They were inseparable, and their parents vacillated between worried and relieved; worried about the late nights, cigarette smoke on their clothes, booze missing from the fridge; relieved that at the very least, the girls had each other.

Bella thought her dad was oblivious. Leah thought her parents were indifferent. Both were wrong.

Sue snatched the phone out of the cradle before the first ring even finished. She peeked with one eye at the digital clock - 5:46am.
"Good morning," she muttered, repressing a smile.
"Everyone safe and sound?" Charlie's rasping voice was still drowsy.
"Yep. Late but safe in bed a few hours ago," Sue confirmed. She yawned. "Have a good shift, Chief."
"Thanks, Suz."

Harry stirred, grumbling. "Charlie needs a new morning routine," he rumbled.

Sue smiled as she drifted back to sleep.

Charlie was glancing at his watch as he jogged out to his cruiser. He'd pulled another late night and was hoping to get home soon.

He was surprised to see the giant red truck in the driveway. He'd thought Bella was at the reservation. He peeked in the window and quickly assessed what was inside - a men's flannel on the floor; a backpack with a badly-obscured pack of cigarettes; a pair of sunglasses on the dashboard.

Striding through the door, he stopped short at the vision before him - blankets and an air mattress strewn on the living room floor; the girls were askance on the mattress, and the DVD selection menu of some 80's action blockbuster ran on a loop. Bella snored, leaning on Leah's shoulder. Leah smiled sleepily at Charlie as he walked in. He grinned at her.

They were sitting on the floor in Leah's room, surrounded by clutter and piles of clothes. A top-40's station played on the little cd-radio on the floor.

Leah popped a handful of lemonheads into her mouth. "Y'ever want to stay up all night and see the sunrise?"
Bella nodded. "Yeah. I like to watch the sunrise. I just usually sleep through it."
"Let's stay up tonight," Leah pushed. "We can keep ourselves occupied. Go down to the beach or something."
"Beer will make me sleepy," Bella warned.

Seth stuck his head in the door. Leah sneered at him. He stuck his tongue out. "Mom wants to know if you're staying here tonight, Bella."
Leah answered for her. "Obviously. We're staying up all night and watching the sunrise at the beach."
"Makes no sense 'cause the beach faces west, but OK."

Leah threw her box of lemonheads at him. He caught the box and dumped the rest of the candies in his mouth, to Leah's loud protests, and she jumped up to chase him out of the room, slamming the door as he disappeared. Bella snickered, watching from the floor. She looked down at her hands.

"I always wished I'd had a sibling growing up."
"No, you don't. Little brothers are annoying." Leah flipped through a handful of photos. "Seth is such a goodie two shoes, he wouldn't even eat candy cigarettes."

Harry had always been unflappable- solid as an oak- but he felt hollow every time he remembered that night in Spring that Charlie called, him frantic. He'd never heard that note of panic in his friend's voice, not even when they pulled up behind a flipped car on the side of the road that looked too much like Sarah Black's.

He understood, because he had a daughter, too, and she was also broken.

Looking at Leah, he saw in every line of her face every moment he'd loved her. From the moment he saw her appear on earth, a tiny, screaming baby that Old Quil hoisted victoriously over his head; the wobbling ten-month-old, determinedly stepping towards him, wisps of black hair standing straight up on her head; a fiercely protective four-year-old, brows furrowed as she tried to soothe her infant brother; an athletic nine-year-old that could hold her own against the older boys that tried to push her off her bike. He saw in her face each time he'd regretted scolding her too harshly, the way her face hardened as she resolved not to let anyone hurt her, not even her daddy. He saw in her the tiniest germination of his wife, from the day they'd met at 19. Her same dark, angular eyes now stared, accusatory, as he returned from each council meeting, and his heart grew heavier.

Parenthood, as he'd come to understand, was less a process of guidance and family fun and more a trading of blows in slow-motion, a study in human imperfection, in the myriad ways that we hurt the ones we love the most in the deepest of ways.

However heavy he felt, torn between conflicting roles of father and a protector of his tribe, he still knew he wouldn't trade places with Sue.

One night - Leah must've been about ten - Sue threw her hands up and left the dinner table, face hard with frustration over the constant bickering. Leah couldn't hear a word that her mother said without lodging a shrill complaint.

That night, Harry was shocked to find her motionless, staring at the ceiling as silent tears ran down her cheeks. He sat on the bed next to her.

"Susie, she doesn't mean it. She's just testing you, hon." Harry tried to reassure her, patting her shoulder. She swatted him away. "Easy for you to say," she gritted.
"Why's that?"
"She loves you!"

Harry shook his head. "Of course she loves you. You're her mama." Sue shook her head, pressing her hand over her eyes, but the tears slid out anyway. "She hates me," she bit down on her words.

Harry didn't say anything, but opened his arms. Sue gave them a suspicious look, before softening and allowing her husband to embrace her.

"She'll grow out of it."

"Hellow?" Sue held the receiver between her cheek and shoulder, the coiling cord stretched as far as it could as she stirred on the stove.

"Sue, put Harry on. It's Sam. And it is vital that this remains a secret."
Sue's stomach dropped. She glanced out the back window, at her daughter who laid in the grass.

"Tell me he's alive, Billy."
"Sue, you cannot speak of this to Leah-"
"Billy! Do I have to tell my daughter that - her fiance is-" The wooden spoon clattered to the floor, splashing red sauce on the cabinets painted white.
"He's not dead. Things have changed. I need to speak with Harry."

At that moment, Seth traipsed through the side door, his fishing pole hoisted over his shoulder. "Mom! We-" his words stopped at seeing Sue's face. "Is he-?"

"Get your father," Sue ordered.

Sue grasped her daughter's shoulder, shook it. Leah glared.
"What?"
"Sam is alive."

Leah leapt to her feet, her eyes wide. Sue watched as confusion, hope, fear, rage flitted across her daughter's face. Finally, Leah let out one loud cry of exaltation, then returned her stare to her mother's strangely grave face.

"Let's go," Leah tried to run towards the house, but her mother's arms held her snugly.
"It's not that simple right now, honey."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Leah- "
"Where is he?"
"I- we- he... is physically safe. He is with the council elders," Sue tried to remain steadfast. Leah's bewilderment became fury. "They can kiss my fucking ass if they think-"

"Leah." Harry's voice boomed. "Listen to your mother."
Leah's face screwed up in anguish. " Why are you doing this?"
Sue covered her mouth.