It had been a long day, and Charlie was looking forward to having a late dinner with Sue and relaxing in front of the TV. "Dinner's in ten minutes, Charlie," Sue reported, smiling, as he walked into the kitchen and started to unbuckle his gun belt. Just then his two-way radio crackled to life.
"I hate to bother you, Charlie." It was Mike Youngblood's voice, barely audible over the sirens in the background. "There's a fire at the industrial park on the edge of the reservation, and it looks suspicious. They say the cleaning crew may have been inside, so I thought you'd want to know."
Charlie sighed as he re-buckled his belt. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Mike." He kissed Sue quickly. "You go ahead and eat, Sue. I have no idea when I'll be back. There's a fire at the industrial park, and it sounds like the fire department is already there."
Sue sighed. "Be careful, Charlie. I'll eat with Seth and I'll fix you a plate for when you get home." As Charlie walked out the door, Seth wandered in from the living room. He moved listlessly as he helped Sue set the table.
"Are you okay, honey?" Sue asked with real concern. He had dark circles under his eyes, and she knew he was still having nightmares.
He lowered his eyes, concentrating on his plate. "Maybe they're right, Mom. Maybe I am imagining things. I almost attacked a perfect stranger last night. But I just can't shake this feeling…" He shook his head and picked at his dinner, pushing his peas into a perfect circle surrounding his mashed potatoes.
Leah had been on edge all day. And now, here in the playground at Forks Elementary School, she detected the unmistakable scent of vampire. She wrinkled her nose, then froze as she saw the enormous shape approaching out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, if it isn't Leah Clearwater Black!" Emmett's voice boomed across the playground as he and Rosalie approached from the direction of the parking lot, and she had to smile when she saw his wide grin. Well, that explained the godawful vampire smell. Rosalie's smile was more tentative, but her face lit up when she saw Emmy on the swing.
Leah nodded permission to Rosalie, and she walked over to the swing and gave Emmy a push. "Hello, Emeline, my name is Rosalie. I'm a friend of your sister's," she said softly. She was rewarded with a wave and a shy smile. Emmett smiled wistfully at them over his shoulder before turning back to Leah.
"Thanks, Leah. You know how crazy Rose is over babies. Speaking of which, I gather this is Tommy." He lowered his voice when he realized that Tommy was sound asleep in his carriage. "Aren't you taking quite a chance having him outside?" he asked.
Leah laughed. "That mosquito netting is tougher than it looks. He can't get out of the carriage," she chuckled. "My mom made it, because she knew I was going stir crazy staying in the house all the time."
They chatted for a few minutes, and when the Cullens left Leah went to the swing to retrieve Emmy. As she lifted her from the baby swing, she sensed rather than heard a rushing of air from the direction of the baby carriage. At the same time her sensitive nose picked up a different vampire scent. Her throat closed in terror, and it was a moment before she could react. She turned and saw the netting thrown carelessly on the ground, and she knew she would find the carriage empty.
Fighting nausea, she held Emmy close to her and screamed "Emmett! Rosalie!" They were back at her side in seconds, and a glance at the carriage was all they needed to understand. Leah was hyperventilating, trying not to frighten Emmy.
Rosalie smiled at Emeline. "Is it okay if I take you back to your Mommy?" she asked pleasantly, her voice even. Leah's smile was grotesque as she nodded her approval. Emmy held her arms out to Rosalie and frowned slightly as she was scooped up in the cold arms, shielded by a baby blanket from Tommy's carriage. Leah managed to croak, "'S okay, Em" as she gave her a peck on the cheek, then turned to Rosalie. "Have Mom call Charlie, Rose." Emmett was sniffing the air and gesturing toward the nearby woods.
"You should phase if you want to keep up," he whispered to Leah. She ran with him to the edge of the woods and leaped into the brush, landing on all fours as shredded clothing fluttered to the ground where she had stood a moment before.
Emmett stopped, and Leah whined impatiently. "Leah, this is obviously Jane's handiwork. I recognize her scent. The Volturi have been fascinated with wolves ever since they found out about the Quileute shape shifters. This could be a trap for you."
Leah snapped at him and growled, and he understood perfectly. "Don't even try to talk me out of coming with you! She has my son!"
He turned smoothly in one fluid motion. "Let's go then."
Rosalie traveled as fast as she dared with Emmy. She didn't want to frighten her, but she wanted to get help to Emmett and Leah as quickly as possible. She sped to the Cullen house and left Emmy with Esme while she called Sue. Sue answered on the first ring. Rosalie filled her in quickly. "Leah asked me to tell Charlie. Is he home?"
Sue sank into a kitchen chair and shook her head. "He had a call from Mike Youngblood, something about a fire. I can't reach him. And Jacob is on patrol."
Rosalie's mouth set in a thin line. "I'll see what I can do, Sue. My husband is out there too. I'll get some reinforcements, and we can track Emmett by his scent. I'm sorry I couldn't bring Emeline home, but you know I can't be caught on the reservation. She's safe here with Esme until you can get here."
"Thanks, Rosalie," she whispered as she grabbed her keys and hurried out to the car. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
Jane was furious. She had anticipated Leah's reaction, and she had remained in the area to encourage Leah to follow her. She knew she had the upper hand as long as the baby was in her grip. Emmett Cullen was another matter entirely. Jane had no desire to tangle with him, though he posed no serious threat by himself. The combination of the two of them, however, might prove to be problematic.
Jane easily outdistanced them, carrying the baby in a backpack. Leah was fast for a wolf, but she could tell Emmett had to hang back so she could keep up. "Faster, Leah. She's getting away!" he urged as he sped along, his feet barely touching the forest floor. Leah fell to her knees, motioning with her nose for Emmett to go ahead. She hesitated only a moment, panting, and sped off after Emmett, following his scent now.
Emmett ran on tirelessly, and he could tell he was gaining on Jane. His legs were much longer, and he was unencumbered. Besides, Jane's scent was growing stronger and he could now smell the small wolf. As the trees flashed by, he could tell they were thinning and he would soon be out of the forest.
"That's far enough," Jane barked, her red eyes flashing as she stood on the shore of a large lake. "This is none of your concern, Emmett Cullen. If you don't want the power of the Volturi coming down on you and your family, I'd suggest you turn around and go back where you came from." She held the baby wolf in her arms, one hand clamped tightly around his neck.
Emmett growled and spoke in a low, menacing tone. "We're way past that possibility, Jane. If you set him down and walk away, you have a chance of surviving this encounter. If you harm a hair on his head, you're done."
Jane glared at him in disbelief. "How dare you threaten me!" She didn't raise her voice, but her lips curved in a smile as she continued. "Have you forgotten who I am?" Emmett roared as his body crashed to the ground, twitching in agony as she aimed the full force of her awful power at him.
Just at that moment, a grey blur flew out of the woods. Leah clamped her steely jaws on Jane while she was distracted by Emmett, and the small wolf slipped from her hands and stood, confused, as his mother tore at Jane's leg.
With one well-placed kick, Jane sent Leah flying into the edge of the water. She quickly swam to the shore, shaking the water from her fur as she made a beeline for Jane. Jane leveled her gaze on Leah and she fell like a stone, howling in pain and frustration.
Emmett was beginning to stir and got to his feet as Jane turned her attention back to him. He bellowed as the fresh pain overtook him, and he fell, helpless, to his knees.
Carlisle's voice rang out from the woods. "Jane!"
Her smile never faltered and her gaze never wavered from Emmett as she spoke softly, "This is not your fight, Carlisle. Leave us."
Rosalie appeared beside Jane and clamped her hands around the smaller vampire's neck. With one flick of her arm, Jane hurled Rose back into a sturdy oak, slicing it neatly in two with an earsplitting crack. Carlisle took advantage of the distraction and flew toward Tommy at vampire speed.
That was when the ancient vampire, who had survived so many battles for hundreds of years, made a rookie mistake. She single-mindedly dived for the pup, and Leah leaped onto her back, closing her jaws on Jane's neck.
Jane immediately realized her tactical error; she had turned her back on the real threat in her rush to catch Tommy. She bellowed and stood, trying to shake Leah off. The wolf hung on, tearing at her exposed neck as her claws raked across Jane's shoulders and tried to capture her arms.
Carlisle dived toward the melee, his shoulder connecting with Jane's legs and knocking her off her feet. She landed on her face, and Leah hung on.
As Jane's screams echoed across the lake, Leah viciously ripped her head from her shoulders. Emmett rose shakily to his feet and reached in his pocket for matches. The flames burned high and fiercely and the stench was overpowering, but it was over quickly.
Emmett pulled his shirt off over his head and laid it at Leah's feet so she could phase back while he and Carlisle chased Tommy, who was headed straight for the water. Emmett scooped him up, grinning as he cradled the little wolf in his huge arms. Tommy tentatively licked Emmett's arm, then shook his head and wiped his mouth with his paws. He started to sneeze and cough, and Emmett quickly held him out to Leah.
"Apparently, you don't taste very good," Carlisle observed drily.
Leah, covered from neck to knees by Emmett's oversized shirt, held out her arms for the baby. As soon as Tommy was in his mother's arms, he phased and snuggled under her chin, whimpering softly. She whispered soothingly to him as she rocked back and forth. She turned to the Cullens, her eyes bright with tears. "I don't know how to thank you," she choked.
Emmett smiled. "No thanks needed. I think we can agree the world is a better place without that little beast. Just remember, when the rest of them come looking for Jane, I want you on my side."
"I won't forget this," Leah whispered. "I need to get home now," she continued, "and talk to my brother. I think I owe him an apology."