A/N: Hello all! So glad you're all enjoying this story so far! Honestly, I had a totally different idea when I started this and now I'm along for the ride with the rest of you! Lots of POV switches in this chapter, mostly catching up with some of our lovely characters after the craziness they've been through! This is part 2 of 3 for this chapter, I wanted to make it longer but seemed like a good place to stop. Enjoy!
Come A Little Closer Part 2
Jen watched Paul's chest rise and fall in slow, even breaths. His color was finally returning, little by little, and the last time she'd changed the bandage she saw the cut on his wrist was starting to heal. He still hadn't woken up; although she wasn't sure she was ready for him to, unsure whether the urge to kiss him senseless in relief or slap him for scaring her to death would be stronger. He had helped save Bella, nearly at the cost of his own life, and she was both proud and exasperated with his loyalty to her best friend. Running a hand through her limp hair she idly thought she should shower but couldn't bear to tear herself from his side. She had been up all night, watching, despite the exhaustion that pulled at her.
Her magic was a low hum, barely detectable, she had nearly overdone it between the spell in the cave, saving Bella and channeling small amounts of energy into Paul to help him recover. She could feel the bond between them even was even stronger, constant exchange of their energies over the last 24 hours intertwining them until she couldn't tell where she ended and he began. She was convinced that was why she was having trouble keeping her eyes open, his exhaustion looping back to hers, and she let herself give into the urge to lie beside him, curling into his side as she carefully put her cheek against his chest.
She felt him relax, the tension she hadn't noticed till then leaking away from her shoulders at the same time, and placed her arm over his chest to rest her palm over his heart. The steady beat relaxed her further, her eyes blinking drowsily as she nestled closer, knowing she was just further torturing herself but too exhausted to care at this point. Closing her eyes she fell asleep almost instantly, too far gone to feel Paul's arm slip around her waist or his mumbled, "Stay…"
Jacob watched Bella as she slept, her hair fanned out against the pillow as she snored softly. Without his wolf hearing he probably wouldn't have heard it, it was a far cry from Charlie's chainsaw noises. Not that he would ever tell her, he doubted she knew she did it and would probably just piss her off that he found it adorable. His wolf rumbled quietly, as content as Jacob now that their mate was safe and healing, although there were still questions that needed answered. He'd seen the look on Old Quil's face as he'd ordered everyone from the room, his usual calm demeanor worried as he'd watched Bella. The elder knew something, although what it was remained a mystery for now.
And he had also noticed, in the midst of their lovemaking last night, that Bella's scar from James was healed over. It no longer was cooler than the rest of her skin, and without his keen eyesight he doubted he would have noticed it. He was torn between the burning need to have these things explained and the overwhelming contentment to lie in their little bubble of peace and hide away from any other problems that threatened their happiness. He knew this life wasn't easy, as a protector and Alpha he had the weight of the whole tribe's safety on his shoulders as well as the dynamics of the Pack so they ran like a well-oiled machine. He was glad to take the responsibility, ensuring people he cared about were safe was not burdensome or a new concept to Jacob.
He'd done that his whole life, especially after his mother died and his sisters left, becoming Billy's sole caretaker had helped prepare him for this much larger scale. But without someone next to him to ease the burden slightly when it became too much, it was an overwhelming pressure that threatened to crush him. And he honestly couldn't imagine anyone better suited to it than Bella. Not just because he loved her, he'd seen how much she'd changed in so short a time. Gone was the unsure, timid girl that Cullen had tried to stifle with his old-fashioned ideals. Now Bella held her ground, found her inner strength that Jacob had always known she had, even before the news of her magic bloodline. Honestly, he thought she was stronger than the magic she carried, although he knew she'd disagree with him. She was so much stronger than him, she always had been. She'd been through more nightmare inducing misadventures than most people could dream of. Yet she handled it with a poise that Jacob envied, something that he theorized drew the supernatural world to her.
He wasn't sure Bella knew the effect she had on him, on all of them. Even those that took to the wolf easily, like Paul and Quil, gravitated to her without realizing it. It had puzzled him for a long time, why even when she was with the leech the Pack had all worked to protect her despite their better judgement. Finally, after she had tamed Paul's anger and Jacob's own wolf he thought he had figured it out. Bella made them feel human. She never treated them different, like she was afraid of them, even when she should have been. He wondered if that was what attracted the leech to her, especially with his mindreading. To have silence in his head for once after over a hundred years, that must have been as close as he got to peace, it was no wonder he had become obsessed with Bella. He rumbled low in his chest, his wolf's hackles rising slightly as he thought of the vampire.
He still worried that Edward would show up one day and try to whisk Bella back into his dangerous world. Not that Jacob doubted Bella's love for him, especially with the mark, but he worried what the delusional vampire would do to get his fix of peace. Bella had shared once that Edward had called her his drug and Jacob couldn't agree more. The leech was a junkie and Bella was his fix. He doubted it was the blood that called to him so much anymore, he was confident it was the quiet the bloodsucker got in her company that he was addicted to. Shaking his head he pushed his fears into the back of his mind as he pulled Bella closer and inhaled her familiar scent, letting the bubble of peace last a little longer as he dropped into a light doze.
Seth watched guardedly as Mikahla and Damon walked on the beach, their heads bent closely as they talked. A growl of frustration rumbled through him, wind ruffling his fur, and he briefly lamented the fact his imprint was a shifter. He was forced to stay downwind from the two of them, to avoid being detected, and hadn't been able to hear anything they were saying with the crash of the ocean and gusts of wind.
"That's not creepy at all."
Leah's dry voice popped into his head and he growled in annoyance as he turned to watch her amble to his side, dropping to her belly with a huff. She focused on the two figures below them, with their heightened eyesight she could easily make out who they were. "Not sure this is the best way to conduct a relationship little bro, imprint or not. If Mikahla catches you she's going to be pissed."
Seth huffed, avoiding her gaze as he glanced back at his imprint. "I promised her I would protect her. I don't know if he's trustworthy, he didn't try to protect her when she really needed him and then he shows up now out of the blue?"
Leah gave a mental shrug, rolling to her side to watch him better. "Their dad is the Alpha don't forget. Not like he had much of a choice. Maybe he feels guilty that he couldn't protect her then and now that she's escaped he just wants to make sure she's really safe. It's pretty much hardwired into us older siblings."
Seth let her observations roll around in his head, wondering if he was being paranoid, and sighed as he flopped on the ground next to her, his eyes still watching the figures on the beach. Leah rolled back to her stomach, their sides lightly pressed against each other. Seth knew he was one of the only ones in the Pack his sister would do this with, like the rest of them she had that same urge for closeness that could only be satisfied by touch. But she was too guarded to ask or accept from the other Pack members, not that Seth minded offering his sister the comfort she craved. It reminded him of when they were kids and she used to comfort him when he was afraid of the thunderstorms outside. He leaned against her a little more, needing the physical touch as much as she did right now, and felt Leah rest her head across his back as she relaxed slightly. He watched Mikahla and Damon, taking a small amount of comfort in the fact she didn't seem to be upset as they talked. Sighing deeply he rested his head on his paws, much more calm as he kept watch over his imprint.
Paul awoke with a start, blinking in the brightness as he tried to orient himself. He recognized the twins' room, early afternoon sunlight peeking through the curtains, and relaxed slightly as he laid his head back down. As his adrenaline faded he groaned softly, his body aching like he'd gone ten rounds with a newborn leech. Raising his hand he rubbed it over his face, frowning as he saw a faint glow over his skin, finally becoming aware of the sensation of flowing water across his skin. Looking down he saw Jen curled into his side, her skin covered with the same faint glow, and he realized she was cycling their energy back and forth in her sleep. He wondered if he should wake her, but figured she was as tired as he was after the night before, and settled back to watch the flow of energy across their skin. It flared brighter where her arm was draped over his chest, her hand pressed against his heart as if to reassure herself he was okay. He was surprised to find that he could feel her through the bond, stronger than before, almost like the Pack mind. He cautiously sifted through her side of the bond, not wanting to wake her and lose his chance at finding out how she really felt with her guard down.
He didn't go too deep, not wanting to invade her privacy on things that didn't have to do with the two of them, and concentrated on her memories of him. He sucked in a breath as her emotions washed over him, an echo of his own feelings towards her and he couldn't help the smug little smile at the revelation. He had known deep down she couldn't possibly feel nothing like she claimed; now he had proof. He pushed a little deeper, the gnawing issue of his mysterious imprint buzzing in the back of his mind. If Jen had seen her as she claimed, Paul could avoid her and the imprint and never have to deal with the fallout. A face appeared in his mind and he sucked in a breath, feeling a rush of dread and surprise. "Jacob is going to kill me."
He recognized the face of Jacob's sister, Rachel, and while he would admit to having a crush on her when he was younger, he certainly wasn't attracted to her now. With his crappy background, the one thing he held above all else was loyalty and the twins' selfish decision to take off and leave their ill father in the care of their little brother killed any sort of attraction he felt. Bella had taken better care of Billy in the last couple of years than the twins ever had, becoming a surrogate daughter to their chief, one of the things that earned the Pack's respect. He knew that the twins had refused to return since they ran off; Rebecca now married in Hawaii and Rachel in college somewhere in Washington. He doubted either of them would ever come back, easing his worry as he withdrew from Jen's side of the bond.
He let the thrumming soothe him, staring down at Jen's face as she slept, trying to figure out how to convince her that they could make this work. He knew they had rushed things, obviously, and he figured that was part of the problem. Paul had never had a serious relationship, he wasn't sure about Jen and he wasn't about to go rooting around for the info, and he thought of Bella and Jake. They had started out as friends, close friends, but friends none the less. He knew Jacob had been incredibly patient with Bella, something Paul had mocked him for often, but he wondered if it was part of the reason they had such a stable relationship now. Looking down at the pixie witch in his arms he knew that if he wanted to make this work with her, and prove to her it was possible, despite the will power and navigating new territory for him, she was worth it. Laying back he drifted off to sleep as he held Jen close to him, determined to fight for her.
Bella awoke slowly, cocooned in Jacob's arms and feeling well rested, despite their activities the night before. She smiled as she watched him sleep; he always looked so much younger than when he was awake. She sometimes forgot he was only seventeen; he had so much responsibility that he carried like a grown man. Although she supposed he was closer to being a man now than a child, his birthday was just a few months away. She admired how he stayed so strong through it all, she was sure she wouldn't be able to do it all and still have the sunny attitude that Jacob did. But she knew it was sometimes a front, she'd seen Jacob's dark side like he'd seen hers, and they took turns being the rock that the other could hold on to when it got to be too much. She knew that it was fast becoming one of those times, with her fight against James' venom and what seemed to be the emergence of her own powers. She hadn't had a chance to tell Jacob what had happened while she was unconscious, still trying to wrap her mind around it herself. The wolf hung foremost in her mind, even above her magic, turning her stomach into knots over the implications. Of course it hadn't bothered to give a straight answer to any of her questions, leaving her more concerned and confused than before.
The news of the possibility of having magic had been jarring enough when Jen told her, but the wolf brought a whole slew of questions and worry of its own. She couldn't be a shifter surely, trying to ignore the fact that the wolf had her eyes; she wasn't Quileute that she knew of. And there were only a handful of bloodlines in the tribe that carried the gene, the odds that she had some kind of tie to any of them was slim. She wondered if Charlie knew anything about it, she knew his family had lived here longer than Renee's had. And if she got the magic through Renee's bloodline, surely her mother didn't carry the wolf gene too. Her head was beginning to hurt and she shoved all her questions into the back of her mind for now, looking up to find Jacob watching her with his gold/brown eyes. She smiled at him, receiving one in return, and trailed her hand down the side of his face. "Hey."
"Hey." He leaned into her touch, rumbling in his chest, and pulled her closer to press a kiss to her lips. "How do you feel?"
She stretched slightly, feeling a little soreness from her fight with James, and shrugged. "Good as can be expected I guess. Starving though, I think I could eat as much as you."
Jacob laughed, rolling them so he was hovering over her. "I'd like to see that. Should I make you breakfast?"
Bella gave him a look of mock horror, smacking his arm as she wriggled out from under him. "I though you wanted me to get better? Your cooking will send me to the hospital, if you don't burn the house down first."
He twisted to watch her, placing his hand over his heart as he gave her a wounded look. "That's the thanks I get for trying to take care of you? I'm hurt."
She rolled her eyes at him, standing on shaky legs as she headed for the door. Jacob hurried after her, slipping his arm around her waist to help support her as his teasing mood was replaced by concern. "Are you sure you should be up? You've had a rough couple of days."
Bella leaned against his chest for a moment, tilting her head to see the worried look on his face and felt his pain over the last few days like her own. "So have you. But we both need to eat and at least the kitchen will survive my cooking. But you can help me, okay?"
He pulled a face at her jab and nodded, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked out to the kitchen. Billy was sitting at the table reading the newspaper but put it down when he saw them enter. "Bella. Thank the spirits you're okay."
She smiled at him, letting go of Jacob to give him a hug. Pulling away she gave him a concerned look. "Thanks Billy. But what about Charlie? Surely he's been worried about me."
Billy nodded, settling back in his chair. "We told him you had the flu that's been going around and were extremely contagious. He's been shorthanded at the office; the flu hit them too, so he wasn't able to come by fortunately. I was worried we were going to have to tell him for a while there, you gave us all a scare."
She didn't fail to notice the tremble in the older man's voice, nor the sudden misting of his eyes, and she felt Jacob grip her waist tighter as he took a shuddering breath. She nodded, feeling the weight of the somber mood in the room, forcing a smile as she wrapped her arms around Jacob's waist to steady him. "Well, that's all taken care of now."
Billy nodded and smiled back, the mood lifting, and she heard someone else enter the kitchen behind her. Turning she saw Paul in the doorway, still looking tired but much better than the night before. Releasing Jacob she raced to throw her arms around him, hearing him chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered how he'd fought for her and he pulled back to look down at her face. "None of that now. Like you said, I'm too stubborn to die."
She laughed, making him grin, and wiped her hand over her face as she tugged him down to hug him at her level. "Thank you."
He nodded, squeezing her tightly before releasing her to stand up, his eyes looking suspiciously misty. Clearing his throat he ruffled her hair with a smile and she mock glared at him as she moved back to Jacob's side. "Where's Jen?"
He jerked his hand back down the hall, an unreadable expression on his face. "Still sleeping. She exhausted her magic so she needs to rest. I'd still be sleeping but I need food to finish recovering. Is there enough or should I just go hunt?"
Bella made a face at the thought, making him laugh, and turned to the fridge. "I'll find something for you, leave those poor deer alone. You can be my assistant too, make sure Jacob doesn't burn anything."
Paul laughed, receiving a nasty look from his Alpha, and Bella rolled her eyes as she began pulling out food. "C'mon you two."
Despite her weakness, Bella settled into her rhythm of cooking easily, helped by the two shifters as they bickered good-naturedly back and forth. Billy chimed in from his spot at the table, ducking behind his newspaper to avoid the looks Jacob and Paul sent him, making Bella laugh. She felt at peace, where she belonged, and complete minus Charlie. She made a note to call him, she was sure he was frantic with worry and not taking care of himself at work. She wanted to see the rest of the Pack too; she knew they would want to see with their own eyes that she was okay. She decided another bonfire was in order, now that Paul was no longer self-destructive and would stay out of Old Quil's moonshine they didn't have to worry about any more problems. She frowned slightly at the thought of the Elder, wondering if he would be able to give her any answers. It seemed every time he answered one question five more popped up. She was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery of her magic and the wolf, and something told her the old man had at least some of the answers she sought.
Paul bumped her shoulder lightly, pulling her from her thoughts, and she saw the concern in his eyes as he watched her. "You okay?"
She nodded, giving him a half smile, and he raised an eyebrow expectantly at her. Sighing she shrugged, glancing over her shoulder to see Jacob setting the table as he talked to Billy. Paul followed her gaze, turning back to her with a small frown and asked in low voice, "Did you tell him what happened?"
Bella shook her head, stirring the noodles in front of her as she answered. "Not yet. I don't even fully understand it all myself, much less how to explain it to him. Not just James, there was more that happened after you left. Stuff that makes no sense."
Paul tilted his head at her in curiosity, idly stirring the stroganoff he was cooking as he waited patiently. Before she could explain Jacob rejoined them, slipping his arm around her waist as he tried to sneak a taste of the food.
"OUT!"
Bella and Paul spoke at the same time, brandishing their spoons with matching glares, and Jacob chuckled as he pressed a kiss to Bella's hair. She rolled her eyes, sinking back slightly into his embrace as she motioned for Paul to drain the noodles into the strainer. While he did that Jacob leaned down and nuzzled her neck, his voice laced with light concern. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, rubbing his arm in a soothing motion, and twisted to give him a small smile. "Yeah, but we need to talk to Old Quil soon. Paul too."
He raised his eyebrow at her slightly but nodded, squeezing her to his chest before releasing her. "I'll text Quil after lunch and set up a meeting. I have to run patrol this afternoon, will you be okay for a few hours?"
Bella nodded, seeing the strain on his face. He didn't want to leave her but was torn between her and his duty as Alpha. Squeezing his hand she gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine Jake. You have other duties besides me, you can't ignore them forever. And I'll be right here when you get back. Maybe I'll have Mikahla over or something."
Jacob nodded, his body releasing the tension she doubted he knew he had, and pressed a kiss to her temple before picking up the pan of stroganoff and carrying it to the table. He and Paul began to bicker good-naturedly about the servings, making her roll her eyes as she took a seat next to Billy. The older man shared a grin with her and she let the contentment wash over her as she dug into her food.
Jen awoke slowly, feeling her magic thrumming strongly in her veins. Blinking in the late afternoon light she sat up abruptly when she saw Paul was no longer in the bed. Panic flooded her body, until she saw a folded note on the bedside table, a single wildflower lying across it. She lifted it to her face, sniffing the delicate scent, and pressed it to her chest as she unfolded the note.
Jen,
Sorry I'm not here to say thank you in person, I hope the flower and this note will suffice for now. I know we have different opinions on whatever it is between us, but I wanted you to know I won't bother you about the bond again; I know we'll be free of it in a few months. Until then, I'm happy to be your friend, if you'll have me. If you need me, I'll be there for you. Thanks again.
Yours, Paul
A drop splashed onto the page, startling her, and she raised her hand to her face to find it wet with tears. Choking back a sob she clutched the flower and note to her chest as she stared out the window.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Already working on the next part, we'll get a little more of Damon and Mikahla's story and see what Old Quil has to say about Bella's experience. Let me know what you thought, thanks for reading!