Hi everybody, I hope everybody is well, and enjoying this amazing sun, I know I'm enjoying the rays through the window.

Chapter twenty one Smack Down

Paul tried to control his excitement as he grabbed Bella's letter from the door, being as quiet as he could, he slipped off of her front porch and bounded off to the tree line, he had an hour before he needed to be back to grab Jason before they needed to begin their patrol around Forks.

Stripping out of his jeans, he quickly phased, and raced through the forest towards La Push.

Stopping in his own backyard he slipped on his jeans, making sure Bella's letter was still in his back pocket, he bounded up the back steps and entered his house, breathing in the faint scent of his family, he felt some of the tension fall from his shoulders.

But as soon as he let the silence of the house fall around him he shuddered, even after a month he still wasn't able to handle the silence, he was so use to hear multiply heartbeats, one of the boys playing with something they shouldn't play with, or even Jason whispering on the phone to whatever friend he was talking to that week.

Ignoring the empty feeling that slid over his shoulders, he sat down at the tiny little fold out table he had brought yesterday, his massive shoulders hunching as he pulled the letter out of his pocket and opened it up to see what Bella had written.

Over the last few days they had kept there letter responses up, to a point that they were able to communicate better than they had the whole of their relationship, Bella had even been adding little things from the boys as well as another copy of the ultrasound, tomorrow he would be taking Jason to an art class he wanted to go to down at the town hall in La Push while Bella was at an appointment in the Port, and Tuesday he would go watch Charlie and Harry play soccer.

Starring at Bella's neat handwriting he smiled, even seeing her writing made him miss her something fierce.

Dear Paul

I'm hoping you are well, Jason let slip that you had come across some vampires on your nightly patrols, and that you and Jason had taken the two of them out before the rest of the pack had made it to you.

I want to thank you for taking the time and teaching Jason the things he needs to know, he told me that it's just been you and him when he phases and it makes me happy to think your giving up the time you should be sleeping to spend with him, but it also fills me with sadness that none of the other pack will interact with him.

Don't get me wrong I'm still hurt the way they have treated him over the years, but I thought they would all be teaching him what he needed to know.

Harry got an A in his English exam, and Charlie got another detention, I'm worried that there is something wrong going on at the school, but every time I try to talk to Charlie about it, he wont have anything to do with it, and the school are of no help.

Harley has a cold which means soon all the boys will be getting it, so you may need to cancel your trip with them to the diner, they maybe too sick to go out in the cold weather that's coming.

I hope your well.

Love Bella

Frowning at the letter, he felt a slither of disappointment at her cancelling on him with Harley an Adam, but the worry that his imprint and his pups would get sick over lapped the new found disappointment, he had sucked at being a father for the past few years, so he wasn't a hundred percent sure how he could help her with Charlie misbehaving, but he supposed he could go have a nose around the school, listen outside his class room to find out what's been happening.

As for the pack not being around Jason, that was all on Paul, he himself wouldn't allow them near Jason, they had nothing good to say to or about his son, and he wouldn't let him find out what they were saying about him.

He remembered the damage Sam had done to Leah making her share his mind with his twisted love for Emily, he wasn't going to put his son through that.

It was bad enough the other night when Jason had howled only Jacob, Quil an Embry had responded, Sam hadn't even phased in til Paul himself had sent out a second alert, by then the vampires were already taken care of by Jason and Paul.

He was pissed that his so called brother wouldn't respond to an urgent call, and he'd be damned if he let Sam get away with it, Alpha or no Alpha you come when your howled.

The whole pack had all backed off per his request, even the council had stipulated it to the imprints as well, everyone was to leave Bella and the boys alone, but he didn't like the fact that Sam hadn't been there when he was need, Jason could of died because of Sam and his stupidity.

Picking up his pen, he rubbed the top of his head, grimacing at the longer strands, he resolved to having a haircut later on that day, after beating the crap out of Sam and buying some cough medicine for the boys, he remembered Sue Clearwater giving him something like that when he was sick as a kid, he'd go to the store on the Res and ask Quil's mum what they would need, and leave Bella a box of stuff with the letter.

Making sure not to crush the pencil in his grip, Paul started to write.

Bella,

I assure you that it wasn't as exciting as Jason made it out to be, it was just two nomads making their way through, you have no need to worry. But if it makes you feel better Jason is a natural, he knew what to do and when to do it. I swear he was born to do this, his heaps better then Jacob was when he first phased, his an amazing kid, and I'm glad every day that his letting me show him the ropes, hell I'm just glad that his letting me near him, and I'm proud of the boy you raised, you raised him to be a good kid, and I know he'll be an even excellent man when his older.

I meant it when I told you that I'm giving the boys my hundred and ten percent, and I might not be there when there sick, but I've got you some tissues, and stuff to help you a little, and if you need I can be there to. You just gotta tell me I can.

As for the pack not being involved with Jason, I made sure that they were giving him the space he needed, I remember what it was like as a newly phased wolf, and having one person in your head is bad enough, I didn't want to confuse him with a decade of bad shit the pack has been through and done to themselves, I figured he was better off with just me and him til he got used to it all.

Let me know if you need or want anything.

Love Paul

Sighing, Paul stuffed the letter into an envelope and slipped it into his back pocket, before standing up from the small chair and making his way out of his house.

He had an Alpha to deal with, and cough stuff to buy, and a son to teach, all before he went home, had a shave and slept for the night.

Spotting Sam, Paul felt his anger course through him as he walked up and punched his Alpha in the face, feeling the wolf protest the movement he ignored it as he laid a second and a third punch to Sam before he was pulled off of a now dazed Alpha.

"Paul dude, what the fuck."

"Don't." Paul growled as he shook off Jared, turning around to growl at him, he shoved him away before snapping "where the hell were you last night, your just as bad as he is." Aiming a kick to Sam's side he snarled at them both "I could of lost my son because your heads are still stuck up your arses."

"His your son now is he." Sam sneered "DNA tested to prove that little fact."

"Don't start that shit Sam" Paul spat "You want to talk about DNA tests, how about we get one for Leah's baby."

Sam barred his teeth as he wiped the blood from his nose "that's different I'm not married to Leah, I don't have 4 other kids to Leah, I didn't convince a whole pack that the imprint could be swayed enough for one or both to cheat."

"I never cheated." Paul snapped as he went to take a swing at Sam "I never slept with the bitch."

"No, but you put it in all of our heads that you could, and that you had multiple times."

"Is that why you didn't respond to the howl?" Paul asked as his shoulders sagged in defeat "you're going to punish Jason for my mistakes."

"I didn't hear a howl." Jared stated "I had to take Kim to Seattle for a check-up, what happened yesterday?" Jared asked as he looked between his brothers "who didn't respond to a howl, we know to always phase in, Leah's exempted because she's pregnant, but were all meant to." Jared's voice trailed off, as he realised what Paul being there meant. "Sam didn't phase in." Jared stated the obvious

"No" Sam stated "I was following orders to stay away from the Swans."

"Jason could have died" Jared snarled.

Placing a calming hand on Jared's shoulder, Paul tried to control his own rage, because as much as he tried to tell himself it was alright, that Jason handled himself amazingly, Paul couldn't stop the feeling of dread that went through his stomach as he first saw the vampires yesterday, for the first time in a long time he hadn't been thinking of himself and taking out the vampire, he had been distracted with thoughts of only protecting Jason, Paul would have given his last breath to protect his son yesterday.

And he had thought that his pack brothers had felt the same.

"There not Swans." Paul stated as he looked down at Sam "there my family, and they are everything to me, you not coming to help Jason and me yesterday means that I'm no longer there for you, you are no longer my family, or my Alpha, you are nothing." Feeling the wind whip around them, Paul spat at Sam's feet before turning to walk away.

Feeling as though he was walking through golden syrup, he fought with every step to step away from Sam and head to the general store where he needed to get some medicine for the boys.

His boys, imagining Jason's smirk of triumph when he was able to phase on the fly, or Adam's dimples as he sat at the dining table gave Paul the needed strength to step through the last of the syrupy feeling, as soon as he was through the thickened air his breathing get easier and his head clearer for the first time in a long time, Paul swayed on his feel lightly, as he felt the world shift around him, and a tightness formed in his chest.

"Paul."

Hearing Jared calling his name Paul waited for him to catch up.

"I'm with you." Jared stated as he reached him "let's go do what you need to do, and then I'm coming to help you and Jason on patrol tonight.

Nodding his head, Paul felt something snap into place as he walked away with Jared beside him.

So…..Are you all excited as I am.

Lily