I can figure out the point of anything

Just not as quick as I can mess up my life

With all my dreams hooked to hospital machines

I think let's try redefining beautiful

I'm so tired, I've had enough

If it's one thing I've learned, you'll always get burned

But you'll never give it up

"Point of Extinction"

-Motion City Soundtrack

Chapter 9:

Can you say "overreaction?"

As we ran through La Push into the sunset to meet a stunned Jacob, no one knew what to say. For once, the entire pack was at a loss for words. Yeah, like that would last very long.

When we met up and completed the pack, everyone seemed to be sharing the same common agitation. Paul, as always was pissed. Nothing new there. Jared and Sam moved in unison, letting out a growl every so often. I sat down next to Seth, perhaps the calmest of the entire pack, and waited for everyone to start yelling.

I didn't have to wait long. Embry continued with his attitude as he complained about how dangerous the situation had become. Paul started huffing about how this was an abomination.

Sam agreed, We can not allow it.

Allow what? Were we going to be the town's own personal abortion service now? There wasn't a whole lot we could do now that the vampires had found a way to reproduce. We were screwed.

Way to think positive. Embry was the only one paying any attention to me.

I just shrugged silently. It was true. I always considered myself a realist.

More like pessimist, Embry argued.

Well, this changes things, Sam pondered in thought.

Yeah, no shit. Jacob had been right all along. The vampires…and their mutated baby needed to die.

Sam shook his head, I'm not really sure what the next step is. The treaty doesn't cover this.

I looked over at Jacob, who was hanging his head on the other side of where Seth sat. He looked broken and shocked. Out of habit, I started pacing in synchronization with the pack. They were right about this. Whatever spawn that Bella was carrying put the whole pack and the entire town at risk.

We tried to understand - if the vampires were afraid of it, why they did not just destroy it? A picture of Bella flashed through our minds. Of course they didn't want to upset her. Heaven forbid the poor helpless little human get hurt.

I kept my eyes focused on Jacob. He stood up and looked like he was about to pass out. Seth quickly helped him catch his balance. He tried to squeak something out, but he was so out of it that his words weren't making any sense.

Well, if the Cullens weren't going to do something, we were going to have to. I heard Embry whimper something about a fight. And then the rest of the pack automatically started to plan a surprise strike. It was about time. I had been ready for this fight since last year.

Sam brought up the fight from last year. We had formed an alliance with the Cullens to battle a heard of newborn vampires that were popping up all over the place. Whatever was growing inside Bella would not be able to abide by the treaty. And, more than likely, the Cullens would defend it. There was a flash of the irritating blonde vampire in Sam's head.

It's just a baby. Collin didn't seem to understand the intensity of what was going on.

I laughed. Not for long. I'd destroy the damn thing myself if I could get close enough.

Seth glared at me angrily. I had a feeling that if he wasn't still supporting Jacob, he would have lunged for my throat. The kid could be so touchy. He turned to Sam and mentioned that maybe we should just force the Cullens to leave. He was doing everything in his power to make sure this didn't turn into a fight. For a werewolf, he wasn't very aggressive.

Jacob was finally coming out of his trance. He started arguing with Sam and calling him a hypocrite. He had a point. Just hours ago, Sam was ordering us not to go and fight the Cullens. And now, it seemed imperative to him.

I shrugged. I didn't really care. I could use a good fight.

This is a pointless argument. There is no way to destroy the…thing… Jacob frowned. I guess he still hadn't figured out what to call it yet either, without destroying Bella as well. I felt his anger boiling in his body.

Sam didn't respond. Instead, he glared into Jacob's eyes. I could feel a mixture of anger and sadness. It didn't take Jacob long to realize what Sam planned to do.

Seth gasped when he understood, You're going to kill her?

She's human! Jacob cried out in pain.

She's gonna die anyway. I didn't see why Jacob even cared if Bella lived or died. She had chosen Edward. Plus, she had set herself up for this. It's not like she didn't know what she was getting into. It served her right for getting involved with a pack of vampires. She was too stupid not to die.

I saw rage fly across Jacob's face. He lunged for me. I was so shocked that he was flying towards me that I didn't even have a chance to react. He came within inches of my back leg before Sam intervened. He tackled Jacob to the ground.

What the hell was that? I growled at Jacob. It's not like he didn't already know my feelings on the subject. My hate for Bella and her stupid vampires was no secret.

He was too busy being subdued by Sam to even hear me.

Even though I had meant everything I was thinking, I still couldn't help but feel bad that I'd upset Jacob. I guess this was a touchy subject for him. I watched as Sam reamed him for trying to attack me.

Then Sam looked at me and started to bitch at me about not being compassionate to Jacob or something. I don't know, I wasn't really listening. I decided I was just going to tune everyone out. There was so much thinking going on that it was driving me insane. So I watched Sam's angry jaw snarl at me about…whatever I had done to piss him off this time. I didn't hear a word he said.

…Until, he mentioned something about attacking the Cullens tonight. I was immediately drawn back into the conversation. We were fighting? Now?

Tonight? Seth whined. I could see the pain in Seth's eyes. He wanted to avoid this as much as Jacob. He pleaded with Sam to take his time in making this decision. But Sam wasn't having any of Seth's whiny vampire loving tolerance anymore.

I watched as he used his Alpha power to make my brother see things from his point of view. I let out a low rumble. I didn't like Sam using the Alpha command at all, especially on my brother.

Seth had no choice but to listen to what Sam was saying. He went over an attack plan. Jacob, Quil, and Embry would fight Emmett and Jasper. Fair match there, though I don't know if Jacob could take on both of the stronger fighters in the Cullen house while being so obsessively torn up over Bella.

Hey, the three musketeers together again. Quil tried to cheer Jacob up.

Yeah, we're gonna kick some ass tonight. Embry joined Quil in his attempt to take Jacob's mind off of Bella.

Sam chose Paul and Jared for his flanks to fight Edward and Rosalie. I was a little miffed that I wasn't going to get a chance to tear the blonde to shreds. I liked her the least out of all the Cullens. She annoyed me. She reminded me of those stuck up cheerleader types that you could find in high schools all over the world. The ones who thought they were better than everyone else. Stupid stuck-up bimbo.

I guess Sam figured the surrogate mommy would be the most fearsome fighter. We could see from Jacob's thoughts how attached she was to the unborn parasite. I wondered if she even cared about Bella at all, or if she was just feeding some need she'd missed out on while she was human. She and Edward would be the two nearest Bella, protecting her. Sam implied that if he and Paul were able to take out Edward, and Jared was able to subdue Rosalie, whoever could get a clear shot on Bella was to take her and the demon child down.

Sam surprised me when he put me in charge of Collin, Brady, and Seth. We were assigned to fight Alice, Carlisle, and Esme.

I saw Seth flinch a little when he heard Sam mention Esme's name. Sam still had him under the throat hold of the Alpha command. I was starting to get pissed off about that, but I knew there was nothing I could do. Seth whimpered as his nose hit the ground. He was fighting back, hard. He did not want to fight the Cullens.

Let him breathe for a minute, Sam, I tried to defend Seth.

I'll put you in your place too, Leah, Sam threatened.

Sam was really starting to push my buttons. I had been angry at him before, but I was downright furious with his behavior tonight. If he weren't the Alpha, I would claw his ass to pieces. My fury intensified the longer I watched Sam holding Seth and Jacob in his command.

Jacob fought back with more rage than Seth, especially when Sam mentioned killing Bella. I saw Jacob's legs fold out from underneath him. Both he and my brother were on the ground under Sam's command. Seth whined again.

Seth, stop being so stubborn and just listen to him, I grumbled.

Seth was holding back his pain. He considered the vampires his friends. I shook my head at that. I had tried to warn him that it would one day come to this. He didn't see it then, but I was trying to protect him from the anguish that he was feeling now.

I told you so, I said softly.

Oh, shut up, Seth spit at me.

Jacob's pain was even more intense than Seth's. This was hard to tolerate. He tried one last attempt to argue with Sam, but Sam quickly shut him up. Then I saw Jacob do something I would have never thought I'd see in a million years. He begged, pleaded with Sam not to make us do this.

My jaw snapped open in shock when Jacob admitted how much this was killing him. He'd never blatantly stated his emotions like this. I watched with a sorrowed silence as Sam put Jacob in his place once more, ordering him to fight. And that was it, Jake had no other choice.

Sam ordered me to take point with the younger boys. I had no choice but to obey. Collin and Brady were more eager to do this than Seth.

So, what's the plan? Brady questioned.

I had to think for a moment. It had been so long since someone asked my opinion in this matter that I wasn't sure how to respond.

You heard Sam. Doesn't get any more simple than that. Our job is to pick off the weaker ones. Alice is the tiny, little, black haired one. I felt a twinge of guilt. She really was a small thing. Even though she was a vampire, it made me feel bad that I was going to kill someone so small and fragile. I had to shake those feelings and remember that she was a vampire. Our enemy. I continued, Um, she will be pretty defenseless…

Because she can't see our paths like she can everyone else, right? Brady questioned.

There was a fluke in our brain mechanism that made it impossible for the psychic vampire to see what we were going to do.

Yeah, I nodded. That just didn't seem right. It would be like attacking a blind midget or something. I had to push away those feelings of guilt again. Vampire, vampire, vampire. Focus, Leah! I yelled at myself.

Not so easy, is it? Seth heard my conflicting thoughts. He chuckled sarcastically, At least I know you aren't as heartless as some… He was obviously referring to Sam.

I really hated to see Seth in this fight. It was always tough for me to watch him go into battle. I always had a hope that Sam would just let the younger wolves go home. Collin and Brady weren't very skilled when it came to fighting. But I had to work with what I was given. I decided that Seth being under Sam's rule was enough for one day, so I wasn't going to force him to fight anyone.

I continued with the plan, Alright, the doctor probably won't fight back, so we'll just take him out first. I had to fight against my better judgment as it screamed how wrong that statement was. I glanced at Collin and then Brady. Seth looked at me with begging eyes.

He doesn't deserve to die. None of them do.

I'm sorry; there's nothing I can do. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't want to do this any more than Seth did. This was what Sam wanted, so I had to obey. But I hated what we had to do. I hated that this was going to break Jacob. I hated that I had to kill these vampires that Seth considered his friends. I hated that I was so angry about everything. I hated that I had to follow Sam's rule. I just hated everything.

I tried to channel that hate into rage so maybe this attack would go easier. It wasn't working. I just started to feel horrible.

After Carlisle is gone, we'll split up. I'll take Esme, and you guys will take Alice. I figured it would be easier for them to take down Alice, who was not a threat at all without her little future telling power.

What happens if Carlisle decides to fight back? Seth's voice sounded dead.

I shrugged. Even if the good doctor did fight back, he still wouldn't be much of a challenge for four werewolves. I looked at Seth. No way he'd fight Carlisle. Okay…three werewolves. I didn't respond to his question.

What are you doing? Seth frowned.

I'm ignoring you.

Good, he huffed. I don't want to do this anyway.

Seth, I know you don't want to fight, but we need you to. So, you will listen to your sister. Sam's voice was very loud over everyone else's.

If it had been any other time that I'd heard that phrase, I would have been jumping for joy and sticking my tongue out at Seth childishly. Having it pointed out to your little brother that you were in charge of him was great. But considering the circumstances, I felt badly for Seth. So I sighed.

I know it sucks, kid. But what other choice do you have?

Seth refused to respond to me. I was used to the silent treatment. He'd used it on me every time he got mad at me from the time he was five-years-old. I laughed when I remembered the first time he'd used it. I had broken one of his toys. And instead of screaming like a normal five-year-old, he had placed his arms angrily across his chest, turned his head away from me and grumbled, "Hmph!" He didn't talk to me for days after that. Ah, those were the good old quiet days. The silent treatment had the opposite effect on me now. I could care less that he wasn't talking. It made my head a lot quieter.

You're a terrible sister. Seth frowned at me.

Wow, you lasted ten whole seconds. I pointed out his silent treatment wasn't very effective.

I continued the plan for the fight. Collin and Brady hung on my every word. It was actually kind of cool. I was starting to see why Sam liked this "Alpha" stuff. Having people listening to you was not something I was used to.

I got so wrapped up in planning, that I hadn't noticed the increasing hostility between Sam and Jacob. I had to laugh. So they were at it again. When would they just beat the crap out of each other and then move on like regular guys? I realized that I might get to see that tonight.

Jacob challenged Sam, but was quickly put in his place. I felt Embry's sympathetic thoughts. He begged Jacob to just stop fighting it, much like I had told Seth earlier. Just let it go. There was no fighting the Alpha. Or so I thought.

I inhaled a sharp gasp when I heard what Jacob was thinking. He wouldn't…would he? The more Jacob disputed it in his head, the more I realized that he was right. And Sam was wrong. So what would he do? Who was the true Alpha here?

The entire pack was now waiting on Jacob's next move. Sam was pushing him forward, but Jacob had somehow stopped, ignoring all of Sam's commands.

And then, he strutted over to Sam with no problem. He held his head up high as he looked Sam directly in the eyes and said it. The one word none of us had ever spoken to the Alpha.

No.