New Roommate

"Hey, Dad, um can I talk to you?"

"Sure, kiddo, what's up?"

"I went to La Push after school today, thinking maybe I could find some of the friends I used to play with when I'd come visit you. I was talking with Leah, Sue's and Harry's daughter, and she's going through a really rough time."

"Uh, yeah, I heard she and Sam broke up," Charlie admits, shifting uncomfortably.

"Did you know they had actually been engaged and planned to get married before they suddenly broke up?" you ask, curious how much Charlie knew.

"Yeah, Harry mentioned it - the engagement - when it happened. He was over the moon about it at the time, didn't think they were too young to be considering something like that," Charlie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Marriage and commitment just don't mean the same things they used to, ya know?"

You nod and continue, "Well, not only did he break it off with her unexpectedly one day, it turned out he'd experienced head over heels love at first sight for her cousin, who was also her best friend. She just found out they're living together now in the house that was supposed to be hers one day. She's lost her fiance and her best friend, in what feels like the ultimate betrayal. It would've been like Renee leaving you for Billy. So, you can imagine how devastated she feels right now."

Charlie raised his eyebrows in shock then grimaced, nodding his understanding.

"On top of that, she found out her parents not only knew about the romance between Sam and her cousin, but some other stuff as well about her own health and future and deliberately kept it from her. So, now she feels betrayed by them as well. They thought they were protecting her, by not telling her the truth, but it was worse for her to be blindsided by it instead."

Charlie furrowed his brows in concern. "What happened?"

"Well, she has a genetic health condition that gives her seizures and has other side effects. When she gets angry or overly upset, it actually short circuits her brain, causing muscle spasms and other things that can cause a lot of damage. She had her first collapse today, which is how she found out about it. Her parents knew about it but never mentioned it or prepared her for it. It's very important she remain as calm as possible, and she really can't do that at home with the way she feels right now. She opened up to me and we hit it off, so Sue and Harry asked if it would be okay for her to stay with us for a little while until she can calm down and adjust to her medical condition."

"Wow! Yeah, sure, of course she can stay."

"Look, you know I'm a good student, and I promise I'll keep up with my work, but I need to stay with Leah for the next few days. I'm not trying to play hooky. It's just that Sue said she could collapse again at anytime if she gets overwrought and need urgent care. Sue doesn't want her left alone. Plus, with all the emotional upheaval over the situation with Sam on top of the onset of the medical stuff, Sue's concerned that Leah might do something reckless or start hurting herself. I'd feel awful if something happened while I was at school," you explain awkwardly, twisting your fingers and clearing your throat nervously.

Charlie smiles fondly at you. "No problem, Bells. I know you're a diligent student. I'll call the school and arrange for someone to bring you your work. Harry's one of my oldest friends. Of course I won't let anything happen to his daughter on my watch."

You give him a relieved smile and a brief hug. "Thanks, Dad. I knew I could count on you."

He nods, looking away and shifting position, uncomfortable with all the mushiness.

xxxxxxx

Upstairs in your room, you apologize to Leah, knowing she's heard every word. "I hope you don't mind the way I explained it. I wasn't sure what to say."

Leah shrugs and admits, "Well, you couldn't exactly tell him I morph into a giant dog, now could you?"

"I could have, but then he'd be on the phone with loony bin wanting to know how soon the little men in white coats could get my new padded room ready," you snicker.

She snorts and nods in agreement. "Though I suppose I could've always proved it was true and saved you the trip."

"Oh, I'd love to see that! The minute you started taking off your clothes, telling him you had something to 'show him', he'd have fainted on the spot or maybe run in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him. He'd never have even made it to the whole wolf part. He'd be too afraid to look in your direction the minute you started getting undressed for fear of what 'else' he might see," you chortle, remembering what happened when Jacob told Charlie in Breaking Dawn.

Leah laughs along with you. "He'd be red as a beet too, stuttering all over the place."

Once you two have relaxed and gotten Leah relatively settled, you have a long discussion with her, telling her everything you know about the wolves and what she can expect, as well as all the things you think she should know about the vampire world and the things that had been shared with Sam earlier that day. You speak briefly with Jasper over the phone, and he promises to come by in the morning to let you know how things went at the Cullen house upon their return.

You give Leah a notebook to use as a journal so she can try to get a handle on her emotions and begin processing everything. You know she doesn't need as much sleep as you do, in addition to having a million thoughts whirling through her mind at the moment, and you're exhausted, so you figure it might help her to focus her thoughts instead of dwelling on them while you're sleeping. You recommend she make a list of questions she wants to ask Sam, Emily, her parents, you, and the vampires to be addressed either tomorrow or as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Leah appreciates your offer and accepts it gracefully. She's already gotten over half a page filled by the time you fall asleep, which is mere seconds after your head hits the pillow.

xxxxxxx

You wake up refreshed and ready to tackle a new day. You can hear Leah bustling around downstairs, and a quick peek out your window shows that Charlie has already left for work. Gathering up a change of clothes, you hurry into the shower to get ready.

Coming downstairs, hair still damp, you receive a cheery good morning from Leah, who is busy wolfing down a plate full of scrambled eggs.

"Did you save me any?" you ask with amusement.

She grins and points to a plate on the counter, which contains a modest serving. Grabbing it and a fork, you sit down across from her at the table and dig in enthusiastically. "Mmmm, these are good, thank you," you murmur in appreciation after swallowing.

She smiles and nods, continuing to shovel her own food in as if in a race.

"Slow down! We'll get more if need be," you tease, happy to see her smiling.

She grimaces and admits, "I'm starving! One good thing about this whole wolf thing - no more dieting!"

"I'd love to be able to eat anything and everything without gaining an ounce," you confess wistfully. "I'd be in the bakery every day."

She grins, "You've got a point. I wonder how much ice cream I could go through in a week?"

"Mmmm, Ben and Jerry's by the gallon," you agree dreamily.

She nods and laughs.

A knock on the door brings you out of your daydreams of hot fudge sundaes. Leah tenses and starts trembling, alerting you that it's probably Jasper.

"Don't worry, they're on our side," you remind her. She nods, but remains tense, all hint of laughter gone.

The moment you open the door, you're immediately surrounded by the Major, the scent and feel of him overwhelming your senses. You feel him nuzzling your neck and rubbing himself all over you, slipping his hands up under your shirt, reapplying his scent to your clean skin.

"Mmmm, good morning, lover," you moan, wrapping yourself around him, luxuriating in his embrace, your own hands busy touching as much of him as you can.

After a couple of minutes of the two of you rubbing against each other, Leah's voice penetrates the fog of lusty pleasure clouding your mind. "Ugh, get a room people! Some of us were trying to eat over here, you know."

Jasper growls in frustration at the interruption, but Emmett laughs heartily.

"Hiya, lady wolf," he greets her cheerfully.

"Next time you might want to shut the door before dry humping her in the entryway," Rose adds with a smirk, shutting the front door herself for emphasis. You blush a deep red and hope none of Charlie's neighbors had gotten an eyeful. The last thing you want is for him to get a report of his daughter's lascivious activities while staying home from school.

Jasper groans and kisses your neck one more time before lifting his head to stare into your eyes. "Hello," he purrs.

You grin widely up at him and reach up on tiptoes, pulling his head down to kiss his lips.

"Oh, no, don't get started again," Leah protests, standing in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest. She is still shaking slightly, but seems to have it under control.

You reluctantly pull away from him and pout. "Why did I invite you over again?"

"So the little psychic leech wouldn't notice you swapping spit with the guy she's been pretending is her mate for the past 50 years," she reminds you dryly.

"Oh, yeah," you sigh. "Guess I'll have to keep you around then."

"Wow, that's really touching," she drawls sarcastically. "I feel so warm and fuzzy inside, knowing how much you want me here."

Rose smirks and agrees, "I know, can't you just feel the love?"

Leah shudders and grimaces. "That's the problem - I can feel the love, along with everything else he's projecting, and it's creeping me out. Reign it in, empath, before I get a complex. Bella's hot and all, but I'm really not into girls, at least I wasn't before. These days, it seems anything's possible." She makes a face, and everyone laughs.

Taking Jasper's hand, you head into the living room, waiting for him to sit in Charlie's chair and then settling comfortably in his lap while Rose and Em take the couch and Leah sits as far away as she can over by the window. She even opens the window and takes a deep breath of fresh air, which seems to help her calm down a little.

"Rose, would you mind opening the windows in the kitchen so we can get a bit of a cross breeze?" you quietly request. Quick as a wink Rose takes care of it and is back on the sofa again.

"Thanks," Leah mutters, turning her nose toward the window before inhaling again.

"Okay, I know you have a ton of questions," you acknowledge. "However, unless there's anything urgent, I'd really like to know how things went at the Cullen house last night."

Leah gives you a half smile. "By all means . . ."

You nod and look up at Jasper expectantly.

xxxxxxx

AN: Sorry, an annoying place to leave it, I know. I'll try to update it as quickly as possible. Any input on the Cullen family meeting last night?