Chapter 10

The Local La Push Soap Opera

I drove home from work slowly. It was dark and the roads were icy. I scowled at the electrically lit snow as I drove past. January was the worst month – still cold and snowy, but devoid of the promise of Christmas; always dark; no holidays; and no end in sight. Especially not for me. This was going to be the first year of the rest of my lonely and pathetic existence. I wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

I pulled up to my house, and slowly reversed into my driveway, being careful of the ice that thickly layered the asphalt. There was a conspicuous red SUV parked on the other side of the road, but I tried not to let its flashy colours distract me as I backed in. It took all my concentration not to let my car slip.

I sat inside the warm cab for a few moments after I had cut the engine, unwilling to step out into the cold. My hand slipped into my pocket, and I fiddled with the locket that was my only remembrance of Steve, besides the picture I had drawn of him. I didn't want to wear the necklace; jewelry wasn't a good idea as a rule when you could burst out of one form into a much larger one at any moment. But I liked to have the locket close to me most of the time. I brushed my fingers over the cool metal, letting the repetitive action calm me. I was surprised that the design on the front wasn't worn away already, I had rubbed it so often.

With a sigh, I got out of my car, and grabbed my bag. It was snowing again. I fumbled for my keys, my cold fingers dropping them. I caught the keys, but the locket that had been in my pocket fell to the ground, shining brightly against the snow.

"Darn it!" I growled under my breath, stooping down to pick it back up.

Fingers reached for the necklace, and deftly picking it up. I looked up, surprised, and then my heart stopped. There, in front of me, with snowflakes in his black hair, and an uneasy smile on his perfect face, was Steve.

My breath came out in a whoosh, and my heart began to pound double speed. With a sudden crash, all the pieces of my broken heart came together violently, and I nearly staggered back from the violence of the action. Just being in his presence made me feel whole again; the part that I had been missing was finally here.

I knew that soon he would be gone again, and my heart would be in pieces just like last time. I kept my emotions carefully behind the dam that I had built up for them.

He held out the necklace to me, letting the pendant dangle, its gold surface catching the light.

"You should take more care of this," he said.

I stared at him for a whole minute, just drinking him in. He looked as good as ever – better, in fact. I my eyes traced his face, his russet skin, his dark eyes and thick brows and perfectly shaped lips, the way his hair fell into his eyes. I let my gaze trail down his black wool coat and red scarf, right down to his leather shoes. I took in all of him at once, committing him and this moment to memory. Someday, this would have to be enough for me.

"You're here," I breathed.

A smile quirked up the edge of his lips. I remembered how they felt on mine, soft and yet insistent.

"I'm here," he confirmed.

I held my emotions firmly in check, and willed my voice not to shake. I couldn't afford to let my emotions go. It would only hurt more when he left.

"Why?" I whispered. My voice sounded weak. I cleared my throat, and then tried again. "Why are you here?"

His face fell.

"Didn't you want to see me?" he asked softly.

As if he could ever think that! It was his name burned onto my heart, now and forever. Nothing would ever change that, no matter where he went or what he did, or how much time had passed.

I shook my head, trying to comprehend his logic in coming back here, only to break my heart again.

"I don't understand. Why did you come back?"

His dark eyes bored into mine.

"I came to see you," he said. He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't get you out of my head. I think about you all the time, I dream about you at night, no matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about you. I couldn't stay away."

It was like heaven, hearing those words come from his mouth. I closed my eyes and savoured them, storing them up as a balm for the aching crater that would be all that was left of my heart again when he left.

But the words weren't right. He shouldn't be saying those things. Not to me. He had his duty, and it was only making this harder for both of us if he kept coming back.

"What about Marina?" I asked. I hated to remind him of the reason he left me heartbroken, but I knew it was the right thing to do. He couldn't leave her all alone with a baby coming. "Did you leave her?"

A huge smile broke over Steve's features, and it was like a ray of sunshine had suddenly struck me. I felt warm all over, despite the cold weather.

"Actually, she left me. After telling me that she's been cheating on me. With my college roommate no less. And that the baby wasn't mine after all."

I felt dizzy. It was as if I had been carrying around a massive weight all this time, a huge burden that I had thought would never be lifted. And suddenly, it was gone, and I was free. The doors to the cage were opened, the clouds parted, the sun streaming through. I felt lightheaded at the shock of his statement.

"Not yours," I whispered, as if to confirm his words. To make sure that he was really saying them, that it wasn't just my imagination.

Steve nodded, his smile widening.

"I'm under no obligation. I didn't have to stay with her. In fact, she didn't want me. I'm free.

"So to answer your question, Leah, I came back here to ask you – no, to beg you –to forgive me. I know I've hurt you, and I know that I've been a selfish ass. I was stupid and I broke your heart, but please," he sank to his knee in the snow. "I'm begging you on bended knee. Forgive me?"

There was no thought, no need to deliberate. I hardly gave him time to rise from his knees before I threw myself in his arms, nearly knocking him over in the process. The dam my emotions had been held back with broke into a million pieces, but I didn't care. I let it. It didn't matter.

I was sobbing, with relief, with the sudden release of my carefully pent up emotions. I was crying, and then I was laughing, my smile mixed in with the tears on my face. It took me a minute to regain my composure enough to look up at him.

I fit so perfectly into his arms, despite our bulky winter attire. It was like we really were two puzzle pieces that could only fit together with each other. He belonged to me, and I to him, and that was that.

He pulled me closer, his hands splayed against my back. I tangled my fingers into his hair.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked, smiling.

"You know you are," I replied.

He took his arm away from me, and I instantly regretted the loss of the warmth. He held up the locket.

"You dropped this," he said.

I laughed.

"Yeah, I did."

"May I?" he asked, an echo of his words before.

I nodded.

He reached behind my neck, and fastened the locket on. His cold fingers brushed against my skin, and I shivered.

"There," he said. "It's where it ought to be."

"I didn't want to wear it, in cast I had to shift quickly and couldn't take it off," I explained. "I didn't want to break something so precious. But I kept it close with me."

"Good."

He smiled down at me, and then reached up to gently stroke my cheek in a familiar gesture.

"'I took the road less travelled by,'" he quoted softly, the familiar passage he had said to me once before. "'And that has made all the difference.' You are my road less travelled. And it has made all the difference."

I saw his eyes travel down from my eyes to my lips. I smiled.

He leaned down, and his lips were on mine. It was not like I remembered from the first time we had kissed; it was better. His lips molded to mine so perfectly, moving against mine in perfect tandum. They were silky soft and gentle at first, hesitant, seeking permission. I gave it gladly.

"I love you," I whispered again his lips.

"I love you back," he answered, before making sure that I wasn't able to speak again.

The tone of his kisses changed. From gentle and seeking, they became more urgent, more insistent. I could taste the heat in them, and I matched it with my own. Steve left my mouth, and began to kiss my cheeks, my nose, my jaw. He trailed kisses down my neck, and I tilted my head to give him better access.

"Steve?" I said breathlessly.

"Mmmm," he responded.

"I think we'd better go inside."

Steve grinned at me, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"I think that's a good idea," he said.

-------

I woke slowly, not wanting to surrender to consciousness. I was warm and comfortable, and pleasantly sleepy. I stretched, and opened my eyes, glancing over to the other side of my bed. It was empty and the sheets cold. I frowned. Surely I hadn't dreamed all that?

I rummaged around for some clothes, and then wandered downstairs. Steve turned to me from his place at the stove as I walked in.

"Hey sleepy," he said.

I smiled, and fit myself under his arm.

"Hi," I replied.

He kissed the tip of my nose.

"You're incredible, you know that?" he said.

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, you forgave me even though I was an idiot, you were still wearing my locket even though I left you, and…" he leaned over a whispered the last sentence in my ear, "You have a … wild… side I wasn't expecting."

I blushed crimson.

"Well I am a wolf you know," I said.

He grinned.

"I know." He glanced back at what he had been doing before I had come in. "Hungry?"

I hadn't noticed until he had mentioned something, but I was starving. As if to collaborate this fact, my stomach growled loudly.

We both laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said. "I made pancakes. You want some?"

I nodded eagerly, pulling out two plates and sets of cutlery.

They were delicious. Golden, fluffy, light, with a hint of maple syrup.

"You never told me you could cook," I accused, around another bite.

Steve shrugged, amused.

"You never asked. Besides, someone had to make sure Sam was fed when we were kids. Pancakes were my specialty. We practically grew up on them."

I shot an envious glance at the piles of golden cakes on my plate.

"How do you get them not to burn?" I asked, thinking of my own attempts at this particular breakfast food, and how disastrously they had turned out.

"Secret," he replied.

I rolled my eyes.

"If you don't want to share your wealth of culinary knowledge, then fine. Hoard all the pancake secrets why don't you."

He laughed again. I loved the way he threw his head back, his eyes sparkling and his face alight with mirth. I vowed that I would get him to laugh more often, just so I could watch. His laugh was infectious, and I couldn't help but join in.

We ate in a comfortable silence. When I was finished, I started piling dishes in the sink for washing. Figuring that they would have to be done sometime, I ran the water and began to rinse bowls of batter.

Steve's arms came around my waist, his lips on my neck again. It was extremely distracting, moving my thoughts away from all things food related.

"Steve," I said, a little helplessly. "The dishes."

"Leave them for tomorrow. It's Saturday."

Saturday. Seth had a hockey game on Saturday, I remembered dimly, Steve's kisses making me feel dizzy agian. Seth! My brother! The last thing I wanted was my baby brother walking in on us, I though with a horrified grimace.

"What about Seth?" I asked.

Steve leaned close to my ear and whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

"He phoned to say he's staying over at Colin's house. I told him that would be a good idea."

I put the dishcloth down and surrendered, turning in his arms.

I wasn't expecting it when he swept me up and carried me upstairs.

------

When I woke this time, Steve was beside me, his arm thrown around my shoulders. I nestled into the warmth of his chest.

"Your nose is cold," he muttered.

I giggled.

"You're awake."

"So're you," he replied, stroking my hair.

We were silent for a long moment.

"You know what Marina told me?" he said suddenly.

I twisted around so that I could see his face.

"What?"

"She told me that she knew that she was pregnant before she came back to me, but she knew that I would stay with her if I thought the baby was mine. That I had more money than the baby's actual father, so she picked me instead."

I grimaced.

"What a horrible thing to say."

"Yeah. Well, it would have been, if I wasn't past caring. I think I drove her to confess, actually. I wasn't exactly emotionally present after I left you."

I shuddered to remember that dark time when Steve wasn't with me.

"I left my heart back in La Push," Steve murmured. "And she knew it."

I grinned.

"That should be the title of a soap opera," I teased.

"Nah," Steve drawled. "If they really wanted to make a show about this place, they would feature the giant werewolves running around."

I snorted.

"As if anyone would believe that."

"I'm glad," Steve said.

I gave him a strange look.

"About Marina," he clarified. "No one should be born whose father doesn't want to stay with their mother. I would have gone my whole life resenting that kid for taking me away from you. And I'm glad Marina came clean. Boy, she and Joell deserve each other." He chortled darkly.

I didn't press the issue. I didn't much care to hear about Marina.

"I'm glad you came back," I said, leaning my head back against his chest. "I wasn't whole without you."

Steve touched the locket around my neck.

"I'll stay as long as you want me," he replied.

"Forever," I said, with certainty.

Steve laughed.

"That's good, because I applied to teach at the high school here."

I raised my eyebrow.

"You did? But you used to work in a fancy private school."

"All the better to bring my fancy education to those who need it," Steve said. "I hope in coming home I might be forgiven."

"You're really staying?" I asked, half afraid of the answer.

Steve kissed my nose.

"Of course. If I'm your other half, you're mine."

I settled back into his arms, content.

"Oh," Steve said suddenly. "I was meaning to ask you, before we got… distracted… what did Seth mean when he said he would 'hear all about it anyways' on the phone?"

I choked.

"He said what?"

"He said he was surprised I was back in town, but he would hear all about it anyways. You don't tell your brother everything, do you?"

I made a face.

"I don't have much of a choice. Pack mind, you know. We're all connected. They hear all my thoughts."

And then I realized what I was saying, and blushed to the roots of my hair. The last thing my stupid pack brothers wanted was an instant replay of my night with Steve. And I certainly didn't want to share particular things with them. I would have to try very hard to keep it out of my mind from now on. Although, as Claire and Nessie grew, it was only going to get worse for all of us.

Steve considered my words for a moment.

"That's weird," he said.

"You have no idea," I said, thinking about the time I had dreamed I was kissing Bella, after Jacob had thought about it for two days straight.

The same idea I had about sharing with my pack occurred to Steve. He grimaced.

"They probably don't want these particular images, do they?" he asked.

"I sure hope not," I answered. "Hazard of having a girl in the pack. I'm attracted to men. They just have to deal with it. You'll be lucky if I can convince them not to kill you."

"They want to kill me?" Steve asked.

I smiled.

"I had to talk them out of it the first time. Just remember, buster, I've got four superhumanly big wolves for pack brothers."

Steve gulped.

"It's a good thing I plan on treating you right from now on," he said.

He claimed my lips again, and I sighed happily.

Author's Note: maybe I should have issued a fluff warning at the beginning of this chapter. But I was afraid it would give too much away too suddenly. Yay, Steve is back!! I'm happy about it! Congrats to everyone who guessed that I wouldn't leave Leah unhappy forever. That really wasn't the point of the story, was it?

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and left their comments about the story. I'm glad I've convinced at least a few people to think differently about Leah, and – I dare say – love her like I do. Oh, and for the record, I've decided that if I were going to marry anyone in the Twilight universe, it wouldn't be Jacob any more, it would be Seth.

I know this seems like the end of the story, and it sort of is, but I think I'm going to write a little epilogue tomorrow, just to finish things off. I want to get back to my Doctor Who story as soon as this one is finished, but I can't help drawing it out another day. It's been so much fun!