Swans Don't Quit Chapter 25: Everything's Alright, a twilight fanfic

A/N: Happy Halloween everybody! I thought I would hand out a treat for Halloween. Have a good day and remember to review and vote in the poll on my profile. May the werewolves and vampires stay at bay. :)

~Miss. E. Thompson

Chapter Twenty Five: Everything's Alright

I spoke to Emily the next day and she was enthusiastic about the idea of watching Alex. Dan and I had the earliest shift in the morning that allowed me to be home earlier in the evening. Leah was working the morning shift at the dinner with Aggie and Henry. I would wake up to feed and dress Alex before taking him to Emily's and heading to the dinner for breakfast. After work Leah picked Alex up and I came home to Alex in the jump seat watching Leah cook dinner.

It had become our routine and I admit that I kind of enjoyed it. Kim and Jared, Sue and Harry, Sam and Emily, Jake and Billy, and even Paul had come by to visit Alex. The only person that hadn't met him was Isabella. She was back in school and had started back at her job at Newton's. Isabella's nightmares have continued and the little sleep dad was living on was wearing him down and everyone could see it. He had even turned to sleeping pills, but after a few nights he couldn't take them for fear that he would sleep through a call from the station.

Today I had planned a night off for Leah and I. Sue was going to watch Alex while Leah and I went out to dinner at a restaurant in Port Angeles a movie that Leah had wanted to see. Her birthday was this weekend and I knew that Sue wanted to have her over to celebrate, so we were going to celebrate a little early. Leah had been my rock since my accident and she deserved a night off more than anything.

I had everything set up with Sue. She would come over to the house about the time that Leah got home with Alex and prevent Leah from making dinner while I finished my shift. I would come home and coax Leah into dressing up and going out with me. I knew she would ask a lot of questions and I had prepared for all the possibilities that I could think of. No matter her protests Leah was going to enjoy tonight.

I got let out of work early and quickly made my way to the flower shop in town. I picked up the bouquet of pawpaws and rhododendron that I had ordered earlier this week. The pawpaws are a burgundy color and rhododendrons are white. They are Leah's favorite flowers and can only be found here in the Pacific Northwest. I made my way to the house and saw Sue and Leah's cars out front like I was expecting. I quietly made my way inside and past the kitchen where Sue had Leah distracted with Alex on her lap. I hurried to change into a nice set of clothes that I had stashed in the downstairs bedroom and went out the back door. I got the flowers from the truck and rang the doorbell.

"What are you doing ringing the bell?" Leah asked when she opened the door. I smiled and handed her the flowers.

"Oh, Eli! They're beautiful! Thank you!" She said giving me a tight hug before her lips connected with mine.

"Happy Early Birthday, babe." I said when we pulled apart. She smiled and gave me a quick kiss then moved back to the kitchen to get a vase and some water for the flowers. Sue smiled and winked at me from the table and I smiled back.

"Leah, why don't you get ready and you and Eli can go out tonight. I'll watch Alex." She said and looked between Sue and I before walking out to get ready.

"Thanks Sue. I really appreciate you watching him tonight for us." I said and she smiled.

"It's no problem, Eli. He'll be an angel while you're gone. Won't you Alex?" Sue asked as she brought him up and gave him an eskimo kiss causing him to giggle. I showed Sue where all the things for Alex were while we waited for Leah to get ready. We were sitting at the table when Leah made her entrance down the stairs. She was wearing a dress that brushed her knees in a light green with silver high heels. She had applied a little makeup and had done her hair in a neat twist at the back of her head. She looked gorgeous.

"You look gorgeous, babe." I said before giving her a soft kiss on her lips and taking her hand in mine.

"Thank you." She said with a bright smile before hugging Sue and giving Alex a kiss and walking out the door with me to the truck. I helped her in before going to over my side and driving away from the house.

I could see Leah kept looking in the mirror in the direction of the house. She had become very close to Alex. She treated him as if he was her own and I loved her more for it. It made me even more sure that I wanted her to be my future. The woman that I would marry and the mother of my children years from now. I has already thought about proposing, but thought it would be better to wait till were older and more settled in our relationship.

"He'll be fine with your mom. Remember she raised you and Seth. She'll be able to handle Alex for a couple of hours." I said and brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles. She smiled and kissed my cheek as we made our way to Port Angeles.

The evening was nice. Having dinner with just the two of us was a bunch of mixed feelings. It was great to have some time to ourselves, but it felt strange not to have Alex in his high chair on the side of the table like he was every night. After dinner I took Leah to a small club on the outskirts of the Port Angeles. Being week night there were only a couple groups of college students and the dance floor was almost empty. After dancing to a few fast paced songs I paid off the DJ to play a slow song. When I returned to Leah the song Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flats poured from the speakers and a bright smile over took Leah's face. She wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my chest while my hands made their way to her waist and my head laid on top of hers.

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
(Yes He did)

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true.

Yeah.

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

"The broken road led me straight to you." I whispered in her ear and I could see the tears in her eyes as she smiled up at me. She leaned up and connected our lips in a hard kiss.

"This song is perfect. It describes us to a tee. I should have seen you were the one a long time ago. I wish it hadn't taken you almost dying for me to open my eyes to what was right in front of me." She said before laying her head back on my chest.

"I've been crashing on you since I was in the sixth grade." I said looking up at the ceiling not wanting to see her reaction to that information. It was a little embarrassing to admit that I had been pining after her for so long. I felt as Leah's head left my chest again and presumably looked at me. Her hand cupped my cheeked and coaxed me to look down at her. I finally looked down at her to see a smile on her face.

"Really. How come you never asked or told me?" She asked and I shrugged looking over her shoulder at the bar on the other side of the room.

"You were fawning over Sam and you always saw me as just a friend. I thought you would turn me down and never want to see me again." I said and cupped my cheek again.

"You're cute when you're acting shy." She said with a laugh before taking my hand and pulling me toward the exit to the parking lot.

"There's somewhere I want to go." Leah said as we climbed up into the truck.

"Where would that be?" I asked as I started the truck.

"Rialto Beach." She said and I nodded while putting the truck in driving and started the trek back toward home. The only difference between going home and going to Rialto Beach was turning right a little early and driving another twenty minutes. I had never been to Rialto Beach, but had always wanted to. I smiled and took a head of her hand over the center console.

As we drove Leah began to creep her hand up my arm causing goose bumps to pop up across my skin. It was becoming hard to focus on the road. As we were coming to the turn onto Mora Road Leah's hand slowly started down my chest and going further. I grabbed her wrist as her hand passed my lower stomach and entwined to keep her from torturing me more. I finally turned into the beach and moved to get out when Leah stopped me.

"We need to go a little farther. Up the road a little more and take the dirt path op to the cliff." Leah said with a smirk and I quickly caught on and hurried to get the truck up that cliff. Leah began her torturous path with her hand again as I drove and again my focus was hard to find. When we pulled into the parking lot at the top of the cliff I slammed the truck in park and grabbed Leah, pulling her into a hard kiss full of the lust that she had been building up inside me since the club.

"You think Sue would mind watching Alex for a little while longer?" I asked when we pulled away for air. We were both panting for breath. Leah's eyes were unfocused and she seemed dazed. It took her a second to understand my question before she answers.

"She wouldn't mind a little more time with Alex she said before she reached acrossed and leaned my seat back. She crawled over the console and straddled my lap and kissed me hard. She began unbuttoning taking my coat while I took her's.

"You were right." Leah said as she pulled back a little.

"About what?" I asked with a grin.

"Layers kill the moment." She said and I laughed before kissing her again.

We made quick work of the rest our clothes. We had been distracted from our physical needs for weeks now and getting some satisfaction was incredible. It seemed that the time we had spent without having much physical intimacy had made us closer. We had to fight harder to keep each other happy and to make the other feel wanted. And now it felt better, more intense to have her close.

"We might just have to do this more often." I said as we both laid panting with Leah on top me.

"I can second that." She smiled and kissed me before climbing back over to the passenger's seat and started getting redressed. I pulled my clothes back on and sat back in my seat and watched the stars above the horizon as they slowly disappeared with the rising tide. It was an unusually clear, cloudless night. The stars are bright and the moon is almost full. It was almost eerie how clear the night actually was.

Once Leah was dressed I pulled back toward me and we stared up at the night sky for a little while longer before making our way back to the house to relieve Sue. It was a little after eleven when we made it back to the house. Sue greeted us with a smile before giving us both a hug and a kiss and leaving. Alex was already asleep and wouldn't need a feeding about an hour. Leah and I went upstairs and got ready for bed.

Leah sat down and pulled out a book to read for the little time we had till Alex would need to be fed while I laid back and looked up at the ceiling wondering how I got so lucky. I looked over at my pants that I had put in the hamper to be washed and remembered what was in the right pocket. I felt like an idiot for forgetting her present and hurried to get it.

I grabbed the box that held the necklace and ring that I had made for her. Like the bracelet I got her they had meaning. I got back into bed and set the box in Leah's lap. She looked down at the box confused before setting the book she had been reading on the nightstand and picking up the box. She shook it lightly while looking at me and I smiled. She slowly unwrapped and opened the box. She gasped when she saw what the box contained.

"Oh, Eli! They're gorgeous!" Leah said as she pulled out the two items. The necklace held the same fancy 'L' that her bracelet did, but also held a garnet stone that signified her birthstone. The ring was a simple gold band with a heart shaped moonstone in the middle with a garnet stone on either side.

"I'm glad you like them." I said and laid back down smiling.

"Like them? Eli, I love them!" She said and leaned down to give me a kiss which I happily returned.

"How did I get so lucky as to get you?" She asked as she pulled back.

"I think it should be the other way around and I ask myself that question every day while thanking whoever's looking out for us that I got you." I said honestly causing her to smile before kissing me again. Before we could get any farther in the moment a cry pierced the air pulling us apart and back into the role of caretakers.