A/N - "Sup, my wise homies?" Sorry, it's taken me forever but this chapter and I really fought each other. That being said, I also tried to outline the story ahead because I want my story to have that Supernatural thing, where I reference back to the beginning of the chapters when I'm halfway done.

paranoidbychoice, the only reason why this is updated a few months later instead of a year later.

Many thanks to those who reviewed and favorited/followed this story!

Disclaimer for the rest of the story: The banner for this story was awesomely made by w8ing4rain. I don't own anything except the plot.

Warning: Grammar errors. Although I tried my best to smooth out any errors, I admit I am not a grammar fanatic and ask you forgive me in advance. Also, if SMeyer can tease us with hints of Blackwater then I certainly can. Or at least I tried. Or maybe I just smack you all with it. I apologize in advance as well for that.

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The Road Less Traveled

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I merely want to live, to do no one harm but myself.
I have the right to do that, haven't I?
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

I. THEN: Duty Prevents Fragile Dreams From Taking Hold

Nine years before:

It has been four months since the "battle" took place. Hell, Leah shouldn't even be using the word 'battle' to describe it but time has passed and that was good enough for Leah. Especially since the aftermath didn't go so well for her personally.

Encouraged by her fearless leader, Leah went off to enroll into community college only to find out she has missed the last enrollment day by a week and that she couldn't enroll in the current semester. That set the college dream to the back of her mind.

For now.

So she was back to where she originally began-being the lap dog of vampires and gazing adoringly at the Alpha's imprint who could do no wrong with her freakishly fast growing, creepy beauty, advance knowledge, and that annoying habit of touching people's faces.

Like just because the freak couldn't get sick and her grandfather was a doctor, that didn't give her the right to spread germs around. Leah was still convinced the huge pimple on her cheek was the result of -she caught a glare from both Edward and Jacob, ugh, fine- Renesmee putting her hand there. Seriously. There were no traces of it before the freak placed her hand on there.

More glares from Edward and Jacob.

Since Edward could read minds and all, Leah knows why he's glaring at her but her fearless, mighty alpha leader? She stuck her tongue at him and glared back.

"What? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" she said as she stood up and placed her hands on her waist, oozing Queen Bitchiness.

Jacob smiled and let go of the dolls he had been playing with the freak (one of the few moments Leah enjoys watching Jacob play with the imprint) before getting up and striding towards her.

"That depends. Do you want me to pick a fight with my awesome beta?" he countered back.

"I do if you're just going to glare at me whenever the mind reader glares at me. I could be thinking naughty things and he'll still be glaring at me."

At this, Jacob laughed.

"Leah! I've known you since we were little. If I recall correctly, we've been married and divorced many times. With those experiences and being part of the pack, you think I wouldn't know your thought process by now?"

At this, Leah's eyes widened. Leah had forgotten that in her childhood, when she would play with Rebecca and Rachel, she would insist on having Jacob be her groom, who was the poor victim that usually happened to be there during their games of "wedding."

She smirked.

"Well, then, husband you should know by now to always agree and defend me. I mean, the mind reader is better at that than you and you have years compared to the barely one year he has being married."

"You're absolutely right." he agreed before winking at her. "But since I'm Alpha now, it's the other way around. You have to agree and defend me, Leah."

Leah opened her mouth to respond when Esmé appeared at the doorway and announced, "Dinner is ready."

Jacob perked up immediately and turned his attention to the freak, who didn't want to go eat just yet. Edward hovered protectively between them and Leah just rolled her eyes before striding towards the door.

Leah never eats in their house if she could help it. Doing that felt wrong for her, felt as if she was leaving herself unprotected among enemies (no shit, Leah). She could see the rest of the "family" sitting down already, the elegant long table decked out beautifully, as if it was going to be the prop for the front of an interior design magazine. The plates in front of each vamp was empty but the glasses were filled to the brim with blood for each one. Leah caught a glimpse of her brother already seated, waiting for Jacob and the rest.

The whole point of it was to teach the freak how to eat like a normal human being with "impeccable" manners. The blonde's own word, with a pointed look directed at the Pack, which made Leah bristled and, had Jasper not fucked with her feelings, would've totally started a fight with the blonde.

"Will you be joining us today, Leah?" asked Carlisle, smiling softly at her. He had been about to sit down when he caught sight of her and straightened up. A habit he couldn't completely shake off from a long-passed era. She noticed Jasper had drawn out his chair, but hadn't sat down either.

Leah tried to smile back at the kind doctor but the harpy bitch inside her refused to show weakness in front of her enemies to take advantage of.

"Not today, Carlisle, sorry." she replied with a shrug before continuing her way out. She ran into the woods, took off her clothes and tied them to her leg before phasing, and running home. Leah thought back on the vamps.

Out of all the Cullens, she could deal almost amicably with Carlisle and Jasper. Carlisle acted so normal, so human, Leah sometimes forgot he was a vampire. The fact that he was a doctor gave him more brownie points. As for Jasper, even though she hated him for manipulating her feelings now and then, she felt a kinship with him. Jasper had his demons and she had hers. End of story.

With that thought, Leah arrived near her house, where she phased back, got dressed, and walked into her house.

Into a sight Leah would pay millions not to see ever.

0o0o0

Once Leah was basically banned from her own home due to walking in on Charlie and her mom getting it on (her mother called it "lacking manners"), her life got more boring. It was all: patrol, sleep, wake up, eat at Embry's house, go to the vamp house, fawn over the freak, patrol, kick Jacob and Seth for being dumbasses, and repeat. Repeat. Fucking repeat.

When Leah was considering shooting herself somewhere fatal and seeing if she could will herself to heal faster, Sue allowed her back in the house and first thing Leah did was lock herself into her bedroom. She was going to sleep properly, dammit.

But just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a knock on her door scattered away any drowsiness, and that just brought out her harpy mode.

"What?" she snarled at whoever was brave enough to knock on her door, "Who dares to fucking try to enter my domain?"

"Stop trying to channel your inner villainess, Leah." Jacob's amused voice filtered into her room as he knocked again before continuing, "Emily needs you to go to the boutique in town with the others for dresses and fittings."

Leah groaned.

0o0o0

Emily Young had a history of catching Leah at the right moment beginning from their childhood. Granted, she had a rough patch ever since she took Leah's (ex)boyfriend but it seemed she was back in the game now. It was the only reason why Leah could explain why she was being driven by Jacob to the only boutique in Forks to get the first round of fittings out of the way. What kind of fittings? The bridesmaid kind. To be exact, maid of honor kind.

What idiot agrees to be maid of honor in her exbest friend's and exboyfriend's wedding? Besides Leah of course.

Everyone else was there already, waiting for her, when Leah walked into the store. By everyone, she meant the other imprints (excluding the freak) of the two packs.

"Leah!" squealed Claire and ran to hug her. She was the only one to greet Leah joyfully, the rest had just mumbled a 'hello.'

She stood at the edge of the crowd of bridesmaids (and one flower girl) and tried to pretend she cared about what Emily was talking about. How the dresses looked like and the colors, etc.

"Leah, you can pick whichever dress you want to wear for the wedding." declared Emily smiling.

"Okay." she agreed, inwardly surprised Emily would let her do such a thing.

Leah's first wickest thought was to find the most sluttest bridesmaid dress she could find and present it to Emily but a quick glance at the other imprints' faces revealed they all were thinking the same thing.

Well, that won't do at all.

She didn't want them to think Leah Clearwater was predictable.

So Leah's second wickest thought was to find the most hideous eye-catching bridesmaid dress she could find. Going to the clearance racks immediately, she tried to figure out which one was the most acceptable ugliest dress for a wedding. The gaudy sequined dress had potential but it screamed 'prom' more than 'this is revenge for making me be your freaking maid of honor and I'm totally ruining your photos' really. All the other dresses were just too ridiculous or too plain for her evil plan to work. She was just about to give up when a flash of color caught her eye and she swiftly took it off the rack. Inspecting it, Leah concluded it was the perfect mesh of ugliest dress and respectable dress. She grinned and immediately headed towards Emily.

"Hey, Emily, what do you think of this dress?" Leah asked nonchalantly, holding up the dress for the bride's stamp of approval.

The look on her face was worth it. The look on all the other imprints' faces was a bonus.

0o0o0

A squeal broke into her thoughts about everyone's reaction to her dress and Leah glowered at the direction it came from. Renesmee. The pretty wierd demon spawn was squealing from being twirled in the air by Jacob, her alpha.

Leah inwardly shuddered at the sight.

First of all, Bella must have been really doped up to have come up with the ridiculous names the freak was stuck with. Renesemee Carlie? Fuck, if she was the spawn (and she was glad she wasn't) she would totally change the name once she was old enough to legally walk into the courthouse to get it changed.

She felt her old self, the Leah before all that happened, would've died in horror at discovering her future self hated a child but it was true. Leah Clearwater hated Renesmee and the way everyone tripped over themselves to meet her every need and want. Like haven't anyone heard about those spoiled rich kids that failed at life once their fortune was taken away?

Leah didn't roll that way. If the freak wanted to talk to her, she could damn well open her mouth to speak and use that creepy voice of hers. Of course, that just made her the bad guy in the freak's eyes and cause her to pout.

Then everyone glared at her for upsetting their precious Renesmee. Like, she was just helping the damned hybrid. Renesmee couldn't go around "talking" to people in that creepy way of hers.

She shook her head, felt the short strands of hair graze her shoulders, and despaired.

When will I be able to leave this behind?

Edward glanced at her quickly and looked away immediately once she caught him staring at her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jasper turn to see her, and felt a subtle shift in her emotions.

Leah Clearwater didn't bother giving a damn anymore.

0o0o0

When will I be able to leave this behind?

So despaired the tall lanky teenager surfing the web at his school library. Unlike his other peers around him, he was looking up legends of the occult for his father, who hunted dark creatures.

Sam Winchester stretched, popping his sore joints from the hunt last night, and sighed. Peeking over to the check out desk, he noticed his brother was still flirting with the pretty librarian assistant, and quickly click open the other internet window on his desk task bar. The page on the window greeted:

Submit application?

With a trembling finger on the mouse button, Sam Winchester took a deep breath and clicked on 'Yes.' The window refreshed and gave him one more message.

Your Application to Standford University has been submitted and will be reviewed shortly.

"Hey, Sammy, done yet?" Dean called out, walking towards him.

His heart beating furiously, Sam quickly exited out of the computer and said, "Yeah...I'm done."

0o0o0

Leah Clearwater knew something was up when her mother was actually home in the evening with dinner. It has been an unspoken rule in the Clearwater house not to expect Sue Clearwater around the house since she usually spent her time with Charlie Swan at his house after the incident with Leah walking in. Even if her mother hanging around the house was still considered normal, the fact that her Alpha and Seth was there tipped her off. She leaned on the doorway and asked, "What is this intervention about?"

"I can't invite Jacob over for dinner?" snarked Seth as he scooped some potatoes onto his plate.

Suddenly, their eyes caught one another and he gathered the courage to speak.

"You could...but then I'll be thinking the freaky vampbaby might be getting competition." she shot back as she sat down and began to serve herself.

"Hush you two." said Sue as she served Jacob.

Dinner was surprisingly quiet and once over, Leah began to stack up the dishes to wash them when Seth said, "I'll do it."

He took them off her hands as Jacob came over and said, "We need to talk Leah."

With a nod to Sue and Seth, he took her by the hand and lead her outside. They walked to the beach and sat down on the fallen log.

"I've been thinking..." he starts, running one hand nervously through his hair as he turned to stare at her.

"That's new, coming from you. About?"

But Jacob doesn't immediately pick up where he left off and Leah knows whatever makes him pause to think about his words was serious.

"Just fucking say it, Jacob." she snapped, fear taking over and she feared she ruined the moment, whatever it was, but he nodded.

"You should go do your own thing, Leah. Go to college. Date. Whatever you want without being on the "beck and call of leeches" as you say. The Pack has expanded enough that my Beta can leave." he said, shooting her a gentle smile.

The first thing that hit her was He wants me gone. The second was Yes!

"Can I?" she asked before inwardly cursing herself. Her voice sounded weak and hopeful, the voice of a housewife from way back in the day who couldn't do anything without the permission of her husband.

Then again, Jacob was technically that husband if she looked at it that way.

He nodded as he flung an arm around her shoulders, stood up with her, and they began to walk across the beach.

"You need this, Leah. The Pack will still be here when you're done with what you need to do. And who knows? Maybe you'll inspire Seth and the rest of the Pack to do the same thing."

Her Alpha was so fucking perfect and just as she was going to open her mouth to thank him-he smiled and said, "I need my beta to be on her best behaviour for Sam's wedding, y'know."

That bastard had to go ruin the moment.

She punched him or at least tried to because the smiling bastard knew her so well that he dodged it and taunted, "Can't catch me in human form Leah."

Since there was nobody on the beach except them, Leah shifted and bit him on the calf. Hard.

But the idiot just kept on laughing.

A/N -Please review and tell me your thoughts.