AN: Thank you as always to my reviewers; serenity1006, Anony, and Guest, I love reading reviews, they keep me writing. Hopefully, the next few chapters will answer some of your questions and comments. Enjoy!
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Chapter Forty Seven: Heartache.
Swinging open the front door, I called out for Sam, as I shed my coat and backpack. The house was silent, the sound of a pot bubbling on the stove the only thing breaking the silence. Wandering over, I stirred the Bolognese sauce idly and wondered where Sam had gone. He wouldn't leave a pot unattended on the stove without good cause, which caused my stomach to cramp with worry. What if there was an emergency or a wolf had phased. Sam had explained that, during a wolf's first few weeks, their temperament was volatile and required constant support to manage the panic and fear and riotous physiological changes. I felt my teeth nibbling at my bottom lip, as I hoped Sam wouldn't be hurt, whatever the circumstances for his disappearance was this time.
An hour passed and Sam still hadn't appeared. As I tasted the Bolognese sauce, the phone rang loudly, startling me into splashing sauce down my shirt. Quietly cursing, I snatched the phone from its holder and held it between my ear and shoulder.
"Hello?" I called down it, using a damp cloth to wipe down my mess to prevent staining.
"Bells? Hey! You're home!" Jacob's voice replied happily.
"Hey Jake, what's up?" Sprinkling a pinch of herbs into the sauce, I leaned against the cupboard.
"I was just calling to see if you were okay? You ran off after school?"
"Oh, sorry, Jake." I apologised, realising I had run off without any explanation or excuse, "I saw Leah and had to speak to her, she looked really upset about something."
"Don't worry, honey, I won't hold it against you." He chuckled, "But you owe me dinner."
"You wish!" Laughing back, I stirred the sauce again, "I don't know how you stay so slim with all the food you eat!"
"What are you talking about? I don't eat that much."
"You also lie, apparently!" I shook my head, nearly dropping the phone into the pan, "Oops. Anyway, what was it you were going to say earlier?"
"I was just going to invite you out with Embry, Quil, and I. We've been at the beach." He explained, "Embry's mom gave us leftover lemon cake that she hadn't managed to sell yet. It was delicious, you missed out Bells."
"Her lemon cake is good." I agreed, knowing from previous experience, "I trust you behaved yourselves without me to mother you?" As I teased him, I noticed Sam striding out of the forest.
"Of course." I could almost hear his eyes rolling, but he laughed still, "We always behave."
"Sure, sure." Mimicking the same response he gives Billy when he brushes him off, I filled another pan with water, "I've got to go, Jake."
"Okay, bye Bells." The phone clicked off and I set the pan to boil.
"Hey." Sam greeted me in a low tone, his mind evidently somewhere else. He pulled out the jug of orange juice and poured two glasses.
"Hey, is everything okay?" I placed a hand on his hot shoulder in concern.
"Yeah, it's just…Paul Lahote phased today." He sighed heavily. I knew the stress of being Alpha and having to guide others through the phasing process was a strain, particularly as he was so new to this life too. Sharing a sympathetic look with him, I threw some pasta into the boiling water.
"How's he handling it?" I asked curiously.
"He's always been hot headed, even before his wolf genes were active. Now, I don't know. Jared's with him at the moment and I'll go back to relieve him once I've eaten." There was a long silence as we set the table and finished preparing our meal, as each of us were lost in our thoughts. It was only as our forks scraped our plate, did we resume the conversation.
"When did he phase? I saw him at school today, but I didn't see any sign..."
"He got into a fight after school." Sam frowned, "The strong emotion caused him to phase. We were lucky Jared was nearby, Paul nearly phased in front of the whole school. Jared had to pull him out of the fight and force him into the forest. It wasn't pretty, Paul nearly attacked Jared."
"What? Is he okay?" Gathering our plates, I took them to the sink and began washing up.
"Yeah, he's got a couple of nasty scratches, but he'll be healed before morning." He explained, "Did you not see Paul after school?"
"No." I shrugged and collected the glasses from the table.
"I thought you would be keeping an eye of anyone who might phase?"
"I can't watch them every minute of the day, Sam." Guilt swam in my stomach, causing me to snap, as I thought about this afternoon. If I had seen the signs, if I had watched more carefully, could I have stopped Jared getting injured? I felt responsible for not watching as I should have been doing, yet I knew I couldn't constantly stalk the potential werewolves, "I was a bit busy with Leah."
"Leah?" Sam looked quickly up at me with a startled expression, before looking down at the table. His fists were clenched and I could almost feel the heat coming off him in waves, "What was she doing at school?"
"Picking up some papers." I wiped my hands dry and crossed them over my chest, staring accusingly at him, "Have you and Leah had a fight?"
"No." He shook his head, still not looking up at me.
"I know you're emotions are a little high at the moment, but-"
"I didn't hurt her, Bella!" Standing up, I noticed he was trembling like a tuning fork.
"Okay, I'm sorry. Leah just looked so awful. I thought something terrible must have happened…" I could see her devastated expression behind my eyelids every time I blinked, causing my heart to beat hard with concern for her. I didn't believe Sam would hurt her, but I couldn't think of what else could have happened, "She wouldn't tell me anything. She only said to ask you."
Sam nodded to himself, looking sick to him stomach. His face was marred with a kaleidoscope of emotions; anger, hurt, sadness, guilt, hopeless. He looked torn up, as he tried to remain human, and I wanted to reach out and reassure him that whatever happened could be resolved. But I kept my distancing, unsure of how he would react next. Finally, he spoke.
"I broke up with Leah." He admitted, barely whispering the words.
"You broke up with Leah?" I gasped, unable to contain my reaction. Sam and Leah's relationship had been so stable and constant; to think it was no more was a foreign concept. They had been dating for so long and were so in love, for it to end suddenly meant something horrible must have happened. Now I understood the heartache in Leah's expression, now mirrored in Sam's. They hadn't just lost their relationship, but also a perfectly planned future, "Why?"
"I…I…" Choking on his words, I noticed he was beginning to inch towards the door.
"Sam? What happened?" I followed him outside.
"I can't-" Suddenly, human Sam exploded into werewolf Sam. Even in animal form, he looked forlorn. He gazed at me, looking sorrowful.
"It's okay Sam, we can fix this." I reached out to him, but he leaped back and turned away. A howl echoed in the distance and Sam took off into the forest, leaving me mystified on the front porch, unsure of anything now.