A/N: TW in the intro ahead.
Leah pulled up outside her home and switched off the engine. Her mind had been racing for the last hour as she pieced together all the information from her lunch with Rose. She didn't want to doubt her new friend but a part of her couldn't help it. She couldn't see why Bella would go to such lengths just to protect her reputation. As much of a harpy as she was, this was too much. Rose was either leaving something out or Bella was just fucked in the head. Either way, Leah had a feeling she would be the one who suffered.
As she approached her front door she heard rumblings from inside. Upon entry she found a group of eight large boys all crammed into her small living room. Jake sat next to Seth who was squished against Paul. Colin, Brady and Quil were on the ground, engrossed in the basketball game they were all watching. Jared sat on the other couch with Embry who patted the free seat next to him, inviting him to sit with her. A chorus of slurred 'Hello's' greeted her as their heads returned back to the screen. She had walked in minutes away from the final buzzer and they all seemed to be on the edge of their seats. Jake, at least, gave her a small wave as she took her place next to Embry. Bre kissed her on the cheek and she swore she saw Jake flinch out of the corner of her eye.
"How you doing baby?" he whispered.
She was staring at Jacob and wondering if he really had flinched or she was just that tired. She turned to reply to Embry when Paul leapt to his feet.
"NOOOO! You jackass! He set you up for that, god damn it. STRENGTHEN UP THE DEFENSE FOR THE LOVE OF CHIRST!"
"Hey!" Leah snapped at him "You've exhausted your blasphemy quota for they day. Sit your ass down and watch with your eyes not your mouth."
His eyes remained fixated on the TV as he slowly sat back down. He was used to Leah screeching at him, as were all the other boys who paid no attention to her snap.
She curled into Embry's side, bringing her legs up on the couch. As she stared at the screen she thought of how long it had taken for them all to be at this point. So comfortable with one another that she could scream at any one of them and get away with it. A luxury that usually only siblings were afforded. As much as a certain few annoyed her, they were like her brother's and she knew there was no way Bella Swan could take that away from her. Rose hadn't fought enough, she had Carlisle to protect, but Leah wouldn't lose this. She wouldn't let anyone get between her and her family.
She snuggled further into Embry as the tension of the day finally started to ease up. Without thinking she pulled the beer from his hand and took a long drink.
"Leah!" Jake yelled as she shot upright in surprise.
"Jesus Jake, what?" she replied. The guys exchanged uncomfortable glances. She turned to look at Embry whose face had dropped and realised what she had done. She had just unintentionally told him she wasn't pregnant.
He quickly left the room as Seth looked at her to follow him. The game was on pause and the boys were all silent. It seemed Em had been too excited to keep his theory to only his closest friends. The whole gang knew.
It wasn't her fault though, had Seth not told her the night before she'd have no idea what was going on. Still, he was hurting and she couldn't just leave him to deal with it. She made her way into their bedroom to find Embry sitting on the edge of their bed.
"Bre" she said, in her attempt at a soothing voice. "What's wrong?"
"I'm just an idiot, that's what's wrong."
He let out a sigh of frustration as he ran his hands through his hair and fell back onto the bed. She lay next to him, sliding her arm under the curve of his back. Placing her head on his chest, she let her free hand sit on his stomach. Her support was a confirmation that she knew why he was upset but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Saying the words would probably hurt him more.
"I promise not to steal your beer ever again…" She said quietly in an attempt to lighten the mood. He raised his red, glistening eyes to her and forced a smile to cross his face.
"I should hope so." He replied.
"I'm sorry…" She said, resisting the urge to finish the sentence that was dying to leave her lips.
I'm sorry that I don't love you the way you love me. I'm sorry I let you think that one day we could have children together. I'm sorry because I could never bring a child into a loveless relationship, and I'm sorry that I have let this go on long enough for you to fall this deeply. I'm sorry I'm a coward and I lean on you so much. I'm sorry that the longer I wait to break this off the worse it gets. I'm sorry that I need you so much right now or I would let you go. I would let you move on with your life, or I like to think I would. I'm sorry that I am holding on to you and confusing things further with my support. I am sorry for everything. So, so sorry.
But, like the coward she was, she remained quiet as Embry placed a light kiss on her lips.
"You have nothing to be sorry for Lee."
He kissed her again and lay back down. She swallowed the disgust she felt with herself. It was getting harder and harder to do. She had the power to free him but she justified it with the reasoning that it was not the most opportune moment for a breakup scene. It was never going to be an 'opportune moment' but, for now, her justification was enough. She changed the subject quickly before her conscience spoke up.
"Any requests for the chef tonight? If the whole tribe is eating I'll need to head over to Forks to grab some supplies."
"Actually, we're heading out to shoot a few hoops. We all have…we all have a bit of steam we need to blow off. We're going out to dinner afterwards. You're invited, if you're up for it?"
The only thing Leah was up for was a bath and some mindless entertainment.
"If I have to watch Paul do his stupid 'winners' dance every time he makes a basket I'm afraid he won't leave with all of him limbs."
Paul felt every move he made on the court deserved to be acknowledge and if no one else did it then he would do so himself. He enjoyed performing one of his many victory dances, a chant that he would usually prepare earlier and, at times, he would indulge the 'crowd' with his own slow motion replays. It often took all of Leah's strength not to smash the basketball into his face and break his nose.
Embry gave her a genuine smile and she felt a little better. They made their way back into the living room together as their friends tried to pretend they weren't paying attention to their entrance. Paul, however, was caught up trying to explain how he would have single handed won the game with his 'mad offensive skills'.
"Okay, time for you to show us this 'God given talent' Mr Amazing." Embry said as the boys all stood up and shuffled out of the house.
Paul was out the door first, still carrying on as Jared and Colin nodded their head, unable to get a word in. Embry placed his hand under Leah's chin and lifted it until her eyes met his.
"I do love you Leah."
She smiled up at him, slightly embarrassed due to the majority of boys still being in the same room.
"I know." She said as she stretched upwards for a kiss.
She could tell straight away those weren't the words he was waiting for but she couldn't bring herself to say the other ones. She wouldn't do that to him.
He and Seth moved out the door leaving only Jake behind. He seemed to be stalling as the other guys made their way to their cars. He walked over with a misplaced excitement in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Whoa, Jake…What are you...?"
He lifted her off the ground a fraction before setting her back in place
"I just…I'm so glad you're feeling better Lee."
He turned his back to her and started walking towards the door. Her mouth reacted too quickly for her brain to sensor what she was about to say.
"Are you happy that I'm not pregnant? Is that what that was?"
He stopped suddenly and took a moment before turning back towards her. His face was full of guilt.
"I said I was happy you were feeling better."
"I never said I was feeling better, I just took a sip of beer. I could still be pregnant you know. A little bit of alcohol wouldn't do too much damage."
Jake's eyes narrowed at her. It had been a while since she had spoken to him with so much annoyance in her voice but he had no right to be this happy about her news without a reason.
"So, what, are you pregnant or not Leah?"
"It's none of your business Jake."
Sadness filled his face and her tough act began to waver. She walked over to put her hand on his arm, annoyed that she was able to comfort him with more ease then her own boyfriend. He begged her to answer him with his eyes.
"No Jake, no I'm not pregnant."
He exhaled a long, slow breath of relief and pulled her back into him as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He held her tighter than before, as if he didn't want to let her go. She fell into his warmth before she caught herself. Pushing him back, she spoke quickly out of frustration.
"What are you doing Jacob?"
The look he gave her was too hard to read. So conflicted, so guilty. He looked like he had something to say but no intention of doing so.
"I…I don't know." He whispered back as voice from outside called out to them.
"Jake, move your ass!" Quil hollered. They both turned to see Embry watching with a disapproving look. It annoyed her more than hurt her. If he knew her at all he would know she would never cheat on him. Not after the pain that Sam and Emily had caused her.
Jake walked off towards the door before stopping and turning around.
"I am genuinely happy that you're okay Leah."
"You know you shouldn't be Jake, or you wouldn't feel so guilty about it."
He looked away quickly and joined the other guys, leaving her behind. Leah shut the front door as the multiple cars took off. She was actually thankful for the time alone. A hot bath and a glass of red was all she wanted.
She slipped out of her clothes and refused to let herself think about Jake. He had been too pleased to find out that she wasn't carrying Embry's child. He was Bella's puppy dog and it was unfair to indulge the idea that he had realised he could lose her had she been pregnant. She couldn't over think it until she had spoken to him, it wouldn't do her any good until then. It was possible he was just happy to see she was feeling better but, knowing Jake as she did, the look in his eyes said too much for it to be that simple.
She filled the bath and slipped into the inviting warm water. It covered her like a blanket and helped to release the remaining tension from around her muscles. She had begun to drift to sleep when there was a knock on the front door.
"Ahh, damn it! Seriously, I can't have five minutes to myself." She muttered.
Pulling herself out of the tub, she wondered if Embry had come back early to ask her about her little chat with Jake. Or worse, if Jake had slipped off from the game to see her. She wrapped a towel tightly around her, aware of how she looked. Her hair hung loosely over her shoulders, wet and sleek. The long, raven locks spilled over her chest. The small towel was wrapped tightly around her cleavage, just enough to accentuate her assets, and its white colour was perfect against her golden brown skin. She knew she would silence either of the boys with one look in an instant.
Opening the door with her best 'come hither' pose, she was instead greeted with Sam standing in front of her. His eyes fell over her body and she suddenly felt completely naked. He had seen it before, which was more unsettling, but the hunger in his face sent shivers over her skin.
"What do you want Sam?" She asked, not caring to hide the contempt in her voice.
"You're the one who has been calling me non-stop. I'm here to see what the fuck youwant."
Leah remembered herself. She needed Sam for information. His stare was still piercing though, invasive. She needed to put something on quickly. He offered her a large brown bag clumsily as he pushed it into her stomach.
"What's that?" She said.
"A peace offering."
She opened it and pulled out a bottle of Whiskey. It wasn't particularly special but he had remembered it was her favourite and, right now, just what she needed.
"Just get in. I'll be back in a second."
He made his way into her living room as she ran quickly to get changed. She threw on a shapeless blue tunic dress knowing he hated blue on her. Pulling her hair back into an unflattering bun, she was trying to make sure she looked as unattractive as possible. She stood in front of her full length mirror for a minute while she procrastinated.
You needto know why he was with Bella Lee. Humour him and then tell him to piss off.
After taking a deep breath she returned to the living room. Seeing him there sent a shiver over her skin. It was like a scene from a happier time, when they had been in love and her father was alive. Now it was morphed, surreal. He didn't belong here anymore, he didn't deserve it.
"Straight, no ice." He said, as he handed her a glass.
Just the way she liked it. She made a point to put ice in it, determined not to let him think he knew her anymore. He sat down on the larger couch, making room for her to sit next to him. She sat on the smaller one on the far side of the room. He sighed. He seemed nervous, anxious. His knee was bouncing as he took a large sip of his drink. She grew suspicious.
"So did you really come here because I called you those few times or is this due to something else because if it's the latter…."
"You need to lighten up Leah, it's been long enough."
She choked back laugh as she downed the remainder of her drink in one go.
"It could be a hundred years and stillit would not be long enough Sam."
She stood up and poured herself a double, drinking half of it in the one hit. Feeling a slight buzz she was now prepared to deal with Sam Uley.
"So, what were you doing out with Bella Swan the other night Sam?"
He was taken back at the direct question and began coughing heavily. Leah stood by watching the whole time as he extended his coughing fit to buy some time. She waited with her arms crossed over her chest until he stopped. He looked up at her and gestured for some water. She rolled her eyes and stormed into the kitchen. Her headache had returned. She figured it was just part of being around Sam again. She returned and made a point to slam the glass of water onto the table as half of it splashed up the side and fell onto his knee. He took it, fingers trembling, and sipped it painfully slowly. When the glass was empty he placed it on the table and looked back up at Lee whose face was now covered in a heavy scowl.
"Now that that's out of your system, you and Bella? I saw you guys together Sam so just answer the question."
Her sentence was slower then she intended. It must've been the drinks. They were hitting her harder then she expected. She was also getting hot and couldn't tell if her headache was turning into a migraine or her brain had gone completely numb. She sat down quickly as she tried to compose herself, hiding her sudden dizzy spell.
"What's wrong Leah?" Sam asked with disturbing smirk on his face. "Not feeling too good?"
She went to answer when she couldn't make her mouth work. Fear suddenly filled her as she realised she was losing control of herself. Everything was wrong. The light was too bright, the room was too hot, her head was too clouded and her body was too heavy.
Sam got to his feet and walked towards her. The nervous boy of only five minutes prior had gone. He wore a sickening grin on his face and hate in his eyes. He bent forward as he seemed to be focusing on her pupils.
"...Out...Now...Get...Sam."
The four words were all she could manage. She wasn't sure how loud they were or if she had conveyed the conviction she had wanted. She felt like she was falling into a deep sleep in the middle of a conversation and was unable to control it.
"You know why Bella and I were meeting up? Because you need to learn a lesson Leah. You think you're above people, that you've never made a mistake. Well you're not and we're going to show you what it means to be put in your place, what it takes to build your reputation back up from nothing."
She moved to stand up, to hit him, but her eyelids fell and by the time she had pried them back open he was standing above her. She thought she screamed at him, that she told him to fuck off, but she never heard the sound leave her mouth.
She was on the floor now, unsure as to how she got there. He picked her up by her hair and tossed her onto the couch. She could feel his hands on her, removing her dress and grabbing violently at her skin, but her arms were too heavy to stop him. Her eye lids felt like they were glued to her face, as if she would rip of every individual eyelash to open them. She could feel her thigh's being pried apart as she struggled to close them again. He stood between them, keeping them open.
She screamed inside for her eyes to open, for her arms to fight him off, but she was gone. His words were muffled but the abusive tone made its way through. Her pulse was racing, much like her heart, as she pleaded with God to give her back the control of her body. Finally, her eyelids reopened once more but the sight was so clouded that they were useless. The last thing she managed to see was Sam removing his belt as they closed once more, for good.