Title: Chasing Pavements
Author: Nicki
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance/Drama
Character Pairings: Leah/Jacob and Leah/Embry
Summary: What if the cure of an imprint is jealousy?
Author Note: If you like the character of Nessie, you don't want to read this story. No offense! I wrote this simply because my frustration with Stephenie Meyer and the lack of an ending for Leah or any of the other werewolves. It's just something I came up with.

SPOILERISH IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BREAKING DAWN!

"Chasing Pavements" ADELE

'I build myself up
and fly around in circles
waiting as my heart drops
and my back begins to tingle
finally could this be it

or should I give up
or should I just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where,
or would it be a waste
even if I knew my place should I leave it there.
Should I give up
or should I just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads nowhere'

--

It was raining. Again.

Leah didn't care. For one, growing up in La Push meant the constant damp feeling from the several inches of rain that fell each year. It was unavoidable. She just grew accustomed to the constant grey, dark clouds that hovered ominously above the earth. Some cursed this type of weather and wished of drier, sunnier climates. Leah just sort of built a tolerance for it. After a while, the soft drumming noise on the roof became melodic, like a lullaby from nature. Sometimes the rain would be refreshing, like washing away all the filth and starting new, fresh.

Right now, at this moment, she welcomed the numb feeling that accompanied the wet Washington drizzle

Rejection should be a welcomed companion by now. She should accept that hallow feeling that came with it, like your heart is thumping in an empty barrel. Instead, the feeling hit her like a train which was a shock, knowing who was rejecting her. She didn't see this one coming.

A baby? Jacob imprinted on a child? A half a vampire from that parasite Cullen clan, none-the-less. An angry shiver shot down her spine but she ignored the temptation of phasing. Sometimes, the horrible pain you experience when you were human is the only sign that you're alive. Leah needed that right now, the pain of knowing she was alive and hurt.

Leah sat in the middle of a forest, somewhere far north. Her soft brown hair hung in clumps against her drenched black sweatshirt. She leaned against a tree, its protective branches unable to shield her from the downpour. Her clothes and jeans stuck to her, a look some would compare to a drowned rat.

She let the rain soak her, letting it freeze her down to her bones. The tears that reluctantly fell from her eyes mixed with the drizzle and shadowed the fact that she was crying. Over a boy. Again.

She heard sticks snap in the distance but didn't move. If it was a bear, she would welcome the attack. Nobody would accuse her of being suicidal if a bear attacked her and accidentally killed her. It's nature, its instinct.

Screw instinct.

"Leah?" a voice came from the thick, evergreen trees.

'Damn,' she thought. All she had wanted was silence from her pack's thoughts, half of whom have already found their destined ones. She couldn't even find that type of relief in the middle of the forest.

"Leah?" the voice came again.

She turned my head and saw Embry stumble through the woods. Leah rolled her eyes as he tripped over a dead branch and almost did a face plant into a near by tree.

"What do you want, Embry?" Leah hissed back, cursing him for breaking her moment of serenity.

"We've been worried, we haven't heard from you in a while," he said breathlessly. He finally stood a foot away from her, looking down at Leah on the earthy ground. "Sam sent me to look for you."

Ugh. Even his name tore a new hole in her heart. It never got easier for her after he imprinted on Emily. Actually, things got steadily worse when she found out he was going to become family. Seeing him, that pain could never be numbed. Leah welcomed it though, a steady reminder of who she was, who she became again with Jacob. She wouldn't say that Jacob was as great a love as Sam. He was her first … everything. You could never replace someone like that. Jacob came close, the so many firsts he could've been, would've been …

"Em," she started with a rough sigh, bowing my head, allowing for her wet hair to cascade into my face. "I just need some time to myself, okay? It doesn't help me when I have a pack of boys in my head 24/7. I need girl time."

Leah was surprised by how calm she was being, so unlike herself. The old Leah would've attacked first, talk later. However, at the moment, she felt drained of all energy and emotion.

"You should be happy for him," Embry retorted, finally sitting next to her on the rotting mound of earth. Leah could feel his warmth radiate through the chilly mist. It felt nice. "This is all he's ever wanted. Since Bella went off with that blood sucker. He needed someone to take her place, this is the way it was meant to be." His voice was calm as they faced the empty forest in front of them.

"I know," she said so quietly, she was hoping the rain would drown out the sadness in my voice. "I just … I just feel, I don't know, left behind." It was difficult for her to verbalize the emptiness she was feeling. Leah let her last sentence hang in the air and was happy that Embry didn't break it. "I'm just tired of feeling alone in the world, like I'm the only one," she said, not caring how pathetic she sounded. It was how she felt knowing the guy she almost loved as much as Sam had imprinted on someone else, again, on an enemy.

They sat together in silence for a few moments. Listening to the rain hit a thousand surfaces at once, it was peaceful. Leah closed her eyes and visualized the symphony Mother Nature was conducting. Each surface sounded different, had a different texture to the noise. After becoming a werewolf, she learned how to appreciate the finer details of her surroundings. She could recognize the various shades of green, the strong smell of the earth, the feel of running so fast that the forest around you became a blur. And now, the rain was her newest fixation.

"But you're not alone." Embry suddenly broke the silence, inclining his head towards her. She tried to remain in the same sitting position, not wanting him to see the redness that rimmed her eyes. But curiosity got the best of her and she chanced a quick glance at him. Leah wanted to find the amusement in his face which would give her another reason to hate men even more.

However, she didn't find an unsaid joke or ridicule. She didn't see the mocking face of a man but a hopeful face of a brother, a friend. His chocolate brown eyes were soothing, sending warm shivers from the top of my head to my toes despite the rain that continued to pour on them. His lips were puckered, not with holding back laughter but with concern.

She was so taken back by this change of face in front of her that she didn't feel Embry shift closer to her. She didn't feel his arm move or his hand grasp hers, the two heats connecting without a sizzle. It wasn't uncomfortable, their hands, it was nice actually. She glanced down, comparing his dark tanned skin to hers. They didn't contrast or mesh … they looked like they could coincide peacefully, almost like they could belong together.

"Leah," he breathed and she suddenly noticed how deep and husky his voice was. Everything about this boy, this pack member, this man in front of her was changing so fast. "You're not alone."

She never noticed how beautiful Embry was until now. How his earthy brown hair melted with his bronze colored skin. The lean, muscular build of his toned arms. How his shirt clung to every curve and muscle as the rain continued to soak through. The way he looked at her, like he was watching a sunrise. His breath felt warm against my mouth, a small scent of pine lingered in the air. They way he looked at Leah before crushing his lips upon hers.

She didn't fight it, she didn't resist. How could she?

The most beautiful thing about Embry was that he was an outsider of outsiders, like her. He understood how it felt to be left behind, not good enough to be loved, to be wanted.

But this was wrong. He was not her destined one, not the one she would ever imprint on. It took all her strength to push him back. She left her hands on his chest, she didn't know if she was keeping him at bay or holding onto him. His heart beat rapidly underneath her fingertips.

"No," she said, looking anywhere else but his face. She didn't want to see the rejection, knowing if she saw any weakness in his eyes, her protest will falter and die. "Embry, you know better than me that this won't go anywhere." She said, praying the rain would hide the fresh new wave of tears that fell. "We're not made for each other." It was a hard truth but it had to be said.

"I know," he simply stated, Leah could hear the slight hurt in his words. "But that doesn't mean we can't be together. Be there for each other."

"I don't want another friend," she spit back, it was an automatic reaction. Legend controlled their destinies so tightly that you couldn't hide from the truth, you couldn't live under a lie for too long.

"Who knows if we'll imprint, ever," Embry continued, ignoring her remark. "I know Jacob said the same thing to you but this is different. I've searched for her, whoever she is. I'm convinced she doesn't exist for me. I've looked all over this land and she's nowhere insight. I've given up."

"Don't say that to yourself, Embry. You can't lie-"

"No!" He cut her off and she was silent. "I want to be there for you, Leah. I've seen how Sam treats you and I've seen how Jacob left you. I want to be the one who picks up the pieces, I want to take care of you now. You may imprint one day, any day, but until then I want to be that person for you. I want to be your best friend, brother …" He dropped his head.

He fell silent again, his chest rapidly falling up and down. She laughed inwardly, 'don't throw yourself a fit.' The rain was beginning to let up and the clouds above were beginning to thin. All she could hear were their heavy breathing.

"I just want to make you happy."

She smiled, taken back by the gesture Embry was making. She had never guessed, never knew that these feelings were building themselves inside of him. Maybe she was too preoccupied with Sam, Jacob and Seth to really care about the other members of her back. She reached up and traced her finger tips along his hard jaw line. He lifted his head back up and looked at her with that goofy hopeful expression again. She had to smile.

"Okay," she returned, letting her hands falling into his. "I can't believe I'm doing this but … okay," she said and looked him in the face. His hair was drenched and stuck to his skin. His face was calm for a moment, eyes searing holes into hers before letting out a happy bark and leaning his head in towards her but she stopped him with her hand. "However, if you break my heart as badly as the other two … if you imprint on any of my cousins or on a mini bloodsucker, so help me God, I will rip your face off."

Despite the threat, Embry laughed. "Okay, deal … I won't fight." He said before he pushed her hand away and brought her face to his.

Leah knew it was a mistake but she was letting go of instinct, letting go of common sense that would've normally told her this was a horribly bad idea and she was setting herself up for heart ache again. But there was that pull in her heart, something that told her to let herself be happy. It wasn't love, not yet anyway, but it was an infatuation that was enough for her. She wanted to be fixed and if Embry was willing to be that person for her, so be it.

Thousands of miles away, Jacob played with Nessie in a field full of deer. Around them, evergreen trees were full and still dripping from the most recent storm. A cold, artic breeze blew through the field and shifting the leaves as a thousands branches groaned and creaked.

The young half mortal screamed as she chased the young fawns around. Jacob laughed, his mind nowhere but with Nessie and the amusement that came with her.

Suddenly, without warning, Jacob's heart gave a painful lurch and he stopped laughing. Bewildered, he felt his chest to make sure everything was still in place. He glanced at Nessie who was too busy chasing herd into the forest to notice. Jacob looked around nervously; he could've sworn it felt like a wire breaking.