LPOV

On Sunday, we did our weekly shopping in the morning. We spent part of the afternoon comforting each other and the rest we prepared for dinner with Jared and Kim.

Jared knocked at exactly five. I opened the door and Kim was staring at me, wide eyed.

"Kim, Jared, come on in."

"Jeez, Leah, you look incredible," Kim said, gawking a little.

"You look great, too Kim. That color really suits you." She was wearing a plum top, and it truly complemented her skin nicely.

"No, I mean you're body, your face. I had heard some rumors, but I didn't get a good look at you at the funeral and I never see you in school anymore."

"What rumors?" I asked. I had heard no rumors.

"Just that you got way hotter. And you were already considered the prettiest girl in school."

"Um, Weird." I said awkwardly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that."

"Sorry," Kim apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Well you didn't start the rumors, obviously. And the side effects of my transformation are difficult to hide."

Sam added, "Jared probably had it the easiest, transforming over the summer. It wasn't as much of an overnight thing like it was for the rest of us."

"Jared wants me to be a wolf now too," Kim continued. "I'm not sure I want that, though. And is it even possible?"

"No, Kim," I answered gently. "We talked to Billy Black. Female wolves are very rare and only the alpha's mate ever shifts. So unless you're going to take my man, you don't have a chance."

Kim blushed deeply. "I would never," she insisted, glancing back and forth between Sam and me.

"Oh, I know. I was just teasing. Being a wolf has its ups and downs, for sure."

"What are the upsides and downsides for you, the only she-wolf?" she asked me excitedly. "I'm so curious, Leah. Jared doesn't have a clue."

"The downsides are that my clothes don't fit right."

"I think they look great." Sam was looking at my chest, again. My shirts all were a little tighter on my chest and he loved it. "And sometimes I move too fast when I'm not paying attention. And I'm warm all the time, but Sam doesn't feel as hot, temperature-wise, because we are the same temperature now."

"That must be nice. I'm always sweating with Jared."

"Well, I'm always hot enough to be sweating anyway," I said, "so being with Sam doesn't change that."

"And what are the upsides?" Kim asked.

I glanced at Sam. He had a knowing smile on his face. "Some of them are difficult to describe, but since we're the alpha pair, a lot of it is about Sam and me as a couple, like being in the pack mind together gives us a much stronger bond and love making is different now since we are physically equals. What else, Sam?" I asked him

"She does her chores a lot faster, that's an upside, but she eats almost as much as me, which is a downside to our grocery bill. Totally worth it though," he said, winking at me, "She's getting paid more in tips at the diner so that more than covers it."

"Why are you getting paid more? Because of your boobs?" Kim asked me.

"No, it's because I'm the alpha female, so they sense some authority in me and their instinct is to gain my approval."

"So they pay you for it? For approval?"

"I guess, yeah. It's not something I'm super comfortable with but I need to work."

"Eh. I wouldn't mind that." Kim said. "I think you're filling a need for people, an itch that is probably rarely scratched. Unless people do chargebacks for over tipping, I wouldn't be concerned."

"Jared, what do you think?" I asked. Jared was level-headed and had integrity and I really wanted to know.

"I can see both sides, honestly. I want you two to be pleased with me," he said pointing to me and Sam, "and I wouldn't hesitate to leave a big tip if you were my server. I think I would feel compelled to because it would feel off balance, you serving me. The huge tip would be the only way I could feel right about it. This is a terrible analogy, but it's the only one I can think of. It's like Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. It made the disciples uncomfortable because it should have been the other way around."

"I like that analogy, actually." I said. "It shows the concept at the most extreme. But you said you could see both sides. What's the other side?"

Jared said, "well I'd be uncomfortable if that happened to me. Since becoming a wolf, I found people are quicker to agree with me and step aside for me and it always makes me uncomfortable because it doesn't feel earned. I think if I discovered people were paying me more than I deserved… I don't know what I'd do, especially if I needed the money, but I know I'd be uncomfortable with it."

"Hmmm. Thanks, Jared. That's given me a bit to think about."

"We've decided to have her continue working there for a month and then decide if she wants to move on. There's always a spot for her at the construction company and she's looking into working at the school next year. So this won't be a permanent thing."

"That's wise, Sam," Jared said. "It gives her time to think."

"I guess," I said. "Sam and I have talked about this ad nauseam but I'm of two minds as well. On the one hand, I'm deeply uncomfortable with the increase in money. On the other hand, I love working at the diner. It's social and I get to move around and I have regulars I care about and I get a free meal each shift. It's a great job. Except I feel like I'm ripping people off."

"But they don't feel like that." Kim said. "I bet a lot of them would miss you if you left."

"Hmmm, maybe. Anyway, Kim, how have you been? What have you been up to?"

"Softball just started up. Everybody was hoping you'd still play. But they understand. I play shortstop this year."

"That's awesome Kim! You totally deserve it!"

"Thanks, I feel pretty great about it." She was beaming. She was clearly proud of the accomplishment and I was proud of her too. "The team is strong. We'd be stronger with you on it but I feel good about this season."

"That's great. I'd say I miss it but I actually don't. Between running as the wolf and my marital duties," I winked at Sam, "I feel like I get a great workout every day. And then there is work and chores too."

"What are your chores, Leah?" Kim asked. "Has it changed since you became a wolf?"

"Yes, it's more equitable now and we haven't really fought over chores since I became a wolf. It's divided by day, not activity."

"So knowing what you know now, how would you recommend that Jared and I do chores, like eventually, when we move in together after high school?"

"I would say you should both spend, say, 20 minutes a day on chores. And if he gets way more done than you, don't be mad at him."

"Why would I be mad at him for that?" Kim asked.

"Well, it can feel a little patronizing. At least it did for me."

"I wish you had told yourself that six months ago." Sam said. "We never would have fought."

"I'm sure we would have found something to fight over, honey," I said, rubbing his knee.

"I'm sure you're right." He rolled his eyes playfully.

We played Uno after supper until there was a knock on the door.

Sam and I looked at each other. We never had unexpected visitors.

"It's probably Paul," Sam suggested, standing to get the door.

"Paul has never knocked unless it's locked," I reminded him.

Sam opened the door to a sopping wet Jacob Black. The rain had been pouring down for about twenty minutes and he looked like he had been outside, soaking it up that whole time.

I went to get him a towel. I didn't want him dripping all over my house.

"Thanks." He flashed me a troubled smile. He dried himself off with the towel the best he could, but stood in place by the door. "Sam, they're back. Bella's back too. Whatever she went to do worked. She saved Edward Cullen."

"Good. She's made her choice, Jacob. Now you can forget her."

"Never!" Jacob's voice was insistent. "She needs our protection now more than ever!"

"Our protection?" Sam scoffed. "Ha! Jacob, our protection is for the reservation and for innocent humans. She's risking her neck for the undead. We will not protect her."

"Sam," I pleaded, "you don't really mean that. She's a human. We'll protect her like we would any other Forks resident, Jacob, within reason. But it sounds like she is fine. Those vamps drink animal blood. If they bite her, we'll kill them. Otherwise, it's none of our business. It's not your business either, Jacob. She made it clear that she didn't care about you that way. She wasn't a particularly good friend to you either." I tried to be gentle with my words, but he needed to hear them. "She was just the first girl to pay attention to you. That doesn't make her special or a good match for you."

Jacob looked like he was trying to think of some defense of the girl but was coming up blank.

"Ok," Sam said after some thought. "I can agree with that, Leah. We'll defend her like any other Forks resident. I was thinking about their return, though, Jake. If you want to be useful and protect the girl, there is something you can do."

"What? Anything! What can I do?" Jake asked desperately.

"We're not allowed in Forks as wolves now. That's their territory. Instead, I'd like you to patrol around Forks, twice a day if possible. Let me know if there are any non-Cullen vampires going in or out of Forks."

"Yeah. Yes. I will happily do that."

"You'll need to stay on your regular patrols, too," Sam reminded him.

"Ok, Sam. Anything else?" Jake asked eagerly.

"No."

"Alright, bye. Sorry for interrupting." With that, he was gone. I used the towel I gave him to mop up the puddle he left on the floor.

Kim said, "I've never met the Swan girl. I've just heard rumors. What's she like?"

"You're not missing much." Sam said dryly.

"Sam!" I swatted his arm. "That's not fair. A coven of vampires manipulated her and you're holding that against her. She is the victim! Yeah, she's going through a rough patch."

Jared laughed. "A rough patch! She's crazy, and she's dragged Jacob into crazy land with her. And she doesn't even like Jacob. I don't get how he got sucked in."

"She used to be pretty," I assured them. "I remember her before the vampires. She stopped eating or something. After they left, she was depressed and stopped taking care of herself even more. She really is going through a rough patch. Sam, if you had dumped me like the elders told you to, don't you think that I'd look like that."

"I don't want to even think about that," Sam said.

"Well try," I urged him. "Think about how I was when you were missing. Think about how I would have been if you ended our relationship, instead of taking me into the woods and fucking me and explaining everything to me. Seriously, think about it."

"We would have both been really fucked up from that for a long time," he admitted. "But I couldn't. I'm not like that leech. I couldn't do that. I had to be with you."

"Well, she's back with the leech. So it seems like he had to be with her either."

"Fuck!" Sam slammed his fist on the table in anger. "I was really hoping they'd be gone for good. Now we can't run through Forks." He pulled out his phone and sent a group text. Everyone needed to know that Forks was off limits when they were wolves.

"I probably won't get to meet her now, huh?" Kim asked.

"She's not allowed on the rez." Sam said flatly.

"Since when?" I asked, not even trying to hide my irritation.

"Since she's in constant contact with the enemy. But you girls can go visit her if you want to."

"Can we? Thank you for your permission." I said snarkily. "So what happens if you order Jacob to keep her off the rez and I order Jacob to bring her here?" I asked.

SPOV

What the fuck did she just say to me? She was going to give a contradictory order in favor of the leech lover? The alpha wolf in me was spitting mad. The man in me was horny. The lover was concerned about the harmony of our relationship. Through gritted teeth, I calmly said, "I didn't know that we disagreed so strongly on this."

"I think we should go." Jared said, standing hastily. "The meal was delicious. Come on, Kim." Kim was much slower at getting up so he lifted her and carried her out the door.

"Then you weren't listening to me," she said sharply.

Oh fuck. That was an accusation. "I was." I said with all the calm I could muster. "You were talking about how the girl was before the vampires and after they left. Those were different times. Now she is in constant contact with them. I don't think she should come to the rez now."

"Maybe it won't be an issue. Maybe she'll be too busy to visit Jacob now." She was trying to brush this off. "She didn't come around when the Cullens were in residence before, not after she started dating Edward."

"No, we can't count on that." I said firmly. "We need to come to a united conclusion. Lee-lee, I don't know what would happen if we gave conflicting orders but I know it won't be good."

"I think, if Bella wants to be away from the vampires, we should welcome her with open arms."

"She has used Jacob to get information about the pack. That makes us vulnerable."

"I thought you ordered him not to tell her about the pack?"

"He told her all the legends!"

"Shit." She exhaled sharply. "So this is a Jacob problem then. Jacob cannot be trusted."

"I agree. But that little shit puts all of his energy into skirting my orders."

"Ok," she smiled at that for some reason. "This seems like something we can overcome together."

"How so?"

"I'm also great at finding loopholes in whatever you say."

I laughed heartily. That was so true, as this very conversation proved. She was smiling at me. Gah! I adored her. "So the solution is us. The alpha pair. Stronger together." I put my arm around her shoulder.

"But first, we need to figure out an order for Jacob, to keep him in line now that she's back."

"Let's pick up first."

"Oh, let me show you my hand." She said, showing me her uno hand. It was two wild cards. "Now let me see yours." I showed her my cards. It was twelve cards and they were all shit. "Nice," she gloated.

I did the dishes and she cleaned the table and counters and packaged up the food. We sat on the couch, her sideways on my lap.

"So," she said, "what is the objective with Jacob?"

"I don't even want him talking to Bella Swan."

"How about… he can't tell her about any Quileute person, dead or alive?" she suggested. "If she wants to know something, she has to come to us."

"So you want her to be allowed in the rez?" I asked.

"I don't think we could forbid that, anyway. She comes with Charlie to hang out with Billy and Jake. Unless you can convince Billy to ban her, I don't see it happening."

"Ugh. I forgot about that! But we can prevent Jake from inviting her here."

"Yes, we can," she said hesitating.

"What? You don't want to do that?"

"Not exactly. I'm just not sure what the benefit would be, if we've already restricted what he can talk about. And with the talking restriction, he can't talk about any Quileute dead or alive? So does that mean he can't talk about his day at school?"

"Yes."

"And he can't talk about how his dad is doing?"

"Yes. Leah, I don't want them spending any time together at all."

"Doesn't that seem insane though? She's not into him romantically but they are friends."

"She's in love with a vampire! Our job is to hunt vampires. I don't understand why we disagree on this at all."

"No, I get that part, I do, it's just… she is a person. What is her goal here? Like, she's hanging out with these vampires. Is she planning on becoming one? And if so, can we prevent it?"

"If they turn her, we will kill them all, including her. Problem solved."

"But what about Charlie?"

"If they turn her, Charlie will lose her anyway."

Leah looked devastated at that. "I'd like to save her if we can."

"Are you two close or something?" I asked. She made the Swan girl laugh one time.

"No, not really, but I see her at the diner sometimes and I saw her growing up. I just don't want more people to die."

I closed my eyes. How did I just realize that this was about her dad? "Your dad was close to her, huh? Because she's Charlie's kid?"

"Yeah. Charlie and Billy fought about the Cullens when they first moved here. I didn't realize what it was about at the time, that they were vampires. But my dad bit his tongue so he could stay close to Charlie."

"Oh."

"He wanted me to be friends with Bella but I was so busy, I never made time for her and then she got sucked into this vampire shit and I feel bad, Sam. I feel bad. Like, maybe I could have prevented it."

"Honey, that's not your fault. And we can't make policy based on your feelings of guilt."

"Why not?" She asked, only half joking.

"Because we're protectors. We need to protect the tribe."

"In the legends, we didn't just protect our tribe. We worked with the Makah and protected them too."

"They're native," I reminded her.

"Sam! That's 100% racist!"

"No it isn't. It's our history. And I'm not talking about sacrificing white people-"

"Aren't you? It sounds like you're fine with them turning her, with them killing her, because then you can kill all of them. And you'll kill her too."

"We will kill them all. Team effort." I smiled at her. She was not smiling. "Come on. You want to kill the Cullens as much as I do."

"No shit! Of course I do. But I don't want to kill Bella."

"If your dad was alive, would you feel different?"

"That's a low blow." She got off my lap and started pacing.

"Is it true?"

"I don't know," she said, crossing her arms.

"Well, let's think about it. He'd be friends with her, trying to protect her and you'd be mad about it. You'd be mad at him for being an ass hole and you'd be mad at her because why the fuck is he being nice to her when he was such an ass hole to us?"

She sat back on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her so she couldn't get up again.

"I don't know," she said again, burying her face in my neck. "Why am I alpha if I'm such a mess?"

"Because we're stronger together. I need to think about these things too, her humanity and where we draw the lines about who we protect. I need this too."

"Yeah. I think I need to sleep on it and we'll talk about it more in the morning."

"Are you tired now?" I asked.

"No, my brain just needs a rest. Let's put on the TV and make out."

"Yes, please." I agreed. I flicked on the TV and we let infomercials play in the background as we snuggled and kissed and stuff.