Chapter 10
Jacob looked into her midnight eyes and silently begged for her forgiveness. She had never seen him look so scared and her heart starting pounding…
Leah's entire body vibrated with rage, tremors shook her spine. From far away she heard Bella begging her to stop, but she ignored it…
The howl was the most haunting thing they'd ever heard; even in human form it shook them to the core. The hair's on Jacob's neck stood on end…
"You gonna eat that?" Leah asked Jacob, indicating his last cheeseburger. He smirked, but shook his head. She grinned, taking it from in front of him and biting into it. In two seconds she was finished eating and laid her head back on the plastic booth.
"Feel better?" Jake asked. Leah sighed contentedly in response. It was two thirty in the morning, and they were sitting in a fast-food place that was practically empty aside from some other kids who kept giving them dodgy looks.
Leah had called him about half an hour ago, raving that she needed a cheeseburger 'right now', which in part was a lie, because apparently she needed four.
"Can we leave now? I have patrol tomorrow, or today, or… whatever." Jacob said wearily.
She opened her eyes to look at him and pouted,
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, I was expecting this to happen like a week ago."
She laughed,
"My mom stocked the house with all the things she craved when she was pregnant, but, you can't exactly buy readymade cheeseburgers in bulk."
"Fair enough."
As they stood from the table Leah noticed the kids in the corner. She glared at them,
"Yeah I'm freaking pregnant ok!" Their mouths gaped and Jake laughed but quickly steered her outside. Leah heaved herself into the passenger side of Jake's car.
"oh God I feel fat." She moaned as he started the car. "I feel like the filter between my brain and my mouth has thinned somehow."
"Not that you were amazing at using discretion in the first place." Jake muttered.
"Funny."
"That's why I love you."
She smiled,
"I know."
There were no stars in the sky that night as they drove down the dark winding road through the trees.
"That thing broke some of Bella's ribs yesterday." He said suddenly.
"What?!"
"It's getting too strong for her. She says it, or she, doesn't mean to but…"
"Is she insane?!"
"Beats me, but they're all pretty torn about it."
"I can imagine." She replied, rubbing her tummy soothingly.
"Do you think she'll d-…" Leah began, but hesitated, she didn't want to ask. Jacob read her thoughts anyway.
"I'm not sure anymore. And I'm not sure if she cares either, so long as it lives."
"Shit." Leah murmured. And then after a moment she asked, "What would you do?"
"If it was you?" he asked, glancing at her, "I have no idea, I don't think I'd be able to deal with that." He quickly grasped her hand, "You mean too much to me, I can't even consider that scenario."
She nodded.
"I'm not sure what I would do either. But I suppose… this baby hasn't even had the chance to experience anything yet, how could I not do anything in my power to make sure they had a chance at life?"
"At the price of your life?"
"I suppose, yes… their life is more important to me… so in a way, I can understand why Bella is doing what she is, it's just freaky because it's one of those things living in her."
There was a long silence, during which both were lost in their own thoughts.
"Well, thank goodness we don't have to deal with that." Jake said finally. Leah nodded, pulling his hand to her face and kissing it.
54920293978313927489251039194301794574295492754925749205794027549254297819305492795
When they got back to Leah's house Jake passed out on the couch. Leah tried to sleep for a little while, but she found she was too restless, or maybe too full…
She sat near the kitchen window looking out at the dark sky until it wasn't so dark anymore. As each day began she got closer and closer to her due date.
What's going to happen next? She wondered.
She looked over at Jake's sleeping form on the couch, his arm was lazily thrown across his face as he lay on his back, and he was snoring just a little. She smiled to herself; it didn't matter what was going to happen next, they would be together.
She mentally smacked herself for thinking that, afraid she was going soft, and decided to take a shower.
Awhile later she was back downstairs as her mother left for work. Suddenly she felt her exhaustion overtake her, and she headed to her room for a nap.
She slept peacefully for a long while as the sun passed across the sky.
She groggily opened her eyes hours later and turned around to see those dark eyes gazing at her.
She groaned and he smiled. He gently pushed her hair back from her face, pulling her closer to him; as close as the baby would allow.
"When did you get here?" she asked, looking around the dark room.
"About an hour ago. You were snoring so I didn't want to wake you up."
She rolled her eyes,
"Snoring my ah-"
"I have to go." He interrupted her quickly. She pouted, tugging on his ear,
"Already?"
He nodded,
"It's not safe out there yet baby, that redhead is still around, I know it."
Leah sighed, running her finger along the bridge of his nose,
"Fine.."
Jake smiled, kissing her forehead.
"But I want a real kiss before you go."
Jake smirked, he placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned forward, gently brushing his lips back and forth across hers. She sighed, knowing he was trying to tease her. After a few seconds of this torture he suddenly crushed his mouth to hers, invading her senses. Jake combed his hand through her long hair pulling her closer, sucking her bottom lip, nibbling down her neck. Leah's breath got faster as she ran her hands over his skin. And then he turned down the intensity, slowing his kisses, moving his lips across her eyelids and the corners of her mouth. When he finally returned to her mouth and then pulled away she didn't want him to ever stop.
He lay there for a few moments, simply staring at her.
"I'll be back soon." He whispered. She nodded,
"I love you."
Jake smiled, gave her one last kiss, and got off the bed.
750284932840275892402589037439084203482904805825-78452935349370471858197491374301
"Well I think Kim Jr. is a great name for girl or a boy"
Leah snorted into her glass of juice,
"Good one, I think you've been spending too much time with Jared." She said as Kim frowned.
They were sitting across from each other at Leah's dining table. Emily had come over to cook something that would supposedly satisfy any craving.
'so long as it's dipped in chocolate', Leah had replied. At the moment they were discussing baby names in the kitchen.
"Have you and Sam thought of any names yet?" Leah asked Emily.
" Mmm, not really", she replied, moving around in the kitchen, "too soon to decide."
"Just remember," Kim stated from the table, "if you don't claim Kim while it's hot, you'll miss out on an amazing name."
Emily chuckled to herself, but didn't respond.
"Well I've always liked the name Elijah,' Leah conceded quietly. In response to this Kim made a gagging noise in the back of his throat.
"Hey!" Leah said indignantly.
Suddenly the front door burst open. Jake ran into the house, looking flustered.
"What on earth?" Emily began,
"We need to get out of here." Jake stated quickly.
"What ? Why?" Leah stammered. Jacob looked into her midnight eyes and silently begged for her forgiveness. She had never seen him look so scared and her heart starting pounding.
"It's Seth..." Jake said. Leah leapt up from her seat,
"Where is he?! What's going on?!"
Jake looked pained as he responded,
"He's gone. They took him… we don't know where… Sam and the others are at the Cullen's asking for help. We need to go there now."
"No! Who's out there looking for Seth?! What if something happens to him?!" Leah was hysterical now and the baby was kicking.
"Leah please don't do this, it's not good for the baby, the Cullens will know what to do, now can we please go, I'll explain everything on the way."
Leah relented and they all went to the car. Jake sped like a mad man down the road towards the Cullen's house.
"It was just like any other patrol night, Me, Seth Sam and Jared were communicating together. All of a sudden Seth smelt something far North, right near the border again. We told him to wait for us but he didn't, the smell was getting so strong it was like I could smell it in my mind through him. He said it wasn't like before, when we were tracking the red-haired one, it was stronger than that. Then all of a sudden his mind was gone! We didn't know what happened, we raced for the spot where he'd been and there was no sign of him or the scent he was following, it was like they both vanished."
"How the hell is that possible?!" Leah raved,
"I don't know" Jake continued, his face turning redder and redder. "Sam started talking about some group from Italy, called the volturi who the Cullens said were like the authority for the bloodsuckers everywhere, trying to keep their existence hidden, or something. He said they probably had something to do with it, and he and the others went to their house."
"What the hell does this have to do with us?" Leah asked.
"Leah, calm down, please." Emily tried to soothe.
They quickly pulled into the driveway of the Cullen's house. A heavy fog had begun to permeate the area. When they entered the house it seemed a lot calmer than Leah would've expected in that situation. Everyone was standing around, almost waiting for them, except Bella and Edward who seemed to be having some sort of disagreement.
"What is going on?" Leah demanded.
Carlisle answered her immediately,
"The Volturi are trying to bait us. We told them that Bella would become a vampire, but she still is not. Alice feels they may be here to threaten us; all they know is that there is a baby. I suspect that Victoria has contacted them and convinced them to use your brother as leverage against us, they seem to feel that he is of value to us."
"Why would they think that?" Leah asked.
Carlisle's expression turned to one of kindness,
"Your brother spends a lot of time with us, he said it was on behalf of the pack. Victoria probably observed this and felt that he would be the easiest to target. In any case we are not certain that it is a fight they are looking for, however we would be outnumbered if that is the case. We suspect though, that because Alice's visions are blinded by your presence, perhaps you will have an effect on their abilities as well."
"This isn't about a fight," Sam stated, "Our priority is getting Seth back safely, what can we do?"
Carlisle sighed,
"The Volturi want to draw us out into the open, we will go with Sam to the place where Seth was taken, I think in the meantime it would be best if you three ladies stayed here with Bella."
"No, I can't do that."
"Leah don't be irrational." Jake pleaded,
"It's Seth!"
"The girls will stay here," Sam affirmed, "Quil will stay with them so we can communicate."
Carlisle nodded,
"We don't have much time."
"Alright, let's go then" Sam stated.
Suddenly everyone began moving around. Sam and Emily were talking while Embry led the pack outside the house, speaking to Carlisle, which in any other setting would've looked completely out of place. Edward stood on the staircase holding Bella for a long moment.
Leah turned to Jake, her eyes scattered.
Jake sighed and placed his hands on her face, brining her closer to his,
"I swear I didn't mean for this to happen." He whispered.
"Jake I just…"
"Sshh…" he soothed, "You and I both know it doesn't make any sense for you to go out there, you can't even phase."
She sighed and nodded her head,
"Please be careful… bring him back to me."
She looked up into his dark eyes, searching for reassurance,
"Everything will be fine." He said firmly, and closed the gap between their lips. She kissed him back briefly, and then pulled away.
Before long the house was empty, save for Leah, Emily, Kim, Bella and Quil, who looked very put out by having to stay with the girls. For the first time Leah really looked at Bella. She looked terrible; pale and sickly and exhausted, not at all what a pregnant girl was supposed to look like.
Leah pushed these thoughts from her mind. She tried to sit still, but couldn't, not only because she was worried about Seth, but also because she was in the Cullen's house of all places. A few months ago she wouldn't be caught dead or alive in this place.
Emily and Kim sat with Bella, talking calmly. Soon Quil headed outside and phased, pacing back and forth on the front lawn. Leah wished she could hear what he heard right then, just to know what was going on. For some reason she couldn't shake the feeling of dread from her mind…
A/N: I know it has been FOREVER since this story was updated and I truly apologize, but the end is near!