A/N:
Because I probably won't be able to update for a couple of weeks, here's a double. Of course I might magically return, but these were ready to publish soooo here we are.

As always, thank you for sticking with me whilst I write the longest book in history 😂❤️ (There is a happy ending, I promise!)

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Since band practice ended awkwardly with Joey's departure, it was a miracle that Friday showed up as smoothly as it did.

Almost a week had flown by, an assumption that the trip to New Hampshire was expected to take up the majority of the second, and Leah still didn't know anything more than that there was a private cabin and a lake, and it would be just her and Steven.

The tension on Thursday hadn't affected them as such, although neither of them wished to bring it up on the journey home, but when there was a surprise to look forward to upstate, they had their own relationship to build and focus on.

It was going on ten by the time the car was packed and sorted, and although Steven's mood remained up in the way-out-o-sphere, the sight of his sad, onlooking daughter with her thumb in her mouth, teddy scrunched in her other hand, was more than enough to dim his excitement back down to current Earth.

Steven dropped to his knees on the driveway, and pulled Liv into his chest.

"I'll be back soon, blue," he promised, hugging her tight. "Be good for the oldies."

After a final luggage check, Leah appeared from the back of the car. She felt her own heart sympathise seeing the little girl's face buried on Steven's shoulder, and the reluctant parting when he handed Liv over to his mother.

"Have a good time, honey," Susan said, kissing his cheek. Victor added something similar, always looking proud to stand next to his wife and granddaughter.

"I will, don't worry." Steven then addressed Liv by hunching his shoulders together, and passing his thumbs on her cheeks to rid the unhappy frown. "I love you my baby girl. I'll be back before you know it."

With some gentle encouragement from Susan, Liv perked up.

"I lo'you, daddy," she muffled, into her teddy.

Such a sweet affection sent a smile to Leah's face, and the quack noise Steven responded with as well as tickling his knuckle under his daughter's chin, topped her moments that she had been lucky enough to witness with this family.

"Thank you so much for having me," Leah said gratefully, exposing her hands from her back jeans pockets.

Steven took a step back to join her side.

"It's been lovely meeting you." Holding an attentive Liv to her hip, Susan glanced at her husband. "I think I speak on behalf of both of us that you're welcome here any time."

An arm around Leah's waist appeared, an automatic reason to smile, and she found a mischievous sparkle in Steven's looking down on her.

There was always something inappropriate buzzing around his head, and it usually toyed his exceptionally crafted mouth in a subtle pull to one side.

For now though, Leah let the mystery of a man's lips slide.

"Well, we'll try and make something work, because I do really like it here."

"You make our boy very happy," Victor mentioned kindly. "So thank you, Leah."

"Dad don't, please," Steven complained, momentarily stricken with embarrassment. "But on that note, we should go."

Keeping her consequent smile subdued as much as possible, Leah endured a final round of goodbyes and parting hugs, and then she and her official boyfriend were hitting the road to a destination of no interruptions and a lot of surprises.

"What do you keep humming?" Steven asked. "I heard you a couple of times earlier."

A realisation that the meaningful tune wasn't so secretive, the extra bit of information made it a million times worse because a professional singer had exposed her with something she assumed would be unnoticeable.

Clearly, it was a downside to dating someone who lived under a shower of riffs and melodies, and constantly had an ear heightened for the faintest trace of notes that he could recognise as the foundations of a potential song.

"It's supposed to be Shape Of My Heart," Leah told him regretfully, not quite having the strength to look his way.

With the road noise disrupting complete silence, she was tempted to add something else, but knowing Steven had most likely judged her capability to hum a tune and mumble a few lyrics, she didn't really want to.

"Who's it by again? I feel like I know it."

"Sting," she answered, looking over.

Steven clicked his fingers on the steering.

"Damn it, I did know that."

Leah was pleasantly surprised. She wouldn't have expected Steven to know it, but then he had probably listened to hundreds of albums and songs in his lifetime, and Sting was bound to have cropped up in his adventures.

"Put it on," he suggested, after a while. He kept his eyes on the road, but tapped the glovebox in front of her knees. "There's a cable in there. Plug your phone in."

Leah, however, didn't move. She just blinked at him, and tried to figure out if he was genuinely interested, or being polite.

"Hey, don't be shy," Steven chuckled. He made his arms tense on the wheel. "C'maan! You haven't really mentioned your music taste, apart from liking me and the boys. I wanna know what you like."

His little smile was way too cute, and how he softened his voice at the end. So, it was all of that, and scanning his exquisite side profile when he had to look ahead, that made her pop open the glovebox to retrieve the aux cable.

"I cried when I listened to it the first time." Leah admitted, detangling the wire. "Still do sometimes."

"Means a lot to you?"

"I guess, yeah. It's always been my favourite song."

She hooked the cable to the audio system, and pulled her phone out of her pocket, secretly hoping Steven's silence was because he was absorbing the information so a small fact like that would be remembered in the future.

"You can put some Police stuff on too," Steven suggested, over the monotonous surface of the highway. "Can't say I know much more than Roxanne and Every Breath You Take, but you sound like a bit of an expert."

Leah couldn't contain her beaming smile as she rested her phone on her thigh.

"The fact you know them makes me very happy."

She could only imagine the admiration on Steven's face, brief or prolonged, because she was shuffling play on the chosen playlist and relaxing into her seat when Truth Hits Everybody started to sound out through the speakers.

Loud enough to appreciate the trio's chemistry and vocals of one of her favourite singers, but not so loud that a conversation couldn't be continued.

"I'm sorry I asked about your family the other night." Steven was apologising out of the blue, at least, that's what it felt like. "It completely slipped my mind."

"Because of Jake?"

Leah didn't mean to blurt out her brother's name in such a blunt fashion, and the lack of continuation was entirely justified. The many stages of grief caught up on her with the subject, and Steven shouldn't have felt like he couldn't elaborate without upsetting her.

Guilty, she sighed to herself.

"A lot happened in those six months, and I think it will be at least another year before my family are on better terms." Leah took a deep breath in glum realisation. "Longer, most likely, because I'm lying about being here..."

She stared out the window. The passing cars. The signs for exits. And she was thoroughly disappointed with herself for taking a sweet apology out of proportion, and disregarding his courage to admit it.

"What was he like?" Steven asked, carefully enough that she knew he was just trying to learn about her.

Leah smiled weakly.

"A complete idiot."

"Ah." Steven was nodding slowly, "Must be genetic then."

A gentle warning nudge, or a slap from fake offence, could have been Leah's responding moves, but a bit of light-hearted humour had unlocked something that was always going to be mentioned again at some point.

"No, Jake is..." Leah trailed off, realising the mistake that stiffened the words in her throat, "Was really great...He was a really great little brother, and I'll never stop loving him."

There were a lot of raw emotions attached to Jake, but Leah was appreciating more and more of the moments she had with him, and it was those little things that she was hanging onto most dearly.

Her brother was a hero, and that was a hugely commendable honour to hold to his name.

She smiled in thought.

"Not sure what he would have thought of you."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Honestly? He'd either hate or love you and I genuinely couldn't tell you which."

"Well, I would hope for the latter." Steven spoke in a way as if her amusement had offended him. "I'm exceptionally charming."

"Mhm, you keep tell-" She gasped in delight, "I love this song!"

Leah lurched for the volume knob to turn up the easily recognisable intro, in her catalogue anyway.

"What's this one?"

"De do do do, de da da da."

"De whatty do da?"

The confusion only stretched her smile.

"Just listen," she said, beaming with excitement to introduce him to a personal favourite. "It's a catchy tune."

And that was pretty much how the rest of the drive up to Lake Sunapee went; Leah proudly naming each song that was played, trying not to nerd out on weird facts she knew, and Steven analysing what he heard and humming along to a chorus when it was familiar.

She just didn't know he was smiling in her direction every time she got lost in her own musical world.

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