Wow, yet again the responses have been phenomenal! I'm receiving more reviews as we progress in the story (which is a guilty pleasure that i love!) and it seems like every day i'm receiving either a new follower or favourite! Thank you.
Note, i'm not happy with this chapter but i know you're all waiting so i'm uploading it anyway - will edit later on in life if i need to.
With a sigh and a quick glance around – everything looked the same – he got out of the truck quietly and walked softly to the front door. "Mione, why do you look so thrilled?" Billy questioned suspiciously and he could practically hear the raised eyebrow on his father's face.
"Who is he?" Charlie growled and Jacob put his fist into his mouth to stifle his laughter. "What boy has got you so happy? If he's touched you I'll shoot him," he threatened and Jacob decided to make his announcement then.
"No need Charlie," Jacob said, arms raised in an innocent posture and he grinned when he saw the shocked and elated faces on his father and Charlie. "Like I'd touch squirt," he sneered in her direction and she poked her tongue out at him.
"Shit," Charlie breathed, the beer bottle almost dropping out of his hand. "Jacob." The man in question shot the Police Chief a grin in greeting before turning his attention to his father. The man looked just as he had before he'd left, a little bit thinner and older but still the Billy Black that he knew and loved. His face was pale, eyes wide and mouth agape as if he couldn't believe that he was there.
"Hey Dad," Jacob greeted, grinning tentatively and stumbling forward, kneeling just before the wheelchair. "I missed you." The older man smiled, tears in his eyes before he embraced his son and the two hugged. Neither noticed that they were both crying and neither noticed when Hermione and Charlie left.
"Don't ever do that again," Billy warned, releasing the boy and clearing his throat. "I may be disabled but that won't stop me from whooping your ass." Jacob chuckled, clambering to his feet whilst wiping his face.
"Noted Dad," he responded. "Noted." He sprawled onto the settee, legs resting over the arm and his feet near Billy's face. "Sam and Emily invited us to dinner this evening."
"Are we taking Charlie and Hermione?" Jacob nodded.
"Since she's back, I'll be wanting to be with her again. Since I'm back, the guys are going to want to be with me again. They should get used to each other." The smile on Jacob's face showed that he was hiding a secret.
"What am I missing?" Billy questioned, sipping at his own beer.
"You'll see."
Hermione was standing with Emily and Sam, the pair of them thanking her profusely for having enough influence over Jacob to get him home. She'd tried to act like it was nothing but they hadn't accepted it, trying to assure her that it was more than that.
"Hermione!" Charlie called, dodging chairs as he made his way over to her. "I've left something at home and I kind of need it, I'll be back in a few." Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to give him her full attention.
"I can go get it if you like," she offered and he faltered. Her eyes narrowed and she immediately filled with suspicion but she shrugged it off. The life of being suspicious over family and friends was over, along with the war.
"Oh no, it's okay. I'll be quick." She nodded and let him go but couldn't shake the feeling she had in her stomach that he was lying about something.
"Dance with me?" Jacob asked from behind and she laughed, allowing him to pull her onto the makeshift dancefloor – a patch of grass that was cleared from debris – and he swung her about goofily, causing her to laugh loudly.
"You have to be shitting me," Billy gasped, eyes wide as he stared at Paul. The lad was standing there, supposedly in a conversation with Jared and Quil but his eyes were glued to Hermione. At first glance Billy had mistaken it for curiosity and interest but now, after seeing Paul stare at her for a solid twenty minutes and barely look away, he'd come to recognise the sign of an imprint.
Jacob snorted in agreement beside him, shooting his old man a grin before heading over to Hermione for a dance. Billy took advantage of his newfound loneliness by heading over to the smitten wolf and take him for a walk. "Paul," Billy called when he'd wheeled over, close enough to grab his attention. "Let's go for a walk." His tone showed that he wasn't going to take no for an answer and the younger male took one last glance at Hermione before following the Elder away.
When Billy knew they'd reached a safe distance, far enough for Hermione not to hear but still close enough for the pack to hear if they focused or if anyone was in danger. "You better look after her," he warned, eyes fierce with emotion. "She's like a daughter to me and I won't sit around and watch you hurt her." Paul nodded.
"Not like I could hurt her anyway. I'd do anything to make her smile, even if it meant cutting off my own dick." There was no sarcasm in Paul's words and Billy nodded, satisfied with how their talk – though it was quick and he really didn't to ensure Paul wouldn't hurt her – even if he was quite shocked at how blunt Paul was about making her happy.
"There's no need for that."
"There would be if she wished it," Paul defended before motioning to head back and when Billy nodded, the wolf took hold of the wheelchair handles and pushed him back. "If, somehow I manage to hurt her, then I'll hand you the weapon." Billy nodded, accepting that.
"Bells, I don't want any arguments today," Charlie warned when she got in the car where Edward had dropped her off. "I'm not completely oblivious and I do see the fact that you and Hermione are on rocky ground. I presume it is something to do with Edward and I frankly don't care, it'll blow over and then my girls will be happy again." He didn't let Bella speak or defend herself. "No arguments, nothing."
"Sure thing," she acquiesced, staring out the window. "No trouble."
Hermione enjoyed dancing with Jacob; though everything she felt for him was extremely platonic, it felt really nice being in his arms and surrounded by a comfortable warmth. He also made her laugh and in the previous songs' endings, she'd been thrown in the air or lifted dramatically. This time she was dropped low so she was being supported by only the arm resting on her back.
"Bella!" Jacob exclaimed suddenly and Hermione was dropped, her body splatting on the hard ground beneath her and she groaned. Her bum felt like it was bruised and she sat herself up, glaring at Jacob whilst she rubbed her bum tentatively. Paul, who had been dancing with Emily, rushed over to her, shoving Jacob out of the way and helping her up, dusting her off and checking if she was okay with genuine concern and worry etched on his face.
The intensity in his gaze made her blush and stutter, struggling to form a coherent word and in the end she answered with a measly nod.
"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked, staring at her with shock and wide eyes. He glanced around at the pack and noticed that the amused mood had just plummeted, all of them looking at her with blank masks or unhidden frowns of disapproval.
"I came to see you," she answered and walked towards him with a smile, throwing her arms around him. Charlie, oblivious to the tense environment, headed to Billy and exchanged words, the two of them heading indoors only minutes later. Presumably the football was on. "It is really good to see you." Jacob tentatively wrapped his arms around her and when he breathed her scent in, relaxed immediately. "And now that you're here, you can come to the wedding and I can have all my boys there." Jacob groaned and shoved her gently away, turning his back on her walking towards the food.
"Really Bella?" Embry questioned, shaking his head in disbelief. "We've only just got him back and you want to drive him away again? Unbelievable."
"Sh Embry," she replied angrily, her face flushing when nobody reprimanded him. "You don't know anything."
"I think he knows enough," Hermione spoke up, finally gaining her bearings and walking away from Paul towards her cousin. "I'm pretty sure that Charlie told you not to start any arguments."
"How did you know?" Bella asked, blinking.
"I know my Uncle and my Uncle knows us." Hermione shuffled her feet and realised that they had an audience. "Shall we go for a walk?" Hermione tilted her head towards the drive that headed towards the beach and Bella nodded, shooting a forlorn look in Jacob's direction.
The two disappeared down the drive, their silhouettes the only sign that they were there. "What do you think they're talking about?" Quil questioned, checking the time on his watch because he had patrol in a few minutes.
"Something," Jared answered and Embry snorted in amusement.
"No shit. Jake, you good?" He was still standing at the table with his back to them.
"I thought she'd have at least greeted me with something else, you know?" He asked, looking at them sadly over his shoulder before laughing without amusement. "Even when she hasn't seen me for months and the bloodsucker is still the first thing on her mind."
"She'll get a wake-up call soon enough," Paul told him. "I'm sure of it."
"That Lahote lad," Charlie started once the two older men had sat down to watch the football. "I think he's interested in my niece." Billy snorted and took a sip of his beer.
"You have no idea."
The two cousins walked in silence for a stretch before Hermione sighed and turned to the taller of the two. "I'm sorry," she offered into their quiet atmosphere. "I have no right to judge how you live your life especially since I've only just come back into it." Bella chuckled softly, pulling the curly haired witch into her side as they carried on walking.
"It's okay," she assured her, skipping over a log. "If the tables were switched, I'd probably be a fair bit annoyed." Hermione laughed – annoyed was not the word that she'd use to describe how she felt about it all. "You need to come over again, start breaking the ice because he's going to be around for a long time."
Hermione nodded. "I will, don't worry. Why didn't he come anyway?"
"He doesn't really feel comfortable out here with them, but it's okay because he said I could come." Hermione faltered in her walking and shrugged Bella's arm off. "What?"
"He said you could come?" Bella nodded slowly, not understanding what she'd done wrong now. "He's your babysitter now? Does he ensure you meet your curfew and make you eat all your greens at dinner?" Hermione's voice was shrill and her face was flushed with what was undeniably anger.
"He's always been like that," Bella defended weakly. It had annoyed her at the beginning but she'd gotten used to the act pretty quickly.
"He's always acted like your fucking father? Like he controls you? You're a grown woman!" Hermione growled and tugged on her hair. "That is something I loathe Bella, you're your own person not an object that he controls."
"I know that," Bella responded. "He just worries." Hermione snorted and rubbed a hand over her face.
"I'm not angry with you," Hermione assured her cousin when she noticed the worried face. I'm just so pissed off with him for treating you like that." Bella smiled meekly, knowing that nothing could get Hermione to cool off right now. "I'm going home; tell Charlie and everyone that I've walked home, yeah?" Bella nodded with a confused face and watched as her curly haired cousin disappeared with a crack before her.
Paul and Jacob exchanged a look when Bella walked back on her own, a dejected look on her face. "Where's Hermione?" Jake called and she shot him a tentative smile.
"She's gone home, taken a walk because she needed to clear her head." Bella didn't stick around, heading inside to speak to Charlie and Billy. Paul got antsy, walking to the food table and grabbing some food to eat but only picking at it. It was a loooong walk home and there was no saying how long it would take her to get there. There could be danger.
"Go." Paul shook his head and brought himself out of his thoughts, noticing the sympathetic thoughts that everyone was giving him. "Go make sure she gets home safely," Sam ordered and he nodded, placing the food on the table and heading towards the forest before he stopped.
"Treaty line," he called out, lowering his chin to his chest with dejection.
"Edward says you can cross," Bella called, drawing everyone's attention to her. She shrugged. "He looks at Hermione like Sam looks at Emily; I'm not blind." Paul, torn between hatred for her and her blood suckers and the joy that he could go see Hermione didn't know how to thank her, so he nodded and shifted before running as fast as he could to the house. He knew that he'd scare her if she sensed or saw a massive wolf walking alongside her in the forest and he didn't want that so he'd just meet her at home.
The lights were on when he got there.
He got himself into a defensive position immediately, prowling forward so that he was still under cover but also close enough to attack or scare if needed. He could see someone moving around inside the house, could hear them pottering around inside and slamming doors.
It was Hermione?
Wait, that couldn't be right. But no, it was. He could see her clearly now – she was standing in the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand and her face clear of makeup with her hair piled on the top of her head with loose curls flying around. She was staring out of the window, her face in thought and she had never looked so serene or beautiful, despite the crinkle in her brow. To be honest, she was his imprint and any face she pulled would make her look beautiful.
But how did she get home so quickly?
Maybe she got a lift, Leah offered and he supposed that was a possibility. It just didn't sit right with him. There was something fishy about his imprint.
Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. I think this was my longest chapter. Also, your contributions for their ship name made me giggle - Lager had to be my favourite but i'm gonna call them "Pione" - Next chapter will be at the weekend.