Chapter 2

The three women entered the old Cullen House in silence as Leah tried to pull her thoughts and emotions together enough to compose herself. Alice and Rosalie patiently waited for her to speak and followed her into the living room. Leah collapsed onto the couch and wiped the tears from her eyes as she found her resolve.

"I don't want anyone to know what's going on. This is between me and Jake and I want it to stay that way," said Leah and Rosalie nodded as she sat down beside her.

"Understood, so you haven't told Jacob…"

"I have no clue how I am going to tell him this. I mean we talked about it a bit before we decided to have Josh, but it never seemed like an actual possibility. I can't believe this is happening," said Leah as she fought back her tears and the sob threatening to escape again. Rosalie glanced over at her sister and saw the petite woman pacing back and forth with her eyes closed as she tried to sift through her visions. Rosalie slipped her hand into Leah's and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Does this mean you and Jacob are…well, are you going to follow up with your imprint," Rosalie asked carefully.

"I don't want to lose Jake. As soon as I realized what was happening, I got as far away from that guy as possible. Hopefully, that will be enough. I love Jacob, Rose. We are so happy together. The thought of hurting him, especially like this is almost unbearable."

"I am trying to find this man of yours in my visions, but I can't. Can you give me some hints? Maybe a name," asked Alice.

"His name is Carter. I do know that much, but that's all I got," said Leah and Alice gave a sympathetic smile.

"Then that's where I will start. I will do some research. Maybe I can find out why he is even in the area and if he plans on staying," suggested Alice, but Leah shook her head.

"I don't want to know anything about him, Alice. The less I know about him, the better," said Leah.

"I understand that, but I disagree. There is something about this man that feels off. I can't see it, but something is nagging at me. Can you describe him for me," asked Alice and Leah sighed, but nodded.

"I don't know. I guess kind of cute…well…I wouldn't describe him as cute. Handsome, deep voice, kind of rugged and mysterious," listed Leah.

"Shaved head," asked Alice and Leah frowned in confusion.

"How did you know that," asked Leah. Rosalie eyed her sister carefully as Alice darted out of the room to head upstairs. She came back with a sketching pencil and piece of paper. Her eyes were closed as she quickly sketched a picture of the man from her vision and Leah gasped.

"That's him," exclaimed Leah and Rosalie groaned.

"Okay, I am sure I will regret asking, but Alice, how did you know," asked Rosalie and Alice inspected the picture closely as she scribbled the man's name on it.

"He is the man from my vision," revealed Alice.

"So, her imprint has something to do with…" Leah interrupted Rosalie.

"Can we not call him that please," whined Leah and Rosalie winced.

"My apologies, this…Carter human has something to do with Zach, Josh, and the others being exposed," asked Rosalie and Alice nodded as she quickly stood up.

"Yep and I am going to find out why. You two wait here for a minute. I need to see what I can find on Mr. Homewrecker," grumbled Alice. She marched up the stairs and Rosalie scooted closer to Leah.

"You know I am here for you, right? No matter what," said Rosalie and Leah placed her head on Rosalie's shoulder.

"I know, Rose. I have no clue what is happening, but I do know one thing. I need to tell Jake. It has to come from me and I have to figure this out with him. He deserves that much."

"Leah, you both do. Look, I am not going to pretend to understand how this imprinting stuff works. Even after all these years, it seems quite random and chaotic to me, but I'll be damned if I just watch it ruin your happiness. There has to be a rhyme or reason, something we are missing. Lucky for you, there happens to be a very annoyed little pixie on the case and no one messes with her family, not even an imprint," assured Rosalie as she hugged Leah. Suddenly, Alice rushed back into the room.

"I found something," she exclaimed and Leah frowned in confusion.

"How did you do it so fast? Did you see something," questioned Leah.

"No, unfortunately, we are still at square one with that issue, but I called Gavin. He did a search for us, including into some surveillance cameras in the region. He knows where Carter is going."

"Alice, I told you I didn't want anyone knowing…" Alice put her hand up to silence Leah.

"I didn't tell him why we needed to know, just gave him the basics. Carter is heading to Port Angeles and we need to go see him."

"Are you crazy? I don't want to be anywhere near this guy. I only want to be with Jake. If this guy is heading out of town, then good riddance!"

"Leah, don't you see? It is all connected. Maybe if we can get some answers about him, we can figure out the moment his path intersects with the boys," explained Alice.

"That doesn't matter right now," argued Leah.

"It will matter if they are exposed and the Volturi have to get involved," warned Alice and Leah took in a shaky breath.

"I thought we agreed to cross that bridge only if necessary. The Volturi aren't our enemies," reminded Leah.

"Jasper doesn't think so either, but he is worried about the implications. If the boys are seen doing supernatural things by some government entity, that isn't something we should take lightly, no matter who we know or trust," informed Alice and Leah gritted her teeth in frustration. Rosalie placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know Alice knows what is on the line for you and that you can trust her. I will keep an eye on Jake and Josh while you are gone and run a bit of interference. You should go," encouraged Rosalie and Leah begrudgingly nodded.

"Okay, but I need to talk to Jake first. I can't keep this from him much longer." Alice was about to protest, but Rosalie gave her a look.

"You are right, you should. Alice will be ready whenever you are," agreed Rosalie. Leah hugged her in thanks before heading out of the house and Alice stomped her foot.

"Rose, we don't have time for this. Gavin said he isn't sure how long Carter will be in Port Angeles," whined Alice and Rosalie placed her hands on Alice's shoulders.

"I know, but this is a very delicate situation. I know what's at stake with the boys, but this is their family, Alice. Go speak with Gavin again to see if he has any other useful information and then get ready to go. I will stay behind in La Push to keep an eye on things. Em already checked in to tell me Zach and Allie are still in their cottage. Whatever is happening isn't going to happen right now. Give them time," urged Rosalie and Alice sighed, but nodded, knowing Leah had much to think about.

The drive home passed by quicker than Leah would have liked as she tried to mull over her thoughts and how to break the news to her husband. She parked the truck in the driveway and listened out for Josh. She frowned when she did not hear the usual yelling of her son into his headset as he played video games with his friend. Jacob stepped out onto the porch with a smile in greeting as she approached.

"Hey, there you are. You weren't answering your phone and Mrs. Cole said you never stopped by to drop off the clothes. Everything alright," he questioned. She refused to make eye contact with him and shoved her hands in her pockets as she climbed the steps of the porch.

"We need to talk. Where are Josh and Natalie," she questioned.

"Out blowing off some steam, they've been a bit pent up lately so I told Josh they could go for a run in the forest as long as they stay close. Leah, what's going on," he questioned. She took in a deep breath and met his eyes. The recognition for him was instant, but he wanted to deny it. Jacob had seen the look of a wolf after meeting their imprint, but never expected to see that look in his wife's eyes.

"Leah…what…what happened," he asked as his voice began to break and she quickly shook her head.

"It doesn't mean anything," she said as she reached out for his hand, but he pulled away from her.

"The hell it doesn't! Of course it does, Leah. When did this…how could this happen," he mumbled to himself as he managed to sit down on the steps of the porch. The silence between them was deafening and she slowly made her way over to sit beside him as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"You know I love you and only you. That hasn't changed, Jake," she promised and it broke her heart to see tears in his eyes when he looked over at her.

"Who is it?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. Alice is helping me find out. It all happened in a split second and then I got out of there as quickly as I could. Alice found out he is heading to Port Angeles though."

"If none of it matters, why are you searching for this guy? This is good news. He left. That has to mean he doesn't know what happened and is willing to leave well enough alone. Why aren't you," he questioned and she profusely shook her head.

"It isn't like that. It turns out that he is the same man Alice saw in her vision with the boys. We need to know who he is so we can make sure his path doesn't cross with Josh's, ever," she explained.

"And why can't Alice just go handle this? You know she will always protect Josh. You don't need to be there."

"I think I do," she confessed and he gulped at the words.

"What are you saying," he asked.

"I'm saying that I love you. You and Josh mean everything to me, but there is this pull to him and not in the way your eyes are accusing me of right now, Jake. This man is just a human and you know the dangers of our world. If his path could potentially cross with Josh and Zach's he could be in danger. You are the man I love…"

"But," he prompted and she sighed.

"But I have to protect him and make sure he is safe." He smirked and shook his head in disbelief.

"Yea, that's the gig alright. I still feel it for Renesmee all the time, every battle, every run-in or possible attack," he confessed and she nodded.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but I need to get to the bottom of this."

"What's his name," he questioned and she looked down in shame.

"Carter," she whispered as he slowly nodded.

"Carter, good, at least I know the name of the guy trying to ruin my marriage."

"Hey, look at me," she said as she turned to face him. It broke her heart to see the sadness evident in his eyes.

"This has been a whirlwind of emotions and confusion, but there is one thing I know, no matter if he is my imprint or not, our family means the world to me. I just need to go make sure he is okay and try to keep him as far away from all of us as possible. I promise you though, I'm coming back, Jake," she vowed and he gave a small smile, but could not muster a response as his doubts and insecurities from the past crept back in. She could see the wheels turning in his head and could only imagine what he was thinking. Before she could ask, Alice's car pulled into the driveway and she smiled sympathetically at the couple as she rolled down the window.

"We will need to go soon if we are going to do this. I can't track him through my visions clearly and Gavin doesn't know how long he will be in Port Angeles," advised Alice. Leah sighed, but nodded as she stood up. She gave Jacob a brave smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"We're going to be okay," promised Leah and he was silent as he watched her jog over to Alice's car. Jacob sat numbly on the porch while they sped away into the direction of the unknown and uncertainty. He scrubbed his face with his hands and tried to collect his thoughts.

In the distance, Josh watched from the forest with Natalie as his mother left his father in despair. Natalie placed a comforting hand on her mate's shoulder, sensing his confusion and disbelief. If he hadn't heard the last part of their conversation with his super hearing and seen his father slumped down on the porch in defeat with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. His mother imprinted on someone and he had no clue what that meant for his family.

The trip to Port Angeles for Alice and Leah was tense and quiet as Alice drove at high speeds down the backroads of Western Washington. Leah used the time to contemplate everything that had happened since she parked in front of that community center. She was deep in thought as they headed through town and only snapped out of her daze when Alice tapped her shoulder.

"I know this place," said Alice. She parked in front of a storefront and looked around as she quickly got out of the car and headed toward the store. Gavin told her the man's car was spotted in front of on a security camera and she immediately recognized it from the picture he sent her. Leah frowned in confusion.

"You do," she questioned as she followed.

"Yea, Bella came here years ago when she was almost attacked. It was before she was with Edward and she wanted answers about him."

"It seems our past, present, and futures keep crossing with Carter. Why is this happening, Alice? What does it all mean," asked Leah.

"I don't know, but we are going to find out. I know what you are thinking, what you have been thinking the entire trip here, but you are not cursed, Leah. There is always a constant thread with my visions."

"Oh yea, what's that?"

"Nothing is as random as it seems at first. Your paths were meant to cross and Carter's will intersect with Josh and Zach's for a reason as well. We just have to figure out why."

"Why can't you see him though? He is a human."

"He is also your…"

"Yea, yea, I know," grumbled Leah and Alice sighed as she continued.

"Wolves are complicated to me, even now that I know the packs. As you know, my visions rely on choices that are made and this…situation….depends on very specific choices that can create multiple paths. I think one reason I am blank is because a wolf is involved and another is because you haven't chosen what you will do yet, even though you have said differently to Jacob."

"You know I love Jake and I am going to fight like hell to stay with him. I sure as hell am not giving up our family. I am just not sure how much choice I have in it. You have seen how this works. It is essentially involuntary. I don't want to become bound to this man, but I am terrified I don't have a choice."

"Well, if it is any consolation, while I sense that he will cause trouble, I don't believe it will be catastrophic for your relationship. I can't really see much right now, but I think I would sense it if such a disruption for our family was coming. You may not believe it now, but I don't think he is a threat to you and Jacob in such a way. A threat to the boys? Well, that's a different story."

"Thanks for the pep talk but Sam and I were in love when he imprinted on Emily."

"But remember that Renesmee choose Nahuel, not Jacob," said Alice.

"Renesmee was different and you know it. This happens all the time with our kind…and here comes Mr. Homewrecker now," said Leah as she spotted Carter leaving the bookstore. Alice waved at him to get his attention, but Leah pulled her hand down.

"I changed my mind. Let's get out of here," whispered Leah.

"Leah, we have to talk to him."

"I don't want to talk to him. Stop trying to meddle."

"Meddling is what I do," defended Alice as she tried to raise her hand again. Leah swatted it down and pulled her hand back before Alice could swat at her.

"Don't you hit me! You could break my hand," hissed Leah and Alice hissed right back.

"Then stop trying to grab mine. And for the record, you'd heal just fine. Get over there," whispered Alice. Carter looked on in amusement as the two whispered harshly to one another and jostled for control of Alice's hand.

"Uh, fancy seeing you here," questioned Carter with a chuckle and Leah's eyes widened.

"Carter, hi," she squeaked out before clearing her throat.

"I mean, hi," she said sternly and Alice rolled her eyes. She was about to go completely into Alice mode, meddling, rants, demands, and all, but the book in Carter's hand caught her attention. She stiffened at the sight and resituated the sunglasses on her face before giving a polite, small smile.

"Will you excuse us for one moment," she asked Carter, but before he could reply, she pulled Leah aside.

"You have to do this alone," she whispered and Leah's jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me, you little pixie? You practically dragged me here and said this is important. Now you are bailing?"

"I am not bailing. I know the book in his hand. It is similar to the one Bella had. It can reveal things about…my kind. If he is even a bit perceptive, he may be able to sense what I am if I get too close and then I am the one exposing our world to him, not Zach or Josh." Leah glanced over her shoulder at Carter and noticed he was eyeing them carefully. She gave a quick smile before whispering back to Alice.

"And what makes you think he will even notice? You have been around plenty of humans without them noticing."

"Those were humans who didn't want to know. It is always right beneath the surface though and I need you to trust me with this. I will be in the car. Just ask him what he is doing here," Alice whispered quickly before hurrying away. Leah gritted her teeth in frustration but perked up when she sensed the man drawing near.

"It seems I am having that effect on people today. Something I said," he questioned as he watched Alice rush off and Leah spun around to face him. She didn't realize how close he was and gasped at his proximity. He really was quite handsome with his full lips, strong cheekbones, hazel eyes, and charming smile. In another lifetime, she would have been quite impressed by such a prospect for an imprint.

"Hi," she said again and he shook his head in amusement.

"Hi. You know, I think we have established niceties, but not been properly introduced. I am Carter and you are," he asked as he held his hand out to shake hers. She hesitated a moment, but placed her hand in his. The moment they touched, their eyes locked, and she felt the intense connection to him all over again.

"Leah," she said and he smiled even more.

"See, that wasn't so bad."

"Sorry about earlier. It has been a weird day."

"Really, do tell, weird is kind of my thing now," he said and she glanced down at the book in his hands.

"Oh yea, is that why you are reading that? What's it about," she asked.

"Vampires," he said without hesitation and she gulped at the admission.

"So it's fantasy or horror or something like that?"

"Actually, no, it's the reason I was in La Push. I heard there were some books there that could give me some answers, but no pale faces allowed, remember," he teased and she nodded.

"Well, it looks like you found what you were looking for anyways."

"I hope so," he agreed and an awkward silence fell over them as they tried to figure out what to say next. He cleared his throat.

"Would you like to go get a coffee? Maybe talk about your weird day," he asked and she quickly shook her head. She showed him her ring finger and took a step back.

"I'm married. Super married, great kid, anniversary plans, the whole nine yards," she interjected and his eyes widened.

"Oh, wow, sorry, I am usually better at catching that. I'm a little off my game at the moment though. I apologize, truly, I just…I guess it just feels like we've met before or something…I mean I know we met earlier, I meant before…you know…"

"I know what you meant, but no, we haven't."

"Well then, I will let you get back to your husband, kid, and whole nine yards. It was nice to meet you, Leah," said Carter before turning to leave.

"Wait," she called before realizing what she was doing and he turned back to face her.

"Carter, I know we don't know each other, but just be careful with the weird you are looking into. Curiosity killed the cat and all," she reminded and he slowly nodded as he looked down at the book.

"Yea, but sometimes the truth is worth it," he assured before departing. She tried to think of something else to say to make him stay, but a part of her was relieved he was gone. Alice rushed over to her.

"Well, what did you find out?" Leah sighed.

"Not much, just that he is curious about vampires and asked me out."

"That's it? I could've predicted that much!"

"Well excuse me for not knowing how to accost a man who turns out to be my imprint and could potentially expose the supernatural world," she whispered and Alice threw her hands up in exasperation.

"So we are back to square one then," she asked and Leah ran a hand through her hair.

"I have no clue," she admitted. While Alice wanted to pout and rant about the predicament, she could sense how fragile Leah was at that moment. Instead, she placed an arm around the woman's shoulder and waited for her to compose herself.