The Twilight Twenty-Five
thetwilight25 dot com

Prompt: #7
Pen Name: 2Shaes
Pairing/Character(s): Sam
Rating: K+
Word Count: 495

Photo prompts can be found here:
thetwilight25 dot com/round-eight/prompts

The Long Way Home

It had been years since I'd knocked on this door, yet I was still anxious to see who would answer it. I held my breath as it creaked open.

"Erm… Hi, Sam." Seth shifted nervously.

"Is Leah available?" I stuffed my hands into my pockets.

Seth looked cautiously back in the house then back at me. Laughter floated from the living room, but hers was the loudest. I was surprised at how much I missed it.

"Yeah," he said, twisting the doorknob.

"Seth! Who's at the door?" Leah shouted as she approached. "You're gonna let flies in…" Her voice faded when she saw me.

She was letting her hair grow again. It was halfway down her back. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, but no animosity. That glow that she once had was back, shining brighter than ever. There was no denying it. Leah Clearwater was a beautiful woman, especially when she was this happy.

"Sam."

"Lee-" I corrected myself. "Leah."

"Um, I'm gonna go inside so Tim's not alone." Seth hastily made his exit.

"You're letting your hair grow out," I said.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Leah. After the Cullens moved away and the war was over, she began rebuilding her life. She pulled away to focus on herself. Who could blame her?

"Tim likes it long-" She stopped. "Yeah, I am."

"So, I heard you're getting married."

"Yep." Leah nodded and smiled as she twisted the ring on her finger. I remembered when I used to make her smile like that. "Tim asked me last week."

My voice lowered. "Does he know about your wolf?"

"Yes, and he's okay with it."

"Good." There was an awkward silence. Then I asked, "Did you imprint?"

"No." She crossed her arms. "I love him and he loves me. That's all I need."

"Are you concerned that it might happen?" I hoped I didn't go too far. Imprinting was a delicate subject.

But she surprised me again. "Nope. I haven't phased in over two years, and I don't think imprinting will happen without my wolf."

"He makes you happy, then?"

"Extremely." There was that smile again. "I didn't think I could feel this way again."

"That's all I ever wanted for you, Leah." She looked up at me, and I gingerly placed my hand on her cheek. "I don't regret what we had. I know how amazing it feels to be loved by you and I'll always cherish that. Tim's a lucky man."

She sighed contently and patted my hand on her cheek. "Thanks, Sam. That means a lot." She stepped out of my touch. "I should get back inside."

"Okay. Goodbye, Leah."

She waved and the door closed.

I took the long way home to think.

When I finally made it home, Emily greeted me. "Hey, honey. Where were you?"

"Saying goodbye to an old friend." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close to me. "What's for dinner?"

A/N: All right. That's it! I have to say, this was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I finished it. Thank you, Costa for pre-reading all of these and giving them your stamp of approval. (Even the Bella/Jacob drabbles) Thanks to everyone who read these and a special thanks to KendieV and Firefly-Class for reviewing. Now it's back to my WIPs!