"So how we doin' this? Rock, paper, scissoring this bitch up? Oh-not you, you're not the bitch it's just a phrase.." Paul said, glancing over at Elizabeth as he mounted his bike with an oddly casual grace. He wasn't elegantly easy in his movements like Dwayne and he wasn't predatory, like David. He was just...himself. Tall and loping and moving with a confident swag.

She shook her head, holding up her hands in a gesture of understanding and lack of offence but Paul was already looking away from her, eagerly tapping his fingers against the handles of his bike.

She was hovering near by, wondering who she would ride with. Part of her wanted to just hop onto Paul's bike, though she knew she would have to listen to a thousand jokes for the pleasure but she had a nasty, creeping feeling that she would end up alone with David. It was confirmed when he said with a smirk, "I think I can just about get her back in one piece. Is that OK?"

He addressed her rather than Paul and she held in her sigh at the amusement in his tone. It was a rhetorical question and he must have known she wasn't too happy about it but what else was there to do?

"Yeah, that's fine.." she lied with a nod.

She would have much, much preferred to ride with the perky blonde but she wasn't going to destroy her newly formed truce with David and let him know that. It wasn't that she didn't like David, she just didn't feel entirely comfortable with him. Her feelings towards him weren't negative, not anymore, but they were definitely very confused.

Paul was a lot easier to be around.

"Probably for the best" Paul said gravely with a nod. He grinned at Elizabeth, "I wouldn't want to tempt you"

She smothered her smile, feeling another creeping sense but this time one of relief and joy. She was reminded of how they had laughed and danced together and she raised an eyebrow in a mock challenging way.

"Trust me" he said, "your creamy legs opened wide around me, your little hands clutching at my rock hard abs for a nice change..I've dreamed about this but I'm not a home wrecker, Liz" he revved his bike, "it's best if you stay away"

It felt so nice to be joking with Paul once again. It just felt nice to be smiling and not fighting back tears. Still holding down her grin, she nodded, "yeah, no, I'm totally into you. Totally. Like, madly pining for you.."

"See? It's already started"

Paul moved to rev his bike and then stopped with a sigh. The joking was gone from his voice and it now held a faux longing, "can we do that again later? In front of Dwayne, I mean?"

Elizabeth laughed in disbelief.

"Just feels hollow if he's not there to hear it, you know?"

"That's what you want to joke about?" David confirmed dryly.

"Why? Too soon?"

"...I mean, maybe a little?" Elizabeth said with a smile and a shrug.

"Nah, he'll be fine" Paul assured with a grin, "he fucking loves it"

"...are you..is this really your deal?" Elizabeth asked with a disbelieving but friendly smile. She was happy that she had the energy, the peace of mind now to joke around, she was thankful the tears had dried and her fear of them had largely subsided. She had been happy to joke with him again but she was seeing now that with Paul..it was as if nothing had changed at all, as if the joking had never actually stopped. He was happy and eager to torture Dwayne once more and it was almost as if the events of the past few days hadn't affected him at all. She had a lot of emotions and feelings to work through and she knew that Dwayne hadn't had it easy, either. Even Marko had the sense to see how serious the situation had been but with Paul..she couldn't say in all honesty that she thought he'd understood the gravity of the situation.

It was almost as if everything was a joke to the blonde.

"I'm not following, chica..."

"...I mean, are you really this-"

"-oblivious?-" David supplied.

"-perky" Elizabeth said, more diplomatically "I mean, really. I'm glad we can joke around again but..are you ever..? Paul, does nothing bother you?"

Paul shook his head, his hair moving as he did.

"..upset you?"

Another shake.

"Worry you? Bother you?"

Paul laughed, "nu-huh"

She thought of how energetic and nonchalant he had been after she'd fainted in fear. She had never known a more terrifying time but for Paul, it was business as usual. Jokes and comments and casual ease. He was supportive, now that she thought about it, but he was supportive in a very relaxed, very happy-go-lucky way. It had been entirely wrong for the situation but she was seeing that maybe Paul genuinely knew no other way.

Even during his apology he had become serious only when prompted by either her mood or David's tone.

He smiled at her, a wide and affection grin, moving to ruffle her hair. He laughed when she submitted to it with a sigh, "you know, I find life's a lot happier and a lot fuckin' easier if you think less. Try it, Liz" he advised, still grinning with all the happiness and joy of a very, very content man.

"..but-"

He pulled away from her and revved his bike, answering as if he knew exactly what she was going to ask, his self assured smile still plastered on his charming face, "I wasn't bothered about what happened to you because I knew it would end up OK. I wasn't upset because I knew you would be OK. I wasn't worried because I knew it would be-"

"-OK?-" both David and Elizabeth said at the same time.

David sounded somewhat bored.

"-OK.." Paul finished with a laugh.

"How did you know it would be OK?" Elizabeth queried, not insulted by Paul's frank disregard for how she felt that night but a little disturbed by it. She'd been petrified but he had found it all funny.

How could anyone be so nonchalant? So confident? So relentlessly playful?

"...girl, come on" he rolled his eyes, giving David a 'can you believe this?' glance, "everyone knows that you and Dwayne are it, meant to be, mates - whatever you two are goin' with. You're destined for each other. Of course it was always gonna end up OK. How could it not?"

"You knew?"

"Fuck yeah"

"Of course"

She looked between David and Paul, unable to hide her confused smile. She had enjoyed getting to know Marko and it was a very interesting experience getting to know the real Paul, too...but above all else, with everything pushed aside...it was nice to know that her feelings for Dwayne were obvious to them all.

It was nice to hear.

"Awww look at that lil' cutey face-" Paul cooed, mimicking Elizabeth's shy but sincere, blooming smile. He laughed again, "I knew you would be OK, girl" he winked at her, another very self-assured and confident little gesture before revving his bike a final time, "but trust me on this. Just fucking think a little less - it's hella fun..."

He took off down the beach and into the night, not bothering to say anything else after his brief words of wisdom. Elizabeth ducked and flinched as he sent a wave of sand behind him as he all but blasted off and away from them. She guessed he had nothing more to say, anyway. Things were probably getting a little too sincere and serious for his liking.

She watched him go with a thoughtful little frown, gently shaking some sand from her shoulders.

Paul was something else. She liked it...but he was something else entirely.

"He's kind of in a world of his own?" Elizabeth said thoughtlessly but pleasantly to David, "I feel like I'm gonna get emotion whiplash or something..."

"Elizabeth?" as the sound of Paul's powerful engine zooming and growling became smaller and smaller, she turned to meet David's cold eyes.

"Yeah?"

She shifted in the sand feeling a little awkward all over again now that they were alone. She'd never had one on one time with David and while she didn't hate him or dislike him, she was a little unsure of how to act around him.

He was so cold, even when he was trying to be warm.

Now that she had seen the dark side of him, she was having trouble seeing anything else.

There was a hint of inquiry in his voice and she knew that something was coming, that he had something lined up for her. She should have guessed that they wouldn't just hop onto his bike and ride off towards the boardwalk and Dwayne.

She should have known that there would be more.

She was starting to feel like nothing could be simple with him.

"You don't think very highly of me.." Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest but David spoke over her before she could even begin, "don't spare my feelings. I don't have any.."

She couldn't believe that.

Dwayne definitely had feelings, Marko had feelings. Even Paul had feelings..sure, they were more reminiscent of a Golden Retriver than an actual person...but still. Feelings were feelings.

She shook her head, "that's not true.."

He was ice cold and detached but hadn't he joined in when she had danced with Paul? Hadn't he made her feel safe and included at their beach party? She didn't doubt that he loved the boys very much. He couldn't be a heartless monster, "everyone has feelings, David.." she told him.

He smiled at her, more of a scoff than a genuine smile and she frowned at him.

"Not me" he assured her. He chuckled at her expression, "don't worry, Elizabeth. You'll have time to figure me out. I'm not as easy as Paul but you'll get there in the end. Back to my question?

She shifted a little, "you didn't ask me one?"

"Scared to answer?"

She shrugged and he grinned, "you don't think very highly of me, do you?"

He emphasized the question and this time she sighed.

She wouldn't be able to escape this conversation.

David was determined.

Elizabeth frowned a little before shrugging again, shaking her head a little. She didn't think she could lie to him, so she started with the truth, "it's not that, as such..I liked it when you, you know? When you approved of me? There was..." she shrugged again, feeling like she was telling him something incredibly personal.

She didn't want to be personal and open herself up to him because it made her feel vulnerable but she felt like she had to, all the same. It was frustrating. She wanted to be truthful, "..I'd say something or do something and you'd have this..this flash of approval in your eyes and I liked it...I felt good..I feel good..proud of myself...but despite that..I think you're..I think you're dangerous, David.."

He was watching her, making no move to speak, so she continued, "I'm glad we've talked about...things, don't get me wrong..I am. I'm happy that we can just be normal again. It's just...Marko told me that he's dangerous, that you all are but...but with you, I feel it..I know it..and that's kind of weird for me. I don't..." she met his eyes fully, "I don't know where I stand with you?"

Even now she wanted to open up to him, to tell him the truth as she felt it but she didn't trust him not to mock her. It was a strange mix of feelings to try and balance.

The sea behind them rolled gently, the waves crashing to the shore with a very soft and soothing sound. She could almost hear the water being soaked up, back into the sand. The night was still and calm and away from the hustle and bustle of the boardwalk, it almost felt like it was just her and David, that they were the only two people in existence.

She didn't like it. It didn't feel special, like with Dwayne. It just felt dark.

He said nothing but his eyes were piercing and, wanting to fill the silence between them, she quietly carried on, "I want you to accept me..on some level, I do and I'm trying not to think about it so much but..you terrified me. You did and..and I feel like...I feel like it was deliberate..."

"It was"

She blinked, "see? That's what I mean" she swallowed, "I don't know where I stand with you..your apology was so sincere and then you...you admit that so easily, you scared me so easily even though you say you like me and-"

"-you're hurt by that, aren't you?" he interrupted.

She felt studied.

There was an amused curiosity in his voice, "you're hurt that I 'terrified' you, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm hurt...what else should I feel?"

"Anger? Rage? Fear?"

"I mean...I was scared" she conceded quietly, looking at the ocean beyond him. She had been hurt and fearful but not angry. She had felt more betrayal than rage. She frowned a little...now that she thought about it, she'd felt no anger at all.

Just hurt and fear.

"But now?"

Elizabeth blinked out of her thoughts, "I trust Dwayne...I trust Marko..."

"..and by extension, you trust me? You trust Paul?"

She nodded, "well yeah but...I trust your apology. I do, David..I think you were being sincere.."

David sighed and she saw him nod in response. It was a slow and thoughtful nod and she met his eyes again without even meaning to.

"I'm trying to figure you out, too, Elizabeth" he told her, and while his voice was still cold, she noticed that it was a degree warmer than before, "I don't doubt that you're Dwayne's mate and truthfully, I don't doubt that you belong with us-"

"-then why-"

"-and that makes you dangerous"

"That's ridic-"

"-no. It isn't" he said, his voice hard, "you're welcome and wanted but you're innocent. On top of that, you have baggage, you have family. You're complicated and so you're dangerous" he started to walk in the sand, slow and deliberate steps, "I understand that I hurt you, that I may have damaged the friendship you felt we had but I want you to know that it isn't personal, it wasn't personal.."

"But how can it not be?" she asked.

"Elizabeth, I'm going to be distant and I'm going to be cold because you're not one of us, not yet. Don't be hurt by it.."

She moved her body, pivoting on the spot to keep him in her sight.

"So..wait a second..that's why you went out of your way to terrify me? You were in my head because...what? Because I'm innocent?"

"I didn't go out of my way, Elizabeth. That was nothing to me" he waved his hand dismissively, "we've talked about this already. I did it because I have neither patience nor tolerance for that kind of dramatic-"

"-hey, that's unfair" she protested. She wasn't being dramatic, she had found out the man she'd given her heart and body to was a vampire.

He nodded, "to you, yes"

She shook her head in annoyance and frustration as an unpleasant feeling of sadness poured over her, "I don't get it. Why are you doing this, David? You hurt me and then you made it better and now you're..I feel like you're trying to hurt me all over again?" she took a breath, imploring him to understand what she was saying, "I'm serious. Did you send Paul away just so you can be a dick in private? So you can undo what was a nice apology?"

What was the point of the flowers, of the beauty they had shown her, of their sincere words if he was going to crap all over it mere moments later?

He smiled at her, "no, Elizabeth. I'm not not trying to hurt you, that's the point. I'm telling you that I want you to join us. I want you to be in my pack, I want you to be with Dwayne but I'm telling you that it's not a game, it's not a fairy tale and until you're one of us, fully...this is the type of relationship you can expect to have with me. I'm telling you this because I know you were hurt and, believe it or not, I don't want you to be upset.."

She frowned.

"It's simple. Don't be hurt by me, don't take my coldness personally. Understand that I'm cold because the survival of my pack is the most important thing-"

"-but I would never hurt Dwayne! I would never hurt him or Marko or Paul or-God, I wouldn't even want to hurt you!" she protested indignantly, immediately taking offence.

She wasn't a threat, why was he acting like she was?

As David looked at her she thought that everything she and Dwayne had done, their intimate moments, their conversations, their kisses, their touches...she thought David could see them all, each and every action portrayed clearly in her eyes.

She looked away from him.

"I trust you when you say that, Elizabeth"

He moved to stand directly in front of her, ignoring her attempt to distance herself from him.

"I trust that you don't want to cause hurt or harm but until you are one of us, you're dangerous and you're an outsider to me. That's all there is to it.."

She couldn't help the way her face crumpled a little and she actually hated that her reaction was one of sadness and hurt and rejection. She didn't know much about them, about their world but she did know that she didn't want to be an outsider.

"Elizabeth?"

She frowned as David's gloved hand met her face, his fingers splayed over her cheek and his thumb cupping her chin. He was standing close to her and she was surprised by his intimate action. His grip wasn't quite unforgiving but it was hard and she knew that he was demanding her attention, "don't think we haven't accepted you. We have, as a pack and individually. That includes me. I've accepted that one day you'll be with us...but you wanted the truth and so I'm giving it to you"

She wanted to protest that he had told her that she was getting the truth from now on, not that she had requested it but she didn't. She was glad he had offered to be truthful, she couldn't deny it.

"I want you to be happy and I want you to become one of us but until such a time, I'm going to be cold and I'm going to be distant" he grip was a little softer, "the pack is my priority. Do you understand?"

"...yes" she replied gently, processing his words.

"You have the friendship and brotherhood of Marko and Paul, odd though he is. I will support you-"

"-but you won't be my friend?"

He shook his head, "not yet.."

She frowned a little more.

"Elizabeth, when you are one of us, I will be the best ally, the best leader you could ever want but until then..don't be hurt if I'm not particularly warm. That's all I'm saying.."

He released her face and she took a breath.

"Why..why did you tell me this?"

"Because I think highly of you, Elizabeth and I think you deserve the truth from me, even if it is somewhat unpleasant"

She felt a small stirring of pride that he had been so upfront and frank with her, that he deemed her worthy of his honesty even though it wasn't particularly nice to hear, like he had said. She had Dwayne, she didn't question that and she trusted Marko's friendship..she was happy and relieved that she could count on Paul's now, too.

She thought she could wait for David's.

"...you don't really think highly of me though, do you?" she challenged quietly with a small smile, trying to break the ice that had formed after their seriousness.

He chuckled, his smile incredibly snakelike, "I do like you, Elizabeth and I will accept you fully when you chose to become one of us, OK?"

She nodded.

"In my own time though, right?"

"Of course"

"Um..." she smiled at him, a tentative one, "OK. Thank you for being so...upfront, I guess" he inclined his head ever so slightly, "I look forward to our friendship..."

He didn't reply but she hadn't really expected him to.

She smiled at him, a little tight and unsure smile. Now that he had aired his thoughts and cleared the air between them - really, truly cleared the air between them - she wasn't sure what came next.

"Let's go"

She nodded quickly, thankful for the first time that David wasn't the type to make a fuss.

As he helped her onto his bike, a gesture oddly reminiscent of Dwayne's caring actions, Elizabeth didn't feel too uncomfortable sitting behind him. It felt like a real, genuine fresh start and she couldn't help the yelp of surprise that escaped her as David took off into the night with silent speed.