A/N: Hello! OOF... where to begin? I know it's been quite a while since I've updated and I want to apologize for the long wait for a single chapter. A year and then some, huh? It doesn't feel like that at all. Uh, I don't even know what to say but thank you all, for your reviews and for continuing to read my fic. Last year was hard for me since I lost my grandpa to cancer, whom I and my family were caring for in the middle of COVID. Being closed off from the world with little people to talk to about how sad I felt was certainly hard, and as I was managing, school hit me hard since it left me with little to no time to write or even think about writing for fun. I've been working on this chapter since last year, and yesterday I finally wrote the last ~1000 words or so. I got some inspo since I logged in to check on the reviews and most of them just sort of gave me the little boost I needed to come back :) Idk when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it will be around new year's, since I'll be on break from college! I hope you enjoy this one on the mean time! Much love to you all !

-xxx, XVR

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Chapter 27.- All I want.

Bella walked slowly over the wet gravel. The rain had stopped for a few minutes, and it was just about to rain again. She looked up at the ominous darker-than-usual-grey sky, feeling like maybe she should just walk away. What was a day without Paul? She wondered. Her heart ached and a chill went up her spine. She laughed under her breath, realizing that it was too much. It had been less than a day, a night at most, and she already felt too mentally tired and physically sore from missing him. All night she tossed and turned, unable to find comfort in her bed. She had gotten used to the warmth Paul gave her. A warmth that was not achievable by any human mean.

She knew that she was just dragging along the inevitable, but it was a delicate topic to navigate and it wasn't like she could show up at his home and say "Hey, Paul. I'm sorry I lost it yesterday, it was childish and selfish of me to do that and not take anyone with me. Forgive me?"

"Or you just could," Jacob said, after she offered the argument to him.

They were sitting on his family's dining room table. Charlie and Billy had gone fishing as promised the night before, and they had left their children behind to get a day off and some quality time together. Charlie had called Bella in sick, so she could just skip the school day, and Billy had enrolled Jacob in a homeschooling program, so it wasn't like he was doing much in the mornings anyways.

"I don't think he wants to see me," Bella said with a thin voice.

"I think all he wants to do is see you," Jacob replied nonchalantly.

"You are surprisingly calm about all this," Bella frowned.

"I know you better than you think," Jacob said. "You look like shit."

"Well, thank you."

"What I mean is…" Jacob brushed his hair back, tiredly, "you clearly understand his point of view now, don't you?"

Bella looked at the table, nervously. "Do I?"

"Well, it seems like it," Jacob said. "You have this way of showing it in your face, but maybe I'm wrong."

A pregnant silence.

"His house is just down the road; you know? A quick two-minute walk," he offered. "You could be back in a heartbeat if he doesn't want to talk. I could teach you a thing or two in the motorcycle after."

"I would like you to teach me now…"

"Bella."

"Okay," she said, resigned.

That's how the brunette had ended up on her way to the Lahote residence. She wasn't aware that Jacob and Paul were neighbors, but there was never time to crash at his house since they were always out at Leah's or her own home. She gripped her phone, hidden away in the pocket of her jacket. At least she had it on her now – as if it mattered. She could run back to Jake's if things failed or maybe scream if she saw a vampire, although she wondered if the wolves would be quick enough. Maybe they would be. Jacob had stood outside his home, watching her walk away like a parent that sent their child to the bus stop by themselves for the first time. She kept squeezing her phone until she realized that she was already at Paul's home.

A little different from Jacob's, the house stood as the proof that John Lahote was a contractor. Everything was perfectly placed on the nice little porch, and while the house didn't seem bigger than the others around, it was the most upkept. The paint work was all in a pretty grey color and the accents were all in white. For a house where only two men lived, it had a homey touch that Renee was never able to achieve in their long list of homes.

"May I help you?" a voice startled the brunette, and she soon noticed a man coming from the inside of the house.

She must have stood outside for too long, making him come out before she could even knock on the door. "Uh… I'm sorry to bother you, I am looking for Paul."

The men eyed Bella and she observed him in return. Bella immediately knew it had to be Mr. Lahote and her muscles tensed up. Aside from the shape of his eyes, he was an older, a little bit shorter, Paul Lahote. She knew he was aware of the phasing, but it was hard to know how much he knew of the imprint.

"You must be Bella," he said with a kind tone. "Paul isn't home right now, but come on in. Don't let the rain catch you."

Bella looked back over her shoulder and noticed that a drizzle had started. She nodded and took a few steps towards the house, unsure.

"C'mon, it's okay, he'll be back any minute," he said, signaling the inside of the house.

Bella nodded awkwardly and followed the man inside. She eyed the place, feeling like the inside seemed even cozier than the outside. Pictures hung off the wall and she caught a glimpse of Paul's childhood, although it was mostly pictures of him and only him. A few pictured older relatives or kids around his age, but not his father or his mother.

"Paul told me about you, but it only now does it seem a little real," he mentioned with a laugh. "You didn't have school today?"

"My dad called in sick for me," she explained with a quiet voice. "He went out fishing and brought me along, but I'm not one for hunting or sports so I stayed back at Billy's. Thought it would be okay to see Paul."

Bella bit her lip, realizing that she blurted out most of it without really wanting to. Paul's father on the other hand, warmly chuckled. "He's at the store right now, but he should be back in no time. Would you like tea? Or coffee maybe?"

She gulped. "Tea is good."

"Perfect."

Bella hoovered around, glancing at the pictures every now and then or just trying to figure out what she was supposed to do in order to not seem rude. Mr. Lahote walked into the kitchen without saying much and quietly started to prepare a kettle, furthering Bella's anxiousness.

"Oh dear, please sit down," he said once he looked at Bella standing near the entrance to the kitchen. "I forgot to tell you to make yourself comfortable."

"No," Bella said rather quickly. "I'm abusing your kindness here, I even bothered you when Paul wasn't around."

Mr. Lahote blinked a few times, in what seemed to be a confused manner. Bella internally panicked and she felt cold sweat run down her back. She quickly shuffled towards the kitchen table and quietly sat down, hoping that Mr. Lahote would stop staring at her like that, but in turn he let out a laugh, much like Paul's, now surprising her in return.

"Oh, Bella, Paul said you're too polite sometimes, and I think he was right," he said. "I'm not going to scold you for visiting my house… or my son for that matter. And you're being everything but a bother. If you were, I wouldn't have asked you to come in."

"Well… I just think that bothering you at home must be awkward, right?" Bella blurted out again, now with her cheeks a bright red. "I can't even say that I'm dating your son and that must be weird at the very least. I can't imagine what my dad would even think if he was ever in your position, Mr. Lahote. I mean, it's probably out of my hands but at least I shouldn't intrude too much into your lives. It's already enough for all the time Paul wastes on me, and I just didn't consider you might be home so late into the morning. So, yeah, I do think I'm abusing your kindness."

"Bella, you're a senior this year, right?" Mr. Lahote laughed after a brief pause. Bella's cheeks flushed in a second layer of red while she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm a year ahead of Paul, so I'll be graduating this June" she said, like trying to explain herself to the man, although she didn't know why. Was this how normal people felt when meeting their non-boyfriends parents? She wondered.

"That's good," he said, repeating the warm laugh that reminded her so much of Paul. "I feel a little relieved now."

"Excuse me?" Bella asked.

"Well, Paul always said that you worried too much about the future and what-not, and that you were a reliable and earnest girl, but it was hard to put any weight into his words," he explained, while turning around to take the kettle off the stove and preparing a couple of mugs and tea bags. Bella had a hard time processing where the conversation was going. "Seeing you in the flesh and hearing you talk really put into perspective this imprint thing."

"I think you're putting too much weight on my visit, Mr. Lahote," Bella said while watching Mr. Lahote turn around to sit at the table.

"Well, maybe I am, so what?" he asked nonchalantly while sitting down and pushing a mug towards her. "I've learned that it's better to trust the flow of things rather than sit back and oppose them. Also, it's easy to feel at ease when a high schooler that has the world ahead of herself can still look back and think about a guy and his old man. You wouldn't see that every often, now would you?"

"I…" Bella muttered. "I'm still trying my best to understand Paul."

"Isn't that okay then?" he questioned again, although he wasn't expecting an answer. "Talking to you like this… you truly are your father's daughter."

Bella's eyes wandered around. "He's a man of few words, after all."

"Well, more than that… I think Charlie is an honest man," he said. "We were close before we moved to Tacoma, so I hope having you as my daughter-in-law will bring us closer again. Maybe form a single old men club with him and Billy."

Bella's face burned with embarrassment. Out of all the things she expected from meeting Paul's father, to be called his daughter-in-law was the last one of them.

"Mr. Lahote, I don't thin-," Bella said, but the sound of the front door opening and shutting interrupted her line of thought.

"Dad?" Paul's voice sounded at a distance. "I'm home."

"In the kitchen!"

Bella panicked and caught a glimpse of a smile in Mr. Lahote's lips. She was confused for a second, but as soon as Paul came into the kitchen and their eyes met, that feeling was flushed by a wave of anxiety. Paul didn't seem surprised but upset instead. He was carrying a few grocery paper-bags and an extra tote over his shoulder.

"Bella," he said dryly.

"Hey, why don't you give this to your old man?" Mr. Lahote said while standing up and reaching for the bags in Paul's arms.

"Dad…"

"Don't worry," he replied. "Why don't you kids go talk upstairs?"

"Mr. Lahote, I think it would be better if I left," Bella said, feeling crushed after seeing the disappointment in Paul's eyes once more. "I'm sorry I intruded…"

"Paul don't be rude and show the girl your room," the man pointed with a nod towards the next room. "Running away won't help, snotty brat," this time, his voice was so low that Bella couldn't make out what he said.

Paul tried to send a disapproving glance at his father, but he had already snatched the bags from him and left him to face Bella in front of him. She had stood up and was looking at him for a sign; something to tell her if she needed to leave or could stay. Paul sighed, defeated by the sight of her tired eyes, the bags under her eyes and the obvious pull they felt towards each other.

"We'll be back downstairs in a little bit," Paul stated.

He walked towards Bella and took her hand. His grasp was firm but warm, and as he pulled her away, Bella couldn't help but feel relieved even though he was being rougher than usual.

"Oh, don't mind me and take your time," Mr. Lahote said behind them.

…

After leading her way upstairs, Paul opened the door to his own room and impatiently signaled for her to come inside. Bella took shy steps in the room, not sure of what to expect and curiously looking around. Paul's room was much different from what she imagined: painted a warm tone of white, she felt like she was drenching in light despite the rain outside. His furniture was dark-colored, and everything was neatly put away. There was a bookshelf with some books and DVD cases, some pictures and car models. Everything seemed so far from her mental image of Paul that it surprised her a bit when her sight stopped a neatly made bed with bluish-grey bedsheets.

"Your room," Bella whispered, looking at him a little dazed, "… it doesn't match you at all."

Paul raised an eyebrow, visibly upset. "Is that all you came to say?"

"No," she said. "I came to, well, explain myself. I would apologize, but I know you won't take it, because I really screwed up and now… I have to prove to you that I'm being genuine here."

Paul remained silent and aloof, and Bella felt hurt, but it wasn't the moment to back down. She took the opportunity to sit down on Paul's bed and look up at his face seriously. It took a moment, but finally their eyes connected, and everything seemed irrelevant, almost too stupid to even care about it anymore – but neither would get swayed by the fleeting feeling. There was a second wave of feelings and a sudden seriousness flooded their bodies, which finally seemed to synch properly without the need for words.

"I understand you were worried, and I understand why you were worried. I got used to thinking I was on the same playing field as the Cullens, that they pose no threat to me, and that's my mistake to reflect upon. But I also asked you to put some trust in my judgement, a little bit. I don't want to feel like a kid that is in constant need of supervision, and I don't want to make you guys feel that I don't understand why you're protecting me. And look, what I'm trying to get at here is that I want you to meet me in the middle."

"Yeah? And what if I don't want to forgive you even after that? How are you expecting us to move forward? Huh?" Paul said in a calm tone of voice.

It wasn't sarcasm, but it also wasn't a genuine question. He felt himself reluctant to believe Bella's words, not because he didn't trust her but because her bond to the Cullen family had proven stronger than what he imagined to be. It was one thing to meet Alice a few weeks back, but even if she distrusted the elf and her brother, it was obvious that she had no problem with the rest of their family.

"I want to believe we can understand each other," Bella said sternly. "You and I are not the type of people to just let this slip by us."

Paul held Bella's gaze and felt defeated. Her eyes never wavered, and she seemed determined to not let go. At this point, it was him who was being childish, and he felt a little ashamed about it. He had been too inclined to believe Bella was the one who needed to communicate better but being unwilling to listen wasn't helping either.

"Okay, so…" he said, not necessarily in a nice tone.

"Okay," Bella said. "I don't have a whole speech I want to say, but… maybe it's just better to say it straight."

Bella inhaled and exhaled loudly. Paul tensed up and felt the anxiety creep in.

"I loved the Cullens, I really did," Bella voiced, and Paul felt his stomach sink to the ground. "But right now all I have to give them is… understanding. I enjoy living with my dad and hanging with the guys from Forks high, and the pack. I certainly don't need a stupid supernatural bond to you to understand that Edward and I are over, way over. Does it help? Well, yeah, but let me assure you that as strong as these feelings were to begin with, they never felt quite as fully romantic as right now and now I can't help to feel whole, in a way that's not the imprint… but in the way in which you are my friend Paul, and being something more makes me feel jittery and excited and I don't want you to coddle me just because you see me as some poor little human girl, because that's exactly what the Cullens did to me. I want to feel like a normal person, with friends, family and a normal boyfriend. Not your damsel in distress to be saved. That's why I want you to look at this like me drawing a line with them and not me rushing to be kidnaped or something."

"You like me?" Paul asked quietly.

"That's all that you got away from this?" Bella refuted.

"Yeah, no, no," Paul shook his head and sat next to Bella, surprised. "What I mean is that… do you like me more than you like the Cullens?"

"I think it should be plenty obvious," Bella said, turning to face Paul. "Also, it's not that I just like you… I trust you Paul, and this, us, for whatever it ends up becoming. Imprint or not."

"Well… it's not that obvious," he replied. "Actually, it always feels like I came in second, like I can never score a win. Do you think it felt good when I couldn't find you and it turns out you're just hanging out with that leech? It wasn't about your safety… I mean, it was! But I never expected them to turn you or something. I have to admit that damn Dr. Cullen seems like the type who wouldn't let his kids just turn some human. It was just discouraging to see you feeling so safe around them this time around, like if I weren't there you would just jump back into their arms. You're not a damsel in distress ready to call out for help when you need it, and that's what stresses me out about this whole thing."

"I wouldn't," Bella said decidedly. "Even if you weren't there, like you are now, I wouldn't do it. I'd never go back to them."

"You sure?" Paul asked, skeptical.

"Certain."

Paul raised his eyes and turned to look at Bella for the first time in a while. Her eyes seemed tired, and her overall complexion was awful. He sighed at the sight of her stern look, never wavering.

"I hate when you leave and don't say a word," Paul said. "Please don't do it again."

Bella's heart ached. "I won't…"

"I won't treat you like a poor little human anymore, either," Paul murmured.

"That sounds like a good compromise," Bella said quietly.

There was a prolonged silence in which they just looked at each other and tried their best to adjust to the current situation. Bella didn't want to assume and move to reach Paul's hand, but the Quileute's actually reached hers first. Paul's warmth melted into her skin and her mind felt less cloudy already. Bella closed her eyes and leaned on him, placing her head on his shoulder. Paul didn't let her be too long before he turned around to cup her face with one hand. His face came closer to hers and their lips touched in a chaste kiss.

"You look like shit," Paul said.

Bella scuffed. " Well, thanks."

"Just lay down and don't move," Paul said with the ghost of a smile. " I'll tell my dad you're staying for lunch."

"Is it okay if I…?" Bella questioned as she pointed at the bed.

"Sure," Paul said. "My dad won't mind you crashing for a couple hours."

Bella nodded and then Paul placed a kiss on her cheek before walking out his room. The brunette found it awkward to just lay down and make herself comfortable, but she was more tired than she was ashamed, so as soon as she hit the pillow and inhaled Paul's scent she comfortably drifted into sleep.

…

Bella woke up a few hours later, groggy but now well rested. Paul wasn't in the room, and she took a few minutes to realize she had already crossed the 'we are something but not quite' line with Paul. She realized she had called him her boyfriend earlier when they were together, and her ears felt hot. There was a knock on the door and a had popped up, though not Paul's. It was Quil's curious eyes that looked straight at her.

"Bella!" he said with a smile. "Paul said you'd be up soon."

Bella yawned and moved to the edge of the bed. She realized Paul had removed her shoes when she saw them lined up for her to put on. "Yeah, uhm, what time is it?"

"Oh, it's just past noon," Quil said. "Paul is making a perimeter run, but everyone is downstairs."

"Everyone?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Jake said your dads had to come back due to weather, there's a storm just starting up," Quil explained. "Mr. Lahote offered to fry the catch, so a bunch of us got invited for lunch. Embry, Jake and Jared are downstairs."

Bella's eyes opened wide at the mention of her father. "My dad's here?"

"Well, yeah," Quil explained awkwardly.

Bella buried her face between her hands, not quite ready to face her dad about Paul yet. She was sure he had an idea of what was going on, but not a clear image of his daughter crashing her boyfriend's house by herself. She thanked the heavens that Mr. Lahote was there as a chaperone figure, since she wouldn't dare guess the way Charlie would feel about her being asleep in Paul's room.

"He just got here, and he doesn't know you're here," Quil explained. "We guessed it'd be easier to bring you down and have you walk in with Lee."

Bella sighed. "I'm just not ready to have my dad see me walk downstairs from my boyfriend's room."

Quil chuckled. "Boyfriend, huh?"

"We can talk about it later."

"Sure, sure," Quil laughed. "Anyways, you might want to get on my back. It's suspicious that I stay up here too long."

Bella nodded and Quil turned around, lowering down. Bella climbed up his back and grabbed onto him, before the young man went up to the window and jumped carelessly out of it. Bella, having closed her eyes shut while falling, only felt the light momentum bringing her forward as they fell onto the ground. A light thud was all that was heard and she opened her eyes to the sight of Leah, dressed too warmly for pack standards.

"I'll take off the jacket and the sweater inside," Leah said. "I still have to look like a normal person from time to time, dumbass," she said, having read Bella's look on her. "Hurry up, your dad thinks we were at my place, and I swear it doesn't take more than 10 to walk all the way here, and that was like 15 min ago."

"Let's go," Bella said as Quil let her down. The teen smiled at Leah before running to the back of the house, probably to climb upstairs again.

The brunette passed her hand under and around Leah's arm and with a smile walked inside, thinking that this was definitively not normal by any standard, but it felt normal. Sneaking in and out a house because she wasn't about to be caught in her boyfriend's room, having friends joke with her about things other than wanting to eat her or her human status, having a boyfriend that didn't require her choosing her life or him. Being able to include her father into her life. Bella walked through the front door still with a smile, as Mr. Lahote pretended to see her for the first time and Charlie smiled at her, extending an arm to welcome her and introduce her to his old friend. It was a normal night, before many of everything but normal.