New update! Finally. School's coming to a close and I'm excited/exhausted from exams. This story will have about seven more chapters, then the next installment in the series will be posted. Read and review, and check out my new blog! Link on profile, and I don't own Twilight.


Day Two

I woke up the next morning to the telephone ringing in our kitchen. Mom must have gone on to work, because it rang several times before the answering machine picked it up. Seth was on patrol already, so it was me that had to get up to go check the machine. I pressed the 'play' button and listened as I looked for food.

"Um, Leah, it's Charlie. Charlie Swan. I know you're the only one home today, and I've been meaning to talk to you. Um, call me back, please. I'd like to meet you for lunch somewhere, if you don't mind. It's okay if you have to do a, um, wolf thing. Just…call back at the station, please. Bye." The 'end of message' indicator sounded.

"Weird," I thought aloud. Nevertheless, I picked up the phone and called Charlie's work number.

"Police Chief Charlie Swan," he answered, sounding much more confident than he had on the answering machine.

"Hey, Charlie, it's Leah," I said, balancing the phone on my shoulder as I started to prepare the ingredients for a large omelet. "I was asleep when you called."

He cleared his throat, going back to the nervous act. "Hello, Leah. Would you mind meeting me for lunch somewhere? I wanted to talk to you about some stuff."

"Sure," I said, trying not to sound like I wasn't paying attention. I was, it was just that I was also preoccupied. "Where?"

He was silent, and I heard flipping, like he was searching for something. "How about the diner on Fifth Street? I have a lunch break at eleven thirty, if you don't have to do anything."

"Nope, anytime's good for me," I replied, opening the fridge to survey what we had. I'd have to go grocery shopping soon… "I'm off for the week."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you at eleven thirty, then."

"See you then."

We hung up, then I was about to dial Embry's house, before remembering the mind connection. Embry.

Sleepy yawns. Hey.

I have to meet Charlie Swan for lunch today, then I have to go grocery shopping. You wanna come over for breakfast? I'm probably making too much anyway, since it's the first time I've cooked since I've had the house to myself.

More yawns. Okay. I gotta take a shower, then I'll walk over. See you then.

In the half hour it took for Embry to arrive, I made two enormous omelets, a half pound of bacon, and fresh squeezed orange juice. I put everything on the table and got some clean dishes to lay out. In all my work, I forgot I was still in my pajamas until Embry arrived.

"Hey," he said, giving me a wolfish grin and a once-over. "Hot date?"

I followed his gaze and realized I was in a tattered old camisole and a pair of Seth's outgrown gym shorts. "Uh, right. I'll be right back. Help yourself to the food."

I made a mad dash to my room to pull on some decent clothes to wear in mixed company. I yanked on a pair of jeans and a baby doll top. When I went back into the kitchen, I was greeted by Embry eating a plate piled high with my cooking.

"It's official," he said, taking a gulp of orange juice to wash down the three strips of bacon he'd just swallowed whole. "You're a better cook than your cousin, and maybe even your mom."

I glowed in happiness. It was the first time someone had made a comparison of me to Emily which I'd been on the positive end of. "Um, thanks."

He looked up at me with a confused expression at my bashfulness, then it hit him. "Oh, Leah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to compare-"

"It's okay," I said, getting my own plate and grinning at him. "If you're trying to win me over you're doing a good job."

He returned the grin, then grabbed another piece of bacon. "Seriously, though, you're an awesome cook. Why don't you ever cook for the guys?"

"Because if I wanted to play pansy housewife I'd just hang out with Emily more often," I said haughtily. "I only cook when I feel like it."

"What do you have to meet Charlie for?"

"Twenty Questions much?" I laughed, sitting down. "He just called and asked if I'd meet him at the diner at eleven thirty."

Embry shut up for a while, stuffing his face. I followed suit and soon there were two satisfied wolf bellies. We decided to let our food settle while we watching the morning news. It was such a rarity for me to be completely full, what with living around all the teenage werewolf boys all the time, that when I settled down across the couch from Embry, I dozed off. The first thing I was aware of -in my dozing dream world- was Embry scooting down and placing his warm arm around my shoulders; the warmth alone was to make me sleepy. The second thing was the fact that my head was on its way to his shoulder, and I really didn't mind, for once in my life. It was quite comfortable to be using Embry as a pillow. His warmth was welcome, and he didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, I think he may have enjoyed it. It was still foreign, though, to think of the kid I'd always teased as comfortable, liked a stuffed animal or a security blanket.

"Leah…" A voice called through a haze. "Leah, it's ten thirty."

"Hmm?"

I was gently shaken awake by Embry, who smiled a little as I came to. "It's ten thirty. You probably need to wake up and get ready to meet Charlie."

"Oh," I murmured, pulling back from Embry and readjusting myself against the cushions. "Thanks. I'm sleepy."

Embry's smile widened. "I know. You were out for a while."

"You're comfortable." I really needed to wake up so I could say something intelligent, and not absolutely ridiculous. A week ago I'd gotten into a fight with him over who had to have the graveyard shift. Today I was cuddling with him like a teddy bear.

He laughed at me this time. "I can tell. You're not such a bad pillow yourself."

I was momentarily confused. "You went to sleep?"

"No, but I got comfortable, and your hair is soft."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. "I need to wake up."

"Do you need a ride to town?" He looked almost hopeful.

I hadn't thought about that. I didn't have a car. Mom took hers. "Uh, sure."

"And maybe I can come shopping with you. I'm having lunch with my mom at home, and she's been bugging me to go get some groceries, too."

I didn't respond, just thinking about it. I needed a ride, but someone might see us in public together…

"We could get something sweet to make tomorrow as a part of our bonding time," he added, his voice sing song.

"Well with that on the table how can I say no?" I said, smirking and rolling my eyes.

Embry drove me to the diner and we sat in the car for a few minutes. "Good luck with whatever."

"Thanks," I replied, smiling genuinely.

Again, he caught me by surprise when he pressed his lips to mine gently, but I didn't have time to react because at that moment Charlie pulled up.

"Uh, bye," I said, blushing as I got out.

"Bye."

In the diner, Charlie and I found a small vacant table away from the crowd. After we ordered, Charlie got that uncomfortable look he gets when he's trying to say something meaningful.

"Um, Leah, I wanted to talk to you about your mother," he said, fidgeting in his seat.

"Shoot," I said, not really thinking about what he was saying.

He took a deep breath. "You know your mother and I have been serious, and we've gotten closer with our connection with the wolves and the Cullens."

"Yeah?"

"Well," he said slowly. "I wanted to ask if you would be opposed to me…asking Sue to marry me?"

To say I was shocked wouldn't be the whole truth. I was shocked, alright, but I was happy and sad, too, all at the same time. "Ch-Charlie, that would be great." And I wasn't lying. He was good to my mother, and my father wouldn't have had it any other way. In fact, Charlie was the only man Dad was comfortable with leaving my mother to (aside from Billy, who didn't count because he was like a brother to Mom). He said so to me, after the first of his heart problems several years before.

He met my eyes for the first time since the discussion started. "You don't think it would dishonor your dad's memory?"

"No," I said, feeling close to tears. "No, he would have wanted this."

"I would have asked Seth, but he's just a kid. He's so innocent, and he wouldn't know how to handle this maturely, I don't think," Charlie said.

I forced a laugh. "You hit the nail on the head with that one."

Charlie cracked a smile. "Thank you, Leah. I love your mother, I really do. And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm licensed to kill, you know." He winked jokingly.

I gave a real laugh this time. "I highly doubt that, and if I ever needed to go to someone for help, I doubt bullets could kill what was bothering me." I made my right hand into a claw shape and gave a mock-growl.

"Well it's the thought that counts."

We finished our meal and Charlie refused to let me pay, insisting that if he was going to be my step dad he should step up and help put food in my mouth (to which I laughed and reminded him that I was, in fact, a nineteen year old woman).

"Well, my ride's here," I said, standing to leave. "Good luck with Mom. She's a hard nut to crack." I winked before sauntering out as if I wasn't a mess of emotions inside.

Once I got into the passenger seat of Embry's car, I really lost my faux confidence. Embry looked about as nauseous as I felt.

"Charlie's proposing to Mom," I said dully, turning my head to him.

He looked at me as well, a blank expression on his face. "Mom wants you to come over for dinner tomorrow night."

What. The. Hell.


A/N: Next chapter will be posted soon. Reviews, please!

~Sidney