Two Ghosts {Leah Clearwater}

11: The Aftermath

Pandora was confused when she woke up. Frankly, she was surprised she didn't wake up with a headache after how much she drank last night. The last thing she remembered was Bella taking her away from Jessica and Angela to the cold air.

What she didn't remember was leaving the Cullen's house, never mind ending up in a bedroom she had never seen before. She wondered if she was at Jessica's, remembering that the girl offered her home since Pandora knew her mother would not be happy with her coming home drunk. But she knew Angela would also be there, and there was no sign of either of them.

"Oh, you're up." Pandora froze, staring at Leah as she stood in the doorway.

"How did I get here?" Pandora asked, sitting up in what was Leah's bed.

"I brought you here to Sam's after you passed out in my arms at the leech's house," Leah said bluntly. Pandora felt her face heat up, bringing her hands to cover the blush. "Emily's out grocery shopping and Sam's on patrol."

"Leah, I am so sorry. You shouldn't have had to deal with that." Pandora peaked at Leah through her fingers, "thank you for taking care of me."

Leah shrugged, moving to sit at the edge of her bed. "It wasn't hard, all I had to do was put you on the bed. You were out cold all night. How much did you have to drink?"

Pandora shrugged, bringing her hands from her face. She was surprised Leah wasn't scolding her for drinking too much, but she was thankful for the judgment free atmosphere Leah brought. "I don't know. I didn't even know there was going to be alcohol before Jessica roped me into drinking with her." Pandora let out a bitter laugh, "I'm not even friends with her, yet I allowed myself to get drunk with her."

"People make mistakes," Leah shrugged. "Don't beat yourself over it."

Pandora bit her lip, fiddling with the fraying blanket on the bed. "So why were you at the Cullen's?"

"I had to tell them that Sam agreed to work with them to fight the leeches."

"What?" Pandora asked, watching Leah's stoic expression. "You're fighting vampires?"

"A newborn army is after Bella," Leah explained. "They're going to need all the help they can get."

"And you're going to fight with them?" Pandora asked quietly. She couldn't ask Leah to stay out of it, and god did she want to beg Leah to stay out of it. But Leah was her own person who could make her own decisions, and Pandora had to respect that.

"You don't want me to." The way Leah said it made it sound more like a statement than a question. "You told me that last night," Leah answered the question that was about to come out of Pandora's mouth.

"I'm not going to ask you to stay out of it, not while I'm sober at least," Pandora said. "You are capable of making your own decisions, and I trust you to make smart decisions and stay out of too much trouble. I know you can take care of yourself, but that's not going to stop me from worrying." Pandora looked up at Leah, a small frown on her face.

"We can handle the leeches," Leah said sternly. "There's nothing for you to worry about."

Pandora and Leah sat in silence, Pandora holding back all the words she wanted to say to Leah. "I should get home."

Leah nodded, "Right. I'll drive you home."

Pandora got out of the bed, sighing when she realized she was in the same dress she wore yesterday. She didn't even bother to try and look at herself in a mirror, knowing there wasn't anything she could do to fix the mess that was her hair and face.

The drive was silent, Pandora keeping her gaze out the window. She could feel Leah's stare on her, but refused to look at her. She was embarrassed that Leah saw her drunk and passed out last night, and didn't want Leah to think less of her. She was just glad that she didn't tell Leah how she felt about her while she was drunk.

"So you're going to Washington State?"

Pandora looked over at Leah, a small frown on her face. "How did you know?"

"Bella told Jake, and we have an all access pass to each other's minds." Leah shrugged. "So it's true?"

"Yeah," Pandora nodded. "I want to keep going on with my life. If I stay here... I'll be stuck."

"I get it," Leah nodded. "You're living my dream."

"If you want to get out of here, why don't you?"

"It's not that easy," Leah sighed. "I have a duty to the pack; to my people. I have to help protect them. I can't do that if I'm hundreds of miles away."

"I'm sorry," Pandora said quietly. "But what about after? Do you want to stay here for the rest of your life?"

"No." Leah shook her head. "I want to get out of here more than I can bare. I want to see the world. I love my family, but I can't stay here with them. I'm getting out as soon as I can. Once the Cullens are gone, then so am I." Pandora understood the bitterness that came from Leah. If it weren't for the Cullens, Leah wouldn't have shifted. If it weren't for the Cullens, Bella wouldn't be in constant danger or wanting to become a vampire. It was natural for the blame to be placed on the Cullens.

Pandora licked her lips, "well, when you do get out of La Push call me. I don't know about you, but I like traveling with someone else more than I do alone."

Leah looked over at Pandora once she put the car in park, now outside Pandora's home. "I'd like that."

Pandora stared at Leah for a moment, taking in the soft look on her face. She'd only seen that look when they were alone, her soft exterior replaced instantly when anyone else was around.

"I'll talk to you soon."

Leah nodded, "see ya."