like you do | leah clearwater

return of the bloodsuckers

"Hey dad?" Juliet poked her head into the living room. Charlie had been sitting there most of the morning, just staring at the tv. He hummed a response. "Is it okay if I spend the night at Leah's?"

"Yeah." Charlie had been in a daze for the past three days. Renee called every hour, checking if Bella was home, and that didn't help Charlie much. "Of course."

"Thanks." She nodded. "I'll let you know when I'm heading out." She turned, intending on going upstairs and glanced out the window. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the black Volvo parked in front of their house. "Dad." Her voice was strained. He looked up, and she heard him gasp lightly. Then, Charlie came alive again. He shot out of his seat, anger taking over his expression at the sight of Edward as he got out of the drivers seat. Charlie marched towards the door, though Juliet stood frozen. She wanted to yell for Charlie to stop, to not go near the bloodsucker, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Bella!" Charlie shouted as he yanked the door open, Edward lifting Bella out of the car. Charlie marched down the walkway towards them. "I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here." Juliet finally unfroze, and she ran to the door. Her hands were shaking as she clutched the doorway, staring at them.

"She's very tired, Charlie." Edward spoke. "Please let her rest."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Charlie yelled. "Give her to me. Get your hands off her!"

"Cut it out, dad." Hearing Bella's voice, and seeing her open her eyes brought Juliet relief. They weren't red, like Sam had told her newborn vampires eyes were. She was still human. "Be mad at me."

"You bet I will be." Charlie's voice wasn't as angry when he spoke to Bella, though it wasn't gone either. "Get inside." Edward set Bella down but she didn't take more than a few steps before she began to fall. Edward caught her quickly, pulling her back into his arms.

"Just let me get her upstairs." Edward said. "Then I'll leave."

"Fine." Charlie crossed his arms over his chest. Edward looked from Charlie to Juliet as he began to carry Bella to the house, almost as if he was asking for her permission to enter as well. She knew the faster he put Bella upstairs, the faster he would leave, so she stiffly moved to the side and stood in the kitchen doorway as Edward entered. Charlie hovered close behind, and the pair of men soon returned downstairs. "Let me make one thing very clear." Charlie's voice was strained as he tried not to yell, for Bella's sake. It was clear that he'd've liked nothing more than to continue yelling in Edward's face. "You will never, ever see her again. I don't want to see you step foot through my door ever again. If you do, so help me god..."

"I understand." Edward's voice was the same, calm tone it had been before. "I'm sorry, Charlie."

"Yeah, you better be." With that, and a glance towards Juliet, Edward stepped outside. Charlie wasted no time in hurrying upstairs, and Juliet felt torn. Against her better judgement, she let her feet carry her outside, closing the door over behind her so Charlie wouldn't be able to hear. Almost as if Edward had known she would follow him, he was idly standing next to his car.

"Hello, Juliet." He said in his same calm tone. She swallowed, keeping her distance.

"I know what you are." Her voice dripped with hate. "What your family is." He sighed, glancing at Bella's window before looking back at her.

"I would never hurt her." He said, his voice now serious. "I thought she had died, so I went to kill myself. I couldn't survive without her. I would never harm her." Juliet let out a bitter laugh, her arms crossing harshly over her chest.

"Isn't that what all you bloodsuckers say?" She spit. "To lure in innocent humans so you can kill them? Well let me tell you, leech-"

"Please, Juliet, I think we could have a conversation without all the name calling." This only made her more angry. Before she could speak though, he was gone. He had moved to the other side of the car in an instant, his hand on the door handle. The sudden change had made her jump. "Bella is the love of my life, I would never hurt her. She wants me to change her, you know. I won't do it. I won't allow it to happen." Her face softened with surprise. He opened the door, glancing back at Bella's window before his eyes returned to her face. "Congratulations, by the way." Her face twisted with confusion. "I can hear how much you love her, almost all of your thoughts are about her. I hope she makes you as happy as Bella makes me." With that, he got into his car and drove away, leaving her standing there.

She felt like her blood had turned to ice in that moment. How could he have known about Leah? How could he know her thoughts? She wanted to throw up. After a few minutes she finally lurched backward, eventually turning and running back into the house. She hurried upstairs, quickly throwing together a bag before pulling on shoes and a coat. Peaking into Bella's room, she saw her asleep in her bed, with Charlie sitting next to her just watching.

"I'm going to Leah's, dad." She tried to keep her voice calm. "I love you."

"Love you too, Jules." He muttered, his attention not leaving Bella. It was the for the best, though, because Juliet could feel herself breaking down. She hurried down the stairs and into her truck, tearing out of the driveway. The tears started when she turned off her street, the sobs when she'd left town. By the time she pulled up to the Clearwater house she was hyperventilating, her shaking hands clutched around her steering wheel as if it was the only thing keeping tying her to reality. Her couldn't even bring herself to turn her truck off. It only took a minute before Leah came outside. Worry was already painted across her face as she jogged across the yard. She opened the door, turning off the truck and unbuckling Juliet's seatbelt.

"Jules, you gotta let go." Her warm hands rested over Juliet's, relaxing then a bit. "Come on, let's get you inside."

"He could hear my thoughts, Leah." That was all it took for Leah to stop moving. "Edward, he brought her home. She's still human." Hearing it out loud, even though she was the one who said it, made Juliet feel somewhat better. It was a good thing to remember. Bella was still human. "I followed him out to tell him to stay away, that I knew what he was." Juliet finally looked at Leah, whose face had frozen. "He said something about you. How I was thinking about you." Leah's jaw tightened.

"Move over." Leah said, her voice quiet but firm. "We have to go tell the pack." Juliet finally released the steering wheel, sliding across the seat. Leah pulled herself inside, not bothering with a seat belt as she fired up the truck. The drive was tense and silent, though Leah's hand quickly found its way into Juliet's. When they pulled up to the house, Sam was already outside.

"Sue called." He said as Leah got out of the truck. She waited, Juliet sliding across the seat and slipping out next to her. "What happened?"

"They're back." Leah said as she led Juliet inside. The pack was already gathered around the table, Jake looked terrified. Everyone's eyes focused on Juliet.

"She's still human." A tangible wave of relief swept over the room. The worst hadn't come true, it was all they could've asked for. The treaty remained in tact. Leah gently pushed Juliet down into a seat, pulling one up next to her and lacing their hands together. "But he..." Juliet choked up. Jake's eyes watched her intently, and she looked up at him. "He said she wanted him to turn her." She spoke only to Jake now. "He claimed he would never do it, but she wants him to." Jake's body began to shake, and the chair broke as he shot it back against the wall when he stood. Just seconds after he was outside, he'd transformed, and ran off into the woods. Jared stood up, but Sam grabbed his arm.

"Give him a few hours." Sam's voice was low. Jared nodded, reluctantly sitting back down. "Juliet." His voice was soft now, and she looked up at him. "What else did he say?"