Picking at the fruit salad, I stabbed the plastic fork into a square of pineapple before sighing and pushing it off the utensil once again.

The hospital cafeteria was buzzing; laughter and conversation swirling around the open space which was in stark contrast to the feelings swirling my own table.

My head throbbed and my tongue felt dry, most of my concentration for the morning completely dwindled. My mind was still stuck on the night before; still contemplating the fact that Nate wasn't dead, that he was alive and seemingly, for the most part, well.

Pushing the container of fruit away I pulled the huge slice of chocolate cake closer, cutting a corner with the edge of my fork before shoving it into my mouth. Chewing loudly, in line with my annoyance and irritable mood, seemed to catch the attention of my lunch companion. I still didn't get why Edward felt the need to accompany me to lunch, especially when he sat and stared at me for the better part of our break, leaving his sandwich untouched.

"Long night?" he asked, his golden eyes flittering from my cake to my face in slight contemplation. Every time I ate, Edward watched me with strange interest. I didn't understand his fascination with watching me shove food into my mouth; his features always bordering between disgust and intrigue. Deep down, I don't think I wanted to know.

"Yeah. Something like that." I grumbled.

I was being unfair, Edward had done nothing to warrant my foul mood and yet I felt it necessary to use a clipped tone with him.

"Urgh - even this cake tastes weird." I groaned, pushing that away too.

Glancing up I looked apologetically at my colleague who had been nothing but welcoming since the beginning. "How was Port A last night?"

He nodded gently, his brow shifting slightly. "Renesmee found what she was looking for so it turned out to be a success. She was very pleased."

"That's... nice. You must really love her, huh?"

"As if she were my own," he replied back, a smile playing on the corner of his lips. "The amount of joy she's brought to our lives is incomparable."

I studied Edward as he spoke. He seemed lighter, more carefree, when he talked about the little girl he'd adopted with his wife. In many ways, Jacob had done the same for me in my life. He made it easier, gave me something to look forward to. He had been there, quietly nudging me forward, encouraging me to move from the rut I had been stuck in for months. He made me smile, made me laugh. He reminded me what it was like to be happy.

I sighed, wanting to bang my head on the table. I hated keeping secrets. It wasn't fair, and this wasn't a little white lie you told a friend like 'No, your ass doesn't look huge in those jeans'. This was substantially huge, especially the way it was already impacting my life. Nate was already coming between Jake and I, and I despised it.

"Leah," Edward nudged my arm with his icy fingers, snapping me from my internal monologue. "Whatever is bothering you, you should talk to him about it. While Jacob is very... how do I put this as not to offend... forward? - he cares very much and you might just find that he would listen should you want to share."

.

"Hey, Jake, look I'm sorry about last night. I'm ready to talk when you are. Can you call me back or let me know where you'll be tonight? I love... uh... bye!" I hung up quickly before I made a ripe moron out of myself.

Staring at my phone I decided to call Seth soon after, wanting to see what my brother was up to. Between working and Jake, I hadn't spent as much time as I would have liked with my brother. He was bordering on adulthood and soon he wouldn't be a boy, so I figured time would be best spent trying to reconnect with him before he went off to college, in search of a life of his own.

"Yo," came the deep voice of my brother.

"Hey. What are you doing?" I asked, sitting back in the leather chair, tapping my heels on the hard floors of the office.

"Just heading to the gym. You?"

"Urgh - still at work. But I get off in five. Can you pick me up?"

He clucked his tongue as if he were considering my request. "Does that mean you'll take a class?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have any clothes," I told him, looking down at my skirt and blouse which weren't exactly appropriate.

"Don't worry about it, sis. I got you. The gym has some gear and a couple of girls there will be able to lend you some sneakers for the afternoon if you need them, but you probably won't this time around."

Internally, I groaned. Even though I played sports when I was younger, it had been a while. Something niggled at the back of my mind regardless, telling me this was maybe a good way to blow off some steam and maybe keep the icky feelings that were surging through my body away. Exercise would probably help boost my immune system and I currently needed as much as I could get.

"Fine. I'll meet you out front in ten." I conceded.

"Awesome," he beamed, no doubt smiling like a little twerp.

.

After Seth shoved some clothes in my hands he pointed out the women's locker room for me to change while he swung his duffle into his personal locker.

I took my time, taking in the different areas of the gym. Because it was a boxing gym it looked a little different from what I was expecting. To the right of the gym sat a full sized boxing ring; padding covering the taught robes in yellow and black designs. Towards the middle were punching bags hanging from chains, mats on the floor and gloves scattered around. On the left were the standard things; treadmills, weights sets, rowing machines and speed bikes.

I dressed quickly, tucking away my work shoes and heels. The black tee fitted nicely, 'Forks Fight Club' blazed across it in yellow print. I wanted to snort at the ridiculousness of it. Pulling on the shorts turned out to be a mission in itself. The thick waist band was tight and wide, which barely got over my ass, while the silk only draped to my mid-thigh. I turned around, inspecting the material which was probably not as flattering as I hoped it would be.

Making my way out to find my brother, I watched as several men practiced inside the boxing ring. One was older, holding up flat pads, while the other who was oblivious being trained, wore white gloves, jabbing and striking at the pads like a cobra. Raising a brow I leaned against the ropes, watching as the older guy bit out instructions.

"That's Carlos Hernandez. He's a heavyweight fighter. Trains here every day." Seth said in a low voice, appearing at my side. "He fights in Seattle but is based out here for the most part. Come on, let's get you ready."

My eyes cut to Seth. "Ready? I thought I was ready?" I exclaimed, pointing down at the clothes.

"I need to strap you up before the class." He explained, as I followed him over to a long bench. "Sit down."

I did as I was told, wondering how much my seventeen year old brother actually knew about the gym and classes. He seemed to be at ease here, like he'd been here for years.

"The women's class is loosely based around Muay Thai."

My eyes followed his movements as he unwound a roll of sports tape and began strapping it around my foot and ankle.

"This will help. It's your first time so go easy. Listen to what Marlena tells you and follow her. We don't have many women at the gym yet but I'm hoping to change that. Every girl should be able to kick ass and fend off unwanted advances."

Something about my brother's dark tone threw me back to the night between Richard and I. Seth had always tried to play a big brother role and that night he proved to me exactly how much my little brother cared. There was no doubt he wanted to kill Richard at the time, and this may have been a way to make sure it never happened again. It was a bit late given I'd been through the thick of college, but it clearly didn't matter to Seth. Nothing was ever too late in his book. Always the optimist.

He tapped my ankles, checking to see if the tape was securely fastened before pulling me to my feet. I bounced around, feeling the strapping keep every part of my joints tight.

"How does it feel?"

"Feels good."

"Not too tight?"

I shook my head.

"Alright. Let's introduce you to Marlena." He smiled.

.

"Mom!" I whined from the couch, feeling like my leg muscles were burning. "I can't reach the remote."

"Honestly, Leah." My mother started as she entered the living room with a frown. "It's barely a foot away."

Reaching she grabbed the remote and placed it in my hand. I beamed a grateful smile up at her. "Thanks, mama."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled as she waltzed back to the kitchen.

With my wet washed hair draped over the arm of the couch I began to flip through the channels, intent on finding something interesting. When nothing caught my interest I moved to my phone, leisurely scrolling through my Facebook feed and liking some pictures Kim had posted of her and her brothers kids who were visiting from Seattle. When I got sick of Facebook, I moved on to Instagram.

A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts. Before I could leap from the couch to answer it, mainly because I hoped it was a certain tall, dark and handsome man that had created a windfall in my life, my mother rallied towards the door and opened it wide. From where I lay I could see her confused face, glancing at the guest before her stare cut to me.

Wiggling from the couch, with a slight limp from the tight muscles in my legs, I made my way to the door. "Who is it?" I queried, concerned at the face my mother was pulling.

When she stepped aside, I couldn't help but blanch. "What the hell are you doing here?"

.

I waited angrily on the treaty line, arms crossed glaring into the darkness. Paul had howled, telling me the Leech King aka Dracula-can't-keep-it-in-his-pants, had wanted to talk about something important, namely my girl. Had it been any other subject, I would have flatly refused, except Paul had explained the leech seemed relatively jumpy and on edge. I still harboured serious intent to kick his ass ten ways from Sunday due to the fact he had left Leah alone the night before after I'd asked him so very nicely to keep an eye on her.

As soon as I caught sight of copper hair, I growled, low and deep. "You couldn't have called, Cullen?"

He stood nervously on his side of the stream, twiddling his pale fingers in front of him. "I thought it would be best if we conversed in person."

"Uh-huh. And what exactly did you want to converse about?"

"Firstly I wanted to apologise for last night. Leah assured me she would be fine and I made arrangements with Carlisle to keep watch over her. Renesmee wanted to visit a book store in Port Angeles so Bella and I-"

I interrupted him by raising a hand. "Look, Cullen. I really don't give a shit what you and Bella do with the spawn, all I want to know is what you have to tell me about Leah."

He nodded slightly, no doubt annoyed by my term for his daughter, or whatever the hell it was. "She had a visitor last night at the hospital."

Before he could even continue a growl tore from my chest. "What kind of fucking visitor? Speak fast and don't leave anything out."

"While we ate lunch today, her thoughts were very vivid around Nathaniel Jones."

"Her ex? The one that disappeared?" I queried, even though my mind swirled around the fact that my girl was eating lunch with a vampire. If he even thought about trying to feed her blood I was going to end him.

"Jacob – he was at the hospital last night. He – he's not dead. He's very much alive."

Motherfucker.

"There's something else. He's changed from what I could tell from Leah's thoughts. And given that he jumped from a two story window of the hospital, I don't think he's human. And contrary to belief, I'm not sure he ever was."

.

Glaring at the man that knocked on my mother's door I crossed my arms over my chest, visibly uncomfortable with his stare considering I wore no bra under my pyjama set.

My mother stood speechless beside me, glancing between me and the tall blonde, her mouth dropping open and closed. I had no idea how to explain this, not a clue where to start.

His eyes sparkled as he tugged a hand through his hair, ruffling the rain drops from them. His shirt was soaked through, light blue material clinging to the body I no longer recognised. I was always the first person to appreciate a nice chest and abdomen but I fought hard against glancing down and following along the planes where the material was almost see-through against his skin.

Thunder clapped in the distance, ultimately snapping us all from the silence.

"Leah, Mrs Clearwater. I'm sorry for the intrusion but I've found myself with nowhere else to go. After I was discharged from the hospital-"

My mother interrupted his maiden speech. "You were in the hospital? Leah - did you know about this?"

"I did."

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

My mother grimaced, suspicion rising in her eyes as she pulled me to the side, leaving Nate standing at the door. "What's going on, young lady?"

"I have no idea. He just popped up out of the blue. I didn't even - how could I have-" I sputtered, trying to explain the situation. My cheeks bloomed with emotion, unable to look at my mother.

My mother, the ever present saint, looked back towards Nate and sighed. "Let me get a towel. I assume you both have some talking to do."

As soon as my mother was out of ear shot I turned back to Nate to find him smiling, his brow raising in amusement. "Are you going to invite me in or leave me out here soaking on the porch in the cold?"

I grumbled, moving to the side and allowing him inside. He stalked forward, his eyes assessing the inside of my mother's house as he went. Towing off his boots near the door, he braced his palm against the frame, giving me what seemed like a condescending grin.

"Thanks, babe. It's considerably warmer in here."

I slammed the door behind him, before turning around. "Don't call me babe. And don't talk to me. I still haven't forgiven you for anything. You owe me an explanation." I pointedly glared at the 6'4 giant in front of me. Of course he wasn't as big as Jake, no one I had ever met was.

Leaning against the couch, Nate looked down at my feet, before his gaze drifted upward, back towards my eyes. I wanted to slap the little grin off his face. "You're still as beautiful as I remembered. Even more so."

Shuffling away from the stupid asshole inside my house, I made my way to the kitchen, tying my still damp hair up by pushing it up my neck and into the band. Heat rose under my skin as I leant against the kitchen sink, resting my chin on my chest as I closed my eyes. My knuckles whitened as I gripped the edge, taking deep calculating breaths to calm my heart which had kicked inside my chest strangely. I didn't know this Nate. He was nothing like my shy, ruddy cheeked boy. This Nate was cocky, and a little bit of a pervert.

My nostrils flared, smelling a strange scent. It almost smelled like –

"Leah?"

I jumped and spun on my heel, eyes darting around the kitchen.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" I said hurriedly, dashing back towards the living room.

It was empty and the front door wide open; wet tracks leading out of my mother's house and disappearing down the porch.

.

An: Don't worry guys. Jake will be catching up with Nate soon ;)