Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all recognizable characters and situations contained therein. All original content in this fic is property of the author. This isn't a full chapter, just a kind of Pack interlude. Hope to have a full chapter up sometime soon!
**Friday After School Bella POV**
Paul pulls his truck into Sam's driveway and parks. I had worn my boots with a pair of worn in blue jeans with holes at the knee and a black fitted tee shirt that stopped about an inch above my navel today, and Paul was wearing really worn black jeans and a Dixon Tattooing t-shirt that clung to his chest and arms like second skin.
It had been raining pretty hard since last night and Paul said he didn't trust the bike to transport me in this weather, that if it was just him it was fine because in the event of a completely unavoidable crash he'd be able to walk away, but I would wind up a splatter on the pavement.
Luckily the teacher's had all been kind and we didn't have any homework for the weekend other than studying for a European History exam. Paul cuts the truck's engine and we get out and run for the door of Sam and Leah's house.
Bursting in the door laughing Paul wraps his arms around my waist as he pulls me down to sit in the recliner next to the couch. Leah waves in greeting from her spot on the couch. She's wearing , "Hey you two. How was school?"
We shrug, and I reply, "It was fine. No weekend homework thank God! What are you up to?"
She shrugs, "Not much, I went grocery shopping earlier, you guys can help yourselves to what's in the kitchen. I'm fuckin wiped out, mom told me to expect that though, so I guess it's normal. Sam should be back from his job in the next hour. Do you guys mind if I go back and take a nap?"
I wave her off, "Absolutely not, we should've called and asked if it was okay for us to come over. We can go hang at Paul's until Sam gets home if you'd rather."
Leah returns the gesture, "Don't be stupid Bells, you and Paul are Pack, you're welcome here whenever. Stay, watch TV, help yourselves to some food, I expect Jared and Embry will turn up soon anyways. Just do me a favor and don't let the three walking stomachs eat me out of house and home."
Laughing I tell her, "Will do."
She goes down the hall, into her and Sam's bedroom, and closes the door behind her. Paul's hands cup my shoulders and he rubs them lightly, as he whispers in my ear, "This is nice, we haven't gotten to spend time alone together since last Saturday, with the exception of our rides down here. If I didn't know better I'd say you've been avoiding spending time alone with me Miss Swan."
I giggle and snuggle back against him, "I haven't, well, maybe a little. I just feel like if we have too much alone time things are going to start moving very fast. I guess I just want to take it slow for a few weeks, and get to really know you, and if I'm alone with you, I know that that plan is going to go right out the window."
He smirks, "Oh yeah? Why is that?"
Feeling bold, I turn to place a soft kiss on the side of his neck, and it's my turn to whisper, "Because when I'm near you, and nobody is watching, the only thing I can think of is the way your hands felt on my body last Saturday while we were making out in your bed. And when I'm sitting here with you, and you're all I can smell, and all I can feel, I just feel like I'm going to explode if you don't touch all of me."
He groans in frustration, and teases, "Come on, we can be back at my house in 2 minutes! You can't tease me like this Bella! It's only going to make it more frantic and crazy when we finally do give in!"
I laugh softly, "Hmm, maybe that's how I want it. Maybe I want to get you to the point where you will just explode if you don't touch all of me."
Paul of course is never one to be tested, and he ups the ante rubbing his hands up and down my arms as he kisses and nips at my neck and up to my ear. He nibbles my earlobe gently, and his breath against my skin makes me shiver, as he whispers, "Little girl you are playing with fire."
My retort is cut off by the door opening and Sam coming in. He's wearing loose jeans and an Uley Construction t-shirt that clings to his muscles along with his tool belt. He fans the air in front of his face as he turns jokingly to Paul and I, "Geeze you two, I could smell the pheromones from outside! Don't be making my house into your little love nest, I know for damn sure that Paul's house is free in the afternoons!"
Paul scowls, "That's kind of the point Sam. Go annoy your own woman why don't you. Leah's takin a nap."
Sam beelines it back to his room and closes the door behind him. Paul sighs, "Now he's going to go into overprotective expectant dad mode, and Leah is going to kick his ass out of there in 3, 2, 1."
Just as he says one Sam comes out the bedroom and shuts the door hard behind him yelling back through, "You should just be happy that I care Leah!"
He smirks at whatever she yells back through the door, before going into the kitchen and coming back out with 2 cans of beer, he stops when he sees me, "You want a beer Bella?"
I shake my head, "Nah, I gotta babysit in about an hour. They're going for an early night because tomorrow they're taking Jakie up to Makah to see cousins of his who are around his age."
He nods, and tosses a can to Paul who catches it one handed off to the side of the chair. Paul opens the can and sips it before handing it to me, "Put it on the table please?"
I put it on the table and Sam sits down, "So what are you up to tonight Paul? You gunna go babysit with Bella?"
He shrugs, "Probably not, I'll patrol around for a bit, maybe go hang out on the beach with J and Embry if they're not with their girls."
Sam scowls a little bit and the door opens again letting in Jared and a short pixie looking Quileute girl that I've never seen before. Her eyebrows raise as she takes in me on Paul's lap, and says "Wow, I didn't think you ever spent time with the girls you slept with while they were fully clothed, Paul. Who's the girl? I'm sorry, I'm assuming you even know her name."
I raise an eyebrow at Jared, but keep my mouth shut. Paul meanwhile looks murderous, as Jared laughs nervously, and tries to defuse the situation, "Amy, I told you that Paul met someone special, this is his girlfriend, Bella Swan. Be nice, okay?"
Sam scowls, "Jared, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Paul you come too."
I get up off Paul's lap so he can follow Sam and Jared into the kitchen.
**Paul POV**
Fighting the urge to snap at Amy when I pass her I follow Sam and Jared into the kitchen and lean up against the fridge. Sam rakes his hands through his hair, "Why did you bring Amy here Jared?"
J shrugs, "I wanted you to see us together. The Imprint didn't change anything for our relationship. I feel exactly the same way about her that I've always felt."
Sam looks skeptical, "Have you uh, been with her since the Imprint?"
J smirks at him, "Uh, yeah, yesterday. No changes there either, I'll be honest and say that the Wolf has never been satisfied with her, but that doesn't mean anything for the man. We're still the exact same as we were before I got paired with Kim on that stupid project. I wanted you to see that."
The Wolf, that part of ourselves that's almost separate. The Wolf definitely can be in opposition with the man, that's part of why we find ourselves phasing at the drop of a hat when we're new at it, it takes a few weeks for the man to gain control over the Wolf. I know what Jared meant when he said the Wolf was not satisfied, all the girls and women I had slept with had never satisfied the Wolf, he found each and every one of them to be not quite right.
At first I had thought it was because none of them were virgins, but then I had hooked up with a girl who was, and she hadn't satisfied him either. It didn't make sex any less pleasurable for the man though, and I had never thought too much about it because I rarely slept with the same girl more than 2 or 3 times. Even Blonde Skank and Jessica had only been 3 times apiece and together once.
Bella and I never really had time to talk, we had last Saturday but we'd ended up getting side tracked and then we had come over to Sam and Leah's. I hadn't told her that the Imprint had different stages, right now we had both acknowledged and accepted it which was the first stage, which served to bring us closer together while putting the Imprint into action.
In my opinion the fact that neither Jared or Kim accepted their Imprint was the reason the power of the bond was diminished. Instead of needing to see each other and have some sort of physical contact with each other every few days they would be able to get by with just being in each other's presence at school. How that would play out over school vacations I'm not really sure. Sam thinks that Thanksgiving break is going to be the real test, he thinks that when the Wolf realizes the Imprint's absence that the bond will really start to be a problem for him.
Tuning back into the conversation Jared is whispering harshly to Sam, "I don't care what you think Sam, things with Amy and I are just the way they've always been. I'm not giving her up just because you think I should wait around for Kim and Jesse to come to an end! It's not happening, so just fucking drop it man! Look, you got lucky and Imprinted on the only girl you've ever loved! Paul got lucky, and Imprinted on a girl who didn't have a relationship with anyone, and while he didn't have anything worthwhile going with anyone either. I didn't get that lucky, but I got lucky enough to not be bound by it…"
Sam interrupts, "Or so you think! This is exactly why I encouraged both you and Embry to break it off with those girls after you didn't Imprint on them! Jared what are you going to do when Kim decides she wants you? God forbid it happens after you selfishly, and stubbornly marry Amy, or even worse have a child with her! If you truly loved Amy you would let her go. I'm done arguing with you now, go! We will discuss this if it is still an issue after the Thanksgiving break."
Jared nods curtly, and we follow him back into the living room. He goes over to Amy, "Lets go babe."
He turns to Bella, "It was nice to see you Bella."
She waves, "You too, Jared. Bye."
Amy rolls her eyes, and Jared practically pulls her out the door. Sam's phone beeps, and he picks it up, looks at it for a minute, and puts it down, "Embry's on his way over. Hopefully he's not with Veronica."
I shrug, "Don't get me wrong Sam man, I think you're right, but you're never going to convince J and Embry of that. So unless you're going to go Alpha on them and order them to dump Amy and Veronica, I honestly think you should just drop it and save it for the 'I told you so's'. There's no point in fighting with them over something that they'll never accept."
He sighs, and Bella frowns as I lift her up easily, and sit back down with her on my lap. Sam sits back and runs his hands through his hair again, "I guess you're right, I mean they're in the first stage of the Imprint, and not even that really, they both acknowledged it, but neither of them accepted it."
Bella looks at me confused, "There are stages?"
Sam shakes his head, "Forgot to mention that part, huh Paul?"
I wave him off and turn my attention to Bella, "I was going to tell you about it, I meant to on Saturday, but we got caught up and then we came over here. I'll tell you about it on the drive down to Port Ang tomorrow. We'll take the truck instead of my bike, even if it's sunny so that we can talk."
She nods, "Okay, I won't forget."
I hold her tighter and glare at Sam. He starts to say something and Embry comes in the door, thank God he's alone, I wasn't looking for a repeat of what we just went through with J. He spots Bella on my lap, and smirks, we had been here yesterday and he and Bella had bonded over Halo, "Hey future stepsis! Is this dog treatin you good? I'll beat his ass for you if he treats you bad."
She laughs, "Paul has never treated me bad. I'll let you know if he steps out of line though, thanks future stepbro!"
The two of them are ridiculous, it's good that they'll get along though if Bella's dad really does pop the question to Embry's mom anytime soon, and Bella thinks he will. She turns serious, "Are you going to be home when Dad and I come down on Sunday for dinner?"
He nods, "Yeah, mom told me about it yesterday, I'll be there. Are you going to bring Paul?"
She gulps, "umm, I'll ask my dad if I can. Not sure how well that'll go over, but hey, you could always invite him and we can side step the issue that way."
Embry shakes his head, "That works.", he turns to me, "You want to come over on Sunday for dinner bro?"
**Bella POV**
Paul nods, his hands are on my waist rubbing the strip of skin that lays exposed between my shirt and my pants. He kisses my neck before saying, "Sure thing, make sure your mom knows beforehand. I don't want your momma comin at me with a wooden spoon the way she did the last time you had me over without telling her."
Embry laughs, "Dude! She wasn't whoopin your ass for being there! You ate half the cake she made for her book club!"
Paul laughs, "Oh yeah. No worries then. What time on Sunday?"
I turn back to him, "6:30. Dad's workin overnight that night, so they didn't want to leave it too late."
Checking my watch, I say, "Shit, I gotta get over to my Aunt and Uncle's. Hey, why doesn't Embry come with us to Tyler's party tomorrow night?"
Embry perks up, "Party in Forks? Sure sounds good."
Paul nods, "Alright well I'll pick you up at 8:00 I'm gunna pick Baby Bell here up at around 8:30. You wanna bring Veronica?"
He shrugs, "Hrm, maybe, I'll see if she wants to go."
Paul shrugs, "Either way man, I'll talk to you tomorrow."
We say goodbye to Sam, and Embry, and head out the door.
