The Inauspicious Beginnings Of A Prince
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 37
Outtake one: Leah Clearwater
Cold waves rushed in, crashing and foaming against the jagged rocks as the young woman stared out across the sparkling expanse of the Pacific, seeing and yet not, as her thoughts raced and roiled in her head.
She just could not quite believe the news that she'd been given earlier that day and so she sat, seemingly tranquil as she raged against her fate in silence, not once displaying her all-consuming anger and pain.
A gentle nudge from the bundled infant who'd been sleeping in her arms drew an immediate reaction though, and she choked on her emotions, a tear tracing slowly down her cheek as she spoke quietly to her child. "I love you baby girl, despite it all; I love you. I'll do all in my power to make sure you have a good life… the life I'll never have a chance at."
With her decision made, she rose from the rock she sat upon and made her way back to her tiny house; the very house her mother had met her end in, the very house she'd begged for the life of her child in, not so long ago.
With stoic determination, she ignored the scorched foundations of what used to be houses as she climbed the steps and entered her home.
She was the only one left on this part of the reservation—a part now considered cursed— and it was a lonely and desolate place. She could have left, certainly, but she hadn't wanted to. She'd wanted to remember- her friends, her family, her pack— for as long as she held them in her heart and memory, they would live on, and she owed them that at the very least.
Crossing the room, she laid her daughter in her bassinet, smiling when big green eyes blinked up at her, accompanied by a happy gurgle. "You be a good girl for Mama. I'll be right back."
Donning a sweater, she grabbed an envelope stuffed with legal papers and the keys to her truck. After picking up her baby, she made her way back out and got into her truck, strapping her daughter into her seat. It was time to put her plans into action. If her gamble today paid off, they both would be set, but if not…
Her jaw clenched as she considered the possibility of being turned away, anger welling up quick and searing in its intensity. It wouldn't do her any good to go in there harboring irrational anger.
These people had done nothing to her… yet, and it was best to remember that. She breathed deeply as she drove, working to calm herself and get her head in a better place.
She would present her case calmly, hoping they listened with open minds and hearts. She'd worry about dealing with rejection if and when it came. Until then, she had to hope. It was literally all she had left.
~o0o~
Esme was just putting the finishing touches on the remodel plans when the sound of a vehicle entering their long drive caught her attention. It sounded nothing like Garrett's Camero and so it had her intrigued, to say the least.
Perhaps it was Pete and Paula coming for an impromptu visit? The prospect brought a smile to her face as it had been a few months since she'd seen them.
Hurrying toward the front entrance, the smile on her face dropped as she spied the old truck, spluttering and wheezing its way up the drive before rolling to a brake-squealing stop.
Her brows inched up as she got a good look at the driver. If she wasn't mistaken, it was the former tribal-elder's daughter, Leah Clearwater. The fact that one from the tribe was here voluntarily was shocking enough in itself, but combine that with the massacre she knew had taken place when Jasper and his Volturi contingent had eradicated the shifters, and this visit was remarkable indeed. The sounds of a coo'ing infant only served to increase her curiosity as she waited for the young woman to exit her truck.
She approached the front porch cautiously, a wary expression on her face as she clutched the fussing babe closely. "Are you Esme Cullen?"
Esme smiled softly, trying to ease the girl's obvious worry. "Well, I used to be, yes. My last name is Williams now as I remarried."
The girl studied her for a moment, probably trying to gauge whether she would be attacked or not and Esme opened her door wide, gesturing inside. "Won't you come in? I know it's cold out and I'm sure you and the baby would be more comfortable inside while we speak. At least I assume that's why you're here, to speak to me?"
The girl nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but first I need your word that you won't hurt us. This visit goes against every instinct I possess." She met Esme's gaze squarely. "You understand?"
She gazed back. "Of course I understand. You have my word, you both are safe here."
Leah nodded and made her way up the steps and inside, waiting patiently as Esme closed the door and joined her. "This way, please."
She showed her into the living room where Leah sat uneasily on the couch as Esme took the arm-chair across from her.
She watched Leah settle the infant for a moment before finally speaking. "What can I do for you Miss Clearwater?"
Leah gazed down at her baby, taking a deep breath as she looked up, meeting her gaze with determination.
"First, I would like you to know that this has to be the hardest thing I've ever done and if I had any other option available, I would not be here."
Esme inclined her head. "Noted."
Leah shifted her gaze back to the baby, adjusting the blanket as she spoke softly. "I am looking for someone who stayed here for a time. Someone I had a one-night-stand with." She met Esme's eyes. "I'm looking for Jasper Volturi, the father of my daughter."
Breath catching in shocked surprise, Esme covered her mouth and stared at the bundled infant with wide eyes.
"She's…"
Leah nodded sharply, wondering why the woman was so shocked. "Yes, she's his. Now, do you know where he is? It's important that I contact him." She cut her hardened gaze to Esme and continued. "I just found out today that I'm dying. They tell me that I only have three to six months left and my entire family is dead. The rest of those who remain on the reservation want nothing to do with me since I am the only survivor from the cursed land… well me and my baby."
Her chin tilted up a notch as her eyes sparkled with hurt, anger, and pride. "She needs a home… a good home, not an orphanage or the foster system. She needs her other parent now that I can't raise her, now will you help me, or not?"
Esme raised her gaze from the precious bundle, meeting the fierce look in Leah's eyes with compassion. "Of course I will help you. I'll do anything for my grand-daughter." She wrung her hands in her lap as she spoke.
"You see, I am Jasper's biological mother. I was human when I had him and his twin brother Peter."
Leah remained stoic, rigid, even though hope flared anew in her heart. "He's a vampire now. I saw him the night they came for the shifters and their families. He was going to kill me until I told him of the baby. That's exactly why I remain while all the others do not. He couldn't bring himself to destroy his own child and so I seek him now, so that he may care for her and raise her; as much as the idea sickens me, he is her father."
"Miss Clearwater…"
"Call me Leah, please. I've never been one for niceties."
"Very well, Leah, were you aware that Jasper was a vampire hybrid when the two of you… uh."
Leah smirked bitterly. "We had sex Esme, and no, I was not aware. I never would have let him near me had I known." She looked away, a muscle twitching under the tension in her jaw before she murmured quietly. "I suppose it's just as much my fault though. He was gorgeous and so I didn't ask questions. I was stupid, irresponsible, and now I pay the price." She looked back at Esme. "It all makes sense now. You see, I have a blood disorder that they just can't seem to identify and it's killing me. Now I know it's probably something from being pregnant with a child who's part vampire."
Esme covered her eyes with a hand and nodded. "I think that may very well be." She looked up. "You see, Jasper almost died— well, technically did die —from being bitten by one of the wolves. It was slowly poisoning him and he had to be transitioned to full vampire to save him. It only stands to reason that the same sort of thing could happen to you, but what I don't understand is how the baby lives."
Leah shook her head slowly as she adjusted the blanket covering her daughter. "I'm not sure, but she's healthy so far and I pray she stays that way."
Esme leaned forward, looking tentative. "May I hold her?"
Leah expected the familiar trembling reaction of the wolf within, but nothing happened.
She'd noticed, since she'd had her baby, the smell of the vampires was no longer repulsive to her and she didn't react as she had to the scent the few times she'd picked it up around town. Now she knew it was probably because of her daughter being a mix and her maternal instincts winning out over those of the wolf.
She nodded slowly. "Sure I guess, as long as you won't hurt her."
Esme perched on the couch beside them, whispering out "Never" and Leah carefully handed the baby over, the blanket falling away from her tiny face as she did.
She smiled at the nervous mother, wonder in her voice. "Oh Leah, she's absolutely beautiful."
The baby's head was covered in soft curls of dark gold, and beautiful jade colored eyes surrounded by dark, thick lashes blinked up at her in wonder as the little one gurgled and coo'ed.
Leah nodded. "You can say it you know." Esme glanced at her and she continued. "She looks just like him. Her hair is a bit darker and will probably be more so as she ages, but there's no mistaking who her father is."
Just then, pain seized Leah and she leaned back against the couch, clenching her jaw and her eyes shut, struggling not to cry out as it moved through her, viciously sapping her energy and leaving her breathless as it slowly eased.
She opened her eyes to a frantic looking Esme. "What happened Leah?"
Her eyes slid shut in exhaustion as she answered. "It's whatever is killing me. It's happening more frequently now and it seems to take a little more of me each time it does." She opened her eyes and turned her head back to look at Esme. "They tell me that with the progression of the disease so far, I'll probably be bedridden in a month, maybe less as they can't be sure. So, you see why I need to get my daughter settled? It's the one thing that I want before I die."
Esme cut her gaze from Leah and back to the beautiful baby girl in her arms and, god help her, she saw her chance; the chance she'd never had with her own babies that she'd carried and given life to. She saw the chance to be a real mother, and she might be damned for it, but she was determined to take it.
She stared down into those green, green eyes, a happy future weaving itself together in her mind's eye as she spoke with quiet determination. "You'll both move in here and I will care for you. You'll have everything you need and be able to see and be with your baby girl until your very last breath." She looked up, meeting the surprised eyes of her grand-daughter's mother.
"When you have passed, I will love and raise her as if she were my own. She will lack for nothing and one day, when she's old enough, I will give her the choice of meeting her father. From one mother to another, this is my vow to you. Do you accept?"
Leah studied this suddenly strong and fierce female, feeling kinship and relief fill her as their gazes held.
"I accept."
Outtake one: Leah Clearwater
Cold waves rushed in, crashing and foaming against the jagged rocks as the young woman stared out across the sparkling expanse of the Pacific, seeing and yet not, as her thoughts raced and roiled in her head.
She just could not quite believe the news that she'd been given earlier that day and so she sat, seemingly tranquil as she raged against her fate in silence, not once displaying her all-consuming anger and pain.
A gentle nudge from the bundled infant who'd been sleeping in her arms drew an immediate reaction though, and she choked on her emotions, a tear tracing slowly down her cheek as she spoke quietly to her child. "I love you baby girl, despite it all; I love you. I'll do all in my power to make sure you have a good life… the life I'll never have a chance at."
With her decision made, she rose from the rock she sat upon and made her way back to her tiny house; the very house her mother had met her end in, the very house she'd begged for the life of her child in, not so long ago.
With stoic determination, she ignored the scorched foundations of what used to be houses as she climbed the steps and entered her home.
She was the only one left on this part of the reservation—a part now considered cursed— and it was a lonely and desolate place. She could have left, certainly, but she hadn't wanted to. She'd wanted to remember- her friends, her family, her pack— for as long as she held them in her heart and memory, they would live on, and she owed them that at the very least.
Crossing the room, she laid her daughter in her bassinet, smiling when big green eyes blinked up at her, accompanied by a happy gurgle. "You be a good girl for Mama. I'll be right back."
Donning a sweater, she grabbed an envelope stuffed with legal papers and the keys to her truck. After picking up her baby, she made her way back out and got into her truck, strapping her daughter into her seat. It was time to put her plans into action. If her gamble today paid off, they both would be set, but if not…
Her jaw clenched as she considered the possibility of being turned away, anger welling up quick and searing in its intensity. It wouldn't do her any good to go in there harboring irrational anger.
These people had done nothing to her… yet, and it was best to remember that. She breathed deeply as she drove, working to calm herself and get her head in a better place.
She would present her case calmly, hoping they listened with open minds and hearts. She'd worry about dealing with rejection if and when it came. Until then, she had to hope. It was literally all she had left.
~o0o~
Esme was just putting the finishing touches on the remodel plans when the sound of a vehicle entering their long drive caught her attention. It sounded nothing like Garrett's Camero and so it had her intrigued, to say the least.
Perhaps it was Pete and Paula coming for an impromptu visit? The prospect brought a smile to her face as it had been a few months since she'd seen them.
Hurrying toward the front entrance, the smile on her face dropped as she spied the old truck, spluttering and wheezing its way up the drive before rolling to a brake-squealing stop.
Her brows inched up as she got a good look at the driver. If she wasn't mistaken, it was the former tribal-elder's daughter, Leah Clearwater. The fact that one from the tribe was here voluntarily was shocking enough in itself, but combine that with the massacre she knew had taken place when Jasper and his Volturi contingent had eradicated the shifters, and this visit was remarkable indeed. The sounds of a coo'ing infant only served to increase her curiosity as she waited for the young woman to exit her truck.
She approached the front porch cautiously, a wary expression on her face as she clutched the fussing babe closely. "Are you Esme Cullen?"
Esme smiled softly, trying to ease the girl's obvious worry. "Well, I used to be, yes. My last name is Williams now as I remarried."
The girl studied her for a moment, probably trying to gauge whether she would be attacked or not and Esme opened her door wide, gesturing inside. "Won't you come in? I know it's cold out and I'm sure you and the baby would be more comfortable inside while we speak. At least I assume that's why you're here, to speak to me?"
The girl nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but first I need your word that you won't hurt us. This visit goes against every instinct I possess." She met Esme's gaze squarely. "You understand?"
She gazed back. "Of course I understand. You have my word, you both are safe here."
Leah nodded and made her way up the steps and inside, waiting patiently as Esme closed the door and joined her. "This way, please."
She showed her into the living room where Leah sat uneasily on the couch as Esme took the arm-chair across from her.
She watched Leah settle the infant for a moment before finally speaking. "What can I do for you Miss Clearwater?"
Leah gazed down at her baby, taking a deep breath as she looked up, meeting her gaze with determination.
"First, I would like you to know that this has to be the hardest thing I've ever done and if I had any other option available, I would not be here."
Esme inclined her head. "Noted."
Leah shifted her gaze back to the baby, adjusting the blanket as she spoke softly. "I am looking for someone who stayed here for a time. Someone I had a one-night-stand with." She met Esme's eyes. "I'm looking for Jasper Volturi, the father of my daughter."
Breath catching in shocked surprise, Esme covered her mouth and stared at the bundled infant with wide eyes.
"She's…"
Leah nodded sharply, wondering why the woman was so shocked. "Yes, she's his. Now, do you know where he is? It's important that I contact him." She cut her hardened gaze to Esme and continued. "I just found out today that I'm dying. They tell me that I only have three to six months left and my entire family is dead. The rest of those who remain on the reservation want nothing to do with me since I am the only survivor from the cursed land… well me and my baby."
Her chin tilted up a notch as her eyes sparkled with hurt, anger, and pride. "She needs a home… a good home, not an orphanage or the foster system. She needs her other parent now that I can't raise her, now will you help me, or not?"
Esme raised her gaze from the precious bundle, meeting the fierce look in Leah's eyes with compassion. "Of course I will help you. I'll do anything for my grand-daughter." She wrung her hands in her lap as she spoke.
"You see, I am Jasper's biological mother. I was human when I had him and his twin brother Peter."
Leah remained stoic, rigid, even though hope flared anew in her heart. "He's a vampire now. I saw him the night they came for the shifters and their families. He was going to kill me until I told him of the baby. That's exactly why I remain while all the others do not. He couldn't bring himself to destroy his own child and so I seek him now, so that he may care for her and raise her; as much as the idea sickens me, he is her father."
"Miss Clearwater…"
"Call me Leah, please. I've never been one for niceties."
"Very well, Leah, were you aware that Jasper was a vampire hybrid when the two of you… uh."
Leah smirked bitterly. "We had sex Esme, and no, I was not aware. I never would have let him near me had I known." She looked away, a muscle twitching under the tension in her jaw before she murmured quietly. "I suppose it's just as much my fault though. He was gorgeous and so I didn't ask questions. I was stupid, irresponsible, and now I pay the price." She looked back at Esme. "It all makes sense now. You see, I have a blood disorder that they just can't seem to identify and it's killing me. Now I know it's probably something from being pregnant with a child who's part vampire."
Esme covered her eyes with a hand and nodded. "I think that may very well be." She looked up. "You see, Jasper almost died— well, technically did die —from being bitten by one of the wolves. It was slowly poisoning him and he had to be transitioned to full vampire to save him. It only stands to reason that the same sort of thing could happen to you, but what I don't understand is how the baby lives."
Leah shook her head slowly as she adjusted the blanket covering her daughter. "I'm not sure, but she's healthy so far and I pray she stays that way."
Esme leaned forward, looking tentative. "May I hold her?"
Leah expected the familiar trembling reaction of the wolf within, but nothing happened.
She'd noticed, since she'd had her baby, the smell of the vampires was no longer repulsive to her and she didn't react as she had to the scent the few times she'd picked it up around town. Now she knew it was probably because of her daughter being a mix and her maternal instincts winning out over those of the wolf.
She nodded slowly. "Sure I guess, as long as you won't hurt her."
Esme perched on the couch beside them, whispering out "Never" and Leah carefully handed the baby over, the blanket falling away from her tiny face as she did.
She smiled at the nervous mother, wonder in her voice. "Oh Leah, she's absolutely beautiful."
The baby's head was covered in soft curls of dark gold, and beautiful jade colored eyes surrounded by dark, thick lashes blinked up at her in wonder as the little one gurgled and coo'ed.
Leah nodded. "You can say it you know." Esme glanced at her and she continued. "She looks just like him. Her hair is a bit darker and will probably be more so as she ages, but there's no mistaking who her father is."
Just then, pain seized Leah and she leaned back against the couch, clenching her jaw and her eyes shut, struggling not to cry out as it moved through her, viciously sapping her energy and leaving her breathless as it slowly eased.
She opened her eyes to a frantic looking Esme. "What happened Leah?"
Her eyes slid shut in exhaustion as she answered. "It's whatever is killing me. It's happening more frequently now and it seems to take a little more of me each time it does." She opened her eyes and turned her head back to look at Esme. "They tell me that with the progression of the disease so far, I'll probably be bedridden in a month, maybe less as they can't be sure. So, you see why I need to get my daughter settled? It's the one thing that I want before I die."
Esme cut her gaze from Leah and back to the beautiful baby girl in her arms and, god help her, she saw her chance; the chance she'd never had with her own babies that she'd carried and given life to. She saw the chance to be a real mother, and she might be damned for it, but she was determined to take it.
She stared down into those green, green eyes, a happy future weaving itself together in her mind's eye as she spoke with quiet determination. "You'll both move in here and I will care for you. You'll have everything you need and be able to see and be with your baby girl until your very last breath." She looked up, meeting the surprised eyes of her grand-daughter's mother.
"When you have passed, I will love and raise her as if she were my own. She will lack for nothing and one day, when she's old enough, I will give her the choice of meeting her father. From one mother to another, this is my vow to you. Do you accept?"
Leah studied this suddenly strong and fierce female, feeling kinship and relief fill her as their gazes held.
"I accept."
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.