a/n-- Heya, sorry it took so long to get this up, had some technical difficulties. Sorry for this chapter being so huge too, but Im giving you guys a glimpse of my other story which I really hope you guys go and read. Its called The Red. Its good I swear! Thanks every who reviewed for me, it means alot. and finally thanks to Mediate89 for betaing this for me. :D

Disclaimer-- I dont own twilight or any characters except for Sarah ((real sarah, sorry but i own you now haha j/k))

Chapter 36 - Big Trouble, Mister

It had been a week since I'd went to the small store looking for deer skins and beads. I was actually looking forward to going back. I could see a possible friendship in the making if things worked out just right.

Sam was at work for the day until seven. He had a lot to catch up on from taking an extra day off to meet with the elders for a few things. I'd dropped him off and kept his truck so I could head over to the store around three when I figured the small reservation school would be out for the day.

It had been a long week also. Jacob was still begging to see his friend Bella. Sam wasn't even close to budging on the subject though. The girl apparently had a vampire beloved. I couldn't help but not like her for that. Even if I hadn't met her, I was still feeling a small amount of dislike for Bella. From everything I'd listened in on from the pack discussions and from what Sam told me, the girl had a habit of leading Jacob on. He wanted her as more than a friend and no one but Jacob thought that it would ever happen. Embry described her as being pretty but not in a superficial way. Jacob said she was beautiful. I rolled my eyes to myself as I finished getting dressed to go.

Paul was showing no signs on warming up to Sarah since the talk we'd had with him last week. I'd started sewing on the yellow baby clothes again. When the time came, I'd give them to Paul.

I grabbed the keys and headed out, getting in the truck and heading toward the small store. The bonfire was coming up on Wednesday night; it was to introduce Jacob to the legends officially. But if Sarah was carrying Paul's child and Paul came around to her, she'd need to know the stories anyway. Sam had given me permission to invite her last week so there were no restrictions holding us back from carrying on as usual this week.

I roared past the garage and honked the horn, waving when I saw Sam standing around outside. We were putting every penny back we could to pay for the wedding of my dreams. I didn't want Helen or my parents to help with it. Neither of them really wanted this union as much as we did. Sam still had to go formally ask permission from my parents when we told them. I hadn't had much communication with my family since before the accident. The only one I talked to that was a relative was my Uncle Harry. I was worried about his health. He complained of not feeling well often.

He'd had a heart problem for a few months now, but it seemed to be taking its toll on him lately. The stress of everything was starting to bear down on him. I only hoped it wouldn't get to the point of being too bad to fix.

I swung into the parking lot, noticing happily that it was empty. I hopped out quickly and went inside. The door jingled when I opened it. I smiled when I saw Sarah sitting down on a stool behind the counter, looking tired. She had her hair pulled up messily and was pale.

"Hey, Sarah," I greeted her. She smiled in return, bringing some color to her cheeks as she got up slowly from her perch.

"Hey, Emily," she said in her quiet voice. She came out from behind the counter, stuffing her hands into the apron pockets. "I asked Mrs. Thail about the dress and stuff and wrote it down for you," she explained as she led me to the back.

She flipped through the skins and pulled out a soft-looking one. "This one is what you need, actually."

I ran my fingers over it. "I like it. It feels like touching a mink," I laughed.

Sarah laughed with me. "It does, doesn't it?" she touched it again. "I've got the bead patterns too up front." I nodded and took the skin from her; it was cut into one large piece so I could cut it out to what I wanted it to be.

"Good. I should probably get started on everything soon," I told her as I followed her. Sarah went back up to the counter and rummaged around before pulling out a blue binder and flipping through it.

"Who did you say you're marrying again?" She asked.

I coughed, trying to buy some time. As soon as I told her, the gig might be up. "Uh, well you probably don't know him. He's a bit older than me. He doesn't have a lot of friends, either..." I trailed off trying to stall.

Sarah grinned up at me. "Go on and tell me. I know you have to be about to burst and share it with the world."

I laughed at that. "You're right, I am." I picked up a tape spot on the counter to preoccupy myself.

"Well?" Sarah prodded me again.

I glanced up at her. "His names Sam. Sam Uley." I watched for the reaction I knew was coming. People here either loved Sam or hated him and thought he was abducting the youth and making them join his crazy little cult.

Sarah seemed to go paler under her already fair skin. She looked at me with wide eyes. "The same Sam Uley that's on the council?" She asked slowly.

I nodded, keeping the smile on my face. "That's the same one alright. He proposed only about two weeks ago, but we've been kind of talking about it for a while."

Sarah sat down onto the stool, probably to steady herself. "Oh. I don't really know him that well. My dad knows him kind of. He seems like an okay guy. He's not bad looking, that's for sure."

I laughed at her comment; Sam was far from bad looking. "He is a great guy, honestly. You should get to know us a bit better sometime soon; I don't have many friends here. I'm from Makah so apart from a few cousins and Sam's few friends who are all guys, I hardly know anyone my age here."

Sarah smiled -genuinely smiled- at me. "I don't have too many, either. My dad's kind of picky about who I hang out with. I'm sure it'll be fine to hang out with you though. He thinks a lot of Sam, apparently- a lot of people here do. And since you're his… fiancé, that proves you're not some wild child trying to lure me into a life of crime."

This was turning out better than I'd thought it would. I thought she'd run when I mentioned Sam. "Well, there's a bonfire on Wednesday. You should come to it. We'll both be there, along with Sam's pa- I mean friends."

She chewed down on her lip. "I don't know. I don't think I'll like his friends too much. Some of them are kind of… different."

I shrugged as I leaned down and looked at the picture she was showing to me in the book. "They're all nice guys deep down."

Sarah snorted at that and flipped another page. "Paul Kimkirk is not a nice guy no matter how deep his soul is." She grabbed another binder. "He's a jerk. I can't stand him and I know he hangs out a lot with Sam. I've seen them around town together before."

I focused on the drawings. "You don't have to hang out around him. There'll be a lot of us there."

She sighed. "I don't know. I don't know if I can stand to be around him for that long."

I caught her eyes then. "I'll stay with you the whole time, I promise. So will Sam. He wont let any of them do anything rude to upset you."

Sarah faltered a moment before finally giving in. "Fine. But I'm holding you to it. I haven't been anywhere in a while."

I grinned widely, ecstatic I'd gotten her to agree to go. My plans were all falling into place now. "Do you need a ride over or do you want me to pick you up here after work?"

She shook her head, unable to stop herself from smiling now. "Here after work at six if that's okay."

I scribbled down my number on a piece of paper. "This is my house, just call if anything changes. You have no idea how happy I am to have someone to talk to now."

Sarah folded up the paper and put it in her pocket. "I think I know what you mean."

I stayed there a while longer, making small talk and purchasing a few more things I'd need to get started with before heading home. I'd been in the store for two hours already.

I headed back home, feeling lighter and like I'd accomplished something for the day. I pulled up still happy as I got out with my bags. I opened to the door and found Sam already home and asleep in the recliner with his mouth hanging open. I laughed to myself as I went into the kitchen. Jake was sitting at the table, dipping cookies into a huge glass of milk. "Hey, Em," he greeted me.

I grabbed the pack of cookies from him. "You're going to ruin your dinner," I chastised him.

He grinned lazily at me. "I think I could eat the cookies and two plates of whatever you cook."

I tossed the cookies into the cupboard and grabbed what I needed to start dinner. "How long's Sam been home?" I asked him as I rinsed off the pieces of meat.

Jake shrugged. "An hour or two. He said he had a meeting with the council today, that they came and got him from work to talk to some man."

I frowned, wondering what had happened. "So how was school?"

Jacob shrugged again. "It was okay. I thought about maybe calling Bella. I mean, Sam didn't say I couldn't call her, did he?"

I shook my head at him. "Jacob, you know he meant no contact whatsoever. I mean, you can't even talk to Quil really, and he'll be just like the rest of you one day."

"Maybe he will be. I hope not."

I stirred the rice I'd put into the pot. "So what do you know about Sarah?"

"I know that she's not looking so good now days," Jake said slowly, not sure if he should talk to me about it or not.

"Well, I know all of that stuff… with Paul, obviously. I meant, what are the basics on her?"

Jacob thought a moment. "Hmm, I guess she's pretty nice. She's easy going. She dresses up a lot more than we do. She doesn't have of friends, though. Her parents are kind of strict with her. She doesn't go out a lot. And she's had a crush on Paul for a long time."

I was hovering around the stove lost in thought, stirring its contents around when I felt a pair of arms slide around my waist. "Hey. Beautiful." Sam whispered in my ear, his hot breath tickling my neck.

I smiled slowly. "You're home earlier than I thought you would be." He kept his arms around me as I leaned back into him, oblivious of Jacob still sitting at the table.

"I know. I had to take care of a few things is all. Nothing big." His voice was still low, like he didn't want any intrusion on our conversation. I tilted my head over when he pressed his mouth against my neck. Behind us, Jake let out a groan.

"Stop it… please."

I just smiled as Sam repeated the action. "You don't have to look," he told Jacob breezily.

"Its hard not to. You two aren't exactly trying to hide anything."

Sam blew into my ear for a moment, making me shiver. "It's our house. Besides, you can either see it in person or see it later tonight when I phase."

I turned my head up and kissed him quickly before I disentangled myself from his warm arms. "I guess we can stop torturing him for a few minutes. Dinner's ready."

Jacob let out a sign of relief as he got up. "Good thing, too. I'm hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in days." He grabbed a plate and scooped heaps of chicken and rice onto it.

"Don't forget to get Billy a plate too before you go," I reminded him. I worried about the two of them living alone. They'd been doing it for years, but I still felt like they couldn't possibly be eating properly.

I fixed Sam's and shoved him down in a chair before sitting down close beside him. "So where is everyone?" I asked. We were missing three guests.

Sam swallowed a mouthful. "Embry's at home, his mom wants him to start coming home after school. Paul's out on patrol and Jared's asleep to take over when Paul quits."

I nodded; their patrols had been pretty easy lately. "Just one moocher tonight, huh?" I teased Jacob. He grinned at me impishly.

"But you like my mooching; otherwise you'd just have Sam."

Sam rolled his eyes and took a gulp of his coke. "There's never just Sam and Emily in this house." I elbowed him in the ribs.

"We don't mind, though."

Sam shrugged. "Not most of the time. As long as everyone has pants on." We all had to chuckle at that.

Jacob cleared his throat. "So I was wondering if I could talk to Bella. Like, just a phone call?" He asked Sam timidly.

Immediately Sam shook his head. "No, Jake. I don't trust her right now. She's got a bloodsucker for a boyfriend."

Jacob sighed. "He's not her boyfriend anymore, though." He twirled the ice in the glass around and around looking at it. "I guess I kind of was hoping I was."

Sam made a choking sound for a moment. "Not you, too. No, no and no. None of you seem to understand this."

Jacob's big brown eyes looked sad now. "I'm worried about her, though. She'll get sick again, Sam."

He still shook his head 'no' another time. "No, Jacob and I mean it."

I stayed silent throughout the exchange; I usually didn't get involved in the pack conversations unless I was asked to voice an opinion by Sam.

We finished eating in silence as the rain started to fall in heavy sheets. Jacob moved around fixing Billy a plate for dinner. "Come on, I'll give you a ride," Sam told him, grabbing his keys off the counter.

Jacob waved bye to me and followed Sam out. Poor Jacob, I thought to myself as I started putting away the leftovers. He would do anything to talk to Bella right now. He seemed drawn and attached to her, even though he hadn't imprinted on her yet.

I threw the dishes in the sink and decided I'd do them later. All I felt like doing was going upstairs for mine and Sam's usual night of lying in bed watching Tv for senseless hours together. It was our down time. I went up and changed into my pajamas. It was only seven in the evening but the rain was making it feel later. I popped a movie into the VCR and snuggled down into the sheets, breathing in Sam's scent. No matter how much body spray or fabric softener I used, our sheets always smelled exactly like him after he laid down in them.

I rested my head onto the stack of pillows and watched in a peaceful silence as the previews came on. The movie started just when Sam sauntered into the room. "You went to bed without me," he accused.

I smiled at him innocently. "I'm just tired is all; I had a long day of bugging poor innocent store clerks."

He gave me a look as he kicked his shoes off and pulled his shirt off next. "I've gotta get a shower before I lay down, okay?" He grabbed the first pair of sweats he could find and tossed them on the bed before taking off into the bathroom. I heard the shower come on and paused the movie and waited for him to come back. I shut my eyes, thinking back on different things. I felt bad for Jacob. He was truly worried about Bella. He cared so much for her. He cared so much he didn't realize he might hurt her. I knew Sam didn't believe in taking chances with others' safety. I wished he would relent and let him make just one phone call, though.

I opened my eyes up and watched Sam as he dried himself off, sliding the towel off from his waist. I glanced at him for a moment. My eyes traveled up and down before I looked away again and hit play on the Tv. He slid into bed beside me, moving as close as he could get.

"27 Dresses, huh?" He asked with a laugh in his voice.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I might as well watch it. I bought the stuff to start on my dress today."

He tugged on me so that I was lying across his chest. "Hmm. You never said when you wanted to get married, though."

I thought on that for a minute. "I don't know. I don't know when we'd get the chance to go away for more than a day."

Sam brushed his fingers back and forth on my arm. "I mean, I don't want your plans totally revolving around the pack."

I'd already thought of that. Honestly, there was no way around it. "It's okay. I don't mind. It gives me time to plan," I reassured him.

Sam's chest moved up and down as he took in deep breaths, we inhaled and exhaled at the same exact moments. Our hearts even seemed to be beating the same rhythm. "Yeah but, you still shouldn't have to do everything my way. It's your big day."

I moved my head over and kissed his bare chest. His skin had a satiny look to it. "I'm going to do things your way, though. Quileute. I want a water ceremony. And I want to be married here on this land. We'll have to rent the center. And I want everything done traditionally. No white dress and no church."

Sam's breathing was slowing slightly. "Whatever you want, honey. It's yours. I guess its kind of fitting though. I'm the chief, remember?" He teased with a laugh.

"Sarah helped me get a lot of stuff together today, actually. I invited her to the bonfire on Wednesday. I told her we'd pick her up from work and she could go with us."

Sam didn't say anything at first. "That's fine with me. She could probably use a friend."

I closed my eyes; his heat was keeping me warm. It was starting to get colder outside. "I think she can. I know she said she thought she was pregnant to Paul but I think she definitely is. She looks terrible and she started not to come in case she ran into him at the bonfire. I told her we would stay with her the entire time and that Paul would be nice."

"He will be nice or he will face the consequences."

I turned over so that my cheek rested on him and put an arm across his body. "I hope it all works out."

________________________________________________________________________________________

It was Wednesday evening. I was rushing around, packing the dozens of packs of hot dogs and buns in the back of the truck. Sam was carrying the ice chest with the drinks and put it in the back. Billy and Jacob were bringing everything else. I mentally double checked to make sure I hadn't forgot anything before I got into the truck and shut the door. First Beach was only a short way from where we lived, but it was too much to have to carry over. We drove a couple minutes before Sam expertly backed in close to where the bonfire would be set up. There were logs set around the well dug out fire hole. Paul and Jared were already there dragging pieces of wood to burn. Embry would show up later once it was completely dark outside.

I started getting the bags out, putting everything onto the small fold up table we'd brought with us. I was trying to hurry so we wouldn't be late getting Sarah. I didn't have much to do now that I got everything out. I looked at Sam; the other elders hadn't arrived yet. We were waiting on a few more people.

"Ready?" I asked him.

Jared looked at us. "Did you guys forget something?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, we just gotta go pick up a friend of mine I invited."

They all looked at me funny and then at Sam. Sam wouldn't allow just anyone to come and sit in on the stories.

"Come on," he said opening up the door to the truck and getting into the drivers side. I bounced excitedly in the truck making Sam shake his head and smile at me. "You're entirely too excited," he commented as we neared the store.

"Of course I am. A real live friend is coming to hang out with me tonight. And better yet, she's having a baby," I told him smiling.

Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm wondering which one you're trying to get- a friend or a potential baby."

I shrugged; I hadn't given much thought to that. "Either."

He came to a stop in front of the store and put the truck in park. "Here she comes," I told him as I saw Sarah coming out of the store. She had on dark blue jeans and a fluffy looking sweater with a jacket and a scarf over that. It wasn't even that cold outside. Her blonde hair was in ringlets today. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd dressed up because she knew that Paul would be there. I waved to her as I opened up the door and let her in. "I'm proud. You didn't even chicken out on me," I teased her as I scooted over to make room for her in the front on the truck. I moved closer to Sam, who was just kind of staring before he realized what he was doing.

"This is Sam. Sam, this is Sarah," I introduced them as Sam got back out of the small road slowly. He grinned lopsided at her as he went towards the beach.

"Nice to meet you," he told her kindly.

Sarah looked at him a moment before smiling shyly. "I started to call and say I didn't feel good. I'm so nervous even though it's just a bonfire."

I patted her shoulder. "You'll be fine. I'm glad you didn't change your mind though, we'll be the only two girls there."

Sarah laughed, starting to feel a little more at ease. "The only two girls with a group of guys? That doesn't sound so bad."

Sam rolled his eyes as we pulled up. "The only important one is in the truck with you two, though." He winked at me as I popped him "You never know, I might leave you for Embry one day."

Sarah giggled. "I didn't know Embry would be here, I know him from school. He's actually really nice." Her face faltered a moment. "Who else is here?" She asked, glancing out of the fogged up window the best she could.

"Just a few of the boys I work with, and the council of course. You probably know Jake and Jared." He purposely left out Paul's name. Sam gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Besides, I promised your dad you'd be in good hands."

We both looked at Sam in awe. Neither of us knew Sam was talking to Sarah's dad.

"He talked to you about me hanging out?" Sarah asked in horror.

Sam shrugged it off easily. "Yeah. He just wanted to see if it was something he'd want you at. To make sure I'd keep an eye on you. The usual."

I shook my head, this was totally backwards. My new friend's father was asking my fiancé for crying out loud, to baby sit his daughter while we hung out.

"Come on you two, let's get out," he prodded us. Sarah reached over and opened the door and hopped out, waiting for me. I climbed down the truck and pulled a hoodie on over my light sweater.

"I'll introduce you to everybody," I told her as I grabbed her hand and led her over to the roaring fire. The pack called out greetings to us as we approached.

When they realized who I had with me, surprise registered on Jacob's face. He glanced behind to the woods. "Hey, Sarah," he said with a kind smile.

I sat down at the front of the fire next to Sam's spot. Sarah seemed relived not to see Paul. I knew he was somewhere close by though, or Jared wouldn't look so nervous. I passed her a coke. "So, Sarah, you know all these guys, right?" I asked her.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, I have at least one class with everyone, I think."

Jared nodded. "Biology," he said, thinking a moment on it. "I never really noticed you before, though."

Sarah grinned, color rising to her face. "That's not what a girl wants to hear," she joked.

Jared laughed. "So what did you think about that project due in on Monday?" He asked her. I listened as they chatted easy, thankful the pack was accepting her. Well, most of the pack. Sam sat down heavily beside me now, entwining our fingers together.

"Paul's coming," he whispered into my ear.

I kissed his cheek quickly. "Thanks for the warning. Just keep him in check," I whispered back.

"Hey, guys why don't we start getting food?" I asked the pack loudly. It didn't take much convincing to get them up from the fire. I stood up and looked down at Sarah. "I'll bring you one," I told her, grabbing Sam's hand and tugging on it. My plan worked out great. As soon as we all crowded around the small table I'd put everything on, Paul had emerged from the woods and three steps from the fire.

Paul's POV -

What in the hell was she doing here? I thought angrily to myself as I got closer. It was like I couldn't get rid of the girl or something. I set my face into a grimace as I sat down as far away from her as I could get. I purposely didn't look at her as I felt the blue eyes on my face.

I ignored the greetings from my brothers, except for Sam's. I only nodded once to him, to show him that I acknowledged it. I watched as Emily sat down beside Sarah and passed her a plate. Sam was getting his own. I felt the heat rushing through me as I sat here, trying to control myself. How dare she. I couldn't believe Emily had brought her here, much less that Sam had allowed it. Emily was even more desperate for a baby than I thought she was.

I stayed still. I was hungry but I didn't exactly trust myself to get up right now. I tried not to listen as the two girls whispered and laughed with each other. Sam was staying expressionless, not wanting to take sides with his imprint or his brother. I knew who he'd pick. It wouldn't be me.

I waited until Billy Black cleared his throat and started to tell the same stories I'd heard over and over before getting up to get a plate. Sarah was hanging onto every word, enticed with the magic of it all. She gasped and jumped at the right parts, almost making me smile. Almost. I watched the group from the back, I let my eyes drift onto her now. She couldn't tell if I was looking from here.

It wasn't that I didn't like her; I did like her a little bit. Sarah was pretty; very pretty. Her personality was easygoing and she was honestly a fun person to be around- I just didn't want to be around her. I knew she'd had a crush on me for a while, that's why I chose her. I knew she'd be easy to get into bed. She hung onto my every word, dazzled by me when I smiled and kissed her. Then she ruined it by telling me that she loved me.

I didn't love her and I didn't want to risk learning to love her. I wanted nothing else to do with her. I got what I wanted- Sarah, and she should have left me alone like the others did. She was being all clingy and stuff. I didn't like that. I'd much rather be left alone except for the occasional hook up.

I heard her melodic laugh and felt my stomach flip before I shook it off. I let my eyes drift down to her baggy sweater and jacket complete with scarf ensemble. I stopped at her stomach, frowning. She'd told me she might be pregnant but had never confirmed it. There were too many hearts here for me to be able to tell right now. I didn't want a baby, either. I wouldn't be a good dad. I didn't have a paternal bone in my body.

I didn't even have a good home life of my own. My dad had quit hitting us. That didn't mean he was nice, though. Most days he just griped at us kids. It made things easier though, now that the council had talked to him. Sam never told me what had happened; I only know that my dad cowered from him now.

Besides, I wasn't good for Sarah. Even if I loved her, I could leave her at one glance if I imprinted. I didn't much like the idea of imprinting either, though. I didn't want someone to have ties on me like Emily did on Sam. I'd seen in his head too many times the effect she had on him. Emily could grow three heads and Sam would still look at her like a lovesick fool. It was disgusting.

The stories ended and everyone started moving around, talking and laughing now. Emily glanced my way, smiling slightly. I gave her a dirty look. Emily flinched and grabbed Sam's hand as if to say, I dare you. Sam kissed her cheek softly before turning back to Billy, in deep conversation with him. Sarah got up from the log she was sitting on and to my horror, looked to be walking toward me.

I stood my ground as she stopped at the cooler two feet away from me and got a Sprite out of it. She hesitated a moment before she looked at me. "Paul?" She said softly. Her voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I looked away from her. "What?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip and looked like she wanted to cry before she spoke. "Can we… talk?"

I rolled my eyes. "Talk, huh?" I didn't want to talk to her. I wouldn't mind doing something more than that, though…

She glanced around; she probably didn't want anyone to see us talking. "Yeah. Please, Paul. I really want to talk to you," she begged. I'll admit, it felt nice to have someone begging for your attention.

I shrugged and grabbed the beer I'd been drinking from; I'd had to sneak it from Sam's box. "Come on then before I change my mind." I walked off down the beach, not waiting for her to catch up.

Sarah trailed after me, pulling her jacket closer as she tried to keep up. She didn't say anything until we were a safe distance from the group. "I don't know why you're treating me like this," she finally said. "I didn't do anything wrong."

You said you loved me, that was wrong, I thought to myself snidely. I still didn't say anything to her, just kept walking as the waves crashed against the rocks. Sarah grabbed my hand and pulled on it. "Stop walking and look at me," she said, her voice shaky.

I stopped and turned around and fixed her with a death glare. "What do you want from me?" I snapped at her, making her jump. She was still scared of me, I could tell.

"I just don't understand, Paul. I mean, we were... seeing each other… then you quit coming, you started to ignore me. Then when I tried to talk to you at school you… you yelled at me."

I didn't answer her, I just stared her with the same glare. Sarah faltered a moment, losing some of her confidence before going on. "You didn't even act like you knew who I was tonight."

I sighed. "I just want to forget about what happened, okay?

Sarah let a single tear slide down her cheek as she trembled. "I'm pregnant," she whispered.

I froze. So she really was pregnant for sure. I knew she wouldn't lie about it. Sarah wasn't the type to play games. I'd already tried to make it clear to her that I didn't want the baby when she'd told me she thought she was pregnant to start off with. Why was she telling me this?

More tears were falling from her blue eyes now, falling over onto the cheeks. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

I started walking again, angry. Angry at myself. Angry at her. Angry at everything.

"No," I replied.

She trailed after me, her scarf flying in the wind. "But it's your baby," she said tearfully. I didn't care whose baby it was as long as it stayed away from me. Far away.

"And?" I snapped, wishing she'd turn around and go back.

Sarah moved to grab my hand again and as she touched it I whirled around and gave her a small shove away. Or what I thought was a small shove. Sarah fell backwards into the sand as I pushed her. She didn't move to get up. She just sat there sobbing.

"Don't touch me again," I growled. "And don't talk to me either. I don't care if you're pregnant. It doesn't change anything between us. I still don't want you." I took off again, going faster, I was sure she wouldn't be able to catch up now. I could feel my inner wolf starting to take over as I fled from her. I didn't even care if she was still laying there crying.

I felt the spasm in my back as I phased, taking off into the woods on all fours, leaving my clothes in shreds behind me. I needed to get away from her. Far away from her. Seeing Sarah was bad. It was a bad reminder of things I wanted to forget. I didn't want to think about how I'd lost control with her. I'd growled at her in a not so loving way. I'd been way too rough with her when we'd had sex. I'd almost phased when things got too intense between us. But she still followed me around. I knew I was definitely good looking. But other than that, I didn't see the cause for infatuation. I was an ass. I'm rude. I'm mean for no good reason to innocent people. Yet this girl still claimed to love me.

----Emily's POV----

I paced around the fire. It had been twenty minutes and Paul and Sarah still hadn't come back. I heard a howl rise through the trees and froze. I looked up at Sam. "That's Paul, isn't it?" I asked worriedly. My thoughts ran wild, what if Paul had phased in front of her and hurt her? Or what if she had watched him phase and didn't get hurt and was still terrified? Worse, what had happened that made him phase?

Sam looked off into the darkness. "Come on," he said, grabbing my hand and taking me in the direction they had walked in. "I shouldn't have let her walk off with him like this," He said regretfully. We followed the footprints in the sand as best we could in the dark. I saw a lump near the water.

"There she is!" I exclaimed. I couldn't tell from here if she was hurt or not though. I ran hurriedly, letting go of Sam's hand. "Sarah?!" I called out.

I dropped to my knees beside her, putting a hand on her back as she sobbed. "What happened?" I asked her carefully. I rubbed her back. There wasn't any blood. Paul must not have physically hurt her.

Sarah's chest heaved a moment, trying to catch her breath. "P-P-P-aul… he yelled at me, and then he shoved me back and I fell," she managed to get out. Sobs overtook her again. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer.

"Sam?" I yelled angrily. In a flash Sam was at my side. "Paul shoved her down and left her out here alone," I told him. Sam's eyes flashed. He knew all too well what the dark held. Even worse than that, he knew how hard she must have fallen after Paul had shoved her back in anger. I held her close as she cried. Sam gave me a dark look as he tossed his shirt onto the ground beside me.

"I'll be back," Sam said, obviously mad. He took off into the woods, quivering as he ran. A moment later I heard a series of howls erupt.

"Sarah, are you okay? Did he hurt you when he pushed you down?" I asked her, touching her lightly. I was scarcely two years older than her, but I felt like her mother as I comforted her.

She sniffled, resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm not okay," she whispered. It was taking all of my self control not to tell her that I already knew everything. I knew what had made Paul mad.

"What's wrong?"

Sarah reached up and wiped her cheeks and under her eyes. "This is so embarrassing," she said with a sigh. "I should have told you before I came. I was scared you'd tell Paul I was coming, though if you knew. And you seem like such a good person, and I want to be your friend so bad." She stopped and took a breath, readying herself. "I've been kind of... seeing Paul. Well, I was seeing him. We had a fight and he quit talking to me. I thought tonight would be the perfect time to finally corner him and make him talk to me."

I nodded, still rubbing her back. "I figured you two knew each other." That wasn't a lie.

Sarah sniffled some more, not saying anything for a few minutes. "I'm pregnant."

I felt relieved that she'd finally told me herself. "Are you sure? Have you gone to a doctor?" I asked her.

Sarah shook her head. "I can't go to the doctor. They'll tell my mom. I took a test at home." She looked like she was about to cry again.

I hugged her. "What will they say?"

She shook her head quickly. "No! I can't tell them. They'll kill me. They told me to keep away from Paul. My dad said he was bad news. They don't like him at all."

I thought on it a moment. Her situation was difficult. She really didn't have anyone right now. "You should tell them, Sarah. You can't do this by yourself."

Sarah blinked as new tears fell. "I can't tell them, Emily. You don't understand." She really did seem scared to tell them. "My mom will be so mad at me."

I patted her on the back. "It won't be that bad, I promise it won't be. You have to go to the doctor at some point, Sarah; you can't not go."I knew too well what not going to the doctor could get you.

"I don't want to. Especially since Paul won't talk to me. He won't even listen to anything I say. He just gets mad and yells at me. I'm scared of him, too," She said softly. "He gets so mad at me; I don't know what to do. He told me he doesn't want me or the baby. He said he doesn't care if I'm pregnant." She sounded so in pain when she spoke of Paul. She might actually love him, I realized.

"You don't need him. Paul's just… difficult," I told her. She was better off without him. Paul didn't want to help her. All he did was cause her more problems. "He shouldn't have shoved you like that, knowing you were pregnant. He could have really hurt you."

She nodded. "He doesn't care if he hurts me. He's already proved that." She was calming down now. "When we were… when we were kissing he snapped or something and he grabbed my wrists and pushed me against the wall. It was like… he wasn't Paul anymore or something, like he didn't know he was hurting me."

My blood boiled when she told me he'd grabbed her like that. Who did he think he was?

Sarah leaned onto me talking softly. "He got mad because some guy in my math class was talking to me. I don't understand him. He doesn't want me but he doesn't want me to be with anyone else, either."

I listened to her talk, wanting to kill Paul with my own hands now. "Is he always mean to you like that? Physically?"

She shook her head. "No, not all the time. Just when he gets mad. He has a bad temper. He was usually calm, though when we were together. He was sneaking into my room at night to see me. I wasn't allowed to go out with him."

So Paul was a window watcher. That explained the way he would disappear on his night shifts at odd hours. He was going to Sarah's house, phasing and then spending time with her for a few hours before phasing back before Sam got up.

"You mean Paul was sneaking in through your window?" I asked her.

She laughed quietly. "I know, it must sound so stupid to you. I mean, you live with Sam and everything."

I smiled slightly. "Its okay. I actually used to sneak out to see him, too. My parents don't like Sam very much. That's how I ended up living with him."

Sarah lifted her head up, looking at me for a moment. "Really?"

I nodded, smiling still. "It's a long story. They didn't want me to see Sam. They tried to say all kinds of things about him, I couldn't take it. I needed him, so I left. I've been here with him ever since."

She smiled back. "Sounds like a good love story to me."

I laughed. "If that's what you want to call it." I looked into the trees. "Seriously though, Sarah, I really wish you would tell someone what's going on. I'll help you as much as I can, but you should go to the doctor."

Sarah sighed as she stood up slowly from the sand, shaking it off. "I will... eventually. I just want Paul to talk to me, though. Maybe he could learn to like me."

She had to be crazy to still want Paul after the way he'd treated her. "I think maybe Sam can get Paul to come around. I'll talk to him too. I have a way with him," I said with a smile.

Sarah helped me up as I stood. "So you guys are all pretty good friends?"

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, really close. We've all been through a lot together. I guess me and Sam are the head of the group." I smiled wryly at that. We were definitely the head of the group. Literally. "I have a soft spot for Paul. He's always been the one that seemed to need an authority figure to show they cared about him. It might as well be me."

Sarah laughed as we started walking the length of the beach. "Where did Sam go?"

I nodded toward the woods. "To find Paul. Paul listens to what he says."

Two figures were emerging from the woods now. Sam was walking quickly, Paul was trailing behind him. They came into view. "Let's go sit at the fire," was all Sam said as he led Paul. Paul looked like he was being weighed down by something as he followed Sam like a good little soldier. He must have had to order him to come back with him.

I nudged Sarah and we trailed after the two boys. She glanced at me nervously as we sat down. I sat beside Sam, Sarah across from us. Paul was sitting on the other side of her. "What the hell happened?" Sam said bluntly.

Paul gave him a look. "You already know."

Sam shot him a look right back. "I know your side."

Sarah cleared her throat softly. "It was nothing."

It hit me then. Sarah would do anything, even lie to keep Paul out of trouble.

Sam looked at her. "I think it was something."

I put my hand on his knee. "Sam…"

He shook his head. "No. Paul had no business shoving you down, Sarah. Or grabbing you the way he has before. Don't protect him."

Sarah seemed to tremble under Sam's voice. "No, it was my fault. I made him mad. I keep bothering him with stupid stuff."

I glanced at her. I couldn't help her now if I wanted to. Sam was in charge and I didn't speak during times like these unless Sam spoke to me first. As old fashioned as it seemed, I knew my place wasn't to speak up when I was at his side.

"You're pregnant, Sarah and Paul's got a baby on the way. I think its time he learns responsibility for his own actions."

Paul hung his head low as Sam addressed him next. "Paul, I don't want you to lay another finger on her again. I don't care if you don't want the baby, I don't care if you have anger problems, you will control yourself."

"Yes, Sam," he replied obediently. I let my eyes drift to him; he looked up meeting them for a moment before looking away.

"I'm sure she wasn't with anyone else, either. You put a stop to that early on," Sam told Paul, looking at him with hard eyes.

Sarah's eyes were downcast now, looking into the flames.

Paul glared at Sam. "That's none of your business." He threw Sarah a look of loathing. "It probably didn't stop anything."

Sarah cringed at Paul's words. "I didn't see anyone but you, you know that," she said tearfully "You were the only one."

"And how in the hell do I know that?" Paul snapped at her, making her jump.

Sarah lifted her eyes to look at him. "Because I love you," she whimpered as she sniffled as a few tears escaped.

Paul laughed loudly at her. I glared at him. His disregard for Sarah was almost sickening, like he enjoyed seeing her hurt. I looked up at Sam; anger was starting to build in him, I could tell. "Calm down," I whispered to him. He nodded, taking a deep breath. It took a lot to make Sam mad and Paul was pushing it with him.

Sam looked at Paul again, making Paul halt his laughing. "Paul, you need to be civil to Sarah until you at least find out for certain that this is your baby. You can't be mean to her anymore. You're pushing a fine line of cruelty."

Paul's face turned red. "I don't want to be nice to her; I want her to leave me alone. I want to go on like nothing happened."

Sam shook his head at Paul with a look of distaste. "It's not that easy. This is something you'll have to learn to live with. I'm not saying you have to date her or pretend you're in love with her, I'm just saying that you have to be nice."

Sarah seemed relieved by Sam's help. I gave her a small smile as I stayed silent, ready to agree with whatever Sam said. It was just the way things were.

"How far along are you?" Sam asked Sarah slowly.

She shrugged. "I think six weeks, maybe. I haven't gone to a doctor." She fidgeted with her sweater.

Sam nodded and then looked at me before speaking. "I take it your parents don't know yet?"

Sarah shook her head quickly. "No, I can't tell them."

Sam sighed, rubbing the top of his head. "I could talk to them for you. I get along with your dad pretty well. It might come better from me thnn someone else."

Paul didn't look too happy about that. "Are you going to tell them she's pregnant or that she's pregnant and it's mine?"

Sam laughed harshly at that. "Are you worried?"

Sarah was looking at Paul. "Can't you wait awhile before saying anything?" She asked Sam worriedly.

"No, I'm going to have to tell them soon, Sarah. You have to go to the doctor. You can't just walk around sick and expect them not to notice. Your dad already knows something's up with you. When he talked to me he said he'd been worried about you because you seemed withdrawn."

I listened to them talk, it was getting colder outside by the minute. Paul was still visibly angry, but calmed down from earlier. Sarah looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock. Sam was impatient and irritated. He was madder with Paul for hurting her than the being mean and yelling at her.

"What are you going to do if this is your baby, Paul?" Sam asked him.

Paul scoffed. "Not a damn thing. I don't want "it". I didn't ask for this. She should have taken better precautions. I mean, what kind of girl just jumps into bed with someone like that?" He gave Sarah a sidelong look of death. "I kind of assumed since she'd jumped into bed with me so easily, she was already taking those precautions. Meaning I assumed she was sleeping around." He looked back at Sam. "How do I know she's not just trying to trap me?"

Sam rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, Paul, because you have sooo much to offer a girl." I smiled in spite of everything. I wished I could get a little input here; Sam still hadn't spoken to me.

Paul scowled. "Are we done here, yet? I have a date."

Sam laughed at him after he said it. "The only date you've got tonight is with me kid. I hope you're ready to work." Paul groaned loudly. "Why am I being punished because that whore got herself pregnant?" He stood up angrily and stomped off, Sam's binding having fallen off of him.

I glanced at Sarah; Paul's words had stung her. She was silent as tears fell down her cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered to Sam.

He nodded at her. "I don't want you to think that just because we're friends with Paul, we won't be here for you. What he's doing isn't right."

I nodded, agreeing with him. I felt like it was okay to talk now with Paul gone. "Anything you need, just tell us. I don't want you to be alone through this. We're friends." I offered her a small smile. "Paul does a soft side. He just can't show it very well right now. He doesn't realize what he does."

Sam nodded slowly. "I should catch up with him." He looked into my eyes. "I'll be out for a while. Go ahead and take Sarah back home. I'll come in later so don't wait up for me okay?"

I was disappointed by that. I tried not to let it show. "Okay. Be careful, though," I told him. He leaned over and kissed me, pressing his mouth against mine fully for a few seconds before he pulled away.

"Night, Sarah," he told her as he stood up.

Sarah gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Can you at least warn me before you see my dad, though?"

Sam nodded quickly. "Don't worry; I'll get Emily to tell you when I do it." He waved good-bye to her as he walked off, stripping off his shirt again as he disappeared into the darkness.