Waking Up In Vegas

Introduction

Leah Clearwater + Bella Swan

Rated: M(For Language and Sexual Situations)

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight nor am I affiliated with Stephanie Meyer. I'm simply borrowing Katy Perry's title.

Summary: Inspired by Katy Perry's hit single, Waking Up in Vegas. Bella is on vacation with her four happily married best friends in Las Vegas, Nevada but as the romantic weekend progresses, Bella finds herself feeling more like a fifth wheel. After exploring a new nightclub/casino called Twilight Eclipse, Bella ends up waking up naked next to a mysterious woman who is very possessive of Bella. What secrets will innocent Isabella discover as her new life begins to unfold?

A/N: [ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.] Originally was supposed to be a one-shot but has turned into a story. Vampires don't sparkle in this story(they burn in the sunlight and are able to cry), werewolves transform on full moons only and their bites are infectious. I hope you all enjoy this new story.

July 24th, 2009. I had been dreading this date for quite some time now ever since I graduated from Forks High School just a couple of months ago. It's not like I'm expecting something terrible to happen, because I doubt anything ever will since my life up until now has been pretty uninteresting and uneventful, but I'm just not up for an upcoming road trip my best friends have planned. Oh yes. My two best friends Mike Newton and his wife Jessica have decided that it would be an amazing experience to drag me along their vacation though I would consider myself to be a complete liability in this depressing situation. Don't get me wrong here, I love those two to death, but they must be completely insane if they want to invite clumsy Bella to Sin City. Who knows? I'll probably destroy the entire city in one night because I am more than capable of unintentionally doing so.

I'm not some whiny, insecure eighteen year old making up excuses to not participate in the vacation of a lifetime. To put it simply, fun and I do not go hand in hand. Every time I want to try something new, something horrible always goes wrong and I end up making myself look like an ass. My friends, who are irresponsible party animals, end up cleaning up whatever mess I make and they never accept my apologies. To them, my antics amuse them to an extent where they beg me to go along with whatever ideas they come up with so I can entertain them along the way. Have I told them my theories on why they choose to hang out with me? Yes, I have. There's no point in bullshitting around any issue so I tell them straight-up what I think. Of course, Mike and Jessica lie to my face but I forgive them because they're the first real friends I've ever made while I attended high school.

Sure, Mike and Jessica were older than me by two years but they've had their shit together since they started dating Sophomore year. I didn't know them at the time but that's what they keep telling me and I might as well believe it since they did marry right after graduation. I knew another couple like that, and they too have been my very good friends since junior high. Angela Webber and Ben Cheney; they were undoubtedly the cutest couple in school but most importantly, the smartest kids in school. Angela and I really clicked because we were so focused on our studies that we hardly had any time for dating and other shenanigans that Mike and Jessica were interested in. Well, that all changed when Ben took an interest in Angela and we sort of drifted apart after that.

They were so into each other that they focused on graduating junior year and achieved that goal and immediately set out to get married in Vegas where they now reside with Ben's grandparents. Angela is still chasing the dream to become a forensic scientist while Ben is working on becoming a teacher. We do keep in touch but not as often as I'd like. I still can't believe they left me behind with Mike and Jessica who are still getting me into trouble. It doesn't help that I'm single and unbelievably lonesome. I've always wished that I could attain what Mike and Jess have but it must be my personality that drives most people away. You see, I don't automatically believe in labels, which are usually necessary in life in order to establish some kind of identity but to be honest, I'm pretty ambiguous.

I've never really expressed interest in either gender, which is probably my own damn fault for being single, but that doesn't mean I've never been attracted to anyone. For instance, I can appreciate a handsome man for his physical features but if he doesn't have anything going on in his head, then I easily forget about him. With women, it's a totally different story. I'll admit that I'm very shallow when I study the appearance of females because let's face it, they've got many attributes that I find very attractive. I can't explain it but I can't assume I'm totally homo either; I've got to at least sample the XY chromosome before I decide anything, right? Well…I'm young, my hormones are raging, still virginal, and I'm growing more impatient each day that I spend alone.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my phone began ringing. I had been laying in bed when I first heard the inane buzzing nearly knock over my alarm clock, which read 4:29 in the morning. Why did I have to put it on the 'ring, then vibrate' setting again? It honestly should have been the other way around but Ibuprofen will heal the minor headache later on anyway. I reached for my phone and flipped it open, knowing who it was immediately. "Hey Jess, I'm already up and getting ready as we speak." I lied, lazily kicking off the covers as I sat up straight on the edge of the bed. I heard her break into a fit of giggles before she replied. "Great! Listen, we have to be on the road in like thirty minutes, so hurry up! We'll be outside your door in ten. Mike, stop it! I'm on the phone with Izzy!" She whined into the phone. I cringe a little every time she uses that horrible nickname on me. Let's end this conversation now, yeah?

"Alright sounds good to me. Listen, Renee and Phil are getting up too so don't be too loud when you get here. I'll see you, soon." I say before we both hung up on each other. It was a good thing I took a shower last night around eleven thirty but I knew I would still feel like shit on the road to Vegas since I hardly got any sleep. I walked over to my dresser and opened the first drawer on top, discovering the amazing outfit I planned on wearing today. When I glanced at myself in the mirror, I realized I didn't need to spend too much time on my hair or make up since we would be arriving in Vegas pretty late. I mean, who the fuck am I going to impress at two in the goddamn morning? Well, I actually don't know exactly what time we'll be arriving there since it's going to take approximately twenty one hours to get there. God help us.

After I spent the next fifteen minutes dressing up, brushing my hair and teeth, and pulling my packed bags full of clothes out of my closet, I knew I was ready. I slowly dragged my things down the stairs when I heard Renee and Phil talking to each other in the kitchen. They knew where I was headed and didn't really approve when they heard that Mike and Jessica were taking me but Angela had called them and reassured them that they would keep a close eye on me. She was a good liar. Angie may appear to be innocent but ever since she got married to Ben at such a terribly young age, she kind of tuned up her life. From what I hear every now and then, she goes clubbing to this new hot spot she just discovered recently. Even though none of us were of legal age to gamble, we could still hit the casinos and nightclubs anyway just for fun.

"Good morning, Bella. Are you all ready to go?" My groggy mother asked me as she took a sip of her coffee. She looked like she hadn't rested well at all through the night and I think it might have had something to do with me leaving. I'll be honest and say that was the reason why I couldn't sleep well at all either. My mother and I have this connection that's quite unbreakable; I loved her to death and that's why I chose to stay with her here in Forks even after my real father Charlie begged me not to. While he went on to pursue bigger and better things in Phoenix, Arizona, I stayed here and continued my boring uneventful life in Forks but at least I was with my mother. The thought of separating from her for a week was pretty unbearable for the both of us though neither of us wanted to admit that to one another. We could easily sense the pain that was radiating out of us in waves since I never once in my life had strayed far from my mother. Others might see it as pathetic, but I sure as hell am not going to deny how much respect I had for Renee. She was my mom, I loved her and if that's embarrassing in other people's eyes, then they can fuck off you know? Life was too short to be self-indulgent.

"Yeah, I triple-checked my bags to make sure I packed everything I'm going to need for the week. Don't worry, I've got my toothbrush and feminine items handy too." I smiled as I kissed her on the cheek. Phil was just standing there silently for a minute, already dressed for work, but then he surprised me with an affectionate gesture that he hardly ever did in front of my mom; he pulled me into a hug. Phil was the chief of police and though he played the tough guy character at work, at home it was a completely different story. He was a strong man but he also was sensitive when it came to family. When my mom married him about two years ago, I already knew he was the right choice for her. My relationship with Phil was far better than the one I had with Charlie since he was so emotionally distant and arrogant. The younger man treated me as if I were his own, and loved me like a real father should his child. It was amazing, really. It also helped that we were great friends and always did things together as a family. I couldn't believe how important we were to him…

"Morning, Bells. You know, it's going to get awfully quiet around the house with you not around." He told me gently, his voice wavering a bit. Oh crap. I was really dreading this emotional talk. I'm such a big ass cry-baby, it's not even remotely funny. My chin rested on his shoulder and shut my eyes for a bit, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to form. "What are you talking about, Phil? It's already quiet with me around." I joked, laughing out loud a bit as he chuckled too. We were interrupted when somebody burst in through the front door. I guess my parents knew Jessica a little too well to leave the front door locked. It's funny how it doesn't bother her that my step-dad is a cop with a gun and breaking entry like that could be costly if she was too careless.

My beautiful friend was giggling madly like a schoolgirl in love, her face totally red as she stared at us from the living room. She and Mike must have been fooling around somewhere before they came over. I swear to God, if their hands are not all over each other, it's the end of the fucking world. I grinned at her and brushed rebellious strands of hair out of my face and walked over to her. "Bella! Oh my god, aren't you excited? We're going to Vegas, baby!" She squealed as she embraced me. I was pretty excited at the thought of finally leaving Forks to explore the new world out there, but it was also disheartening that my parents weren't coming along. I knew that I had to do this for myself, however, because I needed to gain independence.

After Jessica and I talked with my parents for a bit, discussing what our plans were when we met up with Ben and Angela, Mike honked the horn outside my house and I knew it was time to leave. I looked up at my mother's beautiful face and her eyes were glistening with moisture and at that moment, I sort of broke down. We both hugged each other tightly and she sobbed into my shoulder while Jessica and Phil tried looking away, pretending that this moment wasn't happening. "This is the first time you'll be away from me, Isabella. I don't like it but I know you need this and I want you to have fun. Don't get into too much trouble, okay? I love you sweetie." She says through choked back tears before pulling away from me. I wiped the tears off my face and nodded, refusing to speak since I knew that I would start sobbing too the moment I did. Phil finally looked over to me and he had a tear falling down his cheek but he instantly wiped it, not wanting to show weakness in front of Jessica.

"I love you kiddo, I hope you know that. If you ever need anything or run into trouble, don't hesitate to call me and I'll help you out. Take care of yourself and Mike for me." He says as I hugged him with as much strength I could muster. After saying my final goodbyes, I told them I would be seeing them soon by the end of the week. Who could have ever predicted that would turn out to be a false statement? Jessica walked me out the door but before she led me to Mike's brand new Jeep, she extended her arm and held my hand for a moment. "You have great parents, Bella. I wish I could have what you have but the only love I've ever known has come from both you and Michael. You do need this though and we'll make sure you're safe. Always." She sincerely told me. I wanted to respond but Mike had impeccable timing and pulled up closer to the driveway while poking his head out his window. "You know if you ladies keep talking, by the time we make it Vegas, my balls are going to be sagging to the floor! Let's go!" He playfully yelled out though he thoroughly destroyed our moment.

Jessica and I rolled our eyes and eventually, we managed to pack my things into his beautiful 2009 Jeep Patriot, which surprisingly had room for all the crap we were taking. While Mike began to drive, Jessica and I were sorting through the maps, junk food, and music that were going to help us survive this long ass trip. Throughout the entire day, there was endless drama that conflicted with the amount of fun we were having. There were moments where I didn't feel like the third wheel when Jess argued with her beau, but then I felt awkward and uncomfortable when they held hands during random times of the day. His blue eyes met her dark, but pretty brown eyes and their gaze held up so much love and admiration for each other that I actually felt jealous. I wanted somebody to look at me like that. It must have been so nice for them to love each other the way that they do because I knew that someday, hopefully, I would feel that way about someone too. That just wasn't going to happen now, though, so I might as well just sit back and enjoy this vacation my friends were taking me on. What more could distract me from my aching loneliness than spending a week having fun with friends in Vegas?

It was pretty dark outside now, and we were somewhere in Nevada but I wasn't exactly sure where we were since I fell asleep about an hour ago. All of a sudden, I heard Katy Perry's voice echo throughout the entire vehicle, her lovely voice singing the lyrics, "Shut up and put your money where your mouth is! That's what you get for waking up in Vegas! Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now, that's what you get for waking up in Vegas!" My eyes fluttered open and I was immediately blinded by the many bright but beautiful neon lights surrounding the entire city. Mike looked exhausted but pleased that he had finally driven us all the way from Point A to Point B in a matter of 24 hours. Jessica noticed that I had woken up and she was positively beaming at me. "We're here, Bella! Can you believe it? We finally made it to Las Vegas!" She squealed as she bounced up and down excitedly. I stretched my arms forward as I yawned quietly, failing to hide the astonishment written in my facial expression. We were finally here. This was the beautiful city of Las Vegas and here I was, plain and ordinary Bella Swan, about to release myself from all inhibitions. Ready or not, here I come, Vegas.

As we passed the infamous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful yet lonely the first hotel and casino we passed was. The architectural design was simply brilliant and it was apparently popular around this time in the morning. The giant golden neon words gleamed wonderfully at the top of the building, the name of the casino being 'Twilight Eclipse'. Mike scoffed at the name, mumbling that it was contradictory but Jessica slapped him in the arm and said, "It's called irony, asshole! This is the place Angela and Ben want us to check out. We'll definitely hit it sometime this week." I no longer paid anymore attention to them as I finally drifted off to sleep again…As fascinating as Vegas was at night, I could no longer stay awake. I did, however, have a feeling that this was sure going to be one hell of an adventure.

-------------------------------------------------Twilight Eclipse(4: 45 A.M.)---------------------------------------------------

I sighed in annoyance as I paced around my office, awaiting the arrival of an important visitor who supposedly held information that I desperately needed to know. The fucking parasite was fifteen minutes late and I, Leah Clearwater, do not tolerate tardiness. It's childish, immature, and it rightfully pisses me off when I have more important things to tend to, like running this fucking casino/hotel/nightclub! Ugh. It's not like I didn't respect Alice Brandon, who was indeed the only vampire working for me, because she was my best friend and loyal assistant. If she never became involved with Twilight Eclipse, the assholes running the Volturri could have easily bought us out and turned my empire into something as chaotic as their Strip Club. If you can even call that mess a fucking strip club. Really, who would find nude undead leeches attractive? Fools, apparently.

I've wasted enough of my life killing off those unnatural creatures from Hell, but after years of pursuing peace between the lycanthropes and vampires, I now find myself competing with them for what - Money? Fame? Fortune? No, I honestly have no idea. The Volturri and my family have unpleasant history involving bloody wars and nearly exposing both of our kinds to human beings but we finally decided to end the pointless, violent feud not too long ago after we've taken enough of abuse from one another. Their leader, Carlisle Cullen, had been promoted after an unfortunate incident involving Aro breaching the terms of our contract by killing off an innocent human being here on our property. It was pretty fucking awful. I mean, we didn't mind the fact that they too invested their wealth and time on building a business here in Vegas as well but Aro was an arrogant, uncontrollable dick. The moment we set everything up, he went to investigate how we were running everything and well…he got a little thirsty and grabbed the first person he could find. Alice, an associate of Carlisle, had well informed me of the situation before it happened and we caught him in the act, forcing Jacob to murder the son of a bitch just in time before anything else happened.

Carlisle had called a meeting between the Volturri and Twilight Eclipse because he wanted to make sure we would abide by their rules when it came to business rivalry. It was pointless because we had long ago set up a treaty for them to follow since they, you know, pretty much murder human beings for a living. He personally took responsibility for allowing such a thing to happen but he assured me that we would no longer be seeing any more of that. At least, not around us anyway. We don't give a shit about what they do with their personal lives, but as long as it doesn't interfere with my business, then the people who cross their paths are shit out of luck. I hate to say it but werewolves are very deadly too. We can't interact with them too much or we'll lose control. We also cannot protect the humans that the Cullens or the other Volturri members feast upon; like us, if we interrupt them during sex or during a meal, they will not hesitate to kill us. And because members of the Quilette tribe can only transform into our wolf forms during a full moon, we wouldn't stand a chance against them. So it's pretty a good deal we've got going on but lately, there's been a rift in our neutral business relationship. It's disturbing me quite a bit, honestly.

I walked over to the large tinted window behind my desk and leaned my forehead against it as I was completely exhausted. I opened my eyes and watched the empty road before us light up with company, a lone SUV driving along very slowly towards Las Vegas Blvd. My eyes stayed glued to the bright red vehicle for a bit before I caught a familiar scent in the air; it was pipsqueak Alice. She had finally returned from her visit with the Volturri, withholding news I had been anticipating to hear about for a few days now. I barely begun spinning my body around when my double doors burst open with powerful energy sweeping through the entire office. Tiny but intimidating, Alice Brandon ran towards me and clung herself to me, sobbing uncontrollably. Shit, I hope my worst fears hadn't been confirmed.

My pack mates, Jacob and Paul, who also served as my body guards, entered the room with sullen looks on their faces. What the fuck happened? I gently pulled away from my best friend and cupped her chin, trying to understand the emotions swirling around behind her beautiful crimson eyes. "Alice, what's going on with the Volturri?" I ask instantly, not bothering with the usual "Are you okay?" bullshit since she was obviously still alive. Even if I had asked, it would have pissed off the pixie like vampire and she would immediately begin ranting before telling me what I want to hear. I honestly had no patience to put up with all of that because something suspicious was going on and I needed to know about it.

"Edward Masen, Carlisle's prodigal adopted son, has done something terrible to Jasper. He has violated the terms of our contract in such an awful way and it's killing me from the inside because I don't know what to do!" She cried out hysterically, bloody red tears flowing beautifully down her cheek as she trembled. I stiffened as my slight smile had turned into a furious scowl. Jasper Whitlock was Alice's mate, who happened to be human. She was the only vampire I knew who could never harm a human while maintaining her identity as a vampire. "What happened to Jasper, Alice?" I asked angrily, gripping her shoulders tightly as I stared into her scared eyes. Jacob stepped forward and answered for her, since she was struggling to breathe as she wept. "That heartless asshole got a hold of Jasper and…forcefully turned him into one of them in front of Alice. They told her she was a traitor amongst her own kind to be working with mutts so they punished her this way."

Jacob's face contorted to that of an expression of rage that could not be shaken off. Paul also took this chance to vent out, "You know how much Alice loved him. She never wanted to condemn Jasper and look what they've done! They exposed their own race and raped Jasper's innocence! We have to discipline them for their actions, Leah!" I, however, was no longer listening. My peaceful world had begun to fade and all I could see was red. I stubbornly let go of Alice, who was still reeling from such a traumatic event and watched me carefully as I exploded. "WHAT THE FUCK!" I screamed, my hands running through my thick black tresses, veins forming on my arms as I flexed angrily. Those mother fuckers had violated the contract yet again and it was all because of my friendship with Alice. How dare they! Was Carlisle blowing sunshine up my ass only to fuck me over like that in the end? Did they not know how dangerous I could be when I am upset? Retarded leeches, I swear to God.

I fell to the floor on my knees as I tried to suppress my animalistic rage from taking me over. We can only transform during a full moon and the sun would be rising in just a few hours, why was I beginning to change into my form though? Alice was pulled back by Paul, who whispered that it wasn't safe to go near a werewolf during transformation. Jacob stood in front of them cautiously, confused as to why I could be almost changing into my form. I had to restrain myself. I couldn't become a monster now, not when Alice needed me. Sure, I was beyond my boiling point but this had to be settled when I was in a calmer state. The Volturri had finally declared war when they took Jasper's mortality forcefully. It looks like we're going to back to the old days. Leah Clearwater was going to make sure they pay in the worst possible of ways.

Successfully swallowing my process of evolving back, I unclenched my fists from my hair and arched my back and as I stared up at the beautiful ceiling above me. Powerful howls escaped me and they were so strong that the entire building shook with my fury. Jasper Whitlock was going to be avenged and the Volturri were going to die by my hands alone. Nothing will distract me from my tasks at hand. I can guarantee you that nothing will stand in my way.

Author's Note: So I decided to finally post the introduction to Waking Up in Vegas since I found out my work schedule for next week is going to be so messed up, I won't be able to update The Untouchable Element for a bit so I thought I might as well post my two new story ideas anyway just to tease you. ;) Look forward to reading Somewhere I Belong later on this week.