In chapter 7, Leo has finally had enough of the confusing situations, the self-blame and the vulnerability of being the only one of her kind. Rosalie reveals her soft side and the results of "Jalice's" misunderstanding are revealed. Rated T for scary situations and…well, you'll see. Sorry in advance for the length.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight saga, but if I did, I'm pretty sure I would soon control the young minds of the world…muahaha…

Chapter 7: Jump?

Leora POV

I couldn't have known that Lancaster would Change me about four days ago. I never could have guessed I would have Imprint-like feelings for Jasper, (we definitely don't have an Imprint, though). I definitely could not have predicted that I would scar an empath and psychic's eternal relationship. Once again, I only brought trouble for the Cullen family. Maybe even more trouble than Bella.

Words couldn't describe my feelings at this very moment. Blame, disappointment, shame, despair, anguish…I couldn't find a potent enough word to describe my feelings. It was as if something had broken inside me. A monster of personal hatred had been unleashed, and I felt he was here to stay. The monster bashed at my insides, accusing me of hurting Jasper and Alice. It shook me, screaming "What's wrong with you?!" It convinced me that I didn't deserve the Cullens. I didn't deserve life.

There was a story I remembered from some distant human memory that described how the main character put up this mental wall of protection. Protection from her memories, her captor's harsh actions, and her own feelings that made her weak in her own eyes. She blocked out others as she collapsed in on herself with self-destructive behavior. (A/N: one of my other works. Not FanFiction, but if you're interested, please pm me) although I did not remember the title or the girl's name, I remembered the wall. I assumed it was poetic, for literature. Now, I could feel my own wall beginning to form.

It incarcerated me, its thick walls blocking everything out. I was suddenly self-conscious, fearing noise or touch. I did not want to talk. I did not want to hear. I wanted only…to collapse in on myself.

_ _ _ _

Rosalie POV

Stupid Alice. Stupid Jasper. STUPID Leo. Why couldn't they just behave like a normal family? Why did it have to be so complicated? They've never liked attention, why did they insist on having everyone's now?

Emmett, Bella, Edward, Renesmee, Carlisle, Esme and I were all a few yards from Alice and Jasper's cottage, where Alice lay inside, moping, and Jasper stood at the door, begging to Alice. Leo was who knows where, probably depressed as crap. I don't think Jasper even notices Leo's absence.

"Alice, darling," Jasper murmured for the billionth time, "Alice, please come out."

Only broken sobs responded.

"Alice, you don't know what you saw. You came in at a bad moment." Oh, Jasper just shut up! "We weren't doing what you're thinking. We—she's like a daughter to me!" Wow that helped loads! I leaned into Emmett's huge shoulder, groaning impatiently. How long would this take?

Finally, Alice spoke. "Oh, just give it up, Jasper! I know about your Imprint with Leo!"

"What? Is this what you're upset about?"

"Isn't it enough? It's so obvious! The way you act around her, the way you almost…kissed her. What do you expect me to believe? That you're not a…pervert?"

"Alice, darling, you have it all wrong," he stood and leaned against the door. "Alice, I was holding her waist because she was digging her nails into her side so hard I thought she was going to hurt herself. My hand was on her cheek to wipe her tears away. I leaned in to kiss her, yes, but on the forehead. Alice, believe me, I love Leo dearly, but she is nothing more than a daughter to me. I. Do. Not. Love. Leo. The. Way. I. Love. You."

There was silence from behind the door.

"Alice," Edward said, standing, "Alice, Jasper tells the truth. I could see no Imprint on Jasper from Leo's mind, or from Jasper to Leo. Their love is pure; there is no other love but paternal."

There was a shuffle, a strange thing for Alice, and then the door opened. Alice's hair was ruffled and her eyes were brimmed with light pink. She looked at Jasper. Batting her eyelashes, she asked innocently, "Promise?"

"Oh," Jasper took her into his strong arms. "I promise, dear."

We all stayed still for a while, allowing them a few seconds of light PDA. I looked at Emmett, who looked like he would have blushed if he could.

"Where's Leo?" Alice asked, straightening her hair. "I have an apology to make."

"Jasper let go of Alice as if someone had electrocuted him. "Oh God, Leo!"

"You're just noticing this now?" I yelled, standing. Emmet tried to bring me back down with a hand on my shoulder.

"Rose—"

"No, Emmet, Jasper needs to hear this." With no way for even Jasper to warm my coldness, I turned to the empath. "You know you've thought it, so don't you dare deny it! You have waited a long time for a child, desperate to call one your own. You know you would be happy, even thought it could never be both your and Alice's biological child! (A/N: I'm not positive artificial insemination would work with vampires, so please don't flame me!) Here is Leo, a child forever. She opens her heart to you both as somewhat parents and you're so self-centered that you don't even notice when she's hurting, alone, vulnerable, confused and scared!" I got right in Jasper's face. "Frankly, you don't deserve such a wonderful and unique child as Leo. She needs guidance, support and love right now, and what did you give her? You left her there, confused and thinking se ruined your relationship with Alice. She probably thinks you abandoned her for Alice. That you chose your wife over your child! How do you think she's going to deal with those emotions, huh? Since you're the expert?"

He only stared at me, face even paler, if that was even possible.

"Do you think she's just going to cry? Do you really think she's just going to wait to feel your love again?" I gave a dark, hardly beautiful chuckle. "I hardly think so."

Alice gasped her gaze distant. "Rosalie's right. Leo's not waiting."

"What do you mean, Alice?" Jasper asked, tearing his gaze away from me reluctantly.

Her gaze refocused. "I never quite understood why Bella or Jake's friends do it, but she's either cliff diving, or…"

She didn't have to finish. Jasper grabbed Alice's hands and pulled into the trees, disappearing. Carlisle and Edward hurried after them, Edward passing even Carlisle. I grumbled, not happy that I didn't get to finish my rant, but followed them. Emmett, Bella, Renesmee, Esme and I caught up with the group after thirty two seconds.

After another mile, Jasper asked, "Edward, can you hear what she's thinking?"

He seemed to struggle in his "search". Emmett and I exchanged a glance.

"No… I mean, it's not like Bella's mind because I can sense her, but it's as if she's blocking me out. I can make out sadness and blame, almost as if I have your ability, Jasper. But that's all."

"I…can barely sense that. I'm only picking up a shimmer of hate… How is she doing this?"

"Let's figure that out later," Carlisle said, "Right now, let's stop Leo from doing something drastic."

Everyone hurried at that. We ran in a horizontal line, as if in formation. I heard the thud of Leo's slow heart before I saw her for only a blink of an eye.

She was hugging her knees, sitting on the point of a big rock that hung over the edge of sharp rocks and uneasy waters. She was half-phased, with whiskers, pointy cat ears jutting from the crown of her head, paws for hands and feet, and a long tail that curled around her, lying sadly on the ground. I could hear her sobs and snivels, her body trembling in time with them, and saw the reflection of tears falling onto her cheeks.

"Leo!" Jasper yelled, lunging for her. Edward held him back, and Leo stood, stepping closer to the edge.

"Don't come near me!"

I felt a wave of calmness envelop me. Jasper. There was little change in Leo's face, though. Maybe her "wall" even blocked that ability of Jasper's too.

"Leo," Carlisle said, approaching very slowly with his hands outstretched palms up. "Leo, please come down from there."

"What," she sobbed, turning to face the rocky waters, "so you can give me the 'there's so much to live for' speech?"

"Leo, there is so much to live for. Everyone is wondering why you want to jump, and we both know they deserve that explanation."

She looked up for a moment, eyes closed, then back down. "I didn't want to be this," she said, "I had dreams. I had a family, a Troop, a home! My life may have been secluded to the woods in a reservation, but I was happy. I. Was. Happy." She wiped away her tears with the back of her black long sleeve. "Then, this...thing comes around decides my life, by his account, should end, because he has an urge—a curiosity." She spat the words like a curse. "That's all I am! That's all I was made to be!"

We all took a bit of a lunge as she inched closer, curling her toes around the grassy edge. "This is going to sound so hokey, but it's the only thing I can think of to that which I am similar." She rolled her eyes, "I'm like the liger."

A what now? She was seriously comparing herself to that?

"I was made out of curiosity. I am the joint embodiment of two predators with the capability to kill the other. I was thoughtlessly made. Created without a purpose or long-term plan." The tears began to flow again. "I was Transformed without so much a thought of where I would belong in the natural world. That's just it, though," she turned her head slightly in Carlisle's direction but continued to look at the choppy waves. "There isn't a place where I belong. The saddest part is," she shook her head, "that even a liger is made with a purpose…as a theory, just to see if it could be done. Lancaster made me without even that in mind! I am here for nothing!"

I watched with horror as she leaned forward, then in wonderment as she curled into my chest, sobbing, inches away from her death.

She pressed her face into my shoulder, her ears tickling my chin. I was a little upset, since I was wearing silk, but I knew Alice would have thrown the shirt away anyway.

Suddenly, something turned on in my brain that only turned on when I held Renesmee as a baby. It was a sense of motherhood. I felt like she was mine; as if she were my child, coming to my bed after a nightmare. This certainly was a scary one.

"Shush…it's alright, Leo. It's alright." I rocked her slightly. "Let's step down, Leo." She nodded, and we returned to the family at an almost-human pace. She threw her arms around my waist in a grip not quite as strong as it should have been, but strong enough.

"Leo," I whispered, "your life isn't over, it's just…begun a new chapter." I stroked her head, the ears swallowed by her hair as I watched. "Yes, what Lancaster did was horrible, but he gave you a life with us. It will take time to get over what happened, but you have to let it go. You have to let Lancaster go. If you don't it'll eat you up inside, and you'll go crazy. Find something in this to hold onto. Find something here worth living for." I looked at my Emmett, and he smirked, winking.

Leo pulled away slightly. "It sounds like you know something about this," she said sniffling

"Actually, yeah," I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. "We had a Turning that was more similar than you probably think."

She looked up at me, nodding. She put her head back down, leaning against me again. "Thank you, Rose."

"Of course, kiddo." I patted her back. "Now, I think others deserve a few hugs."

She nodded, letting me go while turning to the family with a sigh. Carlisle was the closest, and she hugged him, her tail sprouting through the hole in her ripped jeans. Every other feline trait had vanished.

"Thank you, Carlisle," she buried her face in his chest. "I'm so sorry."

"Leo," he stroked her beautiful, long rust-colored hair. Or was it reddish brown? "Believe me, we all understand." Everyone threw a stray glance at Edward, Bella, or Esme. Carlisle pulled Leo away to face the rest of the family, keeping his hands on her shoulders. She glanced up timidly at Jasper and Alice, who were holding hands.

They slowly walked toward each other. After a still moment, they embraced her carefully, as if they were afraid they would break her with a touch. Jasper seemed to hurt with the focus it was taking him not to cry, and Alice looked utterly guilty.

"You two worked it out?" Leo guessed in a whisper, not looking up.

Jasper nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Leo," Alice mumbled, shaking her head. "With the immediate connection you made with Jasper, I assumed it was an Imprint. Now I can see that I was very wrong."

Leo nodded. "I also thought there might have been one too, but the more I searched for the feelings, the more the thought disappeared." She smirked sadly. "I know what an Imprint feels like, and I see now that it's not what I feel for Jasper."

All of us looked at her. She turned her head around to meet each of our gazes.

"A story for another time."

Renesmee bobbled over. "My turn, my turn!" she squealed.

Jasper and Alice laughed, but let go of Leo.

"We're destined to be best buddies, Leo! How can that happen if you're not around?" Leo chuckled, and Renesmee stuck out her lower lip. "You promise to stay?"

"I promise."

With that promise that meant more than Leo probably realized, Leo went around and gave everyone apologetic embraces. Last, she walked up to my Emmett shyly. She stuck out an awkward hand for him to shake.

"Ah, c'mere!" Em said. He gathered Leo in a tight bear hug, causing the girl to gasp slightly. She was too shocked (or was it scared?) to return the hug. "You don't need to be afraid o' me," he put her down, smiling, "scaredy-cat" He ruffled her hair.

Leo let out a short chuckle. Clearly, her opinion of my man had lightened.

Walking over to Carlisle, she said, "I think I'm ready to go home." Carlisle nodded. "The Cullen home," she clarified. Esme took her shoulders, Jasper and Alice close behind. I took my husband's arm, Edward, Bella and Renesmee following close behind us.

"Carlisle?"

"Yes, Leo?"

"I've been wondering...Could you, would you…Will you help me f-figure out just how it's possible I'm a vampire? Or—half-vampire?"

"Leo," Carlisle motioned to the many vampires behind them…and a different kind of half-vampire, "we'd all be happy to."