Title: Legendary Travesty

Fandom: Twilight

Pairing: Leah/Esme, established Bella/Alice (Bellice)

Author: Mirandyscrow

Rating: R

Summary: AU Leah imprints in Eclipse. We follow her as she deals with the consequences that this extraordinary event causes. This story take place about a month before the beginning of Eclipse and will be a femslash pairing. If you don't like it then don't read it. Thanks!

Spoilers: Let's say everything up until Eclipse is fair game, but I'm twisting a lot of facts and timelines to suit my story.

Archive: Sure if you really want it. Lol, it would be a surprise to me, just ask my permission first. (It's nice when people ask)

Disclaimer: Did Bella and Alice hook up in New Moon? No? Well I guess that means Twilight isn't mine. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. Any and all other brand names belong to their respective owners. I do not make any money on this story. Please don't sue; I only have a box of Easy Mac as collateral. BTW Easy Mac is the property of Kraft. :P

Author's Note: I don't have a clue where this idea came from. I was actually focusing on going to sleep and this plus five other prompts popped into my head and played around in my skull until I wrote them down and attempted to give them a fair shot at being written. Now here we are.

Author's Note #2: I am aware that some of the events don't exactly travel the exact same timeline of the book and/or movie. Please know that it is entirely on purpose to fit the story. So please no comments about, 'how it didn't happen that way' because I'm sure I've messed up the timeline by simply having one of the pairing(s) Bella and Alice, lol.

Big thanks to faithlessfate for being an awesome beta! All careless mistakes I claim as my own.

Chapter 16: Love is a Battlefield

The battle was starting soon. Each member of the La Push wolf pack was mentally preparing to fight in their own way. Leah sat against a tree, deep in thought. Her stomach turned as the sickeningly syrupy scent arose in the clearing as what was left of the newborn army got closer. She shook off the smell and steeled her nerves.

"Be safe, my Esme." Leah sent and waited.

"You too, sweetheart," Esme said before they both closed the rapport. Four Cullens and Bree stood on the other side of Esme motionless, their amber eyes gleamed with deadly intent.

Miles away, deep in the thick freezing snow of the mountains Bella, Edward, Seth and Alice waited for Victoria, just in case she decided Leah wasn't worth the detour. Edward looked in the distance then back to the wolf in front of him.

"It's starting," he stated calmly, looking through Seth's mind.

The newborns emerged through the tree looking as though they'd been through hell, which would be an apt description, considering who was currently hunting them. The Cullens charged forward with steely determination.

Jasper's raised fist connected with the closest newborn he could reach with a loud sound of breaking ceramics and concrete. Emmett charged pass him, throwing another newborn roughly to the ground before easily beheading a female.

At Leah's signal, the wolves descended, teeth bared and claws splayed as they attacked the newborn vampires without mercy. The Alpha launched herself off the boulder bowling over the couple of newborns in her way. She quickly sought out Esme and stayed in the vampire's vicinity, watching jealously as Esme and Carlisle almost effortlessly handled the newborns together. She tossed the emotion away and focused on the task at hand.

Carlisle slammed a newborn to the ground. Esme cartwheeled, grasping the clothes of the rowdy vampire and sending him airborne. Leah dove into the air, her jaws savagely closing over his neck. She twisted her mouth to the left once she landed with the newborn's body beneath her, successfully beheading him.

She lifted her head to survey the battle and could swear she saw a quick flash of red hair in the bushes. The gray wolf growled and began to stalk forward when a revolting, stomach turning sensation engulfed her senses.

Bree felt the familiar sensation and flashed to stand beside Leah. "Stop it, Fred!"

Fred looked taken aback as soon as he recognized her. "Bree?" the vampire turned accusing eyes to Victoria.

Victoria began to look back and forth in a panic as her sense of self-preservation waved several red flags in her mind. She began to move as stealthily as possible but Emmett and Rosalie were suddenly in her path. The redhead glanced at the two vampires before she struck. She jumped, kicking her legs out in a midair split. She caught the couple in the face and flashed past them while they were distracted by the blow.

Sam, Quil, and Leah rushed forward after the escaping vampire. Sam was closer to her and snapped one of Victoria's legs in his jaws, dragging the struggling vampire back to the middle of the clearing.

Fred grabbed Victoria by the hair and tossed her back to the dirt. "You told me they killed her. You told me they turned her over to those monsters you have hunting us down like animals," he hissed with a disgusted snarl.

Alice and Edward entered the clearing. Seth appeared just a second later with Bella on his back. "What lies, what tricks do you have left Victoria?" Edward asked calmly, stepping forward.

The wolves crowded around the redhead while Fred kept a tight grip on her. Emmett was on the other side, holding her other arm. All of a sudden, Alice flashed forward, holding Victoria's head in her hands.

"Seems fitting that you did all of this scheming and fighting on behalf of James and now you get to meet him dying by the same method he did." The pixie-like vampire squeezed Victoria's head and started to twist.

"Stop." Leah stepped forward fully clothed, her eyes rapidly flickering between gold and brown. "We've got it from here."

She and Seth held Victoria's head between their hands and twisted with all their might. As the sound of tearing granite echoed across the field, the vampire's present could hear Leah's growled words, 'This is for our father.'

Victoria's lifeless head rolled on the dewy grass below and her body slumped to the side just a second later. Bree came forward and lit her maker on fire with emotionless eyes while the remaining wolves gathered the rest of the vampire parts and tossed them on the fire.

"The Volturi," Alice whispered hurriedly, coming out of a vision.

"You have to go," Esme said with genuine fear etched across her features. "The Volturi won't honor a treaty with wolves."

"Then we stay and fight," Jake said confidently. Sam nodded his agreement.

Leah shook her head. "I know you're all running on adrenaline from the fight but we can't win against these vampires."

"They are much older and way more powerful than any vampire you've ever faced before." Edward chimed in just a second later.

"You don't believe the pack can do it?" Jake asked testily.

"You don't have time for arguments." Alice hissed as her eyes kept glancing in the direction she saw the Volturi entering from her vision.

Leah phased. "Let's go. Double time!" she barked in her Alpha voice.

All the boys were forced to phase and spring into action, pulled by some unseen force. Leah hated seeing them move without conscious thought, but if what Esme and the rest of the Cullens told her about the Volturi was only just half true it was best for them to follow orders to avoid getting themselves killed.

"Be safe, my love." The wolf sent to Esme.

"You as well." The maternal vampire sent back along with an unconscious trickle of fear and immense adoration.

"Mé?" asked with deep concern coating her words.

"It's okay dearest," The vampire said and shut off the bond from her side.

Leah tried to push back against the mental wall put forth by her mate but she was met with an iron will resistance. "Oh Esme," She sighed sorrowfully in her head. "What are you doing?"

-x-

The Cullens gathered around the flames, forming a shield as they hid Bella, Bree, and Fred behind them. Each lost in their own thoughts of the battle and what would happen once the Volturi made it to their location. All too soon, the cloaked Volturi guards emerged from the fog and smoke clinging to the clearing.

"What is that offensive odor clinging to you?" Jane asked once she stopped with her face contorted in a scowl. Her crimson eyes seem to bore into Esme's. The caramel haired vampire met her gaze without apprehension as no one else shifted or offered any explanation.

"We've come to take care of a little nuisance but we see we've arrived too late." Jane's eyes zeroed in on Bree and Fred who stood behind the coven, attempting to make themselves invisible by remaining still. "Looks like you missed a couple," she remarked, with a tiny lift of her mouth.

With a barely perceptible nod of her head, Jane signaled Felix. Before Fred could react, his head was held in the underarm of the tracker and he was dead.

"No!" Bree screamed, surging against Jasper and Emmett who held her back from attacking.

"And then there was one," Jane said, taunting the smaller newborn.

"We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender," Carlisle explained, holding a steadily tensing Esme in his arms.

"It wasn't yours to offer but since she's here she could be very useful in helping the Volturi with a few unanswered questions." Jane turned, focusing all her attention on the young newborn. "Why did you come?" she demanded.

Bree stood there silent for a few seconds before unbearable pain exploded in every nerve ending of her body. She screamed, immediately falling to the ground. The Cullens and Bella looked away from the sight with equal parts anger and sympathy.

"Who created you?" Jane stated calmly as she increased her power and Bree's screams climbed another octave, creating an actual twinge of physical pain for all the vampire's present.

"You don't need to do that, she will tell you anything you want to know," Esme said, her maternal instinct coming to the fore but stifled her fear and anger lest she encourage Leah to come back to the clearing despite her warning.

"I know," Jane stated with a smirk.

Bree clutched the grass beneath her hands with complete relief, her body shaking with the aftershocks of the agony she endured before she spoke. "I don't know! Riley wouldn't tell us. He said our thoughts weren't safe."

"Her name was Victoria," Edward said when Bree didn't continue, forestalling more torture. "Perhaps you know her? Especially since you've just killed the army."

"Edward, if the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria they would have stopped her. Isn't that right Jane?" Carlisle challenged the young guard to dispute the real reason for their less than timely 'rescue.'

"Of course," she said upbeat but at not at all reassuring as her face never lost its calm visage. "Demitri." she prompted the vampire.

"She didn't know what she was doing." Esme blurted out. She sighed with relief inwardly as Jane held up a hand, halting Demitri's advance. "We'll…take responsibility for her." she vowed.

"Give her a chance." Carlisle joined his wife's plea.

There was silence for just a second before Jane spoke. "The Volturi doesn't usually give second chances but perhaps we can arrange something." the twisted smile that appeared on Jane's face did little to cool the Cullen's apprehension toward the situation. "She will be allowed to live if one of you shoulders the debt that she has made."

"I will." Carlisle stepped forward; completely ready to go through whatever that was needed to protect his family.

"Very admirable but you were not the first one to speak on her behalf." Jane slowly turned her eyes to Esme. "The price for her life is five minutes. If you cannot endure for the full time or if anyone interferes she will die along with one from your coven. Do you accept?"

Esme looked at each member of her family, the fierce determination in her expression scared them but they knew the look was a warning not to intervene on her behalf. She stood straighter and braced herself for the agony that was to come. "Yes." She'd barely finished the word when she fell to her knees, venom tears leaked from her eyes readily as a heartbreaking shriek tore from her throat while she writhed on the ground.

Edward, Jasper, and Emmett held Carlisle back as he took an unconscious step forward at Esme's scream. Bella immediately burrowed her head into Alice's neck, crying silently as she was unable to take the screams of the woman that embraced her into the family so directly. The petite vampire busied herself with whispering soothing words to her lover. Rosalie gritted her teeth, vibrating like a tuning fork in fury as she fought back her own tears.

After five grueling minutes, Jane stopped Esme's torture. She looked surprised at the half conscious, panting vampire on the ground. "You are much stronger than I gave you credit for." her eyes gleamed with a demented air of admiration. She watched Carlisle cradle his ex-wife close to his chest, "Aro would certainly be fascinated to see your dedication to this little newborn. As I said before, the Volturi doesn't give second chances. Keep that in mind." She flicked her eyes to Bella. "Caius will be interested to know that she's still human."

"The date is set," Bella declared with pure hatred for the one that gave her honorary mother such suffering.

For the first time since entering the clearing, Jane looked taken aback. She quickly shook off the emotion and her face became a blank slate yet again. "We'll be in touch." She said and the rest of the guard departed as quietly as they'd come.

-x-

Leah was beginning to worry when it was nearly three hours since she felt anything from Esme. When the vampire texted her to let her know everyone was safe despite one more casualty, Leah finally relaxed.

She was on her way to bed when a mighty thirst called to her just before she climbed into the sheets of her bed. Making her way downstairs, Leah started to feel a small sense of sorrow and dread swirling in pit of her stomach. She frowned but continued into the kitchen.

The female wolf had just filled her glass with water and started to drink but it began to feel uncomfortably heavy in her hands. Suddenly she felt excruciating pain blossom across every nerve ending in her body and she fell to the floor. Her hand clenched in reflex and crushed the tumbler in her hand.

The shards that sliced through her palm barely registered as her body stiffened and convulsed under the unseen pain she experienced. Distantly, she heard someone calling her name repeatedly in a panic. She wished she could be sure but some ninny was screaming her head off.

Leah slowly came to the realization that it was her screaming. How long had it been? Who could endure something like this and not go insane? Just as sudden as it came the pain was gone. Her body felt so numb afterwards a part of her wished it would come back to give her something to feel again.

"Leah baby. What's wrong?" Sue asked as soon as the screams subsided. There were tears streaming down her red rimmed eyes.

Leah looked to her left and saw Seth's stricken face as he held her hand in a tight grip. "Lee?" He asked, his voice thick with emotion. "Y-you okay?"

The older wolf shook her head in the negative as she rolled onto her side and promptly folded up into the fetal position.

"What happened?" Her mother and brother intoned at the same time.

"I don't know." Leah croaked out after a few moments. "I was getting a drink of water and then." She trailed off while a shiver enveloped her body. Raising up on all fours before standing. "Pain," she said finally, hugging herself tightly. "Unbelievable pain. I felt it deep in my soul, that pain. It didn't even hurt this much when I got my jaw broken."

Leah just hoped Esme hadn't felt that turmoil through their bond. She paused, looking into space blankly.

Esme.

"I got to go." Leah hurried to the front door.

"What?" Sue asked in confusion.

Seth physically stepped in front of his sister. He held his hands out in a placating motion. "Lee, I think you need to take it easy."

"Not now, I've got to make sure Esme's okay," Leah said, shoving him out of the way and tearing out of the house, leaving the front door wide open with her mother and brother staring worriedly after her.

The run to the Cullen's home didn't even process in Leah's mind. Neither did narrowly colliding Edward as he opened the door for her. "She's in her room," He called after as she bounded up the stairs.

"Mé!" Leah exclaimed to the vampire standing in the middle of the room. She grabbed the vampire in a tight embrace and twirled her lightly before checking her over thoroughly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Esme said, taking Leah's hand gently in her own. "But you're not," She whispered, gently prodding the wound her heart twinged as she eyed the damage. The blood had already begun to congeal, the skin healing over the shards of glass. "Sit down and don't move," the vampire said firmly. She pushed Leah onto the bed when she began to protest.

Esme was gone and back quicker than a twinkling of an eye with a first aid kit in hand. "Between you and Bella I should really buy stock in Band-Aid." The older woman said after she finished affixing the gauze to Leah's hand. "I can't wait to hear how you managed this one." She remarked, gathering the supplies from the bed.

"Would you believe this isn't my fault for once? I went to grab a drink from the kitchen and all of a sudden there was pain."

Esme gasped in shock and realization as she promptly dropped the first aid kit in her hand.

"Mé, what's wrong?" Leah stood quickly in alarm.

"Was it the worst pain you've ever had the displeasure of feeling in your entire existence?" Esme asked distantly as she picked up the kit once more and depositing it on the bed.

"Yeah, it was," Leah said slowly, her eyes becoming wide and guilt flooding her senses. "Mé?" she breathed when she realized the feeling was coming from the woman in front of her. She stood frozen unable to decide if she wanted to come closer to her mate or stay in her current position. "What aren't you telling me?"

Esme turned and walked to the large window facing the forest. Her voice was hollow when she spoke. "The Volturi deliberately took their time coming to our rescue. They were generally surprised when they saw we'd taken care of the newborns with little ease. Even the few they'd allowed to escape should have prevented us with a genuine challenge. They killed Fred before any of us could react and then turned on Bree."

Leah knew she was distracted when she barged in but she didn't recall seeing the hide nor hair the loveable newborn and immediately assumed the worst.

"I wasn't going to let them hurt her but that monster turned her power on her." Esme turned and snarled out. Her eyes a deep obsidian in anger. "I took Bree's place in exchange for her life."

"But Esme. That pain…," Leah started and swallowed thickly her body shuddered, remembering the sensation of millions of hypodermic needles piercing and pulling at her skin.

"I know," Esme said, enveloping Leah in a tight hug. "I didn't want you to ever have to feel that."

Leah shook her head and patted Esme's back with her uninjured hand. "I think it's safe to say that 'my pain is our pain' is not a mere expression in regards to us."

"It seems that way," Esme agreed. "We've got to get a handle on this connection of ours."

"My thoughts exactly," Leah said, nuzzling Esme's hair and hoping that their bubble of contentment wasn't set to burst anytime soon.

-End of Chapter Sixteen-

There's the new chapter! Better late than never I always say! My muse and I have been disagreeing about what direction this story should go. From now on, I'm going to start posting tiny updates on how my chapters are progressing for each of my stories on my profile page. I'd like to thank you all for your continued interest in this story and for your encouraging PMs, reviews, faves and follows!If I haven't responded to your reviews/PMs, they are coming just as soon as I finish posting this chapter.

Thanks for reading! If you have any comments, questions, or gripes please let me know in a review or PM!

Until next time!

~MC