Bella POV

I took long, purposeful, breaths trying to keep all emotion off my face. Edward stood at my side, protectively, his family not far from me. Esme and Carlisle stood in front of a young looking newborn, who was called Bree. The Volturi guard approached, Jane taking the lead a menacing smile playing across her face. The Cullens spoke to the guard but I couldn't focus on the conversation, my stomach sick with worry. The pull in my chest stronger than it had ever been. I was slightly agitated that I had to stay in the clearing to continue this charade for the benefit of the Volturi. My mind understood that we had to do this, mostly for my own safety, but my heart protested insisting it was unimportant when Leah was so hurt.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when the guard murdered the newborn, Bree. Shocked, I looked up at Jane a mischevious smile spread across her face.

"Caius will be interested to know she's still human."

I shuddered under her gaze but didn't break eye contact with her. The guard left just as swiftly as they had arrived. As soon as I couldn't see them anymore I silently turned to Edward, looking up at him pleadingly. He held up a finger in a "wait" motion, listening to the Volturi's thoughts to make sure they were really gone. We stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he nodded and I was on his back. We were running through the forest and I knew we were running towards La Push because the pulling in my chest was slowly letting up. I snuck a peek and saw Carlisle running alongside us, a large medical bag in hand. I briefly wondered where he had gotten that from. We were met by Jake at the border, Carlisle and Edward stopped.

"Sam said only Carlisle," Jake explained, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Edward just nodded and set me down, I didn't have time to protest about my human legs being too slow because Jake was already walking towards me. When he closed the few steps between us he crouched, waiting for me to jump on his back. I hastily hopped on and he piggybacked me towards the Clearwater's, Carlisle taking off ahead of us.

"Jake, hurry up!" I fidgeted on his back, impatiently.

"Bells, you're not going to want to be there while the doctor works." He said solemnly.

"Yes, I will!" I protested, squeezing my legs tighter around him.

He sighed "She doesn't want you there while the doctor works." He admitted, "I promised I'd keep you away until the doctor left."

My face scrunched up, I tried to figure out if I was hurt by her not wanting me there or relieved I wouldn't have to see all the medical stuff. Jake stopped jogging and crouched so I could slide off his back. I did just that and took a deep breath, looking around. We were in the woods, god knew where. I spun in a circle and felt the pull in my chest quite down slightly when I faced a certain direction. I spun again, slower trying to narrow down which direction would lead me to Leah.

"What are you doing Bella?" Jake chuckled lightly.

I shushed him and closed my eyes, spinning even slower. There! I took an experimental step forward, trying incredibly hard to focus on the pull in my chest. It seemed less intense, I took another unsure step in the direction, then another.

"Seriously, Bella what are you doing?" Humour went from his voice.

That was all I needed as confirmation, my eyes shot open and I sprinted. I crashed through the woods, getting whipped in the face by branches, my hands and arms getting scraped by sharp bark and thorns. I heard Jake mumble a curse under his breath and he was quickly in front of me, his hands held up in front of him. I swerved around him, rebounded off a tree and continued my sprint. Mud splashing up as I stamped through a fairly deep puddle, my feet soaking instantly and my jeans more than likely getting coated. I almost fell face first into the puddle but a strong hand caught me before I did.

"Bella," Jake said exasperated. "I'll take you, just try not to kill yourself on the way there."

We began walking in the direction I had been sprinting, I smirked to myself momentarily. Jake had to keep catching me as I tripped on the thick underbrush, I suspected he was taking me through a path with the most obstacles to slow me down. When we finally exited the forest into a grass backyard, I instantly knew where I was without the assistance of the small tug in my chest. The backyard wasn't a huge part of my childhood but I recognized, the now deteriorating, tree house. I vaulted the familiar steps of the back deck, two at a time. The back door was unlocked, as I knew it would be. Who needed to use locks when both your kids were giant wolves? I burst into the kitchen, panting a bit, almost colliding with Sam's large body. The whole pack was crammed into the tiny house, most of them in the living room watching the news. Sam was in the kitchen making what looked like an entire loafs worth of PB&J sandwiches with Sue. Sue looked up at me and gave a small smile.

"She's been asking for you," Sue stated with a bit more of a smile.

Leah couldn't be that bad if Sue wasn't super distraught. I took small comfort in this, but I needed to see her for myself. I didn't need directions to Leah's room and a small part of me wondered if it still looked the same as when we were children.

I stopped just outside the door to take a moment to brace myself for the worst. I could hear Seth's excited voice on the other side of the door and I momentarily wondered if I had too much confidence in my memory.

"And then what?" Leah's weak voice questioned.

"Oh man! I ripped his entire hand off, then he started crying to the red-headed one." Seth laughed.

I heard Leah start to laugh but it quickly stopped. I knocked on the door and Seth called for me to come in. I saw Leah laying on her bed, her legs under a thin sheet. She was wearing a sports bra and I could see the tight white bandages wrapped around the majority of her torso. Her right arm wrapped in the same white bandages snuggly wrapping it to her body.

"Oh god, Leah." I could feel tears threatening to fall.

I stumbled over to her bedside and collapsed to my knees, looking more closely at everything.

"Snot that bad" She slurred and smiled, dazed at me.

I looked over at where Seth was sitting in a desk chair, on the other side of Leah's bed, one eyebrow raised.

"The doctor gave her a lot of morphine, said it'd burn off pretty fast with her body temperature but he didn't want her to hurt too much when he rebroke the bones."

I felt the colour drain from my face. "Carlisle rebroke the bones?" I swallowed hard.

Leah grabbed my hand with her left and shook her head. "It's fine it hurt so little." She looked at me with such a brilliant smile my breath hitched. She was suddenly concerned and watched me, my breathing slowly returning to normal. Then she lifted our connected hands, moving them closer to her face, her face twisting in confusion. I could see the bandage on my arm was poking out from under my shirt a bit. I tugged at my shirt trying to cover it up but Leah had already seen it. She released my hand and I held my arm above her body not wanting to let it fall. She pulled my sleeve back to expose the crude wrapping around my arm, a blood-soaked strip from Edward's shirt. I pulled my arm away from her, pulling the sleeve back down. Leah began shifting her weight to try and sit up, her face pure pain.

"What happnd? Are you okay?" She slurred between her clenched teeth.

"Oh god, Leah don't move!" I went to push her shoulders back down but Seth had beat me to it.

"What happnd? Seth shtop." She was swatting at his hands with her one good arm, still trying to get up.

"I'll tell you if you lay down again" I begged.

She let out a shaky sigh and allowed Seth to help her lay down again, wincing the whole time. Seth looked down at Leah and then at me. Without a word, he moved towards the door then turned back to look at me when he was in the doorway.

"If she gets too restless just call for help, I'll come back" He nodded once at me and left, closing the door behind him.

Leah motioned at the chair Seth had left behind and then waved her good arm in the air beside her bed. I stood, my knees a little stiff, and rolled the office chair over to where I had been kneeling. I sat in it and lowered it as far as it would go. Once I was settled in Leah raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed and started explaining the fight to her and how I had cut my arm open.

"But half of your body is broken, you shouldn't be worried about me" I sighed looking over her bandaged torso again.

She was just frowning at me with half-shut eyes, she looked exhausted.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Leah?"

"No, I missed too mch time wth you" She was having trouble with her words now, half of them mumbled.

"You're stuck with me now, I'm not planning on going anywhere" I laughed a little amazed that she could even think I would leave.

"No, before dah fight" She shook her head defiantly. "I'm Leeeah" She drawled her name.

"I know" I laughed loudly, wondering just how much morphine Carlisle had given her.

Her eyes cleared a bit and she smiled, admiringly, at me.

"You have a pridy laugh" Her eyes starting to droop again.

I could feel my face flush, not used to such intense attention.

"I wanna stert over" She furrowed her brows at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Wanna meet you do over" She almost looked offended.

"How about tomorrow?" I suggested, seeing her struggle to keep her eyes open.

"Kay" She said softly, her eyes closing. "I, you pretty good" Leah mumbled.

I had no idea what she was trying to tell me and didn't really have a chance to ask. I could hear her breathing, low and even, now. I admired Leah's sleeping face, it was so peaceful and beautiful when it was relaxed like this. That strand of hair was in her eye again and I lightly brushed it out of her face. Her hair was so silky smooth I ran my hand all the way through it. Leah sighed a content 'mmm' in her sleep and I couldn't help smile a little to myself. I ran my fingers through her hair again, letting my mind wander a bit as I continued to stroke her head. This felt so right, to be close to Leah, to run my hands through her hair. I yawned and glanced at the clock on her nightstand, 9 pm. I guess my adrenaline rushes and the little sleep I had the night before was catching up to me. I reluctantly stopped stroking Leah's hair and leaned back in the office chair, slumping down a bit in it. Watching Leah's sleeping face I could feel the tiniest smile pull at the corners of my mouth. I crossed my arms across my stomach and yawned again. I slumped even lower into the chair and glanced at the clock again, 9:48 pm. God, time flew when I was around Leah. I closed my eyes and my mind began showing me my little grey wolf. My little grey wolf had become my mind's favourite image to dream about.