I blame NaNoWriMo... "-" you should too. It's ruining my sanity, not that I had much to begin with, and no editing here, sryz. Updates should go back to every 10 days after November.

His arrogant face is still flushed from our chase, but he is handling it better than I am. The wolf's lips twitch into his lopsided smile, a sight I'm rather pleased to see yet still manages to annoy me. As always, he looks like a smug ass. My own lips stretch into a smile and I'm vaguely aware that I haven't smiled like this in too long a time. "Nice to see you too, Leah," he rubs a hand over his face, drags it through his short hair. "You're looking good,"

I blink at him, the smile refusing to fade despite the bait he is giving me. "Mystic Falls agrees with me," I comment, for a moment pushing aside the bitterness. It was not what I wanted him to head back to Forks with in his mind.

"I can see so," he steps forward and I'm too tired from the run to swat away his hand when he fingers my hair. "You're growing it out,"

"Just a little, I like it like this,"

Despite my reassurance he looks dejected at this news, "It must make the phasing a hassle."

I almost nod; instead I step away from him turning my head slightly to dislodge the dark strands he held captive. "I'm not phasing much these days," I tell him, still smiling, "There aren't enough threats here that demand that I change. It's kind of nice, not having to worry about patrols and boundary lines."

Jacob grins but it is half-hearted, it's so obvious that it nearly pulls my smile away completely. My smile does falter when he continues to speak though, my chest suddenly paining with an emotion I hadn't let myself feel for too long. "We miss you," his eyes are sincere and they stare into me, pleading. It is so obvious and agonising who the 'we' are that I nearly wrap my arms around Jacob and cry on his shoulder. "Seth was adamant that I bring him, but Charlie and Carlisle managed to convince him to stay. I can't say he was too happy with it, neither were the rest of the pack."

My lips pull into a hard line, "They don't know where I am, do they?"

"No," Jacob assures and he sounds sad for it. "The vampires wouldn't even tell me, I only figured it out when Alice and I entered the town."

"That's good," I say and when he scowls at his feet I feel like a complete idiot and place a hand on his shoulder. "This way Seth can't get himself into trouble; it's better and safer, for everyone."

"For you," he says softly but I cringe and remove my hand like it had been burnt.

"Maybe," I gaze at him with a hint of sadness, some wistfulness. "Ultimately there's nothing rewarding letting them know I'm here. I won't return and I doubt that they'd leave the reservation unprotected just to visit me. So it's better like this,"

I think his smile is heart breaking to see, especially on a boy I was used to seeing full of joy. "Do you like it here? Is that why you won't come back? Is it Sam? Are you still worried about the Jane incident?"

I sigh and ruffle his short hair affectionately, having missed the feeling, "Mystic Falls is never dull," I confess, trying to be as truthful as possible, "There's always something…interesting happening here, like a buzzing hive full of bees just bursting with honey," I'm not sure if the bee analogy had distracted him from his first question and I don't wait to find out. "It's not that I don't want to come back. I miss you all as well, but I can't go back, Jacob. It's not Sam," which was partly true, "or the Voltouri and that blood sucker, Jane. This is my home now, I cannot just get up and leave; I have people to protect." It's all for Klaus. All I am. Everything.

Jacob's face becomes hard and he stares at me, "You had friends in Forks, you had a home and family and people to protect. You had people who loved you – still love you. That didn't stop you before, you up and left at the drop if a hat. It isn't nice having to find out from the vampires, whom you didn't like in the first place, that my friend and pack member skipped town. It was even worse giving that letter to Seth and Sue. You didn't see their faces, Leah."

I hold up my hand, "Jacob, you don't understand-"

"I do understand!" He snapped, "You were a coward and couldn't face your problems. But things change, Leah." He beseeches, reaching out to grab my hands. "Everyone's forgiven you, and they all miss you and want you to come back. Please, please, Leah, you won't regret it, come home with me. Come home to your family, to the people who've known you for the longest and loved you the most,"

"Forgiven?" My face twists, every word stabs me with guilt and pain and it's so true, but I cannot. I can't do what he wants me to. It's impossible. Because…because- "Jake,"

"But you don't," he interrupts, "Come back with me and you'll see. Your room is still there, Seth is waiting for you to come back. The place seems so empty without you."

"Jacob!" I cry and pull my hands away to press to my face, I peek at him from between my fingers, "I can't go back."

"But-"

"Shut up! I can't, Jake, even if I wanted to, even if-even if things hadn't ended like they had… I can't…"

"Why?" he whispers and it sounds eerie in the dark forest, like the pleading of a ghost.

After a moment, I lower my hands and gaze at him as seriously as I can, "I've found him," He should know, he really should understand. It sounds strange saying it aloud and although the way his eyes round means he probably knows what I'm saying, I try again. "I've imprinted,"

Jacob licks his lips and presses a hand over his mouth. "Are-are you sure? It's not just some crush?"

I laugh bitterly, how does someone misinterpret the imprint as a crush? The idea is ridiculous, "Trust me, I wouldn't willingly be caught in another Sam-Emily situation,"

His eyes look at me with pity and I can't bring myself to be angry at him for it.

"That bad?" I somewhat love that he reads into my meaning, that it is so effortless for him to tell that I'm dying a little in side.

"Yeah," I sigh, I lower my hands and look at him with a small smile. "But it's not the end, I guess. She doesn't like him, despite all his best efforts, and I get to be with him either way. I'm useful to him and I don't need to hear his sappy thoughts about her, that's a few steps up from Sam already." Nt to mention that she tried to kill him. It bothers me that I compare Klaus to Sam from time to time; deciding which of the two had been the lesser of evils up to date. By far Klaus should not have received a dent to his name, I was imprinted to him after all, but my heart and my head warred at stretches

Silence stretches and Jacob reaches to scratch the back of his neck. "Emily misses you," he says quietly, his dark eyes looking into me in a way not many people were able to.

I blink at this new information; warmth grows in my chest, "Is she happy?"

"Yes," a small smile twitches at the corners of his mouth and I cock my head in question, curious at this sudden change to soft affection. "She's pregnant, about two months now,"

I wish I could answer him the way I want to, I wish I were able to grin and offer my congratulations. Don't misunderstand, I'm happy for her, them. Yet I couldn't bring myself to do it. Somehow I think I understood the vampire, Rosalie, now; I knew how it felt to wish and hope and despair. A baby to call her own, Emily was indeed lucky. "And Sam is happy?"

"Of course,"

There's nothing 'of course' about it, but I sigh and accept the answer nonetheless. "That's good, really good."

For a while we stand in silence, not necessarily awkward or companionable, just silence. The type of silence we used to stand in years ago, a silence that was made real because we couldn't hear each other's thoughts when we were human. The sad reality was I probably wouldn't hear him anymore even if I was a wolf.