(A/N Thanks for the reviews guys and gals. Keep it up!)
I don't own Twilight. I don't own...but I'm the president...of Team Sandwater.
CHAPTER 7-LEAH'S P.O.V.
I work hard every day of my life.
I work till I ache my bones.
At the end I take home my hard-earned pay all on my own.
I get down on my knees
and I start to pray.
Till the tears run down from my eyes.
Lord - somebody - somebody
Can anybody find me - somebody to love?
"Somebody to Love"
Queen
I open my mouth to tell him it is that simple, but close it. Obviously he's thinking about something. "Are you sure you want to date right now?" he asks. "Considering all that's happened." "What's wrong with wanting to do something normal?" I ask. He seems to consider that for a moment. Was I wrong? Is he not interested? Does he think I'm too fucked up?
"What about your future imprint?" Julian asks. "I'm sure he won't mind," I say quickly. Julian nods. He looks like he's considering it. I shift my weight uncomfortably. If he says no I swear I might throw myself off the roof…not that it would do anything. Isn't this typical? The day I decide to kill myself my imprint shows up and actually has to rescue me. I just wish I knew if he was interested.
"What did you have in mind?" he asks. I want to jump up and cheer. He's obviously interested. "Nothing major," I reply, "dinner…maybe a movie…or a club. You know…the stuff people do on dates." He nods thoughtfully. "Your place or mine afterwards?" he asks. "Oh," I snap, "you think you're getting lucky tonight?" "Maybe," he teases, "I can be charming if I want to be." He's flirting with me. Ok Leah…play it cool. "Cocky aren't we?" I ask. Truthfully he'd have my panties around his head in the blink of an eye if he tried…though I don't want him to know that yet. "No," he admits, his smile dropping, "just yanking your chain a little."
"It's alright Julian," I say softly, "I know you were just flirting with me. It's ok…that's what normal guys do with normal girls." His mouth is set in a tight line. "It's not a question of attraction Leah," he replies, "you're a beautiful woman. You've just had too much happen to you and I don't want to make things worse." I can't help but smile at that. His concern is for me? "You don't," I reply, "if anything you make things better." His smile is back. "Come on," I press, "come show a lady a good time."
"You're not an angry drunk, are you?" he asks. "Nah," I tease, "though I might dance on a table." His smile widens. Good…I got him back. "Ok," he agrees. "Ok?" I ask. I heard him just fine…I just want to hear him say it again. "Ok," he says again.
YES! "I need to run into town," I say, "to get some clothes from home and hit the ATM." "I'll pay," he says softly. I roll my eyes in mock irritation. "Seriously," he continues, "you said I was taking you out. Let me." I take a deep breath and nod. That's even better…I was going to have to beg either Mom, Seth, or Alice for money. "What time is it?" I ask. He looks at his watch…his really expensive watch. "Almost one," he replies. "Let's meet at three," I suggest, "we can be in Port Angeles by four…have an early dinner…then either catch a movie, hit some clubs, or both." "Sounds good," he replies.
I excuse myself and go inside to return Alice's clothes and find my own so I can go home. Alice is waiting at the bottom of the staircase. "You need my help," she says. It's not a question or an offer…it's a demand. I almost tell her I don't. However my wardrobe at home is lacking and if anyone could make me look stunning for my first date with my imprint, it would be Alice. Hell, I owe her…this will help make up some of the difference. "Casual," I say firmly, "dinner…movie…maybe dancing." Alice rolls her eyes. "Let me work my magic then," she huffs.
I follow her up the stairs and into her room. "Jazz," she says to her husband, "I need to make Leah fabulous for her first date with Jude." Jasper gives me a grin. "I'll be in Carlisle's study if y'all need a guy's opinion," he says with a wink. "Thank you dear," she says, blowing him a kiss. He winks again…this time at her…and leaves the room.
Alice then stands off to the side and begins tapping her chin with her index finger. "Casual," she mutters to herself, "but still sexy. Let's see…" She begins to walk slowly around me, inspecting me from every angle. "Ok Leah," she says after making a circle. "You have an excellent body…good hair…nice features…" She cocks her head to the side. "You'll be easy. There's just one problem…you'll have to wear Rosalie's clothes." I groan. It's bad enough I'll smell like vampire. Now I'll have to smell like my least favorite vampire. "Relax," she soothes, "I know the perfect outfit…and she hasn't worn it yet so you won't have to worry about it smelling too much like vampire." She then takes my hand and pulls me to the bathroom. "Shower," she orders.
Alice isn't even gone long enough for me to get the water temperature right. "Don't forget to shave your legs," she reminds me. "I did that this morning," I call back. "Do it again," she stresses, "and make sure you're groomed and everything." Groomed? What the fuck? I stick my head out of the curtain. "Have you seen something?" I ask. "I can't…remember?" she scoffs. "Then what's the big deal?" I ask. "Because you want confidence tonight," Alice explains, "you want to feel your best. Trust me Leah."
I do as she suggests, even "trimming the hedges" a little just in case she has some low cut panties for me. Of course she does…black ones. She also has me a black skirt with a matching blouse. "I like it," I admit to Alice, "casual but sophisticated." She beams at me. I'm not use to a push-up bra…but after seeing what it does, I definitely want a few more. The blouse buttons up in the front. Alice gives me a once over, then unbuttons the top two buttons for me. It shows just enough cleavage. The skirt is about two inches above my knees and makes my legs look very nice. She then throws me a wink and we work on my hair.
"Let's keep it straight and down," Alice suggest, "Girls with black hair like yours look best with it like that." I shrug. "That's fine with me," I reply, "I hate braiding it." "Take a scrunchie though," she suggest, "in case you want to put it up." "Ok," I agree. I put a black one around my left wrist and my black cord around my ankle. I carry it just in case I have to phase…don't leave home without it and all. Alice has my hair combed and dried in a matter of minutes. "Now for the make-up," she says.
This is where Alice is at her best. I agree to the mascara and the smoky eye liner but balk at the light pink lipstick. I finally relent and am so glad I did. Alice has me looking like a million bucks. She does my nails the same color. A pair of low black heels finishes me off. "Perfect if I do say so myself," Alice gushes. I examine myself in the mirror. I look…sort of hot. Gone is the reservation girl from seven years ago with the ratty shorts, tank top, and butch haircut. I look amazing! Surprising myself, I give Alice a tight hug. "Thank you," I whisper. "Think nothing of it Leah," Alice replies, "it's what I do…and do well I might add. Now go get him!"
Alice and I go downstairs to find Renesmee and Julian talking about eating deer instead of drinking them. "Wow sis," Seth says from the kitchen doorway. Julian looks up at me. He's wearing expensive jeans and a black button up shirt with a gray t-shirt underneath. He's gawking at me…not that I'm not gawking at him. I so owe Alice for this one. He stands up and walks towards me. "I wish I'd had time to get flowers," he whispers. I give him a soft smile. "Do you need my Porsche?" Alice asks. "Since it's raining?" Julian shakes his head. "I unhooked my truck," he replies, "it's gassed up and ready." Alice nods and smiles.
"You guys be careful," Seth calls. "Don't worry Seth," Julian says with a straight face, "if you're sister's not in bed by two…I'll bring her home." I give him a mock scowl and a playful swat on his arm. Everyone laughs and Julian ducks his head sheepishly. I'm glad Seth realized that was a joke…if it was. Sometimes I'm not sure myself. He then turns to me. "You ready?' he asks. I nod and take his arm. "Bye guys!" Alice calls as we walk out the door.
His truck is a black Chevrolet four-wheel drive extended cab. It's obviously well taken care of and looks almost new. Julian opens the door for me. "M'lady," he says offering me his hand. I smile and take it. It's a small step up for me but I manage without problem. The interior is leather and very clean. "Not bad," I compliment. He grins and gets behind the wheel. "Thank you," he replies.
I see a CD case jammed between the seat and the center console. "May I?" I ask. He nods as he starts the truck. I begin flipping through. No country…no hip-hop…no R&B. All rock albums spanning the sixties up until present day. "Jefferson Airplane?" I question. "The Doors? The Stones?" Julian shrugs. "It's what was popular when I was in," he explains, "so it's kind of what I'm into." I continue to flip. "The Eagles," I recite, "the Beatles…Queen…Aerosmith…Led Zeppelin." I smile at him. "Not bad," I compliment. "Seriously?" he asks, surprise evident. "You can't go wrong with the classics," I reply.
I look at his CD player. "What's in there right now?" I ask. "Cosmo Factory," he replies. "Huh?" I ask. He sighs. "CCR," he explains as he turns it on. "Travelin' Band" comes out of the speakers. "Listen to this flying over the Mekong Delta?" I ask. "Once or twice," he admits. I smile at that. I decide to quiz him a little deeper. "So else did you like?" I ask. "Big Brother and The Holding Company," he replies. "I've never heard of them," I admit. "Sure you have," he replies, "Janis Joplin was their lead singer." "Really?" I ask. He nods. "What about the seventies?" I ask. He shrugs. "Disco kind of killed the seventies," he explains, "Van Halen was ok…and AC/DC. Kiss was ok I guess. The Sex Pistols had a couple of decent songs."
"What about the eighties?" I ask. He laughs. "Hair bands," he grins. I laugh with him. "Really?" I ask. He nods. "Rock didn't get hard enough for my taste until the late eighties," he admits, "I liked the nineties much better." "Me too," I admit. He grins. "Where are we going to eat?" he asks. "You're paying," I shrug. "And you're picking," he says back. "I…don't know," I admit.
"I don't know where anything is," he continues, "so you're navigating this little adventure." "Italian?" I ask. "I could go for Italian," he confesses. "Good," I say with a grin, "we'll grab Italian." He grins and nods right along with me. "Well since we've got that settled," he continues, "what about the movie?" I ponder. "I don't know what's playing," I admit. He snorts. "Me either," he confesses. "What do you like?" I ask. "Anything but a chick flick," he replies. "Agreed," I comment.
Just like yesterday, our conversation is nice an easy…almost too easy. It's like we fit together. I find myself leaning on the console towards him. His life…obviously…has been so much different than mine has and I love hearing about it. Our laughter is as easy as our conversation. There's no first date jitters like you would expect. The forty-five minute drive to Port Angeles seems to fly by.
I point him to La Bella Italia and he parks. I take his arm as we walk in. Damn, he smells nice. He opens the door for me and we walk up to the hostess. It's a little early for dinner and the restaurant isn't very crowded. "Two please," Julian says softly. The hostess is obviously dazzled as she leads us to a secluded booth. I give Julian the seat where he can see the door.
We both order water and scan over the menus. "You pick the appetizer," he offers. I nod and look over the section. "You clean up nice Clearwater," he comments. I blush and move my hair out of my face. "Thank you," I say softly. He grins. "Alice pick out that outfit?" he asks. I nod and lean closer. I motion for him to move in and he does. "We don't wear a lot of clothes," I explain, "in case we have to phase. We phase in our clothes, they're destroyed…just like you saw this morning." I stretch my leg and prop my foot on his seat. "See that cord around my ankle?" I ask. He glances down and nods. "We tie our clothes there before we phase," I explain, "at least if we're planning to phase. The boys usually just carry shorts. I have to carry a tank top too…for obvious reasons."
He puts his hand on my foot and gives it a gentle squeeze. I could purr at this moment. "Still feeling better?" he asks. I nod absently. "Seriously?" he asks. "Seriously," I reply, "though asking about it doesn't help." He shrugs. "I have to Leah," he explains, "I saved your life. That means I'm responsible for it." I snort. "No one is responsible for me," I reply, "and I didn't ask you out to discuss my problems. I wanted us to have some fun tonight."
Julian nods thoughtfully. "So I guess I don't get to hear this secret you're suppose to be keeping," he comments. I shrug. "Like you told Renesmee," I reply, "when I'm ready." He nods as the waiter brings us some breadsticks. He asks for our appetizer and salad order and I give it to him. Julian has gone quiet. "I could get it from you," he comments. "Yeah right," I snort. His eyes raise up to meet mine. "I haven't revealed my gift to anyone," he says softly.
Wait…gift? "You have a power?" I ask. He nods. "A weak form of mind control," he replies, "or a stronger form of vampire allure…however you want to look at it. I've been curious as to if it works on you or the pack." He ponders. "I could always try it." "Please don't," I beg. He chuckles. "I'm not," he promises, "it was just a good way to tell you one of my secrets." I give him a small smile. "Promise?" I ask. He nods. "I want you to trust me Leah," he says softly.
We each get a breadstick. "Why is that?" I ask. He shrugs. "I…don't know," he admits, "my instincts just tell me to trust you and that you should trust me." He takes another bite. "How does your gift work?" I ask. "From what I can tell," he explains, "its like hypnosis. Meaning I couldn't make someone do anything they wouldn't normally do." I nod absently. "I don't even have to say it aloud," he continues, "just think it. Want to see?"
I swallow hard. "Trust me Leah," he promises. I take a deep breath and give him the go ahead nod. His eyes lock on mine. His eyes change, but I can't tell what exactly happens because instantly my foot…the one I put on his seat to show him the cord around my ankle and had already put back on the ground…moves back up there. "That's…freaky," I admit. He laughs. It has its moment," he confesses. "Especially if I want to know something about someone. I think it…and if they don't do it…I know they wouldn't. It's like a built-in lie detector."
Well, that's a surprise. My imprint has a gift…and a pretty damn useful one at that. "How strong is it?" I ask. "Well I've never tried to get someone to murder anyone," he replies, "I've stopped someone from pulling a trigger before. Stopping a vampire from feeding…not possible. I practice it occasionally hoping I can make it stronger, but I haven't since I got to Forks. I've been keeping it in reserve…keeping it from Edward." "Like you said," I comment, "we all have our secrets."
We eat our salads and split the fried ravioli. "Decide what type of movie you're in the mood for?" he asks. "Not really," I reply, "can we just get a drink or something? I'd rather just talk to you." He shrugs. "I'm game for whatever," he says. I grin. I wonder if he's game for anything. "You know a place?" he asks. I shrug. "I'm sure we can find somewhere," I reply. He nods and pops another ravioli in his mouth. "When do you need to hunt again?" I ask. He shrugs. "Next week sometime," he replies, "I can go a while on human food…but it doesn't completely satisfy. I still need blood. Human food only curbs the craving."
The waiter…some pimply kid with blond hair…comes and takes our order. Julian orders veal parmesan and I have the lasagna. The waiter spends most of the time checking out my legs and I have to force myself not to growl at him. Julian is smirking the entire time. "Really funny," I grumble once our orders are taken. He covers his mouth and snickers quietly. "Sorry," he says after a minute, "I guess you're not use to that." I shake my head. "I need to take you out more then," he says with a wink, "get you use to it." Here I go…blushing again.
"So what would it take to get you to tell me?" Julian asks. I shrug. "Nothing?" he asks. "No," I whisper. He backs off. "I have to admit you've got me curious Leah," he says softly. I let my head drop and don't respond. He sighs and leans back against the vinyl bench. "What if I confessed something?" he asks. I don't move my head up. He blows out a breath. "Seriously," he continues, "what if I gave away my deepest, darkest secret?"
I look up at him. "I bet I could guess," I say. He grins. "Doubtful," he replies. "Let me try," I challenge. He makes a motion with his hand as if to tell me I have the floor. "You have a child?" I ask. He snorts. "No," he replies. I ponder for a moment. "You committed war crimes?" I ask. Again he shakes his head. "Done drugs?" I ask. He snorts again. "Yeah," he admits, "smoked a little grass in the Navy…but that's far from my deepest, darkest secret." I roll the question over in my mind for a second. "You cried when Old Yellar died?" I ask. He laughs. "Not even close," he admits.
I huff in irritation. "You had sex in a church?" I ask. "Yeah," he replies, "but again…not my worst secret." Wow…at least I'm learning some stuff. "I hope you don't guess it," he admits. "Why not?" I ask. "Because it's that bad," he replies. I shrug. "You know my worst secret," I admit, "you saw me try to kill myself." "Yeah," he admits, "but this is worse." "I know about your mom," I reply, "what can be worse than that?" He takes a deep breath. "I've drank human blood."
Ok, I've got a problem.
On one hand Julian is a human feeding vampire. Even with our truce with the Cullen's it's open season on "leeches". It is my duty to protect my pack, my tribe, and humans in general from these. It's what we're built for…to kill vampires.
On the other hand…he's my imprint. He is the man the magic of my people has destined specifically for me. He saved my life. He's sitting in a restaurant with me on a date. I feel warm and safe in his presence. He is the one for me. I'm so nervous I'm beginning to feel sick. The bile is beginning to rise from my throat and I have to put my fork down.
"Is that what your dad taught you?" I ask. Julian shakes his head. "I hunted animals the first ten years of my existence," he replies, "I killed mom…I didn't want to be responsible for any more humans." "Yet you did," I comment firmly. He nods. "I had to," he replies, "to survive." His face tells me he's obviously ashamed to confess this. "I…don't understand," I admit.
Julian nods at something over my shoulder. I turn and look at the TV set on the news. They're showing some civil war in a desert country. I can't tell where…the sound is turned off. "Look at the scenery," he whispers. I watch and try to pick up what he's getting at. It's depressing…but war isn't supposed to be cheery looking. "See that uprooted trees," he whispers, "the bomb craters? The massive amounts of troops? The heavy trucks and tanks driving by?" I nod absently. "Not the best place to find deer," he explains.
I turn back to look at him. "Yeah…I'd prefer to hunt animals," he says softly, "but they usually haul ass when bombs start dropping." He drops his head. "When I needed to hunt, I'd wait till it was my turn to pull guard duty and just slip away. I'd find an enemy platoon bedded down for the night and pick off the sentry. It was our mission to kill them anyway Leah." He sighs. "I've been 'clean'…for lack of a better term…since I left Saigon. I don't know what that means as far as your pack goes…but that's my dark secret."
I make my decision in an instant. There's really no other choice for me. "It doesn't matter," I say quickly, "I know Edward and Jasper have fed on humans. I know Carlisle's changed people, so he's tasted human blood. Rosalie and Bella are probably the only ones with spotless records." Julian nods. "So you've been back on the diet since '75?" I ask. Julian nods. "What about the temptation?" I ask. "Non-existent," he replies, "too much guilt to even attempt it." I nod. "Then you have nothing to worry about," I promise.
Our dinner arrives and we eat in silence. I feel better now. Sure, I'd rather he be like Renesmee and have a clean record but he hasn't exactly had her upbringing. Of course…if you want to get technical…Renesmee's had human blood too. They fed it to her in her bottle when she was a baby. Regardless, he's my imprint. "I wouldn't worry too much about it," I tell him, "if you're not actively hunting humans now no one will mess with you." Julian nods. "But my confession won't get a confession out of you?" he asks. "How about I make you a deal," I reply, "I will tell you…just not now." "Not much of a deal," he grumbles. "That's it though," I reply, "take it or leave it." He shrugs. "I'll take what I can get," he says finally.
So Julian isn't a saint? Neither am I. I never expected him to be. All I have to do is look into those blue eyes and nothing else matters. Like I said yesterday, the fact he's flawed only makes me love him more. Just like me he's risen above all the shit life has thrown at him. He had my respect even before confessing this.
He confessed this to me. That tells me he feels the imprint. That tells me he feels strongly about me. That gives me a boost of confidence. I'm not quite ready to tell him…but I'm getting there.
"We're suppose to forget the serious shit," I tell him, "this is a date…remember?" Julian smiles. "Alright," he replies, "we'll find us somewhere we can consume copious amounts of alcohol and I can whisper sweet nothings in you ear." I grin back at him. That voice makes my thighs tingle. "As long as you stay in control enough to drive," I agree, "you can do that all night long." "Deal," he says with a smirk.
We finish our meal and Julian pays the check. His tip is probably more that the punk checking out my legs was worth. I take his arm again and let him escort me to the truck. "Not much night life here," I mumble. He shrugs. "We'll find something," he replies. I nod in agreement. I honestly don't care where we go as long as I'm with him.
