It seems as though every time Leah decides to do something for herself, someone or something changes her course of action. This time, it is the pesky creature known as Edward, the mind reading leech. On day four of Leah isolating herself in the Cullen's guestroom, he went into her room, without knocking, and stared at her with his arms crossed until she spoke.

"Can I help you, Richard?" Leah asks with an eyebrow raised, muting the the show she was watching.

Edward frowns at the name, and then sighs. "No, Leah, you can't help me, but maybe you can help your imprint."

At the mention of Nubia, Leah can't help but become frantic. "Is she okay? Did someone turn her?"

"No, she's fine. Somewhat. She feels a very strong pull towards you, and misses you. She's confused as to why she does, though, and as of right now is such a mess of nerves that Jasper can hardly stand to be in a room with her." Edwards explains, and Leah feels guilty.

"That's from the imprint. I didn't realize she would be able to feel so strongly so soon." Leah trails off, gnawing on her lip until she tastes blood.

"Well, she certainly does. Since I can't take much more of your inner turmoil, or hers, and neither can Jasper, we're sending you two out on a grocery run. Get ready, and be downstairs in five minutes." Edward declares, and with a flash, he's out of her room.

Leah slams herself facedown into a pillow, but then stands up to get ready. Her wolf is humming with joy of being alone with her imprint, and although Leah wants to fight it she can't help but be excited as well. She tugs on a pair of skinny jeans that Alice must have left in the room, along with a black tank top and blue flannel. She knows that the clothes came from Alice, because the pixie loves supplying people with clothes.

Feeling nervous, Leah runs a brush through her hair and decides to leave it hanging down to her shoulders. For some reason she even swipes mascara on, something she hadn't done in a long time. Then she heads downstairs, feeling jittery from her nerves. She doesn't know why, though, because she doesn't like girls.

Nubia is waiting near the door, and Leah zeros in on her and doesn't notice anyone else in the room but her imprint.

"Hi." Leah says to Nubia, blushing when her voice cracks on that small one syllable word.

Nubia smiles, and opens the door. Leah follows her as she heads to an expensive looking car, and then unlocks it.

Nubia gets in the driver's seat and Leah in the passenger, and then Nubia pauses, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Leah asks awkwardly, unsure why she had stopped.

"I don't actually know where I'm going," Nubia gnaws on her bottom lip, and then sighs, her swollen lip taunting Leah.

"I can drive." Leah offers, dragging her eyes away from Nubia's lips.

Nubia gives her a grateful smile, and they trade spots. Leah starts the car, and they head off into Forks. On the way there, Nubia is quiet and deep in thought, once again gnawing on her bottom lip. As they near the store, Leah can't hold in her curiosity anymore.

"Why do you look so upset?" Leah blurts out, something she finds she does a lot in Nubia's presence.

Again, Nubia turns red and stammers out a response. "It's kind of stupid-well, really stupid actually-but I just thought- well, ugh I don't even know how to say it,"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Leah assures her, although her wolf is begging to know the reason for her mates discomfort.

Oh dear lord, Leah did not just think that. She did not just call Nubia her mate.

"It's embarrassing, but I really wanted to impress you." Nubia confesses, letting out a long breath.

"Why?" Leah asks, confused at the response.

"Because I think you're pretty cool, at least from what Seth and Jacob told me, and you have an attitude of someone who isn't easily impressed, and I figured if I brought you out to this rad car, and knew how to drive it, and drove like a professional, you'd think I was cool, and you're really pretty, and I just, gah!" Nubia rushes out, then buries her face in her hands, her mess of curls flying forward to cover her face like a curtain.

Leah is stunned into silence, something that doesn't happen often for her. She truly is speechless, and Nubia's smell floating through the car doesn't help her think all that more clearly.

They pull into Forks supermarket, and Nubia is the first to get out. Leah slams a hand on the steering wheel, frustrated at her emotions. Then she hurries out of the car and falls into step next to Nubia.

Silently, they choose a cart and walk through the doors. Nubia pulls out a wrinkled sheet of paper from her pocket, and begins filling the cart with produce.

"D'you want me to grab anything?" Leah asks, scratching the back of her neck. Nubia pauses, tugging on the sleeve of her black sweater. It looks expensive, and if she got it from Alice, then it's designer.

"Yeah, erm," Nubia tears the paper in half, handing Leah the shorter piece. "You go grab these, I'll get a basket for my portion."

Leah trudges through the grocery store deep in thought, the only person on her mind of course, being her imprint. Nubia thinks she's pretty.

That thought alone fills Leah up with so much happiness that she finds herself floating on cloud nine throughout the grocery store. It isn't until she feels a painful stab of fear run through her chest that she comes back down to earth.

It felt off, almost foreign, and Leah realizes it's Nubia. Something is wrong. Something has Nubia terrified.

Whipping her shopping cart around the store, Leah leaves skid marks on the floor as she searches for Nubia. She finds her in a nearly empty aisle with a blonde scumbag pressing his body against hers, the smell of alcohol wafting all the way down the way to Leah.

Her vision goes red, and she lets out a snarl. She nearly phases as she charges to the man, but stops short as suddenly, she watches the man go flying into the shelves in a fiery flash. Leah tears her eyes from the screaming, melting man to see Nubia shaking with tears running down her eyes.

Mind whirring a mile a minute, Leah scoops Nubia up in her arms and rushes them out of the store. She hurries as fast as she can while trying to somewhat maintain the human facade necessary to exist. The entire time part of her mind is filing away the feeling of Nubia's face pressed into her neck.

Groceries forgotten, they sped out of the parking lot and onto the road, heading straight for the Cullen home. Leah doesn't know what to do about the burning man. All she could hope for is Edward reading her thoughts when they got close enough, and figuring out a plan.

"I didn't mean to do it again," Leah turns her head to a shaking Nubia, tears slipping out of her eyes.

"He deserved more than that." Leah whips out hard and fast, muscles trembling as she imagines what would have happened had she not gotten there in time.

"I'm a monster." Nubia whispers out quietly, and Leah feels her heart twist.

If Nubia could hear what Leah wished to do to that man, she would realize her actions made her no monster.

super short chapter to ease me back into wriitng this. it hasnt been forgotten i promise. let me know if anyone is still interested in reading this!