A one shot written for the Paws & Art Banner fic contest

Title: Rumour has it.

Penname: mrstrentreznor

Banner: number 5 Sam/Leah

Rating: MA for sex and language

Summary: Leah and Sam's history is a volatile one.

AN: a JBNP reader Melinda(dorme99) wanted someone to write a fic that matched an Adele song 'Rumour has it'. I had never heard the song before, but it seemed to go with this banner too, in my mind. Don't forget to check out the website for Paws & Art.

www(dot)printingpawss(dot)blogspot(dot)com

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

The lyrics for 'rumour has it' belong to Adele and Ryan Tedder.

Rumour has it

Part 1:

She, she ain't real,
She ain't gonna be able to love you like I will,
She is a stranger,
You and I have history,
Or don't you remember?
Sure, she's got it all,
But, baby, is that really what you want?

"I loved you more and then you leave me," Leah screamed at Sam.

She was on a roll now, stalking around the Clearwater living room. She would have thrown things if they had enough things to break. She looked amazing; so alive and so intense and he loved her. That was why he was dumping her. But she couldn't know that now.

"You can't do this Sam… what the hell is going on? I don't believe you. You just disappeared… for two weeks, Sam. I searched for you," she screeched. "I believed in you. I knew you weren't dead in a ditch somewhere like your mother kept thinking." She stopped suddenly. "I prayed for you," it came out in a whisper; a confession.

Sam stared at the floor.

"And then you just came back. No explanation. No talk and you're…" she struggled for a word. "You're… different." She approached him now and peered up at him. He was so much taller now. She seemed to be searching for something she recognised in his face… and not finding it. "You're not my Sam. I don't recognise you. You're bigger; you're different and it's not just physical. You seem… darker somehow."

Truth was, he really wasn't her Sam anymore. And he didn't know how to tell her that. So he had just told her they couldn't date anymore.

The moment passed.

"Please Leah…" he tried.

"And now you want to break up. After everything I did for you! You wanna just leave? Give up?"

He made some inarticulate noise. He just didn't seem to have the words for her. Not ones that he was allowed to tell her or that she would even believe, if she heard them.

"And now…" she screeched. "…now you are making moon eyes at my cousin. My fucking cousin, Sam. You've met her before and she wasn't even a blip on your radar. You damn near pushed her out of the way to get to me, the last time she was here." She poked him in the chest solidly. "Do you remember that night? Do you?"

He doesn't answer her; but oh god… yeah. He remembered that night. He whisked her out of the house as fast as he could. He was so hard for her. They fucked; dirty and fast. Up against the wall of the house while her family chatted in the living room. He had to put his hand over her mouth to stifle the noise she made. Jesus. He would never forget that fuck.

He just nodded.

She stared at him again. "It isn't real. I can't work it out, but it feels wrong somehow. This instant attraction to Emily; following her to Neah bay. You just freaked her out, Sam."

Jesus. How could she know? She was Leah Clearwater. She was smart as well as beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Leah." It's all he has and it isn't enough. He left. She found something to throw at him.

He ran to Neah Bay and this time when Emily rejected him again, he lost it completely. He phased too close to her and injured her. But they work it out. And then Emily moved in with him.

Leah was heartbroken.

Part 2:

Bless your soul, you've got your head in the clouds,
She made a fool out of you,
And, boy, she's bringing you down,
She made your heart melt,
But you're cold to the core,
Now rumour has it she ain't got your love anymore,

Leah and Seth phased. She was a member of the pack now. She could see inside Sam's head. There was nothing he could hide from her now. He tried, but the unfortunate side effect of trying to tell yourself not to think about something; just put it front and centre in your mind.

The sex was not as good with Emily. He knew it and now Leah did too.

And she would not let him forget it. She drove the pack nuts. She taunted them all with memory flashes of her and Sam together. Flashes of her kneeling at his feet; undoing his jeans and licking her lips.

Flashes of her screaming out her orgasm as he grunted and thrust above her.

Flashes of her nibbling his ear and whispering dirty things to him.

The only time she gave it up, was when Seth was phased too, so Sam always tried to put them on patrol together to give everyone else a break.

He was the perfect imprint. He loved Emily; with his whole heart and soul. But something was missing. He was twenty; too young to be bound into this lifelong permanent kind of domestic bliss. And now she wanted kids. He itched.

And Leah knew it.

And she poked at it. She picked at the scabs and wouldn't let them heal. She pushed him; she argued; she got in his face all the time. She kept reminding him that she existed and that she wasn't Emily.

And she was really going for him this particular night; the others quietly phased out and left them to it. He was sure she hadn't even noticed their departure. Something just pushed him over the edge and he ended up alpha ordering her not to move. He let her breathe obviously, but that was it.

He could hear her snarling and swearing at him as he ran. But there was nothing she could do about it. And he ran towards her. He came roaring into the clearing where she was crouched in wolf form with her limbs splayed out on the ground. She was so angry she was almost frothing at the mouth. He stalked around her his tail swished angrily.

Sam: What am I going to do with you Leah?

Leah: Fuck you Sam.

S: Oh now, that's a good idea.

Silence.

S: Is that your problem… not getting any Leah? Huh?

Silence.

S: Answer me, he roared at her.

L: No. A tiny admission in a smaller voice.

S: Ha! So that's it.

He stalked around her. His massive paws thumped onto the ground near her head.

S: So you want it wolf or man? Your choice. But that's the only choice you get. You will take me, Leah. Face down and ass up; the way it should be. And don't think you can escape once you phase back. Once you get under me; you won't be leaving.

Silence. She panted heavily on the ground.

L: m-man…

He didn't even acknowledge her answer.

S: Phase back and don't move, he ordered.

He watched her transform into a naked woman. Still splayed on the ground.

He walked around her in wolf form. She hadn't even tried to move. Her eyes looked up at him. The whites showing; she was so scared… or excited. He sniffed. Excited.

He just phased; his erection was huge.

And he wasn't gentle. He fucked her hard. He pounded her into the earth. She was a werewolf now; she could take it. And Jesus, could he give it to her.

He knew he had hurt her. And that excited him too. He'd crossed some lines. But he was so angry and so determined to show Leah that he didn't even feel the pain in his chest, cheating on his imprint caused him. And then it was all mixed up in that hurt so good way.

Leah's nails; clawing into his flesh. Him tearing into her. Both literally biting at each other. His mouth full of blood and sex and the taste of her.

They fucked until they were both exhausted. It was unlike anything they had ever done before.

And then they did it again about a week later.

And again.

Part 3.

She is half your age,
But I'm guessing that's the reason that you strayed,
I heard you've been missing me,
You've been telling people things that you shouldn't be,
Like when we creep out and she ain't around,
Haven't you heard the rumours?

Sam alpha ordered her not to talk about it; not to even remember it. But he can't stay away from her. Now they have quickies during patrol. Up against a tree. He slid in when she turned her back on him. She won't say 'no'; he knew that.

He didn't put her on patrol with Seth now, only with him.

But it didn't help. It almost made it worse.

She is even more bitter towards him now. She had wanted Sam to fuck her. If she'd really admitted it to herself. But she thought it would change things… and it didn't.

She didn't want half of Sam; she wanted all of him. And she can't have it all. He won't leave his imprint. On that he is his usual implacable self.

So she picked at him again. She felt superior; look what I made you do… I made you cheat on your perfect match.

He wanted to hit her; but he knew that was a very dark road to walk. He swallowed the impulse and fucked her harder; she could take it.

And that just made it worse; she got him and she didn't. She started to drive herself crazy with imagining them together in some rose tinted future where this mess was all worked out. She kept asking him to leave Emily and he kept refusing.

But they kept fucking. But it wasn't love now. It was something else.

Seth argued with her that what she was doing was wrong. She ridiculed his sense of honour. She had been such a bitch for so long; she can't seem to stop the crap just flying out of her mouth.

Part 4.

Bless your soul, you've got your head in the clouds,
You made a fool out of me,
And, boy, you're bringing me down,
You made my heart melt, yet I'm cold to the core,
But rumour has it I'm the one you're leaving her for,

Something or someone non-pack gave them away. Lord knows who or what it was, but Sam can't alpha order everyone. Thanks the gods, because he would if he could. The rumours spread that she and Sam were doing the deed.

Emily was shattered. She didn't get angry with anyone. She just blamed herself for taking him from Leah in the first place. She said she knew this would happen. Clearly she wasn't passionate enough for him. It must be her fault.

The woman behaved like a fucking saint and that made Leah feel worse.

It was Paul, of all people, who eventually told her off and told Leah to get her shit together. He said he'd been there before and he didn't want to watch her do it too.

And Seth was so angry with her he can't speak to her anymore. And she missed him.

Even if Sam left Emily now; she was not sure if she would want him. He was so different. He's not her Sam anymore. She can't see a joint future for them now. They still fuck, but they hate each other now.

She hated him and she hated herself. She hated the Leah she had become. So busy picking fights with everyone to prove how strong she was, that she was just… lost. Her attempt to be tough enough to be one of the pack had just isolated her more. She didn't fit anywhere now.

The tribal council wanted to intervene and her mother fought for her. She told them all that they had never helped the only female wolf they have ever had before. They had just made her life harder. It caused more problems. Sue fought against her life long friends and family. Some of whom may never forgive her.

And Leah felt worse.

Part 5.

All of these words whispered in my ear,
Tell a story that I cannot bear to hear,
Just 'cause I said it don't mean I meant it,
People say crazy things,
Just 'cause I said it, don't mean that I meant it,
Just 'cause you heard it,

Sam demanded to know what she was going to do.

She grew a spine. She could handle this shit. She told him to fuck off. She refused to have sex with him. She fought him off. She told him she didn't love him.

This went on for weeks. Now Sam chased her and nagged at her.

Leah: Fuck off Sam. I hate you. Go back to your god given imprint and crawl. Apologise for us both because I can't even look at her right now, I feel so bad.

Sam: Now? After… everything?

Leah: Yeah… you might have slashed her face, but I've torn her heart out.

He couldn't have this conversation in wolf form. He ordered her to phase back. She stood in front of him, naked and beautiful.

"Is that what you really want?" he asked her.

"After what we did to Emily? Will she have you back?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. That's what I want. Be the best imprint for Emily that you can be."

He just looked at her with those dark, serious eyes.

"If that's what you want."

But then he just wrapped his hands around her upper arms and she was almost gone. But she found the strength. She smacked at his hands.

"Christ Leah, you can be an ugly bitch," he snapped at her.

"Fuck off Sam. Go home."

"Fine," he huffed. Phased and ran.

It was only after he was safely gone that she put her dress on and threw herself down on the dirt and she cried as if her heart was broken. Maybe it was.

And Jake found her.

Part 6.

But rumour has it he's the one I'm leaving you for.

Jacob Black. Always so good at repairing things; especially shattered, damaged girls. Jake scooped her up and held her in his arms and he told her that he thought she was beautiful. That he knew the nice Leah was in there somewhere. That he wanted to see her again because nice Leah was the one he had been half in love with since he was little.

She looked at him through her swollen eyes and she wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "Really?"

"Yeah, ever since you used to play with the twins. Painting your nails and braiding your hair. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."

He tucked her under his chin. She snuggled into him. Leah had never been a cuddler and fucking Jacob Black has her tucked in against him in minutes. He stroked her hair.

He felt like Sam and then not. He's bigger, stronger. Her inner wolf really liked him. The wolf knew somehow that he was meant to be the real alpha; not Sam. And she was the alpha female. Leah had never thought like that before. Her wolf wanted Jacob Black. Leah has been so busy being angry, she hadn't been listening to her own wolf.

"I'm almost four years older than you Jake."

"Age is just a number baby," he tossed off with a mischievous grin.

She chuckled.

"There she is," he crowed, as if he had found a treasure.

She smiled again. She almost blushed. She stroked the skin of his chest. And she allowed herself to dream.

She stood, tugging him up by the hand. She didn't let go of his hand. She held it as they walked the whole way back to her house. They talked on the way back.

They had more in common than she had thought about before. They were both kind of angry with Sam. Jake was dumped by Bella for Edward; her by Sam for Emily. He had lost his mother, she her father. They were both smart and could have done college but can't because of the wolf shit. Neither liked the responsibilities it shoved on them. Jake was not sure he wanted to be alpha or be chief one day. He can't imagine it now.

He confessed that he had avoided relationships because of the disaster that was Bella Swan. He was frightened to date. She confessed the same. Its part of the reason she went back to Sam; he was a known quantity for her. She found Jake so easy to talk to. She told him stuff she hadn't told anyone else. Not anyone.

They smiled at each other. Then he leaned in and he kissed her. He confessed that he had never really done this before. "You know…" he shrugged.

She was dumbfounded. "Oh, so by 'you don't date' you meant you haven't ever …"

He just nodded.

"But Jake you're gorgeous. How could girls be so stupid?" Call her slow; Bella Swan was that stupid.

He looked like an embarrassed sixteen year old for a minute.

"Let me look after you," she offered.

"And then I can look after you," he replied with a growl in his voice.

She didn't want to do this in the forest. He deserved better than that. And so did she, she realised.

Luckily her mother was out. She held his hand the whole way up to her bedroom. They showered together, so all the other scents were gone and then they fell into her bed. Where she showed him just how much she appreciated his attention. They didn't come out again for a whole day except for quick trips to get food and go to the bathroom.

They were the alpha pair; together in all ways. With her standing next to him, he found the confidence to assume the alpha wolf position. And being Jake, he found a way to do it that meant he didn't have to fight or kill Sam.

And Leah allowed herself to be happy.

FF_2154210_ - 29/09/2011 04:43:00 AM