AN: Sorry (again) about the wait… whole world's against me, I swear. My poor little iBook finally died this week, after almost eight years of faithful service. RIP, iBook. Thankfully, I store my stories on external harddrives, so I didn't lose any of my work. But I've been without internet access for almost a week, so posting has been impossible.

The good news is, I'm now the proud owner of a new (used) MACBOOK! It's fast, it's pretty, and it makes writing much easier and much more fun! So I'll be cranking those chapters out double-time right quick, with any luck!

Thanks for your patience! Enjoy the new chapter, and please review! I'll get around to review responses over the next couple days.

~Crit.

Chapter 30: Good

Renesmee met Clara at Starbucks before their class on Monday morning. The young socialite had spent the weekend in London with her mother and stepfather, and was fresh from her chartered over-night flight, so she'd called Renesmee with instructions to meet her "where the caffeine lives". When she finally stumbled through the door, she gave Renesmee a bleary-eyed smile and held out a sleek box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a ribbon.

"From Burberry," she said, the syllables slurring together, "Next season." Renesmee smiled and took the package, then placed a huge coffee cup in her friend's now-empty hand.

"From behind that counter back there," she quipped, "Mocha Red-Eye." Clara moaned gratefully and leaned forward to embrace her.

"Oh, you're the best friend anybody ever had," she said, not even sounding ironic. Renesmee placed the quote immediately.

"Alright, Dorothy, settle down and tell me all about your trip to Oz."

Clara quirked a smile as they sat down. "It was fun. The wicked witch was on her best behavior, for a change, and we actually had a nice visit. But there's no place like home. Mm," She took a huge swig of her coffee. "Thank you. This is perfect… I just need a minute and then we can go."

"Take your time," Renesmee insisted, focusing on her own coffee cup. The truth was, she didn't particularly relish the idea of going to class. Sure, she'd made up with Rideau the night before, but she was still a bit apprehensive about their friendship, and besides, there was Leah to consider. They still hadn't worked out a plan of action, and Renesmee was terrified that she'd give something away and mess things up. Or worse: Rideau's feelings for her could return, and then there'd really be trouble.

"So, what about you?" Clara said, effectively cutting off her train of thought. "Did you enjoy your non-Thanksgiving? Was your family just ecstatic to see you again after three whole months?" Clara's tone was gently mocking. Renesmee knew they had very different families, and that her friend found it both odd and endearing how close she was with hers. Clara's parents were divorced, she had no siblings, and now that she was grown the three of them were rarely even on the same continent. She didn't say it, but Renesmee guessed Clara was a bit envious of her large, close family.

"They were… but we also had a bit of a blow-out." At Clara's questioning look, Renesmee rolled her eyes and said, "I told them about Jacob. They were not impressed."

"Holy cow." Clara took a swig of coffee and then looked at her wide-eyed. "Did your dad order a hit on him or something?" Renesmee chuckled and shook her head.

"How many times do I have to tell you: my dad is not involved with the mob. But seriously, there was almost some bloodshed. I had some doubt about whether or not I'd be making it to winter term. But here we are, back in town again, and everything's cool." She shrugged. Clara gave a low whistle.

"Sounds like a party. Okay… let's head, or we'll be late." They got up, pulled on their coats, Renesmee grabbed her parcel, and they headed for the door. As they strolled down the campus walk, Clara turned her head and fixed Renesmee with a long, hard look. "So, Ness, I've gotta ask: why haven't I met this guy of yours? You're apparently serious enough about him to jump his bones, live with him, and tell your whole family about your relationship at the risk of serious bodily harm to both of you, and yet you won't introduce him to your best girlfriend? What gives?"

Renesmee was startled to hear the word 'best' used in connection with their friendship. Did Clara really place her that high on the list of people in her life? Renesmee quickly thought over the details of their relationship. Since her break with Rideau, she and Clara had spent a lot of time together. She was the only female friend Renesmee had ever had who wasn't a member of her family or, for that matter, a supernatural being. They never failed to have a fantastic time when they were together, and conversation with Clara was almost like a really enjoyable game, one that Renesmee was never too tired or busy to play. Maybe that was what it was like to have a best friend, one who wasn't your predestined soulmate.

She purposefully ignored the comment, in case Clara had merely suffered a slip of the tongue and didn't really mean it. She'd file it away to examine later on. Instead, she took another sip of coffee. "You know, that's a really good question," she replied with a shrug. "It definitely wasn't on purpose! You guys have just been like trains passing in the night or something."

Clara snorted. "I swear to god, Ness, sometimes I think you're from a whole other era. 'Trains passing in the night'? Who says that?" She elbowed her playfully, and Renesmee bought a furious blush. "Anyway, I think it's about time, don't you? You can't keep him locked up forever."

"I'm not!" Renesmee protested a bit too vehemently. Clara looked at her from beneath raised eyebrows.

"Relax, Ness… I'm just joking."

"I knew that." She swiped her hair out of her eyes. "Anyway, you're right… it's about time I introduced you guys. He's just a bit busy right now… some of our friends from back home are staying with us, and they can be a bit of a handful."

Clara grinned, cat-like. "Perfect… I can meet them, too!" Renesmee just laughed.

When they walked into the lecture hall, she noticed with some surprise that Rideau was seated up front at their old desk, a pair of coffee cups in front of him. As they came through the door he turned around and shot her a sheepish smile accompanied by a little wave. She found herself yearning for their old, easy friendship all of a sudden, and when she looked over at Clara, the other girl just rolled her eyes and gestured towards the front of the lecture hall.

"Go, go!" She said in a hushed voice, urging her forward. Renesmee gave her a grateful look and started towards the front of the class.

"Hey, said Rideau as she sat down. "You already got coffee, I see." Renesmee looked down at the cup in her hand and made a face.

"What, this old thing?" She quickly downed the rest of the contents and tossed it in the direction of the wastebasket beside the professor's desk. "So unimportant. Bring it on!" Rideau chuckled and shook his head as she sat down.

"Here you go," he said with a small smile. "It's been a while coming."

"Yeah," Renesmee said, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. "Sorry about that."

"Don't," he said in an equally subdued tone. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather we just forget it and go back to normal."

"Okay," Renesmee said, unable to stop the smile that spread across her face at the idea of their friendship being the way it was before the fight, "Normal. Sounds good."

The lecture started, and they both listened and took notes with characteristic zeal. When the whole lesson was done and their notebooks were put away once more, Rideau turned to Renesmee and grinned.

"Don't suppose you want more coffee… how about we grab a bite?"

"Sounds great," she said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder and straightening her jacket. "What do you feel like?"

"Up to you," he said with a shrug. Renesmee had a sudden thought.

"I've actually got a whole bunch of food at home… the guys got hungry again and went late-night shopping. If it's all the same to you, why don't we take a walk over to my place and we can have something there? I've got nothing but time to kill… my afternoon class was cancelled."

Rideau looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his agreement. "Okay, cool. Let's go."

They met up with Clara at the doorway to the lecture hall and Renesmee invited her as well, and she agreed enthusiastically. As they walked, Renesmee excused herself from the conversation for a moment in order to send off a quick text to Embry: Reed coming home w me. Warn Leah, then clear out.

Sure enough, when they arrived at the loft, things were quiet and peaceful, a sign that the three male wolves were nowhere to be found. Leah was on the couch with a book and a cup of tea, tranquilly turning pages. As they came through the door, the tendons on her neck stood out slightly, as if she was fighting very hard against some carnal impulse, but she didn't look up for at least a count of five, and when she did her face was a placid mask.

"Hey Nessie," she said just before she turned to face them, and then with a note of surprise, "Oh… Hi again." She nodded at Rideau. Renesmee turned to see his reaction; he was smiling back at her.

"Hey Leah. How was the food?"

"Just like you said… best Chinese food I've ever had." Rideau grinned even wider.

"Told you."

Clara cleared her throat and Renesmee realized she hadn't introduced her. "Sorry," she said quickly. "Leah, this is my friend Clara."

"DeWalt-Wilder," Clara added, stepping towards Leah with her hand extended. Renesmee fought a chuckle at that; she'd noticed how the socialite always seemed to announce her last name when meeting someone new. As if Leah would know or care about the meaning behind the names. There were no Wilders or DeWalts in her universe.

"Hi," Leah said, a little bit incredulously. Renesmee felt suddenly that it would be best to get the two girls in separate rooms as soon as she possibly could… she couldn't imagine two people less likely to get along.

"Clara, why don't you come into the kitchen with me and help me find something to eat," she said, pulling her friend by the arm. "Reed, make yourself at home."

"Are you sure? I can help…"

"No no. I insist. We'll be back in a bit." Renesmee managed to corral Clara into the kitchen. When she could hear the gentle hum of Leah and Rideau's resumed conversation, she turned to the other girl with an apologetic look. Clara, for her part, looked surprised and impressed in equal measure.

"Did I just get pulled into a romantic set-up plot? Tell me the truth, Ness," she whispered conspiratorially. Renesmee made a face.

"Okay, yes. But quiet about it…. Reed doesn't have a clue."

Clara put her hands on her hips. "Ness, Ness, Ness. Don't you know that playing matchmaker with your friends never turns out the way you hope it will?"

Renesmee shushed her, and then whispered in her lowest voice (that was audible to human ears, anyway), "So I've heard. But Leah really likes him…. And Leah doesn't like most people. And surprisingly, I can see how it might work. So I'm trying to help."

Clara shrugged. "Okay. Just don't come crying to me when they both end up with a huge grudge against you."

"I promise I won't." She opened the fridge. "Okay… what should I make?"

"I got this," Clara said, elbowing her gently out of the way. When Renesmee gave her a disbelieving look, Clara just raised an eyebrow. "What? I can cook." Renesmee smirked. "I can! My mother dated Gordon Ramsey for six months when I was eleven… he's much nicer in person. Likes kids."

Renesmee threw up he hands. "Fine… I defer to your mastery. Go nuts."

Several minutes later, they were carrying out trays full of grilled pesto chicken panini and salad greens. Clara nudged Renesmee as they walked in and saw Rideau and Leah, deep in conversation with each other.

"All right you two, break it up… soup's on. Well, technically, sandwiches. But you get my drift." Clara set down two plates in front of Leah and Rideau, and then turned back to Renesmee. "You know, Nessie, I just realized you haven't tried on your London souvenir yet. Why don't we take our lunch upstairs and we can see how it looks?" Renesmee hesitated for a moment before she caught on and nodded.

"I've actually been dying to see it. You two don't mind, do you?"

Rideau raised an eyebrow at her. "If you want to choose fashion over your friends, that's fine." When Renesmee looked horrified, he burst out laughing. "I'm kidding… go. We'll manage, right Leah?"

Leah nodded immediately, and then caught herself. "Somehow," she said in a voice that was positively thick with sarcasm. Renesmee rolled her eyes.

"Okay. We'll be right down." She grabbed her sandwich and her package and headed for the stairs with Clara on her heels.

"Once again, can I just tell you how much I adore your place?" Clara said as they headed down the hall towards the bedroom. "I want your mom and sister for my decorators when I finally move out of the hotel." Renesmee smirked. She was very used to hearing Esme and Alice referred to in that way. It had been her official cover story for most of her teenaged life.

"You'd keep Alice around for more than her decorating skills. She's also an incredible stylist… taught me everything I know." She didn't add that all of her clothing had actually been hand-picked by her aunt, and that she still couldn't find her way around a boutique by herself… what Clara didn't know wouldn't kill her. "I think you two would really get along, actually. I should introduce you next time she's in town." Clara closed the bedroom door behind them, and Renesmee interrupted her musing to look back at her. She found that her friend was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at her skeptically. "What?' she asked warily.

"Okay, I get that you feel bad about rejecting Peter Parker down there. But seriously? Your friend is scary. She said exactly two words to me and still managed to fully convince me that she might want to eat my brain. Now, granted, I don't know her and you clearly do… but Ness, are you sure this is a good idea? I don't know Rideau very well either, but the few times we've hung out he's seemed like a pretty sweet guy. And from that meeting, I wouldn't guess that 'sweet' is a word many people use when describing your friend Leah."

Renesmee just stared at her, wide-eyed, for a moment. Then she frowned. "Look, I know she makes kind of a harsh first impression, but you don't know her. I barely know her, and I've been practically a part of her family for years."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Okay, I know some people take time to get. But I'm sticking to my guns on this one: she's scary."

"I'll give you that. But did Rideau look scared?"

That made Clara pause for a moment. "No," she said, sounding like her own answer had taken her by surprise. "He actually seemed perfectly comfortable. Huh." Renesmee nodded.

"You see? There's more to it than meets the eye. I know them both, and I'm telling you… it's weird, but it works." She smiled tentatively at her friend. "I'm sure Reed would appreciate your concern… but it's unfounded."

Clara shrugged it off. "Okay, whatever you say. I hope neither one of them ends up beating on you if it goes awry, that's all." She bounced to a seat on the bed. "Okay, open your parcel! I actually DO want to see how it looks!"

Renesmee laughed and put down her plate, then slid a finger under the brown paper and unwrapped the box. She lifted off the lid and pulled back the paper to reveal a classic Burberry trench in a dark chocolate brown. "Oh wow," she said, lifting it out of the box, "Clara… this is fabulous!" There would have been no way she'd have accepted such an obviously expensive gift from any other friend, but she knew that to Clara, the cost of the coat was a mere pittance. It was just like getting clothing from Alice; the cost was immaterial.

Clara looked pleased with herself. "Spring's only a few months off, and while I was buying one for myself I realized that my partner in crime needed to have one too. Mine's in the traditional tan, so we'll set each other off perfectly when we wear them together. Put it on!" Renesmee did as she was ordered; it fit like a glove. Clara clapped her hands together. "Aha! Now I know your size." She narrowed her eyes. "On a related note, I sort of hate you."

Renesmee rolled her eyes. "Oh, Whatever," she said, turning to her mirror and running her hands over the trench coat. It was very flattering. She looked over her shoulder at Clara. "Thank you so much! I can't wait for us to take them out for a spin when it gets warmer."

"Don't even mention it."

When they made it back downstairs to Rideau and Leah, Renesmee was surprised to see that Embry had returned. They almost ran into him, in fact, as he was heading for the stairs as they were descending them.

"Don't mind me," he said as he skirted around them quickly, "I'm not even here… just forgot my wallet. I'll grab it and be out of your hair."

When he was the stairs and they were down, Clara grabbed Renesmee by the crook of her elbow and whispered in her ear, "Who was that?" Renesmee gathered by the look on her friend's face that she'd mistaken Embry for Jacob, and she rolled her eyes.

"That's Embry Call, Jake's best friend." Clara nodded.

"Oh. Okay. I thought he might be you-know-who," she said with a sneaky smile. "He's cute."

Renesmee snorted. "I guess. I never gave it any thought."

Rideau was looking towards them, and Leah was too, when her eyes weren't glued to him. Renesmee crossed the room and sat on the free couch, noting that Leah and Rideau were sharing the opposite one rather than sitting across from each other. In fact, they were leaning towards each other, even though she was fairly certain neither of them realized it. Their body language was clearly stating that they didn't mind being around each other in the slightest. Renesmee wondered suddenly if she and Jacob had looked the same way even before she'd realized her feelings for him.

"Ness," Rideau said, "This is your first winter in New York, right?" Renesmee nodded, and Rideau grinned and turned to Leah. "That settles it… she's never been, and you've never been, so we pretty much have to go." Leah groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, and Rideau laughed. Renesmee thought she might pass out from the combination of cute and weird.

"Where are we going?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"Rockefeller Centre," He replied as if it should have been obvious.

"Rideau seems to think it's a good idea for us to strap sharp things on our feet and then stick us on a slippery surface with hundreds of defenseless humans," Leah clarified. "I tried to convince him that he's making a grave error in judgment, but he wouldn't listen to me."

"She's never been skating in her life!" Rideau said. "It's criminal."

"Skating is for short girls and hockey players," Leah said, adding with a sarcastic half-smile, "And Canadians." Rideau didn't seem fazed by her dig.

"I'll take that as a compliment… my people consider skating to be a cherished national pasttime."

"Ha… your 'people'." Leah rolled her eyes at him, but there was a small smile on her face. "You mean Lumberjacks and Maple syrup farmers?"

Renesmee nearly choked on her own breath. Were they flirting with each other? She glanced fleetingly at Clara, who was watching the scene in front of them with a mixture of confusion and admiration. The blonde noticed her looking and gave her a quick wink.

"Well I, for one, think it's a great plan," Clara piped up. Both Leah and Rideau looked rather surprised to hear from her, almost as if they'd forgotten she was in the room. "Not to mention an integral part of the New York holiday experience. I've been going since I could walk." Renesmee fought hard against the urge to laugh at the daggers Leah was shooting at Clara with her eyes. Rideau's grin was verging on goofy now.

"See? Clara thinks it's a good idea. And she's a New Yorker… they know everything." Now Clara's look almost matched Leah's, and Renesmee actually did laugh.

"Come on, Lee," They all turned to see Embry coming down the stairs, wallet in hand. "It kind of sounds like fun." Renesmee wondered if anybody else noticed the pointed look he shot his pack sister. "Why not make the most of your visit?"

The glare Leah gave him could have knocked out a man who wasn't used to being on the receiving end of such a look, but it melted away as she turned back to Rideau. "Okay… you win. I'll try it. But I can't be blamed for the ensuing carnage."

Rideau waved her comment away. "It's an unwritten rule: Nobody can be held responsible for the destruction involved in first-time skating. The authorities almost always turn a blind eye."

Embry met Renesmee's eye as he passed, and he pulled a quick face that clearly showed he was as stunned by Leah and Rideau's flirting as she was. She put a hand over her mouth, trying to look casual as she hid her silent laughter. Embry turned and headed for the door; she was pretty sure he was laughing, too. Clara got up with a stretch.

"I've got to get back to campus… My 'Theory and Practice' seminar starts in twenty, and if I don't pick seats strategically, the Greasy kid is gonna try to sit next to me." She made a face at the thought.

Rideau looked down at his watch, startled. "I didn't realize we'd been here so long," he said, sounding a bit dazed. "I should get going too… I have a class to T.A." He got up from the couch as well; Renesmee noticed that Leah rose with him, almost like her actions were dictated by his. She kept a respectable distance as he pulled on his boots and coat, but Renesmee could almost see the magnetic pull between them. It was bizarre to witness, and again she found herself wondering if that was what it was like to watch her and Jacob interacting.

Clara had one foot out the door already, and Renesmee wondered absent-mindedly what the sudden hurry was. Maybe she just didn't want to be late for class. As Rideau joined her in the doorway, he turned and looked at both Renesmee and Leah in turn.

"Pick a day, you two, we will go skating."

Leah rolled her eyes towards the ceiling as Renesmee shooed them out the door with a "Yeah, we'll be in touch."

"I'm serious!" Rideau's voice came from the other side of the closed door. "We're getting you on that ice, Leah." The soft ping of the elevator door signaled their departure. Renesmee waited a few moments before turning to Leah with arms crossed over her chest and eyebrows raised.

"What?" Leah said defensively after realizing Renesmee didn't intend to start the conversation. "Stop… looking at me. It's creepy."

"What do you think you're doing?"

Now Leah was frowning actively. Good. Renesmee wanted her to get the point. "Oh, gee Nessie, I thought I was entertaining your guest, whom you so graciously abandoned to go play dress-up with your fashionista friend. What did it look like to you?"

Renesmee just stared her down. "You can't possibly be thick enough to think I did that by accident. Or to miss the fact that he was trying to ask you to go out with him. You may be lacking a number of social skills, Leah, but guile is not one of them." Leah at least had the decency to appear slightly cowed.

"All right, all right, fine." She exhaled slowly and walked back over to the couch, sitting down hard. "I know you were trying to give us a chance to talk. And we did, and it was good. But then he started talking about places in the city I hadn't seen and how I should go see them while I'm here, and he offered to go with me, and I got…"

"Scared?" Renesmee took a seat opposite the other woman and leaned forward, elbows on knees. Leah scowled back at her.

"Yes, okay? I got scared, I… chickened out." She heaved a tremendous sigh and fell back into the couch cushions. Renesmee felt her expression soften. She'd been trying to go with tough love, thinking it was probably her best shot at getting Leah to step up her game. But she couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for the poor girl.

"But why, Leah?" She asked. "You guys were clearly having a great conversation, you were even flirting with each other— " at that, Leah made a doubtful noise, "—and don't try to deny it… as weird as it is, I know what I saw. I would have thought you'd jump at the opportunity to spend some more time with him, and from the sounds of things it was even his idea."

Leah ran a hand through her short hair and frowned. "He was probably just being nice." Renesmee snorted.

"People don't usually offer to spend time showing almost-strangers around the town for the sake of just being nice. If Rideau was trying to suggest things for you to do in the city and offering to accompany you, it probably means he likes you, at the very least as a friend. So I repeat: What were you doing? This guy, who is very important to your health and happiness, is asking you on what is at best a date, at worst a pleasant outing with a new friend, and you're fighting him tooth and nail to get out of it?" She shook her head. "Not smart."

Leah was regarding her carefully, and Renesmee had to fight not to shrink under her intense gaze. "Wow. You've really taken this whole 'Brutal Honesty' thing and run with it, haven't you?" While her first instinct was to apologize immediately, Renesmee simply shrugged.

"Thought you'd prefer it over insincere simpering."

"So did I," Leah muttered, then she sighed again. "Okay, look, I know I screwed up. I just got freaked out and didn't know if I could handle it… I mean, do you have any idea when the last time somebody asked me out was? I'll give you a hint: you were still in diapers."

"That's probably because of the sign above your head reading: 'approach me and lose a limb'." Renesmee raised an eyebrow and stared, as did Leah. The shifter was the first to crack: first with a small upwards tilt at the corner of her mouth, then a chuckle, then a full-out guffaw. Renesmee laughed along with her, glad for the break in the tension. When their laughter eased up, Leah shook her head and settled back into the couch cushions, actually seeming much more relaxed.

"I guess you've got a good point there… I haven't been the most approachable person in the world."

"You don't say," Renesmee said with a sarcastic smile. "And yet, for some reason, Rideau doesn't seem fazed by it at all. I'd count that on your side, if I were you."

Leah had a contemplative look on her face. "It's so weird, but you're right on… he isn't fazed by it. Did you know that yesterday, when we were talking, he actually said I seemed more approachable than Jacob?"

"Ouch… poor Jake." Renesmee was pleased to see that Leah was laughing again.

"I know… he must have made a really bad impression." Laughter—even just honest smiling—changed Leah's face to the point where Renesmee almost didn't know if she was looking at the same person. Leah already looked far younger than her thirty-six years; when she laughed, not in sarcasm but in real, honest humour, she looked younger still. "But still, I can't believe he thought I was approachable at all."

Renesmee studied Leah's face. "You really don't realize how you are around him, do you?"

"What do you mean, 'How I am'?" She looked slightly affronted. Renesmee was quick to explain.

"Don't take this in a weird way, but you're… different when he's around. Not hugely, not so much that you're not you… but it's just that you seem more, I don't know… charming?" She winced. She wasn't sure exactly how Leah would react to being called "charming", and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

"What?" Leah looked genuinely shocked. "You've got to be joking."

"Not really." Renesmee shrugged. "It's funny, given that I know you're totally on-edge about the whole thing, but you actually seem more comfortable in a way. It's like you settle into this… rhythm… when he's around. It's actually sort of fascinating to watch."

Leah seemed to consider the idea. "I think," she said slowly, "I know what you mean. I've just never thought of it as charming, given the circumstances under which I've observed it." She gave Renesmee a look that was inches away from sheepish. "You and Jacob, for example… I guess you know I haven't exactly been thrilled about the two of you. But when you were born, it was like he was suddenly… I dunno, there was just this sort of peace that settled over him, like he'd worked out some problem he'd always been trying to solve, and he was just content to have the answer." She grinned then. "I was pretty disgusted by it."

"Oh, understandably." Renesmee smiled back. "I mean, I'm pretty gross."

"Nah, you're not so bad." Leah smirked at her. Then something changed behind her eyes. "Besides, it wasn't the first time I'd seen it. That was worse."

"Sam and Emily," Renesmee said before she could stop herself. Leah snapped to attention.

"You know about that?" Renesmee bit her lip and nodded, and Leah muttered a word Renesmee had heard before from the wolves but had never understood. "He would tell you, wouldn't he?"

"I'm sorry… it's not his fault, I practically drew it out of him." Leah waved her off.

"You know what? Forget about it… it doesn't matter. You'd find out eventually anyhow. Everybody else knows. What's one more person?" She was trying her best to be dismissive, but Renesmee could see the old tension returning to her shoulders.

"Leah… don't be upset. I'm glad I know… I needed to hear it. It made me think a lot about Jacob and me, and I think because I know the story of what happened between you and Sam and Emily, I'm always going to be mindful of how I let our imprint affect our lives. There's more to the world than just me and Jake, even though sometimes it's easy to ignore that fact."

"Oh." Leah's expression was unreadable. Renesmee was beginning to feel horrible for bringing it up.

"I'm really sorry."

Leah looked at her as if she was startled by the sound of her voice. "What? Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything to me."

"I know that," Renesmee admitted quietly, "But I'm sorry just the same."

Leah frowned. "Nessie, I know you're trying to be sympathetic, but the last thing I need is your pity. It doesn't help, and it doesn't make me feel better."

That was Leah, Renesmee reflected: honest to a fault. "I don't pity you. I just feel bad about being in your face about my imprint with Jacob all these years. Even if I didn't have any idea, I still feel a bit responsible… and you must have been so sick of having me around."

Leah snorted. "Hah. Well in that case… thank you." She looked down at her hands, resting together in her lap, and then back up at Renesmee. Her eyes were narrowed slightly, and there was a vulnerability in them that Renesmee didn't think she'd ever seen there before. "Do I really seem different? Less… you know…"

"Yes," Renesmee said quietly, cutting her off, "But not less anything. More something."

Leah let out a slow, deliberate breath. "I feel it. But I didn't know it was something anybody else could see."

"Leah… I promise you, everybody worth thinking about is glad to see it." She gave the other woman a tentative smile. "It's totally weird… but it's good."

Leah nodded slowly. "It's good," she repeated.

In the Next Chapter:

"You," Jacob said, pointing his finger at Renesmee for emphasis, "Are deceitful."

"You," she said, imitating his tone of voice, "Are just sore 'cause you weren't in on the plan."

"I wasn't in on the plan," Seth interjected, "And for the record, I think it's hilarious."