Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Chapter 10.- Sleeping on the moon.

After all the commotion had gone down and Paul was settled in Bella's room, Sam gathered the pack and the young girl in the Swan's living room. Sam put down a kitchen chair across from the couch where Bella sat down between Embry and Quil, while Jared was standing to the side of the alpha. Everyone was fidgeting around for someone to say something, but nobody had to guts to ask what happened just yet. The Quileute elder were called, but only Billy Black would make an appearance as Quil III was staying at Harry's wake. It took a good twenty minutes for Billy's truck to park in front of Bella's home, with Jacob in the driver's seat. Jacob pushed his father into the house quietly and without a struggle. The moment Billy's eyes met with Bella's she felt really guilty – Billy looked rather sickly, having to deal with Harry's passing and now Paul's condition could not be good for a man his age with diabetes. Everyone was silent until the elder had been placed in the middle of the living room, where he could see both Sam and Bella. He cleared his throat and with empathetic eyes he looked at Bella again.

"Bella, why don't you walk us through what happened?" Billy asked with authority, but still nicely enough for Bella to feel brave enough to talk.

"Alice Cullen," she said, with the pack flinching at the name, "she… she came to Forks looking for me. She came over to talk, but she got really upset and tried to drag me out with her. Paul told her to let go and she eventually calmed down, then we saw her out… the phone rang, so I went back inside. I thought Paul had followed me, but when I heard a loud noise outside and rushed to check he had already phased. I tried to stop them but Alice pushed me out of the way and then started to fight Paul. After she bit him I told her to leave and she did."

"Why was she looking for you?" Sam asked. Bella's eyes went to him and then to the floor.

"Alice, she can see things… like the future and so." Bella mumbled. Everyone was shocked but remained silent. "She said that after they left, well, she wasn't looking into mine per se but she caught a glimpse of me doing cliff diving. She can't see the pack at all, so even after Paul got me out of the water, she thought that I had well, you know, and she came to Forks looking for Charlie without knowing that I was well and alive."

"And why did she want to meet, Bella?" Billy asked after sighing. "Did she have a reason other than making sure you were alive?"

"She also met with Charlie and gave him her number, at the station." Jacob added quietly. Billy raised an eyebrow at him. "My guess is that the Chief had good intentions by taking the number."

"Did Charlie ask you to meet her? Bella?" Billy asked.

"It was actually my idea." Bella admitted. Jacob glanced at her and she looked back at him with stern eyes, like saying she wasn't going to lie for her own good. "I thought I wanted closure. Alice had been my friend despite being a vampire and I needed answers. I never imagined she would do something like this. It was surreal."

"What exactly set her off?" Embry asked her, trying to understand the situation. When they came, Paul's mind was so messed up by the pain that nobody got the full picture of the events. "Why did she try to drag you out?"

"Well, I think it started when she realised I know about you guys and the treaty." Bella shivered. "She seemed very upset at me hanging around with the pack and called you unstable and dangerous, and when she found out about Victoria she went crazy. She said that the Cullens would protect me and tried to drag me out. She did let go eventually, and that's when I asked her to leave. I don't know what made her fight with Paul afterwards."

"She told him that she would bring the Cullens back." Jacob said. Everyone's eyes went to him. "I was patrolling when he phased, so I caught on before he could be bitten." He explained. Bella grimaced at the thought of seeing the whole Cullen Clan around once more.

"What a bitch." Quil muttered.

"Yeah." Jake, Jared, and Embry agreed in unison.

Billy seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts for a while. There was a lot to plan and deal with. He could tell that Alice had said more than just that, and that not everyone was in the same page. Sam had warned him that Bella didn't know that Paul imprinted. Keeping it a secret was getting more out their hands and becoming a bigger problem every minute that went by without the girl knowing. He had to deal with Sam's anger, too. Bella was a teen and didn't know better when it came to it, and it wasn't like she had control over a vampire that could stomp over her in many aspects, but sometimes Sam struggled to grasp that. The other kids were worried, and obviously shaken by what the Cullens could do if they came back. If he didn't contain the situation it would only end up being a lot worse for the pack later.

"Well, Bella, I'm going to be honest here." Billy broke the silence. "What you did wasn't okay, but I understand it."

"I'm so sorry." Bella said. "I truly am."

"I know you are, and it wasn't your fault that Alice bit Paul — to be honest, I am quite surprised myself that she did that." Billy admitted. "But she broke the treaty by bitting Paul and I can't overlook that. If the Cullens ever come back, I'm afraid you won't be able to remain friends with them if you decide to stay in our side of things, with us protecting you."

"Don't worry, Billy." Bella said. "I don't have any intentions to be around vampires anymore."

"Good." Billy then looked at Sam. "Now, about Paul… I don't think it's a good idea to move him to La Push just yet. The venom takes a while to break down and moving him doesn't help the process at all, so it's better if we keep him here and make some rounds to check on him. I will have Quil III come and check on him." Billy then repaired on a shaken Bella, who was eager to know what she should do. "As long as Bella doesn't mind having him around… if that's the case we can try to move him some place else."

The brunette opened her eyes in surprise. She was already expecting to care for Paul, since she felt like it was her fault that he was in the trouble he was.

"I can look after him." She said. "Don't worry about it."

"Good. I will try and keep Charlie away so we don't have to explain the injured teen in your bed. As for the rest of you, it's better if you tighten up those patrols. We can't have the crazy redhead know that we are missing one of our guys." Billy explained. He looked down to his wrist watch. "I guess we'll reconvene after the funeral, if you excuse me, I have to rush back to Sue's."

The pack opened up the way for Billy's chair to go out the way it came. Billy went out the door with Jacob and the pack following suit, except for Sam and Quil. The taller one approached Bella quietly, while the girl waited to hear him scream at her. Quil watched carefully behind him.

"Bella." Sam said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yeah?" The teen was shaking lightly.

"I just want you to know that this isn't your fault." Sam said with a softer tone of voice, which surprised her. "I just wish that you and Paul think before you act. What happened could've been avoided if the rest of us were there. You can have a little more trust in us, from now on." Both Quil and Bella were even more surprised at the alpha's statement. "Please take care of him."

"Will do." Bella said with a pink flush. "Thank you."

"I will be patrolling this area tonight, be sure to call me if needed." With that, Sam went out the door too.

Quil whistled in amusement when he saw Sam leave. Billy's truck left soon after Sam, Embry, and Jared had all ran towards the forest where they phased once out of sight. Bella looked at Quil, confused as to why the teen had decided to stay behind. Bella had the impression that in those last couple days he had been rather cold to her and that he didn't want to be around her, ever since Paul had ran out of Emily's home in distress. She thought that he probably didn't like her around him, and wondered if he hated her after the thing with Alice.

"So, what's up?" Bella asked awkwardly.

"I just wanted to ask you if you were okay." Quil said, shrugging. "Everyone was so busy wondering about what happened to Paul that they overlooked that you faced the girl that's the sister of the guy who dumped you."

"Oh." Bella laughed. "I'm sorry, that was such a straight-to-the-face thing to say, so you, Quil."

"Well, it's the truth." He smiled and that made Bella feel a little more at ease. "So, how are you, Bells?"

"Honestly… I was terrified before." Bella's hands went into her jean's pockets. "But… with Paul there everything was good, until the whole fight thing." Bella's shoulder shrugged all the way up to her ears. "I don't think I am pining over Edward anymore, to be honest, and seeing his sister and not being conflicted by that, well, it was just and awkward reminder that I've moved on."

"I see…" Quil nodded while looking to the air for a bit. "Well, do know that I support you and Paul, whatever you guys do."

Bella looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"I wonder." Quil replied nonchalantly with a mischievous smile. "I need to go, see you, Bells." The guy ran out of the house before Bella could say anything to him. Frustrated, Bella just frowned and closed the door after him, wondering what he meant earlier.

The brunette sighed at the whole turn of events her day had taken and decided that it would be better if she put her mind off of it and tried to do some things around the house before she went up to see Paul. With a go-at-it attitude, she cleaned the kitchen and living room, and started doing laundry in a record time. By the time she finished it was barely lunch time. She made soup with some of the frozen fish Charlie had caught not long ago and hoped that Paul felt well enough to eat something. Her mind wandered off for a while, and as she cooked she realised how much she had skipped school and that she had a calculus test the day after. Everything was just so overwhelming that a test and school seemed like a long awaited break she was in much need of. She also wondered if her dad would show up anytime soon, given that the wake would soon end. It didn't take long for her to hear a faint growl upstairs; a sign that Paul was finally awake and that made her rush through the rest and hurry upstairs with a bowl and a spoon for the wolf.

Paul looked like a kid in a twin bed while laying on her queen size bed. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, and below him a couple improvised towels prevented the blood from his wound to smear all over her purple sheets. In reality, the wound wasn't as deep or big, and it looked fairly similar to the scar Bella wore on her right arm, but it was still bleeding a little and didn't seem to be closing up, thing Bella credited to Alice's venom. Bella took a little disinfectant and some cotton from her first aid kid and gently dabbed, hopping that if it wasn't any helpful with the venom, it would at least cool of the wound. Paul was growling and sweating a bunch, but he didn't seem to be fully aware of his surroundings nor of Bella's presence next to him. She leaned over and she felt the heat he was giving off, way above his already abnormal body temperature.

"Gosh, Paul. You're too damn hot." Bella said when she touched his forehead. Paul seemed to gain some strength to laugh lightly despite the pain.

"Thanks, Swan." He grinned, without opening his eyes. "You're not too bad yourself." His voice sounded off and callous, which got Bella worried, making her completely ignore Paul's comment.

"I mean you probably have a fever… a horrible one." Bella frowned. "You think you can eat? I made some soup."

"Uh-Uh." Paul said. "I don't think I can even stand up enough to eat. Everything hurts."

"Do you want me to bring anything?" Bella asked. "Ice?"

"No." Paul said, and still with his eyes closed and struggling quite a bit, he put his hand out towards Bella. "Your hand felt nice enough, give it back to me."

"It won't stay cold forever, you know that?" Bella warned him, but still held Pauls hand.

"It won't go even close to my temperature, though." Paul lightly pushed Bella towards the bed. "Lay next to me, Swan."

Paul couldn't see Bella, and she was thankful enough for that. Her pale cheeks had gone a few shades of bright red. Paul was being too friendly and she couldn't say no to the guy who had been poisoned because of her. She reluctantly sat down next to him and put her free hand on his forehead again. His body temperature was alarming, but it didn't feel bad at all. Bella started to feel cold just from adjusting to Paul's temperature.

"I said to lay next to me, Bella." Paul was getting grumpy, and a little out of himself. "Not to sit down next to be."

"If I lay down, it might hurt you." Bella complained.

"It can't hurt more than what it does already, trust me." Paul said. "Please just lay down. Your skin feels nice." Bella felt her face burning at that last comment.

She reluctantly laid down in a way that her head was on his chest and not his shoulder, avoiding the wound. Between the two of them, the bed felt a little crowded but it wasn't awful for either of them. The brunette was way too embarrassed to say anything and the wolf guy was enjoying himself too much over the pain to say something that would drive the girl away. After a little time in silence, their breath had synced up and the air felt a little less stuffy. Bella, thinking that Paul was asleep again, was about to remove her head.

"Don't you dare sneak away, Swan." Paul's deep and raspy voice said. "You owe me tonight."

"I don't see the benefit of me being here like this." Bella pouted.

"Well, I do, so stay put." Paul sighed. "… also, I'm sorry about this."

"It wasn't your fault." Bella clenched her teeth, thinking about what Alice had done.

"But I know you had high hopes on that bloodsucker." Paul's hand reached Bella's back and gently pushed her towards him. High on his closeness to the girl, he almost forgot how much it hurt with the venom running through his veins. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for the best."

"Oh, but it did." Bella muttered. "I mean, I am now stuck with you and the pack, but even you guys are better." She tried to joke, but felt a little bad when she realised that even chuckling hurt for the guy.

"Well, I'm stuck with you too, and you don't hear me complaining." Paul joked back, with his voice getting more faint. "And all jokes aside, you can come to me, I will even get poisoned for you." Paul chuckled a little to his second joke, but Bella felt like crying.

"I know, you idiot." She said while chocking up. "Don't do that again."

"I will try."

They both fell asleep soon after, with Bella dozing off at the sound of Paul's heartbeats and his hand drawing circles on her back. Paul was too tired from the venom to even think, but felt at ease with Bella laying next to him so peacefully. He wished that things would remain like that for a long while and fell asleep thinking of it: Just him and her, having their little world in the cramped bed, away from everyone and everything.

Hello everyone! Chapter 10 is finally here with us and let me tell you that this one was a really nice chapter to write! I looooove writing Bella and Paul getting closer and closer. The next couple chapter will have a fair amount of her taking care of the wolf so don't worry – this isn't the last of it. Anyway, now that I've reached the 10 chapter mark (yay), I will begin to proof read and edit previous chapters. Nothing will change much as they're just grammar mistakes and some phrasing errors that I'm changing so don't feel liek you have to go back and read anything, I'm just doing this for my obsessive ass. It will take me a couple days (plus the time to write chapter 11), so be mindful that I might take me up to a week to post again (hopefully it won't be that long lol). I am seeing this as a lil vacay to freshen up my mind for better quality in the story as well, lol.

Anyway, thank you sooooo much for your favs/follows and reviews! They make my day big time. Much love and I will read y'all later xx.

- Xavier.