When she woke up in the morning, Ashley still felt Seth's arms around her. She didn't move at first, she just kept her eyes closed, and remembered the moment. Unfortunately, the previous day's events inevitably came flooding back to her.

Ashley opened her eyes and carefully turned her body so she was facing Seth. She looked up and saw him already looking down at her. He half smiled at her, but the smile did not look right. It didn't reach his eyes.

Ashley snuggled into his chest and he held her closer, squeezing her to him. They stayed like that for a while before Seth loosened his grip on her. She reached up and put her hand to his cheek, rubbing it soothingly with her thumb. She half smiled again and Ashley reached up to kiss him.

He kissed her back desperately, his arms around her lower back, holding her close. With his arms around her, he rolled until she was on top of him. Ashley pulled away and looked down at him, her long hair brushing his face.

She lied down on his chest and listened to his heart. He put his face in her hair and sighed. Ashley was the first to break the silence.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Awhile."

"You should've woken me up."

"It's okay. You're beautiful when you sleep, and I needed the time to think."

"What are we going to do today?"

"I really just want to stay like this forever."

Ashley smiled. "That can be arranged." She moved off his chest and sat beside him, leaning against the headboard, shifting to face him. Seth did the same. Ashley took his hand and held it tightly.

For the majority of the day, Seth and Ashley stayed in bed, talking and holding each other. At one point Leah knocked lightly on the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked edging the door open.

"Of course Leah," Seth called back. Leah opened the door and slipped in before closing it again behind her. "How are you doing, little bro?"

"I'm doing okay, thanks to Ashley." Leah's eyes flashed to Ashley for a split second before going back to her brother. "How about you?"

"I-I'm," Leah stuttered and looked down.

Ashley got up out of bed and loosened her grip on Seth's hand. He tightened his grip on her and looked up with a mixture of hurt and sadness. Ashley leaned over to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear.

"I'm just going to stretch my legs. Maybe call my mom, and get some food." Ashley stood up straight and grabbed her phone off of his side table. Seth dropped her hand. "I'll be back, I promise."

She kissed his nose before turning to leave. She also put a hand on Leah's crossed arms before dropping it and opening the door. Seth sat up and Leah went to sit on the edge of his bed.

"She is good for you Seth, I'm glad you have her. I'm so sorry I ever doubted you, and her." Ashley heard Leah say from the other side of the door.

"I'm lucky to have her."

"She's lucky to have you."

"I don't know what I would do without her. I love her."

"I know you do, I see the way you look at her. She loves you too."

Ashley smiled, realizing the truth in Leah's words. Ashley walked down the stairs to the kitchen. She leaned up against the counter and looked at her phone.

10 Missed Calls

Ashley sighed and pushed the talk button. Daphne picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Daph. Where's Mom?"

"She is in the living room with Sue and Sam. They have been making funeral plans all day. What have you been doing?"

"Honestly? Nothing. I have just been sitting in bed with Seth since we woke up. All we have done is talk. I'm doing my best to make him feel better but I know it is going to take a while to feel better."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

The girls were silent for a moment, remembering their dad. Ashley broke the silence.

"Is Mom freaking out? About me being here, I mean."

"No, when Sue showed up she said that she checked in on you guys earlier. Code for 'Don't worry, they are just sleeping, clothed, I checked'. Mom trusts you. I think she is realizing how mature you are. Plus, you are helping Seth and she won't stop that."

"That's good to hear. Well if she needs me tell her to call, but I don't think I'm coming home any time soon."

"I understand. I'll tell her. How are you doing though, Ash?"

Ashley breathed in deeply before answering. "I'm holding up. It reminds me a lot about Dad, and I am going to miss Harry too, but most of all I hate to see Seth hurting. It kills me, and I will do anything I can to make it stop."

"I know you will, and I know he is helping you too. You need each other and you're lucky to have each other."

"I know." Ashley smiled. "I'll call you later. Bye Daph."

"Bye."

Ashley hung up and, because of the lack of pockets in the pajama pants Seth got Leah to lend her, put the phone into her bra before looking through the kitchen for something she could bring upstairs to eat with Seth.

Eventually Ashley came across a carton of eggs and some bacon. But took them out of the fridge and pulled two frying pans from the lower cupboard.

Once cooked, Ashley put the food on three plates. She put two on a tray and left the third on the counter. She also grabbed two glasses of orange juice and two water bottles.

She walked up stairs and knocked on Seth's door while balancing the tray on her one hand.

"You don't have to knock Ash." She heard Seth's voice teasing her from the other side.

Ashley smiled and opened the door. She walked to the bed where Seth was sitting with Leah. Leah was drying the tears that were in her eyes. Ashley pretended not to notice.

"Here, you must be starving." Ashley put the tray beside him and turned to Leah. "I wasn't sure if you had eaten anything, but there is a plate on the counter if you are hungry." Leah nodded and stood up. Seth stood up too and hugged his sister before she left.

Ashley wrapped her arms around Seth's waist and hugged him tightly. He put his face in her hair and breathed in deeply.

"Thank you. For giving me and Leah some time alone, and for making breakfast."

"No problem. I knew you guys needed some alone time, me and Daphne sure did when it happened to us. I knew no one had eaten recently so I took some extra time to do that."

Ashley pulled away and looked up at Seth and smiled.

"You are amazing."

"Not really." Ashley shrugged and shook her head.

"Yes, you are. You don't see it but I do. And Leah does. I think things will be better after this. I think she likes you more, or at least realizes that you aren't going anywhere anytime soon." Seth smiled his real smile, the one that covered his face, for the first time in 48 hours. It took Ashley's breath away.

Ashley grinned up at him. "I love you." She knew it was true and so did he. He leaned down and kissed her.

"I love you too, so much."

The next day was Harry's funeral. Ashley had gone home eventually to get a change of clothes and shower while Seth spent time with Leah and Sue. Ashley found a pretty black, spaghetti strap dress with a slight poof, and black heels waiting on her bed. Terry had brought home three black dresses from her boutique for Ashley, Daphne and her to wear to the funeral.

When they arrived at the funeral home, Ashley immediately found Seth sitting with Leah. He stood up when he saw her and wrapped his arms around her waist. In the heels, she could reach around his neck and she hugged him close. He rested his head on her shoulder, and the two of them stood like that for a minute before they pulled apart when they heard a woman cleared her throat. It was Emily standing with Sam.

"Seth, Leah, I'm so sorry."

Ashley took Seth's hand and squeezed it before he spoke. "Thank you Emily. And Sam, thank you for coming and all your help, it means a lot."

Sam nodded but looked around Seth and Ashley to Leah who was still sitting down, tears in her eyes.

"Lee-lee?"

Leah looked up and almost lost it. Ashley noticed.

"Um, Sam, Emily, do you mind coming with me? I want to ask you about something."

Emily nodded and took Sam's had while Ashley released Seth's. He gave her a questioning look, but Seth sat down next to his sister and held her while the other three walked away.

"Really, Sam?"

Sam opened his mouth to respond but Ashley held a finger up.

"Listen, I know I don't know every detail about what happened between you two, but do you really think Leah needs this right now? She doesn't need a reminder of another person she loved and lost."

"I-I don't mean anything like that."

"I know you don't, but that's what you're doing. I am in no way telling you to leave or ignore her or anything, but she doesn't need the reminders, especially not now. There is no way you're going to be able to help her. She needs to get over you, and with all due respect, you being constantly around isn't helping her do that."

A very angry Emily opened her mouth to speak, but Sam held up a hand, stopping her. "Who do you think you are?" Sam demanded in a low voice.

Ashley stood her ground and looked the much older boy in the eye as she spoke to him. "I think I am Seth's girlfriend. I am also the girl who has seen Leah cry over and over again. For you and for her father, all in the past few days, and experience more pain in those days than anyone ever should. I am also the girl who's standing up for her for once. You are causing her pain that isn't necessary and it needs to stop. Do you not see how hard this is for her?"

Sam looked taken aback. "I-I-"

"I don't want to fight with you, especially not here and now. I respect you Sam, you do a lot for this community, but I will stand up for the people I care about. If you ever loved her, don't make this harder on her."

With that, Ashley turned and walked away from them and back to Seth and Leah, who had now been joined by Sue and beside her, Charlie Swan.

Ashley sat down beside Seth and took his hand in hers. She rested their intertwined fingers in her lap and leaned into him. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"What was that about?"

"I'll explain later."

Seth nodded and squeezed her hand once more before the funeral began.

The funeral was very emotionally draining for everyone. Ashley cried along with Leah and Sue. Even Seth and Charlie had a tear in their eyes once in a while.

Leah and Seth both made speeches in Harry's honor. Seth stared at Ashley the entire time trying to keep himself together and when he sat back down, he pulled Ashley into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. She placed a hand on his arms around her stomach. He buried his face into her neck and she leaned back against him. They stayed like that until the funeral was over.

Ashley held Seth's hand as he walked her out of the funeral home and to her mom's car. Terry was still inside the funeral home with Sue, and Daphne had gone home with Paul.

When they got to the car, Seth pulled Ashley into his arms and crushed her to him.

"I can stay if you want me to." Ashley offered.

"No, you need to go home and get some rest. Besides, I think I need to spend some time with my mom and sister."

"You sure?" Seth nodded and Ashley saw Terry and Sue approaching them. "Okay then. Call me if you need anything. I don't care how late it is or how stupid you may think it is, call me." She reached up and kissed him lightly.

"I love you." He hugged her again.

"I love you too." He released her and went over towards his mom.

Terry came up and put an arm around Ashley.

"Come on, let's go home."

Ashley opened the passenger's door and got in after one last look at Seth.

When they got home, Rosie was there at the door to greet them. Ashley petted her head and went up to her room. The dog followed her and Ashley let her in before closing the door and collapsing on the bed, kicking off her shoes.

Rosie jumped up and laid down next to her. Ashley rested her head against her dog's stomach and stared at the ceiling. Eventually she got up and took off the dress, changing into sweats.

She hardly ate any dinner that night, no matter how hard Terry or Daphne pushed her. Paul had come over for a little and Ashley decided it was best to just stay in her room for the evening.

Late that night, her cell phone started vibrating. She jumped up and grabbed it and saw that it was Seth's number.

"Seth?"

"Hey Ash, look, I don't know how to say this but," he took a deep breath. "But I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"What?" Ashley breathed and she fell back onto her bed. "Why?"

"I just don't think it's good for me right now."

"No, Seth, don't do this. Please don't break up with me. I know what you're going through isn't easy but we will get through this, together. Remember, we need each other."

There was a pause before Seth spoke again.

"I don't think I need you as much as you think I do."

Ashley breathed in a sharp breath.

"What happened to yesterday? You told me you loved me, and I overheard you and Leah talking. What about that?" Ashley was on the brink of tears.

"What about it? I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry, but I just can't do it anymore."

"But-but-" Ashley swallowed and calmed herself down. "Why this way? Why over the phone?"

"Because I couldn't do it to your face. I still care about you Ash, I'm just not good for you, and you're- you're not good for me."

"Okay," Ashley said, defeated. She did love him, even if he didn't feel the same way, and she wanted him to be happy. "If that's how you feel. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"No, I don't think you will. Sorry Ash, goodbye." Seth hung up on her.

Ashley dropped her phone onto her bed and broke down crying. She thought he heard paws on hardwood and whimpers and scratches at her door, but she didn't care. She also was vaguely aware of her door opening and Daphne and Rosie coming in. Daphne held Ashley and let her cry. Ashley indistinctly heard a murmured conversation between a male and female, but she wasn't paying attention.

Ashley cried herself to sleep that night, and Daphne stayed with her, comforting her and brushing her hair out of her face. The sisters eventually fell asleep with Rosie at their feet.

When Ashley awoke early the next morning, she was alone with only Rosie next to her, leaning against her. She got up and felt very light-headed. She fell back down on her bed. Eventually she got the energy to stand up and walk to the bathroom.

She looked like Hell, and felt even worse. Her hair was tangled, her mascara from yesterday was smudged all around her puffy eyes. Her skin was pale and her eyes were empty.

She took a shower and tried to brush out her hair. Eventually she decided to go downstairs. As she walked by the window, she thought she saw a flash of brown outside, and back up to get a better look. She saw nothing and figured it was just her tired eyes playing a trick on her.

She looked at the clock in her living room and remembered that it was Monday and she had school. It was only 6:30am so she had time to kill.

She turned on the local news channel and went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat considering she hadn't been eating very much lately. She ended up making coffee, and eventually, Daphne and Terry came downstairs.

No one said much and the three of them got ready for their days. Terry was the first to leave. Daphne volunteered to drive Ashley to school on her way to Paul's. Daphne also explained to Ashley her decision to stay in La Push past Spring Break, and she was transferring to Washington State for the rest of the year. Ashley gave her sister a small smile that she knew didn't reach her eyes. She was genuinely glad her sister was staying, but she couldn't really feel happy.

When Ashley got to school, she only had a few minutes to spare before her first class started. She walked in and her eyes immediately flashed to Seth's empty seat. She felt a sinking feeling in her chest. Her eyes flicked to the seat in front of hers and saw Kim looking at her with a cross between pity and sadness.

"Ashley, I heard about you and Seth. Listen, he probably didn't -"

"It's okay Kim, I'm okay. It just didn't work out."

Kim nodded and faced forward.

The day was very slow for Ashley. Seth stayed true to his word, and Ashley didn't see him all day. She also didn't say much to anyone. She was worried that if she did, all the walls she had built would fall and she would break down. When they day was over she was just glad to be home.

Ashley barely managed to get through the front door of her house before she broke down. She dropped her bag to the floor and sunk down beside it, leaning against the front door. All the emotions she had been holding in all day flooded her. She hugged her knees and started crying.

Eventually, Ashley heard someone outside of the door and scrambled up. She saw through the glass that it was Daphne and Paul. She couldn't stay there for another moment and ran up to her room. She collapsed onto her bed and hugged her pillow tightly. No tears came, she had already cried them all out, but she just sat there, staring at the wall.

She heard Daphne talking in a hushed voice from downstairs.

"No Paul."

"Why not, Daph? She's upstairs, she won't even notice us. I doubt she even knows I'm here."

"Because she is my sister, and she needs me. She doesn't need to see us acting like a couple."

Daphne must have done something to convince him, because Paul sighed and agreed. "Fine, but I will see you later."

"Bye, I love you."

"Love you too."

There was a long pause before she heard the door open then close. Ashley sat up quickly and grabbed a book from her bedside table. She opened the book to a random page and pretended to read it, but she was just staring at the pages, the words meant nothing to her.

Daphne came upstairs and knocked on Ashley's door lightly.

"Ash?" she said softly as she inched the door opened.

"Yeah?"

"You alright?" Daphne walked in and closed the door behind her. She went over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Ashley put her book down and took a deep breath. "I'm dealing."

Daphne hugged her sister. "I'm going to make dinner, what do you want?"

"I'm not really hungry."

"Ash-" Daphne began.

"I will eat later Daph, but I'm kind of tired. I think I will just go to bed if you don't mind."

"Of course, I will see you in the morning." Daphne kissed her sister's forehead and Ashley faked a smile, but in the back of her mind she was wishing it was still Seth kissing her.

A/N: Sorry, I'm falling behind on my updates. I've been losing inspiration recently, but I'm still trying. Thank you all for the reviews and keep them coming. And Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Jacob completely.