomi was never one of us and that Sapphira was her beloved friend. If she knew we were going over her head to solve this mess, all three of us would most certainly be punished."

Leah tried to diffuse the tension. "Okay, I get it, Ella has a history of screwing people over. So we need to get Naomi to talk and see if she captured Sapphira. Best case scenario, Sapphira is being forced into this and we can bring her back to realm. Worst case scenario, we can be sure to off them both so Sapphira doesn't team up with any other psycho vamps. Right?"

"Right." Echo relaxed. "So what was your news, Leah?"

Leah filled them in on the story of Billy Black's meeting with Ella and her confrontation with Jared and Paul. She left out the recent development with Edward's spell since he had promised her he'd reach out himself if Carlisle couldn't help. For now, she'd believe him.

When it was over, she was surprised to see the fairies were still calm.

"We can't have more people in danger. A revised treaty sounds ideal to me," Echo assured her. "But the real work will be getting Her Majesty on board. She still considers what happened with Sapphira the Quileute tribal council's fault and only their fault."
"But do you think you can do it?"

Echo considered. "I could convince her it's for the good of the mission and play up the council's anger with her interference."

"I'm kind of relieved," laughed Troy. "I don't have it in me to keep sneaking around."

"Be careful, Troy," Echo warned. "Lots of regular people live there too."

"Right," Leah agreed. "The council hates indiscretion."

"I should go now," Echo suddenly announced. "It's been a while and someone will be looking for me."

"Is that why you're all dressed up?" Leah asked.

"We're making a tour through the villages. My grandmother believes I'm not seen enough and people want to think their princess is as beautiful as her mother. They even did my makeup to make my nose look smaller."

"I like your nose," Troy told her.

Echo's paused, lips parted. "Thanks," she squeaked out, glancing down.

Leah took a big sip of her water. She didn't know what was harder to ignore - the earnest intensity in the military man's eyes or the faint blush coloring the princess's face.

"Goodbye, you two," Echo waved. "Leah, I'll find a way to talk to you. In a week at the latest. Send me a message when the treaty is in the works. I don't think anyone but a monarch could sign something like that."

"Really?" Leah checked. "The queen will let you come?"

"Her or myself. What she'd hate more than anything is to be left out. In the meantime, Troy probably won't be able to visit, but I'll gain more pull after the wedding." The blush returned. "And Troy…"

"I know the drill, partner." He saluted in a showy fashion.

She rolled her eyes. "Right."

Her picture froze, then faded away. When the connection snapped, Leah felt like someone had been holding her shoulders back so she sat up straight. She shook her head, trying to clear the feeling of seeing a movie in HD right behind her eyes.

Across from her, Troy was happily chomping away on his honeycomb vegetable cups. The beatific smile had resumed its place.

Leah couldn't as easily resume the light mood, but she didn't want to ruin his. "What's 'the drill'?" she asked instead.

"Oh, that." He wiped his face. "We used to mind-link at sunrise. But it's pretty easy to tell when a fairy is wrapped up in a mental conversation and someone is always watching her. So I use this vial I gave her a while back for capturing sounds. It's made of Bloodglass, a rare material. I have the only other one that I know of. Bloodglass is attracted to itself so I'll hold mine out my window in her direction. Hers whistles a little. Ten minutes later we both go to bed. And then, while we're sleeping, we meet in the In-Between."

Leah blinked. "You meet in fairy heaven?"

Troy shook his head. "You've only visited there once, with Queen Ella. It's different for all the people who visit. It's not always a white box of endless space. It's whatever you need it to be. When I go with Echo, it's usually a garden, because that's where we feel most comfortable. The catch is you can't stay long. Too much energy."

"That's awfully complicated."

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "That's how it is."

Leah rested her chin in her hand. "Because you're secretly in love with her?"

He smiled. "That's no secret. I love her more than anything. She's the kindest, cleverest, and strongest person I've ever met. I told her that, two years ago. Turns out, she loves me, too."

Leah leaned back in her chair. "What? Then what are you doing? Start willing her engagement to end! For Ella to change her mind! Obviously it's what Echo wants!"

He narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "Nah," he finally concluded.

Leah slammed the table. "All you can say is 'nah' like I asked you if you wanted to play pickup soccer in the backyard?"

"I can't just storm the castle, throw her over my shoulder, and go home."

"But it would make her happy. It would make me happy and probably all of your friends in the realm."

"Stop, Leah." His voice was firm. "It's not happiness. It's about right and wrong. Yes, many people would be glad if we married. But what does the realm need? It needs a united front. It needs two proper rulers with royal blood and money backing both of them. Compared to the destruction we'd bring, our happiness would be nothing."

Leah sighed. "I know."

He squeezed her hand. "It means a lot to me that you care. To Echo, too."

They finished their meal in silence. Leah tried to process everything that had happened with Troy and Echo. Not only did they technically have two targets instead of one, they had to pretend Sapphira was dead just to appease the queen's anger. What an ego! Whatever Naomi had done as a fairy-in-training, surely it wasn't bad enough to have her powers violently torn from her soul. And like as not, Ella must have been deeply in the wrong if she didn't want anyone mentioning Sapphira's possible survival or their feud.

Leah couldn't help feeling like she had a knife at her throat, like someone was going to press a gun to her head and force her to spill her secrets. Were they now committing treason? Maybe not herself, but perhaps the fairies. If worse came to worse, she and Troy both could blame Echo for coercing them, but neither of them would.

Major Berry saw her distress. "Hey, don't worry. It'll work out. If anyone can pull this off, it's us - you, me, Echo, and Edward."

She nodded absently. If he said so.

A hand touched her shoulder. Her family was standing there, smiling too brightly. Sue's hands were folded in front of her. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend, Leah?"

"Oh, right!" Leah quickly made all the proper introductions, carefully avoiding the word 'boyfriend'. No need to further embarrass herself or her friend.

Sue insisted they all leave together, maybe go out for ice cream. But Seth was already getting sleepy and he had school tomorrow. Sometimes he was such a baby. Leah was extremely grateful for it. Troy insisted he was waiting to meet a friend at the bar, so he declined the Clearwaters' offer of a ride.

On the way back to the rez, Leah sidestepped a barrage of questions from her parents. They were not quite home when she started to feel a headache coming on. Something told her she shouldn't have eaten insane amounts of whatever was in bacon petals and sour clover salad.

When the family went inside the headache evolved into a throbbing bassline in her ears and her body shook like she had a chill. Her father carried a sleeping Seth to his room and her mother went to make herself a cup of tea. Leah barely heard Sue offer any, as she was clutching her head. She went straight to the cabinets and popped some ibuprofen then drank two full glasses of water. Anything to alleviate the heat of her body.

"Leah, are you coming down with something?" Sue worried.

Leah marched to the back porch. "I need some air."

Outside, she walked straight to the tree line. It was so subtle, at first she didn't notice the bark stretching under her palm. The trees closest her began to grow, the bark refreshing to a rich brown and the branches extending out, the leaves widening.

She jerked her hand away. "No!"

A branch fell off and nearly knocked her head off.

Leah glanced over her shoulder to make sure her parents wouldn't come running out. She couldn't stand here all night having a panic attack. Slowly, she counted down from ten, over and over again. Her temperature leveled and her breathing evened. She wiped the sweat from her clammy forehead. Everything was fine.

Wait…

Someone was watching her. Her head jerked up and her frightened ears were already alert, picking up the sound of motion, a rustle of clothes. Footsteps, too. Coming toward her. And soon.

The back door slammed open. "Leah!"

Leah spared her mother an apologetic glance, then her body exploded in a burst of pale blue light. Once her body was armed in an invisible protective suit, she raced through the woods like her life depended on it. Which, quite literally, it did.

She met the Cold One head on charging to tackle him. He hissed and rolled over to pin her. But she shot a blast of light to his eyes. Blinded, he punched her in the side. She howled in pain but wrapped her lit hands around his cold throat before he could knock her off.

"Die, please!" she ordered.

The vampire growled and lurched up with full force. Leah slammed into a tree. The vampire pressed a foot to her chest and pulled on her arms, trying to break them. Her suit didn't budge, but she could feel it straining to protect her fragile body. She summoned the mud on the forest floor and it sprayed into his face. As he wiped it off, she bent a tree and knocked him away. As he slithered like a snake on the ground, Leah pelted him with rocks. She couldn't afford to waste a drop of energy.

He lunged for her. She fired a searing shot to the weakened skin of his throat. A little crack rang in the forest.

'Yes!' she thought.

He gasped, pressing a hand to his neck. But the tear would close itself very soon. Leah had to keep him busy. She allowed herself to stumble back. As he closed in she ducked, swinging her hand upward. Her glowing fingernails scraped against his throat, widening the tear.

He wasn't very smart, just thirsty. She could see it in the deep black of his eyes. Otherwise he would've left by now.

Leah slammed him with a torrent of rocks and dirt as she ran into the forest. The earth rolled underneath her feet, making her faster and lessening the strain on her muscles. Her body brushed the trees, and at her beckon, they twisted to smack her opponent. Digging her nails into her palms, she built the sharpest, largest blast of light. It could break her shield, but it'd be worth it.

'3…2…Now!'

She twirled and fired her shot at the vampire, just as he pounced in the air.

He fell back, body going limp. Leah rushed to his body. He was knocked out cold. She hadn't even known the energy blasts could do that.

Reaching down with lit fingers, she dug into his skin to finish tearing the neck. Her fingers stung, since her shield was breaking, but she wanted to do a thorough job.

"Ah!" Her thumb had caught on the glass-like structure of the vampire's body and was now bleeding. She pressed it to her skirt.

The vampire's eyes snapped open and he leaped. Leah screamed and fell back. He crouched over her, his hands painfully squeezing her shoulders. She tried to kick him away but only bruised her foot. Without her shield, she was weak.

He leaned in, his breath syrupy sweet and ice-cold. "At least you gave me some fun. She said you were a strong one."

Leah twisted her head, trying in vain to put some distance between them. This was it. This was where her life ended. At the very beginning. 'Mom. Dad. Seth. I'm sorry,' she thought. 'And Edward…'

The vampire's sickly sweet scent was making her nauseous in the strangest way. Her whole body began to shake, her muscles quivering like mad. A burning intense heat overcame her as if she were being boiled alive. Her eyes squeezed shut, stopping hot tears from flowing.

The pressure on her arms released. Leah rolled away, gasping for clean air. She collapsed to her belly when she turned to the scene before her.

The vampire was in pieces. Or close to it. Three wolves were tearing him up. Huge ones. Blinking blearily, she stood but stayed where she was. A part of her feared that they would turn and the vamp would jump right up, suddenly whole and alive.

Eventually, the three all skipped off into the darkness and Leah was left there wondering if she'd imagined that.

"It's me!"

"Ah!" Leah spun away from Jared Cameron, who was leaning against her tree, surprisingly calm.

"What, I thought we were past the whole suspicious-of-each-other phase and onto the whole united-in-vampire-murder phase?" Jared joked.

"Leave her alone, Jared," Sam called.

Leah turned and saw that Sam and Paul were lighting a fire. It was the same thing Alice and Emmett had done when they rescued her a few years ago.

"Yeah," Paul snarled. "She's still in love with the Cullens."

Leah rolled her eyes, already exhausted. Still, She walked over and smacked Paul upside the head.

"Ow!" he cried, grabbing his red ear.

"There's more where that came from."

Sam shot them both a warning glare as he put the fire out. "Enough, the two of you. If we're going to work together at all, no antics."

"Whatever." Leah jutted her chin, turning away from him. Just because she didn't want Sam back didn't mean she was ready to hold hands and sing Kumbaya together.

He sensed that. "Look, Lee - Leah. I don't want to fight with you or interfere in your life any more than you do. I don't know or understand some of your choices, but Billy trusts you. And I always have. Maybe in time, I can be worth your trust, too."

Leah looked at him over her shoulder, maintaining a poker face.

Jared smiled. "And hey, I promise to try not to be an asshole, either!" He elbowed the third pack member. "Paul, give us your pitch."

Paul gave her a dry look. "As long as you don't betray us to any psycho vamps, I wouldn't mind having an ally."

"Great," Leah deadpanned. "Get on your costumes, girls, it's time for the closing show number."

Only Jared chuckled but Paul's scowl seemed more put-on. Sam was still watching her cautiously, as if she were a stranger impersonating herself. Without debate, the four of them walked back home together. Leah wondered why they didn't just save time and run in their wolf form. She could do without their crappy attempts at conversation.

"Were you frightened, Leah?" Sam asked. "I'm sorry we didn't show up on time."

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, send me a gift basket and a greeting card and we're even. Honestly, I'm way more afraid of my parents. They sort of caught me, earlier."

The wolf pack were quick to give their condolences.

Sure enough, when Leah returned, her parents were both standing on the porch. Harry sat on the top step, looking slightly chastised. Sue was pacing behind him so fast she might've worn a hole.

"What the hell was that?!" her mother shouted, loud enough that Leah could hear birds fleeing and Jared muttering "oh, shit" under his breath, from down the street.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Leah's hands were resigned to her pockets once she realized they would shake no matter what position she sat in. The uncomfortable chairs in the hall of the municipal building weren't suited to long wait times. She crossed and uncrossed legs several times before giving up and raising her hand. "Excuse me?"

The secretary looked up from her reading glasses. "Yes, Miss Clearwater?"

"How long until the elders will call me in?"

"It's only been ten minutes, miss. Please be patient."

Leah wanted to snap that it'd definitely been forty, but it wouldn't suit to be on anyone's bad side, not even Miss Katz's. It would be very unbecoming for the future protectress of the Quileute tribe.

She checked her phone for a message from the Cullens. Though they were allowed on the reservation, only for today's negotiation of the treaty, she still felt nervous for them. The few people that knew of their presence distrusted them and the even fewer that knew their secret hated them. She hated to think of any of them getting any flak when Billy Black himself invited them.

Harry strode out of the conference room, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "We're taking a recess, sweetie."

"What? Now?"

He smiled sympathetically. "Everything's fine. Old Quil is a bit bent out of shape. He said I ought to give up my seat."

"You're the most sensical one in there!" She couldn't believe they wanted her to risk her life against vampires but didn't want her own father to be involved in the plan.

"He says I'm being too lenient with your friends. That they should pay for some part of the whole...what was it? Gremlin business?"

Leah covered her face, trying to hide her laughter. "'Fairy', Dad."

"Oh, that was it!"

She was relieved her father could joke about it at all. He was good through and through. And his love for Leah could not make him like the Cullens, but it would allow him to reason that if they wanted to hurt her, she'd be dead by now. Besides, when Leah told him about the day of his heart attack, when Edward had saved his life, Harry had been incredibly moved.

In contrast, Sue had quietly excused herself from the table after Leah's fantastical story. Leah worried her mother would never speak to her again, despite Harry's protests. However, the next morning, Sue was flipping pancakes while yelling at Leah for putting her life in danger and sneaking around. The next few days held a tension in the air, but things were starting to level out.

Once her father was out of sight, Leah sighed, rubbing her temples. If her mom was just now returning to normal, then she could never find out about Edward and this thing-that-wasn't-a-thing between them.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of him, blinding grin and wild hair, very likely thinking of her, too. It would be odd to meet him on her turf in the daytime (though the sky was blessedly gray, as usual). Supernatural him in her very normal world. She would've preferred it to just be him coming to visit her. But this was the deal she struck.

Another council member, Hank, poked his head out the door. He was the easy one, a kind-faced retiree always heading a good cause. "You may come in, Leah."

She shuffled into the expansive carpeted room. It was as big as a courtroom, with pews and a podium, a couple of wooden tables at the front.

She tried not to look in the direction of the Cullens, the four of them tucked into a corner. Carlisle, Edward, Esme, and Alice. The council had only wanted one to come, but Carlisle had explained that it did not accurately represent the size of his family and he could not best express their wishes himself. He asked to bring his wife, and after a lengthy debate, Edward managed to make his way onto the guest list, too. Alice had been insistent, too, and the doctor had had to explain that two of his children were good friends to Leah. This set everyone on edge, but they complied.

It was hard to look at the petite, wide-eyed girl or shy brunette and think 'monster', which was why giant Emmett, wily Jasper, and glaring Rosalie, the ones who couldn't or wouldn't shake their intimidating exteriors, did not make the cut.

Instead, Leah focused her attention to the right side, where the shapeshifters sat. Sam, Paul, and Jared. The council probably reasoned that the boys stood a good chance if the vampires were setting them up.

Paul lazed in his seat in a manner that did not match his temper. He tugged at his shirt, probably irritated to have to cover up in this heat. Jared gave her a half-smile of acknowledgement. Sam, to her relief, only gave her a short nod.

She took her seat on the left, four rows ahead of the vampire coven and immediately noticed something was wrong. Her eyes scanned the room, but no representative of the Cosaint clan was present.

She looked to her father, but he didn't get it. He gave her a thumbs-up. She smacked her forehead.

Surely, Echo had gotten the message to the queen? Leah had sent a songbird a note to Troy to pass to Echo. She had even emailed the princess just in case. So where was the representative for this meeting?

Old Quil rose to the podium, leaning heavily on the cane. He didn't need a microphone, as his low voice projected easily over the room. "William Black, elder of the Quileute tribal council, has proposed a protectress for the Quileute reservation. This is a position as coveted as it is secret. Official protectors of the tribe have been named and entrusted since the time of Taha Aki. Our ancestor knew that the preservation of the tribe should not be left to magic and chance. And so, he chose his eldest son, a master archer and the strongest man on the coast, to guard the land with his life. And when the eldest died in battle, a new protector was named, and so forth.

"The tradition has fallen away due to extended periods of peace, but in these uncertain times, one cannot ignore what has blown into our hands.

"Leah Clearwater has been proven to possess supernatural gifts bestowed on her from a clan of fairies based in Washington. Her abilities have given her divine strength and insofar, she has been loyal to the tribe. As such, I approve of her as the future protector of the tribe, to fight against all natural and magical threats to our survival."

Leah relaxed a little. If Old Quil wasn't going to protest, then none of the others would. She could even ignore the little dig he managed to get in.

"Forgive me," one of the elders piped up, stroking his gray beard. "But I am not sure how Miss Clearwater's can claim loyalty to three groups at once, one of which we have never laid eyes on."

Leah resisted the urge to check her phone for a message. Where were Echo and Ella? Instead, she stood awkwardly with a slight hand raise. "There was a delay in the queen's plans. I am their only representative."

"That is fine, Miss Clearwater. Thank you. Walter, we don't need approval from them, for a tribal affair," Billy countered.

"I'm still not sure we should have our protectress as someone who demands treaty revisions and consorts with vampires and fairies," Walter pressed.

Old Quil remained standing. He frowned, saying, "I do not think division will ensure loyalty on all sides. We do not have to like it, but there is a common enemy between us all. Anyone who threatens the lives of innocent people is against us. And those who seek to protect those lives should be welcome, for the time being."

With a finality, he left the podium. Harry replaced him. "No one loves her home or her family as much as my daughter. She has not aligned herself with enemies; she has sought those with honest hearts, regardless of species. Her wisdom could be the preservation of this tribe. I approve Billy Black's proposal."

The others murmured their agreement, if not a little more begrudgingly.

"It is decided. And now, for the revised treaty," Billy announced.

Leah started a little when Sam slid out of his pew and stalked down the aisle. She wasn't anywhere close, yet the room seemed too tight to contain him and her together.

At the podium, he seemed to cast a shadow over them all. "As the alpha of the shapeshifter pack, it is my responsibility to approve the revised treaty between the tribe and Carlisle Cullen's vampire coven." He lifted a paper from the stand. "In the event of an emergency, treaty boundaries are invalid until the threat is eliminated."

Leah's heart skipped a beat. Who's idea was this? She felt Edward's gaze on her and tried to focus. Not the time.

Sam exhaled loudly through his nose like a drama queen. "Only fairies from the Cosaint clan are allowed on the reservation. Any fairy unaccompanied by the protectress is subject to the mercy of the pack."

Leah squirmed with uncertainty. Separation did not dim her knowledge of Sam's mind. It was his way or the highway. There was no way he'd have given in to either of these measures. Someone must have bribed him or begged. Or maybe he was seeing something she didn't.

"However, the vampires' hunting restrictions remain. The Cullens may not turn any new vampires during their stay in Washington. The secret of all magical identities must stay restricted to the council, unless authorized by two or more elders." Sam paused. "If three or more Quileute young men join the wolf pack, then all outsiders are banned from the reservation indefinitely. The Cullens must move at least ten miles further from the reservation. I approve."

Leah let out a breath. There, the worst of it was over. It could only get better.

Carlisle raised a hand. "I approve."

Old Quil looked to Leah. "And for the fairies? This treaty concerns them, as well."

She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. Consequences be damned. If Ella couldn't be bothered to show, then that was that. "This may not be purely a tribal affair, but I can speak for the clan myself. I am nearly a member of it. So, I'll approve it on my own."

Billy beckoned her with a hand.

With shaky steps, she managed to straighten her spine by the time she reached the platform. She knelt on one knee.

Billy placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you swear that your first loyalty will remain to the Quileute tribe, above all bonds?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to protect every member of the tribe and every soul on our land?"

"I swear."

"Child, through Taha Aki, I name you as the protectress of your tribe, for every year of good health and sound mind you enjoy."

Sam crossed the room, stopping at Billy's shoulder. "Protectress, the pack will heed your wisdom and aid you in battle. Thank you for your sacrifice."

Leah looked up at the two men above her and for reasons she couldn't grasp, nearly cried.

The sun was setting, a flash of light in the pinkish-orange sky. Leah had no intention of doing anything more taxing than watching TV and baking cookies. But like always, the outdoors called to her.

She teleported through trees, staying close to home, but avoiding any sign of the pack. Why talk to her ex more than she had to?

Satisfied with one patch of forest, she traveled alone, aimlessly. Her walk led her to a river. She followed it, humming a familiar song she couldn't place. At one point, she looked up and found Edward sitting alongside it. Maybe she'd been looking for him all along.

His hair was a mess and he sat too still, but there was life in his expression. His skin shimmered faintly in the setting sun. One outstretched foot skimmed the water's surface. She wondered when she started thinking a man could scowl attractively or have beautiful legs, but she'd accepted that she was cracked long ago.

Quietly, she flicked a hand out, warming the earth they below them. She sat down beside him, one leg stretched out beside his, the outer one bent. After a moment she came up with nothing better than saying, "Don't worry."

He slowly turned to her, eyes glowing lemon-honey in the dark. "I'm not. At least, not about the spell."

"Then…?"

"This is all bigger than you and me. It's the clan. It's my family. It's your tribe. If something goes wrong…" He went silent again, lost in thought over everything that had happened lately, everything they knew.

She reached out, one hand on his shoulder. The tension in his shoulders was all wrong. She wanted to erase it, to brush away the pain furrowing his brow. An idea, really a need, flitted across her mind. Before she could make sense of it, Edward understood. He turned and pulled her into his chest, wrapping her in his arms. She sunk into his body and suddenly everything seemed a bit better. It was funny how a vampire brought out the cuddly side of her that few people had seen. But she pinned the thought down.

At first he ignored her silent question, preferring to run a cool hand along her forearm. She wondered if he was trying to make her fall asleep. It almost worked.

"Do you believe in me?" she asked aloud.

"Yes."

"Do you believe in yourself?"

He hesitated. Then he lied. "Yes."

"Ed, I'm going to have to ask you to do just that. Because there's no way I can do this without you." Her emotions are like slime - when they're out, they're everywhere, clinging. This entire week had made them stickier than usual. "Look, I need you to do something for me."
"Anything."

She turned to look him in the eyes. "Don't let me lose myself. To the clan or to the tribe. Bring me back to my family if I'm caught up in the chase." Because it felt right to be the hero, but she didn't want to die doing it.

"You have me. You won't lose yourself, but if you do, you have me." His voice was rich, sweet music in her ear. Usually it flitted by like birdsong, something lovely and in the moment. But this time he sang from his soul and called to hers. She could feel its permanence, its truth.

And she could feel her face doing that ugly nose-wriggle thing where she's trying to stay calm.

"It's cute," Edward blurted out. Then immediately looked embarrassed.

Leah cackled. "I suppose someone has to think so." She sighed contentedly. "You have me, too."

"I can hold my own. You look after yourself."

"I meant after it's all over. I'm going to protect you."

Damn the mission, the spell, the treaty, all of it. She'd be here even without those things. She'd be here until he told her not to be.

Yes, for each of them, there were still questions to ask and confessions to make. Yes, a thousand unspoken rules stood between them, put there by some unknown authority to keep them both afloat. This moment probably wasn't even allowed, according to themselves.

Yet, Edward let go of her. Leah started to panic, until he rested his head in her lap, closed his eyes and breathed, "Stay with me."

Too gentle to be an order. Too insistent to be a question. He was the master of persuasion. She wouldn't deny him either way. She had him if she lost herself. It's only fair.

She rested a hand over his heart and ran the other through his hair, admiring each strand that slipped between her fingers. 'Okay.'

Then she paused, her ears catching something above the rush of water. "Did you just purr like a cat?"

"Oh do shut up."

END PART THREE

A/N: The experimental place is based on restaurants in Sims 4. I'm not creative with food:)

By the way, I picture Echo as looking like (a slightly older) Katelyn Nacon and Troy like (a slightly shorter) Rome Flynn. I haven't decided on the queen. For the canon characters, it changes all the time between the movie actors to random fancasts. Who do you picture?

I'm putting together a playlist for this story. When it's ready I'll post it to tumblr and to my profile.

That wraps up Part III. Leave a review and share your favorite part! Updates will move from every 1-2 weeks to once a month. So see you in January with the beginning of the ten-chapter conclusion, Part IV: Afterlife. Happy Holidays!

Replies:

brankel1: Thanks, friend! :D

sentinel10: OMG It hurts my heart to write any discord between these two. I'm glad their makeup restored your hope! Their commitment to each other will definitely help and hurt things in turn. But Part IV will have a little less push-pull between Edleah as their relationship evolves :D