Jail Talk
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters and all original characters are the creation and property of moi. No monetary compensation is being received for the work being read.
The sky was a dull and drab gray that seemed befitting of the mood that had been cast over La Push and Forks. Rumors of Jacob's domesticate violence spread like wildfire and questions were now being raised about his character and his wife, Renesmee. The gossip brought up old memories, stories and rumors from those early years when the Cullens had shown up with their aristocratic ways and the strange behavior of the tribe boys.
Leah could feel the cold, disapproving and questioning eyes as she made her way towards the Tribal Police Station. The station was located in Forks but now she was thinking that it was time to move the station back onto tribal lands. She knew that her presence would draw attention, it was no secret, any longer, that Jacob had fathered Leah's son; and so Leah hadn't bothered with getting dressed up to visit her former Alpha. The cool breeze felt great against her exposed legs, the chilled rain against the back of her calves helped sooth the mounting anger that bubbled in her stomach.
She had tried, in vain, to get the boys to visit Jacob with her. Jett had flat out refused and Jay had meekly sided with his brother. Leah couldn't blame them and was proud of the bond that was forming between them; they supported each other, like she and Seth did. It was a great and wonderful change in the two that had almost seemed impossible some months ago.
Leah gave a knowing smile to Ray, a cousin of hers that was the rez's resident drunk. It was nice to see him alert and sober. She could tell that he had gotten cleaned up a bit while inside and made a mental promise to ensure that he showed Brady some gratitude.
"Well, if it isn't our illustrious Chief, Leah Clearwater." Ray said in greeting as Leah climbed up the steps and shook out her umbrella.
"They let you out of the think tank?" Leah teased as the two hugged.
The two chatted briefly for a moment, just under the small shelter outside the door, and watched the rain. Leah remembered Ray being a god send when Sam had first dumped her; he had been the shoulder to cry on and the best friend to go bar crawling with. The pair had spent many nights in the drunk tank, which they later called the 'think tank', as their parents always asked if they ever took time to think about why they wound up there. When she phased, drinking was no longer an option as her high metabolism made getting drunk a near insurmountable trial and Sam had ordered her to stay away from Ray. While life steadily improved for Leah, they only steadily worsened for Ray; but the two cousins still were able to come together, support one another with casual talk and the occasional bottle.
"Sorry to hear about Jake." Ray offered up as the two fell into a comfortable pause.
"Why? And why say it to me?" Leah asked genuinely confused. Ray had known all along of Jett's parentage and was the only one to not judge her for it.
"Well, I mean he hit his wife," Ray said with a deep frown of disapproval. "That's not a good look for a guy looking to impress his old girlfriend." Leah had to laugh aloud at the comment.
"You know we were never dating." Leah said, playfully shoving him. "And that ship had never even docked, let alone given it a chance to sail."
"Oh cuz," Ray said shaking his head slowly. "Even after all these years of getting your shit together; you still don't know yourself very well. When you finally open your eyes to the truth and need someone to drink the shock away, you'll know where to find me." Ray said cutting Leah off with a kiss on the cheek, a quick trot down the steps and a raised hand in salute. Leah could only frown at her 'crazy' cousin's retreating figure. She wasn't in love with Jacob Black – she was just visiting an old friend in jail; that's all.
As Leah walked into the station, her body tensed as she picked up the sweet familiar musk of a former lover. She quickly approached the desk that Brady, thankfully was manning, and handed over her purse and umbrella. There was no need for explanation or the formal declaration of who she was there to see. Brady could only suppress a chuckle at his cousin's nerves and quickly escorted her to Jacob's cell. His veneer broke when Leah softly hissed at him, 'you could've warned me he was working this morning'. "And ruin the look on your face?" Brady teased back, making Leah growl in annoyance at her family. The women were backstabbing domestics and the men were know-it-all relationship assholes.
XXIIXXIIXXIIXX
Jacob sat on his tiny cot, in his tiny jail cell. The walls were a drab light blue that only seemed to increase his unease with the small, cramped space. He had never spent a night in jail and dreaded spending another. Brady had explained that he was stuck in there until Monday when he could go before the Council. He shivered at the idea of spending another two nights in the tiny room with a space that was barely 4'x4'. He had stood in the middle of the room, his head barely grazing the ceiling, and his palms against the two walls, unable to stretch out. He had to sleep with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out towards the bars, his toes peeking through.
The tight space was bad but not having any visitors was worst. Billy had refused to bail him out and that was his one phone call for help. Jacob had tried to reason with Billy, that it was a mistake and he regretted it. A part of him resented Billy for not helping out his only son but on the other hand, Jacob, in a way, understood that he had always been a central figure in La Push; his punishment had to set an example.
Jacob groaned as he thought about the looks Jett and Jay had given him as he was arrested and crammed into the police vehicle. Jacob had thought the years spent married to Renesmee had been the lowest point of his life; how naively wrong he was. He had hit Renesmee in front of the entire reservation, or damn near, and his sons were there to witness it. Under normal circumstances, he would never encourage or support violence against women but in that moment, when Renesmee had talked about getting rid of Jay as if he was trash or some unwanted pet had struck a chord with him. He wanted to blame the wolf but the wolf had only remained silent during their interactions, silently reminding him of what they had given up. It had been all him; he was sick of Renesmee's snide comments and selfish remarks. He had wanted to shut her up and get a message through her thick, stubborn head that he wanted to have nothing to do with her –ever.
A long and deep sigh was breathed out as Jacob rested against the bars of his cell. The bars were cool against his skin and the tightness of the bars against his forearms offered some sort of comfort. Jacob was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard Brady's laughter ring out down the hall.
He strained to see what made Brady laugh and was bringing him down to visit Jacob. He had only seen Brady briefly since being put into the cell; the younger man only bringing him breakfast that morning and letting him know that he didn't know if he would have any visitors.
Leah's scent hit his nose before he could see or hear her but it was easily recognizable; it the scent that was imprinted on his brain and in his heart. He fought back a whimper as she came closer and the sound of her hand slapping Brady resounded off the walls. She walked in with an energy that was all her own. For a second, Jacob knew what dogs felt like, locked in a kennel, waiting for their masters to come collect them or one to adopt them.
"Well they don't leave you much leg room, do they?" Leah asked, stopping in front of Jacob, eyebrow raised and eyes scrutinizing the area that was visible behind his body.
"Lee," Her name fell from his lips like a soft prayer; even his eyes had softened, almost in reverence to her presence.
"I'll be fine, Brady." Leah stated looking over at her cousin. Brady nodded his head in agreement and left the pain alone, after gently patting Leah's back on his way out.
"So you want to tell me what's going on in that thick head of yours?" Leah asked crossing her arms and fixing Jacob with a pointed glare.
"That's what she said." It was an automatic response that made Jacob internally flinch as Leah rolled her eyes. He apologized sheepishly, a hand reaching out to her, imploringly; begging for some physical contact.
"You want a divorce," Leah pressed on, ignoring his outstretched hand. Jacob's hand fell limp as he nodded his head, noting the anger and confusion on her face. "Why?" Jacob could only let a deep and heavy sigh at Leah's question. He wasn't exactly ready to tell her all of the reasons but knew she was entitled to every dirty detail.
"Does this have to do with Jay?" Leah asked, eyes narrowing at Jacob's protracted silence.
It had been decided that Jay would stay with Leah and Jett after another harsh conversation between herself and Charlie Swan, this time over the phone. Fortunately, Sue had been there to play mediator between the two; telling Charlie that Jay felt more comfortable on the reservation and in order to attend the tribal school, he had to remain on tribal lands. Leah found it interesting that Renesmee hadn't piped in asking for her to son to be sent home and had grudgingly accepted the idea that Jay would head over to Charlie's to spend time with his mother. Jay had paled at the agreement but refused to express to Leah why. Renesmee had spoken briefly to Jay; it was a conversation that Leah had opted to respect but was curious what the spawn had to say.
To pass the time while Jett was out running his patrol, Leah and Jay decided to have breakfast for dinner. Jay seemed to love cooking just as much as he loved to eat and was always eager to help Leah or Sue prepare their meals. The first lesson was pancakes! Leah was trying to help Jay with his technique, the teen desperate to learn how to flip his flapjacks like Leah did. Leah knew, from personal experience, that a young wolf could easily make a mess, under estimating his or her strength; but so far, Jay had done fairly well. She had ruffled his hair, playfully, when he blushed at their brief contacts and praised him on a job well done.
Things had taken a strange turn for the worst when Leah stepped out to answer the phone. She told Jay to hold off on making the next pancake until she returned. She hadn't been on the phone for long as it was only Ms. Crow calling, to complain again about someone or something. She had ignored her 'mommy senses' as they started tingling, alerting her that something was wrong. There hadn't been a howl saying that Jett or the others were in danger and Jay was just in the kitchen. Besides, it was only that sensation that someone had done or was getting ready to do something that they shouldn't. When she returned, Leah froze because there was pancake batter on her ceiling, stove, floor and Jay. He was kneeled on the ground, a guilty look upon his face as he tried, desperately, to clean up the mess.
Before Leah could say anything or utter a syllable, Jay did something that shocked her; he broke down into tears. For a couple of seconds, she stood still, staring, open mouthed at the young teenage boy, crying on her kitchen floor. She overcame her shock and hugged him to her, whispering soft words of comfort as he sobbed out his fears. He apologized profusely and promised to clean up the mess. He didn't mean to make the mess and he didn't want her to hate him. That had struck a chord with Leah as she held Jay even tighter, promising that there was never going to be a time that she would or could ever hate him. Jett had later walked in as Leah had calmed Jay down but he could see that his little brother was upset. Leah wanted to lay blame for Jay's meltdown at Renesmee and Jacob's feet.
Jacob hissed a curse under his breath as Leah finished up her story, his brow furrowed and his fists clenched. "She – that is we, we haven't been the greatest of parents." Jacob admitted his hung low in shame. "I was attentive to Jay for a while but Renesmee has always been cold. She's always messed with his head and I did nothing to stop it or counter it."
Eventually the pair sat down, more than the bars separating them from one another but still allowing a bit of contact. Leah listened silently as Jacob opened up about Jay's past and his upbringing. She didn't say a word or even growl but Jacob could sense the surprise, agitation, anger and regret that she felt with each story. It was the reason he had returned to La Push, to make things right, because walking away from Leah was the biggest mistake of his life. Reaching some form of maturity was impossible around the Cullens; they were frozen in time. They were children, with the exception of Carlisle and Esme, trying to play grown up; they were children still playing as children. The world revolved around them and their immediate interest; Edward had Bella and vice versa. For Renesmee, it was herself. There was never enough room in her room for an imprinted wolf and a baby; a family.
Leah breathed out a sigh and shook her head, clearing her mind of the rampant thoughts that went around the old Cullen circle of who was to blame. The old part of her still couldn't help but place Bella Swan at the center of the troubles but Renesmee had a choice - and in Leah's eyes, she chose wrong.
"Jay will be staying with me." Leah clarified as she looked down and noticed Jacob's finger lazily drawing unrecognizable patterns against her thigh. She fought back a blush and cleared her throat; his touch still made her spine shiver and her skin break out into goose pimples. "Charlie has been pushing hard to get custody of Jay." Jacob looked up with a small frown of worry and eyes full of relief. "It's only going to be a matter of time; possibly a day or two before the Cullens show up."
Jacob sensed the change in Leah's attitude at the thought of vampires coming into her territory. The two stood up together, Leah with a cold hard frown on her face and Jacob with guilt and regret. The pack would be preparing to meet the Cullens and he was going to be sitting in jail, waiting for the verdict.
"What are you going to do?" Jacob pressed as Leah had pulled out her phone and was texting a message to send out to the pack.
"We are going to extend our range," Leah stated matter-of-factly as if the plan had been created years ago. "We will meet them before they come too close and explain the situation." Jacob's heart skipped a beat at the meaning and possibilities of Leah 'explaining the situation'.
"Things are different now that I'm in charge." Jacob knowingly nodded his head in agreement. "If they want Renesmee they are welcomed to her, but Jay stays here." There was a power to her words that Jacob knew came with the responsibility of being Alpha of a pack. Leah's word was law to the pack and he also knew she'd die trying to keep the pack together.
"I'm sorry I won't be there." Jacob whispered softly, his head hung in shame, knowing that Bella and Edward were probably on their way right now.
"I'm not," Leah cut in putting her phone away, having finished sending out her text message. "I don't trust you around your precious Bells." Leah sneered, a hint of the same old anger, loathing and contempt that the old Leah held for the clumsy girl. "Then again, I'm sure Jay wouldn't mind staying in La Push as you run back to wherever you came from with Bella." Jacob frowned down at Leah's smirk, his stomach churning thinking of spending another year with the Cullens.
"I'm not like that anymore." Jacob stated, straightening his back and glaring down at the woman before him. How could he get close to Leah again if she believed that he was still madly in love with Bella Swan?
"If that what helps you sleep at night in this tiny cell then you keep on telling yourself that." Leah said with the same annoying smirk on her face. "Anyway, I've got a lot to do so you just hang in there, Jake." Leah said taking a step back once she realized that Jacob was still tracing patterns on her arm. "You're not the first wolf to spend some time in jail." Jacob could only offer a weak smile as Leah turned and walked away. He listened to her retreating footsteps, his heart longing for her more and more with the widening distance between them. He had fucked up his own life and Jay's, it was time to make everything right and it meant coming clean about a whole lot of things. At first, a lot of people would be angry over the truth and life changing decisions but Jacob believed that it would somehow work out in the end. Then again, it seemed that only Bella Cullen got the perfect happy endings.
I know it's been a while since I updated but sometimes life happens...on a daily basis. Enjoy!