Alright, so maybe "never" was an exaggeration. I knew I couldn't just up and leave town now. No matter where I would go, my mind would always be here in Forks and not knowing exactly what was happening with my imprint would be unbearable. So, instead of heading for the hills… or mountains to be precise, I spent the next few hours taking out my frustration and anger at myself on any tree standing in my way.

Once I had clear cut a path through Rayonier's property, I made my way back down towards the house I shared with my mother and brother. I knew mom would want a full report on what had happened with Charlie and I was dreading telling her that I ran out on him before he could even answer. Sorry, Ma, your big bad wolf of a daughter is a coward.

I stopped in my tracks as I crossed the road. I guess she wouldn't be waiting for an answer from me, after all. She'd already have heard all about it. I let out a deep sigh as I stared at the Chief's cruiser that was sitting in our driveway. When Charlie and my mom had dated, the sight of that cruiser in front of the house was always my signal to get the hell out of there. Funny, it seemed to still be telling me the same thing, now.

Before I could make up my mind on whether or not to go, I heard the snap of a twig behind me and wheeled around to find Seth standing a few yards away, his hands up in front of him defensively. Like I said, the timing of this kid is impeccably bad.

"I'm not here to give you any crap, Lee, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Mom and Charlie have been talking for a long time," he added as he nodded towards the house. "Is… is he… I mean… does he sound mad?" I asked in a small voice. I knew the way I sounded unnerved Seth as much as it did me based on the expression on his face. I had carefully crafted my bitchy façade over the years, to the point that nobody seemed to remember that wasn't always what I was like. Hell, I even forgot from time to time. "Uh-uh. He sounded worried. And he paced a lot. He showed up around one and must have called mom on his way here, because she came home right after. That's when she kicked me out of the house so that they could talk in private." I had to smile at that. Mom really should have known better than to think that Seth wouldn't stick around and listen in. He was nosey, just like Dad was, when it comes to good gossip.

A frown crossed my face as I watched the house. What would my father have thought of all this? He would have understood the imprint, but he would have beat Charlie's ass if he ever tried to touch me in any sexual way. "Earth to Le-ah!" I jumped as my brother snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Geez, this whole imprint crap has made you spacey. Did you hear anything I just said?" He huffed when I gave him an apologetic smile and started pushing me towards the front door, despite my protests. "I said that you needed to stop being a coward and just face Charlie like a man. Well, you know what I mean," he quickly added when I shot him a dirty look. "And he isn't planning on leaving until he talks to you, so unless you want to go crash with some other family for the next few years, you might as well get it over with now."

Seth gave me one final push through the front door, causing me to stumble to a stop in front of Charlie and my mother who were both sitting on the living room couch. I stood there, like a deer in the headlights as they stared back at me, all of us unsure of what to do or say in that moment. Mercifully, my mom decided to excuse herself to make some coffee, which broke the tension. But, her growling at me to sit down and stay as she passed didn't do much for my nerves or my mood.

I carefully sat down in my dad's old recliner, keeping my eyes on my hands. My dad had loved that hideous recliner. "It's old, ugly, but comfy as can be, just like I am," he told me once when I was a child. I had asked him why he wouldn't get rid of it like my mom had wanted. Man, I wished he could help me through this. As I looked up, I saw Charlie looking at me, his expression somewhere between worry and shock. "I'm sorry I ran out on you earlier, Charlie," I said, breaking the silence. And that's all I could think of to say. Real eloquent, right? He just shook his head dismissively and said "I brought your food for you. I'm sure it'll be alright once you heat it back up." Neither Charlie nor I were particularly talkative people, especially when things got awkward like they had. This was going to be a long evening at the pace things were going at now.

"I'm sorry, Leah, I don't know what you expect from me or what I'm supposed to do with all this." I could tell by the way he was slumped forward and the worry lines in his forehead that the stress of all of this was too much for him. Charlie had been having a rough time lately. He was back to living alone after getting used to having people around him constantly. From what I'd heard, he'd tried to throw himself back into his work like he had done before, but it had been a rough transition for him. Not to mention the constant reminders of the supernatural all around Forks and La Push that plagued him.

Seeing him like this was too much for me. I got up from the recliner and moved next to him on the couch, putting my hand gently on his back. Thankfully, he didn't flinch. "I don't expect anything from you, Charlie. Nothing in your life has to change. Just know that I'll always be keeping an eye out on you, but that's it. I know you didn't ask for this and you don't owe me anything."

Charlie looked back towards the kitchen before quietly telling me "your mom said that it would tear you up. Not being around me, I mean. I don't want to do that to you, kid." I looked into his eyes and knew that statement was true, but it didn't really matter. He didn't want to hurt me, but he didn't want to be with me, either. I put on a reassuring smile, knowing that I had to make him okay with this, even if I never would be. It was the best thing I could ever do for him. The last thing he needed was any more guilt.

"Like I said, I'll be keeping an eye on you. That will be enough for me. As long as I know you're okay, I'll be okay. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this, Charlie. I really am." I could tell he didn't believe me, but it was the best I could do right now. I leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead as my own good-bye, even though I knew the feeling would only serve to torture me later. "Really, Charlie," I added with the same reassuring smile. "Go get some sleep. I'm sure you've got another long day ahead of you. And thanks again for the food." I turned and walked into the kitchen, my knees buckling from the pain as I reached the counter. "Get him out of here, please," I begged my mom with a fervent whisper. And with that she hurried out of the kitchen, putting on the same calm and collected act that I had just moments before, and ushered Charlie out of the house.

I slumped down on the ground as the cruiser left the driveway, my back pressed against the cupboards and my head in my hands. "It's what's best for him," I whispered as I heard my mom's footsteps at the entrance to the kitchen, answering what I'm sure would be the first question out of her mouth. "I've done a lot of selfish things over the past few years, but I can't. Not now. Not when it comes to him." My mother has never been a woman of few words. She's always got something to say about everything. But tonight, she sat by my side, her arm around me and sat there in silence. I'm not sure if it was because she couldn't think of any words of encouragement in this hopeless situation or if it was because she thought silence might help me see things through, but either way, it gave me time to formulate a plan. A plan of just how I was going to survive Charlie Swan.