A/N: So, just remember guys, I do love Blackwater. This WILL be Blackwater...but I couldn't resist taking the story here. I ran it past my friend Meags & she didn't totally hate it so I'm hoping you won't all gang up on me.

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Leah sat at the edge of the stream that ran through this part of the forest. Her finger tips glided over the rippling water as she shivered in the cool night air.

"You're going to be late, you know?" a female voice sang out to her from behind her.

"I know." She answered.

"He's not particularly happy with this arrangement as it is. You're very, very early Leah."

"I know." She replied once again, annoyed this time.

A koi fish swam out from beneath her finger, startling her from her bad mood. It was a beautiful burning orange with hints of gold that glistened with each jarred movement. She turned behind her with a smile on her face.

"Did you see that?" she asked, as Sarah Black stood with her back turned to her.

There was no reply.

"Mrs Black? Did you see it?"

She turned back to the stream and gasped at the now thousands of fish, all darting and swimming in a frenzy. A darkness fell over overhead and beauty of the river bed began to change. There were too many koi, too many swimming too fast. They filled the riverbed, spilling over the sides, as the water disappeared and morphed into an ominous deep red. A thick red. A red with a metallic scent.

"What's happening?" Leah cried. "Sarah?! Sarah, where did you go?"

The Sarah Black of Leah's childhood stood pressed against her side, her body cold and her fingers like ice as they gripped around her arm. She whispered into Leah's ear.

"He refuses you. He won't let you join us."

"No, what? But...Let me speak to him! I can't do this anymore. I give up."

"And what about my son?"

"What about him? Jacob left me."

"Did he?"

She turned with venom in her voice."Yes, he did."

But Sarah was gone. Instead Leah stood alone in a large, familiar room. Off-white walls, faded posters, small wooden desks. A childhood class room.

"You're drowning Leah."Sarah called out from behind her. She turned to face the woman who looked exactly as she had the last day Leah had seen her alive.

"No I'm not. Not yet..." She cried, as she saw the thick red liquid that had already risen to her knees. A fear began to fill her as she saw the fast rising blood moving upward, towards her waist.

"Wait!" she cried, panicking as she realised she was not in control of her movements. She was parallelized, held in place.

"You wanted to leave." Sarah answered, anger in her voice.

"But not this way!" she struggled as the warm, thick liquid reached her chest. Her breath quickened and her thoughts fell instantly to Seth, to her mother...What would they say? What would they think? They would know she had brought this upon herself and they would know that she didn't love them enough to fight it. And Jake? What about Jake?

"No...not like this" she cried, her body trapped in the thick pool she was stuck in.

"You deserve this."

"No I don't!" She cried, struggling to regain control of her legs and wading in the thick pool that threatened to take her life.

"You wanted it."

"WELL I WAS WRONG!" she cried

A male voice spoke this time. "And now it's too late."

She recognized it as her father but before she had a chance to turn to him-to beg for his help- the liquid had engulfed her and she was forced to do nothing but count down the seconds till her death. There was panic and fear and pain and sadness...Mostly there was sadness.

And then a baby's cry ripped her out of her subconscious and into reality.

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Leah lay awake as the dream that she had been trapped in refused to leave her thoughts. The residue of the fear and the panic sat heavy on her mind, burning through her chest and inflaming her lungs. It overwhelmed her to the point she found herself softly whimpering as she fought back the hot tears that began to spill from the corners of her eyes. She was embarrassed to be crying, yet again, and then wondered if she should be as she was alone.

But am I alone? She thought.

Her surroundings suddenly appeared foreign as the cool blue walls and white accented decorations alerted her to a lack of familiarity. Even the sheets that covered her were too soft, too luxurious, to be like any other she had slept on before. She stretched her arm out to the side until she was sure she felt nothing. She was alone. And judging by the distance of her arms, she was in a king sized bed. Alone, in a strange house, recovering from... and then she remembered. The memories of the previous night came flooding back.

Rose. Emmett. Edward. Jacob. Seth. Jacob. Bella. Charlie...the baby.

The pain of her dream was nothing compared to the true reality she could not wake up from. And then the tears refused to stop. She slipped into hysterics so effortlessly now, the shortness of breath and burning tears were as natural as breathing to her.

She almost thought she imagined it when she felt a soft, cool hand wrap itself around her arm. She wanted to open her eyes properly but her body was still reacting to both her nightmare and the memories of the previous day. She knew by now not to fight it. It would subside on its own. Until then she let the wailing take her over, the shaking and the choking down of air. She let her head throb and her breath catch as she felt the body move behind her, propping her head up on its lap, and smoothing the hair off of her moisture soaked forehead.

"Shhh, Leah. It'll be okay..." His voice soothed her as he rocked back and forth with his arms tightly around her shaking frame. She wished that it was an octave or two lower. She wished it was full of that love and caring that warmed her to her core and pulled. She wished it was the voice of her Jacob. Instead, she recognized it as Edward, who was rocking her back to sanity in his arms.

"Just a few deep breathes Leah. You can do this."

But she didn't' know that she could. The only thing that distracted her enough to save her from completely falling apart was the question of why Edward Cullen had his fucking arms wrapped around her.

"What...what....don't..." She tried to move out of his tight grip but he was surprisingly strong as he held her in place.

"Leah, calm down and I'll explain everything."

She hated that his arms were actually helping to calm her- although she made a point of acting as if they were doing the opposite- thrashing about until he loosened his grip.

"Explain. Now. Where am I? What the...the fuck is going on?"

"You're at my parent's cottage. My dad built it for my mom back when they were in love. It was their secret place to get away from Rose and I when they needed too. Then it became Dad's secret place to get away from mom when he needed to get laid, and mom's secret liquor supply storage house."

Leah looked around the beautifully decorated master bedroom as its beauty lessened by each of Edwards bitter words. They had cared enough for one another at one point to select matching curtains, carpet and paint with carefully placed bone white accents around the room. But the decor was dated, by about ten years. Ten years ago they were madly in love. Ten years later they were now here. It was doing nothing to restore Leah's faith in humanity.

"So...how did I get here?"

"You were on the phone to that guy from the police station when you passed out. I freaked. You just fucking collapsed! I didn't know what to do. I called for Rose and Emmett to come and help when I could hear him shouting down the receiver. I picked up the phone and he...he told me, um..."

Edward's hand moved to hold the bridge of his nose but Leah saw the moisture that was already pooling in his eyes before he squeezed them shut. Bella. Bella and the baby. Of course he was suffering right now. For a brief moment he had thought he was about to become a father and-for reasons unknown to her- he was excited about it. She turned her head out of both respect and awkwardness as she stopped trying to move away from him. It was as far as she was willing to go to comfort him, which sent a pang of guilt through her as she remembered he has sat by her side while she slept.

He took a deep breath and began his story again, his voice cracking slightly to begin with. "So, after a few moments of panic, Em and Rose managed to get you into my car and we took off. Lucky we did. We passed Charlies police car within five minutes of being on the road."

"Wait...so, what about Seth?"

"At the time he was asleep when Charlie and the other cops turned up."

"What?! And you guys just left him to deal with that alone?"

Edward's expression hardened. "I admit, we weren't exactly thinking straight. I had a lot on my mind at the time and all I could think of was to get you out of there."

"So you all left my baby brother behind?"

"Leah, it's for his own good. The less he knows about your whereabouts the easier it is for him when he is being grilled by Chief Swan."

Leah was furious but she held her tongue, as she waited for Edward to finish her story. If she screamed at him now, he would leave her with too many unanswered questions.

"We need to go to the station, to sort all of this out. The sooner, the better."

"Leah, you've been passed out for over a day now."

"I've what?!"

"It happened on Friday night. It's now Sunday."

She knew she was tired but not this tired. Not enough to have fallen asleep for over twenty-four hours.

"Wait...wait..so, Seth has been dealing with this on his own for a day? And he has no idea where I am..."

"Rose and Emmett are going to try and tell him later. They went in to leave a statement as your witnesses but, Leah...you're not going to like what's going on."

"Fuck, Edward. You need to just spit this all out. I'm falling apart here."

"Rose said that when she spoke on your behalf, Charlie didn't believe her. She told him that she and Emmett had been outside –something that your neighbour backed up after Charlie questioned the area- and Charlie said that it was possible you had left for Port Angeles in that time. Rose said he twisted everyone of her words, so hell-bent on destroying every alibi for you that he could, she gave up. She didn't tell him where you where or that you were with me."

"So he thinks I'm on the run."

"You and me both."

" What? He knows I'm with you?"

"We're not sure. Bella has – for some unknown reason- implied to Charlie that you and I were possibly together, together, when this happened."

"What?! Charlie would never believe that though."

"I've been seen hanging around your place a bit and, according to Rose, Seth told Charlie that he left us together the last time he saw us."

Leah's head fell into her hands as Edward placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and jerked it away from him, whispering, "Don't."

They sat for a minute while she tried to process everything. Bella had convinced Charlie that she was to blame for the loss of her child. A child she wasn't even sure existed. Charlie was out for her blood, which was no doubt causing trouble with her mother. Her brother didn't know where she was. She was in hiding with one of the last people in the world that she wanted to be in hiding with, and in all of this Jake's name had yet to be mentioned.

"Have you...have you heard from Jacob?"

Edward pulled away from her, getting to his feet and moving back to the chair that was placed by her bed.

"What is with this Jacob Black guy anyway? What is so fucking special about him?"

The jealousy in his voice made her a little awkward. She hoped it was directed at his relationship with Bella and not towards her.

"That wasn't my question Edward."

"No, "He answered defensively "your precious Jacob hasn't even tried to contact you. I haven't heard anything, but, then again, I've barley seen Rose and Emmett. They're trying to avoid coming back here as much as possible because they're sure Charlie is watching the house."

She tried to pretend her heart hadn't fallen out of her chest at his words but his sentence hit her harder than she expected.

"Your precious Jacob hasn't even tried to contact you..."

She pulled the last remaining ounce of strength that she could from the very depths of herself and took a deep breath as she brushed off his words as if they meant nothing.

"So what are we going to do? What's the plan? We can't just hide in here for forever."

Edward's face grew serious as his voice lowered.

"We can go and see Charlie if you want Leah but, are you sure you're ready for that? Aside from what happened with Bella, the stuff with Sam is bound to be brought up and..."

She cut him off. "...How do YOU know about Sam?" she seethed.

Edward backed off. "Rose told me. She told both Emmett and I on the drive home, when we weren't sure what to do. I'm, I'm sorry...if you want me to pretend I don't know..."

Then she saw the pity in his eyes and it infuriated her. "You don't know! You don't have any idea what I'm going through, what I'm dealing with. Don't you dare pretend you do."

"I know that I was the one who sat with you the whole night while you slept. I know I had to watch you cry in your sleep, to scream his name in fear, to see your body tossing violently...I know that you're going through something that I can't even start to understand but I do know what has happened to you and I know if I ever get near that guy, I will kill him with my bare hands."

His words were a promise. It still didn't help the shame that filled her face as she realised that, on top of his own issue of losing a child, he had had to deal fighting a losing battle against her own in the darkest hours of the night.

"I'm...sorry." She stammered.

"Don't be. These last few days have put things in perspective."

She nodded her head. The room was beginning to fill with light from behind the thick navy curtains and she decided it was time to get up.

"Want me to fix you breakfast?" She asked. A peace offering.

"Thanks." He smiled.

She showered first. In the bathroom with a spa bath, big enough for two. Everywhere in this house was thick with the scent of decaying love. It was sickening to think that love could die in such a horrific way, but she was beginning to understand. As she stood under the powerful showerhead, the hot stream of water running over her healing body, the silence brought her back to thoughts of Jacob Black. The Jacob who had declared his love for their 'friendship' before running back to Bella Swan, just as he said he wouldn't do.

If anyone in this world could find her it was Jake. If anyone in this world cared enough, it would be Jake. But he didn't. He didn't care that she was locked away with Edward Cullen, dealing with her pain under the eyes of someone who was still a stranger to her. He didn't care- and she hated that she did.

Stepping out of the shower she wrapped a towel around herself- her dripping hair hanging at the sides of her face- and opened the bathroom door. Edward was kneeling at her feet as he placed a pile of folded clothes before her. He stood up and his face flushed a bright crimson as he took in Leah's barely covered body before him.

"I..um...these are my mom's. They should fit you although you're a little more, um, curvy so..um...anyway. If you need more, she has a few changes in the wardrobe."

Leah turned slightly red at his gaze. His eyes ran over her whole body, taking in what he could, glancing away for just a second and then returning straight back.

"I've seen you naked Edward, now we're almost even." She got halfway through her sentence before she realised just how awkward it sounded but, by then, it was too late.

"What?" He asked.

"Ugh, nothing." She replied, equally as confused as she move down to pick up the pile of clothes on the ground. Her towel slipped slightly and she pressed it in place with the clothes in her arms, juggling all that she could as she quickly ran back to the main bedroom.

Esme's clothes did fit her. She had lost a bit of weight since the drama began though, had she not they would probably be too tight. She had seen beautiful brunette often around town and couldn't understand how Dr Cullen could be interested in someone like Bella Swan when he had such a wife to begin with.

It was a question she was sure she would never get the answer to, unable to ask Edward or Rose ever. It just saddened her that she felt the need to turn to alcohol because her husband was a whore.

Leaving the bedroom, she heard the water running in the bathroom and knew that Edward was now in the shower. She made her way to the fully stocked fridge, thankful that Rose has supplied as much food as she could before leaving them isolated from the outside world. The house was soon filled with the smell of bacon and eggs as Edward emerged from the shower, a towel wrapped barely around his hips. He walked over to her, running his hand through his lightly towel dried hair, a few drops of water still dancing down his chest.

It took everything in Leah to keep her eyes on the plate.

"Wow that smells good." He exclaimed.

"Mhm... you should get dressed and join me for breakfast."

He grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate and took a bite as she smacked him across the hand. He smiled and put his hands up in an offering of peace before heading off to the bedroom she realised they were sharing.

The whole situation was playing with her already too confused head and she ate quickly so she wouldn't have to sit with him through an awkward breakfast. Finishing up her plate she walked off towards the living room as he emerged from the bedroom dressed in a dated polo shirt and some expensive, pressed jeans.

"Dad's shit- not mine."

She nodded her head while raising an eyebrow.

"Um...dapper," She joked. "I'm going to watch TV or something."

"Oh, there is no TV here. The main room is mainly a library/piano room/ bar or sorts. Yeah...It was built as a love den." He shuddered at his own words.

"Okay, I'll go read something then."

She headed into the ivory room and almost couldn't believe this was just someone's 'home away from home'. It was stunning. From the mahogany grand piano in the centre of the room, to the rich brown bookcases that lined every wall. He wasn't kidding about it being a library. There was something relaxing in a room that was designed purely for escapism.

There was a large window seat in the corner that looked inviting. She grabbed the first few books that caught her eye and made her way to sit in the open window. It was a typically gloomy day in forks but the greenery outside the window was rich and full from the constant watering it received.

"I love that seat." Edward commented while she found herself caught in a daze. She smiled at him, watching over the tranquil setting outside. But even with such beauty she couldn't hide from the thoughts that plagued her. Her own living nightmares. She had to do something about this but Edward was right. She wasn't prepared enough to confront Charlie. She also wasn't prepared to let Bella Swan off from what she had done.

She wanted her dead. It was a sick and twisted thought but for the pain that she had caused her she could see no other option. This would never end. If Bella was allowed to get away with this, it would never end until she had completely destroyed Leah.

She wanted her dead and to make that happen she needed a plan. For a plan, she needed time. And time was something she had no control over.

She sat in place for hours, watching out the window, her brain moving at a thousand miles an hour as she tried to figure out the best course of action to follow. Edward brought her coffee and food occasionally, mostly leaving her to herself as he took a well worn book from the shelves and retreated to the master bedroom. He surprised her. She had him pegged as being the typical rebellious teenage boy. Barely literate, an experte at anything that could be plugged into a TV. Instead he seemed content to keep to himself, to give her room, and to bury himself in a book which he seemed to know page by page as she occasionally passed him, skipping forward to particular chapters.

The daylight was lost already as the fading sun brought darkness too the darkness came fear. The fear that she would need to sleep again. The fear that the nightmares would trap her into hours of torture and the fear that one of them would be enough to snap the fraying thread that was holding her sanity together. She felt her palms grow damp as she suddenly realised she more alone than ever before.

And then there was music. Soft and haunting, full of sorrow, full of pain. Pure though, unfiltered through stereo speakers or audio tuning. She glanced over to the wooden piano that revealed only Edwards face as his eyes were closed and he played the song that silence her thoughts. She closed her own eyes and pulled her thighs towards her chest as she lost herself to poignant melody. Beautiful, in its ugliness with the occasional sharp note and the aggressively style of play, but beautiful nonetheless.

And then it stopped. And everything came flooding back , so abruptly that she gasped as her eyes open. Edward's head peered out from the side of the piano. "Sorry, Leah...was that too much or something?"

"No."

He stood from his chair to walk towards her but she begged him with her eyes for him to continue.

"Please" She finally asked. And he did. He sat and he played and although the music couldn't tame the overwhelming agony that filled every part of her, he was able to distract her for split seconds at a time. And she held on to every one of those fleeting moments for as long as she could.

Finally, after hours of playing, Edward declared it was time for bed. He sat beside her again while she pretended to sleep, the two of them laying awake in the darkness. After several hours she finally heard a change in his breathing and knew that he had surrendered to sleep. She appreciated that he watched her. She appreciated it more than he knew, but she had no intention of sleeping until her body gave out and forced her to against her will.

Her eyes were fixated on the same spot on the ceiling that she had come to know all too well. The spot that was in the shape of a small Christmas tree, she had decided. She listened to Edwards rhythmic breathing to help keep her eyes open.

"You should really try to get some sleep Leah. Please." He asked, completely awake.

"You...but..."

"For only a few minutes. I know you're not sleeping, you're killing me here. Please, you don't have to worry about anything."

"A week ago, I would have believed you. Now though? Now I have to worry about a psychotic girl who is out to get me, a police chief who wants my blood, my family members who have no idea where I am and on top of that, an ex-boyfriend who violated my unconscious body."

She felt the tears beginning again in her eyes and fought to stop them, to no avail. To her surprise Edward got out of his chair and lay in the bed next to her. He wrapped his arm around waist and pulled her into his body, spooning her while trying to hush her reassuringly.

"Shh Leah, shh. I give you my word that if you sleep now I will watch over you. I will protect you."

"But you can't. No one can. You know what the worst part is? That because I wasn't even awake every possible scenario has run itself through my head. Positions, the force he used, the words he said to me when he knew I wasn't able to reply. I feel him everywhere, all over me, always. I will forever be tarnished...forever covered in his skin, no matter how much I scrub and scrub..."

"Shh, Leah, "He said as he rocked her in his arms, again. His skin was cold and his body was not as large as those she was used to having wrap themselves around her, but it calmed her anyway. She wasn't sure why but it did. He was the complete opposite of Sam in every way and that in itself felt good to have his pressed against hers. So good that she rolled over to face him, her face almost touching his, as he pressed into her body.

She lifted her head to meet with his eyes, her nose brushing against his lips. He moved his head down and rubbed his own nose to the side of hers before opening his mouth and letting out a deep exhale of bottled emotions.

She wasn't sure who did it, if it was her or him, but their lips connected and she tasted the salt on the tongue each time another one her tears escaped and she sobbed into his mouth. His lips weren't as full as the ones she wanted and his body wasn't as warm but for now, at her most vulnerable, all she wanted was to feel some kind of love, worthy of some kind of affection. His kiss was heavy with the same kind of need. They were each a distraction for the other. The passion was missing but the need more than made up for it.

He ran his hand down the side of her face, his tongue finding hers. She was unable to control the sob that escaped her mouth, whimpering in pain and then pressing harder into him for fear he would leave her lips alone again. He had no intention of doing so though as he pressed his chest against hers and only deepened their kiss. His hand glided over the curve of her waist, kneading against her hip and pulling her into the growing erection she could feel pressed against her.

And that's when she lost it.

The flashes of Sam's hands on her body, touching her in that very spot, grabbing at her in the very same way, sent a wave of panic through her bones. She backed out of the bed in just a split second, tangling in the sheets and falling as she did.

"No, no, no, no, no..." She cried, while crawling into the corner and hiding her face behind her bent knees.

It took a minute for Edward to come near her, sitting awkwardly on his bed, unsure of what to do. When he did join her she felt him run his hands along her shoulders as he sat for another minute in silence, watching her rock in place and swallow back her tears.

"You know I would never take it any further than you were willing to go Leah. I didn't mean to...I wasn't trying to..."

She wanted to believe him. It wasn't his fault that she was now damaged, unable to have a man touch her without thinking of Sam's hands all over her body. She wanted to believe him but she couldn't. She could no longer believe the words of another man ever again. They all promised to protect her as some stage, to look after her. Sam, her father, Jacob.

She was on her own.

Instead she curled herself into Edwards lap, laying in place until the familiar light of day brought with it the congratulations that she had made it through another night.

When she was ready she slipped away from Edward, who had fallen asleep yet again, and walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. She heard him stirring only minutes later and this time they sat together at the table, side by side, while they shared their breakfast in silence.

Today they had each other. It was all they had, but, strangely enough, it was all she wanted for now.

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A/N: I'm only stopping it here because we're at 5000 words already O_O (longest chap ever for me). I've got another 1000 words down for the next chap already. Jake pops up...Full of drama of course. Will update as soon as I figure a few things out.