DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these lovely characters, plot, or situations. All those rights are reserved for the awesome Stephenie Meyer and her publishers and such!:)

Chapter 3: Finally Breaking

I woke up with a pain in my side and in my arm. I surveyed my surroundings when I realized I didn't smell disinfectant or feel Paul's warm body.

I guess I fell asleep in Paul's car…Paul must have brought me inside.

With the extent of my injuries, work and school were not an option. I could hardly move with the slashes scabbing and healing. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and inhaled deeply; preparing for my journey down the stairs.

Reaching the bottom of the steps I smelled food. Charlie couldn't cook and if he was trying, the house may catch on fire. I rushed into the kitchen as best as I could with stitches littering my ribs and arm.

"Good morning Bells! You feeling okay?" Charlie asked with a smile as he placed edible food on the table. He had successfully made me eggs somehow. "I have work but I'll be by later to give you lunch. Take out sound okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Dad." I said inhaling the food. Hospital food did get rather old.

I lounged around the house all day and answered the phone at least every hour. Mike, Jessica, Angela, Eric, Tyler, Jacob, Billy, Sam, and Emily all called checking up on me and making sure I didn't need anything.

I ignored Jake and Billy's calls not wanting to talk to him. Sam apologized profusely even as I denied him the fault. Emily called to talk about the scars. That discussion did help me some. My school friends all called during their free and/or lunch periods to check if I was okay. Angela and Mike were going to start collecting the homework from my classes to bring over to me.

"Bella?" Charlie called waking me up.

I grumbled in coherently as I tried to fall back asleep.

"Come on sweetie, I have Sweet & Sour Chicken for you." Charlie laughed nudging my sleeping form. "I think we need to change your bandages too."

I was able to haul myself off the couch and change the gauze with Charlie's help. We ate the Chinese food in silence as I listened to the news. Soon Charlie was gone to work again. I was left to the lonely house.

I chose to nap more. My chest began hurting slightly and I felt like I was missing half my vital organs.

Half way through my nap the phone shrieked waking me up with a start.

"Ugh what now!?" I groaned reaching over and answering the phone while still lying down with my eyes closed.

"Hello?"

"Bella! Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to phase. I should have let you go. I feel so stupid for not thinking right. That's exactly why Sam wanted me to stay away from you. I would never hurt you on purpose, you know that right? I need to talk to you in person, may I come over?" Jake rushed out too fast for me to catch some words.

"Uh, no. You just woke me up from a nap. I don't feel good and I just got out of the hospital thanks to you. I'll go back to sleep and see you another time. Bye." I huffed hanging up on him before he could respond.

Did I just reject Jacob? My Jacob? What the hell? I thought about it more as I lay on the couch.

I don't think I could go near one of the wolves unless it was Sam or Paul. They made me feel just fine. But the thought of the others makes me nervous! I wonder where Paul is. I honestly, well, miss him. The guy was an ass and he tried to hurt me intentionally at first.

I didn't know what to think about the imprint but I was a little nervous to accept it but I didn't want to reject it either. I didn't even really know what that meant. But I felt so drawn to Paul. The guy was undeniably attractive. Paul was hot. He was an ass, but he had the bad boy appeal to him.

"Hmm…what to do…" I said to myself.

The rest of the day passed with me napping on and off. Angela and Mike dropped by with my homework for the day. They both embraced me gingerly before heading home themselves.

Charlie came home earlier than normal and redressed my torso. We ate more food he somehow cooked effectively. I went to bed feeling slightly sicker than before.

Is this what that imprint bond thing was?

Rousing the next morning I didn't feel well. I took my pain killers and drank a glass of water. I wasn't allowed to shower quite yet. That alone was making me uncomfortable. Downing some healthy food I willed my body to feel better but the effort was wasted. The empty sick feeling was still heavily present and my brain was fixed on Paul.

Jacob had called again today, but I told Charlie not to pick it up. He was confused but agreed none the less.

"Bella I think you bled in your sleep." Charlie said pointing to the bloody bandages.

"Oh, I guess so, help me?" I asked

"Of course." He replied.

The wound were beginning to heal but there was a lot of dried blood stuck to me. Charlie helped me wash the blood off and then redressed the wounds. Charlie and I were becoming closer with this injury. He would have to help me with something that required my shirt to be off. We were becoming more comfortable about each other and I honestly enjoyed the closer relationship with my father.

"You aren't allowed to go into the woods anymore; ever." Charlie said with a dark chuckle.

"No problem." I said drawing out the words

A full week; I hadn't seen Paul in a total of 7 days. I was edgy and sickly. I couldn't eat or sleep really and the thought of him had my heart hurting; but my only thought was him.

Jake had called about an hour ago and begged relentlessly to come speak to me. I asked for time to shower and get situated. I was sitting on the couch staring at the wall thinking about how sick I looked. I did my best to look healthy.

When Jake arrived, he insulted me with the first words to leave his mouth. "My god Bella?! Are you alright? You look terrible.

"For your information Jacob Black, I feel like death. Thanks to you I have 3 revolting scars going down the length of my right arm and torso!" I spat trying to cause him to combust with my glare. "I can't keep food down, I have not slept in a good 3 days. I have not seen Paul in a week. I'm fidgety and I can't concentrate on shit." Raising my voice as I stalked forward, Jake backed up into the wall. "If you had not thrown a fit like a little girl I wouldn't look so terrible. I was already a plain person now I'm down right repulsive!" I screeched tears falling down my face. "You are the person at fault for not just giving me over 200 stitches but you also have gotten me sick from not seeing my damn wolf!"

He winced listening to me blame him. I almost hated him for this. I didn't have a hot body or looked like a model like Rosalie. I was just plain. But now, now I was marked with 3 hideous scars trailing from my rib cage to my hip on my right side. It was better than Emily's truthfully, but she is still breath-takingly gorgeous.

Thinking about how I was now gonna look forever I broke down. I had held in that pain till now.

"You made me ugly. I was already plain now look at me!" I accused through sobs lifting my shirt so he could see all the bandages that had some blood spots on them.

"Bella…I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to re-really. Please Bella, p-please don't cry." He said trying to hold tears of his own back. "Bella I lost control, I was stupid. I just got you back since you knew the secret…I-I didn't want to lose you again. Please stop crying please?"

Paul POV

For the last 7 days I have progressively gotten more sickly and anxious. My wolf was going nuts without Bella's acceptance of the bond. The guys were ripping on me loads till Sam got so irritated at Jared's teasing that Sam lunged at him. That was a few days ago.

Now I am sitting with Embry and Sam watching TV. Emily was humming happily in the kitchen as she cooked for the pack. Jake had avoided me at all costs this past week and it was smart; I wanted to kill him.

I felt a warmth flood my body and soul abruptly while flipping through channels. I froze at the strange sensation as Embry looked at me funny.

"Paul?" Sam asked cautiously.

The warmth faded to a dull comfort in my mind as I began to feel a brutal feeling of despair. My hand flew to my heart as I doubled over feeling like my soul was being crushed into dust.

I tried to inhale as Sam began calling my name.

"Sam what's happening? I feel like I'm dying!" I gasped terrified by the event unfolding.

"Run now! Get to Bella!" Sam said anxiously, moving out of my way as I rushed outside.

I phased just barely pulling my shorts off. I ran full speed with them in my mouth. I ran though La Push in record time.

The anguish was palpable as I hurried into Bella's back yard phasing. I could hear her sobs. I could sense and smell Jake. I roared learning he was near her at all. He scurried to the backdoor keeping away from Bella as I stalked into the house.

My eyes landed on my imprint and the sick, empty feeling I held all week dissipated. She was sobbing uncontrollably carefully clutching her scarred side.

"Bella." I breathed rushing to her. I scooped her up in my arms and sat down.

She wailed my name as she clutched to me like I was gonna disappear. I held her tightly in my lap letting her cry as I rocked her softly back and forth kissing her hair.

"It's okay babe. You're okay. I'm here." I cooed trying to comfort my girl.

She cried for maybe 10 minutes before calming down enough to speak to me. She still was clinging to me as I sat with her.

"Do-Do you still want me with these repulsive scars?" Bella chocked out letting a few tears fall.

How absurd of her to think she isn't beautiful! She is truly blind to her own appearance.

"Baby, you still look just as beautiful. Don't doubt yourself sweetheart. You are perfect in my eyes because of your imperfections." I complimented nuzzling her neck.

"What were you doing before you began crying dear?" I asked wondering what the warm feeling was if she was so upset.

"Tal-well yelling at Jacob." She whispered looking around for him. He had slipped out while I was calming her down.

I don't get the warm feeling at all. She wasn't happy so what had happened?

"Well, I got this warm feeling in my heart and soul before I felt your despair." I exclaimed.

"I don't know…I was just bitching out Jake." She admitted shyly.

"What you say?" I asked tilting my head to the side like a dog, well wolf;

"Well I told him it was his fault I had so many stitches, felt sick, and that it was his fault I couldn't see you." She admitted burying her face in the crook of my neck.

"What exactly did you say about me?" I asked smoothing her hair down.

"You got me sick from not seeing my damn wolf?" she said confused lifting her head to look at me.

I smiled brightly at her word choice. My wolf. She accepted the imprint. "Sweetheart it seems you accepted the imprint. You called me your wolf. You accepted the bond." I spoke softly to her.

Her little chocolate eyes went wide for a moment before she blushed and put her head back in my chest. I laughed softly and rubbed circles on her back.

Something warm was beginning to touch my arm, I glanced down and blood was coating Bella's side and my arm.

"You opened one of the scars babe." I chuckled picking her up.

"Oops. Better get that fixed…it does explain the pain." She said snuggling into my chest.

Bella's breakdown ended with 5 stitches breaking and the scar there opening to bleed. I called Charlie on the way back from the hospital.

"Chief Swan." He answered.

"Hi, Chief. It's Paul Lahote. I was checking on Bella earlier, she broke a few stitches I'm bringing her back from the hospital now." I explained formally.

"Oh, well thank you. How did she break them?" He asked casually.

I looked at Bella with a sad smile; she had fallen asleep against me.

"Jacob Black came over to talk to her and it ended with her yelling at him and her crying. He called me to try and help." I said running my hand through her hair.

"Why did they fight?" He asked surprise evident in his voice.

"Well she only talked to Sam because Jake was ignoring her so she blamed him." I said sadly.

All I got was a grunt in response and an okay. We said goodbye and hung up. I carefully carried Bella back into the house. I laid her down on the couch.

"Paul?" Bella sleepily called.

"Hey, babe. Sleep I'm just going to run to La Push to get my car. Your dad would be suspicious if I was here without one."

"Okay…" She murmured looking down.

I kissed her head and went to get my car. I ran as fast as I could to get my Camaro. I just wanted to be with Bella. I wanted to be with my imprint. She finally accepted the bond, she was mine.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Review and such as you read! I love getting suggestions and criticism; helps the writing! Comment on the revisions if you have already read my chapters!