Quicksilver.

They said it was like Gravity. They were wrong. It was more like wildfire out to consume you, body and soul and now Paul has met his match in the terrified slip of a girl standing in front of him, wielding a wooden spoon like a sword. Imprint Fic Paul/Bella

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters therein. It is the sole property of Stephenie Meyer's which I am not, nor do I make profit in writing this fanfiction.

AN/ this is rated M for a reason. I want to warn you all in advance. Swearing, substance abuse, future smut, dark themes, this has it all. It is also unbeta'd and probably woefully littered with errors, for which I apologise in advance.

Chapter One: Beautiful mess.

"What's a man now - what's a man mean
Is he rough or is he rugged
Is he cultural and clean
Now it's all change - it's got to change more
'Cause we think it's getting better
But nobody's really sure."

Paul was the first to hear it. A soft yet outraged, melodious voice that was most definitely female and unquestionably not Jacob Black. The pack exchanged worried glances. Picking up their pace and phasing just as they stepped out of the tree line. None of them thought to recover their clothing as they rushed towards the little red house.

"And what exactly do you mean by that, Billy Black? You know that Jacob is my best friend and his wellbeing is my first and only priority! The only reason I didn't take him straight to the emergency room was because he begged me not too… no I will not leave! He has a temperature of one hundred and ten and don't even get me started on—" her angry tirade was cut off momentarily by a pained scream from Jacob.

"Arrgh!"

The pack broke into a full-out run. Jake was close to phasing and Bella bloody Swan was in there with him, yelling at the phone. Did the girl have no sense of self-preservation?

"That! That is the sound of your son screaming bloody murder, so you tell me again to leave." Sam, Paul and Jared burst through the Black's front door, rounded the corner of the hall and into horded into the kitchen. What they saw was enough to freeze the three in their tracks.

"Fine! Tell my father and call the police while you're at it. I am not leaving. Good night." They watched with synchronized raised brows as the little female slammed the receiver on the hook and returned to the oven were something bubbled, smelling delicious. The pack was well aware that Billy wouldn't be back till Monday.

Billy had known that Jacob would probably phase this weekend and hadn't wanted to be around to see his son in pain. So with instructions to Sam to take care of his boy and fridge full of food, Billy had arrange to go on an extended fishing trip with Harry Clearwater and Charlie Swan. Bella obviously knew this also, resulting in her being here, in a house with a ready to burst werewolves instead of safely at home tucked away in bed.

Clearly this girl had some sort of mental defect. First she runs with vampires and now she was playing nursemaid to a werewolf.

Sam approached Bella with care, not wanting to risk startling her. Paul had to scoff at how uncertain the big man was suddenly acting, as if he were afraid or something. And of Swan of all people.

She stood by the stove, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs, vehemently stirring the contents of the pot.

"Bella?" Sam slinked forwards, recoiling when the girl let out a squeak and spun to them, eyes wild and red from crying. When she caught sight of them her gaze turned stormy while her cheeks flushed a brilliant candy-apple red, careful to focus on their faces and nowhere lower. It was actually a tad insulting.

She didn't even try to peek at the 'goodies' on display. Paul had it on good authority that his 'treats' were more than adequate to please any girl and entice from one look. Not that he wanted to entice the leech-lover. But it was the principle of it.

Damnit, she could at least take a damned peek!

"I'm not leaving! You can't make me. He needs me, damnit." She hissed, tiny frame quaking as she heaved in desperate gulps of air. Clearly, this girl was not the type to be affected by a room full of buff men, naked and on display.

Sam, with his hands in the air, chanced another step towards her. Paul was more interested in what was cooking, nose in the air as he took in great whiffs. Whatever it was, it smelt fucking fantastic.

"Easy, Bella. We aren't going to hurt you. Just calm down."

"No! I know who you are, Sam Uley," She said the name with clear trepidation, "Jacob told me all about you and your… your gang of goons or whatever the hell you think you are." A line of soup was sprayed across the kitchen as the little female swung out with her wooden spoon.

"So you can just turn around and march right back out that door." It was hard to take her seriously when her lip was quivering and she looked ready to erupt into tears.

"Raaaghh!" from three rooms away, the sounds of sheets tearing and Jacob howling filtered into the kitchen. Bella flinched at the sound, eyes darting in Jacob's direction.

Paul and Sam exchanged weary glances. They didn't have time for this. Giving a curt nod, Sam turned and headed towards the bedroom. Bella moved to bar the way, arms out spread, legs set and face unwavering, but Paul was there in seconds, gripping her by the wrist and tugging her back. She spun on him with fire in her eyes. Her tightly clenched wooden spoon connected with the side of his head. The end snapped off and went flying comically into one of the kitchens random corners, while Paul frowned at the feeble attack. Not even flinching.

"Let go of me." She cried, chocolate brown eyes flying to his. Paul, who had opened his mouth to tell the stupid bint to shut the hell up, found himself choking on the words. He was silenced by the raging flush tinting the apples of her cheeks, and frozen by the liquid odium shining in those wide orbs.

"Why can't you just… ugh! Go die or something." She wailed pathetically as she tugged at her wrist, tears beginning to leak down her cheeks.

Paul stared down on her in shock and horror. He bloody hated it when girls cried. It made him fell all guilty and shit. Didn't help that usually he was the cause. Under different circumstances it would have been facetious to see Bella thinking she could fend off a pack of werewolves. However Paul was distracted by the sheer protectiveness and passion she radiated at that moment.

She was fiercely trying to defend someone she cared about, and even if he did hate her, Paul could respect that. He might not respect Bella, or her choices…or most women for that matter, but he respected what she was doing then and there at that moment.

He snapped back to himself when she started struggling, beating at his chest with the stumpy handle of wood. Annoyed by the action, Paul let out a low and threatening rumble. She froze. He smirked. That was more like it.

"Calm you're fucking tits, okay? We are here to help the stupid pup, you got that, toots?" he snapped, grabbing a hold of her other wrist when she raised it up threateningly. She was tiny in his hold. It made the wolf in him howl elatedly. He was her fucking superior and she would acknowledge that.

If anything, his words seemed to anger her further.

"Now why don't I believe that?" She hissed, tugging at her wrists, lithe body twisting in a movement that was so very serpentine and surprisingly amatory. From the corner of his eye, Paul saw Jared slipping out of the kitchen to join Sam with Jacob. In his scuffle with the leech-lover Paul had failed to register the sounds going on around him. Now that he was listening he could clearly make out the sounds of Jacob thrashing weakly, clinging to his sheets as Sam attempted to lift the brat.

A few seconds later, his alpha and Jared reappeared with the limp body of Black slung over Sam's shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Outside, lurking just out of sight in wolf form, Embry let out a call to them, a signal to hurry the hell up.

"Paul." Was all Sam needed to say as he marched out the door, Jared a step behind him. The second Bella saw Jacob she freaked. She trashed and twisted and kicked and Paul actually found himself struggling to keep a hold on her.

"Let me go you… you… Neanderthal." Even her stutter was strangely charming. "Jacob! Wait, let him go, Sam. Leave him alone damnit!" one particularly hard wrench at her wrist had the bones popping unnaturally in Paul's hold. A wave of nausea hit Paul. Sam froze at the door and spun with worried eyes as he watched Bella shriek, body crumpling. Horrified, Paul released her, stumbling back. He had felt her bones break, heard them snap so cleanly. He clutched his own wrist to his chest as it if had been his to break. He could almost feel the pain.

And more horrifying was the fact that she was still trying to get to Jacob, her doe-brown eyes glossy with tears but set with determination.

"You… you can't have him! He's mine. Please, I need him." Her croaked words were like a physical blow to the stomach. Here they called themselves the protectors of La Push but all they had managed to do was mentally scar Chief Swan's daughter and break her wrist. She dragged herself across the Black's kitchen floor towards Sam, pulling herself up his body to grab at Jacob.

She sniffled and touched his long hair with her good hand.

The scene was heart wrenching. Sam looked ready to cry. Jared had turned away, unable to bear witness to the cruelty of it all. Paul was mildly irritated. They were on a bloody time schedule for fucks sake. As gently as he could, Sam placed a hand on Bella's shoulder before pushing her away; ignoring her screams of protest, and continued out the front door. Paul barely got to her in time to stop her from tumbling out the front and down the steps.

She screeched like a banshee in his hold. Long, mournful cries that resounded amidst the immediate forest, reverberated throughout the trees so loudly it had birds fluttering away in swarms.

"Jacob!"

Paul was actually starting to get a headache from the sound that seemed to bounce around his brain, filling his head and drowning out everything else.

For a moment, no one noticed it, however as it grew in volume it was hard to miss, washing over Bella's wails like rolls of thunder. Softly, barely audible at first and growing in volume. Black was growling. Sam barely had time to drop him before Black was snarling, eyes glowing eerily as he fought to get back to Bella who was as equally hysterical. Anyone would bloody think they were imprints or some shit. The thought had Paul clutching Bella to him more securely. Black could wish she was his fucking imprint all he liked, he wasn't getting her.

Sam and Jared acted swiftly, smoothly anticipated the movement and able to catch a hold of Jacob's arms as he tried to wrestled his way to where Paul held Bella clean of the ground.

"Paul, do something! He is fighting the change too hard to phase." Sam snapped, physically struggling to keep Black away from them.

Swallowing down the bile that rose in the back of this throat and a wave of guilt, Paul gripped Bella's wounded wrist, acting purely on impulse. She keened, wide brown eyes locked on Paul's face begging to know what she had done to warrant this cruel treatment, and clawed at his face with her free hand. Her pained cry had Paul's head swimming, the world spinning in a dizzying blur of colors and noise. His wolf echoed her and let out a bay of pain, bubbling out of Paul's lips in the form of a choked snarl.

He hadn't griped her overly hard, but it was enough for her to feel. He just hope that the heat his body radiated would sooth the pain he had just caused somewhat. Jacob let out an unearthly roar, shaking off both Jared and Sam before promptly phasing. Paul barely had time to get Bella behind him before Jacob with there, huge paw swinging. Just as that cumbrous, russet claw connected with Paul's head, he phased, letting out a pained yelp as his furred body was sent skittering away in a blur of silver.

Before Paul had time to recover, Jacob was there, maws open and aimed at his throat. He wasn't going to lie, the pup had spunk. Jacob landed on Paul's flank, paws first effectively pinning the older wolf, teeth locking on down on Paul's hackles, tearing at the loose flesh and fur there. Paul let out an involuntary yelp that gurgled slightly when Jacob shook his head viciously, tearing the skin and fur within his jaws. When the russet wolf pulled back to get a better aim on Paul, bood dribbled from his teeth and tongue that lolled out of his mouth.

'Everybody stop!'

Sam's alpha order echoed through the shared mental connection so loud Paul's ears buzzed. Jacob let out a howl, struggling against the order, but ceased his attack none the less.

'Jacob you need to calm down!' Sam snarled as he padded over towards Paul, who lay carefully over his folded paws, nursing his wounded side. Blood matted his thick silver undercoat, despite the fact that the bleeding gash was already knitting itself back together.

'Stay out of this Sam. Did you see what he did to, Bella? Or do you just not care?' Jacob snapped back, and then froze. Through the metal link, those that had phased could feel realization dawning on the pup. Jacob and his wolf had been so in synch that Black hadn't even realized he was a fucking wolf or that Paul was on. Peachy keen for him. Whimpering, Paul hauled himself up off the ground and shook out his fur. A million questions and accusations sprang into Jacob's mind, ready to blame Sam for somehow infecting him. However the moment came to an abrupt halt

"J—Jacob… my Jacob?"

All heads turned to the wobbling figure of Swan in alarm. She knew. She fucking knew their secret and was probably about the freak the fuck out. For a moment she merely lurched her way towards them, swaying unsteadily, and then, before any of them could react, her eyes rolled up and she promptly passed out. Jacob sprang to attention, however both Sam and Paul moved to block his path, snarls and growls rumbling past their teeth. Jared was the only one fast enough to catch Bella before she hit the ground. Letting out a revolted huff, Paul turned from Jacob and his alpha, phased and marched over the lawn.

"Let's get her to Emily's. We can call Sue once we get there and have her come down and fucking fix the leech-lover." He paused for a moment, taking in her state with a curl of his lips. "If that's even possible."

Jacob let out an angry rumble and bounded off into the tree line with Sam and Embry hot on his heels. Grumbling, Jared loaded up Bella into her Chevy's passenger seat and then slid into the driver's side, ignoring the way the unconscious girl slumped and ended up drooping into his lap. He was going to continue to firmly overlook just how wrong all of this was. Sighing wearily, Jared started up the old beast and waited for Paul to flick himself up into the back. Once his pack brother banged on the roof twice to signal his assent, Jared kicked the truck into gear. Ten chaotic minutes later, the red Chevy was screaming to a halt outside Emily's. Apparently vampires weren't the only ones that drove like maniacs.

The second the truck was parked, Emily came tottering out of the house, hair wild from sleep, dressed in a bathrobe that could only belong to Sam it was so big. The instant she saw Jared lifting out a limp Bella she turned and headed back inside, probably to call Sue. Once lifted out of the truck, Bella was thrust at Paul, who made a face of both confusion anddisincline.

"I need to take a piss, so take her." Jared growled, all but dumping the leech-lover into Paul's half folding arms. Paul growled but took her none the less, storming up into Emily's lounge room to dump the deadweight. As he stood, the werewolf couldn't help but take a moment to really look at Swan, curious to know what all the fuss was about her. Even Sam had admitted to having an unexplainable pull to her.

Clumsy, calloused fingers roughly thumbed a stand of silken, strawberry scented hair out of the girls face, tucking it behind a small ear. She was small, that much was obvious, and pale-skinned. Two drawbacks Paul didn't over look easily. Personally he liked his girl to be Quileute or at least heavily tan, with curves. He favored a little meat to them. He liked to know he could dish out a good amount and they could take it.

Swan looked like a strong breeze would snap her in half. She was pretty ordinary to be honest. The smattered of gold freckles over a pert button nose and the apples of her cheek did little to add to her appeal. Nor was the heart shape of her face any more lovely then one of the many flowers Paul had trampled while in wolf form. Bella was mediocre at best, with her bland hair and board like figure.

She looked nothing like the smiling, happy girl he had seen briefly in Jacob's mind. The girl that Jacob had thought of was healthier looking, smiling brightly enough to light a moonless night. The girl from Jacob's memory had a subtle glow to her complexion, while still pale, it looked more natural than the almost grey-like quality it held at the moment.

"Great Taha Aki, she looks horrible. Just look at the circles under her eyes. And the way her ribs protrude. I'd wager this girl hadn't a decent meal or night's sleep in months." Sue huffed and she entered the room in a waft of incense and authority. How bloody long had he been staring at the leech-lover? Appalled with himself, Paul tore out of the room with a growl and into the soothing night air. Only with every step out into the cool sting of dusk, the more he grew agitated. His skin prickled, heart thumped uncomfortably within his ribcage that seemed to have shrunk and was now constricting his breathing uncomfortably.

What happened to gravity? What happened to the cosmos shifting? The desire to bend to her every whim and the knowledge that she was what held him to the earth. Paul felt relatively ripped off. He still felt as lost and alone as he always did. His still burned with an anger he couldn't rid himself of and if possible it was worse. This wasn't meant to happen to him. It wasn't mean to be like this. He wasn't supposed to feel as if there was now, in addition to every other shitty little ache he felt in his day to day life, a constant niggling that had settled in his chest and an icy fire in his blood. It was confusing, annoying, and wholly unwelcome.

His wolf seemed to slouch within him under the sudden weight and the impression of cables, thick and foreign tangled around him like ropes. Ensnared. He was fucking trapped. And they were imbedded so deeply in his skin they'd hit nerves, muscle and bone. He wanted to tear off his flesh, shred it until there was nothing left but the wolf beneath. He wanted to howl at the moon until his throat was hoarse.

His body was near on vibrating with an impending phase, skin prickling, muscles aching with the need to tear and realign, when a hand clapped him on the back. To lost in the change between man and canine, Paul acted purly instincualy, snapping and snarling low in his chest at the owner of that hand. It was Sam. His alpha. He calmed but continued to heave and huff as he trembled.

"What the fuck has she done to me?" Paul grit out before he'd thought about what the fuck he had just said. Sam's eyes widened, mouth dropping open. Before Sam could say anything, Paul was shrugging off his hand and bolting into the cover of the pine trees. He'd barely gotten a mile before he heard a wail come from Emily's. Bella had woken. Sue was probably setting her wrist.

The sound had his wolf pacing. It snarled and fought within Paul as if it was caged, metaphorical claws tearing the man up from in the inside. With an agonized scream Paul burst out of his skin in a violent, excruciating eruption. Once in wolf form, Paul stood shaking from the intensity of his change, body twitching and weak. He slumped onto the foliage littered forest floor with a whine, head resting on his paws as he worked to recover. Another pained screech from Bella had Paul throwing back his head in a desolate bay. With the sounds of her pain echoing in his head, Paul ran, blind with rage and agony.

Images of Bella flooded his senses. Paul crashed into trees leaving them upturned and uprooted, stumbled over fallen branches landing hard and tore up his paws attacking everything in sight. The pine tree's tore like paper on his paws as he clawed at the bark, ripped up roots with his teeth till his mouth was a bloody mess. And when nothing was enough Paul pushed himself to keep running, to keep attacking.

Once out of earshot of Bella's now weak, croaks of discomfort and too exhausted to do anything else, Paul collapsed on the forest floor, phasing back into his human self. Blunt nails tore through his hair, gouging deep red welt over his face and arms as he lying wordlessly roaring. His body screamed with pain. His lunges couldn't seem to get enough air to support him. It was all the leech-lovers fault. It was her fault he was a wolf. It was her beloved vampires that did this to him. Which in turn meant she did this to him. He didn't care what the legends said; he would never accept this imprint. He would fight it, or die trying. With his mind set, he allowed the darkness to claim him.

Chapter End:

Hope you all enjoyed. Don't forget to review if you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think, what needs changing what could be improved. ~Croi