The cabin turned out to be the perfect place for the wolves to isolate themselves when they needed to. Either Leah, Sam, or both of them stayed with Jared at all times, Sue checked in on him after work every day, and his parents came and went. His transition was still difficult, of course, but nothing like the trauma that Sam and Leah had experienced. He even managed to get outside before he phased for the first time.
It happened in the early evening two days later. Sue had just dropped off dinner, and Sam was sitting in the screened-in back porch enjoying the food. They made certain to eat meals outside, where the smells wouldn't upset Jared's stomach. Melissa was sitting with Leah and her son, but her normal motherly concern was grating on his nerves. When she unsuccessfully attempted to get him to take some broth for the sixth time in an hour, he snapped at her and started shaking. Leah rushed Melissa out of the room and urged Jared out the window. The cabin was in the middle of the woods without neighbors nearby, so she didn't bother trying to get him very far. Sam set his food down and joined them. Leah glanced at Sam, looking for his agreement. They had realized that Jared's even temper was serving him a little too well. He was fighting the change, but only prolonging the agony in the process. It was miserable. Every muscle in his body had been on fire for the past few days. And they knew that the only thing that would quench the flames would be to release his wolf. Jared was taking calming breaths, but Leah interrupted his concentration. "Are you gonna let her talk to you that way?" she demanded.
Jared growled, "What?"
"She treats you like a baby, and you just take it," she taunted.
Jared snapped, "What's your problem? Get off my back."
Sam stepped forward to intervene. He understood what Leah was trying to do, but he couldn't stand the idea of her getting hurt again, even if her supernatural healing abilities would make permanent injury very difficult. He put his hand on her arm and pulled her back. She went with him, but she didn't stop harassing Jared. "If you want to hack it in our pack, you're going to have to grow a spine. You can't act like a little kid anymore, like you just did with your mom. But I'm not sure you'll be able to handle it. I think you're too weak."
Jared began to shake. "What the hell? I thought you said you were here to help me."
"We are, but I'm not sure you're worth the trouble anymore. We need somebody tough, somebody who can fight and kill monsters. But from what I've seen so far, you're just a big baby. Whining because of a little fever. Can barely function just because your sister was watching the TV too loud in the next room. You're pathetic. There's no way I would trust a pussy like you to watch my back."
That was it. There was no way Jared could hear her insulting him like that for no reason and tolerate it, not now. "Fuck you!" he yelled. His words turned into a bloodcurdling howl as he exploded out of his body. Sam threw Leah back to get her out of harm's way, but Jared was incensed. He leapt toward her. Sam and Leah both phased in at the same moment. She did not want to hurt Jared, so she simply tried to jump away. But Jared was too close. He slammed into her flank. He towered over her, and he outweighed her significantly, so she landed against the house. As Leah tried to right herself, she began to apologize to Jared. I am so sorry. I didn't mean any of it.
But he wasn't listening. He was too disoriented by his new body and by seeing through his packmates' eyes to hear. But his anger centered him. He crouched, snarling, so that he might launch himself at her again, but Sam roared, No! and rammed into his shoulder to knock him off his course mid-spring. Before Jared had the chance to protest or fight back, Sam ordered, Don't move!
Jared froze, terrified. What the hell is going on? Why can't I move?
Sam ignored him, desperate to make sure Leah was unharmed. But she had no concern for herself. She was already approaching Jared cautiously, head bowed and tail between her legs. It's going to be okay. It's okay. Don't be afraid. I promised that we here to help you. She nuzzled at him with her nose, and as she reassured him, his shaking subsided. It's going to be okay.
Sam explained, You'll be able to move if I say so. But you have to promise not to hurt Leah, and not to run off. She didn't mean any of what she said. So don't be mad, okay? Do you promise not to go after her?
Jared cowered in place. Yeah, what? Oh yeah. I do. Man, it's freaky hearing you guys in my head. They had warned him, of course, but there was no real way to prepare.
Okay. You can move. Let's just get away from the house. We're lucky we didn't put a hole in the wall.
Sam went inside to reassure Melissa that Jared was okay. When he returned, Leah was apologizing to Jared again. I'm sorry I was so mean. I didn't mean any of it.
Then why did you say it?
Because I knew that there was nothing we could do to keep it from happening, but at least we could stop the pain. We both remember how much it hurt right before we phased. The only thing that was going to stop that pain was becoming the wolf, and being angry causes the change.
They felt him turning his attention inward, and he realized that the burning was entirely gone. Oh my God, you're right! But it felt like a bomb went off inside me. No. Like I was a bomb. They could feel his fear. Is it always like that? I'm not sure I can handle that. Does it hurt that much to turn back? Oh God, am I stuck this way?
Sam and Leah both hastily tried to reassure him, but he ended up getting a barrage of jumbled images of both their experiences as new wolves. He saw Sam wandering through the forest, alone, despondent, and terrified, and Leah and Sam huddling together in their cave at Third Beach. But he also saw Leah's transformation in the ICU from both Leah's and Sam's perspectives, and Leah's overwhelming grief at losing Harry. Hey, I'm really sorry about your dad. And about jumping you earlier.
It's okay, she answered. I was kind of asking for it with the way I talked to you. I was trying to make you mad, after all.
Sam was less forgiving, although he didn't express himself in words, and Jared looked between them. So, uh, how weird is it to read each other's minds? Is there any way to stop that? He tried to make a joke. But I'll bet it's nice not having to try to guess what your girlfriend wants, Uley.
His comment triggered a barrage of thoughts about imprinting. While Sam would have loved to be able to keep his thoughts of Emily to himself, he was grateful for Leah's ability to see into his heart. Without their mental link, he would never have been able to tell her what he needed her to know. The imprint was too strong.
Jared was overwhelmed with the new information. They had tried to prepare him, but they had not talking about imprinting yet. What is that? What are you guys talking about?
Sam refocused the conversation. That's a long story. We'll show you sometime, but maybe we should go over the basics first. The first thing you need to learn is how to turn back.
He wasn't able to do it that night, so all three of the wolves slept together in the woods. The next morning, Sam sent Leah to eat breakfast, and he switched places with her when she was done. She returned with a pound of cooked bacon, which took the edge off of Jared's hunger. Sam brought sausages and pancakes when he came out, while Leah teased Jared about how silly he looked eating human food. He just shrugged. My dog likes this stuff as much as I do, and I guess I look like him now. But bigger.
After his meal, they tried for another few hours to get him to phase without success. They decided to take a break and go for a run. Leah defended her title as fastest in the pack, while Jared and Sam were evenly matched. They sprinted to the Olympic National Forest, where they drank their fill from a clear stream. Jared had a lot of questions, so they answered them as best they could, and they ran back home at a slightly slower pace. After that, Jared was too tired to try to phase again, so they spent another night under the sky. A light drizzle fell, so they took shelter in the cave. Leah and Sam curled together in the back while Jared stayed close to the entrance, watching the ocean. The next day, he finally succeeded in returning to his human form. He inadvertently flashed Leah before Sam covered her eyes with both hands, half-jokingly telling Jared to make himself decent. They returned to the cabin as a pack of three.
The little house in the woods became a second home to all of them. For the next several days, Jared spent most of his time there. They told his sister that he was in the hospital recovering, and one or both of his parents came to see them every day. Sandy wanted to visit him, but they told her that he was contagious. Sam and Leah spent most of their time there as well, both to help his transition in addition to giving themselves some privacy. They had both been looking forward to being out on their own, and while this wasn't the same as going to college, at least they had some space from their mothers. They enjoyed getting to know Jared better, too. He was a welcome addition to the pack, both because they enjoyed having someone else to talk with about their bizarre situation, and because he was a genuinely nice guy.
From time to time, Leah would slip off with the excuse of checking on Paul, who was six months younger than Jared and the most likely candidate to phase next. She normally left while Sam and Jared practiced phasing and keeping his emotions under control. He was even-tempered to begin with, so it wasn't very hard. Soon he would be able to return to school. While the boys were busy, Leah often found herself at Harry's grave. The headstone wasn't ready yet, so she sat by the plot of freshly turned dirt. She did not need a marker. She knew exactly where he was, or rather, that this place held all she had left of him. She thought about speaking with him, but she knew she would get no answer. So mostly she sat quietly, and sometimes she cried.
Sam knew where she went when she disappeared, but he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't know how to help her. Normally he would've asked Harry. So he, too, went to the gravesite. His visits were less frequent than Leah's, but when he was there he did ask his questions. He even harbored the idea that he might get answers. He spoke into the air, wondering if anyone would reply. After all, if werewolves and vampires were real, maybe ghosts were too.
The air was silent, though, so eventually he stopped talking. And after a while, when he was certain he wouldn't hear anything, he began to express his disappointment. "Don't take this the wrong way, Harry, because you were more of a father to me than my dad ever was. But I really wish you had let me tell Leah about everything when I wanted to. That would have been a heck of a lot easier. I probably never would have injured her. She'd have backed up when I told her to, I think. Although I guess I should be grateful. If she hadn't ended up in the hospital, and I'm guessing that wouldn't have happened if she knew everything, she might never have come across a vampire. Maybe she would have left for Seattle before she had the chance to phase. So on the other hand, I guess I should be grateful that I've got her, because if it hadn't happened to her when it did, I might have lost her for good. But I still wish you had let me tell her." He took a deep breath, but it exited his lungs as a sigh. He rubbed his face with his hands. "It's stupid to blame you for it. I'm sorry. I'm the one who hurt her either way, and I'm the one who listened when you said not to say anything. But I really wish you had told me everything. That's what you meant, wasn't it? When you asked me if I felt any different for her? You knew then that I hadn't imprinted on her. And you knew I might imprint on someone else. Harry, if I had known, I would never have looked another girl in the eyes ever again. I would have only looked at their feet or shoes or something. Or looked right past them at the sky or the ceiling." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I know it's ridiculous. I see Emily all the time, and there's no way... But…" He couldn't finish the thought. The imprint wouldn't let him. But that didn't matter, because Harry wasn't listening anyway.
He had gotten so lost in his thoughts that he missed Leah's approach. She knelt down behind him, slid her arms around his shoulders and kissed the back of his neck. They stayed until sundown. It was a peaceful evening, which should have been their first hint that something was wrong.
On their way back to the cabin, they decided to take a detour and wander along the beach. Leah wanted to dip her feet in the surf. She used to like wading into the frigid Pacific long after the summer was over; she would roll up her pants, pick her way down the shore, and stand ankle deep for as long as she could tolerate it. He would try to push her farther in while trying to stay dry, she would playfully resist or try to drag him in with her, and she would wheedle a foot massage from him when she could no longer feel her toes.
Now the temperate September weather didn't cool the ocean enough to bother her. They strolled along the shoreline and chatted about Jared's transition, when Paul might join them, and how Sue and Seth were doing. Leah was worried about Allison. He had nearly forgotten her amidst the chaos, but Leah and Sue had insisted that she be told his secret. She had handled it as well as she could have, with disbelief, then fear and confusion, and finally trepidation and disappointment. She was crushed at the loss of the future she wanted for him, but at least she finally stopped asking him about college. Sam knew he ought to feel worse for her, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had managed to hold onto his connection to Leah, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to find the ones that tied him to his family. Deep down it terrified him, but the imprint numbed those feelings and made them difficult to access. Leah reminded him to keep his mother updated, though, and made sure to take him home from time to time for dinner or just to talk.
As they walked, he wondered what his mother would think of Emily, or more specifically, what Emily would think of his mother. Should he introduce them? For that matter, when was he going to see her again? What was Emily doing right now? He barely managed to stop himself from asking Leah about her. It helped that a sixth sense told him she was well. She was happy, or at least as happy as she ever was. He got the feeling that she was never fully content. Sometimes he felt her distress, disappointment, anxiety, or sadness, but right now he could tell she was actually in a good mood.
Beside him, Leah squeezed his hand. He looked down at her. She was looking over her shoulder. "I've got such big feet," she said with a little smile, "but next to yours they look normal."
He watched her toes wiggle in the sand. They looked cute to him. "Your feet aren't big, they really are normal."
"They're proportional, which means they're gigantic, at least for a girl."
He scoffed. "That's not gigantic. Look at mine." He put his foot right next to hers. Hers looked positively dainty next to his. "If yours were any smaller, you'd look ridiculous. You wouldn't be able to balance on your useless, tiny feet. You'd fall over every time you tried to stand."
She giggled. "You're a big silly."
"With giant clown feet," he agreed. "Take a look at it this way. You can buy shoes at normal stores, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you have normal sized feet. I haven't been able to find a pair of shoes in a department store for over a year. I have to go online to get a pair big enough. You don't, so I win. I'm right."
She laughed again. "I think that means you lose, actually." Her dimples appeared in her cheeks, and he wanted to kiss them, but she pointed at the sand behind them. "Look. Our footprints."
He glanced back. His large footprints marked the sand in a long line, but hers were already beginning to wash away. Something about the image distressed him. Before he could figure out what, the wind shifted, and the smell of decay washed over them.
"Oh no, that's what I think it is, isn't it?" she asked.
He sniffed the air. "You're right. Which way is upwind? That way?"
She didn't answer. She just ran. He chased her into the cover of the forest, where she left a trail of clothes behind her. And then she phased and was off like a shot. He managed to kick off his shoes, but he gave up on the rest of this clothing. There was no way he was letting her get there before he did.
But she was too quick. LeeLee, wait up. I don't want you going in there by yourself.
She knew that it was not a command, so she argued, But what if someone's in trouble? What if someone needs our help? Let me at least look.
He couldn't deny the request, although the thought of her facing a deadly monster by herself terrified him. Please don't get too close. Just look, okay?
Her wolf knew what to do even if she was a novice. The scent was obviously stronger to the north, and she shot toward the enemy like a bullet. What do I do if it's one of the Cullens? I don't know what they all look like.
From the smell of it, if it is one of them, they've broken the treaty. It's too close. It's on our land, don't you think? But if you can, get a look at its eyes. Anything red is fair game, no matter what.
Then a second scent blended in with the first. He could feel Leah's alarm. Is that what I think it is? She picked up her pace and pulled even farther away from him.
Slow down. You have to be quiet. Please, look to see what's going on before you get yourself into trouble.
But Sammy, that smell, it's blood, right?
Grimly, Sam answered, Yeah. That's blood. Let's just hope it's from an animal.
It wasn't.
"You have to stop!" a female voice hissed. There was no response other than a growl.
Shit! Someone's in trouble! Leah was determined to stop whatever was happening.
Sam finally issued an order. Slow down! You have to be quiet. That voice, she wasn't asking for help. She sounded angry, not afraid. LeeLee, I think there's more than one!
Leah immediately slowed so that she could pick her way silently toward the source of the stench. The female voice spoke again. "Look what you've done. He's dead. This is exactly what I told you not to do!" The tone changed from irritated to irate. "If you can't learn self control, it's never going to work!"
Leah peered through a thick copse of bushes. She didn't have a clear view, but wild, red hair was visible, and very pale skin. She shifted until she could see more. A body lay unmoving on the ground. She saw two feet bearing hiking boots pointing at the sky, and jean-clad legs. Two kneeling forms blocked everything else from her sight. One was the voice they had heard, a slight-appearing female with chaotic orange curls. The other appeared to be a blonde male who was bent over the body, feeding at the neck. I have to do something! I have the help that man! She looked around for the best point of entry into the small clearing.
It's too late! He's gone. He's not moving, and there's no heartbeat. She just said so.
Oh no, we're too late, aren't we?
Maybe. We should...
But before he had a chance to finish, Leah's rage took over, and she leapt directly over the bushes and landed directly on the male vampire. The female stood up with a screech, but Leah's attack had taken the vampires by surprise. Instinctively she sank her teeth into the back of his skull and crushed it in her powerful jaws. Her mouth filled with tiny pieces of vile, bitter crumbles mixed with stiff strands of hair. Then the female slammed directly into her flank, flinging her away. The head had split apart when she refused to let go, and the body of the male vampire slumped forward as she landed on her right shoulder ten feet away. Sam screamed her name, but he wasn't yet close enough to help. Before she had a chance to right herself, the female vampire landed on her, snapping her left front leg, and Sam's heart leapt into his throat. His LeeLee was in danger, was in pain, and it made him sick. Leah swung her head to the left and used the remnants of the male's head as a weapon, and a piece of the skull embedded itself in the female's bright red eye.
As he raced toward her, Sam yelled, Yes! Blind the bitch!
The vampire shrieked with pain and reared back, allowing Leah to rise to her feet. The monster was screaming and clutching at her face. Leah sprang forward, knocking her back, where they landed on top of the dead human and the writhing body of the male vampire. The female vampire punched her squarely in the muzzle and then swiftly in her broken leg, knocking her over as she howled in pain. But she swiped her claw out as she fell, catching the little piece of skull with her paw.
Get up, LeeLee! Get up! Sam screamed frantically as he watched. In front of him was the clearing. He was almost there. And through the corner of Leah's vision, he saw the enraged female vampire stand. Move!
But her right paw was pinned. She looked down, and the hand of the male vampire was wrapped around her ankle. The remnants of his head were barely connected to his torso, and his eyes were unfocused. His limbs thrashed in an uncoordinated, jerky pattern, but his wrist locked onto her like a vise.
Leah didn't hesitate. She bit cleanly through his forearm to free herself. But the female vampire didn't hesitate either. She wrapped one arm around Leah's neck to immobilize her, and with the other, she began to pummel at Leah's skull.
No! Sam crashed into them with a great roar, dislodging the female from Leah just as Leah's vision went black. If he wasn't so terrified at the sudden loss of her consciousness from his mind, he would have laughed when he saw the mutilated face of the once-beautiful creature: Leah had opened a gash from her forehead through her brow to her cheekbone. It was already closing, but her left eye was gone. Sam growled and crouched, preparing to spring. But just before he reached her, she jumped up, catching the branch of a pine tree fifteen feet above his head. She scaled the tree like a ladder, and she practically flew to the adjacent tree when he rammed into the trunk in an attempt to dislodge her.
Sam looked between the escaping female and Leah, who lay unmoving on the ground. Then he spotted the dismembered arm of the male vampire. It was digging its fingers into her fur to crawl toward her face. He peered behind her, and the rest of the body was attempting to struggle to its feet.
It didn't get any farther. Sam tore it to pieces and scattered them far away from one another. Billy had warned him to carry a lighter on him at all times, but he had lost it when he shredded his clothes in his haste to chase after Leah. It was somewhere at the forest's edge. He needed to get it, but he couldn't bear to leave Leah lying vulnerable, alone, when the dismembered vampire might reassemble itself or the maimed female could return. He needed help, so he let out a bellowing howl.
Jared appeared in the pack mind less than a minute later. What's going on? He looked at Leah's unmoving body through Sam's eyes and panicked. Shit! What happened? Is she okay? Are you okay? Where are you?
Wait, go back to the cabin. We need a lighter or matches or something. Sam turned to show him the body parts that lay in a pile in the middle of the clearing, surrounding the corpse of a middle aged hiker. And bring us some clothes, would you? While Jared quickly returned, he stood protectively over Leah, listening for any signs of the other vampire. She did not return, but her companion burned.
Leah awoke while the fire was raging. Sam had sent Jared to track the other vampire, but gave him instructions not to engage her in battle without backup. He had already returned when Leah opened her eyes; the vampire's trail was difficult to follow in the trees, and it ended in the ocean.
Leah winced when she worked her arm into her sleeve, but when Sam asked her about the pain, she looked between the pile of smoldering ashes and his human victim. "I'll be fine. I just wish I'd gotten here a minute earlier, or that I hadn't let the other one escape."
"Sam showed me what you did," Jared said. "You're a total badass. And how many lives do you think you saved by killing just this one vampire? If you hadn't done that, how many people would he have murdered? You did a good thing. Period."
Leah didn't look convinced. "But what about him?" She nodded at the body. "Do we bury him? Leave him here? Call the police?"
None of them knew what to do, so they sought the advice of the council. Leah insisted she was able to walk, but Sam refused. He couldn't believe how close he had come to losing her, and he wasn't letting her out of his arms. He picked her up and carried her to her mother's house, where they called Billy. He suggested that they meet Dr. Cullen by the treaty line to see if the coven might have any information about the pair they had encountered, or if they knew anything about the victim. He agreed to meet them after his shift in the emergency room.
Sam wanted to go with Jared, and he tried to insist that she stay behind. She was vulnerable, he explained, injured, and far from recovered. She told him he was crazy if he thought she could ever be convinced to wait at home wondering if he was safe. She bluffed that her arm was fine, already healed, but he knew she was lying. It certainly didn't look fine. It was bruised, swollen, and he thought the angle looked wrong. He looked to Sue for backup, certain that she would want her daughter as far from potential danger as possible. But Sue shocked him by agreeing that her daughter should go, and the matter was settled. They set out for the border in the early evening. This time no elders would accompany them. Sam thought their defenselessness was a liability.
As soon as they phased, Jared and Sam were hit with a wave of Leah's pain. Her arm had re-broken during the phase.
It's okay, she lied. I'm fine. It needed to happen anyway. It wasn't healing right. I could feel it. Maybe we can reset it correctly this time after I phase back.
Does your mom know how to do that? Jared asked.
Sam answered, Of course she does. She's a nurse.
Better her than one of you guys, Leah sighed and tried to hide the fact that she knew her mother did not know how to reset her broken bone; she was a cardiac nurse, and before she did that, she worked on labor and delivery. She kept her injured leg tucked into her body and limped to the treaty line on three legs. They scented the old trails of the vampires they had encountered earlier in the day, but no fresh ones, and they reached the meeting place before Dr. Cullen did. Leah was able to position herself in a way that her injuries were not immediately obvious. She still didn't trust the "vegetarian" vampires, and she wanted to look as intimidating as she could.
Sam phased back into his human body, redressed, and stepped in front of her and slightly to her right; Jared remained with her in wolf form and positioned himself behind Sam on his other side. And then they waited.
Once again they smelled the vampires before they saw them. Sam felt the hairs on the back of his neck immediately stand up. There were more than one. Behind him, Jared growled softly. Sam lifted his hand and quietly instructed, "Hold. Let's wait and see."
He felt a strange wave of calm wash over him, and three figures melted out of the trees. In front was the doctor they already knew, but behind him were two younger vampires they had not seen before. Dr. Cullen smiled evenly and introduced the first. "This is my son Edward. You will remember he was a participant in the original treaty. And this is Jasper, the newest member of my family." Sam examined them carefully. They moved stiffly, more so than Dr. Cullen, not bothering with the little affectations of appearing human. The doctor must be more practiced. He was visibly breathing in and out and glancing between the wolves. Jasper and Edward did not pretend to breathe, and Edward was staring at Leah in a way that alarmed Sam.
"She's hurt," Edward told Carlisle. "Her arm, it's broken." Then his eyes widened, and he stepped forward, seemingly without thinking. "Victoria! Victoria hurt her!"
Leah growled low in her throat. How did he know?
Carlisle's placid expression broke. "Victoria has been here? She's back?"
"She must want revenge," Jasper added.
"What are you talking about?" Sam demanded. "You know her? And how do you know what happened to Leah?"
But Edward and Jasper weren't listening. Edward grabbed Carlisle's forearm. "She must have come back to find a way to hurt us." He was still staring at Leah. "She had someone with her."
Jasper asked, "Who? Laurent?"
"I don't know," Edward shook his head. "A blonde male vampire. I don't recognize him. I don't understand."
"She must know she can't take on all of us by herself. It's suicide. She must be recruiting assistance."
Sam tried to break in. "What's going on? How do they know all this?"
But they still weren't listening. "She'll want to kill me," Edward told Jasper. "All of us, but I'm the one who fought James off before you and Emmett tore him apart. She'll want her revenge on the three of us most of all. Why hasn't Alice seen this?"
Sam finally grew impatient. "Stop!" he yelled, finally drawing the attention of the distracted pair. "Explain yourselves!"
"I apologize for my son," Carlisle said placatingly. "He has a special talent. He can read minds. He saw something in hers."
Sam hardly had time to process the information, but he glared at Edward. He had no interest in a vampire, murdering or otherwise, rooting around in his brain. But there was nothing to be done about it.
Edward addressed his thoughts rather than his words. "Believe me, I often wish for silence. But this time, it has come in handy. I apologize. I was distressed by what I saw in your minds, and I got ahead of myself."
"You really ought to get to the point," Sam snapped.
"And the rest of us are still a bit in the dark," Carlisle prompted.
Edward nodded. "Of course. Let me explain. I saw in your pack's mind what happened today. Carlisle, they came across Victoria and a second vampire, a stranger. I'm sorry, I'm still a bit confused. Can you replay it again? From the beginning?" She growled quietly, but Sam urged her to comply, and after a few seconds, Edward continued. "I see. She ran ahead and found Victoria and her companion. He was feeding from a hiker. For some reason, she was angry at him. She wanted him to stop, but I can't figure out why. The hiker was dead by the time Leah found them. She fought them, of course, and they killed the other one. Her arm was broken in the process, and she was beaten rather severely. Victoria escaped." He glanced at Jared now, who flinched back at the look. "She fled into the ocean, but they burned the body of her companion. They're here for information."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I could have just told you that. Now what about the information we're looking for?"
Carlisle stepped in. "As you've gathered, Victoria is the name of the vampire who escaped. She is a nomad who happened to cross through the area a few months ago with her mate and a friend. Her mate, James, wanted to hunt Bella Swan, who as you know we consider to be a member of our family. We ended up killing James while protecting her, and it would now seem that her mate has returned."
"Seeking revenge," Sam understood. "She's angry at you, so she's here, on our lands, killing innocent humans while she looks for a way to kill you. So basically you brought her here? Because you didn't tie up your loose ends?"
"I should have known," Edward admitted. "I should have seen it coming. We should have seen it coming."
"Rest assured that we will resolve the problem," Carlisle explained.
Sam shook his head. "If she returns to our territory, we aren't going to hesitate to take her out. We won't be calling to let you know. We won't wait. We'll just kill her."
"Leah very nearly did." Edward said. "It was most impressive."
Carlisle turned back to Edward. "I hate for anyone else to die."
Leah's voice sounded from behind him. He hadn't noticed her stepping behind the trees to phase and put on her clothes. "Someone already did," she spat. "Someone completely innocent."
It was Jasper who actually argued, "She's killed on their lands. They have every right to remove her as a threat. She isn't here to make peace. She's a mutual enemy. You aren't going to be able to rehabilitate her, Carlisle."
"You're right, of course." Then Carlisle turned his attention to Leah. "It's good to see you again, Miss Clearwater." Then he frowned as he looked at her appearance. The bruises on her face had already started to fade; they appeared days old instead of hours. But her arm was still swollen and purple. "I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances." He pointed to her arm. "May I?"
Once again, Dr. Cullen treated her injuries. While Sam sent Jared to patrol the border, Jasper set off to explore the edges of their territory, and Edward disappeared, most likely to Bella Swan's home. Dr. Cullen led Sam and Leah back to his office, where he properly set her arm and sent her home with instructions not to phase again for a few days. Carlisle made a cryptic comment that he would tell them if they discovered any of Victoria's plans, and they parted with an agreement that each side would inform the other if they spotted or killed her.
That evening, Sam helped Leah bathe. She complained about how cumbersome her splint was and how silly she looked wearing a garbage bag around it so that it would not get wet. He joked that he had a hard time looking at her arm when the rest of her was nude, but it wasn't true. Even though they were fading rapidly, her injuries made him sick to his stomach. He had come so close to losing her. The worst part was that he still might.
As he massaged soap into her skin, he wondered, was this what their lives were going to be like from now on? A month ago he had been mourning the loss of his sanity, then his future, then he nearly killed her himself and thought he had lost her forever. He regained her in the worst possible way when she was doomed to the same monstrous destiny that he had been, and he despaired at the loss of the life they wanted, but at least he still had her. But they regained each other only to lose the man they both thought of as their father, and on the day they buried him, fate tried to tear him from her and chain him to another girl. And now, just as he thought he was learning how to keep her, how to stay with her, a monster nearly took her life. Was this all he had to look forward to? Trying desperately to keep her when the universe wanted to rip them apart?
He did the only thing he could think of. He tenderly cleaned her, wrapped her in fluffy towels, and kissed her as slowly and sweetly as he could. He tucked her into bed, and while she slept, he lay awake long after and held her tightly against his chest, wanting never to let her go. When he finally slept, he dreamt, and there she was smiling at him with the little dimple he loved. He kissed it, and then he took her hand and led her into the future he always wanted them to have.
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A/N: Thanks again to Babs81410. The next update will most likely be in 2 weeks. Happy Holidays!