Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this story is property of the author. Story is rated M and may contain graphic language, sexual content, mild drug use, and some violence.

**WARNING** This chapter contains a bit of female/female slash. There may be some more of that further along in the story. I'm sorry if it offends anyone!

A/N: I know that in a few responses to reviews/comments I said that we would probably never see Tyler in person in this story. I misspoke, we will most likely see him in person (probably even this chapter, briefly), but not interacting with Bella or Jasmine. The only contact he may eventually have with Bella will be via telephone. Also, when Bella is at the bar when she refers to the girls she's going to go back and forth between their stage names and their real names in her head, I'm sorry if it confuses anyone but it's just how it works so that I don't have to have her thinking 'Leah aka Dahlia' every time. Leah is Dahlia Rose, Vanessa's stage name is Sunshine, and Jenna(who is not a stripper, just a bartender)'s stage name is Cinnamon, there will be other girls here and there but those 3 and Tammy are the main ones. Tammy's stage name is Chastity, I haven't used it before because she's more backstage now since she's older. She's also common law married to Frank, the owner of the bar.

**Five days later Friday afternoon Paul POV**

My shop usually opens up at noon on Friday and Saturdays, and stays open till around 8 due to a city ordinance that prevents tattoo and piercing parlors from operating past 9pm, but since I had closed for the weekend for Sam and Emily's wedding festivities last weekend I decided to open up early this weekend to make up for the loss. It actually was a decent idea, I was surprised at how many people wanted earlier appointments.

My morning had been packed, I put the finishing touches on a tribal back piece, and did a group of four girls who came in to get matching floral tramp stamps. After the girls I had a couple of guys come in and pick simple flash art off the wall, and now I'm getting ready for my 3 o'clock consultation to show up.

The chime that indicates the door opening sounds, and four guys come in. I greet them casually, "Sup. If you guys have any questions let me know."

Alyssa, my apprentice, comes out from the back, "Hey Paul, we're running low on gloves, tracing paper, and transfer paper."

She's a hot chick, and if she sticks with it, and puts the time into finessing her drawing, she's going to be a badass tattoo artist. Alyssa is one of the only hot girls that I've never tried to get with. I didn't want to lose her talent for the shop if and when it inevitably went south.

I nod, "I ordered general supplies yesterday, but it was after 5 so they didn't ship till today, we'll get em tomorrow. There should be a couple boxes of gloves in the cabinet in my workroom. We'll be fine till tomorrow. Jesse will be in to do inventory on inks and needles later on today, if there's anything you want that he wouldn't ordinarily order let him know."

Jesse Collins is the shop manager, he's been here since I can remember. He's a badass with a tattoo machine, and an institution when it comes to the ink scene in this area. He was also my dad's best friend for more than half their lives. When my old man died it only made sense for him to take over as shop manager, he'd been doing it without the title for years anyway.

When I wolfed out my dad had still been alive, he knew what happened, and he covered for me at the shop. As far as Jesse knew I had a rare incommunicable blood disease, it put me down for a few months, but I came back stronger and the only indicator that I'd ever had it was my elevated temperature, and the fact that I needed tattoos done with stronger and longer needles.

I was 16 when I went Wolf. Sam had already been a wolf for almost a year when Jared and I joined up. Back then imprinting was thought to be a rarity, instead of the rule that it's seems to actually be. I was okay, at first, after phasing. It wasn't until my dad passed away that I became angry and self-destructive.

My father's accident happened just before I turned 18. For a while I was really out of control, Jesse stepped in, ran the shop, kept it profitable, and had respect enough for the old man's wishes to not just completely take it over. Dads will left the shop to me, but Jesse could have fought it, he was almost as much a part of the shop as the old man himself.

Sam kept me relatively in control at home, but he didn't have time or resources to keep tabs on me 24/7, Jared helped, but the two of them really had more than they could handle. If I wasn't out at bars trying to get loaded, and looking for fights, I was at bars trying to get loaded and looking to score, and score I did.

The wolf builds us out like pro wrestlers on steroids, gives us a certain amount of animal magnetism, I almost never struck out. In the last few months that had started to wane off just a little, I wasn't into the anonymous sex scene as much as I used to be. The wolf in me wanted to find its mate, or at least just settle down with one girl for a while. I knew the odds though, it wasn't worth the temporary stability only to do to some chick what Sam did to Leah. After all, I did have some morals, I never lied to the girls I hooked up with, they never thought it was more than what it was.

One of the guys who came in comes up to the counter, "How much you charge, Bro?"

I shrug, "Depends on the piece. Consultations are free, but you have to set up an appointment. I got someone coming in in the next 5 minutes. I can fit you in around 5 if you'd like to come back."

He nods, "I like the stuff in the books you have out, I'm looking to get a Seattle Seahawks logo on my back."

That tweaks my interest a little, but not really, lots of guys come in to get the logo, especially since we made it to, and beat Denver in, the Superbowl. I ask, "Oh yeah? You're a big fan?"

He shrugs, and starts to look cocky, "Actually, this is a big opportunity for you man. I'm their new starting quarterback. You do a good job, and I'll send others your way."

Oh shit… what are the odds? Questioningly, I ask, "Is your name Tyler?"

He nods, "Yeah man, that's me, Tyler Crowley."

He laughs, and says to his entourage, "You see! What'd I tell you all? This guy already knows who I am."

I smirk, "You got me wrong, Bro. I live in La Push, you used to go with Lauren Mallory right?"

The cocky grin falls off his face so fast I can almost hear it shatter as it hits the floor, and he responds, "Yeah, I still do, we're getting married next month."

Of course, I already knew this, but just to play it up a little, I act surprised, "Serious? Good luck with that!"

He looks at me suspiciously, and asks, "So, when did you know Lauren?"

I shrug, "Oh it was about 2 and a half years back, thereabouts anyway. She hung out down in La Push a lot back then, I knew a bunch of guys who were friendly with her."

I can tell he gets what I'm not saying. He looks me up and down, I guess assessing whether or not it'd be worth it to fight me. Finally he sneers, "You know what, man? This place is a dump, we're leaving."

Snorting laughter, I wave them out, "Bye."

Bastard. Getting what was sure to be an almost thousand dollar tattoo while Bella strips to pay bills, and buy fucking pancake mix for his kid! Fucking asshole.

The chime for the door rings out, and my 3:00 walks in, "Riley! My man! Come on back to my office, what are you lookin to get?"

**Bella POV Later that evening**

I never did hear from Paul again. I didn't expect to, after all he never did ask for my number, but I won't lie, I was a little disappointed. Latisha had called me earlier today, and asked me to drop Jasmine off a little early, said she had to talk to me about something. I can only imagine what it is. When I picked her up early Wednesday morning Latisha asked me why she was saying 'porn' over and over again. I had explained calmly that she overheard some man in the diner say it.

Pulling into her driveway, I park behind a Cadillac, that's a fancy car. God, please don't let Tyler or Lauren be here…

I get out of the car, maybe I should just go see what Latisha wants before I take Jasmine out of the car… No, I'm being paranoid, it's probably a friend of hers. I get Jasmine out of her car seat, straightening her My Little Pony t-shirt, as I carry her up the walkway.

Latisha opens the door before I knock, "Bella, come on in, hon."

She takes Jasmine from my arms, and sits down with her on the couch, "Have a seat, sweetheart."

Wow, 'Hon', and 'sweetheart', this can't be good… I sit, and ask nonchalantly, "Nice car out there. Whose is it?"

She looks uncomfortable, and answers, "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about honey. I heard that you ran into my future daughter in law at the store the other day… I'm sorry for what she said to you, she's a bitch, plain and simple, but my boy loves her anyway, god knows why. I know that you know, Bella. About Ty's football career. He bought me that car out there. He, well, he offered to buy me a house in Seattle. Move me, take care of my expenses…He just had one request…"

I can feel the blood draining from my face. Swallowing hard, I clear my throat, "Ahem, sorry, uh, I'm assuming I can guess what his stipulation was."

She looks sad, and she hugs Jas tight to her chest, as she drops the bomb, "Bella, I'm sorry honey. I, I can't, I can't help you out anymore after this weekend. I'm going to move. Tyler is going to put me up in a hotel down there until I can find a place, this place goes on the market tomorrow."

I wrap my arms around my midsection, trying to hold myself together, all I can do is ask, "Why? Why is he doing this, Latisha? What did Jasmine do to deserve this from him?"

She inhales sharply, "Sweetheart, it's not her, it's you."

A half sob, half shout escapes me, and I demand, "Why! What did I do? I haven't asked him for anything! Not one thing! I haven't asked him for so much as a penny in support, I haven't pushed him to see her! So Why? Why does he hate me so much that he would take away the ONLY family that MY DAUGHTER has?"

She sighs sadly, "Bella, I know, and I'm sorry, but I have to do what's right for me, and my relationship with my son. You're right, you've never pushed him for support or to see her, and I can't help but wonder why. It makes me doubt that you're one hundred percent certain about him being her dad. I think you're really gonna need to take him to court hon, get it settled one way or the other. I'll give you his number if you want to get that ball rolling."

I shake my head, taking a deep breath, and standing up, "No. Not necessary. Thank you. Give me my daughter, I have to go."

She starts to argue with me, "You don't need to be like that, Bella! I'm perfectly happy to watch her for the rest of the weekend."

I cut her off, "What's the point! Why should I let her get even one bit more attached to you! You've made your choice, and you KNOW that you're wrong! That's the worst thing. This whole thing is 100 percent Lauren! She can't stand the fact that I had Tyler's kid, and she's scared to freaking death that one day he'll change his mind about being in her life, and until she locks him down and gives him a baby of their own she's always going to be hateful and jealous! The saddest thing about it is that I DON'T WANT HIM! I NEVER WANTED HIM! She's so concerned about me, and I'm not even on the playing field!"

Jasmine is crying now, and I take her out of Latisha's arms, and head out the door as quickly as I can. I make it into the car before the tears start flowing. I take a deep breath, I can't afford to lose any more time at the bar, not if I'm going to have to start somehow paying for childcare now.

Starting the car I drive till I get about halfway down the road to Port Ang, and park on the side of the road. I take my phone out to call Frank, let him know that I'm gonna have to bring Jasmine with me for the foreseeable future till I can make other arrangements.

I'm scrolling through my contacts when a knock on my window makes me shout. I reach into my bag, going for my can of pepper spray, when Jasmine says, "Paw!"

My heart rate calms down a fraction, as I look up and see Paul's face. I roll my window down, "Uh…Hi?"

He smiles, and I can't help thinking that he has a really sexy smile. His voice is gravelly and sexy too, as he asks, "You break down, Darlin?"

Shaking my head, I reply, "No. I had to make a call. What are you doing here?"

He shrugs, "I was on my way home. I work in Port Ang, my dad's tattoo shop. Well, it's mine now. Anyway, I recognized your car, and thought you broke down, figured you could use some help."

I shake my head a little, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, I'm on my way to work."

He looks in the backseat, sees Jas, and asks, "You're bringing her with you?"

I can sense the mild judgment, and again my voice is a little sharper than I'd like it to be, "Yes, for the time being I'm short on child care. That's why I was stopped actually, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I really do have to make this call. I have to let Frankie know I'm gonna be bringing her tonight, and for the foreseeable future until I can find a babysitter for her for the long haul."

Breaking off, I mumble to myself aloud, "Maybe Leah could help me out…"

Paul snaps me out of my reverie, "You know Leah? Leah Clearwater? How?"

Shit, I fumble for an explanation, "Uh, I uh, know her parents. Yeah, Sue and Harry were good friends of my father's when he was alive. I had gotten to know Leah some."

He just nods, accepting it, and says, "Uh, well, I could help you."

I feel my eyebrows raise pretty much all the way up to my hairline at that, and I ask, "I'm sorry, what?"

He clears his throat, "Uh hum, I said, uh, I could help you out. Maybe just for tonight and we'll see how it goes? This way you don't have to bring her to the bar."

It's nice of him to offer, so I keep my tone as mild as possible, "Paul, I really appreciate even the offer, but I can't accept. I just don't know you well enough."

Paul nods, then seems to have an 'aha' moment, as he says, "Leah! What if Leah and I watch her together until you're comfortable with me watching her on my own?"

Considering, I nod a little, "That could work… I guess. I'll call her and see what she says."

He nods, and I look up Leah's number instead, and hit send. The phone rings, once, twice, and she picks up, "Raven! What is up, Sweetie?"

Using her real name instead of her stage name lets her know I'm around people, as I say, "Leah. Uhm, I kind of have a big favor to ask you. Are you doing anything tonight?"

She answers, "I'm at work, sexy mama! When are you getting here?"

Shit. Leah sounds like she has a little buzz on, drinking on the job is something that Tammy and Frank really frown upon. They won't send her home unless she's falling down as she's goin round the pole, but they won't forget.

Being very careful not to reveal where she is to Paul, I sigh, "Yeah uh, I have work tonight. Thanks anyway hon. I'll see you."

Paul looks funny, but his tone is even and calm as he responds, "I take it she's busy?"

I nod, "Yeah, she had to cover someone's shift or something at her job."

He nods, "That's too bad. Maybe another time. I just, I want to say sorry about the other day. I had a killer headache, which is no excuse. I was a jerk, and even though that tends to be a semi-chronic condition with me, I didn't mean to be a jerk to you."

That was…sweet. I respond carefully, "No worries. I wasn't very welcoming to you either, and even after you stood up to Lauren for me."

At the mention of Lauren's name I start to get upset again. He sways like he just took a stiff drink, and asks, "You alright? You made a face."

I shake it off, answering, "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just can't afford to miss another night of work. Especially if I'm going to start having to pay for a babysitter. I really have to call my boss. Give me a second."

Finding Frank's number, I hit send, and the phone rings once before he picks up, "Bella! Please tell me you aren't calling out again! Dahlia is halfway to being sent home, and I had had hopes for the two of you doing an act together tonight. So if you're taking another night off you're really screwing me!"

Interrupting him before he can really get a head of steam going, I answer, "Frank chill! I'm not calling out. I was just calling to let you know that I have to bring Jasmine with me."

He takes a breath, and says, "Bella you can't. Not tonight honey, I'm sorry. I have a meeting with my silent partners, the bar has been doing good business for a while now. After those business guys came in the other night I called a meeting with my partners, I'm gonna try to get them to up their investment so we can spruce the place up a little, make it so that maybe we don't have to let the fake id's slide at the door to make money. I'm sorry but I can't have a kid running around in here tonight."

Shit. Of fucking course. When it rains, it pours… Paul smiles at me, as I tell Frank it's ok and hang up. He smirks a little, but not in a bad way, as he says, "I'm still available."

Sighing, I reply, "Well…ok…I guess. Just for tonight, and we'll see how it goes. Sue vouched for you, just keep that in mind. At the diner when she brought your plate over she said what a good guy you were. Umm how do you want to do this? It's going to take me a little bit to get her car seat transferred. I should have told Frank I was going to be late."

He shakes his head, "Here, why don't we just switch cars? This way you have collateral so you know I'm not going to up and leave or anything. My trucks a lot newer than this thing."

Pausing, he reaches into his shirt pocket, and takes out a business card, handing it to me as he says, "That's the address of my shop in Port Angeles, my cell number is on the back. I don't have a pen or I'd write my home address on it, I know you're in a hurry. My registration is up in the visor above the driver's seat, but if you know where Leah lives I'll make it easy for you, I live around the block from her. You'll see your car there. What time do you usually get back to pick her up?"

I calculate the travel time to get down to La Push with the fact that I usually leave the bar at 4:30 or so, and say, "Around five am. Are you sure you want to do this?"

He nods, "Yeah, it'll be fine. She'll probably just sleep after an hour or so, right?"

Shrugging, I reply, "She should. There are a couple of water rings in her bag, put them in your fridge, not the freezer, she might need one later."

I pull a receipt out of my bag, along with a pen, and scribble my cell number on it, "That's my cell number. If you need me for anything, call. If someone named Tammy picks up it means I'm on stage and I'll get back to you as soon as I get off. Thank you for doing this Paul. I really appreciate it."

**Paul POV**

Bella gets out of the car, slinging a duffel bag over her shoulder. As she looks now you would never know that she was going to her job at a strip club, she's wearing jeans shorts and a black tank top with sneakers. She opens the back door, leans in and gives Jasmine a kiss, saying, "Okay Baby, You're going to stay with Paul tonight okay? He's mommy's friend, remember he came with us to the supermarket? Mommy has to go to work. I love you baby. Be a good girl."

She shuts the door, and Jasmine looks confused and wary, as Bella turns to me, "Thank you again. She may cry at first, that's normal. Don't take it personal, ok? Everything she may need is in the bag next to the car seat, diapers, wipes, a set of pajamas, the water rings, and a sippy cup. There's also a bottle of baby aspirin if she runs a little fever from the teething. Thank you."

I nod, "We'll be fine, Bella. You don't have to thank me, you need help, I want to help. I'll see you in the morning."

She hesitates, then hugs me very quickly, before turning, getting into my truck, and driving away.

Okay then, so now I'm a babysitter… Shit, I have absolutely no idea what to do with a kid. I'm assuming she ate already since it's like 9:30 at night. I get into Bella's little car and feel like I'm in a clown car. I adjust the seat but it only helps a little.

I start the engine, and Jasmine starts to cry. I attempt to soothe her, "Shh, shh, it's okay Jasmine. I promise, your mom will be by to pick you up in the morning. I'm going to take you down to my house to wait for her. She had to go to work."

The kid keeps crying, it hurts my ears, but it is what it is. Sighing, I pull back onto the road, turning around, and heading back to La Push.

Pulling into my driveway, I roll the windows up, and let out a sigh of relief. This kid has to be getting ready to pass out. She cried the whole way. Inhaling sharply, the smell hits me. Shit. Well I guess that's partly why she's been screaming… Fuck.

I have a brainwave then, and I grab her bag, unbuckle the straps on the car seat, and lift her gingerly out. She cries harder for a minute, and I think my head is going to explode. Finally she settles in a little, and though she's still snuffling a bit she's not actively screaming in my ear, so at least that's good.

I walk quickly around the block, and knock on Sue's door. She must hear the crying, because she calls out the door, "Who is it?"

Sighing, I answer, "It's Paul, Sue. I uh, kind of need some help."

I hear laughter, and worry, in her voice, as she opens the door saying, "Did someone leave a baby on your doorstep, Paul? Well we all kind of figured it was a matter of time…"

She stops short as she sees Jasmine, and she says worriedly, "What happened? Why do you have Charlie's granddaughter?"

I roll my eyes a little, as I ask, "What? Do you think I kidnapped her or something? Bella was in a bind, she needed a babysitter. So I'm babysitting."

Sue chuckles a little, which then turns into a full out laugh as she says, "You? You're babysitting!"

She's almost at the point of howling laughter, which then starts Jasmine off crying again because I guess she had fallen asleep a little and Sue's laughing woke her up. Sue gets control of herself, and says, "Oh sweetie, it's okay. I'm sorry honey, come here."

Jasmine automatically holds her arms out and Sue takes her, saying, "Well, you really must need something if you're gonna let me hold you."

Running my hands through my hair, I say, "Uhm, she uh, needs a diaper change…I've never even seen anyone change a diaper before. I didn't want to mess it up."

I hold out the bag, continuing, "Bella said everything she needs is in here."

Sue leads me back into the kitchen, Harry is sitting at the table looking confused, "Well what's all this now!"

Sue explains, "This is Charlie's granddaughter, Jasmine Swan. She's Bella's little girl."

Harry replies, "Well I figured that out when you said she was Charlie's granddaughter, Sue. Seeing as he had only the one kid, who else's little girl could she be. What's she doing with Paul, and here?"

Sue shrugs, "It seems Paul has taken on the role of babysitter. She needs a diaper change, and he has no idea how to do that, so here he is."

Harry snorts laughter. He's an elder, he knows what I am, and I'm guessing he's figured out what Bella is to me, as he replies, "I guess that figures. I'm happy for you, Boy. Lord knows that girl needs someone to take care of her."

I shrug, and say to Sue, "Thank you for this, Sue."

She shakes her head, and laughingly replies, "Oh no, buddy, don't thank me. You're going to change her, I'm just going to supervise. Now, I'm gonna lay her down on the table."

Fuck…I should have known she'd make me do it myself, Sue was never one to coddle. She'd guide, give advice, and at times help, but she'd never do something for you that you could do yourself.

She tells me, "go through that bag and see if Bella has a changing pad or a towel in it."

Going through the bag, I find a folded up blanket with a vinyl backing, I ask, "Is this what you're looking for?"

Sue nods, and answers, "Yep, that's it, lay it out on the table."

I do as she asks, and she lays Jasmine down on the pad. She points to the bag, and tells me, "Get out a clean diaper, whatever pack of wipes that Bella has in there, and if she has diaper cream get that too."

Going back into the bag I find a zip lock bag with 4 diapers in it, a travel pack of baby wipes, and a tube of Desitin cream. Sue nods, and says, "Okay, now, take her shoes off, and pull down the pants she's wearing, my suggestion would be just take them off."

She starts fussing as I slip her shoes off, "No! Want Mommy! Gramma!"

Sue soothes her, "It's okay honey, Paul's just gonna change your stinky diaper, and you'll feel so much better."

I get her pants off her little legs, and put them on the table. Sue goes in the bag, and takes out a t-shirt and pants pajama set, and sets it on the table. She watches me as I pull the tabs on the diaper. Harry quips, "Hold your breath boy, that's gonna hit you like a brick wall, and worse if you know what I'm saying."

I take a deep breath, and go ahead and do what needs to be done. Sue instructs, and does her best not to laugh at me as I wince, and gag. She hands me the wipes, tells me which way to use them, and gets me through it. I ball the diaper up, and she takes it and puts it in the garbage.

Jasmine on the other hand apparently finds my discomfort funny, she smiles at me for the first time and laughs. I take the fresh diaper, and Sue explains, "Put it flat on the table, the other side, the sticky tape goes to the back. Ok good, move it under her, good. You've got it. Ok, so pull the front half up, hold it flat with one hand, and use your other hand to do the tabs. Good, see, you got it! That wasn't so hard, was it?"

I roll my eyes at her a little, "Thanks Ma."

She laughs, "No problem."

I put the pajama pants on her, and sit her up on the table. She smiles at me, and damned if this little girl didn't just win my heart as she says, "Thankie Paw"

I laugh, and answer, "No problem, Princess. I'm gonna change your shirt, okay? Arms up?"

Jasmine puts her hands up, laughing, and clapping. I pull the shirt up over her head, and tickle her under her arms. She squeals, "No tickle!"

I cross my eyes, and stick my tongue out at her, making her laugh. Smiling at her, I say, "Okay, Princess, arms up one more time."

She looks at me solemnly, "No tickle?"

Smiling, I reply, "No tickle, I promise."

She puts her arms up and I pull the green t-shirt on over her head. I get her situated, and poke her little tummy, making her shout, and laugh.

Seth comes into the kitchen, he eyes me suspiciously, asking, "When did you have a kid?"

Snorting, I reply, "I didn't, this is my friends daughter."

He scoffs, "Whose? Not Sam or Jared's, and I know it's not Embry's. Aren't those your only friends?"

I shrug, "They're most of my friends, but I like to think I have a few more. This is Bella Swan's daughter."

He looks confused, "Who? Oh, Charlie's kid. I forgot she still lived out here."

I nod, "Your families were close right? She told me she knew Leah."

Shrugging, he answers, "Charlie was close friends with us. Bella kept her distance. I don't know how she'd know Leah. I don't think they know each other."

Huh, odd. I put the stuff back in the bag, and say to Jasmine, "Okay, Princess, we're gonna go hang out back at my house, okay?"

She nods, "K. I watch movie?"

I nod, "Sure thing, Princess, what do you want to watch?"

I pick her up, grab the bag, and walk into the living room. I nod to Sue and Harry, "Thank you Sue. I couldn't have done that without you."

She laughs, "You would have been fine, Paul. You look good with her. I think you and Bella would be nice together."

I shrug, "Well, we'll see what happens. Thanks again. I'll see you soon. Later Harry."

We walk out the door, and I look around. Hmm, Leah's car isn't here… when Leah answered Bella's call she called her Raven. She told Bella she was at work, and asked Bella when she was getting there. She was clearly drunk, and when Bella called her boss he told her that someone named Dahlia was on the verge of getting sent home… Holy fucking shit… Leah Clearwater is a fucking stripper!

**Bella POV**

I get to work about 20 minutes early. Frank meets me at the door, and is oddly formal, as he says, "Bella, there are some men I'd like you to meet, when you're dressed and ready."

I nod, "Sure thing, Boss."

I can tell he's nervous, he's sweating, and wearing his best cheap suit. Still I know that what he's got going on is important, if we can take some of the business from the higher end strip bars and clubs, I'd make more money.

He catches my eye, and his tone is harried, as he tells me, "Do me a favor and try to get Dahlia under control? Tammy is brewing her some coffee, she really picked a hell of a night to do this to herself over her stupid ass ex. I almost wish she'd stayed home, but I need you both on stage together tonight. I know you've been rehearsing a duo act, tonight is the night to debut it. Kid if we can get this place fixed up we'll all make a mint!"

Shit. I'm not sure how he knows about the double act Leah and I have been developing, Tammy must have said something. I wish she hadn't, we weren't that sure about it with both of us sober, with Leah going on a bender… I just don't know.

Sighing, I walk into the changing area, and find Leah with a beer in her hand. I walk up to her and take it out of her hand, giving it to Jenna who's passing by, and saying, "Jenna, do me a favor, Leah's done with this."

Leah scowls at me, "Hey! I was drinking that!"

Scowling back, I reply, "And now you're done drinking it. Leah seriously, this is not the night to do this. Frank and Tammy aren't going to send you home tonight, but if you fuck up what Frank's trying to get going, they'll probably fire you tomorrow. Look, I know that last weekend was tough for you, but this is not the answer!"

She almost hisses at me, "Tough! You have no IDEA how I'm feeling!"

Keeping my voice deadly calm, I respond, "You're right. I don't know what you're feeling, but I know you're drinking those feelings, and being self-destructive, and I'm not going to watch you slip into the hell that I lived in after my dad died over a stupid ass guy! He's a moron Leah, but obviously he wasn't good enough for you. Move on! I know that's hard but think of it this way, if he cheated on you with your cousin, most likely he'll cheat on her too, and she'll get exactly what she deserves in the end. Forget him! Just, don't drink yourself into oblivion to do it. A guy isn't worth losing your job or your life over!"

Tammy comes over with a big mug full of what I can smell is strong coffee, she pats Leah on the back, and says, "Go get ready, Bella. I'll take it from here."

I nod, and go to find an empty changing station. I find one and set my duffle on the vanity top. I always keep a couple of different outfits in my bag, the outfits that Leah and I had chosen for our dance are very goth catholic school girl, short plaid skirts that are a bit longer than the micro skirts we usually wear, and resemble catholic school uniform skirts, the same white button down half shirt that I usually wear but with fake school sweater half cardigans over them, no bras because of the added layer of the cardigan, and instead of the big boots we had both gotten a pair of black platform mary jane's.

I get changed, and put my wig on securely, before making my way to Frank's office. I tap on the door, and he calls out, "Come on in, Raven."

Opening the door, I walk in the office. Frank's behind the desk, the other two guys are seated across from him. He waves me forward, and I stand between the chairs. Frank smiles, "Raven! These are my business partners. This is Mr. Nivek, and Mr. Stahl, do me a favor and keep them company until you go on stage?"

He breaks off and addresses the two men, "Raven is one of my top girls, she'll show you a good time, and then she and Dahlia Rose are going to put on a new act, a twosome."

The smile on my face is glued on, I think about Jasmine, and what my having more money could do for us. I'm not naïve, I know that I can't be a stripper forever, no one wants to see a 50 year old stripper. I know that if I don't start planning for the future now, by the time I hit 35 and it starts to get serious I'll be in trouble. So I have to start saving money and getting my future in order.

Forcing the smile to be genuine, I address them, "Gentlemen. Why don't we head out to the floor?"

They smile at each other, and I put an extra sway in my hips as I lead them to the front. I know they're staring at my ass. I pass Dami in the hall, and we smile at each other, he falls in line a little behind us as I lead the two men to a booth. It makes sense now, Frank had had us cleaning the place all week, and then he had hired a professional sanitation service, and had the place steamed from top to bottom. It was really like working in a brand new place. We had all wondered why he was going to so much trouble, now the answer was clear.

Mr. Stahl takes a seat, and I ask, "Can I get either of you a drink to get you started? Cinnamon makes an amazing Screaming Orgasm."

Mr. Nivek shakes his head, "No, thank you. We'd really just like to watch the show with you. Why don't you sit down?"

Smiling at them, I sit, I can feel Dami standing behind me a couple of feet away. It comforts me knowing that he's watching, I know these guys won't get up to anything with him right here. I try to engage them in conversation, waiting for Jack, our emcee to announce Sunshine's turn on stage, "So are you guys from around here?"

I pop a button or two on my top so that my cleavage is nicely on display as Mr. Nivek answers, "I grew up around this area, but I made my money in Vegas. You might be able to make good money in Nevada, Raven. Of course you may have to do a little bit more than you're used to here."

I know what he's hinting at, prostitution is legal in Nevada. I laugh, but make it seem like I'm flattered, "Me? In Vegas? Oh I don't know Mr. Nivek, I mean here I'm one of the prettier girls, out there well I don't know if I could compete!"

Mr. Stahl runs his hand up my leg, and says, "You underestimate yourself, Raven. You could make VERY good money out there."

I keep my smile in place, placing my hand over his, and artfully ghosting it up to the edge of my skirt, and then back down in a move designed to both placate, and divert. Thankfully, the club has filled up quite a bit, I see not one, but two groups of what seem to be slightly older business types, and Jack starts announcing, "Okay, Gentlemen! The Black Dog Bar is proud to present to you, our opening act of the evening, the beautiful, the vivacious, and HOT! Give it up for SUNSHINE!"

Vanessa's act is decent, her song is Britney Spears' 'I'm a Slave 4 U'. The beat to it starts, and she comes out in her little half shirt and tiny yellow plaid micro mini, she goes into her routine, shaking her ass, her blonde hair flying as she catches her leg around the pole and spins around. She makes it safely to the floor, and crawl/stalks her way to one of the groups of older guys, stopping to shake her ass in the face of a group of the usual frat boys, they slip their singles in the side of her g-string, and one of them gets rowdy, and slaps her ass.

Matt, one of the other bouncers, takes him out quickly and quietly, as Dahlia comes out to the table, "Hey Guys, how are you enjoying the show so far?"

She sits lightly, on Mr. Stahl's other side, and he smiles at her, "We're enjoying it very much so far, especially the company."

She replies, happily, "That's great! Isn't Raven so sexy? I'm Dahlia Rose. She and I are going to do a dance together a little later on."

Mr. Nivek trails his finger, up my arm, and says, "Yes, she is exquisite. So are you by the way. Dahlia Rose, that's a beautiful name."

Leah blushes, like actually blushes, as she answers, "Well thank you!"

Jenna comes over, and lets us know, "Raven, Dahlia, you guys are on in 20."

She turns her attention to the men, "Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?"

Mr. Nivek looks questioningly at Mr. Stahl, who answers, "Yes, thank you. We'll each take a whiskey on the rocks, your best brand."

She smiles, "Excellent! That's Jack Daniels Single Barrel. I'll send Layla right over with that."

Cinnamon heads back to the bar, and Dahlia gets up, "Raven we should go get ready."

Smiling, I place my hands on their shoulders, and say, "It's been a pleasure meeting you both, I hope you enjoy our show!"

Mr. Stahl slides out, and takes my hand, helping me out of the booth, and says, "I'm sure we will enjoy it very much. We've both really enjoyed your company, Raven."

Leah and I head back to the changing room, and we finish up our makeup. Leah seems much more lucid now, and I ask her, "Are you good to go?"

She nods, "Yeah, I've got this. Thank you, for before. Now, let's go do this."

We make our way back behind the stage, and Jack announces, "Now for the very first time in Black Dog Bar history, TWO of our most popular girls are going to be together on our main stage! Give it up for the lovely, the exotic Dahlia Rose, and the sexy, sinister, RAAAVEN!"

The lights dim, and a beat like a heartbeat starts, we had chosen Closer by NIN, and as Trent Reznor starts singing, "You let me violate you" Leah puts her arm up, taking my hand as I circle around her to the beat, while running my free hand over her sweater, undoing the buttons. "You let me desecrate you", Leah quick switches our positions, making me the submissive now, as I hold my hands together behind my back thrusting my chest out.

"You let me penetrate you", she grips the cardigan on both sides, and yanks in either direction, popping open the top, and pulling it down my arms and off, dropping it on the stage, leaning her head in, and trailing her nose along the column of my neck. "You let me complicate you" She circles around, and we kiss briefly, before both moving in opposite directions.

"Help me, I broke apart my insides", we are on opposite sides of the stage now, and we drop to our knees, "Help me, I've got no soul to sell", we stare into each other's eyes, crawling towards each other. I arch my back and thrust my ass out with each movement, as Leah mirrors me.

"Help me, the only thing that works for me", we meet in the middle, each of us going up on our knees and pressing our chests together. We grip each other's hips, and move our hands upwards. Her hands roaming over my breasts have my nipples hard, and she smirks at me, as I stifle a moan, "Help me get away from myself", in a synchronized movement we grip the collars of the others' shirt, and yank popping them open, our breasts spilling out, mine coming to rest against hers, our nipples brushing, sending delightful little sparks through my body.

Finally the chorus hits, "I wanna fuck you like an animal", we're up on our feet now, I take the pole on the left hand side of the stage, and Leah takes the one on the right, "I wanna feel you from the inside", we're mirroring each other as we bump and grind around the poles, ending in a spin taking us down to the floor again, "I wanna fuck you like an animal!"

I stalk to the edge of the stage, finding one of the groups of business men, I reach out,"my whole existence is flawed", running my hand through one man's silver hair, "you get me closer to God" grasping the back of his head, and bringing it in so his face is almost in my tits, then pulling away and lightly pushing him back, all the while I feel the hands, reaching out, sticking their bills into the band of my g-string. I see the bills being thrown on the stage, and my heart skips to see a few 20s mixed into the 5's and singles.

"You can have my isolation", Leah and I face each other again, before spinning and flinging off the wraparound skirts. "You can have the hate that it brings", we stalk back towards each other, "You can have my absence of faith", meeting in the middle of the stage once more, we put our hands on each other's hips, and walk around in a circle, "You can have my everything"

She winks at me, "Help me, tear down my reason", Leah slides down my body, as I spread my legs a bit wider, and she runs her hands around and over my bare hip, down the front of my panties, and then down the length of my leg, "Help me, it's your sex I can smell" all of a sudden her head darts in, and she actually runs her nose along the length of my slit through my panties, causing me to gasp and shudder a bit because that is not something we choreographed.

I grab her hands, and pull her up, "Help me, you make me perfect", I run my hands up her arms, and down over her breasts, tweaking her nipples lightly, as I move down her body, "Help me become somebody else", I thrust my hips in and out, as my face goes in by Leah's crotch, and she thrusts in my face.

"I wanna fuck you like an animal" My hand moves up the inside of her leg, and I cup her pussy through the material as I work my way back up, "I wanna feel you from the inside" our legs intertwine, each of us thrusting against the other's thigh, the place is going fairly crazy, "I wanna fuck you like an animal!" our hands cupping each other's tits, "my whole existence is flawed" faces moving in, our lips just the scantest bit separated I can feel her breath running over them, as our hands move down to cup each other's ass, and then it's over, "You get me closer to God!"

The music cuts out, I smack Leah's ass, and the lights go down, allowing us to scoop up our clothes, and the assorted money from both sides of the stage. We head off stage and back into the changing area. Frank meets us in the back, and he's practically weeping with joy, as he says, "Girls. That was…That was just fucking incredible. You both were amazing, I'm going to go see what my partners thought."

I grab my duffle, and bring it over by Leah's changing area, one of the newer girls who calls herself Heaven is there. I look at her pointedly, and say, "Switch places with me."

She starts to balk, and Tammy passes by, saying, "Do what she says, Heaven."

She grabs her stuff and stalks away, and I put my duffle down on the vanity top. Grabbing a towel out of my bag, I wipe off the sweat and strip down. I can see Leah eyeing me, and I smile at her, "So that was fun. What made you smell my pussy?"

She laughs, "Well the line was 'it's your sex I can smell', so I figured why the hell not. It's not like you were upset about it."

I shrug, "Honestly girl, that was the most sexual contact I've had with another person since before I found out I was pregnant with Jasmine. I mean when we practiced we kept it very limited, when we got up there it was real. I liked it."

She looks at me, assessing, "Are you hitting on me, Bella?"

I blush, "No, not exactly. You can't lie and tell me you didn't enjoy it too."

She smirks, "I wouldn't bother. Hell yeah I liked it, and I'd do it with you in a minute, chica. We should go out one night, have a girls night, have some fun. My mom would be happy to watch the kid for you."

I nod, "That sounds like fun. I should call Paul, make sure he's okay with Jasmine. By the way can I follow you home? He said he lives around the block from you."

She looks at me strangely, "Paul…You don't mean Paul Dixon do you?"

I nod again, and she laughs, "Wow…Big Paul Dixon is playing babysitter? I would pay to see that!"

Shrugging, I pull my solo dance outfit on and step into my boots, zipping them up the sides, "I don't know him that well, if I wasn't in a complete and utter bind I probably wouldn't have left her with him, but Tyler pulled a power play, and Latisha won't watch Jas anymore. She's moving down to Seattle, Tyler apparently just signed to a big contract with the Seahawks and he's gonna put her up in a house and pay all her expenses as long as she stops seeing her granddaughter."

Leah looks livid, as she spits, "That son of a bitch! You should take him to the cleaners, Bella! He should do right by that child!"

I shrug, "It's not worth it. Besides, if I take him to court and he's NOT her dad… I'd be so embarrassed, and then what if he wants to take her from me? I mean, I'm a 19 year old stripper Leah. He's a professional athlete, he has a lot more resources than me, I can't take that chance that that nasty bitch Lauren Mallory ever gets anywhere near my baby."

Leah nods sympathetically, "I understand, I wouldn't want her near a kid either. Dumb whore that she is."

**Time skip later that night, still BPOV**

Leah and I walk out the door together with Dami. He walks us to our cars which luckily are parked right near each other, and tells us goodnight. I get into Paul's truck, start it up, and wait for Leah to pull out ahead of me. We both had good nights, not quite what I made the week before, but close to it.

Frank's partners were very impressed with the revenue, and the dancers, and so he got the money he was looking for to fix the place up. They were going to be doing the work during the day before the bar opened, and we'd have to deal with it for probably a month or two, but once it was done it was going to be great.

I follow Leah easily, and before I know it she pulls into her driveway. She gets out, and comes over to the truck, and I roll the window down, "Thanks for letting me follow you. I'll call you during the week."

She replies, "No problem, maybe we can do something Sunday?"

I nod, "I'd like that. Have a good night."

Leah smiles, leans into the window, and kisses me, her lips are soft, the surrounding skin smooth, so much different than kissing a guy, not better, just different, and I melt into it. A breathy sigh escapes my lips as she parts them with her tongue, delving it lightly into my mouth, flicking against my tongue for just a second before pulling back, and smiling at me, "There. Sweet dreams, chica."

I stammer, "You too. Goodnight."

She winks at me, and saunters up the path into the house. I watch until the door closes behind her, and then circle around the block, looking out the window carefully for my car. Seeing it I pull in beside it, and grab my bag, taking the keys out of the ignition and heading up to the door.

I knock carefully, and Paul opens the door. He's shirtless, wearing a pair of worn in sweat pants, the sight of him combined with the events of the night, and the kiss I just shared with Leah hit me hard, and I know that if I don't get out of here quickly, I'm going to jump on him and forget all about the vow I made myself when I found out I was pregnant that casual sex was no longer a part of my life.

He smirks at me, like he knows exactly what I'm feeling, if not exactly what I'm thinking, and he says innocently, "Hey. How was your night?"