Paul rapped lightly on the back door. Rachel, seated at the kitchen table, motioned for him to come in. He kissed the top of her head before taking the seat next to her. "You feeling better, Babe?" he asked.
Rachel automatically touched her stomach. "I told you, I'm fine," she said, staring into her teacup.
"Is Billy at the council meeting?"
"Of course. Why?" She turned to look at him, and her face was pale. Her eyes lacked their usual sparkle.
Paul shoved his chair back against the wall and pulled her onto his lap. "We need to talk, Rach." He cleared his throat. "Please, don't ever be afraid to be honest with me." She stared down at her clenched fists, but he took her chin gently in his hand and looked into her eyes. They seemed full of sorrow, and his pain was almost physical. "I love you, Rachel, and nothing will ever change that. Do you understand? But we need to clear the air."
Sighing deeply, she whispered "Okay."
Paul stroked her hair, wondering where to begin. Finally, clearing his throat again, he whispered, "Charlie saw you and Sue Clearwater coming out of Dr. Cullen's house. He only mentioned it because it was so odd, asked Seth if Sue was okay."
Not the Cullen house. Not Edward's house. So he had put two and two together. Her nod was nearly imperceptible, but a fat tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto his hand. His voice was thick with anguish when he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Rachel. I failed you when you really needed me."
Neither of them had said the awful word. Abortion. She grabbed a paper napkin and wiped at her eyes. "Can you ever forgive me, Paul?" Her eyes were brimming with fresh tears when she looked at him.
"Forgive YOU?" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Rachel, you did nothing wrong. It's your body, your decision. But you tried to talk to me and I let you down. I am so sorry." She was sobbing now, and he held her and let her cry, rocking her gently in his arms.
When she regained control, she looked up at him, her face stained with tears. "So...you're not m-mad?"
"No, baby, I'm not mad. I'm sad because I was dumb enough to let this happen, and I'm sad because I wasn't there for you. I'm feeling a lot of things, but 'mad' isn't one of them. I'm so sorry."
She smiled through her tears. "I'm so relieved, Paul. I don't want to have secrets between us. And I honestly think it was the right thing to do under the circumstances."
"Then I won't second-guess your decision. But I don't ever want you to hesitate to talk to me, Babe. About anything. Everything. It's a mistake I don't intend to make ever again."
Rachel heaved a deep sigh. "I'm glad you found out, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But do we have to tell everybody? I know with the wolf thing…"
He shook his head. "I promise I'll do my best to keep it to myself. It's nobody else's business. I love you, Rachel Black, and I always will." She relaxed in his arms just as Jacob burst through the door.
He grinned. "Awww, will you two just get a room already?" His smile dimmed when he sensed the tension in the room. "You okay, Rach?" Now he was glaring at Paul.
"I'm fine, Jake. We're fine." Rachel stood. "We were just saying good night, and you're welcome to stay and watch if you want." She grinned at her little brother, who could take a hint.
"Nah, I'm good. Night." He hurried through the kitchen and down the hall to his room.
Paul stood and took Rachel in his arms. "I love you," he murmured softly, though he knew Jacob could hear him. His kiss was warm, hungry, and passionate, and he pulled away reluctantly. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well."
The phone rang, and Rachel reached for it. "Oh, hi, Leah. Everything okay?"
"Sorry, Rach. I didn't realize it was so late. My dad's not home yet from the meeting, so I figured Billy was still out too. I'm sorry if I woke you."
"No, it's okay. What's up?"
"I need to talk to Jake. Is he around?"
Rachel covered the phone with her hand and called "Jake! It's Leah. For you."
Jacob's voice came from the bathroom, where she could hear the shower running. "I'll call her when I get dressed."
Leah laughed. "I heard. No problem. You okay, Rachel?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Rachel wondered just how much Leah knew, but she wasn't about to bring it up. She was pretty sure Sue was the soul of discretion. "Paul just left and I'm headed to bed. You have a good night."
"You too," Leah replied simply.
Jacob flopped onto the couch and pushed Redial. "Hey, Leah. Shouldn't you be asleep?" She could hear the smile in his voice.
"Yeah, you too - but I'm wired. I've just been running things through my mind, and we need to strategize for this meeting with the Cullens. Is it too late for you?"
"Nah. No time like the present. Want to meet at the beach? It's nice and quiet and we won't bother anyone."
"Sounds good. See you there."
The moon was full, but the night was cloudy. Thanks to his enhanced senses, Jacob spotted Leah seated on a small patch of grass, her back against the trunk of a large Douglas fir tree. He plopped down beside her, and the tangy scent of his aloe and wild sage body wash wafted over. She chuckled softly and commented "You smell good enough to eat" before considering the words. They both burst out laughing.
"Nice to see you too, Leah," he snickered, and they laughed again.
"Sorry," she said. "That scent is so distinctive, you can never sneak up on me."
"I wouldn't even try," he said with a grin. "So what's the plan, boss?"
She let the word slide. "I was thinking maybe one of us should stay in human form. I don't like the idea of having to communicate through Edward and his mind reading. Do you think I'm being paranoid?"
He shook his head. Their eyes were getting used to the heavy darkness. "No, I agree. We need to think about what kind of message we're sending if you don't phase...or if I'm the one who doesn't. Which one would underline the fact that you're the Alpha wolf?"
She sat quietly considering the options. "I think it should be you, Jake. You're less likely to come out swinging, and it's important that we keep our cool. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, it does. And you can maintain control if necessary, in case anyone gets hot under the collar. That's always a possibility, with Paul at least. But don't worry about me. I'll be okay." He laid a large, warm hand casually on top of hers.
"I'm not worried about you, Jake." She didn't move her hand but looked across the sand to the gently rolling waves as the moon peeked through the clouds. "Don't you ever think you should be sitting here with some cute teenaged girl instead of planning strategy with me?" She smiled at him.
"Not for one minute," he replied, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "Have you forgotten you ARE a teenaged girl?"
She laughed softly. "Oh. Right."