A/N: It all started with a spur of the moment one shot that I called "Taming the Grinch" in which Bella brought the grinchy Paul a bit of holiday cheer. Then my dear BFF horseandbooklover challenged me to try my hand at a new concept.

I'm writing a series of One Shots around these two in which their story continues.

If you haven't read "Taking on the Grinch", you might want to do so for a bit of background on these two. ;)

s/10875331/1/Taking-on-the-Grinch

As always, SM own the Twilight series and the characters within. I'm just playing around with her characters a bit.

The Twelve Steps in Taming Paul Lahote

Part 12

Shortly after returning home from the Pack's Christmas party, she was pacing her room because her emotions were running high. What had happened? Why had that kiss affected her so? Why did the others stand there staring at us after we kissed? It was all so confusing.

Changing into her pjs and washing her face in the bathroom, she decided to do something radically different. Standing in front of the mirror, she took a good look at herself. She saw a girl that was happy and relaxed. Her life was good now. She was surrounded by friends and family. It was so good without Him. She decided then and there, no more over analyzing every little thing as she had when she was involved with Him. She would no longer question her own worth. She would accept Life as it happened to her. She would allow herself to just live.

Heading back into her bedroom, she let her thoughts wander to Paul Lahote. A smile played across her face as she thought of how he had changed in that very short span of time. When he came into Emily's house, he had been spitting vile and vitriol her way but by the end of it all, he had smiled at her. She had to admit to herself that he was a very handsome man when he did so. The boy within was visible briefly, making him seem younger, lighter, and freer. Fluffing her pillow before she laid down, she muttered to herself. "You're an interesting man, Paul." Letting her eyes close, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

A light drizzle had started and the wind was kicking up but it didn't bother him. He stood just inside the tree line staring up at her room. She had just gone to bed. He had heard her statement. Shaking his head, he smirked. "If only you really knew, Bella Swan, how would you react then?" Crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back against a tree, he heard his friend's approach way before he made his presence known.

"You have to tell her about the imprint now. Are you ready for that, Paul?" Sam's voice carried softly on the wind. Trying to maintain their cover, it wouldn't do to have their conversation at a normal volume for fear that someone would hear them and call the cops. Even though they meant no harm, there wasn't a police officer in Forks that would believe that they were innocently hanging around outside the Chief of Police's house in the middle of the night.

Paul shakes his head. "And tell her what? That I've imprinted on her and she has to give up everything in her life to live with me on the Res? What about her going to college? She's too smart not to go. What about Charlie? Will she have to give him up as well? How am I any better than that leach in taking her away from her normal human life and throwing her into a life constantly threatened by the supernatural?" He shakes his head in disgust. "I can't do this to her, Sam. She deserves better than me." He closed his eyes to the very thought of living without her but he was beginning to accept this reality. "I'm going to fight the imprint."

"What!?" Sam got in his face. "Who the hell do you think you are to question the Great Spirit in this way? Do you think that they would have you imprint on someone if you had nothing to offer them in return?" Sam began to shake in anger at his friend. "You are a stubborn ass most of the time, Paul, but I have never once considered you to be a fool." He glared into his eyes. "Not until now…"

Paul was about to fire back at Sam until the wind shifted and it hit them full in the face. Moving fast and coming straight for her house….LEECH!

They phased and immediately called to the Pack for help through the mind link. Being off of the res required that they handle things much more discreetly so howling was not allowed. The two wolves take up a protective stance as close to the house as they could when they saw a small coven of red-eyed leeches heading their way.

Sam looked at Paul. We're outnumbered. This is not good. Sam growled lowly as the two wolves put themselves in between the vampires and Bella. The leeches sneered and laughed at them, knowing that they would not be enough to stop their advance.

"Do the puppies want to play?" The blonde leader of the group smirked. "We can throw a leg bone to you when we're done." The other four vampires laugh at what they considered a joke as they spread out, making it harder for the two wolves to fight them all off as well as keep an eye on each of them at the same time.

Where are the others? Why the hell aren't they here? They were both wondering where the rest of the Pack were. Then, their answer came in an unexpected way.

SAM! We've got a problem! Jared's voice came through the link. Mental pictures of the chaos of newly shifted Pack members flashed through. Apparently, two more wolves had phased due to this complication at Bella's house, Leah and Seth Clearwater.

SHIT! Sam's mind raced but the Alpha in him allowed him to make the necessary decisions. Leave Embry and Jake there to calm those two down. Damn, it looks like Leah's fast and pissed as Hell.

The leaches began to move around the two wolves. Sam and Paul were trying their best to keep themselves in between the house and the vampires while keeping them all in their line of sight which was proving itself to become very difficult.

The blond haired vamp attacked Sam while the others were circling Paul. Even though the situation looked dire, Paul was very quickly losing his control on his wolf. He knew that to attack without a game plan could give them the advantage so he was fighting himself as his own wolf wanted to go after the threat to his imprint right immediately.

Then, suddenly, something changed. The dread locked male who had just lunged at Paul was now flying across the small clearing, being held by the strong arms of two others.. The blond vamp found himself being pulled off of Sam. "JAMES!" yelled a red haired female as the metallic scraping noise of the dismembering of a vampire snapped through the air.

Jared took that moment to come busting in on the scene. Seeing everything through his eyes, Sam and Paul stopped in their tracks. There were vampires attacking other vampires. What the hell?! Sam, Jared and Paul pull back to take up their protective stance again between the house and the fighting vampires as well as to get a better feel for what was going on.

The original group of 5 red eyed-vampires was down to three and were being attacked by...gold eyed vampires! Sam's wolf watched as they pulled the blond male blood sucker apart and the other was cornered by three others. Two of the gold eyes went after a red head female who managed to get away from them. A very large, muscular leach along with a blonde haired Barbie leech took up the chase, taking off immediately after her. Within moments, the remaining red-eyes were dealt with and the gold eyed leaches turned to face the wolves.

Do we go after that red head, Sam? Jared asked his alpha.

Sam answered with a small shake of his head. We deal with them here as long as they are this close to Bella.

Paul was snarling and growling at this new set of attackers when the older male raised his hands trying to show that he meant no harm.

FUCK! Those are the Cullens! Sam now had his answer as to why the Clearwaters phased. With a mental sigh, he stopped growling but he did not move from his defensive stance.

"Please, understand that we mean no harm." Carlisle nodded towards the pixie like vampire beside him. "Alice saw these vampires coming after Bella and we had to intervene." A blonde male moved around behind them, burning the remains of the dead vampires that they had dispatched.

Paul's anger level had not dropped as he stilled viewed them as a threat to Bella. MINE! He growled at them. Leave her the Fuck alone!

A ginger haired Cullen stepped forward. "What?!" A sneer on his lips as he steps forward. "She is MY Bella, my Love. We will always protect her!"

Sam turns his head towards him with a low growl. Always protect her? EXCUSE ME, but you're the ones that left her all alone in the woods that night! Thanks to your…family….she will always be in need of protection. You are the ones who brought her into this world. A movement from Paul catches his attention. One of our wolves has imprinted on her. She is now one of us. You are no longer a part of her life.

"What! NO!" He growled, turning on Paul. "She is my mate!" His body became tense like he's about to attack the silver wolf.

The pixie leech's chin dropped as a realization hit her. "This is why I haven't been able to see her as well lately, Carlisle. I can't see past them." Conflicting emotions cross her face went blank within a split second and a blonde male, obviously her mate, came up to stand very close to her, slipping an arm around her waist. "Edward, her future has changed." She looked up at him. "I no longer see her as one of us." Her face was saddened as she shared her news. Her mate glared at Edward as he took one more step towards the wolves.

"EDWARD! Stand down!" Carlisle interjected. He looked over at the pixie's mate. "Jasper, what can you tell us?"

Jasper looked at his mate's sad expression and then to Carlisle. "The silver wolf's feelings towards Bella are strong and true." He cut his eyes over to Edward. "Much stronger than yours, Edward. He is her true mate."

Edward's shoulders slumped as the situation settled over him. "But she's my singer." He turned to Carlisle with pleading eyes. "I can't leave her."

You already walked out of her life once. Do it again. To harm her in any way will bring down the wrath of the Pack on your coven. Sam snarled at Edward.

Carlisle shook his head. "We cannot interfere with them now, Edward. You must accept that she is no longer yours." His mate Esme who was obviously upset by this turn of events goes into his arms, visibly shaken by what was happening.

Edward's eyes scanned his family and then the wolves standing in front of them. With a snarl, he disappeared, taking off to parts unknown.

"Please forgive him." Carlisle said. "He has always had a very strong attachment to Bella. It will take him some time to let her go."

Sam's wolf relaxed just a hair and nodded at the head leech before he watched the Cullens leave. He did not like this turn of events but at the same time, he had to acknowledge that they did help protect Paul's imprint.

Paul turned on Sam with a growl. "MINE!" His wolf's mind stuck in a loop of the threat to his mate. He had begun to pace back in forth in the clearing, trying to figure out how to best defend his Bella.

Sam phased back once he felt assured that they were out of the area. He shook his head and then turned to Paul who still stood there, growling. "Well, it would seem that you now know the answer to our previous conversation, Paul." Once again, he looked his friend in the eyes as he tried to reach the man through the wolf.

Paul looked at his Alpha, wondering what his point was. His wolf was still shaken by the threat to his mate. He huffed his irritation at him. He would much rather be ripping those Cullens apart at that moment than listening to Sam's reasoning.

"We were not responsible for Bella being drug into our world, but you are now bound to her through the imprint and as long as there is a threat to her, you must stay by her side to protect her, whether from the red eyes or the Cullens. Given the way he reacted, I don't see Edward giving her up that easily." He moves to stand face Paul full on. "You can fight this imprint and manage to break it but what if the worst happens and she becomes one of them? What if you find yourself in the position of fighting her? What if you have to kill her? Could you do that, Paul?"

The silver wolf's face changed as Sam's words took hold. He could never leave her to the life she deserved. She was dependent on him for the rest of her days whether either of them wanted that or not. Fighting the imprint was no longer an option, no longer something that he could do. He had to protect his Bella, his mate….his love. With a whimper, he drops to the ground in resignation in front of his Alpha.

"You only just imprinted on her, Paul. Give yourselves some time to work this out." Jared, who had phased back during Sam's explanation, gave him a pointed look. "Don't underestimate that girl. I have a feeling that she can handle things better than you realize. Bella deserves that chance."

Paul watched as Sam and Jared headed back to the res to deal with the newest members of the Pack. He turned his eyes to the dark window of Bella's room as his mind turned and twisted, trying to accept that his future had changed as well as hers. He would have to do what he had always thought impossible. He would become a man worthy of a love that he never thought he could ever have. He would become the man that she deserves.