Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga or anything related, it is owned by Stephanie Meyer.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Silent Night.

Humming to herself while she prepared for a quiet night in, Leola couldn't help but feel comforted by the fact that she was at him considering the horrible weather that had battered the town in the last couple of days. The snow had fallen a good few inches in the last couple of days and driving had become a nightmare in the town; the gritters were even struggling to keep up and schools had been closed because of the weather.

Leola had found herself dealing with quite a few accidents on the streets where people had slide off the roads and crashed their cars; the entire town all but coming to a stand still over the weather. Grabbing the bowl of popcorn that she'd just pulled from the microwave, Leola couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that she'd made it home in one piece.

She was almost surprised Sam hadn't come to check on her considering the weather and how bad the roads where; her boyfriend had insisted she call him when she arrived at work and when she arrived home. Just in case she needed him to come and dig her out of a snowbank somewhere even though he'd made sure that her tires were prepared for the increasingly bad weather.

Heading into her living room, Leola was careful to navigate her wooden floors in her woolly socks not wanting to take a spill on the floor while inside her own home; she could only imagine the teasing she would get at that. Plopping down on her couch and pulled the patchwork quilt over her lap, Leola made herself comfortable as she flicked through the channels in search of a good movie to watch.

Munching on the popcorn, Leola couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Sam had cancelled on her tonight; he'd been called away on urgent pack business and Leola hadn't been told about. Things were still rather new in that department and Sam tended to hold back on details not wishing to overload her while she was still wrapping her head around the fact he turned into a giant black wolf.

Settling on some old movie that was showing in black and white, Leola leaned back on her couch and cuddled in to the warmth glad that she was inside and not out. The last thing that she wanted right now was a phone call from work saying some idiot had decided to go hiking in the snow and they had to go and find them; she was much happier curled up on her couch than stomping through the snow.

Shivering at the mere thought, Leola cuddled further into the patchwork quilt and focused on what she was watching; her hand popping the popcorn into her mouth every so often. Suddenly the entire room went black, the tv and lights both blinking off at the same time leaving Leola stranded in the darkness; she sat confused for a moment before grumbling to herself.

Throwing off the quilt and putting the popcorn on the table, Leola got to her feet and moved to flick the switch in hope that would get the lights back on; she stared up at the ceiling light almost praying it would work. When it became clear that it wouldn't, Leola slowly edged her way carefully over to the window and peered out only to find her entire street in darkness.

Staring out at the winter wonderland outside, Leola debated her next move knowing that if the entire street was out then there was nothing that she could do; she was just going to have to make herself comfortable. Stepping back away from the window, Leola slowly made her way across the room back towards the kitchen unsure about what she was going to do especially since she hadn't been prepared for this.

Her parents had always had a small box sat under the sink in the kitchen filled with candles and the like just in case there was ever a power outage in their street. Something that Leola hadn't done in the time that she had lived in Forks, she hadn't thought that her entire house would be plunged into darkness and now she cursed herself for not having candles or a torch in a place she could easily find.

There was no telling when the power would come back on and for all Leola knew there might not be power until tomorrow and she didn't want to freeze overnight. Searching through the cupboards, Leola attempted to find something that she could use as a source of light; she griped at herself for not being more prepared for something like this happening.

Crouching down on the floor, Leola dug deep into the back of the cupboard swearing that she recalled putting some small candles back there when a set of hands grabbed her waste and pulled her backwards. A yelp fell from Leola's mouth and she struggled against the hold on her when she whipped around to see an amused looking Sam standing behind her; she glared at him as she tugged herself from his arms. Her heart pounding in her chest and she rested a hand on her heart, she couldn't believe that he had managed to sneak up on her like that without her even realising that he was in her home.

"Did I scare you?" Sam teased crossing his arms and looking at Leola, he'd been passing through Forks on his patrol when he'd seen the lights go out across town and decided to quickly check in with her. This would be her first power outage in Forks and he wasn't sure that anyone would have told her about what the locals around town did when this happened.

"No. I have this terrified look on my face cause I'm having so much fun," Leola snarked back, she rolled her eyes unable to believe he'd gotten the drop on her like that; if it had been a work situation then she would have been in serious trouble. Shaking her head, Leola stepped back and leant against the counter trying to calm her pounding heart; she almost pouted at the fact he'd snuck up on her. Sam chuckled and stepped closer to Leola, his hands moving to rub up and down her arms in comfort while he searched her face for a moment; he had to admit that he hadn't realised that she'd jump like that.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to check in on you with the power going out," Sam murmured softly, the house was almost silent and Leola was relieved that she didn't have to deal with this alone right now. It was almost eerily silent and Leola very much doubted that it was going to change with the power out; she closed her eyes almost wishing for the sounds of traffic passing by.

"The Lodge will be open. They have their own generator and most of the town will be there," Sam told her knowing that she'd probably want to get out of the cold, he didn't imagine that she had any plans on freezing in her home tonight.

Stepping into the Lodge, Leola was relieved to be out of the cold and she was happy to find that she was not the only one that had turned up; she was thankful that Sam had helped her get there since she'd been a bit unsure of driving in the dark on snow. It seemed almost perfect that people came together during a time like this, Leola smiled seeing that several of her co-workers were already in attendance with their families. Antonio was making sure that his children were warm enough and was chatting with other members of the police force that had families; he waved to her from across the room before turning back to his conversation.

"Leo. Glad you could make it, could you help me hand out blankets?" Joanne asked carrying as many blankets as she could in her arms, the place was starting to get busy and she could use a helping hand. Moving to take some blankets from Joanne, Leola offered the other woman a smile before she started to make her way around the room helping hand out blankets to keep people warm. It wasn't exactly cosy in the grill and Leola was sure that it wouldn't be long before the place was packed but the least, they could do was make sure that no one froze to death here.

"Hey Bella. You here with your dad?" Leola asked spotting the teenager who seemed to have starting manning the hot drinks station that had been set up in a hurry. People were milling around helping themselves to the food that was set out and drinks that were being served; it was a nice atmosphere and everyone seemed to be getting along.

"Yes. He's over by the food station," Bella replied nodding to where Charlie was, her father picking at the food on offer and seeming to be loading up on the pie that was being served. Rolling her eyes, Bella knew she'd probably end up going over there herself to get something to eat especially if she didn't want to end up having several different varieties of pie that they were serving.

It wasn't long before the Lodge was filled with people, all chattering happily despite the fact that the weather had knocked out the power; they were all hopeful that the power would be back on by morning. Friends gathering together to tell stories and laugh at tales from the last time that there was a power outage; everyone made to feel welcome no matter who they were.

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