AN: Well, after being slightly lemony last chapter, I may have decided to add a dash of it here too. Hope you all enjoy it! I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to Hank's Lady. She's been calling me soft, so I wanted to show that I could be a real fluff writer. Oh wait, was that the end goal? I guess you'll just have to see ;) As always, I appreciate your reviews and feedback.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Reviews:

oh2byoung: Glad you liked it bud. Was interesting delving into some more intricate writing like that hehe. Hope this satisfies your cravings for more!

iJeedai: Had to at least give her some kind of excuse. I like Leah too much to just have her be the harpy that many see her as haha. Glad you enjoyed it, fluff and all, and hope that you like this one!

Hank's Lady: Good to hear you liked it! I wanted to give Leah a little bit of a reprieve, as I hate how often she's mistreated. I know how many people were angry with her to this point haha. Now it's time for the real fun to begin ;)

ant1gon3: Glad you enjoyed it. I'm trying to get things to a more personal level between the characters, so writing 'softer' scenes has been a little bit different. Hope you continue to enjoy!

rAbiDmutt03: Some memories were meant to last ;) Had to show that Seth cared about satisfying his other half too though. And me? Be cruel? I can only tell you that there's always a possibility for some harshness. It's just too fun to write!

o0OsasaO0o: Glad that you've enjoyed my mix of the two genres. I try and allow for both elements to have some existence, even if I do enjoy being angsty.

Phoenix xxxxx: I said I'd do it when I started the story, so I have to eventually deliver! hehe

Hanna Smith: I like to think that Paul is more than just a hothead (or a softy, as portrayed earlier on). And Seth...well, he's gotta take care of his imprint too ;)

GoinnGaga: Glad you enjoyed it! I'll definitely take you up on your offer if I ever feel like I don't like how some of my smut is flowing. Going to try to power through it though. It's kinda fun to write hehe.

RiseOfTheLemming: Glad that you liked it! It was about time Sam got a backbone. Who better to give Paul advice than another submissive wolf? And yeah...Seth got a little active there didn't he ;)

Things between Seth and I were great as the weeks passed after that first date. Sure, there were awkward periods, as neither of us were accustomed to dating, but I at least had Embry – the eternal romantic – on my side. I oftentimes ran my ideas by him and he'd provide his input. He seemed to be in a better mood as well, and I'm pretty sure that Jake had put into practice a lot of what Em mentioned to me. Eventually, even Leah backed off of us. I could tell that she wasn't completely comfortable with Seth and I as a couple, but she did her best to at least remain calm around me. She didn't even act as standoffish with Jake or Embry anymore. I think that she understood that I had the best intentions for her brother and that I'd never let anyone hurt him. It was one thing that we had in common and provided a foundation on which to at least build up toleration to each other. I showed a similar amount of respect by not flaunting it, as well as keeping my thoughts subdued when we were together in wolf form. No need to try and create hostility when she was trying to play nice.

The date also proved to be the green light to allow our relationship to be physical. No, we hadn't made love yet, but we had advanced to showing our physical attraction on a normal basis. It started off as mutual handjobs, but it wasn't long before I wanted more. It was about two weeks after the car incident that I decided to show Seth what other fun we could have together…

*Flashback*

It had been a long patrol with Embry. I was the only other dominant that Jake – who'd reluctantly taken on the role of Beta – wanted patrolling with Embry, our shared blood ensuring that I wouldn't be pursuing him and that I'd always protect him. Even Quil wasn't normally allowed to be alone with my brother, despite the fact that they had always been best friends. Hell, that might have been part of the reason for it. Funny how the dominant mindset worked, but I understood where he was coming from. It was only now that I felt that I could trust Jake enough to allow Seth to patrol with him without wanting to be there myself. I had come to terms that Jake wouldn't go after Seth, but knew that he'd always do what he could to protect him. Seth had always looked up to Jake after all, so we'd ultimately come to a wordless agreement to watch each other's imprints when we weren't patrolling with them ourselves.

I finished up patrols and headed over to my pup's house. It was nearly 1am, and although I knew he'd be asleep, I really wanted to hold him. I hopped up through his window, bothered by the sounds of his whimpering. I immediately began to worry that he was having a nightmare before I listened more carefully. The sounds weren't out of fear, but instead…pleasure? He was moaning my name and his boxers weren't hiding the fact that he was turned on. My little Seth was having dreams about me? This could be fun.

I climbed on top of him and began rubbing him through the thin cloth covering his erection. I'd only been there for a few seconds when he jumped awake, gasping my name.

"What are you doing here?" he asked through his haze, the friction of my hand not helping him to clear his mind.

"Just came to see you and decided that you needed a little relief" I said with a smirk.

He blushed furiously and I pulled him into a deep kiss before I began trailing my tongue down his body. I nipped at his neck a few times, eliciting another moan before continuing down his chest, stopping at his dime-sized nubs and taking the time to roll each of them in my mouth for a moment. His gasps for breath told me that I was doing the right thing and I continued downward until I reached the waistband of his boxers. His eyes got big as I pulled them down quickly before wrapping my hand around his firm cock. I stroked him a few times, but I had more in mind than just another handjob.

I stuck out my tongue, licking the tip and smirking as I heard his breath hitch. I continued by swirling my tongue around the head, Seth unable to say anything other than a choked out "P-P-Paul"

I took his head into my mouth, savoring the taste of his skin. I'd never given a blowjob before, but I'd been on the receiving end enough times to know what generally felt good. His writhing as I slowly began to slide more of him into my mouth were enough proof for me to know that he was enjoying himself. I began to bob up and down, taking more of him each time. His hands were running through my short hair, encouraging me to continue.

It wasn't long before his breaths picked up and he stuttered out an exasperated "I'm gonna…" It didn't take a genius to know what he was trying to warn me of, but I'd already decided that I wanted to show him how good it could be to finish 'correctly.' I took him deeper than ever before as he tensed up, emptying himself into my mouth. I swallowed all of it, surprisingly not disgusted by the thought of doing so. The taste was amazing, but I'm pretty sure that it was only because everything about Seth was perfect to me. I slowly removed his softening member from my mouth and trailed my kisses back up his chest. When I got back up to his face, he pulled me into a deep kiss, allowing me to completely dominate him. I turned over onto my side, squeezing him tightly into my chest.

"What about you?" he muttered tiredly.

"Not important tonight. Get some sleep, pup" I whispered as he sighed into my chest before drifting into sleep.

*End of Flashback*

That had just been one of the nights that we spent together, even if things weren't always physical. It just felt right to have him in my arms. Unfortunately he had been patrolling last night, so I'd stayed in my own bed, wishing for his company. I woke up early, excited that I'd be seeing him shortly.

I was just headed over to Sam's for a pack meeting when mom called out to me. "Honey, were you able to go to the store and grab some milk?" she questioned.

"Sorry, mom. I've just been so busy with the pack that I never got to it. I can go after the meeting if you want." I responded.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just stop and pick some up when I'm in Forks. Gotta run a few errands anyway" she responded smiling.

"All right, I'll see you later!" I called, heading out the door.

I hopped into the car, wanting to keep the engine active. I didn't often have much of a need to drive around here and it's best not to let the engine sit quietly for too long. Not to mention, it's still fun to watch people stare at my car when I drive by. I ultimately got to Sam's a few minutes early and sat there joking with Embry and Jake. Once Seth arrived, I quickly made my way over to him. Even though we weren't big on public displays of affection, I still liked to be near him.

The meeting was pretty mundane. We still hadn't been able to do anything about the redhead. She was exhausting us all, but at least she was keeping the leeches on the other side of the border busy as well. Apparently they had been running an equivalent to our patrols, especially when the one that got visions saw her coming or when the mindreader felt her presence nearby. We talked about patrols, which would be a little heavier during the winter break since all of us would be available to help during the day. I'd been hoping for a bit of a rest during the holidays, but we needed to catch this leech. From listening to the Cullens, we'd learned that her name was Victoria, but to be honest, I didn't really care. They were all leeches and attaching a name to the redhead didn't make me hate her any less.

After the meeting we just hung out for a bit. Sam had started up the grill and the pack never turns down free food. Jake was teasing Seth with the last burger – quickly eliciting a growl from me – before Embry snatched it from him and stuffed it in his mouth. Jake's death glare was priceless, but if Seth couldn't have it, I was glad that Jake hadn't gotten it either. He's lucky that I didn't go after him for taunting my imprint. Afterwards we just lounged around, relaxing while we could before patrols started getting heavier.

My mood completely changed as I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I looked at the ID and didn't recognize it, but decided that there'd be no harm in answering it.

"Mr. Lahote?" the voice on the other end asked tentatively.

"Speaking." I responded curtly.

"Sir, there's been an incident. I need you to come to the hospital's intensive care unit as soon as possible. It's your mom…" he said quietly.

"I'll be there as quickly as I can" I said, immediately heading for my car.

"Paul, what's going on?" I heard Sam call out of the house as I got to the Mustang.

"Not sure, but I've got somewhere to be." I yelled back, immediately hopping in and tearing out of the driveway before I could be distracted again. This was a personal matter and even though I didn't know what was happening, I didn't think that the pack needed to get involved.

I sped all the way to the hospital, running all sorts of scenarios through my head. What could have happened? The uncertainty was killing me and pushed me to drive faster.

I got to the hospital in record time, quickly rushing to the ICU. Officer Swan, the chief of police, was seated in the waiting room. "What's going on?" I demanded.

"Your mom was involved in an incident. There was a robbery at the convenient store in Forks." He began. "The man was holding up the clerk when your mom walked in. It scared him and he immediately shot both the clerk and your mother…" he trailed off.

I was shocked. This was all my fault. If I'd just gone to the store when she asked, this never would have happened…

"How is she?" I choked out.

"They've rushed her into surgery to remove the bullet and do what they can, but we're not sure." He responded.

I sat there silently. The television and magazines would provide no distraction as I anxiously waited until a surgeon came out. After what seemed like days, a man in scrubs approached me. "Mr. Lahote?" he asked.

Another "How is she?" was all I could manage to get out.

"We removed the bullet and repaired as much of the damage as we could. She's in a bed, but is still in critical condition and is being constantly monitored. It could go either way, but if you'd like, you can go into the room with her."

I simply nodded and he led me to her room. She looked peaceful, but the tubes and breathing machine were completely wrong. She should never have been in this situation.

I sat beside her and gripped her hand, thinking back to all of the things that had happened growing up. I'd never appreciated them at the time, but I now understood all of the sacrifices she had made to try and protect me and make me happy, despite my frustration at our constant moves and feeling like an outsider throughout my life.

One memory that surfaced was our annual tradition on my birthday. She'd always take off the day, no matter what the case she was working on was or how busy her overall schedule had been. It was always a time where we'd spend the day together, doing whatever I wanted. At the time, I always thought it was just her trying to make up for all of the time where she was away, but looking back, I realize that she was also making sure that I had a special day. It's not like I had ever really made friends to spend the time with and although she never said it, she knew that I wouldn't want to be alone.

That memory brought a tear to my eye as I listened to the slow beeps of the heart monitor. Her pulse wasn't nearly what it should be, but that was only temporary, right? Surgeons were good at what they did. She had to pull through this…

I continued to think back, remembering how rebellious I had been growing up. Getting in fights, sleeping around, and not showing anyone respect. My mom had always tried to discipline me, but I'd never paid her any attention. I'd always thought that she didn't deserve an opinion on my actions. She was always working after all. My mindset had always been bad growing up. Being an outcast everywhere, not having a father, and building no relationships had left me with a cold exterior. If I had known what she was trying to protect me from, maybe I would have been better to her and everyone else.

I was startled from my trip down memory lane by the realization that I was no longer alone in the room. I looked over to see Seth, a worried look on his face as he watched me by my mother's bedside. He walked over and kneeled beside me, clasping my hand in his without a word. I didn't know how he'd known where to come, or how he'd even gotten back here, but I was glad to have him with me. We sat in silence as I looked at my mother, willing her to open her eyes.

"It's my fault…" I mumbled to Seth.

"You can't blame yourself." He said softly.

"If I'd been a better son, this wouldn't have happened. I should've just gone to the store, but no, I was putting my life in front of her requests, just like always…" I said, sobs beginning to flood out of me.

"Listen Paul, once you start blaming yourself for things that are out of your control, there's no coming back. This was out of your hands. She's going to be fine, just you watch…" he responded, rubbing his hand against my cheek. Kid always was an optimist.

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing, but Seth pulled me up against him, allowing me to cry. I thought about how eerily similar this was to when he'd first phased, except that now I was having the breakdown. Seth just held me, telling me that everything was going to be alright. I'd just take care of her after she was out of here and prove that I cared and appreciated all that she had sacrificed for me over the years. I wouldn't be a bad son again.

Seth only left my side to go grab some food and bring it back to me. I ate, not because I had an appetite, but because he pleaded with me. After finishing, I told him about what it was really like growing up, feeling like there was nobody else on my side. I'd always held a "me versus the world" type of attitude, and as much as I'd refused to admit it at the time, my mom was the only one who was there for me. It was the first time that I'd actually let out my true feelings, and I knew that Seth didn't judge me. He felt bad, mainly because he's the kind of kid that doesn't want anyone to suffer, but he didn't look at me any different in my time of weakness.

The tears had pretty much subsided as I continued to sit there. The night was creeping on, but there had been no change. Seth was still there and we sat in silence, listening to the machines that were keeping mom alive until she was strong enough to breathe on her own. Her blood pressure and pulse were still low, but at least she wasn't getting worse I kept telling myself.

That all ended around 2am. Seth had fallen asleep in the corner, but I just couldn't do it. That's when the occasional beep of the heart monitor changed into a single tone. It took a moment for that to sink in as I watched the line on the monitor flatten out, just as doctors and nurses rushed into the room, pushing me back into the corner. I watched as they attempted CPR before pulling out the defibrillator. Seth had rushed over to my side by this point, grasping my hand in support as I began to panic.

All I heard were the rushed voices and the occasional "CLEAR" as they tried to bring her back to life. There was a tension building in the air as we all waited to see if there'd be any sign of recovery. After several tries, the doctor just shook his head and walked over to me. "I'm sorry…" was all he said. Those simple words solidified what was beginning to work its way through my mind. The only family that I had ever had was gone. Tears began to stream freely and I couldn't even bother to care if I looked pathetic. I had no family remaining. All that was left were the memories of how bad I had been to her growing up. I slowly felt myself sinking into depression as they pulled the sheet over her body and cut off the machines. There would be no miraculous recovery. I'd never be able to tell her all that I needed to. She was gone and even with Seth right there beside me, I had never felt so alone.

AN: Oh, that's right, I was trying to prove that I'm not always kind! Hope you all enjoyed my return to angst. I know I did. It's probably my favorite part to write in a story. The song choice for this was "What Sarah Said" by Death Cab for Cutie. It's on the Plans album, which is one of my favorites, even years after first listening to it. The song is entirely about waiting for death, with one of the key lines (the words that Sarah said) being "Love is watching someone die." Safe to say that the chapter ended a lot darker than it started, but I hope you enjoy it! As I said before, I really do value all of your reviews and opinions. Until next time!