A/N: Let me know what you think in the comments or if you find any typos. Happy new year everyone!

Paul POV

I couldn't help but feel anxious. The only clothes I had brought were a pair of small nylon shorts, so there would be little to hide behind. What would he think of me? I knew that my wolf genes only helped improve my appearance, but would they be enough for the immaculate vampire who was waiting for me?

I briefly fought the urge to run and left the tree before I could change my mind. At first, my feet dragged and kicked up the dirt under me, weighted by my insecurities, but eventually picked themselves up.

I extended my hand, "Hi, Emmett". I spoke with a low voice, trying to mask my nervousness, "Guess we already do know each other."

He reached and slowly took my hand like he was memorizing every line on my palm.

When our hands fully met, his cold skin siphoned the heat out of my arm. It initially startled me but wasn't painful or uncomfortable to any degree. In a way, his touch brought me back to a time before I knew any of this world existed, a time before I knew vampires and shapeshifters were real.

It had been so long since the last time I felt anything that resembled the cold. Though, this sensation only lasted a couple of seconds until my body started compensating for the heat I lost.

After letting my hand linger a little too long on his, I decided to break the handshake before it became too awkward. Just when our fingers were slipping apart, I felt a brisk brush run past my shoulders and end on my back. His hands were now wrapped around me.

His movements blurred into the air, so my eyes saw nothing, but the rest of my body did feel every touch. I felt his lips idle on my forehead and his nose digging through my hair. Wherever his skin connected with mine, my skin raised its temperature.

He breathed new heat into parts of me I didn't know were previously numb. And my heart raced in celebration, slightly vibrating my body.

"I make you nervous, don't I?" he breathed into my forehead.

He did. But would I give him the satisfaction of letting him know that he had this much power over me? Definitely not.

"No, you don't," I pressed my nose into his chin.

I pulled his waist into me. I wanted to prove that I wouldn't hesitate to bring him closer.

His grip on me tightened, and mine on him. The growing pressures below our waists grew and rushed into each other. Having him in this state fed the electricity in my nerves, I was holding myself together with the last bit of patience I had. Would he want to go any further than this? With my hands digging into his hips, I looked up into his eyes, hoping he would receive the message.

Without a response to my question, I felt a sharp heat spread across my back and smelled the scent of my blood in the air. Since I was entirely focused on Emmett, it took me a while to notice the burn extending through my spine. But once I did, I couldn't help but clench my hands in pain around his sides. The pain cut to the bone but I knew it would only be a couple more seconds until it was over. Until then, I continued to look at Emmett.

With nostrils flared, brows furrowed, and teeth-baring, I saw him making his way to my neck until our eye contact stopped him. By then, the scent of iron was still in the air, but the injuries he left on my back had already recovered and the pain was only a memory.

I stared into his eyes, signaling that I wasn't scared. From the beginning, I knew this would be dangerous, maybe even unnatural, and only begging for disaster, but the universe had chosen him for me, and for that I was grateful.

I would never leave him.

He broke away from me and stepped back. At first, I was upset he had let go, but then realized it was because he was afraid of hurting me. He knew this was dangerous and taboo but did it anyway. This gave me a sense of pride, it meant he was enjoying this just as much as I was.

I grinned and raised my eyebrows, "Like what you see?"

I wanted to enjoy the fact that he was now the one who was flustered, but at the same time, wanted to let him know that I was okay. So, while he was moving towards me, I turned around and pointed to my unscathed back.

"I don't break easily," I chuckled.

I turned back around and met his gaze. He stood there staring at me, unflinching. It was hard to read his expression so I couldn't tell what was going on inside his mind. This moment was perfect just a couple of seconds ago, but now I could see that it was tainted.

What was he thinking?

I couldn't stand not knowing so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind just to break the silence, "What was that all about?"

"What?" his expression was foggy.

"The hugging and the touching," I answered. I needed to know.

He paused before his expression completely changed to one that was cocky, "I don't know if I remember correctly you were touching me too."

He was teasing me; I had probably just overthought the entire situation.

Ever since I imprinted on him in the clearing, overthinking had become a bad habit of mine. It had only been one day, and my mind was already spinning for him.

I decided to play along, "Fine, I guess it won't happen again."

He crossed his arms and raised his head, "Okay, guess we won't see each other ever again then."

I knew he was joking, but I couldn't even entertain the thought of being apart. I would chase him into a tornado if it meant I would get to see him again. At that moment, my mind may have been inundated with worries of the future, but right here and right now, I knew he was not getting away from me. I gripped his arm, perhaps a little too tight, "Maybe we just skipped a few steps," I sighed.

He leaned forward and brought his cool lips against my ear, "Maybe you're right, and I'm not going to say if you are...". He made me shiver, "But just in case you are, what's tomorrow looking like for you?"

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't swallow the knot building in my throat. Was any of this really happening? I could only stutter, "Uhm... I-I'm pretty sure I'm free."

"Ok," he was still speaking into my ear. "See you here at 6. Don't be late."

While he was backing away, he raised his gaze above me. I then felt a delicate tap against the top of my head followed by the sight of his hand reaching for my hair. I was completely melting under his touch.

"Easy darling," he hummed. "Heavens falling on you."

He pulled a scarlet leaf off my head, a sign of the coming fall. Then, his free hand cupped mine and the other dropped the leaf into my palm.

"I know we just met, but you fascinate me," he confessed. Our eyes reflected on each other.

He smiled and slowly let go of my hands, "Sorry, but I have to leave before my family starts asking questions."

A narrowly failed attempt at keeping my hands from grasping him escaped my fingers in the form of a twitch.

He noticed and reassured me, "We'll see each other tomorrow."

I cherished the last moments I would have with him that day. The last time we saw each other, I ran away, but this time, I wouldn't dare be the first to leave. I watched him walk into the dense forest and heard his steps trail off in the distance.

A day never seemed so infinite before.

. . .

I was approaching my front door. I had stood at the treaty line well after Emmet left so I could process what happened until my hunger ultimately got the best of me and drove me back home or, more specifically, the kitchen. Through the window, I could see my father's hands rummaging through the fridge planning a late lunch. By the smell of the ingredients he was pulling out, I could tell we would have tuna sandwiches.

A smile was still plastered over my face as I stood in front of the door. I fixed myself before heading inside, but the rest of my body shared what my face wouldn't.

"Where've you been Paul?" my father asked with his hands now resting on the counter.

I hadn't yet thought of an explanation, so I scrambled to come up with one before my pause made him even more curious.

"You're looking better son," he beamed before I could speak.

"Thanks, Dad," I grinned. "I feel better too."

"Here, why don't you sit while I prepare you something to eat and you can tell me about your day."

The only thing I could be bribed with was food, and my father knew that. And after the stunt I pulled yesterday, I couldn't blame him for trying to get me to talk.

"I'm making tuna sandwiches," he said. "I'm going to guess you'll want 3."

I gave in and sat at our sorrel, rounded table, and waited for him to join me. Not long after, he placed a plate with 3 heaping sandwiches in front of me. I gently grabbed the biggest one, trying not to spill any of its contents but it was too full. No matter how softly I tried to hold it, some of the tuna fell on the table.

"Here you go," my father said with a mouthful of food as he handed me a napkin.

He sat down and waited for me to clean my mess before he started again, "You were gone when I woke up. Were you on patrol again?"

"Yeah, me and Quil," I responded.

"And?" my father urged.

"And we also had a meeting," I was only responding with the information I wanted him to hear.

However, he was motivated to get me to talk and it showed on his face, "What did you guys talk about?"

He wouldn't stop pestering until I gave him what he wanted, so I had to come clean. "We met the Cullens at the treaty line," I winced.

His chewing stopped and his sandwich fell on the plate. He looked at me with slight terror, "Well that's something!"

I now had to backtrack and fix whatever chaos my words had possibly created. "It was all good though. The meeting went by quickly and there shouldn't be any problems. They were actually kind of nice," I trailed with a half-smile.

"You be careful now Paul," he warned me. "Remember the stories. Vampires are dangerous!"

A small grimace overtook my face when he said those words. At that moment I knew there was no reality where he would accept my imprint and in no reality would he get to know the entire version of me. Even though the imprint had nearly severed all of my attachments other than Emmett, my father's words still left a sting.

"We're dangerous too..." I trailed off.

We changed the subject after that. He went on about how he caught the biggest halibut he had ever seen that morning. And how his job at the law firm was picking up. I think he might've said something about a big case against a corporation in Seattle for 'mishandling' funds, but I wouldn't know. All I could do was try to contain my frustration. How dare he relegate Emmett to something so thoroughly wrong and flat? At that point, steam was rising from my skin.

His voice was only a noise I was trying to ignore playing in the background until it wasn't.

Painful, hacking coughs replaced his words. Immediately, I thought he was well-deservedly choking on his food up to when I heard the sounds of moisture in his lungs. I looked up to see him clutching his chest struggling to breathe and ran to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I returned to the table with glass in hand and hesitated when I noticed the metallic smell coming from his right sleeve.

He had coughed up blood.

By the time the glass was in his hand, his coughing fit had stopped, but my mind was still on the smell.

"Thank you," he heaved.

"Dad don't talk right now," I begged. "Just focus on breathing."

When he had a few sips and finally caught his breath, I pleaded, "Can you go to the doctor? Please!"

"Oh, that's not going to be necessary," he opposed. "It's nothing to worry about, I j-just choked on my food."

"Please dad," I pleaded. "I can tell it was more than just a cough."

He gripped the sleeve he used to catch his blood, "Ok, I'll go. But only to prove you wrong."

"Then prove me wrong," I said.

He got up from the seat and refilled his glass of water in the kitchen. I watched him attentively, scared that he would cough again and absolutely prepared in case he did. With faintly labored breathing, he made his way down the hall to his room and got into bed. Once I heard his snoring, I relaxed a little, finishing the last bite of the sandwich in front of me.

I wiped the table, cleaned the dishes, and headed into my room. I was still only wearing my shorts, so I quickly got undressed and changed into a loose pair of boxer briefs. My room had never felt so necessary.

For the next couple of hours, I would listen in on my dad's breathing, making sure he was okay. Lying on my bed, I came to understand what I felt was nothing compared to anything I had experienced before.

I felt utter fear.

A/N: Blue Bell by Golden Daze