Sam knew what Emily needed as soon as he entered: his comfort. He pulled her onto his lap and rocked her while she clung to him. Leah's mark on his collarbone burned when he touched her, and he embraced the pain. It was the only thing that felt real, that reminded him who he really was. He willed the pain to spread throughout his body, but it never did. His thoughts, however, never left Leah. She might be awake in her own bed right now waiting for him to return. He ordered his limbs to push Emily away, to carry him home, but he had no power over them.
She didn't speak for several minutes, but he crooned comforting things into her ear. He wasn't even aware of what he said. The words just streamed forth. Eventually her tears dried, and he asked her what had happened. He already knew, of course, but she needed to tell someone, so he listened.
He learned more about her toxic relationship than he had ever wanted to know. Emily spoke of the way Mark alternately ran hot and cold, how one minute he was showering her with attention, but the next he was distant and irritable. She went on and on about how hard a life he had led, and how she had always wanted to be his source of stability and love. She wanted to fix him, but Sam was certain Mark didn't want to be fixed. She told him about the first date he had ever taken her on, but then she talked about the first time he stood her up. She brightened as she talked about the necklace he had given her for her birthday, but her face fell when she admitted that she discovered it was stolen. He asked her why she had stayed with him for so long when he treated her so poorly, and she had no answer.
Sam told himself to run from the room, to get back into his truck and return to Leah, to grab onto her with both hands and beg her to forgive him, to ask her to hold him so tightly that he could not leave. Instead he felt himself tipping Emily's chin up with a bent index finger so that she was looking him in the eye instead of staring at his chest. He smiled gently at her and told her that she deserved not only a faithful partner, but the world itself. She was beautiful, the imprint said, on the inside and out. She was kind and sweet, smart and clever, generous and good. Her eyes shone at the words, but then she ducked her head and said that he was just flattering her. He denied it even though it was true. He told her half a dozen stories pulled from her own life illustrating her wonderful qualities, and when she asked in amazement how he knew that any of those things had happened, he gave her his most charming smile and said that he'd been paying attention to her for years.
The reality, of course, was that Leah had told him, and the imprint raked through those memories to find examples long forgotten.
Inside he was screaming. He felt like he was trapped in someone else's body, trying to claw his way out. He heard himself telling Emily how sexy she was, and he wanted to strangle himself. He listened as false declarations of love and affection issued from his throat, and he was horrified to realize that the imprint had stolen words he had already given to Leah. In his heart, he knew that only when he spoke them to his LeeLee were they true. But he couldn't stop them.
Sam tried to force his limbs to move, told his legs to stand and jump out the window, and ordered his arms to let go of Emily and retrieve his keys from his pocket so he could drive back to Leah. Instead he leaned forward to pull Emily closer. He thought of the brave girl who had defended her friend, the pack, and the town, of the way she faced fatal danger with foolish fearlessness and dedication, but he told Emily how brave he always thought she had been. He was glad she didn't ask him what he was talking about, because there was nothing behind the sentiment. They were simply empty words that she wanted to hear. He remembered Leah's torn flesh and bleeding wounds, and he murmured into Emily's ear that he was so sorry she had ever been hurt. With every false word that issued from his throat, he died a little inside.
He prayed that she would fall asleep soon. If previous nights were any indication, once she was unconscious he would be released. He would flee back to La Push and beg Leah's forgiveness and find a way to bind himself to her bodily.
Eventually she thanked him for coming for her. He smiled and told her that she was more important to him than anything, while internally he was terrified that if he didn't return to Leah soon, she would leave him, and then he really wouldn't have anyone left except Emily. He willed her to ask him about Leah; he tried over and over to tell her what had happened that night. If she became worried for her cousin, perhaps he would be freed to go home. Instead she told him he was too good to her, and she admitted that she didn't want to be alone. As she lay down, he cupped her cheek in his hand. She sighed in contentment. The imprint tried to make him kiss her lips, but with supreme force of will, he dragged his head just far enough aside that he only placed a peck on her hair. Tearing apart a vampire was easier work than refusing to kiss her the way she wanted.
Moments before she fell asleep, she asked, "Will you still be here in the morning?"
He hated his answer, and he hated her for asking. "Of course I will."
Emily hadn't asked him to hold her, so he let go of her the moment she fell asleep and scooted to the farthest corner of the room, where he slid to the floor and buried his head in his hands. Was LeeLee awake right now? He hoped she had fallen asleep; otherwise she would be wondering where he had gone. And if she was awake, surely she was in pain. More than that, was she in danger? He never should have left. The female vampire had made it clear that Victoria was after both Bella and Leah. It should have been obvious that she would retaliate against the loss of her eye. He suspected now that the vampire trails through Forks, which carefully ended at the border of the reservation, were her way of gathering information about Leah and the pack without risking themselves by actually crossing over. Her lackeys had probably been watching them for days. It was unclear what she wanted with Bella now that the Cullens were gone, since it was Edward, Emmett, and Jasper who had killed James, not Bella. He wondered if their absence and Victoria's continued threats meant she had somehow managed to destroy the coven; she seemed to have plentiful allies.
He couldn't believe he was here instead of back home keeping Leah safe. Moreover, it was the second time in a day that he had abandoned her. He should have watched Bella with her, but instead he accomplished nothing while thinking about Emily. He would never forgive himself for allowing her to be injured. The only worse possible outcome was that she could have died, and it was no thanks to him that she hadn't.
He tried to leave. He willed himself to get off the floor. It was a struggle, but he managed to stand. But instead of moving to the door, he found himself sitting on the edge of Emily's bed. With a strangled cry, he dropped to the floor once more. There was nothing he could do. He had to stay until morning. He was powerless in the face of the imprint.
He awoke a few hours later with a stiff neck and a sore back. The mark on his clavicle still burned, and it reminded him that some part of him was still real. Emily was peering down at him from her bed. "You're still here." She sounded surprised.
"Of course," he answered with a falsely warm smile that he couldn't keep off his face.
"I didn't think you'd stay."
He lied, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
She looked thrilled, but then a look of concern passed over her face. "You're hurt." She pointed at the mark. "How did that happen? Are you okay?" His eyes widened and he stood to look at himself in the mirror. His v-neck shirt exposed the edge of Leah's mark. It was bright red. He pulled his collar aside to reveal the entire thing, and indeed, it looked raw and fresh instead of old and healed. He was shocked, but Emily leapt to conclusions. "Did a vampire bite you?" She was horrified.
"No. It's Leah's."
He wanted to explain further but couldn't say what he meant until she asked. "Oh my god, she bit you? That's horrible! Did you get in a fight for coming up here?"
"No, no. It's old. And it didn't come from a fight. It came from..." He wanted to say it was a mating symbol. He wanted to make his relationship with Leah clear to Emily, but the imprint stopped him.
She argued, "But that's fresh. It looks really painful."
"Usually it doesn't hurt at all. Or look like this."
"I... I was too messed up to ask last night, but where does Leah think you are right now?"
"I don't know." He willed her to ask about Leah so he could tell her what had happened.
"Where is she? Is she going to be mad?"
He was relieved to be able to finally talk. "Probably. She's at her house. I abandoned her."
"Abandoned her? What do you mean?"
"She's hurt. There's a girl in Forks who had been in some trouble with vampires. Her name's Bella. Do you know her?" Emily shook her head. "We've been watching her, protecting her. A couple vampires went after her yesterday, and Leah fought them off."
"Is she okay?"
"No." He crumpled. "She's hurt. She got sliced up pretty badly by their claws, bruised all over the place. Broke at least one of her ribs."
Emily looked horrified. "Then what are you doing here?"
"You needed me," he explained. "I had to come."
She just stared at him. "Leah needs you too, right?"
He nodded, hopeful that she would release him. The noose around his throat loosened infinitesimally. "So does the rest of the pack. They've probably been patrolling all night long, and I need to relieve them."
She blinked at him with a look of shock on her face, and he knew she was letting him go before she actually opened her mouth. He could feel it. "Then you'd better get back, shouldn't you?"
He stood to leave, relieved, but felt himself bending toward her. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful that all he did was kiss her on the forehead. "I will. Thanks." It was the only sincere thing he said the whole time he was there.
He bolted before she could change her mind. He floored it back to La Push, although he dreaded what he would find. Would Leah even speak to him? He didn't deserve it. Would she forgive him? He didn't deserve that either. What would he tell her when she asked where he had gone? He had no idea what the imprint would allow him to say.
By the time he got back, Sue's car was gone. She must have left for work. Upstairs, he heard Leah's voice. "Yeah, the fuzzy ones." Then there was a pause and a snort of laughter. "Are you kidding? You know, those don't even go together."
Seth must be helping her get dressed. Then he heard another voice. It definitely wasn't Seth. "They definitely match. They're both purple. It's a great outfit. You don't need anything else."
There was a little chuckle. "Uh, I'm pretty sure the outfit's missing something."
"Nah. Just go commando."
More laughter. "You're such a perv."
He burst into the room. Leah was sitting up in bed looking rumpled and adorable. He suspected that under her pajamas he would find barely-healed wounds and dark, ugly bruises, but her lovely face was spared. Normally he would have gently pushed her back onto her mattresses and crawled on top of her. This time he had to refrain from phasing in anger, because Paul was holding a pair of lavender striped socks in one hand and a purple bra in the other. Paul was smirking at him. "Morning, Sam. Nice of you to stop by, but I think I've got things under control."
"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling?" Sam growled.
Paul shrugged. "Seeing as we were down two wolves last night, we prioritized. Jared watched the Swan place all night long. Embry ran the border. I stayed here, seeing as the leeches seem hell bent on getting to Leah." Now Paul was frankly scowling at him. "And she isn't supposed to phase for a while, what with the broken ribs, and no one else was here to protect her."
"Paul, it's okay," Leah sighed.
"No, it's really not," Paul snapped.
"True, but it's not your fight."
Paul growled at Sam, "The fuck it isn't. He abandoned the whole pack, not just you."
Sam was ashamed. "He's right. I should've..." He couldn't express his regret properly. He made fists so tight that his nails bit into his palms. "Ribs? Not just one?"
Leah refused to look at him. Paul answered, "Three, probably. Both of her shoulders are messed up, she lost a lot of blood, her mom thinks she had a concussion, and..."
"He gets the picture," Leah sighed and tried to stand up, but she immediately became dizzy and sat back down. "Whoa."
They both moved toward her. "Don't try to stand," Paul urged. "You're not steady on your feet yet."
"I'm not an invalid," she grumbled.
"Yeah, Paul." Sam wanted him gone. "You can go now. I'm here."
Paul snarled, "But where were you last night?"
Sam didn't answer, but Leah muttered, "I know where he was. No need to drag it out. Plus I'm sure I'll have the pleasure of seeing the next time we phase."
"LeeLee, nothing happened." She still refused to look at him, but her shoulders slumped a little. He hoped it was in relief. "And I'm not leaving again. I'm here, and I'm going to take care of you."
Paul snapped, "Too little, too..."
But Leah cut him off. "Actually, Embry and Jared need to be relieved. They've been out all night. They're missing school right now, and I'm sure they want to get some sleep."
"But I should stay and help you," Sam protested.
"They need sleep more than I need help." Her tone was final.
Paul smirked at him. "He's right that you shouldn't be here all by yourself. You'll faint on your way to the bathroom or something. I'll stick around."
"You need to rest too," she argued. "When's the last time you slept?"
"I'll crash for a while, how 'bout that. I'll make sure you're settled, and then I can go nap out back. Just call me when you need me."
She looked appalled. "Don't sleep outside. There's a sleeper sofa in the basement. We'll open it up and you can sleep there."
"It's a deal as long as you tell me when you're getting up. And I'll help you get breakfast first."
"Deal," she agreed. Then she looked at Sam, who cursed himself for letting everything go so very wrong. "I think Embry and Jared are overdue for a break," she reminded him.
"I'm coming back tonight," he insisted as Paul gently slid his arm around Leah's waist to help her up.
She winced from her injuries and didn't look like she believed him. "We'll see." She hobbled off to the bathroom, and she shut the door.
Sam turned to Paul and growled, "If you so much as think about her the wrong way..."
Paul folded his arms over his chest. "You may or may not have fucked that other girl last night, but you still fucking reek of her. And either way, Leah deserves better."
Sam used his superior height to lean over Paul. "I didn't fuck her. I'd never cheat on Leah. And Leah certainly deserves better than you, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Leah called through the door, "You know I can hear everything you say, right?"
"Sorry, LeeLee, I'm just..."
Her voice was cold and flat. "You're just eighteen hours late for your shift."
He left reluctantly, and as he walked away, his heart sank when he heard Paul offering to burn toast for Leah's breakfast. She laughed, and his jealousy ate at him all day long.
X-x-x-x-X
Things weren't the same after that. It would be days until Leah's fractures would heal to the point that she felt safe to phase, and in that time, he wasn't able to talk with her freely since the imprint choked off his words. He did return to her home after a double shift on the first day, and he was relieved that Paul was no longer there. He quietly insisted to her that he had just slept on Emily's bedroom floor, and when he asked her if she believed him, she said yes. But it wasn't because she trusted him; it was because he smelled of Emily but not of sex, and because she knew that she would see the truth as soon as they phased together, so there was no point in lying. It broke his heart that she didn't have faith in him any longer. He asked if he could stay with her that night. She stared at him long and hard and eventually said, "I'm not interested in lying here all night long wondering when you'll leave."
He begged her to change her mind. He told her how sorry he was, how he hated what he had done to her. When she put her hand on his arm, she thought she was going to lead him to her room. Instead she turned him around, pushed him through the door, and shut it behind him. He was devastated, and he rested his forehead against the cool wood. Her brief touch was not enough to sustain him. He was so used to the feel of her skin against his, and he suspected she would not touch him again for days, if ever again. How was he supposed to sleep without her form curled against him? How was he going to rest knowing that she was vulnerable in her human body, and alone? So he slept in the woods behind her house that night, and Embry carefully ignored him in the pack mind. If he listened, he could hear the sound of her breathing, and eventually it lulled him to sleep.
He woke up to a sharp pain in his snout. Seth was glaring down at him and holding a stick in his hand. "You really can't take a hint, can you? Didn't she tell you to go?"
She hadn't exactly, but refusing to speak with him and closing the door in his face amounted to the same thing. But he would take what he could get. He phased back and pulled on his shorts. "Not exactly."
Seth sighed and slumped his shoulders. "This really sucks, you know?"
"You don't know the half of it."
"And if I did, I would probably poke you with something a lot sharper than a stick." He dropped it on the ground. "But I think you should leave. You're just making her mad."
As if on cue, Sam heard a quiet curse from Leah's bedroom, and a drawer slammed shut. "How is she?"
Seth rolled his eyes. "What do you care?"
"Believe me. I care more than you could possibly know."
"You doing a terrible job of showing it."
Sam thought this was a very generous understatement. "If she let me in, I could show her. I want to show her."
Seth scoffed. It was a strange sound coming out of the usually friendly boy's mouth. "I'll believe it when I see it." He hefted up his backpack, and he turned to go to school. Over his shoulder, he called out, "Seriously. Leave her alone."
It probably was what she wanted. She was angry with him, and she had every right to be. But he would happily face her anger if it meant that he could see her. He considered going through the front door, but that had never been his entrance. He pulled himself up to her window. When he looked in, she was staring into her closet. She turned to stare at him when he tapped on the glass. He didn't wait for an invitation or a rejection. "I'm coming in," he told her, and he slid open the window. He considered it a victory that she hadn't locked it, but it was probably just an oversight on her part.
She didn't look at him. "Aren't you supposed to be patrolling?"
"I've got a little while. I wanted to see if I could help you with anything before I left. I'll be pulling another double, but I'll be back after."
She sounded equal parts skeptical and irritated. "You sure about that?"
"Yes," he said firmly. And he actually was confident that he would be able to come back barring any vampire emergencies. He sensed that Emily felt guilty that he had abandoned Leah after she had been injured, and he planned to take full advantage. "I'm going to be here."
She glared at him. "What if I don't want you here?"
"Then I'll be out back, just like last night. I'm not going anywhere, LeeLee." Her expression didn't change, so he decided to change tactics. "Jared's going to be patrolling and keeping a close eye on the Swan house, but he can't be everywhere at once. You're not safe so long as you can't phase, and I'm not letting anything get to you."
She scowled. "You don't need to protect me. I can take care of myself."
"But I want to. I need to." He stepped forward and reached for her hand, but she yanked it away. The abrupt movement caused her to wince with pain, and he wished he could take it into his body and suffer for her. "Oh baby, how bad is it?"
"Don't 'oh baby' me," she snapped.
"But I can help," he insisted.
She shook her head. "I don't need your help."
He glanced at the open dresser and closet, which was in disarray, and her messy bedhead. "But you can't put on your shirt like this, can you? And I don't think you can reach up to wash your hair, right?"
"Of course I can," she grumbled, but they both knew she was lying.
He couldn't help but smile. He was going to help her, and there was nothing she could do about it. He wouldn't let himself be pushed outside again, and neither Seth nor Sue was home to kick him out. She might not like it, and he might make a complete ass of himself, but he wasn't going anywhere. "I'm going to warm up the shower for you." He would rather give her a bath, but the tub wasn't big enough for her to stretch out. Maybe he could get her back to the cabin eventually. It had an old fashioned claw-foot tub that would be perfect.
She protested, but he ignored her and turned on the showerhead. Then he returned to the bedroom, where she was unsuccessfully trying to take her own shirt off before he could do it for her. But she was stuck, unable to properly raise her arms. "Let me get that for you." He gently helped her, and then he gasped at the sight. She was healing much faster than a normal human, but the abuse she had suffered was still written across her skin. Green bruises dotted her flesh, which was lined with scars that looked days old. He knew they would be gone entirely within another day or two, but he would never forget them. It was his fault they were there. "Oh, LeeLee," he whispered. He dropped to his knees involuntarily and pulled her toward him. She was stiff in his arms, but he didn't hesitate to run his cheek against her belly. He began kissing each mark, but she pushed him away.
Her voice was shaky. "You're going to be late for patrol," she reminded him.
"Don't care," he answered softly. Instead he carefully slid her pants and panties down and helped her out of them, wrapping her robe around her shoulders, and then he led her to the bathroom. He pre-empted her arguments by telling her, "I'm going to shampoo your hair, sweetheart, because you can't do it yourself."
She didn't argue when he took off his own shorts, but she raised a skeptical eyebrow when she spotted his erection. He just shrugged. It was no secret that he always wanted her. "I can't help it. You're naked."
"Are bruises sexy?" she asked dryly.
"You are. No matter what. But I promise I'm not going to try anything."
"You'd better not," she said under her breath. He climbed in with her. Space was tight, but it only gave him a good excuse to stay close. He massaged shampoo into her scalp, and when she didn't kick him out immediately after it was clean, he took full advantage. He smoothed conditioner through it, and then he carefully soaped her skin and helped her rinse off. His wolf rumbled happily when she sighed and relaxed as the warm water soothed her sore muscles. He had promised not to try anything, but when she tipped her head back into the spray, she exposed her long neck. He dropped a kiss to her throat, startling her. Before she could stop him, he turned her to expose his mark on her neck, and he kissed it as well. She let out an involuntary little whimper, and if she hadn't been so injured and angry with him, he would have bent her over and slid home. He settled for wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing the length of his body against her back. "I want you to know what you mean to me," he whispered. "What you'll always mean to me."
But instead of relaxing, she stiffened. "You're late. Go relieve Paul."
He refused to leave until she was comfortably dressed, and he even dried her hair for her just to have an excuse to stay. But then there were no excuses left, and he left for patrol. The other wolf was angry at him both for his delinquency and the belated nature of his assistance to Leah, and he was terribly jealous that Sam had showered with Leah. Too little, too late, man. Sam revealed an image of himself kissing Leah's mark under the streams of hot water, and he made certain to let Paul hear the sexy sound she made in response. Paul retreated angrily, but Sam saw in his mind just before he disappeared that he had every intention of going to Leah's house to help her make breakfast. Sam berated himself for not doing so before he left, and he made sure to loop around her house multiple times during his patrol. He told himself it was for her safety, but he was spying and he knew it. He was relieved when Leah made Paul go home to sleep, but when she agreed to help him with the schoolwork he would miss for the day, he could have strangled Paul.
X-x-x-x-X
It was easy to keep his focus on Leah for the first few days. His time with her was limited due to all the double shifts he took in an attempt to apologize to the entire pack for abandoning his post. Whatever time he could spare, though, he spent with Leah if she would have him, and he groveled until she was sick of it. The next two nights that he had free, he asked to sleep in her bed, but she wasn't ready to have him there. On the first night, he stayed in the woods in wolf form as Embry politely ignored him again, and before they slept, he and Leah looked at each other through her window. She didn't change her mind about letting him back in. Paul was on patrol the other night, and he would get no peace in the pack mind. So he climbed up to the old treehouse, and he slept there in his human body. When she saw where he was going, she opened her window, and he thought for a brief moment that she would let him through. Instead she threw Harry's old sleeping bag outside. He was grateful for the consideration. She still cared about his comfort.
As the week wore on, he thought of Emily more and more. She was lonely. He knew because he could feel it in his gut (and because Kim kept telling Jared, who reminded him). She didn't just miss him and Mark, she missed Leah as well. And he knew that Leah missed her too. The girls had never gone so long without speaking. But he wasn't going to push the issue. He had enough of his own.
He had wanted to touch Leah for days, had wanted to reaffirm their connection, but between Emily's emotions churning in his gut, plus Leah's injuries, and the lack of privacy, it wasn't possible. One night, however, she returned to the cabin, and he followed. They hadn't seen one another all day long due to his patrol schedule, and he was supposed to watch the Swan house that night. She wasn't expecting him, but with or without him, she was eager to be away from her mother's smothering concern. Her physical injuries had all healed, and she was ready for a little solitude. He unlocked the door while she was in the shower, and he nervously sat on the edge of the bed. Eventually the shower turned off and the hair dryer went on. He waited impatiently, and then she appeared in the doorway of the bedroom with a look of surprise. She chewed at her bottom lip in an uncharacteristically anxious gesture, and she shuffled from foot to foot. She was dressed in a worn, nearly translucent cotton tank and a pair of his old boxers that no longer fit him. It wasn't an intentionally sexy outfit, but she looked incredibly alluring. He could see her dark nipples clearly outlined through the fabric, and he couldn't help but look until she crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you doing here?"
He wanted to say something romantic, something eloquent and loving. "Embry's covering. We switched. I'm taking two of his shifts in exchange."
"Oh. So you're here for the night?"
Did she want him to leave? Of course she did. "I was hoping... Please?"
She stared at him silently.
"I miss you," he said. "I know I have no one else to blame but myself," and Emily, he thought, but he could not say it out loud.
She frowned and looked at the floor, but eventually she admitted, "I've missed you too."
"I'll do..." He wanted to say he would do anything, but his throat closed. "I promise I..." He couldn't get that out either. "I want to say I..." He begged her to figure out what he meant, because he couldn't express it. "Please, LeeLee," he whispered.
And because she had always been able to see inside him, and because she loved him against her better judgment, very softly, she said, "You can stay." He was grateful, but he could see on her face that there was more than just acquiescence behind her statement. "But I want you to know..." Her brow furrowed. Whatever she wanted to say was very difficult for her.
"What is it?" He needed to clear up as many miscommunications as possible, even if it hurt him.
She took a deep breath but kept her eyes trained firmly on the floor. "It would be wrong of me to say you can't be friends with any other girls. I never wanted to be that kind of possessive girlfriend, but once upon a time, I used to trust you."
His heart broke a little when he heard her. Plus he wanted her to be possessive. He certainly was. "LeeLee, I..."
"Let me finish." She still wouldn't meet his eyes. "I'm not going to be the other woman, and I guess I have to make that clear."
"You aren't! You could never be..."
She shook her head and continued. "Just like I'm not going to stay with you if you have another woman on the side, even if you've got the best excuse ever. It's just not me. It's not who I am. And if being with her is something you just have to do, well, I won't agree to be happy about it, or to give you my blessing or something, but I can keep a little bit of my self respect." She finally looked up at him. "I deserve better."
Now it was his turn to cut her off. He should have declared his love, reassured her he wanted her and only her, told her that no one could ever replace her, and that she was the choice of his true heart. Instead he struggled against the imprint until he finally came out with, "I know you deserve better than this. But I'm here now. I'm here with you."
Her face fell, because she had hoped he would say more. She turned away. "I'm going to sleep in the other bedroom. I'm exhausted."
He couldn't let her leave, not like this, not now. Even if she was only feet away, the distance might as well have been miles, and she was getting farther and farther away. He did the only thing he was able. He followed her into the hallway and reached for her. She still wouldn't look directly at him. She was staring at his chest in much the same way that Emily had a few days before. He got a disturbing sense of déjà vu as he tipped her chin up, and her eyes shone just as Emily's had. But her tears were from sadness, not joy.
He wrapped his free arm around her, and he showed her everything he could not say. He systematically tore town the walls between them in the only way he could. Gradually she succumbed, her resistance crumbling under the weight of their emotions and shared history.
He pulled her securely against him, because he didn't ever want to let her go. He tasted the salt of her tears, because he wanted to absorb her sorrow. He kissed her sensually and slowly, because he wanted to extend his time with her as long as he could. He wanted it to last forever. He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled, because hers was the scent of home. He undressed her, because he wanted nothing between them. He touched every inch of her flesh with his mouth, his tongue, or his fingers, because he didn't want any part of her to feel unloved. He paid careful attention to every spot that had been cut, bruised, or marred, because though there were no imperfections left on her lustrous skin, he knew she had not recovered, neither in body nor in spirit. He pressed his hardness into her belly, because he had wanted her for as long as it was possible to want a girl in that way, and he always would. He worshiped her, because she deserved nothing less. He took deliberate care with her, because though she was a goddess, she was still vulnerable, still wounded.
By the time he settled himself between her thighs, she was trembling not from pain or fear, but from desire. His cock throbbed, reminding him of his own intense need for her, but he was worried that his heavy form against hers would bring her pain. And the last thing he wanted was to hurt her more than he already had. So instead, he brought her pleasure with his tongue.
He couldn't suppress his wolf from emitting a pleased growl; she smelled tantalizing, and she tasted delicious. She tried to resist the pleasure he gave her, holding herself stiffly and staring at the ceiling. But he knew exactly how to touch her, exactly what she needed. Soon she covered her face with her hands in a pointless attempt to muffle her cries, so when she lowered one of her fists into his hair to hold him fast, he considered it a victory. She fell apart inexorably at his touch. She expected him to stop after her orgasm, to merge his pleasure with hers, but he did not. He gave her another, and then another, and finally she couldn't bear it any more, and neither could he. He wanted her so badly he ached.
He entered her slowly, carefully, inch by inch. Her body was heaven. He hoped he never had to leave. Here the world made sense again: it was just him and the girl he loved with nothing between them. He resisted his animal urges and built her back up slowly. He used long, slow, deliberate strokes that made her arch and shudder against him. He drank at her lush mouth and curled himself to suckle at her breasts. He tried to memorize the sound of her cries, the softness of her skin, the sensation of her breasts against his chest, the taste of her lips, the blissful heat of her sex, to sustain him when she was not near. He held off his own climax for as long as possible, not wanting this to end. He came close to the brink several times, the sheer pleasure of her almost too much to bear, and had to pause in his movements so that he could last. She whimpered with need, but he silenced her with deep kisses until the mandate to move overwhelmed him once more. And even then he was gentle, tender, and loving.
At last he could hold back no longer. He had no idea how long he had made love to her, and he would have continued forever if he could have. She, though, finally reached a point of near-continuous orgasm. One rolled into another, rolled into another, rolled into another. It was too much for both of them. Tears were falling from her eyes, her body was undulating beneath him, and her pussy was milking his cock so tightly it was almost painful. Almost. He couldn't hold back. As her nails raked down his back and her teeth sank into his collarbone, he cried out in blissful agony and gave her one, two, three final thrusts and spilled into her. His entire body was overwhelmed.
Sam was crushing her as she panted beneath him. She had gone limp, and he fared no better. He rolled them over when she chuckled at his bonelessness, but he was clutching her so tightly that their bodies stayed merged.
She was mostly asleep, her heart unguarded and open, when she mumbled, "Love you, Sammy," against his chest. He buried his face in her hair and wept silently with relief and joy.
She was fully asleep when he whispered, "Me too, LeeLee. Me too."
He stayed awake for as long as possible relishing the feeling of her warm softness draped over him, which was not very long. He was exhausted from sleeping apart from her, and he drifted off more content than he had felt in days.
The next morning, he snapped awake abruptly. He squeezed Leah more tightly to him. He felt like she was slipping away despite the fact that she had barely moved overnight. Her head was nestled on his shoulder, her arm and leg were tossed over him, and he was keeping her close with his hand around her waist. His heart began to pound.
Nothing happened for over an hour, but Sam felt the invisible threads that tied him to Leah stretching taut and pulling away. He closed his eyes and focused on holding onto them. Leah mumbled something incomprehensible under her breath when his grip on her became uncomfortable, but he hadn't actually awakened her fully.
Sam knew what was going on, but he didn't know why. He threw his free arm over his eyes and prayed for it to stop. Then he realized that if any spirits were listening to his pleas, they were the very ones who had gotten him into this mess, and he stopped.
He felt her before she arrived. He resisted the urge to let go of Leah by holding on tighter. She sighed in her sleep and pulled him closer as well. His imprint told him to shower and wash Leah's scent off his body, but instead, he raised his hand to his mark on her neck and traced it with his fingers. Her mark on his clavicle tingled pleasantly, and his dick stiffened in response.
A knock sounded at the front door, and he heard their voices through the walls. "Are you sure I should bother her? Is she up for a conversation?"
A deeper voice answered, "If she left her mother's house last night, she must be."
She sounded worried. "We should have called first. She's not going to appreciate that I just showed up."
Sam realized from her words that she didn't know he was here. It was probably the only reason he was still able to stay with Leah so easily. She wasn't thinking about him, not directly. Her emotions dictated his imprint's influence over him. He planned to take full advantage.
The man answered, "None of this has been easy on her. It's unfortunate. But the sooner you clear things up, the better it will be for everyone."
Sam slid out from under Leah, but before he got up, he bent to lap at his mark on her neck with his tongue. His wolf possessively wanted to press her into the mattress and drive into her. Instead he stood and slid on his boxers, which didn't hide anything. The imprint told him to cover himself, but he looked down at Leah, and he ruthlessly suppressed the urge. When the knock sounded on the door, he was ready to answer.
"What's going on? What time is it?" Leah rolled over, stretching and baring her breasts to his eyes. She was gorgeous.
"Ten thirty or so. Someone's at the door. I'm going to go answer it."
She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Who bothers knocking here?" She yawned.
At the next knock, he strode to the front door and opened it. "Good morning, Emily, sir." Emily made a small sound of surprise as her jaw fell open. She hadn't expected him. He knew she wouldn't. If she had, he would have been compelled to answer the door in a completely different way, and he had no idea what he would have done with Leah.
"Samuel." Old Quil was trying to look anywhere except at his mostly naked form and the solid bulge in his underwear.
"What can I do for you both this morning?"
Emily found her voice and squeaked, "Is... We're... I was looking for Leah. Her mom said she'd be here."
Leah emerged from the bedroom wearing one of his shirts and nothing else. He froze momentarily, but then she slid her arm around his waist and leaned into him. He smelled himself on her, and he looked down at his mark, and he returned her embrace. Old Quil frowned at them, but Leah just smiled politely, although inside she was probably in turmoil. "Emily, what's going on?"
One of the cables chaining him to Emily broke as he held into Leah, but the rest pulled tighter. "I... I... I don't know... I mean..." She blinked back and forth between them, flustered at finding them together. Somewhere in the depths of his mind Sam felt bad for her. It wasn't her fault she was so confused; he was sending mixed signals.
Old Quil sighed irritably and tired of her stammering. "She came to tell you that she's moving to La Push."
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A/N: Thanks again to Babs81410, who makes this story readable.