Walking on Sunshine
Paul leaned against his truck in the parking lot at the trailhead, trying to appear calm and collected but couldn't help the incessant tapping of his foot as he waited for Roisin. He knew he was early, but his dad had pretty much shoved him out the door earlier than he needed to leave, tired of his near-constant motion in the small house.
Paul checked his phone again, but there were no new messages. He had sent her directions this morning and then suggested she wear something comfortable and layers. It was still a bit warm, but depending on how long they were out, it could get chilly. And there was always the chance it could rain so she'd need a waterproof jacket.
Holy shit, he sounded like a mother hen. But Roisin was from LA, he reasoned with himself, so she probably didn't know all of this. And he wanted to make sure that as long as she was with him, she was safe, even if that meant protecting her from a cold.
He checked the time for the third time in five minutes and then glanced up at the road.
Nervous energy continued to pulse through his body, making it even harder to stay still. He pushed off the truck and bent down to go through his pack yet again. He had enough water and food - though it was more than the average person. And had tossed in a waterproof jacket though honestly, he really didn't need anything more than the t-shirt, comfortable shorts and his own worn hiking boots he had on. Thankfully the weather was still nice enough that he could get away with it without having to explain that he ran hotter. There were also a few emergency items, though he doubted they'd need them. He had been hiking this trail since he was a kid and knew it like the back of his hand, but with his dad working in the parks service and always harping on him about trail safety, it was habit.
He then stood, his ears perking up as he heard the sound of a car approaching down the road. Pulling the hiking pack on his shoulder Paul turned, waiting until a silver Jeep Wrangler came up and pulled into the parking lot, coming to a stop next to him. His breath hitched as he saw Roisin in the driver's seat. She smiled as she reached over for a bag in the passenger seat and then got out of the car, walking around to him.
"Hey," she said, sounding slightly breathless.
"Hey," he replied, feeling his heart begin to pound.
Paul was fairly sure that he was wearing a goofy grin and was glad that Jared and the others weren't around to see this. They would never let him live this down.
Big, intimidating Paul Lahote, smiling like a clown because of the spritely woman now standing in front of him, nervously gripping the straps of her backpack. Her red hair was pulled up in a bun, though wispy strands fell around her face. And even though she was decked out in sturdy hiking gear with a windbreaker, he thought she had never looked more beautiful. Just being near her had him feeling happier than he had all week and much calmer.
"So, this is it?" she asked, looking around at the edge of the forest, though she appeared to be fighting the urge to grin as well, shifting around on her feet.
"Yea, it's a good trail for beginners," Paul said. Roisin looked back at him. "Thought it might be good to start with and then I can show you some of the other more advanced ones once you're used to it."
Roisin nodded and smiled, seeming happy with the implication that this wouldn't be the only time they went hiking together.
"Sounds good," she said. "Shall we?"
Paul nodded and started to the trailhead, Roisin falling in step next to him.
"How's school?" Paul asked, figuring that was a safe enough topic to start with. They had already talked about it a lot by this point. Roisin shrugged.
"It's good," she said, though she seemed to tense slightly. "The usual and all."
Immediately Paul started to worry, wondering what could be wrong. She seemed to happily talk about school whenever it came up before. Had something happened? Was someone giving her a hard time? He had to find out so he could go kick the shit out of them.
Okay, first, he needed to calm down.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice even. Roisin glanced at him and smiled.
"Oh yea, just homework and stuff. High school drama," she replied airly with a short laugh. "Mae lives for drama, so I'm used to it."
"I do not miss that part of high school," he replied with a chuckle, looking back to the trail. "Though, I mean, I still live in La Push, hang out with everyone, so I guess I still get plenty of it."
"Right… with Jared, Jacob, Embry and Quil," she said, glancing over at him. "Must be nice, growing up all together like that."
"It's annoying most of the time. But, ultimately, they're good guys," he said. "Could be worse."
"So, you've been friends with all of them since you were kids?" she asked.
Paul didn't answer at first, finding the question was hitting a bit closer to a part of his history he didn't want to share yet. Damnit. That was definitely not a first date conversation.
"We've all known each other and grown up around each other, yea. And when we were little, we would play together and all. But I didn't really hang out with any of them in junior high until my junior year of high school. That's when Jared and I became best friends," he said, hoping his tone sounded casual and being careful to not make it obvious he was skirting around the truth. Roisin nodded slowly. "What about you? The way you talk about Mae, seems like you guys have been around each other just as long."
"We've been best friends since we were little and she's always been a big part of my life," Roisin said. She then frowned slightly. "Though… things are different… I mean, we were always close and always did everything together… but lately, I feel like we somehow got on different paths… But I don't think she realizes it..."
Paul's eyes widened slightly, though from the way she had talked about Mae over the last week, he had been getting that impression.
"It happens. People change as they get older. Sometimes what you thought was important… doesn't seem all that important anymore. And other things are," he said. He couldn't help but think of himself with that statement. And that he was royally screwing this up - Paul was no philosopher. But he had made it this far in the conversation, so best to keep going. Roisin looked over at him with a thoughtful look on her face. "You just… grow apart."
He then thought of the old group he used to hang out with. He was certainly glad he had grown apart from them.
"Yea… that makes sense," she said, smiling slightly. For a moment they got lost in each others' eyes as they walked, but then she looked away, her cheeks turning a bit pink. "So… what got you into hiking?"
"My dad," he said, glancing at her. "Like I said, he works in the parks service. Growing up, he was always taking me out with him. Teaching me how to hack it in the wilderness and all."
"Sounds nice," she said, though Paul heard the hint of sadness in her voice. He glanced at her.
"You spend a lot of time outside growing up?" he ventured to ask. He wanted to know more about what it was that made her sad so that he could make it better. Or at least try.
He wanted nothing more than to make her happy.
"All the time," she said, now smiling at him, her blue eyes dancing, the sadness now seemingly gone. "It's always warm where I grew up, so I was outside more than I was in." She chuckled. "Being in nature… it makes me feel whole."
Paul noticed that her cheeks began to fill with color, almost as though she hadn't meant to say that. She laughed nervously.
"I get it," he said, hoping to make her feel at ease. "I mean, it feels different out here. Better."
Paul grimaced slightly, wishing that could have sounded better but he had never been a man of many words. Or particularly good with them.
He looked around the forest, taking in all the smells and sounds. He had stopped spending so much time out here when he started high school. But since becoming a wolf, his appreciation for it had come back in full force. More than that, he felt like he had a deeper connection with nature.
"It's like there's a connection," he continued, pushing through the embarrassment. He then ventured a look at Roisin and found her smiling softly at him.
"Yea, I feel that way too," she replied and he felt his heart begin to soar. Maybe he wasn't a complete idiot. He swallowed and looked away.
"So, why Forks?" he then asked.
"Oh, well, honestly? We were looking to move and I opened a map of the U.S., closed my eyes and pointed," she said with a laugh. "Landed on Forks."
"Seriously?" Paul asked. She nodded. "Your uncle didn't decide?"
"Sean, ah, let me pick," she said, seeming a bit flustered. "He can pretty much work from anywhere, which helps since we move around so much."
"Must be nice," Paul admitted, though now he was curious over just what it was Sean did for work, though thought it better not to pry that deep just yet.
"Yea, it's nice being able to have him around a lot," she said.
They descended back into silence a bit longer, Paul racking his brain for something to ask her. He really wanted to ask why they moved around a lot. The only people he knew that moved as much were the Cullens, but it was obvious why. And she definitely wasn't a vampire - he had felt the warmth of her skin, felt her heartbeat. Why would normal people need to move so much? Were they running from something?
A spike of protectiveness hit him. Whatever it was, he would make sure that she was safe.
"So, it's just you and your dad?" she then asked, breaking the silence as she looked over at him and beat him to speaking. "You never talk about your mom."
"Yea, since I was 12," he replied. "My mom died of cancer."
Paul nearly stopped walking, surprised at his candor. He hadn't really intended for things to get too deep on the first date. Even if this was his imprint and he found it hard not to share everything with him. But then he looked over and saw a look of sympathy on her face. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. He felt a comforting warmth spread throughout him.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "That must have been rough."
"Yea, but we managed," he said, somehow fighting off the urge to go deeper than that. Again, not ready for that. "How long has it been just you, Mae and Sean?"
Roisin let go of his hand and started walking again, turning her face away from him. Paul followed her.
"It's been awhile," she said with a sigh. "But we've managed. Sean has really gone out of his way to take us in. Taught us a lot."
For a moment, it was as though he could feel her pain even though he didn't know what had happened. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but stopped himself, instead maintaining his pace - keeping some space between them. This was the most personal she had gotten with him.
"What happened, if you don't mind talking about it," he asked. Roisin glanced at him, giving him a sad smile.
"Trust me, it's a long story. All that matters is I'm happy now," she said.
The answer was vague and only caused more questions, but Paul knew better than to push it. They would have the rest of their lives to get to know each other. Maybe someday she would feel comfortable enough to tell him. Paul was slightly surprised at himself. Usually he just barged bluntly into things, but it seemed finding Roisin - his imprint - was bringing out a gentler side of him. Sam would be happy.
But right now, he wanted to focus on making Roisin happy.
"Come on. There's something up here I want to show you," he said, motioning up the trail with a smile. Roisin returned it and nodded.
"Okay."
OOOO
For a moment, Roisin thought she was back in the Fae world.
Paul led her off the main path of the trail, helping her over fallen tree trunks and such even though he didn't really need to, telling her that it wasn't far. Then they stepped out of the trees and before her was a small hidden spring with a waterfall that cascaded down into. It was enchanting.
"Oh my god," she said, her eyes going wide. She looked over at him, finding him smiling as well.
She turned back to it and stepped closer, bending down to look into the crystal clear water. Reaching out, she dipped her hand in the water finding it was cold and then looked up at the waterfall.
"In the summer, this place is full of people, but the water's too cold to swim now," he said, moving over and sitting on a rock near her, pulling his pack off and setting it on the ground next to him.
She noticed he was blushing slightly and not meeting her eyes, which made her think people came here for more than just swimming.
Oh, goddess. Was that why he had brought her here? If it was, to be honest, she didn't think she would mind all that much.
Nope. Today is about getting to know Paul more, she scolded herself.
Roisin then sat down, watching the water dance down the waterfall. Things had been a bit awkward as they walked down the trail and she could sense that there were things Paul wasn't telling her. But she wasn't about to push it, knowing she had her own secrets to hide. And while she was long used to hiding who and what she was, she found herself wanting to completely open up to him despite the fact that they had just met. Which was scary. She remembered Sean's warning.
She couldn't get attached. But it was already proving difficult.
"So, you bring all of your dates here?" she asked with a smile. Paul chuckled and looked down at the spring, his cheeks turning slightly red.
"Ah, no," he said. "Well… not for a long time. Haven't really dated anyone in… it's been awhile."
"I find that hard to believe," Roisin replied, finding it much easier to flirt and joke around. Flirting was light and airy. She wouldn't have to get too deep and honest with him. "I'm sure you take a different girl out every week."
He glanced at her and for a moment she could see a hint of pain in his eyes, but he covered it up with a sheepish grin.
"Like I said, not so much anymore," he said. "It's pretty much work and... school right now."
"Right… you said you were taking online classes. What's your major?" she asked. Better to keep the focus on him.
"Just general studies at the moment. Figured by the time I've saved up enough and gotten my grades high enough to transfer to a four-year university, I'll have figured something out by then," he said, though he seemed hesitant.
"I think that's a good idea," Roisin said quickly, not wanting him to feel any sort of shame in it. "I might do that too… I don't really know what I want to do in university yet, to be honest."
Paul chuckled.
"I have a hard time imagining you in community college," he said. "Don't you make straight As and take mostly AP classes? You could probably get into any school you want."
Roisin shrugged as she looked back at the waterfall. It was true. And she had attended classes at Stanford and UCLA, even UC Berkeley. But they had never stayed anywhere long enough for her to actually get a degree. Even then she always just took random classes, unable to decide what she wanted to get a degree in.
For the first time, Roisin actually found herself thinking it might be fun to do that. Maybe apply for the University of Washington if it meant she could stay near Paul.
She started at that thought, shaking her head slightly. Where had that thought come from?
"Have you thought about it, though? What you'd want to study in university?" Paul then asked, bringing her out of her reverie. "Senior year typically goes by pretty fast." She looked over at him.
"Sometimes. But I haven't decided anything yet," she said. Truthfully, it was ridiculous of her to think about getting a degree. It was her nature to change her mind frequently and at the drop of a hat. Chances are she'd change her degree every semester even if she did try. "What about you? Given any thought to what you might want to study?"
Paul looked away from her, his face the picture of contemplation. He finally shrugged and smiled sheepishly.
"Not much," he said. "Maybe computers? I'm pretty good at that stuff, but not sure if I want to make a career out of it. Having a career still seems like it's some sort of far off thing… I'm only 18."
He then smiled at her and Roisin felt her heartbeat flutter a bit. Goddess, she loved his smile.
"Yea… 18 is still really young," she agreed. "Lots of time."
For a moment they stared into each other's eyes and she felt a distinct pull, wanting to get closer to him. To wrap her arms around him and feel his warm body against hers. Flashes of the night they met went through her head and it was hard to regain her focus.
He must have been feeling something too, because he moved slightly closer, reaching out and touching her cheek gently, then tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Roisin couldn't look away as her heart raced and she prayed to all the goddesses that he would kiss her. But at the same time, she worried if they started kissing that she wouldn't be able to stop.
As he continued to stare at her, hesitating, Roisin caught the look in his eyes and decided to hell with it. They were in a secluded part of the forest. What were the changes anyone would come across them?
She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. It took half a second for him to respond, reaching out and pulling her closer until he was almost cradling her in his arms, and hers going around his neck. This kiss was softer, gentler than that night. But it still sent sparks throughout her body.
Paul's hand came back to her cheek and she swore she felt heat radiating from it. In fact, his entire body felt like it was on fire. And it was spreading to hers.
Roisin deepened the kiss, pulling him closer and feeling the fire start to grow. His hand drifted down her side, slowly descending until it landed on her ass. Just as it touched, a sudden vibration went through her body. Roisin jumped, her lips leaving his as her eyes widened.
It was then that she realized it was her phone going off.
"Sorry," she said, pulling away and fishing her phone out of her back pocket as Paul chuckled softly, scratching the back of his neck.
Opening up, she saw a series of texts from Sean, telling her that there was an issue back at home and she needed to get back now. Groaning, she replied and then snapped it shut.
"I really hate to end this here, but that was Sean. Something is going on at home and I need to get back," she said.
"Yea, sure. No problem," Paul said quickly, though she saw the disappointment clear in his eyes.
Oh goddess, she hoped he didn't think this was her trying to get out of the rest of the date. She really, really wanted to continue the date. He looked up at the sky.
"It's probably going to start raining soon, anyway," he said, looking back down at her before getting up. He then held his hand out to her.
Roisin quickly accepted it and soon enough they had their packs back on and were headed back to the trailhead, neither talking much. Roisin couldn't help it as she silently fumed over whatever sort of emergency was going on.
When they got back to their cars, she turned to him, wanting to do whatever she could to show him that she wasn't leaving because she wanted to. So she pulled him to her, kissing him as passionately as she dared go for now. Otherwise she'd end up pulling him into the back of her Jeep.
"So… maybe we could do this again next weekend?" she asked, slightly breathless afterwards. Paul started grinning and nodded, seemingly unable to speak for the moment. "Good."
She then kissed again briefly and hurriedly got into her car before she was tempted to do anything else. With a wave, she started it and pulled out. When she glanced out the window, she saw him still standing there, watching her. A smile played across her lips as she returned her focus to the road.
Okay, maybe she couldn't wait until next weekend to see him again.
OOOO
Roisin's mouth dropped open as she pulled up to the house, seeing small groups of fae gathered around, some playing music, others dancing. And some others just talking.
"What in the holy hell," she murmured, quickly turning the car off and hopping out, nearly forgetting her pack in the process. She slammed the door shut and nearly ran to the front door.
There were more fae inside the house.
For the love of all the goddesses, what did Mae think she was doing? Maybe Roisin should have told her the full truth. Then she wouldn't do stupid shit like this. Inviting every fucking fae in the mortal world to their house. Okay, so that was a bit of an over-exaggeration, but there were still a lot more fae there than Roisin liked.
"What the hell is going on?" she shouted as she stepped out onto the verandah, finding Mae sitting with a group of fae around the pool, a wine glass full of shimmery gold liquid in her hand.
When she saw Roisin, she immediately stood and skipped over to her.
"Finally! So how was the date? You guys get down and dirty in the woods?" she asked with a wink.
"What is this?!" Roisin shouted, motioning to the fae around them and ignoring her question.
"Well, you said no more parties. But you said nothing about fae gatherings," Mae said with a shrug. "I thought it would be a fun way to welcome you home from your date."
Roisin groaned and nearly smacked herself in the forehead.
"Mae… you know we can't just go and invite a ton of fae around," she said, attempting to keep calm. Really all she wanted to do was throttle her. Or have a panic attack. She hadn't figured out which just yet.
"That's what I told her," Sean said, appearing at Roisin's side, glaring at Mae.
"Oh, come on! You are taking this whole guardian thing way too seriously. You're not actually our guardian, you know. And you," she said, turning to look at Roisin. "There was a time when you loved this! What the hell has happened to you?"
Roisin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, struggling slightly to keep her temper in check. Once she thought she had herself under control, she opened her eyes and looked at Mae.
"Mae. We are trying to keep a low profile," she said, glancing around. "A few fae are fine, but this many? We can't control what they do."
"Oh please, it's not like they're going into town to wreak havoc. They're just hanging out here. We are pretty far away from civilization," she huffed.
Roisin stared at her a moment and then looked around. She knew she could make them all leave in a heartbeat. For that matter, Sean could as well, though Roisin knew why he had deferred to her, not wanting Mae or the others to truly know who he was. But at the same time, maybe if she let the party go on for a bit, it might be enough for Mae to stop acting out for at least a little while.
Now that she looked at it, there weren't that many here. And they were all solitary. They wouldn't share their location with the court fae.
"Okay. Fine. But they are all gone by tomorrow morning," she said, watching as Mae's face lit up with glee. "And no one goes into town or anywhere near mortals."
"Got it," Mae said. She then stuck her tongue out at Sean before spinning on her toes and sauntering over to the group she had just left.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sean asked. There was no accusation or caution in his voice, but Roisin could tell he was worried.
"I didn't think I had a choice," Roisin said with a sigh as she turned to him. "If it's not this, she might try something else."
Sean studied her a moment before his dark eyes flinted around the yard.
"Okay, I could see that," he relented. "But you're going to have to put your foot down, Ro. She's not going to stop and we both know that." He paused a moment. "I think you should tell her."
Roisin was silent. Even though she knew that she should, she didn't want to. Mae was always full of light. If she told her her one remaining secret, she might tarnish that. And she didn't want to do that. Not to mention, it had taken a moment of true vulnerability to tell Sean. She didn't want Mae to know how weak she truly was.
Roisin sighed again as she looked over at Mae, who was laughing loudly.
"I don't think I can…," she said. She then turned and started back into the house. "I'm going to change and then I'll be back to help keep an eye on things."
She could sense that Sean wanted to talk to her more, but would wait for her to come around.
"Got it."
OOOO
Okay, so I have gotten a TON of writing done on this story the last couple of days. Kind of surprised myself, to be honest. But happy to be able to post more! And apologies. I mean, I'm already off canon with this one, but legit forgot that Paul's parents were divorced – enough folks in the Twilight universe have dead parents, so I think it's an understandable mistake. But yea, it's done. I killed his mom in this story, sorry about that. It was an honest brain fart on my part.
But yea, I've figured out a lot of the backstory along with all the writing and editing. So I'm excited to get a lot of these chapters posted.
Thanks for reading and following!
