A/N: Yay for the site not shitting out again! I seriously missed it for the whole two days I couldn't get on. Oh, and another good review from Lacking A Better Name, alas, it probably won't happen again for a very, very long time! And thanks to the rest of you who stick with me! You rock!

Ps. I know Nessie is aging rather quickly but that's why the call it AU, right? I can change things up if need be.

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And the white line's getting longer and the saddle's getting cold
I'm much too young to feel this damn old
All my cards are on the table with no ace left in the hole
I'm much too young to feel this damn old

Lord, I'm much too young to feel this damn old

The Cullen's house had become a safe haven. This was very much a problem for Quil and Embry who always hated having to be around the leech smell. But once again Guitar Hero was helping out. Esme, the mothering creature she is, pointed them right to the gadget filled room the first day they had to stay in the house for more than an hour. If it wasn't for the smell they'd be in absolute teenage boy heaven. Well, almost.

There weren't any girls. Not than Quil needed the girls. It was just a problem for Embry. I would actually appreciate it if they got Embry a bunch of whores. Then maybe he'd stop staring at my ass. My chest. Oh, and my legs. Jacob had talked to him about it but Embry is very stubborn.

Now, we were all stuck at the Cullen's because we didn't have a 'territory'. We didn't know which land was ours and which was Sam's. Apparently in this Alpha War territory and getting all the animal particulars down was important. So Carlisle said.

This topic was how I ended up alone in a room with Nessie. Jacob was off at a meeting, that I wasn't invited to, with our elders, and I was stuck at the vampire crypt. Not only was I stuck at the crypt but I was stuck in a room with the girl my boyfriend imprinted on. And Nessie wasn't just any girl. She was beautiful. The girl had creamy, pale skin, big brown doe eyes, long wavy hair, and a voice that could charm angels. I hate her.

"Leah, are you alright?"

I didn't even realize she was trying to talk to me.

"Do what? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I lied shaking my head trying to come back down to reality. I made myself look her in the eyes. Today she looked like a prê-teen. Around twelve or thirteen, maybe.

"You looked like you were in pain," she said trying to hide a smirk that played on her lips.

"Sorry kid," I mumbled.

"Leah, I have a question. Is it alright if I ask you?" Her head was slightly tilted and she looked overly cautious.

"Uh, sure." I had to remind myself to be polite to her. The Cullen's, well most of them, were being very cool about letting all of us hang around their place contaminating it with our wolf smell.

"Do you remember that first day you let me talk to you?" I nodded my head. "And you said I could talk to you anytime?" I nodded again. "Well, I have something very big I'd like to talk to you about. It's, well, it's about Jacob."

I had to swallow. That was a pill. Why would she want to talk to me about Jacob? Unless she liked wanted him or something. Maybe she was going to act on her claim. I mean really Jacob was hers because that's theway imprinting works.

"Uhh, I don't think this is, uhh, appropriate, for you and me to discuss, Ness," I said as kindly as I could manage. I was also trying to control the wolf in me. "Maybe you should talk to Jacob."

Right. Stay cool. Remain uncaring. Don't kill the child. Yet.

Got a game plan. Kill Jacob and then kill Nessie.

"No!" Nessie shouted. "I can't talk to Jacob. I need to talk to you. Please, Leah. Just listen. It's so very important."

Her voice was pleading with me and her lips were turned down into a frown. So I caved.

"Ok," I sighed. "But I reserve the right to runaway phasing."

She laughed.

"I want you to know that I want you with Jacob," Nessie started much to my shock. I swear I felt my jaw drop down.

"Wha-what?" I finally managed to stutter out.

"Yeah, you and Jacob. It's what I want. You're good for each other. I remember when you were sad." She didn't look at me as if she was feeling sympathetic of my feeling. She looked, well envious. "I mean, I envy that you got to feel something, anything, but you belong with each other. I know it in my heart."

She was envious of my pain? Only the child of Edward and Bella.

"Nessie, kid, listen. You do realize what Jacob being your imprint mean, correct?" Oh god. Was I really going to tell her about having great having that bond could be? I mean this was the man I loved with every fiber of my being and I was about to be selling him off to a twelve year old who really wasn't even two yet!

"Yeah, I do," she said firmly, while rolling her eyes. "It means it would be just another thing I don't get to decide for myself."

That one caught me off guard too. When did she get so grown up? And why did that make me feel so damn old?

I wasn't given a change to respond.

"Listen, I love my mom and dad very much, but you know them. I will always be in a bubble, well not always, but as long as they can keep me in the bubble. And Jacob is part of that bubble because he's not something I've chosen for myself. You chose Jacob. Jacob chose you. And that is beautiful, Leah," she said staring at me with a slight smile on her face. "You know why it's beautiful? Because it's the real thing."

Here I was worried that this child, because Nessie was a child despite the grownup things that came out of her mouth, was going to ruin my life. But here she was giving me everything she had and everything I wanted.

I was wrong. She was nothing like Bella. And she wasn't very much like Edward, either. She was Nessie. She wasn't one of a kind but she was special. Because despite the fact that she was meant to be a spoiled brat she had her head placed firmly on her shoulders.

"Hey, Ness?" I asked after staying silent for what seemed like eons.

"Yes?" She looked at my hopefully. I'm sure my lack of words upset her. But I wasn't very good with them. I wasn't good and describing myself or sharing feelings. They were all foreign concepts to me. "Do you want a friend? Like a real friend? Someone who wanted you to experience life the right way?"

She nodded, "More than anything."

"Well, you've got one." I grinned at her brightly.

Nessie would need someone to talk to about boys. I know about boys. She'd need someone to talk to about music. Music other than Claire de Lune. I know about country and rock. She'd need someone to watch cheesy, tasteless movies with. I love cheesy, tasteless movies. And then one day Nessie would need someone to help her escape her parents. I know all about escaping.

"Oh, but we've got to get you eating more human foods. There is more to life than blood, kiddo," I stood up and beckoned her to follow me.

The Cullen's had supposedly tried to get Nessie to eat human food. But I don't think they'd tried hard enough.

"But, Leah-" She started.

"Hey, now. You want to chose things? You want to be different than your wacko family?" She nodded.

"Then chocolate is your best friend. So is bread. And cheese. And noodles. Carbs are great." Nessie was laughing and shaking her head and I climbed into the cupboard of the big house pulling all the things out. Well, minus the cheese.

"I have another question," she said finally.

"No, we can't coat this stuff in blood," I admonished firmly.

"It's not that. Well it's about blood."

I made a face. "What if I get my period? See, I read this book, and well I'm part human, and my mom hasn't even talked to me about it. It could happen, Leah, and I'm scared."

Bella was a horrible mother. If I ever decided to have children I'd do a better job. She would be the reason I did a better job.

"I'm you're friend, right?" She nodded. "Well, then I'll help you. Not that it requires help. It just will mean you're normal."

It didn't hurt me to talk about that for once. It was just another topic of conversation.

"Are you sure I can eat this?" Nessie asked me suspiciously as I handed her an oreo dipped in peanut butter.

"Yes, now EAT!"

Laughing, she did, and a wide grin spread across her face.

"Yummy, it beats blood," she giggled. I rolled my eyes.

And that was how Jacob found us. Stuffing our faces and sitting on the couch watching Jon and Kate Plus 8. He also found a spot on the sofa in between us. Holding my hand and acting like Nessie's big brother.

I'm sure there were serious things the two of us needed to talk about, like the meeting, but that could wait. Being normal and acting like friends was so much more important.

A/N: I may do a oneshot of Jake's meeting with the elders. Sam was there too. I bet it was fun. I'm not sure though. What do you guys think?

Oh and PLEASE review.