Through all these little things, I was able to add the most important quality to my list, the most revealing of them all, as simple as it was rare. Bella was good. All the other things added up to that whole: Kind and self-effacing and unselfish and brave—she was good through and through. And no one seemed aware of that besides me. (x)
Hi everyone here’s some Bella Swan fan art because I thought she was just so beautiful and human in this scene (I am begging you to ignore the scratches my dog got ahold of my sketchbook)
billy, to bella after she returns from italy: isabella marie swan. jacob did not pull you out of a heaving ocean just for you to go try and get yourself killed in front of vampire royalty because of your melodramatic ex-boyfriend-
billy, an hour later, wheeling into the garage: AND ANOTHER THING
The pack, bless their hearts, were like kids in a candy shop. You, unfortunately, were the candy. They wanted to know everything about your life. All through dinner: a nice afternoon barbecue, they asked you so many questions. You didn't know if you'd talked this much your whole life.
The only one who ever gave you a break was Embry. He would let you ask him some questions of your own. That's how to two of you wound up walking up the beach, talking about the history of his pack. It was beautiful, and you knew you'd heard this story before. Your mom was obsessed with cultures, she loved to immerse herself in everyone's business. But, in a way that she was just excited, and wanted to learn.
"Does it hurt?" you asked.
"It used to," he said, "but I think it was more shock then anything. It's such a violent process."
"Hmm," you said. You'd learned so much already. "Maybe that's enough questions for one evening."
"They like you," Embry said.
"Even Paul?" you asked, making both you and Embry laugh together.
"If you can believe it," he said, "you impressed him twice in a row."
"Do you want to camp with me?" you asked, stopping at a big rock and pulling yourself up. "Right here on the beach, it's beautiful."
"You can probably sleep in my house," he said. You shook your head.
"No, I think I'll camp. But you're welcome to come," you said. You were looking out at a few lazy waves, and Embry joined you on the rock.
"Okay," he said, "I have a tent at my house."
You smiled, resting your chin on your knees. It had been a long day. A lot of new information to process. Embry just sat by you quietly, also enjoying the view. Being near him brought you peace. You didn't know if that was the soul connection or maybe you just liked him. He was a breath of fresh air compared to the regular monsters you met.
"Can we pretend we're not imprintees, or whatever?" you asked. "I'd rather see how things pan out naturally."
Embry smiled, "that sounds nice."
"Who knows what will happen," you said, putting your cheek on your knee so you could look at him. He closed one eye, and looked over at you. Face scrunched up and adorable. You smiled at him. You liked the way you felt when you were near him. It had been a long time since you'd been comfortable somewhere. "I want to help you catch Victoria."
"I figured," he said. Your attention was now on one another, you chewed the inside of your cheek as you studied him.
"Your friends like me," you said, he nodded. "What about you?"
"I think you're probably the coolest person I'll ever get the pleasure of knowing," he said. The clumsy charm came easily to this boy.
"You got that right." You reached over, and brushed a small bundle of hair off his forehead. As soon as you did it, you pulled away. "Sorry, not very slow of me."
"I said we'd let it play out," Embry said, a cocky smirk replaced his beautiful smile. "I never said we had to do that slowly."
You laughed. A sound he now cherished. Where you saw his beauty, he saw yours times ten. The scars on your arms just made you look like a badass. And the way the light reflected off your eyes was mesmerizing. Embry didn't know about the imprint, but he knew that he would've been fond of you no matter what.
Later that night, after you'd met everybody and you were so tired, you were looking for Embry around the remaining people. You almost considered taking him up on his offer to sleep in his house, but that was just laziness towards putting up a tent. It was a beautiful night though.
"Hey Paul," you said, flicking him in the ear as you stood behind him.
"That hurt, jerk." Paul held his ear between his finger and thumb. You blinked slowly at him.
"And you're the big tough guy around here?"
"One of these days, someone's not going to find your little attitude so cute," he said, crossing his arm.
"And I'll beat them up too," you joked. Paul laughed.
"You didn't beat me up, you won a duel."
"A duel? Which one of us is ancient again?" you asked, scanning the area again. Paul muttered 'whatever' and crossed his arms. "Have you seen Embry?"
"Ha," Paul laughed, "I'm surprised anyone was able to peel him off your side. I thought you guys got glued together or something."
"Wow, you know what? You're so funny," you said, flipping him off. He grabbed your hand. You swatted his hands until he let you go. "Don't touch me, you little nasty."
You said goodbye to him and walked over to thank Emily for inviting you to dinner. She offered you a couch to sleep on, and then made you promise to come back with Embry soon when you declined her offer. The backpack was loosely on your shoulder, and you started walking towards the beach. There didn't seem to be a better place to find Embry, and worst case you could sleep in a tree.
But he was there, tent set up and a little fire burning. He waved when you walked over, sneakers catching the sand uncomfortably.
"I would've helped you," you said, smiling at his handiwork.
"I know," he said, "but I bet you get tired of doing everything all the time."
"Now that, is a very sweet gesture." You looked to the water, the moonlight reflecting off the waves was so beautiful. You weren't used to people doing nice things for you. Honestly, you weren't used to people. "I have trouble letting people in."
"Are you saying you won't let me in?" he asked. His face was glowing in the light of the fire, and it somehow made him even more beautiful.
"No," you said. "I'm asking you not to let me push you away."
"I won't," he promised. And you believed him.
"I'm going to the Cullen house today," you said, grabbing your journal out of your bag.
You were sitting on Embry's bed. His closet and room became shared resources. And when he was gone for school, you'd set up a bit of a "home base" above his desk. You just liked that for once you could have all your thoughts organized.
And since his mom knew everything, you didn't have to hide it from her. But you still had to write it in a code that only you knew. Just in case someone who was not friendly found it. Didn't want to give them any leads, and no one in the world knew your cipher well enough to decode your messages.
Embry's mom was letting you stay at the house, even though on the nicer nights, you often chose to camp. Embry had been so worried about introducing you to his mom, but you had charmed her, the way you had charmed everyone else.
"You can stay here with Embry," she had said. "But I don't want any sex happening under my roof. Do you understand, Embry? I catch wind of it once, and you'll have to find another place to stay."
"Oh please, Embry wishes I would have sex with him," you joked. Embry was mortified, but you and his mom had started laughing.
"This is gunna be awesome. So fun and cool," Embry's voice had been monotonous. But he was happy that the two of you got along. It was important to him.
But that was a few days ago, and now Embry was looking at you as if trying to understand what you were talking about.
"Alone?"
"Yes, alone. They're less on guard when the wolves are at bay," you said. "I thought they should get a turn with my book. And that Alice, wow isn't she something else? I'd love to talk to her for just... five minutes."
"I don't think you should go there alone," he said, and you sighed. While you two had made a promise to take things slowly, the protective part of him was the side of him that crept to the surface before he could push it down. "I know, I'm sorry."
You smiled at him, and shuffled back on the bed until you were beside him, the two of you leaning against the wall. The window was open beside you, the fresh air and breeze trickled around you and filled your sense.
"The Cullens won't hurt me," you said. "Not only are they the good ones, but my blood tastes like vinegar to them."
"Gross," he said, sticking his tongue. He still didn't like it, and you were both aware of that.
"I need to talk to them," you said. "I've talked to Carlisle for like, ten minutes in his office. I need to know everything."
"I think you're just nosey," he said, smiling when you offered him a look of shock.
"How rude," you said, laughing and pushing him with your elbow.
"Well, it's true! What can they tell you that you don't already know?"
"I'm curious about the ecosystem here," you said. "It's delicate. Woven in past and future. It's beautiful."
"You're a weirdo, you know that?"
"Yeah maybe," you said, and then grinned. "But at least I don't turn into a dog."
Embry made a clicking sound with his tongue, shoved you back. The two of you were like two peas in a pod. He didn't have to keep secrets from you, or hide any part of who he was or how he felt. It was hilarious to the rest of the pack, they would often find you two practicing moves to use if you ever come across Victoria.
Destiny knew what it was doing when it paired you two. There was no problem when you were with him. It was easy, like it was second nature to be beside him.
"I have to go," you whispered, rolling your head to glance at him. "You can come, you know."
"I have to meet Sam soon," he said, reaching over to grab your hand. He brought it to his lips, planting a soft kiss on the knuckles. "You'll call me when you're leaving, yeah?"
"Sure," you said, smiling. "And if you can't answer because you don't have thumbs... I'll howl."
"You're an asshole," he said, squeezing your hand gently.
There was no clear direction to get the Cullens via the woods, but you figured it out. Trust your instincts, your mother always said, you'll know what to do. You always wondered if she had ignored her instincts when that vamp had you cornered. Did she ignore her instincts to save you?
There had been two dead that night. The vampire and your mother. It took awhile for you to recover from that. But the guilt never seemed to fade.
The Cullens house was huge, and made up of huge windows, on every side of the house. It was beautiful. It should've been in your nature to hate the Cullens, but they didn't kill people. Vampire hunting is about the biggest, baddest threats. Not the people who fought against their instincts.
Sometimes, you didn't even feel the need to kill a nomad. It wasn't about the fact that they were vampires, it was the gluttons. The ones who killed with no regard for human life. The ones who would take ten people from one town in a week.
Vampires like Victoria.
It seemed weird to knock. You knew that whoever was inside knew you were there. And they knew what you were. It's why, against Embry's wishes, you went totally unarmed. The only thing you had was your book, and the clothes on your back.
Carlisle opened the door, his typical polite smile on his face. "Hello, Y/N."
"Hey Carlisle," you said, grinning and tossing him the book. He caught it with ease. "Thought you might wanna look at all my field notes."
"Field notes?"
"Why does everyone always say that? Notes I took in the field," you laughed.
"Come in," he said, opening the door fully to you and opening the book at the same time.
"I figured, if you and pups can team up - then maybe another player in the game won't hurt."
"You want to join the fight?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Absolutely not," Edward said, sitting with Bella by the piano. "The last thing we need is someone else to be responsible for."
"Okay, well you won't be responsible for me so that solves that problem," you said. Edward concentrated in your direction, and you knew he was trying to read your mind. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I've heard it stings."
Edward jolted back, feeling a pain similar to a bee sting right in the middle of his brain. "Like a moth to the flame," you said. Bella chuckled.
"She warned you," she said.
"You're too weak," Edward argued.
All day long you handle being insulted, or picked on. And it wouldn't get under your skin. But you were not weak.
"Yeah, why don't you come say that to my face," you said, crossing your arms.
As if trying to prove a point, Edward came up to you at top speeds. But it was all about timing, and you slipped out of his path just time, kicking behind you to knock his knee down. He tripped, and it sent him into the door, splintering the wood all around him.
"How'd that work out?" you asked. "Pretty good?"
"Stop!" Bella shouted, finally able to process what she was seeing. "That's impossible."
"That's supernatural baby," you said, winking at her and throwing up a finger gun. Edward growled, his jealousy and pride both wounded by your actions. "Will you relax, I'm kidding."
"Carlisle," Edward said, returning to Bella's side.
Carlisle had barely been paying attention, but instead was reading the book. "I think they'd be an asset," Carlisle said. "And don't you ever attack one of my guests again, Edward."
"And if you get bit? What if you die on the field? Think the wolves will forgive us for the death of an imprint?"
"An imprint?" Carlisle asked, looking up.
"Caught a peak in there?" you asked, tapping your forehead. "Yeah, Embry is my destiny or whatever. Hardly what we're talking about and he's not my keeper."
"And if you get bit?"
You rolled up your sleeves, the bite marks that healed in jagged lines almost glistened under the lights coming in the window. No one moved or said anything. They just stared at the marks.
"My plan is to stay in the treetops and trap the woods," you said. "I'm not an idiot. Two or more vampires surround me and I'm toast. But in the trees I can cover you, and stop any from fleeing into town, or elsewhere."
"The pack will be joining us for training tonight," Carlisle said. "I invite you to join us."
"Awesome," you said, grinning. "Vampire hunter and the vamps and the wolves. What a party!"
"She's a liability," Edward said.
"Oh my god, do you have anything nice to say ever?"
[slightly AU, i guess. A stray from the canon, for sure.]
At the base of a tree, somewhere deep in the rainforest, you were covered in blood. It was all over your ripped clothes. The stickiness of it all was killing you. You heard fluttering in the trees, and only groaned, not wanting to move your neck to look. In a blurry flash in front of you, you saw the blur of wicked red hair.
There was a bruise forming on your thigh from falling against the tree, and it hurt so bad. Blood didn't scare you, it never made you flinch to see it, or even touch it.
"Little lamb," someone called, taunting you.
The flash moved in front of you, ripping some of the skin on your arm with her teeth. She's testing you, you thought.
"It'll be over soon," she cooed, launching herself at you from somewhere unknown. Something else fluttered violently through the forrest towards you. It was bigger, and it looked almost silver, but the blood in your eyes made it harder to focus.
"No," you shouted, reaching out to whatever was approaching you, but it jumped over you, colliding in the air with the red haired woman. They both grunted with effort, and then took off running deeper into the woods, leaving you to your situation.
"Just relax," someone said, the twigs breaking under their heavy steps. "You're safe now, we've got you!"
The guy talking was massive, he looked like he was over seven feet tall, and made of bricks. It gave you vertigo just looking up at him from the ground. You were short already but this was extreme. He bent to pick you up but you dodged his hands, swatting yours wildly.
"Don't touch me, Wolf Boy," you snapped. You could tell by the smell of him that he was a werewolf. Or maybe a shifter, werewolves were much harder to come across these days. But he smelled like a wolf, for sure. "You ruined everything."
"What?"
You stood up easily, the only thing hurting was the bruise on your leg. You had been thrown against the tree. Grabbing your pocket knife, you scraped the sticky mess of blood and tree sap off your arm.
"Do you know how hard it is to get your hands on human blood these days?" you asked, slopping the gooey mess to the ground. The leaves and gunk clumped together, forming a gross mess.
"That wasn't your blood?" he asked, his eyes turned suspicious.
"Calm down and give me a whiff," you said holding open your arms. "Tell me you don't smell two different types of blood? Or hear my heartbeat, even?"
"You're human?"
"More human than not," you said, shrugging.
The stranger continued to eye you as you wiped off as much of yourself as you could. You weren't lying, you were more human than you weren't. The history of your people was somewhat lost. You've been trying to piece it together, but it's hard when your lineage has almost died, and it's hard to track down the travellers like you.
"I have a lot of questions," he said. He still eyed you suspiciously.
"I bet you do," you said. But your time here was done. That was years of tracking, wasted. You were going to be the one who put an end to the reign of terror that dated back centuries. The old stories of James & Victoria pre-dated you, and pre-dated your mother. Your mom taught you every she knew. She died a few years ago from a bad hunting expedition.
A vampire hunting expedition.
"But I'll be leaving anyway, I'm not interested in causing any problems." You pulled your bag out from a hole you'd dug behind the tree. The guy staring at you was awestruck. Both confused and excited by the random encounter. "She has my scent now, I won't be able to slay the beast."
"The vampire?"
"What other beast did it seem like I was fighting today," you asked. Sometimes you spent so long in isolation that you forget your manners. "Sorry, I'm just a little irritated."
"You have to come back with me," he said. "I'm Quil."
"I should probably go," you said, flinging your pack over your shoulder. "I'd like to shower as soon as possible. The human blood thing doesn't track well anymore. Science is making my life harder every year."
"You can shower at my house," he said. "And then you can answer some questions."
"Look that's really nice of you, but this vampire has my scent. And knows I was gunning for her. If she heads back to the vampire mafia, I'm screwed."
"She's an outlaw," he said, "we think, anyway. That's what the Cullens said."
"The Cullens? You speak to them?" This place was suddenly getting a little more interesting.
"We have an understanding. A treaty," he said. "And I hate to be this guy - but I really have to insist. You know our secret."
You sighed, you did have a few questions yourself. But in your line of work you were used to things going unanswered. It already seemed like you weren't going to get out of this, when another one of the wolf men joined his friend. This one was different. You felt an absolute serge of connectedness to him.
Something was shared between you. You could feel the tethers form between the two of you. Like a handwoven, interconnected bridge, linking your souls. You'd heard of this before, two souls connected without the people attached to those souls ever having met before, but you never had any proof of what it felt like. This, you supposed.
"Whoa," he said, unable to pull his eyes from you. He didn't feel the wave of love that he expected from looking at Sam and Emily, but he felt glued to you. Like his destiny was tied up in yours.
"Well that is a very interesting development." You chewed on this inside of your lip. "All right, well I better stick around to see how this plays out."
"Did you just-" Quil stopped, and looked between the two of you. "Oh now that is hilarious."
"Shut up," Embry said, hitting his friend in the shoulder. "I'm Embry."
"So, what are you?" Quil asked, watching you jot something down in a notepad.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm a vampire hunter."
"A vampire hunter? Like, like Buffy?"
"She's a slayer," you joked, "get it together."
Embry walked beside you, but gave you distance. You seemed more curious about the imprint than anything, and Embry was curious about you. This stranger, human anatomy but the power to fight a vampire?
"Carlisle never mentioned you guys," you said. "Probably to be nice."
"He wouldn't tell anyone of our secret," Quil said.
"Yeah, he's a good guy," Embry agreed.
"In a hundred years I've never come across a place like this," you said, eyes bright with excitement and curiosity. You scribbled some of the insight in your book. "Don't worry, these are just my field notes."
"Field notes?" Embry asked. You finished writing and handed him the book.
"You can read it, it has all my trackings of Victoria and James."
"What about the third they ran with?" Quil asked.
"They didn't run together for very long, and I heard from Carlisle that they'd gone their separate ways."
"He's dead," Quil said.
"Attributed to you guys, I'm guessing?"
"Well, the pack, yes. But we weren't there yet..." Embry said.
"You didn't have to tell them that," Quil said, laughing. He knew Embry wouldn't want to lie to you.
"Do you have other books like this?" Embry asked, closing it and passing it back. He'd read it at another time, right now he was focused on asking you questions. Quil and Embry both had a lot of questions.
"I write one for every new vampire I track," you said, tucking the book in the bag behind you, after jotting down that the wolves had killed Laurent. "But I burn the books with the bodies. Don't want the secrets to fall into the wrong hands."
"What happens if they kill you?" Quil asked. "Then you have no control over the book."
"My backpack self destructs," you said, casually. "There's a little, like... it's hard to explain, it's not a bomb. But bomb is the closest word. That's why I bury the bag in a hole. So the bag self destructs, but the water in the hole prevents a forest fire. Everything is calculated."
"What if they bite you?" Embry asked, and you wondered how close you were to their meeting place.
You laughed at that, and stopped walking. "Give me a second, you'll love this."
Taking out your canteen, you poured the water on your arms effectively rubbing off the rest of the mess. Up both of your arms were scattered bite marks, all scarred and healed. Embry gasped, Quil clapped. They were your biggest fans.
"So, you're immune?" Quil asked, "Is that the right word?"
"The people I come from are people of few words. We have all this technology, and traditions," you said, waking forward again. The boys were totally invested in everything you had to say. "but we're missing a lot of words. Like, there's no name for us."
"Where are you from?" Embry asked.
"Romania," you said, Quil laughed. "But it was Transylvania when I left."
Quil stopped laughing. "Wasn't that in the 50s?"
"'47, actually."
"How old are you?" Embry asked, he was starting to feel anxious. If he aged with you, but you didn't age... what did that make him?
"I don't know for sure, it's hard to keep track when you're constantly on the move."
The boys climbed up a small hill, and on the other side you could see the beginnings of houses forming in your view. They asked you a lot more questions. What do you eat? Food. Do you have any family? Not living. Do you have any friends? Not living. Do you have a home? If you count the earth, yes. If you don't, no. What do you do for money? What do I need money for? It went on for what felt like hours, but eventually you arrived at a modest cabin.
"Can I shower before we finish this interrogation?" you asked, dropping your bag on the ground.
"Can I read your book?" Embry asked, looking at the bag.
"Go for it," you said, kicking the bag towards him. He picked it up, and grabbed what he wanted.
The feeling of warm water on your back was heavenly. You couldn't remember the last time you'd had a hot shower. Quil and Embry were scoring wicked points with you for making this happy.
Now Embry was an interesting thought. It wasn't love at first sight, but the tethers... you felt them. Totally unexpected, but it felt nice. Like you'd found a place with people who are weird like you. And they seem to get along. Maybe the world wasn't survival of fittest anymore. Maybe the good old fashion good vs. evil was back. It was really giving you a lot to think about.
After a cleanse like that, it seemed almost criminal to put your dirty clothes back on. But, like true fans, they boys had found a clean shirt and basketball shorts with a tie for you to throw on.
"Is there a beach around here?" you asked, your dirty clothes in a clump in your hands. "I need to wash my shirt."
"Give it here," Quil said. "I'll put it in the wash."
Embry was sitting silently on a rock, hunched over your little journal. He was deep in thought. You looked over him. He was not a bad problem to have. You couldn't deny how handsome he was. Skin that seemed to melt into the sun, and eyes that held a depth you'd never seen before. A part of you wanted to touch him, casually run your hand down his back. But you resisted. A soul connection doesn't constitute consent.
"This is amazing," he said. He had been all too aware of how you stared at him. He felt nervous. Someone as cool as you was way out of his league. "I've never seen anything this in depth on a vampire before. You gotta let Sam read this."
"Sure, if you think it'll help you guys out."
Your instinct to get out of there had nothing to do with selfishness. You didn't mind sharing your insight. Embry nodded, looking back at the pages.
"Maybe I could stick around and help out," you said, shrugging. "I can camp on the beach!"
"I'd like that," he said, a seriousness in his tone that you hadn't heard yet. "I think the rest of the guys are gunna really like you."
"I think Jared is gunna be their new best friend," Quil said, returning to the pair, noticed only by Quil, you had inched closer to Embry. "Or maybe Bella - she's into weird stuff."
"Jared will get a kick out of this for sure," Embry laughed, his beautiful smile burned into your memories.
"Wanna race?" you asked, looking at Quil. Embry looked up, but shook his head, returning to the journal. He liked that you and Quil were getting along, it made it easier to try and convince you to stick around.
"I kinda have super speed," Quil said. "Even out of the wolf form."
"Yeah, me too dumbass." You rolled your eyes. "I haven't had anyone able to keep up with me for a while. But you gotta stay like this, because I'm screwed if you go wolfie."
"What other powers do you have?"
"Quil! You can't ask someone what powers they have," you joked, tapping him on the shoulder and taking off running.
Both Embry and Quil laughed. He caught up to you, but the race was neck and neck. Since there was no ending point, you both just kept running. The two of you were having a good time, you kinda felt like a teenager again. Running around, laughing. It was nice not looking over your shoulder all the time. If you weren't careful, you could get used to this.
"Okay, okay," Quil said, slowly down. You stopped, but paid cautious attention to him. "You weren't kidding, you're fast."
"So who won?" you asked.
"Whoever gets back to Embry first," Quil said, taking off full speed back the you came.
It was close again, the winner would be a photo finish. You could see a few more figures standing around Embry. It looked like they were all cranning over him to read what you'd written. When Quil pulled a little bit ahead, you pulled out all the stops.
"Incoming!" you shouted, skidding to a stop in front of Embry, but you tripped over a rock, knocking him off the rock and you on top of him. You didn't stay like that for long though, you rocked yourself up on your hand and flipped backwards, landing on your feet. "Whoops," you said, holding your hand out to Embry. "Sorry. You were collateral damage."
"To what?" he asked, grinning and taking your hand.
"Oh, I had to win that race, and I did."
"Embry?" one of the new figures spoke. It wasn't a command, but a pointed suggestion. This one was in charge.
"Oh sorry. Sam this is..." He looked at you and laughed. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"
"Y/N," you said, offering your hand for Sam to shake. It was 50% politeness, 50% to give him a chance to feel your heartbeat. You knew he had questions, and the bite marks on your arms were clearly visible.
"What are you?" another guy asked, when you looked at him... he held a familiar feeling in the eyes.
You leaned in, just a smidge to catch a whiff of him. You gasped, "you're silver wolf!" He looked confused at how you knew, but it turned to irritation when you picked up a rock and threw it at him. "Years of work and careful planning, and you pop out of nowhere and ruin it!" You kept throwing rocks at him.
"Paul, stay calm," Sam said.
"No," you snapped. "Let him get all mad. I want to deflate his ego after he ran Victoria away from me. That was my kill."
"You think you can take me?" Paul asked, his irritation quickly turned to curiosity. "Let's go then."
Paul phased, but so did Embry. Everyone looked at him, and Paul began to back off... but Embry must've said something, and Paul took up his defensive stance again.
"Paul, no!"
"No, no. I think she can take him," Quil said. Embry snorted in agreement.
"What is going on?" the last, unnamed one said. He sounded stoked, not upset. Perhaps this was Jared.
You took a running start towards Paul, and he did to you too. When he jumped, you slide. Not a care in the world that you were baseball sliding against gravel. The scrapes on your legs didn't even hurt. From the backside of him, you spun up, kicking him in the hind as you did it. Paul whimpered in surprise, and jumped to turn towards you again.
You spun away, punching him in the side. Paul was turning to you, but you flipped over him, landing on the side he was looking away from, and grabbing him in what they could only describe as a headlock. You laughed as Paul squirmed. You won and they know it.
"Good game," you said. "I forgive you for ruining my one and only shot at Victoria." You patted Paul on the head, and he nipped at you. "Bad dog, no biting."
Embry and Paul took off into the woods at top speeds, both nipping at each other. You picked a large rock out of your leg and everyone watched you. You were clearly bleeding. Right after your shower too.
"I'm sorry," maybe: Jared said. "Did you just beat Paul in a fight?"
"I mean, we were both pulling our punches, but yeah." You laughed. "Not that he got any punches in."
"Hi, I'm Jared. Paul was my best mate, but it's you now. Tell me everything. Everything."
"Do you think Paul is gunna hate them or make a rival out of them?" Quil asked.
"Rival," both Jared and Sam answered.
[Tell me if I should continue this, it's just an idea I ran with]
Something was afoot around La Push. There had been an irritating vampire, running around the forest for weeks. Paul was certain that she would take an opportunity to take you away from him. He had saved you, and she had your scent. It was probably bothering her.
"Honey," Paul sounded distressed when he came in the door. "I have to talk to you about something important."
"Okay." You ushered him over to the couch with you, and sat close enough that your knee overlapped with his thigh. "Is everything all right?"
"Don't worry, everything is fine. But..."
Admittedly you were getting worried. He didn't normally act like this around you. The last couple of days had been pure honeymoon phase. Your lips were getting chapped with all the kissing that went on around here.
"The Cullens have reached out to us," he said. "They want our help fighting an army of newborns."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Newborn leeches, not like, actual babies." Paul chuckled a little, but his face fell again. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want you to worry. But I am trying to honour our deal."
"Are we talking about it, or are you telling me?" you asked. You weren't angry, you just needed to know what direction this conversation was going.
"We're talking about it," he said, "but there's not much I can do if Sam gives me an order. I have no choice then."
"It's okay, you don't have to worry about it. I'm not going to try and stop you."
"You're not?" He was a little taken aback by that. You hated the idea of him in danger, he thought this was going to turn into an argument.
"No, it would be pretty selfish of me to ask you not to help," you said. "Can you tell me why an army is coming?"
"To kill Bella, we think."
"Oh my," you said, you'd hadn't had a chance to meet Bella yet, but Jacob spoke so highly of her. It felt like you knew her already. You felt kind of bad for her too, and lot of the guys had these preconceived ideas of what she was going through, just because of how Jacob felt. The mind link was a powerful - and super annoying - thing.
"And Sam wants us to go to the Cullens house and train with them." The tone of annoyance he had crept under your skin.
"That's a good thing," you said. "I want you to go and I want you to pay attention."
He looked offended. "I don't need help from a leech."
"Oh, have you fought a newborn army before?" you asked, attitude dripping off of every word.
"Well, no."
"If you expect me to be okay with letting you fight, then I expect you to take all the help you can get."
Paul studied your features for a moment, and soon realized you just wanted him to be safe. And quite honestly, he couldn't blame you. He would expect the same from you. And you were so patient and caring. How could he deny you anything?
"I'll go - but I won't like it," he said, pouting slightly. The soft smile on your face was enough to wipe any of the irritation away.
"I'm not asking you to like it, my love."
You kissed him, and then spun around so your back was pressed tightly against his chest. He wound his arms around you. You held your hands over his arms. You loved being close to him. You could've sat like that all day. Paul pressed sweet kisses on your cheek, slowly trailing them to the skin just under your ear.
"There's something else," he whispered. "And I don't want you to get scared because I would never let anyone hurt you ever."
"I know you wouldn't."
"It's the same vampire that attacked you," he said. He felt you tense slightly. The fear of her coming back for you never really went away. If she was really still running around the reservation, then maybe you actually were in trouble.
"Do you think she wants me?"
"No, but I think she'd be happy to take you away from me," Paul said, his grip on your tightened, only slightly.
"Can you promise that you'll be okay?"
The look on his face made your stomach drop. He would never make a promise that he couldn't guarantee.
Days passed.
Paul had to spend a lot of time with the pack. And you spent a lot of time with Emily and Kim, or at work.
You were having issues at work, but you felt you had no one to talk to about it. Paul needed to stay focused, and you didn't want to be a distraction to him, but at the same time you needed him. You just thought it was best if you suffered in silence for a while. It all kind of felt a little overwhelming. Some of it was good, of course. Paul was good. He was everything good in the world that you needed more of.
But work was bad. Your boss, sleazy and touchy, was going through a breakup. And he had his sights set on you for a rebound.
"Are you okay, Y/N?" Emily asked. She set a mug of tea in front of you. Kim was also there, and peaked over the edge of her magazine.
You were startled out of your thoughts. Kim and Emily were both looking at you, and you could hear Quil snoring on the porch outside. He was supposed to be protecting you guys, but all the guys were pretty beat.
"Yeah," you said, putting another phoney smile on your face. The girls fell for it, but you didn't know if Paul would. But since he's been so exhausted (running extra patrols around your house in the middle of the night) you've been able to hide it.
The only problem was the guilt eating you up for not being honest with him, but you couldn't let work drama get in Paul's head. His life was at stake.
"They're going to be okay, you know." Kim put her magazine down and put her hand over yours. "I know it's scary, but they're strong together. And fighting with the Cullens? It'll be no contest."
"I'm sure you're right," you said. "It's just a little bit of nerves."
"We all get them," Emily said, smiling. Her smile gave you the feeling of an older sister, proud of you and welcoming. "Want to help me with dinner? Get your mind off things?"
"I actually have to get to work soon," you said, picking your bag up to loop it around your shoulders. "I'll call when I get there."
You came out of work with your head hung low. Your boss had been by your side all night. Ignoring your rejections, he was persistent and you quit on the spot. You shouldn't have to put up with that, and you told him so.
But now, it would be harder to hide your worry. Paul was sitting in his truck, his head resting on the steering wheel. You couldn't help but smile when you saw him. You tapped on the drivers side window, and he startled awake.
"Let me drive," you said, and without argument he slipped into the passenger seat. He didn't let anyone drive his truck, but of course, he sung a different tune for you.
"It'll be over soon," Paul said. "A week, two weeks tops."
"Go back to sleep my love," you said, turning on the truck.
When it was going and you were driving out of the parking lot, Paul reached over to you, palm up. Of course he just wanted to hold your hand. It's a short drive, but you drove slow. Driving helped you think, but you didn't often drive on your own. Asleep in the passenger seat, Paul still clung tightly to your hand.
It was almost too soon before you were home, so you parked the truck but let the music play. You scooted over, simultaneously waking him up and cuddling into him. He groaned himself awake, but grinned as he moved his body to accommodate yours.
"Pretty little thing," he said, resting his cheek against the top of your head. You could've sat with you back in his chest all day. If you never moved from this spot, you'd die happy.
A slow, romantic song that you couldn't name came on the radio. It was soft, like a song they would play at prom.
"Dance with me," he whispered.
"Dance with you?"
"Yes," he said, opening the door behind him and you both fell back slightly, but he caught you, laughing at your sudden gasp.
He got out of the truck, and then offered his hand for you to take, with a dramatic bow. You took it, and let him guide you out of the truck and close to him. He held one of your hands, but your waist in the other. You put a hand on his chest.
"You should be going to sleep," you said. Paul grinned, picking you up and spinning you twice, making you laugh. He set you back down and continued to sway with you.
"We can go to bed after this song," he whispered. "Right now I would like to spin you and pretend that we are normal."
"We are normal," you whispered back. He kept smiling.
"Do you think that?" It wasn't an accusatory question, you could tell that he was just curious.
"I feel like I'm falling for you because I like you," you said, his smile faltered, but because your words meant everything to him. He never wanted you to feel like his feelings for you were an obligation. "Not because something else told me to."
"I love you," he said, freezing the dance.
Your smile was soft, lazy almost as you looked up at him. All you could see in his eyes was his honesty. "I love you too, Paul."
The two of you were silent, enjoying each other and the last few piano chords of the song playing. When it was over, he spun you around. He pulled you even closer after, until there was no possible way you could be any more pressed against him. That's when he leaned down to kiss you. It was rushed, or lustful. It was... expressive.
Paul's mouth moved so softly against yours. Every move was a calculated way to tell you he loves you. He let go of your hand, to move his onto your cheek. The soft stroke of him thumb across your cheek made you shiver.
When he pulled away, you wanted to pull him back. But you knew he must've been exhausted.
"Hungry?" you asked, and he just shook his head. He let go of you with a kiss to your forehead. He went back to the truck and turned it off by crawling over the passenger seat and taking the keys out.
"Let's get inside," he said, throwing an arm over you.
Inside, you kicked your shoes off. You both walked to the bedroom, but after sliding into one of Paul's shirts, you went to the kitchen to make something to eat, but Paul crawled into bed.
You woke up on the couch a few hours. A plate of half eaten food abandoned near you. Stretching, you stood up and went to drop the dishes in the sink.
There was something wrong in the kitchen. It wasn't something you had noticed, just a feeling. A bad feeling. You dropped the plate, and touched a spoon that was sitting near the coffee maker. You dropped that in the sink too and looked around. Nothing looked wrong.
You tried to shake it off, and grab a glass of water before joining Paul in bed. The cups were in the cupboard beside the fridge. You took a second glance at the fridge. A picture of you and your grandma that was always clipped on the side of the fridge, was on the front now. That's what was wrong.
"Paul!" you shouted, running down the hall. You didn't really want to wake him, but you knew he would want you to.
When you were at the bedroom door, he was already opening it. Half asleep and trying to focus on you.
"What's wrong?" he said, but he looked out towards the kitchen. He could smell that something wasn't right. "Stay behind me."
He grabbed your hand, and tugged you behind him. When he was closer to the kitchen, he froze. He turned to you.
"Go into the room, grab my phone off the nightstand and call Sam, tell him to come as soon as he can."
You did as you were told, running at top speeds. Your bare feet tapped against the hardwood. Inside your room, the sheets were messed up. Paul had obviously thrown the covers off when you called. You messed up the number twice before you got it right. Sam was tired on the other end, but hearing the urgency in your voice said they would be there as quickly as possible.
