Thanks for reviewing the last chapter. Sorry this took a little longer. But don't worry; it's the longest chapter yet -even longer than the last one. Enjoy!

Vinnie's POV

Chapter 7

I was feeling pretty strange as I drove back to my house after just dropping Leah off from our date.

I smiled inwardly to myself at the word. I was dating Leah Clearwater, pretty much the girl of my dreams; the one I could never seem to stop thinking about since high school.

She was beyond amazing. I thought that of her before, but tonight, I had evidence of such. How many poplar could consider even trying to be civil with their ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend after them both leaving her for each other? I felt sorry that I wasn't here sooner for Leah. She sounded sad when she talked of how angry and hurt she was at the world after Sam broke up with her. At least Jacob and the others helped her through it.

The cloud nine euphoria didn't escape me as I made my way into my house. My mom was there to greet me.

I smiled down at her. "You didn't have to wait up for me, Mom," I told her as I stepped into the warm house.

She laughed. "I just wanted to hear about where you've been. Embry told me you were going out with a girl."

I sighed. The situation brought back scenes of my teenaged years, when my mom would ask me constantly whether or not I was dating anyone lately. The answer was always a "No" in La Push. LA was a different story, but she didn't need to know the detail of that.

"Yes, I went out on a date," I told her as I took off my coat and boots.

She waited in silence. I knew she was waiting for a name.

"Leah Clearwater," I answered her unsaid question.

She looked puzzled for a moment, almost like she thought she heard me wrong. "Leah?"

"Yes."

"Oh." She seemed disappointed.

"What's wrong with Leah?" I asked I was ready to defend her all I could. Even to my own mother.

"Nothing. She comes from a good family. She's a… pretty girl." She seemed as if she couldn't find another honest adjective for her.

"She's more than that. She's funny, she's deep. She's great to talk to. I could have gone on and on, but I decided to hold back.

"You seem to really like her, Vincent."

I nodded. "I do," I said sincerely.

"Just… be careful with her, alright?"

I was surprised. "I wouldn't hurt her, Mom. I care about-"

She cut me off. "I'm concerned about your wellbeing, not hers."

I was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I just… she seems like she can be a handful."

"I'll be alright."

She laid a hand on my shoulder. "I just don't want to see you hurt. That's all."

"I understand," I smiled. "I'm a big boy now, Mom. I can make my own decisions, especially on the people I date. Don't you agree?"

She nodded her head and let her hand slide off my shoulder, escaping into the living room.

I was puzzled about my mother's behavior after she left the room. I didn't see how Leah being depressed for a while qualified her as a danger to me. I didn't let it phase me, though. I had an excellent date.

I could not imagine anything could bring me off this high.

From the time I woke up, I tried to plan out strategically when to call her. It couldn't be too early since I did not want to seem too desperate to her. I could only imagine how much headstrong, independent Leah would despise that trait in a guy.

My patience once two in the afternoon rolled by was nearly gone. I wanted to talk to her. Plus, if she was up for it, I was ready to take her out to a place I would have liked to show her; someplace that meant something, like the diner did to her.

At about three o'clock, I could not take it anymore. I went into phone book and looked up her house phone number, and immediately dialed it.

It rung three times before I heard a deep bass voice saying "Hello?" from the other line.

I immediately recognized it. It would only be one guy anyways. "Hey, Seth. It's Vince."

"Hey Vince!" He said enthusiastically. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing too thrilling. Is your sister around by any chance?"

"Yeah, she is. How was your little escapade with her?"

"Very fun. I had a great time with her."

"And you respected her during the whole time?" I could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

I laughed. "Yes, I was quite the gentleman. You can ask her if you want."

"I will." I heard the steady beat of steps ascending up the stairs, and soon followed by a muffled voice. I assumed Seth was asking her, trying to block the sound from entering into the phone.

A groan was heard, followed by a sweet voice saying into the phone, "I'm sorry about that. I should just have given you my cell phone number. Seth's pretty annoying sometimes."

I chuckled. "I think it's endearing of him to look out for you like that, to be honest."

"I guess." She sighed. "So, how are you?"

"I'm great." Now that I could talk to her, at least. "Anything new happen in the last sixteen or so hours since I last saw you?"

"Sixteen? I feel like it's been longer than that."

I smiled. Maybe she was eager to see me as I was to her. "I feel the same way. We didn't drink anything to make our heads messed up, did we?" I asked.

She chuckled. "No, not that I can recall. Then again, my head does hurt a little. Maybe I'm on a mini-hangover."

I laughed. It felt good that she was following along with my terrible jokes. Most girls would have awkwardly chuckled and ended the conversation where it was. Of course, I never was as dorky with a girl as I was with Leah. She brings out the worst in me.

And the best.

"Maybe we should see each other sooner rather than later," she added. "You know, for health reasons and all."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Why don't you meet me over at my house to hang around for a bit before the rendezvous? We can go through high school yearbooks and old pictures or something."

I wasn't too interested in old memories- I was concerned with starting new ones with her –but I would do anything to be with her a little bit longer. "That sounds great. What time should I be there?"

"How about six? I like being out at night."

"I'll be there I'll see you, Leah."

"Bye, Vinnie."

I hung up the phone and walked upstairs in anticipation, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my time. I was ready to take her to my special place. Not as sentimental in value as she had picked, but it still meant a lot to me. I had never shown anyone my spot.

She'd be the only one.

Maybe I was rushing things a bit. We'd only gone out to one date, and yet, I felt like one of those corny lovesick teenagers they always show on TV. Me being here -me coming back to La Push- seemed to only take real meaning and significance when I was with her, like she was the reason I came back home instead of Los Angeles.

I wanted to be with her more than anything else lately.

After I got ready –taking a shower and putting on a grey tee shirt and faded jeans –I was confronted by a smirking Embry sitting on the couch as I made my way down the stairs.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" I asked as I headed for the kitchen.

I heard him get off the couch and follow behind me. "You, of course."

Opening the fridge to make a turkey sandwich to at before I left, I spoke to him. "What did I do?"

"You're going to her again, aren't you?"

I chuckled. "You sound like a wife being cheated on, and I'm leaving you to go have fun with my lover."

"Not funny, Vince. I'm serious. Are you going out with Leah again? Have another spectacular date at a diner?"

"How'd you know I went with her there in the first place?"

"You didn't have to tell me. She did."

I looked up at him for the first time. "Leah talked to you about our date?"

He shrugged. "I sort of made her. I wish I hadn't. You two out at that diner, you acting like a dork in front of her-"

"She thinks I'm a dork?" Great, my suspicions were right. I was weird to her. How wonderful.

"Well, she didn't say that." He seemed like he was hinting at something I didn't understand.

I ignored his vague response. "Crap," I muttered. She probably didn't want to be mean about it to my face, or maybe hinted at the observation to Embry. Now, I felt like the whole night was just seeping with my terrible jokes and/or attempts at flirting with her.

"Look, could you chill for a second? She had a great time last night, the best she's had in a long time, but I'm pretty sure she already told you that. She really liked being with you yesterday, Vince."

That helped. I only hoped he wasn't just saying that to heal my wounded ego.

I piled the turkey meat on the sandwich. "Did she say anything else to you about us?" I don't know how, but "us" sounded like a much better, more beautiful word than "her and me."

"Nothing that needs to be said to you. But I got to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you do it, after I asked you not to?"

I looked at him, and he didn't seem angry. Just honestly curious. "You don't see what I do in her, Embry. She's so…" I sighed. "She's amazing, almost beyond words. Even with what happened with her and Sam and Emily-"

He froze. "What did she say about that?"

My eyebrow went up. "How Sam left her for Emily."

"Did she say why?" He looked unexplainably worried of what my answer would be.

"She told me it was like love at first sight or something for the two of them."

He nodded and relaxed from his stiff position, satisfied with my answer.

I moved on. Embry was getting odder as the conversation progressed. "He does love Emily a lot –I can tell. But Leah sounded like she could hardly get along."

He nodded. "She couldn't. For years."

"And now she's alright, thanks to you guys."

He looked curiously at me. "Us?"

"You, Jake, Quil, and Seth. She said you guys helped her heal."

He smiled. "Are you serious? I'll have to bring that up sometime with her."

I felt guilty, like I had unearthed a secret. "Don't say anything to piss her off on purpose. I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He laughed. "Believe me, Vince, I know she'll explode if I scratched her fur the wrong way."

It was a weird expression, but I got the gist.

"It's just," he continued as I put the lettuce, tomato, and mayo on my sandwich, "she's not like the other girls."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you think that's part of my attraction to her? The fact that there's no one else like her?"

He shook his head, seeming to be frustrated. "Vince, can't you just… I don't know, get someone else?"

I glared at him, not seeming to understand. "Get someone else?"

"Yeah."

"You make it sound like she's a return policy or something."

"She's dangerous." He started to yell it out, but he stopped himself.

"What do you mean 'dangerous'?" I asked.

He looked as if he just blurted out the wrong thing, his eyes going wide and his jaw clenching up. "She's just… She's not entirely… God, I can't do this," he said, hitting his head with his hand.

"Do what?" I felt beyond confused.

"You know what? Forget it." His hands went up in a submissive position. "Just go and do whatever. Not that you'd listen to me, anyways."

I smirked. "Did you really think you could change my mind?"

He shook his head. "No, not really." And with that, he left the room.

I bit into my sandwich as if nothing happened. Of course, I heard what he was saying. "She's dangerous." But what was I supposed to do if he was going to be so vague about the whole thing? I had no choice but to move on.

I was going to see her. He wasn't going to stop me.

I pulled up at her house at around five, the day already starting turn into evening darkness. It was freezing outside, nearly fifteen degrees, and the snow didn't seem to stop coming down. Embry was told by my mom to get out and shovel, but I doubt that he would actually abide to the order.

This time, she opened the door for me, her eyes seeming to grow softer as she unlocked the screen door. She was wearing a dark green long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Hey, Vinnie," she said as she opened the door wide for me.

"Hello, Leah," I smiled to her as I walked in and removed my shoes and coat, hanging it on the coat rung on her downstairs closet.

"I have some leftovers from dinner," she told me. "Would you like some?"

"That'd be great," I told her, following her into the kitchen. "I got to admit, my deli sandwiches can only go so far for all my meals when my mom's not around.

She chuckled, getting a plate out of the cabinet. "Not much of a chef then?"

"Not at all. I lived on left over Chinese food and sushi in college."

"Sushi?" She asked curiously.

"Well, it was California. They love funny stuff like that."

She scooped the remnants of macaroni and cheese and a large chicken breast onto my plate.

"Is this good?" she asked me.

"It looks fantastic." Easy on the compliments, Vince; you don't want to scare the woman.

She handed it to me. "It's still warm. Mom just left for Forks, and Seth went over to…" she trailed off. "Well, he's with Jake, I guess."

She gave me a fork and I dug into the Mac and cheese. It was delicious, the creamy warm texture going down my throat and warming my whole body.

"Is it decent?" she asked.

"It's delicious. You made this?" I had no idea she could.

She nodded. "I don't usually cook for anyone but my mom and Seth. Emily cooks for all the big celebrations" She peered up at me, a half smile on her face. "I guess you're special, then."

I smiled widely. "I'd hope so."

She scrunched up her face in a curious way in an effort to try hard and not smile, but instead, succeeded in half smirking and half biting her lip.

I chuckled.

She looked at me oddly, releasing her lip from her teeth. "What?"

"Nothing."

She glared, but hinted at a smile before she turned and walked off into the living room.

I followed closely to her, and when she sat on the love seat adjacent to the TV, I sat down next to her.

"So," I started, "why is Seth at Jake's?"

She stared at the TV, and then looked up at me. "They're good friends. I guess they just wanted to hang out with each other, do guy stuff."

I nodded.

She leaned back against the loveseat and folded her legs into her chest. . "So, where were you thinking of heading for our date?"

I smiled something about her saying comforted me in thinking that I wasn't a complete fool for thinking she wanted to be with me. "I was thinking of this surprise place, but I think even you would freeze to death."

She chuckled. "I admit. It's a little nippy out there."

I rolled my eyes. "Only a little nippy. Snow, ripping winds, fifteen degrees and dropping. No big deal for the amazing Leah."

"Sounds like a circus act," she laughed.

"I was thinking more of the super hero aspect, actually."

She sighed and ran her fingers through her cropped hair. "You swear I'm so good, Vinnie."

"I think you are. I wished you thought higher of yourself. You used to be so different about everything. Open, free. Now…"

She looked up at me, waiting for me to continue. "What? Now what?"

"It's like you put up a shield on yourself sometimes, Leah."

Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped. She shut it a second later. "Is it that obvious?"

I was going to say something when suddenly, a loud noise came from the television. A weather warning came up, talking of how there was harsh winds and heavy snow was already causing problems in nearby counties.

"I hope your mom's alright."

She nodded. "I bet she's in Forks already. All nice and warm," she muttered. She got up. "I'll go and call her to make sure, just for your sake." She went out the room and retrieved the phone.

As I leaned over and placed the plate on the table, a flash of light went on outside, followed by a loud snap which was then followed by complete and utter darkness.

I heard a bang. "Damn it," I heard Leah say from faraway.

My heart jumped. I hoped she was alright. "Leah," I called. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she responded. "My knee just hit something. I'm going to go find the fuse box downstairs."

"Don't you need a flashlight?"

"Don't worry. I've got great eyesight."

I chuckled. "And yet you still ran into something," I said quietly.

Or, at least I thought I was quiet, until I heard her say, "I heard that. I was just caught by surprise, is all."

Minutes later, I heard her return from the basement steps. "Are you alright?" she asked me. I could hear her step into the room.

"I can't see a thing," I spoke into the darkness where I thought her voice was coming from. An idea hit me. "Hold on." I reached into my pocket and opened up my cell phone, using it as a dim light.

"Is that better?" she asked. I could see now that she was standing right in front of me, closer than what I assumed.

I nodded silently. "So you want to call your mom to see if she's alright?"

"In a second. Let's get a fire going first." She placed alight hand on my arm. It was like a radiator compared to my frigid skin, not even completely warmed up after being in the bitter cold.

"A fire?" I chuckled. "Are we going to have s'mores for dessert tonight?"

My cell phone only partially lighted her beautiful featured as she smiled, doing her no justice. "We can make some s'mores if you want. But we have to get you warmed up. I can't be dating an icicle. How messed up would that be?"

I beamed, mesmerizing the feeling of her hand on my arm.

This would definitely be a night to remember.

I hope you enjoyed this. Next chapter, it's completely him and her... and their night together. What's to come next?

Oh, and I have a question: Does anyone know how werewolves get their color (Jacob's russet; Leah's gray; etc.)? I don't think it's in any of the books, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an "official" explanation that SM gave out.

Review. I'll write quicker. Pinky swear.

Cocoa

P.S. 9d 9h 5m 3s 'til the movie