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


The tests started the morning following Edward's reappearance.

A lot of test results didn't lead anywhere, showing no physical link between me and Edward. But we did learn how my white blood cells reacted to his venom. Or, more accurately, how they didn't react at all, treating his venom like friendly bacteria. So, that posed the question of if Edward could turn me since no antibodies would fight the process off.

There was also the little thing of my blood changing when I was shaking for a phase. Rosalie had said it looked like it was from a completely different being. When I expressed concern, Carlisle promised to look into it sometime in the future. He was pretty adamant we stay focused on the "foremost issue", though.

Edward's and my connection.

"There's actually a lot more tests to run. The aim of today is to collect proof that you two share a telepathic link. One separate of Edward's ability," Carlisle explained and then adjusted my wicked headgear.

I was connected to a lot of weird-looking machines after Carlisle put me into a bunch of other weird machines. I felt like a tried and true lab rat. Fell asleep in an MRI machine earlier, so that was interesting. Carlisle laughed about it for a full hour after the fact, but it was completely his fault. He'd woken me up before dawn and without Edward, so I'd stayed drowsy for a lot longer than I should have.

"How many more of these can there be? Are you making some of them up?"

Carlisle smiled and said, "I can assure you that even after all these years, I'm not so creative. My beautiful, talented wife is the right-brained one." He always gushed over Esme at least once a day. I always made a face when he did it, but deep down I thought it was sweet.

"Yeah, yeah. Esme's amazing and pretty. Let's do these tests already."

"Actually, Edward will go first, for obvious reasons, but don't worry. You won't ever hear what he does before you."

I looked around at all the spongey soundproofing glued to the several feet thick metal walls. "I don't doubt it. You must've been working on this place for a long time."

"In fact, I have. Before I made changes in preparation for you, this was the place where I studied vampirism. There's a lot of precious data stored down here that the Volturi, themselves, like to peek in on from time to time."

The Volturi. Carlisle had told me a bit about them and why they were so invested in Bella's turning. "Are they looking forward to a cure?"

"No," Carlisle said with a good-natured laugh. "If I ever was to discover a cure, they may very well try to destroy it." He adjusted the electrodes on my temples, again. He got all OCD whenever we were in the lab.

"Why would they do that?"

"The Volturi likes to leash the true monsters, not declaw them. They come to see if I've found out how to enhance powers or get rid of the newborn inability of self-control."

"Plus, a cure would be a threat to them," I muttered. I hated everything I'd learned about the Volturi so far.

Carlisle didn't look like he liked them any more than me. "They got rid of the biggest threat to them. Two members of the coven who used to rule survived, though I can't imagine how they did in such a massive war."

"My ancestors were in massive wars, once, but most of them took place while they slept," I said. When he seemed a bit puzzled, I clarified, "Astral projection is in a lot of the old stories."

"Ah, I see." He folded his arms over his chest, a thoughtfulness in his eyes. "I enjoy the stories you've shared with me of your honorable ancestors. I often think you'll be a figure in your people's history who will be widely admired for your courage."

I smiled right back. "Thanks. Means a lot." He smiled at the few nice words, already aware that I wasn't eloquent enough to be any nicer. He got me, almost as well as Edward and—surprisingly—Rosalie did.

A question occurred to me while he was still busy being pleased over what I'd said. "Wait, what would happen if the Volturi knew about all this? Me, the pack, my imprinting."

"Aro is aware of there being a small pack down here. After all, Aro touched both Edward and Alice, both of which knew about the Quileute secret. He's not concerned, he would have already told Caius and Marucs if he was. As for if Caius were to ever find out..." There was a change in his eyes, a severity taking over their usual kindness. "Well, we'd keep you safe, Leah."

I thought Aro was the leader. Why did he seem more nervous about some other cold one? "Who the hell's this Caius guy?"

"It doesn't matter," he said in a dismissive, brusque tone and then started for the door. "I'm going to go begin with Edward now."

He had to be crazy if he thought I'd let it go. "Carlisle—"

"I will be back shortly." He dashed out of the room, door closing and locking behind him.

The vicious waiting game commenced. Waiting for my turn to get experimented on by Carlisle was probably the worst part of the day.

Life had become easy, so easy that I was suspicious. I got along too well with Alice, hanging out over lunch and getting to know her. Jasper didn't talk to me, but he hovered around me and Edward, always reading a book. Rosalie was still Rosalie, except now she was trying to fix up my van for me because she hated the sight of it. Emmett was always game for anything and the most easy-going person I knew. They all made what should have been a huge, nightmarish life-change into something I enjoyed.

But I enjoyed it too much. Anytime I liked my life, the turn would come, the bitter twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan proud. I found myself counting the minutes Edward and I got along during those first two days. I kept waiting for it to all come crashing down, or to wake up still just Sam's ex he couldn't escape.

I never did wake up to discover it was all a dream, though. I also hadn't woken up in my own bed once since it had arrived, so yeah. Waste of money.

The door handle to the only entrance and exit of the room turned with a muted click. "I've returned with props," Carlisle announced as he opened the door, walking inside.

"Hand 'em over."

He laid out a bunch of cards on the plain, steel table with strange symbols on them. I expected them to smell like Edward, but they didn't. He'd sterilized them, robbing me of any advantage over the test.

"Put these cards in any order," he instructed from the corner of the room, watching like a hawk.

With a shrug, I did as he said, putting the cards in random order. He took the cards back after a moment of examining my choices and then left again. The room was so quiet without anyone else around that my breathing started annoying me. I was actually relieved when Carlisle came back with another trial for me to pass.

This continued for hours.

When the handle clicked for the millionth time, I decided I'd fight Carlisle. I'd never gotten to spar with him before and if I took him by surprise, then I could win in an instant. So, I took off all the crap I was connected to and jumped into a crouch on the table.

The heavy door swung open and Edward came striding in, radiant as ever. I hadn't seen him this morning, Carlisle having kept us separated when he brought us in. It felt like I hadn't seen him in years when I met his glittering, gold eyes, framed with the prettiest, dark eyelashes. The bond made me miss him and his every, individual eyelash a lot faster now, but it never hurt. We were still figuring it all out, though, but together this time. There was nothing I didn't want to do with Edward anymore.

"Hello there," he greeted me with a pleasant melody to his voice. "Stretching?" He asked in a knowing tone.

I stood up as Carlisle came in, smiling in the face of his suspicious frown. "Yup. Just stretching my legs out."

Edward was in a black lambswool sweater with the collar of his pin-striped button-down peeking over its crewneck. As always, he had loose, nice, ironed slacks and a pair of his preferred black oxfords. And I was going to kill Alice later for forcing so much fashion knowledge into my brain.

"You're in poor form." Edward had a crooked grin on his face when I looked back at him. "For squats."

"Well, I was doing wide-set squats," I replied, climbing off of the table. Time for a not very subtle segue. "Hey, were your tests as weird as mine or do I get special treatment?"

"For the most part. I didn't get the heart monitor." He sat down the seat across from mine, making himself comfortable. "There's more yet to be done. Have a seat, Leah."

I sighed and planted myself back in my chair. Carlisle helped me put everything back on, scolding me the entire time. In a purely fatherly move, he smoothed down my hair for me before he put the headgear back on.

Carlisle gave my shoulder a squeeze before he ran out of the room to get something. When he came back, he held whatever he'd gotten behind his back. "Now, this next experiment is to prove—"

"Save it, Doctor. Edward can read your mind and I don't care, no offense. I hated science in school." Edward gave a tiny chuckle at my sullen comment and in a few seconds, he had the wild headgear on and ready to go.

Carlisle had a stack of—surprise, surprise—more cards as he stood at the end of the table. The caring doctor was completely emotionless as he looked between the two of us. He held up the first card and I let out a guffaw that made Edward chuckle.

"The inkblot test?" There was no way these tests were helping anything. "Should I tell you what I see?"

Carlisle's lips twitched, but he kept up the expressionless mask. "If you'd like to."

"A tomato in its later years of retirement," I described, smiling when Edward laughed. I'd worked hard these past few days to be able to fool him with fake-out thoughts.

"You're already very proficient," he admitted. "It's impressive."

I crossed my arms. "I'm just getting started."

"I'm aware," Edward murmured as Carlisle dropped the card, revealing the next one.

The test flew by, Edward stifling little bouts of laughter the whole time. Carlisle was leaving soon enough and when he opened the door to go, I caught a whiff of Rosalie. I guessed she was assisting him today. She had before, so it wasn't a shocker that she was again. Rosalie's talents were as sporadic as her mood-swings.

Since Edward and I were alone, I took off all the equipment still connected to me and rolled out my chair. It was a bit of a task avoiding all the monitors Carlisle had set up around me, but I maneuvered my way through. Edward watched the process, only speaking once I'd rolled my way to his side.

"That was a lot of effort to be lazy," he commented, eyes alight. "Why is it that you're so adept at hiding your initial reactions and thoughts to things?"

"Simple. The pack. You can't block anything from them, but I found ways to sort of filter my thoughts if I focused hard." I laid my head down on the table, the steel alloy like ice against my cheek.

It was a good thing I couldn't freeze or I would've already been a human ice-cube from the temperature of Carlisle's lab.

"What about you? Do you think like everyone else?"

Edward propped his arm up on the table, resting his cheek in his hand as he stared down at me. "Not exactly. The rate at which thoughts cross my mind is faster than of humans or shapeshifters. I can also think of many things at once, so I function at peak performance, regardless of my misery."

"Are you miserable?"

He stopped breathing and his eyes grew distant, a sign he was thinking deeply about something. I waited, patient only when it came to him. After a minute, his eyes sharpened again and laser-focused in on mine. "No," he whispered, his lips staying parted.

I sat up, mimicking his position to make him smile. It worked. "Good. Then you can make it until Bella comes back." He flinched at her name.

"What if she doesn't come to the decision that she still wants to be with me?" That wouldn't happen. "You know very well that it could—it's very likely to, in fact. So, what then?"

It was obvious. "Then I'll be there to help you protect her from the Volturi and figure things out. I'll help."

"Unless the bond is miraculously broken by then, that is."

"Say what you want, Cullen. I'm used to people thinking the worst of me and then sticking around anyway." That was pretty much the pattern of the last year of my life.

Edward sat up, abandoning the easy position he'd maintained throughout the conversation. "I wasn't thinking the worst of you, it's only that I can't think of a reason you would want to stay if the bond broke. Why would you?"

"Because you're…" What could describe him? No word I knew could cover it. "I just think you're worth staying for."

A silence interrupted our conversation, stretching on for more than a few minutes. And he never did say anything. Instead, his fingers grazed my hand under the table, almost like he was planning to hold it. But he didn't. He gave my knee an awkward pat.

"Thanks, pal," I snarked and he gave a breathy chuckle, covering his face with his hand. Sometimes, he got shy. Pretty much only around me, though. "We're such great buddies, you and I."

"Must you seize every opportunity to make fun of me?"

I took his hand off of his face, holding it tight in mine. "Only when you make it so easy." Then I let it go.

Carlisle came back in a second later and thought something that made Edward scoot his chair away from mine. "Leah, remember the extra chromosome we found in your genes and how I theorized it was the source of your phasing?"

"Jumping straight in, huh? Yeah, I do."

"Edward's venom doesn't react to your cells as we'd speculated it might. I discovered earlier today that it actually attacks your cells like they're a foreign entity. If he ever bit you, you would still die, only a lot faster. It would take seconds."

Nausea stirred at me as I processed the news. If Edward had decided to kill me after I imprinted, it would have been all too easy. I wouldn't have turned or become some strange hybrid, I would have burned and died. It could have all been over so fast.

It took me a second to find my voice again. "Sorry, but I'm having a difficult time understanding how my chromosome and that fun fact are connected."

"The thing is—"

"Carlisle," Edward interrupted, something off about his voice. It didn't register with the warmth he usually kept around his family.

"She deserves to know, Edward."

This was all giving me a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Know what?"

"I can't remove this chromosome, but we may be able to rehabilitate it with experimental therapies. I've been developing a few methods of gene therapy for years and if you'd be willing to, I'd like to use them with you. Edward's venom would be the perfect basis for this experiment. It could act as an aggressive chemotherapy. If your abilities are in that chromosome and we manage to rehabilitate it—"

"It could get rid of my ability to phase, and if I don't phase, I shouldn't imprint." Could it all be that easy?

"How can either of you be considering this?" Edward looked so confused that I was almost lost by association.

Carlisle looked equally bewildered. "Everyone wins in the scenario where she gets to be a normal, human woman again."

"Unless she dies."

"If I die it shouldn't hurt you. The bond's different now, it doesn't affect us on a physical level so much anymore." Carlisle nodded in agreement with me. "Yeah, so it should be fine."

Edward stood up fast enough to blur and sent his chair rolling. I jumped at the sound of it smashing into the wall behind him. "I'm sorry," he said to me, but was too eager to address Carlisle to wait for my reply. "What happened to all lives being precious?"

"I have done my fair share of meddling in life and death. For once, such a decision must not fall to me and surely, you can understand that. The choice is Leah's—and death is not even guaranteed." I'd never seen Carlisle get upset before. I never thought the first time would be because of Edward.

"Neither are results guaranteed. That's more than enough reason for me to intervene."

I was happy to join in on the argument about me and my own freedom of choice. "Carlisle's right, Edward. This is one decision that I get to make and it has to be mine alone."

"As if I would stand by, idle, as you ran headfirst towards certain doom without certain result!" His eyes were feverish and his jaw clenched, although his next words still came out very clear. "I forbid it."

Different as the bond was, the strong words still gave my heart a familiar tug of involuntary obedience. It only served to piss me off. "That would've worked a couple of weeks ago. Not so much now."

"Leah, stop being ridiculous and be reasonable. It may actually make things easy, for once."

Ok, that one stung. "How high can the horse you're sitting on get? You're the one who was all determined to sever the bond before. God, I'm doing what you wanted!"

"Don't try to die and say it's an attempt to please me. I don't desire anyone's death, especially yours." The anger on his face dissipated, vanishing in place of shock. Panic flashed by before he settled into an unreadable, neutral expression. "I vote no, but it's your decision."

I peeked at Carlisle who looked awkward being there in the room with us. It was the first time we'd fought and I hated it more than anything. It only made it worse that his adoptive father was there to witness it. Edward was trying to keep me safe—albeit in a wrong, controlling way—and I'd fought him.

Maybe life didn't suck. Maybe I sucked.

"Well, if it's my decision, then I'll wait." I crossed my arms, making an effort not to look at Edward for his reaction.

"We're waiting, then," Carlisle assented with an uncomfortable expression still on his face. "Shall we move on to the results of today?"

Edward murmured, "Yes. Inform her of our similarities first."

"The fact that you have an extra chromosome at all means you have more in common with our kind than that of a human, Leah. Thus, we may theorize that we have similar sources of origin. The creation of vampirism is much older than shapeshifting. Both, however, seem to have the same building blocks."

Weird. All that time shapeshifters hated vampires, we resembled them. Polar opposites that are still somehow alike. Emily would have a field day recording this discovery in our people's history.

Edward remarked, "The files change a few things as well. Show her."

A dozen folders were laid out on the table, extra cold from how long Carlisle had held them. Edward dug in, opening them up and splaying them all out. He looked focused as his eyes flitted around all the images and tiny texts beside them.

Was he going to avoid speaking to me for the rest of the time?

"No," Edward murmured under his breath, turning to the next page of each of the folders.

Carlisle's eyes flicked between the two of us. I used to wonder what he thought about us, but now I was afraid to ask. "In there, you'll see that your brain chemistry isn't so many worlds apart as we may have assumed."

I looked at the folders, for some reason. I didn't understand a word in them, of course, but I glanced them over anyway. Just for kicks.

Edward stifled a laugh and I instantly knew we were going to be ok again. He held off a couple more seconds before he grabbed the arm of my chair and pulling me over to him. It was good to know it was just as difficult for him to stay mad at me as it was for me to stay mad at him.

He leaned over and pulled three folders out of the line, flipping around their pages. "Here." He picked up the one in the middle and handed it to me. I did a quick scan of the pages before trying to read the printed words.

"Ah," Carlisle hummed from the side when he saw what I was reading. "This one's very interesting."

"Wanna tell me why?" It didn't seem interesting to me just by looking at it.

"It proves there is a connection deeper than that of physiology or neurobiology. There is a link between yours and Edward's brains that is very strong. It's baffling to me, I have no idea how imprinting could do this. Although, I plan to find out." Carlisle started to grin like a mad scientist again, which was always a treat.

"Our thoughts aren't similar, neither are our reactions to different stimuli. But we share our emotions. This is one of the MRI scans that was taken earlier today." Edward pulled the second folder forward.

Inside were graphs under grayscale images, displaying a huge spike in...something. "I fear it would take longer than you're willing to sit through to give a thorough explanation of what you're looking at."

"Probably," I responded to my unfairly intelligent imprint. "But you could at least tell me if this is my brain I'm looking at."

"It's mine," he replied and then tapped the middle folder that was still on the tabletop. "That one is yours, but it says the same thing. You were thinking of our lunch yesterday and I overheard."

"It was a pleasant memory, triggering your precuneus to react." A glance at Carlisle showed me he was watching us closely. "Essentially, your brain reacted the same way you would when remembering a lovely night out with a dear one. It triggered a heavy release of dopamine and Edward experienced that same amount."

That was simple enough to understand. "So, we experience things on the same level. Like, we're on the same wavelength?"

"Oh, what a way to put it! You and Edward are so very close to being on the exact same wavelength together. It's very special." Carlisle couldn't have been any more jazzed about it all, he was over the moon.

And what was Edward thinking? "I think that Leah is the special one. Strip away the imprinting and take me out of the equation entirely and she's still special. If we compare her to Seth—"

"You ran tests on Seth?" Oh, hell no.

"Nothing harmful. I would've never allowed it," Edward reassured me, his hand slipping onto my shoulder. "We figured we should have something to refer to as far as another shapeshifter. It was a bonus that it was your sibling who agreed, one who even shares the same blood type."

Carlisle piped up, still smiling big. "It's been very helpful using him as an example of the ordinary shapeshifter. It has proven you're different from the others."

I sighed, slumping in my seat, taking it all in. "It's not surprising that the only female shapeshifter is the weirdest one."

"But it would seem all shapeshifters share the intolerance to vampire pheromones. It's mildly toxic to you. My theory is that this mild toxicity was what was preventing you from healing faster before. Well, that and the aftereffects of being poisoned with the most potent venom there is. Which is newborn saliva, Leah." Carlisle took the notepad out of his lab coat's breast pocket and jotted something down.

"Yeah, of course, it is. Why wouldn't it be? It might've actually hurt less had it been any other cold one."

Edward gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Be glad you've experienced the worst of it. Everything else will be easier for it."

Carlisle looked up from his notepad and smiled at me. "And let's not pretend you can't take a little bite. After all, you were willing to poison your blood before by cutting your foot open with—"

"God, I'd love another lecture right now, with all my heart, but I really gotta go give Sam an update. He said he wanted to be kept updated, so." I shrugged and stood up, straightening out my shirt.

"Very well. I'll allow you an escape." He pointed at me and narrowed his eyes. "This time."

I smiled, happy to still be in his good graces. Esme had told me before that he didn't lecture people he didn't like. "Wanna come with? I'm pretty sure I'll butcher the whole thing."

"I'll be a bit busy today. Why don't you take Edward with you?" He gestured to Edward and when I looked back at him a wind stirred my hair from Carlisle's unseen exit.

Before I could say anything, Edward said, "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

"How could you be sorry? You only wish to reattain a normal life. You desire children, a husband, and I know I'm not enough—"

"You are enough. You're more than enough," I declared, keeping my eyes locked on his. "I can't imagine ever loving anyone more than I love you." The next sentence was surprisingly difficult to get out. "But I heard having a baby has the same effect."

Edward was deadly quiet as he stood up with me. He didn't reply, taking the few folders that Carlisle left behind into his hand. I watched him stack the papers and everything together, neat and precise. I'd promised myself I wouldn't do this to him. I wouldn't be a reason for him to frown, for him to grimace. Not until Bella was back, at least. Until she came back, I had to be the reason he could smile.

"It's sunny today," I mentioned, taking the folders he handed to me in his prolonged silence. "Do you have one of those sun umbrellas?"

He licked his lips and try as he did to fight it, his lips curved into a glistening smile. "A parasol."

"Yes. That."

"Alice has many, but they're rather feminine." Was there such a thing as a manly parasol? "That's a very good question. The answer is no."

I waved him off and went for the door, holding it open for him. "I'll be the masculine one today. After you, sweetheart."

He walked out, not before pausing in the doorway to give me a scowl with no bite. I snickered, following behind him since he knew the way out better than me. There were a lot of metal hallways with grates for floors that reeked of harsh disinfectants. Anyone could lose their way if they didn't know what they were looking for. With no sense of smell and a maze of identical passages, a vampire or a shapeshifter could get turned around.

A long ladder-climb up later and we surfaced into the sunlight that bathed my skin in warmth. I could breathe again without the air tasting like alcohol and bleach. Edward leaned against a tree, watching me in his insistent silence as I stretched. He was hiding in the shade while I practically tried to give the sun a hug.

"I'm not hiding."

"Then, come over." I held out a hand, pretending like the sun was so bright I had to squint. It was never actually that sunny in Forks.

He pushed off from the tree and strode over to me, slipping his hand into mine. It felt right and he shined his brightest, reflective and sharp, like the world's most masterfully cut gem.

"Have you ever thought of passing it off as body shimmer?"

"What?"

"To humans, it's can't be as clear. Shapeshifters are made to be able to recognize you and all your vampire ways. Humans would probably just think it's body shimmer if they saw you in the light. If you said you used body shimmer, the rumors about you would be a lot different." He smiled, in that way that let me know he thought I was crazy. "Just a thought."

"They'd ask why they wouldn't be able to see it in any other light. Besides, the goal is to fit in."

"Why wouldn't that be fitting in?" I asked, willing to die on my hill.

"Imagine if Emmett told a fifteen-year-old girl he uses her exact brand of body shimmer. Does that seem normal to you?" He won. I laughed my butt off, my voice carrying from the mountaintop.

He'd probably thought about all this already. Edward was contemplative and he'd had, like, ninety years to contemplate. I doubted I could think anything he hadn't thought a million times.

"That's not true. You think plenty of things that have never occurred to me. Your dreams are my favorite, though." He closed his eyes, a sweet sigh slipping from his lips. "They're so beautiful. Your dreams are unlike any I've ever seen."

"I dream different?"

"Yes," he murmured with a pleased smile. "And you often dream of the people you love. It's very endearing." His eyes lost their gleam and his lips twisted into a small frown. I didn't get to ask what was wrong before he commented, "I have yet to appear."

That was easy to explain. "I have the dreams I don't remember and the dreams I do. You appear in the dreams I do remember, the vivid ones." I found myself recalling the dream I had the night he left for Bella and panic put weight on my chest.

Edward's brow puckered when I blasted music through my head to keep him out. "Keeping secrets?"

"Tell me about your past. It must've been easier during the early ages when everyone wore hooded cloaks, huh? Sunlight wasn't a huge deal then." He didn't seem to like my refusal to speak about my dream. That was too bad.

"Hmph," he huffed, his eyes narrowing as he waited for me to slip up. I was willing to go all day if he was. "Fine. You win, for now. Mantle cloaks were common for a while and I took full advantage of them until coats overtook their place."

I pictured Edward pulling down the hood of a black cloak with white hands. He'd sparkle more brilliantly than the piles of snow all around him: An angel in ice. It made me wonder—

"What do you see me like? Am I extra hairy?"

He grinned, unintentionally striking. "Like a Sasquatch." The two of us had a childish little giggle, Edward laughing harder at my mental pictures. I started to pull away to head back down the mountain, but he tightened his hold on me. "You look human," he murmured.

"Shocking."

"But you burn brighter right before you phase. It's like watching a wick of a candle suddenly burst into flame." He looked down at our hands. "It's beautiful. So very different from anything I've ever seen."

I drew close to him again and slid my hand up from his, taking ahold of his forearm. In turn, his fingers wrapped around my arm, his touch a gift I didn't deserve. "Like a flame, huh? Then what?"

"Then you look like a big wolf." I snorted at the lackluster end to his description and he chuckled. "You know, if you phased now, we could have that race you've been wondering about for days."

I tore away from him, yanking off my boots and throwing them. Edward caught them both and turned around so I could strip down. "Where are we racing to? Your place?"

"It's as good a finish line as any."

"But what are the stakes?" I already had a million embarrassing things for Edward to do in my head. Alice giving him the makeover that was intended for me being one of them.

"Sure, it can be the makeover. If you win, I get it. If I win, you sit through it and let Alice do her will. The catch is you have to go out in public afterward."

I took a deep breath, trying to wrest up the dormant heat flowing through my veins. "Sounds like you have yourself a deal, fangs." When the heat shied away, I had to jog in place and get my pulse up to get it back.

With Edward around, anger couldn't be my source of phasing. I used anticipation instead. It felt different, less like a sharp, unbearable explosion and more like an overflow. The same as when you left a pot of water on the stovetop too long and it bubbled over.

It helped that phasing got easier the more you did it, too. I fell forward with my hands out and I landed on a set of paws. Edward turned around, arms crossed as he examined my wolf form, an openness in his eyes.

"Your fur shimmers like mercury when you move." He came over and ran a tentative hand through my fur. It brought a pleasant chill to my spine.

No one made a comment or felt disgusted at my exchange with Edward. It was radio silence. Was anyone phased except for me?

"Doesn't sound like it," Edward murmured, tilting his head to the side and letting his eyes close. He was a perfect statue for a moment, but then he opened his striking eyes that were darker that day, the shade of honey. "We're alone," he whispered and it made my heart skip.

There was no time to waste.

We had to race before Paul phased and put me in a bad mood. Edward had a smirk on his lips as we went over to the edge of the mountain's overlook, the path back down a sharp turn to our left. He didn't turn toward it as I did, facing the big blanket of green that was between us and his house instead. I could actually see the house when I squinted. It wasn't that far, but far enough to where I could full-sprint all the way back with no problem. The race itself wasn't going to last more than eight minutes, I'd say.

I was so going to win this.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked, hands clasped behind his back like he wasn't concerned. I knew better. He was poised, his every muscle was probably clenched in anticipation, just like mine were. "Set." I bent my legs, hitting his side with my tail, listening to the rich chuckle that emanated from his chest. "Go!" He leaped off the side of the mountain, stone crumbling down into dust from the force he'd used.

Crap.

I made to jump off, too, but I knew my legs would break and that would waste more time than I had. No, I had to run—but the path would be too slow and Edward was soaring through the air like a bird. There was only one thing I could do.

Every ounce of strength I had, I put into my legs. My paws pounded into the side of the mountain as I ran faster than I could fall. I pushed off from the stone wall when the ground approached and shot into the forest.

A gap in the trees took me pretty far until a huge alpine ruined everything. I torqued my body in the air so that I slowed down and landed just before I could smash into the tree's trunk. In seconds of sprinting, I was within smelling distance of Edward.

I couldn't think of a time I'd run this fast before. Even in the newborn battle, I hadn't run as fast as I did to catch up and surpass Edward. That's because this was more important than life and death. I needed to beat him. My life would never be complete until I saw Edward wearing pantyhose and a babydoll dress.

Edward's laugh echoed through the forest, closer than I thought it'd be. I was really on his tail now.

"You won't beat me. I've never been beaten in a race." Awfully cocky. "I'm only being honest. I'm not even using my full speed right now."

He really should've been going full-tilt because I could see his back now and I was gaining fast. He sped up at my thought, but so did I. I'd spent most of the race playing catch-up, but now that I was actually beside him, it got real that I could beat him.

And then I got too cocky.

I was too busy looking towards the house that had come into view to watch where I was going. I fell into a hole between two large tree roots, victory slipping out from between my claws. I completely ate it, my nostrils filling with moist soil.

I rolled over onto my back in my little hole and howled, not bothering to try and recover. I only stopped to sneeze and then I could hear the chorus of laughter coming from the house. There wasn't any point in getting up, so I laid there, in the dust, right where Edward had left me.

God, I hated not winning. I was gonna have to beat Emmett in a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to reduce the sting on this one.

"Come on. Alice is waiting and I want to watch every moment." Edward was back, scooping me out of the hole. I howled again as he held me, carrying me toward my doom.

I should have won—he wasn't even that fast!

"Don't be a sore loser," Edward chastised with a big grin on his face.

I bared my teeth at him, but when Alice came dashing out of the house and onto the porch, I played dead. She made a soft "tsk" noise and Edward laughed as I was exchanged from his arms into Alice's tinier ones. She was too ruthless to even let Edward carry me to the totally unfair consequence of a loss that wasn't even valid.

"You lost fair and square!" Edward declared and I opened my eyes to see he was actually following us. Ugh, he wanted to watch. "Shouldn't I? You would've watched Alice work her magic on me, had I been the one who lost."

I went limp again, playing dead and remembering the one song I knew by heart from Edward's Liszt collection. I liked to keep him out of my head when he pissed me off. It usually made him pout, but this time he laughed. He thought it was all so hilarious now. He wouldn't later.

"I'm pretty sure that I will," he commented. If I didn't love him so much, I'd hate him.

"Not a word out of you any of you! No one had better disturb us, it's makeover time!" Alice declared as she skipped through the living room with me in hand.

"Rose'll kill ya when she sees you made Flash all pretty without her," Emmett said as we passed.

Alice giggled, the sound high and musical. "It will be fine. I'll see her coming."

It wasn't long before I got tossed into a tub in Alice's bathroom that was already full of hot water and bubbles. So, she'd clearly known from some other vision that I was going to lose and hadn't warned me. I didn't even have to ask why. She'd expressed just the other day at lunch with me and Edward that she missed doing my hair and makeup.

"I know you like to follow her everywhere like you're the lost puppy, but you're not allowed in here. Out!" She pushed Edward out of the bathroom and locked the door with a frustrated sigh. "Sheesh, you two are very difficult to separate. You know that?"

I phased back and sank low into the bubbles. "I'm his provisional best friend."

"I don't think Edward's ever had a best friend. Even Bella wasn't his best friend."

"No, she's only the love of his life," I commented, earning a playful glare from Alice. "Anyway, he's the only one who minds seeing me naked. I don't care about who sees me naked anymore."

Alice shuddered. "I can't even imagine being in your position."

"There were some disturbing thoughts in the beginning. But once I started phasing, everyone started watching porn a lot less. Some of them still refer to my first controlled phase into the pack as 'judgment day'." Emmett laughed from downstairs while Alice gave a sly smile.

"In any case, I do appreciate what you've done for my silly brother. He hasn't smiled this much since—"

"Alice," Edward said from the other room, stopping her in mid-thought.

She gave an apologetic smile and then settled on choosing a robe for me to wear once I go out of the tub. After a bit, she asked, "Doesn't it smell so lovely in here?"

"It's like I'm inside of a chocolate cake." She turned around clapping her hands, all giddy and gleeful. "What?"

She flashed her set of too-white teeth. My eyes were sharp enough even in my human form to recognize that I wasn't looking at human bone. And it was only little things like that reminded me they were vampires nowadays. My mind and senses had started tuning everything else out, accepting their kind as well as they did my own.

"Not only is your nose adorable, but it's keen, too. I mixed two scents together—chocolate icing and sweet batter. Your guess was exactly right!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yippee."

"Oh, cut the attitude, Leah! We're going to have fun, even if it's not the private girl time I'd hoped it would be." She had a sour look on her face as she pulled the plug out of the drain.

As the water swirled down the drain, the cover of the bubbles started to leave with it. Alice began humming a song I vaguely recognized at a pitch fitting for a hummingbird. I realized fast why she was doing it.

"He knows what I look like naked, Alice. Everyone saw me back in the clearing."

"Even still," she replied before swiftly resuming her humming.

The Cullens were prudes. I never imagined vampires as prudes. But, I decided I'd humor it and started thinking of my own song as I climbed out of the deep tub. Alice had chosen a deep red robe for me that was made of crushed velvet. It was soft...I kind of liked it.

"Darn it, Alice," I said with a sigh as I examined the sleeves of the robe. She chittered, clapping her hands as she watched me.

When we made it back out to her room, Edward was waiting on her's and Jasper's bed. The book in his hand turned into decoration as he glued his eyes to the two of us. He didn't want to miss a single detail of this experience, the same way I wouldn't have wanted to.

I grimaced. He grinned.

"You want to know why you lost?" Alice asked me, sitting me down in front of her vanity. Her and Rosalie had matching ones, but Rosalie's had way more makeup.

I thanked the gods for that small mercy.

"You're so dramatic," Edward accused from behind me on the bed, grinning all the while.

"Tell me why I lost," I said, ignoring the beautiful demon behind the two of us, poised on the bed with bright eyes.

"You know I can't see you, but I have a theory and it's a good one." She swept my wet hair over my face and then bunched it up to my forehead. "You need bangs, obviously."

I cringed. "No."

"But you can't see through your shaggy fur when you run! Why else would you have tripped? You wouldn't have. You're amazing, the fastest, the prettiest, the awesomest. It was that pesky shaggy fur that compromised your vision—but it would be a crime to cut it any shorter. A tragedy for the ages," she said with such conviction that I believed her.

"Shorter hair would suck," I mumbled. She nodded vigorously in agreement. "No one's ever tried having bangs before, though. I mean…it could work."

She leaned over my shoulder, her flawless face shining next to mine as she rubbed my arms. "It definitely could. Bangs—fringe, specifically, would also look great with your facial shape."

Edward perked up while I deflated into the chair. He knew my decision and Alice read him like a book. She was smiling even before I said, "Fine. Do it."

"I had a feeling you'd say that," Alice told me in a singsongy voice, giving my cheek a peck. "I'm still planning that event, by the way," she said out of the blue and patted my arms before standing straight.

I glimpsed Edward in the mirror, visibly paler than before. His grin had disappeared. "What's wrong?" I tried to stand up to get to him, but Alice pushed me right back down.

"Nothing is wrong." That was a lie. So, the event had a direct link to Edward. Now, I was dying to know what the event was all about. "It's not important. I'll tell you later."

Alice stilled, her fingers froze in my hair. "Will you tell her about it, Edward?"

He didn't answer his sister, smiling at me in the mirror instead. "Bangs should suit you very well. I also like the idea of a physical reminder of today."

"Rub it in, cold one. I'll get you back." He chuckled at my threat and then Alice got started on my hair.

First, she evened out my hair into a neat bob from the jagged cut I'd given it. According to her, it was the perfect style for waking up and going about my day without bothering. It could double as chic with just a bit of straightening before a formal event, too. Every time someone used the word "event" now, it felt like my ears perked.

"Close your eyes if you're so nervous," she murmured when my heart skipped a beat as she held the scissors to about eyebrow-level.

She didn't understand why it was so significant for me. The last time my hair was cut was the day after my dad's funeral and I'd done it by myself. I'd had long hair up until that point and it was a few hours after that when I jumped off of a roof and learned how fast I healed. Haircuts weren't an exciting thing for me anymore.

Edward started frowning. "Alice, stop. She doesn't want this."

"Too late!" Alice snipped off the length before Edward could stop her and my heart stopped.

The anxiety disappeared quick and I knew Jasper was helping me out within seconds. Because of that, I could take a breath and actually see how nice the bangs looked on me. I liked them and I was looking forward to being able to see better while phased.

"They're curtain bangs, something that I'm positive is going to blow up in a few years or so," Alice informed me. She was watching me closely, waiting for my reaction.

Jasper's effect eased off as I admitted, "I like it."

"I know." Alice beamed and started singing under her breath as she cleaned up the mess of hair trimmings on the floor.

I glanced at Edward's reflection in the mirror and he heard me thinking about him. The smile that had been stuck on his face broadened when we met eyes and I sighed, but smiled back with a roll of my eyes.

"What's next?"

Alice stopped her cleaning to turn the chair around, facing me toward the natural light of the window. "It's makeup time and—ooh—I'll paint your nails to see if it'll show up on your claws or not! Then, the clothing and accessorizing part begins, which is arguably the best part of all this. Now, I bought fourteen dresses in preparation for this day that I hoped would come. You're going to try every one of them on before you leave this room."

"C'mon, Al. Give her a break," Emmett piped up from downstairs.

"I am!" She repudiated the accusation, hugely insulted. "I was going to order thirty-three. Jasper talked me down to fifteen and then Rosalie stole one, so she's getting a big, big break."

"Thanks again, Jasper," I called.

"Yep," he replied from the kitchen where he was helping Esme cook me a big lunch.

It would be past lunch by the time Alice was done with me, so I'd have a late lunch and then go straight to Emily's. It was a safer bet finding Sam there than at his own home. I guessed it was the same way with me and Edward's house. Although, Edward and I had been back to my house twice. He was winning her over, one dinner at a time. Seth adored him already, though.

I hoped Mom or Seth wouldn't be around to see my stupid makeover. "Your mother will love to see you wearing makeup. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was asking you to use some of the lipstick she'd bought you?"

"Could you not make this worse for me? I'd appreciate it." Edward just chuckered to himself, so pleased over rubbing salt in my wounds. I'm not saying I wouldn't have done the same to him, but it wasn't as fun the other way around.

"This is my favorite day," Edward murmured, causing everyone in the house to laugh.

Back at the reserve, Paul and Quil would be the most obnoxious. And I would sooner kill Collin than let him see me with makeup and a dress on, his little crush on me was bad enough as it was. The loss kept on getting more and more devastating.

At least Jacob wouldn't be around to see me, though.

"Bright side," Edward murmured from the bed where he'd gone back to reading.


A/N: Science mumbo jumbo! I did a bit of research to try and make the supernatural as realistic as possible. Also, Edward has clearly somewhat succumbed to the bond's comfort. But will this friendship hold out until Bella comes back? Will Leah lead him through the finish line, or is recent history bound to repeat itself?

I love writing this story, it's a lot of fun for me and an amazing outlet. But, I have to say, it wouldn't be even half as fun without all of you reading and supporting me. This must be getting annoying, reading this every chapter, but I can't help it! I'm so grateful and it keeps overflowing out of my heart lol. Anyway, forgive my mistakes and stick around. Updates are slower now, but they're still incoming!