Disclaimer: I do not own 'Twilight' or any of the characters!

Rating: T (language!)

Pairing: JB/EC

Enjoy! I did all the talking in the last chapter so y'all could just get on with the show this time.... *Smiles delightedly*

Chapter 12: Rising Tides

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(Seth's POV)

Edward cleared his throat, Leah sighed and followed him back upstairs while dragging me behind. "If I'm going to let vampires take my blood, you're coming with me," she muttered. I just gave her a small smile, thanking the Great Spirits and God that my sister wasn't as much of a bitch as we all knew her to be.

(End Seth's POV)

(Leah's POV)

As I followed the leech and dragged my little brother behind me, I didn't know what it was that I would see when I got to wherever we were going. Don't ask what made me do it alright? Its just…Seth and that damned leech were right and I wasn't going to let someone die and be blamed for it. You say its heartless, but I say it's a conscience thing. Plus my dad would've been really disappointed in me if he'd been around to see me acting so…childish.

"You have a strong stomach I assume? You don't pass out or vomit at the sight of blood," the stupid leech asked, knocking me out of my thoughts. We were standing in front of a pair of double glass doors with heavy dark curtains pulled. I growled, making sure I showed some teeth as I replied, "No, but of course you can handle it seeing how Jacob probably let's you at it all the time."

That's honestly the first time I saw this particular Cullen leech look surprised, (he could read minds and all that), instead of like he wanted to punch me in the mouth or something. I decided to have a little fun. "Oh right. We probably taste as bad as we smell." "Leah," Seth hissed under his breath, elbowing me in the ribs. I pinched the arm I was holding which got him to shut up.

The leech decided to ignore me and opened up one of the doors. "After you," was his decidedly macho way of telling me and Seth to hurry up and get the show on the road. "Um actually Leah…this is as far as I can go." What!? I turned on my baby brother after taking the first step, "I am not going in there alone! Especially with that stupid Emmett character! No Seth, you come with me or I'm not doing it." Then the little mutt actually rolled his eyes at me before yanking his arm away, "No Leah. I can't go in there, suck it up or you can be sedated."

At this news I caught the mind-reader's eye. He didn't say a word. Suddenly, I felt all of my hot anger and self-assuredness slipping. My biggest fear was to have my back exposed in any situation. I didn't know if I could be brave and save Jake…I didn't know if I had the guts to have a vampire stick a tube in my arm to do it….

"On my honor Leah, and Jacob's life, I swear to you that nothing will happen to you. Emmett and Carlisle want to save Jacob just as much as we all do and if anything goes awry, Carlisle will stop the procedure and you can leave." I remained still, but my eyes found his topaz ones and searched them. If he was doubting his words, I would see it. If he was feeding me bull shit then I would make sure to rip him apart limb from limb. I didn't see any of those things though…what I saw made me straighten my back, square my jaw and march past him into that weird clinic. I saw that a separate bed was set up for me, separated from Jake by a curtain.

When I saw him…I felt as if I were staring at Sam. I couldn't stop myself, but I felt a tear prick in the corner of my eye at the sudden and unexpected vision. Stupid or otherwise, I knew that Jacob had always meant well towards me--he had to for Seth's sake at least…and now…I was repaying him for all of the times he'd gone out of his way to say hi or listen when I needed someone.

"We really need to get going Leah, if we're going to save his life," I heard the doctor say and out of surprise I turned around to face him. His face was kind enough, he didn't seem as if he was going to screw me over. That bloodsucker had been right…Carlisle wanted to save Jake's life just like the rest of us. "Okay," I said. And in that moment, whether I wanted to admit it or not, I was leaving my complete and total faith, in the hands of a bloodsucking doctor.

(End Leah's POV)

***

"Jacob."

What? I try to answer…my mouth feels like its stuffed with cotton.

"Jacob…can you hear me?"

Yes.

"Can you wiggle your fingers?"

I…I don't know…its so dark here…where's Edward? The…the baby?

"Everyone is fine Jacob, you're alright."

Why does my head hurt so bad? Where am I? where is Edward?

"It's just a part of the process dear Jacob. As for where you are…you're safe and so is Edward."

Am I dead then?

"Oh no, not yet. You have a long life ahead of you, to take care of your son."

My…my son? I'm speechless for a moment…I have a son.

"Yes Jacob, and he is healthy and well."

Can I see him? And Edward and everyone?

"Of course. All you have to do is open your eyes."

***

When the procedure was done, when the right amount of blood taken from Leah Clearwater finished its path into the body of Jacob Black, the room fell into an ethereal silence.

She slowly awoke to a cold, comforting hand stroking back her dark hair from her clammy sweaty forehead, her body's natural reaction to the intentional loss of blood. When her blurred vision adjusted, her dark brown eyes met the ever-compassionate and concerned honey-golden eyes of Carlisle.

Neither said a word. Leah was afraid that it hadn't worked, that her stubbornness got the best of her--that she'd been too late to save him. Carlisle could read that much in the Quileute girl's eyes, never removing his own from her gradually warming face. He didn't think too much on what she could be thinking, only on the hope that every choice he'd made thus far hadn't resulted in the death of his son's life-force.

He didn't want to dwell on the unhappy prospect of what could become of his family.

Edward turned his head in the direction of his father, gazing at him with what Carlisle could only gauge to be resolve, before quickly returning to stare down at the still body of Jacob Black.

Without disturbing the surreal quiet that had now overtaken the entire house, the sunlight gradually stole into the room, filling it with its warmth. With the feeling of life. Edward did not budge from his spot next to Jacob's bed, nor did he stop the humming he'd begun almost at the same time the birds started to sing beyond the windows.

Everything was so peaceful that neither vampire in the room noticed the temperature start to rise even more as Jacob slowly started to enter back into his body.

"Jacob," he whispered fervently just before his body went completely rigid and his eyes stared straight ahead at nothing Carlisle could see. Without hesitation and without removing his gaze from Leah's now alarmed stare, he called Alice who had already felt the future of Jacob Black start to fade into a hazy indistinct direction.

"It's alright Carlisle…he's coming back to us," the pixie-like woman voiced, her tone quiet and sure. Carlisle couldn't tell if she was referring to Jacob or Edward, but he continued to stroke Leah's clammy forehead nonetheless, watching as her expression became calm once again.

Several minutes passed…the house was quiet save for the quiet hummingbird-like heartbeat coming from the child now resting in the crib that had been long-awaiting his arrival. Jasper and Alice were just as in tune with Jacob's being as Edward was, their bodies rigid with anticipation. Their minds worked together to coax the boy further away from the brink and closer to the ones who weren't the same without him.

As the last call of the nightingale faded away into the budding morning, the loud drawn out drone of a flat line came to an end and was replaced with stronger, more constant beeps. It was like coming out of a trance, that all three vampires experienced, as Jacob's eyes fluttered open to reveal the most beautiful dark eyes Edward had ever seen.

"I thought I was dreaming."

(A/N: A cliff?? Me!?!? why I never! okay so I've done it before, but I promise you'll be very happy with the outcome! Thank you for joining me on this fantastic ride, this has been the greatest story I've written with the help of you all!)