A/N: This chapter feels like filler or fluff but it's necessary. I hope you enjoy it regardless.

The Taming of Paul Lahote

Step 3

After a long torturous week without his mate, Paul was completely miserable and on edge. Despite his efforts to convince her that he was sorry for his actions and living at Charlie's was not safe, Bella refused to move back to the res. Paul had sent flowers, hundreds of apologies texts, hand written notes and even tried making a cd of their favorite love songs but nothing was working. The fact that she continued to push him away was shredding his heart. Paul had to figure out how to make her listen to reason.

With his head hung low, he approached the Black house to ask Jacob's forgiveness and to seek his help. Theirs never was an amicable relationship. Paul had teased Jacob mercilessly for as long as he could remember. It would not surprise to him if Jake refused to help him at all with Bella. Humbled, he knocked on his door.

He could hear Jake moving around, taking his own sweet time. The baby Alpha was well aware who was at his door and had no intention of making this conversation an easy one. Finally Jake opens the door to stand face to face with Paul. "What do you want, Lahote?" It was easy for Paul to see the seething anger that lay just below Jake's cool façade.

"Look, I screwed up. I know that." Paul managed to say calmly, trying to control his anger and frustration. "Would you please help me figure out how to get her back?"

Jake crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame. Paul knew that it would not be easy to convince him. "Why? What are you going to do differently to fix this mess?" Jake shook his head, his jaw tight with tension. "You're going to have to stop this shit, Lahote. I don't like seeing her hurting and trust me…she is."

A heavy sigh came from Paul. "Dammit, I know I screwed up and I really want to fix this." Looking into Jake's eyes, he admitted something that he would never have said aloud before. Paul Lahote was vulnerable, laid open for all to see at that moment. "Please? She's not the only one suffering here. My wolf is losing his mind…and so am I, without her."

"Come on in." He shoved himself away from the door to let Paul pass. "Maybe we can come up with something…" Then, Jake stopped as his phone vibrated. When he saw the number on the ID, he growled, making Paul's hackles rise.

"What the fuck!" Jake's expletive brought Paul to his side. The message on his phone was from Edward Cullen. "What the hell does he want?" Opening the message, Edward was asking to meet them at the treaty line in ten minutes at the easternmost bend of the Quileute River.

"There's only one way to find out." With a shared look, they dropped their conversation as they headed for the trees. As much as they didn't want any contact with the Cullens, both Paul and Jake were well aware that Edward would not attempt such a bold manner to communicate with them without a very good reason. With this thought in mind, they sped off to the river as soon as they phased.

When they reached the river bend, it was not difficult for Paul to pinpoint the leech. He was pacing back and forth, agitated and angry. Both Paul and Jake phased back to human to find out what Edward wanted.

"What do you want, Cullen?" Jake growled as Paul stood by his side, vibrating with the desire to jump the treaty line to rip that blood suckers head off.

"Killing me is not going to help Bella, Paul." Edward snarled at him. "I think I know how to help you catch Victoria but you're going to have to listen to what I have to say."

The Pack did not relish the thought of a Cullen giving them advice on how to best protect their own, but they were aware of this leech's gift. Maybe he could help. Jake crossed his arms over his chest as Paul's fists clenched to try to control his anger. "What is it?"

Edward stopped his pacing to face the shifters. "You've not been able to catch her because she has the gift of evasion. You can't predict her next move." A smirk crossed his face. "But I can." He tapped his temple with his index finger. "I can read her thoughts."

"You're suggesting that we work together to take her out?" Paul was no longer able to keep quiet and let Jake do the talking. "Why would you bother? Wouldn't it be better for you if she managed to destroy us so you can have Bella back?"

That last comment from Paul made Edward look away. "She doesn't want me anymore. Alice has confirmed Bella is bound to your Pack and Tribe now. There's no going back for any of us." The blood sucker's eyes dropped to stare at the ground. "All I've ever wanted was for her to have a normal human life. Now that she knows the truth about vampires, she is going to need constant protection, and not just because her blood smells like heaven to my kind."

Jake turned his back on the vampire for a brief moment, looking to Paul for his thoughts on Edward's suggestion. Did he want Cullen's help in taking out the threat that loomed over his mate's head? Paul found his wolf torn between his hatred for vampires in general and the need to remove the threat to Bella. Raising his head to look at the trees overhead, he replied. "Fine, how do you suggest we do this?"

Edward spent the next hour discussing his plan with Jake and Paul. As he spoke, Paul finally accepted that the leech only wanted to see Bella safe, easing some of his wolf's distress. His faith in Bella not returning to Edward was restored but he was still left wondering how to regain her trust.

After the vampire finished discussing the details of their planned ambush, he looked at Paul. "Give her the truth. I learned the hard way that Bella needs to be told the unadulterated truth, all of it, for her to accept you again. That's where I screwed up, Lahote. I lied to her, manipulated her and sugar coated situations when I shouldn't have. Don't make the same mistake." With those final words, the vampire took off to return to his coven's home.

Later that night, he found himself outside of her window yet again, but this time, he had a plan. Taking a page from Jake's book, he threw pebbles softly against her window to get her attention. A shadow crossed the room before her window opened. She peered down at him with a hiss. "What, Paul?!" Her agitation and frustration were clear.

"Can I come up? Please? I only want to talk to you." Paul humbled himself in front of her. Gone were his pride, overly self-confident ways and his anger. "I'll leave as soon as I finish telling you what's on my mind. I promise."

Bella considered his request and finally moved away from the window to let him in. "Fine, just keep it quick. I'm really tired." With very little effort, Paul scaled the tree and the side of her house to land gracefully inside her room.

"Bella, I'm very sorry for what happened between us. This is tearing us both apart and I know that you're confused. If you'll only hear me out, I'll explain what has made me so out of control and over protective." With a resigned sigh, Bella sat down in the chair by her computer, willing to listen. There were dark circles under her eyes and her usual exuberance was gone.

His hand raked through his hair as he tried to find the right way to confess to her. He decided that the straightforward approach would work best with her so he started at the beginning with the Christmas party at Emily's and his imprint on her. He then went on to explain the meaning of an imprint and how it could affect both of them. "So you see, with us apart and fighting like this, we are both suffering. Hurting you is the very last thing I would ever want to do, Bella. Please forgive me."

The following silence hung between them as she absorbed his confession. "Well, then I guess there remains only one thing left to do."

The feeling of hope rose in his chest. Would she come back to him? Were the odds finally turning in in his favor? "What would that be?" Paul smiled shyly at her.

"You are going to take me out on a real date. We're going to start over, from ground zero without rushing into things." One side of Bella's mouth quirked up. She knew how he would react to this.

"Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. I can't see my life without you in it. You are the air that I breathe, Bella Swan. I will do my very best every single day to make myself worthy of your love and devotion.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stood up from her chair. "This is your one chance, Paul." Opening her arms wide, she didn't have to wait long for Paul to scoop her up in a loving embrace.

He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. His wolf purred at the feel of his mate while he nuzzled her ear. "Never again will I give you a reason to fear or doubt me, Bella. I love you so much."