I do not own anything; everything belongs to their rightful owners.

Paul POV:

I kissed her softly on the lips and whispered, "Good night my beautiful princess."

She smiled against my lips and mumbled, "Good night, Paul."

I jumped back into my truck and started driving down the road. I made it back to Emily's in record time and not once did the smile leave my face. I quickly jumped out of my truck and practically ran into the house. Emily and Sam were sitting on the love seat talking about random things and Jacob sat across from them playing solitaire. I smiled broadly at all of them before I started running up stairs. I made it to the first step before Emily yelled, "Paul I still need to look at your chest so go sit in mine and Sam's room until I get there."

"Yes, mom," I yelled back laughing. I heard the rest of them laugh and Emily grumbled something like 'he should see Bella more often he seems much more relaxed and care free'.

I ran and sat on her bed and quickly undid the button up shirt throwing it across the room shortly after. I laid back and closed my eyes, picturing Bella. God she was so beautiful, and she definitely has some sort of power over me. One touch of her delicate hands on my arm and I'm instantly calm. Like when that Bastard ran into her today at the mall and made her drop her father's Christmas present. I was so close to ripping him to shreds for not even saying anything close to an apology, just a watch where you're going.

I was shaking ready to phase but Bella just put her hand on mine arm and I looked down at her. Her eyes were rimmed with tears of fear of breaking the gift. I immediately went back to helping her, the bastard caught a lucky break. Next time he won't be so lucky. I helped her check to make sure the fishing thing was fine. I honestly had no idea what any of it was but I did ask questions that seemed to slip Bella's mind as she raced back and forth.

I was shocked when I felt a slight tugging at my chest I looked up and saw Emily with a damp cloth cleaning everything off my chest. "Sorry I thought you had fallen asleep."

I laughed. "It's fine I was just thinking about Bella." I got another smile on my face just saying her name.

"Wow, you really are whipped huh?" I turned to see Embry standing in the doorway.

"Yeah I am and I am not afraid to admit it. Besides shouldn't you be out on patrol?" I asked hissing slightly when Emily started getting the blue goop from my gashes.

"Sorry," She mumbled and I waved my hand brushing it off.

"Nope Jacob decided to go on patrol early because he was so bored and told me to come back here and bug you until it's your turn to switch with Jarrod." Embry shrugged falling into the chair beside the bed.

I laughed. Emily turned her attention back to me. "Okay, it looks like they are healing but it's healing slowly. My best guess would be when you kept fighting something went in to your cuts and caused it to take a slower time to heal. Maybe a microscopic amount of venom that wouldn't kill but seriously hurt." She nodded. I stared at her for a second before nodding.

Embry looked at me and started laughing. "That is some messed up shit." I chuckled at his idiocy. "Why does all the bad crap happen to you?"

I chuckled "Now that ain't true, remember you were the one who tripped over that tree branch and broke your paw?"

Embry looked angry and embarrassed. "I thought you agreed we would never bring that up again."

"No you agreed I just laughed at you and then left to go and get food." I chuckled.

Embry and I argued for the next twenty minutes and then I got ready for patrol.

As I was getting ready I had a sudden urge to call Bella. I picked up my cell and dialed her number.

"Hello?" I heard her slightly groggy voice answer.

"Princess, I'm sorry if I woke you I just missed you." I said quietly suddenly worried that I had disturbed her sleep.

"It's ok. I couldn't sleep." She said sheepishly. I grinned knowing that she was probably thinking about our date just like I was.

"You sound tired though, babe" I said quietly.

"Can you just keep talking to me Paul?" She asked softly and I could just imagine the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

"Of course my princess" I said.

"I love you Paul" she said. It sounded like sleep was slowly getting the better of her.

"I love you too" I said before starting a story. I never would have done that for any other girl but Bella wasn't just any other girl. I told her a story of a princess who fell in love with a lowly peasant boy even though she had been promised to a prince. I kept talking trying to keep my voice low and soothing until her breathing evened out and I knew she was asleep. It was just in time for me to start patrol.

Thank the gods it was just a normal night of patrol no freaky blood suckers or worse the deadly dangerous tree branches to trip over. I chuckled thinking back to it. I watched the trees fly by as I ran for fun. I barked at a bird and it squawked before flying away. I let out another wolfy bark.

By morning I was hyped up not an ounce of fatigue in my system. I was a man on a mission. I needed Bella's Christmas present and I planned on getting it today before she came and picked me up for work. I ran back to Sam and Emily's house. I phased and put my shorts back on, before running into the house. "SAM!"

Sam came rushing out of the bedroom redoing his pants up; I laughed and apologized for uh disturbing him. He glared at me and demanded to know what the problem was. "I need your help shopping for a Christmas present for Bella." I said bluntly and started waiting for him to get ready so we could go to the nearest store.

Sam growled at me. "Paul, why must I go?"

"Because I do not know what the hell I'm doing and you do." I stated like it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

He growled again at me. "Fine but if I go the whole pack goes."

"Excellent I have been looking for a new way to bug Jacob." I clapped my hands together and quickly called the rest of the pack to come over to Sam's so we could go. An hour later we were all sitting in Sam's truck driving to Port Angeles. It was far but had one of the best jewelry stores in Washington.

We all walked into the store and stared at all the lit boxes filled with necklaces and rings and bracelets. "Ugh, now what?" I asked looking at Sam.

"Okay honestly how can you not know what to do in a store?" Embry asked.

"Well do you know what to do now?" I asked turning to glare at him. He flinched and shrunk back shaking his head. "Didn't think so."

"Well, we look around and if anything catches your eye that you think Bella would like and ask to see it." Sam shrugged heading off to look at the rings. I took a deep breath and walked over to the necklaces. There were so many different kinds of necklaces; one was a small golden wrench and a diamond as the nut, another was a simple silver heart with diamonds going around the edge. They had just plain chains too, gold, silver, long, short, thick, thin, everything. I immediately decided to not get a necklace.

I moved over to the rings and saw all engagement rings. I shook my head, not yet anyway. I looked at the other rings and found nothing caught my eye. "Can I help you?" I jumped slightly at the voice but looked up.

There was a woman with brown hair tied up into a bun. She had dark green eyes and had enough make up on to make her look sophisticated but not to overly done. She had on a matching blue business pencil skirt and a blazer with the store's logo on it. Her name tag said 'Joanne'. I smiled nervously and nodded. "I need to find a Christmas present for my uh friend." I hated calling her just my friend but I didn't have any other choice I had no claim over her.

"Oh, okay well how special is this 'friend'?" She asked politely giving me a warm smile.

I scratched the back of my neck. "I don't know she means everything to me," I didn't know how to explain it to someone outside our little 'group' I guess you could call it.

She nodded seeming to understand. "Maybe a bracelet?" She motioned to another display case with a load of gold and silver bracelets. I scratched my head again looking utterly lost. "You're new to this huh?"

"Am I that obvious?" I asked chuckling.

She giggled and nodded. "Yeah, sorry but you look like a lost puppy. Hey did you happen to be in this mall yesterday?" She asked completely changing the topic.

I looked confused but nodded. "Yeah I was on a date with my uh friend."

She laughed again. "I worked yesterday and I saw you guys running around d the mall like mad men." She laughed again at the memory.

"Yeah she dared me to race her to the theater, so I decided to just go with it." I smiled. I decided I liked this woman. She wasn't pushy or fake or annoying for that matter, she was nice.

"Well I think I have the perfect bracelet, it just came in so it's not on the shelf yet, but I'll be right back." I nodded and she walked off. I looked over and saw Embry and Jarrod looking lost at the front door still. I rolled my eyes at them. Jacob was looking at some of manikins with jewelry on and gave them disgusted and a little fearful looks. Sam was still looking at the rings and I had a feeling he was searching for something for Em.

Five minutes later the woman came back with a simple silver bracelet. It had three charms attached to it; a moon, a wolf head and a small lily. I looked at it and smiled it was perfect. The moon had an inscription on it and I read it over a few times 'To love you is to live my life'. I looked at the lily and smiled, usually these things have roses but I like the lily it just works with. It was just plain dumb luck with the wolf head though.

"It's a one of a kind. The designer decided to make a total of four in all, one for him and the rest to sell. Each one has a different inscription and different animal on it. We had one years back that a bear on it and it said 'To lose you would be my end'." She told me smiling somewhat smug she had found something so perfect.

"I'll take it, I don't care how much and I love it. Thank you very much for finding this." I smiled at her.

"It was my pleasure." She totaled it up and I didn't even care that it cost me over a hundred dollars, because it was for my love, my princess, my Bella. I headed back home with the guys singing lame car tunes and shaking Sam's whole car. People in the other vehicles kept looking scared and wide eyed at us.

I hid the gift in my bedside drawer before getting to work. I smiled as I drove to the mechanic shop me and Jarrod owned. I doubt I had ever been so happy and proud with myself.