chapter 6

Disclaimer: the characters and all recognisable situations belong to Stephenie Meyer - this is a work of fan fiction, except for the legends and histories of the Quileute that, of course, belong to them. I pay my respects to their gods.

Thanks to BanSidhe [ruadh sidhe] and Feebes86 for betaing and pre-reading.

[AN: I am following the new history for Paul from the Illustrated Guide to twilight. He and his father live alone.]

Paul went home and showered. And then he ate half the fridge. He was hungry.

He thought over the evening with Bella. Even if the rest of the offer was withdrawn, he had deflowered Bella Swan. He snorted at the thought of what Jacob Black was going to say about that.

He was rather pleased with himself. He had got to rub his scent all over Leah's place and Leah's girlfriend. He had scent marked her territory in a big way. And next Leah got him, and then he got her.

Yep; it was all good.

Maybe he could even get them both; at the same time? That would be awesome.

He refused to deal with the fact that he hadn't bailed out and left Bella sleeping in her bed. Nor, that he had snuggled her and gone to sleep with her. And he really wasn't going to believe that he had enjoyed himself more than he expected to.

Bella wanted to clean the whole house, but couldn't. She was too sore. She had lost count, but she thought they had sex at least three times in several different positions. She knew Paul had used more condoms than three, as well. She had helped to put the last one on.

Guys were very different. Male genitalia was just all out there, outside the body. Now she understood why they were always touching it. It was just… there; front and center.

She suspected that she was going to have some bruises. Paul had some scratches, too, but, of course, they healed fast. Faster than she would. She left the window open in the bedroom to air it. She hung the sheets on the clothesline after they finished in the washer.

It was very different, Leah was right about that. He was as strong as Leah, but much bigger. She knew that Leah was not like a normal girl, but Paul was way harder than her. Leah felt soft compared to him.

He was so tall, that she had felt surrounded by him. She had felt as small as the munchkin that he sometimes teased her that she was. She had very different orgasms, too. They seemed to plateau; she had stayed at an excitement level for what seemed like ages. Or maybe that was just Paul?

When Leah got home, Bella was in the bath covered with bubbles for both strategic vision and scent blocking value. And for the warm soak.

Leah had been torn between running back to check on Bella and staying away. She was later than she had imagined she would be. It was almost lunch time. She had found it really hard to turn her feet towards home.

Seth kept giving her odd glances. Eventually she had got herself together. She picked up some takeout on the way for lunch. She wasn't avoiding going home, just getting lunch. Yeah, right.

The house reeked of sex and Paul.

She sighed. She really hoped this was the end of it for Bella's curiosity. She put the food down on the kitchen counter. She found her in the bath.

"Hey," she greeted her. She crouched down next to the bath and touched Bella on the top of the head.

"Hi."

Silence.

"I'm okay," Bella preempted.

"Okay."

"He was… careful and it was nice."

"That's good." Leah wasn't sure if she was pleased by that or not. Nice? What did that mean?

"You'll be able to see it for yourself, anyway," Bella added.

She didn't say anything. Oh yeah. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see it now. Nor what had possessed her to agree to fuck Paul herself. She hadn't told Bella that yet, and she wasn't sure why she was keeping it a secret from her. They didn't keep secrets from each other.

"When will that happen?" Bella asked.

"Not sure. Maybe in a few days' time."

"So you will go see him?"

"I suppose… he'll let me know. Maybe when we are on patrol one time." Shit. That was a thought. She'd have to tell Bella, before someone else did. "I got some lunch. I'll set it out. Come eat when you are ready."

Bella beamed at her. "Thanks, Leah." She paused. "I love you."

"Love you, too, beautiful."

Leah set out the food. She decided that she felt relieved. It was done. Bella had had sex with a guy.

Now it was her turn. She wasn't scared of the sex, but she was tossing up if it was worthwhile ditching the whole agreement. But she was intrigued about pegging Paul. She did want to do that. And if she did, then she had to pay up, as well. Keep to the agreement.

Bella thought sex was 'nice'? She shook her head.

She thought back. Sam had been her first everything; first kiss, boyfriend, love, and eventually lover. She had utterly adored him. She had criticized Bella in her thoughts for taking so long to get over Cullen, but really, she had been just as bad where Sam was concerned.

Their first time had been fumbling, embarrassing, slightly painful and over all too quickly. Thank goodness he had extra condoms. He had tried to put the first one on the wrong way around.

It was almost comical and Sam had always been a serious guy; she couldn't laugh at him. Not then. They had laughed about it together, later.

She had always thought that Sam was The One. Devastated didn't begin to describe how she felt when he had disappeared and then… Emily had happened.

Leah had not sat around in her bedroom mourning like Bella had. She had been asked out. She had jumped right back into the dating pool as if that would erase him, somehow. But none of them were Sam. They just didn't do it the right way; they were not him. The whole experience had left her more annoyed and irritated.

And then she had wolfed out.

The dating stopped. Fuck! Her whole life was broken. Shattered into pieces like her father's heart. Her life changed forever, her father dead, her future bound by the borders of the reservation. Her life was no longer her own. She hunted vampires, and her ex was her boss.

It was a freaking nightmare.

It was so ridiculous, that she wanted to laugh. But that was something she didn't do much anymore.

But then Bella Swan had come along, with her odd sayings and her complete blindness to her own self worth. She was hunted by vampires. She was more damaged than Leah. And Leah wanted to fix her. And to protect her.

And Bella had liked Leah for her, you know? Not because she was a wolf, not because of any other reason. Bella had just loved her.

She saw through the anger and the hurt and she saw a girl who needed a friend. And it had kindled something else; love and sexual attraction. Leah had never thought about being gay before. But Bella was different.

She had liked men; she completely got Bella's curiosity about them. And really, it was too much to have the pack as her man candy. They didn't look normal. They all looked like underwear models. Wandering around with their shirts off all the time, for fucks sake.

So, it was no wonder that Bella thought about men.

Half done. Just her and Paul left. She was leery of telling Bella about the whole deal. She justified, to herself, that talk of pegging might make Bella feel guilty. That she would think she ought to be offering to let Leah do that to her. Leah didn't like that idea. She was terrified that she would hurt Bella. Paul could take it and he could heal, if she did hurt him.

And the outdoor sex? Jeez, did he want to go at it so hard that they were going to knock trees down or something? She chuckled at that image.

Ugh. Now she was thinking about Paul and sex in the same sentence.

Bella said he was careful and it was nice. As if she'd know? She had no one to compare him with. The only lover she had was Leah. Oh now, that didn't bear thinking about. Comparing herself with Paul.

She hated keeping secrets from Bella.

Speaking of, she came out of the bathroom dressed and with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Paul wanted to have sex with me in the forest," Leah blurted out.

"Oh." Bella blinked.

Silence. Bella sat at the table and reached for the food. "I'm starving." She chewed for a little while. "In the forest, huh? Well, its not as if you'll get cold," she quipped. Then she got an eager look on her face. "Can I watch?"

"Ahh… no. I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why?"

"I think he wants to do it outside because he wants to be really rough." A pause. "Because I can take it. At least that was what he said."

"Oh."

Bella looked so disappointed, Leah started to justify herself, "You've only had sex with a guy once, and I don't want to frighten you."

"That rough?"

Leah shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. That's what he wanted."

Bella chewed thoughtfully. "Wait a second… that was his price? For having sex with me?"

Leah nodded.

"Oh." She put her lunch down as if she had lost her appetite.

Leah tried to process it; Bella-wise. Uh, oh. She thought that Paul wasn't attracted to her. That she was just the hurdle that he had to jump over to get Leah. Shit!

"I'm sure he was attracted to you. I'm sure he wanted you," she argued.

"You don't know that. You're not Paul."

"He agreed to it."

"So he could get you! Let's face it, you're more his type. You are a wolf for a start."

"No! He likes you." SHIT! Why was she trying to convince her of this? Bella's fragile self esteem? She knew how easily it broke. Stupid Cullen. "Look, it's done. This is what we agreed to and it's half over." Maybe only a third, but she didn't say that.

Bella folded her arms.

Leah continued, "We'll do this and then it will be back to just us; back to the way it was. Hmm?"

No answer.

"Please, Bella." She got to her feet. She crouched next to Bella's chair. "Please?"

Bella turned to her and put her arms around her. "I am sorry that I forced you into agreeing to do this with him."

"It's okay. It's not the same for me as it was for you. I've been with guys before; it's different for me. And you know that I would do anything for you."

Bella kissed her.

And Leah prayed it would all be all right.

Paul's father, Nikiti Lahote, drove up to his house. He parked his pick up in the drive, grabbed his bag and looked around. Nothing had changed. At least the place wasn't falling down. Grass needed a mow.

He wasn't as tall as Paul, but he had the same build; wide shoulders and slim hips. His arms were well developed because he had worked as a lumberjack for years. Nothing like swinging an axe or wielding a chain saw for good exercise. He was just forty and still a good looking man. He and Paul had been by themselves for the last ten years. Since he had left Tacoma and come home to La Push.

He didn't have much faith in women. He'd been hurt too many times. He suspected that some of Paul's disposable attitude to women might have come from him. He was his son.

But they did okay on their own.

He knew about his son's exploits with the local women. He was half proud, half concerned. He worried that Paul was heading the same way he had; making poor life choices.

He also knew about the pack. He had seen them one day out in the forest when he was doing a reconnoiter; a tree survey. He hadn't heard them and that was weird.

But they were hard to miss seeing. Giant, supernatural wolves flitting through the trees like ghosts. Not normal wolves. They had a crazy size and speed. There were only three of them.

One, a dark silver gray color had bounded over to him as if it knew him. He had stood there holding his clipboard and trying hard not to just drop it and run. It had nodded its massive head at him, yipped and then bounded off again after the others. The big black one had nipped its ear as if it was a naughty puppy.

The next time he was home, Paul had told him exactly what he was wearing that day and described the dumb fuck look he had on his face. The pack was Sam, Jared and Paul. The gray wolf was his son.

That took some getting used to. He knew the tribal stories and he knew it was supposed to be an honor to join the pack. It was the stuff of legends. But when it was your son? It was dangerous, even fatal. He worried. Cold ones, whatever they were, had killed wolf warriors in the past.

Paul was a long way from twenty. Had barely lived his life. And he had dropped out of school.

Poor life choices? You bet.

Education was the thing that got kids out of here; off the reservation. But his son didn't get that as a choice any more.

He let himself in the front door. "Paul?" His truck was here, he might be around.

A head appeared in the doorway. "Dad? You're back early."

"Jeez. Well thanks for being pleased to see me."

"Sorry. It's good to see you."

They nodded at each other. They were not the hugging type.

"No work today?"

"Nope. You hungry?"

"Yep. Have you left me any food?"

Paul chuckled. "Not much." He shrugged.

"Lucky I'm cashed up then. Shopping?"

"And lunch?" he asked hopefully.

"I can take you to the diner if you like." He raised a hand and pointed at him. "Limit of three burgers."

"Woo hoo."

"And put a damn shirt on. We'll take your pickup, mine is loaded up with crap."

He watched Paul demolish three burgers in the time it took him to eat one. "I thought you just ate?" he asked in disbelief. He'd seen the plates in the sink and knew Paul usually washed up.

"I did. Still hungry, though." He wiped some sauce from the side of his mouth with a finger.

Then they hit up the rez supermarket. It seemed to be full of people he knew and hadn't seen for months. Including Charlie Swan.

"Niki. You back in town?"

"Yep, got a week off." He gave Charlie a look. "What are you doing out here?"

Charlie looked embarrassed. "I …uh…" he mumbled.

"Charlie's dating Sue Clearwater," Paul said it for him. He'd never get it out otherwise.

"Right." Niki nodded. "Nice."

A girl walked around the end of the shelves. "Dad, is this brand okay?" Bella asked. She looked up at the men and stopped suddenly. She made an odd squeak noise.

Paul resisted the urge to grin. He had last seen her the day before. Niki glanced at him.

"Yeah, Bells. That'll do." Charlie took the packet from her hand and tossed it in the trolley. "Niki, this is my daughter, Bella. Bella, this is Paul's father, Nikiti Lahote."

"Hi." She lifted her hand and gave him a small wave. She was trying very hard not to look at Paul.

"Hello, Bella," Niki said. "Nice to meet you."

They all stood there awkwardly before Niki cleared his throat. "Right… well, we had better get back to it. Need lots of food with Paul in the house."

Paul rolled his eyes.

"See you later," Charlie said.

Bella was staring into the trolley.

As they piled their purchases into the truck, Niki spoke, "Charlie Swan's daughter? Are you insane?"

"What? I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, right. I know that look." He paused. "And doesn't she live with Leah Clearwater?"

"Yep."

"You really are insane."

Bella chatted to Leah as she unpacked her purchases. "I met Paul's father at the store today. He's in town for a week." She packed away the groceries; still talking with her head in the cupboard. "Might delay your thing."

"Yes." Leah wasn't sure if she should be disappointed or relieved. Maybe it was like pulling a band-aid off; just do it and get it done.

"I know where Paul gets his looks from. He looks just like his dad. It's funny to see a glimpse of what he will look like when he's older, huh? Or what his kids might look like." Bella knew she was inanely prattling and she could not stop herself.

She was starting to worry.

Was she just something Paul had 'done' to get out of the way before he got Leah? She was a wolf; it made sense to her that he would be more interested in Leah. She thought she and Paul had connected. But how would she know, he was literally the first guy she had ever had sex with. Did that make him different to her? He hadn't responded in any way that she could identify at the store. And why did she care who Paul liked or didn't like? She knew he was a player. That was why they had chosen him, wasn't it? Holy Crow, she was talking about what his kids would look like. That way lay madness.