Hey, guys. Thank you so much for your comments. The writing bug bite was still stinging and I had to get this out quickly. You may find a few mistakes, but your comments and critiques are welcome. Leave those reviews. Knowing what you guys think helps fuel the drive. Extra hello to the Ratsies.


Thursday, Two weeks later

(Paul POV)

"What the hell did I do wrong, Jake? I don't get it." Paul sat down on the couch and sighed as he pushed his hair out of his face.

Fuck, I need a haircut. His packmates longed to grow their hair back, but Paul preferred his short. Lately, it fell into his face, frequently poking him in the eye and pissing him off in general. Paul was half tempted to shave his head as the days grew warmer

He had not wanted to come here today. It had been two weeks since his date with Bella, and to the best of his knowledge, all was well. Paul had given her his number and asked her to give him a call. Four days later, he called the Black's house for her himself. After a week, he tried again.

Bella had clearly been the one to blow him off, and Paul wasn't used to having to chase the girl. Unfortunately, he had to fulfill his mowing duties. Paul was currently sitting in the Black's living room with Jacob, and Bella was nowhere in sight. Paul was not used to being ghosted, and he wanted to know why.

"Seriously, I thought everything went well," Paul said.

"She said, and don't quote me, here … That it was too perfect. She also said she was a little embarrassed because you remembered Sam called her Vampire Girl back then."

Paul cringed. "Dude, I meant no offense with that. It just dawned on me who she was. I even told her I was not judging her."

"I know," Jacob said, grinning. "Bells tells me everything, Paul. I think my advice the other night was wrong. She said she was expecting the real you. When you were not the outrageous flirt she expected, she thought you were not as interested as she thought. I had to admit to her that I threatened to bury you if you treated her badly."

"Fuck," Paul groaned. Now she probably thinks I'm a fucking pussy, scared of the baby Alpha. Paul asked, "What did she say?"

Jacob laughed and said, "She yelled at me, and my Dad, by the way, that if she wanted to be fucking babied all night, she would have stayed the fuck home."

Paul's jaw dropped. "She gets away with talking to the Chief like that?" Paul lost his temper in front of Billy once and got his ears boxed by Sam. Showing Billy disrespect was akin to peeking up skirts at church as far as the pack and council were concerned.

Jacob rolled his eyes and said, "Bella gets away with anything. Dad calls her his favorite child. Do you see how spotless this house is? That's Bella. She babies the hell out of him."

"Ouch," Paul said, frowning. "What do your sisters think about that?"

"Shit, Paul. They act like dad doesn't exist. You know that." Jacob grumbled, "Beck's oldest kid is like ten now, and we have never met him."

"Man, why do all of us have so many damn abandonment issues?" Paul sighed in aggravation as Jacob looked up at him curiously.

"I'm wondering how much Bella has told you, now," Jacob admitted. "She doesn't shut up when she is nervous."

"I learned that pretty quickly," Paul said. "Chatty Kathy's aren't normally my type, but Bella… She's cute about it. Bella just gets really excited about things. It's kind of fucking refreshing for a lonely asshole like myself."

"What is this?" Jacob asked, smirking as he waved his hand in Paul's direction, "You actually like her? Like her, like her?"

"Yeah, man," Paul said. "Like, a lot. I can't get her out of my fucking head."

"So, you don't just want to screw her and disappear?"

Paul scowled at Jacob, offended. "Dude, I know my rep is shit, but would I be here asking her best friend and fuck buddy for help if I just wanted a piece of ass? I don't jump through hoops to get pussy, Black. I can get it whenever I want. She is different, and she ghosted me."

Jacob asked, "What makes her different?"

Annoyed by the question, Paul asked, "You need me to tell you why your best friend is different from other chicks?"

"Seriously," Jacob said. "I'm curious about what you think of her. I know how I see Bells, but I'm biased as hell. I would like to understand how you see her."

"For starters, she is not that shy. Not by a long shot," Paul said and laughed. "She has got your ass fooled, my friend. She is smart and funny. She is a smartass, which you know I have a thing for. She seriously wears her heart on her sleeve. You can see every fucking thing she is feeling right on her face. I've never met anyone so transparent, honestly. Dude, she eats real food. Have you seen her lick her fucking fingers? Sweet Jesus."

Jacob burst out laughing and nodded.

Paul continued, "She is beautiful, too, and it is as if she has no idea."

"She is comfortable with you," Jacob said, his brow furrowed in consternation. "She said you danced. She only dances when she is comfortable. It is likely because she knows you are a wolf and would not let her hurt herself. Your shirt is folded up on the kitchen table, by the way. Thank you for doing that."

"You don't have to thank me for common decency, bro. I'm not that much of an asshole." Paul scowled as he looked out the window. Am I really this bad of a dude that me being a decent person is fucking surprising? What the hell did they expect I would do? Force her to walk around with her tits on display?

Paul took a deep breath and asked, "So, what happened with her and the vamp situation, anyway? I mean, she was the one that brought it up, but she looked like she was about to cry, so I distracted her by asking her to dance with me."

"She brought it up?" Again, Jacob seemed surprised.

Paul admitted, "Yeah, she told me about her breakdown and that you were the one that brought her out of it."

"She only discusses that shit with me, Paul," Jacob said. He sighed and relaxed in his seat.

Paul knew his future Alpha well enough to understand that he had just decided something. He tried not to grin about being right as Jacob said, "Okay. Here is what happened. Bells tried to live in Forks her Junior year. She was only here for a month and fell head over heels for this douche she went to school with. He saved her from getting squished by a fucking van, and she immediately developed this weird hero-worship complex with him. Said douche just so happened to be Edward Cullen. He is one of the original four that signed the treaty. He was apparently just as obsessed, and they started dating."

Paul grumbled, "That's sick, man. I mean, not for her. She was a teenager, and I'm sure he lured her in because he's a Leech. But, dude's over a hundred. He should have to register as a sex offender."

Jacob said, "Don't even bring that up to her. Ever. He looks seventeen and still has the same personality he had when he was turned. That's supposed to make it different somehow as if a hundred years of knowledge is irrelevant. Anyway, it's a subject we don't approach anymore because we fight every time. So … heads up?"

"Uh, thanks," Paul said awkwardly. "Wanna finish the rest?"

Jacob chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, sorry. Anyway, She went to his house for a family gathering, and some nomads passed through. They got a whiff of her and tried to attack."

"Hell," Paul said as he realized Bella had been the girl they saved from the Leech in the meadow just after Jacob first phased. Paul asked, "You said she only lived here for like a month when she was with him?"

"Yes," Jacob said. "In that time, Edward had accidentally hurt her numerous times, being the fragile human she is." Jacob scoffed. "Trust me. She is not fragile. Bella can throw a punch with the best of them. She just does not want to admit he was abusive, even now. Edward had her all kinds of brainwashed, Paul. He gaslit her all the time. Edward stalked her and snuck in her window to watch her sleep. He basically caused her to have Stockholm Syndrome. Anyway, these nomads wanted to eat her. One almost did. The Cullens killed him, but the other two took a bit longer. The Cullens just up and left one day. Edward had the bright idea of taking Bella, who has no sense of direction, into the woods to dump her. Said some terrible shit I'm not going to repeat because it just makes me pissed to even think about it. Sam was the only wolf then. He found her in the woods."

Paul said, "I remember that from the pack mind. It's how I remembered he called her Vampire Girl."

"She had a mental breakdown when they left town. He had her convinced they were forever, you know? She spent time with me building our motorcycles, and over time, I got her to talk to me about things. Of course, it was before my first phase. I was a lot more patient about the Cullens back then because I thought the legends were bullshit.

Bella never spoke of them as if they were anything but human. She kept that secret for them until the day I first phased. Bella had dreams about me turning into a wolf, like in our legends. I avoided her when I first phased, but then we saved her out in the meadow. Avoiding her created a mental setback for her, and I couldn't stand being away from her for very long, so she moved in over here."

"Your mind is a steel fucking trap, Jake. Sam, too, apparently. I barely remember this girl."

Jacob said, "Paul, you were rebellious, angry all the time, and hated pretty much everyone. You spent as much time away from the pack as you could. All you gave a damn about was killing vamps and fucking anything that walked. I would confide things to Embry when I needed to get shit off my chest. He is pretty good at controlling his thoughts, too. Yours have always been pretty loud, though."

Paul cringed again and nodded. It was true, and there was no point in denying it. Then again, he had his own secrets to keep. Perhaps he had overcompensated by focusing on hunting and humor to hide his more pressing thoughts.

Paul asked, "So then what? Bella obviously moved away at some point?"

"Her mom begged her to move home for the summer. Bella decided to go, and when she realized she liked Florida, she decided to finish high school there. Bells came back for visits and would bounce between here and Charlie's house. She went to college, graduated, and got a kickass job. She can work from wherever she wants. She came home to spend more time with Charlie, but he is a busy guy. So, this is home for her for now."

Paul asked, "The redhead that kept coming back here? She was looking for her, huh? That is part of why Bella moved in with you, too. It was right after your first phase."

Jacob nodded, "Are you remembering more of it now?"

"Nope, just piecing things together," Paul said. "So, Bella probably remembers me better than I remember her, right?"

"Uh-huh." Jacob snickered.

"What if I'm not as much of a flirtatious dick as she remembers, though? I haven't seen her in … shit. Four years? I've probably dated close to …" Paul's face flushed as he thought about the number of women he had been with. Jacob burst out laughing as Paul mumbled, "Nevermind. That's not important. The point is, people do change."

"I can't believe I'm encouraging this," Jacob said, "But I'm confident that I can stomp your ass. You're my packmate, and I have to trust you, do you understand?"

Do I fucking understand? "You can shove that condescending shit up your ass, Jacob. I cussed Sam on his first day as my Alpha, and you'll get no different. You guys are my brothers, and I would like to be her friend, so don't talk to me like I'm still some dumbass kid."

Jacob laughed, holding his hands up in peace. "I get it. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off that way. You know I don't even want to take over as Alpha. You and I bump heads a lot between your temper and my impatience. I'm trusting you to do right by her, Paul." Jacob glanced away guiltily, forcing a smile.

You didn't get to be as slick as Paul Lahote without learning to read body language, and he could sense Jacob's anxiety. "You're hiding something," Paul said quietly.

Jacob smirked and nodded. "I need you to keep it to yourself. I mean it, Paul. Bella knows because we don't have secrets, but Sam is the only other person that knows. Also, my dad can not find this out, or there will never be an end to it."

"Fucking lay it on me, dude," Paul said. Seriously, how bad could it be? Then again, if he didn't want Billy to know…

Jacob blurted out, "Bella is my imprint."

Holy fucking christ on a cracker. Paul was not expecting that at all. What kind of fucked up shit am I trying to get myself into here?

Jacob continued, "You also should know that your wolf can sense that, and it is why you are drawn to her."

Mother fuck me. Paul scowled angrily. "Are you telling me the attraction I feel toward her only exists because she's my Alpha's imprint? Bullshit. I don't feel like this about Emily or Kim."

"I'm not saying what you feel isn't real, Paul, but you're going to be drawn toward her either way. Even if you hate her."

Paul swallowed hard at that thought. He couldn't imagine hating her and was unsure why. He asked, "You aren't in love with her, even though she is your imprint?"

"No," Jacob said firmly. "And she is not in love with me either. Everyone thinks the imprint has to be romantic, but it doesn't."

"Yet, you two have been fucking each other's brains out for years?" Paul scowled at Jacob in disbelief. "Look, bro. I don't even care about that shit, but you can't tell me that the imprint isn't part of that."

Jacob admitted, "It is. As I said, we don't have secrets. I'm being kind of an ass when she is concerned about telling you all of this shit, but I can feel how much she likes you. She is my imprint, and I want to make her happy. If you want to date her, you need to be aware of that shit. You will have to figure out how to be her friend and win her over first. I'm begging you, dude. If you aren't serious about wanting a relationship with her, leave her alone. My happiness depends on hers. I know you have to understand that. Sam projects his feelings for Em so much that we all know how painful a strained imprint can be."

Paul asked, "Are you going to keep fucking her in the meantime?"

Jacob said, "We have talked about that. We both know why the compulsion is so strong, and we are trying to stop it. I think I may have hit it off with blondie, too. Neither wants to date someone and do shit behind their back."

"Fair enough," Paul said. "I appreciate the honesty."

Jacob said, "If you stay honest with her, she will eventually tell you this shit herself."

Paul said, "Well, now I need to focus on getting her to hang out with me again."

Jacob grinned over at Paul mischievously and said, "I might have a plan for that."


(Bella POV)

Bella pulled her motorcycle into the driveway and groaned at the sight of Paul's truck. Her stomach immediately felt as if it were doing jumping jacks in her chest as she recalled his lips on hers. Bella knew damn good and well that she had blown him off and somewhat despised herself for it.

It was not that she didn't like Paul. Bella liked him a great deal. The date had gone well, despite her near emotional slip. He had handled it like a champ, quickly distracting her into enjoying herself again. Bella was unsure why she had even wanted to talk about her mental health outside of wanting to be honest. She had only met Paul once in the past, and she had obviously not been memorable enough for him to recall her right away.

She pushed her bike into the garage and stared out at Paul's truck, recalling the end of their date. After leaving the bar, they had driven back in comfortable silence. Paul had turned on the radio and taken her hand, holding it comfortably throughout the ride. Bella eventually scooted closer to him, content with her head against his shoulder. She sat up as they turned into the driveway. Paul parked the truck and shut it off before turning to face her.

The desire to kiss him again burned through her, and before she could second-guess herself, Bella pressed her lips to his. Paul responded immediately, deepening the kiss as she tried to move closer. He slid toward the center, creating space for her knee to rest beside him as Bella moved to straddle his lap.

Bella pulled away from his lips abruptly, startled as her ass pushed against his horn. Both cackled in embarrassment and glanced toward the house.

"I hope that didn't wake Billy," she whispered as if they might somehow be overheard.

Paul slid further toward the center of the seat, away from the steering wheel. "Better?"

"Much." Bella leaned in to kiss him again as his hands slid around her waist.

Suddenly headlights blinded her vision as someone pulled into the driveway behind them. Bella groaned, and Paul laughed as she climbed off of his lap. They listened as Jacob said goodnight to his date, walked past them toward the house and waited as the car behind them left before exiting the truck. Paul walked her to the door and kissed her once more before saying goodnight.

He had been a perfect gentleman throughout the evening, and it had not been expected. Despite kissing her back, Bella was unsure if he was as interested as she thought the day prior. She, however, was very interested. It frightened her. Was she dumb enough to let herself start falling for the first person she went on a date with after being single for three years? Not to mention that Paul was someone who physically had a lot in common with Jacob?

Maybe I need to randomly date for a while. I should probably date normal fucking humans that won't eventually imprint and leave me, anyway.

The imprint she and Jacob shared seemed to be an anomaly. They were practically a couple in every way but one; Each wanted to discover romantic love and hoped the other found it. Love, however, had nearly destroyed her once.

Was love worth the risk for a man like Paul? She wondered if he had ever had a real relationship and if his reputation also implied he was unfaithful.

Bella sighed as she watched Paul head back to his truck and shut the door. She walked straight to Jacob's room, where she crawled into bed beside him, and they talked until she fell asleep.

When Paul called three days later, she was unsure what she wanted to do. By the second time he called, she remained indecisive and ignored him. Jacob was not wrong when he called her codependent. Bella was never good at facing her problems.

As she walked towards the house, Paul came walking out the door. He smirked as he spotted her, and she stopped, bracing herself for his inevitable questions. Paul strolled straight to his truck, ignoring her instead.

Bella continued toward the house, and Paul yelled her name as she opened the door. She was surprised again as he jogged to her with a book in hand.

"I finished this. You can still read it if you would like."

"Oh," she said, accepting the book. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Paul said. "See ya around, Bella."

Despite having ignored him, Bella was annoyed. She had beaten herself up for two weeks, but Paul seemed unfazed by her silence. She called out, "When did you finish it?"

Paul turned and took a few steps toward her. "I read it in three days, "

Bella looked down at the selection and grinned. "I'm impressed," she said.

"Well, I'm not," he teased. "I saw your book on the coffee table, and that bookmark is only halfway through."

She laughed and nodded. "I've been busy."

"So I figured," he said. Bella flinched from the defeated tone in his voice.

"Look," they said in unison and laughed.

"You first," she said, staring down at the old boards on Billy's ramp.

"I think we jumped the gun a bit, huh?"

Bella looked up in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

Paul said, "If you don't want to date me, that is okay. We can stay just friends, alright?" Paul held out his hand for her to shake it, and she accepted timidly.

"I like you, Paul," she began.

"It's okay," he interrupted. "I like your company, so if you want to hang out, then call me. No biggie." Paul looked down at his watch and winced. "Shit, I gotta jet. See ya around, Bella."

Before she could respond, he was jogging to his truck. Bella walked into the house, more confused about Paul than ever.


Friday Night.

Jacob walked around the house, gathering items as he got ready. Bella sat on the couch, trying to read her book and failing. She didn't mind that he had another date with his mysterious blonde. Bella was bummed that it was a Friday, and the only company for the night was her book. As it turned out, her selection was not nearly as interesting as she had thought it would be. Even Billy or Charlie's company would have been better than nothing, but they were in a cabin near a lake somewhere, fishing.

She slammed her book shut and tossed it back onto the coffee table before grabbing Paul's and opening it instead. Jacob's quiet laughter made her look over as he sat to put on his boots.

"What?"

Jacob laughed again at the irritation in her voice. He said, "I guess the other book sucks?"

"Kind of," Bella said. "I'm just bored. Maybe I will get online for a little while."

Jacob cackled and said, "Yeah? Maybe you could message your mom back so that she stops texting me about it, huh?"

"I really should," she admitted. "I should probably check my other messages, too."

"Yeah? Are you expecting to hear from some of your college pals?" Jacob situated the legs of his jeans over his boots and stood.

"I joined a dating site," Bella admitted, turning back to the book in her hands.

"Uh, y-you did?" She giggled at Jacob, having anticipated his reaction.

"Yeah. I think it is time I figure out this whole dating thing. I want to keep things light, though. I'm not ready to love somebody, Jake, but I don't want to be alone either. I'm going to just … see what is out there, I guess."

Jacob walked around the couch and bent down to kiss her cheek from behind. "That might be a good idea, Bells. Take your time with shit. You will know when you're ready." He stepped away and held out his arms as he asked, "So, how do I look?"

Bella grinned up at him and teased, "Super hot, buddy. If you weren't going on a date, I would bang you myself."

"You would bang me anyway," Jacob teased, rolling his eyes.

"A bitch has needs," Bella deadpanned and pretended to tune him out as she turned the page in her book. Jacob cackled as he grabbed his keys and walked to the door.

"If you're truly that bored, I know someone sitting at home tonight, too," Jacob said.

Absently, Bella muttered, "Yeah? Who?"

"Flip through that book, Bells," Jacob said and shut the door behind him. Bella scoffed and began flipping through the pages. A yellow post-it fell out, fluttering onto the couch cushion next to her. The paper contained a phone number and a scribbled, 'Just in case. Paul.'

He's persistent. I have to give him that. Bella laid down on the couch and dove into the book, hoping it kept her entertained until Jacob finally came home.

Bella woke up later to a loud crash and shattering glass. A storm raged outside like none she had experienced in this part of the country despite it being the rainiest part of the continental US. The room was pitch black, the power out. The house was getting warmer, and Bella wiped the sweat beads from her forehead as she groggily climbed off the couch. She searched blindly for the flashlight Billy kept next to his recliner for such occasions and flipped it on.

Bella gasped as she spotted the kitchen door wide open. Picture frames had fallen from the wall, and glass littered the floor like sparkling diamonds under the dim flashlight. Despite not seeing him in nearly five years, memories of diamond skin in the sunlight flooded her mind. Bella let out a slightly hysterical laugh.

Bella looked down at her bare feet and sighed. The broom lay on the kitchen floor, next to the open door. Rain was soaking the floor, and she needed to get the door shut quickly. The problem was that her shoes were in the twin's old room, which Bella currently claimed as her own (even if she did just sleep next to Jacob most nights). She looked around for a spare pair of sneakers or Billy's slippers - anything to protect her feet from the glass-littered floor.

Finding nothing, Bella growled in frustration and chose to cross the mess. Her room was the closest route to safety, and she took careful steps to dodge the glass. Bella made it safely and thanked the universe for small miracles. She grabbed her cellphone for brighter light and screamed as lightning struck nearby.

I really fucking hate storms. Bella wanted to crawl into Jacob's bed, where his scent lingered, and she always felt safe. First, she had to tend to the mess.

Not paying attention to the floor in her room, Bella cried out as something sharp stabbed her heel. She hopped to the bed and sat, finding a chunk of glass embedded in her foot.

"Fuck me, that shit is everywhere!" The smell of blood made her stomach roll, and she yanked the glass from her foot. Years of stitches and clumsiness had never staunched the effect the smell of fresh blood had on her senses. She hopped to her hamper to grab a towel to stop the bleeding and scanned the floor for more glass before sitting down. Her stomach rolled again, and she could practically feel the color pooling out of her skin. Bella closed her eyes as she focused on breathing and turned off the flashlight portion of her phone.

Fuck. I don't know if this needs stitches, and I can't just let the storm destroy Billy's kitchen.

Bella quickly dialed her phone and turned the speaker on, hoping the cell towers were not down.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Bella. I kind of need your help. I don't have anyone else to call, and I'm alone."

"I'll be right there," Paul said groggily.

"I'm sorry I woke you. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't necessary."

"Bella, you can call me even if it isn't necessary. I'll be there in ten minutes tops."

"Thank you." Her phone lit up again as the call ended. Bella texted him as she remembered how the wolves usually traveled in an emergency.

Wear shoes.