A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing, and for the follows and favorites. You all make me smile:)

Bitter and Bitchy

After an initial few moments of shock at just how fast-paced and brutal a vamp fight could be, the wolves - at least Seth, Leah, and Paul - watched intently to learn everything they could. Jacob was laying on the ground beside Bella, casting longing glances at her every few seconds. She and Edward had both been mostly silent since Bella's discovery that Leah was a wolf.

Leah could tell that Jasper was the better fighter, but Alice utilized her size perfectly to leap, duck, dodge, and spin. It gave her a good idea of why the two vamps thought she could be a skilled fighter, as the wolf with the most agility. Being the lone female in a male pack wasn't easy, and as much as she hated to admit it, there was a part of her that desperately wanted to prove to the rest of the wolves that she was worthy of the honor of being a protector.

It was why she'd jumped at the chance when Seth told her some of the vamps were willing to give them some training. The fact that two of them thought she could be one of the biggest assets in the pack was a boost she hadn't anticipated.

"Did she just do a cartwheel in the middle of a fight?" Seth asked with an amused smile.

"It's really intense but they're both obviously having a blast," Paul whispered.

It was true, both vamps were smiling and laughing.

"They've been doing this for over seventy years," Rosalie said with a smile. "Jasper started training Alice to fight pretty soon after they met, and they both get a lot of enjoyment out of this kind of thing. We constantly have to temper our strength and speed, so sometimes it's nice to not have to hold back."

"And you should see them when Alice uses her gift," Emmett added. "She's such a tiny thing, so seeing her take down his tall warrior ass is a trip. We were all completely shocked the first time we saw her win."

"She said something about the wolves making her gift unreliable," Leah whispered. "What did she mean?"

"You guys create blank spots in her visions," Rosalie answered. "I'm honestly not sure why or to what extent, but the reason she thought Bella had committed suicide was because her future disappeared after she hit the water. When Jacob saved her, his presence made it so Alice couldn't see her anymore."

"Ha!" Alice laughed as she managed to land on Jasper's back, but when she leaned in to get her teeth to his neck, he stopped in his tracks and bent at the waist so she flipped over his head. "Damn it, Jas!"

He dropped on top of her as she hit the ground, and because she was so small, it was the most vulnerable position she could be in. Jasper left a loud, smacking kiss on her neck and hopped to his feet with a laugh, then held out his hand to yank her up.

When some of the crowd started cheering and clapping, both vamps looked up with a little bit of surprise, like they'd forgotten they had an audience.

Leah smiled at the obviously close friendship between her imprint and the pixie. From what Rosalie said, it sounded like they'd met some time in the late 1940s, and Leah wondered if he had any friends before that. Having been human-born in 1844, he'd already been alive for over a century by then. And based on his appearance, she thought he'd been changed into a vampire when he was around twenty, so he'd been a vamp for something like eighty years when he met Alice.

"Well done, Alice," Esme said proudly. "You almost had him."

Jasper gave her a playful glare. "I thought you'd be rooting for me. Besides, 'almost' only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," he laughed as he ruffled Alice's hair. He bounded over to the wolves and plopped down next to his mate with a smile. "So. See why some training is a good idea?"

"Yes," Leah laughed. "From the memories of the other wolves, taking Laurent out was nothing like that."

Jasper looked at Jacob's wolf form when he felt his indignation. "I don't think she meant it as an insult, Jacob. Y'all are mostly new wolves who have had limited exposure to vamps. There's nothing wrong with that, we all start from the same place."

"Jasper's so good at this because he's old as hell and had his start a long, long, long time ago," Emmett laughed.

"Emmett's just jealous because he's never won in a fair fight against Jasper," Alice teased.

"How do you fight an 'unfair' fight?" Leah asked curiously.

"Jasper has to fight with some kind of handicap," Rosalie answered with a smile. "He lets Emmett choose and Emmett's never been short on imagination, so some of his handicaps have been hilarious. Jasper once fought with Alice perched on his back the whole time."

"But I wasn't allowed to help," Alice added. "I couldn't open my mouth or Jasper automatically lost."

"Did you win?" Paul asked Emmett.

"Yeah, but only because Ali doesn't know the meaning of silence," Emmett laughed. "It's the whole reason I put that proviso in."

Alice just shrugged with a smile, not at all bothered by Emmett making fun of her, then looked at Leah. "Now that you've seen our fighting styles, does it give you a better understanding of why we think you could be the most effective wolf in your pack?" she asked.

"It does," Leah nodded. "And I appreciate you guys being willing to teach me, and Seth too. The other guys in the pack - except Paul, obviously - tend to dismiss us because we're smaller than the rest of them. And with me being the first female shifter that the tribe knows of, they think it's just some weird genetic mistake that I even became a wolf," she said as she rolled her eyes, pushing aside her hurt at the way her pack mates treated her.

Rosalie did an eye-roll of her own. "What utter bullshit. Fate doesn't tend to make 'mistakes' like that."

Jasper nodded his agreement. Having helped lead the army of the only female warlord in the south, he knew better than to ever underestimate a woman. "Anyone looking at us assumes Emmett would be the best fighter because of his size, and that Alice would be the easiest mark because she's so tiny. And Emmett is a good fighter, no doubt, but he's never managed to beat Alice when she's giving it her all. She may a tiny little thing but the girl is fierce when she's defending herself or her family and she uses her size to her advantage."

"See?" Seth smiled at his sister. "You're a valuable addition to the pack."

Leah ruffled her little brother's hair, then laughed when he scowled and smacked her hand away. "We should probably get back," she said. "Or I should, at least. You can stay if you'd like, but I have no doubt Sam's going to try and stir up trouble and I'd rather get to Mom before he does."

"Good point," Seth nodded.

"What do you think he'll do?" Alice asked worriedly.

Leah shrugged. "I don't really know. Shit-talk you vamps for sure. Maybe try to get the elders to forbid me from seeing Jasper. Which they'd never agree to," she quickly added when she saw Jasper frown in concern. "Imprints are like the most sacred part of the whole wolf gig, so I can't imagine the elders ever going along with trying to keep a wolf and an imprint apart, no matter who the imprint is."

"What is an imprint?" Bella asked quietly.

"It's the wolf version of a soulmate," Seth answered when Leah didn't. "Like vamps have mates, wolves have imprints. Same type of thing, different name."

Bella's eyes briefly darted to Jacob. "And Jasper is Leah's imprint?"

Leah gave her a sharp nod. "He is."

"How do you know?" Bella asked, not unkindly.

"How do I know what? That he's my imprint?" Leah asked, and Bella nodded. "I don't really know how to describe it, to be honest. Like gravity shifts when you see that person. There's no mistaking it for anything else."

Jasper smiled at Leah, trying to ignore the emotions coming from Bella because he didn't want Edward to hear any thoughts in his mind about it. He'd have to talk to Alice about it when they had some privacy, because as much as Edward annoyed the ever-loving shit out of him, even though he was infuriating and insufferable and they had virtually nothing in common, he was still his 'brother' and he didn't particularly want him to have his heart broken by a human who couldn't make up her mind.

"Can I see your phone?" Leah asked Jasper. He immediately handed it over, so she entered her contact information and handed it back. "There. That'll make it easier for you to call and ask me on our first date."

"How do you know I want to go on a first date with you?" he teased.

"You've already seen me naked, so I'm afraid there's no turning back for us now. You're stuck with me, Whitlock," Leah laughed.

Jasper gave her his best charming grin while forcefully shoving aside that particular mental image of his mate. "Stuck with you doesn't seem like such a terrible thing to be."

"Give it time," Paul said as he rolled his eyes, making almost everyone laugh.

"Haha," Leah replied flatly before looking at Jasper and the rest of the vamps. "I'm really going to need those training lessons."

"I love that you want to learn to fight mostly so you can kick Paul's ass," Emmett laughed. "Victoria? Yeah, I guess. Paul? Absofuckinglutely."

Leah hauled herself to her feet with a shrug. "Both are important for very different reasons. Wanna walk with me over there?" she asked Jasper, gesturing to the trees at the far edge of the clearing. "I'm not going to give you another eyeful until you've earned it, but I would like to give you your sweatshirt back."

Jasper nodded and smiled as he hopped up. "Of course."

"Seth, Paul, Jacob, give me two minutes please. Cullens, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for… well, for not being pissed Jasper got shackled to me by my ancestors," she said with a little laugh.

After most of the other vamps - with the obvious exception of Edward - said it was nice meeting Leah and they hoped to see her again soon, Jasper took his mate's hand and they walked at a slow human pace across the field.

"I'm pretty thrilled your ancestors shackled me to you. Can you imagine how awkward that would be, if you were my mate but someone else was your imprint?" he asked with a smile. Feeling a very brief flare of hurt in her that she tried to hide, Jasper gently squeezed her hand. "Can I tell you something about myself?"

Leah looked up at him and nodded. "Of course."

"I guess maybe I should start with an apology. I know my gift takes away some of your emotional privacy, and I'm sorry about that. But I'll never use it as an excuse to pry. If I feel that you're upset about something and we're alone, I may ask if you're okay. If we're around other people, I may silently send you some of my own concern. That does not mean you have to talk about it. I've been told I'm a good listener, and I'm awfully good at keeping secrets, but the choice will always be yours. I can't control that I feel the emotions around me, but I'll do my very best to give you as much privacy and respect as I can when it comes to yours."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Leah smiled. "I went from having a normal amount of privacy to having my privacy invaded to an extreme degree when I phased and started sharing a mind with a bunch of teenage boys. It's pretty awful a lot of the time, to be honest, and when we have time to talk more I'll tell you my story. There's stuff from my past that makes being part of Sam's pack an extra burden."

"Whatever trouble you're anticipating from him, double it," Jasper suggested. "His emotions before he left were staggeringly hostile."

Leah scowled a little at that. "He has no right to be such a dick about this. Whatever," she sighed. "He's been making my life miserable for a while now, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he plans to continue trying to make it miserable."

"Are you in any danger from him?" Jasper asked worriedly. "Or are Seth and Paul for being supportive of you?"

"No," Leah answered, a little touched that he seemed to genuinely care about their well-being. With the exception of her family and Paul, no one had been all that worried about whether or not Leah was happy or safe for quite some time. "He's an ass with a too-big ego, but he's not dangerous. Besides, even if he did try anything, I'm more than capable of defending myself."

"I know you are," Jasper agreed as they got to the tree line. "If he surprises you and there's any kind of physical confrontation as wolves, don't forget to use your size to your advantage. Sam's wolf is much bigger than yours, it'll slow him down considerably."

Leah bumped her shoulder against his. "Don't worry, I'll channel the pixie," she smiled. "This is where I leave you. If you would be so kind as to keep your eyes averted, I'm going to duck behind that tree and phase. I'll leave your sweatshirt on that branch."

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Leah. Maybe on your run home you can think about when you'd like to go on that date so when I call you we can save a little time deciding."

Leah nodded with a smile. "I can do that. Thanks, Jasper. This is honestly the best day I've had in a while. And not just because of the imprint, either. Even without that, I'd still have had a good time. Most of your family seems really great. It's nice how close you guys seem to be."

"Most of us, huh?" Jasper laughed. "Yeah, most of them are pretty great. And we are close. I was hesitant as all get out when Alice told me she saw us joining a family of vegetarians, but trusting her and agreeing to accompany her was one of the best decisions I've ever made."

"Vegetarians? Is that what you guys call the animal diet?"

"Yeah. Not sure where it came from or who said it first, but yeah," Jasper shrugged. "It's kinda stupidly ironic, but whatever."

Leah hesitated a moment before rolling her eyes at herself. "Would it be okay if I hugged you goodbye?"

Before she'd even finished her sentence, Jasper was gently pulling her into his arms. Leah had to admit that she liked that he was so tall. She was five-ten, which meant she towered over most girls her age. With Jasper being almost half a foot taller, they felt like a perfect fit to her.

When Leah pulled back, she gave him a soft smile. "I'll talk you soon, I hope."

"You will," Jasper nodded. "But I'll give you enough time to get home," he added with a laugh.

With a last wave, Leah walked into the trees and Jasper turned around to give her some privacy. A few moments later, Seth and Paul ran over, followed by Jacob in his wolf form. After shaking hands and thanking Jasper for organizing the meeting, the two wolves stepped into the trees to phase.

Jasper turned to grab his sweatshirt and watched the four wolves as they started to run in the direction of La Push, then walked back to join his family.

"That went so well!" Alice practically squealed as she hopped up to hug him.

Jasper just laughed as he hugged her. It really had. Finally meeting his mate had gone better than he'd ever dared to hope for.

Leah waited until she was alone before she phased back to human and pulled on the clothes she'd stashed away at the edge of the trees behind her house.

During the run home, it was only the four of them in her head, which meant no other wolves were in that form. Leah wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and with Jacob bitching the whole way back to the Res, she hadn't had much time to think about it. Why the rest of the pack thought she was the bitchiest, most bitter wolf was a mystery to her.

Was she pissed she had to share a mind with the ex-boyfriend who'd broken her heart? Of course. Was it even worse that he was the acting Alpha of the pack? Absolutely. She was suddenly forced to obey a man she'd lost all respect for. Leah was certain anyone else would be bitter about that also. Those seemed like pretty legitimate reasons to be a little bitchy.

Jacob, on the other hand, bitched because the girl he thought he loved didn't love him back. Never mind that real love was nothing like what Jacob thought it was. Bella had been stringing him along for months, never telling him not to hold her hand or spend all his free time with her, because she didn't know how to be alone. Leah honestly wasn't sure if Bella had actual feelings for Jacob or if she was just desperate not to lose a boy who focused all his attention on her. When he tried to put a little distance between them, she spent at least one whole day calling his house every half hour. Every thirty minutes. Billy had been at the end of his rope with frustration.

And the day Leah's dad died, because there was no one around to give her attention, she'd gone and jumped off a cliff.

Leah didn't like Edward Cullen at all, but she hadn't missed the hurt on his face when Bella laughed about Jacob licking her, or at her apparent disappointment that he hadn't imprinted on her.

As far as she was concerned, Jacob and Bella were both as selfish as the other.

Jacob was so bitter about not having Bella for himself that nearly all of his vitriol was aimed squarely at Edward Cullen specifically, and vampires in general. The whole run home had been a litany of complaints about the 'leeches' and 'bloodsuckers' and how disgusting it was that Leah had imprinted on one. Paul had eventually nipped as his heel to get him to shut his mouth.

Jacob won the title for 'most bitter and bitchy' hands-down as far as she, Seth, and Paul were concerned.

So yeah, super fun times.

When Leah walked inside, she found her mom in the kitchen making a cup of tea. Sue looked at her for a moment with no expression on her face. "Is it true?"

Leah nodded. "That I imprinted? Yes. But Mom—"

Sue held up a hand to stop her and turned off the stove. "And you spent the last few hours with him?" she asked.

Leah nodded her head, a small smile on her face at how well meeting Jasper had gone. Something her mom saw made her nod to herself, and Leah braced herself for whatever was coming as her mom walked over to her. What she wasn't expecting was for her to put her arms around her and wrap her up in a mom-hug.

"Congratulations, Leah," she whispered.

Leah wasn't entirely sure where the tears came from - gratitude maybe, and relief - but as soon as she heard her mom's gentle words, she burst into tears and held onto her tightly.

"Shh, it's going to be fine," Sue quietly reassured her. "It's all going to be fine. We'll get through this together, just like we've gotten through everything else."

Leah squeezed her eyes shut as if she could stop the tears, but it was a useless endeavor. When she felt her brother wrap her up in a hug from behind, she let out a teary, snuffly laugh at being sandwiched between the two people she loved most in the world.

Sue pulled back and cupped Leah's face in her hands. "That's the first smile I've seen on your face that wasn't put there by me, Seth, or Paul in a long, long time. Anyone who makes you smile - wolf, human, vampire, anything at all - can't be bad in my eyes."

Leah smiled as she took a deep breath. "Thanks, Mom. I know it's unexpected and I know Sam's going to cause trouble, maybe some of the other wolves too, but I'm happy. Like truly, genuinely, all the way down to my soul happy."

Sue's face lit up in a brilliant smile as she nodded. "That's all I need to know to give you all the support I can. And maybe his name," she added with a laugh. "All I know is that he's a Cullen."

"Jasper," Leah answered with a brilliant smile of her own. "Jasper Whitlock."

"He goes by Jasper Hale here, though," Seth added as he turned the stove back on to make his mom her cup of tea.

Sue pulled Leah over to the kitchen table, grabbing the jar of cookies on her way. "Here, eat while I bombard you with questions," she laughed. "Jasper is one of the vampires who offered to teach the wolves to fight?"

Leah looked at Seth curiously. "You didn't tell her anything when you came in?"

"Nah," Seth shrugged. "It was your information to share, not mine."

"Thank you," Leah said with a soft smile at her brother, who had one of the biggest hearts Leah knew. "So yeah, he was one of the ones Seth came across yesterday and who offered to train us. Him and another vamp, a tiny little pixie named Alice. From what I can tell, they've been best friends for seventy years, since before they joined the Cullens."

Sue's eyebrows shot up. "Seventy years," she breathed in surprise. "That's… wow."

"I know," Leah laughed. "I had the same reaction. But brace yourself because it gets crazier. He was born as a human in 1844."

"Oh my goodness," Sue whispered, eyes wide with shock.

"Exactly," Leah nodded.

Seth set his mom's tea in front of her and joined them at the table, and he and Leah filled Sue in on all the events of the previous few hours.

"Jasper said Sam's emotions were really hostile before he left," Leah said once she was caught up.

Sue nodded. "I know, he's already tried to convince the elders to make you stay away from him. They refused, of course. He then threatened to give you an Alpha Command, but the elders forbid him from doing it. If he tries, tell me immediately and we'll deal with him."

Seth crossed his arms with a scowl. "I don't know why he thinks he has the right to say anything about Leah and Jasper," he grumbled.

"Because his ego is too big for his own good," Leah said as she rolled her eyes. "For anybody's good, really."

Sue reached over to take her daughter's hand. "We'll get through it, Lee. You have me, Seth, Paul, and the elders in your corner and we'll back you up. All we want is for you to be happy, and finding your soulmate - whoever or whatever he is - is reason enough to be joyful. Everything else we'll take as it comes."

Not for the first time, and undoubtedly not for the last, Leah sent up her gratitude that she had the best family a girl could ask for and a best friend who'd stand by her side through thick and thin.

When the phone rang, Leah shot out of her seat so fast she made herself a little dizzy, making her mom and Seth laugh.

"Hello?"

"Hey Leah," Jasper's deep voice greeted her. "Did you decide on a day?"

Leah thought on it a moment. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she probably ought to play it cool, but that seemed a little stupid considering their connection. And Jasper seemed just as eager to get to know her as she was to know him. "I'm on patrol later tonight so I'll probably sleep most of the day tomorrow. How about tomorrow evening? Is that too soon?"

"No, not at all," he answered immediately, and Leah could hear the smile in his voice.

They decided to go to a bookstore in Port Angeles that Jasper liked, and though he'd offered to take her out to dinner, Leah nixed that idea. She didn't want him to feel awkward sitting in a restaurant where he couldn't eat, so instead she countered with a coffee shop. She could eat dinner before leaving the house and they could sit and talk while she had a snack.

"Sounds perfect. I'd offer to come pick you up but I can't cross the treaty line," Jasper said with a little sigh, and Leah frowned at the reminder that they had some pretty hefty obstacles ahead of them. "The rest of the family said to tell you you're more than welcome to come to our house anytime. Seth and Paul are welcome to come and go in our territory as well. For now, given Sam's hostility, we're not entirely comfortable extending that courtesy to the rest of the pack. I hope that won't be a problem."

"It won't," Leah immediately assured him. "It's nice of them to make the exception for the three of us. How about I drive to your house and we can go to Port Angeles from there?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow at six. And Leah, I'm really looking forward to it."

Leah grinned so wide she probably looked a little crazy. "Me too. See you tomorrow."

When she hung up, she had to force herself to swallow back the excited squeal that wanted to come out. She refused to be that girl. In public, at least. She might do some mental squealing in the privacy of her room.

Leah's mom got a little teary-eyed seeing her daughter with such a wide smile on her face. It had been such a long time since she'd been truly happy, and Sue was quietly determined to meet Jasper Whitlock and thank him for making her daughter glow like the sun itself was shining through her.