Chapter 6 stupid quest

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer- this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute which, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Leah was not happy. This had to be the stupidest vision quest ever. All she was doing was wandering around in an endless forest she didn't recognize. She was a wolf for fuck's sake; she didn't get lost… ever.

This was ridiculous. She was inadequately dressed; just one of her usual t-shirt dresses. She couldn't even 'vision quest' herself decent clothes. A flowing green velvet gown with balloon sleeves; something appropriate for a dream. She snorted; that wasn't really her either, now was it? Maybe some jeans and a comfy pair of hiking boots? But no, she is wearing one of her functional dresses.

It seemed to be getting darker or else her sight was fading. It was dark and cold and she just wanted to sit down and cry. This was a stupid idea and now she was literally stuck in it.

She didn't know how to get out of this.

She sat on the ground and felt sorry for herself for a few minutes. Then she felt like someone had hugged her. She felt as if someone had held her to their chest. She sniffed; it was instinctive. It smelt like Jacob. It couldn't be Jacob; she must be able to smell his fur that she was clutching in her hand.

She looked at her hand. She uncurled her fingers and looked at her hand; her palm was empty.

Some small spark within her smouldered. She was Leah Fucking Clearwater. She did not give up over stupid things like this. Right? RIGHT?

She squared her shoulders. She stayed sitting on the ground, walking just got her more confused right now.

First off: what the fuck did she want from this 'quest'?

Answers? Help?

Okay that was obvious.

What were the questions?

That was the trickier bit.

The boys watched the movie and ate a major pile of popcorn and chips. Charles had tried to make them eat more healthy food but they argued their metabolisms protected them. Plus it was a pleasure and they were young.

Jake stared at the screen but took none of it in; his mind was elsewhere.

The movie finished and he sent them all off home to sleep in their own beds. They did have a tendency to hang together. He needed some space, too. He rang his Dad and checked in with him. They had installed a phone next to his bed as Jake's pack duties had gotten more time hungry. Jake filled him in on the Leah situation. Billy sounded serious, but confident that Jake could sort it out. He was okay and had put himself to bed. He said he would ask Sue to check in on him in the morning.

Jake rang off and wondered, not for the first time, what he would do with his Dad. He needed more full time care, but they just couldn't afford it. He needed to come up with some solution that would allow him to have more people around him, without booting the man out of his own home.

Jake sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked up at Bella's scrutiny. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He smiled at her, but it was a tiny smile, "Yeah…just tired… you know?" He was still lying on his back on the carpet and he patted the floor next to him, "You could join me?" he flirted.

"Nu-uh," she said, but she grinned at him. He tried the puppy dog eyes. She waved her finger at him in a no gesture.

But then Jake rocketed to his feet at a panicked call from Seth and ran to the bedroom.

"She's cold …she's really cold," he was seriously panicking now.

"Bath" said Bella. "Get her into a hot bath." She headed for the en-suite as Paul's head stuck in the door. The water started running.

"Problem?" asked Paul.

"Body temperature is dropping."

"Come on boys, move," Bella ordered. They all looked at each other. Leah had everyone so cowed, no one was game to touch her. "She will need to be unwrapped for a start." Bella looked at them all, then she rolled her eyes. "Jake help me, everyone else get out!"

"You too, Paul," as he tried to linger.

"Oh baby…"

"OUT!"

"This is my big chance…" he whined as she shut the door on him.

Jake had to smile at Paul's antics. He never did bed Leah; he had always seemed proud of that but maybe he thought he had missed out on something. He looked back at Leah.

"Come on Jake, not you too," said Bella.

"Oh I am so hoping she wakes up and smacks me. That would actually make me happy."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," sighed Bella. She was un-mummifying Leah as she spoke.

She was only wearing a pair of panties under the blanket; Charles must have stripped her to see if she had any bites or scratches. Jake scooped her up again and headed for the bathroom. Bella tested the water and Jake lowered her gently into it. They left her panties on. Jake kept his arm under her back to stop her face slipping into the water. Bella wet a towel and laid it across Leah's chest.

"It probably doesn't help, but it makes me feel better," she said.

"Funny, none of us usually care about being naked. But once Leah is around we all get self conscious. She doesn't think she is a woman and none of us can see her as anything else." He sat on the floor next to the bath.

Bella gave him a look as she perched on the edge of the bath.

"She gave up on bras a while ago, too expensive to keep tearing apart." He rolled his eyes at the look Bella gave him. "I'm human, I noticed. Same as us with shoes."

"What does she have clutched in her hand?" Bella asked. She pulled her fingers open and exposed a damp clump of reddish hair.

Jake recognized it. "It's my wolf hair. Charles said she had some 'totems' for the quest; some stones, an eagle feather and wolf hair. I don't know why she used my hair; I just assumed it was hers."

Bella looked worried. "Does she need it?"

"I don't know; guess if I stay with her she'll have me instead."

Bella smiled at him.

They kept her in the bath until her temperature went up a little. They had to keep topping up the water. Jake's back was aching from leaning over the tub, but he refused to let anyone else hold her. When she was stable, they dried her off. Even rubbing her with the towel didn't wake her.

He gingerly placed her back in the middle of the bed and covered her with the blankets and tucked her in. Her wet panties were hung in the bathroom to dry.

"Come and have something to eat," Bella tugged him out of the room. "Let Paul watch her now." He went with her; he was too tired to argue. His tiredness reached through to his bones. It wasn't a physical tiredness, more like an exhaustion of the spirit. He still didn't know what to do. Some Alpha he was if he couldn't even work out how to help a member of his own pack.

Bella almost pushed him into a kitchen chair. She got Paul to move into the room with Leah, he basically sleepwalked past them. It was the middle of the night, Jake couldn't blame him. The pack was like soldiers anyway; they took their sleep where they could find it. They could sleep on the ground in the forest with no trouble at all.

Bella made him oatmeal. It was hot and filled his stomach. He was almost sleepwalking himself by the time he finished it. Bella tugged him towards her bedroom. He started to protest, "Just to sleep," she told him. For all his flirting with Bella, he knew he was no longer welcome as her sexual partner.

He fell on top of the bed; Bella slid under the sheets. Jake could smell Paul's scent in the warm pillow. Bella slid her arms around him; he breathed out a big gust of air and he closed his eyes.

FF_2154210_ - 20/11/2010 12:38:00 PM