Rising Sun ❥
Summary: When Paul Lahote imprinted on Edward Cullen the night Edward got married to Bella Swan, not being able to ignore the imprint Edward and Paul ran away together not wanting anyone to find out. Now 20 years later their back with their daughter and twin sons, and now it seems there's a lot of explaining to do. As well as an unexpected visit from the Volturi.
Chapter Seven
Paul stared silently at the young male that had taken residence in their guest room. The heart monitors Carlisle had attached to Keanu beeped normally as he slept. Only beeping faster when he stirred. Edward had said they quickened because the eighteen year old was experiencing a nightmare.
Paul dared not pry into the young mans life by asking Edward the details of the nightmare but he knew it had something to do with Leah's promiscuous son and the fact Keanu's wolf was forcing itself to un-imprint on the older boy.
Paul rubbed his face. He couldn't imagine the pain the young Cameron was experiencing. He couldn't even think about getting rid of his imprint on Edward. Nothing would hurt him more than losing Edward, but obviously Keanu's wolf had experienced enough heartache to release Keanu from the imprints hold, even if it meant death.
At that moment Keanu groaned in his sleep, Paul shot right up and began preparing a needle full of morphine to ease his pain.
"Mr Cullen?" Keanu croaked as his eyes fluttered open. His throat was dry and his whole body ached.
Paul turned to the young boy and gave him a gentle smile, something he wouldn't of been able to pull of twenty years before. "Hey Ke, how are you feeling?"
Keanu gulped. "It's hurts."
Paul sighed as he gave Keanu a sad smile as he ran a hand over the boys forehead. "You'll be okay Keanu. I'll give you something to ease the pain."
"I'm going to die aren't I." Keanu said before licking his dry lips. "You don't have to pretend I'll be okay Mr Cullen.. I can feel it."
"That's Paul to you." Paul smiled again. "You aren't going to die. A few days you'll be right as rain." Paul reassured but at that moment he didn't know whom he was reassuring. Keanu or himself.
He hadn't known the boy long but he had befriended Samantha when no one else would and he was the son of his best friend. The kid was family. And he knew a lot of people would be destroyed because of his death. He was a member of the pack. He had a family and brothers. It would be a great loss not only to his family, but to the whole Quileute community.
"Where's my dad?" Keanu asked
"He went home, to get some more clothes. He, Kim and the kids will be here soon." Paul replied.
Keanu nodded slightly and gasped. "What about my mom?"
"Jared doesn't want to get her worried. She doesn't know."
"She should. Her only son is on his death bed." Keanu replied dryly. "You're not dying Keanu." Paul whispered as he looked down at his hands.
Keanu felt the tears well in his eyes. "Yes I am." He gulped. "The worst part is I'm ready for it."
"What?" Paul asked as he looked up.
"I'm ready for the pain to stop." Keanu responded as he stared into space. "Death is the easy way out but it's the peaceful escape."
"Keanu you can't mean that.." Paul argued. "You're only eighteen an-"
"And my wolf is killing me!" Keanu cut him off. "It's ripping my heart in two separating me from Nathaniel because it can't take anymore! It can't take being rejected anymore and it's killing me." Keanu cried.
Paul shook his head. "You aren't dying."
"Yes I am." Keanu sobbed. "All I wanted was love.. Love and happiness like my dad and Kim. That's all I ever craved. And now.." Keanu chocked back a sob before continuing. "Now it'll never happen. My love wasn't enough."
Paul felt tears well in his eyes as he watched the child in front of him breakdown. Tears poured down Keanu's cheeks as he sobbed and at that moment Paul found himself wrapping his arms around the teenager and clinging to him as he cried. "It'll be okay" he whispered into his hair.
Keanu wished he could believe Paul but he couldn't. His heart broke with every tear and shattered with every sob.
Sam stared in shock at Nathaniel as his finished explaining himself. She couldn't believe it. "You.. You love him." She stuttered.
"Yes, I do." Nathaniel replied sheepishly.
"Yet you're letting him die?" Samantha snapped. She glared at the Clearwater. "You should be doing something!"
"It's too late!" Nathaniel shouted back. "Keanu made his choice." Samantha gapped at him.
"Because he thinks you don't care about him. You string him along for years and through every affection he ever gave you back in his face for what?"
Nathaniel looked at Samantha before sitting down on a bench in the courtyard. "He deserves better."
"Damn right he does!" Samantha snapped causing Nathaniel to look to the ground. Samantha watched as he did and couldn't help but feel the guilty in her stomach. She sighed before dragging herself over to the bench as sitting down to Nate.
"He does deserve better but fate put you two together.. Doesn't that mean something?" She said.
Nate looked at his hands. "I don't know. Maybe this was how it was meant to be?"
Sam shook her head. "Keanu is not meant to die. You're not meant to give up."
Nathaniel tried to hide the tears that formed in his eyes, "Keanu can't die. I can't lose him." He replied, Samantha could hear the sadness in his voice.
"Then prove it to him." Samantha replied. "If you love him as much as you say you do.. Do something. Make him and his wolf see."
Nathaniel finally let the tears fall. He hadn't cried in years. He never had anything to cry over anymore but this.. This made the tears pour from his eyes like a waterfall. "But I don't know how." He took a breathe as he furiously wiped his face. "How do I get him to believe me?"
"Apologising would be a good start" Sam smiled gently as she placed a hand on Nathaniel's shoulder.
Nathaniel sighed, "I've apologised too many times. He wouldn't believe me."
"He has too. If he doesn't.." Samantha held back the lump in her throat. "He'll die."
Paul stood motionless in Keanu's bedroom as Jared sat at this bedside and recalled stories with his eldest child. Keanu's face was thin and pale but he still managed to force a smile for his father.
Jared held onto Keanu's hand as he spoke. Kim stood behind her husband with her hand on his shoulder, she smiled at the pair but reminded silent. Their three sons; J.J, Bennett and Roscoe, had all hugged their older brother and said a few words before Edward suggested they went and played with Jade and Dustin.
Keanu had watched them all leave with sad eyes. J.J was barely seven with the other two being under the age of five. Paul didn't need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking. He was scared. Not only of death. But being forgotten.
"You were such a pain in the ass growing up" Jared laughed as he stared down at the hand he held.
Kim laughed slightly, "he wasn't that bad Jared." Keanu smiled at his step mother. Regardless of what people had said or thought Kim had become a second mother to him over the years. She was apart of his family and had partly raised him.
"Ha. He was a little trouble maker." Jared chuckled but his laughter died down as years began to well in his eyes. He removed one of his hands from Keanu's and held his nose as the tears fell.
Keanu stared at his father with a blank expression. He wasn't used to seeing his dad show this much serious emotion. He was always the happy guy, the joker. Yet here he was. Breaking down.
"Dad."
Jared shook his head as he took in a breathe. "This isn't meant to be happening to my boy." He took Keanu's hand in both of his own and placed it against his forehead.
"Not my boy."
Paul stared at the scene from his position by the door. He watched as his best friend cried into his dying son's arm while his wife tried her best to console him. All Keanu could do was watch. His own tears poured down his cheeks. Paul left the lump in his throat and found himself turning away.
He held himself together until he got into the hallway and collapsed against the wall. Everything became slow motion as Edward appeared and wrapped his arms around his husband. "Baby?" He questioned as Paul grabbed onto his shirt and sobbed.
"This isn't meant to be happening Edward."
Edward sighed and hugged Paul tighter. "It isn't fair." Paul whispered.
"I know baby." Edward replied.
"Mom? Dad?" Samantha asked as she rushed over with Nathaniel hot on her tail. Her heart caught in her throat as fear ran through her veins. She could hear Nathaniel's heart beat faster as they shared the same thought.
"Is Keanu okay?" She asked as Nathaniel ran towards the door.
Paul looked up and watched as Nathaniel stood in the door way. A look of relief and sadness covered his face. "What's he doing here?" Edward asked as he helped Paul to his feet.
"Hopefully he'll be able to fix this." Sam replied as she nudged Nathaniel into the room where his imprint lay dying. Jared and Kim hadn't noticed the visitors. Nor had Keanu but the moment Nathaniel got only a few steps from Keanu, a sharp pain erupted in his chest. He gasped as he grabbed his chest and fell to his knees, alerting the Cameron's to his presence.
Keanu stared in shock. "Nate?"
Jared stood up and glared at the Clearwater whom Sam had helped to his feet. "What is he doing here?"
"He's here to help." Edward replied.
"Help?" Jared spat. Kim touched his arm, in efforts to calm him down, but he shrugged her off. "He's the reason my son is lying in this bed dying!"
"Give him a chance Jared." Paul pressed. "Sam says he's hear to help."
Jared shook his head, "he's done enough." Keanu grabbed Jared's arm. "Dad.." Jared turned to his son. "It's okay."
Jared sighed in defeat. "It's not okay Ke. I can't.. He can't.." Jared stuttered.
Keanu smiled up at his father as best he could. "I need to do this. Please."
Jared nodded before kissing Keanu's head and storming out without even glancing at Nathaniel or anyone else. Kim followed after him.
"Can we have a moment?" Keanu asked the Cullen's who still occupied the room. Edward nodded as he led Paul out of the room. Sam, who was still holding onto Nathaniel, looked at the elder shifter. "I'll be okay." He replied to her gaze as he moved towards the bed. Sam nodded before too leaving and closing the door after her, leaving the two imprints alone, together.
"What are you doing here?" Keanu asked as Nathaniel sat down on the bed. "I'm here to beg for your forgiveness. And to stop you from doing this."
"I can't stop. The imprint is breaking and I'm.." Keanu took a breathe. "I'm dying." Nathaniel reached forward and grabbed Keanu's face in his hand. "No." He sobbed.
"No your not baby please." He rested his head against Keanu's. "I don't want to lose you."
Keanu place his hands over Nathaniel's as his own tears began to form. "I don't know how to stop it Nate. It's too late for us."
"No it's not." Nathaniel argued. "We were meant to grow up. Go to college and experience life. It wasn't meant to end up like this. I can't imagine my life without you Ke." Nathaniel cried. "Ever since you came into my life all I wanted was you, it was always you but I was scared. I was scared you wouldn't love me. That you would leave me like Sam left my mom and my dad left me."
Keanu closed his eyes as more tears fell. "When you imprinted on me I was confused. I didn't believe it was real. I didn't want it to be real because it meant I finally had something worth living for. Someone worth living for. It's scared the shit out of me. It has everyday since."
Nathaniel stared at Keanu through his brown eyes. "You deserve so much better Keanu. I felt that fate had screwed up your led by settling you with me. I tried to be selfless but ended up being selfish. But you need to know that you are my universe."
Keanu stared into Nathaniel's pleading eyes and felt his heart clench. Never had Nathaniel openly shown so much emotion. Never had he seen so much love and admiration in his imprints eyes. He sobbed again and collapsed into Nathaniel's arms. His weak arms clinging onto the man he loved. Hoping, praying, that he would never be removed from his strong embrace.
The sun had set behind the mountains when Carlisle reappeared from Kenau's room at the Cullen-Lahote house hold. Everyone had been sitting in the living room minus Nathaniel and Sam who had both refused to leave Kenau's side.
Carlisle cleared his voice as he addressed the adults in the room. Jared stood up at the sound. His eyes full of hope and desperation. "Is he okay?"
"He's far from okay Mr Cameron, but I believe he's on his way to recovery." Carlisle's face broke into a gentle smile as everyone let go of the breathe they we each holding in. Jared chocked back a sob as Kim placed her hands on his face and smiled through her tears. "He's going to be okay Jer." Jared sobbed again as he collapsed against his wife's shoulder, he hands remains on his head.
Edward and Paul smiled at each other from there respective seats. "It seems whatever the Clearwater boy did or said, was enough to put right what he had wronged."
Edward stood and shook his father's hand. "Thank you Carlisle. For everything."
Carlisle nodded. "Your welcome son." He nodded at the wolves as he began to take his leave. "And Paul.." He said as he got to the door.
Paul turned to the man who had raised Edward since he had been turned, an uneasy smile on his face.
Carlisle smiled again. "Don't be a stranger. Even though these aren't the greatest circumstances, I would like a chance to get to know my grand-children. And you."
Paul returned the old vampires smile. "Thank you sir." Carlisle nodded again at the man before leaving the house.
"Maybe things won't always be so bad.." Paul thought as he embraced his best friend and Kim while Edward stood smiling in the doorway.
To be continued..
