Landslide: Chapter Four

Leah's point of view

After my talk with Rachel – and a few drinks, I decided that I was going to tell Jacob how I'd been feeling. I'd just tell him. I was always straight-forward and I didn't want to betray my blunt reputation just yet. I got up my nerve with liquid courage and found him talking to Jared and Paul over by the edge of the woods.

"Jake?" I said softly. I was far from drunk but I was beginning to feel my worries melt away. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Paul and Jared looked at me before Jacob told him that he'd see them soon. They agreed they would see him soon and nodded to me before filtering down the beach, back to the commotion.

"What's up, Lee?"

"As though you don't already know," I said.

He raised a brow. "Is this about... earlier?"

"Kind of," I admitted. "I just... I've been thinking and I wanted to tell you that I haven't been completely honest with you lately."

He nodded, encouraging me to keep going. "Why not?"

"If I'm being completely honest, I'm kind of scared. I don't want to screw anything up but I don't want to keep it to myself anymore. I don't want to have to try and keep my thoughts filtered when we're patrolling anymore, either, it's exhausting."

Jacob stepped forward and took my hands in his larger ones, the warmth and feel of his weathered skin making my own burn. "What's going on inside that head of yours? Is it Sam? Is it the wedding?"

I shook my head. "I'm still mad at them, but no, it's not them."

"Then what is it, Lee?"

I was silent for a few moments and he looked to his watch.

"Have somewhere to be?" I asked him, biting my lower lip.

"No, it's nothing. I'm here with you right now."

"Where are you supposed to be?"

"Nowhere."

"Don't lie, Jacob." I pulled my hands from his.

He sighed when I pulled away and he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I told Nessie I'd see her before she went to bed and it's almost her bed time."

I felt my hear sink but I nodded. "Don't let me stop you, then."

I turned around on my heel and started to walk away, tears filling my eyes. I would never be good enough to outweigh his imprint, I had know that all along. I didn't have his attention like she did.

"Leah, no, wait. That can wait. Don't be stubborn, come back."

"It's fine, Jake," I called back, heading back toward the beach.

"I'm not going to baby you, Leah," Jake called.

"I didn't ask you to!" I said, spinning around.

"Look," he said, coming after me, but keeping his distance. I managed to blink away the sign of any tears. I didn't even know why I was so upset. I knew this all along. "I'll be back in a half hour. Stay here with the rest of the pack and then we'll talk before we go home, okay?"

"Whatever, Jake," I snapped before turning on my heel, and running back to the fire pit.

He didn't call after me, or follow me, instead I heard him sigh and his footprints walking in the other direction, toward the woods, so he could phase and go see that filthy bloodsucker he loved so much. I felt a lump in my throat but kept the tears out of my eyes as I returned to the fit pit.

Rachel was cuddled up to Paul but when I came back, she must have sensed something was wrong because I didn't even get a chance to sit down before she came over, Kim in tow, taking my hand and leading me away from the others before I got a chance to sit down.

"What'd he say?"

I assumed Kim was in the dark, but she frowned. "I promise my lips are sealed."

I closed my eyes, feeling the wind wrap around my heated frame. "Nothing, I didn't tell him."

"Why not?" She pouted.

"He was going to check on the hybrid spawn," I said bitterly.

Rachel leaned in and gave me a hug, and I returned it gingerly.

"He said he'd be back later and we'd talk."

Rack pulled back, but kept her hands on my shoulder. "It's set, then. When he comes back you'll talk to him."

"It's useless, Rach. It doesn't change anything."

"Maybe it will," Kim pipped in. "I'm assuming you like him?"

I looked to her and frowned, rubbing my face with my hands. "Too fucking much."

"Maybe Rachel's right. Maybe... Well maybe the imprints arehard to fight against, but it's not impossible. At least, I don't think so."

"I've seen Sam's thoughts... All of theirs. As soon as you see that person... They're your world. Sam couldn't fight it."

Kim hesitated. "Sam didn't try. None of the boys have."

"Come have a few drinks with us and you'll talk to Jake when he comes back," Rachel said, ushering me back over to the logs.

I followed her and Kim and they handed me another cooler. This would be a long night, I could tell.

I'm not sure how many coolers I was after having, to be brutally honest, but by the time Jacob got back I didn't even notice. I was laying on the beach rocks, looking up at the sky after finally getting rid of Kim and Rachel's lame attempts to make me laugh and Sam and Emily's love fest. I felt so... light.

The sky looked as though I could touch it and I felt myself reaching out toward it, my arms heavy. I heard my name being called from the distance, but it didn't sound urgent, so I didn't answer. Instead, I continued to reach up toward the sky, pretending to grab the stars in my hands and crush them one by one. I laughed in spite of myself, and once I started, I was unable to stop.

Then, a figure materialized standing above me and I could only just make out the scruff on the male's face. "Jacob? The stars are really close tonight, you can touch them. Come down. It's fun to squish them between your fingers."

I heard a male laugh from beside me, but I couldn't distinguish who it was. "Leah? Are you okay?" My brother, maybe?

"Come play with the stars! You can crush them! It's like a huge ball of fire, but I can crush them with my bare hands!" I said, grinning. "Come on, don't be such a party pooper!"

"I think she's had a little more than one too many," another voice.

What's with all the voices!?

"God, can you guys please shut up? It was so peaceful before you all started talking!"

Jacob chuckled, or at least, I think it was Jacob. The tall figure above me reached down and picked me up into his arms, and I only barely recognized the smell of the aftershave. I was right, it was Jacob. "Come on, Lee, let's get you home."

"I don't want to go home!" I protested. "The beach is my home; the waves and the stars and the moon and the rocks!"

Seth started laughing hysterically. "I've never seen her drunk before," he commented.

There was a lot of laughter and I felt the noise hurting my head. "Jeez, can you just please shut up?"

"Okay, Lee, don't get too out of line," Embry chuckled.

"Put me down!" I demanded.

"You can't even walk, Leah," Jacob informed me.

"The Hell I can't!"

I don't know if it was for his amusement, or to avoid a fight, but he placed me down on my feet and once I steadied myself I took a few steps, just fine. Or at least I thought they were fine.

"See, you're going to fall over," Embry said, grabbing my hand.

Quil mindlessly chuckled, watching with amusement and I pouted, but Jacob picked me back up, like a child, and the other male figures jogged on ahead.

"Guess we're not having that talk tonight, huh Lee?"

I sniffed. "You stink."

Jacob raised a brow but then realized. "Vampire," he guessed.

"You're going to make me sick," I said unhappily.

He just laughed and I sighed. "About earlier..." I remembered foggy parts. Us by the woods... Me kissing him.

"What did you want to tell me?" He asked.

"I love you," I blurted, looking up at the stars from in his arms. They were moving and not just because Jacob was moving. Everything was spinning. But then it stopped. Jacob stopped.

"What?" He asked.

"Hm?"

"What did you just say?"

I thought for a second, my stomach churning slightly. "I love you, did you not hear me?"

Jacob looked down at me, dumbfounded. "This is just the alcohol talking," he said, shaking his head as we started moving again. I just shrugged, and he trudged on home with me in his arms.

Before we got home, however, I felt more myself. Being a wolf, you recuperated fast and no matter if it was medicine or alcohol, our heightened temperature burned it off pretty fast. I was still in no shape to make sense of what was going on around me without having a headache, but my problems started fading back into me. Once we got home, Jacob put me down, having ran all the way, and Quil, Embry and Seth were already inside scarfing down some burgers.

"We left you guys some grub," Quil said, nodding over. "Though Leah's probably not too hungry."

Jacob put me down carefully, and I was sobering up enough that I could stand up on my own. And walk, apparently. Jacob didn't say anything to me as he went over to the stove and grabbed a burger and I already felt the hangover effects kicking in. My head was killing me, and I soon managed to get up stairs with a little help from Jacob and I immediately crawled into bed.

"Sleep it off," Jake said, placing a blanket over me. "We're going to talk in the morning."

Apparently he considered me sober enough to understand what he meant, because then he left the room and walked downstairs. I faded into dreamland fast and before I knew it, it was morning again.

"Leah?" Seth called, opening my bedroom door.

I groaned as I rolled over but my hangover was long gone by now. I looked to the clock. 11:00AM. "How long have I been asleep?" I asked, sitting up and combing my hair out of my face with my fingers.

Seth shrugged, "Like 14 hours. Once Jake got back you were pretty gone, so we came home."

I felt like crap. I slept way too long and my headache was mostly gone, but still, a throbbing pain lingered. Above all else, though, I was starving. My stomach grumbled as soon as I threw the covers off of me. I was still in yesterdays clothes.

"There's bacon, eggs and toast downstairs. Quil cooked," Seth said helpfully.

I met him at the door and followed him downstairs, "Thanks, bro."

Embry looked at me when I came downstairs. "Look what finally got out of bed," he mused.

"Shut up," I groaned, rolling my eyes and putting on a pot of coffee to brighten me up a little.

"You were pretty funny last night, Lee. I didn't think you had a funny bone in your body, but." Quil added, smirking.

"What happened last night?" I asked, quirking a brow. I turned to face the two boys, Seth joining them on the couch. Jacob wasn't with them, and I brushed it off for the better.

"You were laying on the beach 'squishing stars'," Seth explained, chuckling.

"Lovely... Could have been worse, I guess," I concluded before pouring my fresh coffee and grabbing a plate, filling it up with the left overs. "Where's Jacob?" I asked.

"Up in his room, I think," Quil answered me.

I nodded, "Did he eat?"

"Yup, that's all yours. If you slept any longer, though I would have ate it all!"

It didn't take me long to scarf down the rest of the food, and once I was considerably full, I went upstairs to Jacob's room. It took me a second of deep breathing before I knocked on it. I remembered one thing about last night... The one thing I wish I hadn't.

"Jacob?" I called before knocking.

"Come in."

I opened the door carefully, as though a bomb would go off on the other side if I was too fast and careless. "Hey," I breathed, closing the door behind me as I saw him sat on his bed, looking through some pictures.

He looked up to me, met my eyes, and then looked back to the pictures sprawled across his mattress. "Hey."

"Can we talk?"

"About last night..." Jake said, looking back up at me. "Forget about it. You were drunk, you said something stupid, it's cool you don't have to apologize.."

"Jake... I..." I was such a fucking idiot. "I wasn't going to apologize; I remember what I said and now that I'm thinking clearly I wanted to tell you that I was serious last night. I love you and it scares the Hell out of me and I know you've imprinted, but I can't stop it and I really, really wish I could." My words were rushed, and he looked overwhelmed.

Authors Note: Cliffhanger! Reviews would be appreciated and will definitely give me the motivation to write the next chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it! (: Also, let me know in your review who's perspective you want the first part of the next chapter written in!
-Dramaticfield