Quileute Days cont'd

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters and again nor did I create Quileute Days as it is a series of events held to celebrate their culture.

It's the annual La Push Quileute Days celebration. It's one of many celebrations where all the tribes come together and celebrate our culture and heritage. This year I'm working on set up and will make sure that everyone with a booth will have everything that they will need. I've already pitched a tent for me and Emily in one of the campgrounds; I'll admit that I smiled smugly as Jacob growled in frustration when he saw that I already claimed the best spot.

I will admit that I am worried now because I have no idea where you will be staying; I just hope that you're not sharing a tent with Jacob. I growl at the idea of you, my Lee-Lee, sharing a sleeping bag with that cub. No matter how many times I see it, I can never get over seeing Jacob Black's hands holding, caressing and touching you, seeing his lips kiss yours over and over and over again. Even the way he stands beside you with an air of aggressive possessiveness letting everyone know that you belong to him.

"Huh? So Leah's opening a booth this year?" Jared comments and at the news I come out of my thoughts, dropping everything that I'm doing and walk over towards Jared. Snatching the board from his hands I check the layout and I see 'Clearwater' on the sheet of paper before me.

I don't know what drives me but I head over to the area of the map. The larger booths were already set up by Mason and his brothers earlier in the week. I quickly make my way over to the arts-n-craft area and I freeze upon seeing you standing before the booth, the booth that bares the old 'Clearwater' sign that your father has used for years. You're standing a few feet back from the front, your hand up shielding your eyes from the early morning rays of the sun, the light making your olive colored skin positively glow and radiate with beauty and warmth.

You're directing Quil and Seth on how to hand your sign; my eyes drink in your body as you're wearing just an old tank top, a tiny pair of shorts and flip flops. You must've just finish running your patrol as there is a slight hint of Cullen stench hanging in the air. But it does nothing to ease my Lee-Lee watching as you stand with a hand resting on your hip, the same hip angled out, making the dip in your waistline more prominent.

"That's perfect!" You say with a huge smile on your face. I look around and notice that none of the booths in this area have been set up with lights and electricity yet. Taking a deep breath I walk up towards you as Quil and Seth move around to the back of the booth; it means I'll have you alone for a few minutes.

"Morning Lee-Le-ah," I greet trying to correct my mistake. You fix me with a hard frown at my slip up but choose not to address it; maybe it's because I stopped myself? "You're opening a booth this year?" I ask and immediately feel stupid for asking because there's a HUGE sign before us with your last name on it and only those running booths would bother to show up so early.

"Uh…yea," You answer with a slow nod of your head.

"Well…uh, if you need any help or anything, anything at all; don't hesitate to ask me." I say hopefully with a huge smile on my face. It's funny but standing here with you reminds me of the days when you were the only girl for me and we'd talk, flirt and joke early in the morning before separating to work. We almost made time to meet up with one another, hang out, and then we'd walk around together hand-in-hand and then slip away for a heated make-out session.

"Well…uh, thanks…for that Sam." You answer awkwardly, your brow furrowing and a frown appearing on your beautiful face. My shoulders slump because there was a time when my presence always put a smile on your face.

"I think we can handle anything that comes up." My muscles tense as Jacob's voice cuts through the silence. You smile at him as he walks up and wraps an arm around your waist, the challenge prominent in his eyes. The alpha in me wants to challenge Jacob so badly; it wants the absolute title of alpha and the rights to you as a mate but the imprint pulls on me and I look away.

"Well…I'll be back in a couple of hours to set up the lights and strip down the cables and cords. Just don't hang anything up on the back wall until we're done." I order sternly before turning and storming away.

I hate that cub.

I can't even begin to understand how you could even agree to – to marry him. But I go on with the rest of my day, preparing the booths for the festival and fixing up any loose odds and ends. All of the preparations go by fast and the beginning of the celebration is upon us.

Walking in around and taking in all of the sights; my pack are all enjoying themselves, walking around with their imprints and the others flirting with the girls. It is as I'm walking past a booth serving food that I see him, a man that aggravates me more than Jacob Black, himself. His store bought suntan, designer brand name clothes, perfectly gelled hair and the stench of money, success, inheritance and life away from the reservation.

Aaron Hayworth.

My eyes lock onto his figure as he walks around looking at all the different items in the booths being sold. Everyone knows and recognizes Aaron and his father, Gene, because they are the only 'regular' whites that show up for the festivals without already living on the reservation or around in the immediate area.

You've known Aaron all your life and you've always held some kind of special bond with him. You both have a natural talent and eye for art, I've had to stand aside for years watching the two of you talk, laugh and share…jokes, comments – something that I didn't understand but seemed to involve some secret language only understood by the two of you.

I hate him; I've hated him ever since I overheard your mother telling some of her friends that if there was anyone that could get you 'off the rez it'd be that Aaron Hayworth'. I hate him because I've known for a long time that if he was ever allowed to get a hold on your heart in any way possible you'd take his hand, leave the rez and never look back.

As selfish as it sounds I can't bear the thought of not seeing you again, not seeing you every day even if it's just in passing. I'd much rather you be with Jacob Black because at least it'd be a guarantee that you'll stay here in La Push.

I follow him and hope and pray that by some twist of fate that you'll both pass by one another…or that Jacob Black will kick his ass, then be arrested for assault and locked away in jail. Or maybe that they'll both just magically disappear from the face of the earth. I feel my stomach twist into knots as his eyes light up upon seeing the sign bearing your family name and a huge smile spreads across his face as he sees you.

Without a second thought he walks up to you and calls out your name. To my dismay, your worthless fiancé, Jacob Black, allows you to hug Aaron and even stand aside as his hands linger on your body. I walk up and notice that Emily is standing next to Jacob. I look on as Aaron and his father talk to Leah, catching up with one another and finding out about what's been going on in each other's lives.

Aaron has been out east working on his Masters in Art History at Harvard. My eyes narrow as I watch your face closely to see if you're impressed – you are. You're not only impressed but proud of him. You hold his hand as Gene tells you of his wife's passing and he holds you as you tell him about Harry.

"I wish you would've told me, Leah. I would've been here for you." Aaron whispers into your ear and the comment has both me and Jacob growling in anger. Out the corner of my eye I notice Jacob squaring up his shoulders but before he can let his anger take hold, he begins to take deep calming breathes. Aaron's comment is only further reminder of how much he wants you and would take you away from me if given the chance.

"You're right." You whisper back and I feel the fight taken out of me with that little comment. Would you have called Aaron if I hadn't forbidden you from talking to the regular people in your life? Did I take that command much too far? You were supposed to confide, trust and believe in your pack mates, in Emily and most of all in me. Why do you feel and make it sound as if I, we, weren't enough for you, Lee-Lee?

Your intimate interactions with Aaron are over as you head to the back of your booth to show off the work that you've done. My stomach clenches because you've always made something special for both Gene and Aaron. I watch you go but my attention is drawn back to the front as Aaron stands giving each of us an appraising eye; it's the looks that he places on me and Emily that has me wrapping an arm around her, protectively. I don't like the dark look that he is giving us and the moment I hold Emily close does he have this smug look about him.

"I can't believe she's convinced herself that she loves you." Aaron's voice rings out behind me as I'm standing watching Lee-Lee play softball. I turn around at his voice and I can see the angry, disapproving and jealous look upon his face.

I can only smile smugly at him realizing there's nothing I have to say to him because Lee-Lee has already done it. His money can't buy her; the promise of an easy life married to a kid with a huge inheritance isn't enough for my girl, my Lee-Lee.

"You just better make sure that you take care of her and really love her. She deserves so much more than the likes of you and we both know it." Aaron growls out, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"Or else what?" I ask with a frown on my face and my arms crossed. "You're gonna fight me or sumtin? You don't know the first thing about fighting; you're just a spoiled rich kid. Lee-Lee is nothing to you but a hot piece of exotic ass you can show off to all your other spoiled rich buddies and get free art off of." My comment incenses Aaron as his nostrils flare and his eyes darken.

"What 'hot piece of exotic ass'? Is that really how you see her to have come up with that response so quickly?" Aaron asks and I find myself suddenly the one stunned. "Leah deserves to have everything she could ever want and wish for. She deserves someone willing to give it to her, willing to fight for her and stand beside her." He begins to ramble off as his eyes drift over to Lee-Lee and soften the moment they rest on her. "I love and respect her too much to tell her she's wasting her time with you but I'll wait," Aaron says turning his attention back to me. "I'll wait for when you fuck up and I'll take her far away from here, away from the pain and most importantly of all away from you."

I never got to tell Aaron that he would be waiting for eternity or that I'd break his pretty-boy face if he ever thought of taking Lee-Lee away from me but he had already walked away leaving me flustered and angered. I understand what that smug look upon his face means –

He was right.

The realization is like a punch to the gut and I find myself feeling sick and winded; he was right. How could he have been right? How did he know that I'd break your heart? Everything that he said Lee-Lee deserved I was unable to do; I couldn't give her everything that she wanted. When I imprinted I didn't even fight to stay with her and instead of sticking with her, standing by her side I left her cold, alone, heartbroken and feeling used just so I could stand next to her cousin.

Aaron Hayworth was right about it all.

I look up to find Aaron and Gene looking over many pieces of works, most of them wolves; pack mates. My eyes widen slightly as I see a beautiful woman before me showing off and talking about each piece of work proudly and confidently. I'm surprised for a moment because this isn't my Lee-Lee standing and nervously talking about her work. My Lee-Lee always loved working with her hands but when it came time to show it off, she was anxious, worried and suddenly felt self-conscious about the work on display. She wasn't sure if people would actually like her work or even think it was good enough to purchase. A shyness about her that makes her not only vulnerable but adorable as well.

This isn't even the Leah, the she-wolf and brokenhearted Lee-Lee that entered my pack. There is no air of superiority to her face, no biting comments or remarks showing an over confidence that is both infuriating and sexy. There is no mistrust in her eyes and her stance isn't that of one who is ready to run at the slightest harsh word or even throw out harsh, rude and crude comments back with that sharp tongue of hers.

This is the woman that has been born from the fire and ashes of that spiteful and broken hearted girl. Is this the woman that Aaron has always seen lying just underneath the surface, the real Leah Clearwater that doesn't need a Sam Uley in her life to get through her day, a woman that doesn't need her fiancé-stealing best friend to stand with her, offering her apologies and muffins. I look to Jacob as he stands back proudly, his eyes observing Leah carefully as she works and only stepping up when help is needed.

You never needed someone to carry you along the road of life, to always hold your hand and be there telling you what to do. I've always needed someone who I can look out for and over, someone to protect and always encourage me. The realization hits me – I didn't imprint because you weren't good enough for me but because I really wasn't good enough for you. Emily is everything I needed to become the alpha of the pack until Jacob is ready to take over. I know there is no way I could've put up with you undermining and challenging every my decision. I can't handle having to feel as if I always need to second guess myself but…but that's what Jacob can deal with.

I look over at Jacob and realize that he is just what you – Leah Clearwater needs. Gone is the girl I loved since I was a kid and promised to love forever as a foolish teenager. This Leah Clearwater and Jacob Black are right for each other, they both know how and when to carry the other, when to let the other walk on their own, stand on their own and be their own person. In our meetings together you don't always agree with Jacob, I always enjoyed watching you second guessing him, and I realize that over time Jacob's insecurity about your opposition has changed into careful consideration.

This isn't my Lee-Lee and right now I'm not really sure how to refer to you. Through every progression of Leah's life after Harry's death I've continued to hold onto the image and personality of Lee-Lee, my Lee-Lee. Is that why you've hated that nickname I used? Because you are no longer that girl anymore, you've become something and someone more. Someone I don't really know but someone I definitely do want to know. As silly as it may sound I find myself feeling jealous of both Jacob and Aaron because they both have seen the real Leah Clearwater and each have a part of her to call their own.

The proof of this comes in the form of paintings; my Lee-Lee never painted anything for me or of me. This right belongs to Aaron Hayworth, Gene Hayworth and Jacob Black. Paintings of Jacob are all over the works from the wolf sculptures to even the paintings of a stoic russet colored wolf sitting at the cliff near First Beach. I guess I never inspired Leah to do anything creative and it's a painful thought.

The painting that really touches me and I feel jealous rage and possessiveness over is a painting that Aaron puts out on display. It's a painting of Leah right after she learned how to phase back to human; I know this because this is an image that has haunted me for many years now. I had made sure that the only one to see Leah Clearwater naked and that vulnerable would be me. She had phased back and just sat in the grass, her legs bent and tucked underneath her chin, shielding her beautiful body from my eyes; eyes that had drank the beauty that was Leah with desperation. The two of us had talked about imprinting, what really happened between me and Emily, her role now as a spirit warrior, the expectations and so on. With each word uttered out of my mouth, those eyes, those warm hazel eyes began to harden and steel themselves against me. A wall was being constructed as she sat idly by listening to me, seducing me with her coy inattention to my presence as she toyed with the lone purple flower near her.

It's an image that I've selfishly and stubbornly have held onto wanting to keep it for myself and I know it's slipped out around Leah. I wanted the Leah that was before me; the naked, vulnerable and loving Lee-Lee to return and I tried to show Leah what I wanted to see instead of what she was becoming.

It hurts that Leah is willing to show this picture off to the whole world, share an intimate moment that was meant to remain between the two of us. I feel sick, again, as Aaron agrees to buy the painting and as I look at him, I know there's no way I could beat him in a bidding war. So I resign myself to the idea that every day and every night, Aaron Hayworth will sit and look at a painting of Leah in one of her most tender moments and Jacob will have the real thing.

Everything begins to wind down and as Leah is discussing with Aaron and Gene how to get all of their purchases to their homes, an idea that still angers me because I don't want Leah anywhere near Aaron and I hope Jacob is smart enough to see that. But Leah pulls out something in a box that she 'claims' to have made especially for the two Hayworth men. My eyes widen as I see a wooden bust made of Harry Clearwater, the details in it is amazing and awe-inspiring; it looks so real.

It looks so real as Leah stands there opening up her heart, soul and past to not only Aaron, Gene but everyone else within earshot. I had no idea that Leah was working on this while she was still within my pack. I didn't think there were any secrets between us as I searched her mind at every given opportunity; sure all I found was hurt, anger and disgust but…nothing that she had taken up her craft again. I had thought that Leah had given it up completely.

"There was just so much going on around the time that he died," She pauses as she swallows the emotional lump in her throat. "I was – I was afraid that I'd lose my memories; I had lost so much so soon." I feel that familiar sting in my heart at Leah's admission; it's true that she did lose her father, fiancé, her best friend, all of her friends, her life and so much more so quickly. I can admit that I was wrapped into trying to defend La Push, love Emily and run the pack that I – I really didn't pay much attention to everything that Leah felt that she lost. In my eyes, she still had me and Emily; losing a parent is something painful but we've all lost a parent at one time or another. Yet…at the same time those of us who had lost a parent were allowed plenty of time to mourn their loss and receive the right kind of sympathy – everyone but Leah Clearwater.

I hang my head because I realize that I wasn't a strong supporter for her and had put too much on her so soon. I just assumed that because Seth was able to get up and keep moving that Leah would also be able to do the exact same thing. I never really knew Leah Clearwater and maybe she has always been just that perfect kind of girl that could be your best friend and lover.

"I thought I had lost mine and what little I thought I had left was put into this one. When I finished them, all of them, I knew there were only so few people that I'd want to give it to. So…this is my gift to you for always believing in me." Leah says and she looks down at the ground. Again Leah's words cut me deeply; did she really think that no one believed in her? That I didn't trust her and…I sigh because at this point what I intended and what she actually received are two very different things.

After those words, Gene seems to become upset, angry even because he takes Leah's hand and walks her away. He leads her away from the prying eyes and ears of the spectators that are now admiring the bust.

"Leah was things that bad?" Gene asks once he feels that they are far enough away. Leah only nods her head slowly still looking down.

"Like I said my life was just changing so fast and so quickly that I never got a moment alone to stop and think about it. I wasn't allowed the opportunity to deal with it on my own. There were so many people always in my face, in my space and felt like in my head – that it was infuriating. It was maddening. I couldn't just be me, you know?" Leah says looking up at Gene with sad, hurt eyes.

"Who ended it, Leah?" Gene asks solemnly. "You or Sam?"

"Sam did," Leah answers truthfully and I find myself curious about what it is that Gene is going to say to her. Is he going to try and talk Leah into leaving with them? To marry his son and not worry about this life anymore?

"And that woman next to him is your cousin, Emily, right? The one you used to sell fry bread with." Gene clarifies and again Leah nods her head. "I'm sorry Leah," Gene says giving Leah a tight hug. "I'm sorry that they hurt you like that and that you had to go through all of this alone." Leah clings to him tightly and I can hear her starting to sniffle. "But know this," Gene says with a small smile.

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Love the ones who don't just because you can. Believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it." Gene's smile softens as Leah pulls back and looks up at him. "Kiss your true love slowly. Forgive quickly. God never said life would be easy, He just promised it would be worth it. And know that no matter what happens in your life that Aaron and I will both always love you with all of our hearts." I look away as tears begin to fall from Leah's eyes and I'm not sure what happens next as I suddenly feel awkward and out-of-place in Leah's space; maybe it's because I know deep down in my heart that the words just spoken are the words that Leah needed to hear years ago right after she phased. I've done a horrible thing by cutting Leah off from all of those that loved her; I was foolish to think that what Emily and I had to offer her was enough.

"You're a real lucky guy," Aaron says seriously standing up and giving Jacob a hard glare. "You better take excellent care of her." I fix Jacob with one of my own because I agree wholeheartedly with Aaron.

"Believe me, I know and I wouldn't ever dream of hurting her." Jacob states back looking back at Aaron.

"You won't be so lucky to still see her every day if you do." Aaron adds with a hard frown before replacing it with a smile as Leah walks up to him and into his arms for an embrace. The statement doesn't surprise me really as it's the same threat that he issued to me back when Leah was only 17-yrs old. If Jacob fails there will be no bringing or keeping Leah in La Push after that; she wouldn't think of hesitating in reaching out towards Gene and Aaron because no matter what they'd welcome her with open arms.

I struggle to stick around and act as if all of this hasn't affected me greatly but it seems as if gradually, bit-by-bit, I'm learning so much about Leah Clearwater and myself. It pleases and angers me at the same time to see how much she has grown and how much she's grown without me. I hope that I'll have these emotions worked out by the wedding so that I can enjoy it without feeling angry and resentful. I squeeze Emily's hand as we walk away from a woman that once called us her dearest friends but is now a complete stranger.

A/N: Alright so here goes the next update to this story. I'm trying to plow through and finish up as many stories as I possibly can and this one is almost done. Just squeeze in one more chapter before the wedding and then a few more about after the honeymoon. Not so much angst as it is about realizations and regrets.

I don't know about you guys but I am in LOVE with Gene and Aaron. ^-^ Gene with his patience, kindness and understanding words of wisdom and Aaron for that no-nonsense attitude when it comes to Leah Clearwater but his ability to respect the decisions that she makes. Plus, saw a guy with the most gorgeous light green eyes at the gym that it made me pause and just stare into them for a few seconds – although it felt longer. Hahaha.

So as promised to Masquerade11 and ellie82 – as these 2 ladies have really been riding me about updating. But I will not work on anything else until I get the next chapter pulled together. Scout's honor! And yea, yea I was a girl scout so it does mean something. LOL. But I hope you all have a great weekend in the meantime.

Up next Ted and Leah: Clash of the Titans! Uh…I'm not calling the chapter that…but…I think I might because I love the sound of it. You've read this far and so now review! Fill up my mailbox and let me know what you think. ^-^