Chapter 25 - In Case You Didn't Know

In case you didn't know
Baby I'm crazy bout you
And I would be lying if I said
That I could live this life without you
Even though I don't tell you all the time
You had my heart a long long time ago
In case you didn't know

Paul POV

I spent the day after Christmas sitting alone at my house. My parents had gone to visit some family out of town. I was unable to go, of course because we had to get ready for this fight. Ryvre was over all this fighting. Really, I understood. I was over it too. Who wants to spend their life in between battles? My life was beginning to feel like a bad television show with a big bag every week and a reluctant love interest to boot.

Some part of me hoped she would seek me out and apologize for how she treated me the other night. I should have known she would be too stubborn but this time I refused to go to her. It was exhausting putting in all the effort just to have her kick me to the curb again. No, this time she was going to come to me. Throwing the necklace at my feet had been the last straw.

When it was close to midnight I went to the meeting spot. Sam and the Cullens were the only ones there when I arrived, which surprised me a little. Sam normally didn't like any of us alone with them. Maybe he trusts them more than I thought?

"Brady and Seth will patrol the area," Sam said when he saw me. "Collin will be in wolf form so they'll be linked in to everything we're saying."

I nodded to let him know I'd heard him but otherwise I didn't respond. It wasn't long before the others arrived. Two of the vampires gathered some of the younger wolves and started their training. Sam and Carlisle had a map spread out with an 'X' marking the place the vampires were hiding out.

"Jasper and Edward should be in front," Carlisle said. "Jasper is the most experienced fighter. Edward will be able to tell us how many are inside, how many and if they have any guards positioned outside." He drew a line and wrote an E next to it, then another and wrote a J. He drew one more and marked it with a C. "This is where we'll go in, to cover all exits. We'll each go with a group of three wolves."

"I agree," Sam said. "Jake, Paul and I will follow Jasper. Quil, Embry and Jared will follow Edward. Leah, Seth and Collin will go with you."

"I'll need to be somewhere outside," Alice chimed in. "Put one of the younger wolves next to me. If my vision changes I'll need to be able to let everyone know."

Carlisle made some marks a few inches from the X. "We'll place Alice here." He drew a star. "Rosalie will be here." He drew another star. "Esme will be here." He connected the three stars. "The rest of the wolves will fall in along these lines. That should keep them from escaping. We'll wait for everyone to get in position around the perimeter before any of us go in."

Sam nodded his agreement then looked to Jake and I for approval.

"Sounds good to me, Sam," Jake agreed, looking over to watch the younger wolves train.

"So we'll need everyone to be here at ten," Carlisle said, folding the map. "It may be best to split in groups."

"Alice?" Edward asked worriedly.

She'd gotten a distant look in her eyes. Suddenly, her head snapped in the direction of the woods. "It's too late."

"What's too late?" Carlisle demanded.

There was a long, painful howl from the woods. Next to us, Collin started whimpering. Something was very wrong.

"They're coming," Edward said.

"Who howled?" Leah demanded, marching over. "Was that Seth? What's going on?"

"The fight came to us," Alice said. "I didn't see it, why didn't I see it?"

"What is she talking about?" Leah snapped, growing more upset by the second. "Is my brother okay?"

Collin started to growl then. A woman came out of the woods then. "Carlisle, my supposed friend," she said with a nasty smile. "Planning my demise, I take it?" She laughed.

"What did you do to the wolves in the woods?" Carlisle asked. "They're just kids."

"Old enough to fight, old enough to die, I always said," she replied.

Leah growled and started to run towards Claudia. She didn't get far, stopping so suddenly she slid nearly a foot before landing on her backside. She didn't get up.

"Down girl," Claudia said.

"What did you do to me?" Leah demanded, fighting to sit up.

"I didn't do anything," the vampire said. "But my lieutenant has the power of telekinesis. I think you'll all be finding it pretty hard to move."

I tried to look around at the others but I couldn't. She was holding all of us still as statues. For the first time in a long time I felt actual fear. This was where I die, I thought. Then the anger took over. I would not allow her to kill me like this. My anger bubbled up until I felt myself start to shake. A second later I had phased into wolf form. To my surprise, I was able to move again.

"Fiona," Claudia called.

A small blonde girl rushed out of the woods then, holding her hand up in my direction. My movements were sluggish but at least I wasn't stuck anymore. I started to inch my way towards the vampire.

At that moment, Leah phased. Then Sam and Jake. I kept on the path towards the little blonde, it was a little easier to move now.

"Fiona, stop them!" Claudia ordered.

"I can't!" the other one hissed.

Claudia snapped her fingers and more vampires came out of the trees. I could feel the others phase behind me. Fiona was staring at me, eyes wide with fear as I got even closer to her. The Cullens were still frozen in place. As much as I hated to admit it, we needed them to win this. Claudia's numbers were greater than we originally guessed.

When I was a few feet away Fiona gave up trying to keep me away and attacked. Her power over me was only slightly so. She moved quicker than I did but it was obvious she often relied on her powers to win fights. My jaws locked on her arm, I dragged her to the ground. She screamed, swinging her other arm at me.

With one paw on her chest, I jerked my head upward taking her arm with me. She screamed louder but only for a second. Grabbing a handful of my fur she pulled herself up and locked her own jaws on my shoulder. I yelped in pain but managed to shake her off. It was only a minute later I'd gotten my jaws around her head and took it off.

With her death, the Cullens were able to move freely. All around me were screams of pain but I couldn't focus on anything. Fire was in my blood, burning me from inside out and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I fell to the ground with a howl of pain. Somewhere in the back of my mind came Ryvre's voice: You're an idiot.

Ryvre POV

The day after Christmas was a lonely one for me. I'd felt too anxious to go anywhere. Paul was obviously still hurting from the way I'd treated him Christmas Eve. Holidays were supposed to be happy times, weren't they? Full of love and laughter and gift giving. The only gift I'd given was pain. Even at Emily's I'd been a bitch to Bella and Jake. Now I was too embarrassed to face any of them.

Why couldn't I ever just keep my mouth shut?

And how do you apologize to someone when you meant everything you said? Is that even possible? I didn't think so.

Deciding to swallow my pride I got my phone and dialed Paul's number before I could chicken out. He didn't answer. Probably still mad at me. I mean, I would be mad at me too. I sighed. Texting it is.

Just wanted to say I'm an idiot. You probably already know that. I'm sorry.

Shaking my head, I tried again. I meant sorry about the other night.

Several minutes went by with no response so I typed out one more: I guess you're meeting with the Cullens right now? If you're ignoring me I understand. Call me?

"Ball in your court," I said, looking out the window. Obviously I'd waited too long today. Deciding it was better to just go to sleep I put my phone on the charger and lay down. I never actually fell asleep though, just stared at the wall for I don't even know how long.

The slam of the front door made me jump. I climbed out of bed and listened. More than one set of footsteps were coming up the stairs. I yanked my door open just as Collin and Jared reached the landing. My stomach dropped to my toes. "What happened?"

"Alice was wrong. Wrong about everything," Jared started.

"Cut the bullshit. What happened?"

"Paul got bit."

"Bit? What does the mean?" My head was spinning trying to remember any information about vampire bites.

"Carlisle is giving him blood to fight the venom. He wants to see you," Collin said.

I almost walked out of the house without my shoes. Luckily, Jared stopped me. The rest of the pack members were waiting at Sam's house when we got there. Paul wasn't the only one who was hurt. Quil and Seth were injured too, it seemed. My brother led me to the guest bedroom where Paul was.

His eyes were closed as Carlisle worked to flush the vampire venom from his system. His skin was pale. When I touched his hand I had to fight the urge to jerk my hand back. He was always so warm but now his skin was clammy. Time almost seemed to stand still as I stared at him, clutching his hand tightly.

I reached in my pocket and took out the small bag I'd had there since yesterday. "Sorry I didn't give this to you before," I said quietly. Opening it, I took the bracelet out and put it on Paul's wrist. "Merry Christmas."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry," Sam said, smiling sheepishly. "I called your name but you didn't hear me."

"Sorry," I mumbled, turning away from Paul. "What's up?"

"Emily made some food. She wants you to come eat."

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "She said if you won't come willingly she'll come in here and drag you out by your ear. Let Carlisle do his work. I've seen you eat before, you won't be gone longer than five minutes," he teased.

This made me crack a smile. "Five minutes."

I followed Sam out into the living room and stopped. Someone had left the front door open. Jake and Bella were in the front yard, seemingly locked in a heated argument. The last bit of restraint I had snapped.

Leah was standing near the front door. She noticed my staring and looked out the window. "Ryvre, calm down," she said.

"I am calm," I said flatly. All eyes were on me in that moment. Ignoring Sam's calls for me to stop I marched out the front door. "What is she doing here?" I demanded.

"Ryvre, this is not her fault," Jake said, moving to stand in front of her.

"Are you fucking stupid? Of course, it is, Jake!" I yelled. "If she would stay in Forks with Edward where she belongs none of this would have happened. But no, she can't be happy with just one guy she has to keep you on a hook too. And you let her just string you along, happy for what little scrap of attention she decides to give you. Look where it's gotten you, Jake. She's not your imprint, she's not the one for you so why can't you just let her go? If you would just let her go she wouldn't have come to La Push so much. Those vampires would have never seen her down here. None of us would be in danger and Paul wouldn't be lying in there dying right now." I was seething.

The noise in the yard and the house had come to a halt when I started my tirade. Now it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Bella was staring at the ground, afraid to look at me. Good. She should be afraid. I might actually hit her. Jake actually took a few steps back, away from Bella.

Finally, she looked up. "Ryvre, I'm sorry-"

"Shut up."

"But-"

"I said shut up. I don't want to hear a word you have to say." I glared at her until she took a step back and turned away from me.

"Ryvre," Emily called to me from the door way. "Paul is awake."

As if on cue, a groan of pain could be heard coming from his room. My heart twisted at the sound. I spun around and rushed back through the house.

"I'm here," I said, taking my seat and reaching for his hand.

"The venom is almost out of his system," Carlisle said, shaking a vial of blood in front of him. "Another hour or so and it should be gone."

"Another hour? Are you kidding me?" I snapped, looking down at Paul who was clearly in pain.

"I'm going to give him a sedative to make it a little easier on him."

Paul squeezed my hand, calling my attention to him.

"The pain you're feeling right now is just a fraction of what I'm going to do to you," I said, my voice cracking only a little.

"Looking forward to it," he said with a pained smile.

"You're an idiot."

He let out a choked laugh. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he quipped, his eyes fluttering as the sedative entered his bloodstream.

"That's my line," I said quietly, smiling a little.

Emily appeared at my side then with a full plate of food. She smiled kindly when I took it. "His color is coming back," she observed. Touching a hand to Paul's arm she smiled again. "He's warm too. Whatever you're doing, Carlisle, it's working."

For a vampire, Carlisle suddenly looked very tired. He smiled politely. "Thank you, Emily. I hope this helps make up for the fact we got him in this mess to begin with."

My cheeks immediately started burning. "I'm sorry, I was upset. I meant every word I said but I'm sorry for screaming."

Carlisle winked at me. "Apology accepted. And we will be leaving soon, I want you to know. Edward is going to talk to Bella tonight. As much as I hate to force her she will have to make a choice soon. The Volturi want us to turn her, which Edward is against, of course. She wants it, though and it's her choice. She will have to choose between staying with her father and Jake as a human, or becoming a vampire and leaving with us. She can't have it both ways." He looked at Emily. "I'd like to speak with Sam for a moment."

"I'll go get him," she said, motioning for me to follow. Reluctantly, I let go of Paul's hand and followed her. To my shock, Bella was still here. She was sitting on the couch with Kim. Jared, Jake, Collin and Embry were seated on the floor. A few of the new wolves were also seated around the coffee table. I noticed some new girls here as well and realized I'd been missing a lot.

"Jake, I'm sorry for how I yelled at you outside," I said, surprising everyone within earshot. "I mean, you're still dumb for letting her string you along like that."

He smiled and I knew I was forgiven.

"Ryvre," Bella started. "Jake has been my friend since we were kids. Edward is the love of my life. I'm allowed to have both of them in my life."

"Sure, you are," I agreed. "But you know how Jake feels about you. And you've done nothing but use him. Letting him think he has a shot at winning you but he doesn't. You want to be a vampire and be with Edward. So why are you still here?"

Her face turned red as everyone in the room turned to look at her. "Why are you here?" she shot back. "You didn't even want to be an imprint. You fought it for so long and you moved across the country. All you have ever done is cause pain for Paul. You didn't want to be here before so why are you here now?

"Because I made my choice," I snapped. "And it's time for you to grow up and make yours." With that I turned and went back into the room where Paul was still lying, sedated.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Carlisle said softly when I sat down.

"Thanks." I took Paul's hand again, enjoying how warm he felt. His skin tone was almost back to normal. With a sigh, I leaned forward and laid my head on his arm. All this excitement and drama had sucked the energy right out of me. Forget the fact I didn't sleep last night. I felt like a hot damn mess. Probably looked like one too. My eyes fluttered closed without my permission but they flew open when Paul groaned.

Slowly, his eyes opened and he blinked several times. He smiled when he saw me. "You, again."

I laughed once. "Yeah. Me, again." Without thinking, I leaned up and kissed him softly.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked when I pulled away.

"I made my choice," I said matter of factly. "I choose you." The smile I got in return was enough to make my heart flutter. And all that damn guilt returned. "I'm sorry for how I acted Christmas Eve. I know you would have been there if you could. I just felt so stupid."

"Why did you feel stupid?" he asked, squeezing my hand gently.

"I spent the whole night staring at the door, waiting for you to walk through it," I admitted honestly. "All I wanted was to dance with you and maybe kiss you under the mistletoe." I looked at my feet as my cheeks turned red. "Then you didn't come and I was upset. For some reason I felt embarrassed. So I lashed out like I always do."

His hand touched my face, causing me to look up. "It's okay," he said.

"It's not," I replied. "I have a problem controlling my temper. Not as bad as you," I teased with a grin. "At least I don't sprout fur." I paused for a second. "But I do spit venom, worse than a vampire. Sometimes I wonder if I'm going to snap on someone and they'll never speak to me again. Or deck me in the mouth."

Paul shook his head. "What's this?" he asked, noticing the bracelet for the first time.

My cheeks heated up again. "Your Christmas present from me." It was just a simple brown leather bracelet.

"It's nice," he said, admiring it.

I reached over and undid the clasp then held it up for him to see the inside.

"'Every day.'" he read. "'O4/12/06' What's that?"

"The day we met. I know I kinda suck," I said with a shrug. "It's a promise that I'll everyday I'll try to be better."

"So what's with the date?" he insisted. "If I remember correctly we didn't exactly get along. I mean, most people would have put the date that the relationship became official, but I don't think we're even in a relationship?" He was teasing me now.

"I've always been yours," I said quietly. "It just took me this long to realize it."

Paul didn't reply. He took the bracelet and put it back around his wrist. "It's the best gift I've ever gotten," he said honestly.

"You'd better not break it," I said seriously. "I know how you guys like to phase and rip your clothes to shreds."

"I'll take good care of it," he promised laughing.

"You'd better."

He reached up to cup my cheek, gently pulling me towards him for a kiss. I happily obliged him.