AN: Completed for wipbigbang 2019 on dreamwidth/AO3 for International Fanworks day.

Part 8: Staying Home

Leah wishes she and Sam could have stayed in that fairy pond forever, or even staying in the forest in their shifter forms, dancing and cavorting with each other as if time doesn't matter.

Yet, they still have human lives to live, and Sam still has a business to run. Reluctantly, they both head back to Sam's house, shifting back into wolves as to not attract any unwanted attention as naked humans walking down the road back to Merlotte's. As wolves, they can also get home much faster, and Leah is hoping to relax a little in Sam's arms on his lumpy couch before they both have to get ready and open the bar for the evening.

As they approach home, Leah begins to feel less playful as they come closer to the house. Sam notices her pace slowing down, and he watches her as he picks up on something that has caught Leah's curiosity.

She stops a few feet away from his porch, and she sniffs the air. Before Sam can catch up to her, she's darting off in a flash at maximum speed. He hears her growl in the thicket of trees around them, and then another unfamiliar growl raises his hackles. He starts to pace around his home, anxious for Leah to return.

When he spots her, she's back in human form, pulling along another naked human man by the arm. He's complaining to her, and Sam watches them bewildered as he realizes that this unknown naked male does not feel like a threat, not the way Leah treats him.

"Seth! What are you doing here?" Leah snaps at him, pulling at his arm. He pulls it away from her and rubs his elbow from where she was dragging him so roughly.

"Ow, Leah, what's the deal! I haven't seen you in months and you abuse me?" he whines, and she sighs and rolls her eyes. He looks hurt, and Sam watches as her expression softens a little. Seth watches her and then Leah vaults forward, pulling him into a hug.

"Hey, hey, put some clothes on first," he says, a little bashful.

"Whatever, you too," she says, and Seth disappears for a moment back into the forest where Leah dragged him, and while Leah is dressing, Sam figures this is a good time for him to get dressed too.

"Uh, Leah," Seth says, coming back to them and pointing to Sam. He barely gets his shirt on before the young man reappears, now wearing tan beach shorts and a sleeveless black shirt. "Who's that?"

Leah straightens her shirt and tries to bring some order to her hair. "That's Sam," she says, and she watches as her brother's eyes widen. He's probably having that same thought she did when she first met Sam Merlotte, that he unfortunately shares the same first name as her ex. Seth doesn't say anything, just gapes at them both.

"Is he… is he why you haven't come home?" Seth asks, and Sam gets annoyed at being addressed like this.

He holds out his hand. "Sam Merlotte, nice to meet you. And you are… Leah's brother Seth?"

"Good guess," Seth says, as he shakes his hand and draws away. Leah rolls her eyes.

"No it's not. It's obvious. Plus, I've told him about you," she says.

"You have?" Seth asks, and then she shoots him a glare.

"Of course." Sam watches them in silence, giving them the space to reconnect.

"Well yeah, Seth, we're serious, so I'm going to tell him about my family. Especially you. You're the most important part of my family, other than, you know, mom and dad," she says.

Seth purses her lips, and then he's launching at her for another hug. "Leah, please, I miss you. Aren't you coming home? It's just me and Jacob and Sam's pack. It's not the same."

"Seth," Leah says, but her words trail off. "You know… you know why I left right?"

"Um, was it because of the Cullens? And Jacob imprinting on Nessie?" Seth asks.

Leah grits her teeth at the sound of that horrible nickname. She shakes her head. "Well, I admit, I didn't really feel connected to the Cullens or any of them. It really isn't about them. It's about me." She meets her brother's eyes seriously. "I never felt like I belonged there. The more I saw everyone's happiness, the more I just wanted to run. I felt like an outsider in my own tribe." Seth looks at her sympathetically. There really is nothing he can say to negate the way she feels, or the way Leah has always been treated. "I've always felt that way. You of all people would understand."

"I...I can't change the way people make you feel, Leah, but I was hoping you at least didn't feel that way about me," he says. "I never wanted you to feel like you didn't belong."

Leah pulls him into another hug. "I know, Seth. I know, but I just had to leave. I had to grow up, and find a place where I belonged. I didn't care if I ran around the entire world searching. I just knew that such a place was not La Push."

"Yes, but, you were the Beta in our pack. Jacob… well, he was counting on you," Seth says. "Didn't that at least make you feel like belonging?"

"Of course," Leah answers. "Leaving Sam's pack was the healthiest thing that ever happened to me, and I can't thank Jacob enough for accepting me. Yet, I had to be selfish for once. It wasn't about the pack this time. I left because of me."

Seth draws his eyes away from his sister's, and he stares at a spot in the ground. "I know, but… I've been really lonely without you, sis."

Leah smiles, pulling him back against her for a hug. "I think about you all the time. But I can't go back now. You're the Beta now, and if Jacob doesn't think you're good enough for that, I'll beat some sense into him." Seth laughs against her but Leah knows that Jacob would never reject her brother. "You're a better Beta than I am anyway."

Seth nods and he looks up, meeting Sam's curious gaze. "So… are you guys together?"

Leah smiles and Sam lets out a chuckle. "Yes, we are," he answers Seth.

"I love him," Leah says, and Sam responds quickly after her.

"I love her as well," he says, and their gazes lock for a moment before they smile at one another and their faces warm with a blush. Seth notices the entire exchange, and he immediately picks up on the chemistry between them.

"Huh, finally my sister finds someone who really appreciates her," he says, and Leah notices that the sadness is starting dissipate from her brother's voice.

Leah hugs herself and smiles. "Believe me, I never thought it would happen either, but here we are." Leah looks at Sam again, and he immediately comes over to her, pulling her against him into a side hug. She leans against him, her face beaming. Seth watches their affection with awe and surprise.

"I suppose I can't convince you to come back home then," he says, and Leah shakes her head.

"This is my home now with Sam," she says, and Sam squeezes her lightly and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Their happiness is contagious, and Seth can't help but grin at the sight of them.

"I really didn't want to lose my sister," Seth says finally, scratching his head. "I came out here hoping to bring you back from some terrible depression or one of your fits of anger. Instead, I find you happy, and now I have to go home without a sister."

"I'm still your sister, Seth. You're not losing me. I just live in the hottest, stickiest place in America," she says, and Sam laughs at her. "You know it's love when I have to endure this heat to live here. Do you know how much I miss seeing snow?"

Seth laughs. "Well, I guess. But you're going to come back and visit right? And bring Sam?"

Leah smiles as Sam nods. "It'd be my honor to meet your family," Sam says.

"Oh and Seth, there's something about Sam you should know. He's a shifter, like us," Leah says, and her brother's jaw drops as expected.

"Another shifter wolf tribe?" he asks.

"Nope, just a shifter," Sam says. "Not just a wolf either."

"Could you… could you shift into a cheeseburger?" Seth asks, and Leah leans over to him to whack him on the side of the head playfully.

"I...don't think I've done that one," Sam says, tapping his chin.

"Let me guess; you're hungry?" Leah asks. "You should stay the night and check out the bar."

"Your sister is the best waitress and has the biggest fan club in all of Bon Temps," Sam says, and Leah playfully swats him and tells him to stop.

If Seth's jaw could drop any lower, it would. "I can't believe this. My sister - happy, in love, making jokes and waiting tables for people? At a bar? Am I on another planet? Who are you and what have you done with my grumpy, angry sister?"

Leah laughs. "Seriously, Seth, stop, and don't knock the bar, really. LaFayette makes one of the best burgers in all the county so you better say nice things about Sam's bar in case you want a good warm meal."

Seth's stomach immediately starts growling loudly in response to his sister.

"I take that as a yes on the burger," Sam says with a grin. "Well, we better get over there and start prepping. The regulars are going to start floating in within a couple hours. Seth, you're welcome to stay the evening. You'll have to stay on the couch. Oh, and I would suggest headphones while you sleep."

"Ew," Seth says, but then he sighs. "Yeah, okay, I'll stay for the burger." He turns to his sister and looks at her with a content, yet lonely expression. "Seriously, you're staying here from now on?"

Leah looks at Sam with a smile before turning back to her brother with a wide grin, confidence lighting up her entire face. "I am. This is my home."

The next morning, Leah makes breakfast before her brother leaves. He gobbles up several portions of food, plus leftovers from the evening before, and he stuffs his shirt into his knapsack which he'll sling around his back as he heads home to La Push in his wolf form.

Sam shakes his hand before he goes, and he promises again to visit. Sam smiles at Leah before going back inside his house, giving the siblings some time to say goodbye.

"Listen, Leah," Sam says. "I'm really glad to see you're happy and at peace here. I was worried that your anger would return and you'd be bitter and sad again. I didn't want you to be alone. I know how the pack treated you, and now I know better on how you felt, so I'm really happy that you've found Sam."

"Thanks, Seth. I'm sorry that I can't go back with you," Leah says. "But I meant what I said. I finally found a place I belong."

"Yeah, I know. I can't wait to tell the whole tribe the good news, and that you found another shifter, different from our tribe! It's so cool that he can shift into anything he wants," Seth says.

Leah draws Seth in for another hug, and she squeezes his shoulders as they smile at each other. "You have my new number," she says, "and you have the address for Sam's house as well as Merlotte's. Sam has a computer, so he lets me check my email and Facebook every once in awhile. I admit, I'm not good at that stuff but I'll check in with everyone from time to time."

"Sounds good!" Seth says, giving his sister another hug. "Take care of yourself, Leah, and you better send us all a wedding invitation."

"What?" she asks, laughing. Seth winks at her and Leah blushes. "Sure. When that time comes."

Leah watches as her brother shifts into his wolf form. She helps him with his bag, slinging it over his back and securing it for his trip home. He nuzzles her one last time before leaping away, and she watches him bound off into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.

She wipes a tear away as she feels Sam's presence behind her again.

"He's a good kid," Sam says. "I like him. He's a great brother."

"The best," Leah says, and Sam draws her against him again. He pulls his hand out of his pocket and holds something in front of Leah's face. He hands it to her, and her eyes widen when he sets a box down into her palm.

"Sam…" she whispers. He says nothing as she opens the box. Inside is a silver ring with a heart.

"Silver, like your fur when you shift," Sam says, and he takes it out of the box and gently places it on her left finger. "It's a promise ring. I know you're a free spirit, Leah. You like to run, so I didn't want to spook you with something more. I did want you to at least have my promise. I love you and I want you in my life."

"Sam," she says again, and she stares at the ring before he pulls her against him. She meets his mouth eagerly, feeling loved and full with every touch and sigh of his against her skin.

She breaks away from his kiss and leans into him, her forehead to his. "I love you too, and you don't have to worry about me running anymore." She hears him exhale and delights in his adoring smile. "I'm home now."

Sam Merlotte takes Leah Clearwater's hand, and he guides her inside his house. Leah doesn't feel alone anymore, and Sam gives her the love she's always been searching for.

This is the happy ending Leah never thought she deserved, the home and love she knows will never reject her and accept her for who she is. With Sam, she truly is home.

END