The Uley residence was overrun.

Shortly after the incident the pack transported Alex to her home, setting her on her bed. Leah took the initiative to cloth Alex, while Sam called Val.

The mother was distraught and rushed back home with the rest of the pack. Charlie arrived with them, and was trying his best to figure everything out. Eve, Mark, Billy, Sue, and Emily all knew what was going on, some more than others but they all knew it was something to do with the wolves, and it was serious if the pack was so panicked.

They had made up some excuse to tell Charlie, motorcycle accident. The excuse was Jacob, Embry, Quil and Alex were hanging out like they used to, riding one of the bikes that he and Bella built when Alex had an accident.

But the moment Charlie was out of sight, scolding the boys did Val descend upon Sam. He was responsible for the pack, he was responsible for her daughter. The same one who was lying upstairs in her bed covered in blood and bruises.

"what happened?" Val asked in a hushed voice.

Sam swallowed harshly "it was almost over..." he didn't know how to answer, he didn't know what to say to Val. She didn't know about the cold ones, and he wasn't sure if it was okay to reveal it.

Billy came to his rescue. "Val, it's best not to ask. She'll be okay. We're going to get help"

Val turned to her friend, who knew more "how, I can't do anything and that's my little girl up there"

Tears flowed down her face as she fought against her maternal instinct.

"I know this is hard, but it is safer for you not to know the exact truth. To let Alex tell you..."

"it happened so fast" Leah whispered repeatedly, blaming herself.

"it was almost over... Alex acted on instinct just as any of us would do. It was too fast for us to really interfere." Sam replied trying to explain it without too much information. "Leah and the other blonde-"

"Rosalie" Leah added.

"Rosalie, Leah and Rosalie were in danger and Alex saved them" Sue, looked over her daughter hands quickly examining her

"it crushed her bones." Seth spoke up remembering hearing the pack's frantic voices and Alex's bones cracking.

Val and Eve's eyes continued watering, the two of them didn't know the exact word but they knew it was the same thing that hurt Val. They felt defeat wash over them as they realized they couldn't help their child.

The pack was likewise tearing up. Some even had tears flowing down their faces. They felt for their sister, but the consensus around the pack was awe. With all the pain Alex was in they thought it impossible to move, let alone kill the newborn.

Sam looked around the pack, he couldn't help but think about how great of an alpha Alex would be. It made him wonder how he would live up to it, how he was chosen as the alpha when there was one viable option right in front of them.

Charlie approached the group looking at Val "shouldn't she go to the hospital?"

"No need Charlie." Carlisle voice rang through the crowded house. He entered with Edward (to keep up the idea that they were camping) his doctors bag in his hand. "I'll take care of everything"

Rosalie, Alice and Bella showed up shortly after, having received a phone call from Edward. Charlie looked at Bella almost as if he were afraid she might have snuck out to ride bikes with the others.

"Val why don't we get some fresh air" Billy suggested suddenly. The two took that as a warning, nodding slightly before the couples left the house, they knew it would be bad.

Once they were outside Edward spoke up "It's going to be loud, Carlisle has to rebreak her bones"

They all waited in tense silence as Carlisle and Rosalie entered the bedroom. Rosalie rushed over to Alex's side; the girl was shaking but other than the little quakes in her body Alex looked like she was sleeping. Whimpers of pain filled the air.

Themoment Rosalie touched Alex's face, the girls eyes opened, revealing greenirises, but something a little more worrying was the sight of amber in theeyes, filled with pain. "Carlisle" Rosalie spoke alerting the man.

He inspected Alex's eyes before checking the injures, they were far more concerning. The bites had healed to leave a few bite scars along Alex's collarbone, shoulder, and ribs. But they were just scars, faint light marks that were significantly cooler than the rest of her body. The blood was removed but the discoloration of Alex's skin was still present, at least to the trained eyes of a vampire.

Another concerning manor was the state of Alex's bones. Carlisle's fingers prodded the ribs, that were broken, they were healing wrong. "I need to rebreak the bones, they're healing wrong."

Rosalie looked up at Carlisle a pained expression on her face as she held Alex still. "It'll be over soon, my love" was the only warning Alex got.

Downstairs, Eve and Val had returned inside, the pack and family were waiting holding their breaths. The silent air was broken with a shrill yell of pain from above them.

Everyone in the home flinched, tears flowing down many faces. The next few minutes felt like hours to the occupants, barely any time passed before another scream rang out.

After what felt like hours the screaming stopped and Carlisle began descending the stairs. The others were waiting for some information. Edward was able to relay anything to the others, quietly so that the humans didn't hear.

His eyes met Val's "she's going to be okay. She's resting. I gave her some medicine to help with the pain. I'll leave some with you in case she needs more."

Val nodded tears falling down her face "thank you Carlisle"

He nodded and looked at Edward before heading to the exit of the house, being stopped by Sam. "thank you"

Carlisle nodded, leaving the others behind. Val was the first to come upstairs, when she laid her eyes on Alex she couldn't help but breath out a sigh of relief. Alex was alive and looked far better than she originally believe.

"Carlisle had to reset her bones... that's why she was..." Rosalie trailed of.

"she's alive... that's all that matters" Val responded, her hand brushing a few strands from Alex's forehead. The girl opened her eyes to look at her mother.

"Mom?" Val masked her concern immediately, she didn't want to make Alex stress anymore, so she didn't say anything. She feared that it was changing Alex, making her worse.

"hey. You're okay"

Alex nodded sluggishly "I'm okay... it doesn't hurt anymore."

Val nodded "I'm going to bring you some water and another blanket"

Alex shook her head "I'm not cold..."

After Val left Alex was visited by various members of the pack and her aunt. Bella came in at one point, by then Alex was asleep, only slight shivers wracking her body.

She sighed sadly "I'm sorry"

Rosalie looked up; she couldn't find it in herself to feel anything but sadness. "this wasn't your fault... she was protecting me and Leah. Carlisle said her bones will heal... but we don't know what else will happen"

Bella left shortly after and was replaced by Leah. She stayed the longest her eyes far more enhanced than Bellas. She could see the marks that rested on Alex's skin. She didn't have near as many bites as Jasper, but she was getting there. Bite marks scared her upper half. Angry claw marks run along her left hip. Leah sniffed.

"I couldn't do anything... it's all my fault. If she didn't need to worry about me"

Rosalie looked up, she wanted to blame Leah, but she knew she couldn't. Leah had never fought a newborn; Rose couldn't blame her for getting overwhelmed. Not when Leah had on multiple occasions saved her but also been there for Alex when she needed her.

"don't blame yourself, Alex wouldn't want that. We were both in danger."

"but I could have helped" Leah said her brown eyes flaring with protest. Rosalie's golden eyes met the angry woman in front of her, for a moment the two just looked at each other.

Rosalie spoke finally and firmly "if it's your fault then it's mine too. If I was watching my back I could have helped you I could have stopped Alex from getting hurt. Everyone in that meadow could have done something more. Alex is alive, that's all that matters"

Leahs eyes trailed to the bites and voiced the fear she and the Cullen's had. "but will she be the same?"

Rosalie looked up at Leah, guarded. The shifter noticed this and amended her response "I would still be here for her, and still be her friend but the pack... they may not be as accepting. What if this stops her from phasing."

Rose's eyes softened as she looked down at her mate "I don't know... We don't know, I hope not. She loves it, it makes her feel close to-"

"her dad. Demetrius."

"did you meet him?" Rose asked. Leah thought about that.

"yeah, once when I was younger. I don't remember much about him, but I knew he and my dad were friends. Demetrius was closer to Charlie and Mark though. They all joined the police department together. He was a good man"

Rose nodded "Alex doesn't talk about him much"

Leah faltered, deflating in her seat "that might be my fault. I didn't want to be this, I was heartbroken. Sam we were together for years and then he phased, broke up with me without an explanation and fell in love with my cousin"

Rosalie took a moment to take everything in, she understood the pain of heartbreak, the jealousy, the anger. After a moment Leah continued speaking.

"it's worse when I can hear and see everything. I had to live in the mind of the person who broke my heart. See him with her, hear his thoughts... every minute hurt. So I was petty, I brought up things everyone would rather forget..."

"what?"

"Embry. I didn't mean to hurt Alex, but I just wanted the others to feel how uncomfortable and hurt I was, how much Alex was. When you first left, Alex needed the pack. Most of them brushed it off, secretly happy. Seth, Embry and Quil were always more in touch with their emotions. But only Seth was really able to understand, the others, they really only blamed our emotions of female hormones. It's getting better now, a little bit. But..." Leah sighed "Embry's mom was from another tribe and only those who have Quileute blood can shift. Or Amarok. Embry doesn't know who his dad is, but there are four contenders. Alex's dad is one of them."

Rosalie looked at the girl then up at Leah "are you saying her father had another kid?"

Leah shrugged "no one knows, it really was meant for Sam and Jacob. Since their dads are also contenders. But Jacob had to point out some similarities between Alex and Embry, he's been bringing it up all the time."

"that can change ones view of their father" Rosalie mumbled.

Leah nodded glancing at Alex who was asleep, only a few trembles in her legs. "Alex refuses to believe it, but the more Jacob mentions it the more the others believe it. I think she might be starting to believe it was well..."

"how does Embry feel?"

"Embry... I think he would rather believe he got the gene somewhere way back. But he's worried that, that isn't the case. Alex doesn't want to believe it; in fact she thinks it's Billy. He was the leader; he was on the council. I mean the tribes have councils, they talk, Billy could have been on the Makah reservation. Two toddlers at home, could drive someone to seek freedom."

"do you think it's true?"

Leah furrowed her brows "I think it's more likely than Demetri, if he were Embry's father their wolves would look identical... or closer. I mean Seth and I look more like Alex than anyone else. And our fur is supposed to represent the spirit wolf or the 'man' inside."

The two sat in silence for a moment taking in everything, and just thinking.

Leah then pulled something out of her pocket. The granite wolf, and all of its adornments. "this fell off, it needs a new leather cord, but I knew Alex wouldn't want to lose it." She handed it to Rosalie, whose thumb brushed the wolf with so much love.

"thank you"

Leah nodded "I don't care that you're a vampire. You're good for her, she loves you and by that extent I do too. I'm glad she has someone to spend forever with..."

The two watched over the girl who they both cared about so much. For Leah it was a sister, for Rose a lover and a forever.