All Twilight content is owned by SM. No copyright infringement is intended. Also, all characters in this story who may have similar names to any OCs or living people are purely coincidental and unrelated.


(BPOV)

Bella woke later that morning and found a scowling, tired Billy nursing his coffee at the kitchen table. She beelined for the coffeemaker to fix herself a cup, grateful she wouldn't have to wait.

"Good morning," he grumbled as she sat down next to him. The sound made her wince as her head throbbed, and she rubbed her temples.

"Hi," Bella croaked and seriously considered adding vodka to the list of things she would never touch again. She opened her eyes to Billy pouring whiskey into her coffee. "Oh, god," she groaned.

Billy grumbled, "Take an old drunk's advice, Bella. A little Hair-Of-The-Dog and a large glass of water will make you feel better."

Bella didn't argue as she took a drink, happy to try whatever would make the ache disappear.

The sounds of Jacob and Reagan stirring alerted them, and Bella waited in silence after catching the frown on Billy's face. A few minutes later, the couple emerged. Both looked worse for wear despite the grins they wore.

Billy said something Bella didn't understand as Reagan passed, followed by, "Have a good day."

Jacob shot Billy an annoyed glance from behind Reagan as he followed her to the front door and kissed her goodbye.

Bella remained quiet, waiting for Jacob's calm facade to slip as soon as she left. Sure enough, he stomped back to the kitchen and asked, "What was that about?"

Billy kept a straight face as he glanced over his newspaper and said, "Whatever do you mean, son?"

Jacob said, "You said something about a songbird."

"I said, Hello, Songbird," Billy grumbled and glared at Jacob. "If you want me to like Reagan, you better teach her to hum. I'm an old man, son. I need my sleep."

Bella nearly spat out her coffee as Jacob's face flushed with embarrassment, and he stomped into the bathroom.

Once the door shut, she whispered, "Remind me to pick us both up some earplugs."

"No shit," Billy grumbled.

Jacob yelled, "I heard that!"

Billy hollered, "She's a sweet girl, son, but I never needed to know what that sounded like." His voice was barely a whisper as Billy added, "His mother would have thrown that girl outside on her ass."

Bella held her aching head as she cackled, finally bringing a smile to his face. She stood and rummaged through the refrigerator for ingredients. "Dad, do you want breakfast?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"I'm not sure," Bella said sarcastically. "I've never met a bear."

Billy laughed as he shook his head and wheeled himself to the coffeemaker. He refilled his cup and banished himself into the living room, out of her way. Jacob gave her no such luxury as he pilfered bits of potatoes and sausage from her pans, burned his fingers, and continuously got under her skin. Bella finally became fed up and cracked a wooden spoon across his knuckles.

He gaped at her in shock before shaking the ache from his hand. "That actually hurt, Bells."

Bella snapped, "Good. Get the hell out from under my feet. Now I know why women used to whip their husbands with wooden spoons and frying pans." She grinned as Billy cackled from the living room.

"Geez, Bells," Jacob said as he plopped down at the table. "What crawled up your ass this morning?"

"You!" Bella laughed as she carefully assembled their plates. "To be honest, I'm still a little miffed at you from last night."

Incredulously, Jacob cried, "For what?"

"You know," Bella said and glanced toward Billy. She carried the plates to the table and leaned down to whisper, "You licked me from between my tits to my chin, Jake. It didn't have to go that far. We hurt Reagan last night. That can't happen again."

Jacob stiffened in anger as she stepped away to make more coffee. He stood and followed her across the kitchen, blocking her into the corner cabinets.

"What are you doing?"

Jacob kept his voice low as he asked, "So last night was all my fault, right? You had no blame in that?"

"That's not what I said," she argued. "I said we, and I meant we, Wolf."

Gold spread across his irises as Jacob glowered. "Don't antagonize him, Bells." Despite the warning, Jacob moved closer as she leaned back on the counter.

"Don't try to intimidate me," Bella hissed back at him.

There were moments when the Imprint connection made her feel smothered. Tales aplenty were told among the wolves and council about how the wolf was supposed to be whatever the Imprint wanted it to be.

What a crock of shit. The wolf was its own being and pushed its luck frequently. Most of the time, Jacob was in harmony with his wolf. When it overpowered him, there was little either could do until the wolf got his way. She sighed, giving in to its ridiculous need for dominance so Jacob would move. Bella reached up to cup his cheeks and calmly waited for him to get a grip. To her surprise, his hands slid around her waist, hovering dangerously close to the swell of her ass. Bella swallowed hard as she tried to ignore her instincts and slow her racing heart.

Each turned to Billy clearing his throat from the kitchen table. He asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope," Bella said as Jacob finally moved away from her. He stared out the window, keeping his back to Billy as he calmed. "Just a little disagreement is all. You know how we are."

"Thought you two had made up," Billy grumbled.

"We're fine, Dad," Jacob snapped.

"You sound it," Billy said sarcastically.

Bella sat next to Billy and looked around at the three plates of food, ranging from heaping, to standard-sized, to snack-sized proportions. "It looks like the three bears live here," she quipped.

"Ah," Billy teased her. "So you have met a bear." He gestured toward Jacob's back with his thumb, and Bella laughed.

"Jakey, honey, come eat," she said. As expected, both terms of endearment instantly lightened his mood as Jacob turned around and gave her a dazzling smile. The gold of his irises told her the wolf was still close but mollified for now. She rolled her eyes at Billy, and they ate their breakfast in blessed silence.


After breakfast, Billy and Jacob both decided to take a nap. Bella heeded Billy's advice and got started on bottled water as she cleaned up the kitchen. Hands covered in suds, Bella jumped and dropped a plate as someone pounded frantically on the front door. Water splashed the front of her shirt, and she growled in aggravation as she stepped backward too late.

Well, at least I didn't break the fucking plate. Bella dried her hands with a dish towel as they pounded again, and she ran to open the door.

Angrier than Bella had ever seen her, Sue stepped inside and asked, "Did Leah stay here?"

Bella said, "No, but I'm pretty sure I know where she is. Is everything alright?"

"She hasn't come home," Sue said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "We had shit to do today, and she knew it. Half the day is gone already. Where the fuck is she?"

Bella could only gape at her stepmother for a solid ten seconds. Sue had never cursed in front of her before. Bella wanted to tell Sue that Leah had hit it off with someone, but the thought of facing her wrath held Bella back. Leah liked her privacy and was careful about what she shared.

Bella offered, "Why don't I change and go get her. You go home and take a breather. I will have Leah home in an hour, and then I will give you both a hand. How does that sound?"

Sue pulled Bella to her for a brief hug before leaving and said, "You better warn your sister that I said her ass is grass."

"You got it," Bella said as she shut the door behind Sue.

God, it would suck to be expected to answer to your mother about your whereabouts at twenty-four, Bella thought. Renee wasn't nearly so attentive. Considering the supernatural world Bella had found herself submerged in, Renee's flighty absentmindedness was likely for the best.

Bella logged into the dating site and messaged Mike to see if Leah was still there with Dean. He confirmed that she was and that they were sleeping. Bella sighed as she asked him to wake Leah in ten minutes and warn her that a ride was on the way. She piled up her hair, changed clothes, and brushed her teeth before driving to Forks to claim her sister.


(Paul POV)

Paul had woken early that morning to a picture of a barely dressed Bella. He couldn't help but grin as he read her message. Of course, he was still down for Saturday. Paul was taking his girl on a date.

Well, she may not realize it will be a date. Paul planned to lay the charm on thick.

She had been on the verge of telling him something, and he wanted those answers, too. Paul tried to take a selfie and groaned at the result. You look like a hot mess. He deleted it and put down his phone. He fell asleep smiling, wishing he would wake up on Saturday.

Currently, Paul was bored out of his mind. Because of their newly reinstated patrol routes, Paul had spent most of the morning on the outskirts of Forks. There were no vampire scents anywhere that he could find, not even the lingering stench of whoever had been at Bella's house. Paul spotted Charlie in the side yard as he rounded a bend behind the Swan property. In civilian clothes for a change, Charlie carried a coffee cup in one hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Paul chuckled to himself at the idea of catching his pal off-guard. There were so few humans that his prankster wolf counterpart could play with, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Quil gained Jared and Embry's attention as he said oh, this will be good!.

Each braced themselves for the outcome as Paul carefully stalked after Charlie from the edge of the woods. He waited for Charlie to turn toward him before releasing a vicious roar and pouncing out of the trees. Charlie yelled and stepped backward, splashing his coffee on his sleeve while simultaneously reaching for the gun belt he wasn't wearing.

As Charlie put his dry hand over his chest and tried to catch his breath, he said, "Paul. You son of a bitch. You bout gave me a goddamn heart attack."

Paul was pretty sure he sounded as if he were choking to death as he hacked and rolled on his back, laughing.

Charlie grinned down at him and said, "Yeah, yeah, I guess it was pretty funny, huh?"

Paul thumped his tail on the ground twice in agreement. Charlie shook his head and pulled off the long-sleeved shirt he wore. Paul snickered at the Forks PD t-shirt he had worn underneath.

The guy is always in uniform, in one way or another, Embry said.

He's proud of his job. He should be. Charlie's the kind of cop I wish they all were, Paul defended. Despite the silence, he could feel his brothers were in unanimous agreement. Paul walked over and lay on the ground by the porch.

Charlie couldn't suppress the urge to reach down and scratch him behind the ears. Paul kicked his leg for good measure, sending Charlie into a fit of laughter. "You goofy little fucker," he said and took a drink from what remained of his coffee. "

So," Charlie asked, "You on Patrol?"

Paul nodded once and glanced around, assuring no neighbors were in sight. He raised one ear to listen to a car nearby and resettled as it drifted away.

Charlie glanced around warily as he asked, "Catch any new trails?" Paul shook his head no. Charlie lowered his voice and asked, "How are things going with Bells?"

Quil snickered, and Embry acted as if he hadn't heard the question. Jared, however, was interested in the answer. Paul still had not had the opportunity to tell Jared everything about Bella.

Charlie said, "I guess anything but yes or no is out at the moment?" Paul woofed and nodded again as Charlie laughed. "So, are things good with you two?"

Paul nodded, and Charlie asked, "Are you planning on taking her out again soon?" Paul gave Charlie a wide, wolfy grin.

Embry asked You're taking Bella out? When? Wait. Did you say again?

Tomorrow, Paul said. Bella Swan. All mine, all day. And yes, again.

Quil growled at him and said, You better be respectful, Paul.

Paul growled out loud as he snapped back, I am always fucking respectful to Bella, Quil. If you were ever around us together, you would see that.

Quil said, So I guess you won't mind me tagging along tomorrow, huh? Spend a little time with my cousin?

Paul threatened, Don't you dare.

Charlie asked, "Are you arguing in the pack mind again?"

Paul rolled his eyes and nodded as Charlie laughed.

Quil pressed, Why not, Paul?

Paul snapped Because we have shit to talk about that is none of your damn business. That's why. We really need this time together tomorrow after the fight we had over Shari. His ears perked up again as another vehicle sped closer. Paul stood and nodded his goodbye to Charlie as he darted into the woods and out of view. He crouched and waited as a truck pulled into the driveway behind the cruiser.

Who the hell? Paul had to fight the urge to get her attention as Bella climbed out from behind the wheel. Leah and two men Paul had never seen before climbed out of the truck and approached Charlie cheerfully.

Leah said, "Hey, we're here to haul off that stuff. I overslept today, and mom is pretty mad."

"So I heard," Charlie harrumphed.

Leah said, "This is Dean and Nick. They have a moving company and offered to give a hand if you don't mind."

"Hey, Charlie," Dean said, grinning. "Who woulda thought Bella would buy Pop's truck, huh?"

"Dean Newton," Charlie said happily as he finally recognized the young man in front of him. "How ya been, kid?"

"Better," Dean said, grinning. "Staying far away from trouble these days."

"Good, good," Charlie said and patted his shoulder affectionately. "So, how do you know my girls?"

"We met yesterday," Dean answered. "You aren't gonna hold it against me and give away all of my shenanigans if I take Leah on a date, are ya?"

Charlie gave Leah his best shit-eating grin and said, "Wouldn't do any good. Our Leah is her own person. She does what she wants and makes up her own mind about people." Leah blushed as Dean gave her an affectionate smile. Charlie said, "Come on, guys. I'll show ya what shit to haul out of here."

"Be right there, Charlie," Leah said and tugged Bella toward the backyard. Leah turned and gripped Bella's shoulders as she glanced toward the window. "Bella, I'm going on a date with Dean tomorrow night, but we plan to go somewhere else next Wednesday. Please come with us and be Nick's date for the night."

Bella hesitated and looked toward the house uneasily. She said, "I don't know, Leah. He made me really nervous yesterday. It doesn't seem as bad today, but yesterday?"

Leah teased, "Yesterday, I caught you canoodling with his hand in your shirt."

Quil snickered as Paul fought to hold back a growl at the very idea of someone else's hand under Bella's shirt.

Bella flushed and spat, "That was an accident. I told you. I tripped, Nick caught me, and his watch snagged on my shirt. The end." Leah chuckled as Bella gave her a rueful grin. "God, why do you and Jacob have to fuck with me?"

Leah said, "Uh, listen."

Bella said, "I don't want to talk about Reagan or what happened last night."

Quil said, Oooh, what happened last night?

Shut up, Paul hissed.

Leah said, "Was she okay, though?"

Bella grumbled, "Oh yeah. Just perfect. I had to put my headphones in to block out the sound of them having sex this morning."

Leah simultaneously stuck her tongue out and cringed. "Well, at least they made up."

"Yeah," Bella said. She looked toward the woods and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Is one of the guys out there?"

"Nah," Leah lied as she scanned the treeline and glared directly at Paul.

Oh, she's got your number, Quil said.

Paul snapped Shit, Quil. Mind your own damn business and pay attention to your patrol.

Pot meets kettle, Embry muttered as Jared cackled.

Leah asked, "So, what do you say about Wednesday, Bells? Please?"

Bella scowled at her step-sister in silence. Again, Leah begged, "Please? We have to find him a date. You won't subject me to some random skank for company all night, will you?" Leah pouted at Bella, holding her stare.

"Ugh," Bella yelled, throwing up her hands. "Fine! But if he gets handsy, I'll probably punch him. Then you get to deal with the aftermath."

"Yes!" Leah yanked Bella in for a hug and playfully slapped her on the butt.

Bella laughed and shook her head. "You and Jacob are more alike every fucking day," She walked toward the front door rubbing her ass cheek.

Leah waited until Bella stepped inside before stomping into the woods and directly toward Paul.

Oh shit, Embry said.

Leah's on the warpath, Paul. Run. Abort. Abort, Quil cried, sending Embry and Jared into hysterical laughter.

Leah stopped walking as Paul rose to his full height, waiting for her mouth to start flying. "Stop watching her, you creep," Leah hissed. "Look, Bella is a needs privacy kind of girl, okay?"

Entirely uncaring about his nudity, Paul phased back in front of her. He said, "I've been patrolling over here all day. How am I being a fucking creep?"

Leah said, "You are watching her. You keep showing up where she is. On dates, Paul."

"Those were coincidences," Paul lied. Leah didn't understand. Paul had never had an issue with jealousy before. Bella had captured him, and, for the first time, he was content with the idea of being caged.

Leah, as usual, saw right through him. It was one of the reasons they bumped heads. She was too observant, and Paul liked to keep secrets despite his loud mouth. "Once was a coincidence, twice is highly unlikely, and considering what you're doing, I'm going with 'Paul is acting like a big fat creep.'' Leah pointed her finger at Paul, poking him in the chest with a sharp nail as she added, "And don't think I haven't figured out that Jacob is helping you."

Paul was dumbfounded. Leah was good at hiding among the pack-mind, but she had obviously heard more than she ever let on. She continued, "Edward stalked her. He watched her sleep. He showed up everywhere she was. It freaks her out to be gawked at because of him. Believe me, Paul. She can feel it across a stadium. Nick wouldn't stop staring at her yesterday, and I thought she would jump out of her skin."

"We're supposed to be guarding her right now, Lee," Paul argued.

"You're supposed to be watching out for vamps near her, not staring at her," Leah said.

Paul asked, "Did you know I was out here the whole time?"

"Of course." Leah scoffed, glaring at him. "Don't be ridiculous. I could smell you on Charlie when I got out of the truck."

Anger coursed through him. She was directly interfering in his business, and he didn't like it. "You talked her into that date just to piss me off, didn't you?"

Leah scoffed as she stepped back in surprise. She said, "I talked her into accepting that date for two reasons. One, Bella needs to make some more fucking friends. Two, you need someone to light a fire under your ass."

Paul huffed and said, "I'm taking her out tomorrow."

Leah lowered her voice and said, "And when you do, you will remember to fucking fight for her attention. You have not won yet. Bella cares about you, but she is fucking terrified to love somebody. Especially someone that might imprint and leave her. She confides in me about shit because I fucking understand it better than anyone. I don't judge her choices, boss her around, or condescend like Jacob. She trusts you to an extent, but Bella needs to find that type of trust in you. The kind where she knows your love is unconditional before she can admit her feelings out loud. The imprinting risk seems to scare her the most, though."

Paul's heart sank. The last thing he wanted was Bella to fear loving him back. "If I am supposed to imprint, it would have happened long ago," he said.

"I, uh, wouldn't be so sure," Leah said. "You never know. You could meet someone one day and suddenly, poof. Fucking feelings."

Paul nodded his head in understanding. Drawn to Bella from the second she snuck up on him in Billy's front yard, Paul rarely thought about anything else.

Leah said, "I'm going to trust you with this because I want you to prove I am on your side. I don't care that we are not the biggest fans of each other. Bella is what matters here. I can see how Bella feels about you, and I felt your feelings for her. So, to prove that I have your back with this," Leah sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe I am saying any of this," she grumbled. "Yes. I imprinted yesterday." Imprint left her mouth in a scowl as if she detested the very word itself. She continued, "Standing in the middle of the carnival with a goddamn hotdog in my mouth."

Paul tried to muffle his laughter as he leaned against a tree in disbelief. Leah continued, "His name is Dean, and he's the blonde guy Charlie knows. And the dark-haired guy? That's Nick. He's a little eccentric, but he's not a bad guy. He is from Nevada. The likelihood of him sticking around here? Not much. I'm going to warn you, though. He is interested in Bella. Big time. He followed her around like a lost pup yesterday."

Paul released a low growl, all humor fleeing his face.

"She is not into him," Leah said quickly. "Her going on this date is a favor to me, okay? He will have to pull some pretty big punches to gain her interest. What I need is for you not to tell anyone that I imprinted. Not a fucking soul. I didn't even tell Bella, and she literally watched it happen. No one can know until I decide to tell Dean about it myself, and since I just met him yesterday, I don't know if that will happen. Not any time soon, that's for sure. If we aren't compatible, I will walk away, Paul. Imprint or none. I refuse to let some bullshit Russian-roulette-style love life make me into something I don't want to be. If Jacob could live without Bella being around for four years, I can live without Dean, too."

"Look, I can get that," Paul said. "I won't even think about it, I swear."

"Thank you. In the meantime, I will keep trying to get Bella to open up to you and about you. Jacob can't do all the goddamn work," Leah said.

"Uh, thanks, Lee," Paul said awkwardly. It wasn't a phrase he had sent her way often.

"I gotta get in there before they wonder what the hell I'm doing," she said. "Remember what I said. Now, quit stalking her and just date her like a normal human."

Hmph. What the hell is normal anymore? Not one Bella Swan. Of that, Paul was sure.


How do you guys feel about Leah & Dean? She's being a little miss buttinsky right now, but she means well. The next chapter will be all PaulXBella. Fingers crossed his night at the carnival goes well. Meanwhile, Bella has upcoming dates with other people, too. Seems like Paul better lay it on thick, huh? Send me your honest thoughts and critiques, Readers, Writers, and Ratties. You can only help me improve (And honestly, the feedback gives me SO MUCH writing fuel.)

Just a little side note - if you use FB and are a fan of Pack-based fanfics, come check out the group
#TwilightPackFanatfics. It is our hope to maintain a space where locating links to beloved wolf-centered stories, communication between authors and readers, writing prompts, challenges, and eventually, Pack-based Fanfiction Awards will all be available. It is a work in progress, but so far, so good.