WitFit Challenge, August 6, 2011

Word Prompt: Bleach. Rated T.

Seth! Shut up or get the hell out of my head!

But it's true, Leah, whether you like it or not. Whatever this… thing is between Mom and Charlie. Well... if things keep going the way they are, we'll have a lot more than Jacob's bond to the baby to make Bella family. She'll be bound to us as our sist-

STOP IT!

Even if Seth hadn't completed the thought, those very words would've been enough to drive Leah to phase in blind rage were she not already in wolf form.

Six weeks had come and gone since the battle that never was between the Cullens and their allies against those black-robed demons from Italy. Leah knew what it was to stare death in the face when she and the protectors of her tribe had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the golden-eyed "family." The stench of death had hung thick and sickly sweet in the frigid air that morning as she was hemmed in on every side by her own mortal enemies, not knowing who - if anyone - was going to make it out of that clearing alive when all was said and done. Every detail of that fateful morning was still vivid in her memory, making her skin crawl every time she remembered it, but even living through that wasn't as dreadful as thinking about the romance brewing between one of her father's best friends and her recently widowed mother.

To make things worse, this set-up had the potential of gaining Seth and Leah a step-sister, one who exceeded the bounds of all things twisted and wicked.

Oh, come on now, Leah. You could be really cruel sometimes, you know that? I thought by now you'd warmed up to Bel-

I told you, Seth, get out of my HEAD!

Leah ran ahead of him, faster, angry, heading further north in an effort to step away for breathing room, not wanting to end up saying something she'd regret later to her kid brother. She knew the only way to truly get him out of her head was to phase back, but she needed the run. She tried to tune him out, grateful when she picked up he'd finally stopped thinking about what upset her. Concern for his sister crowded out his earlier fascination over his mom and Charlie's not-so-subtle relationship.

Seth and Leah were supposed to be running patrol together, watching over the lands around La Push and the surrounding area consisting of the Cullens' property, on their guard even if the Cullens assured that all was well. In their world nothing was ever "all right," at least not to Leah. Not even if Jacob said things were better, no matter what that doormat Edward said about his precious Bella's power to "save the day." What a joke. And now Charlie and even her own mother wanted to sugar coat their existences with love and peace and unbreakable bonds. Leah was far too familiar with how those sweet nothings in the long run truly did amount to nothing, since they only caused others bitterness and resentment.

She thought back to her own love affair with Sam, and in spite of herself her mind's eye flashed back to a memory of the two of them during one of their more passionate moments. She'd felt Seth gag exaggeratedly at being an unwitting voyeur at her reminiscing, but instead of shutting the memory down the image morphed into one of her mom and Charlie sitting in front of the fireplace at their house. Leah remembered she was walking into the darkened living room one night, on her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. The back of the couch was facing the hallway where Leah stood in the shadow, having frozen suddenly at the sight in front of her: her mom, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape, head lolling back in pleasure with her arms around Charlie, whose face was buried in her mom's neck. Nausea and tears started welling their way up to the surface as Leah realized her mom and her late father's friend were necking on their living room couch.

What the HELL, Leah? Ewww!

If Seth was just pretending to gag before, well, now he really was about to retch.

Augggh! Bleach, damn it! I need brain bleach!

With a pause and a shudder, Leah phased back. She was far enough away to be left alone, and she was done with sweet memories tonight. They only made her sick.