"What are you doing?" Seth asked as soon as she walked in the front door.

Leah looked up. Her brother was frowning. "Excuse me?"

"You're humiliating me. The first time was bad enough, but I blame Sam for that mostly, and Paul. But the bathroom still reeks of the two of you. I shower in there. It's like it's on me now. How am I supposed to get clean?" There was a slightly hysterical edge to his voice. "And you just went to meet him again, didn't you?"

She scowled to mask her embarrassment. "So? Since when do I need your permission?"

"Lee, he isn't just some guy. We basically share a brain with a half a dozen other dudes. Anything you do with any of them, all of it I get to see. How would you Iike it if you had to see me that way?"

She blushed as she realized that their most recent encounter would embarrass him even more than the others had. Gloating at Sam felt like justice, but forcing all the vivid images on her own brother? She didn't want him to know what they did. She sighed, "I didn't plan it, okay? But the cat's kind of out of the bag already. Plus I kind of like rubbing it in Sam's face, and, uh..." She was about to say that the sex was phenomenal, but Seth already knew, though he wished he didn't.

"Yeah, well, that I get. Even if all that stuff with Emily isn't really his fault, he's still kind of awful now."

"Come on, fault or not, he clearly could be handling all that stuff with Em better, don't you think? I'm actually not sure he could be doing any worse."

He snorted. "Don't ask how it could get any worse, because then you'll find out."

"Since when did you get to be so pessimistic?" It was uncharacteristic of her sunny little brother.

Seth shrugged and plopped down on the couch. "Everything's different now."

"That's an understatement."

"I used to like Sam, you know?"

Leah sat down beside him, laughing humorlessly. "Not as much as I did." She paused, looking at the dirt that had collected under her nails from running through the forest and from the cave floor the night before. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"It's okay." He lowered his head into her lap, startling her. He used to do it all the time when they were children. He loved it when she ran her fingers through his hair. They had spent hours in this very position, usually watching movies or cartoons. She reached for him, but he pulled away abruptly.

She missed him immediately. In fact, she had missed him acutely ever since their father had died even though he was right there. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and wrinkled his nose. "It's just, you kinda…"

Realization dawned. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'll take a shower. That's what I was going to do anyway."

As she stood to leave, he asked quietly, "So is this a real thing now? With Paul?"

She turned on the bottom step to face him. "I don't know. It's not fake, but I don't know what it is."

"Are you dating him?"

She shrugged. "I haven't got a clue. I don't think so. I mean, we've never gone on anything resembling a date."

"Do you want to be?"

"I don't know that either. It's not like we planned this, you know. Six months ago, if you asked me if I'd give Paul a second thought, I'd have figured you must be talking about a different Paul. But of all the insane things that have happened to us, this has to be the least surprising, don't you think?"

He grudgingly agreed, "I guess. Which really goes to show just how screwed up everything is. I just don't want to see it in such graphic detail. Or smell it." He grimaced.

"I'll talk to him about getting a little more control over his thoughts. And my own."

He smiled a little. "Do you think you can join a convent even if you're not Catholic? Because that would probably be the best solution. Not to sleep with him or anyone else."

She grinned at him. "I'll tell you what. I'll become a nun when you become a monk."

His face softened. "But really, sis, I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I'll kill him if he hurts you. I mean it."

With false bravado, she declared, "I don't exactly think we're at the point where I could get hurt." As she went up the stairs, she hoped it was true.

X-x-x-x-X

Sue set up a meeting with Billy two days later. She wanted to talk to him about Sam's leadership, the vampire stalking their borders, and the Cullens. They met in the council hall. She informed him of the Alpha orders that had resulted in her daughter getting battered until she was unconscious. She spoke of the pack leader's schizophrenic attitude toward the girl he claimed still to love. She described how difficult he had made things for her daughter. Billy was somewhat concerned, but he took her words with a grain of salt. As much as he respected Sue, she was far from objective. She would obviously favor her own children in a dispute, just as he was likely to do. But she could afford the luxury of her emotional connections. Billy knew that his top priority had to be the good of the tribe. He knew he was only getting one side of the story. Sam had been trustworthy so far. His life was overturned as much as any other pack member, and when he had first phased, he did so alone. Until Leah joined the pack, Sam displayed only strong leadership skills, and Billy gave him the benefit of the doubt. Leah, on the other hand, had only caused chaos since her initiation.

He kept his opinions to himself, but Sue saw his reticence, and she switched tactics. She removed her own children from the equation as best she could. She reframed the discussion around the local coven of vampires. She pointed out the ways in which their presence was destructive to their tribe. She argued that even if they themselves did not attack humans, their presence obviously attracted others who did. She feared for the safety of Bella Swan, in addition to all the other residents of the community, both in La Push and in nearby Forks. She questioned why the Cullens had disappeared, where they had gone, and why they had been allowed to come back with no explanation and full impunity. She described the folly of limiting their protectors to the strict borders of the reservation. And finally she asked how they could risk the futures and the safety of their own children just to uphold an old treaty made in a previous era.

Billy tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. "You must know that it isn't by choice. It's not as if they asked permission to move back. If they had, we never would have granted it."

"What happened, exactly?"

He explained, "They just appeared. We didn't get any warning. They came when they wanted to, and after the doctor was already working at the hospital and the others were enrolled at the high school, we received word that they considered the treaty still intact. The coven leader promised that they would not drink of human blood, and they said they would not to cross onto our land, and that was all. With what power were we supposed to turn them away?"

Sue shook her head. "Of all the places in the world, why here?"

"The cloud cover, for one. And the isolation. I suspect there are too many… temptations, for lack of a better term, in a city. And too much competition. I gather that they don't want to associate with others of their kind, and I believe that someplace like Seattle, for example, or even the smaller cities, have their own covens. Then there's the doctor's work. He needs a hospital that won't look at his credentials too closely. Any major institution would do a real background check. I know he has forged documents, but he has worked in too many places for too long for someone not to notice if they paid enough attention, and how could he explain so many decades, centuries even, of his career? Someone around here is covering his tracks and making sure that no one looks too closely."

Sue slumped forward. It had never occurred to her how powerful the coven must really be. "Who are they, really?"

"Monsters, the lot of them. I'm not under any illusions, Sue. None of us are, nor were we when they first returned. Especially not Harry. But you must remember, when they appeared, there wasn't a single protector. There was no one to push them back. We asked them to leave, of course we did. We told them that they were not welcome."

"What did they do?"

"Whatever they wanted to do. They wanted to stay, so they stayed. They ignored us. What were we to do? Forbid them? We have no power over them. This entire peninsula may be our ancestral home, but we lost most of the land years ago, well before the coven arrived. And not one wolf existed to turn them back. Even when Sam phased, he was only one against seven. It is only now, with the turning of your children, that our numbers match theirs. For so long, our only weapon against them was the threat to expose them. But they have the same power over us. Can you imagine? If we told the world who they were, they would turn around and tell the world what we are. Then the government would know, and every other vampire in the world would know. It's one thing to hold a single coven at bay, but to fight against every Cold One who might pit themselves against us, all the while hoping that our children aren't dragged off to some military lab somewhere to be dissected? The risk was too great. It still is."

Sue murmured, "It's a stalemate. Mutually assured destruction."

"Yes. We are having our own little Cold War right here on this rainy little strip of land. For once, I'm glad my daughters are far, far away from here."

"There has to be something we can do," she insisted.

He answered, "I'm open to suggestions."

"They say they're trying to protect Charlie's girl. Do you believe them?"

"Not for a second. But they haven't turned her, either, and I understand she has been begging them to do so."

"Someone needs to shake some sense into her."

Billy looked sorrowful. "She thinks she's Juliet and that Edward's her Romeo."

"She seems to have forgotten that both Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves in the end."

"Only this time, Romeo was a corpse to begin with."

She tried to appeal to his sympathy as a parent. "We have to tell Charlie. We can't just let them lure her in, destroy her, and just sit back and watch. If it was one of your girls, wouldn't you want to know? Isn't it the right thing to do?"

For the first time, Billy looked offended. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've wanted to tell him a hundred times? He's like a brother to me. I've played out the scenarios, Sue. Trust me. What would he do with the knowledge? Forbid her from seeing him? That would only make her more desperate to be with him. Tell Edward he can't see Bella anymore? Ask Carlisle to take his family away? They won't go unless they want to. And then the coven would know that he knows. Maybe he would try to use that. Maybe he would threaten to expose them. If I know anything of the Cold Ones, I know they protect their secret. They'd kill him just for knowing, and they would make it a slow and painful death if he told anyone what they are. Or what if he tried to kill them himself? I certainly wish I could. He would too. But with what? His gun is worthless. A stake to the heart? Holy water? Push them into the sunlight? None of those things do anything to them. Our children are the only ones who stand a chance, and I'm not ready to send my son to battle them over Bella Swan's bad decisions. Are you?"

The color drained from her face, and suddenly she looked older than her years. "No. My children have suffered enough."

"I agree. I don't know what the answer is, but bringing Charlie into it won't help. He can't know, Sue. It puts his life at risk. For some reason they seem to like Bella alive and human. I don't pretend to understand it or to trust that it will stay that way, but for now she seems safe enough."

"Do you know that she wants to be turned? How can that be safe?"

He nodded somberly. "I know. She has fallen under their spell. But for some reason, they haven't turned her. They seem to understand that it's a violation of the treaty. They argue that she's asking for it, but that means little to me. A human life is a human life as far as I'm concerned."

"What are they going to do?"

"I don't know. All I can do is plan our response, if it comes to that."

"And what is our response?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

The chief pointed out, "That's a matter of debate. You know that. Sam doesn't want to risk any of the pack. He says if she wants to die, let her die. My son wants to kill Edward himself. I don't know what the answer is. It's probably something in between. And right now it seems it hardly matters. If the other one, the killer, the female, if she gets to Bella first…"

"My daughter almost had her. Did you know that? Leah is faster than any of the boys, and she literally had Victoria in her jaws, but she got away because of the terms of that awful treaty."

Billy frowned. Sam and Jacob had both given him reports, but neither said anything like that. "What are you talking about?"

"Victoria is using Cullen land as some kind of safe zone. She goes there to get away. It's one thing to flee into the ocean. She doesn't need to breathe, so the pack can't follow. But the other side of the border? She shouldn't be any safer on their side than ours, yet that's where she runs when the pack gets close. My daughter wanted to follow her there, take her down, but Sam pulled her back."

"He does have to abide by the rules…"

Sue snapped, "If the Cullens are honestly trying to keep her alive, do you really think they'd protest when our pack kills the monster trying to drain Bella, just because it happened on their land and not ours?"

"Probably not," he admitted.

"She could have ended it that night. Did you know that? My daughter could have taken care of the threat once and for all. How many people has that monster killed? How many missing hikers, townspeople, residents?"

"Too many."

"That's right. A single one is too many. How many more need to die? What's Sam's plan to take her down? Run the border over and over? Sprint around in circles?"

Billy shifted in his chair, visibly uncomfortable. "It's not like that."

"Really?" she challenged. "Because to me, it looks like he's got my kids chasing their own tails. He isn't thinking straight. He's not objective. My daughter didn't get hurt pursuing that Cold One, Billy. She got hurt because Sam ordered her to fight Paul, ordered them silent so they couldn't protest, and wandered away while they nearly killed each other. Bad enough that Sam can't figure out how to kill Victoria. He can hardly run the pack. The only person he knows how to hurt is my daughter!"

Billy tried to placate her. "That's not fair, Sue. He had no choice between Emily and Leah. The spirits chose for him."

"Emily?" Sue hissed. "Did you hear me say her name a single time? I'm not talking about the imprint. I'm talking about his leadership skills. His cognitive skills. He's not meant to be Alpha, and it's showing. It matters. Does one of the pack need to die before the council will recognize that?"

"You're being melodramatic," Billy scolded.

"Melodramatic? Our children's lives have been overturned. My boy is a child, Billy, and so is yours. My daughter is barely a woman. They're up all night, running themselves ragged, failing out of school, can't get jobs. We've asked them to put their lives on the line, and we can't even give them a sane leader to follow. Maybe your son doesn't want the responsibility. Fine. But what will it take for the council to realize that Sam Uley isn't fit to lead?"

"I know that it has been hard for your children, and especially your daughter. What happened between her, Sam, and his imprint is truly unfortunate. We all feel for her. But what's between them, or isn't, is between them alone. It isn't pack business, and it isn't ours. He's a good man."

She shook her head. "He was a good man. I even thought he was good enough to marry my little girl. But now I don't trust that he has her best interests in mind, and you shouldn't trust him with your boy either."

X-x-x-x-X

Billy took Sue's words to heart and decided to speak with his son and gather opinions from other council members. While he was considering every angle, Sam called together a pack meeting in his cabin. Neither Leah or Paul had any interest in attending, but they had no choice. It was mandatory.

Paul offered to pick Leah up at her house and go over together. He knew she hated going back to the home she had shared with Sam. She had picked out most of the furniture herself and paid for much of it with her own money. Emily had changed some of the decor, but not all of it. Too many things looked the same. Everywhere she turned, something reminded her of her old life and her lost future. It made him nauseous, but Paul and the rest of the pack even knew all the places in the house where Sam and Leah had made love: the kitchen table, the bathroom sink, Sam's recliner, the rug on the living room floor. None of it had changed. The bed was the same, though it was adorned with different sheets. They hadn't even flipped over the couch cushions after the fateful moment where Sam had last enjoyed the touch of his first love, the same place he had looked out the window to see Emily's car pull into the driveway, and his life had completely changed. Paul wanted to sit on that very same couch and pull Leah into his lap just to see Sam's expression.

An hour before the meeting, Paul arrived at the Clearwater house. Maybe they could even sneak in a quickie. Sam would blow a gasket if they walked into his home covered in each other's scents. But Seth answered the door alone. "She's not here."

Had she forgotten? "Oh. I told her I'd pick her up."

"I know. But Sam showed up a couple hours ago and said she had to cover patrol last minute. He said something about Kim meeting Jared for something. I'm not sure exactly what, but I guess it left them shorthanded."

Paul clenched his fists. "Didn't she patrol last night? And isn't she on again tonight?"

"Yeah. She wasn't too happy. It was basically the middle of the night for her when he got her up."

Paul knew that Sam's choice of coverage had been deliberate. He knew for a fact that other members were also available, and Leah already had more patrols than anyone else. "Did he at least give her tonight off? She's not getting enough sleep as it is."

Seth shook his head. "No. I offered to take tonight or cover today, but he turned me down. He said I needed to do my homework. I mean, I do, but not as much as my sister needs some rest. I think he knew that…"

"… that I was on my way over. That's why he made her patrol. To keep her away from me." It was as if Sam was engaged in a battle of psychological warfare with Leah. He was exerting his dominance just because he could. Was he trying to break her in the process? "Let him try. I don't care if he's the alpha. He can't control her every moment, Let alone mine."

Seth and Paul were the last to arrive at the cabin. Leah was wedged into a loveseat with Embry. Jacob sprawled across the couch by himself, and Jared had taken over Sam's armchair. Emily was going around the room offering blueberry muffins, and the boys were inhaling them. Emily stopped in front of Leah. "You must be starving. You should have one before the boys finish them."

Leah was staring blankly over Emily's shoulder at nothing. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

Emily protested, "Oh, I know that's not true. I've seen the way all you wolves eat. You really are animals when it comes to your food." Emily smiled as if she was making a friendly joke, but Paul and Leah knew she wasn't. She was insultingly Leah's femininity.

"I'm fine," Leah repeated firmly.

But Emily pressed on, "You don't have to pretend like you're a normal girl in front of us, honey. Go ahead and eat one. I know you want to."

Now Leah glared at Emily. Her voice was tight and her jaw clenched. "Are you deaf? I said no."

Emily stepped back, her face falling into a wounded expression. "I'm just trying to help. I'm sure you've had a long day, and I just want you to feel better. You don't look good. You've got bags under your eyes, and they look kind of bloodshot. Your hair's all…" She made a fluttering gesture with her hands. "And your clothes, they're not exactly... You look exhausted. I'm worried about you."

Leah scowled at the thinly veiled insults and false concern. "I'm exhausted because I only got three hours of sleep. Will your muffins fix that?"

"Don't be rude," Sam chided. "Emily works hard to take care of everyone in the pack, including you."

Leah opened her mouth to give an angry reply, but Paul beat her to the punch. He scoffed, "Are you serious? If anybody is taking care of the pack, it's Leah. There are seven of us, but she does half the patrols. What's more helpful? Dealing with the leeches or these dry muffins?" Paul reached over Emily's shoulder, picked one up, and crushed it in his fist to demonstrate its texture. Crumbs scattered over the carpet.

"Hey!" Emily yelped. "If you don't want one, just say so. You don't have to destroy it!"

Paul rolled his eyes. "Leah just told you she didn't want one, and you were still trying to shove one down her throat. Get over yourself."

Emily looked shocked, and Sam growled, "Paul, watch it. One more word out of you, and I'll…"

"You'll what?" Paul interrupted. "Order me to be quiet again? Look how well that worked for you last time. Go ahead, see what happens. It'll be a fun game to see how your order backfires."

Embry tried to defuse the situation. "Guys? This isn't why we're here, right? I don't think Sam called to this meeting just to have all of you air out all your drama."

Sam glowered at Paul, but he acquiesced and pulled Emily to the other side of the room, holding her against his chest. "You're right. That's not why I called this meeting."

Paul glanced at Leah, who was pointedly looking away from the couple. Emily was nuzzling against Sam as if they were alone instead of running a meeting. Paul knew she was deliberately flaunting her relationship in front of Leah. He saw Leah ball her fists in her lap and clench her jaw. He wanted to touch her, but Embry was taking up most of the loveseat, and there was no room for him. He did the next best thing. He squatted down and took her right ankle into his hand, turned around to sit, and settled himself on the floor between her legs as she shifted in surprise.

Sam glared at him but continued, "I have an announcement to make. As you all know, we got very close to catching the redhead a couple nights ago."

Leah snapped, "And I would have had her if it weren't for you pulling me back. We'd be done with all of this already if you had just let me go after her."

Paul ran his fingers up and down her smooth calf as Sam eyed them and stuttered, "N-no one knows what might or might not have happened. You might also be dead if I let you take her on by yourself."

"We couldn't stand it if you got hurt, Leah," Emily added.

Leah stiffened, and Paul squeezed her ankle and loudly snorted at Emily's hypocritical statement. Under his breath, he muttered, "Yeah, right."

Sam looked increasingly more agitated, but ignored him and continued, "So far we've done an amazing job keeping our own territory protected, but we've been pretty helpless on the other side of the border. That's why I met with the coven leader, and we've come to a new agreement. From now on, we have access to their land."

Jacob asked, "What exactly does that mean? No more border?"

"No," Sam answered firmly. "This isn't a free-for-all. They are absolutely not allowed on our land, and they know it. They've loosened their restrictions on us. Not the other way around."

Embry asked, "How'd you manage that? I'm surprised they didn't demand access to the Rez."

This time it was Jared who answered. "Sam was very clear. He wasn't giving an inch. But he told them how they let Victoria get away, not us. It was only because they weren't letting us onto their territory that she got away, and they're the ones who didn't track her down."

Sam added, "They couldn't exactly keep pretending to have the Swan girl's best interest in mind and not let us follow Victoria. It wouldn't have looked any good. Plus I didn't give them much of a choice."

Leah had finally loosened up from Paul's touch enough to lean forward and drape her arms around his neck. Paul smirked at Sam and Emily while Leah challenged, "So you should have let me keep going in the first place. Apparently they wouldn't even have minded."

Sam's voice was tight. "I had no way to know that beforehand. And there was no way I was risking your life like that without being certain. They would have had grounds to attack you, and I couldn't risk getting you hurt."

Leah rolled her eyes. "For god's sake, make up your mind. You aren't sending me out on patrol all the damn time just to let me stretch my legs. Either trust me to do the job you're making me do, or leave me out of it."

Sam started to protest, but Paul interrupted him. "Since you made Leah patrol today and last night, you are giving her tonight off, correct?"

Sam looked startled and irritated. He obviously had no intention of doing so. "There isn't anyone else…"

"I can patrol," Seth offered. "Just like I told you earlier."

Sam didn't change his answer. "You're supposed to be focusing on your schoolwork."

"It's Saturday," Seth pointed out. "I've got plenty of time to finish my homework."

Sam argued, "But you're on again tomorrow."

Jacob offered, "I can patrol by myself. I didn't realize Leah was on so much. I wasn't paying attention to everybody else's schedule, just mine. She'd be dead on her feet, so I'd be better off by myself anyway. I'd rather go solo than run her into the ground."

"No one patrols alone," Sam insisted. "It's better to have a tired partner than no partner at all."

Paul jumped in. "I'll cover for Leah. I kind of hope I see a little action, too." He reached up to slide his fingers along Leah's arms to illustrate the dual nature of his words.

Sam couldn't stand his ground without looking totally unreasonable, so he abruptly ended the meeting and told them to get out of his house. Paul wrapped his arm around Leah's waist as they left, snickering as they passed through the front door. He grabbed Leah's ass, causing her to squeal. Behind them, Sam grabbed the doorjamb so hard that the wood splintered under his fingers. Leah didn't even notice the way Emily failed to draw Sam's attention away from them. Sam shook his imprint's arm free when she tried to pull him back into the house, and the only person who saw the wounded look on her face was Jared. Paul's lips on the back of Leah's neck were too distracting. His legs tangled with hers as they walked and made her trip, and she laughed as they stumbled into the woods.

X-x-x-x-X

So is she your girlfriend, or what? Jacob asked.

No, Paul answered. He wasn't sure what they were, but she wasn't his girlfriend. He was dangerously close to wanting her to be, though. That had never happened before, and it made him intensely uncomfortable, particularly since he wasn't alone in his own brain.

Jacob veered off, heading toward Bella's house now that he could wander freely through Forks. He didn't expect her to be home, but he wanted to guard it anyway. Are you dating?

Paul gave a mental shrug as he sniffed at a stale trail on the ground. Couldn't they talk about something else? Although he supposed he brought it upon himself with the little display he had just put on for Sam's benefit. I dunno. What's dating, anyway?

Uh, is that a real question?

I don't date, Paul replied, trying to keep his thoughts directed and simple.

Jacob was incredulous. What about Shelly? Liana? Kristen?

Before Jacob could list more girls, Paul interrupted, I didn't date them. We hooked up.

Jacob snorted out loud and thought, Did they know that?

Well, eventually… Paul admitted.

So they found out that you weren't really that into them when you pulled a fade?

Defensively, Paul answered, It's not my fault they thought there was something else there.

Does Leah think there's something else there?

Paul had no idea. His ignorance was unpleasant and unwanted, and he didn't want Jacob to know. What do you think? You can see into her brain just like I can. More, actually, since Sam makes sure I never patrol with her.

After what happened with Sam, I think she's going to be very careful.

To deflect the conversation away from his own confused emotional state, he flashed up an image of a naked Leah reaching out for him. Does she look like she's being careful? She was going to be pissed, but it was as tame as he could make it. Although once he got started, he didn't really know how to stop. Jacob got an eyeful of Leah in a dozen very compromising positions.

Dude, she's going to kill you for showing that to me. Jacob was right. But at least it worked for its intended effect. Jacob wasn't wondering about their relationship status any longer. But damn, she's so hot!

Yeah, I kind of have to figure out a way to rein it in. Especially if I have to patrol with Seth.

Probably you won't live long enough to do a patrol with her brother. Hell, even I'm going to have trouble not thinking about that when I'm phased in with either of them. After a pause, Jacob noted with good-natured jealousy, At least it looks like it was worth it.

Paul said smugly, She is pretty damn talented.

I'll say. Is that what it's always like?

Paul couldn't restrain his answer and blurted out, With other girls? No. It's like I don't even want to call it by the same word. It's almost not the same thing, even.

What do you mean? Jacob didn't understand.

Like, I've been with enough girls, and sex is always good, you know? Like… Like… He struggled to explain himself. Some of them can play T-ball, but other girls, they're varsity level. But Leah? She's not even playing the same game. She's… She's… She's playing...

Jacob snickered. You're going to say basketball, aren't you? You're trying to tell me that having sex with Leah is like playing basketball. That's hysterical. I may not have much experience, but I'm pretty sure sex is nothing like basketball.

Shut up, Paul bristled, although Jacob had seen the thought in his mind. He was thinking about basketball. You're fucking up my analogy.

It's a stupid analogy!

Fine! It's like the difference between Little League and the Majors, okay? That's what I meant.

Now Jacob was practically in hysterics. Are you trying to tell me that Leah is as good as a pro?

Yeah, I guess.

Like a hooker?

No!

Jacob had to stop running since he was laughing so hard. You totally are! I'm totally going to tell her that you started off comparing sex with her to playing basketball, but tried to save it by calling her a hooker. She's gonna love it!

No, she would kill him. Slowly. At least I'm getting some, Mr. Blue Balls.

Not after she sees what you showed me and hears what you said! I may have blue balls, but you're not going to have any at all after she castrates you. You're an idiot, man.

You're lucky you're clear across town, otherwise I'd kick your ass, Jake. Paul couldn't decide if he was really angry or not. This whole stupid conversation was his own fault.

Pfft. In your dreams. You couldn't kick my ass if you tried.

Now it was Paul's turn to snicker. I don't dream about kicking your ass. My dreams are much more entertaining, and they don't center around you.

Jacob teased, You've got it so bad for Clearwater.

I do not! Paul protested. It's just that she is, hands-down, the best I've ever had. You'd think about it all the time too if you did what we did.

Like I said, Jacob reiterated. You've got it bad. That little show you guys put on for Sam today? It wasn't just for Sam, and it wasn't just a show.

Paul bristled defensively. You don't know what you're talking about. I just wanted to put that prick in his place.

Then how come you're thinking about when you can see her next?

Paul justified, Are you not listening? Did you not see what I just showed you? It's because she's the hottest chick ever, and it's the craziest, wildest sex, that's why. It doesn't mean there's anything else there. What would you know about it, anyway, virgin? Just because you fall for any girl who blinks at you funny, doesn't mean the rest of us are so gullible. But even as he tried to distract Jake from his line of questioning,Paul had to wonder if he was right. What was he really doing with Leah?

X-x-x-x-X

A/N: Thanks again to my beta, Babs81410.