A.N: Thanks again for all the reviews! We've beat 400! YAYZ! Thanks again to everyone and to al teh new reviewers who showed themselves lol it meant a lot really :) im being 100% serious here. And I was so happy with all the compliments from everyone saying about me being a great author; I was bouncing up and down haha :) I hope this update is soon enough :)

Enjoy as always; yes, it is the chapter you've all been waiting for.

Chapter 37 – Fire And Ice, Vampire And Shifter, Leah And Edward

Carlisle was disappointed – that much I could tell from his body language. His eyes appeared sad, if that was possible, and he turned away from me, retiring to his study. I didn't see him again for the rest of the night. The fact that he was disappointed in me both angered me and upset me. Despite the fact that I was over one hundred years old, I still considered Carlisle my father.

As Carlisle left the room, I looked down at Leah. She looked so defenceless in slumber, her face showing all of her emotions. All of the barriers that she put up to keep people away were gone – she looked oddly innocent. Of course, that illusion didn't last long as she rolled over and uttered a curse word under her breath.

I gently pulled the ebony strands of her hair from her face, watched as her lips curved upwards for a moment in a gentle smile. I hadn't seen her smile like that before – the expression looked incredibly odd and yet natural upon her face. I smiled in turn, responding to her.

I adjusted the duvet around her shoulders, making sure that she was covered. Then, I looked at her one last time and left the room. Though I normally stayed with her, I needed time to think without her present.

I exited my bedroom, gently closing the door behind me before flying up several flights of stairs. I stopped in the attic, if you will, in front of the door to my Music Room. I pushed open the oak door gently, and entered the room.

My Jimi Hendrix guitar was hung on a stand on the wall. Another acoustic guitar, belonging to Jasper, hung beside it. Odd brass instruments, wood instruments and percussion instruments were placed around the room. Emmett's drum kit was in the corner, covered in a fine layer of dust.

My attention was not kept for very long by the instruments. I went straight to my piano – but rather than playing it, I ducked down under the instrument and felt for Leah's violin. I'd hidden it well, making sure that none of my siblings would find it. Though they had never damaged any of my instruments, even for pranking purposes, I didn't want to risk such a thing happening to this instrument.

I opened the violin case, inhaling a waft of Leah's scent. I couldn't place the scent of her, even after such a long time. It was bittersweet – there was no other way to describe it other than Leah.

I gently pulled the instrument from its case, earning another waft of her scent as I placed it on my shoulder, resting against my neck. Then, I lightly swung the bow upwards and gently swept it across the strings in a long movement.

I didn't keep track of how long I played. With my vampire speed, it was possible to play a duet with myself – but it wasn't the same. I'd never been able to play with my family members. None of them had the same passion for music that I did, though they loved the listen, they didn't have the urge to play, create the sounds themselves. They'd all tried it, partly for my sake, but they didn't share my passion.

I hoped that Leah did. She'd been enthralled by the sound that the violin could make – we had played for hours. I was hopeful that we'd be able to play together at some point – I could imagine her becoming lost in the music, the way that her brow would furrow in concentration and her lips would pucker as she thought. I could imagine her eyes opening suddenly, bright with emotion.

"Edward?" I heard a voice from behind me. I'd heard Rosalie's approach, but I was certain that she wouldn't wish to speak to me. Rosalie knew of my feelings for Leah – my entire family did now – and I had assumed that her feelings towards our relationship would be similar to her feelings towards my relationship with Bella.

However, she had been calm about the entire thing. I'd noticed Rosalie's softness towards Leah, and I'd realised that they had bonded over the one thing that neither of them could have – children. Leah hadn't thrown her life away in Rosalie's eyes, because she didn't have a choice in becoming a wolf. Rosalie admired Leah's strength and the way that she was still happy despite all that had happened to her.

"Rosalie," I replied in way of greeting. In response to my words, Rosalie stepped fully into the room and closed the door.

"You haven't told her," Rose said, her voice incredibly calm.

"No," I said quietly. I had no clue how to word such a thing – how did you say something like that?

"Why?" Rosalie didn't rage and storm as I'd expected to. Her head was tilted to the side in question; her eyes examined my face carefully.

"I have no idea what to say," I replied honestly.

"Is that the only reason?" she asked.

I thought about it. Remembering Alice's vision of Leah disappearing into the woods and not returning filled me with dread – but Alice seemed to think that such a thing wouldn't happen if I told Leah now. I trusted Alice with my life – but life and love were two entirely different things.

"I think so," I finally settled on an answer. "But I worry about her reaction… this may sound childish, but there is no proof in her thoughts that she returns such feelings. I don't want her to feel obliged to try something with me if she doesn't feel the same way… and I don't want her to leave, either. I would rather have her as a friend than nothing."

"You just need to try," Rose sounded gentler than I'd ever heard her. "I know I was a bitch towards Bella. Leah and I share the same view on her… but Leah is natural. She's kind, supernatural, and you're complete opposites in some ways, yet entirely different in other ways. I like her."

I still felt sceptical at the idea of telling Leah my feelings.

"Just try," Rosalie had guessed my thoughts. "You've been unhappy for so long, Edward. Maybe this is your chance. Don't let it slip through your fingers."

Rosalie smiled at me, looked at the violin that was still pressed against my neck. She sucked in a quick breath through her nose, before smirking.

"You're obsessed," she declared, turning towards the door. As she opened it, she turned back. "Tell her," she said firmly, before disappearing back to Emmett.

XxXxXxX

"Can you pass me the butter, Esme?" I asked from where I stood over the hob. The frying pan that I held contained one large pancake. Beside me, on the counter, was a plate containing two more. I was sure that three would be enough – the pancakes were massive. Even considering Leah's werewolf appetite, I thought it would be enough.

"Butter?" Esme asked from where she was crouched over, looking through the contents of the fridge. I could see a number of items – chocolate, cheese, milk, eggs, and raw meats… at the very back of the fridge was the container of butter.

"You don't need butter for pancakes, dear," Esme said, looking back towards me and throwing me a smile.

"I know," I replied, also smiling. Esme was the best cook, according to Leah – apparently having butter on pancakes wasn't a normal occurrence. "Leah adores her pancakes with butter, for some reason. I think it's the contrast of sweet and savoury," I mused. Thinking of sweet and savoury reminded me of Leah's scent.

"Oh, okay," Esme looked confused but handed me the butter all the same. I placed the container on the tray that I'd prepared, as well as the pancakes, before taking off up the stairs at vampire speed.

As I approached Leah's room, or my room – Our room, a voice in the back of my head supplied – I heard her heartbeat. It was regular, and her breathing was faster than it was whilst she slept. She was awake, then. I heard the squeaking of bed springs as she adjusted herself slightly.

I knocked lightly on the door, before opening it and walking into the room.

Leah was leaning back on her pillows. Her hair was brushed, pulled back into a messy bun. I could smell her morning breath from across the room, but I ignored it. It was a natural part of being a human.

"Good morning," I said with a smile. "Your pancakes, m'lady."

She didn't smile as she normally did – she looked paler than usual. Her fists were clenched around the duvet and she looked upset, for some reason. I wondered briefly about nightmares – but they weren't things that Leah had suffered from before.

"I thought that you'd be making these for someone else," she said quietly.

I raised my eyebrows, confused.

"What?" I asked, my manners deserting me.

"The girl that you're in love with," she replied, causing my heart to freeze in my chest. She'd heard me the night before. She'd heard me speaking to Carlisle. She thought that I was in love with someone. Someone who wasn't her.

"Is she pretty? Why didn't you spend the night with her? What's her name, Bella?" Leah continued, her voice bitter. "Is she kind, does she have brown eyes and dark hair?" She sucked in a deep breath. "You should have told me, Edward. I would have supported you… you didn't need to keep it from me," her voice was becoming higher, frantic. "I mean, just because everybody else important to me has gone doesn't mean that I'm fragile. I would have tried to be happy for you – you don't need to be ashamed of falling in love. It's natural for normal people, for people who aren't me."

She glared at me – her eyes shone with tears for a moment before she blinked and they were gone. Her hands unclenched and then clenched even tighter, her nails digging into her skin.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, my mind whirring. I couldn't stand to see her so gutted, she looked so broken.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "When did you meet her?"

"I'm sorry," I said again, my resolve tightening. I would tell her. I am telling her. Now. "I met her in the bar a while ago. She's gorgeous, her hair is thick and lustrous and her eyes are so wide and beautiful. It feels like I can see her soul. She's so kind, she's been through so much and she manages to keep a happy personality. She's so strong, I can't believe it sometimes," I watched the heartbroken expression on her face – I needed to say it. "And I did make pancakes for her this morning. I did spend the night with her," I looked up into her eyes, which had filled with tears again. I let out a laugh – it was strained. "And her name isn't Bella."

She waited, her hands fisted together tightly. I could see the bones popping out from her skin.

"It's Leah."

XxXxXxX

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