**

"How's it coming?"

Angela turned, startled, at the sound, before heaving a heroically heavy sigh.

"Considering you were able to sneak up on me? Not well." She turned back to her book, the old, weathered pages with their crinkled edges and their arcane words seeming to mock her. "My alarm spell is a total dud."

"You just need more practice." A cup of tea appeared in front of Angela's face, and she took it gratefully. "Besides, maybe that stuff doesn't work on werewolves."

Angela took a careful sip of the scorching tea and tore herself away from the book. "Why wouldn't it?" Her eyes were locked on the other girl's, but she noticed the slow smirk creeping across her lips.

"We're resistant to a bunch of crap. Maybe witches are included." Leah shrugged before carefully brushing a lock of Angela's hair behind her ear. Angela felt her face warm up, but managed a weak scoff. "At any rate, we should get a tester in here." She took the tea out of Angela's hands and placed it on the table. "Cast it again."

Angela rolled her eyes, but her hands reached for the components, and her breathing evened out as her focus shifted. She could feel the air crackling around her hands as she made the motions, and her voice sounded too deep to be her own as she said the words.

One beat of silence. Two, three, and then Leah spoke.

"Is it done?"

"Should be." Angela's eyes had drifted closed as she performed the ritual, and she kept them that way, trying to hold on to the feeling of the magic moving around her.

"Hey, leech-lover!" Leah shouted, causing Angela's peace to break as her eyes snapped open.

She smacked the other girl's arm. "Don't call her that! She's my friend!"

Leah snorted out a laugh. "Mine too. And she's my step-sister. It's an endearment. For old time's sake, you know?"

Angela's eyes narrowed but she said nothing. A moment later, Bella drifted gracefully into the room, a sight that Angela could never get used to. Her golden eyes assessed the two women, and she opened her mouth to speak...

But was interrupted by pealing bells.

"It worked!" Angela shouted, jumping up and dancing around like Alice on speed. She grasped Leah's hands and hauled her up to jump with her.

"That's great!" Bella shouted back, with her hands over her ears. "Now could you please make it stop?!"

"Oh yeah," Angela said, grinning widely as she spoke the words again, loving the deepness of her tone, the static that prickled her fingers.

The bells stopped and Angela beamed at Leah, who smiled back. "Told you."

"I know," Angela said, closing the distance between them with one step forward and taking Leah's face between her hands. "You're always right."

With that she crashed her lips down onto Leah's, the static still clinging to her sparking between their kiss.

"I'm just..." she faintly heard Bella mumble, "just gonna... uh, go."

The door closed softly and Angela was grateful.

She didn't want an audience.

**