A/N: Once again, thanks to my betas MunkeeRajah and Evelyn. If I ever get stranded on a desert island, I want my laptop and both of them! A special thanks to sentinel10, my 100th reviewer. In honor of her helping me reach the milestone of 100 reviews, I asked her to give me a story element to work in. If you like Nahuel's first meeting with Sam, you have her to thank for the idea!

Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. I'm just cooking in her kitchen for a while.

Chapter 13 – A Perfect Day

Leah POV

A dress. A fucking dress. With a sweetheart neckline, swirly knee-length skirt, adorable little cap sleeves, and pink and green cabbage roses woven into the pattern. I was wearing a freakin' dress with a pair of strappy, come-fuck-me-sandals.

And I was on my way to a barbecue. With vampires.

How could I let this happen?

I bounced along in the cab of Jake's truck, sandwiched between Nahuel on my right and Jake, driving, on my left. My ass went airborne for two seconds before slamming back down on the rump-sprung seat. Off-roading to the barbecue with my Alpha and my imprint was not the best idea I'd ever heard of. Then again, going to Esme Cullen's annual end-of-summer shindig hadn't been my idea at all. I'd ducked the event from the first year she'd held the mixer for the wolf packs, their family members, and all available vegetarian vamps.

The reason I'd agreed to go this year was sitting beside me, his right elbow propped on the frame of the open truck window, chin in hand, head halfway out the window. A happy, puppyish grin occupied his beautiful face. His left hand held my right, lightly, on top of his left thigh. Electricity crawled along my skin whenever the truck's movement over the rutted trail jostled me into him.

Jake kept pretending he wasn't sneaking peeks at us out of the corner of his eye. I mentally dared him to say anything, because the whole hand-holding thing was freaking me the hell out, too. Nahuel had taken my hand in his as soon as we left the driveway of my mom's house. He'd been doing that kind of thing a lot over the past couple of weeks.

Ever since our frustratingly failed attempt at love-making the day he'd attacked Charlie, Nahuel had been acting like … well, like a boyfriend.

Part of me wanted to tell him to knock it off because I was a sure thing. It's not like he had to woo me to get into my panties. I'd have jumped him immediately if he'd given me even one signal that he was ready for it. But another part of me, the very large part that was completely under the control of the imprinting bond, told me to keep my mouth shut. Let him hold my hand. Wrap an arm around my shoulders while we watched a movie on the couch. Steal sweet, modest, hands-free kisses with his arms elbow-deep in a sink full of dirty dishes.

Nahuel had shifted gears again, and this time it seemed like he was focused on exploring a new human experience—romance. He'd told me his previous sexual encounters had only been with vampires. Vampires mated. Humans dated. I suspected Nahuel was using this change in our relationship as one more tool to bind himself more firmly to the human half of his nature. It was one more way to be as unlike his father as possible; after all, Joham had screwed and impregnated plenty of human women, but he hadn't stuck around with a single one of them. If feeling more human would make Nahuel want to stay alive—and stay with me—I was more than happy to let him play the gentleman boyfriend.

Part of me relished his attentiveness. Knowing he lusted after my body was empowering, but feeling like he wanted me for companionship, and not just for sex, was both intoxicating and frightening. Intoxicating to feel special in such a normal way. Frightening because it made me hope that we could possibly have a future together. But was it a false hope?

I had to accept the very real possibility that he could disappear from my life at any moment. When that happened, when he ripped that invisible cable out by the anchors … well, this new approach of his pretty much guaranteed my soul would bleed out entirely through the hole he'd leave behind.

Jake cleared his throat and down-shifted the truck, bringing me back to the moment. Oh yeah, that moment. The one where I was about to prance into a field full of hulking, testosterone-addled werewolves and bona fide vampires. Wearing a dress.

All because Nahuel had wanted to go. With me. And my mother made me wear a dress.

The truck slowed as we approached the clearing. I could see through the trees that Esme and Alice had added a couple more tents to the one that usually occupied the field. The tents and picnic area were set up at the near end of the field, while the back half had been reserved for games. I vaguely recalled Jake and Seth blathering something about touch football and kicking some vampire ass.

Jake parked the truck beside an old beat-up minivan, reminding me of yet another reason why I usually avoided this get-together. Sam and Emily were here, with their brood. While the power of the imprinting had pushed out the lingering remnants of bitterness I had usually felt about Sam, I still wasn't eager to see him or his family.

Nahuel hopped out of the truck and turned to help me down. I certainly didn't need the hand he held out to steady me, but I took it anyway. My skirt rode up my thighs as I slid to the ground, and I caught an appreciative glint in his eyes. Really? It wasn't like he didn't see my legs in shorts practically every day, or that he hadn't seen all there was to see a few weeks ago. Maybe Mom had been right to insist on the dress.

Jake came around the truck and slammed the passenger door shut behind me. Nahuel was still holding my hand and had turned to look expectantly toward the tent, where the party was well under way. The aroma of barbecue, burgers and corn on the cob wafted through the air. Although I'd never admit it, I was actually looking forward to the food; Seth and Jake both raved about the cooking skills of vampires.

I caught Jake eyeing our linked hands. I shrugged one shoulder in his direction. Guess we're going public. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but before he could speak, Seth bounded up to us.

"Hey guys! It's so cool you came. Esme's outdone herself with this year's spread, and Alice and Em have some awesome games planned."

Jake grinned, grabbed Seth in a friendly headlock and rubbed his knuckles on my brother's crown. "You mean there's actually still some food left after you got to the tables?" He released Seth's head and gave his shoulder an affectionate shake.

"Hardy-har-har," Seth snorted. "Paul's not here yet. That's the only reason there's any grub left for anyone else. You guys better get into the food tent and get some."

That was all Nahuel needed to hear. Since the first night in our house when my mother had served him the first steak he'd ever had in a century and a half, Nahuel had been obsessed with trying new human food. Some of it he just hated, like most vegetables, and, surprisingly, anything with whipped cream. He loved every kind of meat he'd tried, however, and treated ice cream like a religious experience. He gently tugged on my hand, leading me toward the collection of tents.

Between Jake's pack, Sam's, all their family members, the handful of tribe members and elders who had the testicular fortitude to mingle with vampires, and the Cullens themselves, there were probably close to seventy-five people milling around. Jake would have said I was being paranoid, but I was pretty sure every single one of them was staring at my hand in Nahuel's. I didn't care why they were staring—whether they were curious or hostile—I didn't like being the center of so much attention.

When we fell in line at the buffet, he finally let go of my hand to pick up a tray with plates on it. As we moved down the line, he looked like he was loading a little bit of every dish onto our two plates. Occasionally he would speak to one of the pack members he knew, and once Jasper passed by carrying an enormous beer keg under each arm. He tossed a smile and friendly nod in our direction, and I marveled at how easily my imprint seemed to fit in.

After the plates were overflowing with food, we moved toward the beverage table. A thought occurred to me. "Have you ever had beer?" I asked Nahuel curiously. He grinned widely and my heart trip-hammered into double time. "No, but I would very much like to try some today."

"How does alcohol affect you?" I asked, snagging a large plastic cup in each hand. Froth splashed onto my right hand, and I absently lifted the cup toward my face to lick the beer away. When Nahuel didn't immediately answer my question, I looked up to find him watching my movement. His teak eyes made it clear he was imagining my tongue licking something other than my own hand. He'd apparently found my innocent action very stimulating, and he was making no effort at all to conceal that fact from me.

That fast, I was wet and cursing the damn dress. Hoping he couldn't smell my arousal, I wished for a layer of denim between my damp crotch and the rest of the world. "I need to sit down," I muttered, and turned to lead him toward the picnic area. I found a shaded table near the tree line and set our beers down on opposite sides of the table before dropping onto one of the benches with my back to the tents. Instead of taking a seat across from me, Nahuel placed both plates on the same side and sat down next to me. He casually reached across the table and retrieved his beer.

Holding the cup to his nose, he took a long, thoughtful sniff, wrinkled his nose slightly, and then took a tentative mouthful. He swallowed, grimaced and immediately sat the cup down. I'd been mid-sip when he pulled that face, and I snorted with laughter, beer dribbling over my lips and chin. "Not a fan, eh?" I teased.

His smile was apologetic. "No. The taste is not to my liking." Those damned hypnotic eyes fell to my lips. "Perhaps it might taste better if savored in a different way." He leaned toward me and I realized what he intended a split second before he kissed me. His lips caressed mine, leisurely, languidly, before lowering slightly to lap the beer from my chin.

"Leah?"

My name, squeaked in a voice pitched high with astonishment, was like a lapful of ice water. Of all the people I would least want to have catch me in a lip lock with a half-vampire, my cousin, the woman who'd replaced me in Sam's life, was very near the top of the list.

"Hi, Emily." I caught Nahuel's quiet intake of breath when I said Emily's name, but he remained silent.

She stood frozen in place, three plates of food balanced precariously on her arms. On either side of her stood a little Uley spawn, their eyes round and mystified. Their small heads swiveled back and forth, their eyes moving from their mother to me and back again. Obviously, Emily had seen the open end of our table and thought to sit down. But that was before she realized who she'd be sitting next to.

I knew the polite thing to do would be to offer them a seat, but I really had no interest in sharing a table—or my imprint—with them. Maybe she'd be satisfied with some pleasantries, take my lack of an invitation as the not-so-subtle hint it was, and move on to another table, preferably on the other side of the field.

"You look good," I offered. Emily had been openly staring at Nahuel, and I felt a stab of irritation. When I spoke, she tore her eyes away and gave me a watery smile.

"Thanks. You, too," she said. Then she looked pointedly at Nahuel again, waiting for an introduction.

I sighed. "Emily, this is Nahuel." I was pretty sure she was waiting for me to expand on who he was, even though Sam had certainly told her all about the half-vampire that was rooming with the Clearwaters. After witnessing our kiss, maybe she thought I'd add some kind of social credentials to his name. But I was so not explaining to Emily who Nahuel was to me. Instead, I turned to my imprint. "Nahuel, this is my cousin Emily Uley, Sam Uley's wife. You remember Sam, right? He's the leader of the other LaPush wolf pack."

Nahuel rose gracefully, respectfully, and treated Emily to one of those heart-stopping smiles of his. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Uley," he said. "May I help you with those plates?"

Emily's mouth, which had fallen open when Nahuel turned the power of his panty-melting smile on her, snapped shut. She gulped loudly. "Uh … thanks Nahuel. Nice to meet you, too." Emily was usually pretty composed, so it gave me a pop of smug satisfaction that my imprint's beauty could leave her tongue-tied. She fell silent, staring at him again, until Nahuel prompted her gently.

"The plates? Shall I help you carry them?" he asked politely.

"That won't be necessary." The words were sharp, the deep voice brittle with thinly concealed dislike.

I clenched my eyes shut. Ohhhhh. Fuck. ME. Can this get any worse? Please let me have hallucinated that voice. I'm going to open my eyes and I will NOT see Sam standing in front of me.

I cracked open one eye. Yep. Lifetime of lousy luck, holding steady. "Hi, Sam," I muttered, rising slowly to my feet beside Nahuel.

My imprint stood slightly in front of me, facing Sam, who had blatantly, rudely pushed between Nahuel and Emily. Even though Sam held a large soft drink cup in each hand, he looked powerful, dangerous and hostile. Realization dawned, illuminated by the waves of animosity rippling off both men. They were having a territorial Alpha-male moment. I wondered which one of them would start pissing on my sandals first.

My greeting seemed to momentarily divert Sam. He looked at me and his gaze softened slightly. "Hello, Leah," he said, something warm in his voice, something that had no business being there. Especially since his wife and kids were standing right behind him. "It's good to see you again. It's been too long."

A low rumble vibrated from Nahuel's chest, drawing Sam's eyes back to him. Is my vamp-boy actually … growling … at my werewolf ex? Shit! Where the hell is Jake when I need him?

Even after all these years, I knew Sam well enough to recognize the anger quivering below the surface of his dark eyes. He understood Nahuel's growl for the threat it was. He obviously didn't like the challenge, but he was too much in control of himself to let it provoke him. I wasn't as confident about Nahuel's control.

"Sam," Emily said, stepping in front of her husband to command his attention. "Nahuel was just offering to help me with these plates. The kids are hungry and I really need to get off my feet. Let's find a table and let Nahuel and Leah get back to their meal."

Sam's eyes flashed to Emily and, with no subtlety whatsoever, dropped to her abdomen. Puzzle pieces slammed together in my head like clunkers at a demolition derby. Jake had told me how defensive and unreasonable Sam had seemed when they'd all met to discuss what to do about Charlie. Now I knew why. Emily was pregnant again and Sam was in total Alpha mode, protecting his mate and young from every real or potential threat. Evidently, he'd decided Nahuel fit in that category right along with Joham and his army.

I held this nugget of realization to myself quietly for a moment, turning it over in my mind, prodding it from different angles, waiting for my examination to unleash the pain I expected. But it didn't hurt.

Okay, it stung a little, like the twinge of envy you might feel if another girl scored a better price on a dress you'd just paid full retail for. But there was none of the debilitating, suffocating anger and jealousy I'd felt when I'd learned of Emily's first two pregnancies. For the first time since he'd upended my world in the living room of the Cullen mansion, I was intensely, humbly grateful for Nahuel's presence in my life. I was free, and the reason for my freedom was standing beside me, struggling to control himself while I indulged in my introspective moment.

Although I wasn't sure what had triggered Nahuel's aggression, I knew exactly how to stop it. I took his right hand in my left, stepped closer to him so that he would feel the heat of my body against his arm, and laid my right hand on his bicep. Instantly, his eyes found mine. He leaned slightly toward me and drew in one deep breath. Then another. His body relaxed, although not completely, and the clouds of violence that had been brewing behind his eyes slowly rolled back.

Still glaring at us over Emily's head, Sam didn't miss the change in Nahuel's attitude or that it was my touch that brought it on. "Emily, why don't you take Will and Mary to sit with Quil and Claire?" he suggested, his voice gentle and controlled. "I'll be along in a minute."

Emily glanced over her shoulder at me uncertainly. She must have decided things looked under control, though, because she smiled. "It was good to see you, Leah. And to meet you, Nahuel," she said, before leading her kids away. Sam watched his family leave and didn't turn back to us until they were far enough away to not overhear our conversation.

"Leah, can I talk to you in private?" he asked.

Nahuel's body stiffened and his grip on my hand tightened. He didn't like Sam's request. Neither did I.

"I don't think so," I told him, shaking my head and giving Nahuel's arm a gentle squeeze. I almost laughed out loud at Sam's surprise. He'd really thought I'd agree to leave this stunningly beautiful creature beside me and go off with him. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Nahuel's slight smirk.

Sam was persistent. "I really need to talk with you. What I have to say would be better said without an audience."

I sighed. "Sam, what is it? Just say whatever you want to say so that I can get back to enjoying my day."

Sam's control was slipping now, his irritation seeping out around the edges of his carefully composed mask. "All right, since you refuse to have this conversation privately, I'll just say it." He glared at Nahuel for a moment before taking a step toward me. "You're playing with fire, Leah. He's dangerous and out of control. He's using you just like he's using the Cullens. You have no business being with him. " He spat the last word like it nauseated him to refer to Nahuel in any way.

I was flabbergasted. Appalled at his arrogance. Embarrassed by his rudeness. And utterly infuriated. But before I could open my mouth to tell him to go to hell, Nahuel shook off my hands and took a step toward Sam, putting them nose to chin. Like Jake and Seth, Sam towered over my imprint, but Nahuel didn't seem the least intimidated by their size difference.

"What is it to you, cur, who she is with as long as it is not you?" he hissed, his voice so low and furious it was barely audible even to me. "Just because you were blind to her worth, do not presume I am as great a fool. Go back to your family before you humiliate yourself any more. Or insult her further."

The delicate threads of Sam's control completely unraveled. "Fuck you, leech," he snarled. "You have no business being around any human, let alone Leah. You're the one who should get the hell out of here."

Suddenly Jake's broad shoulder appeared between Sam and Nahuel, and he was firmly pushing Sam backward away from my enraged imprint. Seth appeared on Nahuel's left side, his brawny paw pressing gently on Nahuel's shoulder.

"Whoa guys! Let's take it down a notch," Jake commanded.

Sam gave ground, allowing Jake to back him up a few steps, but he wasn't done with his verbal assault. "Jacob, why are you allowing this?" he demanded, gesturing furiously between Nahuel and me. "Why are you allowing this blood-sucker to toy with her?"

Trust Jake to be the level voice of calm and reason when everyone around him was ready to throw punches. He stepped back from Sam and propped his hands on his waist, considering his words for a few seconds before he spoke.

"I'm not Leah's father or her boyfriend, and neither are you," he said carefully. "It's not my place to tell her what to do with her personal life any more than it is yours."

His words hung in the air for a few heartbeats before Sam seemed able to fully absorb them. You could see the realization settle that Jake was not going to back him up, and had, in fact, simply reinterpreted and echoed back what Nahuel had said moments before.

"I can see I'm wasting my time here, but mark my words, nothing good is going to come of this," Sam warned, before spinning on his heel and marching away. The tension he had created lingered behind him. Adrenalin was still singing through my veins. Jake and Seth watched his retreat, their massive bodies still poised for action.

It was Nahuel who broke the strained silence. "Asshole," he muttered in disgust.

Seth's mouth dropped open in tandem with Jake's eyebrows leaping into his hairline. All three of us erupted into laughter. That word coming from Nahuel's usually cultured mouth was a riot.

"Where the hell did you learn a word like that?" I demanded, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes.

Nahuel shrugged sheepishly. "From you," he explained. "Why are you laughing? Did I not use the word properly?"

That sent Jake and Seth into fresh hoots. "Yeah, you used it right," Seth gasped, dropping down at our picnic table. Without any invitation, he picked up a fork and dug into the food forgotten on our plates. Just as well. While our laughter had eased my tension, I no longer had any interest in the food.

"So correct me if I've misread what just happened here …" Jake addressed me, crossing his arms over his chest and casually hitching his hip onto a corner of the picnic table, "… but did I just break up two guys fighting over you?"

Heat flooded my cheeks. I wasn't usually a blusher, but the surrealism of what had just happened wasn't lost on me. "Yeah, I think so."

Boldly, Nahuel took my hand in his, and favored Jake with a stern look. "She is worth fighting over. I would have liked to teach him that lesson in a more physical manner, but I realize that could have caused unnecessary complications for everyone. Thank you, my friend, for intervening."

Jake's eyebrows were going to vanish if he got any more surprises today. "You're welcome. But, just in case Sam decides to come back with reinforcements, why don't you two take a nice, quiet walk somewhere that you can't get into any trouble?"

"That is a very good idea," Nahuel said, gently tugging on my arm to lead me into the trees. I knew he was more familiar with the landscape around the practice field than I was, since he'd spent so much more time here than me. I didn't really care where he was taking me, as long as it was away from the scene of the humiliating and infuriating confrontation with Sam.

It didn't take very many steps into the woods before I remembered that I was wearing those rotten sandals. Even though they were flats, they were definitely not hiking attire. Neither was the dress. If I kept going, I was going to risk a turned ankle and scratched legs, or worse.

"Nahuel, wait," I said. "I can't walk in these damned shoes."

Without a word, he scooped me up in his arms like a groom lifts a bride and was sprinting through the trees. I wasn't used to going so fast in human form, and I definitely wasn't in the habit of letting anyone carry me. But I didn't protest, because if I wanted to go anywhere in this get-up, I would need his help to get there. After a few minutes of running, we stopped in a flower-filled clearing beside a brook that was just a little bit bigger than a rivulet. He set me on my feet and I turned in a slow, amazed circle. I'd never seen a lovelier spot.

I completed my turn and faced Nahuel, only to find him watching me. He'd run quite a gamut of human emotion today, from playful to horny to outraged. In the past month, my tiny little acre of the cosmos had shifted its orbit to circle entirely around Nahuel, and I'd become pretty good at reading his emotions. But I was confused by what I thought I saw on his face now—concern, caution, worry.

"What is it?"

He approached me carefully, as if he thought I would bolt. When he was close enough to make my head swim with his heat and scent, he slowly raised both hands to cradle my face. His caress was as light as the touch of a soap bubble settling on a feather pillow.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a tone of something I couldn't quite identify simmering in his deep, rich voice.

"Of course," I replied, raising my own hands to lightly grasp his wrists with a reassuring squeeze. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The unidentifiable emotion from his voice had migrated to his eyes. He drew me into his arms, settling my cheek against his shoulder. Whatever was in his eyes, he didn't want me to study it too closely, I realized.

"I know what he did to you," he said gently. "I am sorry you had to see him today."

I stiffened in his arms. "I don't want to talk about Sam."

He was silent for a moment, his big, warm hand rubbing gentle circles on my lower back. Now that was nice. Maybe I could encourage him to move that hand a little bit lower.

"I understand that it is upsetting to speak of him, but I feel I must," he continued after a few moments. When I raised my head and glared at him, he began to rush the words out, as if he was afraid I would walk away from him.

"I meant what I said to Sam and Jacob about your worth. It is important to me that you know that," he said. It wasn't at all what I was expecting him to say. I would have understood anger at Sam's insults. Or even possessiveness. But I didn't know what to do with this earnestness. Was this his way of … declaring himself?

"And I want you to know that I would never do to you what Sam did." His hands crept to my shoulders and his eyes held mine purposefully, powerfully. "I will not leave you, Leah. I do not think I could anymore, even if I wanted to."

Holy fuck.

Suddenly, I didn't care if he was ready or not. I had to have him. Here. Now. In the open, in this clearing where Jake or Seth could come looking for us. Where our bed would be the hard ground instead of my soft mattress. Even the ricochets of Sam's hate-filled anger echoing behind us didn't faze me. I didn't care about any of it. I only cared that he had promised he would stay with me.

I threw my arms around his neck, hopped gracelessly to clamp my legs around his waist and ground my mouth onto his. He was startled into momentary stillness. A shudder surged through his lean body, his arms twined around me and he began to return my greed-filled kisses.

He hadn't kissed me this passionately since that night in my room. I buried my fingers in his hair. The clearing spun around us, then tipped backward, and I felt my back meet the grass. The soft coolness of the ground beneath me was a sensual foil to his hard heat above me.

He sucked lightly on my lower lip, urging my mouth open. I didn't need much encouragement. As soon as my lips parted, his tongue plunged into my mouth. His hands wormed their way under my skirt and up my thighs.

Apparently, even half-vampires need to breathe. He broke the kiss, coming up for air, gasping raggedly against my lips. His hands kept moving, skimming over my thighs, exploring the waistband of my underwear, cupping and gripping my ass cheeks. "I have wanted to do this all day," he panted, hiking my skirt up to my waist. His fingers found the top of my panties again and began tugging them down.

Oh yes! Finally!

My body was humming with anticipation. He was finally going to fill me with his hard, hot flesh. I'd already accepted that his soul was a part of mine. I was ready for his body to be part of me, too.

I raised my hips to allow him to freely pull my underwear down my legs. As soon as the cotton cleared my toes, I was on my knees, pushing him to a seated position so that I could make quick work of the buttons down his shirt front. I hurriedly shoved the shirt off his shoulders while he tugged the stretchy neckline of my dress down, under my breasts. As if he had a degree in brassiere design, he unhooked the front clasp of my bra and pushed the halves aside, in too much of a hurry to get his mouth on my tits to bother removing the damn thing.

He feasted on my breasts, sucking and licking at the nipples, using both hands to massage, cup and fondle. "I will make you forget that whelp ever touched you," he promised in a low growl against my sizzling skin.

A harsh, screeching laugh sliced through the haze of lust that surrounded us. Torn between surprise and desire, my brain tried to identify the sound. What the hell is a hyena doing wandering around the Olympic Peninsula?

My eyes popped open just as Nahuel whipped around to face the intruder that had entered the clearing behind us.

We were fucked, and not at all in the way we'd hoped to be. Standing at the edge of the clearing was a trio of vampires—two females and a male.

The male's eyes were a gory, stomach-churning red, and he was licking his lips like he was looking at an all-you-can-eat buffet. From the twist of his mouth, I assumed he'd been the source of that chilling laugh. One of the females—the smaller, olive-skinned one with a slick of straight black hair pouring down her back—stepped forward and addressed my imprint in a lilting, exotically accented voice.

"Nahuel, you must come with us now," she said, calmly, as if she were inviting him over for cocktails. "If you come willingly, perhaps Father will allow you to keep your human pet."

Like two heads of a single powerful monster, Nahuel and I moved together. As he sprang at the intruders, I phased, my shout of rage morphing into a howl that would summon every wolf in hearing range. On the chance that one of my pack brothers was already in wolf form, I also began screaming in my head.

Helphelphelphelp …this is it! This is it!

End Note: OK, let me have it. Yes, I realize this is the third straight chapter where I've done a sexual cliffy. I promise it will be the last. I promise you the next time it looks like Leah and Nahuel are going to finally get busy, they will! Truly! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing.