AN: First of all, thank you so much for the alerts and reviews i've been getting! Every one makes me smile when I receive it in my inbox, so thanks ;D
Secondly...here's chapter 3! In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm aiming for weekly posting - which has worked so far, but the next one might be a little late - we're currently putting on a play at school which is taking up a hell of a lot of my time! Over soon, though, so the delay souldn't be toto long - if at all. I just thought I'd warn you in advance. I also promise that I'll get around to replying to your reviews...possibly as soon as this chapter is posted, but I do have to go to bed ;)
Um..three. There was one. Really there was. Uh...right. Just taking this space to promote The Indie TwiFic Awards (wwwDOTtheindietwificawardsDOTcom) which are accepting nominations right now for under appreciated fics in the fandom. This is a fantastic idea from Gustariana and hgmonster, so go check it out and nominate your faves...but make sure you read the rules first.
Fourth! I keep forgetting to say, but a couple of my fics have been nominated for the 'You're Never Too Young to Write' contest at twilightedteensblogDOTblogspotDOTcom. I'd really love it if I got at least some votes! And if not, there are some really great recommendations over there you might like.
Sorry for babbling on...here goes chapter 3. Enjoy! xxx :)
She was his, and he would do anything for this girl he'd barely set eyes on. He was in love with her - in love - and for the first time he really, really believed in everything the others had said about imprinting. Their eyes met, and he could see the rest of his life in that brown gaze.
Wait. Abruptly jerked from his little reverie, Paul's eyes widened slightly as he studied her again. She was definitely Quileute, and there was something strangely familiar about her, but that smell was one he'd certainly experienced before, and recently.
Aw, crap. She was Jacob's sister.
Chapter 3
"You're Rachel," he blurted.
Confusion flickered briefly in her eyes. "Yes. And you are...? I'm sorry, I've just arrived back in town, and I don't remember you."
Even though he hadn't remembered her either, that lack of recognition wounded Paul briefly. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but the first words that spilled out were, "You're Jake's sister."
"Yeah." Her lips pursed minutely in disapproval, but Paul caught it and possibly fell in love with her even more for that. Then it occurred to him that perhaps she hated being referred to by her familial connections as much as he did.
"So, do you...like being back here?" He hoped that she would say yes, because it would be so much harder for him to leave the pack to go where she wanted to live than for her to stay here with him. Not that that would stop him.
Thankfully, something shone in her eyes at the question. "It's great! I really missed La Push...I always forget how much I love it here. Even with Mom gone...I love it. I'm hoping that's what'll bring Jake back," she admitted, smile fading slightly.
"Oh." There was a brief, awkward silence while Paul searched desperately for something else to say.
Rachel obviously felt the uncomfortable silence too, because she turned away first. "Well, I'd best be getting back home," she stammered. Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment and Paul froze, barely daring to hope...but then she looked away, began to walk in the other direction.
"Wait!" Panicked at the concept of her leaving, Paul trotted along at her side like a faithful puppy. He felt as pathetic as the analogy, but couldn't help it; he now understood why the others who'd imprinted all acted as they did, abruptly regretted teasing them so much. They were going to give him hell. "Will you..." he swallowed nervously as she turned those beautiful brown eyes on him. "Will you go out with me sometime?"
She spun slowly around to face him. "Um...I don't even know your name."
"It's Paul," he replied quickly.
"Paul." His name from her lips sounded like she frowned. "Not...you're not that kid who used to go to school with my brother, are you?"
Half of him was ecstatic that she remembered him; the other was crushed beyond words that she'd described him as a kid. "Yes. But I've grown up a lot," he added hastily.
"I can see that." For the first time, her eyes drifted briefly down the exposed expanse of his muscled chest before snapping up to his own again, cheeks slightly pink. "Look, Paul, how old are you?"
His heart sank. His age was the only thing he couldn't change about himself for her. "I'm old enough."
She sighed, and perhaps he was imagining the genuine regret in her eyes but he didn't think so. "The thing is, Paul, you're not."
His shoulders slumped in abject misery. "May I at least walk you home? I know where you live." He realised, as he said it, just how much that sounded like something a stalker would say, and backed up with his hands held in front of him apologetically. "I didn't mean it like..."
Rachel laughed, and the sound was perfect. "I know. You're going in the other direction, though."
Paul dropped his gaze, shrugged with embarrassment as he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out to touch her. "Honestly? I'd ask to go with you even if you said you were going to the airport to fly to Europe." Horror seized him, and he glanced up again frantically. "Please don't say you're going to do that."
She was studying him with wide eyes which held an odd expression. "Why do you look at me like that?" Rachel asked wonderingly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say –" She cut herself off, biting her lip. He waited, watching the way the emotions flickered across her face, how the breeze stirred her dark hair, until her eyes lifted back to his and he was transfixed once more. "What am I to you?"
"You're everything," he replied instantly without thinking.
Rachel drew in a long, uneven breath. "Maybe you could walk me home," she told him shakily. "But...and I'm serious, Paul...that's not a promise for anything else."
He nodded in understanding, but wasn't able to stop the massive grin which sprung across his face. It took enough willpower not to leap up and do a little dance of victory at being allowed to spend more time with her.
They walked along in silence beside one another, Paul acutely aware of the way Rachel walked, how she smelled, and the way in which she kept glancing across at him. He felt like he should be disgusted with himself, but for some reason couldn't drag up the amount of snark necessary. God, the guys really were going to give him hell, but he was too happy to care. Their fingers brushed together at one point, the contact sending sparks through his body as her eyes shot to his in shock. Paul couldn't help beaming, only to receive a slightly concerned look from Rachel. Maybe he should tone down the happiness a little bit, at least until she understood his euphoria. He wanted to tell her everything, blurt it all out to her because the concept of keeping secrets from her made him uncomfortable.
When they came to the rocky steps which led up from the beach, his hands itched to take hold of hers, to make sure she didn't fall; perhaps Rachel saw it in his expression, because she gave him a small smile. "You're a strange boy, Paul," she told him.
"I prefer the word special," he replied with a grin, then paused. "Is that a good or bad thing?" he asked anxiously.
She stopped, studied him for a moment. "I honestly don't know. I haven't offended you, have I?" she asked worriedly, and he hastened to reassure her.
"No! No, it's fine. I mean, I know I'm weird. God, that sounds bad. I mean..." But she was laughing again.
Billy wasn't home when they arrived back at the house; as she stood in the doorway, Paul gave Rachel a smile. "Well, I've walked you home. I'll leave you in peace." Leave you in peace entailed going around to the back of the house and phasing, then guarding the window of her room in wolf form to make sure no harm came to her, but Rachel really didn't need to know that. "I'll probably be around quite a lot. The pack...uh, some of your brother's friends keep an eye on Billy. Seeing as he's an elder, and all that."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "God, I'd hoped to forget about all the tribal stuff. Dad takes it so seriously, you know?"
Oh, you have no idea. "I guess. I'll be around. Rachel?"
"Yes?"
There were so many things he wanted to say to her, wanted to tell her how much she meant to him and explain everything, but saying all that wouldn't really help her view of his sanity. After all, he'd practically begged to walk her home after setting eyes on her for barely a minute. Instead he just told her, "Take care," and turned to walk away.
It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, made worse by the fact that he could feel her presence where she still hovered in the doorway behind him. He had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other when all he really wanted was to run back and hold onto her, because the distance between them hurt.
"Paul?" Her voice called after him, making him spin around so quickly it made him dizzy. "Paul, would you...would you like to come in for a while?"
He practically bounded up to her – jeez, he sickened himself with how much he sounded like an overeager puppy – with a mile-wide grin. "I'd love to, if you're sure."
Rachel ducked her head so that the dark curtain of hair hid her face, nodded once. "Do you want a cup of coffee or anything?"
"I'll have whatever you are." Paul followed her into the kitchen, watched her with fascination as she moved about the room to make the two mugs of coffee. She really was very pretty, he thought with pride. Much more so than Jared's Kim. And she was older as well, finished school already which meant that she'd probably be around a lot more, too. Not to mention the fact that he'd be eternally grateful she wasn't two years old, like Claire. And she –
"What's the matter, Rachel?" Frantic, he crossed the room in one step to where she stood with her face in her hands. "What's wrong? Can I do anything, are you hurt? If you're hurt I'll take you to the hospital, Jacob's car is outside and I'm sure the keys are around here somewhere –"
"Paul, stop." Her voice cracked but he stopped as if she'd shouted. "I'm fine, honestly."
"What's wrong, then?" He dropped to his knees so that he could look up into her face, had to fight the urge to take her hands in his. "Rachel, please."
"It's just...this. All of it." She waved a hand wildly in a gesture which could indicate him, or the kitchen, or even the whole of the rez for its vagueness. "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't understand. All I know is that I've just met you, and I don't want you to go away. It scares me, because I have no idea what's going on or what I'm going to do. You're sixteen, Paul."
"It doesn't matter. No, listen to me, Rachel." Her eyes met his, and for a moment he was speechlessly lost in them before gathering his senses together again. "This is...complicated. There's something going on that you don't know about, that I promise I'll explain. But you need to know that I'm not going anywhere. I'm here, I'm yours, for as long as you'll have me. Longer."
Her dark eyes held a thousand questions, but she simply nodded. "All right."
Paul waited. Surely she was going to freak out, panic, start screaming – but then she giggled, and he stared at her in wonderment.
"You're looking at me like you think I'm about to explode," she laughed. "I'm not. I know there's something weird here, but this is La Push." She bent over to place a hand on each of his cheeks. "I'm fine. But wow, you're hot. Are you feeling okay?"
"This is normal," he replied happily. Then, because he couldn't help it, one eyebrow quirked. "All the girls say I'm hot."
"Oh, really?" Rachel's face was very close to his as he still knelt on the floor, close enough that her hair fell around them like a screen.
"Yeah," he breathed. Her face came a fraction closer, noses barely an inch from each other. "Rachel, I –"
"Hey, Rachel, are you home?" A voice rang out from the front door, making Paul and Rachel jerk away from one another guiltily. "Are you here? I..." Leah came around the corner into the kitchen, stopping dead when she saw them there. "Paul? Paul, what the hell are you doing here?"
AN: Thank you for reading!
Remember to check out wwwDOTtheindietwificawardsDOTcom and twilightedteensblogDOTblogspotDOTcom...and please leave me a review! xxx :)
