The Twilight Series belongs to S. Meyer, no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just playing with the characters.

AN: Very sorry for the delay. These 3 chaps I'm posting are part of 5 or 6 I have mapped out. Just wasn't feeling the writing. I apologize for any mistakes as I'm posting when I should be in bed but I'll fix them up later. And I'm soooo mad about my word counts too! But *deep breaths* maybe I can up it to 500-1500. (I'm such an enabler).

Chapter 25

Overprotective

As she finished putting the final touches on her makeup she could hear several voices drifting up the stairs. She recognized Bella and Sam's voice, another which sounded like her brother's, and finally a woman's voice which she decided was her brother's girlfriend. And as far as she knew no one could remember her name. Definitely an awkward situation but it was hardly any of their faults.

She took one final glance in the mirror and decided she was satisfied with her appearance. A light covering of makeup which included some smoky eye shadow, mascara, and lip gloss; her hair was twisted up with soft tendrils falling from the loose French twist she employed. The dress she had selected hugged her body like a second skin.

She grabbed her heels and made her way downstairs. On the final step she took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. The conversation she heard only moments before was stalled; Seth was the first one to speak.

"What the hell are you wearing and where do you think you're going?"

Her nervous feeling bubbled over and she laughed. "Oh, big brother of mine, how I've missed you," she remarked as she made her way over to him and hugged him. "But I'm going out and I don't want to be late so we'll discuss my outfit later."

She extracted herself from his arms and met his gaze equally. She could tell he was coming up with another strategy—as her older brother he had always been protective of her and even more so after the incident. He was the first to look away uncomfortably and she kept herself from celebrating her success.

Once he glanced away she greeted the other occupants: Sam, Bella, and finally Seth's girlfriend Angela. Angela was very different from the girls her brother normally dated. For one, she wasn't pale or blonde and she looked like she might actually have talents outside the bedroom—though Leah could see a bit of a kindred spirit in her.

She was exotic in her own way—perhaps a mix of Native American or Indian and white which lent a darker shade to her skin. She was not as dark or coppery-colored as Seth; her skin tone more of an olive shade. Her hair was a dark brown with highlights of red, gold, and light brown. Her soft brown eyes were framed by a pair of pink glasses that reminded Leah of a throwback to the 50's.

She ended up taking Angela by surprise when she pulled her into a hug, telling her, "Oh, I like you. If he doesn't want to keep you—I'll keep you, 'kay."

"Umm…sure," Angela responded as she reluctantly returned Leah's hug. "You must be Seth's sister, Leah. He told me quite a bit about you."

She pulled back and smiled at Angela, "All good I hope? So do you like to go by Angela, Angie…"

"Angie's fine."

Her eyes twinkled; realizing this girl was the one. It was about time. Her brother was going to be turning 28 soon and maybe if got serious with someone she wouldn't get the twice a year guilt trips from her mom about how neither of her children were attached or even thinking about providing her grandchildren to spoil.

She turned and slipped on her heels and her eyes meet Bella's for just a moment. She could see the worry in her stepsister's eyes and though she was tempted to roll her eyes—she decided not to. It had been nice to talk about their relationship. She knew the only way to work through it was talk about it. And hopefully some of the talking that needed to be done was accomplished sometime in the next 24 hours.

Instead of ignoring Bella's fear she embraced it by walking up to her and giving her a quick hug. Then she softly whispered, "I'll be just fine. Maybe you and Sam should play a bit—you might like it."

"I can't believe you're going out. I haven't seen you since your birthday. Can't you go some other time? I thought we were having a family dinner tonight—that's what mom said."

"Well…I don't see any dinner which could be due to the fact our stepsister is a sick, depraved girl who picks locks to interrupt people when they're trying to take a bath. So, I say we re-schedule for tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"Damn it," Bella swore as she realized it was her turn to cook tonight and her obsession with finding out what was going on with Leah and Edward had distracted her. "I guess we're eating pizza tonight."

She grabbed her clutch and car keys and was nearly to the door when she was interrupted by Seth again, "What's your rush, little sister? Who are going to see?"

"My boyfriend. I'll be back tomorrow. So, don't wait up for me," she replied with a wink.

"You're blowing us off for your boyfriend," he chided. "Honestly, Leah?"

"Yes, I am Uncle Seth. Just like you forgot a few things like Auntie Bella, Bumpa, and Nana. Edward and I need to have a talk—he's been out of the country for business and just got back. There are things we need to figure out. I'll be back late tomorrow morning."

She paused for a moment as an idea suddenly came to her, "How about this? You don't complain to mom about my whereabouts and I'll let you and Angela have my room while you stay here. I won't even complain if you two decide to get busy in there either."

His mouth opened and closed repeatedly reminding her of a fish while his girlfriend blushed. Sam was her saving grace, "I'd take her offer, Seth. The sofa bed has a pretty shitty mattress and plus it's a bit too close to your mom's room for comfort."

She smiled at Sam in a gesture of thanks. Once again she embraced her brother, kissing his cheek and said to him quietly, "I'm happy for you. I'll bet she's a freak in bed." She smirked at him one last time and then walked out the house to her car.

FF_8560086 10/17/2012 3:21AM