Chapter 14

I was foolish to think that I could ever possess such beauty. I took each day that she lies still in her bed was a sign that she was leaving me for good. I watched as her body tried to adjust to the lethal venom in its system. At least I didn't have to hear her scream and look in her eyes as she suffered. Even though I was an infant when I turned my aunt I can still remember the horror in her eyes. Leah's changes mainly cosmetic, her skin was smoother but was nowhere near as soft as it was before. Her beautiful copper tone had paled slightly and her hair had grown out. She was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. It angered me to sit with her helpless. Each day I'd try to talk to her so that I stayed in her mind and so that she'd remember why she was fighting.

"Leah you are my imprint and by law that means you have to do anything within your power to make me happy. I just want you to live. That's what would make happy. I want you to wake up and be okay. I want to wrap my arms around you and hold you." I grabbed her hand and watched her faced hoping any movement. I wasn't sure that she was even alive in there. Maybe I was speaking to a hollow shell whose heart simply refused to stop beating. I'd run out of tears weeks ago. I felt like I was holding my breath without her. I constantly caught myself gasping for air as if I were drowning. I normally escaped to the forest when I felt this way, but the longer she was this way more convinced I was that she wasn't returning to me. I knew that I wanted to be with her as she breathed her last breath. I didn't want her to experience it alone.

"She's alive cognitively," Edward said as he stood by the door. He took a seat at the other side of Leah he glance at her and then afforded me a look of pity. "Would you like to know what she's dreaming?" I nodded. Normally, I wouldn't pry into the inner workings of her mind, but I just needed some form connect to her.

"She's dreaming of the two of you in the woods. She's painting and you're by her side. You're trying to sneak peeks at her painting and she won't let you. You chase her and … she lets you catch her. After that it becomes a bit x-rated. You know Leah." Edward smirked. "All her thoughts are of you." I couldn't help but feel comforted by his words. I try to visualize what the verbal picture he'd painted so that we could live in the dream together.

"Thank you Edward. You've be very kind to me." He nodded.

"I know what it's like to feel like you're going to lose the woman that means the world to you. When Bella, was pregnant with Nessie, I felt like I was doing a countdown until her death. Each time one of her bones broke or the baby caused her discomfort I cringed inside. I felt like I would have her blood on my hands just because I couldn't fight my stupid urges." He clenched his fist tightly. "If she'd died … you don't need to hear this now. I came in here to offer you hope. Her spirit still remains in her body. She's laying here thinking about you, just as you sit by here thinking her." As Edward spoke we both noticed her arm flinch. The IV that was connected to her right arms was being forced from her flesh, and now lay beside her. Edward took the needle and tried to put in back in place, but her skin would not be penetrated.

"Carlisle," Edward raised his tone slightly, but tried not to sound unnerved. Carlisle entered the room and looked IV. He attempted just as Edward did. The only thing he managed to do was bend the needle.

"Well, that's an interesting development. Her skin is as almost as hard as ours. If she is turning it is to be expected." He arched his eyebrow. "If she's turning then we should only have a couple days until the process is complete. Then your Leah will be with you forever." He smiled at me with hope in his eyes. I nodded in his direction. I highly doubted that Leah was changing. It didn't take a month for a human to change, maybe a week at best. I sighed as I toyed with her fingers. Maybe this just meant she was giving up. She didn't want to be kept alive with artificial sustenance. She wanted to die naturally. I tried to force the thought from my head, but the thought lingered and angered me.

"Don't leave me Leah … please." I whispered, I kissed her fingers and allowed my lips to linger. I hoped somewhere in her mind she could feel our connection. Edward and Carlisle said nothing. They eventually left me with her, I crawled into bed with her and rest my head on her chest. I gave myself the opportunity to be calmed by her slow steady heartbeat. I tried not to think about the fact that I may never hear the sound again, but I focused on how blessed I had been to ever lay witness to such an amazing sound.

"Nahuel, honey it's been six days. Don't you want to get up and change, maybe go hunt to keep your strength up?" Esme offered. I haven't known that the time flew by in such a way. It still felt like the first day I'd placed my head at her chest.

"I don't want to leave her." I murmured without moving.

"I know, but you're being a little selfish. The others would like to spend some time with her too." I glanced at Esme and noticed Ren beside her. I didn't care. I wasn't moving.

"She's free to sit beside us." I clenched Leah around her waist.

"Nahuel, Leah will never forgive me when she wakes and realizes that I let you carry on this way." Esme approached me and touched my shoulder.

"She's never going to wake up." I said bluntly. "Don't try to make me believe in a lie. I want to be here when she takes her last breaths. I will certainly not be moved for the likes of you."

"Leah, was my friend before she even met you! I just want to support her and … and say goodbye if need be." Ren ranted and whined.

"You can do all those things with me present. I will not miss one minute with her!" I hissed and so did she.

"Some of the things I want to say are personal, Nahuel!" She continued to blabber on. "What about Seth he deserves to be able to say goodbye!" She stomped her foot for emphasis. None of this had no effect whatsoever.

"Don't bring me into this." Seth was now standing by the doorframe. "I need to talk to Nahuel." I peered past the ladies in front of me and looked at Leah's brother whose eyes were red and tired. "Take a five minute walk with me. We won't go out of ear shot of Leah's heartbeat you have my word." I nodded and shifted off the bed.

"I'll be back my love." I whispered in her ear and kissed her forehead.

We barely made it into the forest when Seth stopped me. "Can you still hear it?' I nodded and he frowned. "It's really faint to me so we'll stop here." He sighed and took a seat. "I don't like you, but my sister, she loves you. I agree, if she were dying she'd want you by her side instead of any of us she'd want you. She's not vulnerable with anybody else. She's shown you her tears and her pain, which is something she never let me or my mother see." I nodded and was about to thank him when he continued. "It sucks that you've given up on her so easily. You vampires don't give our ability to heal ourselves much credit! Yes, I understand that your venom is supposed to be fatal to her blood stream. Unless you've bitten her I don't understand why you're worrying. You're venom did affect her, but I don't think that you've killed her. I mean this would have happened regardless. She's your imprint she's going to want to procreate, her body just need to adjust so that she'll be able to. That's my theory anyway. You should be sending her positive vibes instead of waiting for her last breath." Seth sighed.

"Leah and I will never reproduce. I won't allow myself to get that close. I won't allow anything close to what has happened to transpire again." I huffed and sat down. Seth looked awkwardly and then shook his head. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering if we were talking about the same Leah. The Leah that I grew up with was extremely aggressive in getting what she wanted. She wants you more that she wants her own life. As gross as this is to say, one way or the other, she will bed you Nahuel." He chuckled and I frowned.

"If she wakes up." I murmured.

"You mean when." Seth stood up and stretched. "I don't mean to leave you man but, I need to exercise my abilities." He ran out a ways and then a large thump shook the earth. I wasn't ready to go back either. I didn't know if I could be the as positive as Seth was about the situation. I wanted to be. I wished I could just walk back into the Cullen's house and Leah would be awake and she'd wrap her arms around me, but I knew better than to wish for such things. I was just thankful that I could still her heartbeat.

I finally mustered up enough resolve to head back home. With each step in her direction her scent was overwhelming. I went to open the door, I barely touched the door know when it was taken from me.

"Nahuel!" She expressed happily as she wrapped her arms around me. I'd never felt so happy and relieved. I gripped her tightly around her waist and exhaled into her shoulder. I picked her up and carried her to the couch. I sat there silently trying to think of what to say first. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she placed her hand at my heart. She sighed and closed her eyes. I wished she had kept them open, for months I'd been denied her beautiful eye contact. Not only that I was hypnotized by their new color. Her eyes were now such a light version of grey that it looked as if they shined like silver. I grabbed her hand that was cover my chest and toyed with her fingers.

"How could you do that? How could you risk the most important thing in my world for one kiss?" She pulled away from me a little and studied my face, then placed her head back on my shoulder. "I love you Leah, you must promise me to be more responsible with your actions." I kissed her forehead and smirked as her eyes smiled at me. I couldn't imagine being without such a beautiful face ever again. "Promise me!"

"I promise." She murmured. Somehow I knew I would still have to keep my Leah, in check.

Author's Note: I can't believe I'm still working within chapter 12 of Untitled and this is chapter 14 of this story. I felt like Nahuel would have a little more to say. Yet and still I can't wait to get to chapter 13 of Untitled from Nahuel's POV. We're almost there. As always please read and review (no flames). Also, if you could please visit my profile and take my poll I'd appreciate it.