"Where do you think you're going?" I muttered as Leah rose from the bed and headed towards the door of the cabin.

Was this going to be another round of oops-got-too-close-so-I-have-to-run episodes? I felt myself getting angry again.

"I'm still on patrol, Jensen. I have to go."

"Oh, then I'll go with you."

"No, stay. I need some time to myself anyway" Leah said with a wry smile.

I stayed quiet for a moment, trying to gauge how she was really feeling. I knew there was something bothering her. She cried after we made love, and then she cried in her sleep. I hated to see the tears in her eyes. If she would let me, I would fight off all of her demons.

"Tell me what's wrong Leah" I said in my most persuasive tone.

She sighed, and looked away. When she answered I knew she had fabricated something to appease me.

"I told you. There's nothing wrong. I'm just overwhelmed. I am not running away from you, Jensen. I just need some time to adjust. Please understand."

"Okay. I'll give you your space, but you're mine now, Leah. Don't deny that and don't forget it."

If I wasn't studying her face so intently I would have missed the brief flash of mutiny on her face when I declared the fact that she was mine now. But, then her face smoothed out and she nodded her head once.

"Yes, I'm your's. I will come back to you after my patrol, so please just let me go, okay?"

I sighed and said, "Okay" then she walked out of the cabin.

I lay back down on the bed feeling a mixture of triumph and dread. She didn't dispute my claim that she was mine, but she didn't seem happy about it either. She had to be the most frustrating woman I had ever met. But still, I wouldn't have her any other way.

The cabin felt empty after her departure, so I dressed myself and went up to the house. I needed a distraction to occupy my mind. Tanya was there anyway, and I wanted to talk to her.

The rain had stopped, and as I approached the house, I noticed Edward sitting on the porch. He was alone, which in itself was a rarity. He was usually with either Bella or Renessmee.

"Hey Edward. What's going on?"

"Hello Jensen. Bella, Renessmee, and Alice are in town shopping for the party, and I decided to stay behind. Although I'm now regretting my decision since Tanya decided to stay as well. I was actually wondering where you were so you could take Tanya off my hands" Edward said with a grin.

"Oh! Ha! I didn't think she would bother you. I was coming up to talk to her anyway" I said, as a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Um, Edward, do you think you could do me a favor? I normally wouldn't ask this of you, but I'm at a loss at what to do" I paused because what I was about to ask him was highly inappropriate. But I had to have some reassurances and some direction of what I should do with Leah. "Edward, do you think you could talk to Leah, and . . . " I took a deep breath "Read her mind to see what's bothering her. There's something wrong, but she won't tell me what it is and it's driving me crazy."

Edward's smooth brow furrowed and his golden topaz eyes sharpened on my face. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence, as he contemplated my request. Jensen, you're a jackass, I silently told myself and wished I could take back my request. Suddenly, Edward smiled and I knew he heard me calling myself a jackass.

"Jensen, you know that wouldn't be right. Besides, this is something you and Leah need to work out together. Trust me; you don't want to know everything she's thinking."

I grinned and laughed at myself. "Sorry Edward. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. So, how are party plans coming along?" I asked to ease any discomfort my request might have caused.

Edward shook his head and smiled ruefully. "You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but this is only Renessmee's 5th birthday. I honestly can't believe my daughter has grown so much. Humans don't know how lucky they are that their babies grow slowly. Pretty soon Bella and I will have to claim that Renessmee is a cousin or something to the public instead of our adopted daughter. In any case, Alice is taking the reins on planning this party, and if you know Alice, this will turn out as more of a fiesta than a birthday party."

I did notice that Renessmee seemed to grow more quickly than average human children. It was very interesting to learn about the half human half vampire child, although 'child' was a loose term when describing what Renessmee was. She looked more like a preteen than a five year old. As I thought about Renessmee, I couldn't help it when my thoughts turned towards the possibility of having a child with Leah. I never thought about having children, especially once I became a vampire. What would it be like to have a child with Leah? The child would most certainly be the only one of its existence, since vampires and werewolves/shape shifters were natural enemies, and therefore would never have the kind of relationship that me and Leah had. Would Leah and I even be able to have a child, I wondered.

"You know, that would be very interesting. Not that I'm encouraging you to get Leah pregnant, but imagine what kind of abilities your child would have!" Edward said with a wide grin.

"Hey!" I chuckled "Why is it okay for you to read my mind, and not Leah's?"

Edward laughed with me and said, "You practically shouted that thought at me with your excitement at the possibility!"

"Touché" I said with a grin. As much as I was enjoying my conversation with Edward, I knew I needed to talk to Tanya as well. So, I sighed, told Edward I would talk to him later, and entered the house.

The Cullens' house was beautiful and comfortable at the same time. The family was welcoming and I was grateful that they allowed me to visit with them, especially since I wasn't ready to leave Leah. Knowing Leah, she wouldn't leave her pack, or this area, so I had to consider what I would do. Would I be allowed to stay here indefinitely? The idea had a tremendous amount of appeal. It had been so long since I last saw my family, and the idea of being a part of the Cullen family was very tempting. Not that they invited me to stay, but they haven't asked me to leave either. I decided once I was more secure with my situation with Leah, I would talk to Carlisle.

I wandered the house, looking for Tanya. Jasper and Emmett were not home. They were probably hunting, and I remembered seeing Rosalie in the garage working on her car when I came up to the house. I said hello to Carlisle as I passed his study, and made my way to the kitchen. Esme was preparing dinner for the wolves as usual, and that is where I found Tanya.

"Hey Tanya, want to get something to eat?" I asked. I didn't really need to hunt, but I figured it wouldn't hurt. I remembered my urge to bite Leah when we were having sex, and I wanted to curb that urge as much as possible, even if it meant that I would have to glut myself on blood.

She smiled brightly and said, "Sure."

Giving Esme a wave as we left, Tanya and I headed out to the forest behind the house. We didn't talk as we both gave ourselves over to our senses in order to hunt. The game in the forest wasn't exciting, since it was mostly deer and elk, but it would suffice. After we were done feeding, I led Tanya over to a meadow so I could talk to her. When we reached the meadow, I turned towards her, and grasped both of her hands. I could tell that she knew that there was something on my mind because she stayed quiet and allowed me to be the one to break the silence.

As I stared down at her, I took in her beauty and remembered her passion. It would not be hard for her to find someone new to distract her from her love for Edward. I didn't know exactly how deep her affection was for me, but I knew it was deeper than she had felt for any of her human lovers. I would be eternally grateful to her for teaching me about this new life and sharing her passion with me. But as I looked down at her, I couldn't feel more for her than affection. This only solidified my feelings for Leah.

"Tanya, you can't stay in my cabin anymore. Leah and I . . . well, I'm not exactly sure what we are right now, but she's agreed to stay with me. Thank you for your part in my little plan" I told her gently.

Tanya stared up at me, and then she brought one of her hands up to cup my cheek.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she whispered.

"Yes, I'm sure" I said, and then I turned my head and planted a kiss on the palm of her hand.

"I'm very happy for you then. I will go back home tonight. I will miss you, love. Take care" she said. Then she slowly raised herself up on her tiptoes, and brushed her cool lips against mine. Suddenly, both of her arms were wrapped around my neck and I felt the pressure of her tongue against my lips. My body froze, but I instinctively placed my hands on her hips.

"Think of this as a goodbye kiss" Tanya murmured as she brought her mouth against mine again.

Because I didn't want to hurt her more than I already had, I wrapped my arms firmly around her waist and kissed her back.