Leah and Taha Aki of the Quiletutes
Everyone had their happy ending.
Everyone but Leah Clearwater.
In the time before
Taha Aki was the first shape shifter the spirit of wolf man. When the first vampires had come he and his sons had killed them. But it cost Taha too high a price, he had run into the forest after he saw his love die in front of him. But he couldn't die. How could he kill himself when she had sacrificed herself so he could live?
Running and living as a wolf had helped him deal with the pain for many years and when Taha went back to his tribe they had not recognized him. Too long had past and they though he was from the neighboring tribes out hunting.
So he roomed the world searching for a way to end his pain without rejecting the sacrifice his wife had made for him. She had been only thirty years old and he had aged to around thirty five or forty as near as he could guess when she died. But when he changed back to wolf his age froze again, if anything he now looked younger now. The silver in his hair had disappeared within a few hundred years of her death. Always he hunted and killed the blood suckers, sometimes tracking them for hundreds of miles before finialy catching them. He resolved to come back to his home land and check on his tribe every few years, but lately it had been growing further and further apart. It had been almost two hundred years since Taha had been back to his birth place and much had changed. They were a foul plague on mankind, and when he saw his descendants working with the vampire he had at first been furious. Watching from the nearby cliff tops he had seen it all play out like the movies the modern humans watched. But after realizing the tribes and the differences between the clans he thought he understood. His tribe had formed an alliance with the more peaceful of the clans to prevent human bloodshed. While he could never forgive the vampires for killing his wife, could understand the current alliance. Had the two vampire clans joined forces they may have overcome the packs.
He had half hoped that the two clans would fight the wolves; he could then join in and fight with his pack once again!
But no, with only one death, the vampire clans resolved their dispute and the red eyes clan left. Watching the packs of wolves he saw how large they had grown and was decided to be much more careful to keep out of sight of them.
Present day
Everyone had their happy ending. Everyone but Leah.
Leah had tried Yoga, Meditation, Anger management training courses, counting to ten and every other thing she could find to try and stop shifting into a wolf.
Nothing worked no matter what Leah tried; she always lost her temper and changed usually wreaking her clothes and shoes in the process.
Leah sat on her front porch in the old cane chair and looked out at the hills surrounding La Push and sighed.
She had become the one no one wanted and being the only female shape shifter sucked. The only woman her age she could talk to were the pack's girlfriends and wives, they all had happy fulfilled lives and men who loved them devotedly. It wasn't that she didn't like them; it was just that she didn't fit in with them. Leah had been thinking about the incident with the vampires last year. Fortunately no wolves had been hurt, one vampire had been killed but all in all it could have been a lot worse.
Leah had been totally ready to rip, tear and kill. But diplomacy ruled the day, unfortunaty.
She had been half hoping that she could let lose for once, the time she had fought the newborn vampires had been the best day she had for a long time. Not everything had gone to plan that day either, Leah had wanted to show how good she was and Jack had gotten hurt. It still bothered her she could have been so selfish, but in the fight she felt as though for the first time she was really alive. Fighting was something she was good at and she wanted more of it.
Sam had Emily, Jacob had Reseme even Leah's mum had been spending far too much time with Charlie the local cop. Vampires, humans and werewolves it seemed everyone had someone.
The old wolf watched Leah pace the porch in the distance, she remind him of a caged animal. He had been watching her since the two vampire clans had faced off. Never having seen a female shape shifter before, he was intrigued, over the past year though his interest in her had changed into something else entirely.
More often he was thinking of his late wife, his third wife and love of his life.
Taha realized that even in wolf form he had grown out of the pain born from her death. Time had not healed his pain, it never would, but he could think of the good times they had. Live in the happy memories of her laughter. She would not have wanted him to live a pain filled existence; she would always want him to be happy.
Perhaps it was time to rejoin his tribe.
They may have still forgotten him be with having such a large group of wolves he could offer his services to rid them of the local vampire clan. Taha had no illusions that the Quiletutes must have formed the alliance for safety. There were enough humans in the cities to keep the vampires feed, but the fact that they had settled so close to the Quiletutes simply meant that the cold ones were getting clever and were most likely bidding their time before they took out the wolves.
As Taha had been watching the areas over the past year, he had thought of a number of ways to kill the amber eyed vampires. Then he realized these vampires only hunted animals not humans. Taha desperately wanted to ask his tribe about this, but after running wolf for so long he wasn't sure how to approach them.
The female wolf was intriguing, Taha had been watching her nearly every day now and was wondering if it was possible to imprint twice in one life.
Chapter 2
Leah paced the wooden porch for another minute before silently giving in. Slipping inside she quickly disrobed in her room and pulled from the magic inside her and she felt the familiar shiver move down her back.
Shifting into a wolf was easy now; it was the not turning into a wolf that bothered her.
It was like the worst itch that you were desperate to scratch, and shifting was the only way to make it go away.
Walking on all fours to the front door she nosed it shut with her head as she left, before Leah abandoned herself to run in the forest. It was nice not to have so many voices in her head now the packs had split into two separate groups. The silence as she ran was so freeing wolves thought differently and it was a welcome relief to human problems.
Lately Leah had been having the most ridiculous dreams, that she was being watched by someone. She knew the dreams weren't real, but still it bothered her.
The unknown watcher did nothing in the dreams; he just stood in the woods and no matter how she tried to chase him, was always out of reach.
Leah told herself it was her subconscious trying to make her look for her life mate, someone to imprint on.
But still she didn't want to leave her home La Push was her life and she had always wanted to live here. Sure, sometimes she was angry that college was now impossibility - but that was only because she wanted to be able to work a normal (but well paid) job in La Push. She could have been a nurse or a doctor, but now she was a Protector.
Whether Leah wanted it or not. Leah ran through the forest pushing herself faster and faster till she felt like she was flying through the trees. She had pushed herself further than her brothers and as a result she was slowly becoming the fastest member in both packs. Without knowing it she had run straight to the clearing she saw in her dream the night before.
Taha was watching when Leah left the house but got worried when she came directly to his watching place. Moving fast he fled back a few miles into the bush and then shifted to human to climb a tree and see if she was still coming in his direction.
She had stopped where he had lay watching her and was now sniffing the ground that he had lain on. Taha wondered how good she was at tracking and whether he even wanted her to find him.
Leah arrived at the clearing and was immediately puzzled, the ground looked like one of her brothers had been here, but the scent was unfamiliar. From here she noticed that she could see straight down the valley to her house and wondered if someone had been watching her after all.
The scent was male definitely, but not a true wolf or anyone in the pack she knew and the scent lead off into the hills. Leah had not heard of anyone new who had made the change but it was possible that this was because the groups had split in two that the newcomer had not been slotted into a pack as she had, and would have to choose. If they didn't know about shifters before they changed they may have kept themselves secrete and separate from them out of fear and ignorance.
Leah tried to reach Jacob and Seth but as they were not shifted into wolves right now they couldn't hear her. Making a quick decision she threw her head back and howled as loud as she could calling both packs to her.
A few miles ahead she heard the sound of something loud hitting the forest floor and start moving away fast.
Smiling to herself, Leah went from stillness to running in one fluid motion, as fast as she could towards the new wolf. No newbie shifter was going to out run her!
Chapter 3
Leah remembered her own first few weeks as a new shape shifter, - her fear and confusion at what was happening to her. She had wanted to run away then too, but being new to having four legs she was no match for the other wolves in the group and they had simply paced with her waiting for her to calm down enough to listen to them.
She could hear the new wolf ahead in the distance as he ran through the trees. Jacob was in her head the next second as he and Seth phased into wolf and started towards her position.
"What's happening Leah?" Jacob had been at Bella's house as usual hanging out with Renesmee.
"What up?" Seth was right behind Jacob, he had been at the leeches' house getting Carlisle to help him with his homework.
"We have a new wolf in town boys" Leah couldn't keep the excitement out of her 'voice'.
"Who?" Jacob was intrigued; no one had made the change for a year now.
"I don't know but I think he was watching my house, possibly someone who just turned, and is panicking is my guess." Leah replied as she ran.
"I'll tell Sam and see what he wants to do, for now keep on him and make sure he's safe. We are coming to you but give us 15 minutes to get to you,"
"We're coming." Seth was slightly behind Jacob.
Jacob and Seth were still heading towards Leah but she had to push herself harder now, the wolf was getting slightly ahead. He was jumping across tree branches rather than swerving around them and shouldering the smaller branches out the way as he raced under them. It hurt Leah briefly to do the same but she healed almost as quickly and managed to keep up and follow him.
What was happening? This was no new wolf, and new wolf would be ducking and dodging the trees not using them like this. Leah puzzled at this but then the wolf put on a burst of speed that shocked her and he began to pull away.
"Jacob, I'm losing him!"
Leah could feel Jacob was too far away to get to her. Not hearing Sam in her head since the packs had split had earlier been a blessing but now was a serious drawback. She had no idea how to co-ordinate her run with Sam and whoever else was with him.
Suddenly Leah realized she wasn't alone in the chase and Sam and Paul were closing from the other side, it must have been what spooked the new wolf. Leah thought the new wolf must be running on pure adrenaline now.
"Jacob how can I co-ordinate with Sam?" Leah was worried he would disappear for good with both pack chasing after him.
"It's Ok Leah he's stopped." A moment later Leah realized Jacob was right. The wolf had stopped in a clearing just ahead of her, skidding to a halt Leah nearly fell over a the fallen branch in front of her in surprise.
Great she thought I look stupid in front of the new guy too. Leah moved slowly into the clearing purposely making noise as she walked so she wouldn't startle him
"Don't worry Leah, we'll have your back a few paces back in case he spooks. But maybe you should talk to him first then we can come up one at a time."
"I can't talk to him without shifting and I am not getting naked in front the newbie."
Leah walked slowly forwards not able to see him yet as she 'talked' to Jacob.
Dates were few and far between for Leah now days, but a girl had to have some standards. No way was she going in the buff without dinner and at least one drink.
"We need to talk to him and find out who he is and where he's from so do it."
Jacob was using his alpha voice and so Leah had no choice but to walk forward and get a good look at the newcomer for the first time. She tried to speak to him in her mind as she walked into the sunlight.
Taha had initially run away because he had been caught unawares and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face his old tribe yet. But after his brief panic at having the situation forced, Taha realized that he had wanted this for a while now, otherwise he would have left the tribal lands a long time ago. He stopped in a clearing and waited for the packs to catch up with him.
He was impressed at the co-ordination of the female wolf and the packs in tracking him down and keeping up. Any other bloodsucker would have been wolf chow by now. At the back of his mind he wondered if the packs had their agreement with the vampires as a delay tactic so they could grow their pack numbers before the inevitable battle.
As he waited for the female wolf he felt the tug again and wondered if he would imprint on her, he hadn't been able to see her face close up yet but he thought she looked beautiful from what he had seen so far.
As she walked to Taha she made noise so he couldn't miss he approach, he realized she was giving him the option to run again and so he did the only thing he could do to show them he was here to talk to her.
Pulling on the magic within, Taha stood up and was a man again. The she-wolf paused at the entrance to the clearing and looked at him in astonishment.
Their eyes locked as the world tilted, spiraled and spun around. The bond that Taha had been fighting for months now formed fully and strengthened as they stared at each other.
Leah stepped forward without realizing it and her heart leaped with joy, she had found him and he was perfect, everything she never knew she had ever wanted. He was older than Leah to a human he would have looked in his late thirty's, and he had even a touch of grey at the sides of his head.
His naked solid form watched her, and Leah knew somehow that he had also imprinted on her!
Taha stared at her as she stepped forward and begin to change into human, in a second he blinked and stared shocked beyond belief.
She was back! His third wife was standing in front of him again.
Leah took another step forward and realized that she had shifted and wondered if she should be embarrassed or not, she was naked as the day she was born, sure she had imprinted on him and he on her but she was still naked in front of a total stranger. It must have been minutes before she collected herself but eventually Leah managed to think of the packs waiting.
Leah looked at him for another quick moment lingering on his body briefly before changing back into wolf to talk to Jacob.
"Jacob I've found him!" Leah realized her mate had changed back to wolf too and was still staring at her. "Jacob?"
Leah couldn't hear either pack but she knew they were there in the trees below her. Breaking eye contact for the first time she looked at the trees she knew they were in panicking at the silence.
"Don't worry my mate; we will talk to them in a moment." Taka spoke in Leah's mind for the first time. "Right now I would like to know your name. Or perhaps just think it and I will hear your story through your mind."
Chapter 4
"Why can't I hear the others?"
Leah thought she knew the answer but still wanted her imprint to say it.
She was feeling thing she had never felt before, and now she understood what had prompted such a huge change in her brothers when they had found their own life mates. But now there was silence in her head where there should have been her pack, Jacob and Seth.
"You are part of me and mine now, I am the Alpha of our new pack. I will love and protect you for as long as I live." Leah saw images flash in her head of her new mates past.
"What is your name?"
Leah loved him with every breath she took, she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. But for some reason she also felt like she was Alice in Wonderland, falling down a rabbit hole.
"Mine's Leah and I love you too, by the way." She added.
Leah felt his love and delight in response to her statement. Then she looked further in to his mind and jumped back in shock.
Whipping her head side to side Leah tried to block the images she was seeing.
She wasn't his love. His name was Taha Aki and he was the first wolf.
Leah looked like his dead wife - the third wife that he lost a millennia or two ago. Taha must have imprinted on Leah just because she looked like her.
"Leah calm yourself," Taha commanded as he could feel her distress at the discovery and he desperately wanted to make things right. "I do love you."
Taha loved Leah for herself and wanted to show her that it would be alright between them. Leah realized he had used the Alpha voice.
The Alpha voice from her life mate! Her imprint and life mate was the original Taha Aki, and how could anyone make a relationship work when one person always had the upper hand?
Leah calmed down because she had no choice and tried to think about this logically.
"You imprinted on me?" Leah asked in a small voice. Why was she always everyone second choice? First Sam rejected her after finding his imprint, and now her own imprint wanted someone else.
"Yes and I love you with everything I have," Taha thought about what little he had. The fact was he had been running wild for so long he had nothing to trade or barter with anymore.
"Because we have no choice, not because you want to," Leah both loved him and was beginning to seriously regret the situation she had been put in.
Taha stepped forward wanting to make it right somehow but he knew it was unavoidable, Leah had to know the truth about him and he could hardly hide it from her. When in wolf form he could hide nothing and with his new mate he wouldn't try.
Leah's hackles had risen as she looked at Taha, was that the reason why he had been watching her? NO her had been watching because he was lonely. Leah softened for a moment and they stood for a while looking into each other's minds, and trying to make things better.
After a while Leah could hear someone shifting into human in the bushes below. It would be Jacob most likely; if he could hear her in his head it would be freaking Jacob out about now.
Taha snarled at the thought that Leah had been sent to find a new wolf without protection, Leah snorted her contempt for the idea that she would have needed protection from a new wolf.
Jacob walked up slowly and stared at them Leah looked pointedly at his face and Taha suddenly understood why she had shifted back to wolf rather than talk to him as a human.
In Taha's time being naked was a completely natural state of being, and no one gave it a second thought. He looked at Leah and sensed her embarrassment at having to avoid her 'Brothers' when they were shifting to human. Leah grinned back.
"At least I don't have to worry about that anymore." Leah replied to Taha amusement.
"No. Feel free to be naked in front of me whenever you like." Taha answered with more than humor and then changed form to greet Jacob.
"Greetings, My name is Taha Aki and although these are your lands they were once mine too. I hope you will accept me, and your sister as my new life mate."
Taha introduced himself as smoothly as he thought possible.
The blank look on everyone's faces was made Taha less and less confident.
Leah radiated bafflement and looked at him quizzically.
Jacob stood still for a long moment his mind working hard - then he gave in and called for help.
"SAM, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE."
Jacob took a breath and tried to calm down. "Call all the others up too. I can't speak old Quiletute as well as you, but I think this guy just said he is the original Taha Aki." Seth and Sam appeared in the trees, looking at Taha in astonishment. Leah came up to stand close enough to touch him with her fur. Unconsciously Taha rested a protective hand on her.
Taha was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the boys spoke to each other in the foreign language.
English was a known to him, but Taha had dismissed it as unimportant until now. These cubs were badly in need of a culture and history lesson.
Chapter 5
Sam sent up a new howl, and even being in a different pack, Leah could feel the power of the command in it.
Everyone would come now.
S**t she hated being naked in front of the pack.
"Greetings Sam I believe my mate would like some clothes brought to her if we are to remain human to speak."
Leah felt another wave of the imprinted love wash over her as she realized he had thought of her comfort before the discussion that lay ahead.
"Paul, tell Collin and Brady to bring a bag of clothes for everyone." Sam didn't take his eyes off Taha. "Taha Aki? The tribe thought you were dead a long time ago, we have always revered Taha Aki as a great leader and warrior."
Leah could hear the doubt in his voice and snarled at Sam questioning Taha's truthfulness.
"Settle down Leah," Jacob didn't look at her but used his Alpha voice on her.
Leah for once enjoyed not having to do what she was told. Took a step forward, looked Jacob in the eye and snarled straight at him.
Jacob jumped back a foot and stared at her in shock. Sam and Paul stared as well as the sound died off and Leah continued to stare at Jacob.
"I would suggest not giving my mate any more orders. She does not like her will being compromised by others." Taha was a little annoyed at the way he had simply ordered Leah without listening to her complaint.
"Sam?"
"Sorry Bro. It looks like you aren't her Alpha anymore." Sam tore his gaze back to Taha. "And he said not to boss her around, she doesn't like it."
"Yes, I didn't get the words but I got the tone of his voice, thanks."
Jacob and Sam stood still wondering what to do when the rest of the packs arrived with the clothes Sam had asked for.
Collin and Brady looked at Sam in annoyance as the dropped the bag that they had to carry in their mouths. Jacob and Sam opened a pack each started to hand out the clothes when Taha shifted his position, simply moving his weight from one foot to the other as he waited for them.
"Oh, um, sorry. Leah here's your clothes and some pants for Taha Aki." Jacob sheepishly handed over a nearly empty bag to her.
Taking the straps of the bag in her mouth Leah made a point of walking behind a few bushes before changing human and investigating the contents. She noticed that Taha had come with her and handed him a pair of pants wordlessly as she looked for anything that might fit her. Collin and Brady must have simply emptied their draws into the bags, and there was nothing her size. All of the Quiletute shape shifters were larger than average men and Leah couldn't hope to wear their pants without them falling down.
Eventually she settled on simply wearing an old shirt. It came below her mid-thigh anyway. Taha pull the pants on watched her with interest make her selection, when Leah glanced up she realized he hadn't done the zipper or button up and smiled at him as she reached over to show him.
Taha was startled as she reached for his pants but was more than happy to let her help him out. As she finished Leah realized what position she was kneeling in. Slowly she stood up as her face flamed as red as it could go. Taha looked at Leah and willed himself back under control, they both knew they had the packs waiting but for a moment no one else in the universe existed. They were standing to close to each other for Taha and Leah to think of anything else.
"Are you two done yet?" Jacob sounded impatient as he waited for them.
Leah smiled ruefully; Jacob would not have liked to have been challenged by her and able to do nothing about it.
Taha smiled back at her, the tribe was his to claim back, but even so he still would rather have had this day with Leah and him alone.
They stepped out of the bushes holding hands, to all sixteen of the pack members waiting for them wearing an odd selection of worn clothing.
"He is the real deal Jacob. Taha Aki. I saw him in my head. I'm a lot like his third wife and he's my imprint and I'm his."
Taha watched the conversation with growing frustration, why was no one speaking their native language?
Leah looked at Taha and wrapped her arm around his waist.
"Sam can you tell him I'm going to my best to re- learn his language." Leah said
"It not my language. It your language also."
Taha was shocked Leah didn't know her own language. How could the tribes have been so changed in so few years?
"You're the real Taha Aki?" Jacob was shocked. "I knew we didn't age unless we stopped shifting but still it was so long ago."
"Over a thousand, yes. Possibly two. I haven't kept track, it was easier as wolf."
Taha grew even more frustrated and uncomfortable with this language, he felt clumsy and inelegant in it.
The whole pack stared at the two of them in silence as the newcomers stood shocked, Jacob and Sam tried to figure out what this would mean for them all.
"So are you going to try and take over us?" Jacob decided to cut through to the main point of his concerns. Sam nodded in agreement, it was best to lay out all intentions now, no one could lie as a wolf and any deception would be quickly seen through.
"Take over?" Taha was growing to hate this language. He looked to Leah.
"Sam translate for Jacob please." Leah smiled nervously back not sure how things were going to go.
"Are you wanting to take over our packs and command us?" Sam asked Taha in a challenging voice.
"No thanks, puppies. I'm just keeping my pack to two for now. But thanks for the offer." Taha replied grinning and acknowledging the challenge.
Some of the other shifters sniggered behind Sam's back, but stopped quickly when he turned around and glared at them.
"Jake, I think we have company." Seth was on the outskirts of the pack and they could al hear a group approaching.
Leah immediately knew who it would be, the Cullen's would have heard the two Howls, and come to see if the packs needed help with an intruder.
"Tell them to get back!" Leah shouted.
Taha heard the Cullen's approach too, and without thought changed back to a massive wolf snarling. No one was going to harm his wife!
With this one thought in his mind, Taha was ready to kill.
Chapter 6
Jacob ran to the vampires to tell them to go away, while the other wolves all tensed up, bracing themselves for Taha's rage.
Leah thought quickly and stood in front of Taha preventing him from running to fight the vampires.
Leah waited till she knew he would try to dodge around her and ignored his growling to plant herself firmly between Taha and the new comers.
Trying to dodge around her Taha was shocked when Leah firmly wrapped her arms around him and held him back.
"We can't attack them, I understand how you feel but we can't attack them." Leah tried to reason with him.
"Taha listen to her we have an alliance and Jacob is imprinted on their daughter," Sam and the other wolves quickly came to Leah's aid and formed a human/ wolf barrier between them.
Taha snarled at Sam in a voice so menacing that even Leah took a step back.
All she had was the bond between them to hold him back so Leah looked at Taha and then the direction that Jacob had gone. She could try one more thing to prevent needless bloodshed.
If Leah stayed human while Taha was wolf, he could not order her to stay, so Leah decided to walk away and see if he followed the bond.
Turning her back and taking the first few steps away from the packs was the hardest thing Leah had ever done in her life and tears began to flow down her face as she walked away.
If Taha followed her then at least Leah would know she was worth more than his vengeance towards the vampires.
Leah had gone no more than twenty feet when she realized that Taha had followed her and was human again. No pants again Leah smiled and Taha gently touched her face and saw the tears.
"We can't fight them," she said quietly.
"With me the packs can win," Taha said softly "We don't need to fear them or have alliances anymore. I will lead the other packs and you will be safe."
Leah was stunned into silence for a moment, not in the least by the touch of his hand on her face.
"Jacob has imprinted on their daughter, we are their friends." Leah struggled to put into words the reasons that had seemed so important a few minutes ago.
Taha kept his hand on her face and was making it impossible for her to think straight.
"We keep the alliance with the vampires because they are good people and they care for us too, well mainly Jacob but still they heal us if we need it. I can't just go to war with them."
"I wouldn't ask you too I would ask you to stay while I did." Taha couldn't risk Leah being hurt by one of them.
"NO." Jacob was back. "You can't attack Reseme's family," Jacob was shaking with rage.
"They are killers all of them." Taha glared straight back at Jacob in anger.
"No, not all of them and the Cullen's are peaceful." Jacob was close to losing control and began to shake. "You can't attack them."
"Do you want to know what I have been doing for the past few thousand years? All I have been doing is hunting them and killing. It has been my sole purpose to kill, they do not deserve to live."
"If we are to live together you need to let go of this rage." It broke Leah's heart to lay it out like this, but she couldn't watch him fight a losing battle either. "You can't fight them alone."
"I can," Taha had no doubt in his mind who would win no matter how the numbers were stacked up against him. "It's all I do."
Taha had attacked many different covens of vampires before, it was a matter of tactics and diversions.
"Most of them are evil I agree. I'll go anywhere with you and hunt down the bad ones, but not here. They aren't evil," Leah was pleading with him now. "I can show you how to tell the difference between the good and bad ones."
Taha stared at Leah seeing her distress clearly and gathered her in his arms holding her in his warm embrace.
"If you come away with me, we will have to leave here. I can't be around them without losing control and wanting to destroy them. You think you can tell the difference between the good and bad ones?" Taha smiled down at her resting in his arms
"Yes. When we will leave I'll tell you everything I know about them and hunt the bad vampires all you want." Leah smiled back at Taha.
"Umm I'll catch you later then Leah, Taha." Jacob stepped back awkwardly obviously feeling like he was intruding on something more intimate now. Taha would always have that grief with him from his third wife, but perhaps he had grown strong enough to carry that burden now.
Leah grinned and reached up for her first kiss.
The End
