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Music:

Complicated – Bon Jovi

Ladies Night – Atomic Kitten

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Chapter 5: Leah – Girl talk

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I thought things were finally going to calm down and then this! I was sitting down on the steps to the back door.

The boys had gone inside to eat. I still couldn't handle the stench as well as they could. What was I to think about this vampire, was she to be trusted? It looked like she was winning everyone over pretty quick.

Ugh, weirdo! So many things about her were conflicting. But the others all seem to trust Edward's judgement. Well I wasn't going to! I wanted to talk to her myself, alone.

The last month had been hard, going back to Sam's pack, leaving Jake alone among all those strange bloodsuckers.

On the field I'd been looking at them more closely and had listened to Jake's memories of them real careful. They were there to help us, well, the Cullens really, but I was glad when they left.

The fact was, they hunted people and that's why I couldn't stand them. And the Denali's? Well, I could tolerate them, like they tolerated us.

Then there was this girl, Timmain, what an odd name by the way, like Renesmee. She didn't fit the bill, acting like an animal, her strange scent and abilities.

The copying gifts part I believed, I saw her with Nessie, but the healing part, I'd have to see it first.

Hmm, maybe I should try and find out more about this polarity-thing. Somehow I was intrigued, it being about energy-flow in a body and blockages. Why was that?

Was it because of me, my body, could I have blockages? Would that explain things?

I wanted to look it up at home on the computer. Jake was coming back, I heard him talk to her.

So…, she invited anyone to come and talk. I was going to take her up on that offer.

Timmain went into the house and Jake saw me and came up to me. "Hey, what's up? he asked, do you want to say something to me?" "Yes, I'd like to go home for a while, check in on mom, change of clothes, that sort of things." I'll be back before the watch-round this evening."

"That's alright, I can keep an eye on things here," he said. But he had that questioning look on his face, wondering what I was thinking.

I got up and started moving. I was in no hurry, feeling relaxed while putting more and more distance between me and the Cullen-house.

Halfway I suddenly realized mom might not be at home, but with Charlie. Hmm, some time alone, I liked that, though talking to mom would be nice too.

When I got to our house it was quiet and no lights were on. Nobody home. I opened the door and went straight to the computer and turned it on.

My stomach growled, so I walked into the kitchen and looked in the fridge. Mom left a stack of sandwiches on the top shelf. Thanks mom! She knew we were always hungry. I took out the whole tray and took it to the computer.

Putting the first sandwich in my mouth I typed in the words 'polarity massage' and clicked on 'search'. I clicked on the first site that looked promising. It explained everything quite well, though it still sounded vague and new age-like. I also looked up 'quantum touch'.

But what would these things be like, amped up vampire-style? Would she be able to tell me? Would I let her? So many questions kept popping up in my head. I guess I would just have to ask her, put her to the test.

I ate the rest of the sandwiches and washed the plate. Then I took a shower and decided to take a nap. I set the alarm-clock. Mmm, nice, some time away from the stench.

When I woke up, I got dressed quickly, drank some milk and left. It seemed too soon. On my way back I inhaled as much fresh air as I could.

When I arrived it was dark and the guys were ready. It was quite an uneventful night, plenty of time to think. Everyone was thinking about the last month and of course about 'our' new guest.

Seth liked her already, he didn't know why, there was just a click.

Embry had a laid back attitude; we'll see what happens, but I don't see any problems.'

Quil agreed with him, also because of Jake. I still wasn't to sure what to think, but I made a list of questions and planned to interrogate her after our watch. 'Take it easy on her alright, Seth thought, remember what Jake said.'

'Yeah, don't worry, she can handle it, she did say we could ask her anything we wanted." I concealed the more personal things from them. Was I going trust her answers, whatever they might be?

The watch ended and I told them to go home, nobody protested. 'And don't blab to Jake about me, I'll be good, I promise.' They reluctantly agreed. Yeah, it was good to be the second in command, right now I was practically the alpha.

I ran straight to the big tree she said she'd be in. It was quiet, no movement at all, I sniffed the air, she was definitely up there. I decided to wait a few minutes and started to circle the tree, stepping on every dry twig to make some noise. Nothing.

She was probably too deep in trance or something. What did she say again to Jake? O right, howling would make her come down.

I wondered what kind of howl, I didn't want her to think something was wrong. Hmm, well, I guess I could just howl her name. Not to loud, Sam's pack was on patrol too. I looked up and her head appeared between the branches.

"Hey Leah, she said, come to have a talk with me?" Heads up, watch it." And she jumped straight down, landing right in front of me. Like it was nothing. That tree seemed over 70 feet!

We just looked at each other for a moment, then I turned, my nose to the clothes on my back-leg. She nodded, showing she understood and I jogged of to a bush. When I got back she was waiting patiently, studying my facial expressions. And I did the same to her.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle, though it was very dark. I read curiosity and kindness and almost forgot about being stern or business-like.

"What's troubling you Leah? Timmain asked. "It's alright, you can be straight forward with me."

I wasn't to sure how to respond to that. I felt some irritation flare up inside me. "What's the matter with you?" You're so weird, why can't you act like a vampire should?!" Then I would just avoid you and not think about you."

There, it was out. I took a deep breath to calm down. I looked at her again, her expressions hadn't changed.

"Well, I already gave an explanation for that, she replied calmly, I'm not sure how a vampire should act." "Would you rather have me hunt humans? "Do you want me to be uncaring and cold? "Should I turn up my nose in disgust and avoid you and the other wolves?"

Her tone was soft and gentle, in stead of defensive and angry. "Well I refuse to be like that. "It's not who I am. "I don't judge people on what they are. "I want to know who they are, if I can. "I react to things the best way I know how, using experience and instinct." Isn't that good enough?"

I was lost for words, I didn't expect that. I just stared. What to do now?

I wanted to yell at her how I lost my father and the man I loved because of her kind! How my life was turned up side down.

But I thought about it for a moment and decided that wouldn't be fair. So I'd give her the benefit of the doubt. I would try to treat her like a normal person. Shit, my little brother was rubbing off on me!

"Has Jake talked to you about werewolf-stuff? What do you know about us?"

"My talk with Jake was about me and vampire-stuff, we didn't talk about werewolves," Timmain replied. "What I know about you I learned watching you and shaking Seth's hand. "You are all shape shifters, who's gift was past on by your ancestors." "You have a high body-temperature because of your high metabolism. "That's also the cause of your ability to heal fast."

"I also know there are two packs, though I don't know why. "Jacob and the black wolf are the alphas, I'm not sure how things compare to a regular wolf-pack. "You're the only female, so I guess werewolf-packs are not led by couples. "That's about all I got."

"The black wolf is called Sam, he was the first to phase and became an alpha."

"Jake is an alpha by birthright, but he didn't act upon it until Sam decided Bella's pregnancy was a threat. "He didn't like the idea of killing her or the Cullens. "He left to avoid fighting with Sam and warn the Cullens. "Seth agreed with him and joined him right away."I decided my place was with my brother. "Embry and Quill are Jake's friends, they came last."

"As for pack-structure, after the alpha comes the Second in command, who leads the pack if the alpha can't. "Then comes the Third and so on down. "There are no couples because I'm the first girl to phase ever. "No one expected it and knew how to deal with it."

I felt that bitterness seep in again, it weighed on my chest. "It's been hard for me, but I've settled down now, in Jake's pack."

I sighed, should I go on, talk about my woman stuff? Well, who else could relate, I've once compared myself to Blondie, so why not Timmain.

"There's more I want you to know; like vampires, werewolves don't age as long as they keep phasing regularly. "For me, as a woman, that meant not being able to get pregnant, my cycle has stopped." I looked at her, how did she feel about this subject?

She seemed curious and waited for me to go on. "I'm not sure if it has stopped forever or, if I stop phasing and start aging again it'll pick up again." It was quiet for a moment.

"So, you want me to help you figure this out?" Timmain asked. "Yes, I've looked up polarity-massage and other stuff about energy." I, think, you can tell me something." I felt a little nervous, would she want to touch me?

She caught that and said: "Don't worry, I won't touch you unless you give me permission. "I can perform a kind of scan of your body; move my hands across it, leaving about half an inch in between." "I can feel energy at some distance now, especially when it's strong. "I've been practising with my family and had the experience with Anoushka. "So, for example, I could feel Bella's shield on the field." She moved one step towards me.

I watched her carefully, taking deep breaths. "Just relax, she said, tension can disrupt things." She showed me how to breathe and relax my muscles by shaking loose.

Her scent was in my face, but somehow it didn't bother me. She was now at arms length from me and moved her hands to the top of my head.

"Keep taking deep, easy breaths," Timmain said in a soothing voice. Then her hands started moving along my body and as promised she didn't touch me. Her eyes were half closed in concentration as she lingered for a second at my lower abdomen. The whole thing was over quick. She rose back up after ending at my feet. Then she looked at me and I waited for the results, her findings.

But her head suddenly snapped to the left, her nostrils flared open and then she backed away several feet fast. She crouched down in the same position she had faced me in at the Cullens doorstep. For a moment I was surprised, until I heard several big heartbeats and paws approaching.

I turned around slowly to see Sam and a few of the young wolves emerging from the trees along the border. His eyes stared into mine with concern and suspicion. "It's fine Sam, I said calmly, we're just having a talk."

He looked behind me at Timmain, growling softly. I turned my head to look at her too. Like with me, she held her eyes to the ground and waited. "See, she's no threat," I said looking back at him. He gave me a questioning look. "She showing her respect, I explained, she knows a lot about wolf-behaviour." Sam frowned while he made a rumbling sound.

"She feels this is appropriate, I added, she did it with me too when she arrived, it's instinctive." He sighed and shook his head.

"We'll tell you all about it before the pack-meeting on Sunday."

Sam moved on and the others followed him. The look on their faces only read curiosity.

When I couldn't hear them anymore, I turned back to Timmain. I motioned her to get up and walked up to her.

"I'm sorry, she said, I know you're all really humans, but I couldn't help myself." "It's alright, I replied, I understand, but I think you'll have to work at it a bit." Jake was irritated too by this submissive behaviour.

"Now, can we get back to what we were talking about?" I asked her.

She smiled gently and nodded. "I find your energy very interesting, she said, it's strong, though I can tell you've been under a lot of stress. "But that's all gone now."

"Next, about you're fertility, the energy around that area hasn't stopped flowing completely. "It's, let's say, like a small river blocked by a landslide, only a small trickle of water is coming through." She waited to see if I understood. I nodded and motioned her to go on.

"I've never felt this kind of blockage before, she added, but I'm pretty certain that you're cycle will start again when you're aging again. "It may take a few months though."

She paused a moment to think. "I know this was new to you all, but you should have known that all your, ..female parts, are still there and alive, so why wouldn't they be able to work again." I could see a short look of pain on her face there. And I understood right away. Her body, like all vampires, was sort of dead, frozen, unable to change. Unlike mine it now seemed.

I put my hand on her shoulder, emphasizing, though I felt relieved and happy with her findings and explanation.

"Thank you for your explanation, I said, I feel better and I think you are right. "Did you want to have children, when you were human?" I asked carefully.

"Hmm, no, not really, she said with a light tremble in her voice, but now you've got me thinking about it." I feel a little sad." She took a deep breath and shrugged. Her eyes softened and then lit up again. "But I've got to work with what I've been dealt, she said sounding better, no use sobbing over things you can't change." "Anything else you want to talk about?", she asked, changing the subject.

I knew what I wanted to talk about, but was ordered not to, imprinting. Jake didn't want us to, because of him and Nessie. Of course, what would Timmain know about it? Hmm, how would things work in a normal wolf-pack?

"Well, I said, I think I want to know more about regular wolf pack structure. For example, how alpha-couples are established and if there are rankings too."

"Wow, Timmain exclaimed, I didn't expect that to be a topic! "Well, regular wolf-packs have a few things in common with werewolves. "Except for the alpha couple of course.

"First, a male gets to be an alpha because of his dominance, he fights with others who want to lead. "Which family-line he's from doesn't matter, his character and physical strength do. "An alpha can always be challenged and some day there will be someone stronger to take his place."

"An alpha female is chosen by the alpha male. "Her character is most important, they must be a match and other pack-members must respect her." "Also, if possible she'll be the one least related to him. "The alpha-pair are the only ones breeding, other pack-members' needs are suppressed by force." "Often the female offspring will leave the pack, as long as their parents are still in charge. "They'll join other packs. "Alpha-pairs mate for life."

"Beside the alpha's there the seconds, two males who'll flank the alpha's in a confrontation, often with a rival pack. "The other members rank beneath them, one by one, until the lowest ranking member." "This one is picked on by all the others and has to wait for food until everyone else has eaten.

"Then there is the omega, the peacemaker. "One of the lowest ranking members. "He or she relieves tensions in the group by initiating play. "The glue that holds them together, so to speak"

"The whole pack takes care of the pups. "They will never be left alone, on hunts there'll always be one or more babysitters."

"There's kind of a bond that forms at birth, first between the parents and pups, later also between pups and the rest of the pack. "It's called imprinting." "Other animals have similar bonds, though only between parents and their offspring. "Birds for example, chicks have to follow their parents right away."

I stay silent a moment and look at her. "That's a lot of information, I tell her, I have to think about things."

Obviously we are more civil than the animals. And imprinting means something else. But the thing about the alpha female being least related to the alpha male stuck with me. Also the fact that character mattered most. I suddenly realized that my mother's maiden name was Uley. Of course we were only remotely related to Sam, but still…. Nobody ever said anything about my relationship with him. Heck, they supported it for three years! Even Emily.

And then the matter of character, I don't like to admit it, but I have quite a temper, just like Sam used to have. And I'm not much of a homemaker. What if I had been in Emily's shoes, trying to resist 'the pull', getting scarred and be in all kinds of pain. Feeling the hate of your cousin and maybe other people. Could I have done what she did, deal with it the same way? No, definitely not.

I came back to reality and found Timmain waiting patiently. "Sorry, I zoned out like that", I said, feeling a little embarrassed. "No worries, she replied, I do that a lot, especially when it's peaceful around me. "And I have been talking for a while." She grinned.

I couldn't help but smile back. Ahww, shocks, she won me over too!

"It's getting light, she said, shall we go back to the house?"

I looked up at the sky and realized we must have been talking longer then I thought. "Yeah, I think we should, Jake will be awake and I want to talk to him." "Well, Timmain said at a certain tone, I have an idea for some fun and some exercise."

I looked at her and saw a twinkle in her eyes. "How about a racing match or a chase?" she said. A rematch of yesterday." I smiled and replied: "Yeah, I like that, you had a head-start on me then." I felt exited.

"How about a mix between a match and a chase, she suggested, when we're near the house, you'll pretend to want grab me. "That'll shake things up a bit!" She had a full smile now, ear to ear. "Hmm, I said, I might get into trouble, but let's go for it!"

I ran into the brush to phase. When I got back, Timmain'd assumed a starting position, like a runner on the athletic field. I took my place beside her and flexed my muscles.

"Ready, she said, get set…GO!"