And here's the final chapter of my story. Thanks so much for reading this. Special thanks to my constant reviewers, like J'sClearwater, Clearwater'sAnn, emmettsmyfave, I Am Switzerland101, and MintCccIceCream, just to name a few. I couldn't have finished this story without the reviews and encouragement that I get from my readers. Enjoy this final chapter!

Leah's POV

Chapter 24

A week after the incident with the pack, I was still unprepared to leave and go to another country.

Somehow, using his whole "I'm the favorite Alpha" thing he has going on, Sam convinced the elders to give Vinnie another week to leave. When I asked him why he had done that, he said he felt like he owed me something.

"You don't owe me anything, Sam," I said, a little angrily. I didn't like people who felt like they were in my debt.

"So you want me to tell them to change their mind?" he asked me, already knowing the answer to that question.

I returned to my mom's house the day before, staying with her one last night. We had a somewhat tearful reunion. I had hurt her with leaving without a word, and she had believed it was her fault originally.

We spent the night in her room, having a little girly night in watching some movie she liked on her T.V. while I sat close to her on her bed. It was something we used to do when I was little. My dad would go out fishing, and when he took Seth with him, my mom and I would have a girl's day. It was something we hadn't done since I was in the sixth grade, but I think it just made that night even more special to me.

"I'm going to leave with him, Mom," I told her quietly in the middle of the movie.

She sighed and hugged me to her body, stroking my hair with the care and affection that only a mother could. "I was afraid you would say that."

"He imprinted on me. I have to go with him."

"You are in no way obligated to anything for him. You can stay here if you wish to do so."

"No, I can't, even if I wanted to."

"You can make your own decisions. You can stay here."

I pulled away from her and looked at her. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a twenty year old grown woman. I do make my own decisions, and I've decided to go with my soulmate to Mexico because I love him and can't live without him."

"I know that you're a grown woman, Leah, but you'll always be my little girl," she said quietly, a tear escaping her eye.

I knew that she was hurt by my decision, but I couldn't fully explain to her the importance of me leaving with Vinnie.

"What would you do, Mom?" I had asked her. "What if there's only one way to be with someone you loved more than anything?"

"I love my children more than anything." She held a hand to my face as another tear escaped her eye.

I knew she could never understand what he was to me, but I couldn't blame her for that. She did love us dearly, but I had no children; only my soulmate who I could not live without.

"I need him," I said to her, hoping that she would try and comprehend it somehow. "I want to be with him more than anything. He's it, Mom."

She sighed. I think we both knew I was too stubborn to actually even consider rethinking my decision.

After that night, I stuffed any clothes I could into my bag. It wasn't much, seeing as how before Vinnie had came I couldn't have cared less about wearing anything other than some holey jeans and old tee shirts, but it would have to do.

As I picked up a shoe off the ground, I saw a shard of glass that was on the ground. Before I could blame it on Seth coming into my room, I saw wilted flowers on the ground, covered in more glass.

Oh, I thought to myself. I did this.

I had completely forgotten that in my furry the day Vinnie told me he was a wolf, I had thrown the flowers he had so thoughtfully given to me into my bedroom wall.

It was kind of weird how far we came, now that I thought about it. Well, how far I've come. I knew I he hadn't come back to La Push all that long ago –a little less than a month –but he still had irreversibly changed my life. There was absolutely no denying that.

In less than a month, I had gone from being a woman who could not even think about dating someone to actually falling in love and getting imprinted on.

That was a little much.

As soon as I finished packing everything in a backpack, I went downstairs where Seth and my mom were waiting in the living room for me.

"Do you have everything?" my mom asked me.

"Yes."

"And you have your passport?"

I sighed. "Yes, mother, I have my passport." I knew she was my mother, but she could trust me that if I was driving with someone to Mexico, I had the decency to remember my stupid passport.

"Just making sure, honey." She came over and hugged me tightly. "You'll call me, right?" she said quietly.

"Yeah, I will."

She pulled away from me. "You be safe, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm a werewolf in case you forgot, not some weak girl that's leaving the nest."

"I know that." She laid a hand on my cheek. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you, too, Mom."

She pulled away, and Seth engulfed me in a huge hug, pulling me off the ground with the strength of it. It was times like these that I hated that my little brother was so much taller than me.

"You're killing me over here, Seth," I said. Of course, it didn't really feel that uncomfortable as much as it was just annoying.

He set me down. "Be good sis," he said simply.

"Will do." And with that, I left the house.

I knew that there was a stop before I left completely, and I took my car and drove over to the Cullen's house. I knew it would've just been quicker to just phase and run over there, but I didn't feel the need to.

I quickly arrived at the Cullen mansion in record time. I hadn't realized I had been driving that fast. Pulling into the driveway, I could see that Vinnie's truck was there.

I got out of my truck and went to the front door, not bothering to knock anymore. I had practically called that place home for over a week, so I didn't really feel obligated to. It wasn't like they actually locked the front doors or anything anyways.

When I walked in the living room, I saw that Nessie and Jake were there watching something on the television.

They both looked over to me when I entered the room, and Nessie's eyes suddenly looked urgently up to mine. She climbed off the couch and ran over to me, the grace definitely coming from her dad's side of the family.

"Do you really have to leave?" she asked me.

"Ness," Jake said exasperated. He got up and walked over to us. "We talked about this already, honey."

She looked down at her feet in shame. "I know."

I squatted so that I could look at her eye level. "If it means anything, I'm gonna miss you, too." And it was true. I had no idea that I would become close to some odd half vampire half human creature that my best friend imprinted on. I wasn't sure when the change occurred, although I knew it was since I had ran away from home and sought refuge here.

"Can I…" She looked up at me as her eyes puffed up with tears. "Can I show you something?"

I knew what she talking about. She hadn't showed me anything with her thoughts since the first time when Jake insisted that she show me, saying it was the coolest thing in the world.

I didn't agree.

But, if it was just once… "Okay," I sighed.

She smiled excitedly, and gently put her warm hand onto my cheek.

Suddenly I wasn't in the Cullen's living room. I was outside, looking at myself from Nessie's perspective. We were outside talking, drinking lemonade. Another flash and I was in the living room again, but this time, watching a Disney movie with her as we laughed together. And then I was in the room I called home upstairs with her, painting her toenails. We had done this a couple of days ago, mostly because she saw a girl on TV do it and insisted that I show her how, since her aunts and mother insisted she was too young to do it.

There was one universal phrase to the whole thing she showed me:

Big sister.

I felt her hand leave me, and I was back in the living room, staring down at her. She looked up at me, trying to figure out how I felt about the whole thing.

I smiled. "You're the best little sis, Nessie."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around me, holding onto me tightly. She let go and went back to the couch, watching the television.

I stood up straight and looked up to Jacob, who was still next to me. "Thanks for letting her do that," he said gratefully. "It means a lot to her."

I nodded. "I know. It was true, all the same."

He laughed. "Who knew my beta and my imprint would care about each other so much?"

I shrugged. "Weirder things have happened."

I could hear someone coming down the stairs, and when I went to the staircase, I saw Esme coming down, along with Alice, who had a large suitcase with her.

I eyed her curiously. "We're not making a stop in Cabo, if that's why you seem to be going."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "These aren't mine. They're for you."

I was taken aback. "Me?"

"Yes. I went shopping for you. And I'll have you know that I didn't even touch them. I ordered them online and the packages are stuffed in here unopened, no vampire stench that you guys insist we have."

That was pretty nice. "But-"

"I think you should just take it, Leah," Esme laughed. "Alice is very determined for you to have these."

"I'm sure Vincent will appreciate some of them to," Alice said suggestively.

"Okay, now I'll definitely have to keep them," I chuckled. I took the suitcase into my hand.

"And this is from me," Esme said handing me something.

A credit card.

A black American Express.

With my name on it.

"God, I'm not a charity case, people," I sighed.

"It's a gift. You know as well as I do that you cannot sufficiently pay for a road trip to Mexico on your trust fund. We don't very well need all the money we have."

"But-"

"You should take it, Leah. Esme is very determined for you to have that," Alice laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, thanks, I guess."

"It's no problem," Esme smiled.

Another person came down the stairs, and at the sight of me, he hurried even quicker to step in front of me. Esme and Alice moved out of the way as he did.

"Hi," he said simply.

Funny how after about a hundred greetings, they still managed to have a fluttering affect on me. "Hi, Vinnie."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss my lips quickly; too quickly for my taste, but I guess we were in public.

"You ready?" he asked me.

I simply nodded.

We walked, suitcases in tow, out the door. He tried to take my stuff away from me so that he could carry it for me to his truck, but it was no use.

"I bet I can carry more than you," I teased him.

"Oh, I'm sure that's very true, Leah," he laughed as he put the suitcases into the trunk. "But it's the principle of the whole thing."

I rolled my eyes as he kissed me on the cheek playfully.

"Please wait until your off the premises and in a hotel room to kiss and cuddle," a voice said from behind me.

I pulled away and glared at Jacob. "Could you please be a little less… well, you?"

He laughed.

"I'll start up the car," Vinnie said, shutting the trunk and walking around to the front.

"So, you're really leaving," Jacob sighed quietly.

"Yes. You know I-"

"I know, I know. I get it." He looked me in the eyes. "I am gonna miss you, though."

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I will." He sat on the edge of the sidewalk, and I followed suit. "I just can't believe your leaving."

"Your pack will survive. Seth will be a good beta."

"Yeah, I know. Not as good as you, though. You always knew how to throw down the hammer. I can't see your brother doing that."

"You calling my brother soft?"

He snickered. "No, I'm just saying you're tougher." He sighed. "And I wasn't talking about the whole pack thing about missing you. I mean, I'll miss that, but I'll miss you. You're my best friend, Leah."

I chuckled. "You know, you have a habit of falling in love with your best friends. You better be careful. I don't think Vinnie or Nessie would be very happy about that."

He laughed loudly. "We would never work. I still think it's funny that Vince thought we were dating." He looked over at me. "But did you know that you were my first crush?"

I sighed. "I was everyone's first crush."

"That isn't too off the mark. I remember when I was thirteen and thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world. Of course, every other guy thought so, too."

"I guess you were wrong, huh?" I laughed. "You found a prettier girl. Twice."

"But you're beautiful to him." He gestured towards the car, where Vinnie was sitting. "You're everything to him."

"Do you have a point to this whole thing?" I asked. "You're getting a little too sentimental for my taste. I'm best friends with you because you fight with me, not because you're a poet."

He laughed. "I guess that's true. I just wanted to let you know that I'm happy you got your someone. I really am. You deserve a happy ending more than anyone I know."

I couldn't agree more with him. "Thanks, Jake."

"Now that that's over with…" He rose to his feet, and I got up with him. He held his hands out stretched for me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, c'mon. I don't get to often do this."

I sighed and walked into his arms, enveloping me into a tight hug that felt as good and brotherly as Seth's.

We pulled away, and I walked over to the passenger seat of the car, getting in.

"Okay," I said to Vinnie, "lets-"

But I was cut off by a knocking on the driver's side window.

Vinnie rolled it down. "Yes, Jacob?" he asked.

"Just wanted to warn you. Be careful with that one. I'm leaving her in your hands only because you can stand her more than I can."

Vinnie laughed. "I'll do my best. I think I can handle her, though." He looked over to me and smiled. "Of course, that's only if she let's me."

I didn't reply and simply took his hand in mine as a silent message.

Jacob grunted. "God, I really hope Nessie and me are never like this when she's older. It's making me sick." With that, he walked off and back to the house.

"I can't wait until she get's older," I said as Vinnie pulled out of the driveway. "You'll have to remind me to tease him intensely about what he said."

He laughed. "I will."

I folded my legs under me where I sat. "Why is it again that you insisted that we drive God knows how many miles south to Mexico?"

"Because it'll be a nice adventure. It's not like I really have anywhere to go. It'll take up time until I figure out somewhere to permanently call home."

"We," I corrected. "We'll figure out somewhere, not just you."

All of a sudden, he stopped the car.

"What are you doing?" I asked worriedly.

"I just…" He looked over to me. "You're absolutely sure about this? Leaving everything behind to come with me? I don't know how long it will take us to get there."

"God, for a college boy, you can be so stupid sometimes." I reached up and put a hand in his hair. "Vinnie, I love you. So much. I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life than that. I'm staying with you." I leaned over and kissed him, trying to convey to him what words couldn't say. How I was his as much as he was mine; how I had never loved anyone the way I loved him; how I would do anything for him.

I pulled back from his lips and looked at him, leaning back in my seat. "Now hurry up so that we can get the hell out of here."

With that and a laugh, he continued driving, beginning our journey.

~love (noun): a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

She loves him. He loves her. And it was as simple as that.

Almost.~

I can't believe it's over... It only took me, what, a year?

I am so excited to write the sequel! I have so much planned for these two.

So, Leah was finally cast. And it's not me. haha But all I can say is that I hope Julia Jones does a great job with the character. I'll look forward to critiquing everything she does in the movie to make sure she's true to Leah's essence.

And thank goodness it's not Vanessa Hudgens. No offense to her in anyway, but she just doesn't fit the role. At all.

Cocoa