Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. I am only putting my spin on Stephenie Meyer's already created world of the supernatural.

Warnings: Violence/Gore, mentions/attempt of suicide and character deaths


Esme had kept me company all day, taking leave off work to hang around. It was kind of annoying. She was suffocating me with her hospitality, which had to be the weirdest way to get killed by a cold one.

When Carlisle came home, he took over being my keeper for the day. It wasn't as bad with him. We sat in his study after he took a saliva sample from me and played chess. He didn't bring up Edward in conversation, but anything else was game. Politics, our childhoods, the things we liked to eat. He liked coyotes, but I preferred chicken—of the fried variety. He also asked me insightful questions about what it was like growing up on the reserve. He'd ask what it was like belonging to a tribe and being so connected to my heritage. In turn, I asked him if he ever thought of Bambi when he went out hunting, a question to which he'd laughed at for a good while.

But, he couldn't resist the urge to ask me just once, "How are you holding up after last night?"

"Fine."

"Alright." I was grateful when he dropped it. Esme pushed and pushed with good intentions and bad results. "How are you feeling about tonight?"

I shrugged, moving my last rook closer to one of his knights. "Fine, I guess. I'm trying to think of it as the circle of life. It helps." Not much, though.

"Good, that's good." He took one of my last pawns and I scowled. The man was a chess fiend. "And what about the day after tomorrow?"

"The battle?" He nodded and watched me deflate into my chair. "Usually, it cheers me up to think about killing you guys, but it's not doin' the trick today. I don't know if it's because you're all so nice and now it's weird, or if it's everything else."

He leaned back in his seat, black eyes appraising me with an openness to them that I wished was in Edward's eyes. "I'm very happy to think I've opened your mind in some ways to my kind, but I'm quite worried about you. The bond must be causing you great pain."

"Yeah." The building pressure to seek Edward out started to pull at me, its presence impossible to ignore. "It's a lot like how you described your thirst to me. A burning desire that gets worse the longer I go without the thing I crave."

He made a mindless move on the board, too focused on me to notice his mistake. "Would a picture help ease your discomfort?"

"No," I told him, trying to stave off a smile as I moved my knight through a window and straight into his king. "That did, though."

"Oho! You're quite the clever wolf, aren't you? Well, I'll have to be more careful during our next round." He kept a smile on his face, but I could tell I'd awoken a sleeping dragon.

I was going to be thoroughly embarrassed the next round, wasn't I?

"Carlisle, quit hogging her. Might I have a turn at some point?" A voice like a tinkling bell asked. I looked over and saw the tiny one standing off to our side with the blonde warrior who'd been teaching the pack. "Hi, Leah! You're gorgeous. Edward said you were pretty, but I didn't realize you'd be so beautiful."

Their sudden presence had surprised me, but Alice's remark threw me for a complete loop. "Edward said I was pretty?"

He thought I was pretty? When had he said that? And when the hell did these two walk into the room? How long had they been watching me and Carlisle?

And, for God's sakes, when had Edward said that I was pretty?

"She probed him for information. Not being able to see shapeshifters drives her crazy," Jasper explained from her side. He gave a weak smile when I looked at him, but it didn't make him look much friendlier. "I'm Jasper if you don't remember."

"I didn't—I mean, I did remember. I didn't not remember." I couldn't think when Alice was staring at me that way. Her eyes were the darkest shade of burnt gold, still glittering even though she wasn't facing the light. But, she didn't blink. Creepy. "What?" I addressed her with a short tone.

She sighed and clicked her tongue. "I was hoping you would be well-dressed."

I was starting to think none of the Cullens had ever thought something sinister in their whole lives. They were kind of like defanged snakes. Off-putting but not really dangerous.

"I dress in whatever's fastest to take off," I explained, looking her up and down. She looked, in a word, expensive. "Easier to phase that way."

"Fair," she admitted before she gave a silvery giggle.

I frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing really. It's just so weird finally meeting you. I had this flood of visions this morning about how everyone's going to feel about you. I couldn't stand the suspense on the way here. You, shapeshifter, were the one thing I couldn't see and wanted to see the most."

"Person," Carlisle corrected her.

She waved him off and reached up, running her icy cold fingers through my hair. "I can see why I give you bangs now."

I stood up fast, backing away from her like she was about to pounce. "There'll be no touching my hair and especially no cutting it any shorter."

"Except that there will be. Esme and I talk about it while we make you dinner someday." She twirled over, taking my seat with the grace of a prima ballerina. "And if I'm right, Emmett's going to get hung up on something that happens tonight for a long time."

Jasper spoke next and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Leah." He held out his hand and I took it, not wanting to be rude. He winced when my hand touched his, but then he gave me a firm handshake.

I guessed my temperature bothered them a little more than theirs bothered me. It made sense since you killed cold ones with fire, but you couldn't kill a shapeshifter with the cold.

As conversation carried on, I decided that both halves of the couple were alright for cold ones. Alice asked me a lot of questions. Jasper didn't. He was very quiet and reserved, only speaking to explain things Alice said when I was confused. He always seemed to know when I got lost in the conversation.

In the middle of our chatting, someone from far away started shouting at us. It was a vampire's musical voice that yelled, "We're not coming inside, it smells awful from all the way out here! You'll have to meet us!"

"The queen has arrived," Alice joked with a jovial grin before looking up from her game with Carlisle to meet my eyes. "Don't take it personally."

"Don't take what personally?"

Her pink lips pressed into a taut line as she considered my question. After a few seconds, she replied, "Whatever it is she's about to do to you."

All of us got what we needed for the night and walked out of the house to meet the last two. Esme hung onto Carlisle's arm and Jasper and Alice held hands. To stave off the feeling of being the fifth wheel, I phased and left my tatters of clothing on the forest floor.

I spotted the two last cold ones when we were about a mile off from them. Emmett was huge, bigger than I remembered him being in the clearing. Rosalie was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen. She had golden hair that looked soft as a cloud with big, glamorous waves. There wasn't a single flyaway, either—a big contrast to Emmett's windblown, frizzy curls. I guessed I hadn't noticed how pretty she was before because I was too busy hating her.

Rosalie folded her pale arms over her chest, measuring me with her nose in the air. I had an inkling she wasn't thinking nice things about me from the dissatisfied pout she'd taken on.

"You stink," she finally said, her voice deeper than Alice's and Esme's, but still pleasant. It had that same, odd musicality to it, too.

I gave a low grumble in her direction that made a few of the Cullens laugh. Rosalie only arched one of her neat eyebrows, eyeing me with a vague skepticism in her eyes. Over what, I couldn't even begin to tell.

"She sounds so indignant," Esme commented as she threaded her fingers through my shaggy fur. She scratched behind my ear and I worked to make sure I played down how good it felt

The last thing I wanted was for them to treat me like a dog. I was nothing like Jacob who blatantly played the part of a puppy so Bella would pet him. That freak was more pathetic than me and he hadn't even imprinted.

"Hey, wolfy. Over here." Emmett whistled for my attention and I bared my teeth at him.

"She's not a dog, Em. You don't need to whistle for her attention," Jasper told him. He looked annoyed enough on my behalf that I didn't feel the need to phase back and tell Emmett off, myself.

"Ok, ok. Chill out, Jazz. Anyway, you hear the doe out there, wolf?" Emmett asked me and I closed my eyes, focusing.

A mile or two away, there was a doe eating some grass. It was bleeding—or it had been—and the smell of gunpowder had mixed with it. It'd been grazed, I knew it hadn't gotten shot since there wasn't enough blood and it didn't sound like it walked weird.

I opened my eyes to nod at Emmett and he nodded back. "Let's make tonight a little more interesting and race for it. Whoever gets it first, gets to do whatever they want with it. When I win, I'll mount its head on our wall."

"No," Rosalie told him while checking out her nails.

"Just the antlers?"

"No."

"What about its—?"

"No."

"Wait, wait! You don't even know what I was gonna say!"

"Hooves."

"Fine." Emmett looked back to me, a bit sulky after the brief tiff with Rosalie. "I guess I'll just drink its blood."

I barked at him, making my objection clear. He wouldn't get his smelly, ginormous hands on the poor animal. I'd make sure of that.

"I'll be the starter!" Alice exclaimed, twirling over to the two of us. She had on fewer layers but had put on a coat before we left. We wouldn't hunt the entire night, it seemed, if they were still dressing to fit in with humans.

Alice got into position in front of us, laughably tiny in comparison to me and Emmett. The fierce look in her eyes made up for it.

She looked between the two of us, nodding her approval with a sharp smile. "Ready?" She held up one arm. Emmett lowered into a crouch and I bent my legs. "Set." She held up her other arm. Everyone was silent, waiting. My paws tingled against the cool grass, wet with recent rain. "Go!"

The two of us sprung forward, Emmett's jump keeping him next to me for about half a second. I pulled ahead, fast. The distance grew between us until there was no possible way for him to close it and soon enough, I jumped on the doe. I rolled with it trapped in my legs before letting it go to scamper off, confused and disoriented.

Emmett showed up two seconds later, a look of utter disbelief on his face. I stood up, my barks an odd sort of laughter that bounced off of the trees. Immediately, he demanded, "Again!"

"Oh dear," Esme said from afar with a sigh. "I'm sorry for his behavior, Leah. Emmett, leave her be. She already humored you once."

"No way! Not until I've won!" He bent his knees so we were eye-level with each other. "One more time. You wanna?"

I nodded my approval. Racing took my mind off of what the rest of them were doing, so I was happy to go another round.

Every time I won and let his prey go, Emmett would get a little angrier. The other Cullens ate on the down-low, their eyes brighter every time I saw them after a race. They all spoke to me, too, seeming more comfortable around me since I'd phased. They were used to talking to shapeshifters that were already in their wolf form, it was simple as that.

Emmett, unlike the others, was learning to hate me in my wolf form. He had a full-blown temper tantrum after his seventeenth loss against me. It made my night.

"It's not fair, Rose! She has four legs!" Emmett gestured to me and I laid down, resting my head on my forelegs to look as innocent as possible. "Turn back human and then let's see who wins!"

"She can't turn back, she'll be naked," Alice reminded him, patting my head as she skipped by, bright-eyed. "But you still wouldn't win. You're not imaginative enough."

"Yeah, you can't win. Alice might be able to win," Jasper claimed and then turned to look at me, a smear of blood still on his cheek. He had less polish than the others when hunting. "I think I could win."

I popped up to my feet and stretched out in preparation for what looked like would be a hard race.

Alice stepped in front of the two of us as she'd been doing for me and Emmett every time. "The first one to the…let's say the cougar, wins. Get ready, set…" She looked between us, a grin on her pale face as we waited in anticipation. "Go!"

I sprinted off, Jasper keeping up with me as we sped towards the smell of the cougar. The wind combed through my fur as I leaped over a patch of high-sitting roots. I speared between two low-hanging branches and landed back on my feet. Jasper made the mistake of climbing over them, giving me a split second time-advantage. That was all I needed to create a gap and win.

"Ok, you're pretty fast," he admitted when he'd caught up, a coy smile on his face. "Thanks for the food."

I trotted off before he could bite the cougar I'd knocked by throwing it hard into a tree trunk. They were all amazed by my speed, the lot of them chatting animatedly about it when I found them. Then again, who wasn't?

Carlisle was the first to speak to me when I reached them. "That was very impressive, Leah. Are you the fastest out of your entire pack?" I gave a nod. "It's going to be great fighting with you on our side."

They had no idea. I was going to bring it on D-day and show all those newborns who the boss was. I let myself imagine carving a swath through the battlefield. Edward would be proud of me when half of them were gone before a full minute had even passed. It would be like lightning struck and wiped them out. He wouldn't even remember why he'd been so mad at me before. Or he wouldn't care because I'd be too impressive.

"Look at her. You can see she's smug even as a wolf," Rosalie commented, hissing when I whacked her in the back with my tail.

Rosalie had a short fuse and really, really liked herself, but she was also funny. And, weirdly, she was pretty nice to me. So, I didn't understand Alice's request from earlier. All I knew was that I wanted to see what Rosalie could do in a fight.

I nudged her side with my nose, making her stumble off balance a bit. She snarled at me and I growled, hopping into an offensive stance.

Jasper laughed from a distance and warned, "Careful. She plays dirty, Leah."

Before I could register the tip, she'd pounced and managed to catch me. The two of us rolled around the grass for a bit before she somehow got the upper hand and pinned me. When she was off of me, I immediately attacked again and she pinned me a full two seconds faster than before.

It wasn't very fair. She didn't seem that hard to beat when she fought Jasper. I guessed that just said more of Jasper than anything, though. I'd definitely fight him next.

"I'll let you up if you go back to the house, get changed, and race Emmett as a human," she said and tapped my nose with her finger. "Do you agree to my terms, cupcake?" I let out a mean growl that scared away some birds but gave a nod so she'd get the hell off of me.

Once I was back on my feet, I made a show of not looking at her and passing by her.

"Sore loser!" She called after me and Emmett cackled his approval.

Alice seemed troubled as I passed her, so I stopped to look at her. "It's nothing," she told me when she caught me staring. "Don't take long and it should be nothing."

With that, I ran back to the house for clothes. It was a bit away, but I was fast enough to where it didn't take me longer than fifteen minutes to get there. Upon closer investigation, I could tell the two were both upstairs in his room. That'd make it easy to get clothes from my suitcase without them ever seeing me.

Bella whispered from the second floor as I phased back, "Please."

I snuck onto the porch, silently opening the door and dashing inside. The first-floor bathroom still had my suitcase in it. I laid it down on its side unzipped it at a steady pace, not wanting to risk her human ears catching the sound.

"Please?" Bella whispered again, her breaths coming out shallow and fast.

I was starting to be able to smell…things. Her all over him, him all over her. I pinched my nose closed with my fingers, shimmying into camo shorts one-handed.

"I'll marry you."

My body went numb. I fell back, hitting my head on the edge of the porcelain tub. Tears welled up in my eyes, stinging, and I had the ringing pain in the back of my skull as my excuse for them. I rubbed my head harshly, sniffing and letting out a low hiss of pain as I stood back up.

Bella continued, "I'll let you pay for Dartmouth, and I won't complain about the bribe to get me in. You can even buy me a fast car if that makes you happy! Just…please."

He hadn't told her. How could he not have told her? How could he marry her—I meant, like that, under those circumstances? More to the point, why did I have to be around to hear it? Ignorance was bliss, but I was rarely allowed not to know things.

I knew about shapeshifters. I knew about cold ones. I knew about the world most humans were able to avoid awareness of for their entire lives. But, this was worse than all that. Worse than when I had to feel what Sam felt when he spent the night with Emily for the first time. Worse than when I was at my father's funeral and Emily cried into Sam's shoulder while my mom would barely look at me. Worse than meeting my imprint and getting rejected by him on the same day.

Edward wanted forever with Bella and he was willing to make me hide forever to have it. I was the skeleton in his closet, not allowed to be seen. Not allowed to have an opinion. Subservient and secret and for what? I didn't get his love for it. I didn't get his friendship. I didn't even get a thank you.

Just a grimace.

I got up, grabbing a shirt out of my case and clutching it to my chest, over my sports bra. It was time to go. Go, go, go and never come back.

"Edward?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, sounding distracted even to me. His voice took a weight off of my shoulders I'd been bearing all day and then added twice as much. "Would you hold that thought?"

"Uh, sure."

Edward raced down, cutting me off at the door since I'd stopped to get my boots. I tried to sidestep him, but he was adept at getting in my way. Finally, I stopped and waited for whatever he had to say. But he said nothing and the silence was unbearable.

"I can't actually stay away from you forever. I wish I could," I whispered like he didn't already know from my thoughts. I draped my shirt over my shoulder and gently placed my free hand on his side, trying to usher him out of my path.

He took my hand in his, showing me the red on my palm. The same energy passed between us when we touch and I snatched my hand away. I couldn't take it. I clapped my bloody hand over the back of my head and sniffed, trying to sidestep him again. He let me that time and I ran away, faster than I ever had.

On my run back to the Cullens, I locked everything down so tight that my chest constricted. Part me was worried that I would never feel anything again because of it. Part of me hoped I wouldn't.

"Leah, honey, what's wrong?" Esme asked, walking to meet me before I could even get to them. I had no idea how she knew. None of the others seemed to notice that I'd shattered inside, they just seemed confused by Esme's question.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine," I replied, voice flat and completely unconvincing.

Alice glared hard at Rosalie, but she didn't seem to notice as she smiled from Emmett's side. And seeing the one-sided exchange made it all click for me. Rosalie wasn't being nice for no reason, she was trying to use me—and she had. Very successfully.

I wanted to scream at her and fight her, but she'd win and then everyone would look at me like I was a monster. I didn't want the Cullens to look at me that way, too.

"You're still feeling under the weather, aren't you? She walked through the rain last night and she's still recovering. The races must have pushed her too hard," Carlisle said, lying for my sake.

"Yep," I replied, crossing my arms and hiding my bloody hand. "I'm tired."

"Food should help," Carlisle told me, shooting me a subtle wink that only Esme seemed to catch. She smiled at the two of us.

Food was my only unruined love. "Is there a restaurant near here?"

"Yes, and it's a lovely establishment. Why don't we all go together?" Esme suggested with a smile, leaning into what Carlisle had started. Everyone seemed on board since they'd already eaten and didn't have any iron-clad plans for the night. "Does that sound alright with you, Leah?"

"Sure. I mean, I don't know what you'll all do at a restaurant, but you can come if you want to." They got ready to run off, so I had to be quick to say, "Rosalie, can you stay a minute?"

She arched an eyebrow but nodded her consent. The others all gave their little worried glances—they were all such worrywarts, they put Sam to shame—and then they left us behind. I waited extra long to be sure they were gone and when I was sure they'd left, I turned to face Rosalie.

"I'm not a pawn," I told her, not wasting time with any preamble.

"What are you—?"

"I'm also not an idiot."

She crossed her arms, mirroring my stance. "Fine, Leto." I could feel he measuring me, trying to suss out my weaknesses. "Ok. All I want you to do is tell me how different you are now as opposed to when you were eighteen."

I rolled my eyes at her random request—her demand. "I'm not doing that."

"List the big changes that have taken place, you'll see where I'm going with this. And I know you want to know, so don't pretend." She had me. I could tell she knew it by the wicked gleam her eyes had taken on.

"I became a shapeshifter, Sam dumped me, my—someone close to me died and I had to forego college so I could work. I cut my hair, too."

In other words, I was completely unrecognizable to who I used to be. I hadn't realized that before…

"It's quite a bit different, your life. Don't you think?" She asked, the question rhetorical and snide as she could manage. "And that's, what, three years?"

I wished it'd been three years, but no. It had all happened at breakneck speed. "Two years, give-or-take."

"Two years and everything's different. Everyone changed. You did, the people you love did, the people you hate did, too."

"If your point is so good, vampire, get to it," I snapped, all out of saintly patience.

The smug air about her dissipated and the confidence in her stance seeped out of her. Left behind was a sad, pale ghost of the woman she used to be before she turned. It was such a quick transition, I could've convinced myself I'd imagined how she'd been before.

"Bella doesn't want kids right now, or at least she says she doesn't want them more than she wants Edward. But what about two years from now? What about one hundred years? What about one thousand?"

Hard questions. Unanswerable questions for anyone besides Alice. "Why don't you ask your sister?"

"Alice supports this, she won't help me. She supports this mistake. Bella will continue to change for as long as she walks the earth while the rest of her is stuck, never moving forward. How can that be anyone's happy ending, anyone's best option?"

"It's not your call to make. The fact that we're even—"

"Do you know what it's like to want something so bad and know you'll never be able to have it?" She asked, not yelling, but allowing her voice to carry through the forest. Her arms shifted, wrapping around her stomach. It finally clicked why she was pushing so hard, why she cared so much. "It's torture."

"I know exactly what you mean." I took a deep breath, pushing down the sadness that threatened to overwhelm my irritation. "But not everyone gets to have kids, even when they aren't like you."

Her eyes softened then and she let her arms fall to her sides. A comforting silence sprawled between us, a mutual understanding growing in place of words. Of all the Cullens, I had the most in common with the one who seemed the most opposite of me at first glance. Par for the course of my life.

When she spoke next, her words came out soft. "Neither of us got the option to choose what we are. She should." I couldn't disagree. And I didn't want anyone to become a cold one if I could help it.

"She did choose. And so did he, not that that seems to matter to you."

"Yes, with an underdeveloped, hormone-driven brain. She would come to my way of thinking by herself if she could only have productive time away from him. With Jacob. Jacob nearly got her there in the first place, if it wasn't for stupid me."

That piqued my interest. "What'd 'stupid you' do?"

"I insinuated Bella died. I'm the reason my brother almost committed suicide." The guilt on her face made my stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot.

Would that have been how Emily would have looked had I died after jumping off that building? Would my mom have made that same expression? Would Seth have? I couldn't stare her in the face.

"But—but he'll have you this time, Leah," she told me, recovering. "And let's address the big elephant in the room, shall we? Imprinting isn't one-sided."

"Stop," I whispered. I didn't have it in me to fight any harder.

"Last night, I came home before you woke up. I wanted to scrub off the wet dog smell of your buddies' and leave again without interaction. I caught him watching you sleep. He was so focused on you that he didn't even notice me until I called his name in my head. That was new."

Rage overwrote my sorrow. "You're so desperate to break them up that you're willing to lie to me? Stop this pathetic attempt at deceit!"

"I'm not lying!" She cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "God, won't you consider me for even a moment? You know, deep down, that even if he does love Bella, it's a moot point now. Even if she does stay and becomes a vampire and she never wants anything other than him, some part of him is going to be whispering for you. How is that fair to anyone?" My heart slammed in my chest, teetering on the edge of hope and hatred. "I would have left it alone, considering the last time I involved myself. I would have left them alone if it wasn't for you. But, you exist and that's reason enough."

"No, it's not and I'm not gonna do a thing to hurt either of them. I used to torment a couple to try and break them up not so long ago. You wanna talk about mistakes? That was a big one and I won't make it again." I was sick of trying to ruin other people's lives because I couldn't be happy.

And I especially couldn't do that to Edward.

"You're not listening. Listen," she ordered in a huff, placing her hands on her hips as her golden eyes focused on mine. "She could be with Jacob. They could leave and she could move on."

I put my hands on my hips, mocking her pose. "Great idea, Rosalie. Put the girl who broke after her boyfriend dumped her with a ticking time-bomb. It's not like Jake's gonna—I dunno—imprint someday."

"I could be wrong and I know it would be better for me to stay out of it—"

"Good," I cut her off. "End it there." I walked away, waiting for her to follow before I would run.

"I can't because it doesn't end there! Edward cares about you and you love him. Admit it. You were jealous of Bella, you wish it had been you up there with him."

I kept walking as I replied, "I wasn't jealous. I didn't want it to be me."

I just hadn't wanted it to be anyone else. That fact killed me, ate me up inside and out, but it was true. The bond had made me possessive, so even if I wanted Edward to have a girlfriend, to have a wife, it was so difficult to share. Letting him spend alone time with Bella was a feat I couldn't believe I was capable of. And I hadn't even realized I felt that way until now, because of Rosalie. Feelings I wasn't ready to face yet were confronting me, cornering me in the night. All because of her.

"Fine." I turned around at her abrupt surrender, crossing my arms as I tried to decide whether she was being honest. She looked oddly serene, but not insincere.

"Fine?"

"Fine," she repeated in a calm tone, giving a nonchalant shrug. "I'm going to mind my business this time. I won't do a thing and I won't have to. All I have to do is wait." She straightened her necklace and fixed the cashmere sweater she was wearing. The woman was mercurial as anyone could get.

She still wasn't moving forward, though, so I gave in and asked her what she clearly wanted me to. "Wait for what?

"For her to find out about you. When she does, it's over." She stroked her hair over her shoulder, exposing her creamy white neck. Sometimes, I caught myself staring at cold ones' necks. I'd wait for a pulse to jump out at me before remembering what they were—what they weren't. "Now, let's get going."

She took off and I chased after her, a stone weighing heavy in my stomach.

We ran as far as we could before I had to put on my shirt and we slowed to a walk, for the humans that were around. Just before we entered the restaurant, she helped me out. She unraveled her black scarf from around her throat and wiped off the blood on the back of my head and neck for me. She wrapped her scarf around my neck and strode in ahead of me, not looking back. Emmett waved the two of us right over to the table they were all sitting at.

I was so sure that the night was shot and there was no way I'd be able to enjoy anything ever again. And then Carlisle offered to foot the bill. The Cullens would order their meals and cut them up, then spread it around their plates, nibbling on bites. They would give them to me after a while, though, and I ended up eating seven plates of free food.

So, it wasn't the worst night of my life.

After the late dinner, they sort of made it their mission to keep me entertained. We went bowling and it became a game of trying to knock down certain pins and leave all the others standing. There was a point where we would pick a topic and try to come up with the best story about it. We also stopped by a karaoke place that was pretty dead and hung around there for a while. Esme and Carlisle dedicated love songs to each other. It was cute, for the first three songs. It was annoying for the other five.

Sometime during the hectic night, I ended up alone with Alice at a cafe that was still open. I'd needed a pick-me-up and Alice insisted she come with me. She seemed like she needed to talk to me about something, so I let her tag along.

The two of us sat together at a table by the window while the others went to buy tickets for a movie at an all-night theater. She was surprisingly quiet as I sipped my coffee, faking a yawn now and then. Her fake yawning kept making me yawn and yawning made me tired.

I should've gotten that shot of espresso when the barista asked me if I wanted it.

"Do you really love Edward?" Alice asked as I was pulling a long sip from my cup.

After I'd swallowed my sip, I answered without hesitation, "Yep."

"Then I trust you'll never repeat to him what I'm about to tell you. Your future depends on it." Her words gave me the nervous jolt I needed to come completely awake.

"I promise." The future was nothing to take lightly.

"I see three visions when it comes to Bella's long-term future. There used to be two, but now there's three." She held up three slender, petite fingers, nails the color of cotton candy. "I see Bella dying because that's always a possibility." She put one finger down. "I see Bella turned and living in blissful matrimony as a vampire with Edward." She put down a second finger, leaving just her pointer up. "This new one's the kicker. I see Bella with a Cullen family friend, still immortal, still a vampire, but not with any of us around. Her eyes are red from being a newborn. The man she's with has golden eyes, which is the real kicker because he's always been insistent on a diet of humans. To top it all off, they're clearly in some sort of…relationship."

I put down my cup, glancing around the cafe to see if the three people on the far-side were listening in a bout of paranoia. "Alice, why're you telling me this?"

"Because I still only see two of Edward's futures." She held up two fingers, her eyelids fluttering closed. "I see Edward dying because that's always a possibility." She put one finger down and pointed at me with her last. "And I see one where he's with Bella, married and happy. If there's one with you, I can't see it because I can't see you."

"'Cause I'm a shapeshifter."

She nodded, opening her eyes, her finger still pointed at me. "Exactly. Edward has started blinking in and out of my visions. A lot of my visions, in general, have become fuzzy or completely changed." She rested her hand back on the table, clasping her fingers together.

Alice didn't have dark circles and she didn't slump or sway at all, but one look into her eyes would've told anyone she was beyond exhausted. It made me wonder how much of a toll my presence took on her. If it was this bad, was she going to last through the few months I was staying around her?

"You ok?"

"I'm fine." She primped her hair a moment, eyes distant. "If Edward doesn't give Bella the ring tonight, I have a feeling it's only going to go one way. The one way I can't actually see."

"But, he did give her the ring. She said she'd marry him when I was getting my clothes."

"I believe you, but the vision I had of him showing her the ring is gone, Leah." Cue the nervous gulp and speedy pulse. "Bella doesn't want to get married and he does. It's been a constant point of conflict for the two of them, long before you. Tonight was supposed to be the night he convinced her to marry him. But now you've come in and, of course, switched up the game." She took my coffee into her hands, sniffing it before she made a look of disgust. "Even if I could drink this, I wouldn't."

There was no air in my lungs, but I somehow managed to ask, "Why exactly are you telling me this again?"

She pushed my coffee back over to me, across the tabletop. "I listened in on you and Rosalie. It changed my mind. You deserve to know that it's possible there's a longterm future with you and Edward. One where Bella is with someone else."

What? "What?"

"I know, right? It's all so up in the air until tomorrow. Don't tell Edward, ok?" All I could do was give her a dumbfounded nod. "Ok. It was nice talking to you, Lee, but I have calls to make. There's an event I think I need to plan." She got up then and went outside with her purse and phone in hand.

And that was that. The conversation was over, there was nothing left to do but stew on it.

I watched the movie in a daze, only able to focus when Jasper offered to help—an offer I took in record time. But, Rosalie and Alice's words just kept swirling around in my head.

Imprinting isn't one-sided. Tonight was supposed to be the night he convinced her to marry him. That was new.

I couldn't wrap my head around any of it and Jasper's power was helpful and all, but it didn't erase the truth. And the truth was simple, something even a monkey could point out. If I stuck around, Bella wouldn't.

Time slowed to a deadly crawl when all the Cullens left me after sunrise to go back home. Carlisle left me his phone so they could call once Bella was gone. Unfortunately, Jasper and his magic left, too. There was nothing to do except wait and dread and hope.

How could anyone stand to be alive these days? It sucked.

The phone did eventually rang in my back pocket and I almost dropped it in my eagerness to take the call. "Hey, are they gone?"

"We are. We have been for a while, but I wanted to be the one to call." Edward's sweet voice came through the phone, stunning me out of my aggressive pacing pattern. "I thought you would want to know that Jacob has decided to take part in the fight, after all."

It took me a second for my brain to give me any words to say back. The shock of hearing his perfect voice instead of Carlisle's had left me speechless. But, he was waiting for me to speak—I had to hurry up before he regretted calling and hung up or something.

"Why the change of heart?" That was the best I could do for a reply.

He responded pretty quick, "He saw me and decided that it'd be nice to blow off some steam. Bella thought he was leaving for the fight this entire time, so it makes no real difference."

"I'm surprised he hasn't told Bella everything, himself." No, no—why the hell did I say that? That was the completely wrong thing to say.

Edward sighed and I flinched at my least favorite sound in the world. He murmured, "Jacob doesn't want to hurt her. He remembers well what happened back when I left."

Jacob had restraint? Yeah, right.

"We'll see if he changes his mind again, but Sam'll know when I phase next." He hummed a quiet affirmative into the phone. It didn't sound pissed at all. I needed to end it on that high note. "So, if that's all—"

"Leah?"

"Yeah?" I couldn't have replied faster.

He sighed again and let a few beats pass before he said, "I'm sure you're curious about why I wanted to call."

I walked over to a tree, leaning against it and bracing myself. "I am."

"There was never a point where I decided not to tell Bella. But, thank you for not telling her even when you assumed that to be true. I also want to apologize for last night. You should have heard how everyone jumped down my throat for letting you get hurt." He paused. "For hurting you."

"You don't hurt me. Your fear does, or your anger does, but that's not you. You are so much more than your worst moments." He let out a breathy laugh, the sound so lovely my heart almost broke.

Another sharp clatter. "You don't even know me, Leah. Not truly."

"I know enough." He'd been lonely for so much of his life. I couldn't be the reason that happened again. "Hey, uh, you don't have to tell Bella about me. I don't want you to anymore." Maybe Carlisle would find a way to break the bond and they could still live happily ever after. Maybe I hadn't ruined everything yet.

"But, I thought—"

"Sam wants me to do some stuff before heading out for the clearing. So, I gotta go, ok? Stay safe." I promptly hung up, holding the phone to my chest until my heart calmed down.

The Cullens were waiting outside of their house for me when I arrived and I sent them my best smile. Jasper was the first to happily smile back.

"Did any of you tell Edward to call me?" I asked them, hoping for one answer.

"No, he wanted to," Carlisle informed me with a chuckle. I tossed him his phone back and whistled a tune as I passed by them, going inside.

Sam needed me to call Emily so she could record the events of my stay with the Cullens. She was sort of our historian and so I called her on the landline and updated her on everything. It was a brief phone call, she didn't make it personal—thank God.

At the end of the call, she asked, "Has Seth spoken to you?"

"Nope."

"Then, I should tell you that he had a big falling out with your mom last night. I didn't want you to get shocked by it in the initial share." I pinched the bridge of my nose as she went on with, "It shouldn't shake his focus. I just wanna make sure it doesn't shake yours, either."

I replied, "It won't. Thanks for giving me a heads-up, Em."

"'Course. Watch Sam's back for me?"

"Done deal. Talk to ya after we win."

"Ok. Bye." I hung up and took a deep breath, rubbing the back of my neck roughly.

The last thing I wanted was for my family to suffer even more because of me.

"I couldn't help but overhear," Esme said from behind me. I turned around to face her and she had this warm mothering look in her eye that I thought only TV moms got. "I'm so sorry about the discord imprinting has brought to your family. I was wondering if there was anything we could do."

I was pretty sure things were going to have to get worse before they got any better. Nice of her to ask, though. Purely nice, purely Esme. "Don't worry about it, ok? You have your own kids to worry about."

She frowned, but nodded and flitted off to where the others were talking at a speed my ears couldn't follow. I decided to get ready in every way I could. I took a shower to help with the smell so that the pack wouldn't complain as much and put comfy, oversized clothes in a bag. I'd carry in my teeth as a wolf and stow it on the outer edge of the clearing for when the battle was over.

"It won't mess up the Bella trail, will it?" I asked Jasper, just to be sure. I didn't want to screw anything up because of carelessness.

"It should be fine. As long as you don't bleed," he told me with a dutiful nod.

"My vision hasn't changed. The battle will go well," Alice said, piping up from beside Jasper, where she had both her arms wrapped around him. "According to Emmett, in the future, it goes 'straight-up epic'."

Emmett laughed from another room and yelled, "Hell yeah! With my strength and Flash's speed, how could this fight be anything else?" He walked into the living room where I was putting clothes into my duffel bag on the couch. He gave me a hard part on the back and I punched him in his side, making him laugh.

The time came to leave. I went outside and stripped down to my boy-shorts and sports bra, warmth shivering off of me. Rosalie watched me closely and in an instant, the heat started and then exploded out of me. I couldn't feel my skin for the brief moment it took for my brain to adjust to my new body. Emmett let out a low whistle as he joined Rosalie's side, beaming at me.

All the memories of the pack crammed into my skull and I experienced Seth's fight with mom. I felt his muted shame as I began running with the Cullens. We'd be having a long talk after the fight.

You're getting awfully cozy with the cold ones, Leah. But, since you're too wimpy, I'll say it myself. Edward's yours for the taking and please, take him off my hands, Jacob thought. Leave it to him to comment on the one thing I didn't want to talk about. He'd carried Bella to where they'd be camping for the night and had enjoyed holding her way too much.

You're right, Jake. I should be the way you are when you're with Bella and just take what I want, regardless. Tell me again, how did that punch to the face feel against your pride?

Not today, you two, Sam thought, ending the spat before it could even really begin. Listen up, everyone. Today, we're doing more hands-on demonstrations. It's going to be a little more intense and I already discussed it with Jasper and Carlisle, so I need you to really show them how you'll fight in the field. Just be careful not to waste too much energy.

Seth is still not gonna be in the fight, right? I asked, wanting to make sure one last time.

No, he'll be out with Bella and Edward. Seth's approval shone through with Sam's assertive thought.

Jacob phased back. He'd heard all he'd needed to, in his opinion. Nothing in the plan had changed. He'd be there.

We need to keep track of what's going on and of where everyone is at all times. Brady and Collin will be phased and ready to join us if the need arises. Sam was sure we wouldn't need them, though. We could handle it as long as Jacob helped out.

As much as Jacob annoyed the crap out of me, he would be exactly what we needed in the field. He fought hard enough for two of us.

I'll tell him you said so, Quil teased.

I thought we agreed no one would talk to her except for Sam, Paul thought, calling my attention to a memory of last night. They'd looked to Paul as a leader. She's a traitor. A vampire sympathizer.

Paul, you're an idiot, Embry thought back, showing me his perspective of the memory. He showed, along with everyone else, how they had actually looked at Paul.

Like he was an idiot.

I laughed and laughed, a few others joining in as I ran alongside Carlisle and Esme to get to the clearing. I can't believe you thought anyone would listen to you. You're so stupid!

I'll show you stupid. Paul growled, running alongside me as our paths converged.

You always do, I thought.

Can we please just focus? The fight's happening early tomorrow and I think we should put aside personal grievances, just until it's over. Embry was the voice of reason out of the rest of the dummies. I felt how hesitant he was to intervene, though. It made sense, considering the way I'd acted before. I'm actually rooting for you, Leah. I hope you're able to be the first shapeshifter to break the bond of imprinting. Maybe then, we can all be friends.

I'll never be her friend, Jared thought, retaliating against the idea.

Yeah, never. And when everyone gets over me telling them to ignore you, they'll do it all by themselves. No one likes you except for Collin and your brother, you know that. Paul was pleased with himself as my pain was exposed to the whole pack. Everyone else's displeasure was clear.

Let's just focus on practicing, guys. Please.

Listen to Embry, he's the only one who realizes the gravity of the situation, Sam thought. All the background conversations and laughing silenced, everyone listening to our alpha. Tomorrow, people may die. Our pack will be in real danger. This time tomorrow, we could be thinking of how to tell someone's parents or loved ones that the person they know and love is dead. All this arguing is ridiculous. The person you're trying to hurt in temporary anger could be gone by tomorrow's afternoon.

Jeez, we get it, Paul snarked and nudged against me as we came to a stop by the clearing. You're not a traitor on the battlefield, Leah, but only on the battlefield.

Gee, thanks. Should we kiss now? A few of us snickered and I felt Paul's embarrassment. Anyway, I get it. Temporary truce.

Temporary truce. Everyone seemed to agree, lining up and leaving a spot for Sam as he arrived and stood in the middle. Sam led us forward and I left my bag in the tree-line.

The final practice started and then ended, the incoming storm rushing it to a finish. Before I knew it, we were all waiting in silence for Jasper to share a few words in preparation for the fight. It was dark and it was snowing, a white blanket laying over every treetop and thick in the clearing.

I'd always hated snow, it crunched underfoot like bone.

Morbid, Embry thought, seconds before Jasper left Alice's side to step forward and address us.

"I'm not one for making speeches, but I'll say this. Victoria thinks that she can get away with what she's done. She thinks that her army will take care of us for her and she'll be able to kill and maim at her will. She thinks Bella is already hers, that the fate of tomorrow is decided—and I suppose it is. Tomorrow is only going to go one way and Victoria is mistaken. Fate is on our side. She will kneel in the remains of her army and beg us for mercy and she will. Not. Find. It. Not in us. Not tomorrow." Paul growled, his excitement spreading through the pack like a disease. Sam let out an eager growl, the sound rumbling in my bones.

Carlisle stepped up with Jasper then. "Rest up and remember what you've learned. If you're ever in trouble, gravitate towards one of us and we'll help."

Jasper backed straight into Alice's open arms and he leaned down so she could whisper something into his ear from behind. Whatever it was that she said made him smile all big and wide. Carlisle rejoined Esme's side, whispering away at a volume my ears couldn't catch. Rosalie and Emmett cuddled, frozen in each other's arms as snow buried their feet.

Sam told Seth to run off to where Jacob, Bella, and Edward were waiting. Soon after he left, the blizzard took a turn for the worst and I worried he wouldn't be able to find his way.

I'll be fine, Seth thought, actively remembering the route Jacob had given us when he'd last phased.

Everyone else settled in, ready to get some shut-eye while Jared and Sam kept watch. The Cullens discussed finding dry wood to build a bonfire after the snow stopped, fairly relaxed about the whole thing. They believed in Alice, trusted her visions. They had no reason to be afraid, unlike me.

Visions can change, Sam thought, turning his head to look at me. Everyone else was already asleep and Jared was tuning us out. I doubt Bella would ever leave Edward's side in any potential future. Maybe she's wrong.

Well, do you believe she's right about the fight?

I do. So, I'll admit that she could be right about Bella ending up with someone else, but I trust you wouldn't allow that to happen. I know you'll do the right thing. Sam was so confident in my moral compass. It was interesting since I'd been torturing him just last week. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. Especially with you—you're too fast for your own good. The two of us made throaty barks resembling laughter. He nudged my side with his muzzle, sending me supportive vibes.

He was right. I wouldn't get in the way, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did.

I couldn't sleep, so we had conversations about anything and everything. It was the way it used to be, just without all the fooling around in the middle. But, conversation between us became drowsy as time went on. The storm bore down heavy all around us, the whistling wind oddly soothing. Or maybe I was just that tired.

Get some sleep. Jared and I will keep an eye on Seth for you, Sam thought to me. Jared made vague grumblings about helping me, but seemed prepared to watch over Seth.

I'll be ok, Leah. I'll watch over Edward with my life.

Everyone I cared about was safe, for the time being. I let my eyes slip closed.


A/N: I hope you liked the official introduction of the rest of the Cullens! I'm trying to keep them in character and I'll get more of handle on their personalities with time. Get excited for the next chapter because there's a huge twist that I think you'll all enjoy. Thank you for reading!

Thank you for the reviews! They really make my day, I love them so much. I literally squealed when I saw I'd passed forty follows and now have sixteen favorites! I'm so happy and thankful! I edit these chapters by myself, so I'm very sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for supporting me despite them!