/AN: Happy Friday my dudes (sorry this took so long)/

/DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight/

Vivianne pushed herself off the couch and made her way to the door, making sure to peek through the window first to be sure of who it was. She could see Seth and Quil roughhousing with Jacob while Angela stood patiently by the door, a calm smile on her face when she noticed Anne peeking through the window. Returning the silent greeting, she quickly opened the door to invite Angela inside.

"Hey!" Angela chirped, catching the boys' attention and causing them to pause their wrestling.

"Hey, come in," Anne held the door open and took a step back, snow billowing in as the breeze picked up.

By this time, Bella, Jessica, and Xander had wandered out of the living room and were waiting at the other end of the room. Angela hurried inside, shaking her coat off and hanging it on the coat rack, followed by Seth and Quil who seemed unaffected by the cold, only wearing cargo pants, thin tank tops, and hoodies. Upon entering the house, both boys removed their jackets and tossed them carelessly on the coat rack, chasing each other into the next room. Finally, Jacob entered, a crooked smile on his face. He, too, was in a pair of cargo pants, but nothing else, earning a suspicious glance from both Jessica and Xander. By now, Angela had retreated to a warmer part of the house.

With a sort of hesitant eagerness, Jake swept Anne into his arms in a tight hug. She flinched a little, expecting him to be ice cold, but the thin chill that had settled on him from the snow faded rapidly and his skin once again felt feverish to the touch. Her cast thumped gently at her side as she let herself relax in his arms.

"Hey," he whispered into her shoulder as he nudged the door closed behind him.

She mumbled an incoherent reply as he pulled away to study her. His hands fell naturally down to hers, his fingers pulling at the fringed and dirty threads that were exposed beneath her cast.

"When are you supposed to get this off?"

She sighed and shrugged, "I have no idea. The doctor said it's just taking an unusual amount of time to heal, so I guess I just keep waiting,"

He nodded, a small frown settling on his face as he lowered his gaze to her hands, gently entwining his fingers with hers.

"Why? What's wrong?" she asked, a little anxiety fluttering in her stomach.

Immediately he gave her a reassuring smile, "Nothing's wrong, I just…" he sighed, "Nothing,"

She furrowed her brow, still curious and concerned, but didn't have a chance to ask any further questions. From the opposite doorway, Xander cleared his throat, causing her to turn to glance at him. Several seconds of silence passed between them before either of them said anything.

"Oh yeah! Are you guys helping paint?" She asked, peeling herself off of Jacob and turning to face the other three.

"Sure," Jessica answered, while Bella shook her head.

"Sorry, I've got plans tonight," with that, she flounced away up to her room.

Xander offered no answer and Vivianne gave him a confused smile. When he still said nothing, she sighed in silent frustration and turned back to Jacob.

"Hey, could you go start getting the plastic sheets taped down? I'll be up in a minute,"

He nodded, "Sure. Jess?"

Jessica nodded and followed him out of the room and up the stairs, somehow corralling the other boys upstairs too.

"What?" Vivianne demanded, her hand on her hip as she faced Xander.

He shrugged nonchalantly without meeting her gaze, "Nothing,"

"Xander, what's wrong? You don't want to help us paint?"

Now he made eye contact, anger burning behind his icy gaze, "You and the yeti? No thanks,"

Her cheeks flushed with hot indignation, "Why not? What's gotten into you?"

"Tiny just isn't my type, I guess,"

"Stop it!" She hissed, "He's been so nice to you and all you've been back is nasty,"

"What's the matter with you, Vivianne? We used to poke fun at people like him all the time,"

"When we were children, Alexander!" she took a deep breath, forcing her temper to mellow, "You don't have to help, but you're welcome to join us,"

With that, she stormed past him and lighted the staircase, stopping off in the bathroom to wash her face before entering her room, a false smile on her lips. When she entered her room, the six of them began work immediately. The plastic sheets had already been taped down, as well as any door frames, where the wall and ceiling met, and around the window sill.

The first coat of paint was a misty, gentle gray which needed to completely cover each wall. Time passed quickly, and, predictably, both Jessica and Angela lost interest after the first hour. The boys, too, seemed to rapidly grow bored and stir crazy, eventually deciding to take a break and wandering downstairs without any solid plan to return. Now, nearing two hours into painting and almost finished with touch-ups to the first coat, Jake and Vivianne were left alone to the task. She had expected this, of course, she had only invited her other friends for their company, not for their work ethics. Between brush strokes, she caught glimpses of the sidelong glances that Jake was casting her way.

"What?" she finally asked, "Do I have paint in my hair or something?"

He chuckled, dropping his brush into an empty can with a metallic clink, "No," he paused and looked back up at her, "Well, I don't think so, anyway,"

"Well, what is it then?"

"I'm just… concerned, that's all,"

She furrowed her brow, not meeting his gaze as she painted, "Is it that obvious?"

"Your unease? Your preference for indecision? Or your fear of disappointing someone?"

She took a deep breath through her mouth and pushed it out again, "All of the above I guess…"

He nodded, "Yeah… not as obvious as the argument you had with Alexander, though,"

Now she met his gaze, "It was nothing, really, he was just…"

"Concerned?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Tch… if he is, he has a funny way of expressing it…"

He smiled slightly, "So maybe he's a bit… unconventional…"

"Jake," Anne pursed her lips, "I grew up with him, I know him… he was raised like I was, wealthy, spoiled, entitled. He gets what he wants, and when he doesn't, he throws a fit. If he's concerned, it's for himself,"

"Oh, c'mon, he seems to care about you,"

She sighed, "When it's convenient, when I'm doing something he agrees with, or when he gains something from it, sure,"

"Anne… you know that isn't true,"

"How can you defend him? He's been so awful to you!"

Again, he was smiling as he gently pulled the paint brush from her hand, halting her work, "Because I can see that he's important to you… and you're important to me,"

She held his gaze, studying his expression as she thought through everything that had been happening recently. Stress and anxiety once again welled in her chest, an overwhelming surge that brought uninvited tears to the corners of her eyes. She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision immediately. She opened her mouth to say something, but an impatient cough brought their attention to the doorway.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," Xander stated unenthusiastically, his arms crossed in irritation, "The meatheads are trashing the kitchen,"

Jake and Anne glanced at each other once more before rushing past him and down the stairs. In the kitchen the four of them were goofing off and laughing, Seth and Quil tossing a drink back and forth over Angela's head as she tried to catch it, Jessica seated on a countertop in stitches from her laughter. Anne smirked up at Jake as Xander stopped behind them.

"Ahem," Anne cleared her throat, her arms crossed over her chest.

The others turned to her, calming and grinning. Seth handed Angela her drink and then tossed one from the fridge to Jake, who caught it easily.

"Hey guys! Finished already?" Quil asked.

"For now," Jake answered, popping the soda open and downing it in one gulp.

Seth was handing Anne a drink, having opened it for her on his way from the fridge, when the front door burst open and Charlie rushed in followed by Bella and Edward. When everyone had cleared the doorstep, he pushed the door closed again, struggling against the great gusts of wind that blew a pile of snow into the kitchen. Anne rushed to get a towel as the snow immediately began to melt into slush.

"Everything okay?" Quil asked curiously, eyeing Edward with some discomfort.

"Yeah," Charlie replied, "It's really coming down out there. Weather forecast says it won't let up for the whole night,"

"Are we gonna be able to get home in all this snow?" Jessica turned to Angela in concern.

Angela looked unsure, but Charlie spoke up and answered for her.

"I can't let any of you try to drive in that stuff! You'll have to stay here for the night,"

"Sleepover!" Seth and Jessica cheered at the same time, high-fiving with grins on their faces.

"I'm sure I could—" Edward began, but Charlie held up his hand.

"Nonsense,"

Anne rushed back into the room to clean up the puddle, nearly slipping on her way to the door. Instinctively, Edward caught her, gently holding her up by her uninjured arm. She gasped at his touch and the members of the pack stiffened. Edward himself looked surprised as well, Bella looking something between horrified and disgusted.

"Careful…" Edward muttered, releasing her.

"Thanks…" she smiled shyly and proceeded to complete her task.

Jacob looked suspicious, but he was quick to force himself to relax. Xander, on the other hand, scoffed and stomped out of the room.

"C'mon, let's go watch T.V. or something…" Bella tugged Edward further into the house, eager to remove herself from the tense situation.

"What was that?" Jacob heard her hiss when they'd left the kitchen.

"I'm not entirely…" Edward trailed off, sounding disoriented.

/AN: Hope you enjoyed! Please follow, favorite, and review!/