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SILVER

Chapter 7: Defense.

Paul left a few hours after their talk. He had to patrol, and after that, he had a job to report to. He worked in construction, same as some of the guys. It was good money, and they could put their strength and focus onto something productive. After work, he would meet the pack and head together again to the clearing to see what Jasper had to say about newborns. She was nervous about it. She just wanted this thing to be over.

Paul had put her mind at ease regarding the practice. He promised her he wouldn't pick a fight with Edward. Everything was clear now. But they still needed Jasper's expertise. Nevertheless, a voice in her head told her that this meeting would not go as smoothly as she wanted. Intentionally or not, she had hurt Edward, but there was nothing she could do about the fact that the wolves were her family, and she was happier and safer with them.

She was a little worried (or embarrassed, might be the right word) about this meeting. Obviously, she was not going, but Edward could read minds, and she didn't know how apt the wolves were at hiding their thoughts from him. Logically, she knew it was not her job to make everyone's life easier, but still, it mustn't be easy hearing your ex's new boyfriend's thoughts.

However, despite the worry over Victoria and her crazy, deranged plans and Edward's reaction to this day's events, Bella was on a cloud the whole day. She felt carefree and relaxed. She felt like giggling like a teen meeting her celebrity crush.

Angela called her later that same day.

"Embry told me a very interesting story this morning." She taunted.

Bella laughed. "I'm not surprised. You two gossip like old ladies."

Angela laughed. "Spill, Swan."

Bella sighed. "Why don't you come over? It'll be easier to tell you this way."

"I'll be there in fifteen." She hung up before Bella had a chance to say another word.

…

…

…

"Wow." Angela exclaimed once Bella told her everything.

"I know." Bella breathed out.

"Second base, huh?" Angela was as skeptical as she felt. "That was fast."

Bella also had thought so once Paul left. But it had felt right. She had strong feelings for him; she loved him, actually. So, what if this was their first day together? Who said there had to be a timetable for certain activities? If you had a connection with that person, why not act upon it?

She shrugged. "It felt right. Although, I told him I was not ready to have sex yet. He was very sweet about it."

Angela smiled at her friend. She hadn't known the guys as long as Bella had, but she had spent some time with them, and she couldn't believe that her best friend and Paul had ended up together. Talk about a plot twist. However, she was what he needed, and he was what she needed. He made her strong and confident. And she made him softer, in turn, making him slow down. They complemented each other without changing what made them, them.

"I'm sorry I shut you out these past few days." Bella apologized, surprising her friend. "I was confused and thought the best way to deal with it was to avoid everyone."

Angela shook her head. She could relate to how her friend was feeling. She had gone through a similar situation when she met Embry. Even though Ben and she had just broken up when that happened, she still had feelings for him. Embry was the most patient man on earth. Being her friend, supporting her, and just being there for her. She fell in love with him without even realizing it.

Embry was amazing. He was devoted to his mom, to his role as protector, and life in general. He was a happy guy. However, he got dead serious when his friends were threatened. She felt nervous about this newborn fight, same as Bella and the other imprints. But she also was very confident that they could handle anything the supernatural world threw at them.

"I understand you needed your space. I'm glad you accepted my call now." Bella smiled softly.

Angela was really a great friend. She could vent with her; she could trust her with her deepest secrets or fears. She was a friend that never judged her and had always been open to a friendship, despite the ups and downs of her life. Angela was a constant like Jake had been. She made a point to be more appreciative of her friends now that she had decided to live.

She made a mental note to remember to talk with Jake. They needed to have a talk, an honest one. It was long overdue.

…

…

…

The training was over, and they all had managed to behave. Jasper was wise in not putting Paul against Edward in a train fight. However, that didn't deter either of them from shooting angry glances at the other. Paul had already had an encounter with Emmett, so he was wary of all of them. Sam had othered him not to think of Bella to keep the peace until after the newborn fight. He wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict between the vampires and his pack.

Paul had agreed and had followed his order without complaint. He knew Bella still cared for the whole clan, so he would not cause a strained relationship between them and Bella. If she wanted to break all contact with them, it was her choice and only her choice. She had already made the most important one. She had decided to live. The rest, come as it may.

Jared was actually impressed; Paul had managed to avoid any conflict at all with any of them. And had managed to keep his thoughts clean. Some of them had decided to change back into human form; among those were Paul and Jared. They had been wingmen to the other their whole lives. When Jared phased and tried to ignore Paul, that set him off, prompting his own phasing. For all intents and purposes, Jared was Paul's brother, differently from how the others considered themselves brothers. So far, only Sam and Jared really knew the real Paul. Well, and soon Bella would too.

Jared had been there when his mom passed away when he was very young. Sam had been there to help him deal with his absentee father. The only family Paul could count on was the tribe's elders and his pack brothers. Now, thanks to whatever magic created imprinting, he learned to trust the imprints, including his own.

They were walking away, each making plans on their heads. Some wanted to sleep; others had schoolwork to attend to; others were going to the beach, and so on. Paul was planning on crashing early. He was dead on his feet with fatigue. He wanted a shower, some food, and his bed. Sam had cut them all some slack for the next day, not calling off the patrols but relaxing them a bit. There was a part of him that still didn't trust the leeches completely.

Before he could stop himself, Edward let out the words that had been on his mind. "Don't hurt her." However, it sounded too much as an implicit threat, as if he wanted to follow that sentence with some sort of variation of 'or else…'

That was enough to set off Paul, who walked back to face Edward. Paul was not shaking, which gave him positive points.

Jacob, who hadn't changed back into human form, didn't like the implicit threat in Edward's words and walked behind Paul to offer some support.

Jacob had always despised Edward, even before knowing what he was. There was something off about him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Edward could see that what he had said was not wise. However, at that moment, he felt too prideful to back off. "Don't. Hurt. Her" He punctuated the words. Alice exchanged a look with her husband and Emmett. They both rolled their eyes but nonetheless walked towards Edward. They didn't intervene, but they were ready to do so in case it escalated.

"I'm not you." Paul spat. Seriously, why was he falling for this shit?

He thought about everything Bella had gone through. From the moment Sam rescued her to Jacob's biking adventures, to the third wife night, to the night he fully imprinted on her. He thought how she hurt when he left. Every time Jacob saw her cry. He even thought about her when he came back. How submissive she was. How worried she was that she was going to disappoint him, to upset him. She walked on eggshells all the time.

The message was clear. He had continued hurting her by not letting her be herself. Paul had other plans for their lives. She was her own person, capable of making her own decisions and making her own mistakes. He was there to walk with her, love her, cherish her, and not order her around or force her to do something she didn't want to do.

Edward bared his teeth, hiding his hurt, his pain, and letting his anger show. Paul wasn't the only now who had stopped walking. Jacob wasn't far behind. He might not be in love with her, but he loved her, and it enraged him what Edward was insinuating. He also thought about how Bella was when he left. Her zombie-like state. However, he showed him how she was able to be happy without him. The first time she laughed, without being forced to—the pasta party.

Edward was being bombarded from two fronts with images of a different woman than the one he knew. The woman in the wolves' minds was outspoken, sassy, adventurous, and had a good sense of humor. The woman he knew was shy, contemplative; she barely smiled.

Edward parted his stare from Paul to Jacob, who didn't hide his thoughts anymore. He had done so before in respect of Bella, but not this time. The wolf smiled, daring him to do something. The Cullens were outnumbered, and they were on terra nullius. If he attacked, they would be forced to defend themselves.

The situation was too tense for everyone's liking, so Jared made the first move. He grabbed Paul's arm and forced him to move backward. "Come on, man. It's not worth it. Let's go."

Suddenly, he remembered he was going back to the girl. His girl. He nodded his head towards his brother and started walking away. He didn't give the bloodsucker the satisfaction to see him get mad again or get into his head again. He remained mute until he was sure they were out of earshot. Thanks to Bella spilling the beans to Jake, they knew how far the leech's power reached.

Sam nudged Jacob on his wolfy shoulder, ordering him to leave the clearing. He was not leaving until every one of the wolves was out of there.

"Just tell Bella, we'll take care of the Volturi issue." Jacob tensed at the words. He had heard them before once when Bella left with Alice to Italy. It hadn't sounded like good news then, and it didn't sound like good news now.

Now, it was Embry's and Quil's turn to pull Jake away from the clearing.

…

…

…

The following day, everyone went to Emily's house, as usual. They received the boys that were coming back from patrol with a smile and food.

Bella had wanted to bake some sweets to spoil the guys a little bit. It was sort of a 'thank you for risking your lives for my stubborn ass' kind of treat.

The practice the day before hadn't taken place at dawn, just like last time. It was mid to late afternoon, but some of the guys were beaten, even with the relaxed patrols of the day.

"Where's Paul?" Bella asked Jared softly when she noticed his absence.

"Leech got into his head." Seth spat.

Bella looked at him worriedly. "What happened? Is he ok?" They hadn't had a chance to talk after the training. She had worked until late and had fallen asleep quickly.

Sam intervened. "He's fine. He's running, letting out some steam." Bella still didn't look convinced.

Paul was easily the most volatile of the wolves. He had run the day before, but he hated the implicit threat on the leech's words, so every time he thought about it, he got mad. Jared and Sam patrolled with him this time, so they knew for sure where his mind was, regardless of the many times they told him to ignore Edward.

"Edward made a snide comment, and Paul reacted. Nothing happened. But it felt like he was picking a fight." Jared explained. Bella sighed heavily. This was wrong. Why was Edward behaving like this?

She sat on one of the stools, deciding to wait for Paul to come to her. He needed his time to cool off. However, it didn't take as long for him to reappear as she expected. And he didn't look as mad as she expected either.

He kissed her cheek and whispered an apology. She shook her head, smiling softly at him. She would speak with him alone. He couldn't let anyone get into his head like that. It wasn't healthy for him, and he couldn't be losing his temper all the time.

She relaxed eventually when she noticed that he wasn't affected by whatever happened with Edward. He was his usual self, a tease with the younger wolves and affectionate with her (evidently, the latter was a new development).

Jake, however, seemed distant, pensive. She almost smacked herself. She owed him a conversation. So much for her mental note.

She managed to get his attention from across the room. She always found it curious how he always could read her perfectly. He smiled at her, but it was a tense smile. She tilted her head towards the door, signaling she wanted to talk to him alone. They stood up under the curious eyes of their friends and walked outside. They didn't talk until they were far enough to be out of earshot.