Of Sun and Shadows
Paul pulled up and parked in the street in front of the two-story house where Jared lived with his family. He was actually surprised that his best friend was even home, considering he was Kim's whenever he wasn't hanging out at Paul's or with the packs.
Regardless, Paul was happy he was there. His thoughts were rather crowded as he walked up the path, seeing the cheerful fall-themed wreath on the bright blue door.
He had barely knocked when it swung open.
"Dude, what are you doing here? Though you had a hot date," Jared said with a smirk as he stepped back and let Paul in.
"Got cut short. Again," he said, not hiding his frustration. Jared just chuckled as he started towards the stairs.
"Hey, Paul!" his mother called from the kitchen.
"Hi, Mrs. Cameron," he shouted back.
"You want some food?" she asked.
"I'm good, thanks," Paul said, thankful he had brought in his leftovers with him. Already, his stomach was growling as he started up the stairs. They had barely had a chance to eat before Roisin had to leave.
"What was it this time?" Jared asked as they walked into his room and Paul flopped back on his bed after putting the to-go boxes on his nightstand.
"Another family emergency. This time Mae," Paul groaned, staring up at the ceiling.
"Seriously? You have got some bad luck, my friend," Jared replied with a chuckle as he sat in his desk chair.
"Tell me about it," Paul said, sitting up. "I feel like maybe they don't like me..."
"That or they have some serious family drama," Jared said. "Good luck with that." Paul rolled his eyes.
He thought things were going well - again. But yet again, Roisin ran off just as things were getting good because of some family something or another. Either her family had serious issues, or it was intentional, as much as Paul didn't want to think it was. Roisin had seemed genuinely annoyed that Mae was constantly messaging her, then slightly worried. Surely she hadn't asked Mae to do it so she would have an out from the date.
Though, again, there was still a lot for Paul to learn about her. For all he knew, she was a brilliant actress. But if that were the case, why did she keep making plans to meet with him?
"What? Are you thinking it's on purpose?" Jared asked, correctly guessing where Paul's thoughts had gone.
"Maybe," Paul said. "Whether it's her cousin doing it to get in between us or…"
The two sat and contemplated this for a moment, neither wanting to vocalize the possibility that Roisin could be potentially rejecting the imprint. But the more Paul thought about it, the more he felt that wasn't the case. It couldn't be, right?
"But you're going to see her again, right?" Jared asked.
"Yea, we're going out again on Friday," Paul replied. "She actually suggested it."
"Well, I think we can rule out Roisin doing it intentionally, then. She wouldn't want to see you again if she was coming up with all these ruses to leave early," Jared said sensibly. "Though better hope she turns her phone off next time."
Paul snorted.
"We're going to see a movie, so she's going to have to," he said, feeling a bit better. "I might just throw it out the car window on the way to Port Angeles."
Paul reached over for the first box and opened it, starting to dig into the onion rings and tator tots. They were slightly cold and soggy at this point, but he didn't care. Food was food in his book. And he was starving.
"So outside of the early end, how'd it go?" Jared asked, leaning back in his chair, a smirk appearing.
"Good," Paul said, though it was slightly muffled from the food. He smiled slightly as he thought back over everything. "Should have seen the glare she gave the waitress when she batted her eyes at me."
Jared rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Why am I not surprised you'd find that hot?" he replied.
"Called her babe so the waitress got the idea and left us alone," Paul said.
"And how did that go over?" Jared asked.
"She liked it. Beginning to think there might be a bit of a spitfire in there somewhere," Paul commented.
"You sure? She's seemed pretty mellow to me so far. And figured the whole point of you imprinting was to find someone that keeps you calm," Jared said. "We all know how easily you lose your shit."
"Keeping me calm doesn't mean she's gotta be," Paul said. Jared just chuckled and shook his head. "I'm beginning to think there's a lot more going on under the surface with her."
"Just so long as you don't hop on Jacob's conspiracy theories," Jared said. Paul snorted. "Embry and Quil have about had it with the latest one."
"He's got another?" Paul asked, pausing before he shoved a handful of fries into his mouth.
"I've lost track at this point," Jared said. "Still not sure just where he got the idea that there's something weird going on. Graffiti? That's nothing new. And it's all in Forks - that's not our territory, last I checked."
"Maybe he's aching so much for some sort of supernatural disaster that he's resorted to creating his own," Paul said with a chuckle.
"Could be," Jared replied. Paul put the now empty box aside and reached for the other, pulling out and then biting down into his half-eaten hamburger.
There was a knock at the door and Jared got up and saw his mom with a tray full of leftovers from the Camerons' dinner that night.
"Figured you'd end up hungry again soon enough," she said, walking in and setting it down on the desk.
Thank god Jared's mom understood their metabolism without asking a ton of questions. Unlike Paul's dad, she wasn't privy to the tribe's secrets, though Jared's dad was. They had both decided it was for the best that she didn't know, though Jared's dad had stepped in to explain away things should something strange happen in front of her. Or if she caught him leaving for patrols, which happened rarely anymore. Jared had gotten good at sneaking out for them. For not the first time, Paul was glad he didn't have to hide anything from his dad. Would have made life a lot harder.
"Thanks, Mrs. Cameron," Paul said, just barely managing to swallow his mouthful of hamburger before speaking.
"Have fun, boys," she said before walking out and shutting the door behind her. Paul put the hamburger aside and walked over to the desk, his mouth starting to water.
"I swear to god, you are a bottomless pit…"
OOOO
"What's going on?" Roisin shouted as she charged into the house. She came to an abrupt stop and immediately was fighting to keep her anger in check.
Emergency, my ass, she thought bitterly. Whatever this was, Mae clearly believed that she needed Roisin there. But it was obvious that there was nothing serious going on at all.
Mae hopped up from the couch and skipped over to her, a wide grin on her face and a drink in her hand. Carly and Rosemary smirked from where they remained seated in the living room, watching the interaction with bated breath.
"You called me home for this?" Roisin hissed, narrowing her eyes at Mae.
"Not in front of the mortals," Mae sang softly as she looped her arm through Roisin's and led her into the living room. "We just had to save you from that horrible date."
"It wasn't horrible. Until you interrupted it," Roisin snapped. Mae shoved her down on the couch.
"You can do so much better," Carly said.
"Yea, you know Ethan is really into you. It's the quarterback. Really hot," Rosemary added. "I can give him your number, if you want…"
Roisin looked back and forth between the two, wondering just what the hell was going on. Neither of them had ever seemed interested in being friends with her. Nor had they shown any sort of interest in her love life. Well, except for the one day they had very nearly insulted Paul in front of her. They were fast learners and hadn't mentioned him at all since then.
"No, Ro should go out with Matt," Mae shouted out as she walked into the kitchen. "So much more fun. And damn, that boy can kiss."
"Thanks, but I'm good," Roisin said, starting to stand. If she escaped now, she could lock herself in her room and call Paul.
"You know, you should wear your hair down more," Carly said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down. She then reached up and pulled out the elastic holding it up and proceeded to fluff it out. "That looks so much better."
"Oh my god, do you even wear makeup? Your skin is so gorgeous," Rosemary gushed, moving to sit on her other side.
"Huh?" Roisin replied. Okay, this was getting extremely weird. She then glared towards the kitchen, knowing exactly what was going on.
Manipulation was Mae's forte. It's how she was able to get away with so much back at the Summer Court. Humans were far easier for her to mess with than fae. And well, they both knew that Roisin was far too powerful for Mae to even attempt it. But that didn't stop Roisin from sometimes wishing she had the same gift - certainly would make living with Mae easier at times.
"Ooo, who are you thinking about taking to homecoming?" Carly asked, clapping her hands in glee.
"Hold on," Roisin said as she managed to escape from the sofa and charged into the kitchen. As soon as she stepped in, a wall of flames appeared in the doorway, though the mortals in the living room couldn't see it, blocking out the most likely to be loud exchange that was about to go down. "What the hell are you doing, Mae?!"
"Just wanted to remind you that you have options," Mae said, glancing over at her from where she was making a smoothie.
"I don't want options! And I don't need them," Roisin retorted. "And since when did you have a problem with me seeing Paul?"
"Since you became obsessed with him," Mae said simply.
"I'm not obsessed with him!" Roisin shouted. "I'm just trying to get to know him, which could go a lot smoother if you would stop screwing things up!"
"And why should I help you?!" Mae shouted, spinning to face Roisin, her delicate features contorted into an angry scowl. "He's mortal, Ro! You're not supposed to be getting attached to him anyway!"
"You were just trying to set me up with another mortal!" Roisin shouted back.
"Yea. For fun! To remind you that we're supposed to be having fun!"
"Well, it's not like I'm getting much of an opportunity to get attached to him with you butting in, am I?" Roisin retorted.
"You're fucking choosing him over me and the sad thing is, you don't even realize you're doing it!" Mae shouted.
"I am not. Don't be ridiculous," Roisin scoffed.
"You were already pulling away from me, but then you meet him and suddenly, you don't want to have parties anymore. And you're always talking to Tara or Megan about him. Even when you hang out at home, you're always checking your phone or texting him or shutting yourself up in your room talking on the phone to him! He's a just a fucking mortal! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND!" Mae screeched.
"Okay, I think you're blowing this way out of proportion," Roisin said, rolling her eyes. "We've been on two dates. It's your own damn fault I said no more parties. I am not always on my phone when I hang out with you. And I have more classes with Tara and Megan than I do with you, which is why I talk to them more at school. That is not me choosing him over you or choosing anyone over you. Stop being so dramatic."
"I AM NOT BEING DRAMATIC!" Mae shrieked, causing Roisin to jump slightly.
Mae's face had gone red and her wings were fluttering angrily behind her. She glared at Roisin a few moments before taking a deep breath.
"I just don't want to lose my best friend," Mae said a bit more softly. "But it looks like I'm too late."
She walked towards the door as Roisin allowed the flames to disappear, then strode back out into the living room. Roisin stood a bit longer before sneaking out and going to her room, hearing Mae laugh and joke with Carly and Rosemary, acting as though their argument had never happened.
As she sat on her bed, Roisin wondered just what the hell had just happened. And how she had missed the fact that Mae was this upset. She always seemed happy when they hung out. And Roisin had made a point to not constantly check her phone when they were hanging out, but maybe she hadn't been doing as good a job as she thought.
Roisin then stopped and shook her head. She had wanted Mae to become more independent in Forks. To finally grow up a bit. They had always been together and done everything together, and to be honest, Roisin was starting to get tired of doing the same things over and over again.
The endless cycle of parties and not caring about anything but themselves. Never creating lasting bonds with others outside their little circle. Part of why Roisin ran away to the mortal world was because she wanted something different. She wanted to experience it all - everything that she couldn't in the Summer Court.
Freedom.
She thought Mae wanted the same thing, but maybe Roisin was wrong. She suddenly felt guilty. Mae didn't know the full reason why she had wanted to run away. At the time, she had convinced herself that it was for Mae's sake, but really it was for her own. She wanted to forget it had ever happened, even though it haunted her dreams still. There was also the shame.
Shame that she had allowed it to happen. That she hadn't been strong enough. Even though Sean - who did know about it - had told her over and over again, that nothing that had happened was her fault.
Leaning over, Roisin rubbed her face, her goal to call Paul now long forgotten, even though the urge to do so was strong. She wished he could come over and just hold her. But that would be beyond a bad idea right now. So instead, she stood and walked to her bathroom and turned on the hot water in the tub. Maybe a long soak would help clear her mind.
OOOO
Paul rolled over in bed and opened his eyes, then started, not expecting to see Roisin lying next to him. He looked around the dark room and then back at her. How the hell did she get in? And just how long had she been here?
"Hi," she said softly.
"Hi," he replied. "How did you get in? How do you even know where I live?"
Roisin smiled slightly, a soft laugh leaving her lips.
"You let me in, silly," she said, reaching up to tap his forehead with a slender finger.
Ah. It was another dream. Right. Paul smiled and then reached over and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. A content sigh left her lips as she settled her head on his chest, her arms also around him. He had to admit that this was a fair bit milder than previous dreams. For starters, they were both clothed, though he was only in a pair of boxer shorts that he usually slept in. But he still enjoyed it. Just holding her close like this. It calmed him.
"This is nice," she said softly. "I mean, I like the other dreams, but I like this too."
Paul smiled softly as she looked up and met his eyes. He reached up and caressed her cheek.
"Yea, I like it too," he replied. "And well, just so you know, I don't constantly dream about sex." Roisin chuckled and shook her head.
As he looked into her eyes, he swore he could see a clear, blue summer sky. Feel the summer breeze across his face. He wasn't completely sure just why she always made him think of summer, but was willing to embrace it regardless. It had always been his favorite season as well. Maybe that had something to do with it.
"I feel like you really see me," she whispered, a contemplative look on her face. "But I also feel like you're hiding something. What do you not want me to see?"
Paul felt his stomach drop. Even though this was just a dream, a sliver of fear ran through him. Was this just his subconscious worrying about finally telling her the truth and how she would react? Or did she actually suspect that he wasn't being as truthful with her? He racked his brain trying to think if he had said anything that would come off that way.
"But I suppose it's fair. I'm keeping secrets too," she then murmured. Paul frowned.
He had felt as much, but again, he hadn't thought he let on around her.
"Aren't we a pair? All our secrets," she then said, settling her head on his chest again.
"It's okay. You can tell me. When you're ready. And I'll tell you everything… when I can," he said softly.
Roisin hummed her agreement, snuggling closer to him.
"Let's just stay like this… always…"
"Okay," he replied softly. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, tightening his arms around her.
He wished that this was real. That Roisin was actually here in his arms, falling asleep with him. That this could be every night. But at the same time he couldn't help but worry about the future. When he finally told her the truth, would she believe him? Would she accept him, flaws and all? Wolf and all?
He hoped that she might.
OOOO
Roisin sighed as she pulled into the garage and turned the car off after school the next day. Mae had been avoiding her since their fight. She had gone out after her bath when she heard no more laughter, but Mae had shut herself up in her room on the second floor and didn't answer when she knocked.
When she got up for school, Mae had breezed out of the house, saying that Carly was giving her a ride, though the comment was directed at Sean as she pointedly ignored Roisin's existence.
All dayl, Roisin had tried to talk to her, but Mae had snubbed her, going as far as to move her small court to a different table that was completely full at lunch when Roisin walked into the cafeteria. All she could do was sit at their usual table with Tara, Megan and Trey, staring woefully in Mae's direction. She only managed to tear her eyes away when Tara had brought up that more of the strange graffiti had popped up. But even that couldn't keep her attention all that long.
Frowning still, Roisin got out of the Jeep, pulling her bag with her as she made her way into the house. She didn't know where Mae was right now, but she was pretty sure she was off with Carly and Rosemary. At least Roisin knew that she wasn't the one behind the weird signs popping up around the town.
But that was yet another mystery that she was going to have to find out.
"Where's Mae?" Sean asked as she walked in the main part of the house.
Roisin sighed and kept walking over to the couch where she flopped down, dropping her bag on the floor.
"Where do you think?" she asked as he followed her over, perching on the arm of the couch.
"Still not talking to you?" he asked. Roisin shook her head.
"It was a bad fight," she reminded him.
"But this is Mae, she'll come around soon enough and everything can go back to how it was," he replied. Roisin gave him a dubious look. "You and I both know Mae." She sighed again.
"I hope so. I just want to apologize. I didn't mean to pull away so much. I just… wanted her to realize that she doesn't need to depend on me so much," she said. "But maybe that's not a good idea."
"No. Your life has always revolved around her and taking care of her. It's about time she learned to survive on her own a bit," he said. "You have enough of your own problems to deal with."
Roisin didn't reply, just studied him. This was true. And honestly, she should be focusing on that. They had been lucky the last 100 years, but she felt like it would only last for so long. They needed to be figuring a way out of the mess she had left behind in the Summer Court. Not dealing with Mae's tantrums.
"I've been thinking about it, and… maybe we should consider what I suggested before," he started. Roisin leaned over and rubbed her temples.
"I told you, I won't force you to go back," she said, cutting him off. "You keep bringing it up and I keep telling you no."
"But it's the most direct solution," he replied calmly. "And I would do it if it meant you could finally be free of them. All of them."
Roisin looked over and smiled wanly at him. Bless Sean. He was always helping her. And while she appreciated it, this was asking too much of him - and had every chance of failing. She couldn't ask him to do this. It was far too risky.
"No, I think there's another way. We just have to find it," she said, shutting him down yet again. Sean sighed.
"If that's what you want," he said. Roisin nodded. "Heard in town today that there's more of that graffiti around."
"Saw some of it when I was out with Paul last night. It's definitely fae but Mae swore she's not doing it," she said, frowning. "You think we should do something about it?"
"Maybe? So far it's just graffiti. And harmless," he said. "Should definitely keep an eye on it, though." Roisin nodded, agreeing.
Even if it wasn't anything serious - and the mortals thought it was gibberish - it was a clear calling card for other fae. And it meant that there were other fae in Forks than just them. They absolutely did not need a ton of fae congregating here. The town was too small and it would be hard to explain away everything.
"You're still talking to him, then?" Sean then asked. Roisin's eyebrows rose.
"Yea. Though I haven't told him about the fight. We're going to see a movie tomorrow night," she replied. Sean frowned and she knew what he was going to say. "I'm not getting too attached."
"Are you sure about that? One thing Mae had right is that you are spending a lot of time talking to him. Seeing him," Sean said. "Is there more you're not telling me?"
Roisin looked away, taking a deep breath and going over how to respond. She really didn't want him more worried about her. And well, she wasn't all that worried even though she couldn't completely explain this sudden, strong connection with Paul to herself. They all had it right that normally fae didn't get so attached to mortals. Especially not this quickly. Hell, she didn't even think they got attached to their own kind this quickly.
"I've got it under control," she said, though she felt slight discomfort as she said it, signalling that it wasn't fully true. It was as close to lying as she could get. "It's fine."
Sean didn't respond, causing her to look over to him. He was studying her, light shadows dancing around him. They were only slight manifestations of his true power, as he had long ago hidden who he truly was from other fae. Roisin had only seen it a few times - once when he had explained who he was to her and another when they had run into some trouble in Paris with another group of Shadow fae.
As another royal, she had picked up that there was something different about him almost immediately, though he had taught her to hide the full extent of her essence as well. It was safer for the both of them this way.
"It's fine," she said again, pushing up from the couch. "I should get my homework out of the way. Let me know when Mae gets home."
She didn't wait for an answer as she walked to her bedroom.
"Okay."
OOOO
Getting into stuff! Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for reading and following!
