Being There
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thanks for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate all the support. Nikki :)
Part Thirty Two
The next morning Jacob left Bella sleeping in while he went to see Sam. Charlie had also stayed the night and had been up to the early hours of the morning reminiscing with Billy about their youth. Some of their stories had been cringe worthy to listen to but it had made Bella laugh and that was all that mattered to Jacob. After his dad's revelation she had been a lot happier and seemed to have shrugged off her fear of imprinting at last. Jacob didn't bother to phase, he just took a slow walk over to the Clearwater's. He wasn't sure where Sam would have spent the night and he didn't want to risk going to Emily's.
The sun was out and he revelled in the rare warmth as he strolled slowly along, enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning. With his enhanced hearing he could hear the sounds of the wildlife getting ready for the day and he gazed around watching the birds nesting in the trees or flying high above him. It didn't take him long to reach Leah's house, Harry's truck was missing, it looked like he had already left for work. Jacob could hear sounds of movement inside the house. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door.
It took a moment before the door was answered by Sue Clearwater. She peered tiredly at him, there were dark circles underscoring her eyes as if she hadn't slept much. "Jake? What are you doing here so early?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you but I need to speak to Leah or Sam if he's around." Jacob said politely.
Sue's eyes narrowed. "So you know all about my daughter's so called reunion with her ex then." She snapped.
Jacob backed away slightly. It was well known who Leah got her temper from. "Yeah, they both came to see me yesterday." He admitted.
"And you're okay with this?" Sue put her hands on her hips as she spoke. "That boy broke my girl's heart and I'm expected to be happy about the fact that suddenly he's seen the light. I don't think so."
Jacob hadn't expected this at all. He didn't need to get in the middle of a Clearwater family battle. He now understood why Harry had fled the house so early, when Sue was in a temper no one was safe. "Look I understand your fears but this is really not my business. I just need to speak to Sam. Do you know where he or Leah is?"
"Probably spent the night on the beach after I chucked him out of my house. Of course my daft daughter had to follow him. When you track her down tell her I am looking for her, she can't avoid me forever." She wagged her finger at Jacob before closing the door on him.
"There goes my peaceful morning." Jacob muttered under his breath. This time he decided to phase, it would be much easier to track them down that way. He jogged over to the surrounding trees and undressed quickly, tying his shorts to the leather strap wound around his leg. Within seconds his form shimmered and morphed into his spirit wolf. He took off at high speed heading for the beach.
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Jared and Paul were phased doing the early morning patrol. They had not seen or heard from Leah or Sam so had no idea about the current state of affairs. Jacob could sense that Jared was in a bad mood; when he enquired politely after Kim his pack brother just said she was fine and refused to say anymore. He felt guilty about not enquiring further into Jared's imprint with Kim, he had been so caught up with Bella and the baby that it had overridden everything else. Jacob vowed to get Jared alone and talk to him, he would make it his first duty when he formally announced he was taking over from Sam. His first priority was finding his errant leader.
Even though Jacob had become adept at hiding his thoughts when phased, sometimes they slipped out through the shared mind link. Paul caught the tail end of his musings about Sam.
"He's back with Leah?" Paul said in astonishment.
Jacob berated himself internally for letting that out. "Nothing is for certain."
Jared suddenly tuned in. "How is that possible? What about Emily? She is his imprint, there is no way that Sam could break that bond."
"Look guys. I know this seems like a big thing but until I speak to Sam. I can't say anymore." Jacob said quickly. "I'm at the beach now. I promise we'll have a meeting soon to discuss everything."
Just as he prepared himself to phase back he caught Paul's last thought. "Who died and made him Alpha?"
A wry smile crossed Jacob's face when he changed back. He pulled on his shorts and headed toward the beach. Dealing with Paul and putting him in his place would be the best part of delivering the news that he was about to take up his birthright.
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He found Leah and Sam frolicking about in the sea. He could hear their laughter before he saw them. From a distance he watched as Sam chased Leah, threw her over his shoulder and then ran into the ocean. Leah's cries echoed through the air as she burst up through the water and then yanked Sam down with her until they were both soaked through. Sam then caught her by the shoulders and kissed her deeply. Jacob sighed, he felt like he was intruding but what other choice did he have. Sam and Leah needed to come out of their little love bubble and face up to reality. Emily needed to be dealt with as well as the elders. Jacob winced when he thought about the old men that made up the tribal council.
He trudged down the beach slowly, giving Sam and Leah time to compose themselves, they would hear him coming. They were sitting on the sand waiting when he finally reached them, both had serious expressions on their faces as they watched him make himself comfortable in front of them. Jacob crossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees.
"I'll do it." He said simply.
Leah broke out into a relieved smile. She scrambled over to Jacob and gave him a strong hug. Sam grinned and punched Jacob on the shoulder. "Thanks man, you don't know what this means to us." He said happily.
Jacob waited until they had calmed down before he carried on speaking. "It's not as easy as that." He warned them. "There are certain conditions."
Leah's happy expression darkened. "Conditions? What is that supposed to mean?" She snapped. Jacob thought how much she looked like Sue when she scowled.
"Lee, calm down." Sam warned her. She glowered at him for a moment before settling down and glaring at Jacob.
"I have a lot of responsibilities Sam. I'm going to be a dad soon, I want to build a house for me and Bells. I still have to study and find work as well as patrol. I'm going to need help, lots of it. I want you to become my second in command." Jacob told him.
Sam's expression softened as did Leah's. They had been expecting something much worse. "That goes without saying, Jake. We will help in any way we can,I promise. I will still take charge when necessary whenever you need me to. It is the role of Alpha I wanted to step down from but I am still here to support you as your brother."
"Me too." Leah agreed. "I will be by Bella's side every step of the way."
Jacob ran a hand through his hair making it stand in spikes. "Thank you she will need all the support she can get. Now that Jess has miscarried, she feels kinda alone."
"I'll go and see her." Leah stood up gracefully, brushing the sand from her shapely legs.
"You need to see your mom first. Sue is very angry right now." Jacob advised her.
Leah scowled again. "There's no point, she'll just yell again. My dad tried to reason with her but she shouted at him as well. Poor Sethy had to hold her back from me when I stood my ground."
Sam stood up too and put a comforting arm around her. "Jake's right Lee, go and make your peace with her. I need to go and talk to Emily."
"Without me?" She asked him anxiously.
"It's for the best Lee. It will make it harder if you're there." Sam replied cupping her face in the palm of his hand.
"But what if..." Her words were cut off as Sam kissed her.
"I'll be fine. I promise." He said earnestly.
"I'll go with him." Jacob offered. "He can talk to her alone but I'll be around."
Leah looked at him gratefully. "Thanks. You've already done so much."
Jacob just nodded. He wanted to get it all over with so he could get back home to Bella. "Are you ready Sam?" He asked.
Sam sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. I'll see you soon, Lee." He leaned down to kiss her again before turning swiftly and walking away. Jacob gave her a small smile before following after him. Leah watched them go, a single tear glistening on her cheek.
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Emily was busy cooking when Sam entered the small wooden house he had shared with her for the past few months. There were already two plates piled high with freshly made muffins and it looked like she was baking even more. It was what she did when she was stressed, the house had been cleaned from top to bottom. She must have known that something was very wrong when he didn't come home last night. Jacob was waiting for him outside.
"Em," Sam said gently.
Emily opened the oven and pulled a tray of blueberry muffins out of the oven. "I'm glad you're home. I've been baking since early this morning. I thought we could invite your brothers over for dinner? What do you think? We haven't all been together in a while."
Sam swallowed down the lump in his throat. Even though he didn't love Emily he did care about her. "Emily please, we need to talk."
"I'm so busy, Sam. Maybe later." She continued to fuss over the muffins.
"No, Emily it has to be now. Something has happened." Sam pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit down.
Emily's back stiffened. She put the tray down on the side to cool and finally marched over to the table and sat down. "What's wrong?" She looked up at him worriedly from under her long black eyelashes. The scar that adorned half her face was hidden behind her long shiny hair.
Sam sat down opposite her and gazed at her sadly. "There is no easy way to say this but I'm leaving you Emily. I'm sorry but I can't carry on like this anymore. I know that you've felt it too."
A panicked look crossed her face as she clutched the edge of the table, digging her nails into the thick wood. "Leaving me? We're imprinted, it is impossible for you to leave. I won't let you."
Sam sat back in his chair and regarded her thoughtfully. "You can't dictate my life for me anymore. I am my own person."
"You need me. I'm your mate, the spirits chose me to share your life. You're beholden to me, Sam." Emily kept her voice steady as she spoke, there was no pleading just certainty that he would acquiesce.
"No. I am no longer the Alpha of the pack. Today Jake took over his birthright thus freeing me from the responsibility of leadership and the burden that goes with it." He told her bluntly.
Emily stared at him, as if not quite believing what he was saying. "That's not true. Has Leah got something to do with this?"
Sam fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't want to lie to you, Em. Yes it has to do with Leah. I still love her and you know this, you have always known this."
An angry glint shone from Emily's dark eyes. "You love me. You chose to be with me."
Sam shook his head, no longer beholden to her whims. "No, you chose me. You chose to take me away from your cousin Emily. You knew very well what you were doing and that I wouldn't have the strength to fight you on that decision. The imprint pull was too powerful. Do not dress it up as some kind of love story. You could have just had me in your life as a friend or brother but you wanted more than that."
"You won't be able to cope without me, Sam. Leah can't give you what you really need. She was never meant for you. I was. I love you, you cannot abandon me." Emily rose from her seat and tried to take Sam's hand but he pulled away from her.
"Don't make this harder then it already is. I'm sorry Emily but it's over. I'm just going to get my things and then go." Sam stood up quickly and left the room, heading for their shared bedroom.
Emily stood in the middle of her kitchen, her hands were shaking and she felt bereft. The life she had built for herself was crumbling around her. This couldn't be happening. Her brain went into overdrive as she tried to think of ways to get Sam to stay. Jacob taking over as Alpha must have had something to do with the imprint bond between her and Sam fading. She had felt it unravelling but had refused to acknowledge it.
Anger began to build up in her small body making her tremble. If she couldn't have Sam and be happy then she would go after the one person who had started all this. An image of Bella entered her head; it was her appearance into all their lives that had turned everything upside down. Well now she would get a taste of what it felt like to lose everything you loved. A mad light entered her eyes as she grabbed the keys to Sam's truck and left by the back entrance of the house.
A/N-thanks for reading.
