Chapter 6:

Sleeping was supposed to be a peaceful experience each night. However when you were cursed with sensitive hearing, a knock on the door was equivalent to a shotgun going off right next to your ear. Leah opened one eye towards the bright clock on her nightstand and groaned when she read 3:45 AM. Leah flinched when the knock sounded again and Jacob bolted up behind her cursing at the sound. They began watching a movie, but slowly drifted to sleep in each other's arms. Romantic if you didn't count the fact that she checked for drool when they moved from the couch upstairs to her bed. He squinted around him and ran his hand through his shabby hair trying to give him some idea of what was going on. He looked down at Leah who stared at him in confusion and then looked towards her door, when the annoying knock came again, with more insistence.

Jacob groaned and leaned forward to capture Leah's lips with his own, before pulling back and whispering to her he would be right back. Leah thought it very manly of him, so decided not to mention she should probably answer the door since it was her house. Instead she stood and waited at the bedroom door and watched Jacob walk down the stairs to the front door. Before he opened it, Leah growled, she could smell the sweet and woodsy sent melting together in a disgusting mixture of body odor. Jacob stopped before the threshold of the door when his wolf senses woke up and caught the same scent that caused Leah to come stomping down after him.

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Sam and Nessie were expecting anger. They were expecting an argument, even denial that they were together. What neither expected was when the scent behind the door faded. Sam narrowed his eyes at the door and knocked again screaming Leah's name. The Sound of their footsteps coming down the stairs was gone, the scents of both wolves had dissipated and Sam could have sworn he heard Leah giggling in the distance.

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Leah stifled the sound with her hand over her mouth, but couldn't help letting the small giggle escape. Jacob looked back at her and grinned. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the back door of the Clearwater house towards the woods.

"Sshh, they'll hear us escaping." He whispered to her.

Leah trotted after him with her hand still in his grasp, "I can't help it, Jake I feel like a kid playing hide and seek, like we have something to hide from them."

Leah smiled at Jacob's back waiting for his thoughts. When none came, she started thinking. Were they hiding something? Was he ashamed of her? Afraid to call her his girlfriend in front of his 'supposed' imprint and her ex-fiancé?

"Jacob?" Leah asked quietly while pulling in his hand causing him to stop.

He turned around and looked at her seeing the confusion in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking, and the sad thing was…she was right. He was afraid to see Nessie, afraid that he may fall at her feet and beg her forgivness for even thinking of another woman. He was afraid to look Sam in the eye, to explain to him that he wasn't going to hurt Leah like Sam did knowing that the doubt would shine in his eyes for the entire world to see. Jacob was afraid and Leah could see it written all over his face.

She pulled her hand out of his grasp. "I knew it."

Jacob came forward with his palms up in pleading. "Leah, please."

Leah turned and began stomping back to her house, which could still be seen in the distance. Jacob ran after trying to turn her around and give him a chance to explain, "Leah, I'm going to try-"

Leah turned angrily, "try what Jacob? Try to break the imprint? And what happens if you fail? I'm alone again! This is not some trial period, its real life! My life!"

Jacob tried to get out a word and failed when the tears began falling during her angry tirade. Leah upset was something to behold, if she was annoyed, it was cute. If Leah was angry, it was hot. But if she was sad and you were the reason, it was like a kick to the gut.

"Jacob, if you can't do this then go home now. Please." Leah pleaded with her head bowed in defeat, a silent tear falling to the dense forest ground.

"Leah, I just need time to think." He finally confessed.

Leah nodded and turned around to walk back home. A few feet to her back door Leah turned to find Jacob had disappeared in the forest, and it felt like at that moment he disappeared from her life.

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Jacob leaned his hot forehead against the cool refrigerator door. He pulled back and sighed, if his head could hurt it would probably be a migraine right now. So much time in the past couple of hours were spent with Leah, and now that she's not by his side, he almost felt empty. But he still couldn't deny the part of him that thought of Nessie. The question going through his mind was which pull was stronger?

Nessie was supposed to have been chosen by fate to be with him. And Leah was…well Leah was a choice, something he was gifted with very often of late. The feelings toward her are not only human but also animalistic. His wolf purrs at the thought of Leah next to him, but is silent when Nessie is in the room. Was it because Nessie was half vampire and therefore half his mortal enemy? But then why would he imprint on her? Was Leah so desirable because she was a wolf like himself, and they both being Alpha male and female meant to be life mates? Is that how that sort of thing worked?

Jacob shook his head, he didn't know what to do, or who to be with. He turned to walk into his room until a picture on the fridge caught his attention. It was of Nessie and him laughing on first beach without a care in the world. That was a moment before Nessie was old enough to understand the love she supposedly had for him, before life began moving faster and faster out of control, and before Leah said she loved him.

Jacob froze, Could it be that simple? The idea of him and Nessie in a perfect world was completely believable. They would have the perfect marriage, the perfect children, the perfect life. Yet all Jacob could think about at the idea, was how perfectly boring it would all be. Then he thought of the life with Leah, she would disagree and constantly argue with him. Jacob smiled, but making up would be sweet.

Leah would be difficult to deal with and annoying when she wants to be. She would yell demands rather than suggestions; she would throw her things in a fit of anger rather than sit and talk it out. And then Leah would smile at him during awkward moments to make him feel comfortable, she would brush his hair back from his face during quiet moments on the couch, she would grab onto the end of his shirt when she grew nervous or scared, but would deny it and assure she was fine. Leah would be like a hurricane coming into his life, quiet moments here and there and then sometimes the wind tearing everything apart only to leave behind something more beautiful.

A life with Leah would be far from the perfect one with Nessie.

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The next morning Jacob bounded down the steps of his home, towards the woods. Upon entering he could smell the sweet scent of Nessie nearby.

"Come on out Nes, I know you're here." He sighed placing a hand on his hip in slight irritation at being delayed from his errands.

Nessie stepped out from behind a large tree and smiled, her teeth perfectly straight, her hair perfectly cut, Nessie just looked perfect. Jacob wanted to grimace but was able to restrain himself. How could he feel this way towards his imprint? What did that mean for him and the other pack members?

"Hi Jake. I thought we could go to my house and play video games, I got the new X-box kinect for you!" She rattled on excitedly, oblivious to his growing irritation.

"Nessie, I thought you were giving me time to think?"

"I am, can't you think while you're with me?"

Jacob shook his head and looked to the floor, "It's okay Ness, I don't need any more time, I know what I want," Jacob looked up and into her worried golden eyes, "I know who I want."

"Jacob, my family and I leave in 1 day. Don't rush important decisions like this, I'll see you tonight." Nessie replied with a fake smile plastered to her porcelain face.

Before Jacob could explain, she was gone, not willing to listen to his recent epiphany. Jacob worked his way through the woods towards Leah's house. His excitement grew more and more at seeing her face. All he could think about was Leah, her smile, her smell, hell he even loved the way she walked. He especially approved of the way she breathed, her chest rising…rising…Jacob came out of his fantasy the moment the break in the woods was found and ran straight to her back door.

He politely knocked and waited, he knocked again and waited some more. Still there was no answer. Jacob frowned and moved to the front of the house to ring the doorbell, after a few minutes, the hair on the back of his neck stood up in warning. Reaching for the doorknob, he finds it unlocked and steps inside the dark house.

"Leah."

No answer.

"Hey, beautiful beta, where you at?"

Still no answer.

He walked up to the bedroom and opened her door after knocking softly and still receiving no answer. Her room looked the same from the day before, except for a small folded up piece of paper lying on her pillow. He's seen those letters before, usually written with a goodbye or I'll always love you kind of ending. He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the fragile link between him and Leah.

Dear Jacob,

If you're reading this…

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Sorry, but I can't read the letter just yet, if I do then the chapter is going to be too long, so I need to break it up into two parts. Please stop yelling at your computer, its not their fault.

Please be advised I will do my best to have the next chapter up asap. Love all of your reviews, they make me laugh and make me think. So please update! Reviews make the fanfiction world go round!

~Smo