Sweet Dreams and Strawberries

Any moment when pack members are in their wolf form it will be written in italics.

PAULS POV

My paws grazed the ground and I was staring at the white house which was picture perfect. Sam's truck had pulled out and I could see Amanda moving around in her room. She was untying her hair which fell past her shoulders in a thick black mass. She was pulling her shirt over her head, exposing her dark skin. She was beautiful and amazing. But why did she have to be related to Sam? Why did Sam's sister have to be my imprint? The lights went out and I waited a few minutes longer before phasing back into myself, slipping into a pair of shorts I had brought with me. As I climbed up the side of the house and up to the window I could see her back. I smiled as I discovered that she hated wearing clothes to sleep as much as I did.

Pushing the window open I slunk inside, her breathing was steady and shallow. The room was still new and not yet covered in her smell but it was there and I felt relieved that it was just me and her, even if she wasn't aware of it. Below I could hear her parents talking quietly. I waited for them to be quiet before moving towards the girl in front of me. I slid into the bed with her, my stomach in my throat as I worried that she'd wake and hit me with something. I knew it wouldn't do much damage but this looked pretty bad. My first impression earlier had been a real piece of work and I wanted the next time we met to be perfect. I just couldn't wait till then and needed to be near her. I was going to have some explaining to do to Sam when he found out. But I wanted this moment to be special.

Amanda was a heavy sleeper, not stirring at all as I got underneath the covers and put my hand on her hip, stroking the soft skin gently. She sighed, snuggling deeper into her comforter while pressing her back to me. Her skin was cool compared to mine and I took full advantage of her deep sleep to wrap my arms around her, resting my head into her hair.

"Sweet dreams Amanda." I told myself that I'd give her a new name that suited her better, but for now it would do. Originally I did't plan on falling asleep but I was feeling drowsy and decided that I'd let my eyes rest. I didn't want to leave yet anyway.

AMANDAS POV

When I woke up I felt so strange that it was hard to explain, it was like if I had been missing something despite knowing nothing was lost.

"Amanda, your friends are here!" Mom called up the stairs, her voice bright and sunny, unlike the weather. And why did she assume I was friends with those people? I hardly knew them. Not to mention they were all lean and muscle while I was squishy and not at all athletic. We didn't even look like the same category of people. In fact, if Sam and I hadn't looked so similar we would be polar opposites based off of how athletic we were. Now, I didn't harbor myself indoors all the time and it's not that I was bad at sports, I just didn't know because I hadn't ever tried.

When I got downstairs, Mom was practically force feeding Jacob, while Quil and Embry force fed themselves. I knew that look on Mom's face. She liked Jacob, like really liked him and was hoping I'd keep him around. Like that boy from Utah, Adam. She had obsessively pressed me about him for weeks when all he had done was study with me. Are you dating? Does he like you? Do you like him? No, no, and no! Even telling him he had a boyfriend wasn't enough to get her to lay off.

"Grr morfngih!" Quil sputtered through a mouth full of food. I think it was supposed to be a 'good morning' but I didn't know.

"Here you are sweetie." Mom kissed my forehead, setting a plate of eggs, bacon, and waffles down. Freaking plate of awesome!

"So, the boys tell me you're going to meet Allison." Mom mused over the stove,

"I said I might and aren't you coming?" She looked over at me almost apologetically.

"This is for you not us, and besides she might want her privacy when she meets you...which you should." Before I could badger her with questions or point out that this whole thing had been her idea, she dodged out of the kitchen saying something incoherent and disappeared. Embry slid over to me and because I was short enough, he only needed to lean up out of his chair to sniff me. I backed up, eyeing him oddly,

"Dude, did you just sniff me?" He plopped back in his chair, his nose wrinkled a little. "I like your shampoo. What do you use?"

"I forget the brand, but it's strawberry scented." Sitting further away from Embry I glared at Jacob who was smirking stupidly into his food. "Would you like to sniff me too?" I snapped, becoming more upset as he snorted
"No thanks I can smell you from here."

Instinctively I started smelling my shirt and hair "Do I stink?" Jacob and the others laughed and I wasn't sure what was funny but I didn't get it.

"No, you smell just like strawberries." They were grinning ear to ear and I just didn't get it at all. In fact they were still grinning when we were leaving.

"Where are we going?"

"To Sams's, everyone is there including the strawberry." They were grinning again, and over one strawberry?

"Okay seriously? What's with the strawberry shit? If you don't like it I'll just change my shampoo!" Jacob slid his arm around my shoulders, doing that weird wiggling eyebrow thing.

"Don't worry your hair is fine."

By the time we reached Sam's the strawberry thing was getting way out of hand and I had declared that indeed I was changing my shampoo. "You guys seriously need to shut up about the strawberries." Quil was doubled over, "It's not strawberries it's THE strawberry." My lips were so strained I thought they could be white "Crackheads." I muttered, stomping off to where Emily waited who looked just as confused as I did.

"What's that about strawberries?" She asked

"I don't even know! Embry smelled me this morning, asked what I used for shampoo and since then they won't shut up about strawberries!" A dark look passed over the pretty girl's face and she told me that they yap on about nothing. Still, I didn't feel it was reassuring.

"Emily where are my-" It was Paul, he stood in the door frame his nostrils flaring and his arms flexed. My face got hot when I remembered yesterday. He was glaring, freaking glaring at me.

"Oh...I forgot you'd be here. Is this going to be a regular thing?" I wanted to slap him.

"No, apparently Sam wanted to see me, once I start school I won't be around much." He shrugged and gave this lopsided smirk

"Oh, that's good because I was beginning to think my days were going to be very cramped." Emily rolled her eyes and said

"She's going to the same school as you." This information wiped his smug look right off his too-handsome-jackass-face.

"What?! Why!? She-!" Emily spoke slowly, giving the impression that Paul was a five year old, "She's entirely blood related to Sam, but by law she belongs to her parents and she's not old enough to leave the care of her parents, so the Elders allowed her family to live here." Paul was glaring as his tiny brain processed this, and for the first time I smiled smugly at him.

"Where the hell was I when this happened!?" Emily sighed, now too fed up to really keep explaining.

"You were chasing skirts Paul." Embry and Quil along with Jacob busted through the door, how three guys that large could cram through the frame should be a wonder of the world but alas it wasn't.

"Look! It's Paul, hey Paul do you like...strawberries?" I threw my hands up, this was getting ridiculous.

"What the fuck? Strawberries?" Paul eyed them like Emily eyed them, strangely. As quick as they'd come the trio bounced away laughing at their inside joke leaving me alone with Paul. Where Emily went I had no idea, I didn't even see her leave.

"Whatever just stay out of my way and we're all good." As he went to brush past me his shoulder knocked into mine, completely throwing off my balance.

"What the hell is your problem!? I haven't done anything to you!" I spat reeling in on the considerably taller boy. He was glaring some more, somebody ought to teach him more face expressions.

"You can't just come here expecting everyone to like you just because of who you are." He sneered giving me a disgusted look.

"Did you think all would be perfect and you can just plop your fat ass in the middle of everything?" My hand jerked back and the next thing I knew my fist was getting acquainted with his face. Fist meet face, face meet my fist. He howled and wrenched my arm, twisting it behind my back, tugging painfully on it. His chest rumbled inside and his eyes were an odd hazel, almost yellow. Weren't they brown or black? And why did I even know that? Or care to know that? Paul had me against the wall, his pelvis crushing into my stomach, while he breathed heavily.

"Don't...do...that." His voice came out soft, not like I had expected at all. His grip on my arm remained firm but not hurting me in anyway while his other hand rested on my hip.

"Get off me." I growled, wiggling to get free unsuccessfully. I decided to get ready to knee him, I was definitely in the right position to do it. His mouth curved and he smirked at me.

"No." No? As in: No I want to keep sexually harassing you kind of no?His nose touched mine and he deepened his lean on me. What the hell was this guy's problem?

"I said get off of me." As I tried to break free he tugged on my arm making me wince in pain.

"It's really unfortunate that you're Sam's sister." He muttered, burying his face into my hair and taking a deep breath. What was with the guys here? Was that just how they got to know people? It was like dogs or something. There was a pounding across the floor and somewhere in the background Emily shouted as large hands flew out across me, forcing Paul away and tumbling to the floor. He landed with a hard thud and his face flashed a deadly anger. Sam was blocking my view, his body shuddered and convulsed as he squeezed his fists.

"Get outside!" He barked, pulling Paul up and practically throwing him out the door and down the stairs. I watched in mild horror as they started fighting in the yard. The rest of the group looking on warily. Glancing back at Emily I told her that I needed to go and took off through the back door, not daring to look back.

"You're really quiet honey. Did you get into a fight with Sam?" Damn mom and her intense skills at reading people.

"No, I just have a bad stomach ache." I lied. Well my stomach hurt from being in shock but she didn't need to know that.

"Oh, well did you want to go lie down?" I nodded quietly, I wasn't too hungry after today. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Getting up I ran upstairs and shut the door, thumping my head on it a few times before crawling in bed. About five minutes later there was a tap at the door and Dad popped his head in.

"Can I come in?" I bobbed my head too tired to really have conversation. "I know this is different, and making new friends is hard but you won't regret it in the end." Dad said, sitting next to me on the bed. So he hadn't bought the stomach pain which meant Mom hadn't either. But at least they didn't know the whole truth and that's what I wanted.

"I know. But I'm trying." I was not convincing at all but Dad was not Mom and thankfully wouldn't push it. "We're here if you need us. And we always will be." He kissed my forehead and switched the light off, leaving me to my thoughts in the dark.