"When the world's crashing down

when I fall and hit the ground

I will turn myself around

don't you try and stop it,

I will get by,

I will survive."

-Alice, Avril Lavigne

I drove for a really long time. I had no clear destination in mind, but the mindless driving was letting me let off some steam, so I continued into wherever the road took me. It wasn't until a plane flew low overhead that I actually thought about going somewhere. It was a snap decision, but it felt right. I hadn't been spontaneous in a long time. I drove to the air port, and was instantly glad that I'd emptied my bank account while I'd been in Seattle, and the contents were currently in my wallet.

Walking through the air port was a blur. I bought my ticket, and headed through security with only my purse. When I was walking to my terminal, I pulled my cell phone out and called my-hopefully-host's number, making sure it was actually okay that I was coming to visit. She sounded surprised, but happy that I was coming. I hadn't seen her in so long. I sat in the terminal where my flight was due to start boarding in about half an hour. I decided it might be a good idea to call home, seeing as though it was nearing midnight. I dialed the number, and it rung until it went to voice mail. Sue must be at Charlie's.

"Hey, you've reached the Clearwaters- Sue," my mother said.

"Seth," Seth added.

"Leah," I laughed.

"And Jayme!" Jayme piped up.

"And we can't get to the phone right now so please leave a message after the beep," my mother finished. I smiled, remembering the day that we'd recorded it. It was a happy memory.

"Hey Mom, Seth, and Jayme," I said, my voice sounding dejected. "It's Leah. I'm okay, so don't worry. I'm not in La Push so don't go looking for me. I'll explain everything when I get home. I don't know when that might be. I'm sorry for leaving on such short notice. Take care of yourselves for me. Tell Jacob I'm sorry for leaving without telling him. I'm sorry, I just need space...time to think..." This sounded horrible. I was being irresponsible and immature, leaving my daughter and family without warning...but I needed this. I would take care of everything later. "I know you're probably upset with me for this, and I don't blame you...I just...coming home brought on some stuff that I wasn't really prepared to deal with. I just need a few days to keep my head on straight. I hope you understand. I love you all so much. Don't worry about me. I'm okay...or I will be okay. I love you." I snapped my phone shut, and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

I decided that it would be a good idea to pick up some dinner before I got on the flight. I wasn't particularly hungry, but in a few hours, I definitely would be. I found a fast food restaurant and picked up a salad and a soda. I stopped and picked up one of those stupid gossip magazine. As petty and as cookie-cutter as I found the people in Hollywood to be, I always enjoyed hearing the stupid things that Britney, Paris, and Jessica had gotten themselves into. The scandals in LA were easier to deal with than the ones that occurred at home.

When I got back to the terminal, my flight was boarding. I sighed in relief. I was really going to do this. I was going to get away for a few days to clear my head. I smiled as I handed the man my boarding pass. He scanned it and handed it back to me.

"Have a nice flight, ma'am," he said, smiling back at me. I walk through the passageway and into the plane. I greeted the staff and the pilot as they were all standing in the front of the plane. As I made my way through the aisle, trying to find my seat, I prayed for a window seat. It was a small plane, and there were only two seats on each side of the aisle. I found my seat, and sat down, smiling as I opened the window of the plane and looked out onto the runway. I glanced over to the empty seat next to me, and hoped that whoever was sitting there wasn't a complete asshole.

As if on cue, a good-looking guy about my age stopped in front of the seat. He had dark brown hair and green eyes. His skin wasn't pale, but it wasn't nearly as tan as mine. I could see a few freckles sprinkled across his nose. He looked friendly, and when he saw me, he smiled. I smiled back.

"This your seat?" I asked, gesturing to the seat beside me.

"Yeah, if my ticket is correct," he said, still smiling at me. I blushed. I actually blushed!

"You gonna sit down?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure," he said, smoothly sliding in next to me. "My name's Danny. Danny Montgomery," he added, holding his hand out for a shake.

"Leah Clearwater," I said, and his hands were really, really soft. He shook my hand, but didn't let go after that. I smiled shyly, and looked down, pulling my hand away.

"So, Leah Clearwater," he said, and he spoke with such a kind tone of voice, that I just smiled at him. "What brings you to Hawaii?"

"Visiting an old friend of mine," I said honestly. "We used to be really close and I haven't seen her in a while, so...what about you?"

"I'm the best man in my buddy's wedding. He's marrying a total bitch, but whatever. We've known each other since we were in diapers, so I guess its whatever makes him happy," he shrugged, then laughed. The situation sounded oddly familiar. There was a short, comfortable silence after that. This guy was really, really nice. He was cute. He knew nothing about me, nothing about my past. I was thinking we could be friends.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a minute or two.

"Fine," I said a little to quickly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you look a little sad. I mean, you look worn out...is everything okay?" He asked. This complete stranger who I'd met less than five minutes ago was more concerned about me than anyone had expressed in a long time. I liked him. Liked him a lot. This was not good. I was in deep shit.

" Just...family stuff. A lot of family stuff that's been going on for a while. I just...needed to get away, you know?" I asked. He nodded, and it looked as if he actually understood.

"If you want to talk about it...I know this might sound strange, seeing as though we just met, but if you want to talk about it, I've got a long flight, nothing to do, and a very open mind," he said.

So I spilled my guts. I told him everything, and was completely honest. Well, as honest as I could be without telling him the secret that could get me in tons of trouble with the tribe...oh, and the fact that I had a daughter. I might have left that tiny detail out of my story. After I was done, I looked up at him, and blushed.

"I'm sorry, that must've been really, really, boring..."

"No," he said, cutting me off. "It wasn't. I liked hearing about it. Getting to know you. And plus, it looks like you needed that. You look ten times better already!" I smiled at him. I felt better. I really did. But I didn't think that it had anything to do with reliving my past. Over the next couple of hours, Danny and I talked about everything. And when I say, everything, I mean everything. From what our views on religion were, to what music we liked, to where we saw ourselves in twenty years. It felt so nice to know someone like this. It almost felt like Jacob's friendship...but different. Danny wasn't the father of my baby.

"So, how long are you going to be in Hawaii?" I asked, after a few hours. I was leaning on his shoulder, and he had his arm around me. The pose felt safe, comfortable.

"Two and a half weeks. I have to help set up and clean up the wedding, but I'll be there for a week and a half afterward, taking a vacation. What about you?"

"I don't really know. Coming to Hawaii was kind of a last minute decision. I don't know why I even thought of it," I admitted, laughing quietly so I wouldn't wake the other passengers.

"Well, Leah, I'm glad you did," he whispered.

"Me too," I said, yawning. After that, the world faded away as sleep eventually found me.

It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I woke sharply with a gasp. My dreams had been frightening. I couldn't remember specific details, but it included Sam, Jake, and Jayme. Decisions. So many decisions. Every where I turned, every move I made sparked a different out come. I didn't even realize that Danny was still awake, and watching me.

"Leah, you okay?" he asked, whispering.

"Yeah, just had a nightmare, that's all," I said quietly. It was then that I realized his hand was resting lightly on my waist. And that I...well, I kind of liked it. I snuggled closer to him, and fell into another dreamless sleep.

It was not long after that I woke up again. This time I awoke to Danny's gentle whispering.

"Leah, sorry to wake you, but you have to put your seat belt on. We're landing in Hawaii." I groggily nodded, and sat up, stretching my stiff muscles that were sore from the awkward positioning last night. I sat back into my seat, and buckled my seat belt. I opened the shade, and sure enough just beyond the clear blue Pacific ocean, was the island that I'd be staying on for who-knows-how-long.

As the plane finally landed on the ground, Danny pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey, Leah. Would you mind putting your number in here? Maybe we could meet up one day?" he suggested. He looked nervous. It was so cute. Danny had admitted the night before that though he'd had a number of hook-ups and flings, he'd never really been in a serious long-term relationship. I wondered what he saw in this, but I stopped that train of thought. If I started down this road, the end was inevitable. I'd over-think, and run for the hills. That was not what I wanted from a possible future boyfriend. I smiled, and nodded, taking my phone out of my pocket, and handing it to him. I entered my cell phone number under my first and last name, and handed it back to him. He placed my phone in my palm, and smiled at me as the pilot announced that we were now free to leave.

"Danny," I said, standing up. "It was great meeting you. Thank you so much for being such an awesome friend," I smiled, and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.

"My pleasure," he said, winking. I laughed, and as we exited the plane and walked out of the terminal, we discussed making plans later in the week. I was excited to see him again, and it seemed as if he was actually into me. We parted at the baggage claim, with a promise to call or text message each other soon. That was when I heard her call my name.

"LEAH!" I turned around and saw her form approaching fast. When she was close enough, she threw herself at me, and wrapped her legs around my waist.

"BEX!" I squealed as she lowered herself from me. I stood back and looked her. Rebecca Black was even more gorgeous than I had remembered her.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you're actually here!" she squeaked, pulling me into another hug. "Leah, I missed you soooo much! Oh my gosh we're going to have so much fun! Ooh, and you get to meet Aiden!" Aiden was Becca's husband whom she had snuck off the reservation when she was eighteen to marry. She completely left her life in La Push behind and moved to Hawaii, where Aiden was born and raised. I hadn't heard much from her since. Not without missing her completely. My relationship with Rachel had nothing on my friendship with Becca. Even though they were eighteen months apart, and nearly identical, they couldn't have been more different. Rachel played by the rules, she was book-smart, reserved, and sometimes shy. She didn't go out much. She had graduated early from college, and was the biggest daddy's girl the world has ever seen. Ever since we were little, the Elders always told us to do well in school, make something of our lives, come back home to the reservation and marry Quileute. That was exactly what Rachel did. Rebecca on the other hand, was wild, outgoing, and a total rule-breaker. She loved to party, and didn't give two shits about school. Rebecca never went to college, moved away from the reservation, and never came back. I admired her so much.

"Where are your bags?" she asked, scanning the baggage claim.

"Bex, coming here was a snap decision. I didn't really bring anything," I said, unashamed. I never felt self-conscious when with Becca. We were sisters that were separated at birth...or that's what my mom always used to say when Rebecca still lived in La Push.

"No problem, that just gives us an excuse to go shopping!" Becca cheered, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out towards the parking lot. I was glad to see that even if everything in my life seemed to be changing nowadays, the fact that Rebecca and I were truly soul sisters hadn't changed in the least. That, and the fact that these next few days were going to be completely different from what I had grown accustomed to, were the only two things in the world that I was actually sure about.

Okay, please don't kill me*hides in the corner in the fetal position as an angry mob approaches* No, haha I'm totally kidding, but please don't be upset with me for this. Leah seems completely out of character in this chapter, but there's a reason for that- she's not exactly herself right now. In fact, she doesn't even remember who her true self is. And though it seems unlikely that Leah would be up for any kind of new relationship, especially a boyfriend, but she's not exactly in a good headspace right now. She's not thinking clearly. Going to Hawaii is not a good idea, but Leah doesn't know that. She's wrongfully neglecting her responsibilities as a mother, daughter, friend, and maid of honor. But Leah has made enough mistakes already, and honestly I'm kind of tired of writing so much angst. I think she deserves to have a little fun don't you? No? Don't hate me. Please?

So did you like Danny? I think he's adorable. Sure, he may not be Leah's usual type (tan, muscular, half-naked, and werewolf), but he's a good guy who would treat her right. Leah's perceptive enough that she sees that.

And what about Rebecca? I really enjoyed writing her in this chapter. She's crazy, fun, and loves Leah for who she is- even if Leah doesn't really know who that is right now. Oh, and I'd like to remind you: Becca is HUMAN. And she's not an IMPRINT. Therefore, she has no freaking clue that werewolves or any of her tribe's legends actually exist. Keep that in mind while reading the next chapter.

I know this was super fast, but be thankful that I don't have a life ;) FEED MY ADDICTION. REVIEW!