Moonlight in Forks
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
The Result of Thoughtlessness
"Hey, let go of me!" Bella cried as she struggled in Leah's strong grip.
Leah ignored all of Bella's protests. She continued to drag her toward her mother's Ford Escape, which she had parked haphazardly just behind Bella's old truck on the driveway.
The she-wolf was too strong for Bella to escape. Her fingers were curled around Bella's upper bicep, digging into the flesh tightly. Leah steered her none-too-gently around to the passenger side of the car and shoved her inside, slamming and locking the door after her.
"Leah, let me out of here!" Bella yelled, smacking her fists on the side window.
Leah's face showed no reaction, other than the same fierce scowl she had been wearing when she first arrived. She slid quickly into the driver's side, locking, and sealing the windows on that side too, before starting the engine.
"You better buckle up!" She stated coldly. "We're going for a ride!"
"I am not going anywhere with you." Bella retorted angrily, taking no notice of the she-wolf's advice.
Still Leah didn't react. She pulled sharply off the drive, flinging Bella forward in her seat. Bella just about managed to stop her head hitting the dash by putting her hands out to steady herself against it. Still, pain shot up her newly healed wrist, making her gasp.
The highway was busy with tourist traffic. Leah drove recklessly, weaving in and out of the other cars in an effort to overtake them, earning a bunch of honks and loud oaths from the other drivers. She took the turn on the onto the 101 at high speed, not bothering to look.
Bella felt her stomach flip in protest as she was jolted around. She was getting scared now. If they had an accident, the she-wolf had a quick healing ability, while she would end up with broken bones-probably the big ones, at least-they took forever to heal, as Bella well knew. Broken bones were not the worst-case scenario either. If Leah didn't slow down, she could end up becoming smeared on the tarmac with no hope of recovery.
The freeway cleared up a little, just giving Leah another excuse to put her foot down. Bella tried to talk to her, to get her to see reason, but Leah continued to block her out, her steely gaze fixated on the road ahead.
It was only when they reached the narrow drive that Bella finally had an inkling of their destination. Her heart felt like lead as, after a while, the driveway opened into a familiar lush meadow, revealing the large, graceful house belonging to the Cullens. Its rectangular and well-proportioned sides, were painted a faded white. The southern wall, almost entirely made of glass, with a view of the Calawah river, glinted in the weak sunlight peering through the gaps in the clouds.
Leah cut the engine and silence fell. Unlike Bella, she could hear the tense, angry murmurs coming from the other side of the wide-double doors. She heard the leech's voice saying her name, and she smiled bitterly, knowing that she had freaked the disgusting little stalker out enough to cause him a little stress.
As Leah pushed on the driver's door and opened it, the smell of reeking vampires hit her in the face like a rotten tomato. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. She took one big gulp of air-it would only be worse inside-and climbed out of the car.
"Get out." She ordered Bella.
"No!" Bella stayed rigidly in her seat; her hands curled into tight fists in her lap. "Take me home!"
Leah ducked her head back inside the car, laser bolts shooting from her eyes. "Get out or I'll drag you out by your hair if I have to." She snarled.
Bella locked stares with her, quietly hoping that the crazed she-wolf didn't mean what she said. However, one look at the fiery glow in Leah's dark eyes warned her that that the older girl would carry out of her threat if she didn't comply.
Slowly, Bella slid out of the car, straightening and looking toward the mansion warily. Just then, the door opened, and Carlisle stood in the frame, his eyes grave.
"Hello, Leah." He said, calmer than either of them would have expected. "And Bella." His lips lifted into a small smile when his gaze landed on her. "How are you?"
Bella didn't respond to his kind enquiry. She was wrestling with Leah as the she-wolf regained her tight grip on her upper arm and began pulling her toward the house.
The whole time Leah's gaze was fixated on the vamp doctor. She had taken a deep breath through her mouth. The reek pouring through the open door was overpowering. She was disappointed that it was Carlisle who had answered. She had rather that Edward had come through the door, fangs out. Then she could have thrown Bella at his feet, yelling at him that now he had what he wanted, he and his filthy family could finally leave Forks for good and stop messing with their lives.
It was difficult with Carlisle; he was just so…human…human in a way the others weren't. It was probably the empathetic expression he was wearing, as if he understood all that was troubling her, as if he knew what had finally driven her over the edge, and forced her to act.
Despite this, Leah followed through with her plan. She shoved Bella forward, sending her reeling into Carlisle. Bella gasped as the doctor caught her gently, righting her before she had a chance to fall.
"Special delivery." Leah sneered. "This is what your obsessive, stalking freak of a son was about to break the treaty for. He's been hanging around like a bad smell, waiting for his chance to sneak into this one's house. So, after chasing him off, I thought I would save him the trouble and bring what he was after right to his front door."
Carlisle looked uncomfortable. He glanced down at Bella, who was still busily trying to catch her breath, then back at Leah. "Edward has explained that he was in the area quite by chance when you crossed paths. He fled because he didn't want to initiate a confrontation. I assure you he was not trying to sneak into Bella's house."
"Is that the fairytale he's concocted, is it?" Leah laughed darkly. "And you believed him? Anyway, I don't give a shit what reason he gave you. Now that he has what he wants, you can all leave."
Bella was staring at the she-wolf, completely dumbfounded. Was Leah really using her as bait to get the coven to leave the area for good? Why? What had provoked this reaction? "Why are you doing this, Leah?" She asked hoarsely.
Leah's eyes slowly travelled to Bella's. The fierce glow died in them a little, the anger abating to be replaced with such an unbearable sadness, it was heart wrenching.
"They stay because of you. So, I'm just giving them what they want and then they'll have no more excuses. They'll have to leave."
Bella stepped forward, the long, brunette strands of her hair curling around her face. The empathy that she had originally felt for Leah's situation, and which had been snuffed out after practically being kidnapped, was slowly returning. Something had sparked this off-something had happened to push the she-wolf over the edge. She had to find out what it was.
"Talk to me, Leah. What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Leah snapped. "I mean let's be real here, you're only toying with Jacob. You were always going to return to the leech eventually. I'm just doing you and him a favor."
"I know you don't believe that." Bella kept her tone as calm as possible. "I love, Jake. I chose Jake. I am not going to change my mind. He told me about the argument you had. He told me what you said. We tell each other everything, no secrets."
Doubt clouded Leah's eyes for a minute, before she shrugged it off. "How sweet!" She drawled sarcastically. "But it won't last. If you don't leave him, then he'll just imprint and leave you. It will be like you never existed. So, you should go with the vamps, I'm saving you from a whole world of pain. You should be thanking me."
Leah's words hurt, but Bella pushed them to the back of her mind. She glanced over her shoulder at Carlisle. Thus far he had remained silent, he was gazing thoughtfully at the she-wolf. Thankfully none of the others had come outside to join him. Bella wondered whether he had warned them to stay inside.
"Listen, Leah." Bella's voice came out cracked, rough. "I know you've been struggling – "
"You know nothing about me!" Leah raged, her anger returning. "You ruined my life!"
That caught Bella off guard. She stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Leah glared at her, the pain showing through again. "Let's count the ways, shall we? If you hadn't become involved with these freaks of nature, they would have left long ago. It's because of you that they are still here. And because they are still here, the wolf gene continues being activated, which means the pack keeps growing. Younger and younger kids are phasing, having their youth stolen, their lives turned upside down. More of the pack are imprinting, turning them into mindless zombies, mere slaves to their imprints every whim."
Bella flinched at the onslaught of Leah's vitriol.
"As for me, my life had been completely ruined. Not only have I lost my lover, and my father, as well as any future I had planned- "Leah sucked in a sharp breath as if struggling to contain her tears, - "I've also lost the ability to have children."
"What?" Bella stared at her, horrified.
"I found out today that I'm infertile." Leah's voice cracked at the end. "When I turned wolf, I stopped menstruating. I'm completely sterile. So, you see, by becoming involved with them, by making them stay so long, you've robbed me of everything that mattered. I won't allow anyone else to go through what I've been through. So, do the selfless thing for once. Go with them. Make them leave and never come back. I will not have any other poor, unfortunate girl suffer the way I've suffered."
Tears sprung to Bella's eyes. In the moment, that flash of anger that had protected her from the pain, from the guilt, drained away. If she had a chance to relive it, she would have tried to summon more strength, but she couldn't push past the regret, the remorse. For some of what Leah had accused her of was true-the Cullens would have probably left long ago if she had never become involved with Edward. Their unnatural relationship had wreaked havoc on so many lives. That couldn't be disputed. She had made people suffer for a relationship that was doomed from the outset. No wonder Leah blamed her. She had a right to.
Carlisle's eyes tightened at the corners as he listened to Leah. "Please, come inside, my dear. Maybe there is something I can do. Some way to – "
"Atone?" Leah laughed bitterly. "I want none of your help. I just want you to leave. And you can take her with you."
Carlisle's gaze darted to Bella, before moving back to the house. He seemed concerned about something that was going on inside. Suddenly Edward appeared. Carlisle caught hold of him just before he reached Bella. "I told you to stay inside and let me handle this."
"I couldn't let her continue to speak to Bella that way." Edward's eyes were half crazed. He looked over at Bella, his hands reaching toward her, even as Carlisle held him back. "You have nothing to feel guilty about, my love. Don't listen to her." He called out.
Stricken, Bella backed away from him, from everyone. Then she was running. Running towards Leah's car. The she-wolf was slow to react, by the time she did, Bella was already in the driver's seat of the Ford Escape. The engine started smoothly on the first try.
As Bella began reversing, Leah caught up with her-the she-wolf wrenched the passenger door open and swung inside. Then the two girls were fighting for control of the wheel. The Ford Escape jolted and shuddered. Then the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward at speed, heading straight for the tall trees surrounding the property.
Carlisle let Edward go and they both dashed together toward the car. They were too late. With a sickening crunch, the hood smashed into the trunk of one of the nearby trees with such force that it was completely caved in.
A/N-thanks for reading!