AN: Amazing, guys! I would really like to thank everyone for their awesome supports and reviews for this story :) Don't worry, the drama and angst will be HUGE, and is coming soon enough ;) But for now, here's the official first chapter!

One Month Earlier.

Paws pounded earth as the eight wolves weaved in and out of the trees.

'Goddammit, I'm tired of this trail!' Paul barked, leaping gracefully over a stump sticking out in the stampede's path.

'Who isn't?' Seth rolled his eyes as he ran, sandy-colored nose near the ground as he checked for scents both unfamiliar and the same. 'We haven't gotten anymore action since the Volturi left.'

It wasn't an understatement; action surrounding the Quilleute lands had slowed to a trickle after the war between the wolves and the Cullens, and against the Volturi who were after Jacob's precious little imprint; Renesmee Carlie Cullen, daughter of Edward the leech and Bella the Martyr. (Or Jacob's obsession for the last two years, per se.)

Rogue vampires, probably after hearing about the winning confrontation, were boringly scarce these days and the wolves of La Push found themselves running the same old routes every night with not so much as a foot print to freak about. It was actually irritating. To most of them, anyway.

Same old trails, same old scenery, same old scents, same old thoughts-

Paul came to a stop when they reached the end of the treaty line. They were allowed to cross now, especially after making such an alliance with the vampires, but it was still where their patrols ended since the Cullens could look after themselves. Jacob and Seth were really the only ones who frequently felt the need to cross the boundaries.

'Is it just me or is something out of place here?' Jacob asked curiously, the light rust fur around his paws and belly was misted with dust from running behind Paul and Sam. He shook his head, body following, before stepping around Seth and looking behind Jared and Embry to land eyes on Leah.

Leah. Only female shifter in all the world. (Or so they thought.) Her silver grey fur too was coated in dust and small flecks of mud from beating feet across the forest floor, but that wasn't what had Jacob so interested. The other wolves of the pack listened with interest, picking the thoughts from the 'second' Alpha's mind.

Yes, second. Before actually attempting it, both packs who had split around the time of Renesmee's birth were fairly positive it was too difficult to have two Alphas in the same pack. Too territorial; too competing. But Jacob, although he never really had any plans of joining back up with Sam after all the shit went down, decided maybe patrolling Quilleute lands and being the protectors they were supposed to be would be easier if all the wolves reunited again. Some of his pack members had qualms, of course (mainly Leah), and Jacob could understand that, but he knew Leah would follow him where he chose to go. Ever since joining his renegade pack to escape the leering eyes of ex-boyfriend Sam Uley Leah was content to keep herself away from Sam, Jared and most of the young wolves. But mostly, she was happy because Jacob was actually a good Alpha; he had plucked her out of a bad situation and made her life remotely livable. Okay well, she wasn't happy, Jacob guessed, but he'd made her content.

Things had been different since he made the decision to rejoin Sam and pleaded with Leah to join back up as well. Hell of a lot of begging that had taken.

She did. More than reluctantly, but, she did. And that was all Jacob asked for.

The russet-furred Alpha trotted over to his previous Beta who could only look at him with eyes resembling a raised eyebrow.

'...Yes?'

'What's wrong with you today??' Jacob asked rather bluntly. Her ears flattened against her head as a low grumble rumbled in her throat.

'Nothing. What's wrong with YOU today? Leech infant too busy sucking back bags of blood to spend time with you??' Her bitter thoughts replied. Jacob sighed and circled Leah tiredly. His thoughts seemed as if he'd elaborate further, but Sam was the one to pick them through the quickest.

'It's odd that you're the last in line while we patrol. We all know how much you love to outrun us.' His stoic voice said.

'And y'know, be the world's biggest bitch in general..' Paul growled sarcastically, turning in a prospective circle before lying down on a mossy grove. Seth winced.

'Jesus, there they go again..'

Eyes in the pack, except for Sam and Jake who could only roll their's, went to Leah to await Miss Harpy's reply. Fight fight fight.

Her thoughts seemed carefully blank for a moment longer than expected; it was like waiting for a bull fight to begin, waiting to see what she was going to say.

Leah rolled her eyes. 'Whatever.'

Sam narrowed his eyes; his fur-covered forehead wearing that crease that always seemed to appear when he got worried. Once he realized what he was doing, he made it disappear awful quick. Looking around at his pack as he isolated his thoughts, their confusing rang out loud and clear in their own heads, despite their attempts to disguise their mindsets.

'Wow, no bitch attack? No stupid fight? Maybe there is a god..' Embry. 'Hallelujah.'

'The world must be ending. Fuck god. Leah Clearwater actually let a mean comment slip.' Stupid Quil.

'I could get used to this!' Paul chided, howling out a laugh as Leah rolled her eyes once again at the boys as they laughed. Jacob, Sam noticed, stayed silent as the stars just like he did.

'Look can't we just go home now?' Leah hissed, turning her back on her pack brothers with her tail wagging irritably.

Sam sighed, thoughts flooding with the idea of the meal Leah would make when they got home. It was an odd commodity, Leah taking to cooking so suddenly. Her attempts were never as good as Emily, but they sure accomodated your gut after a solid two hours running.

'Yes. Patrol's concluded, let's phase back.' Sam said, moments later turning into the handsome man he was while Leah waded afar into some bushes and tried to pretend she didn't want to look at him. The others phased too, and after they shoved on their jeans they walked out of the forest to find Leah already about 50 feet ahead of them into the rez, changed back into jean shorts and a tank top with no bra.

Sam pretended he didn't want to stare too but he didn't have half the mental resolve, as he knew he'd proved.

Since Leah was already in the kitchen upon the rest of the guys' arrival into the Clearwater household, they were met with the sound of cracking eggs and a simmering stove burner. Seth hummed his delight as they all walked into the kitchen, taking seats around Sue's small breakfast table.

A few moments later Leah turned to them and threw her dishtowel at Jacob's chest.

"I'm having a shower. Watch the eggs and don't burn em, because I sure as hell ain't making you more before I leave." She said stalely, before walking out of the guest-filled room and up the stairs.

-

She felt Jacob's eyes, and she was sure at least one more pair burn into her back as she hurried to the bathroom, just wanting to slip off the dirty tank top that was blotched with dirt and untangle all the twigs and leaves that always seemed to be attracted to her now-too-long again hair like a magnet. It was such a fucking chore...

Grabbing a CD from the desk in her room before ducking into the bathroom, Leah glanced at herself in the mirror, and she fought with her heart to keep it in one piece.

She looked haggard; pale and thin, purple bags under her eyes and her lips were cracked and chapped. Hair was simply a mess to put it lightly, and her clothes were worse than she thought. She said nothing though as she pulled off the clothes and pushed play. Loud enough to hear over the water of the shower and at the same time drown out the noise makers down below.

In the light of the sun, is there anyone? Oh it has begun...
Oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed,
This world you must've crossed... you said...

Leah climbed into the shower and took refuge in the water, cold. Cold was all she ever felt because of her body temperature.

You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,
She said
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,

She shouldn't have thrown the towel at Jacob. She knew that. Leah sighed and ran wet hands down her wet face, watching dirt and grime from her feet swirl away down the drain as she moved.

Essential yet appealed, carry all your thoughts across
An open field,
When flowers gaze at you... they're not the only ones who cry
When they see you
You said...

She'd been doing that alot lately, she'd noticed. Doing something and then bringing herself to regret it. Then again, most of the things she did she ended up regretting, either that or it came back on it's own to bite her in the ass. Which was sort of why she was upset.

..More upset that usual, she supposed.

You don't know me, you don't even care, oh yeah,
She said
You don't know me, and you don't wear my chains... oh yeah,

Jacob's pack had been a sanctuary compared to living with Sam and his little disciples. Everytime she would let her guard down or try to relax she couldn't help but release some pivotal little memory that she wanted to lock inside herself forever and a day; and when that happened, it was Sam who would pick up on it first like he was studying her, watching and waiting for her to make a mistake and then he'd be so ashamed when she did, so ashamed he'd even blush, ignore her and let his pack tear into her.

She said I think I'll go to Boston...
I think I'll start a new life,
I think I'll start it over, where no one knows my name,
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather,
I think I'll get a lover and fly him out to Spain...
I think I'll go to Boston,
I think that I'm just tired
I think I need a new town, to leave this all behind...
I think I need a sunrise, I'm tired of the sunset,
I hear it's nice in the Summer, some snow would be nice... oh yeah,

If only Jacob would've agreed to let the packs stay seperate. No more embarassing herself, embarassing Sam, seeing much more of Emily and Rachel then she'd ever wanted to and the main reason of course, was that not being around Sam made believing she didn't want him anymore a whole lot easier.

Boston... where no one knows my name... yeah
Where no one knows my name...
Where no one knows my name...
Yeah Boston...
Where no one knows my name.

Leah only became aware of herself singing almost silently to the words of Boston when the song cut off and a new one began. Rinsing the last of the dirt out of her soft locks with the shampoo, Leah swiped under her arms, her legs, and the between her legs zone with a razor and then stepped out from under the water.

Reluctantly, of course. Whenever she was in water these days, rain, shower, ocean or lake, she never wanted to get out. It was always gentle and peaceful in the water.

Toweling herself off, Leah studied her features in the mirror again. She only looked a little better than she did before. But hey.

She was still prettier than Emily.

Hating herself for the thoughts she could never keep behind closed doors, Leah walked quickly into her bedroom after shutting off the stereo and flicking the light. Once inside her personal space, Leah rooted through drawers until she found her favorite two-piece and slipped it on before grabbing some random tank off the floor and then a pair of white shorts.

She was about to walk out and back downstairs again when something dangling off the corner edge of her bureau mirror stopped her. It was the necklace Sam had given her, two years ago. Two months before he shacked up with her cousin.

It was a gold-chained Heart Of The Ocean replica, the heart charm a bright glittering crystal blue. The chain was longer than the one that was in the Titanic movie, and she couldn't help but wonder if Sam had it custom made. Leah wondered if she should wear it. If she should open it.

Two years since getting it, maybe a little longer and Leah would never forget the inscription Sam had ingraved inside the locket for her. ..She didn't want to want to open it.

So she forced herself not to.

Couldn't stop herself, however, from grabbing the gorgeous trinket and stuffing it into her shorts pocket along with shoving her Ipod headphones into her ears before shuffling downstairs.

Seth looked up at her, her eyes trained on the ground as she entered the kitchen.

"Where yah goin'??" His peppy voiced asked. Leah didn't hear it that well over the REO Speedwagon blasting out her headphones but she could read the curiousity in his eyes and his lips too for that matter.

"Out." He knew where she was going. She didn't know why he asked everytime.

"Well are yah gonna have some dinner before you go?" Her brother insisted, flicking his head towards the 2 frying pans of eggs Leah had whipped up for the boys and the 2 loaves of toast she'd made.

"No. Not hungry." Leah shrugged, before walking quickly past the table of wolfish boys and out the door.

Seth sighed as he watched his sister walk down the drive. "She never eats with us anymore."

"She hasn't eaten with us when she didn't have to since like, two years ago Seth." Embry said, another forkful of eggs being forked into his mouth. Seth shrugged with a sigh.

"True." Then he finished his eggs and toast.

-

Leah arrived at the La Push cliffs; They were about a 20 minute walk out of the small reservation, a 10 minute jog, and Leah's legs were burning to the beat of her Ipod as she stopped, chest heaving.

The wind whipped her ebony hair around as she looked out across the horizon. It was a sunny day in La Push; rare. But there was something almost ominous about the sun; the way the wind moved, the way the blues of the ocean beat against eachother in odd rhythms and whitecaps coated the water.

She swallowed down a lump in her throat as her hand hung by her side, fingers teasing across the mound in her pocket.

The necklace.

Her dark blue eyes drifted to the ground. 'I'll never be able to let him go if I keep doing this.'

Her thoughts drifted again to the incription written on the inside. Leah remembered when her childhood dream was to be a champion swimmer. She would time herself, torture herself underwater till she couldn't breathe anymore just to build up lung capacity, run for hours every day to keep herself fit and always, always spend just too much time in the water.

Most people find why they like something hard to describe; Leah didn't have that problem. She knew exactly why she loved the ocean.

Leah loved the ocean because everything had a set rhythm, and you could tell from miles away when something was about to go wrong, or when something was off kilter. Just from the surface. (she couldn't help but think today was one of those days.) Leah also loved the sea because it was so big and dark way down deep, and there were so many places a person could disappear to forever.

Where everything was washed clean; and you could begin anew when you resurfaced.

Wasting no more time, she pursed her lips; removed her earphones and her shorts and her tank top. Had the necklace in her hand, she looked down at it.

'I hate how I still need you. And how you're the only thing that follows me down.' Leah looked over the humongously high cliff ledge, before stepping back by about ten feet. Leah gently lifted the heart down over her head and untucked her hair.

Then she ran.

She was flying!.. It was amazing, and she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lilac lips as her body made peaceful contact with the deep blue abyss. The splash was minimal and the impact was comfortable.

The water cradled her, caressed her as gently as only he did once upon a time, a throbbing reminder not just the water but the subtle weight of the heart of the necklace against her own beating chest.

Leah looked around under the water.

'Dying could be just so easy', she thought, 'and I would never have to come back up or look at their faces again. I wouldn't be such a burden and everyone could move on without my interference or bitterness..' jesus, she thought like such an old woman.

Leah shook her head under the water, eyeing the craggy rocks almost eclipsed by the dark shadows yet highlighted in spots by the sun above and how the ocean always carried her safely away from them.

And then she was treading. Water parted like to the red sea for her. Face to the left, up and breathe, face to the right, up and breathe, arms keep moving and feet keep kicking. It could be never ending.

It almost was. By the time Leah's back rested against one of the rocks at the foot of the cliff, the sun was a lot lower against the wide ocean and the sky more orange then blue. She huffed out a soft sigh. Taking the Heart Of The Ocean into her hand, she pinched open the shining jewel.

'Leah; when life is pulling you deeper and trying to drown you, swim for home. I'll always be waiting for you. Love, Sam.'