A/N: Wow, thanks to everyone who's reviewed and added this story to your favorites! I'm posting this chapter quickly because the awesomely talented, wonderful folks at Project Team Beta turned it around super-fast. Thanks so much to Evelyn and Aniseed for their great feedback and words of encouragement! I can't promise the next chapter will come so quickly. I've got to rework my story outline to see where things are going next as the story continues to evolve.

As always, I do not own Twilight. If I DID, I'd have champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries for breakfast every damn day of the week!

Chapter 3 - Sorrow

Jacob POV

I watched Leah spring into the tree-line, her disapproval echoing in my head. I didn't waste time trying to pin down exactly what had her bloomers in a bunch. Besides being dragged out of a sexy dream at four a.m., that is. It was always something with Leah. Most of the time, it was better just to let her work things out on her own.

I needed to ignore her current snit and find my center of calm before I faced whatever crisis Nahuel had brought with him. Closing my eyes, I pulled my energy back into my core, shedding the extra bulk, fur and fangs of my wolf form in favor of the human shape that would allow me to sit comfortably in the Cullens' living room. Sure Esme loved me, but she'd still kick my ass if I left werewolf fur all over her furniture. The thought made me smirk.

I opened my eyes and reached toward Nessie for my cutoffs, not turning to her fully until I'd finished zipping up.

She was giving me that look, the one that made me feel like a slab of prime rib on the plate of a frat boy who'd been living off cold morning-after pizza and fast food burgers for an entire semester. I groaned.

"Not now. Do not give me that look now, when I'm about to walk into your grandparents' house and sit beside you and your parents and talk about God only knows what kind of life-and-death disaster with a vampire who would probably just love to get you into the sack," I pleaded. She flashed me a huge, toothy grin, and then sprang into my arms.

"It's your own fault, you know," she whispered in my ear. Her hot breath sent shivers through my abdomen, shivers that turned into heat as they moved south on my body. Her arms were locked around my neck, her legs around my waist. She began kissing her way from my neck up my jawline, heading for my mouth. "You keep phasing in front of me and dropping trou whenever you feel like it," she muttered between kisses. "How's a girl supposed to keep her thoughts pure with all that muscled manliness on such blatant display?"

I rolled my eyes. She had such a screwed-up view of me as this sex god. It would have been funny—if it didn't make my whole body ache knowing she wanted me so much.

"Bella's going to drop the shields she has on both of us so we can communicate with Edward if we need to," I reminded her, crushing her to me. I loved how her warm, luscious body, that looked so small and fragile, easily endured my werewolf strength. "The last thing we need is your father going for my throat—or my balls—because my mind is on how your boobies look in that t-shirt."

Using a twelve-year-old's term for her tits broke the sexual tension between us, for now, and she laughed against my lips. Reluctantly, I set her back on her feet, pulled her arms from around my neck and gently pushed her back a step.

"Give him some credit, Jake," Nessie chided. "He's been really cool about us, much cooler than I ever expected he would be."

"I know," I replied, catching her hand and pulling her toward the stairs leading up to the front door. "I'm just stressed. I can't think of a good reason for Nahuel to be here. The dude is obviously in trouble, but I can't help the way I feel … I really wish he hadn't come here. I just have this feeling that whatever it is he wants from us isn't going to be easy to give … or over anytime soon."

She said nothing, only giving my hand a gentle squeeze and walking in front of me up the steps. I tried very hard not to stare at her ass as she went in the door.

SSW/SSW/SSW

The Cullens were arranged throughout the huge living room like a paranormal still life, waiting in perfect silence and stillness for Edward, Emmett and Carlisle to bring Nahuel downstairs. The hush in the room was so palpable it almost felt like a sixth presence.

Alice sat in the far corner near the kitchen, probably hoping the physical distance from Nessie and me would allow her to see more clearly than if we were close by, blocking her visions. For now, Jasper hovered near her, but I was sure he'd move closer to Nahuel when our guest made his appearance in the living room.

Esme had arranged the furniture in the room to create a cozy, intimate seating area with plush leather sofas and four huge armchairs. She occupied one of the armchairs, and Rosalie sat quietly in another. For once, she didn't greet me with an insult. Christ, everyone was stressing, even Blondie.

Bella was sitting on one of the sofas and looked up with a welcoming smile when we entered the room. She scooted to the middle of the couch, patting the cushions on either side of her in invitation. Nessie dropped down on Bella's left, slipping her arm around her mother's waist in a quick hug. I took a seat on Bella's right.

"Hey, Bells," I murmured just low enough for her to hear. It didn't feel right to break the tense silence in the room just yet.

"Hey, Jake," she replied. "Everything okay? Edward and Em are bringing Nahuel down now." I didn't miss the undertone of warning in that simple statement. Keep your head in the game and out of Nessie's drawers, Jake. No shields, now. You're an open book. Focus, focus, focus.

"We're cool," I told her. "Leah's out running the perimeter, so we'll know if anything comes near the house. I'll get Seth out here to take over in a couple of hours, after he's had time to wake up." Satisfied, Bella nodded and turned her gaze to the steps leading up to the second story.

I greeted Alice across the room. "Hey, pixie! You getting anything?"

She grimaced and shook her head. "I can't see anything, no matter how hard I look. It's just like with you and Nessie. I can't see past Nahuel."

A new scent drifted down the stairs, preceding its owner. I shook my head slightly, trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a heartbeat other than mine and Nessie's was in the room. I was used to hearing just ours whenever the whole family was together. This third drumming beat didn't fit. It didn't feel right for that sound to be here, in this house.

Emmett and Edward descended the stairs with Nahuel between them and Carlisle behind. Nahuel looked like fifty miles of bad road, even after getting the doc's treatment, some donated blood and a fresh set of clothes borrowed from Jasper. He looked like he could use the support Edward and Emmett were giving him, but I knew their hands under his arms weren't there just to keep him on his feet.

Emmett guided Nahuel to the chair farthest from Alice and stood beside it as Nahuel dropped limply onto the seat. Jasper crossed the room to take up a position next to Emmett. Neither was being subtle about their positioning as guards. Carlisle moved to stand behind Esme while Edward parked on the arm of the couch beside Nessie. Without a word, he bent over and pressed a kiss on top of her head and gently ruffled her curls.

I wondered how much he'd been able to get from Nahuel's mind already. Did he have details?

Edward casually turned his face away from me, then back—a subtle shake of the head. That was interesting. I'd have thought by now Edward would know pretty much everything Nahuel had to say. Was he blocking Edward somehow? Edward briefly raised his eyes to the ceiling before meeting my gaze again. Yes.

Carlisle broke into my chain of thought, addressing our uninvited guest. "Nahuel, I trust you're feeling better?" It wasn't really a question. The doc wouldn't have allowed this pow-wow to occur if he didn't think his patient was up to it.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen. Thank you for your care and your family's hospitality."

Like Leah, I didn't really remember that much about Nahuel from six years ago. I remembered being very grateful he had showed up to help us convince the Volturi to leave Nessie alone. I'd been even more grateful when he'd left. I hadn't liked the way he'd watched Nessie as if she was some bright, shiny trinket he couldn't wait to slip into his pocket. Luckily for him, he wasn't looking at her at all right now. Guess he had more on his mind …

"We are pleased to help you," Carlisle continued, always the spokesperson of the family. "I know I speak for us all when I say we feel indebted to you for your assistance with the Volturi. Can you tell us what happened to bring you to our home in such dire condition?"

Nahuel sank back into the armchair. His eyes, the color of polished teak, darted nervously around the room. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully.

"It was my pleasure to help you and your coven," he said. Carlisle's golden eyes widened minutely. His reaction was so subtle only someone who knew him well would catch it. He didn't like the word "coven" being applied to his family. "Now, it is my fervent hope that you will be able to assist me," Nahuel continued.

"Of course, we would like to help you," Jasper interjected in his smooth Texas drawl. "But it would be helpful to us if we first understood the nature of your problem."

Nahuel seemed to realize that Jasper hadn't really committed us to any action. He glanced around the room again and then nodded once, as if he'd come to some private decision.

"Huilen is dead," he said, his voice strained. The poor bastard looked like he was barely holding it together. Esme gasped and seemed about to stand. Carlisle's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"We are truly saddened to hear that," the doc said. "What happened?"

"She died at the hands of my sire, Joham," Nahuel replied. "You may recall that he fancies himself something of a scientist, creating a master race. Apparently, he has decided it is time to advance his experiments."

He leaned slightly forward in his chair. He looked like hell—tired, depressed and weak. I'd never seen an immortal look so bad. Okay, maybe just one other time … an image of Edward, eyes hollow and burning, hovering over a hugely pregnant Bella, popped into my head. Edward's eyes flashed to me and narrowed slightly. Sorry, man. Didn't mean to go there.

"He came for us in our home in the mountains," Nahuel continued. "It did not matter to him that I had already told him I wasn't interested in his experiments. Since I am the only male he has managed to sire in nearly two hundred years, apparently I am central to his … master plan."

"So what … he tried to use your aunt to force you to do what he wanted?" Emmett asked.

Nahuel swallowed hard, and then bent forward at the waist, dropping his head into his hands. His long fingers clawed at his hair. "No," he whispered. "Joham never even bothered to try to use her as leverage against me. He simply destroyed her in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to save her." A shudder wracked his body.

That was enough for Esme. In a flash, she was out of her chair and kneeling by Nahuel, one arm wrapped around his shoulders. As she gently stroked his hair, I was startled to realize it was short. What had happened to that long braid he was sporting six years ago?

No one spoke for a few minutes, waiting for Nahuel to pull himself together. When he straightened and gave Esme a weak smile, Jasper spoke again. "We don't understand. How was it that you were unable to help Huilen?"

"Joham has an … ability," Nahuel said, spitting the word as if it left a bad taste on his tongue. He looked at Edward. "He has a special talent, just as members of your coven have talents. He can paralyze a victim with his thoughts alone. That is how he slew Huilen, by paralyzing us both and then tearing her apart."

Esme made a choking sound. The rest of us were silent, digesting this bombshell.

"He also has help," Nahuel said, again addressing Jasper. "He has created an army for himself of half-vampires and full-vampire newborns. It's a small army, to be sure; but then, it doesn't need to be large to get him what he wants."

While Nahuel told his story, Edward had kept silent. I knew he was trying to get some peep into Nahuel's head, apparently without success. His frustration crept into his voice. "And what does Joham want?" he growled.

"Me," Nahuel said. Then he looked at Nessie. "And your daughter."

Every vampire in the room hissed in unison. Bella and Edward moved in tandem, putting their bodies between Renesmee and Nahuel.

"Wait. How does he even know Ness exists?" Emmett demanded.

Nahuel's eyes were agonized. "My aunt loved me very much," he choked out. "Before she died, she tried to bargain with my sire, never realizing it was my freedom that was at risk, not my life. I'm afraid she told him much about your coven before he ended her existence." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I am so sorry for her betrayal of your trust."

"But how did you get away from him …" Jasper began. The sound of the front door slamming open stopped him short.

The door bounced against the wall hard enough to shatter the glass in it. Leah stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed, fists clenched, chest heaving against her ripped and torn wife-beater. She looked like she was ready to break something, or someone.

Great. We're in for it now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward move his head minutely, nodding in agreement.

"So you came running here?" Leah snarled, taking a single step into the room. "You've exposed Jacob and Renesmee, the Cullens, our pack—all of us—to this psycho! You lousy coward …"

Everyone was looking at her now. She radiated fury. It rolled off her in waves like the heat ripple off a road baking in the summer sun. In the next instant, a surge of calm washed through the room, and I knew Jasper was reacting to Leah's anger, trying to defuse her before she really blew.

Big mistake. Knowing Leah, having her emotions manipulated would only piss her off more. Moving quickly, I rose from the couch and took a step toward her … and stopped short when I saw the expression on her face change. She didn't look calm, despite Jasper's efforts, but she no longer looked enraged, either.

From one heartbeat to the next, her eyes, her face, her whole body altered. Her lips parted slightly as if she was about to gasp, but couldn't. Her eyes were wide open, pupils dilated, staring and almost glazed. Her hands, no longer fisted, hung limply at her sides. Her fingers twitched slightly as if she was having trouble controlling them.

She looks like she swallowed a fucking toad! Why is she staring at me like that?

Wait. Not at me. She was staring at something—or someone—behind me.

Turning my head slightly, I followed her gaze over my shoulder. Her eyes were locked on Nahuel, and he was totally staring back.

He looked almost as gob-smacked as she did. I whipped my eyes back to Leah.

Oh. Fuck. Me!

I could practically hear each filament that bound Leah to her life, to all that she was, separate one after the other with a snap, like the far-off report of fire crackers on the Fourth of July. Pack, Seth, Sue … me … Ping! Twang! Ping!

When she gasped, trying to gulp in a huge lungful of air, I knew she was struggling to breathe around the invisible, terrifying cable now clamped to the center of her chest. I watched the realization slam into her brain at warp speed: This unbreakable cable bound her to something totally unknown and alien.

My gut clenched; I knew exactly what she was feeling in that moment.

I wished I could be happy for her. Instead, all I could think was how, when she finally surfaced from the life-altering chaos of this moment, Leah was going to resent the hell out of having her choices taken away from her. Again.

All of this took exactly five seconds. In the sixth second since Leah burst through the door, she disappeared right back out of it, leaving it open behind her. Everyone in the room stared after her in confusion.

Everyone except for me … and Edward.

I locked eyes with my future father-in-law, desperately needing someone to share my understanding of this moment. She is sooo fucked.

"Completely," he agreed.

End Note: Well, there you have it kids – the imprinting scene. You knew it was coming, since this is a Leah/Nahuel story. Hopefully it lived up to your expectations. Now the question is, how will Leah react? Thanks for reading!