It wasn't even two days later when she got a text from Sam. "Wanna hang out again?" Bella stared at it for what felt like hours, a mixture of both excitement and dread in her stomach. She should tell him no. She should end it now to save them both the trouble later. Save them both the heartache. Save Bella the pain of the imprint if he would ever imprint, and him the burden of the pregnancy.

But her fingers didn't obey. "Sure. Have an idea?"

"It's a surprise." Bella wasn't sure about that. Her past experiences with surprises had been things she hated - birthday parties, near death experiences, being vampires.

"I don't like surprises," she texted Sam.

Not even a second later, there was a response. "Well, then it's a picnic. Just us." Oh. That… actually didn't sound too bad. She stared at it, waiting to think up a response. He had told her the surprise? That thought struck her immediately. He didn't try to insist that she'd like it. He didn't try to convince her that she should just wait and see. She admitted that she didn't like surprises, and he told her immediately. It was… unusual. But also appreciated.

"Oh. That sounds great, actually!" Bella responded.

"Meet me at my house six o'clock tonight?"

"Showering now."

And she was already moving towards the bathroom. Six o'clock was in just a few hours. And she had no idea what she'd wear. Maybe she needed to emergency call Leah. After the shower.

She spent a great deal of time making sure that she was smooth - smooth legs, smooth armpits, and as tame of eyebrows as she could achieve. Once she got out of the shower, she decided to blow dry, and even that was a hastle. Her mind couldn't decide if she would keep it natural or attempt some curl. She went on natural. Sam was dating her, not someone she was pretending to be.

And so that made the outfit that much easier to pick out. It being a picnic, she'd need practical shoes, and practical clothing. A light jacket, probably pants or capris, and a nice shirt - but nothing too fancy.

By the end, she was pretty impressed with herself for managing to decide on an outfit without changing it ten times. For some reason, Sam made her more conscious of everything than Edward had ever done. Sam made her stomach fill with butterflies and have the urge to throw up, even though she wasn't nauseas. She just needed to see him, it felt like. And then all of this nervousness would go away.

But she had two more hours yet. And that was too much time to kill. So she started dinner for Charlie, and stuck it in the fridge. And then she grabbed her keys, deciding that maybe she'd take a more scenic route to La Push.

By the time she pulled into Sam's lot, the house lights were on and as she approached the door, shoving her keys in her pocket, she couldn't hear a single voice inside. Maybe someone wasn't even home. She knocked and heard footsteps almost rushing to the door, before Sam appeared.

"Hey," Bella greeted, and her nerves seemed to relax a little. "This place is quiet. I almost thought no one was home."

"I had to threaten patrols if anyone was here," Sam snorted. "Uh, come in." And as she was led inside, she immediately noticed a basket on the counter with a lot of food in it. The lid was open so she could see inside, and she raised an eyebrow, glancing to Sam. "I… made extra."

Bella blinked. "You made it?"

"I'm not that helpless. I'm twenty four years old. I can cook for myself."

"Jesus, and here I thought all of the wolves had broken arms," Bella admitted. She considered it. "I'm impressed."

"There's sandwiches, some fruits, vegetables, chips, potato salad and macaroni salad." Bella was seriously, seriously impressed. Sam must have seen the expression on her face because he cleared his throat. "I mean, if that's okay. If there's something you like, I can always-"

"It's great," Bella insisted. "Really. I didn't think anyone would really want a variety, or think of it. I mean, you wolves like your meat."

"I made you turkey," Sam admitted. "You don't really eat ham, that I've seen. But I made some ham ones too, just in case-"

And she was seriously surprised. In a good way. "You notice what I eat?"

"Uh, I can't really help it, but I have good smell when you cook." Oh, right. Wolves. "Sorry, I don't mean to be creepy or anything."

"No, it's not creepy. I'm just surprised. Yeah, turkey's great. Thanks, Sam, for being so thoughtful." He gave an almost relieved smile. "But now I feel like I should have done something."

"No," Sam insisted. "I've got this covered. I was thinking of going to the beach, if that was okay?" Bella nodded immediately. "Awesome. Uh, I'll just get a blanket, then, to put down on the sand." When he returned, Bella offered to carry the blanket, and Sam relinquished it, while carrying the large basket Bella knew was full of food - probably at least ten pounds worth.

"How many sandwiches did you make?"

"Enough to fill me, and enough to probably fill you," Sam chuckled.

"Really hard to do, I'm sure."

"The hardest." Bella giggled, and followed him out the door. Sam didn't bother to lock the deadbolt, just the handle, but Bella knew why once they picked a spot on the beach. Every single inch of first beach had a view of Sam's house. And it promised that if anyone broke in, with his excellent hearing, Sam would be off in a shot and catch the culprit. So, Bella smoothed down the blanket on the sand, a beautiful Indian patterned quilt, and Sam set the basket down in the middle.

Bella sat down, and then Sam, and he opened the basket, pulling almost everything out, except for the sandwiches. Her smile grew the more he pulled out, concentrating immensely on making sure everything was just right.

"So you don't like surprises, huh?" Sam asked, and he glanced up, a twinge of redness on his cheeks as he saw Bella's amused expression.

Bella's smile turned wry. "If the surprise fits me, fine. Picnic, fantastic. But a birthday party or something equally as out of my comfort zone? Absolutely not. A thousand times no. So, surprises are fine, if … the person giving the surprise knows that it will fit me or whatever. But I've just had bad experiences with them, so… I don't like surprises."

"Bad experiences," Sam agreed and his smile dropped a little. "They really didn't know you at all, did they?"

"Well, besides a birthday party I flat out refused, and was dragged to, and the surprise break-up, move, and abandonment," Bella snorted. "I'd say, looking back, no. And they probably didn't even try."

"So was this a good surprise, then?"

Bella gave him a warm smile. "Very good." Her eyes darted to his shirtless torso. "And you kept your word. No shirt."

Sam smiled, and looked a little pleased with himself. "You made a special request, so I did my best to obey."

"It's beautiful here at this hour," Bella admitted, glancing towards the water. "And really quiet and peaceful."

"It's a Wednesday night. No one shows up to the beach on a Wednesday." True. So, Bella decided that instead of embarrassing herself, she'd work on trying his cooking. He wasn't too bad. There was a good variety of fruits and vegetables - a big variety, and they were even cut so that they were in edible bites.

By the time the food was gone, Bella's apprehension made it's rounds, and she shifted slightly during a comfortable silence between them. "What's the point of this, Sam?" Bella asked him. Sam looked up at her, and there was some confusion on his face. "I mean, this - us." She gestured between them. "Why do this?"

"You don't want to?" he asked carefully.

"I just don't see the point, when it will end up just like with what happened with Leah. You'll imprint one day, and if this continues, I'll just be heartbroken, and… I don't want to lead you on either-"

"Imprinting is incredibly rare-"

"But that's why you broke up with Leah. Because you didn't want to hurt her when you did imprint. And … I don't want that either-"

"Bella-"

"And I don't mean to lead you on either. I'm sorry if I did-"

He blinked. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I never wanted to make you think you had to-"

"No, I want to," Bella stressed. "But sometimes what you want isn't good for you in the long run. I learned that a lot these past few years." Sam winced slightly. "And I don't want my heart broken again. I don't want to be told that there's someone better, because there will always be someone better. And I just… Don't need it again, Sam."

"And it won't. I'm not going to imprint on-" He blinked suddenly and seemed to sit up straighter. Immediately, Bella was on alert, her heartbeat racing. What did he hear? A vampire? An issue? "What's wrong with your heart beat?"

"What?"

"Your heartbeat," he repeated. "You have…" Bella swallowed. Oh no. "I noticed it, but it's never been this… distinct. I thought it was maybe a different pattern, but … Bella, you have a fast beat and a slower one."

"I…" Bella felt like her throat was dry and Sam seemed to understand as she struggled to say something. "I just… It's not fair to … to continue doing this when we're both going to end up heartbroken if it continues."

"There's someone else, isn't there?" Sam asked. His eyes darted over her body, seeming to hover over her stomach before he met her eyes.

"What?" Bella asked, confused. "No. It doesn't feel right… you know? Because, if this every becomes anything, then it's going to seriously alter not just my life, but it would be yours too, and I don't want you to feel like you have to do something, because you don't - you absolutely don't. And I'm not telling you because I want you to, but you deserve to know this, I guess. And I was going to tell Jake, but I never got a chance to… to tell him. I thought I'd have more time. And-"

"Are you in trouble?" Sam asked. "A boyfriend in Jacksonville or something that hurt you?" Bella shook her head quickly. "But you had the bruise on your arm when we went cliff diving. And it was definitely a hand print- Did that shithead come back and hurt you-"

"No," Bella insisted. "No one came back. And there's no boyfriend or anything in Jacksonville that I like. I don't ever want to go back to Jacksonville," she finished quietly.

"Those bruises, though-" Sam froze and his form seemed to be shaking slightly. "Please, please tell me that you weren't forced into anything."

Bella dropped her gaze, shrugging uncomfortably, and he cursed under his breath. She glanced up quickly as he stood, and took a few steps away from her. Quickly, she got to her feet, and took a step towards him, but Sam held a hand out to her. "Don't get too close. I'm barely holding on, Bella," Sam ordered. And she could feel the order, like she was a member of the pack, being forced to obey.

After a few seconds, she had enough of her own wits to take another step closer to him. "Please, don't phase. We're in public and anyone could see you, and that's a headline I don't think you want. I'm not hurt or anything. I'm fine now. I live here now."

"Please don't tell me it was some boyfriend that you trusted and-"

"No," Bella insisted. "No, it wasn't. I don't have trust issues, if that's what you're getting to. Well, I mean, I do, but not because of this. That mostly has to do with Edward and his whole 'I'm going to break your heart' thing, but ..." She winced as his shaking seemed to get worse, and his form seemed to pulsate with his struggle for control. "Sorry, probably not a good time to bring him up."

"Who was it? I mean, did you know them? Or... Are they going to come looking for you, like... a stalker thing?"

Bella frowned. "No, I don't think so. He knows where I am." Sam let out a growl. Bella reached an arm out to touch his arm, and it only worked just enough to stop his huffs of hot breath. "Sam… He's not going to come here. He couldn't without making what he did to me obvious and that's the last thing he wants."

He tried to stop the shaking, clenching his fists and squeezing his eyes shut. "So, who was it?"

He looked like he was going to phase. "My step-dad." She took a step back when his form started to blur. "But it's over now. I'm fine. Sam, please calm down."

He tried. She could see him trying to calm down by taking a deep breath, but it wasn't working. He was incredibly angry, and she knew it wasn't directed at her. She knew it was for Phil. But when he exploded into his wolf, she only managed to scramble back to avoid the blow, and she saw the wolf laying on the ground, its paws digging into the sand as its ears fell back. And he was whimpering, his breath coming out in puffs.

She waited a moment, before moving towards him. "Sam..." She knelt down and placed her hand on his head, between his ears. His eyes opened and looked up at her and he whimpered. "It's okay," she said with a small smile. "I know. It makes me upset too, but I'm fine." She sat down in the sand in front of him. "I suppose this means that when you turn back, you'll be naked."

His teeth showed, and he seemed to be grinning.

"I'll go get you some clothes," she sighed dramatically. "If that's okay, of course," she hastily corrected. "I mean, it's your house-"

He got to his feet and he practically towered over her as he moved towards the scraps of his snorts. His nose rubbed it for a second before he picked it up between his teeth and dropped it in her lap. She heard the jingling of keys and then Sam started licking at his fur, sand embedded on his tongue from his shorts.

She giggled. "Go wash it out in the water." He growled and lumbered off, making Bella laugh quietly. Glancing around them, La Push was pretty deserted. And it was getting so dark out, that it was probably nearly impossible to see him anyway. She didn't want the police to be called about a giant wolf at the beach.

Sam's home wasn't far. It had an excellent view of the beach from the front, and the forest from the back. She fingered the keys, trying to find the one for the front door, and when she found it, felt a bit nervous as she slid it in the lock and pulled open the door. The home was warm, and she found that after an extent of time on the chilly beach, it was welcoming. She didn't exactly know where Sam's bedroom was, but it didn't take long to find - there weren't many doors to choose from. It was at the end of the hall, and it had a beautiful view of both the sea and the forest.

She didn't spend any longer than a second admiring it, nor noting how neat it was for a man's bedroom. A closet showed some shirts and a shelf near her knee height had folded shorts. A lot of them. She supposed that he did have a need for them.

She grabbed the shorts and hesitated over the shirt, but figured it'd be weird if she didn't. And then she debated a minute longer over whether or not shoes would be a good idea. Considering he shredded the last pair he was wearing, probably. So she grabbed a matching pair of leather flip flops that he had been wearing earlier in the week.

Moving to leave, she shut his bedroom door quietly, before jumping in fright as she turned around. A giant black wolf was standing in the living room, and staring at her, with its teeth showing and a tongue drooping. "God, you're so quiet!" Bella cried, giggling as her free hand went to her heart, to stop it from beating so fast. Bella moved towards the dining room table, setting the clothes down, before she turned around, covering her eyes with both of her hands. "I'm sorry… that your clothes got ruined."

"As you've seen in my closet, I've got plenty more," Sam returned smoothly. "I'm sorry for phasing. My anger got the best of me."

"No. Please, don't apologize. I knew you'd be upset. Any decent person would be, at least. And, I shouldn't have just sprung it on you like that." Bella gave a small laugh, dropping her hands from her eyes, but didn't turn around. "I was going to tell Jake first, but I didn't have the opportunity and… when you asked… well, I couldn't lie to you either."

"Jake was … on patrol when I phased. And I'm very positive he heard my thoughts in his head." Bella winced, and her eyes were still squeezed shut. "Sorry, I just-"

"No, it's not your fault that pack mind works like that."

"You can turn around." Bella did so, biting her lip as he stood there, so she could just his appearance for herself. Bella narrowed her eyes critically.

"You know, I think it's definitely an agreement that the shirt doesn't work. You're better without it." Sam gave a small laugh, and Bella gave a brief smile before it turned serious. "Um, Sam… this news… no one else knows but Leah and Charlie, and you. And, I guess Jake, now."

"And Paul. He was on patrol too."

Bella winced. "Paul. Great."

"I know you two don't see eye to eye, but Paul... he's not as bad as he seems."

"I know," Bella said with a small smile. "He's all talk and no bite. You can tell him I said that, too." Sam raised an eyebrow. "But if one of the pack knows, the rest of the pack knows. And... that means everyone I care about telling knows. Except for Sue and Billy, but... I don't think I can tell them for some time. Just… word can't get back to Renee and Phil. I don't care who you have to Alpha order for that, but please, make sure it doesn't get back to them."

And while she knew Sam was listening, he wasn't paying much attention. His eyes zeroed in on her arm, and he wouldn't look away, his body stiff. "What's that?" Bella glanced around, seeing only a few picture frames behind her, straight, and facing the right direction. "No, on your arm?" Bella glanced down, seeing a thin red line trickling down her arm. A minor cut, if anything, that looked more like a long paper cut than anything. "Oh, God… I phased too close to you." Sam seemed to be freaking out.

"It's fine," Bella insisted. "It's just a scratch. I've had worse-"

But Sam wasn't listening. Instead, he turned a few shades paler and looked absolutely horrified with himself. "I'm so sorry. We need to go to the hospital. Get that stitched up-"

Jesus Christ. Bella stepped towards him, grabbing his arm and he seemed to snap out of the stupor just enough to listen to her. "Sam! Honest. It's just a scratch. I'm fine."

Sam swallowed, and his eyes looked absolutely devastated. It made a pit appear in Bella's stomach. "I'm no better than him. You trusted me enough to tell you this stuff, and I hurt you-"

"Sam-" but he was already moving towards the kitchen, digging through cabinets. She followed. "You're nothing like Phil. This was an accident. And it's not that bad. It's just a scratch." Bella looked at it again, to make sure, and it was just a scratch. Like a cat clawed her. "It just needs a bandaid, or even a rinse under some water. It's not life threatening." But by the time she looked up, he was pulling a first aid kit out of the cabinet over the fridge, and she gave him a look, but he seemed to ignore it. So, Bella hoisted herself up onto the counter, deciding it would be easier to let him play nurse, than to fight it further.

By the time he put an alcohol pad on it, it wasn't even bleeding anymore. It just stung, which he apologized profusely for. And he stuck a bandaid over the wound, covering it completely. "There. See?" Sam let out a breath, as if satisfied. "I'm fine." And he relaxed slightly as she took his hands. "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose. I know none of the pack would."

"I could have killed you if you had been one step closer."

"But you didn't," Bella insisted.

"Have you ever heard of Emily? Leah's cousin?" Bella frowned, shaking her head. "You'll meet her soon enough, probably. She lives in the Makah reservation, with her family. But she came down here to visit Leah and Seth, with Claire, her cousin. And it was right after Paul first phased. Well, Paul imprinted on her." Bella raised her eyebrows in surprise. "And everything was going great until she told him she was going back to Makah, where she lived. But they could keep in touch. Well, Paul phased."

"Of course he did," Bella said carefully.

"And he tore her face, her arms, everything on the left side up." Bella gasped quietly. "She was in the hospital for a few days, and Billy made the story up that she ran into a bear while taking out the trash. She knows that Paul didn't mean to do it, that was an accident, but Paul was a mess. And she's stayed in Makah ever since. But she's due to come down here for Christmas, and Paul's… well, he's on edge. And if I ever did that to you… I would never forgive myself."

"Does she know about the imprint, then? Or… just the wolf thing?"

"All of it," Sam admitted. "I told it to her after she got out of the hospital." Bella swallowed. "I just… I'm sorry I phased so close to you. I'm sorry I couldn't control myself enough to keep you safe-"

"It was just a scratch," Bella insisted. "And I know that it's not that bad, and that it could have been worse, but it wasn't. And besides, I think the leech from cliff diving did a lot more damage than you did." Her smile dropped as she looked at the large hands she was holding. "I don't know what to do now, after all of this. And before I kept stringing you along, you deserved to know about all of this. Because … it's just… I don't know." He gave a considering look, as if thinking of something to say. "I can't imagine how much of a whirlwind this is. I mean, I can, but-"

"Thank you for giving me the heads up that you'll be getting a bit bigger."

It was such a strange, and unexpected comment that she snorted out a laugh, smacking his chest. "It's not getting bigger. It's… well… like I swallowed a planet or something." He gave her a look that clearly stated there wasn't much of a difference. "I'm sorry you got angry."

"I wasn't angry at you," Sam said quietly. But she could feel the tremors on his skin again as he held her hand tightly. "I'm angry at him. At how he could hurt you for so long and get away with it. Charlie knows?"

She nodded. "He threatened to hang him by his toes from the Space Needle." Bella swallowed. "Phil can't find out I told anyone. Not until there's enough proof to put him behind bars. He's threatened to hurt Renee, if anyone finds out..." She glanced down to his shirt covered chest. "So I don't care if you have to Alpha order the pack to never talk to anyone else about it... No one else can find out except for those I trust." Sam gave a nod in her peripheral vision. "I don't want to risk my mom. And it sucks, I know. But... we'll get enough proof to get him away from her. I'm sure of it."

His tremors lessened slightly. "I promise not to tell anyone or... let anyone tell anyone. It's your business, and .. it'll stay your business."

She gave a sigh of relief and hugged him around the middle, his body so warm against her cheek. "Thank you." His arms tightened around her and she smiled softly. "You're an amazing man, Sam. I mean it."

"Definitely not as amazing as you," Sam said quietly. She nearly snorted at that, but did roll her eyes.

"Man, huh?"

"You know what I mean."

Once Sam calmed down enough, they went back to the beach to collect the basket, blanket, and his torn clothes. They took the items to Sam's house, and Bella and Sam worked, giggling and elbowing, on trying to piece his clothing back together to see if all of the pieces were there. Nearly all of them were. "Where's the zipper?" Bella asked after they ran out of pieces.

"This was everything on the beach."

Bella stared at it, before looking towards Sam. "What if it's like… embedded in your skin? You have a zipper armpit or something."

Sam immediately checked, sending Bella into a fit of giggles. "What if mid-phase, it got swallowed or something?"

"Phasing sounds like it really sucks," Bella said with a laugh. Her eyes looked over the shredded clothing and back to Sam. "Ouch."

Sam smirked, glancing to Bella. "I guess we'll find out."

"Ugh, gross. You're worse than Jake." Bella elbowed him hard, and probably only managed to bruise her own elbow. "You're pretty clean, for a bachelor. It's nice. Have you seen Jake's room?"

"Oh yeah. That's why I clean."

"Almighty Alpha is a pretty good dog to adopt, it seems," Bella admitted.

"Jake and Paul want to come over after patrols."

Bella groaned, turning around and heading towards the kitchen. "I'll make spaghetti for them. I think it's pretty much all you guys haven't eaten so far." She only managed to make it a few steps, before Sam took her hand from her side, turning her around to face him.

"Are you alright?"

Bella nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I appreciate you being concerned. And … things are only going to get better for me. I'm sorry if … this doesn't make things better for you." Sam gave her a wry smile. "But I guess either way, things will be okay."

"You know, I think everything's going to be okay," Sam admitted. "And… I just need to process it better, but I don't see any issues with this."

Bella felt a bit of hope well up in her. "There's still the matter of the whole imprinting thing."

"But that's-"

The front door slamming open interrupted whatever Sam was going to say, and Paul strode through, giving a grunt in greeting to Bella, before pushing Sam back towards the living room. Jake walked through, with an easy smile for Bella, before eyeing the two other boys.

"I'm making spaghetti for you guys," Bella said carefully.

"Awesome," Paul said flatly. His eyes didn't leave Sam, and they seemed to be communicating to each other wordlessly. "Jake, why don't we step outside and talk?"

"Yeah…" Jake glanced to Bella worriedly. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine." But Bella was more worried about what they were going to talk about. They disappeared out the back door so that Bella could see them, but couldn't hear them. Sam was pretty in control, but she could see Jake and Paul close to phasing.

Sam seemed to be explaining everything, which Bella didn't mind, just the fact that Paul was listening, made her a bit apprehensive. But Jake… Jake she'd have to talk to alone whenever she could get the chance.

By the time they came inside, Bella was busying herself with dumping the pasta in, and they settled on the couch, Sam getting a beer from the fridge for himself and Paul, when Bella's phone chirped. She pulled it out, surprised, reading it. It was from Sam. "Sorry this didn't end so hot. I'll have to make it up to you."

Sam glanced towards her, and she could see his phone in his hand, as well as two beers, and a smile on his face. Bella smiled, back, before giving a nod. "Sounds good," she texted back. Jake joined her in the kitchen, though, leaning on the counter as he watched Bella stir.

"Crazy day."

"Could have been better," Bella agreed quietly. She swallowed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself. I actually meant to talk to you, but I kept chickening out-"

"It's a good thing you told Sam first," Jake admitted. "I probably would have phased." Bella was going to say that Sam had too, but she got the feeling that he would have had more difficulties controlling his phase than Sam did. "He says he got you?"

Bella lifted her sleeve a little to show him the bandaid, and gave Jake and eye-roll, before turning back to the pot. "I've had worse."

"Get outside, Swan," Paul snapped. Bella jumped, looking up from the pasta she was stirring. "Now, Swan."

"I'm busy, asshat. Why don't you tackle someone that won't break in half, like Jake?" Bella suggested swiftly.

"Because I don't want to tackle anyone," he snapped. "Have one of the little twerps work on the food. Get your ass out here."

"Paul," Sam warned. "Why don't you calm down?" And while it was a suggestion, the order was there. Bella glanced between them.

"I'm not going to fucking hurt her," Paul snorted. "You coming or not, Swan?"

Bella bit her lip, glancing to Jake and Sam, and Jake sighed, before standing and moving to the stove. "Might as well, loca. Don't worry, he'll get his ass kicked if he hurts you."

Bella bit her lip nervously, but agreed to follow him to the backyard. There were claw marks in the yard, and piles of dirt where she could tell the boys have fought in the last few days since she had last been out there. Fought about what? "What is this for? Because I don't want to see you naked, thank you very much."

"You're fucked up, Swan, but I'm not showing you anything. That's for later in the relationship." Bella rolled her eyes and he grabbed her arm, though not as forcefully as she thought, and moved her, using his shoes to adjust her legs. One was forward, the other back.

"What are you doing?"

"Punch me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wow, Disney was right. Dreams do come true."

"Shut the fuck up, Swan. And punch me."

She blinked at him. "You're serious?"

"Obviously, idiot. Now punch me."

"Paul!" Sam snapped from the back door, and Bella glanced back to him, to see him standing in the doorway, arms crossed, but ready to intervene. Bella looked back to Paul, who was staring at her, exasperated, it seemed.

"Just do it, Swan."

Bella stared at him for a minute before she swung. He caught it easily before it even hit him. "Pathetic." She raised an eyebrow in confusion. Uncurling her fingers, he began to curl them again a different way.

"Holding hands? We're going a little too fast, there."

Paul snorted. "Like I'd ever date a leech-lover." He let go of her hand and Bella glanced at it. "How does that feel?"

"Like a fist?"

"Wow, you really are a genius," Paul said dryly. "Now punch me again."

"Twice in a day? This must be heaven."

"Swan!" he snapped.

She swung, and it connected with the solid mass of muscle that was his ribs. "Now what?"

"Wow, Swan. You're even weaker than I thought."

She stared at him. "Now what?" she repeated a bit more forcefully.

"You could actually try to put some force into it, you know."

"I did."

"What a whimp." He sighed as if a burden was placed on him. "Well, do it again, putting everything you've got into it. Go for the face."

"Christmas did come early." She did as he asked, seeming to get what this was about. This was because of what Sam had told them. This was something he was doing because of Phil. And something that he was doing of his own free will to help her. He felt along his jaw after he took a step back and seemed to consider the magnitude of the punch. "Yeah, we'll work on that." Work on it? "If I grab you, what do you do?"

She blinked. "Tell Sam, and he'll kick your ass."

Paul winced. "Okay, I mean, if I wasn't in the pack. If I was a pale face."

Bella shrugged. "Try to get away."

"Doing?"

"Whatever it took." She stared at Paul. "I know how to get away from someone, Paul. My mom had me take self-defense classes when I turned fourteen."

"And you still let this shit happen?" Paul snapped, seemingly frustrated.

Bella hesitated. "It's not like he'd just grab me and pull me into a room. He would usually just get me when I was sleeping or something. That's how it started." Paul growled and Bella shifted slightly, taking a step away from him. What Sam told her about Emily came to mind. "And then my bedroom lock somehow broke, so I couldn't use it. And then he told Renee he fixed it, but he didn't. And by then, he promised me it would be a lot worse if I fought. And I knew it would be."

Paul just stared at her as if in disbelief before grunting and then he moved onto to something else. Things like how to put some weight behind things. How to scream for help and what to say.

"Thanks, Paul."

"Whatever, Swan."

But she did appreciate it, even if he was a dick to her sometimes.

By the time they went back into the house, Bella was a little sweaty from Paul instructing her on how "not to be a little bitch," Sam had somehow disappeared, as had Jake. And the pasta was off of the burner. Not exactly done, but it'd do. The wolves ate everything.

"Where did everyone go?"

"Phased twenty minutes ago," Paul said, sitting on the counter. Bella was surprised it didn't crumble under his weight. "You good?"

Bella shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't see how I'm going to need it."

"You could run into a lot of bastards. But I'm fucking starving. Can we eat?"

"Well, I've got to make the meat and sauce, still. I was about to do that, but you insisted on taking me outside."

"Well, sorry for teaching you valuable skills."

Her phone chirped and Bella glanced at it. Leah. "About to go on patrol. Meet you at Sam's in two hours?" Bella just responded that it was fine, and worked on finishing the meal before she went to her truck, glancing around to the woods, as if she'd see a few wolves. Grabbing her school bag, Bella headed back inside, across from Paul, and started on her homework, glancing up occasionally as Paul would head into the kitchen to make himself another serving.

Bella didn't remember falling asleep, but she was woken up by a sharp crash in the kitchen, and she surged into an upright position, gasping. Paul was at the sink, tossing all of the dirty dishes into it before he moved towards the table, not bothering to wash them. "What time is it?"

"Nearly one in the morning."

She cursed, and Paul snorted at hearing it. "Charlie's going to kill me."

"So… there's a little leech inside of you?"

"A human being," Bella returned more sharply than she intended. Paul didn't seem to notice. "But yes."

"Well shit. I didn't know you had it in you, Swan."

"Sam could hear the heartbeat."

"I just thought you were weird." Bella felt herself go a few shades pale.

"You could hear the heartbeat, too?"

"Uh, yeah. We all could. I mean, Leah insisted it was nothing. Probably just residual echo from someone nearby, you know? Whatever the fuck that is. But yeah… not exactly a secret."

Bella groaned. "Wonderful. And how soon will this spread to the pack?"

"Once it gets to Seth? Everyone will know." Wonderful. Bella glanced around. "Did Leah ever show up?"

"No. She's still on patrol. Sam's really laying into her for not telling him any hint of anything like that. He's royally pissed off, you know, because of everything."

Bella thought he was, and even Jake. "Do you know when Leah will get off? She wanted to meet up with me."

Paul shrugged and Bella just rolled her eyes, grabbing her phone and calling Charlie. "Hey, dad, sorry. I just wanted to let you know that Leah wants me to meet with her in a few minutes at her place, so I'm going to be with her tonight."

"Sure, kiddo. Just keep me posted if things change. And don't drive tired."

"I know, dad. Goodnight. I love you."

"Love you too." And Charlie hung up immediately, and Bella sighed, glancing down at the books in front of her. She needed to work on her homework or else she'd never finish it in time for tomorrow.

"How far along are you?" Paul asked suddenly.

"About three months by my birthday."

Paul raised an eyebrow but nodded. Bella managed to stay awake for a few more minutes, before she fell asleep again. She didn't even manage to make it through her reading for her book for English.

The next time Bella jerked awake, it was her own doing, and she grabbed her phone, checking the time. Four in the morning, and no calls or texts from Leah. Which was unusual. Maybe Leah forgot? And she was still at Sam's house at four in the morning… Jesus. She needed to leave. That was weird. She packed up her bag, grabbing her keys, and nearly tripping over a form on the floor. A wolf, she was certain of.

Paul. She didn't know what he was doing on the floor, but he looked incredibly uncomfortable. She nudged his leg with her foot. "Paul?" He grunted. "Paul? Get up." Oh, for heaven's sake. She climbed over him, nearly tripping in the process, and managed to get to the door when he flopped over, knocking into the table. He jerked awake immediately, getting to his feet.

"What the hell?"

"Morning, Fido," Bella remarked, opening the door.

"Why the fuck did you wake me up?"

"You woke yourself up. I'm just leaving. It's four am. Go home, mutt."

Paul shrugged, moving towards the living room. "No use now. Got patrols in two hours. Might as well get comfy, Swan."

"I'm going home."

"And have you drive in this storm? Jake and Sam would kill me." Bella frowned, opening the front door and seeing the blast of rain and lightning that was clashing outside. "Grab a couch, Swan."

Sleeping at Sam's was… well, a little weird. "Maybe I should just drive to Leah's-"

"Still on patrol. Sam and Jake are a little… mad."

Oh. Bella sighed and shut the door, moving towards the living room and sitting down on the couch adjacent to Paul. A nice quilt was thrown over the back of it, giving her plenty of warmth in the chilly La Push night.

"Paul, I know I'm the leech-lover and everything, but… can I ask you something?"

"Fucking hell, Swan, I'm trying to sleep." He was quiet a minute. "Spit it out, Swan. I'm not staying up for five minutes."

"Does Sam think him scratching me is him being Phil, or him hurting me as badly as Emily?" Paul went rigid immediately.

"What the fuck did Sam tell you?"

"Just… how she was going to go back to Makah to live for a while, and … you phased too close. That's all."

Paul growled under his breath. "He had no fucking right."

"Sam's your best friend," Bella said simply. "And you're his. Though, I don't see why you're so great." Paul snarled at her. "I don't want Sam to get all self-depreciative. That's what Edward did and I hated it. I hated it when he blamed everything on himself."

"Sam's just worried he hurt you like I did Emily," Paul answered in a fast breath. "He'll get over it once the cut heals."

Bella gave a relieved sigh. "And he won't mind if I stay here until morning, will he?"

"Probably give me a day off of patrols for being so considerate."

"Don't worry, I know the truth. You're just looking out for your own tail." Paul snorted and Bella shut her eyes, leaning back on the couch until she was curled up. And then she did sleep, well until her phone went off that morning to wake her up for school. Paul snored right through it, even though Bella was sure he had patrols at six. He had said so last night. So Bella kicked him awake and then darted out the front door before he could get angry. She had enough to worry about.