Updated: November 28, 2014


You know those things that you know are going to happen, things that have to happen, things that you can't change no matter what you think you may want. You had time to prepare for it but you don't, you had time to get used to an idea of something but then the moment comes and...well...you're just not prepared. You don't know what to do even though you should.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

Because, this, well...this is that moment.


A long, loud wolf howl sounded and I shot up in my bed, instinctively reaching out for the person next to me who wasn't there. I whipped my head to look at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. Logan's patrol shift was supposed to end at two but he wasn't there. He was supposed to be sleeping next to me but he wasn't. I threw the covers off of me and sprinted out of my room.

Normally I wouldn't have been worried if he was forty or so minutes late but that wolf howl wasn't just a regular howl. It wasn't someone saying hello or calling for a pack meeting. It was one of the first things you learned as a new wolf, it was a call for help. It was a call for danger. It meant there was a vampire.

"Leech!" I yelled, banging on Seth's door. He slept through almost every wolf howl and call but nothing could keep him asleep when I was yelling at him. I heard a thud and the door slammed open.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Vampire, someone called." I explained in a rush. His eyes darted behind me, trying to see into my bedroom.

"But where's...oh. Oh. Shit." He muttered. I ran down the stairs and out the backdoor as I heard mom come out of her room and ask what was wrong. As soon as I hit the tree line, I pulled my sports bra and shorts off, and phased.

That all happened in a matter of eight-seconds.

Where's Logan? That was my first thought as I phased. It only took me two-seconds to realize his essence and thoughts weren't in my mind and that scared me more than anything else.

Leah? Calm down! What the hell is going on? Sam's alpha voice boomed in my head. I could also sense his worry for me since I was absolutely freaking out.

Where's Logan? He was supposed to be at my house a while ago and now there's...and now there's… From Jake's mind I could see a pale figure running, dodging through the trees, glistening in the moonlight.

Logan left a while ago. Quil joined in. My panic escalated and I lunged forward in the direction of the vampire.

Leah, stop. Sam's commanding order made me halt. A pained whine escaped my muzzle before I could help it. He's fine, if anything was wrong, he'd be phased. Run the perimeter near the beach, I'm not letting you anywhere near a bloodsucker in your state of mind. I realized then that he had blocked my mind from the others because I was a distraction. My mind was reeling in panic. Sam sometimes had to do this with the younger pups but never with me. I couldn't find it in me to care or be mad like I normally would. I just took off running in the opposite direction of the vampire, towards the beach and cliffs.

Embry, follow Leah, calm her down. Sam ordered. Embry's mind suddenly merged into mine.

Lee-Lee? Everything's okay, don't freak out. Jake, Paul, and Sam are closing in on the leech right now - it was just a nomad. Embry soothed.

But where's Logan? I asked. What if a vampire got him before he could phase? What if he was attacked? What if-

Leah. Embry interrupted. Calm down, that's very unlikely. I'm sure he just went back to his house.

But then why didn't he phase when he heard the howl? I pressed, continuing to run the tree line just outside of the beach.

You know how it is, you don't always hear it. Jared, Collin, and Ryan didn't phase. You know Seth never hears us. Sam even sent Brady to stay with Emily, saying we didn't need anyone else. Embry explained. I ignored him. Geez, Leah, slow down. I can't catch up to you if you're running at, like, five-hundred miles an hour.

Good.

Is she calmed down yet? Sam asked, coming into my mind again. I liked it better when he wasn't there.

Define 'calmed down'. Embry inquired.

Lee-Lee, I'd be able to tell if someone in the pack was hurt, okay? He's fine. I bet he's back at my house right now. Sam explained.

Did you catch the bloodsucker? Embry interrupted.

Yeah, Paul and Jacob are finishing up right now, we can- oh for god sakes Leah, just come back to the house. Sam sighed. I changed direction immediately. Embry, I'll send Paul to loop around with you and make sure this was just a nomad. We're pretty confident it was though. Someone will relieve you after the meeting.

I felt my mind blend in with the others again as Sam removed his mental block. I watched the instant play by play from Paul's mind as he went back over what had just happened. I saw the burly, strong vampire running and then I saw Jacob tackle him with Paul quickly following. Sam next as they all dismembered the vampire. I couldn't help myself for being a little jealous about missing the action since I was slightly unstable.

Wheres- I started.

Logan. Yeah, Leah, we know. Paul sighed. Jeez, you're so tame when you're worried. I didn't get mad at him like I normally would. You okay? He tacked on at the end. I sensed realization coursing through him as he figured out just how messed up I was right now.

I'm fine. I snapped, getting closer to my target. The house.

Jake phased back into the pack with Quil following him. They had burned the vampire limbs and were heading back towards the house. I attempted to block everyone out like I usually did but couldn't manage to focus myself and keep my thoughts private. I halted just inside the tree line behind Sam and Emily's house but I couldn't get myself to phase back. I normally could phase on the fly but the panic and stress had left me too uptight. I dropped to the ground and breathed in deeply before counting back from ten. By the time I reached two, I could feel myself phasing back to human. I had been ahead of everyone but those extra ten-seconds it had taken me to phase back had given them more time to catch up. I stood up from the ground and unzipped the duffle hanging from a nearby tree. We always kept clothes behind Sam and Emily's house since it was a central meeting place.

"Leah!" Sam called as I pulled on my shorts. I turned to him and he averted his eyes from my exposed chest. Nothing he hadn't seen.

"Yeah?" I asked, clenching my teeth and searching through the bag for a sports bra. I found one and pulled it over my head.

"You are not going in there until you're calmed down." He demanded. I started towards the house anyway but only made it just out of the tree line before his hands caught me around my waist. "Leah!"

"Let go of me! I am totally fucking calm!" I growled doing my best to get out of his constricting arms. I was strong, really strong, but not stronger than an alpha. Not stronger then Sam.

"Sam." Jacob's voice warned as he came out of the forest, zipping his shorts up. If Sam had heard Jake, he made no intention to move, continuing to keep me in place.

"Leah-"

"Get your god damn hands off of me!" I screamed, shoving and kicking at him. I was slowly losing it, I was slowly becoming hysterical in Sam's arms. I couldn't have picked a worse time or place to have a breakdown.

"Damit, Lee-Lee, just-"

"Sam?" A different voice called. Sam froze for a second and his grip slackened, but only momentarily. I dashed out of his arms and started towards the house but he caught up to me in only a few seconds and wrapped his arms even tighter around me.

"Ow! Let. Me. Go!" I tried once more. The door flew open and light flooded the backyard.

"Sam!" It was Emily. She ran into the backyard and spotted us. My back was pulled against Sam's chest while I still continued to fight him and hold back sobs the best I could. "What in the-"

"What's going on?" My head snapped up at the sound and relief coursed through me. Logan had followed Emily out of the house and was standing behind her. He stiffened as he took in the scene of Sam holding me back and the complete panic on my face. I lunged towards him but Sam still held me tightly. "What the hell is going on?" The second time he asked his voice was much harder and his question was directed at Sam.

"Sam." Emily repeated softly. Brady silently slipped out of the house and pulled Emily to his side as Sam let go of me. I sprinted in Logan's direction and jumped on him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and my legs around his torso. He caught me, of course, and cradled my head. I let out a muffled sob into his neck.

"Shh." He whispered. "What happened? What did you do?" He barked and I knew he was no longer talking to me. I didn't hear Sam say anything

"Where were you?" I croaked, pulling back and doing my best to control my sobs. He gave me a confused look before his face relaxed in understanding.

"I-I went home to shower." He responded. "I got to your house and all the lights were on so I came here and Brady said that there was a vampire but that it was already being handled. You know how it gets too hard if there are too many of us phased at once... He said to stay here since Sam didn't need us… I…oh Leah…" He sighed.

"I didn't know where you were and there was a leech and I thought something happened to you and I, and I-" I trailed off as I buried my head back in Logan's collarbone. He rocked us a little bit and did his best to smooth down my tangled hair.

"I'm so sorry, baby." He whispered, kissing the top of my head. He pulled his head away from mine a little. "She's not actually hurt, right?" He asked someone.

"She's fine." Jake answered. Logan sighed. That seemed to make him relax and I felt him nod. I pulled back again and controlled my quivering lip. I'm not gonna cry anymore. He reached up and wiped under my eyes. I let out a shaky breath and dropped my forehead to his.

"You okay now?" He asked. I nodded slightly before closing the distance and pressing my lips to his in a sweet kiss.

That was a big deal.

A very big deal.

I hadn't kissed him in front of anyone ever and now most of our pack was standing, watching us. Seth had seen Logan kiss my cheek or forehead but that was the most we'd ever done in front of anyone. I pulled back and leaned my head on his shoulder.

I had expected someone to crack a joke or make fun of me or something but no one did. No one asked when I suddenly started caring about anyone, and no one commented on why Logan was supposed to be in my bed at three in the morning. No one said anything mean about what had just happened. They had seen the way I had freaked out and not one of them would say it was worth making fun of. No one said anything because panic like that wasn't funny. At all.

"I miss everything." Collin complained as he walked onto the scene and yawned. "What's going on with-"

"Nothing." Jake spoke up, crossing his arms and giving me a smug look. "Except that Leah finally accepted her imprint."

I didn't bother to correct them and tell them that I had accepted him a while ago. I didn't bother to tell them that the morning I had first kissed Logan's forehead in goodbye had been the day I decided things were going to eventually work out between us.

Because they didn't need to know that.

"Is this meeting a mandatory thing or can we go?" Logan asked Sam, breaking the silence. I could tell he was doing his best to control his voice and his jaw was clenched.

"Mandatory."

After any sort of altercation or pack problem we always had a meeting after to debrief. To discus any mistakes we made. To fix any problems we had. It was a good idea, it really was, but I just wanted to go home and crawl into bed with Logan.

"Okay, everyone inside…" Sam sighed, giving me one last mournful look. I noticed that Seth had appeared - looking at me worriedly - and that Collin was now getting the play by play from him. Logan walked into the house with the rest of the pack and took a seat on one of the couches, still holding me close.

"I'm sorry." He murmured again against my forehead. I nodded. He hadn't done anything wrong, not really. He hadn't tried to cause me panic or worry me in anyway. I pulled away from his shoulder and wiped any remaining tears away from my face, hoping I didn't look too pathetic. He cupped my cheeks and shook his head before pulling me closer and kissing my forehead. I cuddled up closer against him and felt myself calming down.

"Can someone call Kim and Jared?" Sam asked. "And where's-"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ryan called, jogging into the house. "My mom wasn't home and Allison woke up and I couldn't just leave her awake-"

"It's fine, take a seat." Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ryan plopped down on the couch next to Logan and me, not seeming to realize the tense environment. He glanced over at us and raised an eyebrow. Logan waved slightly and I knew he was smirking. Finally Ryan just shrugged and turned his attention back to Sam. "We haven't had a leech breach the boarders in a long time and you all handled it perfectly. Jake and Paul, were both on the thing in a matter of minutes and I am very impressed. It wasn't anyones fault, the vamp just happened to run through at exactly the right moment. To be safe, patrols will be doubled for the next week or so but we're pretty convinced this was a nomad, he was probably-"

The door opened and Jared walked in with a sleepy looking Kim trailing behind him. Kim was dressed in the puppy pajamas that Paul had bought her for her birthday and was holding the stuffed Brady-wolf in her hands. Brady popped up from his seat and swung her around before falling back onto the couch, her in his lap. Jared managed to send him half a glare before turning to look at Sam apologetically.

"Sorry, we were asleep...I had patrol earlier and I was exhausted...crap, I should have woken up...I-" Jared started but was interrupted.

"It's okay, try to be more aware next time but it's fine, everyone's...fine…" Sam responded and I didn't miss how he glanced over at me. I was fine, honestly, I was okay.

"What happened?" Jared asked.

"Vampire broke the border but we were on him in a minute. He was surprised and didn't have any fighting skills. As I was saying, he was probably just curious." Sam continued. "Jake, can you call the Cullens and make sure they had no friends passing through?" Jake nodded and got up, pulling his phone out as he went. He patted me on the head as he walked by and winked down at me. I nuzzled Logan's neck and he looked down at me, smiling, before kissing me softly. We broke apart at Kim's overjoyed scream and everyone looked over at her in alarm at her, including Jared who looked like he almost had a heart attack. Kim was staring straight at me though. Great.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! THEY KISSED! THEY. KISSED!" She squealed. Once she realized that no one else was freaking out or even found it remotely interesting, she paused. "Why isn't anyone else super excited about this?"

"Because it's old news. You should have seen them earlier, I totally thought they were gonna make puppies in Sam's backyard." Brady commented, pushing the now wide awake Kim away from him and over to Jared.

"Old news? Jared! I miss everything!" She complained. "This is your fault. You should have woken up from the wolf howls then I wouldn't have missed this." She pouted while Jared rolled his eyes.

"My bad." He mumbled, pulling her onto his lap and carefully pulling the stuffed wolf out of her hands before chucking it across the room. Logan and some of the other guys outright laughed at Kim's expression while I hid my laugh behind my hand.

"My Brady-wolf!" She gasped, moving to get it but being stopped by Jared's constricting arms.

"Yeah, Jare, her Brady-wolf." Brady teased, jumping up and going across the room to retrieve it for her. Jared had spent much of his patrol time as of late planning on how to get rid of the stuffed animal without Kim hating him. Apparently he hadn't found a way yet.

"Speaking of Leah and Logan," Sam continued as if he hadn't been interrupted multiple times, "you'll be only patrolling together from now on. If one of you is patrolling, the other is too. Any objections?" He asked. Logan glanced down at me but I just stared at a spot on the ground.

"No." He said softly.

"Kay, good." He clasped his hands together. "Anything else?"

"Cullen's didn't have any friends visiting." Jake clarified, walking back into the room and leaning against the wall besides the couch.

"Perfect. Everyone go home now, it's too early to see your faces." Sam said. "Except Quil, patrol with me."

"Yay." Quil mumbled standing up and heading towards the back door.

"I'll take your patrol, Sam, stay with Emily." Jake piped up moving away from the wall. Both Sam and Emily looked relieved before giving each other that loving look. It was different though. This time I didn't feel the pang in my chest. This time it just felt like it did when Kim and Jared gave each other that look. It didn't make me feel bad. Well...that bad. I let out a woosh of breath I had been holding before burring my face in Logan's neck. I placed a few kisses on his hot skin, hoping it showed him how much he means to me. I wasn't sure if he got the message but when I pulled back, he grinned down at me and nuzzled our noses.

"Is she okay?" Jake asked, stopping in front of us. Logan studied me for a few seconds more before glancing up at Jake.

"Yeah, she's fine." He confirmed. "Right, Baby?" I nodded my head. Jake quirked a smile at the two of us. "Good. I'm...happy for you guys." He continued past us and clapped Quil on the back before heading outside to patrol.

"Ready to go?" Logan asked.

"Yeah." I agreed, relieved that I could head home and go to bed...with Logan. He lifted me off the couch and stood up, placing me on the ground. I wrapped my arms around him so I could give him a proper hug and he quickly returned the gesture. His intoxicating scent surrounded me and I couldn't help but inhale it. I also couldn't help but wonder exactly how things have escalated this far, how I got into this position. A month and a half ago, I never would have thought I'd be standing in the arms of my soulmate while my pack watched.

I wouldn't change anything though.

"Uh...Lee-Lee?" Sam's nervous voice interrupted. Logan stiffened and I spun around quickly to face him, not wanting my back to him. I bite my tongue to keep from yelling at him to call me Leah. I wasn't in the mood to fight. Sam was wringing his hands together and looking very nervous and un-alpha-like. Logan's arms tightened around me and he gripped me as if Sam was going to take me away. "I just...I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have held you back, I should have known better…I did know better. I'm just...sorry...for everything."

Sam had apologized to me a lot. When he had first left me it had been every day, and then once I had phased, it had been at least once a week. He still apologized every so often and every time I would yell at him. I would scream at him that he didn't mean it - because he didn't - and that he didn't deserve to apologize to me after all he had put me through - because he really didn't. But I didn't feel like yelling at him today.

"Thank you." I said slowly, nodding my head once. "You can apologize to me tomorrow and next week and next month and then maybe I'll forgive you...for everything." That was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I was going to move on. I had made my decision. I was letting go of Sam and everything that went wrong with us because I had Logan and I was going to be happy. I deserved to be happy.

"O-okay." Sam stuttered slightly, looking very surprised by my answer. I was surprised by my answer.

"Sam." Logan's voice was soft but still slightly threatening. "Don't ever hold my imprint away from me again - I don't care if you're my alpha. If I had held Emily like that - especially when she was crying and scared - I would be lying on the ground, bleeding out." Sam's jaw clenched but he nodded his head once.

"Go home. I'll see you tomorrow." Sam replied before turning around and heading back to Emily who had been watching the whole thing with interest.

"Come on." Logan encouraged, pulling me out of the house. I wrapped both of my arms around Logan's waist and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Remember when I had to fight you to let me hold your hand?" He asked.

"You mean yesterday?" I responded, glancing up at him.

"Sure." He shrugged, smirking at me.

"Thank you for standing up for me with Sam...no one ever does."

"I swear to Taha Aki, if he ever touches you again - especially like that - I might completely lose it." Logan admitted, nuzzling my hair.

"He was just trying to make sure Emily was safe and okay, I guess." I didn't know why I was defending him but it just came out.

"What about you, Lee's? Why wasn't it important that you were safe and okay? You looked so scared and...shit...I will never get that image of your face out of my head." He breathed in deeply before placing a kiss on my temple.

"I'm...fine." I murmured, knowing it didn't sound very convincing. "I just woke up to the wolf howl and you weren't there. I was scared something had happened to you."

"You know...I was scared something happened to you." He admitted softly.

"What? Why?"

"Well...I didn't hear the first wolf howl, I was in the shower, but when I got out, I headed straight to your house. When I got there all the lights were on so I went straight to Emily's. Brady was already there and said Sam wanted the younger guys to stay back...I guess I'm gonna be part of that group for a while." He sighed and racked a hand through his hair. "I just didn't know if you were okay." He whispered the last part and glanced down to the ground.

"Logan." I sighed before twisting around and launching myself at him. I took him by surprise as I put my hands on either side of his face and planted my lips on his. He gasped and I took the opportunity to plunge my tongue into his mouth. It took two slow seconds before he responded, snaking his arms around my waist and kissing me back just as forcefully. His hands moved all over my back before he finally picked me up and let me wrap my legs around his waist.

"Gross!" Seth complained and we quickly broke apart. "Dude, she's my sister." He looked absolutely disgusted but as I glanced up at Logan, he didn't look the least bit sorry. I laid my head against his shoulder and tried to keep myself from smiling a ridiculously big smile. Logan continued walking back to my house - still holding me - and Seth easily fell into step besides him. It wasn't long before my eyes fluttered shut. I was so tired.

Being woken up at three in the morning, thinking your soulmate was in trouble does that to you.

I don't know if they thought I was asleep or what but it wasn't long before Logan spoke up softly.

"Um, Seth? On a scale from one to ten, how bad was she tonight?" He asked. His voice was almost inaudible but it was quiet outside. It seemed even the animals had hidden from the vampire and the big, bad wolves of La Push.

"It was...pretty bad. An eight, maybe a nine?" Seth sighed. "I don't know, I've never seen her so freaked out."

"I feel horrible. I shouldn't have done that… It was raining earlier and I smelled like wet dog. I didn't think twice about going back to my house first." Logan sounded so upset that I nuzzled my nose against his neck, hoping it would make him feel better. He chuckled softly. "You awake, sleepy-wolf?" He asked. I groaned in response. "Good, 'cuz you're home." I opened my eyes and before we could even reach the front door, it flung open and my mom came rushing out, still in her pajamas.

"Oh, thank god!" She gasped, rushing towards Seth who was the closest, and wrapping her arms around him. "What happened? Everyone's alright?" She pulled back and glanced over at me. I wondered if I still looked like a mess. Chances are, I did. Logan let me down from his arms, even though I didn't want to leave them, and let me hug my mom. "Are you okay?" She asked in that worried, mother voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded, hoping I sounded convincing. Then, in true Sue Clearwater fashion, she pulled Logan into a hug. I smirked while he awkwardly patted her on the back.

"No more chasing vampires while I'm trying to sleep." She scolded the three of us. We nodded our heads unsure of what to do. Her face smoothed out into a smile. "Good." She yawned. "Seth and Leah, head to bed. Logan, thank you for bringing Leah home." My eyes widened as I realize what she meant.

"No!" I quickly threw myself at Logan again. He was not leaving. He wrapped his arms around me immediately and I knew he didn't want to leave either.

"Uh…" My mom mumbled, blinking. This reaction clearly hadn't been was she expected. "Leah?"

"No! I'm not going upstairs if Logan has to leave." I insisted.

"Oh...um...Leah, he-"

"Err, Mom, Sam wants Logan to stay with Leah tonight...he kinda alpha ordered it." Seth said hesitantly. I knew he hated lying - especially to mom - but I loved him for doing that for me. "Leah had a...panic attack - yeah that's a good word for it - tonight." At least the second part was semi-true...or completely true.

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I interrupted. It really wasn't my finest moment and my head was still pounding from everything that had happened earlier. Mom looked unsure as she glanced warily at us.

"But-"

"Come on, Mom, it's been a long night and you have work tomorrow. Let's get you to bed." Seth carefully led mom away from us and into the house. For the first time I realized just how grown up Seth was. He was technically only sixteen but being a wolf had made him grow up quicker. He knew how to deal with situations and what others needed. Even though I was still convinced he lived in his own imaginary world, it sucked he had to act like a grown up sometimes. I groaned and pushed away from Logan.

"I am so sorry. I'm acting all clingy and possessive and...gross. Just push me away and tell me to stop being so needy, please." I sighed, clenching my hands into fists and pressing them against my eyes.

"Huh?" Logan responded, closing the distance between us and pulling my hands away from my face. "What are you talking about? When have I ever pushed you away? And...I don't know...I kinda like when you're like this. You're all...cuddly." He admitted, smirking.

"Cuddly?" I asked, treating the word as an insult.

"Yeah, it's kinda girly."

"Girly?" I repeated in horror.

"Yeah…I love when you want to be close to me and don't mind if my arms are around you. I-" He paused. "I dunno, it just makes me feel important to you because I know when you're close to me it's because you want to...not because you feel like you should be or have to be. I know you mean it…" He sighed. "Does that make sense?" He asked, letting go of one of my hands to cup my cheek.

"I...guess." I said slowly. He grinned and leaned down, pecking my lips.

"Let's head to bed, I'm exhausted." He admitted.

"Me too." I agreed. "Let's go upstairs and be...cuddly." I scrunched up my nose at the word but he just laughed before scooping me up in his arms. I gasped in surprised and burried my face in his neck to muffle my laughter.

"I love cuddly." He defended, walking into the house and shutting the front door behind us. "And...well...you're not really that girly." He pecked the tip of my nose and carried me up the stairs. I had once been very girly. I had gone shopping with friends and talked about boys and painted toenails at three in the morning… But that changed with becoming a wolf. I was a whole different person now.

"Do you want me to be more girly?" I asked curiously. He made a face.

"Nah, then I'd probably have to watch Toddlers and Tiaras and America's Next Top Model with you." He shuddered. I laughed, probably a little louder than I should have since Seth and mom were both supposed to be falling asleep - though I'm sure Seth could hear us perfectly and mom was probably straining her ears to listen for anything.

"You don't have to watch America's Next Top Model with me. I always ask first and, besides, I can't force you to do anything. Wait...you know that, right?" I asked as he walked into my room and shut the door quietly behind him. He didn't bother turning the light on and just walked right over to my bed, dropping me onto it before climbing in next to me.

"I know I don't have to but I like spending time with you." He responded, pulling me close. "And you don't really have to force me to do anything. I don't know if you've noticed but I kinda do whatever you tell me most of the time." He pressed his face into my hair and breathed in deeply.

"No...I mean...the day we imprinted, I tried to order you away from me since I'm ranked higher than you." I admitted, wiggling closer to him. "I tried to force you to never come near me again and I couldn't do it. I couldn't actually force you away from me." I craned my neck to I could see his face. He was smiling thoughtfully down at me.

"I knew you liked me."

"Of course I do, Logan." I sighed, rolling my eyes and burying my face back in his chest. "Who else would watch America's Next Top Model with me?"

"Don't tell anyone but you've gotten Zach obsessed with it." He chuckled.

"Hmm...nice to know I have a back-up incase I get bored with you." I teased before placing a light kiss on his chest.

"Good night, Leah."

"Good night, Logan."


The next morning was awkward...but not how you would expect. It wasn't awkward for Logan and I or Seth and Logan or even Seth and I...it was awkward for mom and...well, everyone.

It was Sunday and the shop wasn't opened until ten so when Logan and I had come down the stairs at nine-fifteen, she was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book and sipping her coffee.

"Good morning." She greeted, her eyes following us in a curious way.

"Morning." We both mumbled before looking over at each other and smirking. I felt like a teenager caught doing something wrong. I felt like a human. Logan grabbed a mug from the shelf on the wall and poured a cup of coffee before taking a sip. His face scrunched up.

"I can't believe you drink this black." He said, handing over the cup to me. I smiled widely and took a sip as he poured himself a cup but added cream to it. Seth trudged into the kitchen and yawned. I slipped two bagels into the toaster before turning to face him.

"Hey, Mom." Seth yawned again before heading over to the fridge and grabbing the orange juice out. Logan handed him a glass. "Lee-Water, Loganator - making me breakfast?" He asked, pouring the juice before gulping it down. I made a face.

"Don't call me Lee-Water, what kinda name even is that." I said, shooting him an annoyed look.

"And don't call me Loganator...I don't even know where that came from." Logan added, getting the cream cheese out of the fridge and handing it to me. Seth smiled wide at us and plopped down in the empty chair next to mom.

"I dunno, I'm trying both of them out for now. Lee's in Logan's nickname for you so I can't really call you that and there's really no nickname for Logan." Seth admitted, though he did look sorry for using the nickname I hated.

Mom took another slow sip of her coffee and flipped to the next page in her book.

"Um, yeah, and that's the way I like it." Logan responded, rolling his eyes at me. He placed his hand on top of mine, massaging my knuckles. "Do you wanna go up to Port Angeles with Zach today?" He murmured extremely low. I scrunched up my face. "He likes you, I promise." I sighed but reluctantly nodded my head.

"Ew." Seth grimaced and we both turned around just in time for Logan to catch Seth's now empty glass that was aimed right at my head. "It's way to early for you to have one of those silent conversations you guys do."

"Seth, do that again, I dare you." Mom glared at him and Seth gave her a sheepish smile, obviously forgetting she was there. Logan winked at me before walking over to the table and sitting down in the third seat. I smirked and spread the cream cheese onto the bagels that had popped from the toaster, putting them on one of the ceramic plates.

"Loganater." Seth repeated, grinning. I put two more bagels in the toaster before walking over with the ones already cooked. I easily could have moved the purse and newspaper that was on the fourth chair but Logan hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap instead. I glanced over at mom who was still reading her book but she didn't look offended. Seth reached over and snatched a half of one of the bagels, still smiling.

"Sethy!" Logan mock complained, making me laugh and Seth's face fall.

"You can't call me Sethy, I sound like a...like a-"

"Pet dog!" I continued to laugh, grabbing a part of a bagel. Logan kissed my cheek before grabbing one of the other halves.

"Great, so now that you guys are together are you going to be ganging up on me?" He grumbled.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, smirking up at Logan and winking. "We hate each other."

"No, you don't…" Seth mumbled, looking confused.

"Of course we do." Logan agreed with me, nuzzling my neck. "I can't stand her."

"Yeah, we hate each other a lot, Sethy." I continued.

"Yeah, Sethy." Logan taunted.

"A lot."

"More than anything."

"Mhm."

"Hate, Sethy."

"Hate."

"A lot of it."

"Yeah, we-"

"Stop!" Seth interrupted, complaining. "Mom, make them stop. They're ganging up on me."

"Not now, Sethy, this is the good part of my book." Mom responded much to Seth's disappointment.