The Spiritual Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters.

Hello all, I know, I know it's been almost an eternity but there's been a lot going on. Just a forewarning, things will skip around about...half way through the story. If you're planning on reading this before you go to bed...don't. This chapter is 19 pages long. Go to bed and try this again tomorrow unless you're a night owl.

The pair has had to wait a couple of days to have an audience with the great and powerful Volturri. When they were finally admitted it was a small blonde girl that was sent to retrieve them, wearing a blood red cloak that somehow fed into her mind of a scene from The Wizard of Oz. That after all of the talking, the smoke and mirrors that the so-called 'great' Volturri would be nothing more than a bunch of old men, wanna-be politicians, no less, that settled upon hiding behind a bunch of pomp and glitter. The girl, Jane, seemed to feed into it as she lacked any personality whatsoever or rather that she was thought herself to be far above the pair and that bestowing them a cordial greeting or any type of greeting would mean to inflect some type of respect.

Abby's eyes widen slightly as she's hit with the image of Chris solemnly shaking his head. It is a clear warning to not let her dislike of the Jane character to get to her.

Alright, I'll behave.

Abby is still adjusting to the fact that Chris can now read her mind. Fortunately, he didn't seem to always be paying attention to her or at least showed any signs of it. From what they had gathered, the original owner of the talent, Edward, was infamous for letting his emotions slip showing that he heard what someone had thought and even reacted upon them without anyone's express permission. Whether that was because Chris could better control this new talent like Isabella could her shield or just that Chris could understand it was best to keep a poker face it's hard to determine. She could simply ask him which was it and he'd probably give her a direct answer but as he's left her with her own thoughts, feelings and secrets so will she leave him with his.

The two exchange glances as Jane escorts them into a stainless steel elevator, the tiny compartment smelling of bleach and as Abby looks down she can't help but raise an eyebrow noticing tiny grates on the floor. The softly playing elevator music doesn't lessen the tension as they sink deeper and deeper into the ground. A feeling that one was sinking into the bowels of hell or their own grave is prevalent.

"I take it that sometimes someone can't wait for dinner to arrive?" Abby asks coldly, her ruby eyes fixed on Jane as Chris lets out an unnecessary sigh.

"Well aren't you just the observant one?" Jane asks turning to look at Abby over her shoulder. A cold smirk graces Jane's lips as she turns back to face the doors just as they open. Abby chokes down a growl noting Jane's refusal to answer but then again her response were more than adequate.

Jane's heels click on the stone floor as they walk into an open reception area, the lighting angled just so to add more emphasis on certain pieces of work such as a gargoyle or probably some long dead Saint. Red banners hang from the ceiling in the placement of tapestries that would seem more befitting for a castle. Off to the side is a huge circular desk that seems even more out of place with its dark wood paneling and a small, slender, dark-haired woman sitting behind the desk. At Jane's presence the woman stands up and greets them all with a deep bow, her eyes fixated on Abby, taking in her appearance and letting a small pout form on her ruby red lips. The woman definitely knew what they were and probably wanted to join the Volturri elite. Looking up at Chris, he shakes his head at her signaling that more than likely the woman would become a snack.

They continue on walking down the halls, voices and many footsteps echoing off of the walls as a few sharp clicks follow from a handful of digital cameras. There are multiple tour groups walking down amongst the catacombs of the cathedral, distinguished by the different colored flags and judging by the scents majority of the tour guides are simply mortals. It seemed that somehow the Volturri had started a tour group setup that allowed them to gather humans to feed the royal family and their guards. The realization fueling the stories that were told of the Volturri having no need to hunt for their food as it was delivered to them.

Pausing outside a huge set of double doors Abby steels her face and her emotions. She barely pays any attention to the intricate details carved into the doors depicting life during the early 1400s consisting of a collage of serfs working in the fields, monks praying and the construction of the cathedral while being led by three cloaked men. The doors open and the stone floor giving way to a smooth marble floor. The interior matches the marble flooring with huge pillars that seemed to be of the Corinthian order and the fact that she recalls such a mundane detail strikes a chord deep within her. While she entertained the idea of becoming a veterinarian someday it was Gabby's dream to be an architect. It wasn't unusual for Gabby to interrupt Abby's biology studies to share with her some unimpressive fact about the buildings in France, the bridges of Italy – Gabby would've loved this trip.

Just as quickly as the pain hits her, is it suppressed and buried underneath a ton of concrete and huge walls erected around it – buried away in a mausoleum.

The Volturri's hold is a stark contrast to the rest of the building that adds to the ostentatious display of the coven's taste. Its extravagance giving off a mixture of old and new world decorating ideas that clashed horrendously with the natural beauty of the above world of Volterra. The air is cold, stale and tastes of stale blood which leaves a horrible taste in the two visitors' mouths.

The Volturri themselves seem something out of a cheesy teen romance novel with the three heads sitting in what looks to be like dark mahogany seats, carved possibly centuries ago but not fitting in with the décor of the marble pillars. The whole place seemed to be a hodge-podge of varying art and clothing styles from various periods looking like early Renaissance meets Amish home meets IKEA and various other periods were mixed together and then vomited out. The Volturri heads were definitely governed by a taste based simply on impulse.

"Greetings my friends," The black haired vampire in the middle greets signifying himself as the real leader of the Volturri. "I am Aro and these are my brothers, Caius and Marcus." He states motioning respectively each man on either side of him.

Without any knowledge of how to act towards the, so-called, ruling coven of the vampire world Abby simply nods her head as Chris mirrors hers with a more deep and solemn bow of his head.

"I understand that you two have patiently awaited an audience with us and I'm very curious about what it is that you have to offer us." Chris and Abby exchange glances, both without using Chris's new talent already knowing that neither liked the tone he had used with them but it'd probably change with the information that they had to offer – as well as Chris's talents.

His stomach growls again more loudly as he sits quietly contemplating everything that has transpired since the last time he saw Leah Clearwater, the day he walked away from her without a second thought and she in turn did the same to him – neither looking back. Leah's absence had been a huge pill to swallow and no doubt it was something that everyone, the wolves at least, had avoided talking about at all costs. They were warriors, tied to the reservation, unable to leave. This was not something that any of them asked for but they were bound to fulfill their duties and stay to protect La Push. Sure it was probably inevitable that eventually he'd leave La Push to go into hiding with the Cullens to only pop up in some strange country where it was perpetually cloudy, the temperature slightly chillier and offered a large expanse of untouched forests that allowed plenty of hunting for the Cullens and plenty of room for him to stretch out his legs and claim a territory as his own. But it was a dream, a nightmare that haunted the back of his mind, a grim reminder as every new gray hair that appeared on Billy's head that he'd soon outlive not just his father but his sisters, his nieces and nephews, his friends, his brothers who had all imprinted on mortals.

Somehow Leah's departure had awakened him to the realization that what Fate had preordained for him and what he wanted and needed to do were two different things. How had his life veered so far off course? How could he, the great-grandson of Ephraim Black imprint on a vampire hybrid? A girl that was half his mortal enemy and most of all did the one thing that made the Cold Ones dangerous – drink blood. Their kind only came about to protect their people from the Cold Ones, they fulfilled their duties and then lived out the rest of their lives bringing up the next generations.

Running a hand through his hair Jacob lets out a long and frustrated sigh, his fingers tugging on the ends a bit more roughly then was necessary. Leah just seemed to embody chaos and discord. When she wasn't happy she always found a way to make sure that everyone else around her knew it and felt it. She had gotten better after the pack split, mellowed out and seemed perfectly – well, in light of her defecting from the pack or what was left of it, mildly seemed the more befitting word. She seemed mildly content with the way things were going and that was because she hadn't said otherwise.

Since when did Leah Clearwater stop telling people when she wasn't happy?

But her departure has brought about even more chaos. The pack now seeming somehow lost and uneven without her, it was as if they were missing a limb, knowing that it was no longer there but still experienced the phantom sensation that says it's still there. The imprints had seemed to be overcome with a rush of jealousy over the wolves' concern for their missing sister. Emily was understandable because Leah and Sam had a long history and for a while there was unfinished business between the pair that fed into Leah's anger towards Sam and Sam's desire to protect Leah from harm of any kind whether emotional or physical. Renesmee also because he and Leah were extremely close, their relationship just bordering on the line of seeming to be more than 'just friends'. The two at times shared a bed which never crossed that line of 'intimacy' but still spoke volumes to the kind of bond that the two possessed. Somehow, the idea that someone could be more important to the pack then their one imprint was the catalyst to the whole tension between imprint and wolf. It wasn't necessarily that Leah was the pack's interest but the fact that one of their own was gone – had left.

It could've been anyone that suddenly left unexpectedly and the whole pack would've been thrown off but for some reason because it was Leah meant it was something more. Seth had lost his sister, his biological sister, one of only two women in the world that have known him all of his life, that has seen him at his best, worst and everywhere in between. Embry lost a friend in Leah, the two having built a strong and close relationship with its foundation built upon the fact that neither should've been able to phase if life was the way it had been built up to be. Alex lost his aunt, Rachel her best friend, Sue her daughter and he – Jacob Black, well he felt as if he lost a part of himself.

Shaking his head, trying to rid it of those thoughts Jacob hears a growl and is unsure if it's coming from his chest or his stomach. Sue and Billy had explained to him that wherever Leah was she was preparing to do a spirit quest to get in touch with the spirit within. He doesn't know why or how but he just felt that he had to do this too and soon.

He just knew that something profound was going to happen but it was all dependent upon his timing. That this 'quest' would somehow set his feet on the right path, the path that he was always meant to follow but refused to because of his insecurities and feelings.

Feeling lethargic and weak Jacob's knees buckle under his weight and he drops to the forest floor. For the last two days he's been phasing in and out, running and pushing his body to this point – this final stage. Why take a bunch of herbs when not eating and phasing which burnt a whole lot of calories and left one feeling on the brink of near death and looking emaciated. How Leah could've held out on hunting and eating on raw flesh in her wolf form for so long Jacob will probably never know.

Leah.

His says her name, quietly to himself over and over again as he lies down on the ground staring up at the sky above him. It's like a sweet lullaby as he remembers the feel of her body pressed up against his, the way her breathe always tickled his ribs or his armpit since she always felt the need to snuggle as deeply into his side as she possibly could and he recalls watching her chew in her sleep.

Laying down Jacob lets his mind wander freely going from thoughts of Leah, to his pack, the rogue vampires, Bella, Renesmee and the Cullens. So many other things pass through his mind that he had locked away for many years now and slowly his mind is clearing itself of all the thoughts and feelings that usually occupy it.

His mind begins to slowly empty of its thoughts, worries and speculations. The breathing that has been deep, heavy and ragged with a hint of a perpetual growl begins to grow lighter, steadier and rhythmic. The broad shoulders that have become squared under the weight of his Alpha responsibilities and the frustration of life begin to relax, the weight slowly slipping away and beginning to look more carefree as his legs cross to sit Indian style, massive, calloused hands falling into his lap and his chin dropping just a little bit to give off the look that he is both relaxed and alert.

She's only fasted twice in her life prior to this moment and then it was part of a religious experience at church and the other was part of a cruel and unsuccessful crash diet to lose about five pounds to fit into a junior bride's maid dress for her cousin, Gail's, wedding back when she was sixteen. At the time she rewarded herself with fresh juice that was even more watered down then probably was necessary. She had grown irritable during the three day period and slept longer but it was still manageable – she was still manageable, in control on some level or other over her mind and body.

She had the 'religious' experience that the congregation had been searching for but because she was only a simple teenager and no one else seemed to have the same religious wave, experience or epiphany or whatever the adults had wanted to call it at the time she simply downplayed her own experience while silently praying to God to forgive her. The diet, although, not a religious or spiritual journey had also played some part in providing a sense of enlightenment which was 'starvation is for idiots' simply because not even birds were dumb enough to consciously choose to not eat.

But she was a different person then – physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, socially and spiritually. She was much more mature to handle any sort of revelations then she would've been at sixteen, eighteen and even twenty when all of the 'physical, emotional and spiritual' changes took place. It was the physical change that was making this whole experience much more trying. As a shifter burning off calories like a hummingbird but to the brink of death still made the whole event trying.

Leah had long forgone the attempt of phasing hoping that being in her wolf form and letting the wolf takeover would aid her in her journey. It only left her more open to the thoughts, feelings and nosing of her pack – John more so than anyone else. So she was forced to phase back to her human form which if hindsight was 20/20 would've made more sense because this was about her getting in touch with the spirit within – not the wolf and she couldn't do that if she gave herself up to the wolf, again. But the experiment had left her feeling more exhausted, fatigued and starved then when she had started.

So desperation and frustration had consumed her, the desire to hurry up 'commune' with her spirit, receive her 'enlightenment' and become 'one' with Nature, Self and whatever kind of bullshit that Nadie had spouted on about all with the final conclusion being that she'd race back home and John would have the biggest chicken and spinach casserole waiting for her.

Collapsing to the forest floor Leah can only let out a low but deep guttural growl and for a few minutes she's uncertain of whether or not it's from her chest or her stomach. Patience has never been her strong suit and had always been why she was better at nuking a meal then actually following step-by-step directions in preparing one. So she always tipped her imaginary hat to anyone and everyone that had the patience to sit and watch water boil.

But maybe that has been her problem, has always been her problem. She expected things too quickly or at least to fall into her own established timeframe. She expected the pain of Sam and Emily to just fade away quickly, that they'd sooner rather than later or never ride off into the sunset leaving her behind to then continue on with her life without worrying about their intrusion and watchful gaze. At the same time she never expected her mother to move on from her Daddy and on to Charlie Swan so quickly, Seth to bounce back from the sudden and unexpected death of their father and even more sudden and unexpected transformation.

The problem with the world was that it didn't make sense to her, things didn't play out as she'd like them to…but wasn't that just part of life? Had she somehow subconsciously held onto this childlike ideal that the world was supposed to be a certain way? A view that slowly and sadly changed from a world that was in chaos to simply becoming a world that she brought chaos to? A place where she simply fit into as nothing more than just a body? That everything happened not only just for a reason but as some sick and twisted punishment for a heinous crime that she had committed either in this life or next or would commit?

The world and life wasn't based upon a set of weights where everything had to balance out; where Bella received most of the good and Emily the rest while she was given the rest of the shit. Life wasn't about good always triumphing over evil, where the good guys always wear white, where love is eternal and after a rainstorm there's a rainbow.

It was all about perspective, wasn't it?

Bella was a small, fragile and insecure young girl who clung to the two people in her entire world that didn't mind her clinginess and in fact turned around and craved her attention and did anything for it. It was nothing more than Edward and Jacob's own conscious decision to still keep on being there for her as she played with their feelings whether wittingly or unwittingly. At one point, either one could've made a decision to just stop – just stop loving her foolishly and blindly, forced her to, actually, choose between the two of them, to let her make her own mistakes instead of cleaning and covering them up. But because of those decisions and coincidences things had played out to where Bella got the whole world on a silver platter. The only alternative would've simply been Swan probably would've drowned had Jacob not chased the red-haired vampire to the ocean and picked up Bella's scent by the cliffs thus ending the red-head's plans for revenge, saving more lives and life in La Push returning to some sense of normalcy – a life that still would've left her without Sam.

Emily was no different because if Leah hadn't invited Emily over then she and Sam wouldn't have met but then it would've been much further in Leah's relationship with Sam. They could've met on the night before her wedding during rehearsal only increasing the hurt and embarrassment tenfold and not to mention what it would've done to her own pride and rage. It was hard to look at it from that perspective as she wasn't a third party looking in but trapped behind the walls that Sam's imprinting had erected around her. She could've been happy that she was free, realized before it was too late what an inconsiderate bastard Sam Uley could be if you did not fit into his perfect little world because the two had had some serious arguments after the break up, after the phasing and even after the pack split which was simply pure, raw emotions but never brought about any closure to either one. Leah finally settling upon indifference towards Sam and Emily which finally convinced the pair that Leah was not only over Sam but the whole mess and finally relented in trying to include Leah into every facet of their lives.

So everything was about making a choice. Choices that could lead a person down a possibility of many different paths. But what was her path? She'd been on this journey of a young woman, a Clearwater, a wolf, a warrior, a Beta and so much more for so long but she still felt lost. She still didn't know who she was or what she wanted out of life. What could she get out of life?

These thoughts begin to slowly consume Leah's mind, the questioning and wondering slowly becoming a dull and soothing humming noise. During her deep speculation she'd turn over to her back, her eyes focused on nothing specific, legs carelessly crossed at the ankles and her hands folded and rested on her flat stomach. Her body's posture does not project the deep and often troubled thoughts in her head, giving them any justice but now as she begins to relax does it make sense, does it feel as if her body has known what to do from the beginning but has simply waited patiently for her brain to give up control, to let another part of her step up to the forefront.

Everything about the world around her begins to blur and swirl together, mixing into a stew of greens, blues, whites and browns. The sound of nature and her own body are added into the bowl, the more high pitched sounds such as the chirping of birds and the whistling of the wind in the trees are added in with the bright colors while the steady beating of her heart and the low decibel digging of some rodent underground or a fox digging after said rodent become dark earth tones that bring about an odd sense of peace that Leah can never recall experiencing before.

Time becomes irrelevant to Leah as time seems to speed up and slow down all at once, the bright color of the swirling world around begin to spin around and around, making her feel dizzy but in a good way, her head swimming before suddenly there's a bright flash of light, warmth and silence – a silence so thick it's suffocating, a sensation that she cannot fight and has no desire to fight as she succumbs to the darkness.

The world around her is brilliant, beautiful and awe-inspiring. There's a preternatural beauty about the place that transcends anything she's ever seen whether with her own eyes or even in pictures, paintings or postcards. The landscape itself inspires a sense of calm within her that she's been searching for since she first entered into the world naked, cold, and frightened and screaming her anger and outrage at the world.

Taking in a deep breath Leah feels her body slowly relaxing as the cool, crisp fresh air enter her lungs and travels throughout every hair follicle, nerve and vein inside of her body. It is refilling her with a vigor that far exceeds the exhilarating heady adrenaline rush that comes when caught up in the 'chase', the hunt after Cold Ones or a simple game of tag with her brothers. Spreading out her arms she falls back to the ground, the grass beneath her cushioning her fall as if it was made of hundreds upon thousands of goose down feathers. The sun's warmth kisses her skin lightly and gently like some long-lost lover, her skin greedily soaking up everything it has to offer and more.

There is no doubt in her mind that she could stay here – always, running around, exploring, lounging and enjoying the peace of this world. Sitting up she knows that would be counterproductive to her purpose, it would go against the reason for why she's here in the first place. Looking around she feels a hint of confusion slipping in like a thief in the night, the uncertainty of the situation begins to stir deep within her bringing about old feelings of fear, worry and worst of all insecurity. Closing her eyes she takes a few deep calming breathes, pushing the worrisome feelings away, throwing them in a deep and dark closet, the place where she hides everything that is a weakness within her, shows signs of vulnerability.

The moment the task is done she turns to hear a rustling in the bushes behind her. Slowly turning around she sees a pair of bright yellow eyes watching her closely, looking not only at her but within her and through her all the same time. Its eyes that she's seen before, staring back at her in the closet mirror when she first phased after the fight with Seth and every time she stopped to drink some water ever since.

There is no surprise or fright as the giant wolf steps out from the cover of the foliage. Her form massive and yet still sleek, lean and sublime. The coat is a silvery white mix with a splattering of dark grey along her spine, moving up to form a small cap at the top of her head that ends with two fine lines shooting straight for her eyes. Leah's eyes widen slightly as the wolf slowly pads towards her and stops, her broad chest stopping at Leah's eye level meaning that the wolf before her is much bigger than herself and larger than Jacob.

The wolf sniffs the top of Leah's head, her hot and heavy breath blowing the strands haphazardly, and its nose twitching against her scalp before her rough tongue flicks out sleeking back the hair. It's a gentle, soothing and motherly act that brings a smile to Leah's face and for a moment she entertains the idea of pushing the wolf away playfully to see if a game of wrestling would break out. Without preamble the she wolf snorts and walks away, looking back at Leah, her eyes beckoning the human to follow her.

The pair's journey is short-lived as the wolf suddenly stops making it seem to Leah as if the pair has gone nowhere – at least judging by the surroundings but Leah chooses to keep her opinions to herself – this one time. The two stand regarding one another; one waiting for the other to make a move or possibly say something while the other looks on silently as if waiting for the right opportunity to make a move.

Leah isn't sure how much time has transpired, her mind seeming to have drifted off for a moment as if she'd fallen asleep, as the wolf shakes out her fur and transforms into a woman. The copy of her wolf form did not surprise her but she cannot contain it seeing an exact copy of her. The woman is tall, much taller than Leah and for a moment she wonders if she is tall as Jacob, 6'7", her features are sharper and yet there's a softness in them that makes her clearly feminine. There's an intellect in her eyes that Leah knows she has never seen in her own eyes and can only think of Nadie and Old Quil having a look that is so close. The eyes seem to hold all of the answers and yet there's an innocence about them that says there is still much for her to learn, that as long as she lives, she'll never stop learning. While the eyes are sharp and fierce there is a genteelness in them that lets Leah know that she can trust the woman with all of her deepest, darkest secrets because she already knows them, has traveled down that road, can sympathize and emphasize with her.

"Why hello, Leah," The woman speaks with a warm smile spreading across her face. It's a look of someone who is seeing a long lost best friend for the first time in years, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Or would you prefer Lee," She questions with a smirk. "Or maybe Lily," Leah finds herself blushing as the woman waggles her eyebrows at her. "Eh, it doesn't matter what I call you or you me, does it now?" The woman asks and Leah quickly shakes her head, a small smile playing on her lips.

"It's funny getting to finally meet you like this." The woman continues on not letting Leah's silence deter her. "I mean I knew it was going to happen someday but I just didn't think it'd take this long."

"Were we supposed to have done this sooner?" Leah asks finally speaking up after the woman rolls her eyes at the time frame.

"Well…yea," She says matter-of-factly as if it was common knowledge. "But for some strange reason or other, maybe it's just the times, but your tribe didn't see the value in allowing you – any of you – in communing with your spirits."

"Is that what you are? My spirit – the wolf that resides inside me?" Leah asks quickly.

"Yes and no." She answers with a small frown, her lips tight and Leah can tell that she's annoyed that she was interrupted.

"Well what are you?" Leah asks not feeling the slight bit intimidated or guilty for the interruption.

"I am both your wolf and your spirit – at least in this form." She states, her arms spanning out to accentuate her body, the form to be more specific. "I am what you could and should be."

"An even bigger chick?" Leah deadpans, a frown playing on her lips as she takes in the tall Amazon woman before her. She was beautiful but she was too tall, her thighs much too thick and she probably had man hands.

No woman or man wants that.

"You humans are so superficial." The woman says with a deep sigh as she shakes her head. "And just for the record, I do not have man hands." Leah can't help the blush that spreads across her cheeks as the woman before her throws back her own thoughts and insult. "You won't become a massive giant that will frighten little children." Both women frown at the memory of the insult Paul had thrown at her during the first couple of weeks after her phase. Leah had always been tall for her age and felt relieved when the boys started hitting their growth spurts at about the eight to ninth grade and passed her up. It still was always an insecurity she harbored deep within her and phasing had then brought it all back to life only adding more and more insecurities on top of her already chaotic life.

"Besides, since you haven't noticed I'm really not that much taller than you. The only thing is that now you are nothing more than just a simple human. A mere woman whose inane instincts and survival instincts sees me as something more – something dangerous and to steer clear of."

"Many humans possess this ability but there are a few who, for some reason or other, lack the common sense to avoid danger. It's a disease that does more harm than good in the end for its host. Its likened to the rare condition called congenital analgesia which means," The woman began to explain seeing the confused expression upon Leah's face at the term, "that one is impervious to pain, the synapses within the nerves from communicating sensations to the brain."

The two stand looking at one another; one with a blank expression that slowly shifts to an ''oh c'mon' look while Leah stands in awe at what she's just heard.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Leah asks carefully with a small frown on her face.

"I really don't know a whole lot." The woman says with a simple shrug. "I know what you know and what you are meant to know. The disease you read in a book about a year ago. You just don't recall reading it – so it would seem. But, what I'm getting at is what you are in search of 'purpose'. Everything in life has a purpose and sometimes there are things that occur that go against that purpose."

"Like the disease that you mentioned," Leah whispers softly.

"Yes,"

"And…the instincts to recognize danger – that Bella lacked." The woman nods her head again. "But why bring her up?"

"Because of her lack of survival instincts it has caused a whole slew of problems – problems that have affected everyone and everything around her. Her presence and the continual desire of everyone around her to keep her alive have had more of a ripple effect than anyone could imagine. Her presence caused everyone to lose the control that they were intended to have."

"So she was supposed to die?" Leah breaks in, a low and weak growl rumbling from her throat.

"Hold on now, I didn't say that. Everyone's life has a purpose, what her purpose in life was, or is, I do not know and that is between her and her maker but it has greatly affected yours – ours – and our brothers." Leah sits down listening, feeling that all of her questions can wait as her spirit begins to delve deeper into what has spurred this on quest on – purpose and control.

"Chaos ensues when you, humans, go against what you are meant to do, what your intended purpose is in life. Your life and everyone else's has slipped into this chaos. Some have been better equipped to deal with it then others – you, however, were poorly equipped. Your self-centeredness blinded you,"

"My self-centeredness?" Leah screeches quickly jumping to her feet, cutting the spirit's talk short. She stands angered, her fists clenched tightly, and teeth grinding but there is something missing – lacking. There is no hot lava licking at her spine, the hairs on her body does not stand on end and the snarling wolf that has become a huge part of her life, her personality is absent.

"Calm down there, kid," The woman says with a dark smirk. "You forget already that I said you are a mere human now. You're not the spirit warrior here – I am. You do not possess inhuman strength that would make you a danger to those around you – I am. If you were to hit me and if I allowed it you'd break your hand." Leah's eyes widen as she looks down at her hands, the still tightly clenched fists that suddenly look so small and helpless to her eyes in comparison to the woman's relaxed hands across from her. "You misunderstood me – I'm not saying that you alone are self-centered but I do find it amusing that you are so arrogant to think that you're the only one who isn't or entitled to it. It's all part of human nature so quit denying it – accept it."

"But as I was saying you were so self-centered that you thought that you were the only one struggling with finding yourself within this change that came about. Sam struggled, Paul, Jared especially Jacob and Embry struggled. The difference in how you handled it in comparison to them. They engrossed themselves into the patrolling and imprints. You engrossed yourself into the pain of your loss – you focused on the negative. That negativity has only served to hurt you and not help you. Now they also handled your situation improperly never realizing that although the pack as a whole was important, it's only as strong as its weakest link. Emotionally you weren't ready to deal with the situation and had things gone according to its original plan, purpose and role your transition would've gone a lost more smoothly."

But that is something that will be addressed later when the time is right. This meeting is about your future and not the 'should've-could've-would'ves' of the past. Questions, everyone has them and this is your opportunity to get some answered. Now keep in mind that I'm not God or an all-knowing-omnipotent being. I'm simply a spirit – your spirit. I know you better than you know yourself – better than anyone you have met. I know the bright side of you and the dark side. I know your deepest, darkest fears and insecurities. Although you've not been fully aware of me I've been that warmth that held you tight when you felt so all alone and I've been that tune in your head that has brought a smile to your face. I am always with you and will never leave you. We are partners in this journey called Life. Your pain isn't yours alone – it's ours.

"So you are a part of me?" Leah questions slowly and carefully, her mind trying to wrap around the concept. The woman nods her head with an encouraging smile on her face. "And…what do I call you?" Leah asks in awe at the woman before her. This woman looks like her but there is something else about her – something more. Her presence commands respect while also comes off as being very approachable, she's amicable. Her posture and stance gives proves her physical strength and prowess while at the same time seeming so relaxed and at ease with not just her body but the whole world around her. But it's her eyes that really touch Leah, the eyes are her own but there is where the woman's true power resides. Her eyes that seem to pierce Leah straight through, that are currently dissecting her, tearing down all of her walls.

"You humans and your strange need to name, label and categorize things in your world." She says with a chuckle. "But you can just call me Willow."

"Willow? Like Willow Smith?" Leah watches as Willow's face falls, her eyes widening as her mouth hangs open fixing Leah with a shocked and incredulous look.

"No!" She growls out, recovering from her shock and standing back up to her full height, arms crossed tightly and eyes narrowing at Leah. Leah can't help but to swallow the lump in her throat seeing the all too familiar stance and cold, hard gaze that has led 'Willow' to begin accumulating an arsenal of insults to throw back at her. "It's a name given to me by someone special a long time ago." She explains, her voice caring a soft and sentimental tone to it. Leah raises an eyebrow noticing the woman's small and warm smile.

"Who was it?" Leah asks feeling curiosity get the better of her.

"That's not important." Willow states effectively changing the subject and impressing upon Leah that the matter was not to be brought up again. Leah can see how she earned the name as she fit it perfectly; she was tall, slender and there was an elegance about her that makes her beautiful. "There are more important questions besides that."

With the option to finally have her questions answered Leah can't help but feel a sense of trepidation over the matter. A slight fear over what the truth would mean for her and her future but as she looks up over at the woman beside her, the spirit that resides in her it begins to slowly ebb away. "What is my purpose?" Leah asks after taking a slow, deep and calming breathe.

"Your purpose is to be a protector, to fight against the Cold Ones that threaten mankind." The answer is so straightforward, simple and delivered so matter-of-factly that for a moment Leah sits mulling over the words, trying to find some deeper meaning behind them before irritation wells up inside of her.

That's what everyone else has been telling me since this shit started.

"It hasn't changed," Willow says with a small frown before turning attention to a long blade of grass by her index finger. "You are a warrior and your purpose is plainly clear unlike most others in the physical world. You should consider yourself lucky that your purpose is blatantly obvious because otherwise you'd realize it much, much too late in life."

"But…don't I serve any other purpose besides protecting La Push?" Leah pushes, her tone and connotation on 'other' hinting towards a subject matter that has been taboo for so long in her life that she's not even sure if verbally speaking it would bring about the same sting that it used to hold.

"I never said anything about La Push, specifically." Willow says choosing to ignore the bait. "Sometimes humans can be so narrow-minded, selfish and self-centered. The threat of Cold Ones doesn't just reside around Forks. Common sense, experience and shared knowledge with the Cullens prove that." Willow's nose begins to crinkle and her lip curl into a snarl as her eyes take on a far-off gaze. Leah sits patiently waiting for her to return to the present before feeling a cold, sickening and guilt-ridden feeling shoot up and down her spine.

Images of people crying out in pain, limbs being broken, frigid puncture marks embedding into her skin, a stinging, burning and yet freezing sensation flows throughout Leah's body making it feel like thick shards of ice were moving through her veins until there's nothing more than a gut wrenching pain of loss, regret and sadness.

"What was that?" Leah gasps coming out of the hallucination to see Willow staring back at her, both woman's face mirroring the shared experience.

"That was the pain and sufferings of the souls lost during what you all have called The Newborn War." Willow whispers as if speaking louder would only invite more pain.

"But – but we didn't know about it." Leah quickly explains, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, hugging her body and hands rubbings her biceps for warmth, security and closure.

"The signs were there if you all had just taken a moment to look beyond your own yards." Willow growls darkly. "It was in the newspapers and such a string of attacks warranted the investigation of those who were created to protect the innocent and helpless." The harsh accusatory tone in her voice makes Leah feel small and the earlier blanket of guilt begins to slowly envelope her. "But do not feel that you are totally at fault as the Cullens definitely had a hand in it." Leah looks up recalling how it was the Cullens that informed Jacob, Embry and Quil of the red-headed vampire's plans to amass an army all to kill Bella Swan. "The Cullens are not an innocent in the matter despite their well intentions and kindness towards your pack."

"So…I'm – that is, we, are not limited to protecting just La Push and our people but to everyone." Leah says going over what she's learned thus far. The simple fact opens up more questions into why hadn't they, why was it never mentioned before. In the end, it all comes back around to the primary factors: Sam and the Council.

"The world is a far stranger and open place then it was back during the last pack," Willow says, her voice taking on an almost wistful tone and a small smile playing on her face as if remembering old times. "Communication wasn't so immediate then and the skills needed to survive weren't as dependent upon a capitalist society as it is now. Back then they could still live off of the land and a high school diploma…well, didn't carry such a weight then as it does now." It's a simple fact that is only worthy of a simple shrug.

"So we are all equally guilty in The Newborn War." Leah says not liking the bitter taste agreeing with the statement leaves.

"You mustn't turn a blind eye to those in need." Willow says solemnly. "We are all brothers and sisters under the Creator and because of that simple bond we are responsible for one another's safety. Sure there are those that cannot be saved but those who can – must." Leah nods her head recognizing the words as another one of Harry's axioms about life.

"Why me?" Leah asks after the two sit in a companionable silence for a few minutes. Willow watching the sky go through its phases as Leah sits processing the information she's received. It's not that Willow was giving her anything new but there was just something about the whole situation and delivery that made it easier to accept and deal with in comparison to hearing it come from Sam Uley.

"Why you what?" Willow asks looking at Leah expectantly.

"Why did I phase? Why did I become a wolf out of all of the other girls on the Rez? Why a girl at all?" Leah queries as her voice picks up an octave giving sign of her desperation, the old panic and reminiscent pain of the questions.

"That's a tough one," Willow says honestly with a deep look of concentration on her face.

"Meaning, you don't know why?" Leah prompts.

"No, I know why but explaining it to you will be the tough one." Willow says with a sigh. "But to be truthful, the reason why those who did phase did is simply because it was what you all wanted." Leah's eyes widen at the declaration, her mind and emotions swirling in a pool of confusion, anger, pride, mild acceptance and majority of rejection.

"Say what?" Leah asks, her eyes narrowed and muscles tensed.

"You asked for this – everyone did in some way, shape or form." His voice is a deep baritone that commands power, respect, authority and submission. Jacob glares at the spirit version of himself, the back of his mind enviously admiring the strength and power in the muscles of the body that he'd grown accustomed to. His 'human' body feels weak, impotent and vulnerable in comparison to the spirit warrior's. Mentally doing a checklist, Jacob can slightly see the reasoning behind the answer given. In his human form, Jacob Black is tall but not exceptionally so, with a lean and lanky build that holds toned muscles without the bulk of a feral and supernatural strength. He doesn't strike an intimidating figure but it doesn't mean he isn't impressive.

Growing up, before the accident, Billy had always seemed huge to Jacob, his huge, calloused and russet-colored hands looking like a baseball glove. Billy worked out to bulk up and rumors continued to swirl that back in his younger days, he did some modeling to help pay the bills and feed a set of twins when jobs were tight. Jacob wanted to be just like his daddy, big, strong, powerful and respected.

"After the accident that killed Sarah and later the diabetes that affected Billy's legs, you wanted to have the power to protect your loved ones. You wanted to fight and not simply sit on the sidelines watching everyone around die or fall about before your eyes." His spirit, Tai, says with arms crossed.

"You've succeeded up until Bella Swan showed up," Jacob raises an eyebrow as Tai growls angrily and aggressively at Bella's name, a look of disgust crossing his otherwise handsome features. "You fought so hard to put her back together but it was a thankless scrimmage and losing battle. You couldn't save her from herself any more than you could've saved Harry from having his heart attack or Billy not taking his medicine. You can't win them all, Jacob, and because you refused to see this," Tai stops talking, his eyes softening for a moment before blinking the emotion away. "In order to protect everyone you were blessed with the gift of becoming a spirit warrior. Sarah always said 'be careful what you wish for'."

"Because you just might get it." Jacob finishes up as Tai smirks darkly at him. There's a cloud of cynical humor mixed with irony in the air that neither men feel like addressing at the moment.

"So…" Jacob begins wanting to sort things out right in his head.

"…you're saying that because as a kid I wanted to look out for the tribe that equated to me becoming a giant canine?" Leah grumbles out angrily.

"Basically," Willow says with a shrug. "Look, not just anyone can become a spirit warrior. It's take a lot of inner strength and a spirit already connected with the spirit realm on some level. Could there have been others? I don't know because it would mean being able to see into the soul of those around you – I can't do that." She says with a shake of her head. "But what I do know is that it proves that you are far stronger then you, Sue and even Harry ever thought possible. This isn't something that just anyone can pick up and carry with them right out of the gate. Sam couldn't do it and because of that your relationship suffered, his identity suffered." Leah's ears perk at the mention of Sam and his time as a warrior alone.

Sam had given each of them a glimpse into his psyche during the first couple weeks of his phase: the confusion, fear, anger, sadness, feeling of loneliness and the self-loathing hatred for what he had become but from there things became a bit…hazy.

"Sam didn't trust himself around you, he tried to bring everything back to how they were before he phased…but…it wasn't possible. Things had been set in motion that…that he shouldn't have tried to mess with. He tried to do too much and because of that he went against one of his primary purposes which started a domino effect within the pack."

"So…you're saying that Sam should've left me alone?" Leah asks with a small frown. Honestly, she can admit that years ago had she been given this knowledge at the time, during her first few weeks of her phase, it would hurt – cut like a knife but now that she's older, more mature and past the pain, anger and indifference of Sam it's just a mild tug. A sensation that is worthy of acknowledgment but is later accepted as simply muscles spasm as they release tension.

"He had other priorities and because he could not and refused to accept or acknowledge them it brought about an imbalance. Chaos is brought about by mankind going against the proper order of things. Chaos doesn't exist in nature and what man sees as chaos is simply an order that is too complex, profound and deep for man to wrap his mind around."

"To compensate for the chaos balance had to be restored which leads us into your other question after why you? Why imprint?" Leah's mouth falls open at the word spoken so freely and without bitterness from her own lips.

"Imprinting serves a purpose same as any other kind of emotion emoted by man." Tai states with a deep frown. Jacob can't help but wonder if every topic they were going to discuss was a sore spot for his spirit on some level or other. "Sam imprinted because he was more focused on Leah and making things right with her when he should've been focusing on protecting our territory and looking out for the others that would eventually join him."

"Jared was next and his focus wasn't on his duties."

"Paul," Willow continues on, "was not much different. He was always a bit…,"

"Of an ass?" Leah offers up with a smug smile.

"Pompous is what I was going to say but let's call a spade a spade." The two women smile at one another. "But he was also abusive of his talent. Sam had to alpha command him at every turn and that was not the intention of the alpha command. Its purpose was to keep in line challenging members of the alpha or Black family bloodline – to distinguish them amongst their brothers. Not to be thrown out at every obstacle as Sam used it."

"So Paul imprinted to help keep his mood in check?" Jacob supplies and Tai nods his head. "Quil was probably not that far off either," Jacob mumbles to himself, his thoughts traveling back to the day that Quil phased. He had been so excited about finally finding out the truth and looked more like a puppy then Seth and Leah did who sat silently trying to wrap their minds around everything that had transpired. Once he gained control Quil had begun to flirt and hit on every woman and girl on the Rez from Makah, La Push and even Forks. He had become a Casanova, in his eyes, overnight and was looking forward to reaping the benefits of what his newfound body was offering up to the fairer sex.

"Sam's alpha command had its limitations in that…well…there's just some things that just can't be easily suppressed." Tai says with a knowing smirk. "Remember when Paul phased in front of Bella?" Jacob nods his head once thinking back on that day when Bella finally found out the truth about him and what was going on in La Push. "Sam had used the alpha command but Paul's emotions of anger and disgust for her were too strong. He disclosed our tribe's secret to an outside, a pale face and lover of the Cold Ones. Quil was dancing on the same thin line thus making all them too much of a liability and in order to rein him in without breaking their spirits."

"They imprinted," Leah finishes up sitting down looking at her hands.

"And Jacob, why did he imprint?"

"Jacob imprinted simply out of necessity – protection." Willow whispers softly letting out a huff. "He was in a precarious situation – emotionally after Bella's heart stopped beating. He was devastated over the loss of her and the ideas and ideals he had built up around her. He didn't see any value in his own life and was gladly willing to die, to join her in death after killing the creature that brought about her death."

"You see…despite your grand idea of eternal love and no longer being able to live in a world where she wasn't, life always has another use for you. You hadn't fulfilled your purpose and could not let you die." Jacob looks up stunned as he plays over in his mind that fateful day – that moment that turned his whole world upside and cemented him to the ground. "Your role as alpha and chief had not been completed and so to keep you and the others, Leah and Seth, safe something drastic had to occur to prevent you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

Jacob looks up as Tai's eyes darken and he glowers at him, a look of disdain, disgust and self-loathing welling up inside of him.

"That drastic measure was letting the wolf take over and thus you imprinted on Renesmee."

"So you see imprinting has its own purpose – rhyme and reason behind it. Same as any other type of love, it bonds individuals together, creates a carefully constructed unit that serve a finite purpose. In a way, one does lose the right to choose their love but then again how many people actually get to choose who they fall in love with?" Leah can't hide the blush that spreads across her cheek as Willow gives her a warm, soft, loving and knowing smile.

"I didn't choose to fall in love with him…it just happened." Leah admits.

"But the main thing is that now you know imprinting isn't about babies." Leah looks up at Willow with huge bright eyes. There's hope in her words – not confidence or conviction but hope nonetheless.

"You don't know whether or not I'll be able to have children, do you?" Leah asks wanting to remove the dark cloud from over her. There was relief in knowing that she was non-imprint worthy because she missed out on her monthly menses – it gave her a bit of self-confidence and self-worth back.

"I don't know any more than some other random woman. As I said before I'm limited in my knowledge and truly only know what you know but on a deeper level." Willow offers up with a small smile. "Who's to say that when the time and the right man comes along that you won't? You'd have to go visit a doctor for that but I can say this – that just because you do not go through the usual ovulation as a normal female doesn't mean that you can't. You're not a normal female and because of that your body may handle things differently."

"Like gymnasts who don't have their periods because of all of their training." Leah says repeating some of Sue's own words.

"Yea, exactly, but we both know that you're not desperately in need of getting pregnant." Willow chuckles as Leah's face blanches and she quickly shakes her head. "So let's just cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime don't worry about something that may not even be an issue and a woman's worth is dependent upon more things than whether or not she can bear some guy children."

"Okay…so what about control?" Leah asks. "I feel as if ever since I phased that I have no control over my life. That I'm at the mercy of the wolf and all the responsibilities that comes with it."

"What don't you have control over?" Willow asks reclining back onto the grass, her long limbs stretching out and a groan of relief following afterwards. The question gives Leah need for pause as she begins to think over it. "Jacob let you build the patrolling schedule and since the attack John hasn't asked you to bother. Or maybe it's over college? You don't get to go to college and you've lost that control? No, you're in college now and…oh! Jacob said you couldn't go, right?" Willow looks on as Leah slowly shakes her head.

"I couldn't afford it and I wanted Seth to go more."

"Control and self-significance is something that all humans desire, Leah. When things seem out of control or out of your hands it isn't always because you can't do anything about it. Sometimes it requires you stopping, taking a second to assess the situation and realizing that things don't have to be this way. Your emotions were within your own control if you had taken a moment to reflect – granted you weren't given that as Sam and Emily jumped on the chance to be back in your life. But you are, for the most part, in control of you and your own choices in life. Some are made based upon an emotional outburst, a spontaneous whim but in the end you are still held accountable for yourself."

"Now you have put yourself in a far better position where you can focus on you and only you. I'd not waste if I was you." As Leah processes Willow's words there's a sense of a slowly rising epiphany and enlightenment. She can't help but feel a bit of resentment and disappointment within herself, the knowledge seeming so simple and obvious but in the end she knows that she's just being hard on herself. "So go out and see the world Leah, don't just settle for the first hot guy that comes along." Leah looks over at Willow who has now rolled over to her stomach; her feet pointed towards the sky and crisscrossed looking every bit of an older sister or best friend preparing to give her own loving advice. "I mean don't get me wrong, he is gorgeous as alphas tend to be, for some strange reason, but live your life some. What do you want to do with it? At the end of this journey what do you want to have accomplished?"

Leah sits quietly thinking over the question posed to her. Willow was right in that now she had the opportunity to live her life how she saw fit. There were still so many other questions that she had that needed to be answer. Willow didn't have all the answers no more than she did but somewhere out there someone did. Someone had to know if she was the only female shape shifter – ever, if she wasn't if she could have children and if the legends that she heard about all the other forms of skin walkers truly existed.

"You'll never find the answers by just staying in one place." Willow tacks on sitting up, her gaze focused elsewhere as seeing something off in the distance.

"So is this why the imprints are weakening?" Jacob asks with a small frown.

"The imprints now are beginning to contradict our primary purpose which is to protect the tribe." Tai answers with a sigh. "The imprinted wolves were meant to stop phasing and thus leaving room for a new generation of warriors to step up and take their spot. However, everyone still continued to phase as the Cullens never left." Jacob looks away feeling guilt and shame as Tai glares at him. The Cullens would've left the day Bella woke up had Jacob not intervened and brought Charlie into the mix.

"I don't completely blame you as it was a decision made simply to allow us to fulfill our primary purpose in life: to protect." Tai admits nodding his head. "But the primary reason for the weakening, outside of the contradiction, is that the need is evolving. We are no longer dealing with passing vampires. As you already witnessed these two leeches figured out that we have a limitation on our territory. Fortunately, they have not figured out why we're limited but it puts the tribe and Forks at risk. Also, with Leah gone it puts us at a major disadvantage speed-wise, Leah as the fastest and could've helped flanked them but she's not here so evolution requires a change in plans."

"I don't – that is I no longer feel as strongly about Renesmee as I did before." Jacob breathes out, his brow furrowing thinking how over the last six years his whole life has revolved around her and her happiness. There was nothing that he could or would deny her and a hint of guilt ripples up his spine recalling her battered and bruised face the last time he saw her.

"You'll still care about her." It's a statement that brings both worry and relief with it. "Everyone will still care about their imprints. The bonds shared and developed will change but never fade. I guess all love has a limit unless it's parental and I'm guessing that Renesmee pretty much danced on that line when she tried to send the leeches after Leah." Jacob's eyes narrow at the reminder of the moment Renesmee stopped being his Nessie. "But you're concerned about Rachel, Kim and Emily,"

"They have kids – a family,"

"Well…I don't know what will become of them but from what I can see it would seem that Rachel and Paul are in a better place. Maybe it's because they argue more." Tai can only shrug his shoulders not really understanding what the two had that the others lacked. Somehow the pair's relationship seemed more 'normal' in that they did disagree more, Paul stood up to Rachel more and Rachel, unlike Emily, didn't shy away from Paul's temper. Rachel had left Paul for a weekend having kidnapped Leah to then have the pair return forcing Jacob, Leah and Billy to sit back and watch the pair make amends amongst tears and whimpers.

"It will be a test of what they've built up over the years – it's up to them whether or not their relationship can stand the test of time. The blinders will be removed and the wolves will start to see their imprints for what they are. It's no longer rose-tinted lenses but the truth. Nobody's perfect and maybe it'll do everyone some good to see the dark side."

Jacob sits letting the words fill him up like a sieve, the liquid overflowing and spilling out as he tries to hold it all in and process everything. He's torn between feelings of guilt and relief, guilt that because of his own selfish desires that he has torn his pack apart, drawn a wedge between family, friends and loved ones. Relief that in the end, he does have control over his life and that he can choose not just who to love but how to love them, that he is still capable of making mistakes which was a simple part of being human.

He's never been a real spiritual or religious person, Billy having given up his faith the moment Sarah's heart stopped beating and the doctors' walked in to deliver the bad news to him and later his children and lobby full of family and friends. Sue still felt that Jacob and the twins had to go and took them regularly on Sunday mornings, piling them all into her car or the truck bed if the weather was nice. He recalled that Leah seemed to have some sort of spiritual enlightenment when the teens had to participate in a fast – he didn't but he now, suddenly, vaguely remembers the look upon her face when she achieved it. It wasn't just in her face but in her entire persona – aura – and for that short period of time Leah Clearwater seemed so much more than just the seventeen year old girl that she was.

"That was Leah getting in touch with her spirit, Willow," Tai says pulling Jacob from his thoughts. As Jacob looks up at him does he realize that wasn't his own memory but Tai's. There was a feeling of adoration for Leah at the time that was when he developed his crush for her.

"We are one and the same so we both want the same thing, right?" Jacob asks with a frown trying to understand how everything had spiraled out of control.

"For the most part but we've not been totally synched up since the death of our mother." Tai whispers and there's a sadness in his eyes that Jacob recognizes as his pain, his own pain, the pain that he has kept hidden away for the last five years. That pain had been passed on or carried by his spirit. "You lost your faith and thereby gave up your belief in spirits that severed our connection. You became solely dependent upon yourself and began living your own life. This isn't abnormal as hundreds upon tens of thousands of people do it every day. The difference being is that your spirit possessed the ability to awaken only when it was necessary. I'm not just a spirit but a natural defense mechanism – it's my job to protect you and unlike other spirits I'm not just limited to the spiritual realm of communicating to your heart and mind when you finally give up control but physically as well."

"Bella wasn't good for you and I tried to make you see that but you refused – refused to listen to me, Sam, Leah and your own common sense. You saw what she was doing to you – hurting you time and time again. But you were a glutton for it. You wanted to save her so badly and so desperately that no one else had the heart to try and stop you. Embry and Quil never said anything but Bella had become your Sarah." Jacob's eyes widen at Tai's words, the truth seeming to rush to the forefront of his mind and no longer sitting tucked away in a dark corner. "The only problem was that Bella never wanted to be saved. She didn't want to live and the more you held onto the belief that you could save someone who didn't want it the more it dragged you down."

"It's like they say you never want to try and pull a panicking drowning victim out of the water unless you're a trained professional – well, this was no different. You weren't prepared or even equipped to deal with Bella and she wound up pulling you under with her and because of that you took the rest of the pack with you as well."

"If I hadn't bothered then that'd mean that Leah would've been,"

"You're asking about fate." Tai interjects with a deep frown on his face. "The only things fated in this life are: you grow old, make stupid mistakes, make smart moves and then you die. I can't say whether or not Leah was meant to be ours or not. I know what I would like – love but…if there's anything I've learned from being in the physical realm is that nothing is ever fated but death. The chances of me coming to the physical world is that there are so many other factors at work here that the only thing that can be achieved is one's own purpose. That purpose changes from person-to-person. Ours is pretty much spelled out:"

"To be the chief of our tribe," Jacob supplies.

"For the most part but how you achieve that purpose is up to you." Tai can't help but smirk at Jacob as if knowing some secret.

"And Leah?"

"Leah's purpose, from what I know, is the same as the rest of us: to protect our people from the threat of Cold Ones. She's fulfilled that purpose, we all have but now we are being called to do it again."

"The Volturri,"

"That's right. Had things gone the way they were supposed to what a definite is that they never would've known of our presence."

"I've done this. I've brought this war down upon our tribe."

"The blame isn't yours alone because the Cullens also knew the risk that they were taking in accepting your help."

"It wouldn't have mattered. I still would've helped to protect Renesmee."

"Which comes back full circle to you and Bella," Tai grumbles before sitting down on the ground, his massive body causing the earth beneath Jacob to tremble. Ever since the two met Tai had been an imposing figure, looming over Jacob, exerting his dominance and control over him. It was humbling and a relief to see him finally let up, relinquishes his control and could only assume that the two had been battling for control for so long that he had somehow finally worked it out of his system or with Jacob's acceptance that they needed to work together was willing to put him on equal footing.

"Will I get to see Leah again?" Jacob asks after a couple minutes of silence. Ever since awakening to the fact that Leah wasn't there for him has done nothing more but have her constantly on his mind. For that entire year before and after his phase, Jacob Black had convinced himself that Bella Swan was his best friend when in actuality she never was. Friends reciprocate and help one another out, Bella had never offered Jacob any help, and all she had ever done was take-take-take. Even when she confronted Sam about his strange behavior it was only because she was affected and couldn't see Jacob anymore – not because she genuinely loved him.

Leah, much like the rest of the pack, had become his best friends. Leah was a bitch at the time and bitter but she still looked out for everyone else, stood up against Sam when she felt that something wasn't right towards the pack. She quietly and stubbornly kept her hurt and angst feelings over Sam and Emily to herself, her memories and desires slipping out at inappropriate moments same as everyone else. But she understood him and backed him up – she was a better friend to him than he was to her in the end and he wants to make it up to her. And maybe finally realize what was in his heart.

"That depends," Tai answers evasively.

"On what?"

"You, her,"

"Meaning?"

"You can tell her what is going on and you know that Leah will come back running." Jacob nods his head in agreement knowing for a fact that Leah would fly, run or hitchhike to get back to the Rez if she caught wind of any danger. "Or…you can wait and see if she comes back on her own."

"Meaning you don't know if she'll come back." Jacob says feeling his shoulders slump at the uncertainty of the matter.

"Leah has her own purpose now. I – I can feel it," Tai says giving Jacob a hopeful and expectant look that either he understand or can somehow sense the same thing.

"She's here too now, isn't she?" Jacob asks feeling the same pull that urged him to do his spirit quest right away. He feels a smile spread across his face as Tai nods his head, his face showing both a smile of happiness and worry. "Can – can I see her here?"

Leah sits staring up at the sky, the color forever changing from a natural sky blue to a purple and pink hue and even orange and red. It's a beauty that she feels the need to share with someone and the desire makes her miss her daddy, Jacob, Seth, the pack and even Sam.

"You have a visitor," Willow says quickly standing up and walking away. Before Leah can question her on whether or not this 'visitor' was because she was feeling homesick or something else – she's gone.

Looking around Leah feels her heart skip a beat as she looks over and sees a male figure standing at the far end of the meadow.

Leah looks amazed at the man standing before her. There is a hint of disappointment because she had hoped to see her father here, to hear him say that he has forgiven her for killing him – absolving her of her guilt and sin. Yet there is an even larger feeling of happiness and relief in seeing Jacob Black now after all of this time. He's shorter, hair is longer and his body no longer possesses the muscle mass that she's grown accustomed to associating with him and the status that comes with being the Alpha but there are still muscles. When he finally sees her, their eyes lock for a moment and she hopes her cheeks aren't flushing visibly enough for him to see. The moment his smile spreads across his face lighting up the entire area is when Leah feels the burst of excitement that propels her running towards Jacob, arms opened and a giggled 'Almighty Alpha' after.

There's always been something freeing and intimate about this greeting and now as she wraps her arms around his neck, crushing their bodies together does it feel even more profound. She is completely oblivious of Jacob's backpedaling as he tries to regain his footing but he chuckles anyway. Each bury their face in the other's neck, greedily inhaling a scent that is barely there in their more normal and human bodies.

"Hey, Beautiful Beta," Jacob greets warmly as Leah begins to roughly rub her cheek against his. It is a very lupine greeting that they are unable to shake and yet it feels appropriate as it is their wolf spirits that have brought them together.

Time passes so differently here and Jacob isn't sure if it's because he's finally with Leah, free of the imprint blinders and of the love he once held for Bella Swan or if it's the world around him. The two slip into a casual and comfortable conversation talking about anything and everything except about the pack and the imprints. It doesn't bother Jacob because whenever he and Leah did spend time in the past the last thing they ever talked about was the world that consumed their everyday lives.

He tries to fight back his jealousy as the conversation somehow shifts to the new life that Leah has carved out for herself, with a new pack she happened upon up in Canada. He frowns feeling his muscles tense and a low growl of anger rumble deep within every time Leah mentions John, the man's name falling from her lips like a prayer – like he was God's gift to the world – to her. It's the same, old familiar hatred that he once held for Edward Cullen but somehow it feels weaker, less intense and he's uncertain if it's because it's hard for him to hate someone he's never seen or known or maybe because John is a much safer suitor than Edward was.

He won't kill her.

Jacob can feel his anger boiling to the top but he fights to keep it in check – he doesn't want to ruin this moment that he has with Leah by suddenly becoming possessive, aggressive and angry. Experience has taught him that Leah will react in kind and will dish it out even worst then she received it.

"Can you talk about anything else besides this John?" Jacob growls silencing Leah. Letting out a heavy huff of air Jacob knows it's…ironic of him to complain considering how much time Leah has spent having to hear about everyone else's imprints and the moment she finds some boy to like he can't handle it. He can feel her eyes on him, burning through the wall he's put in place to help keep his jealousy and feelings of rejection at bay. Of course, she, of all people, would be able to see through the wall, the smoke and mirrors and he's not sure whether to feel relieved or hurt that she ignores the obvious answer.

"I suppose I deserve that." Leah says with a soft sigh. "All those times I've snapped at you and everyone else when they began to prattle on about their imprints." The analogy brings a small frown to Leah's face. John was far from being her imprint but she did like, cared about him, but she could see what her spirit was talking about. She had already become so emotionally attached to him and it was too soon. She hadn't left home to find a boyfriend but find out about herself, learn who she was, what she was meant to do and after she found her answers could she then seriously consider what she wanted in a…life partner, husband, mate?

"I don't feel about him like that – like you and the rest feel about your imprints." Leah suddenly feels the need to explain. She's pleasantly pleased with the growth she's made over the last few months spent away from La Push. The 'Old Leah' would've gone off on Jacob for getting snappy with her just because she was telling him about those in her life. It was nice to know that the short-tempered Leah had somewhat grown into a not-quite-so-short-tempered Leah. She wasn't even going to start lying to herself, trying to believe that she now had the patience of a saint because there had been a slight shiver of anger when Jacob interrupted her. Somehow, she just knew that now wasn't the time or place to unleash those emotions.

"Lee," Jacob breathes out pulling her closer. She can feel the warmth of his body, the steady and yet quickened pace of his heartbeat against her shoulder blade. Her own heart races feeling his warmth breathe caress the side of her neck and shoulder. Hormones and unrequited feelings of love slowly trying to betray her but she knows this is neither the time or place for that either. This was a place of peace, security and enlightenment and not…home.

"I know why you're here," Leah states resting her hand on top of Jacob's, his breath hitches and mentally he cheers for joy, his face burying into the back of Leah's neck. Its confirmation that the two know each other so well – she knows what he wants to say to her, how he feels about her just as he knows the same about her. "It's my chance to say good-bye."

Wait…what?

Leah looks back over her shoulder with sad eyes and a weak smile as Jacob pulls back from her as if he had been burnt. There's a friction building between them, a subtle warning that both are aware of, but uncertain about how to proceed, how the other will react. Things have changed; the individual experiencing a drastic growth without the other making them familiar strangers.

"I never got to say good-bye the first time." Leah says breaking the tense moment of silence between them. "I'd lie if I said that I regret not saying it…officially."

"Leah," Jacob growls out. A small part of him registers that he has emitted a low growl, a sign that he and his spirit have united again.

"I think it was for the best that I left the way I did, when I did. You wouldn't have let me leave."

"You're damn right I wouldn't have let you leave. To go where, Leah? Huh? To find some small measly pack of,"

"I found out that we're not alone, Jacob." Leah butts in her own wolf growling back at the challenge. They were no longer Alpha and Beta but two separate wolves, a man and a woman each in search of something. They were no longer on the same road or page in life. "Jake, we aren't alone in the world in the world." Leah repeats her eyes sparkling with the hope and dawning novelty of the concept. It was information that she hadn't shared with anyone from her old pack but it felt good to finally tell someone – to share it with Jacob.

"We were never alone, Lee," Jacob whispers out, his eyes searching Leah for some hint of an opening – a weakness in her stubborn resolve. "We've always had each other." A corner of his mouth lifts up in a small smile as Leah smiles warmly back up at him at his words.

"I was always alone, Jacob." Leah states standing up. "I need to do this Jacob and…for some strange reason…I don't feel…I don't feel as if I can do this without telling you."

It's an ironic situation the pair has found themselves in. Leah Clearwater never asked Jacob Black for permission. Even when he didn't want her in his pack, she didn't ask to stay – she reasoned with him. Told him she couldn't go back to following under Sam, that she was staying to look after her little brother and that she'd not get in his way – be less of a nuisance than Paul. It had been a decision he has never regretted.

Questions plague him as he looks down at the woman who has, truly, been his best friend. The woman, who has stood by his side, supported his decisions and challenged him to rethink them. Could he really just let her walk away from him? There was a possibility that once he let her go, that she'd never return. Billy's old muttered grumblings of 'give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile' suddenly seems a very real truth at the moment.

"Look, when I first phased, I – I was rooting for you and Bella." Leah says as Jacob slowly shakes his head. She can't help but chuckle at his surprised expression because she had the exact same one after her opinion changed. "I couldn't help but see and feel how much you loved Bella. She was everything to you and you were willing to fight for her – fight to have something with her. But then I saw what she was doing to you, how she treated you." Leah feels a heated shiver run up and down her spine followed with the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end and her muscles clench thinking back on how Bella Swan treated her friend. "She used you and took you for granted. I wanted you to let her go – to stop loving her because if you could do it then it meant that I could too. You were my big red hope."

The two share a small smile at the little joke and Jacob can't help but pull Leah towards him in a tight hug.

"I've supported you Jacob because I could see that you truly believed in every decision that you made. It's one of the things that I've always loved about you. So…please, just this once, support me in mine."

Jacob's chest clenches, his breathe hitching and his arms encircling around Leah tighter at her whispered request. It's such a simple request but as Leah wraps her arms around his waist, her face nuzzling into this chest he can't find the strength to give her what she wants. With eyes closed Jacob tries to find the courage to do what he knows is right, knows what he should do for the one pack mate that has suffered the most.

"Please, Jacob," Leah whispers out and Jacob feels tears begin to fall from his eyes as Leah's wet his chest.

"I can't Leah, I need you – I need you to come home." He pleads softly. He knows that they won't mean much since Leah has made up her mind but the spirit is gone, the wolf having left to allow the human side of him to deal with these emotions.

"No, you don't," Leah hiccups out holding onto him tighter, willing her tears to dry up while at the same time torn between the joy of knowing that her Alpha wants her, misses her and needs her in his life and the despair knowing that it's all just empty words. "You don't need me, you have Nessie – she's all that you'll ever need. I need to do this, Jacob," Leah pushes on not wanting to her Jacob's counterargument. "I don't know who I am."

He wants to tell her who she is, that she's Leah Clearwater, his Beta, his best friend and the strongest woman that he knows but he knows that won't be enough. Leah always hated being defined by the pack as a whole, having lost her identity when Sam ran away with Emily and she became consumed with pain, anger, betrayal, hatred, self-loathing and pity.

It's a tearful good-bye between the two, Jacob giving Leah his permission to go off on her own journey, to find an answer to any and every question she's had about herself since the day Harry died. Even as he comes back to the physical plane the tears are still falling thinking back on his decision and what it means for him. Promises were made: she to return to La Push and he will be there waiting for her.

It's one of the most unselfish decisions he's made in his life – since becoming a wolf. It's an epiphany that is just now hitting him as he looks around at the world around him; the colors seem even brighter and more resplendent than before. He feels taller and more powerful than when he broke away from Sam's pack all those years ago and he tries to remember if there was a possibility that is how he was supposed to have felt when he reunited the packs.

He'd passed on becoming Alpha of the pack because he didn't want the responsibilities and headache that came with the position. It would've meant not seeing Bella as often, setting an example for the others. Even the split from the pack was for his own selfish reason: to somehow convince Bella that he was worth more than Edward Cullen. Asking Sam's pack to help make a stand against the Volturri was to simply protect his imprint and even Leah. He didn't trust himself to be able to watch over her if it did come down to a fight with the Volturri and so put everyone else at risk. He knows that there would be some who would argue with him, telling him that he wasn't being selfish but he realizes now that it's just a part of human nature.

Standing up Jacob quickly dries his eyes a deep frown settling in upon his face as he tries to ignore the old, familiar pang of rejection. He has given Leah her freedom, the one thing that they've all held onto selfishly because if every boy in the pack had to suffer the loss of choice and freedom then so did the sole girl.

Jacob is uncertain about what the choice will hold for him the long run. It will require him to trust his pack more, to be more open to what they have to say and not blame them for something that he is just as guilty, it not more so, for. The imprint has been broken and the thought of telling Leah that had crossed his mind but at the end of the day it wouldn't answer any of the questions she had. Heading back towards La Push Jacob prays that Leah has a safe journey, that she finds the answers she's been looking for. They both have a road that they must travel alone and deep down inside he knows that their paths will cross again. He just hopes that her feelings for him haven't dwindled by then.

A/N: Alright so here goes the next update to Wake-up Call. Again I'm sorry that it's taken so long to get it out but I've been working on this off and on since October 5th, playing around with different ideas of how to have things go, where to proceed and what emotions to convey. So, I feel that Wake-up Call has finally hit it's peak so this is actually the last chapter. There will be an Epilogue that I have already written the first part for and hopefully can find my notes to polish it off. I cannot make any promises on my update schedule as there's Christmas shopping, work, preschooler sports and extra-curricular activities. I will also start studying for my GRE since I'm going back to school for a Masters in Developmental Psychology and for a Masters, here in the states, it means I need money to cover books and tuition - not to mention that depending upon the classes I'll either be moving to another city or partaking in a 3-hr commute.

I do want to say thanks to everyone for all the reviews and especially to those of you who happened to stumble upon stories considering how it's been months since I updated. You have no idea how excited I get whenever I get a random review. ^_^ So I've not forgotten about my stories and I am working on them but life and...honestly, Cityville and Castleville makes it hard to find the time. So you all work that magic that you do and I'll keep on trying to work my own.

Oh! Karma at work: I see a little boy get off the school bus doing the infamous 'pee-pee' dance shuffling down the street while shedding his backpack, winter coat, and button-up sweater. I chuckled so hard and even posted it on Facebook BUT what I neglected to mention was that karma tagged along and I wound up doing the same thing after getting caught in rush hour traffic for an hour. So...yea...don't laugh at that kid because it may turn around and happen to you. I can, BOLDLY, say that I at least made it to the porcelain throne. Hehehehe.