Though he knew it was unlikely to help, he smiled the moment the door opened, despite himself. She was clearly not taking this well, and considering he was the one that was injured, he wasn’t sure how to help. He knew that she was feeling guilty - excessively so - about something he also knew she had no control over. Dwelling on it wouldn’t help. He wasn’t sure anything would at this point.
“Hey Lee Lee.
Did you forget I was coming over today?”
The question is simple, aided with a smile and a slightly step forward. It isn’t that it’s awkward between them; her feelings of guilt have put a wall between them that he isn’t sure how to tear down. There’s only a few options, and one he isn’t able to finish as a thought. He’d hate to leave her - but if it was all that helped her —-
He can’t be selfish. She’s in pain, far more pain than he is. It’s unbearable to witness, and yet, he knows that she must be suffering when he’s not around. He has to be there to help her —- though he’s just as certain his presence hinders her.
“Want to go for a walk with me?”
The question is simple, and he holds a hand out towards her. She might refuse, but he knows that he’ll spend the day with her regardless, even if that means silently sitting on the couch, watching mindless TV and avoiding saying anything. He’s tired of saying nothing. If he were capable of it, he might be furious with her for this. Her guilt wasn’t doing anything but tearing them apart, both inside and from one another. But he can’t hate her for it —- he could never hate her for anything.
He just hates himself that he can’t help her.
There is an awkward silence between them, one he knows he has to break. He has to get what’s going through his head out in the open. He was the one that was injured, and he had lost a lot of blood to bring her back to herself before he even thought of getting help. It had hurt, letting himself transform with such large, open wounds, but there had been nothing in his mind except get to Leah.
Those were the same thoughts he had now.
While she hadn’t run away physically, something he was immensely grateful for, although he knew he could find her - the mental link between them easily giving her away - she had certainly run away mentally. There’s nothing he can do now except try and get through to her. He had succeeded then - he was confident in his ability to do so now.
Reaching forward and taking her hand, he shrugged his shoulders.
“You actually don’t get a choice.
The fresh air would do us both some good.”
And the walk would get them far enough away that, if she got angry with him, there was space to phase, and space to run. That might be what she needed. Accepting what she’d done, and realizing it was an accident would help, but accepting herself, and this new body that would become necessary before she knew it, would likely always help. When he’d first phased, acceptance had helped him. His own acceptance.
Leah wasn’t there yet.
It pained her to be distant, especially to him. It was much easier to ignore the talks and lectures that were given to her by her family. Even Seth, however she held a special place in her heart for him; despite how much he annoyed her. Her father was really the only one who understood her, but all the checkups he had been giving her were enough to drive her crazy. Harry never hovered, but due to the recent events that had scarred not only Sam, but Leah as well.
Sam seemed to recover easily, mentally, not physically. The scars still looked painful, and yet there was a part of her that wished to kiss them and pray that time could reverse so she wouldn’t do such a stupid thing.
No, not stupid, monstrous.
The touch of his hand forces her to crack a smile. A facial expression which hasn’t graced the features of her face in quite awhile. It was almost as if the entire world had been shuttered out and it was only the two of them. Long copper members reach around his palm as she holds him tight, not too tight, but tight enough to show her longing. Due to his persistence she pulled away from him for just a slight second and grabbed her sandals, slipping them on and resuming her hold.
“Since when do I not get a choice?”
Her tone was teased, allowing her humor to peak through just a bit. How could she not be herself around him? Especially since she was in love. It was almost as if they were destined. However, she didn’t recall feeling this strongly about Sam before he left. It wasn’t that she wasn’t into him as she was now, she was, but it was a schoolgirl crush. She felt lovely around him, yes, but it wasn’t an in love feeling.
No, now she knew what being in love felt like.
They left the porch without a second thought. There was a slight chill, but not enough to make her shiver. As of late her body temperature had been through the roof. It was uncommon, but her father had assured her that it was her body adjusting to the second form that laid beneath her skin. Which wasn’t alarming at all, every nineteen year old girl goes through it.
Every nineteen year old girl who happens to be a shapeshifter.
That was another thing, Harry had mentioned that in a long line of shifters and all of them were men. All male shifters, and it appeared she was the only female. What a curse she had been blessed with, the she wolf mocked within her head. Speaking of male shifters, she had come to terms that her brother may turn as well. Not soon, but soon. Within a year or two, Harry had presumed.
The longing wrenched hard on her chest, which forced her to let go of his hold and instead hug his upper torso. At last, she found relief. A place she had been searching for since she had grown to hate herself. And finally, she found it. As long as she was with him, she knew he would be her haven.
Sam Uley would always be her haven.
“ I love you.”
It wasn’t so bad - accelerated healing. Without it, he was certain to be in pain for far longer than he was. Of course, genetics had stepped in and removed at least a few days of torment off of him. Not to say it didn’t hurt - wolf claws digging into one’s face and chest would certainly cause some pain, but he did his utmost best not to show it. Leah wouldn’t stop apologizing, even a week after the incident, still feeling guilty over something that, truthfully, was out of her control.
Sam knew that feeling. The first time he’d phased, losing complete control over his body. With no one to talk him down, he had run off for two weeks, unable to phase back into himself. Though, now, acceptance and understanding led him to know that the wolf, the large black creature his body would instantly turn to, was just an extension of himself. He could control his shifting now, mostly. Until the scars fully healed, something that was taking far longer than an ordinary cut would, even with his quickened healing ability, he was keeping himself from doing so. Sue had recommended it, and he wasn’t willing to risk opening the wound and hurting himself, and Leah, more.
Leah, who was berating herself for the loss of control, for the shifting she wasn’t even aware was possible. No one was aware that Leah had the genetic trait shared by the rest of them - and Sam was still trying to figure out what everything meant.
Why the world seemed to stop spinning the second he’d looked at her after returning.
Why she suddenly, more so than she already was before, became the center of his world.
These were questions that the tribal leaders didn’t have exact answers to or, if they did, they were keeping them close to the chest.
A visit was in order though, to make sure Leah was okay. He saw her everyday since the incident, but she seemed —- out of sorts the last time. Blaming herself for an injury that could have just as easily happened in reverse, though that thought tormented Sam. He still loved her, no matter what had happened to him. He refused to blame her - she was not at fault for something out of her control.
A knock on the door before placing his hands in his pockets, leaning back slightly on his heels as he waited for her to answer. Scars would be ever present now - angry and red against his cheek, neck, and chest as if they’d been drawn there. Normal cuts healed without scar, he’d found, but these - his theory was that because they had come from another wolf, they would scar - weren’t fading. They were settling in, and he refused to let her feel guilty about them a second longer. Another knock, his patience waning thin waiting for her. She had to be home.
She had said she would be home today to see him.
He wanted to see her.
He almost needed to see her.
Guilt would eat her alive if she wasn’t careful, and he refused to let that happen.
Seth often left her breakfast, lunch and dinner outside of her bedroom. Mostly because of her reluctance of coming out. Even after the numerous talks with her father and mother, Leah didn’t feel any better about the situation. In fact, hearing others talk about it made her feel even worse about what she had done to Sam. What she had done to the one she loved, cared for and kissed. Soft skin laid along his face, chin and chest. Now he was scarred, because of her.
Tears didn’t do her any good, despite how much she cried during the day and night they didn’t cure what she had done to him. They wouldn’t, because if they did he would have already been healed and in full health by now. And he wasn’t, he’d never be; because of her. He was still handsome, in her eyes he would always be handsome, but she had scarred him.
She ruined the body that he had been born with. The same body she remembered kissing and loving. Even the body he had been recently given. Along his black fur she could still see the lines of red, sprawled out even more because of his larger form. As of late, she had been neglecting her newer shape. Mostly because of the result of what had happened when she was in her newer form. Havoc, and to the one she loved the most.
Leah had heard the knocks, but decided to disregard them. The first time around, at least. She had appreciated his visits, truly, she had. But she couldn’t help but have the guilt that was already pumping through her veins affect her even more with his presence reminding her every glance she took to him.
Thankfully none of those who lived with her were home. Leaving her with the decision on whether or not to open the door. Part of her wanted to be with him every second. However being away from him, even if it was with her own will, it ate her up inside. The other part wanted to shield herself from him, away from the damage that she could do to him; again.
Hair was pushed behind her ear as she rose from her bed and walked into the central of the house. The individual that stood behind it had a distinct smell, one that she could remember by a simple sniff.
Sam.
Raggedly her breath exhaled. The she wolf had forgotten how many times she had apologized. As well as how many times Sam had assured her that it wasn’t under her control and was not her fault.
But it was, all of this was her fault.
There was an itch at the back of her, to shed her skin and push her paws into the earth beneath them. She didn’t relieve it, she wouldn’t.
Never again.
She opened the door and just as her eyes had done so many times before, they went to his scars. They were redder this time, more irritated. As if they would never scab and heal.
“ Sam.”
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
Knowing that she’d succeed kept Sam from faltering, although his body felt stronger each second. He’d lost a great deal of blood, but his wounds were already healing faster than normal. It certainly wasn’t fast enough, but it kept him conscious. He refused to phase back until she had. He couldn’t lose consciousness until she shifted back, or he knew he would phase back to human. He wouldn’t be able to control it at that point.
The relief that went through him when she spoke, back to herself and no longer the silver haired wolf that had been in front of him, was vast. He couldnt’ help but wish to breathe a sigh of relief. As soon as she stepped closer, he let himself phase back, dropping to his knees involuntarily, his hand clutching at his face.
While it would seem, if he could see them, that the wounds were smaller than the moment they were inflicted, they each bled steadily, his bare chest covered in the blood that came from the wounds on his face and upper body. Incidentally, he couldn’t even blame Leah for what had just occured. He understood the lack of control in phasing, how it was hard to stop the urge to become something else, something more primal but still a piece of yourself. Now that he had learned, a little, to control it, to let it take over himself, he understood the black wolf he became more and more.
Much like the legends, he could feel the spirit of the wolf inside himself. It was different now that he was forced to live it himself. Nothing in the legends could have prepared him for the actual feeling of losing himself to this primal instinct. Hunting animals, eating them raw, had been much easier to do once he had let himself over to his wolfish instincts. Everything had grown easier in that time, learning to be a wolf more than a man, in order to survive. The will to live how outweighed his confusion and anger with the situation, and he had spent days up north, a day’s trip from the Reservation or more, hunting wild animals.
Had his vanishing been timed with the hunting of a vampire, he would have likely run into one. How fortunate for him, or them, he wasn’t sure now.
“You did it. I knew you could." He breathed out, relieved at her being back to herself.
He nodded, knowing that the soon they got back to the Clearwaters, the better.
Perhaps Harry could shed some light onto the situation, and he might have healed by the time they arrived if his accelerated healing kicked in. So far, he was healing faster than normal, but his wounds still bled, still pained him greatly.
Would the walk have taken longer in their human bodies as opposed to their wolf ones? Definitely, but even at that, they were still a short ways away from the Reservation. Sam knew that much, as well as he knew these forests now. If one went the right way, they could be back on the Reservation in less than an hour.
"We need to get to your house. Your parents. They might know something about this. They should.”
It seemed as though they’d walked for ages, but with Leah there, he managed to make it, his wounds still slowly closing up, the bloodflow slowing down now. Harry saw them first, the first look of confusion following quickly by the dawn of realization, and ushered them into the house. Sam was instantly forced to sit and let Sue clean his wounds, something he was grateful for. He finally began to see how much had been inflicted, and glanced up at Leah, hoping she wouldn’t blame herself for this. He certainly didn’t.
He heard, as though distant, still concentrating on Leah, Harry start to speak.
“What happened?"
"She phased. I was too close. You told me it was only genetic through the male line. I didn’t know to expect it.”
A thousand questions were rushing to the surface of Leah’s mind. However, with her questions came no answers. Hopefully she would be relieved of what monster had just awakened in her. In all of her life, Leah never thought anything special about herself. In fact, the only special thing in her life was Sam. She never pictured herself loving anyone so deeply before in her entire life. Apart from her family, Sam was her life. Without him she’d surely lose herself, and if she lost herself, she simply wouldn’t be anymore.
She didn’t want to think about that, ever. Especially with these new found powers that had not only awakened in herself, but in Sam as well. Perhaps it was a disease? Something that was air born, and since Sam had spent so much time with Leah, she caught it too? But, what disease makes you turn into a gigantic wolf whenever you’re angered or upset? Well, Sam did manage to phase into one without being upset, perhaps it was a natural thing?
What was she saying, this wasn’t normal. It couldn’t be. The stories they heard as children were simply stories, and nothing more. There were no such things as shifters that would protect the humans from the cold ones. Speaking of the cold ones, there were vampires? And..it was the Cullen family? She hadn’t seen them too much, but from time to time she’d see them in Forks on cloudy days, a casual appearance. Leah thought nothing of it, really.
But, vampires? It seemed almost too bizarre to be real.
However, it was. Completely and utterly real. The shifters, the cold ones, everything; it was all real. If told as a child that she was a shifter, she probably would have believed it. Only because even at a girl, she yearned to be something more than just ordinary. But now, she was terrified of herself. She had managed to hurt the one person she loved the most. In the back of her head, she could still hear the ripping of his flesh, and in her nose, she could still smell the copper-like liquid on her paw.
Leah held Sam’s torso the entire time, holding him steady as the two walked back to the Clearwater residence. It did feel like forever, and the cold air did manage to pinch at her lungs, but she felt somewhat more resistant to it. Like she had a much bigger durability to the cold and weather. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was a gigantic silver wolf.
The thought of it continued to phase her.
The second she heard her father’s voice she came back to reality, allowing her mother to usher her into a room, then Sue moved to the kitchen table and then retraced her steps and grabbed her medical box. Leah threw on a tank top along with a pair of shorts, even with the temperature outside, she was radiating heat. In almost two minutes flat, the she wolf dashed out of the room and went over to Sam’s side, the one that wasn’t being preoccupied by her mother cleaning the wound.
“I’m so sorry.” Tears began to form in her eyes, ones that she had held back before due to the seriousness of his injury.
“Hold still.” Sue spoke, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The legend did state that only men were ones to inherit the trait, so why did her daughter? So many questions, and yet so little answers. She hoped her husband would clarify it even more, seeing as she only knew so much.
Leah leaned forward in the chair that she perched herself on the very edge. Her palm grasped his own, holding it tightly in both of her hands as she brought it up to her lips. “Is he going to be okay?"
"Luckily, it seems he’s healing quite vast. He’ll only scar a little.” Sue flashed her daughter a small smile before taking another piece of cloth and dipping it in peroxide, cleaning the ones along his chest.
A small whimpered from Leah’s chest, completely overwhelmed with the whole situation pertaining to wolves and what harm she had caused Sam. She moved forward, nuzzling into his shoulder, trying her absolute best to comfort him in his state. “I can’t believe I did this to you..I’m so sorry.” She continued to repeat, simply horrified of herself. If destruction is what she’d bring, she’d swear to never phase again.
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
Sam didn’t even realize what was happening until it was too late. Too late to help her and too late to get out of the way. The phasing was almost instantaneous, even the first time, once it actually started. There would have been no stopping it, but had he known she even could phase, he would have stepped away in order to phase with her, and help her through it.
The pain was instant, and he could feel each claw penetrate his skin and scratch its way down as if it were trying to scar his bones. It seemed to take longer than the almost instantaneous accident truly did. Sam dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his face, hoping to stop the bleeding. There were four strong, deep lines cut into his cheek, and down to his chest, diagonally falling down as she had turned away from him. Even with the pain, the bleeding, he knew there was one thing he needed to do. He had to find her.
Leah. She’d run into the forest, fleeing from him or attempting to flee from herself, he wasn’t sure, though he suspected the latter. He had to phase, despite how painful that would be in this state. His skin was already starting to heal, although he wasn’t aware of that. He was only aware of where Leah could have gone. His thoughts immediately focused on shifting into the wolf again, something he wanted to avoid doing whenever unecessary from this point on.
Blood still poured from his wounds, though not nearly as heavily or steadily, especially now that he was in wolf form, the black fur masking the injuries slightly. He heard the thoughts from her, something he was unaware could happen. He even considered that it was just a hallucination, but he knew Leah. She had to be feeling guilty about it. He could smell her, he could almost feel where she’d gone.
Bounding through the woods as quickly as he could, he found her in an abandoned shed. The one he had woken up in just days before after phasing back to human form for the first time. Before he started, he knew, somehow, that he could communicate with her.
‘Leah. I’ve been through this. You have to phase back though. It’s possible.’
Sam knew how impossible it felt, to be able to phase back. But Leah had to believe him, had to know it was possible. He wouldn’t let himself shift back until she managed to do so, despite how much pain he was in. He’d scratched himself a few times in the forest while he was out here and it had healed almost instantly, but this was different. Maybe it was the impact, or the fact that it was another wolf, or that he’d been in his human body at the time, but Sam couldn’t focus on that. He had to focus on her.
'You have to concentrate on being you again. Imagine pulling your body back together. Come on Leah.’
Sam knew she could do it. He had complete and total faith in her to be able to do this faster and easier than he’d managed to. It could come more naturally to her, especially if he could manage to help her through it. The first thing he planned to do once they’d phased back was get to the Clearwaters and get some damn answers. They told him it was only male descendents who carried the gene.
Leah should never have had to feel this pain.
The copper smell still stung her paw, and truth be told, it disgusted her. To have human blood on her, and it wasn’t hers, was truly a horrifying image. If she were in her human form, she would have been on the floor, clutching her chest; especially with everything happening so fast, how was she not to have a panic attack?
The sight of Sam managed to relieve her, yet scare her at the same time. His new form was intimidating, and his voice was coaxing; it was almost as if she had no choice but to obey him. Her tail was pushed between her legs, and her body was in a submissive form, almost warning Sam not to come anywhere near her. Because only God knew how much she was afraid of hurting him again.
Wind picked up outside, forcing the small weak shed to shift slightly
Her ears pushed down, her body was in a crouched position down on the plastic floor of the shed. After a few more words from the wolf before her, she found herself standing on all fours, straightening her posture before shooting him a soft glance. Then it hit her, that copper smell; the blood that was dripping from the side of his snout.
She whimpered, stepping forward, then stepping back; remembering very well what she had just done to him. However, it was almost instinctive, the urge to lick his wound clean.
Oh god, did she just think that?
Apart from the fact that she was still freaking out over the fact that they can hear each other’s thoughts, she tried to focus on herself, her human form. She was copper, thin, and lank like. Not very busty, and this was ridiculous.
Instinctively, she placed her palms on her hips.
“This is ridiculous.” Then she heard it, her voice.
Without even feeling it, she had shifted back into her human form. The wind rustled into the shed and made her shiver, so she clutched her chest, covering herself; or what she could. Her lungs rapidly breathed out, and heavily took in. She was confused, and apart from being confused she was terrified.
As her fingertips dug deep into her rib cage, she found herself shaking. Not from the cold, but from the aftershock of everything that had just happened. She was, a wolf? A human wolf, a shifter, as it stated in the stories she would hear as a child. And her father, her father was supposedly this expert on them? As well as Billy? God, she felt as if her head was spinning.
It was a big lie everyone had kept from her, and truth be told, she was furious. As her dark orbs settled on the floor, a pool of blood came into view. It made her mouth open slightly, at the sight of so much blood, and the fact that she did it to him made it all the more horrifying.
“ I’m so sorry, Sam.” Leah stepped forward, finding herself less and less afraid of the coal black wolf before her.
“We need to get you back.” Since her mother was a nurse, it was beyond luck for them. She would easily sow up his wound, however hopefully there wouldn’t be too many questions. She didn’t even know if this was supposed to be a secret or not, was it? Surely, because you don’t turn into a six foot dog every day.
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
Much like when he’d first phased, Sam had very little idea of how to phase back, concentrating on himself. It was difficult, but he managed to do so, putting his pants back on, leaving his shoes on the forest floor as he walked closer to her. How could he answer that question?
“It…”
Sam sighed, shaking his head.
“I was stuck like that for two weeks. It wasn’t that I wanted to keep it from you. I thought I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t change back, and when I did, I came back. I thought I was insane, hallucinating. Harry and Billy explained everything to me."
When he’d returned, they and the older Quil had come to find him, explaining what they suspected had happened. When their suspicions were confirmed, they told Sam everything, and he was forced to believe it. He was alone in protecting the tribe. And he couldn’t tell anyone. But now that he’d gone to see Leah, he realized something: she wasn’t just anyone.
She was everything to him, more so than he’d ever realized.
Her reaction wasn’t what he had expected. He had expected her to run away, although the thought tore at his heart. Acceptance wasn’t likely at all and this? There was something wrong, and he couldn’t pinpoint it but the closer he got to her, the more he could tell something was wrong with Leah. Maybe something more than just what he had done.
Each step closer to her was a relief, as though being away from her would pain him. He stood just a step away from her now, able to touch her if he just reached out, wary of whether or not she would accept or shy away from him touch. He couldn’t stand the thought of her hurting without him being able to comfort her and he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Lee-Lee?”
As he continued the speak, the words seemed to be muffled to her ears. It was strange, the excruciating sensation that seemed to scatter all along her body, imprinting all along her flesh as if it were a brand, marking her what she truly was.
His touch wasn’t even registered along her skin. She had no clue he was that close to her, but if she did, she would have tried to hold in whatever that was clawing to get out of her.
But she didn’t.
Without warning, she felt her insides tear apart, and what followed that was beyond her control. She phased into a silver wolf, one almost as gigantic as Sam. However, due to his closeness, she found herself jolting back and turning; gashing along his face with her paw.
She reacted with a whimpered cry, stumbling back as his blood coating her white fur. What was she? Her blues moved along the lower half of herself before glancing over to Sam, who she had just mauled. Leah screamed internally, and found herself jolting into the woods even more.
Leah was confused, and apart from being confused, she was horrified at herself. There were so many thoughts rushing through her head, and with no way to express then, she tried to scream, but instead of a scream being produced, she howled,
“ What have I done? ”
The she wolf asked herself, jumping over logs and once she was far enough away, she backed away into the side of an abandoned shed; simply terrified at herself. As the seconds rang longer, she spotted a black wolf coming her way.
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
The walk through the woods hadn’t taken nearly as much time as Sam had thought it might. The silence between them had been disturbed only by their feet against the dirt, breaking twigs and crunching against leaves, unable to form words for the short journey.
He couldn’t have explained it to her, much as he knew she probably wanted him to. This empty area of the forest seemed to be the perfect spot.
“Just…promise you won’t freak out and run away.” Please, he added silently.
Sam didn’t wait for a reply, before he kicked off his shoes. It was already easier to go around without a shirt, his skin hot enough to keep the environment, hot or cold, from bothering him. This wasn’t the first time he’d stripped in front of Leah in the three years they’d been together. It was just the first time that it would be for something like this.
He was slow in this, not for any reason but to explain this to her: “Do you remember those Quileute legends we were told as kids? About our ancestors and the wolves? Well, Lee-Lee, they’re true. All of the legends we thought were just stories meant to scare us, all that talk of the Cullens being vampires? All of it’s true." He had to sound crazy. Even though he knew it was true, it sounded insane to his ears.
As soon as his clothes were off, he wasted no time, concentrating on the form he’d spent the last two weeks in. Before long, the feeling, something he strangely was used to, of ripping out of his skin came forth, transforming his human body into that of a large black wolf.
For now, he kept his distance from her, his eyes, still reminiscent of his own, human eyes, locked on her. He couldn’t say anything in this form, but a small whine came from his chest, willing her to stay calm, even if he hadn’t exactly prepared her for this.
He stepped forward, a little closer to her, hoping for some kind of sign that she wasn’t going to run away terrified.
His heart couldn’t handle the rejection.
There wasn’t anything more bizarre than your boyfriend stripping in the woods, but as the minute continued, she managed to finds something that was much, much more out there. Just as he had stripped down to his skin, she found him moving in a strange way, and then; it happened.
A wolf appeared before her.
A wolf came out of her boyfriend, or..was her boyfriend. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, but process wise, her mind managed to break down everything into small pieces, small slow pieces. His form was gigantic, even bigger than the average wolf. Which was around three, four feet. This wolf was around five to six feet; which was pretty ginormous for a wolf.
But he wasn’t just a wolf, he was a..shifter, a shapeshifter, like the ones in the stories they would hear as children. As much as it was impossible, it was possible. However, that didn’t mean she would process it as fast as she would accept it. She did, in a way accept it, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of it
A scream engulfed her lungs, stinging at the sides of her throat as she found herself stepping back more and more. In fact, she found herself shaking profusely. Her fingertips had a quiver to them, and her head was killing her. She bobbed her rib cage rapidly, trying to catch a breath that continued to run from her.
If anything, she imagined she would pass out.
"This is what you were keeping from me, for two weeks.” Leah panted out, pressing a palm to her chest as it began to ache. “How can you keep something like this from me?” Everything was happening so fast, and soon the scenery around her began to spin.
Her flesh felt as if it was on fire. Which stung her blood to boil. “I thought..I thought you were dead.” A shakened palm reached up to wipe the sweat from her brow as she turned around and instead of running, her palms collided with the tree trunk.
A groan escaped her as she bent toward the tree, arching her back as the very tip of her head rested against it. Then came a cooling sensation, moving throughout her body like ice being dropped onto her skin. Soon, the ice frozen into sharp spikes, and continued to dig into her flesh, all through out her body.
She released a grunt as beads of sweat began to pour down her forehead. What was happening to her? Was it the fever taking it’s hold? Or was it the devastation of finding out that Sam had hid such a big necessity from her?
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
The embrace was short lived, although Sam felt almost pained when she pulled away from him. He’d barely had his arms around for her a second, it seemed, and it wasn’t nearly long enough. If it were up to him, he’d never let her go now. Was this some aftermath of the phasing? Harry and Billy hadn’t explained a phenomena like this, although Sam would ask them about the second he left here, if he could tear himself away from her.
The tattoo had been a symbol, a long understood one of their ancestors and one that only council members and the actual pack members, or in Sam’s case, member knew. Leah was certain to comment on it, but had very little to say. Given that his fur had been extremely long when he had shifted, he connected the dots to his hair, and a short chop, and a quick phase to test the theory had panned out. Short hair was definitely what he was going to have to make due with now.
“I…"
Sam wanted to tell her, but Harry and Billy had warned him against it. This was Leah though, and he felt honor bound, more so than he had when he arrived at her doorstep, to tell her everything. Would she believe him?
"I need to show you something. Can you come with me?" That would be the simplest way to tell her. Showing her what he had become and praying that she wouldn’t reject him, that was the only way to explain what had happened to him. It was a start, at least. Hopefully she wouldn’t be too stubborn to refuse him this much.
Despite how connected he felt with her now, closer than he had ever felt to her, there was something off, something strange about his Leah that he couldn’t pinpoint. It was almost painful to be standing so close to her and feeling the wall she had between them, wary of him now that he had suddenly shown up at her doorstep after two weeks of no word.
"Can you come with me?" He repeated, glancing sideways towards the forest line. It would be easier, safer, to show her this where no one else might see.
That is, if she agreed to go with him.
Everything seemed off with him. The way Sam would hold himself before, so peaceful and honest, now..he seemed like he was hiding something from her. Something big, surely. Something that was big enough to hide him away for two weeks without a word or a phone call. Nothing, simply nothing. She was left with nothing but herself, her mother, her father and her brother. She occasionally visited Sam’s mother, but whenever she would spend time with her she found herself missing him even more.
"Show me, show me what?” She echoed, feeling as if he was making this situation much bigger than what it was.
What was there to show her? Couldn’t he just, tell her why he was gone?
The worst scenarios began to play in her head, preparing her for the worst. But, surely it wouldn’t be anything /that/ bad, right? It was Sam, after all. The two had been together since forever, surely he wouldn’t do anything as drastic as kill someone and ask her to help him hide the body…right?
A exhale hitched in her throat, feeling her chest confide as she was pained with answering him back. She really didn’t have any choice, did she? She could either be arrogant and tell him no, or trust him and go with him. And since she loves him, she would agree to see whatever he wished to show her.
Her mom was home, so she could keep an eye on Seth’s dinner while she was gone.
"Fine.“ She nodded, pursing her lips as she turned back to close the door behind her. The bother of holding a jacket was useless, seeing as she probably would sweat through it anyways. Instead she decided to slip on her boots and follow Sam out into the forest, straight to where he had glanced to moments before.
The woods didn’t bother her, in fact, in a way she felt more comfortable around them. As a kid, they were her playground. The one sole place she found herself being free, in a metaphorical sense. It wasn’t like she was prone to them, but they did interest her.
They arrived, much deeper in the woods than she had ever pictured herself venturing into. Which put her off ease a bit, but since she was with Sam, she adjusted.
Leah glanced around, her arms hugging her torso as she tried to look for what he was trying to show her.
The sun continued to beat down on her, making her body much more heated than before.
"Go on.” She spoke, a bit breathless.
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
Had this been a normal day, when Sam hadn’t just disappeared off the face of the Earth for two weeks as far as Leah was concerned, Sam likely would have had something to say about that.
Strangely enough, everything stopped the second the door opened and he saw her. He felt rooted in place, his whole sense of self shifted. He loved Leah, he had before but this? There was nothing else.
Although, the slap brought him back to reality. Leah could hit, much harder than he would have suspected. Not hard enough to move his head, sort of like in the movies, but enough to shock him. He deserved it; he’d abandoned her for two weeks. Two weeks without a word. Given the state he was in at the time, words weren’t possible.
“I guess I deserved that."
He had so much more to say. Apologize, grovel, explain everything. But without showing her, there was no way she would believe him. He wasn’t sure he could show her without terrifying her and that, that thought, kept him from dragging her outside and phasing right then. He couldn’t accept the possibility of rejection.
Not from her.
"I’m sorry Lee-Lee.”
Words couldn’t be enough he knew that, but he had to start somewhere. A verbal explanation might not get him anywhere, but he would show her if necessary. He could understand that she was pissed, rightfully so. He’d even welcome another slap, if it helped her to forgive him.
She wanted to be upset with him. She really did, and it took her all of her strength to show him hostility, but she couldn’t help but cave in the second she heard him apologize. Call it a lover’s wit, the longing for someone so much that you would forget everything if it meant being in their arms again.
“Don’t give me that.” Leah found her form breaking the second she took a few steps forward and embraced him around his neck.
Two weeks, fourteen days, three hundred and thirty six hours; she had went simply without seeing him. The first week in, she began to think he wasn’t coming back, from wherever he was. But as time went on, she began to forget, even as much as it pained her. Life had to go on, even though she desperately wanted it not to.
But now, nothing else mattered. Absolutely nothing.
Pulling back, her eyes immediately locked with the side of his shoulder, as if to look him over just to make sure that he was alright. Heat began to build in her, stirring her stomach and making her skin hot.
"Oh god.“ She cooed, moving her fingertips to the raised tattoo, done a week ago, surely.
"Where were you?” This time, her tone was much firmer, concerned, but still firm. She couldn’t be the docile girlfriend she was but a mere two weeks ago, timid and afraid that the love of her life may be out there, dead, and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
“Your hair..the tattoo..” She wasn’t able to feel his skin, due to the fact that her own was radiating as much heat as his, perhaps even more. Otherwise, that would have been the first thing she would have noticed.
Her palms moved to his neck, delicately as her fingertips brushed his jawline.
“ Sam.” Leah found herself toned down, flooding with more emotion than she had a few seconds before.
“What happened to you?”
If You Were The One { AU With Imprintless }
Two weeks. That’s how long Sam had been gone, after phasing for the first time, unable to phase back, unsure of what was happening to him. It wasn’t until he’d come back, and Harry and Billy had explained it to him. He couldn’t tell anyone where he’d been, not even his own mother, who was still pretty angry about his disappearing act. Had he been able to explain, she probably would have had him committed, or died of the shock if he actually phased in front of her. He still didn’t know quite how to control his phasing, so he was spending less and less time at his house, and less and less time on the reservation.
After all, he still didn’t know what to say to Leah.
Leah. How could he have still not talked to her? She had to heard he was back by now. He just couldn’t show up, he knew that. He had to have something prepared to say to her. What could he say? ‘I transform into a giant wolf now to protect the tribe. Remember those legends we grew up hearing? They’re true.’ She’d think he was crazy and, of all people, she had to believe him. He didn’t think he could handle this if she didn’t.
That was why he was standing outside of the Clearwater house today. He had to see Leah. He hadn’t seen her since before this transformation and there was no one else he wanted to see more. Harry had told her how she was coping with his sudden vanishing act and Sam couldn’t feel more guilty about it, even if it wasn’t the life he’d have chosen for himself. It was the bloodsucker’s faults after all, not his.
Knock, knock.
Here goes nothing.
There hadn’t been a moment where Leah hadn’t thought about Sam. In fact, if not for her father, she would have been out there herself looking for him. Though, what good would that do? She wasn’t strong, nor was she intimidating; she was helpless. Not only to herself, but to Sam.
At the moment she was making dinner for Seth, seeing as he was out with his friends and would be back any minute; and no doubt he would be starving. There was very little happiness sprouting within her, seeing as most of her was out somewhere, probably confined by someone..or something.
But she tried not to think about the negatives. However they still found a way to creep up into her head. And consume her.
Lately she found herself more agitated. Even her mother had noticed it, and it wasn’t anything feminine related. It was almost like a fever, a growing fever that seemed to spread throughout her and would often leave her with sleepless nights of tossing and turning. Mixed with nightmares, of course. Of him being out there, hurt, or even dead, and she was unable to do anything about it.
Which was quite like reality.
The back of her palm moved up and wiped the beaded sweat growing at her brow. God, she was hot. Whilst hearing that someone was at the door, she found herself stripping out of her sweatshirt and throwing it on a nearby couch, airing out her tank top as she unlocked the door.
Her copper skin was flushed, but it grew even more crimson as she witnessed who was standing in front of her.
Speachless and bedraggled, Leah found herself lost for words. But she did have the sudden urge to slap him. Hard.
Embracing her inner aggravation, she did. Extremely hard.