I don't own Twilight...

"Are you sure I'm not dead?" Trey asked. Paul looked to the ceiling for assistance.

"No! You're not dead! You very nearly were… if it hadn't been for the bl… Carlisle…"

Trey could hear the pain in that second statement. She honestly didn't believe she was dead anymore. Paul was just so much fun to mess with. She decided she'd had enough fun with him for right now. She grinned innocently.

"You-You were acting?! This whole time?!"

"No, I really didn't believe it for the first few… hours…" she replied sheepishly. Paul looked at her incredulously.

"Hours?" he said shortly, "You've been in here for four days!"

"Well its not like I was teasing everyone… Just you…"

It had been a chore at first to remove Paul from the room for Carlisle to tend to Trey. When he had finally realized that every time the doctor had emerged Trey had been perfectly fine, no blood missing, no wounds, he'd resorted to a quiet snarl or two when asked to leave. He was waiting somewhere right outside, his protective instinct too powerful to ignore. Trey involuntarily flinched when Carlisle drew near. He smiled compassionately.

"I know how hard it must be for you to trust me, Ms. Summers," he said, almost sadly, "You and your… friends… have been warned for generations about my kind… You've been taught that we are the enemy… In retrospect, I know that this prejudice is well rooted, considering the… appetites… of others like us… I still hope that one day maybe we can trust each other…"

Trey watched as the angelic doctor drew blood and checked her fluids. As he had promised, no other hospital employee had entered the room… not even once.

"You told me that when I believed I was alive I should thank you again… I've forgotten until now. The way I understand it, I wouldn't be alive had you not been so close. And I know that what you had to do" (she shivered at the thought) "must have been extremely difficult for you. It would have been easy for you to let me die. Given the history between our… families… you should have laughed in Sam's face. But instead, you followed him. It could have been a trap, but you still came. Why?" Carlisle looked at her curiously.

"Because it is my job to save lives. It could have been an ambush, yes, but I trusted that Sam was every bit as honorable as I imagined. If I had left you there to die, knowing that only a vampire could save you… or rather only I could… it would have haunted me for the rest of my existence."

Trey smiled. This wasn't the monster she'd imagined. He was anything but. His level of control amazed her. She couldn't help but feel respect for someone who could push a need as strong as his was for human blood aside to save the lives of his proverbial food source.

"Thank you," she whispered wholeheartedly. She would always look at him in this new light. Choose your enemies well, and your friends wisely… Could she make herself look at the man before her as a friend? Carlisle looked nearly shocked at the gratitude. He smiled warmly, nodded, and exited the room without another word.

Carlisle had finally released her, even though she'd been fine in twenty-four hours. He had wanted to monitor her and make sure the venom had no after effects on them that weren't currently known. She had this feeling that she was little more than a science project. Paul walked her toward the parking lot protectively. Trey resisted the urge to roll her eyes and push him away. She knew Carlisle wouldn't let anything happen to her… especially not at the hands of his family. She gasped.

Paul's car was sitting just outside. The driver's window had been thoroughly shattered; there were a couple of dents on either side and some paint swapping had definitely been an issue. She looked at him. He looked almost sick at the sight, but it wasn't the first time he'd seen the damage.

"Sam," was all he snarled.

Trey eyed the car cautiously. This was obviously a result of her near death and Sam rushing her to the hospital. For all intents and purposes, this was her fault. She swallowed hard.

"Its nothing big," Paul said at the sight of her remorseful face, "Just cosmetic stuff. I haven't really had a chance to get it in the shop… I just couldn't leave you alone with that… doctor," he amended quickly seeing her expression change to a warning.

She let him open the door and place her inside. They headed home. Trey rubbed her hand over the place where she'd been bitten. There was a scar. Carlisle had said it was a side effect of the venom being poisonous to the wolves. It was cold. Now she and Bella had more in common than ever. Ugh. Who'd have ever thought she'd admit something like that? That didn't excuse the fact, however, that they were different in the decisions that they had made. Or rather would make. She felt anger flare in her heart as she remembered that if it weren't for Bella, none of this would have happened. No. She wasn't ready to forgive that fact just yet.

The day was surprisingly bright for La Push. Trey sat on the diving cliff, arms wrapped around her bent knees, staring out into the ocean. The salty wind felt good against her skin. It was hard to believe that it had been almost a year since she'd leapt from this precipice. Before the visions… before the wolves… before Paul. In a way she almost wished that it was back that way again… almost…

As soon as she'd thought it, she immediately took it back. She wouldn't change a thing… except maybe her near death experience… Paul was on patrol, with the rest. She could see them. Paul still had his anger problems… oh boy did he… he and Jake fought at least twice a week now… He had phased to close to Trey one day, which had earned him a decent beating. The other wolves, minus Sam, loved to see Trey and Paul fight. And given that her anger fed from his, this was often enough to keep them entertained. It was a strange love they had… they'd literally be trying to rip out each other's throats and the next moment they were kissing and making up. It was insanely bipolar.

She smiled. No. She wouldn't change a thing. She saw him before he broke the tree cover behind her. He trotted up and lay down beside her. She looked over at the silver wolf. She could see the devotion and adoration he felt, and she knew that was why he hadn't phased back. She reached out and ran her hands through the silver fur. It was like Paul. It was satiny soft, but coarse enough. She smiled at the thought. Then she realized it. As much as they'd been through, she'd never told him. Neither had he. Paul noticed the shift in her mood. He lifted himself to his feet and went into the woods nearby and phased. She was staring out over the water again when he pulled her up.

"What is it?" he asked softly. She looked a little sheepish.

"I was just thinking… After everything we've been through… All the times we were almost taken from each other… I've never once told you…" Paul's mouth turned up slightly at the corners.

"Well, you sorta did…"

"If you're referring to Jacob Black telling you for me that doesn't count!" He laughed.

"You don't have to tell me, Trey… I know you better than you know yourself… I know what you feel when you feel it…"

"I love you," she said looking into his obsidian eyes. He brushed her cheek with his fingers.

"I love you."

They looked out over the water and held each other. She could see so much coming their way… so many bad things… so many good… She could only hope that they would all survive. But then, that's another story all together.

A/N: That's the end! Of THIS particular era in the story... there's a whole second part that I have barely started on... just not feeling inspired... But anyways hope you enjoyed this as much as i enjoyed writing it!