No More Hiding

A/N: Happy Birthday, Killerlashes. We wanted to do something special for your birthday, so we hope you’ll enjoy a little Leah and Jacob. Have a terrific day!

As ever, we do not own Twilight - it owns us.

ooOoo

Sneak

“Stop following me around like a lost puppy, Seth. It's annoying! Go bother someone else for a while,” I grouse. I don't mean to be so harsh with him. I love my little brother.

Really. I do.

With a sigh, I run my fingers through my hair as I take in the crestfallen look on his face. “Sorry, Seth. I'm just...”

Annoyed.

Stressed.

Frustrated beyond belief.

Horny.

In love.

Stuck.

And none of it is his fault.

It's mine.

“'S okay,” he murmurs, giving me a quick hug like always before running off to his room.

“Damn it,” I mutter.


Hide

I sigh and close my eyes, tilting my head back. Rubbing my temples, I struggle with myself. As much as I want to comfort Seth, I know he is waiting – and I can’t deny where I want to be.

I go to Seth’s closed door and knock. He doesn’t answer, exactly as I expected, and I know he wouldn’t appreciate me barging in. “Listen, Seth… I’ll be back in a few hours. Why don’t you pick out something for us to stream from Netflix? We can order a pizza.”

I count the silent seconds until I hear his begrudging, “’Kay.”


Escape

Quick as I can, and without raising too much suspicion doing so, I make my way to our secret meeting place. He's already waiting for me, staring out over the water with his back to me.

“Jake?”

He turns and smiles my smile – the one that always warms me from the inside out.

“Sorry I'm late, baby,” I mumble, blushing when I think about Seth.

Getting to his feet, he pulls me in his arms, and I melt against him as our lips meet. Being with him momentarily allows me to forget the world.

“Don't worry about it,” he says.


Talk

When our lips finally part, Jacob pulls me to the ground. He sits behind me, wrapping his arms around me, and I lean against his chest.

We stare at the water in silence for a few minutes before he kisses the crown of my head. “What’s on your mind?”

I wish I had a simple answer to that one simple question, but there’s too much – my dad’s death, my mom’s date tonight, the way Jake and I have to hide…

Since I don’t have an easy answer, I start with the most recent. “I just… sort of blew Seth off.”


Listen

Jake listens quietly as I tell him everything that's bothering me – both the old and the new. He always does, even though he's heard most of it all before.

It isn't until I'm winding down, leaning my head back against his shoulder, that I huff and grudgingly admit, “I just don't know what to do anymore, Jake.”

His arms tighten around me as he murmurs in my ear, “Yes, you do, honey.”

I turn to frown at him. “How can you say that, Jake? How can you be so sure?”

He pecks my lips and grins. “Because I love you.”


Change

I can’t help but smile and kiss him.

I spent most of my life hating Jacob Black. He was a smart ass who always seemed cocky and just… annoying. It didn’t help that Seth had a major hero worship thing for him.

But then, at our father’s funeral, he’d just been there for me. When I’d broken down, he’d come to find me, and despite my initial lashing out, he’d stayed. That was the beginning of my world changing.

“Leah, you know… some of this would be easier if you’d just tell people. You wouldn’t have to lie to Seth…”


Debate

I sigh, closing my eyes and resting my head against his shoulder again. “I know, I know... it's just... complicated, Jake. You know it is.”

His chin rests atop my head as he lets out a sigh of his own. “Leah, it won't be as bad as you think. People simply won't care enough about all that crap. And if they do, it shouldn't matter to us,anyway. It isn't about them. It's about you and me.”

His voice is soft, but determined. Still, I can't help my concerns regarding the tribe – and the fact Jake's next in line as chief.


Convince

“Look,” he says, suiting his words by shifting so I can see his face, “the guys are going to give me shit, yes. So what? That’s my problem. Besides, they already give me a hard time about wanting you. At least now I can show them I have you.”

Jake is one of the few people who can ever make me blush, and I feel the heat rising in my cheeks just listening to him. “But-”

“But, what?” he cuts me off. “If ever there was a time for your don’t-give-a-damn, snarky-ass attitude, it’s now.”

His grin softens his words.


Reassure

I narrow my eyes at him anyway, which just causes him to laugh and kiss the tip of my nose.

“I'm serious, Leah. Don't worry about it. No matter what happens, all that's important is how you and I feel about each other – and I love you. So unless you're trying to tell me you don't feel the same...”

He lets his voice trail off teasingly.

“Oh, shut up.” Slapping his arm, I roll my eyes and shake my head.

“No one else matters. Not the council. Not the tribe. Not even the chief,” he says with a playful grin.


Concede

“Okay,” I give in, “we can tell them. But we tell them my way.”

He raises an eyebrow in amusement.

“And I’m telling you right now if Quil so much as thinks about making some smart ass comment about ‘hittin’ that,’ I’ll kick his scrawny ass all the way to Forks.”

Jake throws back his head, howling with laughter, and I can’t help but grin as I recline against him. I feel better already, even though I’d never admit it.

“That’s the Leah I love,” Jake murmurs, catching my lips in a soft kiss as his arms wrap around me.