Disclaimer: I don't own most of these characters, they belong to Steph Meyer.

A/N: A special thanks to Mia. You're reviews are always so fun and thoughtful and to the rest of you who take the time to hit that little button and commet, I really, really appreciate it. Also, to my silent readers -you know who you are- a big thanks.

Chapter 20 Yet another Goodbye

DPOV

I hung up the phone with a thud, sighing wearily, Alice's words running through my mind. "Do me a favor, Demetri, send Leah to the meeting place. I won't be able to see any visions with her around."

I was in for a long drawn out argument. Leah had not wanted to come with us to Seattle, but liked the idea of Bella and Alyria anywhere near me even less apparently, because right now she was out on the balcony getting some "fresh air". Imprinting on me hadn't made her like me any better. She seemed unable to get past the whole vampire part despite the obvious attraction to the man in me. Oddly, I was perfectly content with having her by my side. Her being a wolf was incidental now.

A sly smile curled my lips as I remembered our first night here. She'd done nothing but bitch at everyone. Alyria was like a cat with a mouse. She toyed with her incessantly. The more worked up Leah, got the happier Alyria was.

Bella, on the other hand, couldn't wait for her flight to Italy. She'd rather face the strength of the Volturi than hang out with Leah, who admittedly, spent the bulk of the evening insulting her and shooting menacing glares at her. It had been a long, long night. But entertaining.

I tried to smooth things over, but that only seemed to incite her wrath, so I pretty much just stayed out of her way and let her spread her misery to all of us. I was absolutely falling in love with her, but she was…difficult.

Much to everyone's relief she called it a night and decided to sulk in her room, but not before ordering me to "stay the hell out of her room" which, of course, I didn't pay any attention to.

I couldn't. She'd been tossing and turning and muttering for an hour before I worked up the courage to enter her room. I pulled up the navy Queen Anne chair and placed my hand lightly on her head, stroking her hair softly. Her restless movements ceased and a small smile replaced her trademark frown and silenced her mutterings. It had to rank up there as one of the most perfect moments in my whole existence.

I watched the night chased away by the morning sun while holding her overheated body next to mine. Becoming drunk on her scent. Memorizing every line, angle, and plane of her face.

And now we needed to separate.

"Who was that?" Kattra asked curiously. Goodness knows I'd been standing there long enough motionless while I re-lived the last three days of our cohabitation. Bella and Christian had left two days ago much to Leah's delight and my displeasure. I knew a small part of me would always feel protective of Bella and her delivering herself into Aro's dangerous hands was worrying me to no end.

"Alice," I finally replied. I'd been so deep in thought that I'd forgotten about the bad news that I had to share with everyone. "I will fill you both in momentarily. First I need to discuss some things with Leah."

"Good luck with that, love," Alyria's warm voice trailed after me as I slowly walked to the balcony.
I took a deep steadying breath before I slid the balcony door open. Would you believe that I was a little intimidated by that small girl brooding in the twilight? "Leah?" I asked softly.

Her shoulders tensed, but she didn't look at me or acknowledge me in any way. The last light of the day sparkled against her raven hair and reflected prisms where is caressed my outstretched hand. "Can we talk for a minute?"

She bowed her head and shrugged.

"Alice had a vision," I began. It was driving me crazy that she wouldn't turn those deep chocolate eyes toward me. She still showed no sign that she'd even heard my words. "She saw Chelsea decide to bind me and the rest of the coven to Virat. They will be here later tomorrow."

Leah finally faced me, several emotions warring for supremacy across her dark face; her lips turned down in her all too familiar frown. "I thought they just wanted Bella?"

"Something's changed. My concern is that she saw us being bound to Virat not Aro." I shook my head. "We'll all know soon enough, I guess."

"You only mentioned yourself and those two," she motioned violently toward the sitting room. "What about me?" She whispered, her shoulders hunching slightly as though the thought of being left behind caused her physical pain.

Who knows? Maybe it did. My own chest felt as though it had been crushed by the most violent of forces as I thought about what I needed to ask of her.

"That is what I need to talk to you about," I said slowly, carefully choosing my words so that I didn't offend her. Talking to Leah was similar to walking through a minefield. "I am not sure if you are aware, but Alice cannot receive visions when the …wolves are …involved."

She brought her chin up defiantly. "I'm aware of that leeches limitations," she scowled not liking where this train of thought was leading, though I'm sure she wouldn't admit that.

I tried to repress the smile that threatened to expose my joy in that small fact. She could fight against her feelings for me as much as she wanted, but at the end of the day she was as drawn to me as a newborn to a human.

"I do not want Virat and his guards any where near you," I whispered as I took two slow steps forward as the last of the suns rays were swallowed by the thick blanket of darkness. "I need you to leave first thing in the morning. You have to meet up with Jacob and the others in the Carpathian Mountains." My words spilled out of my mouth in a rush.

She stared fixedly for a moment with an irritated expression etched into her lovely face. "Well, isn't that the best damn news I've heard all day?" She laughed but there was no humor in her cold, hard eyes. "Frankly, Demetri, I've had about all the vampire shit that I can take. This place reeks and it's damn near suffocating." She pushed past me roughly. "I'm gonna pack and I'll make flight arrangements. Who knows? Maybe I can get a flight out tonight?" She strode across the main room all but shoving Kattra aside and slammed her bedroom door closed violently.

I closed the balcony door gently before addressing Alyria and Kattra. "Chelsea will use her powers against us." I glanced sharply at Kattra's dainty heart-shaped face. "Can you shield all of us?"

She winked at me. "Of course."

I heard something slam against the wall. Alyria and Kattra continued staring at me as though my mate wasn't in the other room throwing a fit.

"Good. They'll be here sometime in the afternoon. Alice couldn't pin point the exact time. I must admit, I'm surprised that they've decided on this course of action. I thought for sure that they would pack up and leave for Italy as soon as they discovered Bella's agenda. This is unexpected and I have no idea what it means."

"Alice does not foresee violence?" Alyria asked as she pinned me with her smoldering gaze. I felt them burn across every inch of my body, felt me react, felt her feed on the little bit of lust she stirred within me, but the muffled sound of Leah's crying broke the spell.

I stood abruptly. "Do not do that again." I bit out between clenched teeth. I took a few hurried steps toward the door and paused. "No, they will offer us no violence."

I didn't bother to knock. She would have just told me to…well, you know. She does have a colorful way with words.

She was sitting on the floor against the far side of the bed hugging her knees tightly against her chest with her head bowed as her shoulders shook with her nearly silent tears.

I glided silently to her side and dropped to my knees, my arm curving around her. "Go away," she pleaded without looking up.

"Why are you crying, little one?"

"Don't call me that. And I'm not crying!" She hissed; face still hidden against her dark jeans.

"Leah," I breathed her name against her face, my lips barely brushing her high cheekbone. "What can I do to make this easier for you?"

She turned to face me, her head still resting against her knees, her eyes bright with glistening tears. "I smell your desire for her," she accused softly.

I felt my whole body become as motionless as a statue. I had not taken her extra sensitive senses into account when Alyria had played her little game with me so she could have a pick me up. We had to leave her blood donors behind. She was terrified that Virat would discover them and destroy them for knowing their secrets, so she told them to remain at the hotel for a week then catch a plane anywhere far away from Italy and Washington.

Surely Leah understood that I could no more control my body's reaction than she could control whether she imprinted on me or not. "She is a succubus, Leah. Do you understand what that means?" She stared blankly at me, but otherwise remained quiet. Quiet was good. Hopefully it would last, but I doubted it. "She can incite lust in anyone at any time and feed on it instead of blood. Poor Bella was so…how do you say? Freaked out by Alyria's special talent," I chortled at the memory of Bella's discomfort at being attracted to Alyria.

The anger that heated her face made it apparent that I should have kept Bella's name out of the whole explanation-hell, out of my vocabulary in general.

She threw my arm off of her and stood quite suddenly by the window glowering at me. "Get out now!"

When I made no move to obey she continued, "I'm not going to meet up with Jacob. I'm going to get on a plane that takes me far away from you and all this supernatural shit."

I stood slowly. Mustn't frighten her with my supernatural speed. I brushed the tears that had renewed their slow trickle down her furious face. "Leah," I sighed. "You cannot leave me." I kissed her tears away as I wrapped my arms around her slender waist and pulled her closer against me, her breasts pressed hard against my chest. The heat emanating from her felt divine against my frigid flesh. "No, there is no escape for either of us. You could no more leave me than the day could dawn without the sun. This is our path and we must walk it together." I brought my lips to hers inhaling her spicy scent as my tongue begged for entrance into her hot silky mouth. She didn't resist. Her plump lips moved hungrily against mine as a sob escaped and her hands came up to frame either side of my face, returning my kiss with just as much passion, desire, and need.

Hesitantly, she pulled away, pressing her back against the window as she relearned how to breathe. "I'm not sure I can leave," she mumbled, her face flushing light pink across her dark face as she admitted to both of us the strength of her feelings for me.

I sat on the edge of her bed providing her with the distance that she craved. "I do not wish for you to leave either, Leah, but Virat would take great pleasure in destroying you. You cannot be here when they arrive," I pleaded. My dead heart would have frozen at the thought of the tortures Virat would employ against her.

"What will he do to you?"

I shrugged. "I haven't a clue. Whatever his plan we can deal with it. Kattra will keep our minds and loyalty in tact and we will meet up with you as soon possible."

She stood in front of me with utter fear in her eyes. "I have to make arrangements," she stated pointedly.

"Can you not do so in my presence?" I asked a hint of laughter in my voice.

She shook her head a small smile on her swollen lips. "I have a hard time concentrating when you're in the room," she admitted.

"Sounds like something you should work on as we will be spending quite a long time together. If you are to ever get anything done you will have to overcome this obstacle," I chuckled.

She stepped around the bed, leaving a wide berth between us and reached into her bag for her phone.

I lay back against her bed watching her every move with complete interest. I loved how that little wisp of hair kept falling out of her braid and causing her to repeatedly brush it behind her ear, how she kept glancing at me in her mirror with no trace of a frown on her face, how every time our eyes met I heard her sweet pulse flutter and her breath catch.

"What ever you're thanking, forget about it," she chided as she flipped her phone close.

"I was simply thinking how comfortable this bed is. Not a bad way to spend a few hours," I remarked coyly.

"You're right. It is a wondrously comfy bed, too bad you will not be enjoying it."

I grinned. Leah joking and smiling, surely the world was going to end. "There are other wondrous places I wouldn't mind enjoying," I said as I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.

She flung her bag at me. "Maybe I'll have to transform into a wolf to get some sleep tonight," she muttered as she turned around to gather up the rest of her belongings. She glanced back. "My flight leaves at six thirty in the morning. Is that early enough for you?"

I nodded, a frown chasing away the joy from our lite banter. "Too early," I mumbled.