Monday morning, Mike woke up to an empty house. He didn't have to walk around and explore the rooms; the house just had that hollow, empty feeling He hadn't slept much, but he must have dozed off just before dawn. He sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, and wondered at what point he had become so obsessed with the Quileute wolves that he would actually shoot a human being. And Seth Clearwater, of all people! No wonder Christy hated him! He wasn't too fond of himself right now.
He went through the ritual of showering and dressing mechanically and drove to Forks. The day was a perfect match for his mood – gray and misty, the heavy clouds swollen with more rain. He pulled into his usual parking space in front of the police station and ran for the door, dodging the puddles that spotted the gravel parking lot. He noted that Chief Swan's cruiser was already in his assigned spot and sighed.
Charlie looked up from his desk when Mike walked in. He was talking to an attractive dark-haired woman Mike now recognized from the wedding picture on Charlie's desk as Sue Clearwater Swan. He hesitated, then cleared his throat and walked over toward Charlie's office. He wondered briefly if he would be arrested or just fired. Considering his boss was the chief of police, he decided there was a distinct possibility he might even be shot. He decided he probably deserved option number three; it seemed appropriate to make the punishment fit the crime.
Charlie stood and motioned him into the office, then smiled. "Sue, I'd like you to meet Mike Youngblood, the new deputy I told you about. Mike, this is my wife, Sue."
Sue flashed him a genuine smile. "I'm so glad to meet you, Mike. Charlie's been running this place by himself for too long." He resumed breathing when she extended her hand to grip his firmly. "I guess you must be Christy's dad. I haven't met her, but Seth has told me about her."
Mike struggled to return her smile. Apparently Seth was made of stronger stuff than he'd given him credit for. He shook her hand quickly and realized that his palm was sweating. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Swan. I had the pleasure of meeting your children last weekend when Christy invited them to my birthday party."
She laughed. "It's Sue. And let me wish you a belated happy birthday. I'm sorry I haven't been a good neighbor. I'd like to have you and Christy over for dinner one day soon."
Mike's grimace passed for a smile. "No need to fuss, Sue. I understand you're busy with that new baby. Judging from the pictures Charlie carries around, she's gorgeous."
Sue smiled. "Thanks. She's a good baby. And Seth and Charlie are such a help with her, it's no trouble at all. How about Friday night? Around seven?"
"Well, um, I can't speak for Christy. I'll check with her and let Charlie know. And thanks," Mike mumbled as he made his escape.
Leah's eyes bored into Seth's wounded hand as he expertly changed Emmy's diaper. "Surely Mom must have asked about that," she said, nodding toward the bright pink scar tissue on the back of his right hand.
"Of course she did, and don't call me Shirley," he joked. For the first time ever, the reference failed to amuse her. She just stared at him stony-faced. He sighed. "I just told her I did it at work. It happens all the time."
"You don't get shot all the time," Leah snapped.
It was his turn to be annoyed. "Just give it a rest, will you Leah? I'm fine!" He picked up the baby and settled her in the crook of his arm. She stared adoringly into his face and cooed at him.
Leah's face softened. "She thinks you're her mother, Squirt! I don't know how you do it – I have two hands and I'm all thumbs when I dress her." Seth smiled at Emmy, forgetting to be insulted by Leah's old nickname for him. "Well, I'm off to the grocery store," Leah said. "Mom left a list on the fridge. Hey, shouldn't you be at work?"
"I told Jake I'd be a little late. Mom had some errands to run so I volunteered to stay with Emmy. Here she comes now." He handed the baby off to Sue and sprinted to his truck.
Sue noticed Leah leaning against the counter and smiled. "Hi, honey. Thanks for volunteering to pick up a few things for me. Did you find my list?" Emmy reached for Sue's face, and she bent and kissed the chubby little hand.
Leah held up the list. "No problem, Mom." She kissed Sue's cheek on her way out the door.
Mike waited until the lunch rush was over before pulling into the Sunset Diner lot, gravel crunching under the cruiser's tires. He walked in and sat the counter. Christy wordlessly placed a cup of steaming coffee in front of him and took out her order pad.
"Just the coffee, pum…Christy," he amended quickly. When she turned to move away, he spoke quickly. "I have a message from Sue Swan."
She turned back, curious. "I've never even met her, Dad."
"She invited us to dinner on Friday night," he said softly. "Do you want me to tell her you have to work?"
Christy sighed. "Seth knows I get off at three on Friday. I guess he didn't say anything to her. This is a nightmare, Dad. What are we supposed to do?"
Mike looked miserable. "I honestly don't know, Christy. Charlie is my boss, so I feel like we should go. I just don't know how I'm going to face Seth."
Christy glared at him. "Well, since you work for his father it will happen sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. We talked on the phone over the weekend, but I really didn't expect to see him again…" she hesitated, then couldn't help adding "thanks to you."
Mike grimaced. "I just felt you should know what you're getting into, Christy, if you plan to get involved with Seth Clearwater. I don't know how many ways I can say I'm sorry."
"Well, I guess that won't be a problem now, will it?" Christy snapped over her shoulder as she walked to the end of the counter. Mike sighed and folded a bill, slipping it under his coffee cup, and stood. He adjusted his gun belt and walked slowly back to his cruiser.
The Youngbloods arrived at exactly 7:00 on Friday. Seth opened the door and smiled at Christy, completely ignoring Mike. She was relieved when he sat beside her on the couch, hoping he might actually have forgiven her.
Sue and Charlie greeted both of them warmly and made them comfortable in the living room while Sue excused herself to put the finishing touches on dinner. Christy offered to help, but Sue laughed and declined, insisting she had it under control.
Dinner was uneventful, at least until Leah stopped in to return a platter she'd borrowed from Sue. She walked in the back door and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Mike and Christy at the table. Sue looked at her, confused, and said "I understand you've met Mike and Christy, Leah. Charlie and I wanted to get to know his new deputy a little better." She laughed uneasily, as Leah still stood rooted to the spot, staring.
"Deputy?" Leah asked incredulously. "I think he forgot to mention that." She set the platter down on the counter and, without another word, turned around and left.
Sue looked uncomfortable, and Charlie jumped in and changed the subject. "I was just telling Mike how nice it is to be able to take a day off once in a while," he said as he reached for Sue's hand under the tablecloth and gave it a squeeze.
All the color had drained from Christy's face. Seth whispered, "Would you like to help me make some coffee, Christy?" She nodded, not trusting her voice. He grabbed her elbow to help steady her as they walked to the kitchen.
Christy leaned against the counter as Seth measured water and coffee and started the coffee maker. "She really hates us, doesn't she?" she breathed.
Seth looked up. "I'm sure she's just upset with your dad, Christy. She's a little protective of me."
"It's okay," Christy nodded. "I don't blame her. He's a good man, Seth, but that was an incredibly stupid thing to do."
Seth looked at her. "No more, okay? I'm fine, and I don't want you beating yourself up over this any more."
Leah walked into her house fuming, slamming the door behind her. Jacob's long legs stuck out from under the sink, where he was struggling with a pipe wrench. "Everything okay?" he asked, his voice muffled.
She leaned against the counter. "Did Mike Youngblood happen to mention what line of work he's in?" she asked.
"Not that I remember," came the distant voice from under the sink.
"Well, it turns out he's Charlie's new deputy. And he and his daughter are at Mom's having dinner as we speak!"
There was a loud 'clang,' followed by a string of profanity, from the cabinet under the sink. "Goddamn it! Son of a bitch!" Jacob emerged, rubbing a sizeable lump on his forehead.
Leah was trying desperately not to laugh, but the expression on his face pushed her over the edge. She burst into giggles, running to kiss his forehead. "I'm sorry, Jake," she managed to squeak, "but you never use that kind of language and it just sounds so funny coming from you!" He grinned in spite of himself and captured her in his arms, pulling her down onto his lap as he sat on the floor.
"So, I guess I can't expect any sympathy from the little woman when I get injured," he chided.
She smiled and kissed him softly. "I'm sorry, Jake. Of course I'll take care of you. Why can't I just get over this?"
He hugged her gently. "He shot your brother, Leah. You don't ever have to like him. But you will have to be in his presence on occasion as long as he's working for Charlie. Just ignore him, honey. That's all you can do. If you make a bigger issue of it, what happens if Seth and Christy end up together?"
Leah growled quietly. "Let's not jump to conclusions. I want the bastard thrown in jail, Jake. I guess that's not going to happen, is it?" she grumbled. She snuggled into his chest. "It's a good thing I have you to keep me grounded. I might have had to kick his ass." She kissed him once more, for good measure, and went to get him some ice.