Author's Note: Oh my gosh!! 98 reviews for chapter 19. You guys totally rock! Without further ado, chapter 20!

DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer, along with Little, Brown and Company, owns all the rights to the Twilight Saga. I own nothing and profit nothing from this story.

I wasn't looking at Sam's mother. Instead I found myself face to face with the Native goddess.

"Leah, what are you doing here?" Sam asked slowly and calmly. He kept my hand secured around his.

"I invited her to stay, Samuel," another voice said to my side. I looked to see a woman in her early forties, who looked to still be in her thirties.

"And just why would you do that?"

"She was dropping something off. Cherry pie, your favorite, and I invited her to stay for dinner. It was the polite thing to do."

"Mom, didn't you think that would be a little awkward?" His mother turned to Leah.

"Leah, are you feeling awkward?"

"No, Marissa, I'm not," Leah said with a smile. "I always feel comfortable in your house."

"See, Sam, no problem."

"I meant Bella," Sam grounded out through clenched teeth. "My concern revolves around Bella." His mother huffed before turning to look at me with cold eyes.

"Do you have an issue with me inviting guests into my own home, Isabella?" Well, wasn't that just a loaded question? She didn't leave me with much of a choice of how to answer.

"No, Marissa. And you can call me Bella. Everyone does."

"Mrs. Uley."

"Pardon me?"

"You can call me Mrs. Uley, Isabella." Well, okay then.

"Oh, I apologize, Mrs. Uley."

"Mother," Sam practically growled.

"What, Sam? I don't know this girl. My friends call me Marissa." This was going to be a long night.

"Whatever, is dinner ready?" Sam asked.

"Sure, sweetie."

"Good, where do you want to put this?" He asked holding my cobbler.

She looked at this dish disdainfully. "What is it?"

"Peach cobbler, Bella made it."

"Oh, well, I was planning on having Leah's pie, so do whatever you want with it. Cherry pie is after all your favorite, Sam. Especially Leah's."

"No thanks, I'm a fan of Bella's cobbler now."

"Don't be silly, Sam. You haven't had a piece of my pie in awhile. I'm sure you've been having a desire for it," Leah purred from her spot next to Marissa, or as I am to call her, Mrs. Uley. I had a strong suspicion she was talking about more than her damn pie.

"Leah, your pie is good, but I would rather eat my girlfriend's dessert."

"Sam, don't be rude. We all know you've never been a fan of peaches. So eat Leah's cherry pie."

"Mom-"

"Sammy, remember when I made that peach cobbler last Christmas, your face scrunched up thinking it was pear cobbler. You don't like peaches. Don't you think your girlfriend should know that sort of thing? You wouldn't want to lie and fake liking it, would you? That can't be good for a relationship. Faking it," she said with a sweet smile.

"I don't have to fake it with Bella. I love everything that she does or fixes."

"Sam, you don't like peach cobbler, just admit the truth." I had had enough. I stood there quiet for far too long. Leah may have been a goddess in looks compared to me, but I was deemed his soul mate. And by God was I not going down without a fight for him.

"Maybe he didn't like your cobbler, because it sucked!" I hissed out.

"Excuse me?" She said turning to glare at me.

I took a deep breath, and more calmly continued on. "Maybe he didn't like the recipe you used. He likes mine. In fact he's the one that requested that I make it instead of the other choice I was thinking of."

Both Leah and his mother were gaping at me. I head my chin high and didn't let my stare waver any. I felt Sam squeeze my hand, so I looked up at him. He was smirking as I caught his eye. I knew I'd done well. He turned to look at Leah and his mother. He let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders and pull me close to his side.

"I guess that clarifies things just perfectly," he said looking at the women. He turned back down to look at me. I could see how proud of me he was as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on my lips. "Let's eat then."

Uncomfortably we all made our way to the small dining room. There were four seats at the table. I got put between Sam and Mrs. Uley, meaning Leah was on Sam's other side. I wasn't thrilled at that, but at least I was sitting next to Sam myself. I would have thought the two schemers would have found a way for me to have to eat in a whole other room.

As dinner passed I found myself lost in my thoughts. The conversation left nothing for me to add. Leah and Mrs. Uley discussed tribal topics that I knew nothing about. They pulled Sam into the discussion every once in awhile, seeing as he held such influence in the tribe. In between questions they asked he would try to talk with me.

I was thinking that I was happy that the night had seemed to lose its hostility. I was being ignored, but I figured that was better than being attacked. But as it usual happens, I thought too soon.

"So I was thinking you could escort Leah to the Last Call Bonfire next month, Sam."

"Why would you think that, Mom?"

"The two of you always go together."

"It'll be fun, Sammy. Just like old times. I feel like we've drifted apart some, we need to reconnect."

"We went together because we were dating. We're not now, nor will we in the future. I'm with Bella now, and I will be escorting her to the bonfire."

"She can't go," Leah sneered.

"Why can't I go? It's just a bonfire, right?"

"The Last Call is the last official tribal bonfire before winter starts. It's a gathering of the whole tribe. There will be food and all sorts of things."

"And it's a tribe only thing," Mrs. Uley added with a phony smile. "You understand, don't you, Isabella?" I was beginning to really be irrated by being white. Perhaps if I had a natural tan they would more easily get passed it. But nope, I was as pale as a pale face could come. Thank you, Charlie and Renee.

"Oh, yes, of course."

"No, not of course. Bella will be going with me. I have the Council's permission."

"What? They wouldn't do something like that."

"Are you saying that I'm lying to you, Mom? They understand that Bella is going to be around a lot and for a long time. They've accepted her just fine. I expect you to as well." She simply huffed and took another fork full of food.

"What is your problem?" I growled out. Three sets of eyes flew to my face shocked. It appeared that my presence had been forgotten.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Uley said with narrowed eyes.

"Why do you have to dislike me so much? I'm white, so what? There's nothing I can do about that. Can't you just give me a chance?"

"You won't be around long enough for that to be necessary."

"That's not your decision. Only Sam and I can decide how long we'll be together. So why can't you give me a chance?"

"Sam belongs with a local girl, someone that understands the culture and things that Sam is responsible for."

"I can learn those things."

"Word is that Sam might be made chief. There is no way that a pale face can be our female leader. You have no right to rule over us."

"I won't rule over you. I'll be by Sam's side, supporting him, only giving advice when asked for it. Sam would be the chief, not me."

"You won't be accepted."

"That's for me to worry about in the future. Though I think it would help significantly if his mother would support our relationship."

"I can't do that."

"Any why not?"

"You're not right for my Samuel."

"I find that she's perfect for me actually," Sam said. I knew he had kept silent before only to let me stand up for myself. Marissa Uley wouldn't respect or accept me if I let Sam fight all my battles, not that I would want him to.

"And how so exactly is she perfect?"

Sam reached out for my hand. Looking into my eyes, ignoring the audience around the table, he answered his mother's question.

"She can instantly calm me with a single word or touch. Just knowing she's in the room brings a smile to my face. One look at her and my heart feels like it will break through my chest. She makes me laugh more than anyone else in the world can. Bella can break down all my walls without even trying. She's kind hearted, giving, humble, smart, beautiful, independent, but not afraid to ask for help and for some reason that I can't explain, she's mine. And for that I am thankful every day."

"So you like the perfect image she's not. No one's perfect, Sam. I'm sure it won't take long for you to figure that out and be severely disappointed," Leah responded.

"I never said she was perfect, I said she was perfect for me. She has faults. I know it, she knows it. I have mine own as well. Bell is almost selfless to a point of disregarding herself. She won't answer the simpliest questions such as where do you want to eat, because she wants the other person to choose so that they're happy. Sometimes she goes beyond being humble and just doesn't see her self correctly, only seeing the negative. It drives me crazy how she can't see how beautiful she is. Bella is clumsy beyond all belief, but she handles it in stride. She sings a bit off key sometimes. She blushes at the slightest things, like now, that it's almost comical. And despite all of this, I love her just the same, if not more." I felt my heart pick up and my breathing halt. Love? Did he say he loved me? We've never said those words to each other and now he's saying in front of his conniving mother and ex-girlfriend. Oh my.

Apparently I wasn't the only one taken by surprise. I looked over to Leah and Mrs. Uley. Both appeared to be stunned. "Did you say 'love', Samuel?" His mother asked flabbergasted. I shifted my stare back to Sam. He seemed to have just realized what he had said himself.

"I guess I did," he said looking at his mother. He turned to gaze at me. "I do, you know, love you. I have for awhile. Sorry I'm for saying it for the first time like this. I'd planned to do this much better, but it sort of slipped out." I sat a little too stunned to find words. I knew I was his soul mate and I knew we'd be together forever. But I also knew that imprinting didn't make the wolf fall in love, only to cause the bond and attraction. After another second I realized I needed to say something as it appeared that he was waiting for response. "You don't have to say-"

"I love you too," I blurted out. He let out a sigh of relief, his eyes lit up, and a giant grin took over his face. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my lips.

"I love you so much, Bella," he murmured against my lips.

For a moment I was lost in his dark eyes. I was brought back to reality by the shuffling of furniture. I turned to see Leah standing up out of her chair glaring at me. She huffed before turning toward Mrs. Uley.

"I'll talk to you later, Marissa. I should be heading home."

"Of course, Leah. We'll talk soon." More like 'we'll plot soon', I thought in my head silently. Leah slipped out of the room and house without further comment. The rest of the meal and the dessert were met with silence. After we finished dessert, peach cobbler for Sam and myself and cherry pie for Mrs. Uley, she stood up to collect the dishes.

"I can help," I said standing.

"That's not necessary."

"Please, it's the least I can do. After all you fixed the entire meal, you shouldn't have to do the dishes as well."

"Fine." I took my plate along with Sam's to the kitchen following behind his mom. Sam headed into the living room. I heard the television turn on. In silence, I washed as she dried and put the dishes in their places. After a few minutes and talking myself into it, I spoke my mind to Marissa.

"Look, I frankly don't care that you like me for my own gratification. To be honest, I could care less if you approved of me. But it's important to Sam, and it will be important if he does take on the responsibility of chief. You don't have to like me, but you should support your son in his decisions. I know that you wanted Leah as your daughter-in-law, but that's not going to happen. Not unless you have some other son I don't know about. Sam is it for me and I'm it for him. The sooner you get on the bandwagon, the better it will be for everyone."

"Well, as long as we agree that I don't have to like you."

"And I don't have to like you either. But in front of Sam and others, we will be friendly to each other."

"Fine." I knew that Sam would have heard every word from the living room, but I figured this was the best course of action to end the hostility. I actually did care that she didn't like me. Of course I would want my future mother-in-law to like me. But I was willing to settle for acting civil in company of others for now. Hopefully I could win her other to Team Bella eventually, preferably before the someday wedding.

Author's Note: So just to make sure that you all understand a little something about my Leah character, I have a couple of points to make. First, she was with Sam longer than she was in the actual books, because Emily never was an issue. Not too important of a fact, but I just want you to be aware. Second, because Sam didn't leave her for her own cousin, Leah is not nearly the bitter harpy that we all know from the books. As far as she's concerned her boyfriend broke up her with no good reason and she intends on getting him back. The break up hurt her, but didn't crush her like it did in the novels. The novels said before the Emily imprint that she was a pretty lively, outgoing girl and I'll try to make her appear that way in this story. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you all understood this because I think Leah will make regular appearances.