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ashcal99 · 1 year

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Certain Things : Leah Clearwater IV

Chapter Four

"Something about you, It's like an addiction, Hit me with your best shot honey, I've got no reason to doubt you, 'Cause certain things hurt, And you're my only virtue"

Summary: Conner Swan moves to Forks Washington in hopes to help his sister Bella through her breakup with Edward. In hopes to find happiness again. He finds much more.

Warnings: Eventual smut (18+ only), mentions of death, depression, loss, antidepressants, general angst, slow burn, mentions of suicide

Words: 4.3k

A/N: Comment if I missed any warning or anything plz thnx.

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Series Masterlist

——————

March 4th, 2006

It had been weeks since Jacob had gotten sick, and yet, Bella had heard no word from the boy. As far as she knew, he had come down with mono, or so Billy had told her. Day after day she called, but it was always Billy who had answered, claiming the teen was still too sick to come to the phone. Eventually, even Billy had stopped picking up, and soon, the voicemail box had been filled. Bella had felt helpless. Fearing that she had lost the one true friend she had. The pain came back with a vengeance. Now that Jake had left, the hole in her heart seemed to grow twice the size.

Conner saw the pain return, as hard as she had tried to hide it, and he was furious. It was clear that the Quileutes had been using the sickness as an excuse to avoid the girl, that much was obvious, as the silence from the teen had gone on far too long. He was just unsure as to why. Frankly, he didn’t exactly care what the excuse was. All he saw was the progress Bella was making in healing going to waste.

It was a Saturday, his day off, when Bella finally decided to confront the boy. Conner had made plans to go fishing with his father and Harry Clearwater, but he suddenly regretted making the plans. He turned to Bella. “Look, I don’t have to go fishing today.” He started.

Bella waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, you do. What are you talking about?” She asked. “Just be careful.” She said directing the words to her father and brother.

“We always are.” Charlie spoke up, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

Harry spoke up. “Those bears won’t get the drop on me, Bella.” He joked smirking. “My kung foo is strong.” He added teasingly, earning a small chuckle from the other two men.

Conner nudged his shoulder. “Yeah, right. Your reflexes are so lightning fast.” He said laughing.

Harry scoffed. “I have no idea what you mean, I’m practically a chetah.” He smiled proudly as the three walked out the front door, to Harry’s truck. Conner leaned down, picking up a pebble on the driveway, quickly chucking it in the man’s direction. The tiny rock hit the man right in the middle of his forehead, his eyes going wide. Charlie and Conner doubled over with laughter, seeing the shocked look on Harry’s face.

The tree climbed into the truck, setting their fishing gear in the bed. Conner sat silently in the back seat as the two other man held light conversation, staring out the window as the trees blurred past. Charlie had been talking about Jake, complaining of the teens absence. “I just don’t understand what happened. It’s been over a month now.” Charlie said exasperatedly.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Charlie. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.” Henry said dismissively.

Charlie sighed. “I hope so.” He said, staying silent for a moment. “Anyway, how are Leah and Seth doing? How’s high school going for him?” He asked changing the subject.

“He’s doing great. Straight A’s.” He said proudly. “Leah’s okay, still keeping to herself mostly.” He said, voice dropping slightly. “She’s still pretty broken up over Sam. I think she’s mainly angry at this point.” He continued.

Conner’s eyebrows furrowed, not sure what the man meant. “I didn’t know you had a daughter.” He interjected. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with the man, usually spending the days he came over working or busying himself with yard word to distract himself. He had found out about Harry’s son, having overhead a previous conversation, but a daughter was news to him. He found himself uncharacteristically intrigued by the topic.

Harry glanced towards the man in the rearview mirror of the truck. “Yeah, Leah. She’s about your age I’d say. Doesn’t get out much besides work, I’m sure you haven’t met before.” He said.

Conner quirked an eyebrow. He hadn’t known any of Charlie’s friends had any kids closer in age to him, granted he didn’t get out much himself. The only friends he had was Bella and Jake, and clearly the latter wasn’t going too well. Conner sighed, dropping the subject and turning back to gaze out the truck’s window.

——————

March 11th, 2006

Another week had passed since the fishing trip, not much having changed on the Bella and Jacob front. She had come home that night, upset from whatever Jake had said to her. She claimed to not want to take about it, but she was clearly upset from whatever had happened.

It was a rare sunny morning when Bella decided to go back to the reservation to see the boy. Conner had just finished off drying the pan he had used to cook breakfast when she came running down the stairs in a rush. He whipped his head in her direction, shocked to see her with such energy. She had spent the majority of the past week moping around, so he had wondered what had changed. He stepped out from the kitchen, blocking her path. “Where are you going?” He questioned, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

She huffed. “I have to go talk to Jake.” She rushed out, clearly in a hurry for whatever reason.

Conner’s face dropped, the crease between his brows deepening. “Okay then, I’m coming too.” He stated determinedly.

Bella begun to panic. There was no way she was getting her brother involved in this whole mess. She had finally remembered about the Quileute legends and she wasn’t about to drag Conner into it too, knowing it would be dangerous. “No.” She answered bluntly.

Conner huffed in annoyance. “Bella I’m not going to let you go over there alone again. Last time you came back in tears.” He reasoned. “I’ll stay in my truck, but at least let me drive you.” He concluded.

Bella sighed in defeat. “Fine.” She agreed, in too much of a rush to argue with the man.

The scenery whipped past the truck as Conner sped down the winding road. Bella had already made it clear that she was in a rush, so Conner drove swiftly thought the turns, trying to get the to house quickly. His tires slid slightly on the gravel road as his truck came to a halt in front of the Black residence. He turned to the girl. “I’m right here if you need me, okay?” He reassured. Bella nodded, quickly swinging the door open and dropping her feet to the ground. Conner sat there, watching as she pushed herself past Billy and into the house.

He had started to grow antsy, not having a view of his sister when his attention dragged to the girl storming from the house towards a group of shirtless guys. Okay? It definitely wasn’t that warm, he thought. He gripped the door, throwing it open as he watched his sister get in one’s face, yelling angrily about something. He slammed the door, rushing towards his sister. The tanned male started shaking violently, his entire body vibrating.

“Bella!” Jake yelled, bursting through the back door of the house. He sprinted towards the girl, his body starting to shake as well.

“Run!” Bella screamed, turning and sprinting towards the boy. “Jake, run!” She repeated. Conner stopped in his tracks, jaw going slack as he watched the scene play out in front of him.

A growl ripped through Jacobs throat. In a burst of fur and and shreds of clothing, the two shaking figures were replaced with gigantic menacing wolves. The two snapped their jaws at each other bearing their teeth threateningly. Conner watched in awe not knowing how to react.

WHAT THE FUCK

The two wolves tackled each other, chasing themselves out of the clearing. The two siblings stood there for a moment, mouths agape. So much for keeping Conner out of it.

Conner stepped forwards to the other men, sucking in a deep breath. "So are you guys gonna turn into giant dogs too, or should I wait for another time?” He asked unease gripping his throat.

——————

Conner stepped slowly through the narrow doorway of the house. He hadn’t received much of an explanation on the way to Sam and Emily’s, the others claiming he would get his answers soon. “Can someone please explain to me why I just watched a boy that I've known his whole life turn into a very large dog?” Conner asked, growing impatient with the silence.

Jared smirked to the man. “It’s kind of a long story.” He explained.

Conner huffed impatiently. “I’ve got time.” He reasoned. He needed an explanation before he went insane. It's not everyday that you witness a close friend randomly morph into an animal.

The woman in the kitchen turned, spotting the to two siblings. “Who’s this?” She asked, sending the two a small smile. Conner glanced over to the woman, eyes pausing on the long jagged scars running down her face. This must be Emily, he decided, quickly diverting his gaze, not wanting to seem rude from staring.

“Bella and Conner Swan.” Jared explained.

A smirk grew on Emily’s face. “So, you’re the vampire girl.” She said. Conner’s head shot to his sister. First wolves and now Vampires? What’s next? Big Foot?

Conner turned to his sister, gritting his teeth. “Vampires, Bella? You have a lot of explaining to do.” He seethed, glaring at the girl.

Bella grimaced, turning to answer Emily. “So you’re the wolf girl.” She said, ignoring her brother. She would clearly have to spend time later explaining things to the man, but for now, she focused on getting some answers of her own.

“Guess so.” Emily smirked. “Well, I’m engaged to one.” She clarified, setting a heaping plate of muffins on the table. Hands swarmed the plate, grabbing muffin after muffin. “Save some for your brothers.” She chastised the boys. “And guests first. Muffin?” She added, offering the plate to the two siblings.

Conner reached forwards, snagging one of the warm pastries. “Sure, thanks.” He muttered softly.

“So, that explanation you wanted.” Embry started, mouth full of muffin. “We’re descendants of wolves.” He stated simply, as if that explained everything. Conner supposed that was the best he was going to get, coming to to the conclusion that he should just except the fact that he didn’t live in the world he thought he had. There was clearly a lot that he had been oblivious to previously, and he planned to get some more answers out of Bella later.

He sighed, pulling a chair out from the table, giving up, as he slouched over, stuffing the muffin into his mouth. His eyes widened, a soft groan falling from his lips. “Compliments to the chef.” He said, eyeing the muffin.

“She is pretty amazing isn’t she?” A voice coming from behind said. A large muscled man made his way towards the woman, taking her scared face in his hands, planting a kiss to her lips. This must be sam, Conner concluded. He turned his focus to the muffin, feeling like he was intruding on something he shouldn’t be seeing.

——————

The siblings returned home a few hours later. Luckily, their father was still out, having left to go hunting again with Harry. Slamming the front door behind him, he followed his sister, deciding now was as good as any to talk things through.

Bella looked to the man apprehensively. “Conner… I can explain.” She said hesitantly.

Conner scoffed. “How could you lie to me like that?” He asked, anger filling his voice.

Bella stared, eyes wide. It had been a long time since she had seem him so angry, him usually being so timid. “Technically,” She started hesitantly, “I didn’t lie, I just didn’t tell you everything.” She explained.

Suddenly it him. “Is that why?” He asked, earning a confused look from the girl. “Is he why you stopped answering my calls?” He clarified. His heart ached in protest, not sure if he wanted to hear the truth.

“I-I knew I would end up letting it slip on accident, and I couldn’t chance you being put in danger.” She said, trying to justify her actions.

Conner pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to push back the building tears. “Bella, have you ever stopped to think about the danger this put you in?” He asked.

Bella looked down to the floor. “That’s not the same.” She muttered in defense.

Conner scoffed. “Not the same? You know what, you’re right. It’s worse. Bella, for fuck's sake, he's killed people. The whole family has.” He yelled, throwing his hands in the air. His voice raised in volume, quickly losing his temper with the teen. All the years he had spent trying to protect her, meanwhile there she was willingly endangering her own life.

Bella’s forehead creased in anger. ”He's not like that anymore, they don't feed on humans.” She tried to defend.

The man looked at his sister in disgust. “Do you even hear yourself?” He asked.

“Anymore, Bella. He’s killed before, and it’s clear that you know that. You're trying to justify killing. He's a murderer, Bells.” He said bluntly, glaring at the girl.

“Don't talk about him like that.” She said shortly.

Conner felt like he had been stabbed in the heart. “Does your life really mean that little to you?” He asked sadly. “Are the people that love you that expendable to you?” Bella stood for a moment, mouth open, looking for an answer that she knew she couldn’t find.

"Con-" He flinched at the nickname. Nicknames were for close relationships, not strangers, and right now he didn’t recognize the girl standing in front of him. "I'm sorry." She said.

Conner felt the tears begin to spill from his eyes. "Bella, I lost the love of my life. You know what that kind of loss feels like, but she didn't just leave me like Edward left you. She died. Died with my child. A child I didn't even know about until she was gone." He paused, his voice cracking. "And on top of all of this, the one person.” He sucked in a breath “The one person I thought I could count on left me too. Made me feel like I was the burden” He cried out, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

"Conner, I'm sorry, I-" Bella started.

"No." Conner interrupted. "Sorry isn't good enough anymore. I thought our relationship meant more than that to you, but obviously it doesn't mean shit." He ended, turning, walking out the door, and slamming it behind him.

——————

March 18th, 2006

A week had passed since Conner had found out the truth. A week of awkward silence and cold shoulders. Charlie could tell something had happened between the two, but wasn’t sure how to approach the subject. Conner had been working non-stop trying to avoid the teen, having only been home to sleep as of late. If he wasn’t working, he was over in la push, having been spending more time will Billy. After everything that had happened, he felt like the man was the only person who would understand even a fraction of what he was going through, even if most of what they did was watch sports games together. If anything, it was a good distraction.

He had just finished a shift at the diner when he received the call. Looking down at the illuminated screen, he read Jacob’s name. Clicking to answer the call, he brought the phone to his ear.“Hey man, what’s up” He asked casually.

“Bella just almost died.” The teen answered bluntly, causing Conner to stop in his tracks.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. “W-what?” He stuttered out, blinking rapidly.

Jacob took a deep breath. “She thought it was a great idea to try out cliff diving today.” Conner heard Bella saying something about it being not that big of a deal in the background. Of course. The girl had a death wish.

Conner sucked in a breath “Jesus.” He said.

“She's okay. We're heading back your place now.” Jake reassured.

Conner let out a heavy sigh. “I'll be there in ten.” He stated, hanging up the phone. Leave it to Bella. He climbed into his truck and hurriedly pulled out of the parking lot. He tried his best not to get a speeding ticket on the way home, knowing that would be an awkward conversation to have with his father.

No matter how mad he was at Bella, he still loved her, and the fact that she had almost died just in the last hour made him uneasy. He would've never forgiven himself if he had lost her. The last conversation they had, having ended with the both of them screaming at each other.

The man blew out a breath relief as a pulled up to the house, spotting his sister’s truck in the driveway. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he noticed the other car parked horizontally on the side of the road. He wasn’t too familiar with cars, but he knew this one looked expensive. He didn't know anybody that would've even had the money to rent a car like that.

Conner approached the front door hesitantly. Twisting the knob, he found it to be already unlocked. He stepped in slowly.”Hello?” He greeted cautiously, turning the corner to the living room. Jacob stood glaring at Bella who was wrapped in two pale arms. Conner looked up to the pale face of the girl, chills running up his spine. Vampire. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he did. There was just something about the girl. She was unnaturally perfect, just like he remembered Edward to be.

The short pixie-like girl glanced up. “Oh, hi. You must be Conner.” She greeted. “I'm Alice Cullen.” Conner's back tensed. So he was correct.

“I had a vision of you.” Alice said, turning her attention back to Bella. “You jumped off a cliff. Why in the hell would you try and kill yourself?” She asked angrily.

“I didn't try to kill myself. I was cliff diving. Recreationally. It was fun.” Bella reassured.

“I have never met anyone more prone to life threatening idiocy.” Alice huffed out in annoyance.

Conner scoffed. “I wholeheartedly agree.” He said irritatedly.

Bella started again. “Did you- did you tell him?” Edward, he assumed.

“No. He only calls once every few months. He said he wants to be alone…and what is the god awful wet dog smell?” She asked, turning up her nose from the stench.

Conner crossed his arms, watching the two amusedly. “That's probably me, or Jacob.” Bella said bashfully.

Alice seemed confused. “Jacob who?” She asked.

“Yeah, Jake's a giant dog.” Conner teased.

Bella added awkwardly. “Jacob's kind of a werewolf.”

“Bella!” Alice shouted. “Werewolves are not good company to keep!”

“Hey! Speak for yourself!” Jacob started.

Conner stepped up. “I'm gonna have to agree with him on that one.”

He suddenly noticed the absence of his father. He furrowed his brow, knowing the man had the day off and as far as he was aware, hadn’t made any plans for this night. “Where's Charlie?” He asked.

Jacob's face fell, staying silent for a moment. “Harry Clearwater had a heart attack.” He said finally.

“Oh my god. Is he okay?” He asked panicked. Jacob hung his head, shaking it ‘no’. He had just seen the man. It didn’t seem real. Conner’s heart sunk. Jesus, his poor kids.

“His daughter phased in front of him and I guess his heart couldn’t take the shock. We’ve never had a female in the pack before. We didn’t even know it was possible.” He said solemnly. Conner’s face scrunched up, poor Leah. That was horrible.

He was soon ripped from his thoughts as Bella yelled. “Stop!” Alice and Jake glared darkly at each other. If looks could kill, they'd both be six feet under. Assuming the vampires could die, this he wasn’t completely sure of.

Alice let out a sigh, rolling her amber eyes. “I will give you one minute.” She stated pointing a thin finger at the girl.

“You're not going anywhere, you're gonna come back , right?” Bella asked panicked. She wouldn't let Alice leave her. Not again. Not after so long waiting so long to see the vampire again.

A smirk found its way to the Cullen’s face. “As soon as you put the dog out.” She teased. Her gaze then flickered over to the older sibling, signaling to leave the two alone for some privacy.

Conner huffed, following the immortal girl out towards the back yard. He stepped into the cool air, unease settling in his stomach. ”So you're Conner. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you." She said a large smile gracing her delicate features. She looked kind enough, but still, something stirred in Conner’s chest, putting him on edge.

He looked towards the girl, thoughts whirling. ”Um-yeah, and you're Alice. Edward's sister?" He asked, looking for clarification.

Alice grinned, showing her bright white teeth. ”That’s me. It's great to finally meet you. I've seen that we're going to get along great." She said grinning widely. A little weirded out, Conner blew the comment off. She'd seen? What is that supposed to mean?

Conner stared blankly for a moment. ”Yeah... Why is it that you're just now coming back to see Bella? You know, she's had a really shitty time getting over you and your family. Why pop back up now that she’s finally getting better?” He asked defensively. She wasn’t gong to get off easy by just being polite. Not after everything Bella had been put through.

Alice frowned. ”I needed to see if she was okay. I worry about her..." She faded off, her face becoming blank and eyes glossing over. The air between the two went silent as she as her attention drifted off elsewhere.

Conner quirked an eyebrow, waving a hand in front of her face, looking for some type of reaction ”Um, hello? Are you okay?" Conner asked unsure, attempting to regain her attention.

Alice's eyes widened to an almost comical size as she breathed out a gasp of air. "Oh god." She muttered turning quickly and rushing back into the house at an inhuman speed. Conner blinked rapidly, trying to decide if he had just hallucinated the whole interaction. The wolves hadn’t been kidding when they said vampires were fast, in fact he now realized that was definitely a major understatement.

After coming to his senses, Conner turned on his heal, rushing back into the warmth of the house. As he crossed the threshold of the kitchen, Bella coming into view. Her face was white, as she looked like she had just seen a ghost. Her face quickly morphed into utter rage as she turned on Jacob, beginning to yell at the boy.

"Bella, it's Edward." Alice interrupted, panic filling her voice. "He thinks you are dead." Bella gaped at the girl. "Rosalie told him why I came here." Conner’s mind whirled as he tried to process this information.

Bella turned to Jacob utterly furious. "Why would you- why didn't you let me speak to him?” She asked angrily.

"He didn't ask for you." Jacob stated stubbornly.

”Bella." Alice interjected hurriedly, trying to gain her full attention. "He's going to the Volturi." Conner of course had no idea what this meant, but still, the word set an ire chill in the air. Shivers ran down his spine as the word invoked a visceral reaction from the man. "He wants to die too." Alice finished.

Bella sucked in a breath, eyes widening. ”We have to- we have to go." She stuttered out.

Conner’s heart dropped, putting a hand up to stop the teen. ”Hold on. Where are you going?" Conner interjected incredulously. "You're not going to just get up and leave again." He recalled the year previous when Bella had left Forks in a rush only to end up in the hospital a day later. The pain she had put Charlie through.

"He left you Bella, remember? He didn't want you anymore." Jacob pleaded with the girl.

Bella let out a frustrated grunt. "I'm not going to let him kill himself out of guilt." She said determinedly. She glared at the two males. She knew all they wanted to do was protect her, but she’d be damned if she let Edward die while she stood by and did nothing.

Conner ran his fingers through his hair, trying to calm his building nervousness. Wherever it was that Bella was planning on going, he knew would be unsafe. Anxiety gripped his lungs as he began to struggle to breath. “Bella you can’t leave again.” He said, eyes pleading with his sister. “Charlie needs you right now.” He tried reasoning.

He looked deep into the girl’s eyes, instantly knowing that it was no use. Whatever grip this family had on the girl was too strong. In truth, he should have known this from the start, but he had tried to hope. Hope that she had moved on from Edward enough to value her own life, but he should have known. That was where her loyalties lied. Not with the family that loved and supported her throughout her darkest times, but with the boy that had broken her heart.

Conner nodded his head slowly, seeing there was no use in trying to convince her to stay. He turned his face from the girl, pain etched across his features. The fact was, family wasn’t a priority for her anymore. It hadn’t been since she had met Edward. His shoulders sagged in defeat, the sting of betrayal sinking in. And the she was gone, without even a second glance.

He planted himself on the couch, taking his head in his hands. It was suddenly way too silent in the house, and his thoughts began to overwhelm him.

What in the world was he going to tell Charlie?

Next Chapter

#leah clearwater x m!reader #leah clearwater smut #leah clearwater x reader #leah clearwater #twilight smut #twilight #edward cullen #bella swan #charlie swan #jacob black #eventual smut #slow burn

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