Chapter 27: Chapter 27

"This is so lame." Juliet groaned. Even though she knew Jake was right, and Sam had already told her no, Juliet still went to Leah. "Why can't I come?"

"I already let you play with vampires once today, you really think I'll let you do it again?" Leah snorted. "No, Jules."

"Come on." Juliet groaned. "Bella's gonna be there. And don't you want me to spend time with her?"

"You are not using this against me." Leah scowled.

"You used it against me." Juliet poked Leah's chest playfully. "My turn."

"What did Sam say?" Leah sighed.

"Sam's not the boss of me." Juliet frowned.

"Jules..." Leah sighed.

"Lee..." Juliet imitated. "Come on. It's not like you wouldn't be there the whole time."

"Leah, come on!" Seth called. "We gotta go meet up with the others!"

"Leah!" Juliet whined.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Jules." Leah's hand rested on the side of Juliet's neck. "Get some sleep, hmm? You had a long night. And maybe shower, you reek. Throw those in the wash, too."

"This is so unfair." Juliet crossed her arms over her chest. Leah chuckled, leaning over and kissing Juliet's cheek.

"I'll be back before you wake up." Juliet followed Leah downstairs, coming to stand next to Sue on the porch.

"Bye mom, bye Jules!" Seth waved.

"I don't like this." Sue sighed. "You're sure about this?" She turned to Juliet.

"Sure enough." Juliet nodded. "I mean, you've known Carlisle since they first moved here."

"True..." Sue nodded.

"And...and they saved Bella's life last year." Juliet explained. "That's what they're trying to do now. The newborn army, Alice said they were after Bella. Besides, knowing Sam he won't let any of the pack get near the Cullen's. Jasper said they would need instruction. I doubt they'll do more than just watch."

———————

Juliet was half sleep when she felt the bed dip behind her. Just a few seconds later, Leah's warm arms wrapped around her and she felt Leah kiss the back of her neck.

"How'd it go?" Juliet mumbled.

"Fine." Leah answered, yawning. "Go back to sleep." Juliet turned around in Leah's arms, making Leah sigh. "I didn't mean to wake you up..."

"You didn't." One of Juliet's hands rested on the side of Leah's face for a moment before moving back to rake through her hair. "Not really. I was kinda waiting for you."

"You have work today." Leah frowned. "You need your sleep."

"I'm fine." Juliet brushed it off. "So, aren't you going to tell me everything?"

"You're ridiculous." Leah chuckled. The sun had begun to rise, and the clouds had begun to move, sending a few sunbeams through Leah's curtains. One hit Juliet just right, illuminating the side of her face and making her eye look like it was glowing. "And beautiful."

"Stop." The light betrayed Juliet's smile, and blush. Leah pulled her closer, their heads now resting on the same pillow.

"I have something to ask you." Leah's voice was suddenly serious.

"What is it?" Juliet's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, I...I realized, while you were at the party, that I never asked you to be my girlfriend." Juliet's eyes widened slightly. "So, will you?"

"Of course, Leah, I figured I already was." Juliet chuckled. "I hope you realize I'm with you forever. You didn't really need to ask."

"I know, I just..." Leah sighed. "I wanted to make it official."

"Official it is, then." Juliet's hand untangled itself from Leah's hair, and she ran her fingers lightly across Leah's cheek. "Does this mean I'm gonna have to be the one who proposes?" Leah laughed.

"We'll see about that, I have a few thoughts of my own." She joked, and Juliet giggled. Juliet's hand rested against Leah's face once again, and her thumb lightly ran over Leah's lips.

"I love you." Juliet smiled.

"I love you, too." Leah smiled back. They looked at each other for a few moments before they both had begun to lean in. Juliet's heart began to race. Kissing Leah was the one thing she always wanted to do, whenever she saw her, but it was the one thing she felt like she couldn't do. Leah was still her best friend, their relationship hadn't changed much after Leah imprinted. And Juliet liked that. She never wanted anything to change, at all, so the last few months were near hell. But, the one thing keeping her sane was Leah.

Their lips brushed against each other, Leah pulling back slightly. Her eyes searched over Juliet's face, looking for hesitation. Something, anything. Even now, Leah was still half convinced Juliet was only saying she loved her to keep Leah happy. It was delusional, as Jake had so nicely pointed out, but she couldn't help it. Instead of hesitation, Leah found longing. So, she moved closer, and pressed her lips against Juliet's. The kiss didn't last long, not more than a few seconds, but it was long enough to make Juliet dizzy. When they pulled back, Leah had a small, pleased smile on her face.

"Get some sleep, Jules." She whispered. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

——————

"Why?" Juliet stirred at Leah's voice.

"That's all Emily said, Sam's called a meeting." Seth's voice was distant. "Do you think it's about them?"

"Probably." Leah sighed. "Go, I'll catch up." The bedroom door shut, and Juliet cracked her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked. Leah had sat up, and a frown was on her face.

"Nothin, don't worry about it." Leah sighed as she slipped out of bed. Juliet sat up, glancing outside. It was an overcast day, though the sun was just beginning to break through the clouds.

"Leah, I can tell it's not nothing." She frowned.

"Collin Littlesea and Brady Fuller." Leah sighed as she pulled a her shirt over her head. "They've been on edge for weeks. Now Sam's calling an emergency meeting, so Seth thinks it's about them phasing."

"What?" Juliet's eyebrows furrowed together. Collin was Jake's cousin, Brady his best friend, and Juliet used to babysit them when they were younger. "Aren't they only thirteen?" Leah sighed.

"Seth was only fourteen, it's not out of the realm of possibility." Leah turned around. "Don't worry too much, okay?" She walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. "And don't forget about work."

"I know." Juliet frowned. "I'll see you later." Leah leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to Juliet's lips. Juliet got dizzy again.

"Love you."

"Love you too." Juliet said as Leah opened the door. She heard her go downstairs, shout a goodbye to Sue, and she was gone. Juliet sat back against the wall, sighing as she ran her hand over her face. After a few minutes of sitting there with her eyes closed, she pulled herself out of bed. After a quick shower, she was dressed and walking downstairs. Sue was sitting in the living room, staring at the tv but obviously too distracted to pay attention.

"Hey Sue, I'm off to work." Juliet called from the doorway as she slipped her shoes on.

"Alright, have a good day." Her voice was distracted as well. Juliet mumbled a thanks as she took her keys off the hook next to the door and left. In reality, it was hours before her shift would start. But she was too anxious to sit at home, so she decided to go see Bella. She was able to distract herself with music on the way, but when she parked in front of Charlie's house and saw Edward's shiny black Volvo, it was hard to keep her mind from wandering. She'd had a lot of time to think before, when Leah and the pack were off training with the Cullen's.

It was hard for her to be okay with them going off to fight vampires. And it wasn't lost on her how Jasper had said that these vampires were different. She'd have to make sure to ask Leah about that later, about what he meant. She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Edward leaving the house, no Bella.

"Oh, hello Juliet." He said as she got out of her truck. He was already next to his car. "Bella's sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Juliet raised her eyebrows. "It's like noon, why is she sleeping?"

"She was up late." Edward said. "Also, Charlie's home for lunch. He saw your truck, so he expects you inside."

"Hey, real quick." She said, stopping him before he could get into his car.

"They are different from us, very different." Edward answered almost right away. He leaned against his car and she walked closer. "They're newborns, newly created and with no self control. Their thirst is what dominates their minds, and not much else. They're stronger, too, as their bodies are slowly absorbing their own blood still left from when they were human. But they lack discipline and rely on strength and strength alone, this is where we'll have the advantage.

"My family, combined with the hunting style of the pack, will easily be able to use their reliance against them. Don't worry." He flashed a smile. "Oh, and Juliet?"

"Yeah?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I had a peak into the pack's mind last night." He spoke. "Very interesting, truly. But Leah in particular was very interesting. How she loves you...it's fascinating."

"What do you mean?" She almost felt wrong for wanting to know Leah's thoughts about her, as her own thoughts about Leah were private. However, her interest had been piqued.

"I at first assumed it was merely the imprint talking." He said, his eyes looked thousands of miles away. "But then I saw what Sam was like with Emily. There's real love there, of course, but the imprint's effects are very strong. With Leah, though...it was almost entirely different. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have thought she'd imprinted at all. I have to admit, it surprised me a great deal."

"Why?" She couldn't just stop now. If she was going to invade Leah's thoughts, she might as well understand them, too.

"The time that I come from, the time when I was human, was such a different world than this." He said. "I'd never considered a woman loving another at all, let alone as fiercely as Leah loves you. It's quite beautiful really, almost poetic." Edward glanced back towards the house. "Charlie's getting impatient, and he hopes that you're not falling in love me too." Juliet laughed. "I'll see you around, Juliet."

"Yeah, bye Edward." Juliet turned around and started for the house, not missing the rustling of the curtains.