A/N: For anyone who read Now Unbound, I am one hundred percent stealing my own idea from that story to put in this story. Does that count as stealing? It's repetitive maybe, but Leah deserves it.

I'm still not getting those review reply emails, so I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to leave feedback. I read every single comment and every single one makes me smile. Thank you:)

Beginning to Heal

After Leah phased back to a wolf and headed off in the direction of La Push, Jasper collected Rosalie's clothes and walked back to where Paul and Seth were waiting for him next to Paul's car.

"If he ever does anything like that again, I'll break the treaty to rip out his fucking throat and then deal with the consequences," Paul said in an icy tone. "I may have let it go this time to spare Leah, but I won't tolerate it a second time."

Jasper honestly couldn't blame him for his anger. Paul and Leah's friendship seemed very similar to his friendship with Alice, and if one of the wolves had lashed out at her, Jasper would've done the exact same thing. "I understand," he nodded. "And as long as he's the only member of my family you come after, I won't stand in your way. You so much as threaten anyone else and you'll be running on three legs for the rest of your life."

Seth watched the two of them with a little bit of amusement. Their temperaments weren't at all similar - Paul had a hot temper while Jasper was calm and methodical - but they both would do whatever was necessary to protect the people they loved. In Jasper's case it was the Cullens, and in Paul's it was the Clearwaters. His relationship with his dad wasn't the greatest and he hadn't talked to his mom in ages, so Sue had unofficially adopted him. She was more of a mother to him than his own ever was. During the little bit of time he'd spent with the vamps, Seth thought Jasper and Alice's friendship was similar to Paul and Leah's, and being an empath, Jasper would know how close they were.

Paul nodded his understanding and agreement.

Seth gave Jasper a sad smile. "Thank you for what you said to her just now. She knows my mom and I don't blame her for what happened, but she still feels responsible. Maybe knowing exactly how I feel about her will help her let go of some of that guilt."

"I actually owe you an apology for that. I try to give people privacy where my gift is concerned, and by sharing your emotions with her without your consent, I crossed a line I don't usually cross."

"It's cool," Seth laughed and waved him off. "If it helps my sister heal, share away."

The two wolves said their goodbyes and Jasper watched the car drive away, then slowly climbed the porch steps and sat beside Alice on the porch swing with a heavy sigh.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, resting her head on his shoulder.

Jasper laughed a humorless laugh. "Not even a little. The well of pain and guilt inside her is immense. Edward ripped away the thin scar that had been forming over it in one cruel and spiteful moment."

"What happened?" Emmett asked quietly. "Why does she think she killed her dad?"

"I don't know the exact details, but the day she phased for the first time was the day her dad died," Jasper answered.

"You don't think she…" Rosalie trailed off, not sure she wanted to finish that sentence.

"Mauled him as a wolf?" Jasper asked, and Rosalie nodded hesitantly. "No," he answered immediately. "You heard her talking about Sam hurting Emily and nothing about her emotions in that moment fit with what she'd feel if she'd done something similar."

Alice nodded her agreement. "I think Bella said he had a heart attack."

"From shock maybe?" Rosalie guessed. "Like he saw her first transformation? We know they didn't think the girls could become wolves, so I imagine the shock would've been staggering."

"That's what I'd been thinking. It fits her emotions a little more," Jasper nodded, then sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face, feeling guilty about his actions in the previous hour or so. "Jesus, I'm doing a whole lot of over-sharing of people's emotions today."

"Did you share Bella's with Edward?" Emmett asked curiously. "I saw you tip your head towards her a little while staring at him. I figured you were silently telling him what an asshole he is and then he looked at Bella."

Jasper nodded. "I did. And since I've already crossed my own ethical line, I'll just leap across a little farther and really fuck it up. She was pissed. Yes, she was hurt by what Leah said, but her predominant emotion by far was outrage. There wasn't a single positive emotion in the girl when she looked at him in that moment," he said, then turned to Alice with a small smile. "She did feel gratitude when she looked at you, though. Thank you for getting her out of the way."

Alice just shrugged. "She wouldn't have gotten hurt but I figured better safe than sorry."

"What a day," Esme sighed.

They all turned towards the driveway when they heard Carlisle's car approaching. Jasper wasn't sure exactly what he knew, but Carlisle definitely knew some of what happened. His emotions were a storm cloud of anger and disappointment, and Jasper smiled remembering Leah, Seth, and Paul laughing about how much worse it was to disappoint Sue Clearwater than it was to make her angry.

"How much does he know?" Jasper asked Esme.

"No details, simply that Edward has behaved dreadfully and that he is now reaping the consequences," she answered.

It was an interesting situation for the Cullens, to be honest, as no one had ever been grounded before. They weren't a traditional family and the 'kids' weren't actually kids, nor did Carlisle and Esme treat them as such in the course of their everyday lives. They set the rules within the coven and did much of the day to day running of the household - though every member did have their own particular role to play in the management of their coven - but they weren't parental figures in the way a human mother and father are.

Once Carlisle joined them on the porch and had heard the whole story, he sighed in frustration. "Is he feeling any remorse right now? Any shame?" he asked Jasper, making the rest of the family smile a little that he was sharing even more emotions.

Jasper shook his head. "Definitely no shame. And not so much remorse, but there is some regret. I don't think he feels all that bad about what he did, simply that he has to face the consequences for it. He's also pissed. He's not as enraged as he was, but he's still got a lot of anger."

Carlisle sighed again. "Thank you for being so restrained," he said to Jasper with a smile that looked a little too tired for a being who required no sleep. "I appreciate that you didn't escalate the situation even more."

"If he does anything like that again, there will be a much different outcome," Jasper cautioned. "Regardless of my personal feelings about his mate and his relationship with her, I treat her respectfully. If he can't do the same in return, he will face my consequences, not yours. Being grounded will be the least of his worries."

Carlisle nodded with a small smile. "I understand."

"Good," Jasper said, standing up because he was done talking about Edward. "Anyone interested in a quick—" Jasper cut off with a laugh when Alice hopped onto the seat of the porch swing and flung herself on his back. "—hunt," he finished.

Alice laughed as she held on around his neck. "Instead of a hunt, I think we should head to that Home Depot in Port Angeles. I have an idea for a possible solution to the issue you've been mulling over, and if we're quick about it we can get there before they close."

"For Leah?" Jasper asked. The only thing he'd really been mulling over lately was how to make his mate's life as a wolf a little easier. He'd planned to ask Alice if she had any ideas.

"Yep," Alice nodded. "And I think Seth just might be a willing accomplice. I'll explain in the car."

Curious about what they were talking about, Emmett and Rosalie decided to tag along, so the four of them headed to Emmett's Jeep while Esme and Carlisle went inside to deal with the boy who'd done nothing lately but cause conflict in their family.

Leah was cleaning up from dinner with her mom when Jacob Black stormed into the house without even bothering to knock.

"Why do you always have to be such a bitch?" he growled at Leah.

Leah sighed and rolled her eyes. She shouldn't have been at all surprised that Bella had gone crying to Jake. She hadn't told her mom what happened at the Cullens, not because she was trying to hide what she'd done, but because talking about the day her dad died only led to unhappiness in their home.

When Jake tried to stomp over to where Leah was standing at the sink, elbow deep in soap suds, Sue stepped in between them and put her hand on Jake's chest to stop him. "I don't know what's happened, but I expect you to use the manners you were raised with. If you want to come into my home, you knock just like anyone else. And you certainly don't storm in and call my daughter names," she said sternly. "Either calm down or you can turn right back around and leave."

Jacob scowled at her. "It's your daughter you need to—"

Sue cut him off. "I am an elder of this tribe, young man, and you will be respectful in my home."

Leah smiled a little as she wiped her hands on a dish towel, remembering Jasper telling Esme to call him 'young man' to make her scolding more effective. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true and you know it."

"But there was no reason for you to say it at all! All you wanted to do was hurt her!" Jacob exclaimed.

Leah glared at him. "I don't know what she told you, but I didn't do it to hurt Bella, I did it to warn Edward to stay out of our thoughts," she snapped.

"Okay, that's enough, both of you," Sue cut in. "What happened today, Leah?" she asked. When Jacob opened his mouth, Sue held her hand up. "I asked Leah. If being polite and respectful in my home is too difficult for you, you may leave."

Leah hesitated for a moment. She knew at that point she had no choice but to tell her mom what happened, and she wasn't sure she wanted Jake around for that. "I'd rather tell you in private," she said quietly.

Sue looked at her daughter and saw the vulnerability in her eyes. "Okay," she nodded, then turned to Jacob. "We'll be having a conversation about your behavior later, young man."

Jacob scowled at Leah. "Fine," he snapped and turned to stomp his way out of the house.

"Maybe ask Bella for the whole story," Leah said before he walked out. Bella seemed to know in the moment that Edward had been a complete asshole who was in the wrong, and Leah figured she just didn't want to admit that to Jacob. There was already so much anger and hostility between the two - which, in Leah's opinion, wouldn't even be such an issue if she stopped stringing Jake along - and she probably didn't want to make it worse.

Jake didn't acknowledge her words, he just stormed out.

Leah rolled her eyes as she dropped into one of the kitchen chairs. "Why are boys such immature jerks?" she asked. She really wanted to call him worse but she tried not to swear in front of her mom.

Sue smiled and filled the kettle at the sink. "Not all of them. Would you like a cup?" she asked as she turned on the stove.

Leah nodded and thanked her mom and then mentally prepared herself for the coming conversation.

Sue listened patiently as Leah stuttered and stumbled her way through her explanation, the sadness shining through in her eyes. Her eyes tightened in anger at Edward's actions and she smiled a little at Jasper and Esme's defense of her daughter, but the sadness was the most prominent emotion Leah could see.

When she finished, Sue reached over and took Leah's hand. "You heard the doctor, Lee. If it wasn't that particular day, that particular situation, it would've been another. Your dad's heart wasn't healthy. It was only a matter of time, and the surgeon said we were lucky we had him as long as we did. You did not kill your father, Leah," she said gently.

Leah brushed away the few tears that had fallen. Showing vulnerability was right up there with apologizing at the top of the list of things Leah hated doing, which was why she'd wanted to tell her mom alone. She was one of only three people Leah felt comfortable being honest about her feelings with - Seth and Paul being the other two.

And Jasper now, she corrected herself. She'd been plenty vulnerable with him already. She supposed that was one benefit of the whole imprint-mate thing. They may not be in love yet, but the bond between them was already strong. With the way imprinting and vamp mates worked, it felt safe to let Jasper see her vulnerable because she knew he wouldn't judge her for it or use it against her. And he'd let himself be vulnerable with her from the very beginning. He told her his entire life story at the coffee shop on their first date, not holding back anything or attempting to hide his worries and fears. He'd even laid his emotions bare by sharing them with her.

"Maybe not," Leah said quietly. "But that whole day was a train wreck that changed our family forever. If I hadn't exploded into a giant wolf in our living room, Dad wouldn't have died like that and the wolf gene in Seth wouldn't have been shocked into life so soon."

Sue scooted her chair closer to her daughter's and wrapped her arms around her. "Seth becoming a wolf was also just a matter of time. And yes, it was sudden, but in some ways it was a good thing it happened then. Can you imagine trying to hide the fact that you're a protector from your little brother? Living in the same house as him while trying to conceal who you are would have been nearly impossible."

Leah tried to take comfort from her words. She wasn't sure she'd ever see the whole situation from her mom's point of view, but she had to admit that she was right about hiding what was happening from Seth. It would've been really difficult. And she actually liked that they were wolves together. If nothing else, it meant she had one more member of the pack who backed her up when Sam was being a dick.

As if conjured up by her thoughts, Seth walked in the house then. He and Paul had taken advantage of being in Forks to grab some dinner at the diner. It was a treat they didn't usually allow themselves, but they served huge portions and had the best french fries in their little corner of Washington. He had his usual cheerful smile on his face, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw his mom comforting his sister. Without a word, Seth sat on the other side of Leah and smushed her up in the middle of a hug.

Leah smiled and let herself soak up their love for a minute. When she started to feel a little too smothered, she elbowed her brother in the stomach. "Okay, I'm all done with that now," she laughed. Once they let her go, she fixed her hair and glared playfully at Seth. "I can smell greasy food on you and if you went to the diner and didn't bring me fries I'm gonna be pissed."

Seth hopped up and grabbed the styrofoam container he'd set on the counter. "I'm not that stupid, thank you very much. And I value my life too much to make such a rookie mistake," he laughed as he handed it to her.

Leah sent up a quick thanks to the universe for giving her a wolf-sized appetite and the metabolism that let her eat whatever she wanted. "Thanks. So, while I scarf these down we should probably talk about the whole Sam issue. I really don't want him to tell me that we can't patrol Forks just because he's a spiteful asshole."

Sue gave her a look but didn't scold her for her language. Sam was being a spiteful asshole so she couldn't really blame Leah for saying it out loud when they all agreed. "Why don't you call and see if Paul can come by. We can talk through our options and then I can take it to the elders tomorrow. I want to discuss Jake's behavior with Billy anyway, and if the elders can come to an agreement between ourselves, it'll be easier for us to counter Sam's objections."

Leah gave her mom a grateful smile as she grabbed her phone. Twenty minutes later, the four of them were settled in the living room and they started working on a proposal to get the other elders on their side.

The protection of the tribe was ultimately what the wolves were created for. Charlie Swan may not be an official member of the tribe, but he'd been an honorary Quileute since he was a boy. Sue, Leah, Seth, and Paul were determined to find a way to protect the man so many residents of La Push loved.

Leah gave herself the treat of sleeping in the next day, and she woke up to an empty house. Her mom had an early shift at the clinic and then was meeting with Billy Black and Old Quil, and Seth was at school.

After having a huge lunch and taking a shower, she called Jasper to see if he still wanted to hang out. He answered on the first ring and Leah could hear the smile in his voice when he greeted her, which made her smile too. She hesitated for a moment when he asked if she'd meet him at the Cullen's, and he quickly reassured her that Edward was at school. Carlisle had backed up Esme in her punishment of the telepath, so even if he got home while Leah was there, he would be going straight up to his room without opening his mouth.

Leah didn't even try not to laugh. She didn't know exactly how old Edward was, but he was definitely old enough that him being punished like a toddler was funny as hell.

When she pulled into the Cullen's driveway half an hour later, she was surprised to see Paul's car. She was even more surprised when her brother bounded around the corner of the house with her imprint.

"Why aren't you in school?" Leah asked as she got out of her car.

"The elders gave me permission to skip a day," Seth answered with his cheerful grin.

"And why would they do that?" she asked a little suspiciously, then smiled when Jasper walked over and hugged her hello. "Hi."

"Hi," he laughed, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "I asked Seth and Paul to help me with a small project and the elders were kind enough to give him the day off."

"What kind of project?"

Seth grabbed her hand and started dragging her behind him towards the trees along the far side of the house. "If you quit asking questions we can show you."

Leah was curious enough to let herself be towed along without protesting. When they rounded the corner, she saw that there was a small building at the edge of the trees that hadn't been there the day before. It was about the size of a one-car garage, and from Leah's angle she could only see two windowless walls. The door seemed to be on the far side that faced the trees.

"What's this?" she asked curiously.

"This is your life getting easier," Seth laughed.

"I don't get it. Why is a… I don't actually know what that is. A garage? A storage shed? Why is whatever that is going to make my life easier?"

Seth just laughed and pulled her around the side so she could see that the end that faced the trees was almost entirely open with no door. Paul was standing inside on a small ladder screwing something into the wall above the opening, and Alice was doing something at the far wall in the back, where there looked to be some kind of storage cupboards.

Jasper put an arm around her shoulders and tucked her against his side. "We wanted to make it easier for you to come and go as a wolf. This lets you have privacy to phase without having to worry about anyone catching an eyeful of you naked," he explained. When Seth pointedly cleared his throat, Jasper smiled. "Same goes for Seth and Paul. Paul's installing a rod so we can hang one of those outdoor curtains that y'all can pull closed, and Alice just finished with the storage lockers that have some clothes for the three of you. You won't have to lug around a bag with a change of clothes and Paul and Seth won't have to pull on muddy or wet sweatpants when they come over. We made sure to make it big enough that y'all can come in or out as wolves."

Leah looked around in shock that they'd actually built something like that for her. Her mental privacy wasn't the only thing she'd lost when she became a wolf, she'd also had to accept that it meant a loss of privacy in other ways. All the guys in the pack had seen her naked way more times than she was comfortable with. She'd learned some tricks that minimized the likelihood of it happening, but it was impossible to avoid in some situations. Not to mention the fact that shifting human to wolf or wolf to human still occasionally took her by surprise, like the day she'd met Jasper.

Alice looked at her with a bright smile. "We didn't want you to have to worry about carrying clothes back and forth, so we got the main construction done last night, and when Seth and Paul kindly came by this morning to help Jasper, Esme, and Emmett with the last of it, Rose and I drove out to the Target in Silverdale to grab the three of you some essentials. They didn't just kindly offer their assistance, they also kindly offered clothing and shoe sizes for the three of you," she laughed.

Seth dragged her to the back wall and showed her the four cubbies. Leah's had a few pairs of simple yoga pants and leggings and a couple t-shirts and hoodies, and Seth and Paul's had sweatpants, t-shirts, and hoodies. The fourth cubby had a stack of thick towels and a hairbrush, along with a little mirror hanging on the inside of the door. There was also a small hamper tucked in the corner.

"Oh, and these," Alice added as she pulled three pairs of flip-flops of various sizes from the last Target bag. "Since the weather's warming up I figured these would be easiest," she said, setting them in the bottom of the cubbies.

"I… um, this is…" Leah trailed off, not sure how to even respond. She'd known the Cullens less than a week and yet they'd spent their time, money, and energy on a small building project just to make it as easy as possible for her to spend time with Jasper, along with giving her back some of the privacy she'd lost.

"Did we overstep?" Alice asked her worriedly. "Fair warning now, although it's perhaps a little late, we do that sometimes."

Leah smiled at her. "No, you didn't," she assured her. "I just don't know what to say."

Paul walked over and punched her shoulder and held his hand in front of her face. "Thank you might be a good place to start, I almost lost a finger just so you could change clothes in private."

Leah's eyes crossed trying to see his hand with how close to her eyes he put it, so she smacked it further away with a scowl and saw there was a teeny tiny red line on his index finger. "How ever will you survive?" she asked dryly as she rolled her eyes. Then she threw her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you for your sacrifice."

Leah took a moment to hug and thank her brother and then turned to her imprint and Alice. The pixie still looked a little worried, but Jasper had the advantage of feeling her emotions so he was smiling. He must have silently reassured Alice, because her face suddenly smoothed out into a relieved smile.

"Would it be awkward if I hugged you?" Leah asked her. Alice squealed a little excitedly and launched herself at the wolf, making her laugh. "This is great, Alice. Thank you for going to all this trouble."

"It wasn't a bother," Alice assured her as she stepped back. "We all have a lot of experience with building projects and Rose and I enjoy a good Target run like anyone else. This is the most fun I've had in a while."

Leah smiled at her. She honestly would've thought Alice and Rosalie were too cool for Target. Leah didn't shop there in person all that often because it was a bit of a drive, but she ordered stuff online a couple times a year.

Jasper didn't wait for Leah to hug him, he just grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She could feel his gratitude but she wasn't sure what the reason was - maybe because she was happy with what they'd done for her? Or because she'd eased Alice's worry? Leah wasn't sure, but it was nice so she just let herself soak it up and sent back her own gratitude.

After a few moments she pulled back a little and leaned up to kiss him softly. "Thank you," she said simply.

Jasper's answering smile could've lit up a room. "You're very welcome."

"I– Oh!" Leah laughed in surprise when she was suddenly engulfed by another pair of cold arms, these much smaller that Jasper's.

"Your first kiss!" Alice squealed, making everyone laugh.

"No fucking way, I missed it? Goddamn it," Emmett grumbled from the doorway, where he and Rosalie had just appeared.

Leah extricated herself from the hug and turned to the two of them. "Thank you, both of you. This means so much," she said, then quickly looked at Jasper. "Can you do one of those virtual hugs again?"

"No fair," Emmett whined. "I missed your first kiss and I don't get a hug?"

"Uh," Leah hesitated as she looked at Rosalie. She didn't mind hugging him but she didn't want to piss off his mate.

"It's fine with me," Rosalie smiled. "I'll happily accept the virtual hug, but you're welcome to hug Emmett. His hugs are almost as good as Jasper's," she said with a wink. When Emmett's mouth dropped open in outrage, Rosalie laughed a little and kissed his cheek. "Only in the non-romantic hug category, honey."

Alice nodded her agreement. "Emmett gives excellent hugs."

Leah looked at Jasper before she moved, not sure if he would be weird about his mate hugging another guy.

"Alice is right," Jasper laughed. "Emmett is an excellent hugger."

"Okay then," Leah nodded and walked over to hug the behemoth. They weren't wrong. Hugging Emmett was a lot like hugging Seth or Paul, just a little chillier. He didn't use his size to smother you.

When Leah stepped back and turned to walk back to Jasper's side, she saw Seth and Paul watching her with soft smiles. If she wasn't mistaken, her little brother's eyes were a little watery. She knew the two of them worried about her and it wasn't hard to see that they were relieved and happy to see her with a smile on her face, being open emotionally with such relative newcomers in her life. And the fact that they were part of her imprint's family probably made it that much sweeter.

Leah wasn't the mushy sentimental type, but her eyes stung a little as she went and hugged her brother and her best friend again.

She didn't want to lie to them and tell them all was suddenly right with the world and her heart was miraculously healed, but she was absolutely being truthful when she quietly reassured them. "I'm okay," she whispered. "I'm going to be okay."

Seth and Paul just held onto her a little bit tighter.

And Leah knew she would be. She had Seth and Paul and her mom, she had the other elders and Charlie, and now she even had Jasper and the rest of the Cullens. Life was painful and heartbreaking, but it was undeniable that it could also be beautiful. She had more love in her life than many people had, and she made a decision in that moment to try and put a little more weight on that and a little less on the things that still hurt her so much.

Her heart wasn't healed, but maybe it was beginning to heal. And for now, for a girl who believed she'd never be whole again, that was enough.