I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOOFED! I FINALLY get around to posting a new chapter, and I post the wrong one. THIS is the correct chapter for this story, sorry for the confusion.

Chapter 11: Talk

I sat on my bed at home, regretting my decision to not go and see him. I had almost gone to see him, but at the last minute I turned around and came home. I was angry. I was angry with both myself and him. I was angry with him because of how he had confused me today. That kiss had shaken me up and it scared me. I wanted so badly to go and sort things out with him, it was unreal. It made me feel so weak. It made me feel like I constantly needed him, which I didn't.

But I knew that he did. I knew that Paul needed me; I knew that being away from him was driving him crazy.

Guilt stabbed at me. I should have gone to see him. How could I do this to him? I got off my bed and went downstairs to the front door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mom asked.

Shit. I turned to look at her, stomach doing somersaults.

"I…I have to go see Paul."

She shook her head. "No. I will not allow you to go see him this late at night, Katherine."

"Mom, I'm still not back at school though, and my curfew is eleven thirty. It's only nine o'clock. Why can't I go?"

"Because for the past two weeks you've been moping around missing him, and now you're just going to run back to him like it's nothing?" she said-I could hear the anger in her voice.

"Mom it's-"

"Complicated?" she asked, cutting me off. "Listen, Katherine, I tried to like him-you know I did, don't give me that look-but every time you've come home this week you've been so upset and I know that it's because of him."

"Mom, it's hard to explain," I tried.

"Try," she said, crossing her arms tightly over chest.

My mind was going a mile a minute. Mom had never been this way with me, she had always been super laid back and chill with everything. Why did it all of a sudden matter to her so much?

And how could I explain what had happened between us? Mom wanted answers, and I can't lie and say that she didn't deserve them.

I had two options, one was to just tell her everything, and the other was to lie my ass off.

I knew which one I had to do; Sam, Paul and Jared…well mostly Sam…would kill me if I told my mom about them. And the Cullens could be in deep trouble if I told my mom about what they were, so I had to lie about it.

"Paul…he thinks that he can hurt me," I began.

"He can," she said, cutting me off.

I went on as if she hadn't said anything. "But I know that he can't, and he won't."

"How can you be so sure?" she pressed.

I shrugged. "I trust him."

"Katie…did he have anything to do with what happened to you when you were in the hospital?" she asked, eye going to the arm that had the very faint crescent shaped scar on it. Immediately I put my hands behind my back, masking the scar. I hadn't explained to her why the scar was such a perfect shape, she hadn't really asked. "Honey, did he do something?"

My eyes widened as I realized what she thought had happened. "You think Paul abused me?" she didn't say anything, but the look on her face told me everything I needed to know. "Mom, Paul could never…"

"You don't know that," she said. "Everything can change in an instant."

"Mom, look, I know that you think Paul is some dangerous person in a gang, but I promise you he isn't. I wouldn't be with him if he was." Okay, white lie. Technically Paul was part of a gang, but not a dangerous gang…well yes they could be dangerous, but they never harmed anyone.

She sighed. "I don't like it Katie, I really don't. And this still doesn't explain why you've been so upset for the past two weeks."

"We…we decided to spend some time apart, but I'm sick of it," I said. "It's for a stupid reason, and I want to fix it."

"You really love him, don't you?" she whispered.

I nodded. "And he really loves me. He hasn't exactly said it in words-nor have I, but I know it's there. I know it sounds ridiculous because we're both only teenagers…but Mom, I really care about him. I think I'm in love with him."

"I remember what it was like in high school…I…I had it with your dad," she said, I could hear warmness return to her voice and I could literally see her face soften. "Paul should come over for dinner sometime…so I can get to know him better."

I smiled. "Can I go see him now?"

She nodded and hugged me. "Go get him back. I won't wait up."

On the way to La Push, I got nervous. What was I going to say to him once I saw him? My hands shook, and I had the inexplicable urge to turn around to go home again.

No. I thought sternly to myself. No. You have to go. You've made it this far. You are not turning back now. Go and get him back, you know you miss him. But this isn't about you needing him, because you don't, he needs you. Otherwise he'll go crazy. He misses you like crazy, and you know you miss him. You need to get this all sorted out, or you'll both go crazy. If he ends it with you, then at least you'll know it's over. This not knowing is driving you crazy.

That little pep talk I gave myself got me all the way to Paul's apartment building. I had wanted to surprise him by just appearing in his apartment, but I didn't have a key. As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw that a key wasn't necessary. He was sitting outside the back door of the building, right where I had parked my car. He didn't even look up, but I knew that he knew it was me. As I got out of my car, he stood up and came over to me.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. I didn't say anything; I just looked up at him through my lashes. I didn't know what to say, so I remained quiet. Finally he whispered, "Say something."

"What's taken you so long?" I asked.

He questioned me with his eyes. There was a hardness in his eyes and voice that I didn't like. This wasn't a good sign. "I told you already…you know I'm dangerous, Katherine."

Who was this? Where had my Paul gone? Anger and anxiety bubbled in the pit of my stomach again. I opted to show my anger. "If you're so dangerous then why the hell did you come and kiss me like that today?"

"Because I can't stay away from you," he snapped, face changing from vulnerable to a carefully composed guarded mask of anger. This wasn't my Paul…but I'd find him in there. I'd get through to him, somehow.

"Isn't that my decision?" I demanded. "If I felt like I was in danger, wouldn't it be my decision to stay away from you?"

"You don't understand how dangerous I can be," he growled.

"But I know how dangerous you aren't most of the time," I argued, staring into his eyes, trying to find some warmth in their depths. "Paul, how long have I known you?" he didn't say anything. "And remember when I found out what you are?"

"Of course I do," he snapped.

"Then if I thought you were dangerous, why would I be here in front of you?"

He hesitated before answering; I could see the slight bit of anxiety in his eyes. "Because, as I said before, you don't understand how dangerous I can be. You've seen what Sam did to Emily-I could do that to you in an instant. Can't you see this?"

"Why are you so damn frustrating?" I asked. I noticed a small smile tug at his lips, but he masked it quickly and returned his face to his composed mask of anger. "Did you really want to talk to me just to tell me to stay away from you, Paul? Is that why you came to the restaurant today? To tell me to stay away?"

"No," he said. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know why I went there today. It was a mistake, Katherine."

Ouch. That stung.

"Fine then, I'll…I'll just leave," I whispered, trying to conceal the tears in my voice. I turned away from him, feeling tears pool in my eyes. I wanted to go home and cry myself to sleep. I felt defeated-rejection stung me. How would I face my mom now? I hung my head and made my way to my car, the reality of the fact that we were over hitting me like a wrecking ball. Paul and I were over. This was it.

Just as I reached my car, he grasped my arm and turned me around so I was facing him again. One of his hands was on my arm, and his other arm was wrapped securely around my waist.

"I made you cry," he whispered, taking his hand off of my arm to caress my face.

I looked away from him, bitterly wondering to myself why I was still here. It was obvious he didn't want me.

"I can't stay away from you," he said. "It goes beyond the imprint, Katie. I just…I can't bear to hurt you."

"That's my decision," I said forcefully, looking into his eyes again. "Paul, ignoring me these past two weeks hurt me more than you could imagine." He flinched. "See what I mean? You know that you hurt me, because it hurt you. Can we stop this, Paul? Please?"

"If I hurt you though…"

"Then I'll need you to be there for me," I said. "The same why Sam is there for Emily."

"But if I stayed away from you, nothing like that would have to happen."

I groaned in frustration. "Fine. Then I'll leave. Goodbye Paul." I knew that he wouldn't let me leave, I was testing him.

I tried to get out of his grip on my waist, but I felt his arm tighten around me. That small action made hope swell in my chest. He still wanted me here.

"Please stay," he whispered; the mask of anger was gone, and I found my Paul again. "Please, Katherine. Don't go…I…" he trailed off, seeming to change his mind as to what he had been going to say. "I don't want to give up on us…but are you sure…?" Idly, I wondered what he had actually meant to say before trailing off.

"Are you just going to keep on pushing me away?" I whispered. "Because if that's how it's gonna be…" I trailed off; I didn't know what the end of that sentence was. Would I leave him if that's how it was? Or would I barrel through it and try to make it work? Unfortunately, I knew I'd leave him, and I didn't like that.

"It won't be," he promised without missing a beat. "These past two weeks without you have been awful for me, Katie."

"They've been terrible for me too," I said, briefly letting my guard down, before building it back up again. "But…if we're actually going to go back into this, I need you to promise me something." He looked down at me wearily. "I'm only human, I'm going to get hurt, whether you like it or not. Or whether it's because of what you are, or what the Cullens are. Either way, I'm breakable and I'm going to end up getting hurt. When that happens, I need you to be there for me, not pushing me away or freaking out over every little thing."

He took a deep breath. "I promise you that I'll always be here for you."

He leaned down and claimed my mouth with his. In this kiss he made an unspoken promise to me that he wouldn't leave me again. In an almost animalistic way, he pressed me up against my car and deepened the kiss. I kissed him back with everything I had in me, and his fingers dug into my hips. When I broke away from him we were both breathing heavily.

"I should get home," I whispered.

His grip on my hips tightened slightly, and he looked down at me with such a strong intensity in his eyes. "I don't want you to go. Stay here with me."

My stomach did a somersault. If I stayed the night, I knew where it would inevitably end. Was I ready to take that step with Paul? When I had been with Edward I had been ready to take that step with him, but we hadn't. He was too worried about breaking me. Literally. Would it be the same with Paul?

"I know what you're thinking, and it doesn't necessarily have to be for that," he said. "It's just-I've missed you so much. I need you."

"I'll have to call my mom," I whispered.

"Let's go inside-it's starting to rain harder." I realized now that it had been raining the whole time we were talking out here, how had I not noticed before? I wasn't exactly soaking, but my clothes were sticking to me and my hair was disheveled from the rain.

I grabbed my purse and car keys from inside my car. He put his arm around my shoulders as we walked into the apartment building together. He led me into the elevator and into his apartment. In the small amount of time it took us to get from the elevator to his apartment, a thunderstorm had started outside. Thunder boomed in the sky, and lightning illuminated the night sky. I found myself looking out the window and almost getting lost in watching the rain fall.

"There's no way you're driving home in that," he said, snapping me out of my reverie. I had to call Mom.

I nodded and fished my phone out of my purse. I called my mom and waited.

"Did you get there okay?" she asked, not bothering to say hello.

"Yes Mom, I did," I said. "I'm here, but I don't want to drive home in this weather."

She was quiet for a few moments. "Katherine…"

"Mom, I'm not staying here for that," I glanced at Paul to see amusement in his eyes, so I turned away from him. "I just don't want to end up in the hospital again because I couldn't keep control of my car."

"I could come get you…" she trailed off.

"Mom, I'll sleep on the couch if that makes you more comfortable," I said. "Paul…Paul wouldn't try anything like that with me, I trust him."

"I'm guessing you two made it work?" she asked.

"Yep," I said. "Everything's fine."

"Call me tomorrow," she said. "Do you have work?"

"Yeah I do, but I should be home before my shift."

"Alright, see you then-if I'm not working." Oh she was just dying to ask more questions about how it went, I could tell.

"Bye Mom," I said.

"Be careful," she warned. "Bye Katie."

I ended the call to hear Paul chuckling. I turned to look at him. He was sitting on the couch.

"What's so funny?"

"How worried your mom is," he said. "I could never take advantage of you-or anyone for that matter-like that."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know you," I said. "She wants you to come for dinner soon."

"The treaty…" he trailed off.

"I can arrange something with Alice," I said, smiling at him.

"Come sit with me," he said, patting the space on the couch beside him. I sat down beside him and looked up at him.

"Are we okay now?" I couldn't help but ask.

He pressed a quick kiss to my cheek. "We're fine…I hope?"

I grinned at him. "We're fine."

He held me tight against him. "I'm glad."

And for the rest of the evening, we just sat there together. Yeah, we spoke, but there was nothing to distract us-no TV, no mom, and best of all, no Sam.

I felt my eyelids get heavy, and slumped against him. Today work had been super busy; I now realized how exhausted I felt. Also, everything that had happened between Paul and I had worn me out. I felt Paul's posture change slightly, and I looked up to meet his eyes.

"Come on, let's go to bed," he said.

I snuggled closer to him. "But I don't want to move."

He chuckled, and picked me up. "You don't have to move."

"I'll need the bathroom, and hopefully a shirt of yours to wear?" I asked. "My clothes are kinda damp from the rain still; I don't wanna sleep in them."

"Of course," he said. He carried me into his room and dropped me on the bed. He went into his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt for me to wear and tossed it to me. "I'm sure it'll fit." He said dryly.

I playfully rolled my eyes at him and went into his bathroom which was down the hall from his bedroom. I ran some cold water on my face, and stared at myself in the mirror. I looked happy. I could see it in my eyes. I hadn't looked this happy since…since before I had even gone into the hospital. No wonder Mom was so worried about me. The past two weeks I had just looked so sad. I felt more angry than sad, but I guess I now knew what my true emotions had been.

Of course, it'd be natural to be sad about something like this, but in all reality it made me feel weak, and I didn't like that. I stripped out of my jeans and shirt, and threw Paul's shirt on. It almost went to my knees, and I rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror.

Back in the bedroom, I was snuggled close to Paul in the bed. I was so comfy and warm. He was absentmindedly playing with my hair.

"Why'd you date Cullen?" he asked softly. "I've been curious about this for a while."

I looked at him; I wasn't sure how to answer this. I shrugged. "He liked me, I liked him, and it just kinda erupted from there."

"Erupted?" he repeated, shifting uncomfortably. "Did you and him…?" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't mean to sound intrusive-forget I asked."

I felt myself flush. "We didn't. He was too afraid of breaking me…or losing control."

I felt him stiffen. "Losing control?"

It was my turn to shift uncomfortably. "He was afraid of biting me."

"Oh," he said quietly. Great-now his thoughts were probably along the same lines as Edward had.

"What about you?" I asked as lightly as I could. "Any exes I should be worried about?"

He chuckled. "None that you should be worried about per say."

"But exes nonetheless?" I asked.

He nodded. "A few."

"Oh," I said. A few? How much as a few?

He didn't meet my eyes. "One of them was Leah Clearwater-it was brief."

"Leah?" I asked in disbelief.

He nodded, still not meeting my eyes. "It was soon after Sam had broken up with her for Emily…I…she came to me for comfort, and I gave it to her. It only lasted about a week; we realized that we're better off as friends. She's like family." I could tell he had said that last part because he didn't want me to think I had some type of competition with Leah-but I knew I wouldn't. I liked Leah-the few times I had met her-and I knew that she and Paul were like siblings.

"Did you and her…" I trailed off. "Have you…?" I trailed off again. My brain to mouth filter was obviously not working at the moment. God, why was I doing this? This was too embarrassing-for both of us.

"Not with Leah," he said. I could tell he was super uncomfortable. Yeah, join the club buddy.

He gazed down at me, gauging my reaction. I tried to keep my face as composed as possible.

Who was it? My mind was screaming at me to ask him, but I couldn't bring myself to ask. Ask him who it was! No no no. I didn't want to ask him.

"You don't know her-if that makes it any better for you," he said.

"Did you date her?" I couldn't help but ask. I needed to know that. Paul didn't seem like a one-night-stand type of guy.

He nodded.

My mind was burning with questions. The first question in my mind was who the girl was. The other, how many girls had he dated before?

An uncomfortable awkward silence fell between us. I could tell he was thinking deeply about what we had just talked about.

He cupped my face in his hands. "I promise you that I'll never leave you again, Katie."

I smiled at him. "That means a lot to me."

"Never leave me," he whispered. I could hear the desperation clear in his voice.

I took a deep breath. "I can't promise that."

"Why?" he whispered, face falling and making my heart squeeze painfully.

"Because…we need to work through some more things, Paul," I said. "I can't promise you something that I can't keep."

He nodded. "I understand completely. I was an ass to you. I can see why you'd be…hesitant. We'll work to it."

I pressed my lips against his. "I'm glad we're okay now."

He chuckled. "I'm glad we are too."

And with that, I rested my head against his shoulder, and fell fast asleep.