Hey, ya'll! Welcome to my story. Some may recall that I posted several chapters to a different story a few weeks ago but quickly deleted it as I realized it wasn't going anywhere. This story is much different as I have already written out most of it. I am new to the Bella x Paul ship but I love them so much and wanted to give myself a shot in writing their story. Please let me know what you think. Thank you!

Chapter 1: BPOV

Bella sat near the edge of the cliff and watched the waves crash violently against the rocks down below. Each new round of waves sounded stronger and deadlier than the last. A vibrant sunset was painted in the sky above her, bringing her a sense of peace. She closed her eyes as she listened to the noises of nature that surrounded her, trying to silence her mind and the knot that was forming deep in her chest. Bella attempted to focus on her breathing and steadying her heartbeat as she choked back the tears that were forming behind her eyes. It was during moments like these that she felt the most overwhelmed and broken. No matter the distractions, she always came back to feeling hopeless and lost.

Three months had gone by since her former best friend Jacob Black had taken their friendship into his own hands and cut Bella out of his life. His sudden departure had been both unexpected and heartbreaking. One moment he was begging her to give him a chance romantically and then before she even had a chance to think about it, he was gone. Bella had been unsure of what she had done to hurt Jacob so badly but attempted to give him space anyway until a month and a half ago when she realized she deserved some answers from him. Bella had spent every off day she had since then traveling all the way up to La Push in a desperate attempt to talk to Jacob. Yet she was turned away by his father each time, the excuse always the same.

"He's not interested in seeing you right now, Bella."

It was a bullshit excuse and Bella had grown tired of hearing those words from Billy. Any other day she would have somberly climbed into her truck and left. But today was different. She would no longer tolerate Jacob hiding behind his father like a scared little boy. She had decided to ignore Billy and forced herself into his room. Much to her surprise, Jacob was in his room in a seemingly deep sleep, snoring loudly. Up until that moment Bella had wanted nothing more than to give Jacob a piece of her mind. But as she watched her friend sleep peacefully, she realized that this wasn't the place or time. Their drama had grown tiring and a part of Bella felt it wasn't worth trying anymore. Letting out a deep exhale, Bella quietly exited Jacob's room and wished Billy a good day.

Not ready to return home just yet, Bella drove to First Beach and walked along the path that led to the top of the La Push cliffs. In hopes of finding a sense of peace, she sat down near the edge of cliff and closed her eyes.

If Jacob no longer had interest in being around her, that was fine for Bella. She wasn't going to force or beg him to talk to her or be her friend any longer, but he could at least spare some decency to tell Bella himself what she had done that was so unforgivable. She told herself that if he finally got around to talking to her, she wouldn't try to fix the problem like she usually did. It was quite obvious that Jacob didn't want to fix their friendship. And all Bella wanted was the ability to have closure and move on this chapter of her life. But Jacob refused to give that to her, instead he was choosing to ignore her and dispose of her silently.

Bella 'disposable' Swan appeared to be her new name. Everyone around her came and went within the blink of an eye. The Cullens, Jacob, her mom; all of them left her swiftly and unexpectedly. Bella felt broken from those who had hurt so easily, not appearing to give their actions a second thought or care. She tried to think of something, anything else to distract her as the ache in my chest became stronger and unbearable. Standing up from the ground, she drew in a deep breath and looked down over the water. Taking another step closer, she placed one foot over the ledge and let it dangle in the air. Dangerous thoughts were forming in her head as she realized her temptation to jump into the water that was so far below her. Bella recalled the times she had observed Sam and his gang jump from the cliffs and live to tell the tale. So what's the worst that could happen from her jumping? Maybe then she would be able to finally feel something other than an overwhelming sense of pain and betrayal.

"You shouldn't be up here." an unfamiliar voice warned her. "It's dangerous."

Bella glanced over her shoulder to see a man she recognized to be Paul Lahote. The pair had never been formally introduced but she remembered the few occasions when Jacob had pointed him out to her on the days she watched him work on his bikes. Jacob had informed Bella that Paul was a complete womanizer who followed Sam around like a little lackie. His disdain for Paul was ever apparent in his brief and unsubtle description.

"A complete ass" had been the words Jacob used to describe the man standing in front of her.

"I see you and the rest of your gang up here all the time. Jumping and doing back flips. Why can't I do the same?"

"Gang." he scoffed. "Come on. It's not safe."

The authoritative tone in Paul's voice made Bella cringe. She wasn't about to tolerate a complete stranger trying to boss her around like she was a child. She had received enough of that during her time with Edward.

"What are you going to do?" Bella taunted. "Tell my father?"

"I'm not playing this game with you, little girl," he hissed. "The last thing I need is to deal with you committing suicide on my watch and Jacob ripping my head off."

"Jacob doesn't care about me anymore so I wouldn't worry about that one." she laughed.

"Let's go, Swan!"

Paul's tone caused Bella to shiver but she remained her ground and planted her feet into the ground. Paul cursed under his breath before he reached out for her arm and yanked her away from the edge of the cliff. Before she could bother to object his actions, Paul led her away from the cliff and towards the path that led back to the beach. The pair walked in silence as Paul escorted Bella back to her truck which was still parked at Jacob's. As the two walked together, Bella couldn't help but to feel uneasy by Paul's actions. Why did he seem to care whether or not she jumped off the cliff? It's not as if the two of them were friends. They had never even spoken to one another until now. And yet, he was acting in a very odd manner.

Approaching the truck, Bella awkwardly thanked Paul for walking with her and climbed into her vehicle. Paul stood to the side, his arms crossed as he watched her get into the her truck. Bella felt his harsh stare burning into the side of her face. Hesitantly, she rolled down her window and made eye contact with the intimidating boy.

"I'm not a child, Paul."

"Could've fooled me. Jakey decides he's done with you bein' his plaything and you immediately decide to off yourself."

"I wasn't trying to off myself!"

Bella slammed on the gas, driving as fast as she could away from Paul and First Beach. The ache that had occupied her chest a few moments ago now felt like a fireball of anger. Paul's foul behavior bewildered Bella as she thought of the accusations thrown at her by him. No matter the despair or turmoil, she would never kill herself. Especially not over someone like Jacob Black.

Who does he think he is?

Bella arrived home just before Charlie was due in at work. They both exchanged pleasantries and spoke of one another's day. Bella didn't bother to tell Charlie that she had gone up to La Push. Her drama with Jacob would only stress her father out more and that was the last thing she needed. Charlie had spent the past six months losing sleep over Bella and her heartbreak and now that he thought she was doing better, Bella was determined to keep a good front for Charlie. It was the least she could do.

Bella hugged her father and wished him a goodnight as she locked the door behind him. A sense of relief washed over her once she realized she was truly alone for the night. Pretending to be okay all the time was exhausting for Bella. Although she felt like she was making progress, she still had her bad moments. Especially after a day filled with rejection and ill mannered boys. Bella made her way upstairs to the bathroom where she turned on the shower to the hottest temperature she could possibly stand. Hot showers had become Bella's only escape to sleep. No matter how horrible her day was, fifteen minutes in a scolding shower helped relax her body and put her to sleep. Staying asleep, however, was a different story. Bella managed to wake up at the same time each night without trying. Whether it was from a nightmare or her body deciding she was rested, Bella always seemed to wake up in the middle of the night.

Once out of the shower, Bella changed into an over sized sweatshirt and climbed into bed. There was no point in staying up any longer when all she knew it would only lead to overthinking and self-loathing. Sleep was her only escape anymore and now that she was alone, she yearned for her temporary escape even more. As she closed her eyes, she asked whoever was listening to help her either stay asleep or not have a dream that would cause her to wake up screaming and crying.

"I just need one decent night of sleep." she murmured to herself before drifting off.

Bella awoke on a hard cold floor. Her head was spinning and she was unable to stand. The space she was in was pitch black making it hard to determine her surroundings. There appeared to be no windows in sight and the only sign of light was a dim light fixture far in the distance. Bella assumed from the placement of the light that she was in the middle of a hallway. Forcing herself to stand up, Bella rubbed her eyes hoping they would adjust to the dark soon.

"Hello?" she whispered sheepishly, afraid of what might be lurking in the dark.

"Bella!" a masculine voice called out in agony. "Bella! Where are you?!"

"Hello?" Bella called back louder than before as she tried to scan the area. "Who's out there?"

"Bella," a velvet voice whispered from behind her. "You've come back."

Bella's breath quickened at the new voice who spoke her name. She didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to her, but she did anyway. Unsurprisingly, a pair of golden eyes were staring directly at her. She was certain that she was dreaming now as she stared back at the silhouette standing in front of her. She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself.

"You're safe now, Isabella." the cool voice assured her.

"Ed-Edward?" she choked taking a step forward towards him.

"I've come back for you, my lamb."

Edward reached out his hand and placed it on Bella's arm. She felt her body stiffen at his seemingly real icy touch. This is how her dreams always happened. Bella hesitantly placed her free hand on Edward's as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness. He looked the same as always. He wore the last outfit she had seen him in. That's how it always worked.

"Edward, I-"

"Bella! Save me!" the unknown voice returned. Their piercing scream shattering her heart as she looked around for the other person.

"Who - who is screaming my name?"

"Don't worry about that." Edward assured, his hand grazing against her cheek. She shuttered at his touch. "We are finally together. That's what matters."

"I know this isn't real, Edward."

Bella wanted nothing more than to stay and be his lamb. She felt herself slowly caving to him, to her dream. All she had ever wanted was in front of her. But it wasn't real, no matter how many times she wished it was. She was able to recognize herself dreaming at this point and knew she would wake up soon. Edward was gone and he was never going to come back.

"Bella!"

"I think the sound is coming from near the light." she told Edward. "I have to find whoever is calling my name."

"Bella!"

"Shh. Stay my lamb. I've missed you so."

"I'm not your lamb!" Bella screamed, snapping out of Edward's trance.

Bella jerked away before heading as fast as she could away from Edward and towards the light at the end of the hallway. She frantically followed the cry for help, bursting through the shut door that was blocking the small amount of light in her dream.

"Bella!"

She looked down at the ground in horror to see Paul bleeding profusely from his head and side. Carefully, she approached his bruised and battered body.

"B- Bella." he choked.

"Paul?" She asked confusingly "What happened?!"

Bella grabbed Paul's hand as he faded in and out of consciousness. Bella tried not to panic at the amount of blood or the boy dying below her. Surely she would wake up soon.

Paul's eyes met Bella's eyes and then the door. His pupil's flared, fear spreading across his face. Bella turned around to see Edward covered in blood from head to toe. His long, sharp teeth were exposed and his golden eyes were now red.

"Run!" Paul urged. "Now!"

Bella got up to run but she already knew she wouldn't be fast enough. She hadn't even reached the door by the time Edward grabbed her by the throat and slammed her on the ground. He was now hovering over her, the blood dripping onto her clothes.

"You'll never learn, will you?" he asked amusingly. "Guess I'll have to show you once and for all not to play with monsters."

"No! No!" Bella woke up screaming, her body was covered in sweat as she attempted to catch her breath. Looking around the room, she reminded herself multiple times that no one was there. She was alone. It had only been a nightmare. She took a sip from the glass of water she assumed Charlie had placed by her bed when he got home. It was in his nature to check on her when he got in; regardless of how many times she told him she was fine. Her psychotic break had taken its toll on him and she hated herself for it. He had more important things to be concerned about and she had selfishly been draining his energy. Bella refused to let the tears building behind her eyes spill. She had spent the last five months releasing enough tears to last two lifetimes over. Placing her head back on the pillow she let out a deep sigh while thinking about the horrible night terror she had just experienced. Edward's presence was nothing new. He had always occupied her dreams, that was nothing new. But to see Paul in her dreams, lying on the floor and covered in blood and bruises bothered her deeply. He had appeared to be helpless and in a great amount of pain.

Bella closed her eyes as she tried to push her nightmare towards the back of her mind.

That's all it was, a dream.

She rolled over on her stomach and pulled her blanket over her head as she tried to fall back asleep.

That was the first night Bella dreamt of Paul Lahote.