Author's Note: I still haven't written up my thoughts about Leah's heritage and appearance. I think it would be too long for an AN tbh.
Unrelated; you know what I realised? I completed an entire degree waiting for 'Maps' to be updated. I graduated, did my HSC, started uni, finished uni… still in love with the Leaper ship, and re-reading aKindofGlory's amazing fic. Same deal with 'A Healing Process' by Zeurin. :( EVERYONE, QUICK CYBER-PRAYER CIRCLE FOR THOSE FICS TO BE UPDATED.
WOMB OF THE EARTH
I'd never sat in a meeting with the leeches before. Not out of my wolf form. Jacob would always relay what we needed to know via our shape-shifter telepathy. I knew I was only tolerating the scarred leech's effect now due to his manipulating power, and that I'd be annoyed as hell about it afterwards. Seth is more ebullient about the leeches and their abilities, so for all I knew, he didn't even need this 'assistance'.
Carlisle looked to Alice and said "Is there any other reason why Aro feels Leah would be a proficuous addition to his coven?" Alice shook her head.
"According to Edward, none of the Volturi are willing to risk their lives to come back here and destroy the shape-shifters. But based on what he heard in Caius' thoughts last December, Caius is uneasy about their existence. It's not local to Volterra so he isn't going to push Aro and Marcus to do anything about the wolves." Alice shared a look with Jacob now that I didn't understand. Jacob spent a lot of time here at the Cullens' house, and had formed friendships with basically every member of this pasty family.
Something occurred to me… This Volturi vampire wanted to stake (ha!) some claim on me, but how would he ever get to me? He had no way of spying on me or kidnapping me from under the noses of Jacob's pack or even Sam's. We'd smell the bloodsuckers on La Push land in an instant, and take them out. It seemed Seth was thinking the same thing because he interrupted Alice.
"Even if the Volturi wanted to capture Leah how could it be done? They can't come here undetected, and Leah isn't going to Italy." Seth looked to Jacob now. "Are you going to tell Sam and the Elders about this?"
Jacob sighed. "I think I'm going to have to. It's safer that way. I was thinking about that before too, about how they'd even get near Leah and can't think of any legitimate, plausible way they could pull it off."
"But the fact that Alice's visions are blocked is a warning sign to us," Carlisle said. His expression was grave. After his last face-to-face meeting with his ancient sicko pal Aro, he must not trust the Euro Leeches very much.
"Even so, Aro knows about Alice's ability," said Edward joining everyone in the kitchen again. "He knows that Alice can't see the wolves, or Renesmee in her visions too. I think he's planning to create a reason to travel to Washington again. Of course I can't know for sure now."
"Renesmee is sleeping?" Bella asked.
"Yes. I tucked her into my old bedroom," Edward answered. "She'll be hungry when she wakes up."
"Oh I'll make lunch for her," offered Esme, smiling for the first time.
"I'll help you, dear." Carlise kissed Esme on the cheek. "Edward, Jacob, I think maybe meeting with Sam is a good idea. Fill him in on the potential situation at hand."
"Yeah, they will need to be in the know just in case." Jacob nodded looking thoughtful.
"Emmett, Alice, and Jasper will come too if needed," said Edward, answering something Jacob had thought.
"Cool. We'll need to discuss strategies and more ideas will help us to be thorough." Jacob got up from his seat. "I'm going to head home and see my dad now. I'll call you, Carlisle okay? Once Sam tells me a time that's suitable to meet."
"Thank you, Jacob." Carlisle smiled gently at Jacob. I was annoyed. I thought there was going to be a lot to go over now, but suddenly the priority shifts to making lunch for a kid who is asleep. Whatever. I guess now I'll get to watch Sam and the other pack boys react to finding out an ancient vamp is endangering me and Seth from afar.
I follow Jacob out of the Cullens' kitchen. Seth and Jacob exchange goodbyes with Emmett, Alice and Jasper but I run to the forest without any pleasantries. The leech smell burns in my nostrils. Seth and Jacob aren't entirely desensitised to it but they spend more time in the Cullens' company than I do so it's not as bad for them.
I peeled off my dress and attached it to my leg with a leather cord. I focused on thinking of ways these faux-royal vampires might try to infiltrate the supernatural security of La Push. It wouldn't do for Seth and Jacob to hear my depression about my mum's pregnancy scare.
The forest becomes a blur as I run home on four strong legs.
When I got home I flopped onto the couch, debating whether to take a shower or make something to eat first. I decided to shower. I felt so gross. I could smell the sickeningly sweet stench of the Cullens that had permeated the fabric of my thin dress and my feet were dirty as well. There were a few leaves in my hair. Standard, after running through a forest as a big horse-sized magic dog. That's how life goes for me these days. I could get away with looking this unkempt now in Spring. The weather was a little bit warm. But the moment Autumn sweeps in, I'll no longer be able to look inconspicuous in a simple dress. None of the girls in La Push could go without wearing leggings or jeans or tights in the colder weather. None of the other girls in La Push ran a supernaturally high temperature either, not that it was an option to mention it.
In the shower my thoughts trickled back to my mum's pregnancy test. It was safe to think about it now. I really hate the shared pack mind. I got used to it slowly. It's just one of those things that even when you're adjusted… you just can't like it. Fuck the convenience of it, it's so invasive. It made me so uneasy to realise that if such a thing as mind-reading exists, maybe it's not even uncommon… All my pack brothers can do it while transformed, the leech Edward could read minds… Who the fuck even knew if other mind-readers were among us?! Other mind readers for sure. And I would never know. I'd be in their listening range, moping, like I am now about my lack of ability to procreate.
There are other ways to have children. It sucks to think that I might be a genetic dead end. This theory of mine isn't confirmed though. As the only female werewolf I have no others of my kind to compare biology with. My period didn't stop until after I phased, but up until then I got it fairly regularly. Maybe if I stop phasing it will return, but until I try it, I will have to live in Hypotheticalopolis (okay, that's a stupid imaginary city name but it's my imagination so whatever). I've always felt that adoption and foster care are really great things to do with kids of any ages. I can't help but feel inferior though as if the natural world was a conscious being that was deliberately preventing me from procreating and continuing to be a part of this planet in terms of bloodlines.
Aside from simply raising kids and having a family, I've always like the idea of someone who shared my looks. Half me, half the love of my life. Great. Now I've started to think about my lack of lovers. When I was in high school my first and most serious relationship had been with Sam, and look where that ended up. I don't really get many opportunities to meet guys or date nowadays with my pack responsibilities. Jacob knows I want to move away from La Push but although he won't ask me to stay, I know that he, Seth, and my mum still need me around for a while. Although my mum has gotten rather distracted with Charlie as of late. Not that she's inattentive to me and Seth or anything. She's just… in love again.
I turned off the hot water faucet and did a final rinse of the shampoo in my hair with just cold water. I got dried off and tugged on a soft, old t-shirt and some shorts and went down to the kitchen. In the fridge I found some leftover fried chicken but I felt like eating something heavier. I burn through calories like crazy. One of the aspects of being a supernatural freak that I quite vainly enjoy. But it comes with a downside too: being constantly hungry; we wolves have seriously insatiable appetites. Some days Seth and I will just open the fridge or pantry and basically inhale the contents. Mum hates having to do groceries so often but… she's not going to not feed her babies.
Babies. Fucking hell. I just kept circling back to this no matter what I tried to preoccupy myself with. A new distraction arrived, as Seth entered the kitchen.
"I'm starving, Leah. Can we order a pizza?" he asked, looking completely unworried about the news we'd gotten at the Cullens'.
Pizza sounded good actually. But no way would one be enough for the two of us. "Sure that sounds good. Let's get three family-sized ones. If there's any leftovers, mum will be able to have some too."
Seth walked over to the fridge and took the magnet off the pamphlet menu of La Push's best pizza place. "Is mum at home or is she with Charlie?"
"With Charlie I think. I haven't checked. I was thinking about stuff and had a shower," I said. Seth didn't look at all bothered by this. Seth really likes Charlie. The kid would probably be over-joyed if mum decided to get re-married so quickly. Then Bella and the vamp clan would be our step family. Our mortal enemies by natural instinct. Seth's faith in the Cullens' alternative lifestyle erased all his cautions about having a vampire as a step-sister. In addition to that, having an Alpha that was imprinted on a hybrid leech-human, also dimmed his barely existent aversion to vampires.
An hour later Seth and I were slumped on the couch surrounded by open pizza boxes. The complimentary bottle of Mountain Dew we had gotten for ordering three pizzas was empty already. We shovelled down large bites of meat lovers, barbeque chicken, and margherita pizza and talked about the news Alice had given us about the Volturi.
Like me, most of what Seth knew about the Volturi was through what Jacob had learnt. I kind of hoped that he might know a bit more than he did truth be told. My brother spends far too much time at the Cullens' whenever he hears Jacob's going to be there. I'm pretty sure he'd go over every other day without Jacob too.
"You know it doesn't make sense that they didn't tell us what they needed to earlier when we were over there," I said to Seth in between chewing. "Like… it's apparently so central to us, or so they suspect. No reason they couldn't tell us first and then just repeat it to Sam."
Seth considered this for a moment. "Maybe they weren't sure how to say it in front of me?"
I reflect on this. Hm... It was a pretty fucked up thing that the leeches had described about Aro. Hardly a comfortable topic to immerse yourself in with your baby brother. Although if being members of the same pack does anything, its blur boundaries. (Not that we enjoy it even if we tolerate it.)
I decided to change the subject. "That Volturi crew is so messed up. They're like the Mafia of the vampire underworld." Seth laughed at that.
"That's funny. I guess they are. You know since they basically act like rule makers and enforcers, but do it in such a hush hush way." He reached for another slice of margherita and plopped it on his plate. "And," Seth continued, stretching the word, "they basically recruit vampires with special talents to act like their thugs."
"Walking, talking, weapons." I actually thought that extra powers or not, all vampires were weapons. Weapons that could suck cities dry and ruin them. 'Vegetarian' vamps like the Cullens were not exactly populous, and even with the Cullens I had my reservations. Doesn't matter how much camaraderie is built between my brother, my mother, my Alpha and the leeches. I'll always be cautious.
Seth's mobile phone beeped with a message alert just then. He reached for it while taking a bite and looked at the screen. His mouth opened in surprise and the margherita he had just bit into fell onto his plate.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Seth didn't reply. "Is it mum?" He shook his head.
"No it's from Paul." Seth stuffed his mobile into the pocket of his shorts quickly and kept eating. He turned his body slightly away from me to face the TV that was turned off.
I may not have empathic abilities like the scarred leech Jasper, but from Seth's expression I could feel his discomfort. Seth would never have a calling in the acting business. He can't do a poker-face at all. Right now he actually looks like he's in a bit of pain.
"What did it say?" I asked him but Seth chewed his pizza slowly and didn't answer me. "Seth, what did Paul say? What's wrong?" I was worried a bit, but I felt more annoyed. I put down my slice of barbeque chicken and reached for Seth's pocket. Seth grabbed my wrist and tried to wiggle out of my reach. Both our plates fell onto the carpet in the scuffle. Fuck. Mum can't see pizza sauce on the carpet. I'll have to clean it pronto.
Seth stood up and I took another swipe, but failed to pick his pocket again. "Alright! Alright! I'll tell you." He sighed. Shit. If Seth was acting like Paul had news that would be unpleasant to me, more so than the kind of shit Paul usually says, then that was probably exactly it.
"Well..?" I prompted him when he didn't continue, because today was apparently 'lets-make-Leah-wait-a-while-before-we-say-ANYTHING' kind of day.
"Emily and Sam have moved up the date of their wedding. It's going to be in two weeks."
Oh. So soon. Even though I'd left Sam's pack and made it clear I didn't want to have any extraneous connection to him, I was still planning to be Emily's bridesmaid. Everyone knows this as well. Paul could have texted it to me. Asshole. Ironic thing is I'd be mad at him if he had for rubbing the news in my face. Now I get to be mad at Paul by assuming, that he assumed I'd be overwhelmed with sadness about the change in wedding date.
From the look on Seth's face I could tell there was more. I could feel his worry, and this time he told me without me having to ask.
"Emily is pregnant. Paul said the wedding has been moved up because Emily and Sam want to go on their honeymoon before the baby arrives."
I didn't say anything. I felt frozen. In my mind I was screaming.
Author's Note Continued: I know these ANs contribute to the word count shown in the fic's info but I can't help myself! :( I wish I could end my chapters in a deep, resonant or exciting/shocking way, and not have ANs, just to leave you all with the "WOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED THAT WAS GREATTTT" feels as if you were channeling Tom Haverford from Parks and Recreation.
Please, please leave a review. I get more alerts about people favouriting and following this fic, and I love that, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story so far! Feel free to point out any mistakes as well and I'll fix them up. :)
Sabrina xo | Thursday 23rd of July, 2015