Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story.

HOLY MONKEYS! I can't even describe my feelings right now! I am just so happy that all of you beautiful people are so supportive of this story! Honestly you guys make this story so worth writing and I am so grateful to hear from all of you! Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback you continuously give to me for each chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one just as much! Happy reading!

Chapter Twenty One

After another hour of bantering between the different pack members, Bella found herself sitting on Jake's lap while he joked with Embry and Quil over something she didn't really understand. She had talked a bit with Emily, though she had remained securely wrapped in Sam's arms, with one of his hands protectively placed on her enormous stomach. For a while Bella could not stop watching them. She could feel their happiness radiating off of them in waves, and she wondered for a moment if Jake would be the same way when she was pregnant with their children. In a split second she had scolded herself for thinking so far ahead into the future, but she was soothed immediately by the other voice in her head that whispered how right that future looked to her.

Her eyes suddenly drifted away from the happy looking Emily and the heart melting look that Sam was giving her, and her gaze landed on Leah Clearwater. Her face was a hard mask as she stared at the wood of the table, but Bella could feel the miserable vibe she was giving off. Bella's frown was suddenly etched into her face as she realized that no one else in the entire pack seemed to be paying any mind to how miserable Leah seemed. It was as if they were just shrugging it off entirely.

Bella didn't even realize her mouth had opened before the words slid between her lips, "Hey Leah, want to go outside with me for a second?"

The entire kitchen went silent as everyone tensed, their eyes shifting cautiously over to Leah, waiting for her imminent explosive reaction. Bella watched as Leah lifted her narrowed eyes to meet her own gaze. However instead of shrinking back from the glare that would have melted any lesser woman, she calmly gazed back at the wounded woman at the other end of the table.

The silence stretched out for another agonizing moment, and still Bella remained calm, holding her ground as she stared down Leah. Leah finally stood up without a word, her eyes still glued to Bella as she started towards the back door of the kitchen. Bella gave her a small smile as she made to stand up.

"Call me if you need me," Jake whispered to her as he gave her ass a small tap, letting her walk towards the door. Bella rolled her eyes at his display, but was pleased that he hadn't tried to stop her from doing what she thought was necessary.

Leah held the screen door slightly ajar so that Bella could step outside and onto the back porch with her. The rain was still falling in heavy sheets that made Bella shiver just looking at them. She saw that Leah had taken a seat on the small wooden bench to the right of the screen door.

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" Bella offered quietly, looking at the beautiful woman sitting before her. She hadn't really noticed how exotic and gorgeous Leah truly looked until now. Her hair was cut harshly and hung around her jaw bone, but her wide, almond shaped eyes were the color of chocolate and her skin almost glowed a golden color.

Leah shrugged, her hard mask still in place, "They'd all find out eventually anyway."

"Right... Pack mind," Bella reminded herself and then sat down next to Leah, looking out across the rain drenched yard and into the dark tree line. For a long time it was quiet between the two of them. Bella didn't want to push anything, and she certainly didn't want to make this seem like an interrogation. However she knew that Leah needed someone to talk to, even if she didn't realize it herself.

"So you asked me out here, what do you want? Or are you just looking to make me say something that will have Jake pissed off at me again?" she asked with a sharp tone. Bella controlled the wince that almost surfaced at the razor sharp voice Leah held. She steeled her nerves and let herself look at Leah with a level expression.

"I think we both know that my reaction was not out of the ordinary, given the circumstances that I was, and still am, very nervous of anyone finding out about the relationship that I have with Jacob. I also didn't tattle on you, as you said, they find out everything eventually," she fired back at Leah calmly. Leah looked up at her in surprise, almost not expecting Bella to call her out on her comment that had happened back at Charlie's barbeque.

"Alright, well that still doesn't tell me why you brought me out here," Leah sniffed, but Bella could see that she was losing some of her composure. It was just as she had suspected. Leah wasn't as tough as she appeared to be... In fact she was crumbling before everyone's eyes, but no one had taken the time to tell her that they were there for her.

"I just thought that you'd like some time away from all of that... I never had any brothers growing up, but after seeing how they act, I'm considering myself very lucky... Also I can see that it kills you to see him with her," Bella commented. She didn't make her voice sympathetic in anyway, because she knew that would only make Leah mad. Leah didn't need sympathy. She needed someone to stand beside her and get her back onto her feet.

"I don't care about him half as much as you think I do," Leah tried to protest. However Bella saw the slight shimmer in her wide chocolate eyes.

"You don't have to lie, at least not to me, and especially not to yourself. That's only going to hurt more, and you definitely won't heal if you continue to torture yourself," Bella stated, staring intently at Leah. Her face stared out across the lawn, but Bella watched, as if in slow motion as her face shed it's hardened mask and the expression of a completely broken woman was laid before her. A tear had barely dripped down Leah's cheek before it was violently wiped away.

"I don't think you understand," she said to Bella in a quiet tone. Bella nodded in understanding.

"I didn't claim to. But I know what I saw back inside. And I do understand that no one has done anything to show you that they are standing beside you one hundred percent. I understand perfectly that there is no one you feel like you can turn to," she replied and Leah turned to look at her. Bella didn't smile at her, but instead tried to convey her sincerity through her gaze. And just like that, the last bit of Leah's defense was entirely knocked down and the tears began to slide down her tanned cheeks.

There were no more words exchanged as Bella slid closer to Leah and gently brought her arm around her shoulders. Leah was much larger than her own petite frame, but she could tell that it was entirely made out of lean muscle. Leah's head bent down and rested in her hands as she began to cry more heavily. The storm continued to rage around them, rain spraying up onto the deck and wind whipped at Bella's loose hair, but she tried not to flinch from the cold and gently soothed Leah as she rubbed her shoulder. She did not want to say anything because she understood that words were not entirely necessary. At least Leah knew that Bella stood by her, even though the rest of the pack did not understand.

"It's so difficult to see him with her. I know it sounds stupid, but I truly wanted him to break the imprint. It feels like there's a knife in my stomach and every time I watch him look at her the way he used to look at me, it gets twisted further and further inside of me," she murmured brokenly. Bella hugged Leah's shoulders closer into her body.

"And that's alright for you to think of that. But I've come to learn that this whole tribe is entirely bent on believing that fate has a hand in everything we do... I'm not saying that I understand the work of your ancestors, but if they brought Emily into Sam's life for a reason, then there is doubly good reason for taking you out of it," Bella said quietly as she listened to Leah's breathing even back out. She did not release her arm from around Leah's shoulders and she began to wipe away her tears and watched as she looked back into her face.

"I've constantly thought that, but I still don't understand any of it... It hurts too much. I have to listen to his thoughts every day since becoming this monster, there's no escaping this as long as I am in the pack," she replied softly. Bella finally saw Leah's face without the mask, and she was even more beautiful than she had suspected.

"And what rule is there that you are forced to stay in the pack? Especially if you are so miserable? I understand that there is a duty to protect your tribe, but with so many boys that have phased, don't you believe that you would be allowed to do whatever you wanted with your life?" she asked. Bella was not pretending to know what the elders would say to such a suggestion, but in the moment she could not understand what was keeping Leah bound to this reservation, when she so clearly needed to leave and find herself again.

Leah did not reply, and instead seemed to be deep in thought over the words Bella had spoken. Bella pulled her arm from Leah's shoulder and looked her square in the face.

"Go phase, and go for a run. I'll make sure that none of the boys phase for at least an hour. Take that time to think things over. And I'll be here if you need anyone to talk to... Hell, maybe we can go out for drinks sometime!" Bella said with a smirk. Leah's lips twitched and Bella assumed that was the closest thing to a smile she was going to get today, but she was content with that. Leah nodded and stood up with Bella.

"You're a good person, Bella Swan... You're going to be good for Jake," she said quietly as she stood with Bella on the porch. Bella smiled genuinely back at the tall woman in front of her.

"Thank you," she replied softly. Leah gave her one more nod and then jogged off the back porch into the rain, disappearing into the trees. Bella stood there for another moment before she realized that without Leah's heat she was absolutely freezing in her extra large t-shirt and shorts. Turning around she pushed open the door once again and found herself in the warmth of Emily's kitchen again. Glancing around the kitchen she knew that all of the boys had heard their conversation judging by the sheepish looks they were sporting. She cast a look over at Sam who was still standing with Emily wrapped in his arms.

Emily seemed entirely out of loop, at least for the time being, but Sam's eyes held something akin to gratitude in them. She understood that he knew how badly he had hurt Leah, though she wasn't entirely sure he would take it all back now that he knew what kind of relationship he'd miss out on with Emily. At least it was a start.

Without warning Bella felt Jake's arms wrap around her waist and pull her body down onto his lap. She shivered violently in the sudden change of temperature against her icy skin and he wrapped her up tighter fusing more heat into her skin to make her more comfortable. His lips nestled in against the shell of her ear and his hot breath washed over her.

"You're an incredible person, Bells," he murmured to her softly. She didn't reply but she knew that he could see the smile on her face and feel the blush on her cheeks.

"Can you back me up on them not phasing for at least an hour?" she asked him instead. She felt his nose skim down her neck as he nodded his assent, "Good, because I want to go back home, and snuggle."

She couldn't help but laugh at her own statement. It sounded so uncharacteristic of herself to suggest snuggling. It was entirely too high schoolerish for her to handle, and laughing seemed like the only way to justify it. Although she couldn't deny her body's need to just lay close to Jake and surround herself in his warmth.

"I can drive you back to Forks, but you're sure you want me to come inside with you?" Jake asked quietly. the slight dejection in his voice made Bella confused. She hadn't said she'd wanted to go back to Forks, had she? And then it dawned on her that she had said the word home. She hadn't even thought twice about calling Jacob's house home. It seemed natural to call it that.

"I meant going back to your place, Jake," she said with a small reassuring smile. His returning smile was brilliant and he laid short and sweet kisses on her lips.

"No offence Jake, I get that she's your imprint. But can the PDA be on the down low until we graduate? I don't want those mental images while we're studying for our Scarlet Letter test," Quil shot from down the table. Bella broke away from Jake with another bright blush and the table erupted in soft laughter at the joke.

"Shut up, Quil, before I make you run double shifts!" Jake snapped, but there was a smirk on his face. Bella saw Quil's face drop at the what his alpha had suggested. And just like that the mood was broken once again. Bella knew that it would take time, but she knew that she was helping to make the pack come together and be stronger. It was just going to take some time and patience before they reached that level, but she knew that she would be around to see it happen.

Bella's stepping it up a bit and helping to sort out the mess that Leah Clearwater is, because everyone knows that all the other boys are too afraid of her to say anything! I hope you liked this chapter and thank you for reading! :)