A/N: This one-shot is for Mistress-Volturi-09 because she was the 10th reviewer. It's got PAUL in it for a change.
In less than twenty-four hours, I, Bella Swan, will turn eighteen years old. Something I've been dreading since I began to go out with Edward Cullen, a vampire. He's frozen at seventeen-years-old forever, while I grow older, but lately, something strange has been happening. I haven't felt as drawn to Edward as I used to. Sure, he still looks as gorgeous as he always does, but I feel smothered by Edward's constant worrying over me, and his inability to get even remotely close to me when I want to kiss him. Though that urge hasn't occurred in quite a while. His sparkling skin doesn't captivate me anymore; it's strange and against every rule that being a vampire means.
And I've also been plagued by questions that could potentially change my entire life?
Do I really want to be trapped in an unchanging body forever?
Am I ready to push away everyone who loves me just because I fell for the first guy to come my way? (Though Jacob had a crush on me when we first got reacquainted, he's moved from a potential suitor to an incredible best friend).
Which is another thing wrong with being with Edward: he doesn't let me hang out with people I've been friends with since I moved back, and it frustrates me to no end. How can he do that? I'm almost an adult, and can make my own choices. He might be decades older than me, but that doesn't make him my father.
And I have the sneaking suspicion that he's planning something behind my back. A party, or whatever, to make me choose to reject the whole vampire option.
"Bella, love, would you like to come to my house tonight? My family would like to visit with you again, if that's all right." Edward said as he met me outside in the parking lot on my birthday.
"Why? I told you, no parties!" I hissed, crossing my arms and fixing Edward with my fiercest glare.
"I didn't say there was going to be a party, God knows Alice has been working up a storm trying to make one good enough for you, but I suppose we'll have to-" He stopped suddenly, caught off-guard in a surprisingly human moment.
"There's a party? Edward! I told you I didn't want one! Are you so insistent on my staying human that you'll do whatever it takes to make me change my mind? God, this is so ridiculous! You know what? Fine! I'm done with you and your controlling nature! All you ever do is tell me what to do, where to go, who to hang out with, how am I supposed to enjoy being a human when you restrict me to no end! I want someone who can give me what you can't! I can have children, get married, grow old, have grandchildren! You want me to be human? All right then, just don't be disappointed when I'm finally happy. Have a good eternity, Edward." And with that parting shot, I turned and stalked towards my old, beat-up truck, which I took this morning thankfully. I would hate it if I had said all of that to Edward and had to ask him for a ride back home.
But I'm not going home, not really.
I'm going to La Push-First Beach, to be specific-and it's always been like a second home to me. I have fond memories of having campfires hanging out with Jacob and his family, and of course, the other Quileute boys and Leah.
When I arrive there, I walk down to the beach and take off my socks and shoes; rolling up my pants, I walk into the water up to my ankles and feel the small pebbles shifting beneath my feet. The cool water is a little frigid for this time of year, but it invigorates me with a life that I haven't felt in a while. Not since Edward came into the picture.
The time after I was injured was tense, to say the least. He kept watching me like a hawk, and it got old really fast. Of course, what did I know? I'm just a simple human girl. You think being treated like spun gold is nice, but I've been treated like that for far too long, and it's time to make a change.
I'm done with the supernatural. No more vampires or whatever else exists out there.
"Hey! What the hell is a leech lover doing here?" An angry voice shouted from behind me, and I whirled around to see Paul Lahote, one of the boys in the 'gang' as Charlie called it striding up towards me. But what made me gasp in surprise was that he knew that I'd been involved with a vampire, or still was involved, as far as he was concerned. And I didn't want anyone to hate me because of who I used to be affiliated with. Paul was a gorgeous specimen to behold in one's eye: built sturdy with abs that would make even a professional bodybuilder jealous, dark eyes glittering with anger, and my goodness, was he the complete physical opposite of Edward Cullen. "HEY! I thought I asked you what the hell you were doing here."
"I'm not with Edward anymore. He's constantly trying to control who I talk to, where I go, what I do, so I decided enough is enough. I broke it off with him earlier today, and came here because...well, because the ocean calms me down whenever I have the chance to come down here."
"You're...not with the leech? Then why are you here?" Paul sounded weary of my intentions, but then again, I wouldn't blame him.
"How do you know about the Cullens?"
"That's privileged information, and unfortunately, you're not allowed to know."
"Oh, right, well, I better get going now. Charlie's expecting me home," and as I made to walk out of the ocean, I glanced up to look into Paul's eyes and time seemed to stop. His mouth dropped open in shock, and any thoughts of Edward vanished from my mind. I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from Paul's, and neither could he. Paul dropped to his knees and stared at me with whole-hearted devotion in his eyes. "Paul? Wh-what just happened?"
"The...the legends...they're really true. I never thought it was possible, but it is. It's you. You're the one," He whispered in awe; rising, he walked over to stand in front of me and raised his hand to gently drag his fingertips down my cheeks. It sent chills of a good sort down my body. "The one who's meant to be."
"Meant to be? What are you talking about?"
"Now I can tell you."
"Tell me what?" I said in shaky breaths; his hands roamed my face, gliding across my eyelids, cheekbones, lips neck; his hands felt like red-hot satin instead of ice-cold rock. I loved every minute of it. This was a man who I could have a true family with, complete with all the trimmings that came along with it.
"I'm a shapeshifter, Bella. Do you remember the legends? Probably not, since Jacob had a head full of bricks; he'll realize the truth soon enough."
"Jake? What does Jake have to do with this? What's all this about shape shifting?" Paul withdrew his hands from my face, but rested them on the space between my neck and shoulders.
"The legends are about spirit warriors who turn into wolves whenever there are vampires near, but you have to be born into a direct line to be able to turn into a wolf. We're like brothers, and share our thoughts. Trust me; you're lucky you don't have to deal with that. Sam is our leader, the Alpha, but Jake is supposed to be the true Alpha because his great-grandfather was the Alpha of the last pack. He's going to change soon enough; we can tell. And then there's the legend that we fight our other half by imprinting. Imprinting is how we're able to tell that we've met the love of our life, the girl we'd do anything for, be anything. And I found my imprint."
I let out a small, shaky laugh that he returned with a gentle smile; his hands recaptured their place on my face, shaking slightly. My hands traced his chest and abs, sending a shudder through Paul's body. His eyes drifted closed.
"Who's this imprint of yours?"
His eyes shot open, and his devilish smirk made its appearance on his face. "You silly, stupid girl, it's you. You're the one who's my other half, you are the one I'm meant to be with, procreate with and make the world a better place with our gorgeous little russet-skinned babies running around wild."
I shoved Paul's chest playfully, and laughed out loud. "Paul! Come on, I'm only seventeen-years-old for heaven's sake!"
He chuckled darkly and leaned in to speak against my ear. "Yeah, but soon you'll be eighteen, won't you?"
"Yeah, but I'm not going to end up like my mother did. I love her and my father, but having kids so young ruins a relationship."
"Well, there's no way our relationship can be broken or ruined in any way, shape or form. We're soulmates, and there's nothing you can do about it, Bella. I just hope this means that you're over that leech, right?"
I pursed my lips in thought. Paul's eyebrows narrowed, and his expression became darker and darker until he blurted out, "WELL? Are you with him or not?" He didn't shout it in anger, though, more like he needed to know whether or not I was approving of this supernatural relationship I'd had thrust upon me.
"I guess I really am a magnet for the supernatural, aren't I?"
He looked relieved. "Yes, yes you are, but I'm damn glad of that. Otherwise we wouldn't be where we are right now. This family that you're now a part of is one that will always be by your side, no matter what happens. You don't have to die, or change or do anything to make them happy other than just being alive. All I could ask for is for you to stay by my side and never leave." Paul buried his head in the hollow of my shoulder, nuzzling gently.
"Is this a wolf thing? The nuzzling?" I said, closing my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his nose and lips gliding gently along the crux of my neck. It felt like heaven. Edward had never done this to me before.
"Yeah, you get used to it."
Oh, I would be able to get used to this very quickly.
Paul is the kindest, sweetest man I could ever hope for. With the passing of my birthday, I no longer felt a lingering sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that I was getting older. Sure, as long as Paul continued to phase into a werewolf, he wouldn't age, but I no longer felt anxious about getting closer to his age. He already had five or so years on me, and he planned on stopping phasing when the day our first child was born. That could be quite a while, but I was pretty sure that his mega-wolf boys could get around any human contraceptive made. He seemed hell-bent to prove that he could.
We got married three years after my eighteenth birthday on the beach at First Beach, surrounded by our family and friends; we were both barefoot and dressed in white, flowy clothing that made perfect sense to us, but Paul had managed to secure his goal before our wedding, which was rushed because of my rounded stomach. Yes, Paul managed to get around every contraceptive known to man.
The vows were sweet and perfect, straight from the heart. He managed to get across without revealing too much that I was his soulmate, the perfect girl from him and there wouldn't be another like me in the world for him. How could I respond to that? He'd said it all exactly like I would have if I'd said my vows first, but I managed pretty well by thanking him for rescuing me from a less than desirable future, and for our daughter who was sure to have her father wrapped around her finger.
When our vows were said and done, and we'd sealed it with a kiss, he dropped down to his knees and put his hands on our daughter, tenderly kissing my stomach.
"Thank you, Bella. The day our eyes met was the day I became complete."
I'd become complete that day, as well, because I'd rejected the illusion of immortality and chose a normal, happy human life for myself.
All I have to say now is: Edward who?
A/N: I hope you liked it, Mistress-Volturi-09. I probably made it a little too sweet at the end with Paul and Bella having a baby, but I thought it would prove that Paul is a big teddy bear underneath the rough exterior.