This is the last time.

We were spooning when we awoke. Nessie's curls were a mess and it was actually a cute sight to see when she panicked and tried to smooth them out.

"Relax, you look fine," I reassure her but she just grunts and combs her fingers through her hair.

"What time is it?" she asked. I stretched over her and read the digital clock on the nightstand.

"Five."

"In the afternoon?"

I yawned and nodded.

"I have to get ready," she hops from out of my arms and grabs her toiletry travel bag from off of the nightstand.

"For?"

"I don't wanna look like a bum when I meet your mother," she calls from my bathroom and memories from last night rush back to me. Any other day, Sue wouldn't have let me sleep this late so I wondered if she was even home.

"You look gorgeous anyway," I respond but the shower is already running so I don't think she hears me.

This seemed like a big deal to her so I guess I should take it just as seriously as she does. This should go smoothly considering Nessie was an angel and she'd easily use her charm to win Sue over. That is if Sue stays calm and doesn't be her usual critical and painfully honest self.

I was praying she was with Charlie right now so that she'd be in her lovey dovey good mood or even better have Charlie come over and it could be one big family affair. Chief Swan always put her in a great mood and the fact that it's probably cus they fuck like animals makes me wanna puke.

I don't realize she's been in there for an hour and a half till she opens the bathroom door and steps out, making my heart stop.

"Damn."

My eyes are blessed with Nessie's porcelain skin that is sparkling with the perfume she is wearing. She changed out of my t-shirt into a pair of red denim shorts and a black wife beater that barely covers her belly button. Her lips are a subtle red to match her hair and her eyes are enhanced with some eyeliner and mascara. You'd think she was going clubbing instead of going home to mother.

"What?" she sounds offended.

"A bit revealing don't you think?"

"I'm not stupid, Seth. I'm gonna put on a shirt."

My rising boner disagreed when she crossed the room to her suitcase and dug through it for a shirt. When she put the multicolored loose tank top on, I groaned in protest.

"How do I look?" she asks as she runs a brush through her wet hair.

"Beautiful."

She stops in her tracks and I swear I see her blush before coming over to sit beside me. "You ready?" Her voice sounded so small.

"Are you?"

"I asked you first."

"I asked you second."

"Quit stalling."

Damnit, she was good. "Fine." I hop off the sheets and grab her hands to pull her up. "How do you propose we do this?"

She thought for a second. "Ugh, I'll sneak out through the back and come 'round the front. I guess you send me a signal from your window, I knock and we can take it from there," by the way she was moving her hands around it was easy to see she was nervous. It was cute.

As quietly as possible, we tiptoe down the stairs and I show her through the back door that leads to the backdoor. I can smell Sue's cooking from here so I conclude she's in the kitchen. Her humming is loud. She's in a good mood.

I rush back up the stairs and signal Nessie to go to the front door and knock. I wait a few seconds and my heart seems to beat a million times faster then it already does when I hear a fist lightly tapping the door.

"I got it!" My cheering is all too cheesy for Sue to believe when I skipped-yes, skipped-to the front door. She eyes me and continues to whisk away at whatever is in the tin bowl in front of her.

"Hi, Seth," she winks at me and I have to fight my urge to burst out laughing.

"Who's at the door?" Sue calls and I glance at Nessie to reassure and she nods to confirm. Her fingers loop around mine as we savor the few feet we have to walk before facing my mother.

"Mama," I feel like a little boy again. She looks up from whisking and her hand immediately stops. Her eyes are immediately to me then our connected hands then Nessie-who looks like she's about to pass out- and back to me.

"Yes?" I can hear the attitude already.

"Um, you know Renesmee, right?"

Sue's eyes are daggers but I honestly can't tell if they were angry or not. They were sharp and quick as they rolled all around the room in confusion.

"Yes, I do. Hi, sweetie." She suddenly has on a smile that is directed towards Nessie more then me. Her cheeks are a rosy mess when she waved back and squeaked a hello.

"What about her?"

"I just wanted to tell you that um...er...ugh..."

She squeezed. Calm down, is what she's telling me.

Sue waits patiently for an answer because I can see she's obviously amused by this sudden speech issue I have. Nessie's snicker calms me down but the smirk on my mother's face makes me wanna put my tail between my legs.

"Nessie and I have been. . .dating for a while now. I thought it was time you knew she and I are a couple." For some reason, dating didn't seem like the appropriate word to use but I say it with confidence.

She continues to stare at me and I wish I knew if she were angry or not. Her opinion was irrelevant but I just wanted to know her emotions. I dip my head a little to search for a sign of any anger or annoyance. I feel my nerves settle when that intimidating smirk widens and she continues to whisk.

"Tell me something I don't know."

I didn't know the grip she had on my hands was this intense till she eased up and sighed.


I was scared.

I was petrified actually of losing just about everything that meant anything to me. I'd already lost my imprint to my best friend and my fiance was on the list too. Oh God and not to mention my father and sisters who I don't even talk to that often. I had already lost my mother and it made sense that my sanity was next.

And not to mention my daughter who I have to look at every single day and lie to cus her mother was slowly dying of heartbreak. I worry about Baby Doll cus her life was possibly at stake as well.

Just the thought that she was in the house the night Leah was attacked made a chill go down my spine. Whoever it was had every opportunity to go down the hall and kill Baby Doll if they wanted but they didn't...why? What if whoever it was wanted to scare Leah instead of murder her? Give her a warning, maybe? They took her engagement ring of all things so that should say something.

It couldn't have been a stranger cus they would've done worse then what happened. If it was a robber, they would've taken the TV, laptop anything valuable and not just Lee's ring.

So it was someone we knew.

But who?

Think, Jacob, think. . .

Who would have a motive to do such an act?

Chief Swan said there was no DNA. No fingerprints, hair folicles, nothing.

That seems impossible. What human doesn't leave behind any type of-

That's just it!

What if the attacker wasn't human at all but a vampire who don't shed hair nor have fingerprints cus they're dead?

Couldn't have been a random vampire or the Volturi cus if so, Sam's pack would've caught the scent and warned my pack. We'd be doing patrols.

The doctors that had worked on Leah had said she was drugged with a mix of anesthesia and roofies, substances that can only be found at hospitals unless stolen.

There was only one vampire coven within miles of here who's scent I was immune and used to that could easily get their hands on hospital equipement.

I didn't wanna assume but that's what I had concluded. Did I wanna believe one of the Cullens did this? No. But if one of them had, Chief Swan was gonna have to take me away in handcuffs for murder.

And maybe-just maybe- the Cullens had some connection to me getting attacked last months as well.

Well there was no point in going to Charlie about this. We were dealing with vampires and yeah, they'll get caught but they can easily flee the city, never to be heard of again.

I tried to think about who I could go to with my conclusion.

Seth, maybe?

Eh, probably not. Now that he's all lovey dovey with Renesmee, he'd never believe me.

The couch groaned in protest as I squirmed around and with all this on my mind, I couldn't even relax now. I needed a distraction.

Oh fuck it. I'll go into work today.

After I come down from my light bulb moment, I make my way up the stairs and go to Baby Doll's room to wake her up for school. I slide slyly into bed with her and watch her sleep for a few seconds before beginning to poke those huge cheeks of her.

She grunts and switches positions cus she knows it's time to get up. Her small body sinks into the mattress a little more to get relaxed again and I know how she feels. Every morning, your bed seems to get a thousand times more comfortable when it's time to wake up.

"Time to get up," I say simply and the covers fly over her head with the quickness. I laugh.

"Five more minutes," she groans.

"Come on or you're gonna be late."

Her eyes-that are green from this angle- peek out from in between the purple comforter to peek at me and there is sleep surrounding her eyelids. "I can be late."

"I beg to differ."

She groaned and reluctantly crawled out of the huge bed and stretched out like a cat. She gives me a hug before pouting and slugging herself into the bathroom across the hall. Jeez, like mother like daughter. When I hear the shower begin to run, I take it upon myself to pick out an outfit for her.

Going through her closet, I find a pink short sleeve graphic t-shirt and shorts and lay them on her bed. When I go back to find some shoes, I came across her art stuff.

I knew Baby Doll was talented but she was also imaginative. I'm amazed at the detailed drawings she's done of Seth and Nessie cuddling on the couch or staring into each other's eyes but my heart slowly breaks when I see one of me and Leah yelling at each other, making disgusting faces at each other with dark colors surrounding us.

Were Leah and I really that obvious about our problems? Is that all Baby Doll thinks we do? I place all the drawings back and place the first pair of shoes I saw at the foot of the bed.

I'm fazed by the drawing and it makes me a little uneasy when I enter the room to see Leah is staring at the ceiling. I wanted to prove that drawing wrong. Prove to myself that Leah and I weren't all hatred and fighting. My body shakes of the shiver her presence gives off.

After brushing my teeth, washing my face and shaving, I decide it's time to save something. My voice rings out even though my face is in the closet, searching for a pair of old jeans. I barely had any cus most of them were cut for phasing.

"Last night shouldn't have happened."

". . ."

"We should've known better."

Nothing.

"I don't want you to hate me. We made a mistake."

The silence haunts me.

My brain is on the verge of exploding and when my skin is passed 108.9 degrees, I try breathing slower to make sure anything still makes sense.

I swerve on my heels and approach the bed. "Leah, I'm sorry I called you a bitch. I'm sorry I hit you. And I'm sorry I...lost control last night."

My words echo throughout the room and they bounce back to hit my ears and I realize I sound depressed. She doesn't even shift to look at me, see if I'm sincere and that's what puts me over the edge for the last time.

"Alright, Leah! That's it!"

My anger multiplied times ten when I remembered I couldn't express this feeling I did the usual way by phasing.

I yanked her arm and brought her to my face, intentionally being as rough as possible.

"Listen to me and listen good," my breath was hot on her face and she didn't even cringe. Her eyelashes were crinkled back and damp from all the tears. Her hazel eyes were glossing and watering like she'd begin crying again and this time I was grateful.

"I fucking love you with all my fucking heart but being nice to you isn't getting us anywhere. I'm sorry about what happened! I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you but I'm here now! I'm trying my very hardest to take care of you but I c-can't unless you at least let me try!"

Her top lip curled in disgust for a second.

"You're my baby and I will support you till the day we're both six feet under and skeletons but I'm not Harry Clearwater! I can't treat you like a baby anymore! You know our daughter is fucking petrified to even talk to you? She's scared of what you've become! Seth is scared, the pack is scared! We want Leah back!"

She blinked.

"I can only be so sweet to you when you can't even look at me and when you do, you gimme this look of disapproval. This look of disappointment as if I haven't been the man I'm supposed to be! I'm sorry I wasnt there, ok? But that was my baby too! You're acting like you're the only one who lost something in this situation but guess what? You didn't. I lost my son and you're acting like it's my fault. It's not!"

Her hair brushed up against my arm as I manhandled her harder.

"Just please, Leah..." my voice went back to its usual husky tone. "I have never, ever, loved a women as much as I love you. I'd die for you and I'm really trying..."

Flashbacks of last week and just a few hours ago came back to me and I squeezed my face to keep the tears in.

"I can only give so much, Leah..."

She tried to tear away but I gripped her so fucking hard, she yelped. And again I ask, what's wrong with me? Was it safe to categorize me as a rapist?

She was disgusted with my presence and being because I couldn't protect her from her attacker that night. I tried. I could only try. If she was ignoring my gestures, all I could do was take care of her because that's what a man is supposed to do for his lady. I adored her despite the glances she shot at me on the daily; she would leave once she had the strength.

It hurts so bad I could cry to think that she actually hated me. She didn't have to say it but I knew it was to be true.

When I release her, she cuddles back into her position like I hadn't even said anything and my urge to phase begins to make my skin crawl. I have to get out of this room. I have to get away from her before one of us gets hurt again. I'm dressed and downstairs within minutes and I wait for Baby Doll to come downstairs. I return to normal when I see her hopping down the stairs in the outfit I've picked out for her and my immediate action is to grab her by the shoulders to give her a whopping kiss.

Baby Doll wipes her mouth of my slobber and scrunches her face. "Ew."

"I'm sorry," I'm damn tired of saying that. "I just love you."

"I love you too," she shyly twiddles with the ends of her wet hair. She gets out of my reach and grabs her backpack from the dining table chair for.

"You don't want some breakfast first?"

"I'll eat at school."

"Mkay. Finish all your homework?"

"Of course. C'mon," she grabs my huge hand and we head for the door so I can watch her walk to the bus stop.

"I'll be right here when you get home," I'm down on my knees before her, looking into her eyes. She nods and gives me a kiss before jogging down the porch steps, waving at me one last time and walking the block to her bus stop. She gradually becomes a pink and tan blur as she gets farther away from me. A few of her friends show up and they begin to socialize until a couple of minutes later, the huge yellow bus shows up. The children climb on and I swear she shoots me one last wave but I'm not sure so I wave anyway.

Back inside the house, it's silent. I wait to hear movement upstairs but when I don't I decide to skip out on breakfast and go right to work.

Royce was actually surprised to see me and I was less then happy to see him but I'd rather see him then Leah and drown in guilt all day. I stayed for two shifts before Royce began to annoy me to the ends of Earth and the thought of the Cullens being my enemies once again kept distracting me. Baby Doll would be home soon anyway.

Stepping back into my house seemed different this time around. For one, I smelled Leah's mouth watering lasagna coming from the kitchen along with some garlic bread. That raised a few eyebrows along with the red wine and two long stem glasses that were placed neatly beside the dish. The sink was empty of any dishes and the counters, stove and oven had been wiped down.

Well, this is odd.

The potent and dreamy mixed scent of Leah's perfumes and her natural smell came over me when I made my way higher and higher up the steps. It was weird but I wasn't complaining.

The upper level wasn't the same as how I left it. There was some dusting and vacuuming involved because the carpet is clean and the walls are free of cobwebs. Down the hall, I can hear the washing machine and dryer going and the smell of the fabric softener is strong.

Laundry? Laundry hasn't been done in weeks.

I actually take a second before I walk into my room, afraid that I'd find Mary Poppins in there instead of my fiance.

"Leah?" I call out, growing nervous.

No response but the bed is made with the sheets changed, pillows fluffed and everything but no Leah. I notice that our dresser, TV, nightstand and ceiling fan have been dusted off, clothes are in the hamper, and the closet is organized the way it use to be when she first moved in.

Our room is the cleanest it's been in a month. Probably cleaner then it's ever been actually.

"Lee?"

The distant sound of heels clicking on the tile of the laundry room got louder then faded when they hit the carpet and when I turned my head, I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped.

With hair shining in curls, nails painted red, skin glowing, and curves being hugged gracefully by a black tube top and low riding black leggings, Leah emerges from around the corner of the hallway carrying a laundry basket full of my clothes. Her cuts have returned to the color of her skin and they almost look like stripes. They've healed.

She slows her pace when she sees me and my eyes play tricks on me when I see a genuine smile spread across her face, showing off those perfect, straight, white teeth.

"Hi, baby," she sets the basket down at our feet and takes my hands into hers. She called me baby. I'm speechless.

"H-hi. . ."

She grins and bashfully stares at the ground. "I know these last few weeks have been tough and I know I haven't made them much better by laying around in bed all day and neglecting my family. You were right about me being a selfish bitch and I'm sorry."

"I shouldn't have-"

"No, lemme finish. Last night was a mistake. I should've know that the celibacy was getting to you and I shouldn't have tempted you the way I did."

She meets my eyes and continued. "This morning it finally clicked. I honestly didn't know how badly I was hurting you. I didn't mean to though. It wasn't intentional, trust me it wasn't. Lately it hasn't felt like home around here so I finally got out of bed, did some cleaning-"

"Some?"

She blushed. "Okay, I did the whole house, made some dinner and thought I'd get dressed up for you. I kinda miss being beautiful."

I run my fingers through her freshly washed hair and the locks feel like silk. "You were always beautiful."

"I miss feeling beautiful."

My thumb caressed over her cheek, pulling her closer to me.

"And when you hit me, it didn't hurt. At least not physically but emotionally it did. It wasn't right for me to compare you to Sam. I know how much you hate that."

"It wasn't right for me to do period," I tower her as I came down to leave kisses all over her cheek. Her giggle seems to ring in my ear and I actually smiled. "I didn't mean it, okay?"

"I know. Jacob, I just wanna say I'm really fucking sorry for being such a bitch. I never meant to hurt you and honestly, I'd do anything to make us better."

As if the clean house, dinner and hot outfit weren't enough, I had to ask for one more thing.

"Can you promise me something?"

"Anything."

"No matter how bad things get between us, do not ever do this to me or Baby Doll ever again."

She nodded anxiously and had her arms around my neck, bringing me down to her even further into a hug. My arms secure her at the waist and my ears perk when she whispers, "I promise. I swear on my life."

We are like this for what seems like hours but it's only minutes. When we pulled back to glance into each other's eyes, I noticed something.

"I've never seen this outfit before."

Her lips brush themselves against my chin and she grins devilishly. "I was going for a Sandy Olsson look." Her teeth take my bottom lip and nip into a kiss. I return by pressing my hips into hers and she holds me still with her fingers through my belt loops.

"It works. You look hot."

She pulls me closer and her tone of voice goes to a mix of lust and humor.

"Tell me about it. . .stud."

Cus you and I, we were born to die.

A/N: Yes, I'm updating like hot cakes. No, don't expect this to be a regular thing.