A/N: Ok, so after the events of the previous chapter, I am little apprehensive of posting this one. The drama level is not quite up, but the final section does push the story forward slightly (I hope...)
I am not sure whether I have stated this before, but I have this fic planned right till the end- I know exactly what is going to happen. The reason I am saying this is that while this chapter may seem like a filler on the surface, all events play an important part in the development of Leah and Jacob. Am I rambling, I feel like I am rambling?

As I do always, thank you to everyone who read this fic, added it to their favourites etc. And an extra special gigantic thank you to those who reviewed this fic. To show my appreciation, I am sending you all two weeks worth of school holidays (which, after this week, I will have and cannot wait!). A part of me feels like that I am getting repetitive at the start of these chapters, with the thank yous. But there is no way that I cannot show my appreciation to you guys. Feedback is what feeds my hunger to write and I love that some of you care enough to let me know what you think. You all will be getting some sizable doses of good karma, I promise you that.

Right, I have waffled on enough. Please, go on, read and let me know what you think.

Music: Rootless Tree- Damien Rice, Rain Falls for Wind- The Sleepy Jackson, Monument- Gyroscope, Learn To Live With What You Are- Ben Folds.


One...two...three....four...Jacob concentrated on counting his footsteps as he ran as fast as he could away from Leah. He needed to get as far away from her as possible before he did something that he would regret. Before he let the fury inside unleash and screamed at her all the things that he wanted to say...no matter how embarrassing they were. He didn't want to do that to her...

'No, fuck her,' he thought viciously, jogging to a stop. He should have screamed, he should have yelled. Leah had basically admitted that she felt the same way as him. She had dangled that bait in front of him, made him feel hope for that one fleeting moment and then ripped it away. Took it away because she was too fucking scared.

'She did have a valid reason...' Jacob unceremoniously shoved those thoughts aside. At this point in time he honestly could not give a shit. What the two of them had been through, what the two of them had done for each other, well...It obviously was not enough for Leah. She had been able to stand there and calmly tell him that there was nothing further to talk about. That she was just going to walk away, turn her back on something that could have been...

'Could have been what? You have no idea of what was going to happen between the two of you. The two of you may have been close, but you have never been intimate. Who is say that you would have even lasted? The two of have the potential to be amazing, but on the other hand, there is a very good chance that you would be a complete and utter disaster.'

Jacob squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to ignore that damned voice of reason in his head. He did not care that the future was unclear. Wasn't the whole point of taking a chance? You have no idea on how things were going to turn out, but you take the leap anyway? What would your life be like if you never took a fucking leap? You would be living in fear of the what if...living the way that Leah had decided to. That was no way to live, and yet Leah had just forced that upon him.

"Fuck you, Leah!" Jacob screamed at the top of his lungs, the effort ripping through his throat. He had never felt this angry- ever. "Fuck you. Fuck you! FUCK YOU!" He let loose, slamming a fist into the closest tree. The force splintered the trunk, sending branches crashing to the ground. Jacob glanced down at his hand and could only blink. His skin had split open and was oozing a bright red blood, but he felt nothing. No pain, no sting, nothing. He tried straightening his fingers, but found it difficult to do so. They were probably broken, but he just shrugged it off. They would heal soon anyway. Hell, he had survived a new born attack, hadn't he? He glanced behind him, wondering if Leah was still at the clearing. Or had she left? He decided that he didn't care. It was the caring that had caused this reaction. Instead, he turned and walked in the direction of his house.

Unfortunately for him, Billy was seated in the living room when he walked in, and it took him all of two seconds to notice.

"What happened to your hand?" Billy asked, wheeling himself towards his son. Worried concern was written all over his face.

"I fell over," Jacob replied, his tone deadpan.

Billy raised his eyebrows. He didn't buy Jacob's story for a second, but thankfully he did not push it. "I am going to call Dr. Cullen. You need to have that looked at."

Jacob groaned. "Dad, no. It's fine."

"Those fingers look broken. You know how fast you heal. If they are not set properly eating with a knife and fork will become an interesting experience for you."

Jacob sighed. "Fine. I'll be in my room. Send Dr. Fang in when he gets here."

XXXXX

Leah tried hard to swallow the overwhelming feeling of fear as she sunk to the ground. She pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. What had she just done?

The look on Jacob's face as he turned and walked away was burned on her mind. The enormity of what she had just done was just starting to sink in and it was causing a tightening in her chest. She closed her eyes, playing through her thoughts of the last time she and Jacob had been together. The look in his eyes, the touch of his hand on her skin, his breath in her ear...Had she really just walked away from that?

It was more than just the physical side of things. Jacob knew what she was like. Knew that consistent was not an adjective that somebody would use to describe her. He knew that she was damaged, and to some degree, understood what that felt like. And still, with all that knowledge, he still wanted to be with her.

It had taken so much on her behalf not to fall into his arms and tell him that she wanted that as well. But she couldn't. If she had done that, they would have both lived to regret the decision. She needed to be strong for both of them. Life had dealt them a hand and she had figure out how to live with that. Events within the pack had proven that imprinting was not as rare as originally thought. Jacob was angry at the moment, furious at her, but he would eventually understand her decision. When he finally met that normal girl- a girl who could be with him without any fear, a girl who was not damaged goods, a girl who truly deserved to be with him- Jacob would understand. He would thank her for making this decision for the both of them.

Leah brushed furiously at the tears that had started to trickle down her cheek. Hopefully, one day she would be able to thank herself as well.

XXXXX

Jacob sat in stony silence as Carlisle cleaned the wounds on his hand. In the time that it had taken the doctor to arrive, Jacob had finally begun to experience a sharp pain spreading throughhis hand. As much as he hated to admit, Carlisle's icy skin actually helped ease it.

"So," Carlisle started, conversationally, "Billy said that you fell over."

"Yup."

"So, do you care to explain the bark fragments that I just cleaned out of these cuts?" the doctor asked, a faint smile playing on his lips. "And the traces of sap that I can smell?"

"I fell," Jacob replied stubbornly. "Into a tree. I never said anything about falling to the ground."

"Right," Carlisle nodded. "So, did you happen to extend your arm out to help break this fall?"

Jacob eyed him for a few seconds. "Maybe. It's a typical human reaction, right?"

"Typically. But usually people have their palms out flat. They do not tend to go with a fist," Carlisle replied, his tone light.

Jacob exhaled loudly. "Do you have some freaky mind reading trick like Edward that you have just kept quiet from all of us?"

"Kind of," Carlisle replied and then laughed at the confused expression on Jacob's face. "After a few hundred years of practicing medicine, I can usually confidently ascertain the origin of an injury."

Jacob eyed Carlisle warily as he went about attached a white plastic hand splint, waiting for him to start questioning. But it didn't happen. "What? You're not going to ask me why I went all Karate Kid on a tree."

Carlisle shrugged. "It is really none of my business. What is my business is your physical health. So, do not remove this splint. You will only have to wear it a short while, so we need to ensure that your fingers heal correctly. You know what it feels like to have your bones re-broken and I am certain that you do not want to have to go through that again."

"Is that it?" Jacob asked.

Carlisle nodded, gathering his belongings. "But a piece of medical advice before I leave?" Jacob nodded. "Invest in a punching bag. We should all do out bit to help the environment, right?"

Jacob allowed himself a smile as Carlisle exited his bedroom. But it didn't last long. The dull ache in his hand reminded him why he had ended up in this position.

Was it wrong of him to react in this way? Should he just respect Leah's wishes and go on with it? But then what about his wishes? What about what he wanted? They were meant to be together, he was certain of it.

Sure, he believed a short time ago that he was meant to be with Bella. He wasn't going to deny that. He had cared a great deal for her, but this was different. He and Leah, they fit together. They understood each other. They could talk without pretence and he loved to listen to her acid tongue.

And then she had to go and fucking reason her way out being with him.

The walls of his room felt as if they were closing in on him, making him feel claustrophobic. Standing up, he made his way and towards the kitchen.

"Jake."

He turned and saw Billy wheeling himself towards him. "What?"

"What made you do it?" he asked, glancing at Jacob's hand.

"So, Dr. Fang is breaking doctor patient confidentiality now?"

Billy shook his head. "No, I overheard the two of you talking. What made you want to do that? Did you have an argument with Bella?"

"What makes you automatically go to Bella, dad?" Jacob asked, fighting to keep his voice controlled. "Believe it or not, my decisions are not always connected to her. In fact, I have not spoken to her in some time, dad. She is nowhere near my radar at the moment, dad."

"Then would you care to enlighten as to why you are causing yourself harm?"

"No, dad, I don't," Jacob replied bluntly, heading towards the back door.

"Fine then, Jacob. Wallow in whatever is going on in your head," Billy yelled back. "But keep this in mind. If you continue to behave in this way, shutting everybody out, then you are going to end up sad and alone. I love you- you are my son, but don't expect that everyone else will."

XXXXX

Leah hesitated at the kitchen doorway, watching Sue at the bench, preparing vegetables for that night's dinner.

"Mum."

Sue jumped slightly, looking up. "Oh, Leah. You surprised me."

"Sorry," Leah made her way in. "Do you have time to talk?"

"I've always got time to talk with my daughter," Sue replied. "What is on your mind tonight?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," Leah said, her voice quiet.

"Sorry for what?"

"For everything that I have put you through since Sam. I was such a heinous bitch and it wasn't fair."

Sue placed the knife down and turned to face her daughter. "Leah, you do not need to apologise—"

"Yes, I do," Leah interjected firmly. "I have carried this with me for far too long and I had no right to take it out on everyone around me. Especially you, of all people. You have been through much worse hell than me. I mean, I got dumped, you lost your husband. Even after that, you put up with me. You put me first and that was not fair of me."

"Leah," Sue gently placed a palm on her cheek, "I was not putting up with you. I was there for you because I only wanted you to be happy. That is all a mother wants for a child."

"Yeah, well I certainly tested that theory," Leah replied, wryly. "And now I need to turn things around for myself, and that is why I am apologising. Do you forgive me?"

"There is nothing to forgive—"

"Oh yeah?" Leah said, raising an eyebrow. "What about my whole being stuck here as a wife and mother spiel? That was pushing it a bit too far. Will you forgive me for saying that?"

Sue let out a small chuckle. "Ok, I will forgive you for those comments, even though that I knew that you did intend to hurt me with them."

"Mum," Leah let out exasperatedly. "You really can be a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Of course. Who do you think you get it from, my dear?"

"Touché," Leah laughed. "But I meant what I said. I really want to start taking some control of my life and changing things for the better."

"Do you know how proud it makes me feel when I hear you talking like that, Leah?" Sue said. "I know that you can do this. I really do."

"Yeah, well, that's something else that I need to talk to you about? The whole making a change thing. I am trying so hard to figure out the person that I want to be. I need to do that before making any changes, but I am not sure how to do that. While the reservation is my home, everybody here has their own opinions of me, their own expectations. I can't help but feel like that is a whole heap of pressure on me that I don't need."

Sue's expression had fallen slightly. "Leah, what are you saying?"

"I am saying that I need to get away from here. If I am going to get some perspective, then I need to leave."