Chapter 4

Not Everyone Can be as Graceful as Alice Cullen

With a sigh, I stepped outside onto the back porch and slipped out of my clothes. It was only mildly cold to me, even though the snow was still coming down fast. I left my clothes inside instead of fastening them to my back ankle like I usually did. It was only a routine scouting mission, I didn't intend on shifting back until I got back home.

I felt the trembles of heat running down my spine, and let them engulf me. I phased into my wolf form, shaking snowflakes off my fur.

Jake and Seth were waiting for me in the woods.

Took you long enough, Embry complained. He and Quil were several miles north of us. We started off at a good pace, though I could have gone much faster if I had really tried.

What took you guys so long? Quil asked.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Jake said. In his head, he ran through our previous conversation.

I gritted my teeth.

No. Way. Quil said, his mental voice shaking with laughter. No freaking way!

Steve? Steve Uley? Sam's older brother? That's a riot! Embry laughed. From panting over Sam to panting over Steve? What is it with you and the Uley boys?

Ok, ok, I grumbled. That's enough with the teasing.

Yeah, right, Leah. You're never going to hear the end of this. Steve Uley? That's just…

You're not exactly one to talk, Quil, I reminded him. At least he wasn't a baby.

Shut up! Thought both Quil and Jake at the same time.

I think it's great, Seth cut in cheerfully. People are supposed to be happy when they imprint, right? Well now Leah's going to be happy. That's what you guys want, isn't it?

I felt a rush of affection for my baby brother.

It's better than her being miserable all the time and the rest of us having to hear it, Quil agreed.

Yeah, except that only leaves me and Seth not imprinted, Embry grumbled, just like I thought he would. And Seth's just a kid.

Hey, watch it with the kid comments! Seth objected.

Ok guys, Jake said, calling us back to the job at hand. We've got a parameter to run, and Sam thinks his pack can do it faster than ours.

Jake couldn't have picked a better motivator if he had tried. Immediately I felt the hackles rise on everyone's necks. Including mine. I was up for a little competition. After all, I was the fastest one in either pack.

We'll see about that, Seth said, pulling his teeth back in a canine grin.

Seth, you and Embry take the shoreline. Quil, you take the road. Leah, you go along the border line. I'm going to check the interior. Jake instructed.

We all acknowledged our assignments, and then were off.

I let loose, and ran as fast as I could. It felt good to have the wind rushing through my fur, the ground pounding beneath my large paws. I loved being the fastest wolf in either pack. Besides the fact that I loved running, it gave me a sense of distinction to have something that I was the best at. There hadn't exactly been anything else. Until now the only thing I had been good at was pining over Sam.

Well that time seemed to be over. I used to think about Sam all the time. Now, he seemed like a accessory. He was only important in so far as he was Steve's brother. Steve, who was so smart and funny, with his strong brows and perfectly shaped lips. I wondered what it would feel like to have those lips kiss me. To have his large, soft hands tangle themselves in my short hair, to have him…

Leah! I do not want to hear this! Embry complained. It's weird enough when it's a girl, but thinking about kissing a boy…!

Yeah, it's pretty disturbing you know, Jake added.

Then stop listening, I snapped. If I'm not entitled to my own daydreams…

Super gross, Quil agreed.

I gave a low growl.

I tried to stop thinking about him, but it was pretty hard. I forced my mind to think about what I would wear tomorrow, what the weather would be like, when Mom's next visit would be, but thoughts of Steve kept creeping in. There was one thing I knew for sure, though: I was undoubtedly and irrevocably in love with him.

------

As the next day was Sunday, I had the day off. I worked at the tiny real estate office on the res as a secretary. They sold houses in and around La Push, as well as to the crazy extreme hunters and fishers who wanted cottages. Not exactly my idea of fun, but whatever. I was glad I didn't have to make the miserably wet and cold land look like it was a nice place to live. All I had to do was field calls and keep things organized.

I let Seth sleep in again today. I felt sorry for the poor guy: not only did he have to cope with being a werewolf, he had to do high school as well. I was glad I was out of that whole mess. You couldn't pay me to do high school again.

But Seth wasn't a very late sleeper. He padded downstairs at around nine, looking for something to eat. I wordlessly set another bowl for him, and pulled out his favorite sugar-covered cereal.

"Thanks," he muttered, his mouth full of Co-co Pops.

I crunched down on my toast, and nodded. I didn't really have a plan for today. Before yesterday I had been planning on just hanging around. Maybe seeing what my friend Chloe was up to. But now… all I wanted to do was go to Sam's house to see if Steve was there. It was a weird feeling. From avoiding everything to do with Sam to suddenly wanting to be near him, if it meant being near Steve.

There was a knock at the door.

"Can you get that?" I asked Seth.

Seth looked pointedly at me, his mouth bulging with the giant spoonful of cereal he had just taken. I rolled my eyes and got up.

I threw open the door with a quick jerk, and then froze with shock. The object of my daydreams was standing right there, smiling dazzlingly at me.

"Good morning," he said, his deep bass voice seeming to caress me.

"Good morning," I stuttered back.

"Sam and Emily and I are going ice skating today, and Sam was wondering if you and Seth wanted to go. He said there would be hockey for Seth, if he wants to play."

"Excellent!" Seth said, coming up behind me.

I glanced down at myself. I was still in my pajamas, and I knew I looked like a total mess. My hair must have been everywhere: I hadn't brushed it yet this morning.

"Um…" I said.

Steve smiled again, and my heart stopped.

"Sam knew you wouldn't be ready yet, so he sent me ahead. He says he'll be by to pick you up in a half hour, if you're coming."

"I'm ready now," Seth chirped.

"Just give me a few minutes to get dressed, ok?" I said.

Steve looked amused.

"Sure."

I hurried up the stairs, and rushed straight into the bathroom. First order of business: shower. It was one of the quickest showers I had ever had. I jumped out as soon as I was clean, and rummaged around in the drawer for my hairdryer. It was in the very back, of course. I hadn't used it since I had cut my hair.

I moved to my room, hunting through my drawers for some clothes. Jeans, socks, an olive green v-neck shirt with a white camisole underneath. I blow dried my hair one handed while I dressed. After a moment's hesitation, I dug through my makeup bag and put on some mascara and a tiny bit of eyeshadow. I smiled at myself in the mirror, running my fingers through my hair. It was soft and glossy, like it always got when I blow dried it. It felt nice to look halfway like a girl again. I checked my watch. Twenty four minutes. Very nice.

Steve was in the kitchen, watching Seth eat another bowl of cereal. I snagged my toast on the way past.

"Hey guys," I said.

Steve stared at me, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open. I blinked, feeling self conscious. Was there something wrong with what I was wearing?

"You look pretty," Seth commented, getting up to put his bowl in the sink.

"Uh…" Steve seemed to recover himself. "Yeah, you do." His eyes met mine. "Very pretty."

I blushed, embarrassed.

"Thanks," I muttered.

The doorbell rang.

"That must be Sam," I said, relieved to get out of the awkward situation. I shuffled to the door and opened it.

Emily was there, swaddled in a giant coat.

"Hey, Leah! You coming skating with us?"

"Should you be skating in your condition?" I asked.

Emily made a face.

"Don't you start too. I'm fine."

"Maybe you can talk some sense into her," Sam said, from behind her.

"Like I ever could. Let me grab my coat."

Behind me, Seth and Steve were already putting on their winter clothes. I grabbed my boots and got out of the way, sitting on the stairs to tug them on. It felt like getting into battle gear. When I looked up, Steve was standing in front of me, holding out my coat.

I smiled.

"Thanks," I said, winding my scarf around my neck and shrugging into the white wool. I really should wear the other coat, so this one wouldn't get ruined. But I knew it made me look nice, and he had already said I was pretty today. It was worth risking my favorite coat if Steve could think I was pretty for a little while.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, and locked the door behind me. It was overcast today, and there was still a nip in the air.

Seth came out of the garage, his skates tied together at the laces and flung over his shoulder, his hockey stick in one hand.

"Are we going or what?" he asked.

We all piled into Sam's car. It was cramped with so many huge guys in the back with me. I sat in the middle, since I was the smallest, with Seth on my one side and Steve on my other. I shuffled closer to Seth, so that I wouldn't be crowding Steve.

"Hey, Leah, not so close," he complained. "You're squishing me!"

"Sorry," I said, making a face at him. I wiggled closer to Steve, whose shoulders looked constricted.

"Wait a minute," He said. He squirmed in his seat, managing to free his arm and drape it across the back of my seat. "That's better," he said, giving me a grin.

I felt a hot blush spread over my cheeks, and I looked down at my hands clenched in my lap. He was not making this easy. I held myself rigid, so I wouldn't touch him at all. I didn't want to make this worse than it was. By the time we got to the pond, my muscles ached from holding them so still. I was glad to get out of the cramped car.

It wasn't the pond where we usually went skating, I noticed as we walked toward it.

I shot a questioning glance at Sam.

"Outside the boundary line," he grunted. "For Jake."

I nodded, understanding. The Cullens were here.

The pond was glassy smooth, and perfect for skating. Hockey nets had been set up at one end, and Seth hurried towards the game without putting his skates on.

"Hey guys, shorthanded?" he asked eagerly.

I paused at a log that someone had dragged to the ice's edge, and sat down, tugging my skates out of my bag. Steve sat down with me.

"I'm warning you," he said, taking off his boots and beginning to lace up his black hockey skates. "I was never very good at this, and I haven't done it in years."

I smiled.

"We used to go all the time with my dad," I said. "I think I could skate before I could walk."

"Oh great," Steve groaned. "I'm going to embarrass myself in front of you, aren't I?"

"It's your turn," I shot back.

Steve grinned.

I tied off my last skate with a flourish, and stood up. Immediately, my balance re-centered itself so that I was perfectly at east on the ice. Steve stood up, wobbling a little.

"Here, take my hands," I said, holding them out. He grasped them, holding tight. I laughed, and skated a little ways, pulling him with me. "See? It's not so hard."

There were a lot of boys over on the far corner playing hockey, and not just werewolves either. Some of the pack must have brought their friends. On the non- hockey portion of the ice were several people moving in circles. The wind blew, and I caught the familiar, sharp-and-sweet tingling scent of vampires. I wrinkled my nose.

Carlisle and Esme Cullen were slowly gliding around near the hockey game, arm in arm. I think Carlisle wanted to keep an eye on the boys and make sure that no one's body parts came in contact with any blades. Edward and Bella were holding hands and laughing as they elegantly skated in the middle of the ice.

"Who's that?" Steve asked, his mouth hanging open. I looked to where he was pointing, and then scowled. Alice was showing off. She was spinning and pirouetting like an Olympic figure skater, one leg balanced perfectly in the air. She seemed to be weaving an intricate dance in and around Jasper, who was skating slowly, his hands behind his back.

I didn't get to answer, because Nessie skated up to me. She looked like a regular snow queen. Her creamy cheeks were flushed and her curly hair was pulled up to make room for fuzzy ear muffs.

"Lee! You came!" she said, smiling radiantly.

As ever, I couldn't help but catch her smile.

"Yeah. Someone had to make sure Steve didn't fall on his butt all the time," I said, shooting a glace at Steve, who still held on to my hand for dear life.

She laughed.

"Don't know how to skate?"

Steve shook his head.

"I must have known at one time. But years of books have made me forget."

"It's easy," Nessie said, skating backwards in front of us.

"Show off," said Jacob, coming up behind her.

"Jake's just jealous I can skate faster than he can," Nessie taunted.

"Cannot," Jake contradicted.

"Can too," Nessie retorted, taking off like a shot. Jacob followed, laughing.

There was a bell-like laugh from behind us, and the smell got stronger.

"He shouldn't encourage her," Bella said.

I turned, pulling Steve with me. He wobbled.

"Don't take your feet off the ice, just glide along it," Edward advised him.

Steve gave the vampire a weak smile.

"This is harder than I remember it being," he said.

"I don't believe we've met," Edward said smoothly. "I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my wife Bella." He held out his hand. I had to give it to Edward, as much as I didn't like him: he was a perfect gentleman.

I knew by the expression on Steve's face that he hadn't been expecting Edward's skin to be so cold. Touching vampires was something you had to get used to.

"Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Steve Uley. I'm here visiting my brother Sam for Christmas."

My Steve, I said in my thoughts, knowing that Edward could hear them.

Edward looked from my face to my hand in Steve's, and then back.

"I see," he said.

It could have sounded like he was responding to Steve's comment, but I knew he was acknowledging the link between Steve and me.

Bella smiled brightly at me. She was always trying to be friends with me. Even after three years, I knew that it was never going to work. Not after what she had done to Jacob. She had torn him apart, and I had had to hear all about it in Jake's head. Plus, she was a bloodsucker now. No, we could never be friends. But we could be friendly, for Nessie's sake. It wasn't hard to love Nessie, even if I wasn't in Jake's head all the time.

I looked around, noticing that we were two bloodsuckers short.

"Where are Emmett and Rosalie?" I asked. I almost called them Hercules and Blondie, like Jake did. But I didn't think that Edward would appreciate me making fun of his siblings to his face.

"They're hunting," Edward said, unconcerned.

"You guys hunt a lot around here?" Steve asked.

"It's one of the reasons we moved to Forks," Edward said, smoothly.

Hunting, if that's what they called sucking the blood of animals.

"How long are you staying in La Push, Steve?" Bella asked.

"Well, if I live through this, until after New Years," Steve said.

I laughed.

"You're not going to die, you're doing fine," I encouraged.

Bella glided an elegant circle around us.

"It'll come back to you," she said. She held out her hand, and Edward took it. They skated away together.

"So Leah's finally imprinted," Edward said to her quietly, too low for Steve to hear.

Bella glanced back at us.

"Is that what that was? I've never seen Leah act so nice to anyone in my entire life…" They skated out of hearing range for their low whispers.

"Here," I said to Steve. "Hold my hands, and I'll teach you how to skate properly."

I turned around so that I was facing him, and slowly skated backwards holding his hands between us.

"Do like Edward said. Don't take your feet up off the ice. Glide."

He moved a few steps, then a few steps more, getting better with each step. His lips moved into a huge, sunny smile. I felt my world suddenly light up, and a warmth flutter down to rest in the pit of my stomach.

"I think I'm getting it!" he said.

"You better let go, before…" Alice said, gliding gracefully past us and spinning in place.

"What is she… oh!" Steve slipped, and fell. I wasn't strong enough to support his weight as well as my own on my skates, and fell on top of him in a tangle of arms and legs.

"Leah! Are you ok? I'm so sorry!"

But I couldn't answer. I was laughing too hard. Steve chuckled too.

"That was spectacular," I teased.

Steve laughed harder, and I could feel the vibrations in his chest. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of just how close his face was to mine, of how I was practically lying on top of him.

I scrambled off, getting to my feet.

"You ok?" I asked, offering him my hand. He took it, but instead of hauling himself up, he pulled me back down beside him.

"Hey! No fair!" I complained.

He laughed.

"If I'm down, you should be too."

He got up, and helped me up as well.

"Well that was fun," I said, grinning.

"Speak for yourself," Steve replied, rubbing his backside.

I just laughed again.

"You up for some hot chocolate?" Sam asked, skating up to us.

"If I can make it that far," Steve said, looking rather dismally at how far we had gotten from the log where we had tied our skates, where Emily was now sitting with a thermos and cups. He held out his hand.

"Help me?" he said.

He didn't have to ask. I took his hand again with a smile.

Author's Note: I couldn't help adding in some of the Cullens :-) It's fun to write them from an outside viewpoint. Leah's not too impressed with Edward and Bella, but I don't think she can help liking Nessie. Or rather, Nessie just latches on to her and makes Leah like her.

Leah is not my usual voice, I have to admit, but I'm having fun writing her. It's been a challenge to write in her slightly carefree, lightly more earthy voice. It's been a stretch of my writing capacity, but I've enjoyed it. I've been inspired the last couple of days – I'm not usually this productive.