Something Right
Author: Tayjayfan
Beta: None (Blame me for anything I've missed)
Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to SM, not me. Otherwise, the original story would have a much more satisfying ending and we'd have an entire series about our Wolfpack. The songs mentioned are the property of the songwriters and Chelsea Lankes and Jason Mraz, who perform them.
AN: Several months ago, the beautifully talented WestCoastAngel sent me the video for "Something Right" by Chelsea Lankes. We decided it would be the perfect Paul/Bella story. So, I mentioned the idea to the fabulously accomplished Taoist Elf and she encouraged me to turn my ideas into a 'lil story. I cannot express how thankful I am to these two wonderful ladies. Without them, I would never have had the guts to write anything. No one could have any better girlfriends than these two! This is only a short little story. Maybe at some point, I will be able to turn my ideas into a full-fledged fic.
WestCoastAngel made the beautiful banner for this story(yeah, she's awesome). She is so talented and she captured the spirit of this story perfectly. In my mind, Paul is linked indelibly to Alex Meraz; that's where the artist angle comes from for this Paul. Alex's art is amazing, imo, and for Paul to be such an emotional guy...the two just seem to go together for me.
Part 1
"Bells, everything in this gallery was created by Paul." Jacob's voice was confident and sure but he spoke quietly, knowing Paul could hear everything they were saying to each other.
NO WAY! Her mind couldn't comprehend it. Couldn't possibly understand that the depth and beauty of the pieces surrounding them came from someone so... volatile.
Her mind automatically went back to 'The Slap' in Jake's yard all those years ago. She'd been so angry with Sam and his 'gang' when they'd recruited her Jacob. She'd wanted to tear into every single one of them but Paul had been the only one brave enough to face her wrath. He'd done it without hesitation. Later on, when she'd thought back over the events of that day, the disbelief she felt for having actually struck another human being had made her literally start shaking in her Chucks. His intensity was so intimidating and she wasn't the type to go toe to toe with anyone. Especially someone like Paul.
Bella forced her brain to return to the present and contemplate what Jake was telling her. The sheer emotion in the art around her left little to the imagination. There was no doubt that the artist had poured his very soul onto the canvas. Every piece her eyes had come across had caused a stirring inside her chest that she didn't understand. The swirl of colors seemed almost familiar to her, the charcoal telling her a story she was sure she'd already read.
But how could that be true? She wasn't close to Paul, didn't really know him outside of her friendship with Jake. But she felt unsettled about being in the midst of all this(his) beauty. Not in a bad way, just..unsettled. It was like, for the first time, she was seeing who he really was. Being the quiet sort, she had always had an appreciation for art, an affinity for those who made a scene come to life through oil or clay or wood. She was envious of their ability, always wishing she could somehow have the courage to say things through a piece of art that she didn't have the guts to verbalize in real life. It was easy to see the deeper meaning when one took time to be quiet and patient and simply study what was in front of them. But had she ever felt this..kinship..to anything she'd seen in the galleries she'd visited in Seattle or Phoenix? She doubted it. It wasn't likely that she would have been able to forget this compulsion to drink in the nuance of every brush stroke as she did right now.
"Jake, I'm not saying I don't believe you but how can that be true? This isn't Paul. The Paul I knew swung first and asked questions later. Well, except when there was a girl involved. All I ever saw from him was rage and bitterness. Where did this come from?" She knew her voice was incredulous but she couldn't help it; that's exactly what she felt.
"I know, right? Who knew the Enforcer had a soft side? Look Bells, he's changed. He's not that guy anymore. Wait until you talk to him, you'll see what I mean.'' She could hear Jake's amusement. No doubt he'd had this same argument with others before. Maybe even with himself.
"Why didn't anyone tell me? You know how much I love you guys. I would have at least bought something from him to support the Pack. I could have hung it at Charlie's or something until I came back from school."
"He doesn't like for us to talk about it. In all honesty, we were completely floored when he told us that he was going to have an actual showing at an actual gallery, where they actually sell art." Jacob's eyes flicked around the room before he continued, "I would never have guessed that he would let anyone get this close to his stuff. He is very private. He's given us all different pieces as gifts but he never accepts a dime from anyone on the Rez. In fact, he hardly ever takes any of the profit for himself. He bought himself a car and fixed up his house but that's it. He set up a fund to help abused kids on the Rez and most of what he makes goes into that."
Bella couldn't help but shake her head once again in amazement. She just could not wrap her head around the fact that this was Paul's stuff. Embry walked up and started talking to Jake so she wandered away from them to check out some other pieces that were displayed: sculptures of forest scenes were perched atop beautiful brown wooden stands, black and white photographs were clustered together in dark wood frames, and paintings were set on easels with just the right lighting to draw attention to detail.
Bella decided to just let herself browse and take things in while she thought about what Jake said. This new understanding of Paul gave everything she looked at a different meaning, more significance. Her feet carried her to a painting that had a woman with long curly brown hair silhouetted in the sunshine that shone all around her. She was standing in a meadow of tall green grass with her feet buried in the wild flowers that lined the ground. Her eyes were hidden but you could see a pert little nose and a soft smile on her face. It was almost as if she were on the cusp of looking toward the one painting her but was too shy to do so.
"What do you think? Beautiful, isn't she?" A cheek rested against her head and lips were almost buried in her hair. Bella couldn't suppress the shiver that worked its way over her body at the sound of the voice right by her ear. She should have been freaked out by the fact that she hadn't heard him come up behind her but the only thing that registered was the warmth that surrounded her. In her experience, there were only a few beings that radiate that kind of heat.
And she knew that voice. It had been a while since she'd heard it but there was no mistaking the sexy croon of Paul Lahote. Women from nine to ninety sighed when he was near because that smooth sexy cadence had a way of making them wish it was only for them.
Bella turned around and faced the man she had only seen a handful of times in the past five years. She had to admit that he had only gotten better looking with age. That glossy black hair was arranged in a messy style that made you think a woman had just run her fingers through it. Soft plump lips stretched into the smirky little smile that was his signature. Several days of stubble covered his jaw. Much to her chagrin, the image of her hands rubbing across that angled jaw flashed through her mind.
But what snagged her attention immediately were those eyes. Black pools of warmth looked directly at her, without apology, like he could see inside her. An inexplicable little shiver ran over her skin before she could prevent it.
She glanced down and couldn't help the spurt of pure unadulterated female appreciation that sliced through her at the sight of the black button down shirt, open at the collar, allowing her a glimpse of the beautiful brown skin underneath. And the pinstripe jacket and pants that he wore had a "Wow" falling through her lips before she could hold it back.
Paul's lips quirked. "Hello, Bella," he said quietly. "It's been a while. I would say thanks for coming but I'm sure you're only here because Jake dragged you."
Who was this guy and what has he done with Paul Lahote? She'd expected to have to fend off sarcastic barbs from him all night, just as she'd done as a teenager. But that ever-present sarcasm that she associated with him was missing. She almost felt a little nervous about talking to him like a normal person. It made her feel completely out of her element. He made her feel completely out of her element.
Bella cleared the nervousness from her throat. "Hey, Paul. It has been a while. I'm glad to be here. Jake asked me to come, no one dragged me anywhere. He knows how much I love going to local art shows. I was excited about seeing the work of this 'up and coming artist' that everyone has been talking about." She arched a brow toward him. "I actually read about it while I was visiting Angela in Seattle. I probably would have ended up here myself anyway, it was just a bonus that my BFF wanted to come too."
He snickered at her comment because he knew the only way one of the Pack would step foot in an art gallery was if they were following a vampire through it to rip it's head off. He couldn't believe they had all come here tonight to support him. Yeah, they were a family but he still had a hard time asking anyone to go out on a limb for him, even his brothers. It meant more to him than he was comfortable expressing.
"I gotta say, I can't believe that all this is yours. It's incredible. Like, really incredible." She knew she was talking too fast but she just didn't know how to deal with Paul on this level. "I never even knew you painted at all. Have you always done it? And how the heck did you hide this from all the guys when you all see into each other's minds on a daily basis?" According to Jake, he was their fiercest fighter and she was still trying to reconcile the guy standing in front of her to the guy she had always known.
"Well, I've got the most control," he pointed to his temple, "so it's not so hard to hide my thoughts from those mutts. That's always been pretty easy for me. I didn't always do this." His gaze left hers to sweep the gallery once more. "I started a while after I phased for the first time. When you have all that emotion boiling inside your brain, you have to find an outlet for it." A slight furrow appeared on his brow as his eyes bobbed thoughtfully from painting to painting. "For a while, I chose some not so healthy outlets but that just got old. One day, we were sitting on Sam's back porch, listening to him drone on and on about patrol routes or some crap, and I picked up the paper Emily had been making a grocery list on and started sketching the forest behind me."
Bella could picture that scene in her mind so clearly and she gave him a little nod of understanding before he continued. "I mean, I'd always drawn caricatures of people to tick them off or, uh, suggestive things to embarrass girls. It just didn't click for me, until about a year after I started phasing, that the only time my mind was ever quiet was when I was drawing or painting something. I guess it's a way to drown out all the other crap going on." His gaze snapped back to hers and he gave her a sheepish little grin. "Annnnd, I have no idea why I'm telling you all this. Sorry." He seemed to give himself a little shake and let his eyes wander around again, this time taking in the reactions of the people milling about. Bella was surprised to see a hint of pride in his eyes.
"Don't apologize and I'm glad you are telling me everything," Bella replied quietly. "Sorry if it sounds offensive but I never would have guessed you would do something like this." His gaze snapped back to hers. "But now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense. You were always so intense. I should have known you were a deep well." Bella's smile of wry amusement made him laugh.
"A deep well? What does that mean?" His voice reflected his confusion.
Bella gave an embarrassed little shrug and answered his question, "You know, someone who has a lot of emotion but keeps it hidden? Deep emotion. I can see that about you." She couldn't believe she was saying these things to him. She wasn't usually so forward with her opinions about people.
Paul seemed to consider what she was saying then turned from her appraising gaze to glance back at the painting in front of them. "So, you never said...what do you think of this one?" He angled his body back toward her, almost as if he was gauging her reaction to his question.
"What do I think? I think it's beautiful. I think whoever the girl is in this picture is extremely lucky to have someone with your talent paint her. It's so life-like, I almost feel as if I know her. It's like I can tell what she's feeling in the moment, even though you can't see her eyes." She gave a little self-conscious shrug and turned back to him. "That sounds crazy, I know, but it sort of made my heart turn over in my chest when I first saw it."
"Hmmm...interesting that you would say it like that. It was my first 'real' painting. I did it from memory." Bella could see those memories bloom behind his eyes again as he spoke. "One day I was out on patrol and saw this beautiful young girl walking through this meadow and she had the happiest look on her face. I just stood there, watching her as she buried her toes in the grass then lifted her face to the sun. She looked so calm and peaceful and this weird thing happened inside me." He squinted and pressed his lips together, as if unsure what to share. "I realized I was jealous. I had never felt anything remotely like what I saw on her face. And I wanted it."
Bella was looking at him while he was saying this and noticed a frown crease his brow, as if he were trying to figure out the answer to a difficult question. "I wanted the peace that was on her face and I figured nobody was gonna be able to give it to me but me. So, I started trying to figure out how to calm the buzz that was constantly swirling in my head. I tried doing breathing techniques but all that got me was laughed out by Quil and Leah." His lips quirked up again without a hint of embarrassment. "Finally, I just realized that I needed to try and get some of that crap out of my head. So I started drawing some of it out," he shrugged. "It worked, so I kept doing it. Soon, I had this whole stack of sketches on the table in my kitchen and I found myself on First Beach, just sitting there watching the waves roll in and simply enjoying it for the first time in forever. It was very, very strange. I guess it was just time for me to grow up."
"Wow, Paul. I don't really know what to say to that," she said quietly. "I mean, it's really great. I'm happy for you. Seriously." Bella realized her hand had somehow ended up on his arm and before she had a chance to be embarrassed and move it away, he covered it with one of his own.
They stood there for a minute, just looking at each other. Bella felt something weird going on in her chest. It honestly freaked her out a little bit and she hoped like crazy that the panic wasn't written on her face. Finally, the gallery owner came to find Paul, saying there was someone interested in buying an entire set of ocean scenes that were hanging on the wall where Jake and Embry were standing talking to one another.
After the two walked away, Bella made her way over to her friends and joined in their conversation. She tried to hide the emotions rolling through her but Jake could always read her like a book so he would know something was going on with her.
Bella was surprised to find that it was late and the gallery was getting ready to close. All the other patrons had left, leaving only the Pack and Bella as well as the owner and the woman who had coordinated Paul's show. Bella felt a strange need to buy something but didn't want her friends to know about it. She didn't know why but she just wanted to keep it to herself. She just hoped the paintings weren't too outrageously expensive and she could afford to buy one.
She didn't have much left in her savings account, but she was starting her job soon and she wanted to invest in Paul's artwork. For some reason, she had been drawn again and again to the painting of the young girl in the meadow that she had talked with Paul about. She walked over to see if she could discretely find a price but there was no tag on it so she made her way over to the coordinator and asked if it was for sale.
"I'm so sorry, dear, but that particular piece is not for sale. We have many other pieces that I am sure you would be most pleased with. May I show you around a bit?" It was obvious she wanted to make a sell and with all the wonderful pieces she'd seen, Bella had no doubt she would be able to find something to her liking. She couldn't help the stab of disappointment that ran through her though; she wanted that one.
Again, she hadn't heard Paul come up behind her but she turned when she heard his voice, "Simone, can I have a second with Ms. Swan, please?"
Bella couldn't imagine what he could possibly say that would require them to be alone but she held her tongue and ignored the flutter in her chest as they watched Simone walk away and she waited on him to speak.
"Which painting were you asking about, Bella? There are certain pieces that I don't want to get rid of but I'm always open to negotiation. Can you show me the one you wanted?" He stepped aside so she could go ahead of him.
She made her way over to the portrait and motioned toward it with her hand. "It's this one, the one we were looking at earlier. As I said, I don't know why but it just speaks to me. I don't know what it's priced at, I can't pay much since I'm just starting my new job here, but I would love to have it. Would you consider selling it?"
"Normally, it's one I wouldn't want to part with but, for you, I will. I know you will take care of it. I just wanted to make sure it went to the right person." His voice was professional but there was some kind of emotion in it that she didn't understand. Something flickered in his eyes too but she didn't have time to ponder it as Jake came over, asking her if she was ready to head home.
"Yeah sure, let me just take care of paying for this painting. Who should I give my credit card to, Paul?" She reached into her bag, searching for her wallet.
"You know what, we'll send you a bill or something. It's late, don't worry about paying for it right now." He pulled the painting off the easel and walked in the back with it. She presumed he was going to put some type of covering on it to protect it on the ride home. She couldn't NOT pay for it though, so she kept her credit card out, determined to make Paul take it when he came back.
She was talking to Jake when Paul walked back out into the main part of the gallery. He already had the painting crated and ready to go. She couldn't hold back the protest that had been running through her mind though, "Paul, I can't take your painting without paying. Please just tell me who I should talk to and I'll get it taken care of right quick."
"Everything is already shut down for the night, Bella. I told you, we'll take care of it soon. I'm not worried about it; I know where you live, remember?" Paul gave her a cocky little grin that made her heart beat faster. She had no idea what was going on with her tonight. He was an extremely handsome man but she didn't understand this overwhelming attraction she felt for him. The confusion buzzing around in her head made her stumble through a 'thank you' before she, Jake, and Embry walked out to Jake's Mustang.
Jake stowed her painting in the trunk while Embry helped her into the passenger seat. She didn't say much as they made their way back to Forks. Her thoughts jumped between her reaction to Paul and why he wouldn't allow her to pay for the painting, why he'd been mysterious about it. It was obvious the guys noticed her silence but they didn't try to involve her in their conversation. She knew Jake would have something to say later though.
After pulling up to her house, Jake got out and carried the painting inside for her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and started out the door but hesitated and turned around. "Bells, thanks for going with us tonight. It really is great to have you back as part of the group. Don't forget about the bonfire tomorrow."
Bella nodded her head, reassuring him that she remembered. She was looking forward to it so much. She hadn't had a chance to catch up with everyone and she had no doubt they would all show up. The Pack never passed up a chance to have a party. She was a little nervous about seeing everyone after being gone so long but she was so happy to be home and there was no other place where she felt that more than in La Push. It had been that way for as long as she could remember.
She had just turned around, ready to head upstairs when Jake called her name once more, "Bells, one more thing. I hope I don't regret telling you this but you need to know...that painting...Bella, the girl in that painting is you. He painted that years ago and has held onto it for a long time. It means the world to him. And he gave it to you. Think about what that means, Bells."
