Here is the second installment for the day. It's got some more interaction between our heroine and her hero, lol. Don't be angry, I just had to do it, I had to. 3 Becca

Paul POV-

Somehow I caught her before she hit the floor, before anyone else could reach her. There were tears streaming down her face, everything she showed us seemed to be painful to her. What she had done had exhausted her completely.

"Paul, take her up to her room and put her to bed." Sam said through his teeth, he was angry that I hadn't told Bella about the imprint, he said she needed to know she belonged. I couldn't bring myself to tell her though, it wouldn't do her any good.

I did as I was told and returned downstairs to find out what our next move was. "That thing she was doing, what is it?" I asked.

The one that said he was Bella's brother turned to face me, "It's called sharing. She can broadcast her memories onto any reflective surface for the world to see. It's a special gift among our kind, legendary really."

"Why is it so legendary?"

"It is said that the knowing, feeling, and sharing gifts will be possessed by the ones that will bring back the race. We'll make it stronger, better." He smirked.

"And how would you do that?"

"Well, it's all in the breeding really. My lovely Charlotte is half angel half shape shifter as you can see. She's stronger and faster than me, and I'd wager she's stronger and faster than you as well. Besides, our kind have special abilities to calm shape shifters. It is only one of the many reasons we had been allied for so long. When they would train cubs, our kind would be called in to help keep them calm so that they wouldn't phase."

"Breeding?" I asked stupidly. My mind went instantly to Bella. Our children would be half angel half shape shifter, they would be stronger. There was one thing I didn't understand though.

"So Sam is right, imprinting is just to find the best mate to breed with, it has nothing to do with soul mates?" I couldn't believe that, I had always loved Bella, to the point of despising her.

"Wrong. The imprint is much like what my father's tribe had. But the thing about it was there was one lion who imprinted on a woman who was barren. She could not have children. But together they adopted many, he loved her so completely because she was his perfect mate in every way." Charlotte explained, "Peter balances me perfectly. As I'm sure Emily balances Sam or Kim balances Jared. The breeding doesn't really figure into it."

"Are you certain?" Sam asked.

"Are you saying that the gods have such disrespect for women that they would send them here to be nothing more than a vessel to carry on your offspring?" Charlotte's voice was fierce, her mate placed a comforting hand on her back and she went quiet.

"I wasn't saying that at all, but it would seem so if all the imprint was for was a stronger generation." Sam responded thoughtfully.

I tuned out of the conversation and laid my head down on the table. It was funny, since I imprinted on Bella only the need to be close to her and the yearning to touch her had changed. She'd always been the only girl I ever saw. I had loved her from the first moment I saw her, but I didn't realize until the hospital. She didn't remember when we were small, when I was six and she was four. My parents went away and left me with Billy Black, they were gone the whole summer, some therapy thing, trying to make things better. It had been my mother's idea.

I was at Billy's for only a day when Charlie showed up with Bella in his arms. He had to work a night shift and Billy and Sara offered their help because Renee was out of state, visiting her mother or something like that. Jacob was only two, so Bella didn't pay him much mind. He followed her everywhere and she just took it. Of course, I watched her closely while I colored, pretending I didn't care. Honestly, she was the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, and when she asked if I wanted to watch beauty and the beast with her, I couldn't decline. Billy set the movie up and we climbed up on the couch that seemed so big at the time. I laid down on the couch and covered up with a blanket, she started to get tired so she crawled in front of me and lay with her back against my stomach. She slithered under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly. I watched her for a moment before throwing my arm over her and falling asleep myself. The next morning, when Charlie came to pick her up, she gave me a sloppy kiss goodbye that made me turn red. I'd never been kissed by a girl who wasn't my mom and I was extremely shy back then.

Things at home had gotten worse after that and I started developing scars, inside and out, so by the time I was a teenager, I hated everything. I hated everyone, including the girl that made me love her, and I hated her for that reason alone. No one understood, none of them. They didn't know how it felt to love someone who would never love you back. I refused to tell her about the imprint because I wasn't going to make her feel obligated to be with me, I wanted her to love me, but I knew that was impossible, I was just one of those things that no one could love. Besides, I wouldn't be able to stomach her looking at me with disgust.

"You can't really believe that way, can you?" The one with purple eyes asked me.

"Obviously, if it's the way I feel, it's what I believe." I muttered.

"You're wrong." The other stated, "Especially about her."

I just ignored them and returned to my self loathing. Before I realized, I fell asleep sitting at the table. My dreams were filled with her, as always, those blue eyes, hell even back when they were brown. I had always loved her, always. I jolted awake because of what felt like an electric shock. I turned to look at the person who had touched me and she rubbed her fingers together, as if she felt it too. She'd changed her clothes, she was wearing a long, silk, chocolate colored nightgown. It was spaghetti strap and backless. She was breath taking.

"I just came to make you go to bed." She said quietly.

"Huh, but don't I need to go home?" I asked her, "I didn't mean to just crash here like that."

"You can stay here." She whispered, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet.

She silently pulled me up the stairs, but I wasn't watching her, I was only paying attention to the small hand that held mine, the way it looked as though it belonged there. My heart throbbed unevenly and I swore I could see the ghost of a smile on her face when she noticed. My wolf paced inside me, waiting to make a move, wanting me to just claim her already. I wouldn't though, I would never claim her. She would never be mine.

After what seemed like an eternity, she stopped at a door and pushed it open, "With Peter, Charlotte, and Jazz here, plus me, Leah, and Ang already living here there were only two guest rooms. I checked them before I woke you, Embry is in one and Seth in another. So I'm afraid there aren't anymore guest rooms open."

"I don't want to be any trouble." I told her.

"You're taking my bed." She said and it left no room for argument. She shoved me into the room and closed the door behind us. "Get some sleep." She told me.

I looked at her room, it was bigger than my whole apartment! Her bed was the best looking thing I'd ever seen, it would fit me perfectly! My legs wouldn't hang off. "I'm not taking your place to sleep." I argued. "I'll go downstairs and sleep on the couch."

"Quil already took it." She shrugged. "Otherwise I would have somewhere."

"But you're tired." I whined.

"You're more tired, besides, I've already had a nap. I'll be fine." She smiled and shoved me in the direction of the bed. I gave up arguing and looked between her and the bed before giving in, but not before tugging her along with me.

"What are you doing?" She squeaked.

"The bed is big enough for the two of us, plus probably a few more if we wanted. I promise to behave myself. I just can't take your bed from you and you'll refuse to let me sleep on the floor." I shrugged, climbing into the bed and pulling her into it beside me. I threw the blanket over both of us and being so close to her made me fall asleep almost instantly.

Bella PoV-

He had dragged me into bed with him, I couldn't believe it. But then he fell asleep straight away, almost as if he hadn't slept decently in years and the right bed was the ticket. Maybe he would pull a Rip Van Winkle and sleep for years. He could certainly use it, I'd noticed it when I saw him in passing coming and going from Emily's. He was exhausted, so exhausted.

The Paul I knew was bitter and angry at the world, and the scars across his back told me why, he'd been severely abused as a child. The memory I had forgotten about came to the front of my mind again, a hospital, a storm, words of comfort. It had been Paul. He had been there for me when I was afraid though he'd just lost his mother, and the more I thought about it, the more I remembered about him. It seemed anytime I came to visit Charlie for the summer after Renee left him, I would see Paul. Since the first time I ever saw him at Billy's. He was a source of comfort that night, I was afraid because I had never slept at anyone's house other than Renee and Charlie's. Paul watched a movie with me and I finally got tired enough to go to sleep, I laid against him and it was difficult not to be comfortable there.

Then any time I would bump into him in a random place, for a few short minutes, or that one night in the hospital, he was a source of comfort. Even when he would tease me or say hurtful things, there was always something in his eyes that told me he said them only because he was hurting. Paul's eyes always held pain, suffering, and bad memories. I'd always wondered what horrors he had faced, but never asked. I only knew that his mother had died the night he was in the hospital with me.

Looking at him while he slept, his expression softened. The usual cold and detached mask had slipped away, replaced by a look of soft content. I wondered if he had been aware that my hand was still in his when he'd fallen asleep. I shrugged at the thought, it didn't bother me. My eyes traveled back up to his face and I let a sigh escape me, it was hard not to like Paul. Though he was almost always angry, people just seemed to be drawn in by something. Looking at him in that moment though, it was difficult not to care for him as well as like him. I shook the thoughts away and let myself fall back to sleep.

I awoke bright and early, my pillow had apparently hardened while I slept, but I wasn't uncomfortable. I opened my eyes to discover I was laying with my head rested on Paul's chest and my arm thrown across his stomach, still grasped in his. His other arm was snaked around my back and his palm rested on my hip. It was strange how content I was in that position. No one had ever held me against them so intimately, it should have freaked me out. I felt like I belonged there though. I sighed, it was impossible, Paul would never have feelings for me, it would never happen. I gently extricated myself from his arms and he unconsciously whimpered at the loss of contact, I nearly returned to his arms. Then I reminded myself that it wasn't me he was missing.

I flitted down the stairs to distance myself from him, my emotions were everywhere. I couldn't even get a handle on the look on my face yet, I had to be by myself, so I went to the kitchen to make a huge breakfast for everyone who had ended up staying.

"Bella, you're troubled." Jasper's smooth voice reached me from the other side of the counter, though it was barely even a whisper.

"It's not nice to call someone a head case." I frowned, turning to face him, "I'm conflicted, not troubled." The nagging feeling returned, but I had other things to worry about.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not at all, I just need to figure things out." I sighed.

"Wow, Bella, you look like a fucking princess!" Quil hooted when he stepped into the kitchen. I looked down and remembered I was still in my night gown. "And you smell like Paul." He frowned at that and I turned red.

"Bella?" Jasper's voice was tense, "I knew I smelled wolf on you, I just didn't know who. Did something happen?"

"No, he fell asleep at the table, there were no beds and Quil had the couch so I made him sleep in my bed. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep immediately." I shrugged.

"Then why you blushing?" Quil smirked. I smacked him on the head.

"Mind your own business or no breakfast for you." I threatened. He snapped his mouth shut and sat at the table obediently.

"Jasper, I didn't get a chance to thank you with all the chaos last night." I spoke as I continued moving around the kitchen to get breakfast done.

"For what?"

"Saving me." My voice had dropped lower, "From them, I only wish I had known."

"I'm sorry I let it go on for so long, the truth was, it was selfishness that caused me to do it. I was an outcast in that family, though they weren't aware of how much. Then you came along, a human in the world of vampires, you were more of an outcast than I was. I was also very fond of you, though we weren't allowed near each other, I felt close to you."

I turned to flash him a smile, "It's so weird that you say that, I wanted closure after they left and I transformed. But I only wanted it from you. I wanted to see you again, to talk to you because I never got the chance before." My smile dropped, "Although at the time I thought I would end up fighting you because I thought you were my enemy."

"Only half." He smirked, coming around the counter to ruffle my hair.

"Why does everyone do that? Everyone acts like I'm their kid sister." I pouted.

"You kind of are, especially since the whole im-" There was a loud slapping sound and I turned around to find Paul had appeared out of nowhere and clamped a hand over Quil's mouth roughly.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked tensely.

"Everything." I shrugged, looking at the layout, there were pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs, and I had no idea where the giant cinnamon rolls came from, or the biscuits and thick and creamy gravy. How long had I been cooking?

"Holy hell!" Leah sighed happily as she entered the kitchen. "Got something on your mind, B?" She asked coming around me to sniff the food appreciatively.

"No, why would you ask that?"

"You never have this much variety unless you're worried over something or something's bugging you. What's up?" She hugged my shoulders and everyone started fixing their plates.

"Nothing, I just didn't know what everyone would want." I lied.

Someone was bounding through the house and I knew exactly who it was before hot arms were thrown around me and I was spun in circles. "I love having you around!" Seth blurted as he kissed my cheek and set me on my feet before fixing himself a plate.

The others joined us and within a few minutes we were all seated at the table enjoying breakfast together. While we were eating, Jasper had moved to sit next to Leah, she smiled at him sweetly. Embry had placed himself next to Angela and they were whispering too low for anyone else to hear.

"Am I missing something?" I asked.

"Leah imprinted on Jasper, so they are getting to know one another." Seth whispered to me, "And Embry imprinted on Angela. Last night was one for the books."

"You're joking!" I gasped. It looked like Jasper was going to be there to stay.

"Okay, today I want a nice relaxing day, nothing big should happen. I just want one uneventful day, is that so much to ask?" I was talking to myself, I didn't expect an answer.

"The ladies of the house could go shopping, that would be relaxing." Charlotte offered.

"No, I can't go shopping today." I frowned, "I don't find it very relaxing."

"What about trying out the pool, we could call the others over, tonight is Sunday dinner here anyways." Leah offered.

"You know, that actually sounds like a pretty good plan. Besides, we need more wolves to eat that mountain of food."

The phone started ringing then and I got up to answer it, "Hello?"

"Bella, Sam's headed your way, he needs your help."

"What happened?"

"It's the twins! Their grandmother died this morning and it caused them to lose it. They have nowhere to go and they are worried that children services will take them away from here."

"They won't be taken away if I've got anything to say about it." I said goodbye and hung up the phone. I wouldn't have a chance to change, so I just stepped out the back door and waited.