#twilight redemption

[goofyassauthor]

Moodboard for Chapter 4 ❂

[volturiwolf]

Road trip to Fate - Paul Lahote x fem!Reader Imagine - part 1

A/N: The story takes place during the summer of 2018

A/N 2: Like always with my writing, it started as a one-part story, but there will be at least two more parts

No. of Words: 6300+

Mentions of: Self-doubt, Panic attack, Issues with parents, Drowning, Death, Ass, Many places around the US - where I have never been, TV series and movie references

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tagging: @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @eugeniapet @chocolatechipcookiesandcamembert @florence-end @emmy1148 @ilove-bts @crazyacegirl

(reply if you want to be tagged or removed for the next parts)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Y/N)’s POV

I was living the best life I could live right now. It was the summer after my college graduation, and I was traveling across the US with the best of my friends on a rental RV, driving through the country, camping, and staying wherever we liked. Trying to make the most of it, we promised each other that we would try to visit as many places as we could, especially if it was a place on our bucket list. Out of the ten people on this trip, only three people could drive; Vera, Jenny, and myself. So, we took turns driving whenever one was getting tired.

Starting from Queens, we traveled down through Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Myrtle Beach. We continued towards Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami, which was always a dream of all of us to visit. We passed through Tampa, reaching Tallahassee, which was my best friend Stef’s dream, ever since they saw “Once Upon A Time”, and said “it was Neal and Emma’s happy place, something to hope for”.

Then, we traveled through Panama City, staying in New Orleans for a few days. Apart from being a dream of all of us to visit the beautiful and vibrant city, it had also to do with a few.. vampires, believe it or not. My friend Anajda was obsessed with “The Vampire Diaries” and the “Originals”, and Stef and I loved the “Interview With A Vampire” movie, so neither of us could stop fangirling about the city. Add the rich jazz music history, the epic carnivals, the voodoo, and everything else haunted and creepy, and we were all hooked on discovering everything we could around the city. So, the three to four days we had planned in the beginning turned into ten days full of adventures, food, and overall amazement.

We were sad to leave New Orleans, but we couldn’t wait for the adventures that we would find along the way, as we traveled west. Leaving Louisiana, we passed through Texas, stopping at Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso, trying to taste as much of the Texan BBQs and Mexican cuisine as we could. For Jenny, Vass, and myself, the spicier the food, the better it tasted. The others just didn’t know what real food tastes like.

We passed through Phoenix, traveling towards California. We stayed in San Diego for a couple days, happy to be finally able to go for a swim, and enjoy the “Cali Life”. Was it the sun and the sea that made people around California seem more relaxed and easy-going? I didn’t know, but if it was, I could see why. I just missed swimming so much, and Queens, or New York in general, were not known for their beaches, or the relaxed lifestyle.

Leaving San Diego, we finally started traveling up north, passing through Irvine, before deciding to stay for two weeks in Los Angeles. We did all the classic “touristic” things; we saw the “Walk of Fame”; walked down the Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards; visited the Grauman Chinese Theater; walked up to the Hollywood sign; went up to the Griffith Observatory; walked along the Santa Monica Pier, and visited Marina Del Rey and Venice Beach.

Of course, we had to visit Disneyland, Universal Studios, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour for the sake of our love for movies, Hollywood, and anything glorious and exciting. We collectively took thousands of pictures at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, having the time of our lives. We visited so many parks I lost count. But I appreciated every single moment I spent with my best friends, even if it was the last summer we spent all together.

After graduation, Jenny got a job offer to work for a multinational company in Bristol, England; Alex decided on following a completely different path, studying fashion and design in Italy; Zoe would continue on acquiring a Master in Linguistics, while also working as an English teacher; Stef was taking a year off to figure out what they wanted to do with their life next; Anajda would move to New York to live with her boyfriend, and see what life would bring next for her; Chryssa would continue studying on getting her nursing license; Nellie would start working in a publishing house, hoping that she would get inspiration for her poetry and literature pieces; Vass would start an internship at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World; Vera was offered a scholarship to study in the Netherlands.

And I... I didn’t know yet. Though life felt great now, I still felt like something was missing. Sure, I had moments of pure happiness and excitement. And still, there was something in me that prevented me from feeling complete. I felt like I had a void in me that no friend, no family, no new experience could fill up. I wasn’t given much of a choice by my parents either; it was either to find a job, or study for a Master’s, though I still needed some time to think about my life, and what I wanted to do with it. I wished I had more time with my friends, and more freedom to do what I wanted in my life.

I was really trying to make myself forget about all these things, for the sake of my friends; I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun with the drama I was living through with my family. I had worked too hard and too much to earn the money to pay for this trip. I had also managed to save a few thousand dollars to be able to study somewhere without my parents’ financial support this time, but I still hoped my good grades could get me a scholarship, as I knew I would never be actually able to pay for full tuition anywhere.

After Los Angeles, we drove up north through California, visiting San Francisco and Oakland for a couple days. I wanted to see the Twin Peaks, the “Painted Ladies”, the Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and most importantly, the Golden State Warriors, which was probably my favorite team - I knew I had to support the Brooklyn Nets or the New York Knicks, but I actually really like the GSW.

I also promised my parents I would visit Berkeley and the University of Berkeley to learn more about their Financial Engineering Master Program and see if I could get a scholarship there. I did visit the university, but I wasn’t completely set on attending just yet. Don’t get me wrong. Getting accepted would be a unique opportunity for me, but I wasn’t mentally prepared to go back to studying just yet - I felt like I could really use an extra year or so, before taking such an important life decision.

Leaving Oakland, we continued up north, traveling just outside of Eugene and Albany, stopping at Portland for a couple days, to relax and reorganize. We decided on following the coastal road for a more scenic route, through Astoria and Aberdeen. We were set on visiting the Olympic National Park and the surroundings, trying to include as much hiking and exploring as possible. The closest, most convenient, and rather big city around there was Forks - population: 3,782 people; not too small, but not too big either.

However, just 20 minutes away from Forks, there was a place called La Push. Many of the tourist guides we saw around Portland and Forks called La Push one of the best places if you wanted to explore nature, swim, cliff-dive, and experience a unique way of life by learning about the local history and traditions of the local Quileute tribe. That was definitely something I wanted to experience - anything other than my seemingly boring life. I needed the adventure, the rush, something interesting to move me.

There was a weird feeling in me as we got closer and closer to Forks; there was a feeling that calmed me down; the usual anxiousness I felt when I waited for time to pass was suddenly gone. I didn't know what it was, but this place, which was found under clouds and light drizzle, but surrounded by woods, nature, and green, filled up my soul with an unexplainable fulfillment and some sort of purpose.

Thankfully, we were able to find a decent place to stay in La Push, as there was nowhere where we could park the RV in Forks. The RV park we found was located 6 miles away from La Push, but at least we could still live under our own terms in the RV, which we already spent a significant amount of money for. Thankfully, the park manager was really helpful, helping us rent three cars to move around comfortably, and whenever we wanted.

We spent the first week there just hiking through the nearby trails, before driving twice to explore the Olympic Park - it was too big, and there was too much ground to cover to just go there once. The second week was spent around the First, Second, and Third Beach. We tried to experience everything around the area; we went swimming, diving, walking around the beaches, sunbathing, anything really.

That was until we saw a group of people cliff-diving, reminding us of the cliff-diving being a big thing around here. I wasn’t too fond of cliff-diving, if I were being honest - I had a terrible fear of heights, and though I was a good swimmer, the waters seemed a bit rough around the cliffs. Nevertheless, I agreed to go cliff-diving with my friends just for the fun of it; after all, I did say I wanted to experience the adrenaline, the adventure, and anything else to occupy my mind with.

The sky was cloudy as always, but there was no sign of rain yet; the air felt a bit warm against my skin, giving me a feeling of comfort, and sudden bravery. We promised each other we would only dive from the lower cliff, which was about 20 or 25 feet high. It was a bit too high for me, but it still seemed manageable. I would just close my eyes and jump, right? That was the plan I had created in my head.

However, the moment we arrived at the Second Beach and my friends saw a group of young, probably Quileute, men jumping from a higher cliff, which was definitely over 80 feet high, they couldn’t stop trying to convince me to go dive from that point. They practically had to drag me up there, which was still a nightmare for me to think about the height difference from up here down to the sea. I was getting dizzy just thinking about it - it reminded me of many weird dreams I had before, where I would jump from extremely high places, and a feeling of fear, but also relief would pass through me.

I was practically trembling, and I couldn’t sit up straight. I slowly leaned down, trying to gently sit on the ground, to keep myself calm and collected, as my friends were practically jumping around, preparing themselves to take the long dive. I, on the other hand, was grasping my knees too hard, trying to bring them as close to me as I could, while I rocked myself back and forth, trying to take deep breaths. I was on the verge of crying, and I was really pushing my limits just by being up here. There was no way I would willingly dive from that cliff.

But my friends, being my friends, thought otherwise. Yes, they always pushed me - in a good way - to go further, and achieve more, because they thought I deserved to give myself the best things I could, but bringing me up here compromised my sanity. I was clearly starting to experience a panic attack, as I could not think about anything else, but my fear. I was hyperventilating, and I couldn’t control my heart beating rapidly; so much so the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat in my ears. I didn’t even realize that my friends had actually managed to lift me off the ground, dragging me to the edge of the cliff.

“C’mon, (Y/N)! You promised! You will have to jump with us!” Vass was practically yelling by now, embarrassing me through my panic.

“No! I said I didn’t want to do it!” I was putting so much resistance on my feet, as they were pushing me forward to jump first.

“(Y/N), we are all with you. We will all jump after you, don’t worry.” Jenny tried to reassure me, but I couldn’t care less, as I was struggling under their force.

Finally, with another push, I felt my feet losing touch with the ground, as they managed to push me off the cliff. I felt myself falling for what felt like an eternity, as I was trying to hold on to my bikini, in fear of losing it into the sea. I felt the impact hard, as I collided with the sea underneath the cliff. I let out a gasp of pain, and that was enough for me to gulp a huge amount of saltwater, which burned my insides.

I wanted to cough; I wanted to breathe, but I couldn’t reach the surface. The pain that I felt all over my body prevented me from swimming up and reaching the surface. I thought I broke my legs, which I didn’t as I slightly moved them around. But still, I couldn’t move; as if the weight of the sea kept me down. I started losing consciousness, and that’s where I left my last breath.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul's POV

Finally, after such a long time, it started to feel more like summer around La Push. Though the sky was still cloudy and moody, the warm air around us indicated that we were going through a hot, pleasant summer. It was the perfect weather and time for all of us to enjoy the surrounding nature and the beach. Thankfully, there were not many tourists around, apart from a group of people who were just arriving at the beach.

Though we were past our adolescent years, Jared, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Seth, Brady, Collin, and I still acted like children, reminiscing of our teenage years, when we first phased, and we went cliff-diving with Sam. Nowadays, Sam preferred to stay out of the action, taking care of Emily and their two-year-old twins. Going to the beach was something we missed a lot, especially when we went cliff-diving, feeling the adrenaline rush we hadn't felt in years.

We were all a bit calmer by now. When the Cullens moved away 5 years ago, it took us some time to adjust to our new reality. We did phase for a year after they left to make sure that no vampires came around our territory. When we were sure that they weren’t coming back, we could all relax and enjoy life. Though Jacob was really frustrated that his best friend chose to turn into a leech and then move away with the other leeches, he eventually came to terms with it when he met his imprint, Rami, about 4 years ago.

We were currently enjoying the peace at the beach, but I felt pretty lonely, being surrounded by happy couples. Everyone had found their imprints by now. Jacob had Rami, Embry had Ameyalli, Quil had Claire; these three found their imprints when they went away to study at a local community college. There are all in the same year, so it was easier for the guys to be close to their imprints all the time.

Jared had Kim, who was currently expecting their first child, a baby girl. Sam married Emily 3 years ago, and when they found out she was pregnant with twins, they were beyond excited. I was Sam’s best man, and their little girl’s godfather, while Jared and Kim were their little boy’s godparents.

Leah found her imprint in the face of Angela Weber, a Forks High School graduate. Angela was classmates with Bella, and they used to come by La Push often before Bella started dating Edward. About 3 years ago, when Angela came back for college, she visited La Push one day, and the moment Leah saw her, she knew she was the one and did everything she could so they could be together. Angela’s father was not supportive of his daughter’s relationship, but her mother and Sue supported the couple through everything. Leah was finally happy, and we had never seen her angry, frustrated, or disappointed since.

Seth had imprinted on a girl named Jaya in his senior year of high school; she was the new girl in school, and everyone took an interest in her, but the moment she and Seth saw each other, they didn’t have eyes for anyone else. It was a fact that Seth had earned a lot of girls’ attention through his school years, but Jaya was everything to him.

Even Brady and Collin had found their imprints during their freshman year of high school; they were both classmates in school - they only had one or two classes together, but the following year, they made sure to arrange their classes in a way that they could be together.

So, here I was, drowning in misery, as everyone else was occupied with their imprints, living in their own little world. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever find my imprint; if I would ever have a happy life like the people around me. I was always known as the “hothead”, the one who could never control their wolf nature, while all the others were able to “tame” the wolf inside them for the sake of their imprints.

In moments like this, I wondered if it was actually worth it to be around the pack. When they were away from their imprints, we were all equal; we could be funny, and do stupid things, though I knew that the thoughts of their imprints were always on their minds; they were their number one priority.

My thoughts were violently interrupted when some of the people from the group we saw coming to the beach earlier were running towards us, screaming obnoxiously, hands flying all over the place trying to get our attention. I looked at them confused, as they stopped right in front of us, throwing a bit of sand around, apologizing but still yelling all together.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Sam was moving his hands around, trying to stop them. “Calm down! What’s going on?”

“Our friend is drowning!” One person from the group started talking, clearly panicking. “We went up the cliff to dive, and we..we dragged her with us, but she didn’t want to dive, and we pushed her off the cliff, and she hasn’t resurfaced yet!” They were rambling, their hands shaking.

I turned to look at Sam, and he turned around, nodding to the whole pack. We quickly stood up, following the group who were running back towards the cliffs. The person who talked to us previously pointed towards the sharp rocks at the foot of the cliff, just as the waves crashed on them. “She landed a few feet before the rocks! Do something! Please!” They were all crying for their friend, desperation in their eyes.

I turned towards Sam. “Sam, I’m going in.” I was the only one who wouldn’t leave any responsibilities behind if something was to happen - I had no one in my life, and I was a pretty good swimmer, and strong enough to go against the waves which seemed to be stirring the sea now.

Sam looked around the pack, before turning back to me. “Okay, but be careful.” I nodded back to him, before diving into the sea.

The waters were muddy from the recent rain, and more and more waves were forming as time passed. I swam around, looking for the girl; I didn’t want to be pessimistic, but she was most likely dead by now. However, I continued swimming around, swimming back to the surface to get some air, before diving back in.

As I looked down, towards the bottom, I located a wave of (Y/H/C) hair floating around the water. I dove deeper in the water, locating the girl. I grabbed her from her waist and pulled us up towards the surface. I swam back to the shore with whatever energy I had left in me.

I lifted her in my arms, and slowly placed her on the sand, as everyone else started gathering around us. Her figure was frozen, and her complexion was almost lifeless as if all blood was drained out of her. I leaned closer, trying to listen to her breathing or her heartbeat. There was nothing but the weakest heartbeat I could hear, meaning that she was still alive somehow, so I could only try to make sure she would start breathing again. I blew air into her mouth, and then went on to press firmly, but not too harshly, on her chest, trying to bring her back to life. I blew again and went back to press her for about a minute.

I was starting to lose hope, but then, she started puking up the water and coughed manically. She was breathing quickly, and her heart started beating frantically, but she was alive, and she survived. She kept her eyes closed, as her friends started coming closer, but Sam asked them to give her some space. She didn’t say anything for a minute; she was breathing more slowly this time. For a reason I couldn’t understand, I couldn’t stop staring at her, her perfect features, the way her lips parted as she was breathing steadily.

And then, she opened her eyes, and lazily looked into mine, and I finally knew why. I felt my existence being so small; I was so small in front of her splendor; her beautiful eyes and lips engraved in my mind forever. I felt the whole world shift around us; there was no one there but us. It was only me and the beautiful girl that blessed my eyes with her presence. I had finally found the reason I existed; I finally felt whole. I couldn’t hear anything else but her slow, steady breaths, and her now frantic heart. We kept looking at each other for what felt like hours, not saying anything, just staring at each other.

“Paul? Paul?” I could faintly hear Sam’s voice, as I continued looking at the girl in front of me. “Paul!” He now yelled, waking me up from the images in my head.

“Yeah, sorry.” I said to the girl rather than Sam. “Are you okay? How are you feeling?” I felt an instant feeling of overprotectiveness towards the girl I just met before my mind started filling up with worry. What if I hadn’t gotten to her on time? How could I live with the thought that my imprint was so close to dying? With the thought that I would never meet her?

“I’m better now. Thank you.” She whispered with a raspy voice, smiling lightly at me.

Her hazy eyes that she barely kept open could never take away the slightest part of her beauty. On the contrary, she was even more beautiful, if that was even possible. How could all this beauty fit in a single person? My heart finally felt whole; I found my reason to exist in the face of this girl in front of me; this unknown girl that I barely knew; this unknown girl that barely knew me. I gulped, as I reached my hand to tug a few strands of her wet hair behind her ear, her shivering slightly under my hot touch.

“I think it would be better if we took her to Sue’s. She has to get checked, just in case.” Sam interfered, trying to break this scene in front of us. The familiarity I showed to this girl could easily be misinterpreted, and it would be better to give her time to rest anyway.

I turned to look at Sam, who was already looking at me. “Yeah, you are right.” Then, I turned to the girl. “Hey, we’ll get you checked, if you don’t mind…..”

“(Y/N).” Such a beautiful name. “No, it’s okay. Let’s go.” She went to sit up and stand up before I stopped her.

“No, no. Don’t move. I will help you.” I lifted her up in my arms like she weighed nothing, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. “We’ll take you to Sue. She’s a nurse. I’m Paul by the way.” I couldn’t take my eyes off of the girl in my arms. (Y/N).

“Hey, Paul.” She smiled up at me. “Thank you for saving me. You didn’t have to get involved in my stupid friends’ actions.” She turned to stare angrily at her friends.

For a few minutes, I forgot it was them who pushed her off the cliff. I was now staring angrily at them, temporarily forgetting about (Y/N) in my arms, as I felt my anger taking over me. Thankfully, Sam was there, once again reminding me to keep calm, as we could not expose our secret to outsiders. Of course, (Y/N) was not considered an outsider anymore, but having her so close to me - if I were to transform - would be deadly to her. I lowered my gaze to look back at her, and she was already staring at me, her eyes wider now, her lips parted slightly.

“I think we better get going.” I told her, as I walked us away from the crowd of people, and away from the beach.

“Wait.” (Y/N) stopped me. “I still have to take the car back with me. Someone will have to bring the car back. No one else can bring the car back.” She was panicking, shivering, and slightly stuttering, all at the same time.

“Don’t worry about it.” I smiled at her, as I brought her closer to me, trying to warm her up. “Quil will take your car back.” I nodded towards my curly-haired friend, who heard his name and came running towards us.

“Don’t worry, guys. I won’t get a single scratch on it.” He was all smiles, as always, (Y/N) telling him her friends had her bag, and the key was in the smallest pocket. He nodded, as he ran back to both groups, and we left.

I walked us to my jeep, opening the passenger’s door, and gently putting her in, making sure she wore her seatbelt. “Ehm.. Paul, I’m still full of sand.” She blushed, embarrassed to have littered my car with sand.

“Don’t mind it, babe. That’s the last thing you should worry about. Let’s get you to Sue, alright?” She simply nodded, and I closed her door, running towards the driver’s side, and climbing in the seat.

I made sure to turn up the heat, afraid (Y/N) would get cold, as she continued shivering throughout our ride. She didn’t say anything in particular; she just kept looking out of the window, lost in thoughts. I was taking a few glances at her with the corner of my eye, looking silently at her, without saying a word. Her perfect lips were parting slightly every now and then, as she was taking small breaths. Her beautiful eyes were staring outside into nothing in particular, but her heart was pounding heavily on her chest, indicating she wasn’t feeling completely comfortable.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)?” I heard her heart skip a beat at the mention of her name. “You seem kind of lost.”

“Hm? Yeah, I..I’m doing okay. I just feel a bit guilty for wasting your time like that; for worrying you and your friends without a reason; for ruining your car.” She was now staring at me, guilt and sadness clear on her face.

“That’s nonsense.” I replied calmly. “You almost drowned. There is no such thing as “wasting my time”, or anyone else’s, for the matter. Don’t feel bad for something that you couldn’t control; for something that could get you killed! Besides..I had nothing better to do anyway.”

“What about your friends? Weren’t you out, spending time with your friends?” She asked, still curious.

“Well, my friends have their mates, their partners. They don’t really have time for anyone else lately. You actually did me a favor for taking me away from there.” I chuckled quietly at the paradox that took place just a few minutes away.

“Don’t you have anyone in your life? You know, a relationship?” I turned to look back at her; her eyes were glistening with hope.

I grinned at her. “No. Not really.”

She hummed. “Weird. I thought a guy like you would have someone special in their life.”

“A guy like me?” I questioned her, smirking.

“Well..you know, dangerously attractive.” She was fumbling with her fingers; a sign she got nervous and embarrassed about what she just said.

I laughed at her statement. “Well, do you have someone special in your life?”

She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t say I do.”

“Well, see? Dangerously attractive people do not always find that special someone. At least, not right away.”

She jerked her head and turned to look at me, raising one eyebrow, but not saying anything else for the remainder of our drive. About ten minutes later, we reached Chief Swan’s house, where Sue had been living for the past five and a half years, after marrying him four years ago. She came down to La Push often, but not as often as Leah and Seth hoped. Still, she always took care of us whenever we needed her, being the only one now who knew how to treat our supernatural selves in case anything ever happened to us.

She must have seen my jeep parked on the driveway, as she came out of the house and towards me with open arms. “Paul! It’s so nice to see you again! How have you been, sweety?” She embraced me tightly, rubbing her palms on my back - her way of endearment.

Pulling away, she turned to look at (Y/N), who was standing in front of my car. “Who is this?”

“Sue, this is (Y/N). She almost drowned at the beach today, and I tried to help her. I brought her to you so you can check her out; see if everything is okay.”

Sue gave me a knowing look, to which I nodded before she carefully took (Y/N)’s hand in hers. “Come on, sweety, let’s get you checked.”

We walked into the Swan Residence, a welcoming house painted with green tones, blending nicely with the greenery around it. Sue had not changed many things around the house since she moved in, but her good tastes had seemingly blended and upgraded the interior. She had added more carpets, pictures, and small decor around, making the house look more lively and habitable. Under Bella’s prompt, Chief Swan transformed her daughter’s old bedroom into a small examination room for Sue to be able to treat patients even when she was at home.

We walked up the stairs to the small room on our left, where Sue led us. She ordered (Y/N) to sit on the doctor’s bed, as she picked up her stethoscope and her “sphygmomanometer”, as she called it, to examine (Y/N). She first took her blood pressure, making sure it was strong enough before she proceeded with the check-up. She then placed the stethoscope on her chest, telling her to take deep inhales and exhales. As I was watching the stethoscope on her chest, I felt my palms burning under the memory of touching her cold skin.

“Sweety, it seems like you’ll be fine. I don’t hear anything concerning, but you should visit a hospital, should you feel uneasy, okay?” She smiled sweetly at (Y/N), before turning to look at me. “You are very lucky Paul saved you on time.”

I simply smiled as a response, trying to keep my blushed cheeks under control. “Ehm.. Okay, I think we should be going then. Leave you alone.”

“You know you can come by whenever you want, Paul.” Sue hugged me tightly, then turned to (Y/N), hugging her as well. “It was so nice to meet you, (Y/N). Feel better!”

“Thank you so much, for everything.” (Y/N) smiled shyly at Sue as they parted.

“Anything for family.” She grinned at me, as we walked out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.

We got back in my car, and I realized that (Y/N) was still wearing her bikini, and was still covered with sand. “Hey, do you want to come back to my house? You know..to get cleaned and changed.”

“Ehm, yeah, but I don’t have anything to wear after.” She didn’t meet my gaze as I stared intensely at her face.

“It’s okay, babe. You can borrow my clothes for now.” I grinned at her, but her eyes widened slightly in embarrassment, still not looking at me. I just loved how cute she looked even when she was embarrassed.

In a turn of events, she bit her lip, thinking about my proposal. She then turned to look at me, raising one eyebrow and slightly puckering her lips. “Okay. Let’s go.”

I smirked at her sudden confidence, starting the engine, and driving back to La Push and my home. We talked a bit, trying to get to know each other and make time pass. She told me she was on a road trip with her friends from college, traveling from New York down the east coast, and then through the south until they reached California, and then started going up. They stopped here after everything they saw on many touristic guides about La Push and Forks - she liked the adventure, but she came to the conclusion she did not like extreme things like cliff-diving anymore. I chuckled at that and agreed that she better forget it for some time.

She seemed like a fun person to be around, and that was not the imprint talking; she was genuinely interesting and fun, and though shy at first, she quickly opened up to me. Talking to her was easy, effortless; I told her things that I wouldn’t tell anyone else, at least anyone apart from my friends and packmates. Though she insisted I didn’t have to if I wasn’t feeling comfortable, I told her how my parents got divorced when I was 8 years ago, and my dad moved us from Takoma to La Push, and I haven’t left since then. But I managed to make something good for myself, working hard at a local construction company, and eventually buying my own house 3 years ago.

(Y/N) seemed impressed, and thought I was really fortunate to get my own place. She told me that, for her parents, college was a no-brainer; that she had to get a degree and work hard to succeed in life. They weren’t wrong but she said she never had a real childhood because of how strict they raised her. They immigrated to the US when she was very young, so they had to work extra hard to make a good life for their family. (Y/N) learned that life is not easy for everyone, so she had to work harder, be better, just to prove herself among the others.

Growing up bilingual and immigrant put a burden on her relationships with others; sometimes she had trouble communicating and many people used to make fun of her. Thankfully, it was when she went to college that she made actual friends whose families had also immigrated to the US, so it was easier to share their experiences with each other, finding common ground between them. They were the friends I met today, who I had not completely forgiven for their actions, but (Y/N) let it pass.

We were reaching my house, a two-story building made out of a combination of cement and dark brown wood. It was sturdy and could withstand La Push’s humidity and weather conditions. I was proud to say that I built it myself, with some of my packmates’ help. I drove down the dirt road that led to my front yard and parked on my driveway. (Y/N) was about to exit the car, when I stopped her, stepping out of the car quickly, and running to her side. I opened her door and helped her climb out of the car. She looked flustered as I wrapped one arm around her waist, lifting her up, before slowly placing her on her feet.

“Welcome to my home. Come on. Let me show you around.” I carefully took her hand in mine, and, thankfully, she did not flinch or protest at all, as I led us in the house.

I opened the door, showing her around the living room. “Come with me. I’ll show you the bathroom.” I led us upstairs, to the bathroom in my master bedroom. I went on to grab clean clothes for her to wear, a large t-shirt and basketball shorts, and two fluffy towels, one for her body and one for her hair.

She looked unsure when I pushed the items on her arms. “Are you sure I can use this bathroom? You know, I can use a smaller bathroom, if there is another one?”

“Nonsense. Come on. Go shower now.” I turned her around, lightly pushing towards the bathroom’s direction. “I'll be waiting downstairs. Whatever you need, don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”

She slowly nodded and walked towards the bathroom. As she walked ahead, closing the bathroom door behind her, I couldn’t help myself and took a peek at her ass. It was still covered in sand but still looked perfect with the bikini she wore. I turned around and quickly walked downstairs, so I could give (Y/N) space and some quiet.

[twilightredemption]

Loyalty Anew

Miserable and without direction, old men gathered around the dying twilight fire and conversed amongst each other of what to do in the wake of their crumbling leadership. With no true desire to provide for their followers, the number of faithful servants to the Twilight Hammer’s banner slipped into a rapid downward spiral. It had no effect on influencing the council to amend the situation as they always fell back on the theory ‘the Gods will provide’ and all will fall back into place as designed by Them.

Their inaction caused more than pain and suffering among the thousands left starving in an abandoned desert. The thirst and hunger they felt could not be satisfied with clean water and full meals. A need for consumption beyond what mortal life offered endlessly gnawed away at the people, leaving them to beg at the council’s feet for direction on how to sate the sensations. Stuck in the hopeless transition of power, the executioner could no longer abide by the rulings of a council unfit to pass judgment.

Months ago, the executioner had been ordered to locate, rehabilitate, and retrieve a Draenei and his failure of a student. In doing so, the intent was to reeducate them to become pillars of the Twilight Hammer’s leadership and ensure the recovery of the faithless ones who faltered from the banner. It was an insult to be sent on such a degrading mission, but with status and respect behind the executioner, an unlikely opportunity presented itself.

Standing among the soldiers clad in rich crimson and gray armor, the executioner patrolled the lines and inspected every inch of the ever expanding army. Men and women of all creeds, backgrounds, and origins burned their Hammer banners to wear the colors worthy of their servitude. The trust they once carried for the Hammer was fragile, but there was a certainty among them all that the executioner would not abandon their needs as the council did. For that, they turned to the executioner and labeled themselves the Redeemers of the Faithless. Sworn to their duties of their Gods and banner, they wore the colors; her colors.

Within, the council scrambled to their feet to meet their foes. Unsure of which band of Azeroth’s heroes they were going to face, they gathered every able bodied individual and dragged them along to face the blistering sun outside of the sanctuary. As they filed out in ranking order, they were faced with the Eye printed on thousands of crimson tabards staring back at them. It left many unnerved to the point that their cowardice took over and they tried to shuffle themselves to the back of the lines where they could flee safely if the opportunity presented itself.

“SHOW YOURSELF!” A councilman yelled out over the army, aiming to draw the attention of the rebellious leader.

Steady heavy strides were taken by the executioner as she followed the command, but never did she reach the front lines. Instead, she uttered the word ‘strike’ and her legion of Redeemers rushed forward to begin the first slaughter of many.

Screams quickly overtook the usually quiet desert as blood was spilled across the sands. Through it all, the executioner made no haste in reaching her target. It would take a small bit of effort to strike down those she once viewed as brothers and sisters and yet, the only emotion running through her veins was the confidence in what it took in taking the next step for them all.

These people were unworthy, undeserving, and misguided. For years they wasted away resources and opportunities, when time could have been better spent reigning in a new era of the Twilight Hammer’s history. The council had something and now, it was nothing.

As the minutes slipped by, the Redeemers filed back into place once they were assured their targets drew their last breaths. The executioner loomed over the ‘revered’ councilman, almost appearing to take pity upon him, but such an assumption was a foul one to make.

“You WILL pay for this destruction you have brought, executioner! Stripped of your titles, honors, and respects! The Gods will NEVER look upon you in favor EVER AGAIN!”

His high pitched rantings did little to move her. To give him a response would only validate him before his death and she was not in the business of allowing as much to happen. Instead, the executioner forcibly grabbed at sides of his head with one finger jabbing into each ear hole. Violet strands erupted from her fingertips and directly invaded his mind, forcing him to withstand the burning sensations from his brain being fried, but at the same time, he was forced to see the vision only she could project onto him.

“And now, I see,” he whispered as death took him into its embrace.

Dropping his limp body to the ground, the executioner stared at nothing for a few moments as the Void retreated from her fingers. This was the moment she had longed for, to be free of these shackles to tired old men who knew nothing of what the organization needed.

A new dawn, a new generation of Twilight loyalists. A start to something more and as the executioner brought her full attention back the army awaiting their next orders, she shouted out with her sword raised high.

“Our lords sing Their praises to the first victory, but this is ONLY the first of MANY! Reclaim these camps as our own, tear down the banners of old, and raise the new! We march on, Redeemers of the Faithless!”

[volturiwolf]

Road trip to Fate - Paul Lahote x fem!Reader Imagine - part 3 (final part)

A/N: The story takes place during the summer of 2018

A/N 2: This part may be slightly underwhelming, but, at least, Paul is being cute

A/N 3: Y/F/N = Your Father's Name, Y/M/N = Your Mother's Name

No of words: 5900+

Mentions of: Panic attacks, Issues with parents, Depression, Desperation, Madness, Many places around the US - where I have never been, Greek, Slight mentions of smut, Lyrics of "Fallen Angel" by Tix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tagging: @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @eugeniapet @chocolatechipcookiesandcamembert @florence-end @emmy1148 @ilove-bts @crazyacegirl @emerald-jade1 @lahoete @navs-bhat

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul’s POV

(Y/N) was finally asleep. It took me some time to calm her down, and assure her that everything was going to be okay. As our boarding time was approaching, her heart started racing, beating fast but without rhythm, like it was skipping some beats.

The nervous shaking of her leg and hand, and her shallow breathing indicated that she had started panicking. Thankfully, I knew what I had to do - I had dealt with panic attacks plenty of times before, myself, especially during the first years after I first shifted.

So, I tried to help her as best as I could, without upsetting her any further. I managed to get her to sleep 2 hours after we departed from the airport, which, up until then, we spent mostly talking about anything to keep her mind occupied and make her fall asleep peacefully. However, that meant that we still had about 3 more hours before we landed in New York, and now it was my time to start overthinking about everything.

I kept thinking that it was a bit hurried when I told her I wanted to come with her. She didn’t know me too well, and I didn’t want to bother her or her parents, especially since they had to talk things out. But I also knew I couldn’t let her lift all this burden on her own.

I wanted to be there for her; to support and to protect her; to defend her, if it came to that. I watched her move closer to me in her sleep, and I smiled, knowing that, even in her sleeping state, she needed me just as much as I needed her.

And that’s why I knew I couldn’t let her deal with all these by herself. It may be odd for her parents to see her with me - besides we hadn’t known each other for too long, but I was ready to face anything they threw at us.

She told me they were strict, and I had heard her mother practically scream at the phone, so I did expect the worst of them; I was prepared for the worst. Don’t get me wrong - it was natural that her parents would be upset about anything happening to their daughter, but her mother should not have said all these vile things to (Y/N) about “not being mature” and such.

Obviously, she had been waiting for this road trip with her friends for a long time, and they were being unfair to her. She may have done something hazardous, but she wasn’t the one to blame; plus, she was doing much better now.

She was actually doing much better during the last few days, and I couldn’t be happier to have found my perfect mate. Every part of her was just perfect, from her appearance to her personality, her laugh, her seriousness, everything.

Even during times of 'crisis', she still wanted to make sure I was doing okay. She must have known that her parents would be hesitant - at best - to meet me, and the only thing she kept telling me was if I was certain I wanted to come with her.

I assured her I did because we were in this together now. Nobody had to go through anything alone anymore, and we would always be there for each other, no matter what.

Sometimes, I was scared that the intensity of my feelings towards her would repel her away, but her actions, her words, everything she did and said were constantly reassuring me that she felt the same way I did for her.

Without her knowing, she was making me a better person. I no longer was that sad, almost depressed dude I was a week ago, and it showed. I was no longer envious of everyone else in the pack having found their mates; I was no longer bitter about my life.

I knew it took me some time to find my mate, but I could have never found a better one. (Y/N) was everything I was looking for; someone to keep me grounded, but also excited and eager for what life had in stock for us. And right now, I would give everything I had to keep her happy beside me.

I looked at her peacefully sleeping figure next to me. She had this incredible thing where she was so beautiful, even when she was sleeping. In times like these, I couldn’t help but wonder how I could be so lucky in my life to have found her. She was this perfect, innocent angel, and I was me; the hothead, desperate-for-approval guy who could also transform into a wolf.

Before I met her, my life seemed to be missing that special factor that everyone was talking about. There were numerous times that I had to shift to make the thoughts in my head go silent, even for just a second. I would channel all the emptiness, anger, or sadness I felt into running around in the woods. But, even then, I felt lost.

I was the only one who shifted at that point, and I was feeling alone, as everyone else felt “complete” due to the existence of their imprints. I didn’t know what that felt like until I met (Y/N). The more we talked, the more in love with her I fell; the more I got to know this incredible, complex, and unique person.

And yet, I still don’t know what she saw in me. I was falling apart, fighting my demons, and then she came into my life, and it felt like there was finally hope; something to keep me alive and going; something to keep me sane; something to make me feel complete.

She was really accepting of me when I showed her I could shift into a wolf, and all I could think was that I was not worthy of her; that she was too good for me, and we could never be together because I didn’t want to keep her down, grounded. I wanted to let her make her own decisions; I wanted to “push” her to do what’s best for her and follow her dreams.

She was confident in herself in a way I had not seen before. While she was supposed to “follow” the plan her parents chose for her, she wanted me to be part of her life. She kept reminding me that she chose me just as much as I chose her; that I was meant to be part of her life, and “if that meant we would have to go against everyone for what we have, so be it”.

Looking at her now, I couldn't feel anything but utter love and adoration for the woman beside me; the way her lips parted when she slept, murmuring words and phrases I couldn't quite understand, or the small spasmodic smiles she unconsciously did in her sleep. Everything about her was cute and unique, and I swore I'd give everything I had to keep her happy by my side.

"Dear passengers, please return to your seats. We'll be reaching New York in approximately 10 minutes. Please, stay seated and fasten your seatbelts until landing. Thank you!"

We were getting closer and closer, and I was preparing myself to deal with her parents. I had to do anything possible to get on their good side; for (Y/N)'s sake. And I was willing to do anything to stay forever with her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Y/N)'s POV

Just as I expected, my parents, not knowing about Paul beforehand, decided to lecture me at the airport and give me the silent treatment for most of the route from the airport to our home. They were not expecting to pick both of us from the airport; they never liked surprises anyway, and Paul’s presence was definitely a surprise to them.

Apart from an old friend that I liked back in high school, who took me to prom as ‘friends’, they had never seen me with anyone before. I had a relationship or two in college, but nothing as serious as to introduce them to my parents. Meeting a boyfriend of mine was a completely new experience for them - an awkward, unexpected, uncomfortable, and, probably, unpleasant experience for sure.

My parents were not the traditional “get married and then have sex” people, but they were still strict about such things. Being raised within the Greek culture, there were always the “shame” and “guilt” factors that shaped us as a society and people. There was always the “don’t say or do or act in a way that will bring shame to your family” thing, and our families, especially our mothers and grandmothers, would do everything to make us feel guilty about pretty much anything we did.

The “οκει, αφού θες να αρρωστήσει η μανούλα” (“okay, since you want your mommy to get sick”) was the key-phrase in every Greek mother’s mouth to plant the guilt deep into our souls and minds. And it worked. It always worked. We would think twice and thrice before doing something, and, in the end, we wouldn’t do it at all. I was done with that; I was done with feeling guilty about everything in my life.

I would not feel guilty about being in love with Paul, especially since we were meant to last. I would have been sort of guilty if I introduced someone to my parents and they became friendly with each other and we then broke up. But my relationship with Paul was meant to last by fate. And I was not going to feel bad about being so open to my parents about him. So, if they wanted to keep me at a distance about this matter, I would do the same until one of us broke down - hopefully, it would be them.

Paul did not say anything; he was put in the middle, between opposing parties, and he couldn't openly state his opinion on the matter. I felt guilty for putting him in such a position, and I could only hope that, by some kind of miracle, my parents would understand that I just needed Paul in my life. Paul was not just something ephemeral, or caprice of mine; Paul was a need for me; Paul was my support and my sanity. I needed Paul in my life the way humans need oxygen, and fish need water.

Paul completed me in an absolute way that could not be described in simple words. Paul filled my heart with warmth, comfort, safety, and belonging. It was as if I was a watermelon, and he was Feta. On our own, we were great. When we were together, it was absolutely amazing, a unique new perspective. We were complete on our own, but there was a piece missing from our lives - a piece that we found in each other.

Paul opened my eyes to a whole new world that never thought even existed. I introduced him to a less interesting world that he didn't mind, yet. He told me that it would be actually nice if he managed to escape his world for just a bit, get away from the place he spent the majority of his life in, even if it was just for a few days.

I turned to look at Paul, who was looking out of the window, probably not having seen so many tall buildings around for a while. He was mostly surrounded by tall trees, while I was so tired of the concrete around me. I squeezed his hand lightly, to let him know that we would go through everything together, and he had nothing to worry about. I would support every decision he took; I would do what was the best for both of us.

----------------------------------------------------------

It had been only a day since we arrived in New York. My parents were constantly on the edge about Paul and me, not knowing what to say or how to treat us. They did not only keep a distance from us two but, "as long as we were under the same roof", Paul and I had to also keep a distance between us, staying in different rooms and staying at least 6 feet away from each other. Honestly, this rule was completely absurd, and it was debilitating both of us, the emotional weariness clear in Paul's face. I couldn’t bear looking at him like that; he deserved better; he did not deserve such treatment.

The air was getting thick and was threatening to choke me day by day. Currently, my mom and I were in the kitchen, cleaning up the table after dinner, as my dad took Paul aside in the living room, asking him every question possible. I was pretty sure my parents had already talked about their next moves: my mom trying to extort any information possible about Paul and me, and my dad trying to extort any information about Paul, putting him against a wall, and not giving him space to think clearly.

Once again, my mom was nagging me, trying to put me on edge, to anger me, so that I would finally reveal to her that Paul did not mean a thing to me; that he was just some fling, a boy I picked up from my vacation. But that was not going to happen, because I knew that what Paul and I had was real and I felt 100% confident in my decision to be with him.

“(Ο/Σ), απλά δεν μπορώ να καταλάβω πως, μέσα σε μια εβδομάδα, κατάλαβες ότι αγαπάς αυτό το αγόρι. Μοιάζει πολύ βιαστικό, βεβιασμένο. Δεν μπορώ να καταλάβω πως νομίζεις ότι αυτός είναι ο άνθρωπος σου, πως είσαι τόσο σίγουρη ότι τον αγαπάς, από τη στιγμή που δεν ξέρεις σχεδόν τίποτα για αυτόν τον άνθρωπο.” (“(Y/N), I just cannot understand how, within a week, you realized that you love this boy. It seems too hasty, hurried. I cannot understand how you think that this is your person, how you’re so sure you love him, since you know almost nothing about this person.”)

“Έχεις κοιτάξει κάποιον και συνειδητοποίησες ότι θες να περάσεις την υπόλοιπη ζωή σου μαζί του; Ότι νιώθεις ολοκληρωμένη μαζί του, σα να ήταν όλα όσα έψαχνες στη ζώη σου; Ότι, κατά ένα μαγικό τρόπο, είναι σα να γεννηθήκατε ο ένας για τον άλλον;” (“Have you ever looked at someone and realized that you want to spend the rest of your life with them? That you feel complete with them, as if they’re everything you ever looked for in your life? That, in some magical way, it’s like you were born for each other?”)

My mom looked towards my dad, who was still sitting in the living room “interrogating” Paul, with sadness. “Ναι, κάποια στιγμή ήμουν σαν κι εσένα. Γεμάτη ελπίδα και ενθουσιασμό. Αλλά αυτό περνάει κάποια μέρα. Δε θα είστε για πάντα έτσι. Τα προβλήματα δε θα εμφανιστούν άμεσα, αλλά θα εμφανιστούν κάποια μέρα. Και τότε, θα είναι πολύ δύσκολα να τα αντιμετωπίσετε με την ίδια αισιοδοξία.” (“Yes, once I was just like you. Full of hope and excitement. But this will wear off one day. You’re not going to be like that forever. The problems will not show up immediately, but they will show up one day. And then, it will be too difficult to deal with them with the same kind of optimism.”)

“Μαμά, το ξέρω ότι δε θα είναι όλα ρόδινα. Τίποτα δεν είναι ποτέ τέλειο. Αλλά ξέρω ότι ο Πολ και εγώ αγαπιόμαστε αληθινά, ώστε να ξεπεράσουμε οποιαδήποτε δυσκολία. Ακούγεται κλισέ, αλλά ξέρω ότι θα έκανε τα πάντα για μένα, όπως θα έκανα κι εγώ τα πάντα για αυτόν. Αυτό τουλάχιστον το καταλαβαίνεις;” (“Mom, I know it will not be all rosy. Nothing is ever perfect. But I know that Paul and I truly love each other, so that we can overcome any difficulty. It sounds cliché, but I know he would do anything for me, just as I would do anything for him. Do you at least understand that?”)

“I’m trying to, (Y/N). I’m really trying to.” Mom looked towards the living room where my dad got closer to Paul, being practically on his face. “I think you should go and save him from your dad now.” She slightly smiled at Paul, who was taller and bulkier than my dad, looking slightly intimidated by my father.

I laughed along with her before Ι went to the living room, grabbing Paul’s arm and taking him away from my dad’s interrogation. Paul whispered a “thank you, love” before I grabbed my phone and my keys, and exited the house, while my father was shouting our names, asking where we were going.

Though it was pretty late - Greek dinner ranges from 8 to 11 pm, it was still beautiful outside at this side of New York City. Astoria was like a Greece away from Greece. Beautiful and vibrant, the city had its own character. And I wanted Paul to experience all this with me. We walked around my neighborhood, passing by Athens Square, a local park that I loved. It was a bit cheesy with all the Greek statues around there, but they still added character to the park and the surrounding area.

It was exhilarating to watch Paul look at everything around him with bright, glimmering eyes, as it was the first time for him to travel outside of Washington State. Everything was new for him, and I could only imagine what all that must have felt like for him. His warm hand held mine tightly, not wanting me to walk a step away from him. It felt right; being here, in the place I grew up, with him felt right and natural. Even if we weren’t here, even if we were still back in La Push, it would still feel completely natural. Paul and I felt natural as if we were always meant to be together.

Unfortunately, we had to get back home, before it was too late. Just like in any neighborhood of New York City, you wouldn’t like to stay outside too late in Astoria. I knew that I wouldn’t be in danger now that I was here with Paul, but, still, I didn’t want to risk it. Plus, my parents would get worried if we were late a minute more. My mom seemed a bit more understanding now, but I still hadn’t dealt properly with my dad.

So, we took the way back home, expecting to sleep in different beds, away from each other’s arms for one more night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul's POV

I was turning around in my bed, unable to sleep without (Y/N) by my side. She may have been just a few feet away from my bedroom door, but she still felt so far apart. I missed having her in my arms, where we would both fall asleep peacefully, with no worries in our minds. I was now missing my baby girl, and I wished I could stay with her tonight, and every other day, but her parents were strict - I experienced that first hand. The fact that they let me stay in their house at all was already a big deal. After all, they didn’t know me, I didn’t know them, and (Y/N) and I had not known each other for long enough.

I laid on my back, looking at the high ceiling above me, thinking of every single detail of (Y/N) and I’s adventures in Forks; how she seemed so lively and courageous, even after her near-death experience; how she was willing to follow every crazy adventure I got us into; how she supported me emotionally when we went to visit Tacoma and all memories of my childhood came crushing me down; how she was so understanding of my second nature, despite her fear of dogs, which she later confessed to me.

But most of all, I remembered our first time together. How sweet, yet passionate it was; how we fitted perfectly together, and how right and complete I felt with her. The sexual tension that we felt for each other turned into pure passion and admiration for each other. The moment we started kissing in the woods, I could smell her arousal, and feel her excited heart as it beat rapidly. And then I knew that she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

I could easily look in her eyes for a split second, and melt at her sight. Her skin, so perfect and delicate under my rough hands; her eyes glistening with pure bliss; her full lips calling me to feel them. I felt so small and meaningless in front of her because she was the meaning of my life. I didn’t know anyone who could make my whole world shift so abruptly, and yet, I couldn’t be happier for how she managed to turn things around in my life.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I had been living a rough life ever since I graduated from high school - yeah, Paul Lahote did that! He managed to graduate from high school, despite all the odds against him! I had my mechanic shop which I had been working very hard to obtain and build from scratch, and, ever since Jacob and Embry graduated college, they had been helping me a lot - from an engineer’s point of view.

But, I was missing the factor that could actually make me happy and make me feel good about myself - like I had something to expect in life, and I had somebody to go to for anything; somebody who would love me unconditionally, and support me through tough times, and who I would not mind crying in front of.

I played tough and got easily offended by most things around me, but I would routinely break down in tears from the simplest reminder of my childhood before the divorce. And I needed a person who would see every side of me and would still want me; a person who wouldn’t toss me away in the first difficulty we faced. That person was (Y/N), and I promised her and myself that I would stay by her side, supporting her, no matter what.

That was why I proposed from the very beginning to come back to NYC with her. I knew she could use all the emotional support she could get, but I also could not stay a second away from her. I needed her emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and just being even a few feet away from her was driving me mad. I wish I could hold her in my arms, but all I could do right now was suck it up and be patient.

I stayed like this for another hour or so, not able to fall asleep. All these thoughts were eating me up, and didn’t let me find peace. After another half an hour, I decided that I needed to get out of bed; get a glass of water; do something to distract my mind off of (Y/N)’s absence. I slowly got out of bed, lifeless and mentally exhausted, and walked out of my room.

As I was passing by (Y/N)’s room, I could hear her turning around her bed, restless, probably not able to sleep either, but I couldn’t get in bed with her, and wash her worries away. I sighed, disappointed at myself for not having said anything to support my baby, but also choking on my misery of not being allowed to be close and intimate with her as I did before.

I walked down the stairs, trying to silence my heavy footsteps, as I didn’t want to draw any attention at this time of the night. It was already past 3 am, and I was probably the only one who couldn’t sleep at all, and who gave up trying to sleep. My mind was racing with worries, but it also felt empty at the same time. I got myself a glass of water, and slowly sipped on it, while I was thinking what I could do next.

On one hand, I couldn’t stay like this forever - practically, I couldn’t stay here forever and be raised by (Y/N)’s parents, but I also could not stand the way they treated both (Y/N) and me. They were unnecessarily strict with their “6 feet away from each other” rule. Like what we could possibly do in front of them? I knew I was physically more capable than her father, but I wouldn’t dare do anything to upset my baby.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t even imagine leaving her, whether she decided to stay here or not. (Y/N) was my life now, and I had pledged, within my heart and mind, that I would follow her to the end of the world. Well, she did mention she wanted to study in California, which was much more convenient for both of us. We would be closer to La Push, and farther from her parents, which would bring both of us some sort of temporary peace.

Even if that wasn’t the case, I was ready to follow her wherever she wanted to go. There hadn’t been any vampire threats in La Push or Forks for quite some time now, I had my own business which I could run from a distance, I had employees working in the business, and I had Embry and Jacob who I trusted to maintain the business as it is. If it all came to this, I would happily and gladly move away with (Y/N).

“Can’t sleep, Paul?” I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I did not hear her dad coming down the stairs or entering the kitchen.

“Um.. yes, sir. I am sorry if I woke you up.” I couldn’t look him in the eyes, so I only looked down at the glass still in my hands.

“You know, you seem like a good kid, Paul.” He softly said as he grabbed himself a glass of water.

I finally lifted my head to look at (Y/N)’s dad. “Thank you, sir.”

“Call me (Y/F/N), Paul. No need for formalities. You will stay with (Y/N) for a long time, after all.” (Y/F/N) sipped on his water, smirking at me.

“What? What do you mean? How do you know?” I was confused. Did he know about the imprinting? Did he know about wolves?

“We were talking with (Y/M/N). (Y/N) talked to her a bit, before she talked to me. My daughter thinks highly of you. She trusts and loves you too much. I had never heard of her feeling like that about anyone else before. She may not know it, but her mother and I were aware of all the crushes she ever had. And I’d never seen her this happy. Ever. And if she’s happy, that’s enough for me to trust you. Plus, you’ve been too quiet all this time. I’m sorry for cornering you yesterday. I just don’t know you, and I want the best for (Y/N). I hope we’re good.” He slightly smiled at me.

“Thank you, si...(Y/F/N). It’s okay. I understand where you’re coming from. I would, too, be suspicious if my daughter brought someone to my house and I would want to know everything about them. We’re good.” I smiled back at him.

“I would never normally say that, but I guess you can go see her in her room. She sounds upset and restless; she won’t go to sleep. I guess she’s upset you’re not near? No funny business though. And don’t lock the door.” (Y/F/N) looked at me warningly, but I couldn’t help the smile on my face.

“Thank you, sir! Good night!” I put my glass down on the counter and practically ran my way up the stairs and into (Y/N)’s room.

(Y/N) jumped from my sudden burst through the door, shouting something in Greek, probably some swears. “Paul? Is that you?”

“Yeah, baby, sorry if I scared you.” I closed the door behind me, walking closer towards her bed.

She sat on her bed, hand over her heart. “You terrified me.” She let a small laugh fall off of her lips. “What are you doing here? You know we can’t stay in each other’s rooms.”

“Your dad actually told me to come here. He said you sounded restless, and suggested I came here to see you. He said no funny business though, which I don’t mind, as long as I have you in my arms.”

“Aw, I love him. And I love you. More than anything in the world.” She wrapped her arms around my torso, pulling me to lie down next to her.

“And I love you too, baby.” I wrapped my own arms around hers, kissing them up and down, feeling her body’s warmth.

“I’m so happy you’re finally here.”

I turned around to face her. “Me too, baby. Me too.” I kissed her cute nose and then her soft lips, as we slowly drifted to sleep, lulled by each other’s warmth and presence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Y/N)’s POV

“Μαμά, μπαμπά, το σκεφτόμουν σοβαρά μέρες τώρα και θέλω να σας ανακοινώσω κάτι. Αλλά, δε θέλω φωνές και γκρίνιες. Αυτό είναι δική μου απόφαση, οπότε θέλω να με ακούσετε.” (“Mom, dad, I’ve been seriously thinking about it for days now and I want to announce something to you. But, I don’t want yelling and nagging. This is my decision, so I want you to hear me.”) I “cornered” my parents at the breakfast table, having woken up quite early, going out to get some Greek kaloudia (goodies) to cajole them.

“Τι θες να μας πεις; Δεν μπορεί να περιμένει; Και που είναι ο Πολ; Ακόμα κοιμάται;” (“What do you want to tell us? Can’t it wait? And where’s Paul? Is he still sleeping?”)

“Άσ’ τον Πολ ήσυχο. Πρέπει να σας πω τώρα. Είναι επείγον.” (“Leave Paul alone. I have to tell you now. It’s urgent.”)

“Τι έγινε πάλι, (Ο/Σ); Τι είναι τόσο σημαντικό που πρέπει να μας το πεις τώρα;” (“What happened again, (Y/N)? What is so important that you need to tell us now?”)

I started getting irritated at my parents’ irritation, so I just blurted it out. “Αποφάσισα να αναβάλλω το μεταπτυχιακό, να κάνω ένα ‘gap year’, πώς το λένε;!” (“I decided to postpone the masters, to do a ‘gap year’, how they call it?!”)

None of my parents said anything, but their jaws were clenched and they looked at nowhere in particular. That went on for a few minutes until we heard Paul coming down the stairs and slowly walking into the kitchen.

“Good morning! I’m sorry for waking up late. Is everything okay?” Paul was looking between my parents and me, reading the uncomfortable situation and the thick air around us.

“Paul? Did you know that (Y/N) wants to take a gap year?” My mom looked at him, no emotion on her face.

Paul furrowed his eyebrows, looking at me now. “Not really. She may have mentioned it, but I told her that whatever she decided to do, I’d always support her.”

“Look, Paul, I really don’t want to argue with you, but I want my daughter to get her education, even if that means that we may need to make sacrifices for her.” My dad openly confessed, not looking at Paul or me.

“I understand that, which is why I’m saying, and I mean it, that I’ll stand behind every decision (Y/N) takes, and I will support her. If getting her master’s is what will do her good, I will stand by this, meaning I’ll do anything to support her.”

“Paul, I don’t want to stay away from you. I cannot stay away from you.” I looked right into his eyes, not caring about my parents staring between us.

“I know, baby, and, as I said, whatever you choose to do, I’ll be right beside you, meaning that if you want to study for your master’s, I am more than willing to stay beside you and support you.”

“What about your friends and family? Your life back in La Push? Your business?” I couldn’t fathom the idea of Paul dropping everything for me. I was willing to make a sacrifice for him, just as he did by being here now.

“My friends will understand. They have their own families now. And you are my own family. I can set my life back for a year or two if that means that will be the best for you. Plus, I have also been thinking about it. I am the owner of my business, and I have my employees, and Embry and Jacob to take care of things whenever I’m absent. I don’t think they will mind. And if that makes you uncomfortable, we can drive up to visit them for the holidays. How about that?” Paul smiled at me.

That man had thought about everything before I even voiced that I had been thinking these past days. I couldn’t be happier for finding the perfect man in my life. Without thinking about it, I jumped out of my chair and into Paul’s hands, as my parents still remained speechless.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Paul’s POV

Finally, after a few more days, it was time for (Y/N) to move out of her parents’ house. I had been helping with the move, which went by smoothly. She didn’t pack too many things; only the necessary, and enough clothes to last her for about a month before her parents sent her the rest by mail. We would first stop in La Push for about a week or two, to settle everything there, before we finally moved to Oakland so (Y/N) could attend UC Berkeley.

My baby managed to get accepted into the university with a scholarship, though she still had to pay for textbooks, housing, and other expenses and fees, which I was more than happy to cover for her. Both (Y/N) and her parents protested but I told them that I would be more than happy to do so since we decided to stay together. I would probably also try to find a job to occupy myself for the hours (Y/N) was at the university, but, besides that, I was happy with my life right now.

Life was finally treating me well. I had found my imprint, my partner for life; we were slowly and steadily settling down; my baby followed her path to success, and she was finally happy with her life, which made me happy with our life.

Everything was finally falling into place. (Y/N) managed to fill the hole in my heart. She had been helping me fight my demons that had been plaguing my mind and poisoning my soul. She was my guardian angel; my own personal piece of heaven, here on earth; born to be with me forever. And I still did not know what she saw in me. I was a broken man, and she was far out of this world, far out of my league. And yet, this sweet little creature loved me purely and unconditionally, and I just couldn’t imagine how life would be if I never found her.

I am so happy I found her.

[volturiwolf]

Road trip to Fate - Paul Lahote x fem!Reader Imagine - part 2

A/N: The story takes place during the summer of 2018

A/N 2: This chapter contains mentions of SMUT

No of words: 6300+

Mentions of: Self-doubt, Panic attack, Issues with parents, Drowning, Death, Ass, Many places around the US - where I have never been, TV series and movie references, Greek

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tagging: @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @eugeniapet @chocolatechipcookiesandcamembert @florence-end @emmy1148 @ilove-bts @crazyacegirl @emerald-jade1 @lahoete @navs-bhat

(reply if you want to be tagged or removed for the next and final part)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Y/N)’s POV

I took my bikini off, washing it quickly on the sink before I cautiously stepped into the shower. I let the hot water hit my body, feeling my heart calm down just a bit. I went through too many things for one day, and I felt my anxiety slowly increasing since the moment I was saved by Paul; though I had to admit that his presence calmed me in an unexplainable way.

I felt safe with him - his aura felt bright; he had something that made me trust him - he did save my life after all. But I felt like I was wasting his time; I felt like I made him feel responsible to take care of me and make sure I was doing fine, and I didn’t want that - I didn’t want to burden him. He opened his heart and his house to me and made sure I got cleaned up, and I knew I had to return the favor eventually - that’s how I was raised.

As I was washing down my body, I couldn’t help but think about his strong arms and countless abs. I felt myself getting hot, and I turned the water to cold, trying to cool off my body and thoughts. Paul surely looked like those guys who spent countless hours at the gym, though he didn’t look like a “gym rat”; he actually seemed pretty cool and down to earth.

Talking to him was easy, effortless, and felt like I could tell him everything. So I did tell him many things about my life, and he genuinely seemed interested, which surprised me. Then, when we arrived at his house, I was impressed by its beauty; he said he built it himself, with the help of his friends - the ones I saw at the beach - and I was even more impressed, as it looked too massive to be built by just a few people.

Paul was nice enough to lend me some of his clothes and towels. Surprisingly, his bathroom didn’t have the “3-in-1” kinds of shampoo/body wash; he had many different shampoos and body washes, including a vanilla body wash and a coconut water shampoo which I used. They smelled amazing, and I wondered if Paul actually used them, or if a girlfriend left them behind, so she could use the bathroom the next time she was around.

At the thought, I felt a slight pinch at my heart - a pinch of jealousy and sadness, thinking that he may have lied to me about having a relationship. What was wrong with me? I just met the guy. It’s not like we are together and I should get worried about who he does or doesn’t date.

Yet, I couldn’t help the thoughts that flooded my mind; thoughts of hugging and kissing Paul; thoughts of laying on his chest, arms and legs wrapped around each other. I shook the thoughts off my head and proceeded to wash the shampoo and body wash away.

I tried to drain my hair as best as I could, before wrapping the smaller towel around my head and the bigger one around my body; both towels were so fluffy and welcoming, and I could stay there forever, but I had to get dressed and eventually go back to my friends. I patted the towel on my body to dry down as quickly as I could before I realized I had no underwear to wear under the basketball shorts and t-shirt Paul gave me. Taking a deep breath to calm down my racing heart, I decided I had to go commando underneath as I put on the shorts and t-shirt, lifting the shorts up a bit higher to fit me better. I quickly patted down my hair on the towel, deciding to let them air-dry, before I took my bikini and towels and exited the bathroom.

I walked down the stairs and met Paul in the kitchen. The moment he saw me, he became slightly flustered, just like I did minutes ago. Looking down at my body, he gulped deeply and then turned around to take a glass from one of the cupboards. He filled it with cold water from the fridge and gave it to me. Unconsciously, I took it from his hand and chugged it down quickly, shivering at the coldness.

Paul cleared up his throat. “So, Emily called. She got worried about you and wondered if you wanted us to go by her and Sam’s house. She cooked, and she wanted to know if you were hungry.” My stomach responded for me, growling at the mention of food. “I got my answer.” Paul laughed, and took my hand in his, leading us out of the kitchen and the house.

Paul unlocked the car and opened the door for me, helping me climb on his jeep, and closing the door after me. He quickly ran to the driver’s side and sat behind the wheel, before turning on the engine. I just now realized that I was walking barefoot all this time because I had forgotten my flip-flops on the cliff.

As he saw me staring at my feet, Paul quietly answered my thoughts. “Your friends left your bag, flip-flops, and a pair of shoes at Emily’s. Quil took your car back to the RV park, and they all went back to Emily’s house. Everyone is there right now. Emily said your friends were worried about leaving you with an unknown man, but Emily assured them they don’t need to worry about me.” He chuckled, and I smiled shyly at him.

The drive to Emily’s house was quick, as both houses were close to the beach, just half a mile away from each other. Paul parked the car in the driveway, in between the two rental cars, in front of a house that resembled Paul’s but was a bit smaller. Still, its dark brown exterior seemed welcoming and warm, blending really nicely with the trees around it.

I saw a young woman coming out of the house and towards us the moment we stepped out of the car. She ran towards me and hugged me tightly; out of instinct, I hugged back. Her embrace was firm, and welcoming - it radiated love, acceptance, and calmness, though none of us knew each other.

She pulled back a little to look me in the eyes. “Hey, (Y/N), I’m Emily. I’m so glad you are okay. You gave us quite the scare out there.” She smiled sweetly at me, making me feel a bit less uncomfortable than I already felt, coming to a stranger’s house.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you. And I’m really sorry for coming into your house like that.” My apology was sincere; I did feel bad for coming here like that. I knew that I upset everyone back there, and now they invited me over to make sure I was okay, and I felt guilty about that.

“No need to apologize, sweety. I just hope you are fine now. Come on now. You must be starving.” She took my hand and walked us inside, Paul following closely behind.

Emily’s house was warm and welcoming, just like her. The first thing I noticed was the large living room next to the dining area and the kitchen. My friends were all sitting there, looking upset and worried, but, as soon as they noticed me, they were relieved and they all came by my side. They were frantic, asking me if I was okay if I was hurt if I had a concussion and so many more.

I actually started having a small headache from listening to each other’s voices overlapping and not being able to distinguish anything in particular. Paul must have sensed my confusion and discomfort, as he asked them to give me some space and peace for now. They took a step back, but Vera, Jenny, and Anajda gave both Paul and me a few looks as if they saw something neither of us did. Thankfully, Emily called us all in the kitchen to sit down and eat.

“Oh no, we are really sorry.” Alex apologized to Emily. “We won’t be staying long. We just wanted to see if (Y/N) was okay and drop her stuff here, in case she needed them. We have to go back to the RV park; check a few things, you know.” She then turned to me. “But, (Y/N), by all means, you can stay here for as long as you want. Quil left your car in the park and we came here with the other two, so just call us whenever you want, and we’ll come to pick you up, okay?” I just nodded, and they hugged me before leaving the house.

I turned around to see more people coming towards us; people that I did not notice before. A tall muscular guy came at me first and introduced himself as Sam, Emily’s husband. They told me that they also had two kids, but Sam dropped them off at Embry’s mom, so they wouldn’t get upset if anything happened to me. l thanked them for their consideration and agreed that it was better for the kids to not have to deal with me.

Then I was introduced to Jared and Kim, a couple expecting their baby. Kim was glowing; her skin was perfect, her eyes were so bright and beautiful, and overall she looked gorgeous with her swollen belly.

Next, I was introduced to Embry and Ameyalli, who were a really quiet and reserved couple, in contrast with the bubbly Quil and Claire. The two couples were totally different from each other, but Paul told me that Embry and Quil had been best friends for years; being totally different from each other seemed to work for them.

A man came forward, extending his hand to formally greet me. He introduced himself as Jacob, and then a girl came by his side to greet me as well. Her name was Rami and she was Jacob’s girlfriend - she had a beautiful, fuschia hair lock that was really distinct among her dark brown hair. It reminded me of the one time I dyed my hair pink and purple back in high school, and my parents got ‘extremely upset’. They told me I looked more like a criminal or a junkie, and that I was embarrassing them and myself - I never heard the end of it.

Then, a girl came forward and introduced herself and her girlfriend; they were called Leah and Angela. They were both really beautiful and made my bi ass shake internally; I couldn’t stop staring at them in awe until another couple came forward to introduce themselves. It was Leah’s little brother, Seth, and his girlfriend, Jaya; they looked really cute together and they were both smiling widely, like a happy young couple enjoying life.

I was lastly introduced to two other couples, Collin and Maddie, and Brady and Connie. All of them seemed pretty young - definitely the youngest among everyone around; Paul told me they’re barely 20, “so not legal to drink yet”. He looked at them funny, and it seemed something was going on between them, as they playfully rolled their eyes at him.

After all the introductions were made, Emily called everyone to sit around the table, which was literally full with so many different foods, as if 20 more people were coming in to take a bite. I was surprised to see Emily give me priority to take whatever I wanted, which I reluctantly did, being too embarrassed to claim food on my own. Paul saw that and started filling up my plate himself with more food than I could actually eat. Then, it was time for Emily, Kim, Ameyalli, Rami, Claire, Angela, Jaya, Maddie, and Connie to fill the plates.

I wondered why Leah and the guys waited for their turn to grab their food, but, the moment all the others were served, I saw why. They were literally rummaging through the food platters, grabbing huge portions of food on their plates and chugging them down at an alarmingly fast pace. I was worried one of them would choke on their food but thankfully none of them did. Still, the amount of food they individually consumed was shocking for me; I personally loved food, but I could never keep so much food down, or eat so much and still be in an incredible shape, as they all seemed to be.

I stopped staring around everyone, and I hesitantly took a bite out of the food on my plate. The moment the food touched my tongue it felt like I was sent to heaven and back. The food was so delicious, I quickly took another bite out of it. And then another, and then another, until there was no food left. I raised my head to look around the others who were looking at me shocked, but with wide eyes and smiles on their faces. Emily and Paul looked the most astonished of them all. My mouth was still full of food, so I gulped it down before I asked them why they were looking at me like that, afraid that I made a fool of myself.

“I’m just happy you seem to enjoy the food.” Emily smiled kindly. “You will fit right in.”

I didn’t know what she meant by that, and I didn’t dare to ask - I was just visiting, and I'd have to leave in a few days anyway, though I started dreading the thought. I felt extremely comfortable and welcome around these people that I’ve known for only half an hour; it felt like I could make some long-life friends, though the geographical distance between us would be difficult to cover.

However, I felt different towards Paul - I felt this unexplainable attraction and fascination towards him; I felt like a force inside me was pushing me towards him, and yet, another force - my consciousness? - was keeping me away.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around us seemed heavy, almost suffocating. Thankfully, as everyone was done with their food, Emily rushed us to go sit in the living room, while she was preparing the platters with the desserts. Once again, I wondered how much food these guys could eat; their appetite seemed insatiable.

I asked Emily if I could help her in any way, but she dismissed me, saying I should better sit down and take a breath. She had the help of Maddie and Connie, who also insisted I didn’t have to do anything - they would take care of serving the desserts. I nodded and went back to sit on the couch, next to where Paul was sitting, as it seemed to be the only empty seat around.

I sheepishly sat beside him, our thighs touching each other; even through the rather fluffy fabric of Paul’s basketball shorts, I could still feel the heat radiating off his body. It wasn’t a burning sensation, rather a comforting, welcoming one - it reminded me of the pleasant feeling of sitting in front of a lit fireplace during the winter. It was the only thing I could think about for a few minutes.

I was so engrossed in feeling Paul’s heat through our close proximity, that I didn’t even notice my phone ringing until Jared pointed it out. Reluctantly, I stood up to search for my phone in the bag my friends left behind for me; I heard Paul whine lowly, but I tried to not point it out. Searching through scattered clothes and small items, I finally found my phone inside a small pocket, at the bottom of the bag. I grabbed it and looked at the called ID. It was a call from home. I wondered why they would call me now. Unless…

“Hello?” I asked through the phone, trying to keep my voice calm, and not stutter.

“(Y/N)?” It was my mom. “(Y/N), are you okay? Vera called us.” Of course she did. “How did you get into an accident? Are you okay now? Τι έγινε ακριβώς; (What happened exactly?)”

Oh, I knew my mom was upset every time she switched to Greek. I decided to walk outside so that no one could hear her yelling on the phone. “Μαμά, μην ανησυχείς. (Mom, don’t worry.) Everything’s alright. Πήγαμε για βουτιές, τίποτα περίεργο. (We went diving, nothing weird.) Είμαι καλά, αυτό έχει σημασία. (I’m alright, that’s what matters.)”

I turned around to look back at the house, seeing an upset Paul quickly coming by my side. I extended my arm, touching his chest to stop him from worrying. Instead of moving away, Paul placed his own hand above mine, holding both of them against his chest. I felt my heart skipping a bit, but my mom’s scream shook me out of my thoughts.

“Τι;! Δεν μπορείτε να το κάνετε αυτό! Δε θέλω να γυρίσω πίσω ακόμα! (What?! You can't do that! I don’t want to come back yet!)” My mom was still yelling at the phone and then hung up, leaving me shocked, infuriated, and indignant.

“What was all that?” Paul asked calmly, trying to calm me down, as I started hyperventilating.

“That.. That was my mom. Vera told my parents about the accident, and they got very upset. They.. They want me to go back now. She said they shouldn’t have let me go on “that stupid road trip” with my friends. That I am not mature enough to take care of myself.” My voice was shaking, and I could feel the tears building up in my eyes.

Paul pulled me in a tight embrace, as my body was shaking from my involuntary sobs. He was rubbing my back, whispering calming words in my ear. Though I couldn’t stop my racing heart and my sniffs, I felt secure and safe in between Paul’s arms. He was holding me close to his heart, so I could hear his heart's steady, calm beat. I breathed in his scent - pine, woods, cinnamon, and leather. His scent, his voice, his body's warmth, his strong arms around me - they all made me feel calm instantly, and nothing else mattered besides Paul.

I let a few shaky breaths, as I slightly pulled away to look into Paul's eyes. His warm brown, almost caramel eyes were full of calmness through his obvious sadness, but I could also distinct something else. Love. If I was not mistaken, he looked at me lovingly, and I couldn't help myself but lean closer to him.

As if he understood what I was about to do, he met me halfway, pressing his lips against mine. The kiss felt like a million fireworks erupted through my body, leaving goosebumps everywhere. I responded immediately, putting everything I felt for that man into that kiss - love, adoration, passion, gratitude, longing. In such a short period of time, I felt so many strong emotions for the man before me, and I wished I didn't have to leave this place ever.

The kiss lasted a few minutes before whistles erupted behind us. I quickly pulled away from Paul to look back at everyone, cheering and clapping. My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks burning from the embarrassment. Paul chuckled at my side, and pulled me back on his hot arms, hugging me tightly and planting small kisses on my head, making my heart beat faster, and my legs feel wobbly and weak. I closed my eyes for a few seconds and breathed deeply.

“Paul, I’m really sorry. I have to go back.” I pulled away and looked at him. Tears were building up in my tears once again, threatening to spill down my face any second now. Paul was not letting me go.

“No. No, you can’t go. I just found you.” His voice was cracking, and his eyes were filled with desperation, as he cupped my face between his hands.

“I know, and there’s nothing more that I would like to do than stay here with you. But I have to go back home, and then, I guess I’ll see what I have to do. Probably search for universities or something.” The tears were now spilling on my face, and Paul leaned down to wipe and kiss them away.

“Sh, sh. Please, love, don’t cry. We’ll find a way. You don’t have to go through this alone. I’ll come with you if I have to.” Paul looked at me, his face full of despair and worry.

“I.. I don’t know. You don’t have to do that, really. I will be fine. Maybe.. Maybe we’ll meet again, one day.” I sobbed once again at the possibility of not seeing Paul ever again.

“We don’t have to do this. We don’t have to lose each other. (Y/N), this is not just a summer romance, or a fling, or a flirt. I cannot explain it to you, and..and I don’t want to scare you or force you to do something you don’t want to, but, (Y/N), I feel bound to you. Like my whole existence was meant for you, and you were meant for me. I don’t want to lose you, I cannot lose you. And I certainly do not wish you to go through everything with your parents alone. I don’t know if you want to or not, but I want to and am willing to come with you, wherever you go. Just say the word, and I’ll come with you.”

Paul was looking serious and confident in his words; I could not distinct the tiniest lie or doubt in his words. I could only mumble a small “okay”, not able to trust my own voice at that point. Paul smiled widely, his eyes full of affection once again, as he brought my face closer to him in a loving kiss. I smiled through the kiss, more confident and happy that I had Paul’s support through facing my parents.

----------------------------------------------------------

It had been five or six days since I met Paul - time did not matter to me anymore, as long as I had Paul by my side. We were currently waiting at the Seattle airport for our flight back home. My parents forced me to end my road trip earlier than I wanted to, but I still had to pay my friends for the remaining time we rented the RV, the reservations we made, and everything else we were gonna do through our trip. They insisted I didn’t have to - they knew how my parents were, and that nothing could change their mind, but I insisted that I made a commitment to be with them for the whole trip and I couldn’t, so they didn’t have to be charged extra because of my parents.

Thankfully, my parents were as kind - notice the irony - as to put some extra money in my debit card, so I was able to purchase my ticket back home, but also Paul’s ticket, as he did insist on coming with me, but I couldn’t let him pay with his own money. So, I bought us two plane tickets to New York, where my parents would have to pick up both of us, whether they liked it or not. It was the least they could do after forcing me to leave earlier from the trip that I’d been waiting so long for, and leave my friends behind.

Just because we argued a lot about my future lately - they wanted me to study for a Masters right after finishing my Bachelor’s, while I wanted to take a year off and see things from a new perspective - did not mean they had the right to control every part of my life. We had been planning this trip for two years, saving up money, taking extra jobs, whatever was needed to become independent, and not have to rely on our parents for this unique experience. And yet, they had to ruin it for me; so, I had every right to ruin it for them as well. Though I didn’t want to use Paul as a “tool” for my parents to get upset, he agreed I needed to get my ‘revenge’ for their behavior towards me, so he went along with it.

Paul made me feel safe and unique. The past days were spent on the beach, or hiking, or driving around the Olympic Peninsula. He even drove us to Tacoma once, for me to see where he was born and raised. He hadn’t been there for over 15 years, and a lot had changed since he was a little boy. He reminisced of the old times when everything was simpler and he was happier. When he had to go through his parents’ divorce, and moving out with his father to La Push, he felt like his whole world was crumbling around him, unable to control anything.

He was never the same after that. Though he did manage to make some friends eventually, he also started having anger issues. He was angry that the world was so unfair; he was angry that he had to go through so much at such a young age; he was angry that he had to grow away from his mom and sister; he was angry because he thought it was his fault that his parents got divorced - it was many years later that he finally understood that whatever his parents were going through, he wasn’t the one to blame.

I told him that, sometimes, it was better to have just one parent than to have parents who fight all the time but still stay together for the sake of it. He didn’t say anything else about it, trying to cheer me up again, saying that nothing of it mattered now anyway, as long as we were together.

After that, we drove back to La Push. Though I was tired from the long day trip, he insisted he had to tell me something extremely important. So he drove us through the woods in the middle of the night. Though I was scared to be out there so late, I knew Paul wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me - he promised he wouldn’t and I trusted him.

Walking through the thick woods, I almost fell a couple of times, but Paul was there to catch every single one, deciding - after the fourth time - that it would be better if he just carried me in his arms than having me fall again. It took us some time until we were deep into the woods, no sound around us but the few owls, birds, and occasional wolf howls in the distance.

When Paul felt like it was an ideal place for him to tell me what he wanted to say, he stopped and put some distance between us. Though I wanted to be close to him, to feel his warmth and smell his scent, he said it would be better for both of us if I kept my distance from him, at least for a few minutes.

He started telling me that I was the most important person in his life now, and I felt my insides melt at his words. He confessed that from the very first moment I opened my eyes and looked at him, he knew that he couldn’t lose me; that he had to be close to me; that he needed to be close to me.

“I love you so much, (Y/N), and I hope nothing changes between us after that.”

I was about to ask him what he meant by that until he started stripping in front of me. I froze at my place, not knowing what to do or say; not knowing why Paul was stripping in front of me. Thankfully, he only stripped out of his t-shirt and trousers.

“Ehm, Paul? What are you doing exactly?” I didn’t know if I should be confused or aroused at Paul's semi-naked state.

“Please, try to understand and don’t get scared, okay? Please.” His eyes, barely visible under the dim moonlight that was passing through the woods, were pleading and desperate, almost saddened and cautious.

Within a few seconds of hearing low growls, a giant wolf jumped out from where Paul was initially standing. I felt fear wash through me, as I was staring at the giant animal in front of me and it was staring back at me. I was so startled that I didn’t realize I fell down from the sudden burst in front of me. I only closed my eyes, trying to breathe in for a few minutes to calm my racing heart. Though I had too much respect for the animal, seeing a giant wolf so close to me was not something I hoped for. With my eyes still closed, I felt something soft rubbing against my nose. Opening them, I was face to face with the animal that was rubbing its snout against my own face.

I was taken aback, but I realized that there was still something familiar to the animal in front of me. From the way it rubbed his snout against my face, to the way its brown eyes almost seemed to sparkle in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel a pull and familiarity towards the giant in front of me. Within these new sensations, it took me some time to realize that the animal was not just any animal; it was someone I had familiarized myself with for days now; someone I felt strong emotions of love and adoration towards. That giant wolf was Paul; the same Paul that saved me; the same Paul I had told my most secret thoughts to; the same Paul I fell in love with.

Realizing that, I was not scared of the animal in front of me anymore. I was confident in petting him, certain that he wouldn’t attack me. I extended my hand towards the wolf, petting his head lightly, and scratching between his jawline and ear. The wolf purred under my touch, and I couldn’t help but smile at the friendly giant.

Though I had a childhood trauma that resulted in me being terrified of dogs, the wolf in front of me did not trigger that fear; he actually made me feel safe and protected, sure that he wouldn’t do anything to cause me any harm. The wolf felt so calm with me that he laid across my lap, snuggling his head further into my body. We stayed like this for a few minutes, petting his soft fur, taking in his warmth and calmness. Though I didn’t want to ruin the moment, I had so many questions to ask him.

“Hey, Paul?” The wolf slowly turned his head around to look me in the eyes. “Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

The wolf huffed lowly, as he stood up and walked away, taking the clothes scattered around with him. I waited a minute or two, before Paul came back from the woods, now fully clothed. He sat down beside me, and I could finally ask him everything that crossed my mind within the past few minutes - about his wolf transformation, what he meant when he told me he needed to be close to me, and everything in between. He took a deep breath in and out, before looking me in the eyes.

The next minutes were spent with Paul trying to familiarize me with his tribe’s legends that turned out to be not just legends, but the tribe’s unspoken truth. They were the descendants of spirit warriors who transformed themselves into wolves to protect their families from the enemy - creatures who wanted to extinguish the tribe and its people: vampires.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been terrified to hear vampires actually exist and were not just made-up characters of an author’s creation, as I had always believed - mind you, I was always obsessed with how the undead creatures were portrayed on tv and films. But, since people like Paul existed, it wouldn’t be absurd for vampires to exist and pretty much live among humans.

Paul was too sweet to assure me that there hadn’t been a vampire around for a few years now, but, even if there was, he wouldn’t hesitate to give his own life to protect me from the “bloodsucker”. Though I more than appreciated the fact that he was willing to give his life for me - though I asked him not to, I asked why would he even think of sacrificing himself for me. I knew I wasn't anything special and I told him so. He quickly became agitated and annoyed at what I said.

“Of course you are special, (Y/N)! You are the most special and important person to me!” He grabbed my face as gently as he could and brought me closer to him.

“Yeah, okay, but... why? What is so special about me?” Even after he revealed his secret to me, I was clueless as to why he would sacrifice his life for me, someone who he knew less than a week.

Paul let out a deep sigh, clearly more nervous than before. “Well, this is bigger than being shifters, and I want you to understand that it doesn’t mean you have to do anything. You don’t have to commit to anything; nothing has to change for you, for us.”

I wrapped my hands around Paul’s wrists, getting slightly upset and worried at what was making Paul so nervous. “Paul, you’re worrying me. Just tell me. Please.”

“Okay, so, keep an open mind, please?” His voice was trembling, but I assured him to go on. “We, shifters, like people in general, may find someone special in our life. In our case, though, that someone special is someone who, by some weird mechanics of fate, is meant to be our better half. Literally, that someone is meant to be part of our life, one way or another; someone who keeps us grounded; someone who we would do anything for; someone who we would sacrifice our life for. For us, it’s called imprinting, and the person we imprint to becomes our whole world; nothing else matters but them. They are our number one priority; their happiness and well-being come before ours or anyone else’s. Our imprints choose what they want us to be - whether that is a friend, a protector, or a lover. We don’t get to choose who we imprint on, so we do not mind whatever the imprint chooses, as long as they are happy. (Y/N), you are that special someone for me. You are my imprint, but I rather call you my soulmate, as my soul is now bound to your existence. I only want you to know that you are not obliged to do anything, and I’ll be happy to just be your friend or someone you count on for whatever you may need. You need someone to protect you? I will be that. A shoulder to cry on? That will be me. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I will be there for you. Just say the word and I will be there.”

I felt tears streaming down my face and on Paul’s hands. Nobody had ever opened up like that to me; nobody had ever confessed such strong feelings for me before. Though the intensity of Paul’s feelings towards me felt intense, I felt confident in myself that I was feeling the same for him. He didn’t have to risk his life for me; he didn’t have to spend his time on whatever I wanted; I wanted to be there for him, as much as he wanted to be there for me. Imprinting or not, whatever I felt towards Paul was real, as real as I was; as real as the shifters were; as real as we both were.

I wrapped both of my arms around Paul’s neck, pulling him closer to me in a heated kiss. It was a hot, salty kiss, drowned by my tears and Paul’s heat. Paul slipped one hand through my hair, and tugged slightly, leaving goosebumps down my neck and arms. His hot body fit perfectly against mine, and thoughts of a naked Paul were racing through my mind, though I knew that having sex in the middle of the woods was not the ideal place for either of us.

As if he realized what I was thinking, he slipped both his hands down my waist, pulling me closer to him, if that was even possible. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he stood up, lifting both of us, never breaking the kiss. I pulled away, kissing his neck, finding his sweet spot. He moaned deeply before he started running back in the direction where we came from. The moment we reached his car, he placed me carefully on the passenger seat, running to get behind the wheel. He quickly started the engine, grabbing my own hand, not letting it off of his, until we reached his house. He quickly ran out of the car towards my side, opening my door, and wrapping his arms around my body. He ran directly into his house, bursting through the door, and up the stairs, too willing to get me to bed as soon as he could. Let’s just say it was a long and passionate night.

I smiled at the thought, leaning on Paul’s shoulder, as he kept holding me close to him. We were still waiting at the airport, before getting called to our terminal to board the plane. My heartbeat was steadily raising, but Paul sensed it, and he tightened his embrace around me, planting small kisses above my ear. Just another hour until we left Seattle, and then another 5 and a half hours until we reached New York. And then, I would have to find a way to deal with my parents.

[goofyassauthor]

Conjunction ❂

As Bella and Edward settle into the second decade of their new life together, this time as college undergrads, Eve crashes into it with an almost equally powerful, brand new supernatural species and romance for them to navigate. Eve just wants to forget about home and graduate. Unfortunately for her, she is Edward and Bella's third and final mate. The two vampires think they've got this down pat and aren't expecting more from Eve than a fragile human and are delighted to find she is much, much more interesting than any of them could have known. Eve can't help but but be fascinated by the strange, attractive couple- and the longer she spends trying to decipher Edward and Bella, the less she can avoid the reality of her own unique biology.

Hello! I’ve been neck deep in the twilight renaissance for years now and the idea of Conjunction has totally consumed me for months so I’ve made a lil side blog to share it and any following chapters, mood boards, fics and headcannons I write.  I'm hoping to publish the first chapter on Ao3 in the next couple of days- you can read a teaser for it now under the cut! I would like to shout out @siswritespotterverseyanderes who has written the most AMAZING fic Rule One: Don't Be Afraid which was the final push for me to put this plot floating around in my brain into words! Rule One also features a polyamorous relationship with a complex, well-matched, sensible OC for two of the Cullens. Conjunction won’t feature an explicitly yandere dynamic like Rule One and instead features a Bella/Edward/OC relationship but Stephanie Meyer’s vampires truly do lend themselves to the trope quite nicely so if you notice me wander into yandere territory like @siswritespotterverseyanderes - thats why! I would also like to mention @seedandflame who I found just last night! (Writing this on the 26th of September 21') I LOVE the concept of releasing fan projects with teasers and their own dedicated blog. Conjunction won't get such special treatment from me but I've been quietly curating a Conjunction Pinterest board for a few weeks and it's so cool to see that there's other people on a similar wavelength. I can't wait to see what they've been cooking up on October 1st!

If you want some further details on Conjunction (think of it as a teaser for mostly chapter 1) see below!

Conjunction is less of a fix-it and more of a punt at redemption for Twilight. It deviates from the cannon at two points: prior to the events of the first book (the Cullens don’t spend time in Alaska before moving to Forks) and at the honeymoon. Bella never conceives, literally just has a great honeymoon, comes home, gets turned (Jacob fucks off into oblivion) and goes to college. Shortly after Charlie is also turned due to what would be an otherwise fatal *genuine for the first time in Forks history* animal attack. At the end of 2009 the coven, now including Charlie, leave Forks to spend another decade in a similarly dreary place but in 2020 everyone is already homesick. It's still too early to return to forks so in 2021 they move to Fairfield, Alaska which is where our story starts! This time they are all university students except for Esme and Carlisle (who have fallen into their traditional roles of doctor and wife and are now posing as the aunt and uncle of their (all adoptive of course) orphaned nieces and nephews and Charlie who now poses as their grandfather and simply vibes in immortal retirement. Before the semester starts they are introduced to the idea of polyamorous vampiric relationships via the Denali sisters. Bella is unabashedly fascinated with this phenomenon which Edward ✨notes✨

At the start of semester 1, we are introduced to the Twilight Saga’s bread and butter: our every-girl: Eve. Her role in this fic is to sort of fill in the gaps that Edward and Bella’s personalities present.

Like Edward and Bella, she is still a fundamentally good person but much more naturally drawn to mischief and chaos than either of them or even most other people. However, she is also self-aware and tries hard (with very little luck) to reign it in. Edward obviously has a telepathic front row seat to this conflict, relays it to Bella and the two of them find it very endearing at first and then attractive as they identify her as a mate fall for her in synchronicity.

Eve’s goodness is sort of informed by a more contemporary lens and uh less Mormonism. Thats not a dig at Stephanie- I just can't personally relate. I’m going to try to keep Edward and Bella in character as much as possible while leaving room to focus on their darker inclinations and develop their personalities as Eve continues to influence them. For instance, Eve is more cynical and realistic than either of them but matches their intense obsession with herself and each other once her interest in them kicks into gear. She is less oblivious than Bella and more emotionally intelligent than them both as her frontal cortex has had the chance develop past 17 lmao.

Due to their mutual obsession with her, Edward and Bella learn more about each other- Bella the full extent of Edwards unhinged ‘protective’ thought process (she recognises it for what it is but can’t bring herself to care because at the end of the day, its still attractive to her PLUS she is now identifying similar urges in herself in response to Eve.) Edward consequently begins to see Bella’s full personality/nature for what it is now thats she's become more confident and embodied since being turned. So much so in fact that it comes to match his own assertiveness. Basically at this point they are literally both just tops 😩

Crucially, at the start of our story Eve is already grappling with her own secret life-long supernatural inclinations. Once Bella and Edward recognise this as more than just having a cheeky personality, they assume she falls into the category of ‘gifted human' à la Alice and Bella before being changed. However, they come to realise that this is inaccurate, and Eve belongs to a new species unknown to vampires in the Twilight universe, kind of like how Forks Wolves are ‘shape-shifters’ and not werewolves. It's fairies. The new species are fairies. For the purposes of this story, fairies present as regulardegular humans with the exception of some key traits which manifest on a spectrum and as such, will often move through the world unconscious of their own true biology with only a few accurately identifying their own true species. It’s likely that some of those gifted humans were in fact a fairy prior to changing but not all, as fairies on the strong end of the spectrum in this story are defined by a distinct taxonomy. I'm keeping some of them under wraps for the sake of the plot but some fun ones to know include that these fairies:

- Are impervious to vampire venom

- Smell and taste really fukn good to vampires without serving any nutritional benefit (as evidenced in the lack of change in eye colour after a ‘feed’ wink wonk)*

*Bonus lore: while fairies can experience a similar phenomenon to ‘mating’ or ‘imprinting’ with pretty much any supernatural species, part of their passive but extreme to-the-point-of-self-destructive-see-Eve's-inner-turmoil secrecy is due to their unhappy experience with the worlds earliest vampires whom fairies have since functionally 'obliviated' or ✨disposed of✨which explains why the no one, not even the Volturi know they exist!

- Have a general disposition towards impulsivity; present mindedness (often at the expense of forethought); creativity; abstract thinking; an endearing ‘weirdness’ according to whatever culture they happen to belong to and resourcefulness.

- Are otherwise physically fragile as humans with the exception of scent which they are pretty equal on

Eve is one such example BUT like many of her species in the 21st century, modern social convention has prevented her from leaning into her traits in a meaningful way. However, the longer she spends focusing on Edward and Bella, the more she allows herself to explore her own biology🧚

[goofyassauthor]

Conjunction ❂ Chapter 2

"In an instant and for the first time in years, Bella felt like she was not in control of her body. There was thirst to be sure and it was certainly feral, but nothing like the kind she associated with a meal. Her mate smelled rich. Like raspberry and timber and Bella wanted to bury herself in it, so she checked in with herself to be absolutely certain she wasn’t about to rip the girls throat out and found with both relief and interest that her monster recoiled at the thought. Her mate flashed a quick little smile in her direction as she took a seat and Bella was forced to grip her own hands together with enough force to make dust out of diamonds under the bench to avoid appeasing her monster by scooping the fragile little thing onto her lap right there and then. Instead, Bella got a hold of herself and responded to the gentle smile with her best dazzling grin."

Read it Now on Ao3!

Also relevant:

[goofyassauthor]

Cheeky little moodboard for chapters 1 & 2 ❂